Sick *and* Sick

Went to the Immediate Care Center today. In and out in under 25 minutes. That has to be a record. Left with a prescription to treat my sinus infection that is dropping into my chest and trying to be a respiratory infection.

Jooj went up to the ICC this evening. She left with a prescription for Strep throat.

We're definitely not the house you want to come visit right now.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

59 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 73.15% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

Sick

Not sure what was going on with me yesterday. So sleepy. And I feel crappy. Skipping work and going to the doctor today.

58 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 73.15% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

Uninteresting lack of title for post #57

Not really much to say about today. I ate a lot of Taco Bell and then took a 3 hour nap. Will and I played lots of video games. I worked on my buddy Matt's web site. Jooj went to bed early. My throat kind of hurts. It's bed time for me too.

57 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172 lbs. | 73.15% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

Got the gov'ment check

Not really. Our federal tax refund was deposited into our account this morning. Hip-hip-hooray!

And with that check another hefty payment was made to the credit card. At this rate, we'll have it paid off next month. Unfortunately, we can't keep this rate up since tax refunds and escrow refund checks have dried up. But we will diligently pay it down and are scheduled to knock it out in May (just in time for college tuition to kick in).

I'm at home with Will today. I had a parent/teacher conference with his teacher this morning. Later I'm taking Boba to get some cancerous cells laser'ed off. I figured I needed another day off so I took it.

On the comic front, I had a few sparks and epiphanies over this last week. Progress may be made shortly.

56 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 174 lbs. | 73.15% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

Will ate the whole box

(Just noticed this post was in DRAFT mode... guess I didn't post it yesterday)

Jooj called earlier in the day and told me that Girl Scout Cookies were in. On the way home I called and she asked me in I liked Thin Mints. While not my favorite, I've been known to put down a few Thin Mints at a time. So I replied, "Sure, yeah, I guess." (Decisive, right?)

Her response was, "Well, I hope not because your son just ate the entire box!"

That's my boy!

54 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

It's official... Jooj is moving jobs

It's as official as having her name typed on a piece of paper (which kind of doesn't sound official but really it is). Jooj is moving from a teacher in an MD unit to being an ECE resource. She'll be working with mostly 5th graders - in class with them and in tandem with their primary teacher.

No classroom to manage. No bulletin boards to put up. No diapers to change. No kids to wrestle. No bat-shit crazy parents to deal with (directly, at least). No report cards :)

She's done her time. She's put her 6 years into MD units. It's long past time to move onto what she really wants to do (and what she went to school to do in the first place). I'm very proud of her and very happy for her.

55 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172.5 lbs. | 66.11% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

It's the little things, you know?

Good lord, I love days off.

I stayed up 'til 4AM yesterday (shhh, don't tell Jooj) playing video games on the new computer. And I found out something that is so totally and unnecessarily sweet. So my Alienware PC glows with neon colors and that's cool. And I know that I can modify those colors. That's cool too. But what I didn't know is that certain games will modify those colors.

For instance (this is so sweet), in the game City of Heroes you play a super hero or super villain - you can also play as a Praetorian as well, which is kind of neutral (that's the easiest way to explain it for now). In the game, when chatting with others, it is common for someone to ask what side you are playing so they may join up with you. A common response is "blue side" for heroes, "red side" for villains, or "gold" for Praetorians. Well, wouldn't you know it, that awesome Alienware PC changes its glow from the default glow to either blue, red, or gold depending on which "side" you are playing.

Hot damn, that's flippin' spectacular!

BTW, gained 2 pounds since last week - technically. But it is mainly due to the Arby's and lasagna in my gut. I was sleep-deprived and could help myself yesterday.

53 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 171.5 lbs. | 66.11% | 5.693% (10.6 lbs.)

You know you are a cat lover when...

... one of the criteria for picking out a rug is that "it'll blend with Toby's puke".

52 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

Oops!

Had so much fun yesterday I forgot to blog. Started the morning with house cleaning and grocery run. Then we moved the lizard eggs from their original location to the incubator. There were 25 eggs in all. Most of them looked pretty shriveled. I think we need to tend to them faster next time. I'm hoping for a few live births. After that I veg'ed on video games for a while. Then we capped the night off with dinner at Susu's. Delicious (even the Lima beans)!

51 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

Busy, busy, busy

Woke up when Jooj popped the Tylenol bottle at 7:20 AM. Oof.

Later, once we got moving, we went to Michelle's to get her hair trimmed. Then we went to my barber to get my hair whacked. Next we stopped at mom and dad's to drop off tupperware and see the kiddos. From there we hit up Best Buy for speakers (they are nice) and a iPhone car charger. We walked from there to Frank Otte's to buy some Vermiculite. Lunch followed at Zaxby's. We shuttled from there over to Sam's Club where we became members and walked out with a carload of stuff. From there was Target. Next was Feeders. Then a drop-off at Good Will. We came home and did some yard work. And then polished the day off with a trip to Garden Ridge.

Wow, I don't know if we've ever done so much in one day.

50 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 174 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

Celebrate

It's Friday! And what a week.

Nothing is official yet, but Jooj is getting more good signs that the best news in the world is just around the corner. I'm not going to spoil anything by spilling the beans. You'll just have to wait.

Dad got his check. And it is a humdinger. Ooh boy howdy!

Haven't heard back from the vet about Boba. No news is good new, right?

Still collecting parts for this incubator. Stopped by Pets Galore today and they told me that the first round of eggs are normally duds. I'm going to go through with incubating them, if only to practice for next time.

Video drivers are installed and life is grand with the new PC.

Three day weekend! Thank you, dead presidents!

49 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

More mouths to feed

Well, the most amazing thing happened today. I noticed that the female bearded dragon, Pandora, was bone skinny this morning. She had previously been putting on some major weight. She not only lost her weight overnight but had "erected" a ridiculously large mound in the center of their terrarium. Long story short, I started digging around after work and uncovered two eggs. I saw the tops of possibly five more before putting everything back. I'm on a quest now to find an incubator before waiting too much longer.

Beardies can lay between 10 and 50 eggs in each clutch. Will is excited at the prospect of selling these little guys off to the pet stores. I'm excited about the prospect of the miracle of life happening on the second floor of my own home. I'm scared too. What if none of them make it? I want to take special care of these little guys. I'm excited and I'm terrified at the same time.

On a completely separate note, after utterly breaking my computer by messing with my video drivers I somehow am now up to date and ready to go. I swear, I did nothing to get to this point purposefully. Every step I took led to more mishaps. And I don't think I did anything differently this most recent time when it apparently worked. It just did. Just goes to show that with enough effort that square peg *will* go through that round hole.

48 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

Tired

Stayed up too late playing. Alienware is awesome. About pulled my back out lugging the thing out of Kinko's. But too tired to care. Dad got his check. Too tired to ask how much the city forked over. Too tired to worry about Boba - who may or may not have a reason to worry in 48 hours. Just so tired.

BTW, I simply am having no luck downloading the latest drivers for the ATI Radeon HD 5670 video card. It is very frustrating.

47 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

Look at all of the numbers change!

Weighed in today lighter this morning than I have all year at 171 lbs.

I took that low weight to the scale at work and weighed in a slim 173.6 lbs. That's 12.6 pounds lost for a total of 6.767% lost so far!

We made a substantial payment on the Visa this morning - over 33% of the balance and nearly 20% of the total credit available. That jumped the amount paid off so far up to 66.11%! I have another payment of the same amount planned for the same day I get the federal tax return back - which should be soonish. It's going to be a good month.

And with any luck, the Alien will have landed by the time I leave work tonight.

Lastly, it bears mentioning that Dad, and all of the other firefighters in his group, "wins the lottery" tomorrow. That should be exciting. We should even go to Red Lobster or the Ponderosa to celebrate :P Yee-haw!!!

46 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 171 lbs. | 66.11% | 6.767% (12.6 lbs.)

0214640818

What's with the mysterious number? I'll save the cute little riddles and pondering posits. It's my complaint number I lodged against the Jeffersonville, IN FedEx center. Some bozo over there put my package on the wrong track so it's not getting delivered until tomorrow. And I'm not going to stay home a second day in a row so I'm having it delivered to the Kinko's FedEx by my house. This better go as planned or someone will have the Wrath of the Titans on their hands tomorrow.

Boooooooooooo.

Hisssssssssss.

And whatever sound is made when I wave my private parts in your general direction.

Oh, and happy Valentines Day ya'll!

45 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

Dead and Gone

Both the "old" PC and the "old, old" PC are dead.

The POS "old, old PC" is stuck in unrecoverable system software install. If there is anything left on the drive, and that's an iffy if, I'm not even sure how to reach it. I cannot reach Windows and cannot circumvent the installation process - which fails. She's a goner.

I had a little more hope for the "old PC". It is still infected with something so I was hoping that the drive, in fact, wasn't going out but rather it was heavily infected. After an hour-long scan, 17 malicious files were removed out of over 330,000. I started her up and - URRRRP - blue screen of death. Restart. Blue screen of death. Restart. Blue screen of death. Dead and gone.

I don't have the heart to try out the Bondi blue G3 Mac yet. I can only stand to put two PCs down in one day. Wish me luck in the coming week when I attempt to resuscitate that fossil from oblivion.

But there is new life on the way. Alienware is coming tomorrow. It departed Independence, KY yesterday. With any luck, I'll have it delivered and up and running before lunch.

44 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

New 'Puter Setup

I started the complete revamping of the office this afternoon. I went out and bought some bits to drill 1-1/2" holes into the desk for cables. I also picked up a KVM switch from Radio Shack. I uninstalled all of he equipment in the office and started with a clean desk. At the end of it all, I have 2 monitors and 1 keyboard setup and ready for the office PC and the new Alienware coming on Monday. My switch tested perfectly. I also switched out my crap speakers with some older but better ones from the old, old PC. Lastly, I tried hooking up the old PC (not the old, old PC - I have too many 'puters) and my ancient Mac to see what would happen.

The old PC's hard drive was going out and it continued to act erratic. I may put some effort into recovering any data I may need off of it. Or I may just chuck it. It's 6 years old, which is like 120 years in computer years... LOL!

The poor Mac, my original Bondi blue G3 tower, couldn't find a bootable system on the drive. That may have been the last breath for her. I'll tinker with it some more but I'm not holding out much hope. I have some ancient stuff on it that had been transferred over the years from high school and college. I also have may *favorite* MAME roms on there. I'd like all of that stuff back. I'll *have* to do something. I'm not giving up on that one yet.

As for the old, old PC, I still need to drag that POS up from the basement and go through it. Maybe tomorrow.

On Monday, if all goes as planned (I get my butt in gear, I can recover data, FedEx delivers on time) I will have a new computer and will be retiring a total of 3 old ones. I'll take them to KinSafe for "recycling".

Anyway, I'm still recovering from staying up way too late Thursday and think I'm battling a slight cold. Off to bed!

43 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

5 Characteristics of a Successful Person

I came across a link today... 5 Characteristics of a Successful Person. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything but I feel I fit each of these characteristics. Not only do I fit them - I strive to exhibit these traits everyday. Thought I'd share...

1. Hustle
Nothing beats hustle. I don’t care how smart someone is, in my opinion, if they’re not willing to work their butts off they will not succeed long term.
This is actually one of the reasons I attribute to any success I’ve enjoyed in my career. You see, I have never been the smartest guy in the room… but, at least for the most part, I have rarely been out hustled by anyone. This has served me very well.

2. Get things done
The main reason the hustling person is so valuable is because they get things done. Instead of talking about problems or complaining about them… the hustling leader is actually attempting to do something about it.

3. Do what you say, and say what you do
Next, nothing is worse than making promises you cannot keep. So, if you say you are going to do something… do it. And if you don’t think you will be able to get something done, don’t say you will.

4. Fail better
Another attribute of the successful person is their willingness to fail. This is to say they are willing to challenge the status quo while not worrying about being wrong.
It also means that when they do meet a temporary setback – or failure – these people find a way through it. They don’t settle. They don’t quit. They are relentless. They are willing to fail better.

5. Think
Lastly, the successful person is always thinking. They’re constantly wondering why. They’re constantly searching for a better way. They challenge others and themselves by asking tough questions to tough problems. In short, because of their constant thinking they make others think.

42 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

It Was A Good Day

"Just waking up in the morning gotta thank God
I don't know but today seems kinda odd
No barking from the dogs, no smog
And momma cooked a breakfast with no hog"

-- Ice Cube, It Was A Good Day

Well, my day didn't include dogs, smog, or breakfast with no hog, but it was a good day nonetheless. I stayed home with Kels as she was wiped out from a new medicine she's trying out. That allowed me to get a crazy amount of work done today. Jooj checked the bank account and the fine state of KY dropped our tax return into our account already. My Alienware PC has shipped from El Paso and is scheduled for delivery on Monday. Will received his acceptance letter from St. X - he's officially going to be a Tiger now. Kels got her very first tax refund check in the mail. I worked 'til 7:30PM and was just on a tear all day - well ahead of the already aggressive schedule. Played some City of Heroes and was picked up for an Imperious Task Force. Been playing every night this week hoping to collect Incarnate Shards - been getting *almost* one a night. Tonight I got seven! And during the first mission of the ITF I see purple flash up on my screen - A SUPER RARE PURPLE RECIPE DROP!!! I've been playing the game for 2 1/2 years and this is only my third super rare.

41 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

I can totally see...

... how people get hooked on pain killers.

Soccer was last night. We lost. But played a good game. Had a blast. However, my body is weak and my back, shoulders, and hips are killing. Jooj offered some pain killers. Did I *really* need them? Probably not. But they were going to help, for sure. I took two, since I normally do when I am in serious pain. Well, I'm not in serious pain and woo-boy, I feel TERRIFIC!

Don't call the folks from the show Intervention yet. Just enjoying the lack of aches (and the accompanying buzz).

40 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

Soccer season starts tonight

And it couldn't come fast enough. I weighed in already today and I'm back to my Week 1 weight (actually, ever so slightly worse off). Part of it is still excess from the Super Bowl party. Still, it's a little disheartening.

So yeah, Tuesday night games start tonight. We play at 8:50PM. This is still an Open league and is still considered the "A" league, but it's not. The Open "A" league on Monday nights is the elite "A". This is more like the "B" league of "A" league. So, for all intents and purposes, I'm going to refer to this as the "B" league even though the other delusional players do not.

Go Galacticos!

39 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.619% (8.6 lbs.)

Hungover... or am I?

I woke up this morning feeling pretty rough. I didn't remember drinking all that much but I figure it was enough to somewhat take me down. I was hoping a shower would revive me to some degree. It woke me up but didn't really fill me with a refreshing feeling. As the morning went on my head cleared but this feeling still persisted. Then it hit me (as my bowels were rumbling). I wasn't suffering a hangover. I had eaten waaay too much crap last night.

Queso, cookies, Cowboy Caviar, white chili, brownies, M&Ms, chips, reuben spread, sausage crepes, veggies & dip, beer bread, deviled eggs, Red Stripe, XX - lo, it was a night *not* to count calories.

(and it shows too... 2.5 pounds gained from yesterday... oh noes!)

38 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 174.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

Packers are Super Bowl XVL Champions!

Had a blast tonight with Jooj's side of the family at Susu's Super Bowl party. The food was outstanding (as always).

I'd say more, but it's late, I'm tipsy, and I have to work in the morning. Sleepy time!

37 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

Vaudeville at Atherton High School

Who has two thumbs and actually *enjoyed* tonight's Vaudeville high school talent show? THIS GUY (I'm pointing my thumbs at myself... it'd be funnier if you could see me)!

Jooj and I went there specifically to see Kelsey and her Lady GaGa Fashion Show and ended up enjoying the entire show. The show started with a belly dancer and then right into an ongoing, Star Wars-themed skit that filled in between each act. It was designed to poke fun at the school and favorite teachers. It was quite clever. And since it was Star Wars-themed IT RULED!

Kelsey's fashion show kicked off the second half of the show after the intermission. I was so wired into making sure I videoed the silly thing that I don't really think I got a good idea of how well it went. I barely recognized Kelsey when she came out. Jooj said she looked fantastic. I do know that the crowd was responding very well to the show. I was proud of her and I had a pretty bouquet waiting for her.

The show was highlighted (besides the fashion show) by some killer rock acts. The kid playing Luke Skywalker in the skits rocked out during an acoustic solo. It may have been my favorite. The band Six Foot Fall absolutely killed it (loved the bassist in a Chewbacca suit and the drummer wearing Boba Fett's helmet). Kelsey's old friend Ashley did a great rendition of "Mandy Goes To Med School" from The Dresden Dolls. I got a kick out of a grrrl who busted out Super Mario Brother's theme song on the violin. And the show ended with a bang when a trio of percussionists banged on a slew of buckets, cans, and other things that go "blunk" when struck with drum sticks.

Good times! I'd love to do it again.

36 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 171.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

Archer: Season 2 = Awesome

Archer: Season 2 started on FX last week. Oh my, what a great show! It's not for everyone. Let me say that first. In fact, this show is probably enjoyed by very few. It is crass, to be modest. It is outright raunchy, to be more precise. Last week's episode was off the hook. This week's was totally hilarious.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to go out and watch Archer (although I *do* have Season 1 on DVD and the new episodes DVR'ed if you want to come over and check them out). I just wanted to take a moment to profess my love for it.

35 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

Food bender

I feel a serious food bender coming on. Last night we had Wick's Pizza - 4 pieces for me. Today, I brought in mom's quiche but then opted for more pizza from Poppolino's, courtesy of work. That means tomorrow's menu will be quiche for breakfast, hot wings for lunch, and the wife and I decided on Yang Kee Noodle for dinner. We always go out on Saturdays. And Super Bowl Sunday at Susu's will certainly be loaded with treats.

Diet be damned! Well, at least until next Monday morning...

34 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

$78 - Kelsey's first tax return!

Busy day and night.

Day was crazy. Work was hectic. During the madness I was able to get what I needed from the KY Department of Revenue - the coveted Corporation Account Number and the not as exciting Sales & Use number. Tax time!

Dell called and needed to verify that I actually ordered the Alienware desktop. Again? Sheesh, this pushes back my Receive date from February 9th to February 14th. Weakness.

Got home. Filed taxes. I love TurboTax. Filed FAFSA (for you non-college student bound parents out there - that's an application for federal financial aid). While doing so we needed to file Kelsey's taxes. Sure, why not.

I opted for TurboTax's free 1040EZ. I ran through it in under 10 minutes. At the end of it all, she netted $78 in refunds (notwithstanding the $27.95 I shelled out to cover her state return fee - Jooj talked me into it... I'm a sucker for the grrrls). She's a hard little worker. I'm so proud of her.

33 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 172.5 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)

What a day!

'nuff said.

32 of 365 | 12% (6 of 50) | 0 of 128 | 173 lbs. | 47.92% | 5.048% (9.4 lbs.)