A year has come and gone. I don't really think much of the new year. To me, it's just another day. The birthday, now that's my new year. That's the time when I think back at everything I've done and gone through and then decide if it was worth anything. I feel that this year has been a great one for me.
I've been to three Off-Broadway Musicals. Les Miserables, that crappy one about... Vietnam? It's based off of Madam Butterfly. Miss Saigon, that's it! And Wicked, which was by far the best.
I have become infatuated and beyond with Rachel. Good times there.
I have nearly completed my third novel, this time with more words! And plot twists!
I was just selected as the Officer of the Quarter at work. Premium parking for three months and a cool plaque!
I got a bed. And a couch. And a tv.
I drove through the worst blizzard of my life and survived without incident.
I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. Had my first episode of Sleep Paralysis about a month or two ago.
I started playing Magic: The Gathering.
I bought one gun, and was gifted another, and awesome one from my father.
I gained nearly twenty pounds.
I made some good chili.
That's about it. It's just been great, even with the bad parts. Everything seems to be falling into place, not that I haven't worked for a lot of it, but it's almost like the universe finally got sick of me being so boring all the time. Though, I suppose I am still boring to some people, like that douche at work that hates his life so much that he has to insult my own. Poor dude.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
NaNoWriMo again!
NaNoWriMo is in full swing for me again, though I'm a bit behind from last year. I contribute that to how I've been writing. See, if I have some ideas at work and I decide to write up a page or two, I have to come home and type it up to the master manuscript. So I end up taking twice the time to write up the words for my story that I originally intended. Maybe I should just outline ideas at work and then type them up real quick at home.
Either way, I'm pumped about my story. Unlike last year, I have a clear direction and an idea of how it ends. And the very nature of the tale brings up a lot of deep questions regarding cognitive philosophy and the nature of humanity. I'm posting it on my wordpress blog as I go so if you want to check it out, it'll be there.
gizzardgulpe.wordpress.com
Either way, I'm pumped about my story. Unlike last year, I have a clear direction and an idea of how it ends. And the very nature of the tale brings up a lot of deep questions regarding cognitive philosophy and the nature of humanity. I'm posting it on my wordpress blog as I go so if you want to check it out, it'll be there.
gizzardgulpe.wordpress.com
Saturday, October 17, 2009
And on the second day
we got in a car crash and died. The end.
We had a great vacation actually. The weather was perfect every day, the people and the food and the outdoors were all fantastic. I rode my first motorcycle, and gave Rachel a frightening ride around the block. I even got a bleeding blister on my big toe!
There was a little four-wheeling in the sand dunes and around the desert countryside and I got the flu and everything!
The worst part, easily, was the trip home. A few hours before we left my parent's house, I barfed so hard that the blood vessels in my eyelids burst. I spent the next 13 hours either in an airport, on a plane, or in a car feeling like crap. I'd call it the worst day of my life if Rachel weren't taking care of me. She was wonderful the whole time and did everything for me that I needed.
It was really nice to see my family even if it was only for a couple days. My dad gave me a rad gun and I can't wait to get it and shoot it some more here at home. I sighted it in and everything, so it shoots really well. I'm thinking of mounting a rack in the living room to put it on display. It's really a work of art with the engraving. Would make a great conversation piece.
And can I say how much I want a motorcycle right now? I'll have my car paid off next month, so I could easily finally have a bike this spring. I can't wait. I can't wait to pay off my car. How cool would that be?
We had a great vacation actually. The weather was perfect every day, the people and the food and the outdoors were all fantastic. I rode my first motorcycle, and gave Rachel a frightening ride around the block. I even got a bleeding blister on my big toe!
There was a little four-wheeling in the sand dunes and around the desert countryside and I got the flu and everything!
The worst part, easily, was the trip home. A few hours before we left my parent's house, I barfed so hard that the blood vessels in my eyelids burst. I spent the next 13 hours either in an airport, on a plane, or in a car feeling like crap. I'd call it the worst day of my life if Rachel weren't taking care of me. She was wonderful the whole time and did everything for me that I needed.
It was really nice to see my family even if it was only for a couple days. My dad gave me a rad gun and I can't wait to get it and shoot it some more here at home. I sighted it in and everything, so it shoots really well. I'm thinking of mounting a rack in the living room to put it on display. It's really a work of art with the engraving. Would make a great conversation piece.
And can I say how much I want a motorcycle right now? I'll have my car paid off next month, so I could easily finally have a bike this spring. I can't wait. I can't wait to pay off my car. How cool would that be?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Travel: Day 1
So, yesterday, Rachel and I flew and drove to Utah. We drove from our little town to Oklahoma City airport (by far the cheapest place for us to fly out of) and waited around for a few hours before our flight. The plane was delayed because of some ice buildup on the wings and we missed the connecting flight from Denver to Las Vegas. So we hit Denver and waited around in the cold for a few hours, then on to Vegas, where my parents and brother picked us up. We drove down the strip (very crowded on Saturday night) and then drove to St. George. Everyone collapsed to bed.
I'm not a big flyer. I do it so rarely I haven't gotten comfortable with it, so I had a nonstop adrenaline rush for about nine hours. I hate that feeling. Rachel was really good company and didn't get upset. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on Chinese food in the airport.
A few good things though. I managed to type out two chapters to my upcoming book while bored in the airport. I also got an awesome birthday present from my Dad. He engraved a beautiful wood rifle stock with Native American petroglyphic marks and my name. He's had the rifle since I was a little kid and I've always wanted it, and now it's all personalized for me. Can't wait to go sight it in.
A potentially bad thing: I may have requested the wrong days off at work. Well, at least one. I got a few calls from my boss last night asking if I planned to show up at work. I called him back and told him I was in Vegas, so, no, I would not be showing up. I'm positive that I was approved for vacation last night, but I don't have a copy of that record with me right now. I'll have to wait until I get home to see if I accidentally screwed up...
I'm not a big flyer. I do it so rarely I haven't gotten comfortable with it, so I had a nonstop adrenaline rush for about nine hours. I hate that feeling. Rachel was really good company and didn't get upset. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on Chinese food in the airport.
A few good things though. I managed to type out two chapters to my upcoming book while bored in the airport. I also got an awesome birthday present from my Dad. He engraved a beautiful wood rifle stock with Native American petroglyphic marks and my name. He's had the rifle since I was a little kid and I've always wanted it, and now it's all personalized for me. Can't wait to go sight it in.
A potentially bad thing: I may have requested the wrong days off at work. Well, at least one. I got a few calls from my boss last night asking if I planned to show up at work. I called him back and told him I was in Vegas, so, no, I would not be showing up. I'm positive that I was approved for vacation last night, but I don't have a copy of that record with me right now. I'll have to wait until I get home to see if I accidentally screwed up...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Three Things AKA Forthcoming Autumn Pissiness
1: A minor gripe, but still, who texts happy birthday to someone? Apparently all of my friends and family. I mean, I don't really care much for birthday celebrations, but if ten people are going to remember for once, is it wrong to expect even one of them to call and ask how I am? I seriously appreciate that people remembered (or saw the facebook notification) but if you care about my life and aren't just trying to save face, then call me. I promise I'm fairly pleasant to talk to and I like to make jokes about things.
2: Vandalism. It's not witty to rearrange the letters on a Salvation Army marquis to say "God hates goons and nigs". Let's try to be above the protesters that are not important enough for me to remember their name from Topeka that think God hates everyone. You're stupid, they're stupid, and all this hate is really bringing the world down. Go fuck yourself, haters.
3: Hey, Kansas drivers. Please learn to drive. If necessary, go back to driving school or driver's ed, or some equivalent to LEARNING TO DRIVE YOU IMBECILES. First off, if you pull out in front of me and I am forced to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with you, then you are a shitty driver. If an accident were to occur YOU WOULD BE AT FAULT. If you are at a stop sign, you are required to STOP until the road is CLEAR. Secondly, let me reiterate that a STOP sign means STOP until the road is CLEAR. If there is a pedestrian in the road, it is NOT clear. Do NOT go. Do NOT press your fungi-infested ingrown-toenailed hairy-ass foot onto the accelerator when there is a PERSON in the ROAD. If you hit me, YOU ARE AT FAULT. I CAN SUE YOU. I WILL SUE YOU. I WILL ALSO KICK YOU IN THE BALLS AND FACE. YOU MORON.
[/rant]
2: Vandalism. It's not witty to rearrange the letters on a Salvation Army marquis to say "God hates goons and nigs". Let's try to be above the protesters that are not important enough for me to remember their name from Topeka that think God hates everyone. You're stupid, they're stupid, and all this hate is really bringing the world down. Go fuck yourself, haters.
3: Hey, Kansas drivers. Please learn to drive. If necessary, go back to driving school or driver's ed, or some equivalent to LEARNING TO DRIVE YOU IMBECILES. First off, if you pull out in front of me and I am forced to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with you, then you are a shitty driver. If an accident were to occur YOU WOULD BE AT FAULT. If you are at a stop sign, you are required to STOP until the road is CLEAR. Secondly, let me reiterate that a STOP sign means STOP until the road is CLEAR. If there is a pedestrian in the road, it is NOT clear. Do NOT go. Do NOT press your fungi-infested ingrown-toenailed hairy-ass foot onto the accelerator when there is a PERSON in the ROAD. If you hit me, YOU ARE AT FAULT. I CAN SUE YOU. I WILL SUE YOU. I WILL ALSO KICK YOU IN THE BALLS AND FACE. YOU MORON.
[/rant]
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Money Bag
I like metal money. Seriously, it's super cool and not many people use it. It's totally eco-friendly because coins don't get destroyed as easily as paper money. Also, it's totally rad to throw a money bag at someone as payment for something while you turn into the sunset, smoking a cigarette and never looking back. I'm talking about a badass money bag like this one:
How cool is that! I just cut up some old footie pajamas that didn't fit me, lined it with a piece of black cloth and used an elastic hair-piece to seal it off and now I'm the proud owner of a SMALL WALLET. It holds 99 rupees.
Someday when I try to purchase the red tunic I might need to track down an ADULT MONEY BAG.
But with only 27 dollars in Gold Dollars and Silver Half-dollars, I think the regular wallet will be fine. Someday I may get a GIANT WALLET to store up to 999 rupees!
How cool is that! I just cut up some old footie pajamas that didn't fit me, lined it with a piece of black cloth and used an elastic hair-piece to seal it off and now I'm the proud owner of a SMALL WALLET. It holds 99 rupees.
Someday when I try to purchase the red tunic I might need to track down an ADULT MONEY BAG.
But with only 27 dollars in Gold Dollars and Silver Half-dollars, I think the regular wallet will be fine. Someday I may get a GIANT WALLET to store up to 999 rupees!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Insanity
The only times I ever really doubt my sanity is when I'm on the verge of sleep. It's been a pretty common phenomenon for me to experience Hypnogogic hallucinations when I am falling asleep, and in the past year, they've increased in frequency.
Because of this, I tend to hear and "see" things that aren't there quite often. (I say "see" because my eyes are always closed, but I visualize them so vividly sometimes that I'm surprised when I have to open my eyes when I wake up.) For instance, I had a few hallucinations at work once, and I thought that inmates were escaping and creeping up on me to attack me. Then I woke up and realized I was hearing the clock ticking above me and it altered my perception.
Well, lately, I've been feeling things as I'm going to bed for the night, or getting up for the day. Yesterday morning I thought I spilled a jar of peanut butter on my shirt, and I was concerned with how to clean it off and if I could salvage any of it. I could really feel it on me though, that greasy peanut texture. I could smell and taste it. I woke up and realized I was just lying in bed. Then I started falling asleep and started hallucinating about peeing in the toilet and I woke up, afraid I might wet the bed (I didn't, by the way. Never once wet the bed, somehow.). Then I hallucinated again about holding an apple in my hand. All just as vivid as the last.
I rarely remember my hallucinations, but the past couple of days have been so frequent and disturbing that I've started wondering where the line is drawn between my conscious recollections and my unconscious wanderings. Again. I wondered a few months ago while I was dealing with the irritability associated with excessive sleepiness. You know, who am I if I am two different people depending on how tired I am.
The brain functions on many levels, and there are many levels that coexist psychologically as well. I'm wondering who I am at the core, beyond the irritable and lazy instinctual side of me, and beneath the complicated but confident exterior that functions from day to day.
Or do we even have a steady core at all? I'm reminded of the one and only book on cognitive psychology that I've ever read, "The Mind's I" that talks about such topics. Do we have a core that's just clouded by our minds, or are we the sum of our many layers?
Am I a brain? or, do I have a brain? If I were a book, would I be any single page? Any single explicit theme? Would I be the cover? Or would I be a chapter? Or a whole book?
Am I an eyeball? A brainstem? A collection of organs? A torso? A machine? A cluster of nerve endings?
It's all gray area for me right now. There is nothing solid to hold on to, yet at the same time, this nagging voice inside says it knows exactly who it is. This voice describes me more like a powerful computer, that just happens to have an old analogue monitor that takes a few minutes to warm up. Before it gets warmed up, it can only display a few colors, but once it's primed and ready to go, it has a great resolution and contrast ratio.
Did I just turn into a total nerd?
Because of this, I tend to hear and "see" things that aren't there quite often. (I say "see" because my eyes are always closed, but I visualize them so vividly sometimes that I'm surprised when I have to open my eyes when I wake up.) For instance, I had a few hallucinations at work once, and I thought that inmates were escaping and creeping up on me to attack me. Then I woke up and realized I was hearing the clock ticking above me and it altered my perception.
Well, lately, I've been feeling things as I'm going to bed for the night, or getting up for the day. Yesterday morning I thought I spilled a jar of peanut butter on my shirt, and I was concerned with how to clean it off and if I could salvage any of it. I could really feel it on me though, that greasy peanut texture. I could smell and taste it. I woke up and realized I was just lying in bed. Then I started falling asleep and started hallucinating about peeing in the toilet and I woke up, afraid I might wet the bed (I didn't, by the way. Never once wet the bed, somehow.). Then I hallucinated again about holding an apple in my hand. All just as vivid as the last.
I rarely remember my hallucinations, but the past couple of days have been so frequent and disturbing that I've started wondering where the line is drawn between my conscious recollections and my unconscious wanderings. Again. I wondered a few months ago while I was dealing with the irritability associated with excessive sleepiness. You know, who am I if I am two different people depending on how tired I am.
The brain functions on many levels, and there are many levels that coexist psychologically as well. I'm wondering who I am at the core, beyond the irritable and lazy instinctual side of me, and beneath the complicated but confident exterior that functions from day to day.
Or do we even have a steady core at all? I'm reminded of the one and only book on cognitive psychology that I've ever read, "The Mind's I" that talks about such topics. Do we have a core that's just clouded by our minds, or are we the sum of our many layers?
Am I a brain? or, do I have a brain? If I were a book, would I be any single page? Any single explicit theme? Would I be the cover? Or would I be a chapter? Or a whole book?
Am I an eyeball? A brainstem? A collection of organs? A torso? A machine? A cluster of nerve endings?
It's all gray area for me right now. There is nothing solid to hold on to, yet at the same time, this nagging voice inside says it knows exactly who it is. This voice describes me more like a powerful computer, that just happens to have an old analogue monitor that takes a few minutes to warm up. Before it gets warmed up, it can only display a few colors, but once it's primed and ready to go, it has a great resolution and contrast ratio.
Did I just turn into a total nerd?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Battery acid + baking soda = foamy goodness
My car broke down. I thought it was the ignition switch because of the finicky way it was acting and how the power was cutting in and out as I turned the key, but I found out today that it was just the battery terminals being corroded.
Surprisingly, there wasn't as much corrosion on the terminals as there was a month ago when I cleaned them, but I guess it built up inbetween the battery posts and the cable clamps where it didn't look serious. So I poured some baking soda water on there and watched it fizz and bubble, then I scraped them down with a wire brush and now I have a running vehicle again!
A running vehicle with expired plates...
In other news, dinner is about ready. Spaghetti with clam sauce and garlic bread.
Surprisingly, there wasn't as much corrosion on the terminals as there was a month ago when I cleaned them, but I guess it built up inbetween the battery posts and the cable clamps where it didn't look serious. So I poured some baking soda water on there and watched it fizz and bubble, then I scraped them down with a wire brush and now I have a running vehicle again!
A running vehicle with expired plates...
In other news, dinner is about ready. Spaghetti with clam sauce and garlic bread.
Friday, August 21, 2009
At the lowest low
I went to the clinic today to get tested for mono. I'm not particularly worried about having it, but since I took half of a night off work the other day from feeling sick, I figured it would be a good idea to know for sure.
So, there I was, typically anxious as I typically am around your typical needle, just waiting around. The nurse does what every nurse does (tells me I have terrible veins that are being selfish with their precious precious blood.) and then squirms around with the needle until she can get some goodies. Well, I made it through the plasma part, and then she snapped off tubes and grabbed the one for blood (I guess? Never done a blood draw. The first tube had plasma-esque substance in it...).
As she brought the tube to the needle, I felt my vision getting hazy, and I remember saying, "I'm starting to pass out." She told me I needed to relax, and to take a deep breath.
Normally, when I need to relax, be it for meditation or to sleep or just to calm down, I will recite the Norse Alphabet. It's something I've picked up in the last couple years and it usually works pretty well. The first few letters are Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, and Ansuz, which are parallel to the Phonetic F, U, TH, and A.
Anyway, I remember taking a deepish breath, then saying in my head, "FEH--"
Next thing I know, I have a mind-numbing headache. That's the first thing I remember. Then I felt that slight tingle at the end of my penis that is familiar to all men who ever urinate. I tightened up my urethral and anal sphincters, then I took a deep breath and said, "I passed out."
Somehow, I managed to avoid vomiting. (I don't think the Dinner Pizza would have tasted as good on the flipside.) Almost immediately, I began cracking jokes, lightening the mood, my mood, trying to feel better. I was tingling uncomfortably all over, my head was swimming, I wanted to barf, I had to keep peeing...
The nurse didn't get much blood. She told me I snored in my sleep for a few seconds, and that the amount of blood she got during that time was probably enough, but we will see after she sends in the samples to the laboratory.
When it comes down to it, I'm really fucking scared right now. The humiliation, the sick feeling, the horror of not being able to handle something as pathetic as a little needle. Dammit I feel like a piece of shit. I punch walls for fun! That hurts more than the stupid needle, so why the anxiety?
Moreover, how can I ever amount to the kind of man I look up to if I can't handle the things they take in stride? On a deep personal level, I feel like I've hit a wall that I don't know how to climb. I feel like I have a part of me I can't control that will never be as focused and determined as I want it to be, and that it's dragging me down.
I'm afraid to go to sleep, which I wanted to do an hour ago...
So, there I was, typically anxious as I typically am around your typical needle, just waiting around. The nurse does what every nurse does (tells me I have terrible veins that are being selfish with their precious precious blood.) and then squirms around with the needle until she can get some goodies. Well, I made it through the plasma part, and then she snapped off tubes and grabbed the one for blood (I guess? Never done a blood draw. The first tube had plasma-esque substance in it...).
As she brought the tube to the needle, I felt my vision getting hazy, and I remember saying, "I'm starting to pass out." She told me I needed to relax, and to take a deep breath.
Normally, when I need to relax, be it for meditation or to sleep or just to calm down, I will recite the Norse Alphabet. It's something I've picked up in the last couple years and it usually works pretty well. The first few letters are Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, and Ansuz, which are parallel to the Phonetic F, U, TH, and A.
Anyway, I remember taking a deepish breath, then saying in my head, "FEH--"
Next thing I know, I have a mind-numbing headache. That's the first thing I remember. Then I felt that slight tingle at the end of my penis that is familiar to all men who ever urinate. I tightened up my urethral and anal sphincters, then I took a deep breath and said, "I passed out."
Somehow, I managed to avoid vomiting. (I don't think the Dinner Pizza would have tasted as good on the flipside.) Almost immediately, I began cracking jokes, lightening the mood, my mood, trying to feel better. I was tingling uncomfortably all over, my head was swimming, I wanted to barf, I had to keep peeing...
The nurse didn't get much blood. She told me I snored in my sleep for a few seconds, and that the amount of blood she got during that time was probably enough, but we will see after she sends in the samples to the laboratory.
When it comes down to it, I'm really fucking scared right now. The humiliation, the sick feeling, the horror of not being able to handle something as pathetic as a little needle. Dammit I feel like a piece of shit. I punch walls for fun! That hurts more than the stupid needle, so why the anxiety?
Moreover, how can I ever amount to the kind of man I look up to if I can't handle the things they take in stride? On a deep personal level, I feel like I've hit a wall that I don't know how to climb. I feel like I have a part of me I can't control that will never be as focused and determined as I want it to be, and that it's dragging me down.
I'm afraid to go to sleep, which I wanted to do an hour ago...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
And then...
Then I became one of those people who only updates his blog to tell people sorry for not updating enough... Yuck.
What to write? What has happened?
I most likely have mono. Rachel has it, and I kiss her pretty lots of the most of the time always, so even though I'm showing very mild symptoms, it could be just a sympathetic reaction, or maybe I just have a manly immune system.
I've read half of the Rurouni Kenshin series. Just finished volume 14 out of 26 or so.
My playstation should be coming back to me on Friday, completely fixed. I'll be relatively unhappy if it breaks again before I feel that my 150 dollar repair fee is justified. I wish I knew what the yellow light is for, cause if it's an overheating problem, I may get a cooling van for it so this won't happen when I try to run the machine for a month straight next time. I'm really big on Folding@Home and the PS3 does it really well, so I would do that when I wasn't playing. Then one day it just didn't turn on right, showing me this yellow light of doom... totally sucked.
Speaking of overheating, I now have to put frozen bratwurst on top of my video card to keep it cool while I play video games on my PC. It wouldn't last 10 minutes before I opened it up, put a 6 dollar walmart fan inside, and placed a brat on the GT8800. The problem is having a mini ATX case and motherboard, and a PSU with so many cords that they prevent all normal air circulation. I just need a bigger case, but I don't have 70 bucks to put up for it right now. Not after paying for the PS3. I guess PC upgrades are next on the list of things to do with my fun money.
Still working on my Iron Palm training. I ordered some Dit Da Jow but haven't gotten it yet. The stuff is supposed to help expedite the process of strengthening the tissue in the hands and wherever else you are trying to toughen. Most of my knuckles are healed up and showing improvement, but I think I really damaged my left index knuckle. Not seriously, I mean. It doesn't hamper my ability to do any day to day activities, but balling up a tight fist makes it ache a bit.
I can't think of much else right now. It's late and I need to clean before bed.
What to write? What has happened?
I most likely have mono. Rachel has it, and I kiss her pretty lots of the most of the time always, so even though I'm showing very mild symptoms, it could be just a sympathetic reaction, or maybe I just have a manly immune system.
I've read half of the Rurouni Kenshin series. Just finished volume 14 out of 26 or so.
My playstation should be coming back to me on Friday, completely fixed. I'll be relatively unhappy if it breaks again before I feel that my 150 dollar repair fee is justified. I wish I knew what the yellow light is for, cause if it's an overheating problem, I may get a cooling van for it so this won't happen when I try to run the machine for a month straight next time. I'm really big on Folding@Home and the PS3 does it really well, so I would do that when I wasn't playing. Then one day it just didn't turn on right, showing me this yellow light of doom... totally sucked.
Speaking of overheating, I now have to put frozen bratwurst on top of my video card to keep it cool while I play video games on my PC. It wouldn't last 10 minutes before I opened it up, put a 6 dollar walmart fan inside, and placed a brat on the GT8800. The problem is having a mini ATX case and motherboard, and a PSU with so many cords that they prevent all normal air circulation. I just need a bigger case, but I don't have 70 bucks to put up for it right now. Not after paying for the PS3. I guess PC upgrades are next on the list of things to do with my fun money.
Still working on my Iron Palm training. I ordered some Dit Da Jow but haven't gotten it yet. The stuff is supposed to help expedite the process of strengthening the tissue in the hands and wherever else you are trying to toughen. Most of my knuckles are healed up and showing improvement, but I think I really damaged my left index knuckle. Not seriously, I mean. It doesn't hamper my ability to do any day to day activities, but balling up a tight fist makes it ache a bit.
I can't think of much else right now. It's late and I need to clean before bed.
Monday, August 3, 2009
All healed up
The finger is all healed. Unfortunately, I overdid my Iron Palm training today and bruised the knuckles on both of my hands. They'll swell up nicely.
Not much time to update. Need sleep.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Cut my fingernail off
But then we saw this awesome sunset and I felt better.
For some inexplicable reason, I cannot get that image to flip horizontally. Bad luck. Anyway, there is a bit of a lightning strike in that picture, but it's hard to tell because the sun was hitting that part of the cloud while it struck. Was a great sunset and it reminded me a lot of that scene from Independence Day.
Now it's raining, but it's gentle and nice.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A world of adventure
So the other day I went for a bike ride after work. I haven't really ridden my bike since August of last year when I was working graveyard shift at a restaurant and couldn't afford gas, but since I have the lucrative career as an inmate babysitter now, I can afford car things and therefore, do not require such a simple engineering ploy to get me around town.
Well, we have a bike trail in town that I figured I would go through since the morning was cool after a fresh rain. I found a bit of a downhill straightaway with awesome trees on either side, and I shifted into high gear to pick up speed.
Then I saw this mud puddle and hit my brakes.
Since this silt was on the outside of a rather sharp turn, I had no choice, nor did I have the reaction time to avoid it. So I hit it at around 25 kmh and did this.
So, when my tires hit the mud, they went off to the right, and my body pretty much kept going forward. Then when the tires hit the dry pavement, they righted themselves from my own bodily momentum. Mud flipped up along my leg, on my shirt, into my hair, and I came out of it perfectly fine, but much more careful about how fast I decide to go around blind corners after rainstorms.
Also, I'm finding my life to be getting off track a bit and it's affecting my relationships and work, so I'm going to attempt to start some weekly goals to give myself a sense of direction in my life. I'm going to start by updating this, and my other blog at least once a week. It's not much, but I'll work up from there.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Guitar: Impossible
Not only is this a cool edit, but the second best part of the whole thing is him singing part of Business Time by Flight of the Concords, which is an amazing song in it's own right.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Front door Sentry
Home defense/decor anyone?
That was Rachel's idea to creep out house guests. And to deter home invaders.
My superior marksmanship right there was done with a CZ-52 Pistol, featured here.
It kicks like a small rifle and shoots a Kevlar-penetrating bullet. Perfect for hostile government takeovers. Unfortunately, it only holds 8 rounds. Man, I could only take out like, 30 guys if they stood in line!
Ridiculousness aside, I really liked Rachel's suggestion, and it helps clean the place up by reducing the amount of sentimental junk lying around.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
All Moved!
The house is still a mess, but this is it. I absolutely love it. It's the nicest place I've ever lived on my own in (as in, never lived with my parents in. The house in Lyman after the remodel was the nicest I've lived in.)
It's a one bedroom, with the cool doorways separating rooms. It's small, but not cramped at all. There is plenty of room for everything if I arrange it right. Rachel is doing an amazing job of making me unpack, without being pushy and annoying about it.
My favorite thing is that the apartment smells nice. Without being too much of a disappointment, I must say that it's a breath of fresh air.
Puns are the lowest form of humor. I know.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Greetings from Bethany, Missouri
Up here at a wedding for Rachel's friend, Elizabeth. She was married yesterday at around 6ish PM in her In-Law's yard, underneath an off-white tent in front of 30 or so people. She looked fantastic in her white and red gown, and the groom, Nathan, looked quite nice himself, in the black/white/red three piece he had thrown on.
I've only been to three weddings in my life that I recall. I guess I played a gig for a reception once and I vaguely recall seeing something where an uncle of mine told me that "trumpet players make the best kissers" which my mother didn't approve of me hearing for some reason.
So, I remember my Mom's sister Louanne getting married, and my Dad's sister Jamie. But both of those celebrations occurred long ago and my memory is vague.
Today was an interesting experience for me. It was an Episcopalian service, and the Reverend/Minister/Priest guy was a really neat dude. Apparently, Elizabeth wants to go into the Seminary someday, so you can imagine how spiritual the wedding ceremony was.
I felt a little out of place there, for quite a few reasons, but I met some of Rachel's old friends and I think they're all really cool. I got to skip a couple days of work too. Overall I've had a great weekend so far. Looks like we'll get to repeat the whole process again next month for another friend, though, word on the street (read: Directly from the bride-to-be) has it that the next wedding I'll be at will be a little bigger. Closer to 150 people should be there.
I've learned a lot of new things about my psyche this weekend that I wouldn't have explored otherwise. It's been very eye-opening, yet on the other hand, I've thought of nearly as many questions that I can't answer right now. Perhaps that's the process of life at work. As soon as you answer two questions, three more pop up. It's how we grow and develop.
I've only been to three weddings in my life that I recall. I guess I played a gig for a reception once and I vaguely recall seeing something where an uncle of mine told me that "trumpet players make the best kissers" which my mother didn't approve of me hearing for some reason.
So, I remember my Mom's sister Louanne getting married, and my Dad's sister Jamie. But both of those celebrations occurred long ago and my memory is vague.
Today was an interesting experience for me. It was an Episcopalian service, and the Reverend/Minister/Priest guy was a really neat dude. Apparently, Elizabeth wants to go into the Seminary someday, so you can imagine how spiritual the wedding ceremony was.
I felt a little out of place there, for quite a few reasons, but I met some of Rachel's old friends and I think they're all really cool. I got to skip a couple days of work too. Overall I've had a great weekend so far. Looks like we'll get to repeat the whole process again next month for another friend, though, word on the street (read: Directly from the bride-to-be) has it that the next wedding I'll be at will be a little bigger. Closer to 150 people should be there.
I've learned a lot of new things about my psyche this weekend that I wouldn't have explored otherwise. It's been very eye-opening, yet on the other hand, I've thought of nearly as many questions that I can't answer right now. Perhaps that's the process of life at work. As soon as you answer two questions, three more pop up. It's how we grow and develop.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Camping
This last week, Rachel and I went camping out at the nearby lake. For the most part, we really had a good time. We had hot dogs and s'mores and chips with queso and all that goodness, plus a great view from the shoreline out across the lake.
I got a tan. A real one. I totally stripped down to my speedo and sunbathed for a few minutes and for the first time in my life, I don't have a farmer's tan. 'Tis unusual for me to see the insides of my forearms and my shoulders being just as dark as the back of my neck.
Some other good news: I found an apartment. Looks like I'll be saving a bit over $100 a month in this new place, though it's a bit smaller and I don't get a yard anymore. I can live with it, I guess. The apartment is right downtown across from the courthouse and right in the heart of the business area. There are a few good restauraunts within two or three blocks. Plus, I'll be closer to work so I'll have a little more time to get ready before I have to leave. Overall, I'm satisfied and not too terribly dreading the move. I really hate moving, but it'll be over soon enough.
Finished reading "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore the other day while camping. I hereby declare it to be the second funniest book I've ever read, just behind "John Dies at the End" by David Wong. Between the two, there is a lot of entertainment to be had, and JDatE has just had the rerelease date...er... released.
http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/
September 29th, 2009
I can't wait. :D
I got a tan. A real one. I totally stripped down to my speedo and sunbathed for a few minutes and for the first time in my life, I don't have a farmer's tan. 'Tis unusual for me to see the insides of my forearms and my shoulders being just as dark as the back of my neck.
Some other good news: I found an apartment. Looks like I'll be saving a bit over $100 a month in this new place, though it's a bit smaller and I don't get a yard anymore. I can live with it, I guess. The apartment is right downtown across from the courthouse and right in the heart of the business area. There are a few good restauraunts within two or three blocks. Plus, I'll be closer to work so I'll have a little more time to get ready before I have to leave. Overall, I'm satisfied and not too terribly dreading the move. I really hate moving, but it'll be over soon enough.
Finished reading "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore the other day while camping. I hereby declare it to be the second funniest book I've ever read, just behind "John Dies at the End" by David Wong. Between the two, there is a lot of entertainment to be had, and JDatE has just had the rerelease date...er... released.
http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/
September 29th, 2009
I can't wait. :D
Friday, May 15, 2009
Swirling clouds of ultimate chaos
So I was just grocery shopping, and I looked up in the sky, and saw my first swirling cloud pattern. Like, I watched it rotate about 45 degrees before Rachel yelled at me to get in the car.
There was a tornado warning in effect near Wichita, but it has been lifted and now we're just in a severe thunderstorm warning.
We had a severe thunderstorm a little over a week ago while I was at work. It was less than pleasant because I was in charge of most of the facility alarms that night. They pretty much all went off simultaneously and we lost power and things got a little hectic for a bit. Looks like tonight will be much of the same, but I guess it can't get much worse than I had it last week, so I'm not worried.
Still looking for a place to live. It's hard to find a decent home in this area that isn't ridiculously expensive. Right now I'm paying 450 a month plus utilities which is just a bit much for a single income. When Curtis left I lost the joy of splitting bills.
The cheapest place I found was 300 a month, but the place was a crap hole and the roof leaked. I may end up living with Rachel soon, so I don't want to live in a place that isn't semi-respectable. Roof leaks and kitchen/washroom combos and bathrooms with windows in the shower just don't cut it for me.
So the other night I had a sleep attack while I was watching a digital clock with a second counter on it. I was pretty fascinated inbetween microsleeps to find out how long I slept. See, every time I woke up, I would look at the clock, then I would fall asleep and wake back up to look at the clock. Most of the time, I would only sleep for about one second at a time. I think the longest I slept was about 7 seconds, but it's hard to tell the exact moment I fell asleep and when to gauge the amount of seconds that went by. I know for certain that I dozed about 3 times in 15 seconds at one point. That was interesting, because I honestly thought more time had been passing, but each time I saw the clock, only 2 or 3 seconds had passed, then 2 or 3 more, and after the third nap, only a quarter minute had really gone by. Fun fun.
There was a tornado warning in effect near Wichita, but it has been lifted and now we're just in a severe thunderstorm warning.
We had a severe thunderstorm a little over a week ago while I was at work. It was less than pleasant because I was in charge of most of the facility alarms that night. They pretty much all went off simultaneously and we lost power and things got a little hectic for a bit. Looks like tonight will be much of the same, but I guess it can't get much worse than I had it last week, so I'm not worried.
Still looking for a place to live. It's hard to find a decent home in this area that isn't ridiculously expensive. Right now I'm paying 450 a month plus utilities which is just a bit much for a single income. When Curtis left I lost the joy of splitting bills.
The cheapest place I found was 300 a month, but the place was a crap hole and the roof leaked. I may end up living with Rachel soon, so I don't want to live in a place that isn't semi-respectable. Roof leaks and kitchen/washroom combos and bathrooms with windows in the shower just don't cut it for me.
So the other night I had a sleep attack while I was watching a digital clock with a second counter on it. I was pretty fascinated inbetween microsleeps to find out how long I slept. See, every time I woke up, I would look at the clock, then I would fall asleep and wake back up to look at the clock. Most of the time, I would only sleep for about one second at a time. I think the longest I slept was about 7 seconds, but it's hard to tell the exact moment I fell asleep and when to gauge the amount of seconds that went by. I know for certain that I dozed about 3 times in 15 seconds at one point. That was interesting, because I honestly thought more time had been passing, but each time I saw the clock, only 2 or 3 seconds had passed, then 2 or 3 more, and after the third nap, only a quarter minute had really gone by. Fun fun.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The good and bad
Ubuntu 9.04 is out, and I am enjoying it muchly right now. There are cool desktop screenlets for weather and news, and I have a secondary desktop that monitors my motherboard and logs my network usage. It's very cool. Computer boots up in about 30 seconds as well, as opposed to several minutes with Vista. I'm impressed with the improvements that have been made in the last year.
But then there's the sleep issues and the money issues. I'm just about off the Ritalin, though it's pretty much the only thing that will keep me awake these days. I just woke up from a three hour nap I took while I was reading a book. Probably fell asleep between midnight and 1 AM, and then woke up at 3:18. I went, "Aw... fu--" and blinked. When I opened my eyes, it was 4:30 AM, which was the time I planned to go to bed for the night anyway. That's enormously frustrating, though I took it pretty well. I know I've been sleep deprived lately, so I saw it coming, but losing 4 hours unintentionally doesn't help much.
The state budget is under scrutiny right now. Apparently the state is ten million over budget in the Corrections department, so they are trying to figure out how to save the money. One proposal was a 5% pay cut for state employees, which was luckily shot down. However, the route that they will probably take is likely just as bad. They may end up closing down more facilities and removing inmate programs, leading to overcrowding and unrest, which could in turn make my job more dangerous. I don't really need that, though, it may keep me awake if that's the case.
But besides a little frustration, life is really good. The weather is getting unpredictable and crazy. There's lots of rain and we've already had some tornado activity. I love the excitement.
Also, I ran a mile in 9:37, then matched that record again a couple days later. I hope to beat it tomorrow when I run again.
But then there's the sleep issues and the money issues. I'm just about off the Ritalin, though it's pretty much the only thing that will keep me awake these days. I just woke up from a three hour nap I took while I was reading a book. Probably fell asleep between midnight and 1 AM, and then woke up at 3:18. I went, "Aw... fu--" and blinked. When I opened my eyes, it was 4:30 AM, which was the time I planned to go to bed for the night anyway. That's enormously frustrating, though I took it pretty well. I know I've been sleep deprived lately, so I saw it coming, but losing 4 hours unintentionally doesn't help much.
The state budget is under scrutiny right now. Apparently the state is ten million over budget in the Corrections department, so they are trying to figure out how to save the money. One proposal was a 5% pay cut for state employees, which was luckily shot down. However, the route that they will probably take is likely just as bad. They may end up closing down more facilities and removing inmate programs, leading to overcrowding and unrest, which could in turn make my job more dangerous. I don't really need that, though, it may keep me awake if that's the case.
But besides a little frustration, life is really good. The weather is getting unpredictable and crazy. There's lots of rain and we've already had some tornado activity. I love the excitement.
Also, I ran a mile in 9:37, then matched that record again a couple days later. I hope to beat it tomorrow when I run again.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Just beat the 10 minute mark.
Ran a mile in 9:57.
Also read the book, "In the Miso Soup" by Ryu Murakami. Excellent book. Interesting story arc and tension building. Interesting all around. Also, balls-flatteningly terrifying.
Also read the book, "In the Miso Soup" by Ryu Murakami. Excellent book. Interesting story arc and tension building. Interesting all around. Also, balls-flatteningly terrifying.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Been running
So, for the first 4 months working out at the Prison I was regularly weight lifting after work. Usually 2 or 3 times a week, various different workouts depending on what I was trying to achieve.
Well, the last month and a half or so I decided to start running regularly and lifting weights just once a week, if that. I've never had a good cardio thing going on, never been able to really run very far. In 8th grade I was in 2 PE classes and basketball after school and even with all that I barely got down to a seven and a half minute mile run.
When I first started running a few weeks ago, I was doing a mile in 13+ minutes according to the treadmill clock, which I swear runs fast, cause my wrist watch timed it at 10 minutes even. Today, however, I did a mile in 10:29 according to the treadmill clock, which translates closer to 8 minutes in the real world. I'll have to get a stopwatch or something so I can find out for sure. If 8 minutes is the case though, holy cow, I'm nearly in the best shape of my life.
Even if I can't start running 7 minute miles, I can take comfort in the fact that I'm probably the only person I work with that can run that far period.
Well, the last month and a half or so I decided to start running regularly and lifting weights just once a week, if that. I've never had a good cardio thing going on, never been able to really run very far. In 8th grade I was in 2 PE classes and basketball after school and even with all that I barely got down to a seven and a half minute mile run.
When I first started running a few weeks ago, I was doing a mile in 13+ minutes according to the treadmill clock, which I swear runs fast, cause my wrist watch timed it at 10 minutes even. Today, however, I did a mile in 10:29 according to the treadmill clock, which translates closer to 8 minutes in the real world. I'll have to get a stopwatch or something so I can find out for sure. If 8 minutes is the case though, holy cow, I'm nearly in the best shape of my life.
Even if I can't start running 7 minute miles, I can take comfort in the fact that I'm probably the only person I work with that can run that far period.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
and I had so much to say...
Where to start? I've spent the last few days detoxing and going through withdrawals from the Ritalin. I think. Maybe I'm actually sick, but the mood swings and body aches seem to fit in with my medication schedule. See, two weeks ago, I was regularly taking two 20 mg tablets twice a day, four hours apart. Of course, 20 mg doesn't go through the system in four hours, so for a short period of time every day, I'd have quite a rush from the little overload.
The good thing about that, is that I would be in a great mood, wide awake, and doing a great job at work. The bad thing is that once my body stopped getting that high every day, it made me irritable and sick.
At my last appointment, I was given a month's supply of extended release Ritalin, which was 30 mg spaced out over an entire day. It worked for about 3 days before I started getting dangerously drowsy at work and then getting body aches. Over my weekend, I decided to just not take anything and then try to go up from nothing, instead of coming down from the high dose.
Well, I haven't made up my mind yet entirely on what to do about the meds. Can't reach the doctor 'til Monday, so I have to get through the weekend. Yesterday and today I just took 10 mg in the afternoon and left it at that, but I had tonight off so I don't know how it would have fared in the work environment.
Laurie's cancer has returned with a vengeance and she's undergoing much more serious treatment this time around. Surgery is planned for this summer and she's doing three chemo/radiation treatments a week. Gotta hand it to her though. She's still working full-time on top of all of that. At Walmart, no less. Her commitment never ceases to amaze me.
Friend of mine at work lost his job the other day. Wish I knew exactly what happened. Apparently they've been trying to fire him for years, always looking for a good reason. He misses lots of work, has lots of health problems, but in my opinion was quite capable of his job. Unfortunately, he has quite severe narcolepsy, fell asleep on the job a couple times, and was demoted. The last time we spoke, he said our boss surprised him by asking him how they could work together to improve the situation (when before it was usually something along the lines of "get out, you're fired" which was always taken back). That was probably about a month ago.
Probably could all have been prevented if they let him work day shift. My network of spies say he has enemies higher up.
Last of the news is nothing exciting to anyone but me, really. I installed Fedora 10 on a Powerbook G4. It wasn't perfect, but now I have everything working except for the sound (I had it, but when I rebooted, it stopped working again.).
I did it for Rachel, who really hated Mac OS, and a little for myself, to get more familiar with using Linux. She needs a laptop for school and hopefully I can get it to emulate some Windows-Only software for her so she doesn't have to buy an expensive new laptop.
Also, just finished "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow. Great book. Recommended.
The good thing about that, is that I would be in a great mood, wide awake, and doing a great job at work. The bad thing is that once my body stopped getting that high every day, it made me irritable and sick.
At my last appointment, I was given a month's supply of extended release Ritalin, which was 30 mg spaced out over an entire day. It worked for about 3 days before I started getting dangerously drowsy at work and then getting body aches. Over my weekend, I decided to just not take anything and then try to go up from nothing, instead of coming down from the high dose.
Well, I haven't made up my mind yet entirely on what to do about the meds. Can't reach the doctor 'til Monday, so I have to get through the weekend. Yesterday and today I just took 10 mg in the afternoon and left it at that, but I had tonight off so I don't know how it would have fared in the work environment.
Laurie's cancer has returned with a vengeance and she's undergoing much more serious treatment this time around. Surgery is planned for this summer and she's doing three chemo/radiation treatments a week. Gotta hand it to her though. She's still working full-time on top of all of that. At Walmart, no less. Her commitment never ceases to amaze me.
Friend of mine at work lost his job the other day. Wish I knew exactly what happened. Apparently they've been trying to fire him for years, always looking for a good reason. He misses lots of work, has lots of health problems, but in my opinion was quite capable of his job. Unfortunately, he has quite severe narcolepsy, fell asleep on the job a couple times, and was demoted. The last time we spoke, he said our boss surprised him by asking him how they could work together to improve the situation (when before it was usually something along the lines of "get out, you're fired" which was always taken back). That was probably about a month ago.
Probably could all have been prevented if they let him work day shift. My network of spies say he has enemies higher up.
Last of the news is nothing exciting to anyone but me, really. I installed Fedora 10 on a Powerbook G4. It wasn't perfect, but now I have everything working except for the sound (I had it, but when I rebooted, it stopped working again.).
I did it for Rachel, who really hated Mac OS, and a little for myself, to get more familiar with using Linux. She needs a laptop for school and hopefully I can get it to emulate some Windows-Only software for her so she doesn't have to buy an expensive new laptop.
Also, just finished "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow. Great book. Recommended.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Oh, by the way...
Got the definitive diagnosis a few days ago. I have a textbook case of narcolepsy. My brain goes into REM sleep faster than most people, and I end up not getting any restful sleep during the night. I wake up over 200 times per night. When I take naps, I fall asleep, on average, in 4 minutes, and immediately go into REM sleep, getting no rest, once again. According to the doctor and my latest sleep study, it's pretty "clear cut" as he said. No doubt about it.
So, the good news is, there is no more confusion, no more doubt, no more ambiguity. I know what I have, I know how to deal with it, and I don't have to worry if I am being honest with myself and others or not when it comes to my sleepiness (No, I'm not lazy, no I didn't stay up partying. I can't help it.).
The bad news is that current research seems to be a bit behind on treatment options. I'm sure there will be better ones in the not too distant future. Here's hoping.
So, the good news is, there is no more confusion, no more doubt, no more ambiguity. I know what I have, I know how to deal with it, and I don't have to worry if I am being honest with myself and others or not when it comes to my sleepiness (No, I'm not lazy, no I didn't stay up partying. I can't help it.).
The bad news is that current research seems to be a bit behind on treatment options. I'm sure there will be better ones in the not too distant future. Here's hoping.
Work work work
Day in, day out, working all the time. Yet for the first time in my life, I'm actually fully enjoying my job. Well, considering that this is normally the time period where work starts to really drag.
Every job I've ever had, I've hated and wanted to quit. With the exception of my job at Union Telephone Company, which I left for more personal reasons than work-related ones. Burger King? Dreaded going in every day after school. Both times I worked there. Shari's? Only went because I worked with cool people. Terrible job though. Walmart? Don't even get me started (icy roads for 35 miles every day).
But working in a prison is actually fulfilling to me. Call me crazy, or blame the endorphins from the mile I just ran, but I'm actually fond of my work, and I get really good feedback, and some nights I actually look forward to doing my job. I know I won't work there forever, but this is looking like the kind of job where I will not leave from frustration, but more from a desire for something else in order to change things up.
My boss also told me "Thanks for doing a good job" over the radio, so everyone in the facility could hear it. I would have blushed if anyone were nearby.
Every job I've ever had, I've hated and wanted to quit. With the exception of my job at Union Telephone Company, which I left for more personal reasons than work-related ones. Burger King? Dreaded going in every day after school. Both times I worked there. Shari's? Only went because I worked with cool people. Terrible job though. Walmart? Don't even get me started (icy roads for 35 miles every day).
But working in a prison is actually fulfilling to me. Call me crazy, or blame the endorphins from the mile I just ran, but I'm actually fond of my work, and I get really good feedback, and some nights I actually look forward to doing my job. I know I won't work there forever, but this is looking like the kind of job where I will not leave from frustration, but more from a desire for something else in order to change things up.
My boss also told me "Thanks for doing a good job" over the radio, so everyone in the facility could hear it. I would have blushed if anyone were nearby.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Something weird I learned
Did you know that Insulin, the hormone that helps us regulate our blood sugar, is known to cause cancer? I just found out today while reading a newsletter in my work inbox.
That just intrigues me because it pretty much proves that the human body is imperfect, despite many people believing that it is perfect and can fix anything if it knows how. I mean, in a sense, that may be true, but it goes to show that no amount of natural living will protect you from everything.
Anyway, that also means that sugar indirectly aids cancer growth, meaning that the fuel that makes your body move and think and jump and hit your wife is the very thing that will kill you someday. You cannot escape it. It's both fascinating and depressing to think about.
Being sick, suffering, dying, all part of the human experience, yet it makes us so miserable.
Curtis moved out yesterday, if he doesn't get filleted on the highway while he hitchhikes then it'll be a great experience for him. Before he left we had a long talk about spirituality and philosophy and the many reasons we think Mormonism is a joke after our years of being so devoted to it.
The concept of suffering came up in a roundabout way. If, in our universe, the popular Christian model is false, then what exactly is suffering? In the reverse, what exactly is pleasure? If the universe really is just a series of physical reactions that coincidentally created life and sentience, then how do you find meaning in anything?
I personally believe in a rather uncommon view of reincarnation. I don't follow any one religion, but I believe in a particular model of the universe that generally frees me from worry about many things. However, my instinct tells me that suffering is empirically "bad". When I think about it, I believe that suffering is good, because it gives us something relative to base "good" from.
So, if suffering is good and pleasure is bad, yet the opposite at the same time, then who do you end up admiring most in the following two scenarios:
1.) A tribal person is taken from his life of squatting in the dirt and eating tree bark to the clean lavish lifestyle of a Hollywood millionaire overnight. He learns languages and gets schooling and starts eating healthy and exercising and everything "good" you can think of. He is very happy now that he has everything, it would seem, and can't believe he lived for so long pooping in his front yard.
2.) The CEO of a huge corporation who has it all realizes that his blood pressure is reaching dangerous levels. If he doesn't change anything drastic, he could develop serious heart disease and not live much longer, and if he quits his job and gives everything up, he will most likely return to a normal healthy state. He decides not to risk the "if" and gives up everything, going so far as to take his millions and buy a plot of land in the woods and live off the land for the rest of his life. He finds he is very happy now that he has almost nothing, and can't believe he wasted so much time on trivial things like money, cars, and business.
So, which guy is more admirable? Who finds more worth in life? The guy who gained everything, or the guy who gave up everything?
Unfortunately, those scenarios aren't extensive enough. Maybe the CEO ends up with heart disease anyway and dies slowly on the mountain from a mild heart attack that leaves him too frail to stand and walk. Maybe the Tribesman finds he has no friends and gives up on life, throwing himself from a bridge, only to find that he's broken both legs and cannot crawl to anyone or thing that could help him. Who knows?
That just intrigues me because it pretty much proves that the human body is imperfect, despite many people believing that it is perfect and can fix anything if it knows how. I mean, in a sense, that may be true, but it goes to show that no amount of natural living will protect you from everything.
Anyway, that also means that sugar indirectly aids cancer growth, meaning that the fuel that makes your body move and think and jump and hit your wife is the very thing that will kill you someday. You cannot escape it. It's both fascinating and depressing to think about.
Being sick, suffering, dying, all part of the human experience, yet it makes us so miserable.
Curtis moved out yesterday, if he doesn't get filleted on the highway while he hitchhikes then it'll be a great experience for him. Before he left we had a long talk about spirituality and philosophy and the many reasons we think Mormonism is a joke after our years of being so devoted to it.
The concept of suffering came up in a roundabout way. If, in our universe, the popular Christian model is false, then what exactly is suffering? In the reverse, what exactly is pleasure? If the universe really is just a series of physical reactions that coincidentally created life and sentience, then how do you find meaning in anything?
I personally believe in a rather uncommon view of reincarnation. I don't follow any one religion, but I believe in a particular model of the universe that generally frees me from worry about many things. However, my instinct tells me that suffering is empirically "bad". When I think about it, I believe that suffering is good, because it gives us something relative to base "good" from.
So, if suffering is good and pleasure is bad, yet the opposite at the same time, then who do you end up admiring most in the following two scenarios:
1.) A tribal person is taken from his life of squatting in the dirt and eating tree bark to the clean lavish lifestyle of a Hollywood millionaire overnight. He learns languages and gets schooling and starts eating healthy and exercising and everything "good" you can think of. He is very happy now that he has everything, it would seem, and can't believe he lived for so long pooping in his front yard.
2.) The CEO of a huge corporation who has it all realizes that his blood pressure is reaching dangerous levels. If he doesn't change anything drastic, he could develop serious heart disease and not live much longer, and if he quits his job and gives everything up, he will most likely return to a normal healthy state. He decides not to risk the "if" and gives up everything, going so far as to take his millions and buy a plot of land in the woods and live off the land for the rest of his life. He finds he is very happy now that he has almost nothing, and can't believe he wasted so much time on trivial things like money, cars, and business.
So, which guy is more admirable? Who finds more worth in life? The guy who gained everything, or the guy who gave up everything?
Unfortunately, those scenarios aren't extensive enough. Maybe the CEO ends up with heart disease anyway and dies slowly on the mountain from a mild heart attack that leaves him too frail to stand and walk. Maybe the Tribesman finds he has no friends and gives up on life, throwing himself from a bridge, only to find that he's broken both legs and cannot crawl to anyone or thing that could help him. Who knows?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
PART 2 THE RECKONING
So, I woke up Thursday morning toward the end of my trip after a relatively nice nap. The weather outside was a bit windy and oddly cold for the time of year and geographic location, but nice regardless compared to 90% of the weather in Wyoming at any given time of the year.
I sat down to watch some morning news and beheld a foreboding broadcast. Twenty inches of snow forecasted in Denver. Nearly two feet in a 24 hour period. Two feet accumulating before and during the expected time I would be actually driving through Denver on Interstate Highway #70.
Curtis woke up a bit later and I greeted him with a semi-typical, "WE ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY" to which he replied, "The early morning death visions are a sign of your deteriorating condition and I think you forgot your meds." "Nay, brother," I exclaimed, "Look upon the news box and define what thine eyes might see!"
He watched the news for a bit and apologized for the comment regarding my deteriorating mental state. We discussed our options and decided that neither of us had ever been to New Mexico before. Since it was south in the warm part of the country, we could circumvent the snow and see new sights before getting home, and hey, we might save time too by avoiding road closures.
We packed up and left at 12:15 PM, then said goodbye to my mom at the gas station she manages while I filled up with fuel. She bought us drinks and reminded us to wear our seatbelts and then we were off.
We drove through Zion National Park.
Then down to I-40 whre we began our trip East.
Oh wait, no, we didn't. We got stuck in traffic just outside Winslow, Arizona. 14 miles to be exact, where traffic was at a standstill for seven straight miles due to some kind of accident ahead of us. It took two hours of turning off the engine, waiting around, starting it, then moving twenty feet just to repeat the process in order to travel seven miles. Seven. 7. Ciete (Spanish). Set (Questionably-spelled French). Seven.
And Winslow was jam packed with vehicles, so we didn't stop until Joseph City, where Curtis and I finally switched off. I slept for about two hours in the back seat while Curtis drove through an ice storm in Galup, New Mexico. I didn't realize this, otherwise, I wouldn't have slept.
I woke up just outside of Albuquerque where we stopped at the Indian Reservation. I took over driving again there where the weather was clear. On the west side of Albuquerque, the roads were clear and dry. On the east side, the roads had an inch of snow upon them. Thus began the next 8 STRAIGHT HOURS OF NON STOP SOLID ICE ON THE ROAD AND NOT A SINGLE MINUTE OF CLEAR SKY NOR A MOMENT OF PEACE FROM THE RAGING TORRENTS OF WIND THAT THREATENED TO PUSH ME STRAIGHT OFF THE SLICK PAVEMENT INTO A SNOW DRIFT BEYOND.
Let me try to recall what happened in some semblance of an order. Uh, I followed a Plow Truck for about 30 seconds before he himself crashed into the median where I promptly followed since I couldn't see the road (apparently, neither could he!). Luckily, I hit my brakes before I hit him, so I was able to continue my journey.
A few hours later, I was going up a hill where I saw two semi trucks stopped in both lanes ahead of me. I slowed down to gauge my decision regarding my next move, when the truck ahead of me tried to pull forward. Unfortunately, the road was so slick that he could not pull forward. In fact, he started sliding diagonally backwards and to the right when he spun his wheels. The truck behind me realized he couldn't stop if he wanted to avoid being stranded, so he went onto the relatively narrow shoulder to keep moving ahead and came roughly six inches from taking my side mirror clean off the driver's side door.
Since I was then stopped, I tried to move ahead and found that I could only spin my tires, so I spun them to a rate of about 40 mph in order to lazily slide to the left onto the shoulder to where I found traction and then continued my travel.
Later, in Toscanini? Tucanini? Something like that, New Mexico, the snow was then drifting onto the highway. It was about a foot high on the north side of the road. The highway was not closed. I paid particularly close attention to that fact as I drove onward, despite the fact that the wind was blowing so hard that I literally could not see my hood, let alone the street. Between gusts, I would accelerate to twenty miles per hour and go until the next gust, where I would stop and wait until it was safe again. (Pro tip: In harsh snow where city street lights reflect and scatter from snowflake to snowflake, it is actually easier to see the road if you turn your headlights off completely and rely on the faint yellow glow of the metropolis you are driving through, instead of having to squint through the heavy contrast caused by your headlights bouncing direct light into your eyes.)
8 hours after Albuquerque, we made it to Amarillo, Texas, where the snow was still blowing, drifting, and icing over the road. A few miles outside of Amarillo, we traded driving so I could hallucinate with my eyes closed instead of open and on the road (at one point I saw a giant robot smash a car ahead of me with his/her laser-drill fist). I slept for about an hour (according to Curtis, through another spontaneous ice storm.) and then woke up to the sweet smell of a McDonalds Big Mac. I took over driving again an hour north of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The rest of the road was wet, but not icy. Total trip time coming home was 28 hours, almost on the dot. Trip time to Utah was 21 hours, again, almost on the dot. Gas mileage was worse coming home. First two tanks averaged between 37 and 39 mpg, and the second tank and a half averaged 30 to 33 mpg, as opposed to the solid 38-39 range going to Utah a few days before.
In conclusion, cars suck, the weather sucks, and I'm never driving that kind of idiotic retarded moronic drive in one straight shot in the unpredictable spring ever again in my life.
I sat down to watch some morning news and beheld a foreboding broadcast. Twenty inches of snow forecasted in Denver. Nearly two feet in a 24 hour period. Two feet accumulating before and during the expected time I would be actually driving through Denver on Interstate Highway #70.
Curtis woke up a bit later and I greeted him with a semi-typical, "WE ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY" to which he replied, "The early morning death visions are a sign of your deteriorating condition and I think you forgot your meds." "Nay, brother," I exclaimed, "Look upon the news box and define what thine eyes might see!"
He watched the news for a bit and apologized for the comment regarding my deteriorating mental state. We discussed our options and decided that neither of us had ever been to New Mexico before. Since it was south in the warm part of the country, we could circumvent the snow and see new sights before getting home, and hey, we might save time too by avoiding road closures.
We packed up and left at 12:15 PM, then said goodbye to my mom at the gas station she manages while I filled up with fuel. She bought us drinks and reminded us to wear our seatbelts and then we were off.
We drove through Zion National Park.
Then down to I-40 whre we began our trip East.
Oh wait, no, we didn't. We got stuck in traffic just outside Winslow, Arizona. 14 miles to be exact, where traffic was at a standstill for seven straight miles due to some kind of accident ahead of us. It took two hours of turning off the engine, waiting around, starting it, then moving twenty feet just to repeat the process in order to travel seven miles. Seven. 7. Ciete (Spanish). Set (Questionably-spelled French). Seven.
And Winslow was jam packed with vehicles, so we didn't stop until Joseph City, where Curtis and I finally switched off. I slept for about two hours in the back seat while Curtis drove through an ice storm in Galup, New Mexico. I didn't realize this, otherwise, I wouldn't have slept.
I woke up just outside of Albuquerque where we stopped at the Indian Reservation. I took over driving again there where the weather was clear. On the west side of Albuquerque, the roads were clear and dry. On the east side, the roads had an inch of snow upon them. Thus began the next 8 STRAIGHT HOURS OF NON STOP SOLID ICE ON THE ROAD AND NOT A SINGLE MINUTE OF CLEAR SKY NOR A MOMENT OF PEACE FROM THE RAGING TORRENTS OF WIND THAT THREATENED TO PUSH ME STRAIGHT OFF THE SLICK PAVEMENT INTO A SNOW DRIFT BEYOND.
Let me try to recall what happened in some semblance of an order. Uh, I followed a Plow Truck for about 30 seconds before he himself crashed into the median where I promptly followed since I couldn't see the road (apparently, neither could he!). Luckily, I hit my brakes before I hit him, so I was able to continue my journey.
A few hours later, I was going up a hill where I saw two semi trucks stopped in both lanes ahead of me. I slowed down to gauge my decision regarding my next move, when the truck ahead of me tried to pull forward. Unfortunately, the road was so slick that he could not pull forward. In fact, he started sliding diagonally backwards and to the right when he spun his wheels. The truck behind me realized he couldn't stop if he wanted to avoid being stranded, so he went onto the relatively narrow shoulder to keep moving ahead and came roughly six inches from taking my side mirror clean off the driver's side door.
Since I was then stopped, I tried to move ahead and found that I could only spin my tires, so I spun them to a rate of about 40 mph in order to lazily slide to the left onto the shoulder to where I found traction and then continued my travel.
Later, in Toscanini? Tucanini? Something like that, New Mexico, the snow was then drifting onto the highway. It was about a foot high on the north side of the road. The highway was not closed. I paid particularly close attention to that fact as I drove onward, despite the fact that the wind was blowing so hard that I literally could not see my hood, let alone the street. Between gusts, I would accelerate to twenty miles per hour and go until the next gust, where I would stop and wait until it was safe again. (Pro tip: In harsh snow where city street lights reflect and scatter from snowflake to snowflake, it is actually easier to see the road if you turn your headlights off completely and rely on the faint yellow glow of the metropolis you are driving through, instead of having to squint through the heavy contrast caused by your headlights bouncing direct light into your eyes.)
8 hours after Albuquerque, we made it to Amarillo, Texas, where the snow was still blowing, drifting, and icing over the road. A few miles outside of Amarillo, we traded driving so I could hallucinate with my eyes closed instead of open and on the road (at one point I saw a giant robot smash a car ahead of me with his/her laser-drill fist). I slept for about an hour (according to Curtis, through another spontaneous ice storm.) and then woke up to the sweet smell of a McDonalds Big Mac. I took over driving again an hour north of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The rest of the road was wet, but not icy. Total trip time coming home was 28 hours, almost on the dot. Trip time to Utah was 21 hours, again, almost on the dot. Gas mileage was worse coming home. First two tanks averaged between 37 and 39 mpg, and the second tank and a half averaged 30 to 33 mpg, as opposed to the solid 38-39 range going to Utah a few days before.
In conclusion, cars suck, the weather sucks, and I'm never driving that kind of idiotic retarded moronic drive in one straight shot in the unpredictable spring ever again in my life.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Most Retarded Trip
Surprisingly, I am alive and well. I'm so surprised that I am actually wondering how I made it to today without so much as a scratch upon my delicate supple man-skin.
Where do I start? I put in for a vacation several weeks ago at work so I could see my family in Utah. Unfortunately, my older brother couldn't make it, but I got to see my parents and grandparents at least. It's been awhile, so it was worth it all.
Anyway, Sunday morning on the 22nd of March at 8:19 AM, Curtis and I were done packing and hopped in the car to make our trip. The Mapquest estimate was around 19 hours and we figured we could do it in one go, trading off periodically. We got a late start because Curtis spent the entire night looking for the car keys that I accidentally kept in my pocket. I ended up needing Rachel to pick me up from work so I could get home to produce viable engine-starting keys.
So, we had a two-hour delay there, but that wasn't a big deal. We took off on the drive, the very bumpy, vibratory drive. You see, my front passenger side rim is bent beyond repair, and caused the car to vibrate at roughly the rate of rotation. I would find out later that this vibration was not actually caused entirely by the rim damage, but from the rear wheels with axle damage causing the wheels to wear unevenly as if I locked up the wheels going 100 mph and wearing only one particular section of each wheel. Since the wheels were slightly different sizes due to their differing amounts of wear, the vibration came and went at regular intervals and moved from side to side... The car ride was bumpy, is what I'm saying.
We got through Kansas and most of Colorado with no incident. Curtis and I talked and sang songs and had a good time. I took a nap and then we got some gas. We did great on mileage, averaging around 39 mpg the whole way.
Then we got to the first mountain. My car couldn't handle the incline, so I did it all in 3rd gear, going about 30 mph the whole way to the summit, then rolling down the 8% grade in 4th gear to limit my speed to 60 so I didn't fly off the cliffs or crash into the car riding their brake the entire way just in front of me.
Then a deer headbutted my driver's side window. See, one jumped out in front of me, to which I replied, "OH CRAP OH CRAPOHCRAPCRAPCRAP!" I managed to avoid his delicious posterior and swerved slightly to continue on, when his little buddy decided to literally headbutt my window. I looked to the left to just catch his snout smearing snot and saliva across the glass pane. In my rear-view mirror I saw him trot off into the brush, satisfied with his stunt. He probably high-fived his buddy just out of sight.
So I checked my wheels again next time I got gas, and saw that the rear tires were wearing pretty fast. It was too late to get new ones at a tire store or at walmart, so I just decided to push forward. Curtis drove again and I tried to sleep, but I couldn't cause it was dark and we were climbing yet another mountain with cliffs and I just got a little nervous. We ended up in Grand Junction later than expected where we took a quick pee break and then continued to march forward. Onward ever onward.
We passed Green River, Utah with two gallons of gas left. The nearest gas station, which I didn't realize at the time, was about 100 miles away. We climbed yet another fricken' mountain, then saw that we would not make it to the safety of a few gallons of petroleum distillate. But glory be, the wafaring angels sang and behold, a sign appeared!
"GAS FOOD NEXT EXIT"
We pull off, rejoicing at our luck, then immediately cursing our fate...
"GAS 21 MILES NORTH"
Somehow, I've been blessed with extreme luck. You see, I have a 10 gallon gas tank in my Corolla. When we rolled in to Ferren, Utah, I somehow managed to put 10.24 gallons of Dubya Juice into the money hole of fuel.
Hour long detour there, 3 hours behind our normal schedule... Then another mountain to climb, while snowing. I hit the second worst snow storm of my life then, and managed to drive the rest of the way to St. George unable to see. Joy.
I passed 8 or 10 cars all parked, waiting out the storm. I just kept going.
Then we were in St. George.
Tune in next time for part 2. THE RECKONING!
Where do I start? I put in for a vacation several weeks ago at work so I could see my family in Utah. Unfortunately, my older brother couldn't make it, but I got to see my parents and grandparents at least. It's been awhile, so it was worth it all.
Anyway, Sunday morning on the 22nd of March at 8:19 AM, Curtis and I were done packing and hopped in the car to make our trip. The Mapquest estimate was around 19 hours and we figured we could do it in one go, trading off periodically. We got a late start because Curtis spent the entire night looking for the car keys that I accidentally kept in my pocket. I ended up needing Rachel to pick me up from work so I could get home to produce viable engine-starting keys.
So, we had a two-hour delay there, but that wasn't a big deal. We took off on the drive, the very bumpy, vibratory drive. You see, my front passenger side rim is bent beyond repair, and caused the car to vibrate at roughly the rate of rotation. I would find out later that this vibration was not actually caused entirely by the rim damage, but from the rear wheels with axle damage causing the wheels to wear unevenly as if I locked up the wheels going 100 mph and wearing only one particular section of each wheel. Since the wheels were slightly different sizes due to their differing amounts of wear, the vibration came and went at regular intervals and moved from side to side... The car ride was bumpy, is what I'm saying.
We got through Kansas and most of Colorado with no incident. Curtis and I talked and sang songs and had a good time. I took a nap and then we got some gas. We did great on mileage, averaging around 39 mpg the whole way.
Then we got to the first mountain. My car couldn't handle the incline, so I did it all in 3rd gear, going about 30 mph the whole way to the summit, then rolling down the 8% grade in 4th gear to limit my speed to 60 so I didn't fly off the cliffs or crash into the car riding their brake the entire way just in front of me.
Then a deer headbutted my driver's side window. See, one jumped out in front of me, to which I replied, "OH CRAP OH CRAPOHCRAPCRAPCRAP!" I managed to avoid his delicious posterior and swerved slightly to continue on, when his little buddy decided to literally headbutt my window. I looked to the left to just catch his snout smearing snot and saliva across the glass pane. In my rear-view mirror I saw him trot off into the brush, satisfied with his stunt. He probably high-fived his buddy just out of sight.
So I checked my wheels again next time I got gas, and saw that the rear tires were wearing pretty fast. It was too late to get new ones at a tire store or at walmart, so I just decided to push forward. Curtis drove again and I tried to sleep, but I couldn't cause it was dark and we were climbing yet another mountain with cliffs and I just got a little nervous. We ended up in Grand Junction later than expected where we took a quick pee break and then continued to march forward. Onward ever onward.
We passed Green River, Utah with two gallons of gas left. The nearest gas station, which I didn't realize at the time, was about 100 miles away. We climbed yet another fricken' mountain, then saw that we would not make it to the safety of a few gallons of petroleum distillate. But glory be, the wafaring angels sang and behold, a sign appeared!
"GAS FOOD NEXT EXIT"
We pull off, rejoicing at our luck, then immediately cursing our fate...
"GAS 21 MILES NORTH"
Somehow, I've been blessed with extreme luck. You see, I have a 10 gallon gas tank in my Corolla. When we rolled in to Ferren, Utah, I somehow managed to put 10.24 gallons of Dubya Juice into the money hole of fuel.
Hour long detour there, 3 hours behind our normal schedule... Then another mountain to climb, while snowing. I hit the second worst snow storm of my life then, and managed to drive the rest of the way to St. George unable to see. Joy.
I passed 8 or 10 cars all parked, waiting out the storm. I just kept going.
Then we were in St. George.
Tune in next time for part 2. THE RECKONING!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Theft
My car was broken into a few days ago. I knew it was coming, so I'm not upset. I lost one 12" Subwoofer, one 600 watt Amplifier, and about 50 CDs that I've collected over the past two years.
Really, I'm not upset about it. My girlfriend was much more upset about it than I was cause the theft occurred in front of her house right on the street. I didn't lock the car, so it serves me right. I hope the perpetrator enjoys the high quality sound of the Pioneer system s/he took, or at least is able to pay the bills this month after selling it on the street. According to the pawn shop I went to, that's what they would most likely do. Wichita is a good place to sell something like that right on the street.
In other news, I'm loving Resident Evil 5. It's a blast to play co-op with a friend or certainly special friend of the female inclination.
Also, possibly going to be moving next month when Curtis moves back to Utah. I don't want to pay so much for utilities in this house if I can manage it.
Really, I'm not upset about it. My girlfriend was much more upset about it than I was cause the theft occurred in front of her house right on the street. I didn't lock the car, so it serves me right. I hope the perpetrator enjoys the high quality sound of the Pioneer system s/he took, or at least is able to pay the bills this month after selling it on the street. According to the pawn shop I went to, that's what they would most likely do. Wichita is a good place to sell something like that right on the street.
In other news, I'm loving Resident Evil 5. It's a blast to play co-op with a friend or certainly special friend of the female inclination.
Also, possibly going to be moving next month when Curtis moves back to Utah. I don't want to pay so much for utilities in this house if I can manage it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Shady Business Practices and Watchmen
So, quick little story. I stop by this pawn shop in town and look at guns a couple times. There is one in particular that catches my eye, and so I do some research, think it over, and decide that I'll invest. Rachel and I head down there from my house, excitement in tow, where I inspect the gun, and inform the sweet-faced gentleman behind the counter that I would like to make a purchase. The first thing that should have tipped me off was that he didn't card me for handling the weapon. A person under 21 isn't allowed to play with the pistolos in the store. I look a bit old for my age though, so I didn't really think much.
Anyway, I fill out the background check form and sign it. He asks nonchalantly, "Can I get your Driver's License real quick to wrap this up? We'll have it done and you'll be on your way in about five minutes." I whip out my holofoil Wyoming License and flick it out at him, and he takes a step back, looks at the ID and says, "Do you have a Kansas ID? I can't do the check without one."
I tell him that I've been using the Wyoming license since I moved here nearly a year ago, and he barely hesitates before turning to Rachel and asking her, "You have a license right?"
She turns to me with wide eyes, and then my eyes go wide in response to that. The gentleman at the counter tempts her with such pretty words, such as, "It's just for the background check. I can't sell the weapon without someone being checked. Don't worry, no records are kept anywhere but here. Don't worry, unless you have a felony on your record."
Rachel was cool with it, and she did the background check, and then had to pay for the gun (since it would look weird if any ATF guys were to come in and see that the background check was on Rachel but the gun was paid for by Chris).
That's pretty much it. Kansas doesn't register weapons to people, and Person-to-Person gun sales aren't really monitored (Since I technically bought the gun from Rachel), so we didn't do anything particularly illegal, but it's awfully shady for someone to knowingly sell a gun to a person for someone else.
Went to see Watchmen last night. Was entertaining. Enjoyed the film overall, but figured strangers to comic would be confused, uninterested. Artistic liberties necessary, but unobtrusive. Mostly wise. Missed Rorschach's attack on kid with cigarette. Good times.
Anyway, I fill out the background check form and sign it. He asks nonchalantly, "Can I get your Driver's License real quick to wrap this up? We'll have it done and you'll be on your way in about five minutes." I whip out my holofoil Wyoming License and flick it out at him, and he takes a step back, looks at the ID and says, "Do you have a Kansas ID? I can't do the check without one."
I tell him that I've been using the Wyoming license since I moved here nearly a year ago, and he barely hesitates before turning to Rachel and asking her, "You have a license right?"
She turns to me with wide eyes, and then my eyes go wide in response to that. The gentleman at the counter tempts her with such pretty words, such as, "It's just for the background check. I can't sell the weapon without someone being checked. Don't worry, no records are kept anywhere but here. Don't worry, unless you have a felony on your record."
Rachel was cool with it, and she did the background check, and then had to pay for the gun (since it would look weird if any ATF guys were to come in and see that the background check was on Rachel but the gun was paid for by Chris).
That's pretty much it. Kansas doesn't register weapons to people, and Person-to-Person gun sales aren't really monitored (Since I technically bought the gun from Rachel), so we didn't do anything particularly illegal, but it's awfully shady for someone to knowingly sell a gun to a person for someone else.
Went to see Watchmen last night. Was entertaining. Enjoyed the film overall, but figured strangers to comic would be confused, uninterested. Artistic liberties necessary, but unobtrusive. Mostly wise. Missed Rorschach's attack on kid with cigarette. Good times.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Killing Spree
I bought the following gun, right? It's the one on top.
And then Laurie and her son and I went out to kill Sam Walton.
Josh doesn't really aim the gun when he shoots. He kinda just points and empties the clip as fast as he can, which, I can't really blame him for. It's very fun.
The shot just under Sammy's right eyeball was from Laurie. That was some sweetly released pent-up rage right there.
Also, I made that nice little group in the top right corner of the target. It was my first time shooting the gun so I wanted to see how accurate it was. Not too bad, if I say so myself.
And then Laurie and her son and I went out to kill Sam Walton.
Josh doesn't really aim the gun when he shoots. He kinda just points and empties the clip as fast as he can, which, I can't really blame him for. It's very fun.
The shot just under Sammy's right eyeball was from Laurie. That was some sweetly released pent-up rage right there.
Also, I made that nice little group in the top right corner of the target. It was my first time shooting the gun so I wanted to see how accurate it was. Not too bad, if I say so myself.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Walmart, Guns, and Pizza
I'm eating a leftover breadstick from the Il Vicino pizza place in Wichita. Good food, good service, good jazz music and a nice ambient atmosphere. It's a little pricey for what you get, in terms of quantity, but the general quality of everything there is above par. I'll be going there again in the near future for foodage.
So, the basis for our trek into Wichita was for Rachel to get some ideas on Laptop prices. She needs one for school and I wanted to help her find a good deal. We only really stopped at Best Buy and didn't find much that was promising. There was one or two that would work just fine, but were already showing their age right on the shelf, and even though having the newest fastest computer on the market is usually a waste, having one that is already pathetic by tomorrow's standards is probably moving backwards a little bit. I can't say I really know what I'm talking about, but I'm just riffing on instinct at this point.
While we were there, we stopped by the gun store, where some creepy dude promptly said, "Now tha's wut I'm talkin' abowt" while eyeing Rachel hungrily. I just wanted to check out magazines for my new gun I kinda bought (in a rather shady deal uptown. Another story for another day.). The store there wanted to sell a 7 round magazine for 27 dollars. I said, "hmmm, I'll think about it." I lied though, because I found a three pack online (www.thesportsmansguide.com) for the same price, and the reviews look good and I've bought stuff from them before. I had no intention to think twice about paying that much for a single magazine. I did, however, buy an overpriced box of ammo to test out the gun with tomorrow.
Which brings me to the next point. My friend Laurie, who just hit her 5-year anniversary at Walmart, and I are going shooting tomorrow. I think we'll paint pictures of her employers on the targets before we obliterate them. She got a pathetic raise, and no congratulations for her hard work. Seems that they quickly forgot about how she beat cancer and was hit by a car all while undergoing the stresses of Multiple Sclerosis during her latest six months there. Stupid machine.
Luckily she'll have a car soon so she can try to get a job somewhere else. Unfortunately there, though, the economy still sucks and many places are having hiring freezes right now, and she can't afford a drop in pay rate.
As for my job, I'm currently on suspension for bringing my cell phone into the facility. Automatic 3-day suspension without pay. It's not too big of a deal, really, but it goes on my record, and prevents me from being promoted for one year. So the earliest I can go up in rank is March of 2010. I guess it's a good thing and a bad thing. If I tried to promote now, and got it, I would be really unprepared for the responsibility. Another year will help me understand the laws and rules better so that I would do a more thorough job. My supervisor told me the other night though that as soon as I get past my year of disciplinary probation, I'm a shoe-in for promotion. I said thank you for the compliment and he said, "I'm serious. You're a smart kid." It was really nice to hear.
So, the basis for our trek into Wichita was for Rachel to get some ideas on Laptop prices. She needs one for school and I wanted to help her find a good deal. We only really stopped at Best Buy and didn't find much that was promising. There was one or two that would work just fine, but were already showing their age right on the shelf, and even though having the newest fastest computer on the market is usually a waste, having one that is already pathetic by tomorrow's standards is probably moving backwards a little bit. I can't say I really know what I'm talking about, but I'm just riffing on instinct at this point.
While we were there, we stopped by the gun store, where some creepy dude promptly said, "Now tha's wut I'm talkin' abowt" while eyeing Rachel hungrily. I just wanted to check out magazines for my new gun I kinda bought (in a rather shady deal uptown. Another story for another day.). The store there wanted to sell a 7 round magazine for 27 dollars. I said, "hmmm, I'll think about it." I lied though, because I found a three pack online (www.thesportsmansguide.com) for the same price, and the reviews look good and I've bought stuff from them before. I had no intention to think twice about paying that much for a single magazine. I did, however, buy an overpriced box of ammo to test out the gun with tomorrow.
Which brings me to the next point. My friend Laurie, who just hit her 5-year anniversary at Walmart, and I are going shooting tomorrow. I think we'll paint pictures of her employers on the targets before we obliterate them. She got a pathetic raise, and no congratulations for her hard work. Seems that they quickly forgot about how she beat cancer and was hit by a car all while undergoing the stresses of Multiple Sclerosis during her latest six months there. Stupid machine.
Luckily she'll have a car soon so she can try to get a job somewhere else. Unfortunately there, though, the economy still sucks and many places are having hiring freezes right now, and she can't afford a drop in pay rate.
As for my job, I'm currently on suspension for bringing my cell phone into the facility. Automatic 3-day suspension without pay. It's not too big of a deal, really, but it goes on my record, and prevents me from being promoted for one year. So the earliest I can go up in rank is March of 2010. I guess it's a good thing and a bad thing. If I tried to promote now, and got it, I would be really unprepared for the responsibility. Another year will help me understand the laws and rules better so that I would do a more thorough job. My supervisor told me the other night though that as soon as I get past my year of disciplinary probation, I'm a shoe-in for promotion. I said thank you for the compliment and he said, "I'm serious. You're a smart kid." It was really nice to hear.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nope, I'm not distracted at all
I started seeing this girl recently. That's why I don't write much these days, cause I'm NOT distracted at all.
Actually, I just got distracted.
Bye. For now.
Actually, I just got distracted.
Bye. For now.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
What else is there to cover?
Got my tax return today, so I just wrote out a fat check to my credit card company. I'm a little closer to being out of debt. Within a few months, I'll have my car paid off too. Things are starting to turn around for me financially, finally. Moving is too expensive, and trying to find a job these days that pays well, shoot, just trying to find a job these days is rough. I'm glad to finally be seeing some light on the horizon after my months of unemployment and my crappy restaurant job. Thems were some dim times.
I feel lucky though. I realize how lucky I am, and I certainly don't take my stability for granted. I never really have, always being low on funds growing up and even when I was out of the house.
First thing on my list of expenses is to see my family. I'm going next month no matter what, so Ma and Pa better get excited.
I feel lucky though. I realize how lucky I am, and I certainly don't take my stability for granted. I never really have, always being low on funds growing up and even when I was out of the house.
First thing on my list of expenses is to see my family. I'm going next month no matter what, so Ma and Pa better get excited.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Everything is lame
Having a rough couple of days. No need going into the details or the why's of what's up, but it's enough to say that I'm just having a bit of an episode. I'm pretty depressed, I don't want to do anything but sleep, and it's taking quite a bit of willpower to stay up. I have a ton of stuff to do, and no interest in any of it.
I think I'll take a bath and hope I come up with something else to do to avoid sleeping, because, if I sleep, I'll wake up in 4 or 5 or possibly 8 hours from now, then I'll stay up til noon doing nothing, and I'll have to sleep again as long as I can in order to function at work later. If I just stay up until noon, then I won't mess up my sleep schedule and I can have a semi-normal night at work (IE: falling asleep for one hour, as opposed to five).
I knew this drop in mood was coming, I saw it coming and patiently waited for it, and now that it's here I can't go much further down, so I guess it's back to feeling good soon.
I think I'll take a bath and hope I come up with something else to do to avoid sleeping, because, if I sleep, I'll wake up in 4 or 5 or possibly 8 hours from now, then I'll stay up til noon doing nothing, and I'll have to sleep again as long as I can in order to function at work later. If I just stay up until noon, then I won't mess up my sleep schedule and I can have a semi-normal night at work (IE: falling asleep for one hour, as opposed to five).
I knew this drop in mood was coming, I saw it coming and patiently waited for it, and now that it's here I can't go much further down, so I guess it's back to feeling good soon.
Friday, January 30, 2009
It's Official
Saw a specialist today, which netted me an official diagnosis. I have Narcolepsy.
Granted, it's not a serious case, and it shouldn't really interfere with my life unless it gets worse (which, I hear, does happen.).
This comes as a relief now because I was sick of not having a concrete answer regarding my sleepiness. I don't have to explain to everyone that "I show most of the major symptoms for narcolepsy but I haven't been properly diagnosed, so make sure I don't fall asleep." Now I can just say, "Ha! You can't fire me cause it's not my fault!"
So, doc said to keep taking my Provigil for a few weeks to see if it helps. Hopefully I won't succumb to tolerance. In the past week I've started falling asleep at work again while taking the drug, so the doctor recommended upping the dose until it works consistently. I have a feeling I'll end up taking like, 800 mg one night and still getting sleepy, which'll basically mean the drug is useless to me.
Not much else to say on the subject. I just have to learn to get over my frustrations when I can't remember waking up and shutting off my alarm and going back to bed. It's maddening waking up two or three hours after your intended wake time and finding your alarm to be shut off. (This just happened to me. I wanted to nap from 12 to 1, and I slept until 3:30).
My agenda for tonight (what's left of it) is to do my taxes and... I don't know what else. Take a hot bath maybe. My back is stiff. I need to recover my writing from an old hard drive from an old computer so I have more content to add to my new website.
Granted, it's not a serious case, and it shouldn't really interfere with my life unless it gets worse (which, I hear, does happen.).
This comes as a relief now because I was sick of not having a concrete answer regarding my sleepiness. I don't have to explain to everyone that "I show most of the major symptoms for narcolepsy but I haven't been properly diagnosed, so make sure I don't fall asleep." Now I can just say, "Ha! You can't fire me cause it's not my fault!"
So, doc said to keep taking my Provigil for a few weeks to see if it helps. Hopefully I won't succumb to tolerance. In the past week I've started falling asleep at work again while taking the drug, so the doctor recommended upping the dose until it works consistently. I have a feeling I'll end up taking like, 800 mg one night and still getting sleepy, which'll basically mean the drug is useless to me.
Not much else to say on the subject. I just have to learn to get over my frustrations when I can't remember waking up and shutting off my alarm and going back to bed. It's maddening waking up two or three hours after your intended wake time and finding your alarm to be shut off. (This just happened to me. I wanted to nap from 12 to 1, and I slept until 3:30).
My agenda for tonight (what's left of it) is to do my taxes and... I don't know what else. Take a hot bath maybe. My back is stiff. I need to recover my writing from an old hard drive from an old computer so I have more content to add to my new website.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Magic
See that? That's called Modafinil, and it's magic. I was prescribed this yesterday morning for my sleeping troubles (er... lack-of-sleeping-troubles trouble?) by a PA who basically didn't know anything about sleep disorders (she wanted to give me Ritalin, so I threw a pamphlet at her with the word "Provigil" on it (brand name of Modafinil.).).
Anyway, you can read about Modafinil here. Pretty neat stuff, slightly reduces the body's need for sleep, helpful for shift-work sleep disorder, helpful for sleep apnea and narcolepsy, helpful for seasonal depression, and the list goes on. The best part is that it only kills 6 out of every 17 million users.
The worst part? No generic variety is available until 2012 and the brand-name is quite expensive... affordable, but expensive.
I like not falling asleep at work though. That's a big plus for me.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Untitled
Just finished reading "Watchmen." It was surprisingly good. I remember first seeing the teaser trailer before seeing "The Dark Knight" this summer. I thought it took itself way too seriously. The whole tone of the trailer, the background music, the images on screen... Looked like it was filmed by a bunch of assholes.
However, the hype for this movie is pretty enormous, and the script was done in part by David Hayter, whom I have a slight man-crush on.
I ended up buying the graphic novel, and read it in three sittings. The book is incredible, really. It was a great reading experience, tugging at all of my emotions over the course of the story. At times I was angry and frustrated (particularly at Rorschach) and at other times, I was hopeful (Laurie and Nite Owl's relationship). A lot of unsuspecting things happened, and it was just really cool to read and see. My only complaint is that the last chapter was quite rushed. The course of events would have taken more panels and words to adequately describe anywhere else in the comic, yet it was rather condensed (Veidt's monologue at the end was cut considerably, as admitted by the authors.) and I would have appreciated more things to see.
Now that I got it out of the way though, I can concentrate more on my own writing. On that front, I've opened up a second blog that I may eventually buy (the domain name, I mean). The site is meant to showcase my writing, putting updates on the book, excerpts, older stories, etc. I figure this will be my personal thoughts blog, the other will be the business blog. When it's ready, I'll release it's glory upon my readership. Both of you.
However, I hit a small snag with the site. See, my old computer I had in college had a lot of my writing on it. Hundreds of haiku, a lot of poetry, and tons of ideas for new stories. I had the first chapter to a really cool post-apocalyptic dystopia story written out. I was quite impressed with it, but I didn't finish the second chapter because I didn't know enough about the Cold War to really flesh it out. At the time, I didn't do much for rough drafts, just outlining and the best final draft I could in the first go. I've since refined my technique by churning out more words and then sifting out the gold parts.
I've been writing a lot at work. Usually I have a few hours of downtime, inbetween security checks and such. I take lots of notes and write down passages of story as they come to me. It's really exciting for me to see this thing come together, because it's so much better than anything else I've written, and it's only a couple thousand words so far. I'm devoted to making this as thorough and detailed as possible, without being too hammed up and concise to enjoy (something I know my previous stories have suffered from.), so that's what the site is for. I'm going to release little bits of what I like, and then improve on it and release it and hopefully get feedback from people.
On a more personal front, it appears that I may have genuine Narcolepsy. I finally got my sleep study results, two months + after the fact. Paid twenty dollars just to have the doctor read them aloud to me. Waste of time and money really, but I did learn that my sleep test was normal, however the sleep study doctor dude said I exhibit symptoms of mild cataplexy, and when you take that into account of falling asleep at work, even while talking to people and filling out paperwork, it leans towards Narcolepsy and they're going to subject me to more tests probably in February. The 29th is my consultation with a specialist. Whoopie. I decided I can't risk my safety any longer and I scheduled another appointment for Monday to ask for a drug called Modafinil. It's used to treat excessive sleepiness and shift-work sleep disorder and seasonal depression disorder. Three things I kinda have right now. Normally I wouldn't ask doctor's for drugs, but the last thing I want is to be taken advantage of while I'm dosing off in a room of 100+ inmates (which happens regularly when I have to supervise the cafeteria... 4 out of 5 workdays a week.) or not being able to respond to an emergency because I'm nodding off and don't hear the radio. That's my justification, perhaps it's overexaggerated, but I'm sticking to it for now unless my conscience or something gets the better of me.
Let's see... Not much else to report. Been working out a few times a week, and I'm seeing noticeable results. I can bench more than I've ever been able to in my life, and I can kick higher and faster than ever before. My chest is bigger, but I haven't gained any weight. Must just be losing a little bit of the teeny layer of fat on my arms and stomach and replacing it with a little muscle. Not that I want to get really buff, mind you, I just want to be able to defend myself if I have to at work. I'm analyzing my workouts, reading up on workout methods and such, really refining what I do, but above all, I think I just need to eat more. If I didn't care about eating healthy, I could get by on less than 50 bucks a month in groceries, but now I pay probably over 100 for myself now. I'm never going to get out of debt that way though...
However, the hype for this movie is pretty enormous, and the script was done in part by David Hayter, whom I have a slight man-crush on.
I ended up buying the graphic novel, and read it in three sittings. The book is incredible, really. It was a great reading experience, tugging at all of my emotions over the course of the story. At times I was angry and frustrated (particularly at Rorschach) and at other times, I was hopeful (Laurie and Nite Owl's relationship). A lot of unsuspecting things happened, and it was just really cool to read and see. My only complaint is that the last chapter was quite rushed. The course of events would have taken more panels and words to adequately describe anywhere else in the comic, yet it was rather condensed (Veidt's monologue at the end was cut considerably, as admitted by the authors.) and I would have appreciated more things to see.
Now that I got it out of the way though, I can concentrate more on my own writing. On that front, I've opened up a second blog that I may eventually buy (the domain name, I mean). The site is meant to showcase my writing, putting updates on the book, excerpts, older stories, etc. I figure this will be my personal thoughts blog, the other will be the business blog. When it's ready, I'll release it's glory upon my readership. Both of you.
However, I hit a small snag with the site. See, my old computer I had in college had a lot of my writing on it. Hundreds of haiku, a lot of poetry, and tons of ideas for new stories. I had the first chapter to a really cool post-apocalyptic dystopia story written out. I was quite impressed with it, but I didn't finish the second chapter because I didn't know enough about the Cold War to really flesh it out. At the time, I didn't do much for rough drafts, just outlining and the best final draft I could in the first go. I've since refined my technique by churning out more words and then sifting out the gold parts.
I've been writing a lot at work. Usually I have a few hours of downtime, inbetween security checks and such. I take lots of notes and write down passages of story as they come to me. It's really exciting for me to see this thing come together, because it's so much better than anything else I've written, and it's only a couple thousand words so far. I'm devoted to making this as thorough and detailed as possible, without being too hammed up and concise to enjoy (something I know my previous stories have suffered from.), so that's what the site is for. I'm going to release little bits of what I like, and then improve on it and release it and hopefully get feedback from people.
On a more personal front, it appears that I may have genuine Narcolepsy. I finally got my sleep study results, two months + after the fact. Paid twenty dollars just to have the doctor read them aloud to me. Waste of time and money really, but I did learn that my sleep test was normal, however the sleep study doctor dude said I exhibit symptoms of mild cataplexy, and when you take that into account of falling asleep at work, even while talking to people and filling out paperwork, it leans towards Narcolepsy and they're going to subject me to more tests probably in February. The 29th is my consultation with a specialist. Whoopie. I decided I can't risk my safety any longer and I scheduled another appointment for Monday to ask for a drug called Modafinil. It's used to treat excessive sleepiness and shift-work sleep disorder and seasonal depression disorder. Three things I kinda have right now. Normally I wouldn't ask doctor's for drugs, but the last thing I want is to be taken advantage of while I'm dosing off in a room of 100+ inmates (which happens regularly when I have to supervise the cafeteria... 4 out of 5 workdays a week.) or not being able to respond to an emergency because I'm nodding off and don't hear the radio. That's my justification, perhaps it's overexaggerated, but I'm sticking to it for now unless my conscience or something gets the better of me.
Let's see... Not much else to report. Been working out a few times a week, and I'm seeing noticeable results. I can bench more than I've ever been able to in my life, and I can kick higher and faster than ever before. My chest is bigger, but I haven't gained any weight. Must just be losing a little bit of the teeny layer of fat on my arms and stomach and replacing it with a little muscle. Not that I want to get really buff, mind you, I just want to be able to defend myself if I have to at work. I'm analyzing my workouts, reading up on workout methods and such, really refining what I do, but above all, I think I just need to eat more. If I didn't care about eating healthy, I could get by on less than 50 bucks a month in groceries, but now I pay probably over 100 for myself now. I'm never going to get out of debt that way though...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Typical January Day
Too cold to feel anything.
Curtis is all excited to film something now that we have the video camera set up with the computer. He's been trying to get me to think of ideas since then, and I just can't find it in me to do anything. I went to Wichita, just grumpy all day, snarling at Escalades and all manner of full sized truck, wishing my horn worked so I could honk at every idiot that pulls out right in front of me.
I could go on and on about the things that upset me right now, but doing that will only reinforce my mood. Or maybe it won't. Maybe it's just the lack of daylight this time of year and I am completely at the mercy of the glowy yellow circle in the sky.
Curtis and I turned the heater off in the house because our gas bill was 179 dollars last month (up from 30, in october). We got two electric radiators that will probably raise our electric bill to that height anyway.
On a lighter note, we watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark tonight. What a good old film. It's so light-hearted and corny and yet leaves you wanting more.
Curtis is all excited to film something now that we have the video camera set up with the computer. He's been trying to get me to think of ideas since then, and I just can't find it in me to do anything. I went to Wichita, just grumpy all day, snarling at Escalades and all manner of full sized truck, wishing my horn worked so I could honk at every idiot that pulls out right in front of me.
I could go on and on about the things that upset me right now, but doing that will only reinforce my mood. Or maybe it won't. Maybe it's just the lack of daylight this time of year and I am completely at the mercy of the glowy yellow circle in the sky.
Curtis and I turned the heater off in the house because our gas bill was 179 dollars last month (up from 30, in october). We got two electric radiators that will probably raise our electric bill to that height anyway.
On a lighter note, we watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark tonight. What a good old film. It's so light-hearted and corny and yet leaves you wanting more.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
I guess I have a lot to cover
Two holidays gone by and nothing to write about? No, that's not it. Just no desire to sit down and make my fingers wiggle. Been in a mild funk the past couple days. I tend to come out of it while I'm at work, but when I get home it's time for bed, so I have no period to just sit down and let my good mood affect my day.
So, to recap I guess: Christmas wasn't quite my usual fare. No tree, no caroling, no church. Just me, Curtis, Laurie, and her son Josh. And tacos. We ate tacos and nachos on Christmas day and watched Step Brothers and I almost choked on some green tea when I laughed at the movie. And then later that day we saw Seven Pounds which took me in the totally opposite direction emotionally.
Then a whole lot of nothing happened for the next few days until New Years. Watched the ball drop with Laurie and Josh, then stayed up late playing Metal Gear Online with Josh. It was pretty fun, and I haven't played video games for such an extended period of time in probably over a year now.
Then the next day I stayed up all night played Call of Duty with Curtis (We beat it.) so I felt like I wasted another day on video games. This made me feel a little blah as well. My weekend, completely gone to gaming. I guess I wouldn't have such an aversion to it if my old roomate wasn't currently wasting his life on World of Warcraft. Shoot, some of the people Curtis works with don't do anything but play WoW. They even have kids and still devote 6 to 8 hours a day on WoW.
I texted my ex girlfriend today, to tell her Happy New Year. Then I realized why I don't like to talk to her anymore. She only has one adjective to describe everything that she experiences. Shitty. That's all everything is. It's just Shitty and there is no other way to describe anything.
Lame. I'm gonna go hit on a Walmart cashier now.
So, to recap I guess: Christmas wasn't quite my usual fare. No tree, no caroling, no church. Just me, Curtis, Laurie, and her son Josh. And tacos. We ate tacos and nachos on Christmas day and watched Step Brothers and I almost choked on some green tea when I laughed at the movie. And then later that day we saw Seven Pounds which took me in the totally opposite direction emotionally.
Then a whole lot of nothing happened for the next few days until New Years. Watched the ball drop with Laurie and Josh, then stayed up late playing Metal Gear Online with Josh. It was pretty fun, and I haven't played video games for such an extended period of time in probably over a year now.
Then the next day I stayed up all night played Call of Duty with Curtis (We beat it.) so I felt like I wasted another day on video games. This made me feel a little blah as well. My weekend, completely gone to gaming. I guess I wouldn't have such an aversion to it if my old roomate wasn't currently wasting his life on World of Warcraft. Shoot, some of the people Curtis works with don't do anything but play WoW. They even have kids and still devote 6 to 8 hours a day on WoW.
I texted my ex girlfriend today, to tell her Happy New Year. Then I realized why I don't like to talk to her anymore. She only has one adjective to describe everything that she experiences. Shitty. That's all everything is. It's just Shitty and there is no other way to describe anything.
Lame. I'm gonna go hit on a Walmart cashier now.
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