tehehe

I was surfing blogs via BlogExplosion again today after lunch and ran across this great joke at Chill Dot Com (a site that I've now added to my "Fun Links" list):

A blond was driving along a country road, listening to the radio. The D.J. was telling blonde jokes one after the other, and she got extremly pissed off and turned off the radio.

She continued down the road, and in a field she saw another blonde in a canoe trying to row across the field. She stopped and got out of the car, and yelled across to the other blond, "It's blondes like you who make everyone think that we're stupid. If I could swim, I'd come out there and give you a piece of my mind!"

That was flippin' hilarious...thanks Matt.

It's official...

Lost is my favorite TV show and J.J. Abrams is a flippin' genius. The development of the story just keeps getting better -- more twisted and misleading and yet we learn more each week about each of the characters -- when ABC doesn't do three weeks of re-runs. I can't wait to pull it up on the TiVo and watch it. Last night's episode (Deux Ex Machina) left me wondering What IS on that island? What IS that big concrete thing with the hatch in the top? How DID Locke get paralyzed? -- and that is exactly how a television show is supposed to be written. Like the first couple of seasons of Alias, this show makes you want to watch the next episode, and the next, and so on. So, after watching the episode with Kels, I looked at her and said "that is the best show on television! I love it!" Pretty big words from a guy who hates normal, everyday television.

Afterwards, Kels fell asleep on the couch and I plunged into the world of Azeroth, playing my n00bie PvP character - Zilah - for about an hour. I'm just amazed at how fast World of Warcraft sucks you in with "foozles" (little rewards and bonuses) along the path to levelling. You're so busy just playing, collecting "foozles" and having fun that you don't realize DING! you've levelled again. I hit 13 with Zilah and then logged over to Argent Dawn to play Hargus, my main. He's so fun to play...especially with the almost-guaranteed-group that I play with made up of Randy (Tollo), Robert (Bogin) and Dusty (Dlangar).

So I was up till 2am, back from vacation-mode and back into the old routine. :P

The brain and a lack thereof

Ok, so I'm at work today and had a little time between code to check out a few links via BlogExplosion. I ran across a blog with the following posted -- readingChallenge.gif (click the link to view). I was amazed to feel my brain actually working to fix the misspellings. Our minds are just so astounding and we just take them for granted.

Then I thought about the assinine fight that is occuring in Florida as we speak over the plight of Terri Shiavo. She's been a vegetable since 1990 after she suffered brain damage when her heart stopped briefly from a chemical imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder. Her husband (Michael) has been fighting to try to let her die for the last few years...but her parents, the courts and "right-to-life" organizations have been getting in the way. Until now. If I were in that situation, clinging to life only because of a respirator and feeding tube, I would beg for death, because that isn't living. Terri Shiavo will be at peace when it's all over...and that's the most important thing. It's not whether it is right or wrong, it's all about what's best for her.

So, at what point do we deem a person "viable" for the end? Anyway...sorry to get on my soapbox, but it was just bugging me.

Wow...what a vacation!

I feel as if I just spent five days in a car, probably because I practically did. Kelsey and I left on Tuesday night (22 March) to head northward in "spurts". We departed sunny and 70 degrees in Dallas to immediately see a change in the weather. From bright, cheerful and spring-like to grey, cold and bland. We reached Jacksonville, Arkansas at about 11:30pm and camped out at the Comfort Inn just off of I-67 -- 5-and-a-half hours down, 7 more to go to see my "Turks".

This trip could be called the "make-up" trip, but in addition to that it would allow me a chance to celebrate my son Hayden's 7th birthday and spend as much time as I possibly could with them, before they were whisked off to Mississippi with their grandparents. They'll be moving there soon, it'll be closer (9 hours instead of 12) but I wish I could have taken them with me to Michigan. That is the "make-up" part of the trip. In November, when we originally planned to head all the way to Osseo, Michigan to visit Kelsey's mom we plowed a deer at mile marker 13 along a stretch of I-57 now deemed "Thanksgiving Alley". The run-in with the buck not only cost me a month with my new Mazda, but also cut short our trip to the hinterlands. I'm finally "making-up" that trip to Kels.

So, Wednesday morning we woke at 5:30am and started heading north, through Missouri and on to Forsyth, Illiniois. I missed getting there in time to pick Hayden up from school, but Kels and I were able to spend the entire evening on Wednesday and most of the day Thursday with the kiddos. It was grand. I loved every moment of it. From opening Hayden's gifts, watching them interact with Kels, smiles, hugs, little kisses...I was in heaven. I miss them so much. I hated to see Thursday come and go, but it did. I also visited with Ben, Kels caught up with some of the old Panera gang. It was weird to be back in Decatur. I missed Dallas...

Friday morning, we rose again at dawn...and were on the road by 6am. We trekked north and east, through the traffic of Chicago, to the boredom of I-80 and the time change. We cut across the top of Indiana and into Ohio, then turned north to Osseo. It's kind of like Luebbering, where I grew up. Out in the woods, wild critters everywhere. But it was cold, snowy and generally bleak along the ride. Kels and I passed the time singing to one another, reading American Gods together and just staying awake. We arrived at about 2:00pm, said our "hellos", presented John (Kelsey's little brother) with his birthday present and then took a nap. Friday evening was relaxed. We just spent time chatting with Kelsey's mom, looking at old pictures and playing with John. He's such a funny kid. We had dinner around 7pm and turned in around 10:30pm.

Saturday we woke, ate breakfast (yummy homemade muffins and breads) and then headed out to the nearby dairy farm for a tour. That was really interesting, Hayden and Baylie would have got a kick out of it, had they been able to come with. Then we went to Cabala's -- Michigan's answer for Missouri's Bass Pro Shop. We had a late afternoon/early evening dinner and then headed towards Missouri...9 hours. We arrived at 2:15am at my dad's house...and promptly fell to sleep.

Sunday, I woke to my dad stirring his coffee, a familiar sound from my childhood. It wasn't just "coffee" it was Starbucks, a fringe benefit of being with Kels. The smell of Breakfast Blend helped to woo me off the couch and into conversation with dad. He and I really are alike in a lot of ways...I love spending time with him, just man0 y mano. I had only expected to see Dad, Colin, Kira and perhaps Bryan and Jackie, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that Carolyn and Amos were up collecting furniture for their new loft in Springfield. Kelsey and I assisting with the loading of their truck and then we all (Bry, Kels, Amos, Carolyn and I) convoyed to Springfield. 4 hours...

We unloaded the truck then headed off to Amos' parent's home for Easter dinner. Yummy soups, tasty biscuits and filling desserts. But, we had to go around 7:30pm...and started making our way out of Missouri again, this time into Oklahoma. We took an experimental route this time -- through Tulsa to the Okmulgee Turnpike and south towards Dallas. About 1am, my navigator asleep (she had to work at 5:30am today), I made a critical error and turned south when I should have turned west. Our 6-hour trip quickly became an 8-hour fiasco. We finally made it home around 3:30am...and threw ourselves into bed. *sigh*

I learned a lot about Kels this trip, and she about me. I miss my "Turks" already, but we're home, safe and sound, wow...what a vacation...

Monday...bloody Monday

I hate Mondays, loathe them. I had a good weekend only to be spoiled by the arrival of Monday. I was so confused about which day it was (yesterday) that when I woke up at 6am I thought "crap! I have to go to work today!". You can't imagine how relieved I was to find out it was Sunday... *whew*

All-in-all, it was a pretty productive weekend. Friday night, Kels had to work, but we went out with Blake (one of her co-workers at Starbucks) and two of his buddies. We ended up hitting The Flying Saucer in Addison. The place is covered (walls and ceilings) with vintage and collector plates, and they have 500 beers available -- which is really cool. We closed the place, then headed back to the apartment for some more fun which included watching the Brak Show DVD (First Season) that I purchased the other day. Oh man, was that funny!

Woke up Saturday early -- Kels had to open *sigh* and played World of Warcraft most of the morning. Played my dwarven warrior, Hargus, who (at that time) was quickly closing in on the prized level of 40! When Kels got home, we headed out to Frisco to eat and look for some shorts for her. We were unsuccessful. Returned home, fell asleep and woke up too late to go to hockey practice. So, just went back to bed and caught up on sleep I apparently needed...

Kels worked again on Sunday morning, so I got up with her and then played again. When Kels got home we ventured out to White Rock Lake Park, in northeast Dallas. Was a pretty cool place and we'd have stayed longer if the wind wasn't making it so darn cold out. We headed home around 4pm and Kels promptly fell asleep on the couch. I woke her around 6pm, we ran to Lowes and bought the fixins for her "Popazon Coffee Table" (don't ask...just read her blog).

Played most of the night and made fine progress with Hargus, but didn't attain 40 until late in the evening -- after many, many deaths at the hands of swashbucklers and warlocks on the "Wild Shores" near Booty Bay *snicker*. When I hit my goal, Bogin (played by my buddy Robert) and I headed for Ironforge to dump loot at the auction house and purchase our mounts. At 1am I plopped down my 90 gold for a gray ram and training to ride it. It moves so fast! I lent Bogin some gold and he picked out his fancy blue mechanostrider -- aka "mechanical chicken"-- and we rode around for a half hour watching each other...

Good times...

Monday still sucks.

What I found surfing the web...

While perusing the web today I came across this very funny flash tool -- The South Park Character Generator Studio. My profile pic reflects the little "South Park" version of me...just cracked me up!

While I've not regularly watched "South Park" since about season 3, there are still things about it that just make me giggle. The movie, "Bigger, Longer and Uncut" still has some of the best cartoon moments of all time. Anyway, for those of you who visit here...check the little tool out and enjoy!

Number 9...Number 9...

Number 9 you ask?
Yes...Doctor Who is coming back and apparently the new 45-minute episode called "Rose" has been leaked to the internet and the UK is all a tizzy. The new version of the old classic that I stayed up every Sunday night to watch will star Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and British pop star, Billie Piper as Rose, the Doctor's assistant.

I wonder how long it'll take for these new episodes to hit the US, otherwise, I may have to ring up my pals in the UK and have them tape it for me!

Tuesdays with err...Hockey

Well, I didn't get to skate out as I had hoped. Alan contacted me on Tuesay morning and confirmed that I'd be in net, in that the Shifter's goaltender is still not 100% (after breaking his collarbone a few weeks ago). It was a hard-fought game...but the other team just kept pushing and scoring. I had more breakaways on me in this game than I think I've had in a long time. I stopped many of them, but the pummelling eventually led to a power-play goal for them, a squeaker (how I hate those) and then an empty netter when I went to the bench with 1:24 left to play.

We lost, but I played a solid game, made some fun saves. I'll probably play again with the Shifters next Tuesday, and my Frisco league (the Komets) practices on Saturday with the Fury. Hopefully we'll get a scrimmage in...

In other news, Kels has been off the last couple of days and is in "spring cleaning" mode, and aptly so, it has been beautiful outside this week with the sun out and temps hovering in the 70s. I love it when she gets motivated to do stuff I don't want to do. She's going through closets, rubbermaid buckets and all of our collective junk and determining value -- keep or toss. She also aired out all my hockey gear yesterday. I've never smelled so fresh and clean! Thanks sweety!

Hockey and Hell

Played hockey twice this weekend and I'm feeling it...

We had practice for the Frisco league I'm in on Saturday night/Sunday morning at midnight. Was interesting to say the least with only six people making an appearance. Did have fun though. Played again Sunday night with the Shifters (my buddy Alan's D-league team) in Plano. We skated to a 5-5 tie. I had a shutout through the first period and then all hell broke loose. They picked up 4 goals in a span of 10 minutes -- and the refs failed to blow the whistle again and again. Just made me angry. I play with the Shifters again on Tuesday, this time skating up, instead of in the net...should be fun.

Kels and I also went to see Constantine this weekend. Surprisingly good movie. I expected it to be an awful comic book adaptation starring Neo. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I suspect going in with lowered expectations may have helped. Not nearly as entertaining as Hellboy, but they did a good job with the story and it had some great effects...

Welcome to my privvy...

It has been a while since I blogged...the last time was back in November of 2004, when lots of stuff was occurring in my life. Much of it has since passed. I'm starting over at the ripe old age of 33, with a new slate.

Just to put it all in perspective:

• My marriage dissolved, after almost 10 years. It was for the better, although I miss my kids terribly (they're with their mom in Illinois)
• The best job I've had in a long time ended on April 23rd (the day before my mom passed away). Our company was purchased up by a larger company and my job was eliminated.
• My mom passed away last April, after a year long fight with ovarian cancer. I'm still not fully over it yet, although it's nearly been a year. I miss her...
• I moved back towards St. Louis with the intent of seeing my dad and my siblings more. Instead I started working for a consulting group and worked so much I rarely had time to see them.
• In November, I left St. Louis for Dallas TX. I'm working at a company that collects "sensitive" data for insurance and legal needs. *sigh* It's a job...

Anyway...life moves on and I'm moving right along with it.