June 28, 2007
Wha???
Ran over to the cousin's house last night. His wife was getting back from a three week business trip to Germany, so we all got together to welcome her. Sounds like she had a pretty decent time, but I was really only concerned about one part of her trip.
While there, she was able to hook up with one of my cousins, who moved over there, and get a chance to meet some of my family.
I may have written about it before, but I'll mention it anyway: I'm second generation American, and there are many family members still over there. I've only had the opportunity to meet one of them, a second cousin, and he seemed pretty cool. So I'm pretty interested to know a bit more about these folks.
When there was a bit of a lull, I asked her how it was to meet the family. She gave me a serious look (she was dead serious), rolled her eyes, and said, "They're fucking strange! It was so weird... talking to them was like trying to talk to you ("you" referring to my two brothers and myself). They're all sarcastic smart asses!"
June 27, 2007
Updated: Characters
Do you read a lot of fiction? If so, do you have a favorite character? Who?
My answer later...
Like you, it's impossible for me to narrow it down to just one, so here's a few.
Lucas Davenport, from John Sandford's "Prey" series.
Ross Murdock, from Andre Norton's "Time Traders" series.
William Tell Sackett, and his (many times removed) uncle, Jubal, from Louis L'Amour's "Sackett" series.
Thanks for listing your favorites... now I've got some more books to check out.
June 26, 2007
First Books
AW asks us, What book got you hooked?" She also let's us know where we can go vote for our favorites.
For me, that's an easy one:
By Ira Sot
First read by me when I was a ripe old three years old. An easy favorite.
It's also rumoured to be the first book that Matty O'Blackfive read... when he was twelve. (I kinda doubt the authenticity of this story, as Matt was Army, and we know that most doggies still can't read. Right, Bloodspite?)
June 25, 2007
Lifting
An unsolicited bit of advice:
Do not pick up a military regulation size footlocker packed with books. Or if you do, don't do it a second time.
I'm off to chug some beers...
Understand?
What is the thought behind some of my postings?
For many of them, it's nothing more than this.
June 23, 2007
Sensitive
Tears are welling at the corners of my eyes as I type this, for I have been wounded to the core.
Yea, I say unto thee, I have been called a "sarcastic piece of shit." 'Tis true. And for probably the first time ever... today.
I'm trying to figure out if the tears are from my feeling being hurt, or satisfaction in a job well done...
June 22, 2007
Packrat?
Dimebag displays his pentatonics, Slayer's 10 Deadliest Riffs, Mike Einziger kicks his playing into high gear, and Zakk Wylde dicusses the new Black Label Society album.
Does I really need this shit?
June 21, 2007
Remaking The Rivalry
Locally, McDonalds has an ad campaign called "Wake Up The Rivalry." It is a set of four commercials, two pairs. The first one that I saw was of Carlos Zambrano (Cubs) sneaking in and getting A.J. Pierzynski (White Sox) with the old "shaving cream in the hand, and feather on the nose" trick. The next showed Pierzynski getting even and waxing Zambrano's eye brow.
The second set showed Jermaine Dye (Sox) drawing on Michael Barrett's (Cubes) face as he slept. Barrett retaliates by placing hundreds of mousetraps, set and ready, on the floor while Dye sleeps. He then yells at him to wake up, setting off the traps.
In each commercial, the prankster offers McDonald's chow as a peace offering.
I have been wondering if Mac's is doing this in other markets, or if it's just here. But now that Zambrano's favorite punching bag is gone (traded to the Padres), using him as part of the rivalry just doesn't seem right. Hell... it really should have had him and Pierzynski pranking each other, in the first place. They do have a history.
I'm so confused now...
June 20, 2007
The Bunch of Letters Meme
What the hell... Erica was the first one that I read, so in my usual timely fashion, I'll humor myself and answer the meme
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? While I can't give exact numbers, I'd say the number of folks that I was named after dwarves the number of folks that I was named before. Okay... yes. I was named after That 1 Grandpa.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I'm thinking it was after seeing Salma Hayek in "From Dusk Til Dawn," again. Tears of joy, but tears nonetheless.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, but really... as long as it works, it's cool by me.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Pastrami. Although, when I was in Florida, I loved their Cuban sandwiches. I don't know what Castro feeds those folks, but they taste alright to me.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No. Not even a blog chiltren.
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Eventually. We'd probably take a while to get to know each other.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? What is this "sarcasm?"
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hell yes...
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cocoa Crispies, Life, Oatmeal Raisin Crisp
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Never.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Smelling?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Cookies and Creme, or Chocolate... covered in chocolate syrup. Lots of chocolate syrup...
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes... handshake.
RED OR PINK? Red.
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Always being right. It gets pretty old, at times.
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Pa.
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? No shoes, and camouflage shorts.
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? An open face prime rib sammidge.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Sepultura, "Chaos A.D."
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? AMF Bowling Ball Green
FAVORITE SMELLS? Motorcycle exhaust, concerts (beer, pot, "fog," sweat). I also like the way the a woman's faint perfume on her neck warms and increases as...
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My little bro...
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Chicago Sports... Bears, White Sox... and even the Cubes.
HAIR COLOR[S]? Brown
EYE COLOR? Hazel... mostly brown, but green at times.
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No eye wear, period.
FAVORITE FOOD? Fritz's Blackened Salmon, Hooter's Buffalo Shrimp... holy hell... this could take forever...
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happily Scary Movies
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? “The Hills Have Eyes”
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? None
SUMMER OR WINTER? While I like the "scenery" better in the summer, I'd have to go with winter.
HUGS OR KISSES? I don't know... probably hugs. Or maybe even chokes. J/K
FAVORITE DESSERT? Double chocolate cake, Black Forest Cake, Death By Chocolate. Young's Double Chocolate Stout. LONG LIVE CHOCOLATE!
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Everybody has already responded. They got the jump.
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? While nobody is expected to reply, it's a safe bet to say that Chou won't reply.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Too damn busy to read. I think... but I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of Sanford's "Invisible Prey."
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Old school Chicago Bears' logo...
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Watched the Cubes win over the Rangers. Tonight, I stopped watching the Rangers returning the favor.
FAVORITE SOUND[S]? The roar of a Harley, the crunch of a Marshall, the laughter of friends.
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Stones.
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Bački Petrovac, Yugoslavia (at the time... now it's Serbia).
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Not really.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a hospital. In Rockford. In Illinois.
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Whoever decides to finally give in and be a lemming.
Dislucia
It's funny... I love to read. Fiction, history, biographies, cereal boxes... I'll read them all. It's interesting to see the way folks string words together, painting images within our minds. Each writer has their own styling, and I find it fascinating.
Toss those words into a contract, though, and about all I can pull from it is that the author ingested huge amounts of Alpha-bits and Alphabet soup, strategically placed their own personal self over a few sheets of paper, and spewed forth an alphabetic gastric spray.
I just can't hang with it...
June 15, 2007
June 13, 2007
A Question
Opening a delicious can of stew, I was greeted with a delectable aroma that immediately brought back memories. It also provided me with a question... and answer honestly.
What was your favorite dog food as a young pup?
I'd have to say that I preferred Kennel Ration... though Wayne's Feeds dry was pretty decent...
June 12, 2007
June 11, 2007
June 10, 2007
Newsdate
Ho Ho Ho... Merry Sunday, folks! I woke up with the shakes and a major league sunburn, but I'm feeling pretty gottdamned good... I was able to get out and ride over to the mighty Mississippi, yesterday.
Didn't mean to leave you all hanging for that long, but it couldn't be helped. I got my "news" just before I had to run out the door to assist Contagion in yet another beer overstock and buffalo shrimp takedown. And of course, yesterday, I was out on the road. But I'm here now, so I'll tell you... I finally got the job offer. I'm in the midst of figuring out if it's worthwhile or not...
'Twas a strange ride. I went out for the interview the week before Memorial Day, and everything went very smoothly. I interviewed with six separate folks, and I know I did well with each of them... well, the only possible hurt that I tossed at myself was dropping the "f-bomb" once. Hey... that's actually pretty fuckin' good. Anyway, the trip went very well, and I was told that I should hear back from them, and very soon.
Great company, I loved the set up that they had. They had a real team atmosphere, and it wasn't just a show thing. It's the way that they function, and you could tell it from talking to all of them. I was very impressed, and (without trying to sound like a braggart) I knew that I was a hit with them.
Back here, I heard nothing. At all. I'd sent out the application and a list of references, and was greeted by silence. I finally did get an email with some of the info that I had requested, but nothing about the job. I finally figured, "Screw it," and sent a copy of my resume to a friend who works with an employment agency.
That was Friday morning... three hours before I got the offer from Fresno. I guess it can pay to goad Mr. Murphy, a bit.
Now, I've got some figuring to do...
June 08, 2007
June 07, 2007
June 06, 2007
Lookin' Good
While yesterday tore me down pretty good, I had a couple of good days to kick the week off. With any luck, the week should end in much the same way.
Sunday, I went to the Rockford Airfest, with a couple of friends, and watched a pretty cool airshow, capped off by the Blue Angels. While there, I ran into Raging Mom and Old Sarge, as well as Contagion and Ktreva, and Clone. Contagion's got some great pics.
Monday, I hitched a ride up to Janesville... with the Bane of Navigation. Once we finally arrived, I took care of a few errands, and waited at Kutter's while she went about her recon. She only got lost three times, so I didn't end up waiting for nearly as long as I thought it would be, before she picked me up, and we went to Red Robin to meet up with Richmond and her mother, and Harvey. Harvey's lovely wife, TNT, was unable to make it... she says. Work, she says. Only have so much time for lunch, she says. I don't think she likes me too much. Heheheh.... Anyway, it was a great visit, though it was too short.
You know... hanging around bloggers is a pretty cool thing. You can't help but feel better about yourself. Hell, being seen with them really can make you look good. Many of the women are babes, and most of these folks are gottdamned smart. Intelligent, even. Intelligence by association.
'Course, there are those that just make you look smart in comparison, too.
My good friend Zonker, for instance.
He may have some problems, but Z-man is one of the best folks you can hang around.
Except for when he shits himself.
*Pic blatantly stolen and used without permission from the Reverend Samuel Moore
