2010 Ends Tonight... with a resounding MEH

What a year.

It started out with loss. It began with death. Granny passed away. The ramp was dismantled. Kelsey lost her braces. The Vikings lost the NFC championship. I lost a bunch of weight. Toby lost his damn mind and jumped onto a hot stove top.

Things leveled out a bit after that. I won the Biggest Loser competition at work. The fam went to Washington, DC and had a blast. The new Brinley.com launched (and I still like the look-n-feel). The World Cup was awesome. Work and art and life all balanced out.

Then things went up and down pretty wildly with more losses. I lost the Jeep... but the money from the sale helped pay for Kelsey's new car. I lost Brinley.com... but it turns out that I didn't really lose it and I was so happy. I lost consciousness at the doctor's office and went to the Cardiac unit... but it turned out to *not* be a heart attack. I lost track of the painting I donated to the Julep Ball... but "found" it when Michelle saw it in her friend's house outside Memphis. And I broke my damn pinky toe and then suffered a double-ear infection.

Things kind of turned around too. Jooj's dad responded well to treatment and the Cancer news (which really is never good) turned out to not be quite as bad as it could be. Kelsey got her license and yours truly had to drive a little less. I started the NFL season with three FFL teams. Little Babuke was rushed to Kosair's but it turned out to be nothing too serious. Will's football team and JV football both won their respective championships. Kelsey started the school year with a 3.9. The Halloween party was OFF THE HOOK!

Things got weird a little too. Bret Farve sucked. Randy Moss became a Viking again. Then he wasn't. And then being a Viking's fan just wasn't cool any longer. I shared by shoe neurosis with the world. I attended 4 midnight releases to buy the video games that Will wanted. I came out of retirement from soccer and never won a game after our first. Thank gawd that's over but I can't wait to play again. And my FFL seasons were just falling apart.

But the year ended with a bang (in a good way). Eric Brinley - Artist, LLC was born. I took down a tree and felt like a red-blooded man doing it. We refinanced and are saving a ton of money. Black Friday was cuh-razy! The Oil group is rocking and bringing in some serious $$$ for the company. I was nominated for Employee of the Year. We have a new kitchen (nearly). We have a new fence. We had a great Christmas. We even got a bonus check from some extra escrow laying around. The L'ville Hotspurs are heading to the Super Bowl (along with a year worth of bragging rights if I win).

Overall, I give the year a "meh". I'd like to spend this year out of the hospital (both as a visitor and a tenant). I'd like to continue paying off bills and getting ready for college and private high school tuition. I'd like to continue kicking ass at work. I'd like to see the Vikings play better next year. I'd like to see nothing but good fortune for everyone I love. And I'd like to continue being a good husband, a good father, a good worker, a good son, a good brother, a good uncle, a good artist, a good goalkeeper, a good budgeter (that's a word?!?!), and - most importantly - a good man.

Peace out, 2010!

Christmas Recap Haikus

Christmas came and went
Everyone loved their presents
Food was terrific

Lazy over break
Played video games galore
Up 'til two each night

Going back to where?
To Isle of Palms this summer
Fam'ly vacation!

Back to work today
Much too busy and too loud
For a quiet week

What'd we have for lunch?
Wednesday J. Gumbo's, of course
On the house... bonus!

L'ville Hotspurs won
Going to the Super Bowl
Go 'spurs, go 'spurs, go!

Mortgage escrow check
Wondering where it will go?
Six O Four Hatler

Christmas Eve Eve

It's the Eve before Christmas Eve... and that means Christmas Eve at our house. Santa comes Christmas Eve morning at the Brinley/Bearden household. And what are the kids and I doing to celebrate? You'll probably never guess but we're watching South Park: Season 8.

The kids have some nice surprises waiting for them in the morning. We're looking forward to it :)

Holiday Party, Employee of the Year, and the PS3 Giveaway

The Genscape Holiday Party was this weekend. It was a Viking blast (haven't pulled that one out in a while)! The party was at 21C again and they do such a fantastic job. The appetizers were out of this world. The bison sliders and brats were to die for. Watching Mike M. dirty dance with Coach Linahan was priceless (after which he leaned over to my wife and slurred, "You're pretty"). At one point I felt a pinch on my butt. I asked Jooj if she pinched my ass. She said no and I turned and there stood the CEO. Nice! I had a round of shooters with Hillary and the gang and then followed that up with another shooter with Brown-Downs. I looked over at Jooj and told her we had about 20 minutes before we needed to be home so we left, post-haste :)

So, a while back I mentioned that I had been nominated for Employee of the Year. I was deeply honored. As I stated before, I knew my chances were the slimmest of slim. So leading up to the announcement I was neither excited nor nervous. I did not win but Hillary, a close co-worker of mine, won the honor (and sweet piece of glass hardware!). She cried as she accepted it and it was very touching. She came down from the stage and came straight to me and told me that it was as much mine as it was hers. That was very sweet to hear. Even sweeter was when the CEO came to me later and told me that my name was seriously deliberated on for the award. That was very encouraging and makes me want to work *that* much harder to earn it next year. Keep your fingers crossed.

And finally, remember how I went to go see TRON and totally went to the wrong theater than my friends? Well, I later found out that a PS3 was given away that night. And then it turns out that it went to one of the tickets from our group. But then I misunderstood the story and realized every ticket holder walked away with a free PS3. Just my luck, right? I suppose that is what led me to believe this all to be true. HOWEVER...

It was all a gag. Steve and Eddie got me and they got me good. So if you heard me tell you the story about the free PS3s, please disregard, shake your head, roll your eyes, and call me a grade A moron. Sheesh!

TRON Post-mortem

TRON was awesome. The movie was formulaic and a tad soulless, but the action was great, the 3D was well done, the effects were pretty sweet, the Daft Punk soundtrack was thrilling, Jeff Bridges was an awesome "Lebowski/Flynn", and Olivia Wilde looked pretty cute. It by no means blew my mind but I look forward to seeing it again. It didn't capture the magic of the original (I wasn't expecting it to). It was a pretty standard, by-the-book, Disney movie. But fun, you know?

Do you know what would have made it more fun? It would have been a lot more fun had I gone to the right theater!!!

The original plan was to meet Eddie and Steve at the theater. With ten minutes before showtime I got a text from Steve. I told him I was in the lobby. He asked where. I said by the door. And then my heart sank. I already knew what I had done and what was coming next. Moments later I received this text: "Please tell me you are not at Tinseltown."

No no no no no no no no no no!

(more Bit humor there, you *GEEK* [I'm pretty much making that joke for me but if you laughed, you too])

Kelsey was already with her friends and had retired to their respective theater. I purchased a single ticket to the 3D show at 12:05 AM, picked up my glasses, and enjoyed the show solo. I hadn't gone to a movie by myself since being blown away by "Spirited Away" after getting fired from an "ugh" job back in 2003 (I was excelling at making bad career moves during that period in my life). And before that it had been in 2001 to see a double-feature of K-PAX (great movie!) and Thirteen Ghosts (horrible, horrible movie!) in Lewisville back when I lived in Texas.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Disney does with their "The Black Hole" remake.

TRON at Midnight

Need I say more? Am I a geek?

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

(if you are a real geek you'll get the reference to the Bit from the original)

Fantasy Updates (Updated)

The season is over for one team. The post-season is looming for another team. The post-season is raging for yet another team. And the season is just getting started for one more!

The poor, poor L'ville Red Devils ended their season and entered the loser's play-offs last week. I believe I have the worst record I have ever earned in football at 4-8. I'm not trying to make any excuses but I will point out that I was in the hospital when this team was drafted. It's been one helluva ride, making trades and digging ourselves out of a hole, but it wasn't enough in the end.

The L'ville Gunners are currently in a heated battle in their first game of the post-season. They ended the season at 9-4 and are doing their best to pull out a victory tonight. With a little luck and some effort from Adrian Peterson I'll pull it out. Unfortunately, Will.i.am's team is not doing so well and will be bowing out of the play-offs after tonight.

The surprise L'ville Hotspurs are playing the #1 team in the league and are on track to pull out a victory in the last game of the season. If so they will end their season at 10-4 with plenty of momentum heading into the play-offs.

All toll, that is a combined record of 23-16... not too shabby in my book.

Finally, the L'ville Blues are entering the 7th week of the FBL season at 32-21-1. Pretty impressive for a guy who knows only two things about the NBA - Jack and Shit (name dropper!).

UPDATE: Hells bells! This just in from NFL.com regarding Adrian Peterson...

"Analysis: This was pretty much worst case scenario for anyone relying on Peterson in the fantasy playoffs as the Vikings never had a prayer. It's hard to verify if the Giants ever put nine guys in the box, but it sure seemed like it."

Gunners are out and playing Will.i.am next week. Hotspurs lost but enter the playoffs as a #5 seed.

Spike TV Video Game Awards (UPDATED)

I'm sitting here watching the Spike TV Video Game Awards. As I mentioned almost the exact same time last year, I wouldn't normally go out of my way to watch the show. But tonight, as I was this time last year, I am waiting/hoping for a special announcement.

Once again Star Wars Battlefront 3 has been rumored to be announced. Rumors over at battlefront3.net and other sites are pointing virtual fingers at Infinity Spark as the developer (with LucasArts as the publisher I would imagine). We're 90 minutes into the scheduled 2 hours and nothing yet. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was announced and Will will be stoked about that.

This Battlefront 3 debacle (in the sense that a follow-up to the highly-acclaimed and successful - I'm not making that up... I read it somewhere) has been going on for so long and the game's development has switched hands so many times that a wiki page for Star Wars: Battlefront III actually redirects to a page devoted to its muddled history and rumors.

I'm crossing every finger I have for good news. I'd hate to be disappointed yet again :(

DISAPPOINTING YET EXPECTED UPDATE: Well, I guess I don't even really have to say it. Crickets.

Employee of the Year Nomination

I was surprised to find out that I've been nominated for Genscape's Employee of the Year. I am deeply honored by the nomination and grateful to share space on the list of nominees. I think my chances of winning are slim at best, but it is still a glorious thing to be nominated.

Yay me!

A lot can happen in a week

And obviously one can completely forget to blog during that time too.

Following the tree saga things have been pretty calm. Work was busy yet steady. Will.i.am went through his Confirmation and took on the name of Saint Louis. That appealed to all households as everyone had a Louis in the family if you went far enough up the family tree.

The fence has been installed (or is in the process of being installed - don't know how much progress they made today). That's super exciting.

The cable was cut during the process of post hole digging and Insight was quick enough to get out to us Saturday. However, it did cause a 36-hour Internet blackout. We all coped with it well enough - except for the one whom I thought it would affect the least (I'm not naming names, Jooj, but I'm staring at you with an accusatory look).

Accusatory. Really? That's even a word? I thought I just made that shit up.

Good times!

Me vs. Tree

Well, I'll get right to the important stuff. I survived. The tree did not (actually, the tree was already dead so I should technically say that I am the last one standing).

I spent the weekend taking down the poor evergreen in the corner of my lot that never recovered after losing so many branches in the ice storm. Home Depot was gracious enough to let me ruin rent two Makita 20" chainsaws to get the job done. I took my time. I respected the chainsaw. I calculated how the tree was going to fall. And that son of a bitch fell perfectly.

The only mishap I suffered (besides the fact that the whole operation took a butt load more time than I had anticipated and whipped my ass into a new level of pain experience - this reminds me of "Heuser hurting" but takes it up even another notch) was a moment when the damn trunk of the tree, already defeated and laying on its side, decided to roll off the severed stump while I was cutting some limbs. The damn thing took me down - chainsaw in hand. It should have pinned me. It should have broken my leg. The still-running chainsaw should have really fucked me up. I guess it was the tree's last "Fuck You!" for taking it down (mind you, this is the same tree that Will fell out of a few summers back so I already had a bone to pick with it).

But I was fine. I turned the chainsaw off. Most important. Only slightly secondly most important was to find out if anyone saw my dumb ass. They had not. Whew! Next was to check if the leg was broken. It was not. It hurt - and still hurts - but it was alright. Next was to shimmy out of there and pretend like nothing ever happened.

So besides some sticks in the yard, some larger trunk pieces around the stump, and a ton of sawdust everything is just about taken care of. I've stashed the wood to be used in future fires. Will helped me get the loose branches off the lawn before the rain hit tonight. He also filled three buckets with smaller branches for future fire-starting. We'll need to make a run to the city lawn waste place (can't remember the name of it) but after that it is done.

(Don't even ask me about pulling the stump... I have NO CLUE!)

Black Friday - Mission Success

Jooj woke me up at 5:20AM and, after last night's experience, I was less than enthusiastic to get this thing going. We went back to sleep and woke up at 7AM.

We hit up Starbucks and moved on to Target. The movies on my list were not there. So I didn't have much else reason to stay. But Jooj wanted to shop. I was grumpy. We spent some money and moved on.

Walmart followed. Thankfully the mad house had taken its anti-crazy pills. I walked out of there after spending $28 and saving $31. Cool, eh?

Lowes was next. Best Buy came next. Toys R Us after that (walked in and walked out... that line was horrendous). Then we hit up the mall - Dillard's mostly.

We hit up Toast for lunch. I came home, took a shower, and napped for 2 hours. What a day!

Black Friday - Midnight Launch

Fuuuuuuck that.

First off, I walked outside to go to Walmart at 11:55 and it is a blizzard. Snow is coming down so hard I can barely see in front of me. Mind you, this is before I even get in the car. Looking through the windshield is no better. And it fogs up faster than... well I don't know but pretty fast. The roads were okay but the snow was coming down so hard. Maybe I should have taken this as a sign.

I reach Walmart and the lot is packed. Packed like Toys R Us. But there is no line since they are always open so I don't sweat it. I walk in and... whoah. Madness. Chaos. Packed carts. Rednecks. Slippery floors. That smell of cigarettes fused with clothing. Sweat. Ignorance. Fuuuuuuck me. This situation is already no good. I do my best to keep my shit together in this mad house and proceed toward the electronics section.

People are swarming. I'm getting bumped all over the place. People are rolling their carts filled with everything they can find. Some carts are empty. Some have sleeping babies (seriously, where's CPS?). I finally reach the electronics section and find that this is where the madness is centralized - this is the heart of darkness. And yet there is a calm. People are packed in but they aren't violently swarming over this or that. It's curious to me. I don't understand this calm. But it is soon evident what is going on.

Walmart, in all their wisdom, doesn't put out all of their merchandise. So these poor dudes are lugging huge cardboard display cases filled with DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games. When they come out they announce the general type of inventory and back away as quickly as possible. You see, I've never seen a school of piranha take down a cow but I can certainly imagine what it would look like. And this is probably the closest I can describe what happens to the poor cardboard case moments after its delivery. It's stripped bare.

I walked around for a while. Seriously, I was in a near state of shock. This behavior is just a sight to be seen.

I soon after tossed aside the two movies that weren't on my list but had picked up anyway and simply walked away. I'm not in any rush to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn to continue this Black Friday debacle. I think I've just about had my fill of Black Friday and haven't purchased a goddam thing yet.

Black Friday - Prelaunch

Black Friday was going to start at 10PM at Toys R Us. Jooj and I drove up and the lot was filled. I mean filled. People were having to park in other adjacent lots. The line spanned the front of the store, wrapped around the side of the building, and continued around the back. In the rain. And we had no umbrella. And after seeing that mob, I pretty much had no will to start Black Friday quite yet.

Next stop, Walmart after midnight. Then I hit the hay for a bit and start the morning with Target, Lowes, and Best Buy. Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh yeah, and Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll!

4.625%

Oh man, that number is so much better than the two numbers it has replaced!

The refinance went through yesterday and I couldn't be more pleased with our finances. Even after paying bills off aggressively we are still looking good and stand to earn a tremendous surplus by the end of the year.

Of course, this forecast does not take into account the tuition for either child. So bye-bye surplus :)

I shot a bunch of kids tonight

And why am I not going to jail for my crimes? Because I shot them with reballs (reusable rubber paintballs), silly goose!

I took Will and his friends, Ian and Spencer, to Open Range for a little reball action tonight. Their friend Ross also joined us. And man, we had a real blast. I performed admirably, with an impressive KDR (kil-death ratio). Most games I would take out 2 or 3 people. I took out more sometimes. And sometimes I was out before scoring a kill. If I had to guess, I'd guess that I came out around 2.5:1 KDR. In fact, I even "tagged" a few kids - 2 in one match believe it or not (tagging is when you sneak up on them and yell "TAG" at point-blank range, thus eliminating them without firing your weapon).

Looking forward to doing it again!

Did I mention?

That I attended my fourth midnight release Monday to pick up Assassin's Creed: Brotherood for Will? For those of you keeping count, it was Halo: Reach on September 14th, Fable 3 a few weeks ago, Call of Duty: Black Ops last week, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood this week. I like making my boy happy. I rule!

That it is really frustrating being a Viking fan these days?

That I am pretty tired of waiting to hear from the bank about our refinance? Let me know *something* already!

That we had our property surveyed today and, holy shit, the neighbors have been mowing our lawn since day one? :P

That I'm really excited about the fence that we'll have soon? The dogs are too... they told me.

That I like cornbread?

That I like motorcycles? Jooj told me I could start thinking about getting one. Mike wants to sell his. I want it. And, more importantly, I think Jooj wants me to have it.

That I'm going to switch the wheels of my skateboard onto Kelsey's old Black Label board? This will be my third board in, oh, 5 years I think. I'm going to do it tomorrow morning and skate that b!tch in the freezing cold.

That I'm super-duper anxious about my FFL game this weekend against Team Howlett? If we pull off this win I feel very good about the Red Devils making it to the playoffs. We play the 9th ranked team for the last game of the regular season and, barring certain permutations of teams winning/losing, we'll make it after beating them. If, and only if, we win this week. Go Devils!

That it's late and I'm going to bed? Well, it is and I am.

Frontside Kickturn

I successfully pulled off my first frontside kickturn on the wooden half-pipe at the skate park this morning. By comparison, a backside kickturn is easier since your back is facing the sky, you are facing down, and you totally see where you are going. Frontside has you facing toward the sky, your back is facing the ground, and it feels *totally* weird.

I bailed a few and nailed a lot. I don't know if I'm up for another skate tomorrow (seriously can't believe I managed to skate this morning after soccer last night) but I'm really looking forward to pulling more backsides.

See my post on the Concretin site for more...

It Happened Today

V is for Victory x 5

L'ville Hotspurs won this weekend, 82.52-63.44. After week 10 I'm 7-3, 2nd in my division, and should be 4th in the league of 18.

L'ville Gunners won this weekend. After week 10 I'm 6-4, 3rd in my division, and should be 4th in the league of 10.

L'ville Red Devils won this weekend. After week 10 we're 4-6, still sitting at 8th, but we are determined to win out our last 2 games and (with a little bit o' luck) making the playoffs. Go Devils!

L'ville Blues won this week, 8-1-0. After week 2 I'm 14-3-1, 2nd in the league of 10, playing the #1 spot this week. Not bad for a guy who knows Jack and Shit about the NBA, eh?

Even Will's FFL won this weekend.

The only win I didn't have was tonight in soccer. We got pummeled, 1-11. Oof.

Worst. Fortune. Ever.

Jooj and I went to the janky Chinese buffet we used to frequent back when she lived on Ellis. We were in the mood for some Chinese and this place normally delivers. They didn't have their fried corn balls but it was a good meal. I of course stuffed myself and polishing off the meal with 3 fresh macaroons was just icing on the cake.

The bill came out with two fortune cookies. Jooj grabbed one and busted it open...

"Avert misunderstanding by calm, poise and balance."

Sounds very philosophical. Sounds metaphysical. The engrish is a little hard to grasp on that one. But so is the concept. OooOOooh. I can imagine some wise and wizened monk uttering this while balancing himself on an upended bamboo shaft. Or, you know, maybe Yoda said it somewhere.

Impressed, I moved onto mine...

"You are going to have some new clothes."

Are you viking kidding me?!? I'ven't ever, ever, ever received such mundane tripe as my fortune. New clothes? Really? That's all you got? Really? So that's *really* it? Worst. Fortune. Ever.

Fantasy Football (and Basketball) Updates

The once-lowly L'ville Hotspurs have turned their fortunes around, won 3 in a row, are second in their division, and are ranked 5th in the league of 18. They are hitting the final stretch of the season and are looking to finish strong - currently at 6-3 and heading into a great matchup this week. I'm putting up league-leading points and look to continue that trend. I've done some amazing things with waiver wire pick-ups and a key trade.

The still-dominant L'ville Gunners are at 5-4 after suffering a heart-breaking loss of 151-140.5 to the #1 team in the league. Damn you Packers D... who would have ever thought it possible for a D/ST to put up 31 points? Even to the Cowboys? Unimaginable! Thankfully, 3 of my last 4 games are against the 3 worst teams in the league. So I should be a lock for the playoffs. This team is strong and will finish well.

The running-out-of-hope L'ville Red Devils have a record of 3-6 after suffering a gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of the Justice League, 109-108. Ugh. It's a game of inches (and single points). If we win out (which is possible and not all that unlikely actually), and with just a tad bit of help through any number of win-loss permutations, we can still make the playoffs with a 6-6 record. Coach Mike and I have made massive trades to make a play-off run. Let's hope it works our way.

Overall, across all of my teams in FFL, my record is a mediocre 14-13. Meh.

Lastly, the newly initiated L'ville Blues (NBA) ended their first "week" of games with a final record of 6-2-1, currently ranking me 4th in a league of 8 teams. I am sort of in cruise control at the moment as I am just figuring out what is going on but am encouraged by my record after the first week. In fact, I'm watching my first NBA game in *years* at the momet - LA Clippers versus the San Antonio Spurs.

Go 'Spurs! Go Gunners! Go Devils! Go Blues!

Mopani may look cool but don't buy it

When looking for driftwood for your bearded dragons I highly advise against Mopani. It looks cool. I can't argue that at all. And they seem to like it. But I swear, it has more holes than Prince Barin's sacred wooden stump on the forest moon of Arboria (nearly the vaguest of Flash Gordon references there). And those holes don't hide poisonous creatures ready to sting the next forearm. They hide crickets. And lots of them.

Sometimes the bearded dragons, Perseus and Pandora, don't eat all of their crickets. And those crickets feel compelled to run and hide for their lives. And they sometimes succeed. And during the night they start chirping. And their chirping is annoying. And here is another sentence that starts with "And". And the Mopani offers the more hiding spots than... well, shit, I have no idea what metaphor to use here... what has a lot of hiding spots?

Anyway, I shook a dozen crickets out of their Mopani and removed it. I'm heading to Feeder's tomorrow to pick up something with fewer hiding spots.

Man, what has a lot of hiding spots? I dunno. It's late.

Mercy at Mockingbird

Tonight was game 2 of my return to the indoor soccer field and out of retirement. And man-o-man, if I didn't love this game so much I would reconsider my decision. I was warned that the team we were playing tonight was going to be the best we would face. They brought their A game and we brought, well, about our Q game. It was 0-5 at half and my body was already beaten down. We did not maintain possession long enough for me to ever catch my breath. My right pinky was hurting. My hamstrings were on fire. I was sweating like Niagara Falls. And thank gawd for the Mercy rule. The other team scored another 5 - quickly. And then the refs stopped keeping track of the score. I don't know how many they racked up, but they easily scored 10 more times. By the end of the game I was done. I could barely stand up. But shit, it was still fun (if not a little embarrassing).

Heading out to go pick up Call of Duty: Black Ops at the midnight release for Mr. William and then dropping it off at his dad's. I'm the best step-dad ever!!!!

TOY BOWL CHAMPIONS!

After 17 weeks of conditioning, practice, playing, and driving Will around has culminated with a 16-8 win over St. Albert the Great in the AA Toy Bowl this afternoon at Trinity's stadium. Jooj and I were there, along with my mom and dad and my sister and her family. It was an exciting game and ended a great season filled with great play all around.

I am proud of my boy and hope that this season has given him an unforgettable experience.

The Modjeska

Modjeska's at Muth's Candy

I am so getting some tomorrow. I had them once. They are the SHIT! I "rediscovered" them while trying to tell this very story (in my story, it was a Russian dancer in 1908) after Hillary shared the fact that candy corn is only made in the USA. Muth's Candy is about two blocks from where I work.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Happy Birthday Will!

Happy 14th Will!!!

The Walking Dead, Toy Bowl, Soccer, and WTF happened with Randy Moss?!?

Will and I just finished watching AMC's new series (only 6 episodes? Boo!) The Walking Dead. Whoah! That was pretty intense. I am truly impressed and think that I've found the first show to truly *engage* me since SyFy's Battlestar Galactica. Yes, I am a zombie lover and yes, that may make me biased. But please believe me when I say that this show seems to have some real potential. I hope Jooj's dad watched it. He always asks me about shows I don't watch and I would love to talk this one over with him. I can't wait to watch it again with Jooj and Kelsey! And I am really looking forward to next week's episode.

Guess what? The St. Agnes Saints won the semi-finals and are heading to the Toy Bowl this weekend! Woohoo! We're excited for him and hope everyone can come out and watch Will and his team (hopefully) win the whole thing.

Tonight was the first night I played as keeper in indoor soccer in nearly three years. I still had my moves but my hands were a little rusty. I had some great saves. But I also had some blown saves. We won 14-5 so I suppose no one can complain. I'm really looking forward to this session. I've longed to play soccer since watching the World Cup this summer.

Lastly, WTF happened? Randy Moss dropped by the Vikings? Seriously? I don't understand. He's open on waivers for the next 24 hours. If anyone picks him up during that time they are responsible for paying him. But if not, the Vikings are stuck with the bill. Now check this out... if nobody picks him up, the Patriots can sign him back, offer him the league minimum, the Vikings are stuck with the bill, the Patriots still have their 3rd round pick, and the Vikings are out a receiver. Fuck. Is it too early to think that the Viking season is over?

Happy Halloween!!!

We pretty much depleted our cauldron of candy to trick-or-treaters tonight.

You know your neighborhood is affluent when you look up the street and it's nothing but cars parked on each side - bumper to bumper as far as the eye can see. I looked out my door and saw that very thing. And all was good.

Oh yeah, and 300 posts bee-atches!

Shoes (welcome to my neurosis)

So I have had this methodology about what sneakers I wear for the past few years. This works best with 3 pairs of sneakers but more shoes work out just fine. I have three "classes" of sneakers: junky sneaker, exercise sneaker, and "dress" sneakers.

BTW, I struggled with what word to use there. I started with shoe. But that word covers the gamut of every type of shoe. I am talking strictly about tennis shoes - as we called them when I was growing up. But tennis shoe is pretty stupid since I neither play tennis nor think that any shoe I own actually optimize my tennis playing ability. But I digress (as I will do during this post... I'm just getting warmed up). So then I moved on to sneaker. I think Granny used to call them that. But why? Why call them sneakers? Did all shoes have hard soles back in the day? So when the first sneaker came along with its rubber sole and didn't make a sound they thought people were wearing ninja shoes (of course, not even knowing what a ninja was as it had not even come close to reaching popular culture)? What do people call them these days? I don't know. In honor of Granny, I'm going with sneaker.

All new sneakers start out as dress sneakers. They are new and clean. That means that I don't have to worry about dirt, stains, or poop being on them. As my sneakers get on with their life, they receive wear and tear, and they simply don't deserve to remain in the "dress" class. At that point they are retired to the exercise class. At this point, I use them strictly for exercise (if applicable... my skating shoes aren't going to help me jog). Normally, the current exercise shoe then gets demoted to junky sneaker. And then the junky shoes are sent off to pasture or thrown into a tree or, you know, just thrown away.

Related tangent: About ten years ago I owned a pair of grey/red Adidas sneakers. Without knowing it, both my brother-in-law and my good friend Jed bought the same pair. Crazy coincidence, right? It was also about this time that I came up with my method. So when it was time to move onto the next pair I purchased a pair of blue/orange Adidas. Interestingly enough, and again without prior knowledge, Jed bought the same pair. It is these blue/orange Adidas that will be considered the protagonist in this tale.

So the last shoe to be retired to junky (and at this point in my life, junky is also synonymous [two y's - look at that!] with yard work) were these aforementioned blue/orange Adidas sneakers. I had the choice of retiring either the blue/orange or the black/grey. The blue/orange got the nod because they were older.

Well, I went out to find a replacement pair. I own a half dozen or more sneakers and they all are dress sneakers besides the designated exercise and junky sneakers. So blue/orange moved to junky and black/grey moved to exercise. But I couldn't find a worthy replacement for the blue/orange. I found a sweet black/silver/red pair and then a white/blue pair. I love the black/silver/red pair. I'm not keen on the white/blue pair. I almost wish I didn't buy them.

I mowed the lawn in the blue/orange pair so it was official. But I've always regretted it.

Last week, I was out with the dogs and stepped in a huge pile of poo while wearing the black/grey pair. I've cleaned poop off shoes before but it is no fun. So I was lamenting the fact that I was going to have to do it. Maybe that is what subconsciously allowed me to wear the black/grey pair while doing yard work yesterday.

Yard work was done. Poo was stepped in. They were dirtied up nicely.

So the unthinkable is going to happen. I'm going to un-retire and reinstate the blue/orange pair. I can hardly believe I am typing that and saying it. But I'm going to do it.

Welcome to my neurosis...

"in the interest of time"

These are words that you never, ever, ever, ever, ever want to hear come from a member of your QA team. And yet these words were uttered. Corners were cut. And yours truly dropped the ball under the pressure of "in the interest of time". I wildly created tables in production because, as bad as it sounds, production was where we were doing our testing.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

And besides, how many times have I wanted to push something through QA, in the interest of time, but was told that it had to be tested? A lot.

Grrrrr!

Are you ready for some... BBall?!?!

It's football season, I know, but the NBA season started tonight. Normally, I would not care, 'cause I don't normally follow basketball. And I still may not, but Eddie asked me to join FBL (I don't know if that is what it is called, but I'm referring to Fantasy Basketball League). I have no idea what I'm doing but it should be fun. Wish me luck!

In other fantasy news, I went 3-0 this week in FFL, bringing the 'spurs to 4-3, the Gunners to 4-3, and the Devils to 3-4. I dealt off BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Tony Moeaki for Larry Fitzgerald and CJ Spiller for the 'spurs. And today I brokered a deal for Arian Foster in exchange for Peyton Manning for the Devils. That move is balls out. But teams don't win if you don't have some cojones.

I just hope those Vikings can get back on track. Go Vikes!

Mission Accomplished

Fable 3, the newest obsession of Will's for the Xbox 360, came out at midnight tonight (approximately 57 minutes ago). Will has a copy sitting outside his father's front door. Why? 'Cause I'm the greatest. Aw yeah.

Party Plus 26

It's been 26 hours since last night's Halloween party began. Whew.

I don't even know how to recap the bash. I'm pretty whipped. I'm not so much hung over as I am beat down from not only the party but also helping Pat move (in a most efficient manner and at record-breaking speed, I may add). Plus I'm distracted by the Vikings and Packers game that's on right now (I *think* I'm going to win all three of my FFL games this weekend!!!).

I'll just do the free thought thing. Here we go...

I loved Hillary's costume. She was the Gulf oil spill! Jesse and Kelly were also way cool too dressed as the trapped Chilean miners. And kudos have to go to Matt Brown for the awesome mohawk! Two bonfires is better than one. My wife played her first game of beer pong. Amy's jambalaya was rocking. Jooj's buffalo wing cheese dip, I dare say, was better than her sisters. Kels looked great as Carrie. Lala looked adorable as the Bride of Frankenstein. We had four vampires. Sang 'til I was hoarse. Emma and Luke were adorable. The electric chair was electrifying. Goddam I love upside-down Tequila shots. And that Nicaraguan rum was spectacular. Will and his buddies playing "zombie tag" had me cracking up (Aren't they a little old for running around in the dark? Answer? NO!). Looking forward to eating leftovers for the next few days. Good times! Correction. Great times!

T-Minus 34 Hours

The 2010 Halloween bash is right around the corner. We've been preparing all week. Lights are hung. Decorations have been put out. Fire pits are in place. The karaoke machine is ready to rock.

I want to have a "dry run" tonight after the sun goes down. I'm going to setup the laptop and projector and have that in place along with all of the lights and stuff. Then we should be all set.

Still to do: finish putting the netting over the pond; decide what to do with the last three strands of lights (will there be an electric chair and will the lights go on that?); pick up the ping pong table from Jim and Susu's; pick up lumber from Lowe's and build the stage for karaoke; pick up another 30-pack of Coors Light and a 12-pack of Bud Light Lime (for Katy)...

Oh hell, the more I think about the more I think that my ToDo list is just too long to list! Thirty-four hours and counting...

Pat's ping pong table

Soooo... Pat doesn't own a ping pong table, eh? Funny.

No worries. A phone call to the Taylors later, I have a ping pong table on loan for the party. Yay!

Dial up the beer pong!

So much can happen in a weekend

I couldn't decide Friday night whether to blog about how much I love watching the Cards play under the new Coach Strong era or how excited I was at the thought of refinancing both my mortgages with a new monthly payment that is about the same that I'm paying now for the first one. Then I got the call.

Mom called, voice shaking, and told me that my little nephew Luke, age 1, had just left in an ambulance with my dad for Kosair. He had been running a fever and was just not acting himself. He went into a fever-induced seizure that lasted for approximately 45 minutes. I rushed down there but was held back in the waiting room - Melissa and Jeremy had already beat me and "it is chaos back there." What I later found out was that the "chaos" was my belligerent (and drunk - he was enjoying the Cards as well at the game) brother-in-law freaking out over seeing his baby boy in such bad shape. I can't say that I blame him. When I finally made it back all I heard was how good he looked but HOLY HELL! He looked horrible. He was sedated and rigid and mucus was running out of his nose and mouth. I was scared to death!

But long story short, the EEG and the CT scan were both clean. He was released Saturday. Things at my sister's house have settled down.

In other news, Will's JV football team won the City Championship. GO SAINTS! And their varsity team destroyed the competition in their final game of the regular season. They've now clinched a playoff spot as well as a first-round BYE. GO SAINTS! My 1-3 Vikings beat the horrible, nasty, godforsaken 1-3 Cowboys today too. GO VIKINGS! Fantasy football... well, things aren't said and done yet but it looks like I'm going 0-3 again this week. BOO 'SPURS, GUNNERS, AND DEVILS!!!

So much to say that really amounts to just about nothing

I'm sitting here with a dozen things that I could write about. But nothing is really standing out. Work this week has been tough. Thank gawd I'm between projects so I can dedicate some time to putting out fires. South Park last night made fun of people on TV from New Jersey. Fucking hilarious. I am going to win all three of my fantasy games in FFL this week (I hope). Will is going to win too. Skateboarding was fun this morning. But it hurt. Went to the bank and found out why they double-paid my bills. They had an outage. It was a headache. They paid bills twice. Now they are trying to get their money back. So it'll be my headache soon. Playing City of Heroes tonight, I converted one of my VIllains to a Rogue. Meh. I really love Mountain Dew Whiteout. The kitchen's backsplash was finished. Kyle did a great job. I get my new paycheck tonight. Yay. It rained finally yesterday. It's nearly 1AM and I'm not tired. But I better go to bed. I suppose.

The New Plan

To hell with Heuser. The gym sucks. They want three months paid in advance. And while it is effective, it is not fun. The new plan?

Soccer on Mondays. Skate park in the morning before work. Shower after I get to work. Have fun!

Sounds like a good plan to me. Let's see how that exercise regimen and proper diet treats Mr. Brinley!

Party preparations

Jooj and I hung lights and decorations this weekend while we gear up for the big fiesta on October 23rd. The preparations are coming along nicely. The front of the house looks great. The back of the house is shaping up. Inside is really coming along.

This year will see the return of the karaoke and the movie projection (I haven't decided what we're going to show this year). We're going to have an extra fire pit so I'll have 2 bonfires going. I may run out and pickup some more Tiki torches as well.

New to the party this year will be the "adult only" room, which will feature beer pong (as long as you are still "lending" us the ping pong table, Pat) and I'm toying with the idea of bringing the electric chair out of retirement. We're also going to have cornhole setup, courtesy of the Brown-Downs clan.

Things are really coming together. I have to start making some calls and solidifying the guest list. It's going to be fun :)

Hard Fun

Matthew Barzun, the old CEO of TechRepublic, gave a RaRa speech to us once and in it he mentioned the phrase "Hard Fun". In short, Hard Fun is, at the end of the day, what some jobs reward you with. The work is hard, but enjoyable, and in the end gives you an extreme sense of accomplishment. It's like when you work your @ss off and put in crazy hours - ultimately to launch a product on time and flawlessly (or as close as one can expect).

At TechRepublic, while this all sounded nice, it didn't really apply. CNET was a sweat shop. The work was never-ending. The business folks were ambiguous in their project requests, imbecilic in their testing, and showed zero gratitude towards a job well done. No, Hard Fun did not exist there. It was just hard - an no fun. And oddly enough, Barzun left nearly immediately after his speech to work on Jerry Kerry's failed presidential bid in 2004. Imagine that!

HOWEVER... (and you knew I was going to get to a point eventually) my work at Genscape is very much HARD FUN. The work is very difficult. The deadlines are laughable. But we get it done. And we rock! We launched a major product, Gulf Coast Refineries, in a little over 2 weeks last Friday. We soft-launched another major product, Midland Oil Storage, in about a week today. We are rocking and rolling right now. There is no doubt in my mind - this is the Hard Fun Barzun was talking about.

3 point 9

A. The name of the trendy Italian restaurant opening on the 1st floor
B. The margin of victory my L'ville Hotspurs had over their opponent in FFL
C. Kelsey's first semester GPA
D. All of the above

When in doubt, always go with C :)

I'm so proud of my grrrl!

(BTW, "Moz" is the name of the new restaurant and I won by 2.4 points)

Randy Moss is a Viking again

'Nuff said.

Two and Two and two and two and two and two

Is that an equation for the number twelve? No! (Well, yeah actually) It is the combined record of my FFL teams...

L'ville Hotspurs (2-2)
L'ville Red Devils (2-2)
L'ville Gunners (2-2)

The Devils and Gunners are looking great and moving up the charts. The 'spurs... meh. Believe it or not, I'm tied in my division for 1st (we're all four knotted at 2-2). But this team is pretty much Adrian Peterson and a bunch of blech. I need some people to break out. I need Eli to start acting more like his big brother. I need a second running back to tie up his laces and get 'er done! I need some points!

On a totally unrelated note, Damien called out of the blue and asked if I wanted to play keeper for the old indoor team again. Hells yeah I do (pending Jooj approval of course).

And on a separate unrelated note, I took senior pictures of Brooke over the weekend and posted them last night. Check them out:

Brooke

Corporate Food Vultures

Whoah! I ate well today - and mostly not due to anything I brought for myself.

My mornings at work always start with oatmeal and tea. The oatmeal is from my own stash. The tea is from a collection that work provides (Lemon Green Tea today). Fortune smiled bright on me today as bagels were waiting for me as I walked into the kitchen. Hells yeah! Slice. Toast. Spread with jalapeno and veggie cream cheese spreads. Devour.

Later in the morning I put down a glass of water (out of the cooler) and another cup of tea (this time from my own stash - Lemon Ginger - caffeine free).

I had to skip lunch to instead pick up Will from St. X. He shadowed today. His favorite part of the day? Eating for free in the cafeteria. He told me that he had two humongous slices of pizza, 2 boscoe sticks (breadsticks loaded with cheese), 2 cokes, a large smoothie, a chicken sammich, and a HUGE baja taco. OMFG, my bowels are rumbling after just typing that.

So I drop him off and rush back to the office. My stomach is grumbling but I tried to hold out. I busted into some dried cranberries and cashews for a snack. But that didn't cut it. So I went down to the candy drawer. I already had a Baby Ruth bite in my mouth before I spied leftover Bumblebee Stew from Friday's JGumbo lunch on Hillary's desk. Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I ran to the kitchen and found some in the fridge. I loaded up a bowl and zapped it in the microwave. While it buzzed I ate a quick apple. I also wrapped a bagel in a paper towel for a morning snack tomorrow.

My belly full, I walked back to my desk to finish the day and drink both another free glass of water and cup of tea.

Gluttons? The both of us? Perhaps. Moochers? For real? For sure!

'Roid Rage!!!

The subject line of this post is very misleading. I'm not raging by any means. And the steroids I am loosely referring to are not the type that professional athletes illegally use (wow, that word has 4 L's... which reminds me... Pat pointed out that hitchhiker has not just 2 H's in it but has a total of 3 H's). In fact, these steroids have been prescribed to me.

Well, believe it or not, I went back to the immediate care center yesterday after suffering aches and pains, a fever Friday night, and continuously filled ears. The doctor said that my ears were no longer infected so he said that the antibiotic worked and prescribed me the steroids to help clear things out.

Wow! I've been on them for just over 24 hours and I feel GREAT!!!

I'm hoping that illness has left the building for a while. And by building, I mean me.

FFL Hocus Pocus

What a weird week on the waiver wire in FFL. For those of you who don't know, after the games are done over the weekend, owners of FFL teams can pickup new players from and drop underperforming or injured players to waivers. This is a chance to pickup new talent and to shed useless players. The order in which an owner is able to choose depends on their overall record - losers go first and winners go last. Anyway, onto the weirdness...

So the L'ville Red Devils didn't need much help but we did pick up the RB I was after, BenJarvus Green-Ellis. We were 4th pick so I was pretty sure we'd get at least something we were after. Mike is out of the country in Nicaragua and I made a few more moves that I think may work out long-term (hopefully with his blessing).

The L'ville Gunners managed to pick up all 4 of the picks I set out to grab. Huzzah! In fact, I guess all of the other owners are on cruise control because I was the only owner that had waivers processed Wednesday morning. My team is already pretty strong in the league. This just makes me stronger.

The L'ville Hotspurs... oh, the 'Spurs. This is the team that started it all and the team that I've had since I started playing FFL. Well, going into week 4 I have 5 players on a BYE, 2 injured players that will not play, and 2 injured players that may not play or will at least be limited. I setup waiver requests and made contingent requests and then even made contingencies on top of that. Waivers process a day late on that site (nfl.com) so I had to wait.

I woke up this morning and I got everything I went after. Really? Did that just happen? Replacement BYE week RB in BenJarvus Green-Ellis? Check. Replacement BYE week TE in Aaron Hernandez? Check. Replacement Kicker for underperformer in Matt Bryant? Check. Replacement D/ST for underperformer in Atlanta Falcons? Chickity-check!

Amazing. I still have problems in that two of my receivers, Mario Manningham and Pierre Garcon, are injured and may not play this weekened. But I have no bench to play with and there is absolute garbage left on the waivers so I'm inclined to set the lineup and call it a day. At least I can field a team at this point :)

Go 'Spurs! Go Devils! Go Gunners!

"We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."

I have to give credit where credit is due. I was reminded of this by a post on a mySpace page of an old colleague, Kenny Ray.

There have been four man-made, Earth-launched objects that have escaped the influence of our Sun: Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2. The latter two, the Voyager probes, were equipped with albums made of gold-plated copper. These records contain 116 images (no nudes - sorry Carl) of diagrams and pictures from Earth, along with musical selections from Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Stravinsky and Chuck Berry. The chances of anything or anyone ever encountering either of these probes in the unimaginably vastness of interstellar space is unfathomably impossible. However, just in case some other civilization comes across them (or future humans track them down), the former president Jimmy Carter wrote the following little message:

"This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."

-- U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Double Ear Infection

I have been taken down like like a wild beast by a big game hunter on the Serengeti. I can't even remember the last time I felt well. I've been on antibiotics for days. I'm starting to come out of it but... ugh! Suffering from a double ear infection. My head felt like it weighed 40 pounds (still feels like about 20 pounds). My left ear is still cracklin' and I still have all kinds of congestion. And the fatigue! Sheesh, I just want to be better.

Happy Birthday Babuke!

Babuke, or Baby Luke, turns 1 year old on Monday but we celebrated it today. That kid is so damn cute. And his big sister Emma is just as adorable as can be. I love those little weasels :)

Star Wars: Clone Wars

Shhh, don't tell Will, but I watched the season premiere of the 3rd season of the animated show Star Wars: Clone Wars. It was pretty sweet. It was a two-parter and it was very entertaining. Clones. Jedi. General Grievous. Asajj Ventress. Droids. Blasters. And I love to make fun of Lucas and his inability to make movies (I won't knock his toy-empire-building ability) so I'll come out and say that it had more story than any of the three prequels.

On that note, I would love to see someone do something with the Star Wars franchise without ol' Georgie getting his fingers all over it. In fact, I'd love to see two things: Battlefront 3 released on XBox 360 and Spielberg direct episodes 7 through 9. And while I'm wishing, I would hope that they would base the next three sequels on Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Just sayin'...

The Wrath of Heuser

I returned to Heuser today after a two month layoff. After my 12-week assessment, I wanted to take a couple of weeks off before returning for Heuser Maintenance. I wanted to give my body a break and I needed to catch up on work. Well, two weeks turned into a little more than that. Then I broke my pinky toe and sat around for several weeks. And then, well, the whole heart scare thing happened.

Pounds have been put on. Enough time has passed. It's time to get back on it.

Wow. I knew I would hurt. And I do. But I at least thought I would be able to make it through the workout. But no. Who has two thumbs and sat out the last 1/4 of the workout? This guy! And, you see, I'm pointing to myself. With my thumbs. Hmm. That would have worked a lot better had you been here with me.

Agent Hotspur - Hamidon Leader

I was playing City of Heroes tonight. It's Wednesday so I met up with a ton of other characters for the weekly Hami run at 9:30PM. Wulfman, the raid leader most weeks, sent me a private Tell and asked if I would lead the Blue Mito team. You may have remembered way back in mid-July in my post It's been a long time... that I ran my own team in the Hami run (we took on both Blue Mitos and Green Mitos that night). While that was a momentous occasion, it didn't quite hold the weight as tonight. First, Wulfman asked personally if I would leave the Blue Mito team and other characters would target through me. Doesn't sound like much, maybe, but it was cool and a few friends (the Canadian brothers, T and Red) actually razzed me for being team leader.

You see, as the leader of the Blue Mito team, it is my job to target the Blue Mitochondria that spawn around the Hamidon nucleus so that other teams and my own team members can use their holds and single-target attacks to... oh jeez - just realized that I was geeking out at Level ELEVEN just then.

Never mind. I didn't do anything tonight. I watched TV like every other red-blooded, non-geeky American. Go about your business.

Halo: Reach

At midnight last night I drove up to Gamestop with my receipt in hand to pick up the Xbox game "Halo: Reach", the last installment in Bungie Studio's Halo series. I drove over to Will's dad's house and, like a summertime Santa Claus, dropped it off at the front door. I got back to the house around 1AM and finished watching the late Monday Night Football game (the Chiefs won?! Seriously!?!?). I woke up to a txt from Will this morning exclaiming "Ty ty ty for droping [sic] it off". In this day and digital age (and from a 14-year old boy), that's about as close as I'll get to a big, appreciative bear hug.

I've done well. Who's the step-dad of the year? Oh yeah, I forgot for a moment... it's ME!

NFL Season started...

... with a "meh". A lot of these teams look pretty rusty. I know that teams want to take it easy in the preseason so they don't injure their stars, but maybe giving your starters a little more playing time wouldn't hurt? Saints and Vikings, I'm looking over at you? We still have two games tonight to watch and I am very much looking forward to it. Last night's 'boys vs. 'skins game was awesome (I hate the Cowboys).

As for FFL, it's looking very bad. I'm pretty sure I've gone 0-3 across my 3 leagues this weekend. Not much I could do about it either. Weak.

Halo: Reach launches tonight at midnight. I think I'm going to the party to pick it up for Will and will drop it off at Marty's tomorrow before he goes to school. He's going to be so psyched!

Fantasy Football Draft Results - L'ville Gunners (Big Dinero)

I had my first live auction draft tonight. So much excitement this year in FFL. We had plans to go to dinner with Jooj's family to celebrate her mom's birthday at 5:30PM. Draft was scheduled for 7:00PM. I did a fair amount of research and set my auction maximums in the case we didn't make it back. We left the restaurant at 6:48PM. I walked in the door at 6:59PM. I sat down to my computer with 14 seconds before the draft started. PERFECTO!

I have to admit that I am very, very pleased with my team. I was going for balance. I didn't want to spend too much for too many superstars. But I was hoping to be loaded with *stars*. I think I accomplished just that. Please join me in welcoming the 2010-2011 L'ville Gunners (the last of my three FFL teams this season)...

QB -Brett Favre
RB - Adrian Peterson
RB - Knowshon Moreno
Flex - Anquan Boldin
WR - DeSean Jackson
WR - Chad Ochocinco
TE - Jermichael Finley
DP - Jared Allen
DP - Julius Peppers
DEF - Jets
K - Ryan Longwell

Bench - Eli Manning (QB), Matt Ryan (QB), Justin Forsett (RB), Donald Brown (RB), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB), Bernard Berrian (WR), Santonio Holmes (WR), and Ravens (DEF).

So not only do I think I have a bunch of starting stars, but I am pretty certain I have some studs on my bench too. I was trying to lock down some quality QBs for trade purposes. And what about having both the Jets *and* Ravens Defensive units? I compared my numbers with the other teams and I have more 100% owned players and more 90+% starting players than anyone else in the league. If there is wisdom in numbers, my friends, then I am thinking like a genius. I am so psyched! Go Gunners!!!

Fantasy Football Draft Results - L'ville Red Devils (Genscape South)

I was still at home when my work hosted their FFL draft. And my new co-coach, Mike Linahan, was on the road. Thankfully, Walter and Karen tag-teamed the draft on behalf of the new L'ville Red Devils and did a fantastic job. They had my blessing to do whatever they wanted after picking up Jones-Drew (I had the 3rd pick) and knowing only that Mike likes the Bengals and I love the Vikings. Please join me in welcoming the 2010-2011 L'ville Red Devils...

QB - Peyton Manning
RB - Maurice Jones-Drew
RB - Cedric Benson
Flex - Felix Jones
WR - Marques Colston
WR - Anquan Boldin
TE - Kellen Winslow
K - Ryan Longwell
DEF - Baltimore

Bench - Matt Ryan (QB), Thomas Jones (RB), Darren Sproles (RB), Willis McGahee (RB), Bernard Berrian (WR), Sidney Rice (WR), and Zach Miller (TE). I hate, hate, hate McGahee. He's burned me so many times. I've already queued up an add/drop for Javon Walker (who just joined the Vikings after getting the news that Rice is out for 8 weeks).

This league is made up of 20 teams split between 2 leagues of 10 teams each. Even so, I feel like my team is loaded with superstars. I feel really good about these guys. This league pays out for the winner so keep your fingers crossed.

Meds to counteract my meds

So part of the pill regimen I was sent home with included a powerful anti-inflamatory called Indocin to reduce to inflammation around my heart. I know what you are thinking... "But Eric, remember, you aren't supposed to take anti-inflamatories under any circumstances because YOU WILL DIE!" And if you thought that, good for you, you were either around two years ago or you read Internal bleeding posted June 30, 2008. EIther way, congratulations, you are right! If I take anti-inflamatories I AM GOING TO DIE!

I reminded the good doctor of this and he simply smiled. I suppose it didn't occur to me that an unhealthy heart takes priority over internal bleeding (I mean, what good is a bleeding duodenum anyway if there is no heart to pumping blood out of the rips the medicine may make). So I am also taking Protonix. That medicine is a wonder drug that acts like the Death Star's deflector shields (before those Rebel scum blew up the generator on Endor) in my stomach.

It's funny to me. I'm taking a med to make sure the other med, which is saving my life, doesn't kill me in the process. The logic is sound, if not just a little wonky.

But even with the Protonix, a full stomach, and a glass of milk, my stomach feels like the beachhead (two "H's" in a row - what a weird word!) at Normandy after taking the Indocin. Blech!

Virus + X = Ambulance Ride to Cardiac Unit

In the above equation "X" equals "not taking care of oneself" and the theorem was proved Friday morning.

I had been sick since Sunday. I took two days off. I went back to work on Wednesday and struggled through it for the next two days. Friday, around 3AM, everything came crashing down. I woke up with terrible sweats. I could barely hear out of my left ear. My going-on-five-day headache was raging. My back hurt. My neck hurt. My shoulders hurt. And my new symptom? My chest hurt. I was even having trouble breathing.

I willed through it, settled down, and managed to get a few more hours of sleep. I already had a doctor appointment scheduled for 1:45PM and my plan was to take another day off from work and try and get an earlier appointment.

The morning was a bit of a blur. I took out the dogs and fed them. I said goodbye to Kelsey. I fed the cats. I took Will to school. I wished my wife a good day at school. I moved my appointment to 10AM and I tried to get some rest on the couch. But I couldn't. The chest pain was real. And I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I could take deep, long breaths - but I couldn't get the air to go where it needed to go.

I thought about calling 911. I should have, looking back on it.

I struggled to drive to the doctor's office. I wobbled into the building. I was close to blacking out by the point I got to the check-in desk. Things were very weird and I had an overwhelming feeling. Two nurses were suddenly on either side of me and I was being stripped and thrown onto a table. Things got really scary. I kept apologizing for causing a fuss and kept telling them that I was really scared. My favorite nurse, "The Sniper" (she removes the finger of her latex glove when she takes blood), tended to me while things settled down. But she was replaced by the office manager and that scared me all over again. I didn't want to die in a small exam room without a single loved one around (and this reality finally became clear as a possibility to me - which scared me all over again).

An ambulance was called. IVs were inserted. I was rolled into the hospital. Progressive Cardiac Unit. Nitro was administered. Top-scalp headache blasted my cranium. Chest pains diminished. Julie showed up. Parents showed up. Hell, even Eddie showed up :)

That all happened Friday morning. It's Monday morning now. The weekend was filled with a lot of doing nothing and laying around (and House marathons - goddam I love marathon television programming). Doctor Quaye says that the virus was able to inflame the lining around my heart because I didn't rest enough and take it down (before it attempted to take me down). I told people that is probably the best news anyone on this floor is going to get.

So everyone - and future self - please do what the doctor says when you have a virus. Rest. Drink fluids. Take it easy. Don't rush and go back to work. Everyone keeps telling me this: "Your health is more important than anything else." And they are right. Mostly. Tacos are a little more important. And cashews. And maybe Star Wars.

Virus!

You know how much I hate computer viruses? If you've read my blog in the last year you know the answer to that. You know what I hate more than computer viruses? Viruses of the biological variety. And boy oh boy, have I had a nasty one since Sunday. It's been kicking my arse. It feels like the flu and it suuuuuuuuuucks (yep, "ten U's" sucks).

I have had a headache for nearly 4 days. I'm sick of this.

Brett is Back

'nuff said. Vikings are going to the Super Bowl this year!

Fantasy Football Draft Results - L'ville Hotspurs (smorty71)

I had my first LIVE draft last night in my regular Fantasy Football League - smorty71. The 2010-2011 L'ville Hotspurs are...

QB - Eli Manning
RB - Adrian Peterson
RB - Cadillac Williams
WR - Sidney Rice
WR - Pierre Garcon
WR - Mario Manningham
TE - Ben Watson
K - Nate Kaeding
DEF - Minnesota

Bench - David Garrard (QB), Kevin Smith (RB), Brandon Jackson (RB), Mike Williams (WR), Joey Galloway (WR), and the Redskins (DEF). I have to play stingy this year, since we've gone from a 12-team format to an 18-team format and the extra talent is simply not going to be lying around.

I am participating in my boss' league and I will also be taking part of Genscape's FFL. It's going to be a good year. Go 'spurs!

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World

The kids and I saw this on Friday. And wow. I mean...

WOW!!!

I can't put into words how awesome this movie was. I will say these two things...

1. I felt like the movie was made for me. Just me. Tailor made to fit me like a glove.

2. As soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again.

Go see it. It's so much fun!

Such a small world

The odds of this happening just astound me. So check this out...

My wife's friend and hairdresser, Michelle, was visiting her friend in the Nashville area. She was at her home admiring a piece of artwork on the wall. The style seemed familiar to her and she actually thought it was one of mine. Michelle asked her friend if the artist's name was Eric Brinley. The friend said that she didn't know and wasn't about to be bothered to take it down and check the back. Michelle looked for a name on the piece and quickly found "Brinley" signed at the bottom. She asked her where and when she got the piece and the friend replied that she bid on it at the Julep Ball this past Derby.

Holy crap! That was my "First Saturday" piece I painted for the 2010 Julep Ball!!!

Check it out:

First Saturday

Now, if I only could find that piece that auctioned for Go Red for Women in 2007... :)

Kelsey turned 17

Wow, it seems so odd to me to think that I am raising a 17-year old. Hells bells, sometimes I still *feel* like I'm seventeen (well, okay, not that often). But Kelsey turned 17 yesterday and that little chick-a-dee is growing into a chick. And to think, in 5 or so years she could conceivably be a mama hen! And what will that make me? You guessed it - a grandpappy! Yeesh!!!

Anyway, I wrote her a little poem yesterday and made a card from it. It went along with a little stuffed lion cub that Jooj and I picked up from the zoo. Here it is...

For Kelsey

With each year you are getting older
Growing up and growing bolder
You have a job, you have a car
We all know that you'll go far

You'll always be her little girl
In your mother's eyes and world
As for me, I am so proud
To hear you roar, so sure and loud

You aren't grown up all the way just yet
But a few more years is all we get
Before you're off and on your own
You'll be a big girl and then all grown

So we want to remind you of younger days
When all you wanted was to play
To dress up in your dress-up clothes
And in your hair, an umrbrella bow

A toy is what we bought, to try
And remind you of those days gone by
Not too soft, but not too scruffy
So give it a hug ‘cause...

... IT'S SO FLUFFY

Love you Kels. I hope to celebrate many more birfdays with you - more than I can count :)

And behind door #3...

... A BRAND NEW CAR!!!

We found a car for Kelsey. It is a '97 Toyota Tercel with 130K miles. We are purchasing it for her Monday. I'm excited for her. Finally she will be able to really take ownership of a car and take this driving business serious :)

Good luck out there, gal!

Brinley.com... IT'S MINE!!!

It has been a very strange few days - I will certainly say that.

I wish I could say that I wheeled and dealed and wrangled my domain name back. Or I wish I could say that I underhandedly hacked into servers and cyber-stole my domain name back. Or some other fantastic James Bond-style mission that ends with a domain name in one hand, a martini in the other, and a half-naked and wanton Jooj in the other (yes, three hands... this is my fantasy, back off).

But no. I just made a few phone calls. Someone hit a renew button. And someone else received a $12 charge. Pretty boring really.

I realized that brinley.com was not really a really real site. It was a placeholder site. Had I even an ounce of sense about me I would have checked pinkpanda.com - another site of mine registered at the same time. I would have seen that the same crappy site was being served from it and that it was simply a placeholder site.

In short, Brinley.com is mine again. And, if I have learned anything from this experience, it will be forever and ever!

Broken Pinky Toe

Scratch "Break Pinky Toe" off my lifelong ToDo list. Break Pinky Toe? CHECK!!!

Went to the lake this weekend with Will and two of his friends. Jooj was supposed to go down with us but she was suffering from a bad reaction to some new medication. The boys and I (imagine me and three 14-year old boys... or better yet, imagine *four* 14-year old boys) rolled down to Nolin jamming the new Eminem CD. We got there and Jim and Susu had rented a pontoon. Niece Katie was there were her boyfriend Tony. I slammed three beers and we hit the water.

We drove the boat to a cove and the boys took turns jumping the 40 feet into the water. It was fun to watch. During the shenanigans (I probably had another 4 beers on the lake) I stubbed my toe on the railing of the boat. I knew immediately that I broke it. We continued to party pretty hard. I had to do something to dull the pain.

Jim and I, while taking the boat back, were caught the nastiest rainstorm I've been through in 6 years. Lightning smashing around us. Rain stinging us like whips. The wind pushed us so hard that we were losing ground with the boat in full reverse. It was amazing, scary, and funny all at the same time.

Afterward, we saw the most beautiful rainbow. And it started right there on the lake. It was as if the leprechauns had their gold right there under the surface of the water. It was stunningly awesome and awesomely beautiful. One of those little things in life that go unnoticed by so many these days.

Anyway, fun continued. We drove back the next day. My toe turned colors and swelled. I went to the doctor and an x-ray confirmed what I already knew. Broken. Funny.

It doesn't really hurt. It's more of an annoyance. And I hope it heals quickly. I got stuff to do 'round here, ya'll!

Brinley.com

I have proudly owned the domain name, brinley.com, for 11 years. I've received emails over the years from people requesting it. But I would not in any of those instances relinquish it. Not when that proud father-to-be wanted it for his daughter (he was naming her Brinley). Not for that college chick that wanted it (her name was Brinley). Not for Norm or whatever his name is in Missouri who wanted it for Brinley/Brindley/Brimley genealogy. And not even for Brinley Addington, the up-and-coming country singer who wanted it to promote his band.

(I wish, I wish, I wish I would have followed through with my WHOIS lookup the other night after I got his email. It occurred to me just last week that my domain may expire. I should have done a WHOIS then and looked. And especially after Brinley Addington's email the other night. I was going to do it. I had netsol.com pulled up. But something must've come up and I didn't do the search. I will always, always, always regret that.)

So, unless you totally skipped the previous paragraph, you may be able to guess what happened. I let brinley.com expire. I am an idiot. A moron. An R-tard. GODDAAAAAAAAAAAAMIT. I'm so mad at myself. I woke up to an email from a client asking why my site looked so weird. And I knew. I knew and I didn't even have to click through. But I did and I about threw up. Oh fuck, what did I do?

So J. Eric Brinley, the real estate guy, is the proud owner of brinley.com - I think. Netsol still has me listed... at an ancient email address. I'm sure they attempted to contact me to let me know that my domain was expiring. Ugh. So many lessons to be learned with this story. So many preventable mistakes.

I'm pretty torn up. I sold the Jeep today and that was bittersweet. It's cool that it is going to a good home. And holding 15 $100 bills was fun. But it was sad to see her go. Then we got home and I had a $500 bill from the hospital for those tests a while back. Oh, and I broke my toe over the weekend.

Whaaaaaa!

(one bright spot - after suffering torrential rain and highly dangerous conditions stuck on Nolin Lake with Jim in a horrendous squall Saturday, we witnessed the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen. Maybe I'll blog about that tomorrow if I'm in a better mood)

Farewell, dear Jeep

In anticipation of buying Kelsey a new (used) car, we have to get some cash together and make room for another car. Since I have a tough time justifying having 4 cars with only 3 licensed drivers in the house I have to get rid of something. And the Jeep is really the only candidate.

So I snapped a few pix and did some price comparisons on louisville.craigslist.org. I set the price at $1500 and my entry looked like this...

----------------------------------------------------------------
1995 Jeep Wrangler "Rio Grande" Edition
Hunter Green/Black Hard Top (removable, ratchet to do so included)
139K Miles
4WD, 4 cylinder, 5 Speed Manual transmission
Sound Bar
Jeep Trunk Kit installed
Full Doors (easily removable - great for cooler summer days)
Windshield Lip for bikini top included (but the bikini top is not - lost some time ago)
Big O Bigfoot Tires
Back seat folds down and is removable
New muffler and new battery

I bought this car in 1997. It has been a terrific vehicle, both on the road and off (but not much). It does not have a radio (stolen 10 years ago). The Jeep was in a wreck in 2002 and the driver-side quarter panel is rusting from the damage. It drives great and would be a perfect first car or a fun ride for someone with land.

Email me or call Eric at xxx.xxx.xxxx with questions.
----------------------------------------------------------------

I posted the above at 7:25PM. I got my first call at 7:39PM. It was a guy from Indiana who was leaving his house right then. I told him I would meet him in the parking lot at the local Kroger. Over the next 40 minutes I received interest/offers from 6 phone calls, 2 texts, and 3 emails.

I met the guy at Lowe's (he got lost) and he agreed to buy it right then and there. He is an ex-marine who always wanted a Jeep but started a family and never had the chance. He does body work so he's going to fix her up and make her his own little baby. I feel pretty confident she's going to a good home. And I'm happy that she is - as well as helping someone mark an entry off their Dream/ToDo list :)

Fourteen minutes is all it took! I'll miss her, for sure. She and I have been together longer than just about anything (non-living) in my life. But she's moving on to a good place. Heck, maybe she'll even feel dirt under her tires again!

I have a secret!

I just got an email invitation to something pretty cool. Most of you would care less... IF I COULD TELL YOU WHAT IS WAS FOR! But my boy is going to be pretty psyched I bet. And if any of you are true geeks like me who have a penchant for both video games and super heroes, you too might be as giddy as me at this moment.

So what is it? I cannot talk about it. No, seriously, what is it? I CANNOT TALK ABOUT IT. I'll let you in on the secret when I can. But I can't now, lest Tyler Durden kick my ass and make me choke on my own teeth.

(The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!)

Dog rescues. Little people. What do these two have in common?

It appears that women with many multiples of children garner high ratings. Little people get high ratings. Hoarders. Animal rescues. Bakeries. Real estate. House flipping. Drug addiction. Pregnant 16-year olds. Real housewives from wherever.

These things are all hot right now. Well, at least they are at my house. There is always something on the television in my home on TLC, HGTV, Bravo, MTV, or Animal Planet. And when these channels on are there is a very good chance that some show containing one of the subjects above will be on.

Now they are creating hybrids. There is the show with the little people that own a bakery. There is another show coming soon that focuses on hoarders of pets. Maybe the thinking is *two* great show ideas will make for *twice* the ratings. I dunno.

So the show that is on right now is called "Pit Boss". It's a show about... wait for it... a group of LITTLE PEOPLE that RESCUE ANIMALS - specifically PIt Bulls. The main dude goes by Shorty (imagine that) and his company is staffed completely by little people. And OMG... I just can't believe what I'm watching.

What's next? Addicted and Flipping? Sixteen and Pregnant With Triplets? Real Housewives of Chicago Bakery Moguls? Sheesh!!!

It's been a long time...

... since my last post. It's a funny thing blogging. One day goes by and nothing seems noteworthy. Another day goes by without anything too exciting. Another. Then another. Something may happen one day but, all of the sudden, you find yourself out of the blogging habit. Maybe you even think to yourself, "I should blog this". But you don't. And another day of nothing goes by. And another. And you forget about it. So that is how things have been since June 29th.

What have we missed?

(Deep breath)

Birthday was great. Turning 36 wasn't so bad. Kelsey got the job! Holy cow! First interview. Hired on the spot. Can you believe it? Kelsey got her license. Oh yay! Oh shit. There is talk of getting her a car. And selling the Jeep. Maybe talk. Maybe more. World Cup 2010 is over. Spain won. Played the Netherlands. Boring, boring game. Germany should have won. Saw The Last Airbender with the kids. It was entertaining. Didn't blow me away. But fun. Kitchen is coming along. New tile floor is down. Grouted. Sealed. Granite countertop is down. Looks great. Faucet is installed. Runs water. Hooray! Celebrated 3 years of marriage. July 14th. Love you Jooj. Finally, I'm a geek. Playing City of Heroes. Running Hami last night. Nobody picked me up. Started my own team. Raid leader asked why. Said I didn't get picked up. She gave me two more members. Lead Team Hotspur against Hami. I rule.

(Exhale)

"Yours is on the house"

Those words are like magic :)

It was my birfday yesterday and I decided to hustle up a few of us at work and head over to JGumbo's for my birfday meal. We walked in and they asked why we were there since it was Monday and our regular JGumbo's day is Wednesday. I told them it was my birthday and they wished me a happy one. I ordered my regular, Bumblebee Stew, and a piece of peach cobbler.

"Yours is on the house," they said. Aww! How nice is that to hear?

So much has been going on and I'm so bad about blogging these days...

* Kitchen demo went well - besides the fact that dad split open his head on the corner of a cabinet and I sliced a sliver of the tip of my finger off (don't worry, I reattached it and pressed really hard so it shouldn't be a life-long injury).

* Kitchen painting wasn't going so well but we're back on track. Julie and I weren't seeing eye-to-eye on what colors the kitchen should be. But we compromised (I got my two-tone, she got her shades of brown) and everybody is happy.

* Kelsey is having her first interview for her first job today. It's for Little Caesars Pizza. Hey, she's gotta start somewhere!

* The final eight of the World Cup is going to be set after the 2:30 game between Spain and Portugal. It should be a scorcher (I have Portugal winning and, in fact, going all the way to win the whole thing).

Disappointed

Well, E3 has come and gone. It is *the* show for video games and if anything is going to be a big hit it'll be previewed and reviewed at E3. Will and I were hoping for a particular announcement... Star Wars: Battlefront 3! I've blogged about it before I think. The first two were our favorite games - pretty much of all time. And we're thinking that this may be the time for it.

Alas, no announcement for SW:BF3 :(

LucasArts announced this and that and blah blah blah. Whoop-dee-doo!

There is always a chance that it will be announced at Celebration V this August in Orlando. I'd like to say I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I'm not even going to humor Lucas.

What a great Father's Day

The day started out about 24 hours ago. Will and I were heading to bed around 1AM and he turned to me before heading to bed and said, "Oh yeah, happy Father's Day." Aw, it warmed my heart. He remembered! (not to mention that I got it before his real dad... sheesh, I hate to be so petty but it was an awesome moment)

Awesomeness continued when Kelsey gave me her gift and the most wonderful homemade card EVER! She, on her own, got me two pairs of Star Wars lightsaber chopsticks. They ruled. The card featured Boba Fett and had the sweetest hand-written note. I love that grrrl.

The fun kept rollin' when we were on the way to breakfast to meet Jooj's dad and family. We were talking about things that the kids could do around the house to earn a few bucks. I mentioned offering tasks "a la carte" and assigning a dollar amount to them. Kelsey wondered if we even owned a litter box any longer. I laughed and told her of course we did (we own two cats). And then Jooj says "I'm glad we don't have to worry about that any more." I paused and said, "Well, *someone* has to worry about it still." (BTW, I am the sole emptier of the litter box). We all had a good laugh.

Breakfast was awesome. And then dinner with my dad and family was great. The night ended with Jooj and me spending some quality time together and then capped off with playing some City of Heroes and watching World Cup highlights and reruns.

Like Ice Cube rapped, "today was a good day."

I'll be driving a bit longer...

Kelsey failed her road test yesterday :(

I would be lying if I said I was surprised. That grrrl has an exaggerated level of confidence when facing the challenges of life. I hope at some point she realizes that she needs to dig in and really prepare for those moments in life that prove difficult. If she doesn't learn that lesson there will be plenty of moments of disappointment for her. She may or she may not. Either way I still love her and hope the best for her.

Heuser Clinic - Week 12

I had my week 12 evaluation yesterday at the Heuser Clinic... and I KILLED IT! Body fat measures are down. Body fat percentage is down. And I'm very happy with the other aspects of my test:

Sit-ups on day 0 - 25
Sit-ups at week 6 - 35
Sit-ups at week 12 - 51

Push-ups on day 0 - 22
Push-ups at week 6 - 24
Push-ups at week 12 -32

VO2 max on day 0 - 51 @ 6 mph
VO2 max at week 6 - 51.5 @ 6 mph
VO2 max at week 12 - 56.4 @ 6.5 mph

In World Cup news, I am watching South Korea play Argentina at the moment. South Korea just scored an own-goal. Aw, shucks, that sucks. BTW, I still haven't missed a match. I've been watching on my PC at work from a site that serves up a terrible stream off some Indian channel. While the video is choppy the audio is good. I know that many hate the buzz of the horns but I really like it. Besides, it's better than nothing.

World Cup 2010 - Day 3

Draws and jock itch.

The first three days have seen our share of draws so far. But there has certainly not been any lack of excitement. Seven games have been played (one in progress now) and I have watched each of them. Thanks must go to espn3.com for serving up streaming coverage of the matches. I'm sure work productivity will be down in the month of June.

Yesterday brought a wonderful surprise in the way of draw between England and the USA in the first match of Group C. This was fabulous news. What I was hoping for was a draw between Algeria and Slovenia this morning to tie up Group C with 1 point apiece. However, Slovenia had different ideas when the keeper mishandled a shot to allow the final score of 1-0 (I shouldn't complain however, as the same thing happened on Dempsey's shot yesterday for the USA to tie up the match 1-1). We will have our work cut out for us as we take on Slovenia, the current group leader, on Friday.

On a side note, I found it hilarious each time the announcers mentioned anything about Slovenia's defender Bojan Jokic. Before you spend too much time wondering why, I'll cut to the chase and remind you that the ending "c" on the names of these players is pronounced "ch". Hahaha! Jock itch :)

(not quite as funny as the German and Bayern Munich's player Harry Koch ["hairy cock"] from the 90s, but still worth a chuckle)

Blog Rut

I'm having trouble getting back into blogging. I think I know what's up. I just don't know how to correct it.

About 8 weeks ago, a massive project at work was underway and I had been putting in late hours as well as working weekends. That took a lot out of me. I had to still be a good husband and step-father. I didn't have much "me" time so when I did, I would wind down each night logging in some major time on my game of choice for the last two years, City of Heroes. Time has been at a premium and I've chosen to spend it doing things other than blogging.

So what's up? Well, the Stanley Cup could be awarded to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. If not, it'll be forced to a game 7. Go 'hawks! The USA plays England in our first game in our group for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. I love the World Cup. But I'm kind of worthless as the tournament goes on. I hate to say this, but I hope the USA doesn't go to the next round. I'll be a nervous wreck if they do. USA! USA! USA! My niece Caroline had her graduation party and the party was awesome (my wife got kinda drunk and it was fun). Marcy moved up from Secret Lover #4 to Secret Lover #2 :) Work is still crazy but is manageable. Summer is in full-swing and the kids are already antsy I bet. I could probably go on and on but I'm boring even myself.

'Til next time!

(Hopefully sooner than later)

June

It's June already? It's not only June, but it is the 3rd? Holy cow, where is time going?

My wife is wearing my old "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" t-shirt. Funny :)

Winding down

So much has been happening. Thankfully, so much of it seems to be winding down. My mega-huge, crazy-big, high-pressure project at work launched yesterday. And it appears it launched without any hitches. I celebrated by taking a shot of Maker's Mark and drinking a beer with my wife over some Wick's Pizza.

I'm sitting in the hospital right now with Jooj and her family. Her dad is about to have brain surgery. He suffered what they initially thought was a stroke but turned out to be a warning seizure. It will all turn out okay I'm really thinking. That's not just hope talking. I'm pretty sure that this will all be good.

My wife's ex-husband's cousin's middle daughter was taken off life support after suffering injuries in a car accident that left her brain dead. She passed away and the funeral is tomorrow. It is sad whenever anybody dies and especially so when the young pass away. Sarah Marie Bearden was only 22 - very sad.

I haven't painted since I moved the studio upstairs. Stupid Boba was sick last night. Doctor Obliteron dinged 50 (City of Heroes geek update there - all "normal" readers please ignore). Will started football conditioning. Kelsey is going to go for her license next week. Jooj and I are shopping for tile this weekend. Will is officially an 8th grader. Kelsey is one day away from being a Senior.

And life keeps on truckin'.

Happy Birfday Pac-man

Pac-man turns 30 today! Yay!

Where have I been? The question to ask is what have I been (doing)? And the simple answer is work. I could be clever and type the word "work", like, 50 times or I can capitalize it and type periods after each letter. I could say something about all work and no play blah blah blah. However, as you may have guessed, I have been working day and night and weekends for longer than I can remember.

All work and no play make Jack something something.

I need a break. I need a promotion. I need a nap.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms, baby's mama, and ladies with lil' chil'ren running around!

We had a great Mother's Day brunch this afternoon. We had all the mom's over along with the rest of the family. We made a kick-ass breakfast and went through nearly 3 dozen mini-muffins from My Favorite Muffin (didn't even know that place existed until yesterday... now will never forget it). Future parties should *always* be brunch. Delicious!!!

May the Fourth Be With You

This is what Kelsey txt'ed to me. I thought it was very cute. Get it? May the Fourth be with you... May the 4th? The Force? Get it now? Aw sheesh, we're such Star Wars nuts!

Oaks (andeverythingleadinguptoit)

What a week! Work, exercise, eat, paint, play, sleep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Finished the "First Saturday" piece last night. Everyone at work loves it. We'll see how much it raises tonight at the Julep Ball. Excited. Drove Pat's Miata yesterday. Put the top down. Rides nice. Little cramped. Needs gas. Listening to new Wu-Tang album. Actually just Rae, Ghost, and Meth. It's good. Had coupons for Chik-fil-A breakfast items. Breakfast burrito sucks. Chicken minis are good. Chicken biscuit was the shit. Completed 6-week assessment for Heuser. Put on some weight. Lost some inches where it counts. Slightly improved on the physical aspects. Yay me. Work has been kicking my ass. It won't let up until the end of May. It'll only get worse. Thanks Jed. Keep missing getting together with Jed and Vian. Keep putting off lunch with Casey. Issue 17 for City of Heroes came out. It's so much fun. I love video games. I need to get serious about doing my comic book. Or I need to stop talking about it. I need to catch up on some sleep. ZZzzZZzzzzzZZZzzzzzz...

The Bike Incident

This story has been ongoing for a while. Every time I tell it the story is funny. As the story draws out, it almost becomes unbelievable. Well, the ending to the story happened yesterday and now I'm going to share it with you (as well as myself when I go back and read this entry... "Hello Future-Self!").

Since I started here at Genscape, way back in October 2009, there has been a bike sitting up here on the third floor. No one really noticed it at first because we have several guys who bike into work. So it kind of blended in.

Well, we happened to realize that the bike didn't belong to anyone up here on the third floor. We asked around a bit and decided it must have been left by the former tenants (kind of unlikely now that I look back on it). We saw that it was from Scheller's so I did the right thing and called to tell them about it.

They were very nice and appreciated my effort to find the owner but said that their computer system couldn't look up an owner by the serial number. They could look up a customer and see what bikes, by serial number, he or she owned but not the other way around. When asked what I should do next their response was, "Brother, it sounds like you have a free bike."

So, as I have mentioned on several occasions, I am a coordinator for our charity here at work. We are raising $60K to build a water purification system for the small village of Asiento Viejo, Nicaragua. As a coordinator I am charged with coming up with ways to raise money for the project. An idea I have babysat is an auction site where people donate items and we auction them with all proceeds going to our charity.

I put the bike up for auction and it didn't sell. It didn't even receive a bid. WTF?! I put it back up. Afterwards I noticed that there was something terribly wrong with the auction site. I fixed the problem (after Steve Akers bought the bike for $25 [and graciously returned it]) and happily watched the price skyrocket from $25 to an ending price of $250.

The winning bidder was Azim from the Boston office. Hooray! Everybody wins!

Yeah right. What kind of story would that be? BORING!

I was warned that Azim was a dick. And that any transaction with him should be handled quickly if I had any say in the matter. I fired off an email and Azim paid that day. Things were going so smoothly.

A few of us discussed shipping options (should have thought about that before I put up the auction). It was decided that we were going to break down the bike and ship it in a bike box. The bike box guys were called and the box was on its way. A Genscape employee named Mike just happened to walk by right about that moment.

"That's my bike."

I wasn't there for the conversation that happened after he uttered this. But I can imagine how it went and am pretty sure that is how it started. It turns out that Mike had purchased the bike many months ago, ridden it a few times, and "stored" it up on the third floor.

Are.

You.

Serious?

Okay, okay. So it's Mike's bike. Shiiiiiit. I called Azim but he did not answer. I emailed him with a vague message about a "development" about the bike. Well, he called back yesterday. And to say we had a nice little chat would be about the opposite of what happened.

He chewed me a new one. But I knew it was coming and I can't really blame him. I would have been a little upset myself. I just kept my cool and repeated the facts. He eventually calmed down and I promised to send him a check.

So that's the Bike Incident story. Sometimes I just can't make this stuff up :)

Panties

A have a new trainer down at Heuser that I've been working with. His name is G and I had heard stories about his taskmastering ways. Well, the stories are true and he is a punisher. To make matters worse, I made the mistake of telling him that I rarely push myself out of my comfort zone. He made sure that I pushed. In fact, he started calling me "Panties" because I couldn't push my heart rate to 170. I explained that I was a cross country runner and I can breathe pretty efficiently. He didn't want to hear it. He pushed me hard. And my heart rate peaked at 168. That was close enough for him. Afterward, he referred to me by name... and called all the other guys in my class "Panties" :)

Really, what are the odds?

I kind of half-way looked this up on the Interwebs by starting out with basketballs getting stuck on the rim. But there aren't really any stats on that, nor odds of it happening, so I gave up. Unless you think unlikely shit happens everyday, or just aren't impressed with the strange little things that happen in life, then this is going to blow your mind.

I was throwing the ball to Boba the other day. I have a few of those Chuckit! balls and I like them because they bounce high and they are pretty durable. I like to throw them long and/or hard and watch Boba catch the ball on its first bounce. He's pretty good (when he tries) and it's a fun game.

Well, yesterday I was tossing the ball and had a bit of a janky throw. The ball soared a bit behind me and was heading toward some tree limbs. The ball hit a branch and I was expecting it to pinball down the tree but it just stopped... THUNK! It stuck between a fork in the branches and stopped dead in its fall. What are the chances, right?

But wait, there is more!

So this morning I had the bright idea of getting Will's soccer ball to throw at the branch and loosen the Chuckit! ball from the branch's hold. Boba was pretty interested in the soccer ball which only slowed my efforts. And then one of the neighbor kids (one of the Australians... GRRRRR!) came over and stuck his nose in my business. About 15 throws later, I fired off a pretty good throw that deflected off the branch and GOT STUCK BETWEEN A FORK IN THE BRANCHES AND STOPPED DEAD IN ITS FALL!

What are the odds of that happening? I mean, I couldn't simply throw a ball into a tree and expect it to get stuck up there within any reasonable amount of time. And I certainly couldn't expect it to happen twice. Two balls stuck in one tree within 24 hours! Holy hell, seriously, what are the chances?

(Sidebar: I was explaining to the Aussie, as I climbed up the tree, that I was wasting my effort because I don't want to spend another $6 on a pair of Chuckit! balls. After I loosened and freed the two balls, he promptly throws the ball into the common area and is called in by his father immediately after. "Where is the ball?" I asked him as he walked away. Son of a bitch! [I found it eventually])