It's a Good Thing

I'm relieved to finally see Martha Stewart's new show finally air. Marcia Cross was her first guest and it was a little disturbing to see Martha in a different light. She actually said something to the effect of "I have to go out and get new underwear", in response to comparisons between Brie (Marcia's character on Desperate Housewives) and herself. Although it's scary to imagine a 60-year old woman going out buying lingerie, I think it's refreshing. I now see that my aspirations of being a Martha Stewart in my own home are just that much more attainable now that I know that Martha is just like every other woman in America.

Martha also showed Marcia how to fold a shirt in 3 steps. 3 steps!!! The lady is a genius, and I can't seem to get enough of her and her great ideas. I really thought the content of her magazines weren't as good when she had to leave, and I'm anxious to read about her ideas once again.

And the woman can make jail jokes. One segment in which she surprises two Italian ladies preparing dinner, she's sitting at a table learning a card game. She quips that she should know every game there is because she got a book on them whilst in jail. She has no shame. And hey, I think it wins her fans.

Today's episode will be the "poncho episode" and David Spade will be a guest. I know what I'll be doing at 6:00 tonight when I get home from work!

Before I close, it would be very un-Martha of me to leave you hanging on how to fold a t-shirt. So I've included a link here. Enjoy.

How to Fold a Shirt

Wedding Du Jour, Part I

This weekend, Joe and I went to a wedding reception for Beau and his long-time girlfriend Jen. Beau is a friend of Joe's, by way of Josh, that he met through snowboarding.

They had a nice simple reception after their wedding at the top of the ski resort. Down in the lodge, drinks and a vegetable plate was served and then there was the toast. Friends of the couple delivered very sweet messages about the happy couple. And then there was grandpa. Don't get me wrong, he said very nice things about how happy he was to see the twosome marry. And then at the end, he gave a short prayer before everyone ate dinner, and slipped this one into the prayer:

"Thank you God, for making this crooked road straight."

Like, what the crap is that supposed to mean?! I was slightly annoyed at this, as I thought it was a tad back-handed. Just not appropriate, no matter how you felt about the marriage. Anyway, I then asked people at the table what they thought about it, and they agreed that it was very suspect.

I understand that it's a different generation. But people co-habitate prior to marriage now and it's completely acceptable. I don't think that anyone has a place to judge other people just because they mix up the order in which they do things. They're still good people on the inside.

I guess it annoyed me because it occurred to me that people probably think the same about Joe and I. In the end, we're doing things at our own pace and this is what we're comfortable with. For those that say that marriage is the beginning of a beautiful relationship for the rest of our lives...thanks but no thanks. This is the rest of our lives. Joe and I are already living it and have been for 6 years. I don't think any of this is a waste or a "preamble" to better times. We are living the good life right now as you are reading this.

Sorry Gramps, but this crooked road is happy just the way it is.

Public Service Announcement #1

I just wanted to take some time to ask anyone and everyone to make a donation to benefit those affected by the hurricane, if you have not already done so.

But most importantly - don't forget about the pets! Rescue efforts are still ongoing at this very moment to recover abandoned animals. Having 2 cats myself, I don't think I could leave Felony behind. But if I did, I can only imagine how scared, hungry and thirsty he would be by now. Plus, he has a medical condition. If you are a pet owner and happen to have extra supplies, animal shelters are in need of food, water, blankets, collars and toys for the immediate influx of pets that are being taken in. Monetary donations are also needed. Pet stores are beginning to sell special collars to raise money for the cause (they are kind of like those LIVE STRONG bracelets). Call your local Humane Society or ASPCA for information on what you can do.

I can only hope that the animals will be reunited with their owners who have otherwise lost everything.

Well folks, that's my do-goodery of the day. Have a great weekend.

Make Sure You Look After Dad

So my mom is in Montreal for 2 weeks. And dad's at home doing who knows what. She asked me to visit a few times to make sure he's ok. Not that he's frail or anything, but just to make sure he eats and stuff. Which is fine, I can totally do that. In fact, I think I'll head over there today and make dinner. Jules says that he works nights so I have to make dinner that's refrigerate-overnight friendly. And I have to pack in a take-to-work friendly box. Ok, those are doable too.

But what's not doable is hanging out there if he's actually home. See, things are still a little strained. Things are definitely weird, especially knowing that he hangs in the balance of losing his cushey government job. I don't know what happened, but I'd venture to guess that the gambling problem he has is catching up with him. Karma's a bitch.

Anyway, things are weird because I don't know what to do when he's around anymore. Like we are totally different people now and we don't know each other anymore. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the same blood runs through our veins. It's very hard to believe.

I don't know if he's in trouble or if he needs help financially. No one knows for sure. He doesn't tell anyone, not even my mom. Like, he keeps everything very secret. All we know for sure is that he wakes up and goes to another job that he's taken to help pay the lawyer's retainer that may help him get his job back. And then he comes home. He's also still getting paid from the government while they are waiting on a decision to give him his security clearance back. And that's all we know.

I do feel bad but I don't know what to do. What can I do? It's just not right to ask him. He gets fidgety and then he looks down at the floor, shrugs, and mumbles something to the effect that he's ok. And I don't go any further than that. It's just too much stress to have to ask. It's just so awkward.

So I will go over there tonight after work to give him $35 for fixing the whirring noise that my car was making and make something for him eat. And that's as much father-daughter bonding that either of us can take.

Football Hooligans

So Julie and I are both managing our own football fantasy teams. Not football football mind you. English football, er soccer, if you will. We had been doing this since I was still in college at Telegraph when it was still free. And they had the best site, the best graphics, and the most fun. But then it became pay to play. So we ditched Telegraph and haven't found a place to play until now.

So now we are playing Fantasy Football linked to football365. It's not as good in the graphics department, but it's gotten Jules and I back in the game. And this time, I'm beating her!

I've already had to transfer two players due to injury, and I'm only in seven thousandth place. But hopefully my trades will keep me in the top half of the world rankings. That's my ultimate goal, even if I eventually lose to Julie (who is usually very good at picking players and minding the budget) I just want to at least make a good showing in the world ranking. I think it's really cool that I'm ranked against football managers from Singapore to Birmingham. It makes things so much more interesting.

I've resurrected the name of my team from the old Telegraph days, but the players are not same. All is well though, these players are at least keeping me ahead of Jules.

So this is where I introduce you to...The Coat Racks Reunited. Mind you, they were only known as the Coat Racks at Telegraph. But I thought I'd add the Reunited bit to make a pun. Anyway...

The Coat Racks Reunited (using a 4-4-2 formation)
El Hadji
Darren Bent

Robert Pires
Claudio Reyna
Muzzy Izzet
Trevor Sinclair

Kolo Toure
Ledley King
Mikael Silvestre
Renato Paulo Ferreira

Nigel Martyn minding the goal

Jose Mourinho managing

So there's my team at the moment. Claudio was my most recent transfer as Stewart Downing went injured in the last week. And I had to tranfer out Solskjaer straight away in the first month because he wasn't playing any games and now he's gone injured. I placed Darrent Bent as a substitute and he's been working out well. Ledley King. I've been hesitant in transferring him because he is due back from injury any week now. Plus newer injuries are popping up that are more urgent. So Ledley is still on the team, but he may go at next month's transfer.

The thing that made Telegraph so great was that you could keep 2 or 3 players on the bench to make the most of the games that were being played on any given week and to tend to the injured. But Fantasy Manager here doesn't do that. You get exactly the number of players as there are on the field, no more. It makes things more difficult.

I'll try to keep you posted on my standings and any transfers that may happen from now till the end of the season. In the meantime, I've added a link to Football365 in case you were thinking about taking up hooliganism as a side project.

Oh When The Saints Come Marching In

I drove my mom to the airport this morning, she's on her way to visiting my sister Rachel in Montreal for two weeks. On the way there, my mom told me that her cousins are ok. Some are temporarily housed on a military base in Houston, whilst some are in Baton Rouge. They have little to no belongings and probably called my other cousin Quang by calling card. So obviously we have no way to contact them.

They were lucky. They evacuated just as Hurricane Katrina was coming ashore, while their car could still drive through passable roads and the water didn't pose a risk of drifting. I already forget half the conversation with my mom but I think she said that the home they had in New Orleans is completely damaged. They would have to start over. Of course, my mom would love to have them here. She has tons of room at home and would quite enjoy the company.

Needless to say, I'm happy to hear that everyone is safe, sad to hear about the condition of their home. But it would be nice to have everyone live close together....

Random Shite #1

Right so, it's already the 2nd of September and I'm thinking about Halloween. I really want Joe and I to go as Ghostbusters but I don't think I have him convinced yet.

Why do people complain about their dogs? They're only animals. Do they suppose they are self-sufficient and can solve their own problems? I suppose dogs are meant to be able to walk themselves when they need exercise. YOU are suppose to take care of THEM. That's why they are called pets.

I like how I always feel sleepy at work at the same time everyday. I also like how the air conditioning is fixed at a frigid temperature at which I need to wrap myself in a blanket at my desk. So now I'm sleepy and I have a blanket on. I really like how these two items come together and the end result is an employee sleeping on the job.

I can't stand the fact that when I see watering eyes, I get the waterworks too. I don't know, I guess I'm real sappy.

What's so wrong with looting if the medicine is only going to go bad anyway? Nothing will be salvaged, it's all going to be damaged out at the corporate office, so why not? Take it! If you can take it without getting shot, then you deserve to keep it.

Living Below the Poverty Line

So this whole Hurricane Katrina thing turned out to be a disaster. I called my mom on Tuesday and asked her if she new anything about her cousins. Whether they stayed or left for higher ground. She said she hadn't talked to them in a while and didn't know what their plans were or whether they were even alive.

It sort of bothers me that people keep comparing this to other disasters that are totally different. Take for instance, the tsunami. There really is no comparison and besides, the conditions are completely different. For one thing, people in New Orleans are reminded every year through PSAs what to do in the event of natural disaster. America has an early warning system for hurricanes. America has insurance. America has looters. None of these were or are available in Indonesia. The only thing that is similar is the poverty and the water. And even then, the level of poverty is different. So really the only thing that is really the same is the water and the water crisis that they are having. The inability to tend to the dead is disparaging. And to think that there are bodies that belong to someone just trapped in an attic is very sad.

Years ago, when I was still a teen, I visited my sister before her graduation from UNO. It has great weather and a wonderful culture. Friendly people just trying to make an honest living. The food was out of this world. You knew you weren't in York PA anymore, it may as well be a different country. With a French and Spanish background, the place was truly a melting pot. Something that York is still 150 years behind on.

The day that I was in French Quarter there was a movie shoot that starred Patrick Swayze in what would then become the movie "Father Hood". I actually saw Patrick Swayze in person. It was kind of cool, of course I didn't really care for Swayze but whatever, I saw a bonfide star. Although the movies often shoot in New Orleans, I thought that they never did the city justice. It was more romantic, rustic, and mysterious than they ever made it out to be. And I'm glad that I have first hand personal memories to remember the city with.

So I suppose this goes out to you, Crescent City. May the beignets be warm again, the jazz fill the air again, and the bourbon pour freely again. Cheers!

Joe's Wooden Finger

So Joe bashed his knuckles into the oil pan this weekend and was praying to all gods that he wouldn't have to go to the hospital on a Saturday to get stitches. Apparently all accidents happen on Saturdays and it doesn't matter what is wrong with you (say you've been shot by a rival gang member) you'll be sitting in the waiting room.

Luckily no one's said 'dude, you should really go to the hospital for that', so he took it as an indication that everything would be ok. He's got a popsicle stick taped to it to prevent from bending his finger and opening up the gash even wider. I looked at it yesterday and it's quite clean but a little black and blue from the bash it took.

Needless to say he was upset that it was his beer drinking hand. I'm a little upset because he uses that hand for lots of other things. Not only that but he keeps putting his keys in his right pockets and then can't get them out. You never really realize how important your right ring finger is until it's out of commission.

Well look at it this way Joe. You're that much closer to having a hook for a hand and fulfilling your life long dream of being a pirate. Aargh!

Man's Best Friend

I tore up my stomach Saturday night at Natron's birthday party. I felt like I had to vomit but I couldn't. It was so bad. But I had a great time nonetheless. That's a pretty cool crowd to be at a party with. They aren't too numbskulled.

The more Joe and I see dogs, the more Joe wants a puppy. I always see that tear just about ready to form in his eye when he starts thinking about his own puppy. There was a nice looking one-year old boxer there that was very well behaved. We were very impressed with that dog. And then there was a little 18 month old black something, I forget, that was so cute. It belongs in a laundry softener commercial. He keeps watching that Dog Whisperer show on the National Geographic channel- or whatever- and he sees these dogs. He gets all excited and then tells me about these poor little dogs that need to be taken better care of.

Joe even has a name picked out, if we get a boy dog -- Pibber. Named after the great party beer Pabst Blue Ribbon. I can actually imagine Joe out in the backyard playing with a new black lab puppy. That would be so cute.

Me, I'm still attached to Felony. I don't think any cute animal could come between me and the baloney. He's much too cute and handsome to come second banana to a newbie.

Until then, we will only be dreaming of little Pibber.

I'm Obsessed About A Girl

So basically the whole reason I've come back is because I've become compulsively obsessed about Kate Simmerson. I don't know what the deal is, but she really gets under my skin. I've felt crappy for the last two days and she's made me second guess myself. How dare she!

I just feel like she's out there and being the life of the party. While Joe loses his old friends because he's with me. I realize I'll never be part of a certain point in his life and that the only things I can do is forge new memories that he'll cherish more than the times he had in high school. But believe me, it's really hard to do.

I think that now that i've gotten these ill feelings out on the table, I can move forward. That is until I see her again and that nasty smirk she has.

I'm back and I think I have things to actually say now.

OK Kids. I'm back and I think I have things to actually say now. So hopefully this will get a little more interesting for you now instead of reading about me at work. That was so boring.

I have people that irk me to talk about and things to complain about and I've come back to finally get things off my chest.

I'll gather my thoughts and come back with some fresh ideas.

See you then.

so i have talked to the new owners of the company, shamrock. i will be paid with benefits thru the end of november no matter how long they need me. which is fine. i can live with that. i've been thinking about taking off the rest of december and starting fresh in january. so anyway,

it looks as though chatterfish are making steps to being a better band. they had a show last weekend and they were played on pittsburgh indie radio. manoni got into a snowbaord movie and used chatterfish as their soundtrack. they all went to the premier last nite in harrisburg. so things are looking up.

i actually can't wait til i'm done here...

so i finally got in touch with maureen shallcross at the strand after a few rounds of phone tag. she obviously was not impressed by my resume. she said she was looking for someone with more experience particularly in a cultural institution. but she liked my enthusiasm. yeah yeah. huge rejection number 1. that's okay though. i was devastated at first but i'm over it. i knew it would have been my experience in question and that's exactly what it was.

so katie emailed me another job op last thursday. i will pursue that as strongly as i did the strand. i feel more confident in my resume now so i feel a little better about send my resume.

joe's birthday was this week. josh for once was able to come out and help celebrate. we spent saturday on MD with jules who wanted to go to ikea and we stopped at sunny's surplus to find a military shirt to match john lennon's. we tried to stop at outback steakhouse but the wait was too long. so we headed back to the cove for oktoberfest food.

first of all, hello! what the heck is up with the platters at the cove? they are so huge i swear they are meant for sumo wrestlers. legend has it that you get free dessert if you are ever able to finish those things. i got 3 steaks of pork on my plate and a huge pile of veg and spazle. unbelievable!

josh comes by to go out to the bars. we hit tailgaters first but it's too crowded and then we decide to go to the quick 6. aaron and alisha join us for a while and then we're off to the tre-mar. and then we stop by aaron's house for a while. josh had never seen the house so we got our 3rd or 4th grand tour. soon it was about 2 in the morn and we head out. but we had to stop at the cove again for a quick drink. we made it in time for eric to let us in before close and had a shot and went home.

the next day, we slept in til noon and joe got to open his present. he was psyched he got a car stereo, he's wanted one for a while now. i can imagine not having any background music while driving and that's annoying. so he was happy about the stereo. only he had a little trouble hooking it up. i think he'll employ josh's trusty hand to help him get thing installed. so anyway, we head off the ginmiya to meet up with his family for a little dinner. mind you, the grandparents didn't come. grandpa won't eat anything but meat and potatoes and grandma will have a fit if she knew we ate raw fish.

so we finally got the boat!!! we employed the help of will to help us eat the sushi and sashimi for two that comes in a cool ass wooden boat. it was a highlight. and then we went over to the grandparents for dessert. pumpkin pie was scrumptious and it was actually one of the times it wasn't stressful to be around grandma.

it cheered joe up quite a bit everytime it's his birthday. he gets presents and he always gets told his own baby stories every year and they always proclaim how wonderful and perfect he is. who wouldn't love that?

so i finally mailed my resume to the strand. i've been scutinizing my resume for days and i finally think i am happy enough with it to mail it out. hopefully it's good enough to get me a job....

so since that last time i wrote, i finally got myself some glasses. now i can see! i think they are nice. well, they ought to be for the price i paid...and they make me look smart so i have nothing to complain. not only that but i got myself to see the chiropractor. and now i am getting all fixed.

well, i'm gonna check out some cd clubs and see how i can get myself back up to speed with my cd collection.

ok i predict that it will be (oh yes, it will be) soon. any day now, things will happen for me. tonite i'm going to the chiropractor hopefully to start fixing up my back. and hopefully it will put me in better humor...

anyway, back to my mac and cheese.

oh yeah?

yeah!!!

i'm trying my darndest to get the hell out of here. but it doesn't seem to yield fruit yet. i've got katie following up with the lady at the strand. hopefully that comes thru. i'm sort of banking on it right now. i know i shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket but it's all i've got right now.

anyhoo, carey and mike hoffman's farewell party is tonite. it is all lonely downstairs. there is no one left here at the company and it's rather pathetic. do they allow companies like this to run?

uh oh, the witch is around. gotta go.

man i hate computers

oh man, what is up with this?

right so carey resigned and that leaves me, hannes, teresa, barb, cesar, and sean left. i certainly hope i will be next to leave. i've set a deadline for myself. if i'm not let go by the 15th, i will quit. the problem is, i really really would like a job before i do that. no worries though. i think i can ask katie to help me out.

anyway, i've had a jam packed weekend. on saturday, i went to see the mobile skatepark series and i actually stood 2 feet away from bucky lasek. he's so ordinary, it's ridiculous how people flock to him. on sunday, i hung out with mom and jules. i ended up buying some new gear (which i'm in dire need of anyway) but i was hoping not to spend any money. and then joe and i went to aaron and alisha's for a bbq and slumber party. then we woke up and came home for a little before we headed off the the market for crabs.

i bought 2 dozen for 25 bucks and pigged out with jules. then it was off to the anderson's for labor day picnic. and then when we got home we stopped out at tailgaters for a few drinks with josh and nate. and now finally, we're home. joe is reading his books right now while i comment on my weekend.

i think i'll do joe a favor by signing up chatterfish for their own blog. nothing wrong with a little self promotion....