Swoosh! Boing! Bop!

So i went to a Mavs game last night with this really awesome girl (ERG). They won of course and basically blew the other team out of the water. They made the other team look like a middle school B team by scoring 40 points just in the first quarter. The game was great, but it seems to me that these days it's almost like a theatrical performance.

The basketball is microphoned. Which seemed very odd to me, I guess it is to give the feeling that you are close to the court and can hear/feel/see everything that is happening, even though i was about 100 feet away. The first few times it scared me, then it almost became normal that i could hear the ball hit the rim even over the sound of the crowd cheering. During time outs and intermissions, a variety of shows are put on that definitely make things more interesting and fun.

After the game had a glass of wine at Vino 100 which was very good. My goal this month is to hit up every wine bar at least once. At the rate I'm going, 3 wine bars in 2 weeks, it should not be a problem :). They are much better than normal bars, mostly because i don't come down with a mild case of emphasema before leaving, and they are generaly more relaxed which is what i like to be.

Tonight I leave for my Whistler Ski Trip. Myself and 9 other guys (only 3 of which i know) will be sharing a 10 person condo. Should be an interesting trip. I'm going to do what i can to pace myself at drinking so that i can actually enjoy the skiing part of the trip. I'm only planning on actualy skiing two days... and on the third doing some other kind of activity (maybe snow shoeing or something that i've never tried). My plan is to do some grocery shopping once i get there tomorrow and live pretty cheapily off cheap mealsfood (diet consisting of granola bars, soup, and pasta...).

So I most likely won't be posting again until Wednesday. Don't miss me too much.

jpb

This week I have eaten four jelly n peanut butter sandwiches in three days. Sometimes I wonder if they are bad for me. I ate one every day almost as a kid and for some reason this week I felt like being a kid again by bringing my jelly n peanut butter sandwich with me to work. What i forget is that I'm at least twice the size of what i was when I was 10. Therefore, I need twice the amount of food. However, i continue to only bring one sandwich and then getting hungry by around mid afternoon.

Solution to this problem... pack two sandwiches.

One interesting thing i used to do with my jelly and peanut butter sandwiches was to add sprinkles onto the peanut butter. This would give the sandwich and extra kick of crunch along with some sugar to get me going.

Who remembers the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song... i know i sure do. In case you were stuck in a black hole when this came out... check this out.

Anti Denti

Typically... I'm very what you call... Anti Denti, but after this morning, some might say I am pro-denti.

Morning started out extremely early like most Tuesday's... 6 am wake up. A lot of times on Tuesday this would be considered late and at this time I would already be on a plane up to Minnesota. But today, I get to stay in Dallas. My Dentist appointment was for 7 am, and I'm not too sure why I set it up for this time, I guess because I like to get it out of the way.

Anyways, all in all, I typically do not like going to the dentist. Maybe it's the scratching and grinding of the teeth or the taste of that strange stuff they put on your teeth to "polish" them. Possibly the taste of the rubber gloves in my mouth, definitely not my favorite. Not really sure what it is, but I like others, dread going to the dentist.

The lady that cleaned my teeth this morning was very nice and asked me a lot about what was going on in my life. Which i had no problem telling her, but the best part about her was right after i opened my mouth, she said my teeth already look great. My guilty conscious comes into the dentist waiting for them to tell me that i have cavities. After hearing what she said, i was pretty confident the rest of the visit would go well. She did make some recommendations for me to brush in certain places more than others, which i really appreciate because i never know if I'm doing something wrong.

Today will be a long day and so will tomorrow. Work the rest of the day, dinner in Southern Oklahoma, last load of laundry before Whistler, Hockey at 1030... then sleep.

Tomorrow... work... then the mavs game with ERG. It will be good times.

I'm out.

cheese... what cheese

I think i posted about 5 minutes ago... my cheese is all gone. :(

Oh well.

Cheese

It's noon... I have 5 pieces of cheese left for the day to last until 5 PM. If i ration reasonably, once piece of cheese per hour... then I win.

it goes like this... not that

"Grande Gingerbread Non Fat No whip 140 Degree Latte"... coming from a true Starbucks Professional.

This past weekend went really well if I have to say so myself. I was able to get a lot done and had a some really fun times. So here is the weekend wrap up...

Friday night started out with me going climbing right after work. I haven't been in about 2 weeks and it felt nice to actually get back out and do a few 5.9s. Today I will go again after work. After climbing, went out to celebrate Ben's birthday. Started at the loon, had a few drinks with some of the hockey guys, then proceeded to Quarter Bar. I probably drank more than I should have, but all in all I kept everything in control.

Saturday... woke up around 9ish and did my taxes (I know, I'm a dork... i like to get them done early). It was a great feeling of accomplishment (only had to call my dad about 6 times and send him about 6 emails for help... no biggie though). After that made a quick trip to REI to get some gloves for my whistler trip next weekend, and then remembered that my friend was in town for a judo tournament. Drove halfway to West Texas (Hurst) and hung out with my JFF (judo fighting friend). What an interesting sport to watch, it's kind of cool to see people get thrown and slammed down on to a mat. Supposedly they know how to fall and so it does not hurt, but it doesn't look to pleasant if you ask me. After the tournament, drove home quickly... changed into running cloths. Ran 1.5 miles to the Gingerman. Had a beer with big D and then ran the 1.5 miles back (training for white rock 07). Took a shower and got ready for the night life. Saturday night was great. Went to Cafe Izmar with this really cool girl (Elbow Room Girl :) ). Afterwards went back to her place and I let her cat lick my head. For some reason the cat liked it. It was funny.

Sunday morning woke up around 9ish... went to breakfast with ERG and then to church again (That's right... two times in two weeks... beat it). It was an interesting service, learned all about what happiness is and how we are not supposed to always be happy. That's just how life is. Sunday afternoon, went for another nice 30 minute run in the awesome Dallas weather that we had this weekend (cold at night and amazing during the day). Then hung out with ERG and watched the super duper bowl... with not so super commercials. Tried a new beer (Red Bridge) and some awesome carrot cake. Both were gluten free and tasted amazingly well.

All in all it was a great weekend. I came to the realization that I do not need an ipod... i can just play the music inside my head.

My Starbucks order... "Tall White Mocha"... much easier to say.

Hello Spring!

In case you missed the news, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning which is great news. The last time Phil did not see his shadow was 1999, so it's only been 8 years. So we are definitely due for an early spring.

This makes me happy because for some reason my office is kept at Minnesota temperatures. I'm not sure if they have the AC or we just don't have heat in Texas because it just never gets that cold. I'm ready for some warmer weather though... but not 100 degree weather... just some 60 -80 degree weather. So that i can be outside and be comfortable.

Have a good weekend... because you know I will.

Home

I am ready to go home. How about you?

Today is Friday #1 for me... i say this because in a way it feels like Friday since this is my last day in Minnesota. It's kind of cool getting two friday's in one week, not many people get that kind of experience. Most people would kill for this kind of feeling... jealous?

That is all. this is me breathing

Taste

Tastes change in many ways.

I can prove this by simply stating the fact that my taste for food has changed drastically in the past several years. I can remember a time when mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peppers, peas, fresh green beans (i really love canned ones, especially my mom's because she uses bacon to flavor them), and others (oddly enough... all vegetables). Somehow I believe I must be making out of what a friend of mine refers to as my yummy stage.

My taste for beer changed shortly after I forced it down several times. As time went on, it began to taste better. These days, I feel lost and helpless after a hockey game if I don't have a beer, just the taste when it hits your lips is the best.

My taste for vodka/whiskey/liquor in general is yet to change and i really doubt that it ever will. Although i do continue to remind myself that anything... yes anything, is possible.

Taste in women has changed a lot over my lifetime too. I've gone from bitchy, hottie, pretty, smartie, funny, and boringy to others. These days I have specific preferences (prerequisites) that must be met or else you get the boot.

Taste in music has progressed in a multitude of ways. As a kid, I never understood music for some reason so never listened to it. Slowly i fell in to the rap era... then the classical (I used to love the Jurassic Park soundtrack for some reason), then alternative, then punk, then Texas country, and now I'm pretty much open to everything. I believe that having a taste of tons of different music has given me the appreciation for anything that just happens to sound good to me at the moment.

Taste in sports has shifted through out the years of my life from t-ball to soccer to hockey to running to climbing to who knows what next.

Changing tastes can have ups (now i don't have to pick peppers or onions out of my fajitas) and downs (I'll eat just about anything these days). But that is just how life goes... So taste the rainbow.


------
random note: I have become desensitized to flying. I remember before last year, i was always excited to get on plane. Mostly because you get on in one city, and magically appear in the other. Yesterday morning as my plane landed, everyone in the window seats had their heads glued to the window as if something cool was happening out there. I guess that's what happens when you fly so much, it just becomes part of your life.

It's all good

Random Note: I have 4 books currently in my laptop case. I have started all four books in my case, but have not finished any of them. What is wrong with me? Also i had Vanilla Late number 2 this morning. It woke me up for the flight... then made me pass out the second half.

----------------

My name should be Steven… because for some reason, everything seams to even out. Today was the perfect example.

Example 1 – While going through the Airport Security this morning I got stopped for a bag search. I have never had them stop me and I always carry the exact same items, nothing changes. No big deal though, they are just doing their job. So they search my bag and find that the culprit was my gyroscopic wrist work out ball. Must have resembled the shape of a hand grenade which is why they stopped me. This slight inconvenience was balanced out on the airplane where I had no one next to me at all… allowing me to stretch out and be comfortable. Things evened out.

Example 2 – After getting off the plane and going to buy my train ticket, I somehow get there just as the two most clueless women ever are attempting to buy tickets. One of the women says to the other… and I quote..

“Do I push the ‘Push to start’ button first?”

The process of purchasing a ticket should at most take 20 seconds… it’s already been a minute and they are not paying attention to the 3 step instructions

1. Push start
2. Pay money
3. Take ticket

Anyways, at this point it is getting close to 10:33 which is when the train comes. I start to hear it. Damn! I don’t want to miss it. Finally one woman finishes and I start my process. BAM! BOP! BANG! (Just like in the old batman movies) and I’m done. Rush down the stairs… just as the train stops and I make it on. Things evened out.

Example 3 – It’s freezing cold in Minneapolis right, currently 7 degrees. I have no gloves. I have no hat. That’s right I’m crazy. I have to walk across 5 streets to make it to my work. My hands began to hurt at block 3, I can do it. But luckily, I hit every light and make every walk sign perfectly. Things evened out.

And the day is only half over… there so much more in my life to even out. But I’m not worried, because things always work out, no matter what happens.

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Random Note: There was a drunk Cuban guy at the wine bar i went to last night. I hope he made it home alright. Also, drunk goat cheese goes very well with red wine, if you've never tried it... buy some tonight.

140 Degree Coffee

Today's blog is long and boring... but then again, I don't care.

Fatty Vanilla Cafe Latte... i tried you for the first time yesterday. You tasted very smooth and kept me warm in the below freezing weather in Dallas. The caffeine kick you provided also helped with my alertness and made me have to pee half way through church. Thank you very much for your help and i expect that kind of help every time i drink you.

This was probably only my 3rd or 4th time in my life to actually drink coffee (first time ever was when i was 19 at a McDonald's in Paris). Unfortunatly, the stuff was very good... hopefully my addictive personality will not cause me to become addicted.

----------------
This past weekend went very well. Friday night i had a work happy hour/planning event where we worked to plan out the entire year's events. Got stood up later that night... but then again, it wasn't intentional, so no worries :).

Saturday I was hooked to my favorite channel... MTV and wasted a lot of my day watching that. Went for a pathetic run where i continued to realize that in order to be in shape, you have to run more. Saturday night went to a new place called Times Ten with a new cool friend which was shorter period of time than i wanted, but the time was fun. If you've never been to Times Ten, think of it as a wine bar in a rich person's living room, pretty nice and comfy if you ask me. Later that night, I progressed to O bar and limited my drinking very well.

Sunday morning consisted of a fabulous breakfast at Cafe Brazil followed by Church. Yes I went to Church and it was probably the first time in at least 7 years that I've been. Wow has church changed. The beginning was like a rock concert and the people that played were really good. I was impressed and actually felt like i could get into the music as opposed to when i was a kid and we sang hymns that sounded like enya or something. Ed was a very interesting and insightful speaker, i guess it's just interesting to hear what he has to say. We'll have to see if i continue this streak of going, a new series starts next week, and it is supposed to be good if you can catch them all.


--------------
Just got a call from that recruiter guy who sent me the email last week. Talked for a little bit about what I've done and where i want to go (I'm not 100% sure of this... but then again, who really is). Informed him that I'm very happy where I am and am not looking for anything really at the moment.

I'm sure that if i did pursue this, i could "cash in" my consulting experience value. But i had this conversation once a while back with our Managing Director about how basically you can leave a consulting place at just about any time in your career and probably make 10 -25% more. He called this cashing in your experience. Which i completely agree. But if i were to leave, i really feel that my learning would be capped and my career path would be flawed. Does that make me crazy? I guess that in my eyes I had planned to stay where I'm at now for at least 5 years prior to leaving. Money can't be everything in life, because in the short term, yes, I could probably make a lot more than i make now. But in the long term, would i be able to have the same opportunities that i have now and the great fun smart people i work with now. I don't think so. So I'm going to have to tell the guy no, which has never been something I'm good at, but then again, it's good practice for me.

You tired yet... because i am?

I think I'll make a Starbucks run shortly and pick myself up a cafe latte. sounds almost peachy. I'm pretty sure my latte wasn't 140 degrees, but supposedly that is when coffee is at it's best according to an expert in the field.

pick up the phone and...

So today i received this email:

Hello Brian,

I received your contact info from a former peer of yours who recommended you when I mentioned I am looking for a highly capable Business Analyst. Do you have a moment to talk about an opportunity?

Please give me a call when it is convenient for you.

Thank you,

NAME CONFIDENTIAL
Account Executive
Parkwood Intl.
3550 Parkwood Blvd. Suite 500
Frisco, TX 75034

First thoughts... has to be a scam. I get crap like this all the time and it never amounts to anything. I read through it again and realize it's probably real, but not a job I would prefer. I check out the website... and it seems like they are some kind of consulting/contracting company. In some ways I wonder how this person found me (couldn't have been my blog because that does not show off my "Highly Capable Business Analyst" skills). They say a peer referred me, is it wrong if i ask who. Because to me that would greatly impact the level of seriousness i take this email.

It is flattering yes... but i already know i'm not interested. I love my job now and i love where i work, i don't see myself going anywhere anytime soon. So do i call just to be nice and tell this person thanks... but no thanks. And i digress.


This morning i had this conversation with my mom:

mom: TGIF (note: next to that she put an Angel icon that flew around like pheasant during hunting season)
bellison03: i know that's right
mom: Big weekend plans?
bellison03: OH you know, the usual. Having a good time and enjoying the weekend.
mom: Just wanted to tell you that i love you and have a good weekend.
bellison03: Thanks mom. Love you too

My mom and i have a similar conversation to the one above almost every day (except they don't always start with TGIF). I like having this. I feel lost without it. It all kind of started when they moved to England several years back and she felt very detached from myself and my sisters. So i introduced her to AIM. She caught on quick and was on all the time. We've had the above conversation probably almost everyday and still do... every once in a while a few other things are brought up and discussed, but something about this makes me feel happy. Moms are the best.

Is it friday yet?

My favorite toy as a kid was more than likely transformers because there was so much more than meets the eye. Who would have thought that all these year later they would make another movie about it (except this time it's not a cartoon). The movie comes out on July 4, 2007, and from the trailer, I did not see all that much transforming which kind of disappointed me. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Optimus Prime (my favorite transformer), but not much else.

It looked very much like another Independence Day type of movie which also disappoints me... because it's been done. Hollywood needs to make a movie about an asteroid coming to hit the earth and the president of the US (hopefully not G-dub in the movie) has to make critical decisions to save the world by finding a lucky soldier to fly in to outer space and destroy the asteroid before hitting Earth. Now that would make a great movie (i came up with this idea 20 years ago while playing house with my sister).

Or maybe a movie about my life story... oh wait, it's already been done i forgot. It was called Boogie Nights (Based on the true life of me).

I have tons of ideas for movies... just no Hollywood support... someday it will happen.

Friday is tomorrow... can you tell that I'm ready for a weekend.

20070170000285

pathetic

So I'm really hungry before lunch today and decide i'm going to walk across the street and get a sandwich. Walk outside of the building and i saw a TACO WAGON and seriously thought about going to eat at it and started walking in that direction. Then as I walk up to it... I notice it really said Tag Wagon (Toll Tag selling bus).

I don't know which is worse, the fact that I was going to eat at a "Taco Wagon" or that I can't see large print 20 feet away from me. I should really wear my glasses.

Television Watching

I do have to say, television is not something i tend to watch a lot of these days, although i do get sucked in a few times a year on certain shows, but there will always be one that is near my heart... Seinfeld.

I'm not sure if it's just because i feel almost as if every real life experience can relate to a Seinfeld episode in some way, or maybe its the fact that my dad loved and made me watched it (We only had one TV as a kid and no cable). Or it could be that it is so well thought out and the episodes really come together to create a great show. I know several people probably disagree, well... you're wrong and I'm right... so get over it.

I just got Season 7 in the mail via Amazon (love the online shopping experience) and watched a few episodes last night prior to my hockey game (which we kicked ass in: 8-0). I love to laugh, so that probably helps, but i felt like i was laughing all the way through the first two episodes. It's just a gekius kind of show i guess.

As far as other shows go, not too many compare. I've seen a few episodes of the office, which i found very funny, but never got hooked. I do get caught up in Grey's, but that's probably more due to the fact that every Thursday my place turns into a Grey's watching party (which i don't mind). 24 was a big deal for me last year, but i fell out of the loop and now don't know who most of the people are (except Jack Bauer, because he is just one hell of a bad ass). Somehow i watched about 5 episodes of Desperate Housewives in a row... it was rather funny, but then i got bored with it. MTV has some good ones that I'm embarrassed to watch and am pretty sure that you'd laugh if i told you i love to watch them (Next, Sweet 16, Real World, Parental Control, and others that i can't think of but I'm sure i waste time sometimes laughing at the stupidity of the content in the show and how i must be getting stupider as i watch). I'm sure there are others... but you get the point.

Overall, they say the average person watches 4.5 hours a day. I'm not sure how that is possible, but I would imagine that on an average week... I probably watch about 10 hours of television. So if I live for 80 years (i have high hopes), and i probably started watching television when I was 5... = 75 years *10 hours a week *52 weeks in a year = 37,440 hours = 1,560 days = 4.25 years. Meaning I will spend probably 4.25 years of my life watching television coming out to 5% of my life spent doing that. Does that seem like a waste to anyone else... or am i just crazy?

Imagine if we had to live life without television like back in the day, society was probably a lot more productive back then. Guess that's just the way it is.

This is me exhaling.

It's Tuesday... bad day to all

NOTE: This post may be confusing, ask me if you have questions.

Where to end oh where to end.

So today... i'm going commando. That's right I said i love it (refer to past entry), but i won a bet. I made a bet yesterday with someone that i would not have anything to drink last night. I had nothing to drink... so i won. HA. Beat that. Boo ya ka shah!

The one down part of the night had to have been meeting one girl in particular. She was boring, dumb as a fleece, younger than me (at least that is the impression i got when she called someone else close to my age an old man), not cute, and just i don't know. It was just all bad. I mean seriously, she writes in a blog which is an action i find completly stupid and a waste of time (confused... me too). I guess that is the way things go sometimes though especially when it's a monday night in a bar.

This is me breathing. Side note... Tuesday is the goodest (it's a new word... look it up on google/urban dictionary) day of the week because it is opposite day.

I'm The King of Beer Pong

Beer pong... an old ancient Chinese traditional style game generally played by drunken people who try to increase there athletic ability with alcohol consumption. This is my definition of Beer Pong.

On Saturday night, the night started with some mild drinking since I was still strongly recovering from the night before. A house party with lots of older rich nice people. Eventually, we proceed to a bar. Jam the night away until 2 am. And then the famous words... "let's play beerpong". Holla back.

So we head over to the West Village, in some crazy empty town home that belongs to some Army guy. He is very nice considering we just barged into his place and started drinking his beer and setting things up. After the first round, the team i was supporting lost, so i jumped in and led them to victory. Some people just aren't any good at throwing the ping pong ball at all. Especially the drunk girl who vomited off the balcony and then passed out and couldn't even stand up on our team. She was basically leaning on me much of the night as i continued to push her up each time she started to fall. Eventually she left, and we won with out her. Soon we ran out of beer... so we used wine for beer pong (VERY STUPID). Chugging wine is not the best thing... but it worked. All in all, i stumbled into my house around 630 am... and the night was done. Hello Sunday!

This is me breathing.

License and registration... chicken fucker.

On Sunday as I drove back from the fantabulous Austin, TX, I couldn’t help but go a little fast. Suddenly, I noticed I was approaching a cop. I slowed down to 70 on the cruise control (5 over the speed limit) and continued on my way. Next thing I know, I’m passing the cop. My gekius self decides it’s not a bad idea to pass a cop only going 5 over. So I pass him successfully and continue driving at 70 mph not thinking much of it. About 5 minutes later I notice Mr. State Trooper is behind me with his lights on. WTF… there must be an emergency up ahead. So I move to the right, and I notice he moves to the right. What a retard… I’m moving out of your way I thought. Then… it hit me. He wants to pull me over, must be some simple mistake like he thinks my inspection sticker is expired. For about a split second, I thought about flooring it and running, then I realized my supped up Toyota Camry would probably leave him in the dust and make him feel bad, so I pulled over.

I begin to assume the position, turn the car off, roll down the window, and put my hands on the steering wheel. This in case you don’t know is the position of a not guilty person. He comes up and asks if I know how fast I was going… typical retarded cop question. I say, “Yes sir, had the cruise control set on 70”. He replies back with a firm “I paced you at 80”. It was at that moment, that I thought, you paced? PACED? You have a f’in radar gun for a reason, use it to confirm your pacing suspicions. His stupidity reminded me of a drunken sorority girl I met at a toga party once that thought the square root of 9 was 81…

I look at him and say, “It doesn’t really make sense that I would pass you going 80 when I saw you, I mean that is just ridiculous, I’m certain I was going 70”. He replies back, “yeah I thought the same thing, guess you were wrong.”

"Come on meow” I reply back, thankfully he didn’t notice my rude and offensive reference the great movie Super Troopers. “I’ll be back with your citation”.

You have to be kidding me, this guy is wrong clearly in my mind and I am right. I wouldn’t have been that pissed, except for the fact that this was my second ticket in less than three weeks. Needless to say, I’m going to do all I can to get this thrown out or deferred or whatever. For once, I’m actually pissed at the Nation of Texas. Remember the Alamo!!

This is me breathing.

Dirty Dirty

I know when I used to think of snow, i would always remember the beautiful ski trails and marvelous mountains covered in the beautiful white snow. Clearly snow was not made to make the big city look pretty because it is not. The sides of the road of downtown Minneapolis are covered in piles of grayish-blackish dirty dirty snow that is not pretty at all. And in the crosswalks and through out the sidewalks it turns into a frozen muddish substance i will refer to as snot. It is not pretty and definitely not good for dress shoes. This makes me glad to live in Texas where we don't have to see snot at all. I've never seen it in Texas for the past 24.75 years.

Whistler in 3 weeks... get ready.

This is me breathing.

I'm a nice guy...

Right. Tonight as I was walking down 2nd street in front of my favorite building in Minnesota (the back of the Local bar is covered in Music notes on the back and I think it's awesome and it reminds me of my mom since she loves music), a homeless man asked why i looked so down and sad. I told him I wasn't sad and it was at that moment our relatioinship began. From that moment on, I was Jim Carrey to him and he thought I was pretty funny. We talked a little bit standing there in the 15 degree weather (probably 5 with wind chill) and he finally began to aks for some money so that he could get some fried chicken. I told him, no money, but I'll take you to chipotle. After come coercing, i was able to persuade him that Carnitas Tacos would be great. he finally gave in.

We walked over there. Ordered our food and sat down. He was a very messy eater I guess and i felt bad for how fast he was eating. He told me it was his first meal today and that it had been a pretty bad day. I later learned he was a Hurricane Wilma victim and has a wife and two kids. He hasn't seen his kids in a while or his wife and things didn't seem to be going great with them. He spoke very much of how he misses them. Then he continued to talk of how sad he is and how he feels like he is stuck. I tried giving him encouragment and telling him to keep trying and working hard and that things will work out (I'm not sure how true that really is)... but i figure positive enforcement is the best.

So all in all... no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always someone that has things worse. It's sad to say, but it's true. I hope things work out for the best for him.

This is me breathing.

So... Cold...

Today... I live at the airport. This morning, I woke up at 4:40 AM for my 6:00 AM flight, only to soon realize that it was really 6:50 AM and that i never actually turned the alarm on, i just left it in the Set Mode. So I ended up missing my flight, having to pay 100 bucks to take the 5:30 PM flight tonight, and I don't feel like driving so I figure I will just work from the airport. The worse feeling was probably this morning as i walked down my icy stairs and busted my butt on them. Didn't feel to great. As I walked down the stairs, I prayed that my car was there, and that I did not drive it. It was there... and i got word this morning that I did not drive it. Thank you lord.

All this... I blame on one thing. Yup, that's right. I'm retarded.

The worse part is... it's freezing cold in the airport. I'm beginning to think that they are actually running the A/C even though it's 26 degrees outside. It's at this time that i wish i owned a parka or some other extremely warm piece of clothing other than my north face fleece that is failing to keep me warm.

Last night is kind of a blur, supposedly the last thing that happened to me was i fell down outside the bathroom. I'm pretty sure I made a fool of myself, but that's what i get for drinking my arch enemy... Jack N Coke. It beat me up for sure last night, and it didn't help that i drank them at the bar in Dallas that is known for having the strongest drinks. Oh well. We all make mistakes right.

Change is definitely needed. "I lack the courage for even the simplest of deeds".

This is me breathing.

Boxers, Briefs, or Commando!

Guys fortunately have a few options to choose when it comes to under garments. I remember as a kid I wore whitey tightys... but eventually for some strange reason made the transition. And when i look back on it, I have no idea why, but it must have been one of the best decisions of my life in terms of comfortability.

I know a small percentage of people that go commando. I did it once or twice (only because my boxers got messed up or lost), but it was very uncomfortable. The rubbage of jean material on teh sensitive parts of the body is not nice at all and can be very irritating and painful.

Anyway, commando doesn't make sense, and whitey tightys are for boys... boxers are the way to go.

My Favorite Physical Force

The Centripetal force is not one that I 100% understand, but i do think it is one of the more useful ones in the world to somewhat understand.

Physics was by far my favorite subject in High School, although, I didn't really excel in it, I still found everything we learned to be very interesting. It helped understand the motion of things and how the world really operates.

So what does F(Centripetal) equal to... well its m * ( V^2/r). What does it mean, well.. any motion in a curved path represents accelerated motion and requires a force toward the center of the curvature. This is the center seeking force.

How can you apply it to everyday life... in your car, when driving on a curved road, before going into the turn, all your velocity is going straight. The mistake most people make is they break, and the velocity/motion of the car continues to go straight. The key thing to do in a turn is accelerate, so that the acceleration of your car is pointed in the new direction. This is the key to driving and mostly race car driving that most people don't understand. And I digress.

No Post Today

Wait for it....

Are they really Cubes?

The cube world is an interesting place. Technically I work inside of a rectangular prism without a top, but that would just be really strange if we called them that. Cube is short fast and easy to say.

Anyways, I'm not sure if all places are like where I am at now, but I've noticed that everyone has there own little world almost inside of their cube. Some people decorate it like it's there home, others talk on the phone in there outside voice and seem to want everyone to know what is going on in their personal life (and no janey, i don't care how much apple sauce your son threw up yesterday and i doubt the person on the phone you are talking to really cares, unless you are talking to god, because he cares about everything).

The one really strange thing about our internal cube worlds, is that when people sneeze, even in the cube next to us, no one says God Bless You or kazoontite. Which is odd to me, because we all hear it, but no one says anything even though it is the appropriate thing to do. Maybe I'm just crazy and a God bless you Nazi, but just my thoughts. And i Digress.

Day 3 of 2007. Keep on rocking in the free world.

Welcome to 2007

It's going to be a good year, I can already tell in so many ways. The following reasons are how I can already tell:

1. On my first flight of the year (this morning), we were delayed 20 minutes because they had to de-ice the plane (that's right, in Texas they have to do it sometimes, but my first time in Texas), I got to sit next to a rather large man who i definitely rubbed shoulders with the entire flight, and to top it off there was a man snoring rather loudly on the flight that really made me laugh since he was louder than a train being powered by horse manure. It was hot and romantic.
2. I went out yesterday, played waterfall with some friends and was already drunk again by 6 pm on the first day of the year.
3. I'm in Minnesota right now, and its only 36 degrees. Tonight I will try and run and hopefully not fall on the icy sidewalks or from hypothermia. I can do it.

As a result of these 3 negative ways to start, I believe i should counter them by purchase season 7 of Seinfeld on DVD. I watched all of season 6 this past weekend and can't remember laughing so much. And I digress.

rip it

It's 6 11 am on a saturday and i know gekius doesn't normally post at this time of the weekend, but i was inspired tonight.

The night started with board games.. I was quickly put on the drunk team and we cheated our way to last place just because it was funny. Next thing i know, we are spinning in the chair as fast as we can while chugging beer. I'm drunk at this point. Stumble to the loon, have a few too many drinks and shots... and then it's 2 am. ripper bar is next. we drive really far (not me, i couldnt have operated a micro machine car at this point), we get to the ripper bar...

me

last night was just like any other typical drinking night with an old work friend. I had originally intended to get there late and leave early... fat chance of that happening. Arrived there at 530, left the first bar at 930 only to go on to the next one until 1 am. I'm realizing something, I think I'm getting old, I've never been tired at a bar really before and generally been the one pushing to go more, but last night, around 1130, I was really tired. I couldn't pull myself out of it. Getting old sucks.

In other news, it has been decided that next year is YOM. Year of Me. After a lot of hard thought, i need to focus my attention more on me next year and taking care of me. The last year had been pretty wild and that will all be changing if i have anything to say.

Anyways, hope everyone has a marvelous new years and drinks lots of champagne (or boones farm like me). See you in 2007.

New Year... New Me

New Years is approaching faster than ever... what are you doing for New Years tends to be the question of the day from just about everyone I know. As of now, a party that I missed last year is what is on my agenda, and knowing the people that put it on, it will be a damn good party. Topping last year shouldn't be too difficult as far as having fun.

All in all, new years is a time for new beginning and the new me. The year of 2006 was rightfully named the YOD year for me for several reasons, but what will the theme for 2007 be? Any Ideas? All I have so far is YOMR... Year Of Mental Recovery which doesn't make a lick of sense to me. The suggestion box is open.

As for New Years resolutions, my number one is to stop making bad decisions. Let's see how long I can keep that up, I'm imaging that since the bars close at 2 am on Jan 1, I will be successful for about an entire 2 hours... if I make it that long. We shall see how everything goes when I wake up on Jan 1.

A friend once said....

"That was the best pee in my life"

After I heard this, I reminisced back to all the times when I felt like I might have just had the best piss in my life (girls say pee, guys say piss, it's just more manly or something like that). What can constitute and contribute to the feeling of the best piss in your life? I would like to think that for one thing, you have to be holding it for an extreme amount of time and something has to be preventing you from going (a long line, no bathrooms in site, etc). Another thing that would make a pee great were if you were freezing cold passed out drunk, and just went in your pants. I would like to think that the warm pee would increase the body temperature making you happy inside. However, once it cooled down, you would be much colder than you were before since you would be wet.

So in conclusion (this is how i used to wrap up my 3rd grade papers... love it), the best pee that i have ever had in my life had to be the time i had a few margaritas, but forgot to go to the bathroom before i left the restaurant. On my way home, traffic was worse than a two dollar hooker trying to make 3 dollars on a trick, but luckily i had an empty cup in my car. Yeah, you can put two and two together to figure out what i did. It was dirty, but i felt a million times better after that.

Surprise From Mexico. That's right, i'm posting and I'm in Mexico believe it or not. Things are great down here and not too cold or hot. But no one speaks english... so we can't really talk to anybody except ourselves. Haven't been kidnapped yet (knock on wood), but things are going great. Peace, Love, and harmony to all.

Mexico Trip

Tomorrow I leave for Mexico for a climbing trip down to El Potrero Chico. I've heard several great things about the place and hopefully all will go smoothly and the weather will cooperate (if not, then i'll be drinking a lot of fresh coronas). The mountain itself has several multi pitch climbs including one 10 pitch which I do not believe we will have the power to do, but it will be cool to check it out and remember for our next trip to Potrero.

Few things I'm worried about, getting into mexico, getting out of mexico, people stealing stuff, drinking water, donkey shows, and other crazy things that can happen in Mexico. I'm almost all packed up and ready to. I'll be back and make special post on Christmas day to recap the trip and let you know how smoothly everything has gone. Have a great Christmas fellow gekius readers, and fear not, because i will return in less than 2 piece, but more than 0.

On another note, one more girl checked off my list that I won't have to deal with anymore. But that's life... and life goes on. Merry Christmas everyone.

mmm French Fries

French Fries, they aren't really french (actually started in Belgium), but they are fried. They have become a very popular side to the hamburger and have probably helped the ketchup industry make more money than they thought they could ever make. On the other side of the pond, they use mayonnaise, which just sounds completely gross to me, but then again, things are different over there.

Anyways, so who has the best french fries. Many people would argue down to the bone that McDonald's does. Recently McDonald's agreed to get rid of the trans fat in their Fries to show that they are health conscious. This modification to the McD French Fry could have a larger impact than they desired. The taste just isn't the same, and never will be. That small amount of trans fat that was in every fry, people's body's will crave it and not know what to do without it when they eat these fries.

On the bright side, this will give other fast food restaurants a great shot at the top fry... maybe Wendy's or Burger King will step up to the plate and hit a home run.

The future of French Fries, i foresee that some day there will be fries stuffed with chicken or steak, carrots, or some other kind of food. Much like the stuffed crust pizza, soon the trend will catch on to the fries. And when it does, i will say... I told you so.

Christmas Present From Gekius

Consider this to be my Christmas Present to you all:

http://video.nbc.com/v/?linkId=51289&sender=j@budd.tv&name=John

If you like SNL and Justin Timberlake, you will love this video. Please note that this video may not be appropriate for work as this is the uncensored version.

Anyways, the weekend was great, date on Friday night and Party on Saturday night, can't ask for much more than that. I leave for Mexico in a few days for a big climbing trip, things have been pretty hectic since there a lot of things you have to do in order to drive into Mexico. Not sure why, it's just like Texas isn't it?

Get back to work, it's only Monday and you have shit to do.

"'cause it's Friday

You ain't go no job... and you ain't got shit to do"

Yeah, I got shit to do, but it's Friday like Chris Tucker said in Friday. And it's going to be the start to a glorious weekend, I can already feel it. Tonight will be a wine night, Saturday Beer/Whiskey night, and Sunday, probably another wino kind of night. That is my prediction for the weekend, let's see how well i stick to it.

Anyways, what is up with La Madeleine. It's currently 2:30 in the great state of Texas and i look out my office and see La Madeleine. It is ridiculously crowded with at least 75 cars in front of it. I know the French are weird and eat at all times of the day, but we are in U.S. of A and I don't think its normal or right for people to be eating there at this hour. Just my two cents.

2.5 more hours of work, start the count down now... BREAK!

I guess I'm giving up on Coke

Yesterday was the last day I can drink coke, that's right. I'm giving it up, again. But this time it's for real, it's not like all those times I quit drinking alcohol (quit for 40 days), or quit eating chocolate (quit for 40 days), or any other quit attempt. I will do it this time.

Motivation is generally important in situations like this, and all other times, I have had some kind of bet or motivational reason to doing it. I'm going beyond normal and doing it without motivation.

The Rules:
1. Any can that opens and goes Kepish!! (except beer)

Can't think of any others, but that sounds reasonable to me. The times I'm going to be screwed are the times that I eat pizza and other foods that go well with coke. But there is always water, and either way, coke is just one of those temporary satisfactions in life that people are addicted to. It's not necessary to have coke, and there are always alternatives (unless you are the coke bottling company for a tour, in which case i will just have to pass on all liquids, dehydrate, and risk death).

Here's a holla for badunkadunk!

I'm all over the map today, so watch out

"Lord knows I'm weak,
Won't Somebody get me off of this reef."

When all problems are resolved, I'll feel like I'm off this reef. I remember hearing this song one time when i was driving a good friend of mine home after a few drinks. It was a good night for several reasons including the epiphany it just made me realize after hearing this song.

Do you ever wish that you could jump ahead one month to see what the outcome of your actions may be in regards to everything in your life. Almost like just a quick hit that would let you know everything that would happen because of an event or group of events and the impacts that it would have. Because I have that ability, it has taken me a while to acquire it, but after some careful harnessing of my chi, I have mastered the art of it. So let me know if you have any questions about life, because i have the answers.

Well I guess this is growing up?

Have a great Wednesday.

I like the way they talk

Like the Beastie Boys song says:

"Girls, all i realy want is girls"

What a line, but how true is it. Yes I like girls, but do I really want plural, that can be expensive, exausting, and really exciting all at the same time. The year comes to a close in about 18 days, the year has been long and I don't know if i want the end to come, or if i'm enjoying 2006 yod way too much. 2007 will be different, it has to be, i made myself promise that a while back and i'm not sure how easy it will be to go from what i've become in 2006, but i'm going to do my best because thats all i can do. Even if its not good enough for everyone else.

Things have only become more confusing in the past few days, but then again, things always work out for me. We all have our ups and downs, and in my opinion the problems i'm creating for myself today will be solved sooner or later, it's all just a matter of time. So don't worry, be happy.

I'm a bad bad man

It was a long weekend. You only wish you could have been there it was so great. Peace out.

Also, I'm a bad man after tonight. You know what I'm talking about.

White Rock

Its White Rock Marathon weekend this coming weekend, and if you don't know what that means, its code for drunken weekend full of nakedness, boozing, and running.

This will be the third annual for myself and a group of five other guys. The past two years we have traditionally done the same thing, and this year all will be held constant. Saturday night generally will start with a ton of drinking at the G Man. Team meeting is held afterwards a few blocks away where bronze statues of little kids playing exist. The statues are really funny since they consists of kids holding out their hands, waiting for some kind of gift or something. And we give them that gift of our... well we are boys and we get naked... you figure out what goes in their hands. Following that, we proceed to someones house to crash... generally sometime around 4 am falling asleep.

BEEP BEEP... its 7 am, time to wake up and go run 4 - 6.2 miles (depending on your leg). Last year as i approached the starting line, i vomited. I smelled of booze and vomit, and was dressed as a referree. Race starts... and I'm off. Then around mile 3.5 i was attacked by my team and forced to down a beer. Finally after running 6 miles, i was met at the relay point by my team where the next runner and i downed a beer. Good times.

This event is probably one of the most strenuous things i have done in my life to my body. Abuse is an understatement. Why do we do it then? I really don't know, but it is always good times and provides great future stories. This year will be no different, if I don't post on Monday, well, that means I probably passed. Have a great weekend and see you Monday.

Is That an Acme Brick Stuck to your head?

So I’m driving to work this morning on Oaklawn, and as soon as I hit Cedar Springs (the Gayberhood), I hit traffic. This is odd, because it never happens except at 2 am when the gay bars let out and drunken gay guys and Lesbos are running around looking for a hook up which isn’t hard at that time of night in that area of town… and I digress.

Anyways, I’m sitting there very bored out of my mind and notice that the person’s head in front of me has something odd about it. There ear seems to have some strange pen shaped stick coming out of it, oh wait, that is the antenna to their Zack Morris Cell phone popping out of their head. Now, driving with a cell phone is ok and all, but this person was using a ton of hand expressions while talking on the cell phone. That’s right, no hands on the wheel, I’m not sure how they were managing to drive in the dead stop traffic. But anyways, back to my point, non verbal communication on a cell phone is pointless. The person can’t see you… duh. Not a big deal, some people talk with their hands (and there is a point that it gets annoying).

Goals before I'm 30

Below is a list of goals I have come up with that I would like to achieve prior to turning 30 years old (the Tri Deca Birthday)

- Climb/hike to an altitude higher then 18,000 feet
- Visit South America (see glacier and hike around)
- Run a marathon or a half marathon will suffice, extra points for the full
- Stop drinking for 90 days
- Be able to Lead climb
- Own a house
- Have X amount of dollars saved for retirment (If you really want to know my goal, let me know)
- Salary = X amount of dollars
- Increase cooking knowledge and acquire a new signature dish besides Chicken Parmesan

Peace.

Email is something that is used extremely frequently in today’s business world. It seems as if email etiquette though was not taught to everyone. Luckily I took a class that actually had lessons where we learned to write emails correctly. One of my favorite replies I got from a question I asked follows:

My email: Does this mean the file from reserve was processed successfully?
Response: Please.

Please? What does that mean; it is a "yes or no" question. I never replied back to the email above and just took my best guess that “Please” must have meant yes. Time and time again I get email responses that appear as if the user did not even read my email, because there answer has nothing to do with what I am asking. Now I understand misspelling sometimes, not attaching docs, and other common mistakes, but if you are going to respond, please make your answer somewhat understandable. Thanks.

Christmas Time... is here

It’s that time of year again… the time when the streets are covered with lights and everyone is happy because its Christmas time. Well, most people are happy.

If I had to imagine, stress levels are typically peak around this time of year. With all the crowded shopping, the family visits, buying Christmas presents, baking cookies, drinking eggnog, never ending Christmas parties, writing Christmas cards, faking a smile more than normal, and several other actions that can increase stress levels.

So how will we all deal with this peak in stress, well in theory, if everyone’s stress increases by the same amount, and all else is held constant, than chaos will of course ensue… right? Wrong, the actual result in everyone’s stress increasing causes trash to go increase. Believe it or not, when people stress, they eat more, smoke more, use more, and therefore increase the amount of trash produced. So try not to stress, and try not to create more trash, because there’s already way to much in this world.

Or, just give up stressing out like I did 2 years ago.

How many?

How many partners is too many? We all have our set number of standards on what we think may or may not be appropriate. In general, most females (excluding whores, skanks, sluts, and girls that just like to have fun in that way), tend to have less sexual partners than males (12.4 is the male average and 7.2 is the female average). How do you compare to the average?

More than a quarter (27%) of the people in the world have only had one partner. One person... wow is all i have to say.

Sometimes i wonder what percentage of the world has never had sex(over the legal age of 18, except Kazakhstan where the legal age is 8). Or is it possible to go one's entire life with out having sex (and without molesting boys all you crazy priests and bishops who take a vow of "celibacy")?

In other news... i joined an online pyramid scheme today that "pays" for reading emails. Check it out if you have tons of time and want to try it, no guarantees, but if it works I'll definitely write about it in the future. And if you do do it, set up a separate email address so you don't get tons of crap in a personal email box... just a recommendation.