Sitting in the ER

I was going to blog about how I went on a tour today with a few people from work to check out the facility of the Home of the Innocents. I was going to explain how I previously didn't have a very good impression of the organization based on first-hand knowledge of some of their staff. And then I was going to explain how absolutely impressed I was by Gordon Brown, the president, and his state-of-the-art campus now. I was going to brag about how awesome I believe their program to be. That was my intention before I played my soccer game at 11pm.

Now I'm sitting in a room in the ER, pecking away left-handed, waiting on Xray results. I saved a shot in the first half of the game and my hand felt very... odd afterward. I took my glove off and my stomach flipped as I saw my finger. My middle finger on my right hand was bent backward at the first knuckle. Really gross looking! Gnarly stuff!!!

I drove home, stripped and showered, threw clothes back on, showed Will, grabbed my laptop, drove to the ER, and now I'm waiting. They won't give me pain meds 'cause I drove myself. Damn their eyes!!!

I can feel my heart pounding in my finger. That's probably not normal.

100% | 175 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 41.37% (151 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Memorial Day Celebration!

We had an All-American Memorial Day celebration today filled with a trip to the pool, hot dogs from the grill, and ice-cream! I don't know if we could have been more American unless we wore American flags as capes all day.

But seriously, I am very thankful for our troops that do such a fine job protecting us and our freedom. Just this morning I found out that my good friend Silver is moving with her husband to Fort Bliss soon. I had to look it up and was somewhat shocked to find it nestled between New Mexico, Texas, White Sands, and Juarez. That shit is going to be HOT!!! I hope the best for her and her family.

100% | 178 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 41.09% (150 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Attack of the... BIRDS!

Mama bird nested in the archway, protected behind the trellis. And I was totally cool with it. She scampers away in a spurt and scares the bajeebus out of me at times. And I'm cool with that too. It's been cool watching through the kitchen window the four heads of the little chicks bob around over the edge of the nest. Cool! However, what happened today was not cool.

I walked out to put a first coat of paint on the back steps that dad and I constructed last week. I put down my materials on the steps and walked through the archway. I expected mama bird to startle me but she didn't. However, as I made my way through the arch a pack of 6 angry birds (luckily not explosive nor wood-boring nor boomerang-like) swarmed and buzzed by my head. One even dropped a load of scat at me and actually hit me on the leg.

Uncool!

I later figured that today was "push the babies from the nest" day so I suppose the birds were on edge. One had already left the nest. I actually watched another take his first flight later in the afternoon. He looked so goofy and awkward. I'm not sure if seeing it was worth the price of admission of bird-attack and scat-leg but it was still neat.

100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 40.82% (149 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

(Yet Another) Busy Saturday

Woke up. Fed dogs. Fed cats. Fed lizards. Went to Target. Bickered with Jooj. Came home. Picked up dog poop. Mowed front yard. Mowed back yard. Weed-whacked. Picked up sticks. Broke aforementioned sticks. Mowed body (Spring manscaping). Showered. Went to pool. Laid on my back. Laid on my front. Laid on my back. Came home. Caulked new back steps. Showered again. Went to Sam's. Went to Garden Ridge. Went to bank. Went to Dick's. Ate at Yang Kee Noodle. Went to Play It Again Sports. Talked to a man about a weight bench (you thought I was going to say horse). Came home (expecting to rest). Hand-picked non-keeper DVDs from the DVD collection and bagged them. Removed all DVDs from the shelves in studio. Removed all articles and drawers from the chest and shelf in the bedroom office. Moved chair from bedroom office to bedroom. Moved chest and shelf and drawers to Kelsey's room (temporarily). Moved movie shelves into bedroom office. Boxed 2 Sideshow Collectible Star Wars statuettes. Boxed 5 Medicom Star Wars Real Action Heroes. Boxed 1 Kotobukiya Star Wars statuette. Boxed a ton of Boba Fett and assorted Star Wars stuff. Sat on the back patio with Jooj. Messed with the frog (I'm a Zookeeper, remember?). Watched The Middle finale on DVR. Watched Cougar Town finale on DVR. Tucked Jooj in bed. Played City of Heroes till I nodded off. Slept.

100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 40.55% (148 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Kelsey's Last Day of High School

Today marks another day of transitions (so many things are changing this year). Kelsey is attending (presumably, don't Seniors cut the last day?) her last day of high school. I came into her life when she was the awkward age of 13, when life as a kid changes from cartoons and candy and takes a nosedive into puberty and hints of real life. I've watched her bloom from an unsure, lanky tween to a head-strong, beautiful young lady.

I'm proud of you Kels and love you very much!

100% | 173.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 40.27% (147 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Thursday night soccer

"Thursday night?" you may ask.

"Yes!!!"

I'm now the keeper for The Outcasts on Mockingbird's Over 30 League on Thursday night. I think it is safe to say we suck. But it appears to be a good group of guys and I actually had a blast tonight even though we lost 3-8. I get my serious, competitive game on Tuesday with Galacticos FC and then my fun, let-it-all-hang-out game on Thursday with The Outcasts. Good times!

100% | 176 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 40.00% (146 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Happy Birthday Melissssss

My little sister turns 35 today. Happy Birthday, sis! Love you!!!

100% | 176 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 39.73% (145 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

You'll never guess what I found at Goodwill

Jooj and I had an impromptu date night at Goodwill last night. Impressed by what little I paid for my golfing attire last week and by the name-brand selections I found she was curious and wanted to scope it out. We walked in and split up to our gender-specific areas.

So what did I find?

Well, I found a pair of Banana Republic shorts. They are a cinnamon colored cargo short that's missing a few buttons. Pffft, adds character.

What else?

I found an Aztec-patterned, button-down shirt from Prana. Back in the day, when I climbed a lot, I pretty much wanted every piece of my wardrobe to be Prana. I was truly amazed that they had that shirt.

What else?

I found a nice grass green button-down shirt from Banana Republic. It can double as a work shirt and as I business casual leisure shirt. Probably also in the running for next year's Easter shirt. Hahaha!

What else?

I found a very classy blue button-down Polo. It was a good find and a shirt that will get a lot of use.

Jooj found some pants and we got out of there for under $15!

So what did I find that you will never guess? I found a shirt that I donated a while back. I know it was my shirt because I bought it in Costa Rica and have never seen that brand anywhere else. What are the odds of that? Muwahahahaha!

100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 39.45% (144 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Storm Damage

We celebrated my sister's birthday a little early at my parents' house tonight while a storm raged outside. When we got back into the car we found out that a tree at Jooj's parents' house fell and tore off some siding. Yikes! Then we learned that a branch had fallen and busted out the back windshield of Kels' car. Oh no! And finally, a little later, we were told that a replacement was going to cost $350! Son of a...

Luckily, nobody was hurt. That's the important thing.

100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 39.18% (143 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

"When did you come back?"

My wife is an extremely light sleeper and I am quite the opposite. I breathe hard when I sleep so I sleep facing away from her. I breathe even harder on my back, my preferred sleep posture, so I sleep either on my side (the one facing away from her) or on my stomach. For whatever reason, I also jerk around a lot during sleep. So sometimes I get the boot.

I used to want to stay in the same room with her so I took to the floor. But the floor sucks. It's hard and it's cold. And it's the floor. So now I either go to the couch (when the kids are here) or go to Will's bed - which oddly enough was my bed years ago. I'm totally past thinking this portrays our relationship poorly. We just like our sleep. But last night I may have stumbled upon a new trick.

I was jerky last night. My back hurt - for sure. I argue that my body jerks when I try to roll onto my back but my subconscious (that's a tough word to spell) kicks in and jerks me back into place. She thinks that my father's epilepsy has been (ever so graciously) passed along to me. I'm not here to argue the cause (and an epilepsy test last year found nothing). I know I do it but don't know why.

She moaned and delivered the first warning. Pretty standard stuff. And normally this leads to me eventually vacating. We laid there for a bit longer before the second warning was uttered. Sometimes she threatens to go to the floor or the couch. She and I know that she would get nearly zero sleep attempting either location. So that is my cue to step up and volunteer to be the gentleman and do it myself.

"Will's on the couch. You can take his bed," she mumbled, half-asleep.

"Okay. I'm going."

And just like any other night we sleep separately we slept soundly for the rest of the night.

"When did you come back?" she asked me this morning after rolling over and seeing me there next to her. Oftentimes she'll slip into bed with me or I'll do the same so we get a little snuggle time in before we get a move on for the day.

Oddly enough, I actually had never left. I just told her I would. I went right back to sleep. And Jooj, finally able to shed her anxiety of me keeping her up since I told her I was leaving, had too.

So maybe I don't necessarily have to leave. Maybe I'll just tell her I'll leave. I'll miss out on a night sleeping on my back. And that'll be hard to give up. But not getting up in the first place, only to have to get settled somewhere else, has its merits too!

100% | 177.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 38.9% (142 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Busy Saturday

Woke up to the need to cleanup a mess left by one of the dogs - a mess that came from both ends. Yuck! I swear, I prefer to cleanup what comes out of the rear more than what comes out of the mouth. But in all honesty it is all pretty disgusting.

Dad came over and we replaced the steps leading out of the back bay window from the kitchen. It was a fun little project and the end result looks fantastic. I'll caulk it and paint it soon.

After that we had about half of Jooj's family over to celebrate Will graduating to high school. We had pizza from Wick's and Jalapeno Crazy Bread from Little Caesers. We had a good time.

I'm pretty exhausted so I'm heading to bed early.

100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 38.63% (141 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Golf Scramble

Yesterday was Genscape's Golf Scramble out at Nevel Meade. In a nutshell, we had a blast!

The weather was nice. The company was good (my team consisted of Hillary, Duffy, O'Leary, and me). The food kept coming. The beer was cold. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The night before I ran to Goodwill and picked up some appropriate attire (by some standards). And then later than night I finished off my outfit when I went to Walmart to buy a cooler and glove. I was one-upped by Hillary, however, as she rocked out matching lavender and orange argyle knee-highs and shirt. She won Closest to the Pin for a Female as well as the impromptu Best Dressed. The angel that she is (oh, she can be a devil too... that's what I love about her) bestowed the Best Dressed award to yours truly. I'm, in turn, going to pass it along to dad who is much more suited to spend it at the Nevel Meade pro shop than I.

Afterward, we zipped over to Captains Quarters for the after-party. I had a quick beer but knew my time there was to be short-lived. I had a lawn at home waiting to be cut. And my tribe (wife and boy) needed their leader (the sucker who drives to get things) to do some hunting (grab some Taco Bell) while they gathered (waited).

On a sad note, Randy "The Macho Man" Savage died after suffering a heart attack and losing control of his Jeep Wrangler.

"Ohhhhh YEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 38.36% (140 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Congraduation!

My boy walked down the processional last night in front of proud parents and grandparents. Last day as an 8th grader. First day of summer. First day of the beginning of his high school journey. I am very happy to be his step-dad :)

100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 38.08% (139 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

School News and the Kids

Will's last day at Meredith-Dunn is tomorrow. My boy is graduating and moving onto St. X. It'll be the last time I drop him off at 7:30am. And it'll be the last pick-up in car rider line for any of us (his mom is doing the honors tomorrow). I'm proud of my boy!

Kelsey attended an awards ceremony tonight at Atherton. She dissuaded us from attending, insisting that she wasn't going to win anything and that she preferred we stay home. Hrmph! Well, she was recognized by her English teacher for the highest A and outstanding effort in class. Additionally, she has recently been honored with distinguished marks from the state for her writing portfolio. She's come so far this year.

I am so proud of both my kids. I love you guys!

100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 37.81% (138 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

"Okay, I'll ask dad when he gets home."

There are a few things to know before marrying a woman with children. At the top of my own personal list of caveats is to warn you that you will never be "dad". That is to say, unless the father is just out of the picture and you legally adopt them, you will never be their father. You won't go to father/daughter dances. The state won't let you act as either parent or legal guardian when you go to get their license. You won't get to walk her down the aisle and give her away at her wedding. You aren't the one they cry out for when they are sick or scared.

But, in order to be a good step-dad, you do have to play the role of father every day. You have to drive them where they want to go. You have to pick them up. You have to help with homework. You have to punish. You have to have long talks. You have to listen. You have to teach them how to drive. You have to encourage them and assure them after they run into the parked car in front of them. You have to nurture them. You have to praise them. You have to hold their hair when they are sick. You have to stay by their bed in the hospital. You have to bring flowers to their productions.

You have to do all the work but you never get the name "dad" bestowed upon you (you don't get a name until the grandkids... I honestly can't wait!). For all your hard work you are just <insert name>.

However, every once in a great while, you get a reward for all of your hard work. Every once in a great while you get the unspoken nod that, "yeah, you aren't my dad, but you're doing a great job!" And those moments, my friend, are absolutely golden.

Tonight Kels asked Jooj if she could stay out late Thursday night to see the midnight showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Jooj didn't mind 'cause Kels has only days left in her Senior career. But she wanted to make sure it was cool with me, which she knew it would be, and simply told Kels that she would check with me. I was at my soccer game and wouldn't be home for a while longer.

"Okay, I'll ask dad when he gets home."

I'm sure there was a pause followed by a mental correction on her part. But for that one moment, however brief, I was "dad". That moment was a pat on the back from Kels... "You've done well, <insert name>!"

100% | 176 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 37.53% (137 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Dinner and Family (and ice cream cake)

Celebrated Will graduating from 8th grade at my mom and dad's with my side of the family. She had appetizers, lasagna, salad, and (most importantly) ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Rock on!

Some things to consider with his impending "last days before high school"...

* No more Lunchables. He's going on a meal plan at St. X. Kelsey is going away to college. I'm done spending too much money buying too many damn Lunchables.

* No more waking up at 6:45am. Granted, this may only be a summer reprieve. I'm not sure what time St. X starts. But at least I have the summer off.

* New bed time. He's been pushing so hard to stay up later. It's a known fact that he is a grumppopotamus when he doesn't get 8 hours of sleep. With puberty gearing up and hormones pumping through his veins he needs that sleep that much more. Dare I say we'll let him stay up 'til 11pm? His grades may turn out to be the deciding factor.

* Man-to-man speeches. He and I have had very few of these so far - at least compared to his sister. It'll be interesting to watch him grow and to share my wisdom as he learns life lessons.

I'm sure there is much, much more to come. I'm excited for him and a little scared... but more for myself than him!!!

100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 37.26% (136 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Lazy Sunday

Jooj slept 'til 10am. The grocery had garbanzo beans on closeout. The weather was crappy, cold, and rainy. I made some lunch. We watched some TV. Hoarders were on a marathon. I played some City of Heroes. The Scare Crow King hit level 47. Madame Meltdown hit level 7. We bought a cake. The kids came home. I'm even going to bed early.

Boring? Yes. Recharging? Double yes!

100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 36.99% (135 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Zoo Keeper

Do you remember that arcade game from the '80s titled Zoo Keeper? I won't hold it against you if you don't. Like every other video game in the '80s it was terrible and magical at the same time. In it you play a zoo keeper that is frantically trying to build walls around the uncaged animals. The action was frantic and frenzied. It was truly a game that required equal parts skill and luck. Why do I mention this?

Because I swear that sometimes I feel like a zoo keeper. Two dogs. Two cats. Two lizards. Two kids (hahaha). Two dozen fish. A frog in the pond. A chipmunk that lives under the pond. A hawk that lives in the backyard Oak. A nesting robin under the back balcony. A murder of crows that have taken over the block. Dueling blue jays that do nothing but fight all day. Gray squirrels (*that*, my friend, is an odd word to spell). Skunks. Finches and cardinals. Even the occasional opossum. You name it!

Well, add to the list the newest, unofficial member of the zoo - "Nibbles" the gray squirrel who likes to chew on the gutter outside our bedroom window. It took us nearly a year to figure out what "the noise" was. I probably don't have enough fingers to count how many times Jooj woke me up in a panic after hearing "the noise", convinced that rats were in the walls (and they were coming for us). I don't know why he does what he does. But I can't imagine that it is good for him - nor can I imagine that it is necessarily all that bad for the gutters. Silly bastard!

100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 36.71% (134 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Pub Crawl

Attended my second Genscape Pub Crawl last night (hence the reason why I missed the daily blog entry). Drinks were shared. Fun was had. I am so, so, so excited that my wifey managed to make it and had an utterly amazing time with her and my friends.

100% | 177.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 36.44% (133 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

No way.

There is no way I weigh 178 lbs. But I weighed myself 5 times this morning. All I had to eat yesterday was a bagel, JGumbo's for lunch, and salad and stuff from Jason's Deli for dinner. Inconceivable!

100% | 178 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 36.16% (132 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Body. Wracked. With Pain.

Had a double-header in soccer Tuesday night. Got kicked in the head. Have turf burn. A large portion of skin from my knee was left behind on the field. My back feels like my spine is fused. My shoulders feel like I've been beat up. I need a massage and a long soak in a hot tub.

100% | 174 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 35.89% (131 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

This is not a drill!

As the day was winding down today the screeching cacophony of the fire alarms pierced my ears. People began making jokes about the unreliable nature of the building. But not too many were uttered before someone came to our door and barked "This is not a drill!" Seriously, the building is on fire? You don't say...

I left (don't worry Pat, I grabbed the laptop) and hung around for a while. A fire engine rolled up. And a hook and ladder. Another engine. Hose was unfurled. Power was cut to the building. I stood around and joked with Eddie, Jesse, Becky, Hillary, and Brown-Downs for a bit. Once HR told us we were encouraged to go home I cut out.

Still don't know what happened. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. Maybe not.

100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 35.62% (130 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

$152.14 due on 5/24/11

I am absolutely amazed by the most insignificant and random things. Is it because I'm an evil genius? A misunderstood savant? Alien being? Just plain weird? You be the judge.

But I digress...

I'ven't been this blown away since that day that I got *two* balls stuck in the tree (this time)! So I came home from work today and the Insight bill for cable and Internet was on the counter. I checked out what we owed for the month. You won't believe it! The numbers on the bill literally (not literally) grabbed me by the collar and smacked me across the face...

$152.14 due on 5/24/11

Do you see that? Tell me you see that. No? Look at the numbers? Compare them. Jumble them in your head? See now? What are the odds of that happening? Like 1 in 100,000? It's at least that. Maybe more. Or maybe less. I don't know. I'm good at some math but not good at determining odds. I took math up through Calc 3 but I don't remember taking stats or anything that taught me formulas for calculating odds. I never took Geometry either, oddly enough. The regular education kids had an easier time with trig because they had and we AP kids hadn't. It left everyone scratching their heads and wondering why in 10th grade. Tenth grade - what a silly year. Oh look! Something shiny...

100% | 152.14 lbs. (just kidding) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 35.34% (129 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all you mother's out there have and had a very good day :)

I think I pretty much summed up what I feel for Jooj (and mother of our two kids) in the card I gave her...

To My Wife With Love

You deserve to hear this more often,
but I don't always
take the time to say it...
I depend on you so many times
for help and understanding.

I'm glad that you're my wife,
the love of my life,
and the heart of our home...
and I'll always love you very much.

Happy Mother's Day

100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 35.07% (128 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

The 137th Kentucky Derby

Living in Louisville in May means that you are destined to be exposed to the Derby in some manner. Even if you do everything to avoid it, like I did for the past 48 hours, you'll still stumble across news coverage or some finely dressed ladies wearing silly hats. So goes being a Louisvillian on the 1st weekend in May.

Went to Susu's for her Derby party and had a blast binging on goodies and chumming it up with the in-laws. Always a good time with that side of the family.

100% | 175 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 34.79% (127 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

End of week tidbits

I'm a day late. I know. I was tired and sore.

Will sung at his school talent show Thursday. He sang "Come Sail Away" by Styx. He sang it with another student. It was supposed to be sung as a joke, inspired by the fact that Cartman from South Park cannot hear the song without singing it all the way through. However, his performance allegedly brought principal to tears and he has been asked to sing it at their 8th grade graduation. What a little shit!

I added a new weapon to my Arsenal of Manhood yesterday when I bought a weed whacker. I am man. Hear me roar. Rawr.

I talked some big talk a few days ago about painting, comics, and web work. I'm happy to report that some progress has been made in across the board. We're not in the middle of an inspiration avalanche but momentum is picking up. Besides, Kels is in one of the lead roles and I lose her to college in the summer. I gotta get a move on!

Arbiter Hotspur, formerly Agent Hotspur and my main character in City of Heroes, went full Villain last night. I was trying to do something to spice him up a bit and thought a little walk on the dark side may be in the cards. Don't worry. He won't last long over there. Maybe he's working undercover or something :)

Lastly, where there were 18 there are now 4. The latest clutch of lizard eggs from Pandora and Perseus has been culled to 4. The rest were either never viable or succumbed to some problem or issue. One of those four look very good. The others look... "okay". We'll see...

100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 34.52% (126 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Exercise began tonight... OUCH

So my Secret EXercise Scheme started tonight and, oh man, I'm in pain. Wanna know the secret?

(Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, it isn't SEX)

My plan is to sit around and watch TV.

Weak ass plan you say? Well, the part that makes it hard is that I exercise during the commercial breaks - push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, supermans, leg lifts, Russian twists. And man, I knew there were a lot of commercials during an hour-long show of Grey's Anatomy. But SHIT! I was beat by the time the commercial breaks all ended. And I can feel the pain already in my core, shoulders, and back.

Jooj doesn't think I'll stick with it. We'll see...

100% | 174 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 34.25% (125 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

May the Fourth be with you

So today a "major" announcement is being made at 9am on starwars.com, specifically on the May the Fourth Be With You page. Some have speculated that it will be news regarding the long-awaited Battlefront 3. I highly doubt it. I doubt it on precedent alone but also because the Blu-Ray logo is popping up on the announcement page. We'll find out shortly...

UPDATE: So 9am rolled around and brrrrrpp, server error. Then another server error. MySQL connection error. Brrrrrrp. Mrrrrrp. Error. Ridiculous, web and server guys. Simply ridiculous.

UPDATE: The page is kind of working. It has no formatting and is asking me for my country. I choose it. But then brrrrrrp. Mrrrrrp. Error! Silly bitches.

UPDATE: I guess the server load of 100,000 geeks and nerds clicking buttons all at once was just too much to handle. Now the whole site is redirecting to the web site for 20th Century Fox. If I wasn't convinced the announcement had something to do with the movies then I am now.

UPDATE: So I'm in, but now I have to link to their page with my Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts to "share" enough and build up some "share" value so that it unlocks what the (previously broken) page is supposed to show me. This is utter bullshit.

UPDATE: Why do you play with my emotions like this George? The page has been unlocked for the US. And all it has is some artwork and announcement of what will be on the 9-disc Blu-Ray that has already been previously announced to come out in September. Meh. What a bunch of hype for nothing.

Thanks George Lucas. And by "thanks", I actually mean "Fuck off".

100% | 174 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 33.97% (124 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Sleep commencing in 5-4-3-...

So tired. Going to bed now. But wanted to point out that I wrote some comic ideas down. I worked on the BranchingStreams.com web site. Babysat the blind guy today (not the guy who can't see but rather the guy who puts up window treatments). After that the dry wall guys came by for patching. And even later a barely-speaking Mexican guy came over to quote us on a price for some work that was astronomically high. I thought those guys were supposed to be cheap? Forget that. I'll do the work myself and keep my damn pesos.

Going to go buy a really tall ladder this weekend. Random, I know.

My favorite quote of the day:

"On Thursday, Time magazine will run a cover showing Osama bin Laden stamped with a red X, because yesterday SEAL Team 6 kicked in the door of his bedroom and shot him in his fucking face. "

-- from the site "What Would Tyler Durden Do?" (http://wwtdd.com/)

100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 33.7% (123 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Strange Good (Fact: 1/3 of 2011 is behind us)

Maybe it's the lack of sleep I've been getting. Maybe the news of bin Laden really jolted something in my mind, body, and spirit. Maybe I'm hard-wired into the economy and it's on the upswing, thereby taking me with it. Maybe I'm full of Bantha poodoo. But I'm feeling strange in the head these days. Not "strange bad", strange *GOOD*.

It was nearly 10 years ago that, in the wake of the emotional wound we all suffered after the attacks of September 11th, I got off my artistic ass and cranked out episodes of a webtoon by the name of Pink Panda. I am feeling that feeling again and I think it is going to be the catalyst for getting me off my artistic ass again and doing my long-discussed-but-never-implemented comic idea. Just maybe. Like I said, my head is feeling strange these days.

So I'm going to start writing down ideas tomorrow. I'm going to finish Matt's web site. I need to get that monkey off my back and do him right. I'm going to paint more. I have pieces I need/want to finish. I'm going to buy a big ass ladder and go clean my gutters. We're going to pay off some bills. And I mean it. And my SEX Scheme is starting... soon. I mean it. I'll explain what that *really* means once I start.

This isn't a brand new me. It's just a slightly stranger, possibly sleep-deprived, highly motivated, creatively charged me. Woohoo!

100% | 173.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 33.42% (122 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)

Osama Bin Laden is Dead

The evil bastard cowardly terrorist Osama Bin Laden has been killed and his body recovered. Gawd bless America!

100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 33.15% (121 of 365) | 6.444% (12 lbs.)