My First Time Will Not Be My Last

Tuesday was my first time donating blood. I have thought about it several times and went in expecting to donate a few times (taking antibiotics and cold medicine got me turned down.) I did it right before going into work and I was iffy about the whole thing not knowing how long it would take. I guess, I have pretty good sized veins because they were able to get in there in one shot. Took only about 12 minutes to drain me.

I actually feel good about doing this because I do know that it will be useful for someone who needs it as currently the blood banks are low. I'm not too sure how long a donation can last but it'd be interesting to hear a news report saying that the blood bank is in a surplus. 93% of the 14 million units transfused to 4.9 million patients were collected via donation. Heck, there are even some believed benefits for men donating (reduce the risk of heart disease, controls blood iron levels and monitor your cholesterol level.) They liken it to bleeding off some oil from your car and putting fresh stuff in except your body is making the new stuff. I was pretty impressed with how easy this experience was and plan to do this again in the future. Later, I talked to a friend of mine about my donation and he said something to me that made me wonder: "I'm not donating. They charge so much money for the blood when it's used at the hospital that I'm not giving it for free."

My question for you is: How much of a difference between what it costs them to receive blood (provide extraction machines, provide clean needles, provide clean bags, provide clean surgical tubes, stock the donation center with food and drink, staff the center with medical professionals, store blood in a clean facility, promote donations, etc.) and what they charge the hospital, insurance and the patient? Would this keep you from donating?

Top 5 Pillow Injuries

Sure, we've seen violence with pillows many many times on television. Whether it is the wife snuffing out her husband's life or snoring under a pillow or the ever popular pillow fights during a 'sleep over.' But here's something you probably haven't thought about... 5,840 people with pillow related injuries checked into U.S. emergency rooms in 1992. Not hospitals but emergency rooms meaning there probably were more non-emergency injuries that just went to see their own doctor. Of course, with a bigger population since the nearly 14 years since that survey, there is a bigger chance of sending more to the hospital today. (I do wonder if that is why more people are seeking help for sleep apnea.) No, I really don't see myself going back to putting a pillow under my head as I sleep anytime soon. My question for you is: What is your Top 5 list of how these pillow related injuries may have occurred?

Feeling Guilty?

You own a functioning automobile, a television set, a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and many of the things that are considered common in our present era. If you go back a few decades, these were all considered luxury items. But, for some reason they are considered standard fare now because people expect more and have more money to spend. Most of us actually have more than one television, a computer (or you are at the library annoying a librarian presently,) VCR and DVD player. I believe that the more we acquire, the more we think we live a sub-standard lifestyle because we don't have something someone else has. Nothing is wrong with keeping up with the Jones'.

I mention this because we all have jobs to pay for our necessities and luxuries. I'd like to know if you feel guilty about how hard you work, how much money you make and how you live. Many people would like you to.

Revisiting Firefly

I'm pretty upset with myself. I've been easily distracted by my projects around me (and been sleeping as if for some reason my life depended on it) and not posted. I feel you deserve more than a quickie post.

I became hooked on Buffy The Vampire Slayer after the season (had to watch the early episodes in reruns to catch up.) Of course, an addiction to Angel followed. The way Joss Whedon creates a great cast of characters and brings them together is almost magical. That was why I was thrilled when his new series Firefly made its debut on Fox.

If man were to leave earth to colonize the outer planets, would the lawlessness and lack of authority create a modern day wild west in space? Would the planets be ruled by one body or remain independent? Take those questions and add proven character-driven writing, technological elements with a jolt of humor here and there... I'm watching. The series was amazing but ended before its time and before all the filmed episodes aired. Depression set in and I joined a mass of browncoats in a desperate fight to keep the show on the air... which failed. Several of the actors migrated over to Buffy and Angel as both of those series made their final bows. A comic book was released and then finally the movie Serenity was released last year.

I waited until recently to rewatch all of the episodes of the television series (including the unaired episodes and amazing extras) and last week finally viewed the feature film, Serenity. I would implore any of you to rent or purchase the series as it is enjoyable on many levels. Imperfections and all, these characters grow on you and it's amazing to feel that way after spending less than a season with them. Here's the theme song.

Seeing a show that you really got into bite the dust can change how much interest you put into other shows out there. So, what television series cancellation has most affected your TV viewing?

Page Migrations

With the new work hours there is considerable downtime and I can't wear the iPod during work hours so I've finally been able to get some reading done. (Ok, sometimes it's hard to read because there is this person I work with that has a booming and excited voice that resonates off the walls and he needs to talk about everything he does including his last bathroom visit.) I've been stockpiling books to read for the last few years and now can start getting into them. Although I promised someone (cough, Lloyd) that I'd start with the Da Vinci Code, I was drawn into Thomas Sowell's Migrations And Cultures: A World View.

I don't mention Mr. Sowell much but, as I have been reading his column at Townhall.com, he has had a way with words in turning my Polaroid view to that of a wide-angle lens. The book has over 100 pages of reference material (which made the book look ominous) but contains statistics for immigration, emigration, repatriation, remittance and much more that I never knew were documented that far back. If anything, the book does a good job of showing you the struggle of many different cultures to better themselves (which often bettered the economy of the country they came to) while enduring the societal issues of progressing beyond the standards of people of the host country (many of these led from terse harmony to civil wars and genocide to dictatorships.) A very impressive read although it may make your brain hurt a little.

Now I'm off to work and to start Dan Brown's novel in hopes to finish it before the movie is released. I'm sure that it'll be a much easier read. What've you got in your current reading list?

How The Cookie Crumbles

Today, I'd like to vent about one of my favorite treats... the chocolate chip cookie. The simplicity of the recipe helps those of us picky people that would like to make it at home ourselves. I know... you are wondering, "Why would you do that when there are those bags, boxes and cookie dough rolls staring at you when you are in the shopping aisles?" Well, that's easy. Control. You know exactly what goes in there. (And they taste better just out of the oven.)

My favorite example is the use of coconut and coconut oil in the pre-mixed dough. I really wish I knew why. I can taste it there and it becomes a coconut chocolate chip cookie to me. But, did you know that they sneak those items into your cookies often? I first discovered it after I bought some at 'Mal-Wart' and thought it was an aberration that coconut was used in it. But then I seen that it's in my favorite ice-cream, chocolate chip cookie dough. (Btw... it's been tested, that if you take out the cookie dough in the ice cream, it doesn't bake up like the real thing.)

So, I like to make them myself if possible (not often enough) and looking at each of the labels on the cookies that I buy. It's amazing what they try to sneak in there on you. Any surprise ingredients in your favorite goodies that you'd like to share?

Today's Interest In Genetics

The research behind genetics is pretty amazing. No, I am not thinking of making any of the local animals glow green or growing human ears on the backs of rats. I'm more intrigued by simple things like the tendency for a man and a woman to have a child with the same eye sight as the father. Nothing astounding.

I discovered that I had bad eyesight as a child. I can still exactly remember how. I was sitting in my father's car waiting to go home from the tennis courts with my siblings. I noticed my father's glasses there (he tended to use them most when he drove.) I put them on. It was the weirdest thing... the world really seemed to open up to me. I turned my head to the right and looked at what used to be the Desert Inn golf course and could see little white golf balls out there. This was amazing to me because I've looked at that area thousands of times. It was like super vision but I didn't know that it was pretty much standard. I didn't get my first pair of glasses until much later.

My brother also has vision issues but all 3 of us went in to look into Lasik a few years ago. My father and I were told we had rather thin cornea so we weren't candidates at the time. Matt got his vision corrected. Dad decided to go to another specialist for a second opinion and got his eyes done there. He actually mentioned it to me at the time but I was very wary with someone burning something that is thinner than normal. You ever see where the piano is dangling over the damsel in distress by a rope that has caught fire? Same idea.

So, of course severak years have gone by. My brother is thinking he needs contacts again. My father wears reading glasses here and there. And I? I'm getting my eyes looked at one more time in just a few minutes. They are going to have to make it sound pretty amazing for me to get something done (remember that pessimistic optimist thing?) but we'll see. I'm happy that I didn't do it earlier and I could wait a lot longer for better technology. But, I can't help seeing the irony of having my mother take me to have father's genetic traits corrected. hahaha

P.S. - They talked me into it. Surgery went well and I can see a difference already. I'd describe the process but I don't want to freak anyone out. The doctor did a great job and now I just have to rest th recover quick enough to watch UFC tonight and the Super Bowl tomorrow.

Baby, You Just Like Me For My Fat Fingers

Ever wonder what happens to all those eBay searches for "furniture" when the person submitting it didn't pass 3rd grade and spells it "fernatur." Well, not everyone has but think of it... if everyone is bidding on one correctly-spelled item the price will keep rising higher and higher. Wouldn't it be great to buy it for a whole lot cheaper at the expense of the person that can't spell? Ok, maybe they were just in a hurry and had a typo but that's the whole idea behind the site Fat Fingers. Nothing promotes a good education and patience like having someone win your expensive items for less than $1 + shipping and handling.

Why My Lost Days Aren't Lost Anymore

Most people that know me pretty well know that I am pretty displaced when it comes to time. I get wrapped up in many of life's little moments that I don't pay attention to the bigger numerical picture. Heck, I loathe numbers in general. But I found an interesting little program that makes it pretty hard for me to forget important dates.

Rainlendar is an interesting and free little program that sits on your desktop (put it where you want) with an active calendar as well as a To Do list and Event list. I see when I have appointments a week ahead of time (even further if I look at all the little highlighted numbers and wave my mouse over them.) So I'm a little more organized instead of needing what has become the 2 day Martin notice for particular events. Maybe putting bills on there might be a good idea to consider.

Is That Where They Got The Idea?

I'm not saying that everyone needs a new bra like the one seen above but it got me thinking that I've seen that somewhere before.

Defensive Parking

I don't think that I'll ever understand why they focus on parallel parking in driving school when in most cities people have enough problems with parking between parallel lines. You see, I discovered something on a trip to Best Buy (when I bought my iPod.) And now I'm very wary of who I park near and who drives the cars around me.

I picked up lunch on the way over to the store and figured that I'd finish eating it before I went in. A few minutes later, a little car with 3 people in it pull up in the spot to my right. The man driving the car weighed in at a good 375 lbs. (not tall and not exaggerating here, possibly more.) He opened his car door and started getting out. You probably know right now what happened. Wiggling his car between two cars didn't give him that much room to get out. A push of is body extended his car door out that extra distance to slap my passenger door like some punk. Hearing this, I turned my head to look the driver in the eyes and he wouldn't look at me, didn't apologize and hurried (waddled) into the store. Smartly, he left one of his friends waiting in the car fearing retribution. I hopped out and surveyed the damage and surprisingly there wasn't any to my door. I was still pissed. I pulled my car out of the spot and pulled into some spaces on the other side of the car. I wasn't going to wait to see how gentle he was trying to get back in.

Anyhow, I was thinking about the situation here. Sure, I could have beat him to the ground for being inconsiderate but it would have been 3 to 1. But, I now know why my friend Daniel parks his car in the most open area of the parking lot. Safety! If you have trouble getting in and out of your car, wouldn't you park in a spot where you don't have to deal with a situation like this? But then again, if you are that big, you wouldn't want to have to walk farther to get into the store. All I know is that I'm watching who I'm parking near for now on.

Hunting Elusive Discs

We've all done it before. You know you loaned out a CD to someone and you never got it back. It happens all the time except... I rarely loan out CDs. While filling up the iPod (I left 2GB for podcasts), I noticed several CDs were missing. Julian Cope's My Nation Underground, The Cure's Fascination Street, Die Warzau's Disco Rigido, Depeche Mode's Catching Up With Depeche Mode, Midnight Oil's Diesel And Dust, The Lightning Seeds' Sense and many others aren't where they should be. It's driving me batty. I am such a control freak with my music that I keep them all in their cases (except the CD changer and folder used for DJing.) Now, I have to play detective and figure out where they went. I know there are probably a few more boxes somewhere that I'm not noticing or someone did a good job of swiping them under my watch.

I've also discovered one more shocking thing when putting all my music into a little hard drive... I have 3 duplicates. I guess I missed the albums so much I re-bought them even though I had them the whole time in my CD changer. What albums? The Goo Goo Dolls' A Boy Named Goo, Hatful Of Rain: The Best Of Del Amitri and Aerosmith's Pump. Very odd batch.

Meanwhile, some holes in my collection are being filled with a great Valentine's Day sale currently going on at Super Pawn. Essentially, a majority of the albums are selling for as little at 89 cents (10% more off if you buy 5 or more.) So, I've been visiting quite a few stores and added some that I'd been missing by Guy, MC Hammer, LeVert, Jody Watley and a few others. I figure that the whole album is worth more to me as a collector while a single song download is 99 cents. I figure I'm saving some cash this way.

Oh, one last note. UB40 release their new album, What You Fighting For?, next week. I put a "listening party" up at http://www.80smusiccentral.com for anyone interested in what their newest music sounds like. I see it as a free way to try out a CD before it comes out.

Two Great Things, May They Work Great Together

I've mentioned how much Tivo has affected my life in the past. I'm a media junkie. Some people believe there are too many channels and not enough to watch, I say there is a lot to watch but just not enough time to watch it. I've also mentioned my new friend the video iPod. Well, now just like someone dipping their chocolate in someone else's peanut butter, the two great products now will be working together. Tivo has announced that their Tivo to Go program (which allowed you to take a program that you recorded on your Tivo Series 2 machine and send it to your computer) will now allow a new as-yet-unnamed program to compress that into a video that is playable on your iPod. Why pay $1.99 to download a program if you have already recorded it on your Tivo? That's CD and DVD money they are taking from me.

There are some skeptics to this idea. They believe that the people that own the Tivo Series 2 to be a very small market and that this only devalues Tivo. I believe this shows that Tivo is trying to expand its connectivity and make it easier for you to see and or take your entertainment where you need it. One of the biggest sales markets of Tivo was the deal they had with DirecTV, which is still ongoing but DirecTV did come up with their own DVR that they want to get out there. So, the best way to counteract copycats in the marketplace is to create a better product and hope to make it profitable is expand upon what it can do. You allow it to enter areas of the market that others aren't touching and can't touch without getting more expensive.

Previously, Tivo used their Tivo to Go manager to allow someone using DVD burning software to allow you to take DVDs of your television programs with you. I had issues with it as it had codec issues (video and audio formatting.) If you have other codecs installed on your system, it fails. There are tons of codecs out there: DIVX, FFDShow, MPEG-4 video, QuickTime, Matroska, OGG, AVI... too many to really continue listing. One has to be installed to play each of these. I'm not willing to disable my computer to enable my DVD burner let alone my iPod. It just isn't going to happen. So it should be interesting. Here's hoping that they found a way around this issue because I'll be taking my shows with me to work to watch during my lunch hour.

Over-analyzing The Interview

Remember when I told you that I changed my hours at work and days off (7am-3pm Mon/Tues for 5pm-1am Fri/Sat) to ready myself for the possibility of moving on to another career? Well, I got a call on Friday from my prospective employer. My interview is scheduled for today (yes, I'll get enough sleep) at noon.

I'm purposely only applying to work for this particular company before investigating any other for the following reasons:

1. They are busy people and have lots of clients which means possibly more income
2. I have a very good friend and his twin brother that already are working for this company
3. The employees work from home which gives me a lot of leeway on time management
4. I believe that if I want to stay with this company beyond my 2 years of apprenticeship that I'll want to like the people I work with and have a support network

The positives that might get me the job:

1. Have friends that have already infiltrated the premises
2. Have a brother in the business that employs companies like the one I'm applying for
3. Have computer and typing skills that are necessary to perform the job
4. I deal well with people and situations. I've even been called affable before (newspaper article.)

The negatives that might leave him laughing as I walk out of the office:

1. There are tons of people with a higher education calling people like him about a position because they are limited and lucrative
2. I'm possibly too easy going and may not come across as what he wants for that position
3. Might not want to hire friends beyond the twin brothers he already has
4. May already have someone in mind for the job (who maybe he owes a favor or paid him cash under the table)

We'll see what happens. I'm off to sleep and then I'll figure out what I'll wear (which is a whole other issue... what happened to my sports coat?)

90's Albums You May Not Know

Since I've been delving into my CD collection as I fill my iPod, I've been stumbling across several of my favorites of the early 1990s. Yes, you probably haven't heard of many of them but oddly enough each of these albums are amazing with few throwaway tracks. Only one released a second album but if you stumble across oneof these, it's worth the money.

There was a girl that took tennis lessons from my father before I moved to Reno. My collection wasn't as extensive as it would be later (I didn't start collecting CDs until after 1991.) I wound up showing her a lot of different music but one day she brought in Blue Train's The Business Of Dreams and I didn't know what to think of it (I mean, look at the cover.) But after a few listens, I knew it for what it was: a well crafted and polished Pop/Rock effort. Their first single, "All I Need Is You," did land in the U.S. singles chart but the second single, "The Hardest Thing," was their final release.

After I moved to Reno, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. There was a new "Alternative" station just starting that would play a lot of classic 80's songs mixed with a few newer artists and newer songs by Morrissey, Depeche Mode, etc... They filled my CD collection pretty quickly as they gave away CDs as the DJs made live appearances and during a weird type of bingo where you mark the time a song was played during the week and first one in would win (I think the main prize was $250 or so) but runners up (who had a life and couldn't listen all day) would win CDs. One of those winnings was The Sighs' What Goes On. The big single from the album was, "Think About Soul," and received decent airplay... but more when they came to perform in town. I went and had a great time (a few female friends of mine went ga ga over the band members.) Strong vocal harmonies, clean production with little sparks of empathetic lyrical brilliance (ok, there's some cliche' moments but you get sucked in well before you notice it.) I recently noticed they released a follow-up album, Different, in 1996 before breaking up. I might have to look for it.

Lastly but not less important are The Men. Their self-titled debut album was something I picked up in an independent record store's bargain bin. I had heard their single, "Church Of Logic, Sin & Love," several times and figured it'd be worth a less than $5 risk. I was quite right. Still a little weird for the band to be called The Men when half of them are women but maybe it's all about the dudes. It's say it is kind of Blues/Rock/Pop with a little spoken word (mainly in the single.) Several of the songs like the ballads, "I Built My House This Way," seem fresh to me every time I hear them. The closest I could come would be to say this was an American version of Crowded House with a tad more Blues. Really wish they recorded a follow-up but they disbanded after their debut.

The good thing about having all my music in my hand at any time is that I can now revisit these a bit easier. Instead of hoping someone had heard a song before when talking to someone, I can just remedy that then and there. Been planning to post something like this for awhile as proof that I'm may be fixated on the 80's but not stuck.

This Is A Job For Enya

My own obsession with committing all my music to my iPod has created major lapses in my day to day regular schedule. Sure, I want to get it done as soon as possible. I also see it sitting there waiting for me to finish as I get home from work. At this moment, I have 12,572 songs on it filling 47.02GB of space. I know I have a lot more to go but just getting it done and out of the way to enjoy will help. I thought that I'd go straight to sleep last night and not continue my trek from the second bedroom's CD changer to my bedroom computer. I now look at the clock, I wound up sleeping for close to 11 hours. Don't know how or why but I did. I'm sure I'll get my sleep schedule under control at some point. It has to happen. We're adaptable creatures, right? I have discovered that as tired as I am at work, the drive home wakes me up. I might try listening to Enya on my way home tonight to keep it from happening. One way or another, normalcy will return.

Profitable Laziness

I remember someone telling me once that the best way to make money is to create or sell a marketable consumable item. It makes sense. If you like something and use it up, you'll buy more but everyone is trying to do that. It seems that there are easier ways for someone that doesn't want to put the work into it.

Free money in Las Vegas. Sounds like a great ad, huh. But, it's true if you are a casino with no risk involved. You start by becoming an intermediary for your customers money. One way this is done is by making your customers use chips instead of money. Sure, a majority of it will be spent, but as an observer of humans in this same city many people wind up taking chips home with them because they didn't have time to cash them. Some people don't even know that they can mail those in to get their money back. So that's free money for the casino.

Another way easy money is made in Las Vegas is by giving people their change back from playing slot machines in tickets. The guise of this is that you don't have to carry a bucket of coins or get your fingers dirty (dust from all the coins rubbing each other gathers on your hands as you continually put coins in.) As mentioned above, people forget these tickets as they rush off to go to dinner or head off to their plane. By being given a representation of money, they believe they have that money. These tickets usually are void after 30 days.

In a more minimal way are the use of those machines made by CoinStar (unless represented by another company in your area) which takes your change and gives you a printed out ticket for the funds deposited. Minus a fee for the service ranging from 7% to 8.5%. Sure, it's a lot easier just throwing the coins in there but to think you are giving up almost a dime for every dollar you put in. But then again, it may be worth it if you don't want to go through the trouble of rolling your coins.

In bigger cities, there are people that will stand in line for you at the Department Of Motor Vehicles for a price. These aren't just people, these are actual companies with employees doing this. But, if time is money and you can use that time better to make yourself more money, it might be worthwhile.

Of course, there is also the big money hole... stamp collecting. The United States Postal Service creates lines of stamps with value that get put in folders to go unused and held onto in hopes that its value increases. This also happens with coins minted from the U.S. Treasury.

So, I wonder, what will be the next way to profit from lazy folks and are there any other ways you can think of that they currently do?

The Delayed Resolution

No, I'm not MIA. Things have just been a little crazy with my sleep schedule. Essentially, I've been getting home at 1:30am and having trouble calming down until... well, daylight. So then I wind up sleeping later than I like. The good thing is that I have many CDs here keeping me busy as I adjust. I have figured out my New Year's resolution. I'm going to have a better schedule which includes me going to sleep after I get back from work, waking up, going to the gym, having a light breakfast, running errands (computer work included) and then heading to work. I just need to implement it. I'm sure I'll figure it out. B) Did you set any achievable resolutions for this year?

The Eve Of '06

I have so many things to post and so little time because the year is almost over. I'll save most of it for '06 as I've been heavily distracted by the filling of my iPod (I'm up to 21GB.) I'll be working on this project for the next week, I believe. I know it's going to be a pain in the butt deleting all the extra copies of songs (they tend to put Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" on almost every compilation) from the collection but better to delete than miss anything. The 300 disc changer sounds very daunting but I'll figure something out after I get through my... crap, I still have a folder full of stuff I used to DJ with. Oh, well... just means that I'll have to scrutinize even more about what goes on there. Give me a month.

Anyhow, I'd like to thank all of you for spending the year with me. I've met tons of wonderful people and most of all you. It's been a year of growth for me and I hope that you also enjoyed a lot of positive changes in your year. I'm only hoping for bigger and better things next year and wishing that you all have the happiest of New Year's.

Getting Sirius About iPod

This year was pretty strong for me technologically. Starting with the new car. I've never had a new one before. So the one thing that I told myself that I'd get if I got a new vehicle was a better radio setup. I get upset that I can't listen to every football game possible when I'm driving around on a Sunday. I also think that the 80's station we are provided here repeats the top 10 from every year on the hour every hour. With these in mind, I decided that I wanted Sirius. Now, I find myself listening to the First Wave station (33), The Big 80's station, BBC Radio 1, Sirius Talk Left, Sirius Talk Right, Fox News, ESPN and sometimes I'll browse around.


The next step that I made in technology was after Christmas. I kept telling myself that I couldn't fit all my music on an iPod so it wouldn't be worth it. Then I started thinking that there would be repeat songs (I own most of the CDs that the 'best of' albums are created from so I'll just not add those and any songs that I don't deem worthy.) So, I took the $185 that I received in Best Buy gift cards and added it to the $159 that my father spent on a Shiatsu massage chair pad and heat lamp. Those put me over $300 and made it more tantalizing to purchase the 60 Gigabyte video iPod. I've filled 17 gig of it so far and have much more to add to it. I also need to go through the 300 disc changer in the other room, the crates of CDs and find a way to get into my old auto CD changer (without power it won't eject.) But, so far, I like the challenge but I'm sure all this ripping and ejecting of discs will kill my computer CD/DVD drive. But, how cool is it to be able to walk around with your whole music collection on hand? When someone says, "Who is Nitzer Ebb?" I can just pull out the iPod and show them. Should prove interesting.

So I've immersed myself in technology this year and do not see much more purchasing of it in the next year (maybe another small TV and a hi-definition Tivo... maybe.) So does technology control or do you feel we are getting better control of technology?

The Fridge Of An 80's Nut

Ok, Layla tagged me. (It was hidden between a few post as she's been pretty prolific recently.) Essentially, I need to post a photo of the inside of my refrigerator. It's pretty scary right now. I've been busy and lazy. I haven't gone in there too much recently and some things may have expired. There on one shelf are packets of jalepeno sauce from El Pollo Loco (I really like the stuff.) Steaks, burritos, Philly Steak sandwiches, TV dinners, fudge, a Christmas poppyseed cake, juice, water, beer, other alcohol and too much crap.

I don't normally tag anyone because I feel like I'm picking on someone but I'd like to see if I left any alcohol in Lloyd and Teri's refrigerator.

Christmas 2005

I had a tremendous Christmas as everything went very well. The last bits of shopping were done (a gift card, a tin of assorted popcorn and a container of mini brownies were taken care of my early on the 24th.) I actually felt like I could relax for a little bit and I did. I was smart enough this time to put my camera on top of my keys so I wouldn't forget to bring it. I wasn't so lucky on Christmas Eve. Anyhow, we had a big turnout with all but my aunt (she, her husband and daughters were at Christmas Eve) staying for the festivities. I didn't go absolutely crazy with the camera but took enough shots to capture specific moments. Ok, I really wanted to make sure that the kids got a few photos and maybe take a shot of the family here and there. So first up is the random family photo after the gifts were opened. Yes, we found room for ourselves somehow amidst the wrapping and boxes.

I messed with Olivia and Connor a little on Christmas Eve. You see, I found some little animal puppets at the store earlier that week. The little grey squirrel seemed almost realistic and I had a blast making it lick it's paws, nuzzle an arm or tickle a child. Dad played Santa Claus and stopped by a few houses to deliver a few gifts to some children with their jaws dropping as Santa remembers not only their names but a little bit about them. I really think that encapsulates the Christmas spirit to me. The wonder and amazement of they young. Sure, Connor is afraid of the man in the beard and ran right into his mother's arms crying but he warmed up to him this year, walking back towards the other kids and joining the conversation with Santa (for a little ribbing about hitting his Grandpa with a tennis ball.) No, that's not Aunt Queen Latifah in that photo but it is the twins and my mother.

Just as important was getting a picture of Beth and my niece Mia. You can never know how proud I am of my brother Matt. He's successful in every phase of his life (sure he's mentally ill like the rest of us, though.) He has married a wonderful woman and has a beautiful daughter. She hardly cries and loves being held. (I mean the baby. Ok, that could be a curse at some point... like bedtime.) She got a nap in here and there. But was and is absolutely precious.

Anyhow, I got to spend time in person and on the phone with my friends and family. I can't ask much more than that and am thankful for having the time off of work this year. I can only hope that each of you had a great holiday.

People Are Strange

Quick post. Got all my shopping and wrapping done... ok there are a few little things left but thanks to Kerry, it doen't look as ominous. I just have to pick up a few little things for some people to keep the balance. You know, gift giving to family members needs a sort of balance. What weighs heavier on most of these gifts is the fact that 3 family birthdays were missed here and there due to cancelations, my new shift, a vacation and someone living in another city. So they look like they are getting more and they are but how much more... that's where the balance thing comes in.

Anyhow, I also got tagged by Well Woman and Davydgrey for what looks to be the same offence so I'm paying my fine here:


5 Weird Things About Myself

1. For the longest time, I believed that I really could fly... well float. I don't know when this ended but I don't disbelieve that I ever did.
2. I can direct my dreams by telling myself what I want to dream about beforehand.
3. I'm an over-organizer and a packrat. My pantry is set for me to live a good 4 months. I have all the boxes from my major expensive electronic items with the idea that I can return them if I need to. My CDs are not only in alphabetical order but they are separated by 80's and non-80's with another section for greatest hits collections.
4. As a child, my bedtime prayers always included one for strength and I believe they were granted, for which I'm thankful.
5. I sleep coffin-style and without a pillow. I get headaches when I use a pillow.

The Office Of An 80's Nut

I have tons of shopping to do. I'm feeling a lot better but the mix of Thera-flu and cough medicine seems to make me sleep longer than I want. This may be good because I'm feeling a lot better but I've neglected my shopping. So, I'm going to be spending tomorrow and the last few days before the holiday doing just that. Today is also my last day of work for the year. This is going to help me get a lot of things done. I'll hopefully get that icon put on the other site, finish a few reviews and clean up quite a bit.

Speaking of cleaning up, I figured I'd rip open the veil and show the home office in the photo provided above. It really needs some organizational help. If you look carefully, there are 3 stacks of CDs near the computer that have been added to the collection over the year (there are some others in the car) and a rack full of my non-80's collection at the far right. Yes, I have too much crap. Hopefully, I'll go through the CDs and find a home for each of them (the rack or the storage boxes which I'll explain during a later post.)

If you feel very adventurous, my little orange Chinese beaver on my monitor (I figure it's Chinese because the label says he was made there) needs a name. He/she (I haven't had the heart to check) looks over all my posts, my newsletters and keeps my monitor clean (has a soft lint-attracting belly.) It's not good with spell-checking but you can't have everything.

For Rent

All of my life working as an adult, I kept telling myself that when I retire I want to go to a nice quiet community in the mid-west to play harmonica and banjo all day long. Then I saw this sign...

Now, I think I'm going to move to Cedar City, Utah, and use my Social Security checks to rent me some single girls.

Photo thanks to J.K. Hennessy

The War On Words

Yes, the media is covering it pretty well. Stores everywhere are saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." And there are times when I entirely agree that changing the names of things from Christmas tree to holiday tree is as insane as changing the Macy's Thanksgiving's Day Parade to Macy's Holiday Parade. Ok, maybe that's giving some people at the ACLU ideas.

But, I also believe in saying Happy Holidays. If you don't think that you will talk to that person until next year, you may also want to wish them a Happy New Year. I also don't know how many people reading my blog are Jewish. I'd love to wish them Happy Chanukah (had to actually look up the spelling.) Isn't it as unjust to not wish it to them but wish for everyone to say Merry Christmas? Sure, I feel we may be overly sensitive to these things and a lawsuit probably isn't too far off for being wished something that you don't want. But, if you really do want to wish well to others no matter what faith or holiday being celebrated, I feel no shame in saying Happy Holidays.

The Project That May Never End

Back some time ago, I asked a friend to take some of his favorite bands and solo artists then list his favorite song (better if it wasn't a big hit or overplayed.) I figured that this would be the best compilation that someone who only has a cursory idea of some of these artists could get. I started mine also and have decided that at some point, I'll make a CD compilation of all the tracks from my own collection. The problem that I had was that once I started it, I had trouble going back. I don't know if it was the fact that I really love a lot of music, that I keep thinking of a lot of the same bands or don't know how big that I want the list. Anyhow, I have decided to put what I started with back then in print to force myself to revisit it at some point. If it ever gets finished, I'll be pretty shocked. In no particular order:

U2 - All I Want Is You
Thelonious Monster - So What If I Did?
Buffalo Tom - Taillights Fade
Billy Joel - Honesty
The Pogues - Tuesday Morning
Jean-Paul Sartre Experience - I Like Rain
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love
Paul Young - Come Back And Stay
Gene Loves Jezebel - Kiss Of Life
George Michael - One More Try
Squeeze - Last Time Forever
Duran Duran - The Chauffeur
Garth Brooks - Unanswered Prayers
Depeche Mode - I Want You Now
Ministry - Stigmata
Erasure - When I Needed You
Roger Hodgeson - Had A Dream (Sleeping With The Enemy)
Alarm - Strength
Peter Murphy - Strange Kind Of Love
Blancmange - Don't Tell Me
Bauhaus - God In An Alcove
Camouflage - Love Is A Shield
Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights
Stabbing Westward - What Do I Have To Do?
Candyland - Something To Somebody
Cars - Why Can't I Have You?
Julian Cope - Charlotte Anne
Cult - Edie (Ciao Baby)
Nitzer Ebb - I Give To You
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - You Got Lucky
Cure - Boys Don't Cry
Danzig - She Rides
Machines Of Loving Grace - Butterfly Wings
dB's - Amplifier
Adam Ant - Desperate But Not Serious
Bob Marley - Waiting In Vain
The Timelords - Doctor In The Tardis
Toad The Wet Sprocket - One Little Girl (live)
B Movie - Nowhere Girl
The Waterboys - A Girl Named Johnny
INXS - Mystify
Robyn Hitchcock - So You Think You're In Love
Randy Travis - Forever And Ever Amen
Cyndi Lauper - Money Changes Everything
Skinny Puppy - Tin Omen
ABC - King Without A Crown
The Mission UK - Tower Of Strength
Queen - Who Wants To Live Forever
Moev - In And Out
Billy Idol - Catch My Fall
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Deanna
New Edition - If It Isn't Love
The Plimsouls - Oldest Story In The World
Nine Inch Nails - Ringfinger
Air Supply - Two Less Lonely People In The World
Stephen Duffy - Wednesday Jones
The Go-Go's - Head Over Heels
New Order - Touched By The Hand Of God
Vitamin Z - Burning Flame
The Scorpions - Still Loving You
Camper Van Beethoven - Come On Darkness
The Bangles - Hazy Shade Of Winter
Alison Moyet - Invisible
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
Pet Shop Boys - Love Comes Quickly
Renegade Soundwave - Biting My Nails
Lush - For Love
Icehouse - Crazy
Beautiful South - Song For Whoever
Culture Club - Time (Clock Of The Heart)
Recoil - Electro Blues For Bukka White
Men At Work - Overkill
The Connells - Stone Cold Yesterday
Dramarama - Anything, Anything
Fields Of The Nephilim - The Harmonica Man
ZZ Top - Rough Boy
Pseudo Echo - Lies Are Nothing
Aztec Camera - Crying Scene
The Fixx - Secret Seperation
Passion Puppets - Like Dust
Def Leppard - Foolin'
Barry Manilow - Weekend In New England
Del Amitri - Always The Last To Know
Book Of Love - Witchcraft
Yaz - In My Room
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
Hall & Oates - She's Gone
The The - August And September
The Lightning Seeds - Pure
Information Society - Repetition
The Ramones - Pet Semetary
Soft Cell - Wave Hello, Say Goodbye
Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Sisters Of Mercy - This Corrosion
Red Flag - Shame On The Moon
Madness - It Must Be Love
Bon Jovi - Runaway
Asia - The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Crowded House - Into Temptation
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Of All The Things We've Made
Rolling Stones - Undercover Of The Night
Talk Talk - Such A Shame
Jon Astley - Put This Love To The Test
Simple Minds - Alive And Kicking
The Replacements - The Ledge
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Hate Myself For Loving You
Dream Academy - Ballad In 4/4
Men Without Hats - Dancing In The Moonlight
King Swamp - Blown Away
The Church - Reptile
Real Life - Burning Blue
Voice Of The Beehive - Monsters And Angels
Howard Jones - The Prisoner
Pop Will Eat Itself - There's No Love Between Us Anymore
Boom Crash Opera - Onion Skin
Elvis Presley - It's Now Or Never

... To Be Added To

Crossing Streams

main·stream

• noun - The prevailing current of thought, influence, or activity
• adjective - Representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and (yes, it scares me too) I've been trying to figure out the word I have mentioned above: mainstream. You hear it often when talking about mainstream media. This of course means a magazine, Web site, newspaper, radio station, television station, cable network or book publisher that represents the prevailing current of thought. I wonder how we find that out. They either must have a license or a specialist on staff to check with to make sure they aren't straying. Maybe they check the latest polls. I wonder if that means being for prohibition, against a women's right to vote and for slave ownership were mainstream at one time.

I started thinking about this during Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts' recent hearings. Several claimed that Mr. Robert's views were "outside the mainstream." Which views these were, I'm unsure. Did you know that mainstream-mag.com is a Web site for advocacy and news for disability rights? Heck, I didn't know being disabled was prevalent. I do wonder though, if the people elected into office by a popular vote aren't in the 'mainstream' does that mean that people just forgot to vote, aren't old enough to vote or we have inaccurate polls deciding what prevalent ideas are.

Slacking Off As I Sleep Things Off

Been working the 'marathon' and all seems to be going ok. I just don't want to have to go to the doctor and find out it's gotten into the bronchial area. Anyhow, I figured I'd take a moment to allude to another post I did a bit ago. Every so often, I'm putting a few posts up at my other blog (Ask An80'sNut) that are mainly about 80's music. I meant for it to be a place to answer some of the weird questions that I tend to get but suddenly they disappeared. (I think it's shyness.) Ever wonder what goes into a "hit" song? Well, that's what this post is about. I'm heading back to sleep.

Getting Pixelated

Let me take you back a few months to an email that I sent out. I had asked a few questions of Amber from G4's Call For Help about helping out a graphically-challenged 80's musicologist fix his Web site. She mentioned a few hints in the televised reply (right now it is in repeats here in the U.S. but should finally air sometime soon) which included getting 'Iconized.' So, I finally gathered the courage, found one of the last photos I had taken, scanned it and sent it along with my money to Jose' Ramos of Iconize Me.

So, today in my eager little hands was an email from Jose' which included the icon you see here that he came up with for me. I'll be working that into the layout 80's Music Central sometime but we'll see how soon. I still fear screwing up things. Thought I'd share it with you as you are the first few people to see it. The guitar works but I've always been a keyboard kinda guy. But... it definitely says rock. I just wish I smiled more in photos but I guess it's a knee-jerk reaction to having a camera nearby hahaha. Anyhow, I'm off to bed (got out of work early) to attempt my Thera-Flu marathon in hopes of a quick recovery.

A Cup Is An Unstruck Bell

I'd like to step back a moment and ask you how many bells you hear in a day. I mean real bells, jingle bells, church bells, Liberty bells, sleigh bells, service bells, bell boys, etc... There once was a time when we had tons of these but we've slowly went the way of electronic ringers, buzzers, ringtones and beeps. The only time I hear them often are during the holidays with the Salvation Army bell ringers. I don't know what happened but it really made me wonder...

One common thread you find in almost every culture are the appearance of angels. Sure, a few might say they are little cherubs, ghosts and others may say they look like Michael Landon but the fact that there is an overwhelming borderless belief in one thing is rather intriguing. I've just been wondering if less of them are getting their wings now.

Eyes Wide Open

A little over 3 years ago, I went to see the eye doctor. I figured it was an appropriate time to ask him a question after he had just tested my eyes. "Hey, Doc? Any idea why I feel this pulsing in my eye every so often?" He went on to tell me about a condition that causes it and sometimes eye twitches that is normal but brought on by lack of sleep and/or caffeine. Now, I always thought caffeine was a good thing. I drank Jolt cola like a madman when I was going to college and working 2 jobs to support myself. And, I had normally been drinking two 20-ounce bottles of Diet Coke every morning and a few more scattered throughout the day. It was at that time that I went caffeine-free.

It is an amazingly difficult battle to cut out the wakey-wakey drug. It's in chocolate, tea and most soft drinks. I was already drinking diet drinks at the time so trying to find something without calories and sans caffeine was incredibly difficult. Go into a 7-11 and count how many bottles of Diet Sprite, Diet 7-up, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke or Barq's Diet Root Beer you find there. There aren't many. They figure that you'll drink what's available because you wouldn't be paying more for it at their store if you didn't have to have it now. But, with all the little pitfalls, I stayed caffeine-free for 3 years. Yes, I said "stayed."

It was an early morning on one of my days off that I broke my abstinence. I was tired and stressed after going weeks without my car. I started thinking about why I was avoiding caffeine. Notice that after talking to the eye doctor that I didn't say, "I need more sleep!" It's that night owl thing that I have going on. I'm afraid that important things are going to happen and that I'll miss them. Children do that. Anyhow, I threw caution to the wind and gave up my issues. Now that I have that new shift (5 pm to 1 am,) I find myself drinking the stuff more. I even found a cool chart to help guide me into the jitters. Who would think that Diet Coke had more than Classic Coke? Go figure. Anyhow, no eye pulsing or twitches yet and it's only been a few months. Scientists are even saying that it can increase short term memory. I think I just need to sleep more.

Deepest Darkest Regret

Just by the fact that our lives are a multitude of choices, we will always have regrets in life. I am definitely not a stranger to bad judgment. Every December 1st, I am reminded of at least one mistake that I have made in the past. Oddly enough, I have mentally blocked out a lot of the information surrounding it willingly over for the last decade. There is a long story involved but I'm going to keep it as brief as I can and probably never mention it again.

I was married once. As a child of divorced parents, I had this weird resolve that I could do better... I could bend more, give more, be more but I was young and foolish. She was a beautiful, strong and outgoing woman that never let much affect her. We had an on-again-off-again relationship for quite some time before I wound up being one of her roommates. I got to know her better and felt that I was there during some of her tough times. When she told me she was going to move out of town, I gave her the option to stay and go to school while I cover her rent. You see, I knew I loved her. Before that offer, we weren't officially a couple and she had been determined to leave.

A short time later, we were driving back from seeing Duran Duran in concert and I can still remember that Erasure's latest single "Always" was playing on the radio when she mused about when her last period was. Yes, she was pregnant. I proposed several days later at a Pizza Hut (romantic, huh?) and we had a quick small ceremony with hopes of a bigger one at another time. It was months later that I could see something was bothering her. She told me that there was a possibility that I wasn't the baby's father as, she was single when she was planning to leave and she had said goodbye to someone in a very special way prior to that offer I made to stay. This floored me. But, I quickly reassured her that I loved her and told her that just being her child would make him mine also. She then asked me not to ask for a blood test, fearing that I would treat the baby differently if it wasn't mine. I told her that if it meant that much to her, I wouldn't (heck, inside I had no idea how I'd react to a child let alone if he wasn't biologically mine) but I wasn't concerned because it was our child. Cody William Hennessy was born on December 1st.

My wife stayed at home for the first months with Cody. He was an amazingly beautiful boy and looking at his photo above, I still see a lot of her in him. He was my little bear. A lot of things changed when her mother moved in to 'get on her feet' after moving to town. She went to work, bought a new car, our communication broke down, walls were put up, insecurities built and our marriage suffered. In retrospect post-partum depression very well could have been involved but I can't accept that I had no hand in it. There were times when I returned home that he was the only smiling face that was happy to see me. I can still remember that it was just prior to his first birthday that she first mentioned separation. She was happy around me but depressed when I wasn't around. Her mother moved out first and my wife followed. I asked about us seeing a counselor but that didn't happen.

After a few months, my wife told me that she could get several grants for school as a single mother and prior to her filing for divorce she asked me to meet her at work to talk. She told me that she was sure that Cody wasn't mine and that if I pushed for custody of him she would take him and run. That was the last thing that I wanted. She had mentioned that he wasn't mine a few times before but there in my head, I still had hoped to reconcile. I still had hopes after signing the papers and then I made the one mistake I will always regret and be haunted by every Dec. 1st. I gave up my rights to my son. I can't blame being young and ignorant for my mistake. Sure, I was still talking to her about us being together afterwards. I was an idiot.

My ex called our old apartment a few months later (although she had my pager number and knew that I had moved in with my father) to pass on a cryptic message to a friend of mine to meet her at a laundromat on Tamarus and Tropicana as she was moving out of state. I was freaked out but knew that there was little I could do. So I went 'there'... but 'there' wasn't a laundromat. Just like playing the game telephone, information was jumbled and I expect that Topaz and Tropicana was the real location. Her number was disconnected (she was moving) and that message was the last thing I heard from either of them.

Sure, I've thought over the growing years to hunt them down (somewhere in Colorado) and find out if they are doing alright, need anything or even to get a blood test. But, I also know that the last thing I want to do is uproot or destabilize that child's life. I do hope he knows that he is loved... by many that may never see him again and that he is a very special child. Happy 10th birthday, Cody Hennessy.

Thinking Of You?

Ok, I was reading a post by Miss Hobby and that's when I thought about it. I come up with tons of ideas that I'll either forget, not have the ambition to pursue or think are idiotic 48 hours later. So, I'm only 30 minutes in so bear with me.

Women, in general, desire to be wanted and shown attention. Not all of them want to be put on a pedestal or see love declared to them via a megaphone during a football game. Just the idea that someone thinks they are special does amazing things for self esteem. Actually, there both genders could use positive reinforcement. But, for some people that are in that iffy stage of their relationship and need to feel inspired or wish to how the significant other reacts to competition... there is the secret admirer. This person seems to spread smiles and rushes of blood to the cheekbones a good 95% of the time (because some aren't exactly that secret and make the skin crawl.)

I was thinking about it and why not have a professional secret admirer? Feeling down? Want to elicit gossip in the workplace? Want to give someone special a hint that you might not be there forever as a 'good buddy'? Why not pay a minimal fee to a service that sends endearing or erotic email, cards or letters? For an extra charge, get gifts delivered to your workplace or home. Sure, you would know you are paying for it but sometimes just the anticipation of mail can be thrilling let alone something saying that you are being thought of. Heck, this could possibly even work as a means to send those real secret admirer letters and gifts anonymously.

Yup, probably another one I won't pursue.

Goin' Postal

I'm driving home from work and pull up to the house. There stands my mailbox with it's front open like an open mouth ready to spew my mail onto the sidewalk. During the last year, I've come home to this view about 6 different times. It's a relatively new mailbox so it should stay shut. This has me pretty worried since I tend to buy things on eBay often and get deliveries from record labels here and there. I actually had to report boxes missing to the post office before. Now that I'm not at home from 4pm to 2am, I can wind up leaving a veritable buffet of a full mailbox there for people to pick through for 10 hours.

I've talked to the mail lady and she has told me that she has a few on her route that put locks in the back of their mailboxes so when she drops off mail, she'll pop the lock on the outside and go. I like this idea, personally, but think that my luck would be that I'd lose a lot of locks to people finding them in the back of the mailbox in the morning. So, I've started to think about different types of mailboxes. Ones that lock, have enough room for some parcels and won't leave me broke. It's kind of driving me batty (yeah, I know... I wasn't far from it before was I?) The one in the picture? That's almost $500 so it's not going to happen. As I figure out this dilemma, I wonder how much you would pay to keep your mail safe?

Thanksgiving Thoughts

First off, I'd like to say that I'm very very thankful for my family and friends who are my secret source of support and strength. Sure, I have issues with needing to be self-sufficient but just knowing they are behind me makes that much more secure. On the lighter side, I'm also thankful for pumpkin pie as it is my favorite pie even though it's hard to find the rest of the year.

I've also been thinking about PETA's recent campaign outside children's schools. I'm actually not a really big turkey fan. I think of it as something to eat maybe 2 to 3 times a year unless ground up and used and a ground beef substitute. If you look at the link there above, you'll see what is being handed to children on their way to classes. I don't know about most parents but as protective as we are of what our children see and hear in schools (the Pledge of Allegiance, evolution and religion), why do we allow people to approach them with questionable material on their way to getting an education. Especially with something that tells the children to keep the pets away from Mommy and Daddy because they kill animals. If I had the time, I'm very tempted to find out where the next comic distribution is after the Thanksgiving break and hand the kids beef jerky with a smile before they get to class just to even things out.

My other thoughts are varied as I try to figure out how I'm going to survive work after getting my dose of L-Tryptophan at an early family dinner at grandma's house. I'm also thinking about any hardware stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day, starting my Christmas shopping and getting the Tucson registered. So much to do but I would like to take this moment to also say to you that I'm thankful for you and this special form of communication we have. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.

Life Update - 112205

I figured that it was time to update a few of my previous posts. After a long search and over $650 in auto rental fees, I have finally purchased a vehicle. Now, as you know, I was thinking of getting something older that I could avoid making payments on, something good on gas, something safe and something roomy. It was a hard choice but I got 3 out of 4. It's hard to drop down from an Isuzu Rodeo because in a smaller economy car you suddenly feel vulnerable. Heck, it's hard when you are used to looking over the little cars to be trying to look over the big ones. So I went with a 2006 Hyundai Tucson. I've never had a new car in my life. For some reason, I feel giddy as if I lost my virginity and want to tell the world. Well, maybe not tell the world but jumping-out-of-my skin-excited.

The new shift starts in about 2 1/2 hours and it should be interesting to see how they operate. Things change from early day to late night shift. I've heard it will be busy for awhile, slow for awhile and the odd calls from people needing condoms delivered to them. Emergencies happen, I guess. My major concerns will be how full the parking garage will be and getting off of work after midnight. I'm thinking of bringing some clothes with me so if I want to go have a beer before I go home, I can. Leaving work at 3pm and getting a beer made me feel like an alkie.

The neighbors have been pretty impressed with the letter (I should post that letter but I'll keep things timely) and we've all been talking about putting up those motion-sensor lights that I mentioned earlier. I've been looking at prices and talked to people about installing them... I think, I'll install mine if only to get it up in a timely fashion and it being there will urge their own done.

Lastly, remember my post about teachers and the age of consent? Well, I wanted to put a few good months in before I mentioned it again. My list there talked about then current cases against teachers. I was contacted by one person on the list and a childhood friend of one of the people on the list. Both wanted names removed as it seems you want to get rid of as much evidence of past indiscretions so some lives can start anew. I removed one because I wanted current U.S. cases and that case was in another country and resolved a year prior. The other stays because it imposes no guilt and only talks about cases, not convictions. But, this is a reminder for you to be aware that anyone might read or even respond to your postings.

I Was Tagged... I Guess I'm It

I'm not good on passing things onto other people. (Why do I suddenly sound like the neurotic Richard Lewis?) Lora has tagged me to answer a few questions about myself. I'll own up to my responsibility and answer the questions but I am going to hold back on tagging anyone else. So here we go:

2 names you go by:
- Party (It's just something one of the guys from work started and it just rolled downhill from there.)
- Marten (I covered the confusion about this earlier but lets just say I may reply to mail with any spelling that I desire at the moment.)

2 parts of your heritage:
- Irish (The Hennessy name sticks out like a sore thumb whenever I get carded somewhere.)
- Cree (Ok, this area is up for much debate as the percentage if any is unreported. My late grandfather Gilliam McGillis was adopted by a nice American Indian family that lived on a reservation.)

2 things that scare you:
- The words "We need to talk." (Which essentially means: I'm telling you that something is wrong and I can't talk about it now so take the time to think of all the bad things you have done, will do or might have considered because they are all relevant you bastard.)
- Losing members of my immediate family. (I've been very lucky and/or blessed to have had healthy siblings, nephew/nieces and fairly healthy parents. I don't know how I'd deal with losing one of them and thinking about it freaks me out.)

2 everyday essentials:
- Kirkland Daily Multi-Vitamin and Omega-3. (I think it goes back to the horse pills my father used to have us choke down as kids but then again as mentioned above... we are pretty darn healthy.)
- I always place a tube of Blistex medicated chapstick in my left pocket every morning (I was really struggling with this question.)

2 fave bands/artists:
- Depeche Mode
- Skinny Puppy

2 favorite songs:
- The Chauffeur by Duran Duran (Something about the haunting melody played on the pan flute. Oh, and I am sparing you the rehash of the "I Like Rain" story.)
- The Power Of Love” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (I've always gotten chills just hearing this song. Tremendous lyrics.)

2 things you want in a relationship (other than true love):
- This is a loaded question for someone with a breast fetish
- Personal growth. (Sometimes two plants that are put too close together get their roots entangled and one plant winds up killing the other... wait was this an optimistic question?)

2 favorite hobbies:
- Research (I love being given a problem and spending hours learning about why things are as they are, who recorded a song first or if someone is dead or Canadian.)
- Singing (Whether it's karaoke or in the car, nothing helps me leave my personal baggage on the floor than belting out a few notes of relatively obscure songs.)

2 things you want really badly:
- To know that a specific someone is having a great life and is without pain or suffering. (Sometimes what you want the most isn't the healthiest thing to achieve though.)
- For each individual person in my life to know their significant value to making me who I am.

2 places you want to go on vacation:
- The United Kingdom
- Australia

2 things you want to do before you die:
- Write a book
- Organize a charity event

2 ways in which you are a true guy:
- I pee standing upright.
- My aim isn't always the best.

2 things you are thinking about right now:
- The external hard drive that I put together that is sitting on my bed that needs to be installed and off my bed before I sleep.
- The motion-sensor light that I need to buy early tomorrow morning which is supposed to be installed sometime tomorrow by a neighbor's co-worker (who may not show up.)

2 stores you shop at:
- Best Buy (I'll know all the employees by name someday.)
- The 99 cent store (I don't know why but I find myself amazed walking through the rows of crap that I know is selling for a few pennies more somewhere else.)

2 people guaranteed to make you laugh:
- My brother Matthew
- Steven Wright (Something about his dry delivery and intellectual humor floors me.)

They Paved Paradise

After 40 years of business, Las Vegas' Westward Ho closed their doors today at 5 p.m. The property was purchased recently by Centex Destination Properties with possible plans to place highrise condominiums on the Las Vegas Strip location.

Today, I started thinking about how much this city has changed. Not just the empty lots being filled or new homes pushing the borders of our burgeoning metropolis but the landmarks. One of my first jobs was at the Dunes hotel as a pool attendant (that was imploded to make room for the Bellagio.) I literally grew up in the middle of the Desert Inn Hotel & Casino's golf course on the tennis courts (that was replaced by the Wynn Hotel & Casino.) I played many tennis tournaments at the Sands Hotel (which is now the Venetian) and the Hacienda Hotel (now Mandalay Bay.) So many of those odd little places have been sentimentally pushed aside as anti-progress only to become the next big thing.

As I think about this, I think about the Westward Ho and its neighbor Slots-A-Fun. As in many cities, cruising your major local street is ritual on the weekend. They had set a curfew when I was graduating to cut down on the traffic. I can still picture what hotels went where in my head. Yet, I know that I won't stop stop thinking of those two hotels as the Wayward Ho and Sluts-R-Fun.

The Delivery Room

I've been spending the last few months really confused about how long it is taking mail to get to me. I recently got a box from eBay that was sent out a month ago (really) which went out Media Mail meaning it'll take 8 to 9 business days. That is pretty nuts. This is after I started receiving some of my ads from Best Buy and Suncoast for big sales savings on (insert date here) weeks after.

I went to the post office two months ago to confront them about the late mail. I talked to the manager who said that this was happening often and it was a problem at the processing hub that she was assured would be fixed soon. That didn't happen. So, I caught my mailwoman dropping off a box for me yesterday and asked her about it. She reiterated to me the issue with the hub but added more info. The mail carriers have been overwhelmed and have been logging 10-hour days meaning 2 hours of overtime. The manager, trying to save their own butt, started hiding some of the mail that didn't need to go out right away to lighten the load and save on overtime. This backlog was happening more and more. Mail was being misplaced and wound up going out later than was acceptable and the complaints grew. She also told me that this person has been fired and the problem will be resolved. Today, I got my Best Buy coupons (10% off DVDs, home appliances, etc...) over a week early. Someone is finally earning their pay.

A Change Can Do You Good

Yesterday, was a very busy day for me. I dropped off copies of the letter that I mentioned. It went well and we'll see how many calls I receive from the neighbors. I talked with the neighbor that was attacked and she is doing better.

Before heading home to do that, I made a big decision. I've worked nearly 12 years at my job at the same position. I have also always worked early shifts (7am-3pm and 8am-4pm.) But, it was in July of last year that I took some classes that would lead me to a new career. There are problems with the move:

1. I wouldn't be paid at first and slowly paid more as I learn
2. It also requires banker's hours (usually 9am-5pm)
3. No benefits or insurance provided
   

Now, of course, those logically create issues. I took a step to helping with this a few months ago by applying for a HELOC (home equity line of credit) which I intend to have to help me through the tough early months. The hours would require a bit of a miracle as changing shifts is nearly impossible and the HELOC could actually put an big chunk of debt on my shoulders (as would buying insurance.) It was by luck that someone that quit had their shift up for bid. As people took shifts, one was left that was adjusted to a 5pm to 1am with Friday and Saturday off. I bit the bullet and took the shift. How this is going to mess up my sleeping habits, relationships with friends and girlfriend or work with the other job is pretty much unknown. I know that I'll be able to work both jobs for awhile if I really have to (which helps on the insurance and money issues.) Here's to hoping that I made a good decision.

Like A Good Neighbor...

I don't think that I'm the best neighbor. I know the families of 2 of the houses surrounding me pretty well but I'm going to fix that. I need to be a dependable person to those around me. I need to let them know that I'm there if they have an emergency or need assistance with something. I also need them to know that I'm expecting the same in return.

These changes begin this weekend as I'll be typing up a letter to 8 of the homes surrounding me. You see, on Friday night, Neighbor A (whom I don't know as well as I should) was attacked at her home. She's a young woman living by herself and upon driving up to her home, noticed some young boys walking by her house and proceeded to open her garage door. After parking her car inside and hitting the remote to close the door, she proceeded to step out of her car. The garage door stopped closing abruptly. The two boys had stepped into the garage and were pointing guns at her demanding her purse or her life. They ripped the purse so forcefully from her hand that it tore tendons in two fingers. They ran off and hopped into an unplated car parked down the street with two other boys. She was left screaming for help... but no one heard her. All 4 boys were caught after a high-speed chase. The guns were in the car (they had jumped out) but not the purse (gotta get rid of the evidence.) It seems this same thing had happened in the neighborhood before with shots fired that time.

I am not going to let this happen to myself or my neighbors again. I'm not going to create a neighborhood watch. I'm going to create a 'good neighbor contact list.' In wanting to be a better neighbor, I am going to give my cellphone number to each of them. I am hoping to gather numbers for all 8 of these homes so if someone needs emergency help, if someone sees someone suspicious while driving up or if someone leaves their garage door open without a car in it... a neighbor will help. If Neighbor A had a few phone numbers to call that night when she got that weird feeling about the boys outside her home, someone could have walked outside their home to make sure she got in safely. I believe this is a good way to instill trust in your neighbors and create a support system. The other major change that I'll be adopting is I'll be placing motion-sensor lights on the front of my house and that of another neighbor (if anyone else wants one, I'll help install them.) On stage, it is often said that a star is only as good as their supporting cast. I also believe a neighborhood is only as safe as their homeowners communication.

On The Other Hand...

I was helping Kerry move into her new condo yesterday when I discovered a secret that many men don't talk about. (Sorry guys, but I'm going to let this one out.) I believe we have a third hand. I know what you are thinking and no, I haven't trained those muscles that well. If you think about it, men carry things differently than women. We both try to protect our sensitive protruding parts. You don't see women balancing heavy boxes on their chests when they move (unless they don't have anything there.) Likewise, you won't see men holding boxes against their groin (pointy edges.) But, you will see men use their third hand... their stomach. I noticed myself doing that here and there as things were being loaded and unloaded. I also recall seeing others do that at work. It's almost a little shelf when trying to hold a suitcase, desk or dresser in a certain position. Scary what goes through your head when you are moving stuff.

Spacing Out

Ok, not much for you here today. I have of course been busy typing up the newsletter (the usual Monday thing) and also got started with a MySpace account to keep tabs on some of those artists. You wouldn't know how hard it is to track down all the 80's artists and try to add them to your friends section. Kind of a pain but we'll see how that works out. Otherwise, my mother went to Sacramento for a second time to be with Nana during her surgery. The results are very promising and is reportedly "cancer-free." I'm cautious about that outlook but I'm just thankful she's the fighter she is.

Painting The Town Red

Mayor Oscar Goodman will always stand tall in Las Vegas for speaking his mind whether it gets him in trouble or not. Right now, it's undecided whether his comments about hacking the thumbs off vandals that have been spray-painting graffiti gang tags on the recent highway redevelopment project. (Wait, I don't see his thumb in that photo.) Although this is getting a lot of press, it hasn't been reported that Goodman talked about cutting off their hands last month during an interview on KXNT radio. The last time he got this much coverage was when he was doing a Q&A session with elementary school students. He said that one of his favorite hobbies was drinking and that the one thing that he'd want if stranded on a desert island would be a bottle of gin.

Although his words are extreme, something does have to be done about the vandalism of construction areas, billboards and public areas. Catching them is difficult but not enough is done when they are apprehended. Personally, if they are caught out past curfew doing this, I'd like to see them and their guardian spending the day repainting any of these areas. As a parent, your child shouldn't be out that late without your supervision and someone has to be responsible for their actions even if your child isn't old enough to be. I also think that everyone should know who you are as family honor seems to have disappeared in our culture. I know there are some people that believe this is a form of art. I worry about them. I see this as a growing town that is trying to beautify their highways, city streets and public buildings yet will have to put aside millions of dollars and hire people just to keep repainting these areas. Then again, I don't think people are ready for personal responsibility and they would rather use my tax dollars to clean up after someone else's hobby.

Just One Look

Do you have someone that you can communicate with just with facial movements? I was reminded of this the other day when visiting my brother. Matthew is almost 3 years younger than I am and is a successful loan officer. I stopped in to see him at work (I wanted to fax something and brought him a few burritos for lunch... it's just blocks from my house.) He is used to clients who are always stressed about getting in under deadlines prior to rate increases and are on edge about getting the loan. So I'm sitting in his office and someone calls about a upcoming conference. The "uh-huh," "I see" and "get it over with" looks were on his face. That is when we looked at each other. For some reason, just looking at Matt at the wrong time will cause us both to break into uncontrollable laughter.

I specifically remember sitting in our seats at St. Frances DeSales when we were kids. It was time for sacrament. I was sitting with my brother and sister to the left of my mother with my father on the far right. The chaplain raised his something in his hand (a cracker) and said "This is my body. Eat from it and..." That was about the time that I was looking at my brother and we started giggling. My father looked tersely at us and then came the raising of the cup, "This is blood. Drink from it and..." That was when we both lost it. I don't think that my father's arm could triple in length but at that moment it did as he smacked both of us in the back of the head. Dad stood up and dragged Matt to his right to keep him out of my view and the rest of the service was pretty silent.

I think back about that right now and I wonder. How often have you had a weird connection with a family member that you couldn't explain?

Halloween 2005

Ahhh, Halloween. It's over now but for just a few hours it was beautiful. As you can tell the house has changed and there is a bit more foliage in the entryway. The flash on the camera takes away from the two strobelights (you can see one in the photo without the flash on in the plants.) The little red light in the window is one of those fiery cauldrons. Also hidden in the bushes were a few sound boxes that work off remote control (up to 50 feet away) that make cat noises, screams and howls. I had my scary music with heavy bass playing in the living room with the window open and a CD player near the entry playing growling and howling noises. Oh, you can see the spiderwebs but can't see the bushes to the left where I put a human hand. Many people thought that I was going to jump out of the bushes. I also left the door partially shut so I could pull it open quickly for an extra scare.

Anyhow, no photo of me this time but I did the white pasty look with dark circles under my eyes and a goatee made of make-up. Maybe next year. Several children stood on that walkway and would not get any closer than a 4 feet from the door (they were young but I guess I looked scary.) I used the sound boxes to catch people on their way to the front door and on their way out. I had 3 people (between 14 to 16 years-old) jump back and fall on their butts in front of the door when I opened it. Not as much blood this year but it is amazing the panic that sound creates. At some point, I'd like to be able to shake the bushes and or pop out on the people but it's hard when you then have to go inside and get them candy. I've also come to the conclusion that I need to buy half cheap candy and half what I enjoy (usually Snickers.) This way if they come to the door not dressed for Halloween... yup candy corn or carmels. Dress up, Snickers.

Halloween 2004

I've just finished writing my Monday newsletter and am off to dress up the house for Halloween. I believe that if you decorate too early, it takes away from the shock of it all. As I work on the set-up for this year, I decided to put some photos up from 2004.

On the left is a decapitated body. It worked really well except the kids wanted to look under the sheet to see the head. Have a great Halloween folks. Oh, that's how I answered the door that year. I'm sure that you are now happy you know what I look like. B) I'm a sick bastard.