2007

Damn ... the years just keep flying by.

2007 marks 10 years since I graduated from high school. In 1997, I could have never imagined being 30, it seemed so old. Now I'm barely more than 2 years away.

Yikes!

All I can do is keep moving forward. At times I feel like I haven't accomplished everything I thought I would have by now. Other times I look at where I am at this age compared to where my parents were at this age and I realize that I'm doing alright.

I can't even imagine what the new year will bring for me. I can only hope that it will bring nothing but good things for me, my friends and my family.

I'll drink to that!

sick

For X-mas, Ally and I both got sick. I'm not 100% sure who gave us this great gift, but whoever it was .... THANKS!

The worst part is that my supervisior at work is in South Carolina for vacation and I have to be at work while he's gone because I am the only one in the department that can do some of the things that need to be done on a daily basis. If he were here, I would definitely have called in sick today and rested. That's just not an option right now, so I'll just have to bear with the discomfort and get through the sickness.

to you and yours ...

Merry X-mas!

I hope everyone's holidays are safe and fun.

Eat lots of food and and enjoy the presence of friends and/or family.

disappointing

Call me a bad fan, but I wasn't expecting the Ducks to win their bowl game against BYU. Oregon was favored to win in every poll I read, but the facts were in favor of BYU. Sure the Ducks had the number 8 offense in the nation, and one of the best pass defenses in the nation, but BYU entered the game with an explosive offense behind a quarterback who averaged 250 yards per game. Add to that the Duck's three straight losses to end the regular season versus #19 BYU's 10 straight wins, and in my mind it looked like Oregon was going to lose.

What I wasn't expecting was the absolute blowout that happened.

BYU won the game 38-8 against a Duck's team that looked like they didn't want to be there in the first place. After the lackluster performance they displayed, maybe they didn't even deserve to be there.

I hate talking bad about my alma mater's football team, but they just looked terrible. It's almost embarrassing.

All in all, they did finish the season 7-6, which is still a winning season, and will be returning a lot of players next season. Hopefully everyone that isn't graduating will return next year with more experience and composure, and hopefully the recruiting class coming in next year will add at least a few good players to the roster.

Maybe this was a learning experience, although after 4 straight bowl losses you have to wonder how many of those one team needs before they can get it right.

Oh no!

The Oregon Ducks football team started the year off so well, only to end the year terribly. It was frustrating and embarrassing as a fan.

Now, a few days before their bowl game with BYU, I find out that they are going to be wearing new, ugly helmets in the game.

Their uniforms are already of questionable taste, but I have always been able to stick up for them to people who made fun of them. With these new helmets though, I may not be able to defend the choice ... they are simply hideous!

Deutschland

It seems like everyone I know has gone or is going to Germany on vacation.

Ryan Liebe was there a few months ago, Jason Slye is there right now, and Jeremy Earnest is going in a week.

I haven't been to Europe since the Summer of 1998. I had a good time when I went, but I feel like I missed out on a lot of fun. One reason for this is that I went alone. This meant that I didn't have anyone to explore with. I stayed with Jason's GAPP exchange student Lisa and her family, which was better and cheaper than staying in hotels. Problem was that Lisa lives there, and it is hard to be excited about the place that you have always lived. It would have been nice to have experienced it with someone else. The second reason that I feel like I missed out on fun is that when I went, my girlfriend at the time was militant about hating alcohol. Not to say that I didn't drink and smoke when I was there, but I wasn't anywhere near the alcoholic I am now.

I would love to get back to Europe, especially Germany, soon. I feel like I have all but lost my ability to speak the language, despite my German minor. I wish airfare wasn't so expensive.

The Science of Sleep

Tim and I went and saw this movie last night. It was written and directed by Michael Gondry, who is known for his Bjork videos and for directing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

The movie is visually and mentally stimulating. The writing in Eternal Sunshine is better, thanks to Charlie Kaufman, but this film is still full of funny, witty, and compelling dialogue. It's definitely one of those movies that you don't completely understand right away. I left the theater with my brain trying to process everything that I had just seen and heard. I'm already looking forward to seeing the movie again in hopes of understanding it more, as well as noticing things I may have missed the first time.

a good time

Our trip to Seattle was a mix of good and bad.

The drive wasn't bad, even though we left later than we were hoping and made it to Seattle around 5pm on a Friday. There were a few instances of bad drivers, which is to be expected in Washington, but we made safely.

We went straight to the club where the show was, which was a lot harder to find than I hoped for. The roads in Seattle are not laid out as well as in Portland. There is no grid, and in a several block radius several one way streets will cross in all directions causing a bunch of weird intersections. On top of that some of the streets go over while others go under, and a street will change names several times in a few blocks. The map below shows the location of the venue, which may give you an idea of hard it was to find the place.

The show was great. The sound at the venue was good, and the bands sounded great. Unfortunately there were 7 bands booked for the show. We spent most of the time in the bar at the venue since there weren't any bars or restaurants in the neighborhood. Chad gave us his drink tickets since he didn't want to be drunk for his set. Adam and Shannon met us there, which was great not only because it's fun to see them but also because Shannon isn't a fan of metal, and it means alot that she came to the show to hang out with us anyways. The mix of drinks and not enough food made us pretty drunk. There was a bit of drama with some of our friends, which sort of ruined the mood of the evening, so we left with Adam and Shannon and went to Dick's get some burgers and fries. Yummy! Not only is the food great, but it sounds funny to say that you are eating Dick's.

Back at Adam and Shannon's, we went to bed but with the bedroom door closed, the heater was too much for the small room. I was sweating like I was back in Mexico in July, only without the comfort of an air conditioned room. I slept maybe a total of an hour and a half until I finally just went out to the living room around 7 am and watched TV.

After everyone else woke up, and several cups of coffee, we went and got breakfast and headed downtown to the Bodies Exhibition.

The exhibit was really interesting. The bodies were pretty creepy, but it was really informational.

After the exhibit we headed back home to Portland and then went to my company's end of year party. The food was good, but the drinks were expensive. I won $100 in gift certificates to Lowe's, which is great.

After the party we went out for drinks with my supervisor Matt, his wife Dawn, and my co-worker Keenan. It was fun to hang out together not in a work enviornment.

All in all, it was a good weekend. Good music, good friends, good exhibit, and good drinks.

heading north

This weekend Ally and I are heading to Seattle. It should be a fun weekend. On Friday we are going to see Himsa (Chad Davis's band) and Almost is Nothing (Toby's band). Chad was nice enough to offer to put us the guest list, which is great since gas is so expensive these days.

Himsa

Saturday morning we plan on going to the Bodies exhibit. It looks creepy but interesting.

We haven't been to Seattle for a while, and it will be great to see Adam, Shannon and Rocco (their dog). It's always nice to get out of town once in a while, especially if you get to see friends and have fun.

Then Saturday night, if we're back in Portland in time, we are going to the "end-of-year party" for my work. This might not be that much fun, but it's free food and the possibility of winning prizes.

snow

I said I wanted snow, and we got a little bit last night. It's not enough to play with or to make me not have to go to work. It's actually pretty pathetic. Still, it was kind of pretty this morning.

back to work

The only day that I worked last week was Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. The office was dead, most people took the day off. The office was closed early, and we were sent home around 2:30. That means that in the last 9 days, I have only worked 6 hours.

Tomorrow I finally return to work for a full week. That is if it doesn't snow really bad. It hasn't snowed here yet, and I'm sure that when it does it will mostly only be in the west hills. Seattle has already received a decent amount of snow. Why isn't it snowing here in Portland?

hospital fun

I don't work this Monday (today) through Thursday (Thanksgiving) this week. On top of me being gone from work most of the week, one of my coworkers got a new job and her last day was on Friday. Not wanting to leave the remaining two people in my department with a bunch of work on Monday, I decided to stay late on Friday and make sure that everything got done before I left.

But alas, that wasn't meant to be.

Ally called me and told me that she wasn't feeling well. What she had assumed were cramps in her stomach had become worse than she had ever felt, and she was feeling nauseous. She tried to call a few people to get a ride to the Urgent Care Center, but no one was available so she drove herself. They took her temperature and a urine sample and then told her that she needed to go to the emergency room because she needed a bunch of tests. Apparently they aren't good at fixing people at Urgent Care, they are just good at scaring the shit out of people.

Ally called me from the emergency room and sounded really scared. They told her it would be at least a 2 hour wait before she could get in to see a doctor. I left work early and took the bus to the hospital.

When I got there, Ally's friend Erin was there and Ally looked calmed down. Erin got us coffee and Ally water and we all three waited for an eternity to see a doctor.

Once finally in a room, Ally had blood taken, a catheter put in for another blood sample, and a pelvic exam. Turns out that she has an acute bladder infection. Ally assumes it is from too much soda and not enough water. She was given a bunch of drugs, some prescriptions, and paperwork and we were sent on our way.

Even though it was a scary situation, we made the best of it and joked around and tried to have fun. That was a lot easier after Ally was drugged up.

Here's some pics.

wedding fun

Kathie's wedding was Saturday night. Jeremy Earnest, Slye and Silke all met up at our house before the wedding and we went together in Jeremy's car.

On the drive downtown, we invented a new sex term. It's really disgusting. We were listening to the radio and a PJ Harvey song came on. Ally asked if we knew what the PJ stood for. I had no idea, so I blurted out "Poop Jizz". When asked what "poop jizz" was, I decided off the top of my head that it is what happens when going to the bathroom after having anal sex. Gross, right?

The nastiness didn't stop there though. Once in the church, waiting for the wedding to start, Slye pointed out a stained glass window depicting Jesus praying with a shaft of light from heaven shining on his face. He calls across the pew to me and says a bit too loudly, "look, Jesus is getting a facial from God!" If it wasn't yet certain, we're definitely going to hell now.

After the wedding, we went to the reception. The food was good, and the free Bridgeport IPA was good while it lasted. Sarah Skoglund was one of the bridesmaids, so it was sort of a nice mini high school reunion. We eventually had to drink free Coors Light, but by this time we were dancing and making fun of the wasted girls that Jeremy was dancing with, asking him if he was going to be giving them PJ's later that night.

We left Jeremy at the reception and took his car to the A&L for a few more drinks before bed. Slye and Silke are luckily both thin enough to fit on our couch together. I'm told that they slept well.

Laser Life

new glasses

I got new glasses the other day. I like them. They are titanium and have a faux "woodgrain" look to them that makes them look like brushed metal.

It's hard to take pictures of yourself.

Damn ... it's raining!

Nearly 3 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, and it just keeps coming down.

I had to walk across downtown on my lunch break today to pick up my old glasses. On the way there I had to walk around huge puddles, my socks got wet and my umbrella turned inside out a few times. I was also stopped on the street by a news reporter who interviewed me. I watched the news after work but apparently the election, flooding on the coast anddowned trees and powerlines are all more important and visually exciting than my interview.

I know this is Oregon, but this is way more rain than usual. It's unbearable.

day of drinking

Wow, yesterday was a long day.

Around 12:30, Ally and I drove to the Clackamas mall (oh joy!) so that Ally could get a dress for Kathie Pinkston's wedding next weekend.

After the mall, we headed to 87th and Division St. where Ally's friend Erin's uncle Kevin works at a tow company. He had promised to replace our brake pads on the car. Slye was going to help me change them, but he has been busy building a bathroom in his house, and I just didn't want to drive to Eugene in the monsoon we've been having. As we were sitting around the tow shop waiting for Kevin to start, Jeremy Earnest called my cell phone. He had just gotten off of work and didn't want to drive all the way to Hillsboro to go home. We asked Jeremy to pick us up from the tow shop, so we waited a bit for him to show up and then left our car in Kevin's hands.

Jeremy wanted to drink, which was fine with us. Sure it was early (around 2:30), but the Ducks game was on and we had nothing better to do on such a wet day. So,we went to the A&L and had 3 drinks each before we went back to the tow shop to pick up our car.

We left the tow shop and went back home, where Jeremy was waiting for us. Ally took a nap on the couch while Jeremy and I played some Tecmo Super Bowl and drank a few beers in the garage.

Around 7:30 or 8:00, we realized that we were hungry, so we headed up the street to the sports bar we lovingly call Snot's (the real name is Sinnott's Lil' Cooperstown) where Tim and I played a few games of pinball and we all had a few more beers and some burgers.

Around 9:30 we headed downtown in Jeremy's car and dropped Jeremy off at a brew pub to meet some of his friends. Ally and I headed to the Boiler Room to meet up with Tyrel and his friends, including his friend Dan Hart who is in town from New York. Our favorite bartender/Tyrel's new girlfriend Clarissa hooked us up with some PBRs while we waited for Tyrel. Tyrel and his posse soon showed up, had a shot and some beers and then we all headed to Ground Kontrol to meet up with more friends and of course play a bunch more pinball and drink more beers. Ally made friends with a girl that just moved to PDX from Vermont, whom Ally likes to call "Mini Me" even though they look nothing alike.

After Ground Kontrol, we headed to Mary's Club for one beer each since the group we were with was going there. I'd never been to Mary's Club, and now I know why. It is tiny! Only one stripper at a time! Lame! We downed our beers and headed back to the Boiler Room where we had more beer and closed down the bar.

Ally and I got back in Jeremy's car and went home. We were finally in bed around 3:30, after successfully drinking for over 12 hours and never actually feeling drunk.

I miss daylight saving time

I left work last night and it was already getting dark. By the time I got home, it was night time. How depressing. I liked it better when I would return home from work and still have a few hours of daylight left. Now it just feels like I am wasting the day at work. I can't come home and get anything done outside. I don't have a light in my backyard, so even chopping wood for a fire is difficult.

Don't get me wrong, the weather has been nice lately. Perfect autumn days with cold crisp air and no rain. I'm just upset that I don't get to enjoy the weather before it turns into Portland's 6 months of grey skies and drizzle.

almost party time

Our Halloween party is this Saturday. I can't wait! I'm excited to see my friends, I'm excited to see everyone's costumes, and I'm excited about getting drunk.

office drama

Why is it that some people seem to thrive on drama? When there is no drama in their lives, they create drama by gossiping and assuming things that are untrue.

I was made aware today that some people at my work think that my coworker Mandy and I are dating. This is stupid. Mandy and I work the exact same schedule so we leave every day at the same time. We also both come from the Fargo/Moorhead, North Dakota area. We have become friends over time at work. But that is all, just friends. She has a boyfriend and I have a wife. Is it really so hard to believe that two people of the opposite sex can be "just friends"?

People should just mind their own business and not read so much into stupid circumstances.

my socks were rocked off

Tim and I went to see Cursive at the Roseland theater last night. I had seen Cursive once before when they opened for Mogwai. At that show, the singer Tim Kasher played guitar and keyboard so he was not moving around alot. I had also seen his other band The Good Life once, but they are more mellow. Last night, the band consisted of the regular two guitars, bass and drums but they were backed by three horn players and a cello player. It was a great show. The sound was full with so many instruments, and the band was obviously having a great time. Tim Kasher was running around on stage (he even fell over once) and generally acting crazy. His voice is so distinct and powerful. They surprised me by playing a good mix of old and new songs, instead of just playing the new songs from the album they are promoting. If you haven't heard of Cursive, I urge you to go pick up one of their albums, especially The Ugly Organ or Happy Hollow, or if they haven't played in your city yet, GO SEE THEM!

Here's the set list from last night's show:

Dorothy at Forty
Art is Hard
The Great Decay
Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes
Driftwood
The Radiator Hums
Tempest
Bad Sects
Hymns for the Heathen
The Recluse
The Game of Who Needs Who the Worst
Flag and Family
A Gentleman Caller

Encore:
Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand
The Martyr
Big Bang

so much good new music

So many bands that I like have recently released new albums, or are about to. I'm excited because I was starting to get bored with the same albums over and over again.

The new albums that I have heard and liked are:

Converge - No Heroes
Isis - In the Absence of Truth
These Arms are Snakes - Easter
Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Glenn Danzig - Black Aria II
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Cursive - Happy Hollow

The new albums that I haven't listened to yet and therefore have no opinion of yet:

Mogwai - Soundtrack of Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle
Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

sick

I had to call in sick to work yesterday. I had a fever all day and went back and forth between sweating and being cold. I used so much tissue that my nostrils are raw and sort of bleeding today. It was absolutely no fun. I don't have a fever today, so I am back at work, but my nose is still a bit runny and I'm still sort of stuffed up.

Feel sorry for me.

costume

I can't decide on a halloween costume. It is really frustrating to me. I'll probably end up buying a prefabricated costume from the store, but I wish I had the creativity to make my own kick ass costume. I just don't have any ideas though. I guess the prefab costumes aren't that bad, and when it's all said and done I'll be drunk and happy no matter what I wear.

I hate WOW!

seriously ... it's lame

Mr. Love

Ryan Liebe is now engaged to his long time girlfriend Corrine Miller.

Yay!

Apparently he had the dog wearing a shirt that said "Will you" waiting for Corrine at the bottom of the stairs when she returned home. Then Ryan was waiting for her at the top of the stairs with a shirt that said "Marry me?".

Isn't that just so cute that you want to puke?

I'm just kidding, it will make for a great story when they tell people.

Way to go Liebe!

a delay in progress

I went to Home Depot to buy the things I would need to build an end table only to realize that just buying a circular saw and saw horses will cost me around $70. Add to that the cost of wood that is good enough for furniture, and I'm looking at spending quite a bit of money. I still want to build stuff, but it looks like it may take some time before I am ready.

The Crane Wife

Ally has played the Decemberists so much in the last few months that I have learned to like them. Their songs tell stories in ways that most bands could never dream of ... not only with lyrics, but also with instruments. So, in anticipation of the release of their new album on Tuesday, I downloaded it. The first thing that I noticed is that the production value of a major label has served them well, everything sounds better (especially the singing). But, there was something else different about it that I couldn't quite figure out until halfway through the second track; a 12 and 1/2 minute song consisting of 4 seperately titled and distinctly different songs that flow seamlessly together. Suddenly, a keyboard part that is reminiscent of bands like the Who, Rush and Deep Purple (according to Tim) made me finally realize that this album is more than just a concept album, it is at times very much a progressive rock album. I love prog rock, so this is not a problem ... Ally on the other hand doesn't like prog rock. This makes me curious to see how she accepts this album. Will she love it or hate it? Will it somehow give her an appreciation of bands that are talented enough to use odd time signatures and dissonance to craft songs instead of the usual and often trite 4/4 pop music that most bands try to pass off as talent? Lets hope so! Hooray to the Decemberists, who will hopefully pass some of this new talent to Death Cab for Cutie through Chris Walla (who recorded this album). I like DCFC, but as their production value has become better, their songwriting has become more basic ... the exact opposite of the Decemberists.

a handyman I am not

One thing I have learned since I bought a house is that I am not good with tools. I never really learned how to build things, fix things, or work on cars. I can't really remember if this was the result of my dad leaving home when I was a preteen, or if he tried to show me things and I just didn't pay any attention. Nevertheless, I look around my home making a mental list of things around the house that are lacking or in need of repair, and I don't have the tools or knowledge for fixing them.

I want to change this. I'm realistic about it, I know that change is slow. I want to start out with some small easy projects. As I learn more and become better, I will have purchased the tools I need one by one and gained knowledge (hopefully) in woodworking, plumbing, electrical, etc.

So, what should I start with? I have thought about making a dog house, but Odin doesn't really stay outside. A bird house is too small, and I had the only tree in our yard cut down. When Tyrel moved out, he took our end tables. We have a table lamp that is sitting on the floor, and our cable modem and router are sitting on a mini-fridge that would serve a better purpose out in the garage. I found some instructions online for a coffee table. I was thinking that I could make a few adjustments to make the table square instead of rectangular and make two end tables.

Hopefully soon I will have two homemade end tables, a few new tools, a bit of woodworking knowledge and all of my fingers. Wish me luck!

METAL

Friday night I went to see the Bronx, Converge and Mastodon. It was great. I'll let a text message that Tyrel sent to me from across the room during the show sum up the show.

"Holy mother of god my head is going to explode if this gets any awesomer."

I don't think that it could be summed up any better than that. I only saw a few songs by the Bronx, but they seemed pretty good. I was really excited about seeing Converge, and Jacob Bannon and crew did not disappoint. They are such an amazing band. I have to admit that I generally like hardcore more than metal, but when Mastodon started playing, I understood completely why so many people had packed the Roseland to see them play. They were brutal, loud, and tight. The crowd went nuts.

The Oregon vs. Oklahoma debacle

Wow!

What a mess has been made by the football game last weekend that Ducks won against the Sooners.

Oklahoma fans have been represented by coach Stoops and University president (shouldn't he have more important things to occupy his time?), who have asked that the outcome of the game be stricken from the record books. All because of a bad call by the officials.

This was in no way the first time a bad call was made in a football game, and certainly won't be the last. The week before, the officials in Fresno called bad call after bad call against Oregon, almost costing them the game. On a bigger scale, last season's Super Bowl was won for the Pittsburgh Steelers by at least 5 bad officiating calls. Unfortunately it is part of the game, sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't.

What really matters in this particular circumstance is the fact that the game didn't end on the bad call. The Sooners had a chance to win the game with a field goal, and the kick was blocked. They blew it ... end of story, end of game.

There's a good articel on espn.com (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2594247). Here are a few highlights of that article:

"If the president can put down his pompon for a minute, he'll realize a couple of things:

1. Bad calls happen. In every game. A few times a year, they can play a critical role in a game's outcome. Are we going to set a precedent of presidential hissy fits after each critical blown call?

2. The game did not end on this bad call. Oklahoma still had the lead, still had a chance to win. It didn't get the job done.

But instead of absorbing this as an object lesson -- life is not fair, but you have to deal with it -- the school president is setting the sore-loser tone. "

"If the scoreboard says you lost, you lost. That's not going to change. Take an hour to vent postgame, then try to regain your sanity. Do not diminish your quality of life -- and the quality of life of those around you -- by spewing for days about the refs who cheated your team, the flagrant league bias against your team or the complete lack of class displayed by the team that beat your team. Your team l-o-s-t. Try to deal."


Perhaps Oklahoma should just move on, and show a little sportsmanship. And maybe, just maybe, the University's president should try to worry about academics as much as he worries about sports.

The Big Sleep - Murder by Death

this song just gave me chills while listening to it on my headphones

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

At the end of the road he calls everyone home
And the fire will consume us
Striking through to the bone
At the end of the road you will soon hear him call
As the congregations crumble and the chapels will fall

And the taste on your tongue
Well it comes yeah it comes
With the bittersweet pang of remorse and pain
Till the judgment is made
The prosecution's won
The gavel has won and justice is done

The courtroom clears and I'm left alone on the bench
My wife and children gone along with my defense
The bailiff leads me back to my cell
Like the riverman ferrying me to hell
I can't blame them, no
To hate me for what I've done
I hear them whispering in the hall
You live and die by the gun
All I can do is sit here and pray
I'll be forgiven on judgment day

Tell my wife in our yard buried underneath the pine
Theres a shoebox full of money of which I never earned a dime
Use it to start over the way things should have been
Live honest, and love again
Tell my wife, tell my kids
I never meant for this to happen

When they flip the switch please do not stay
I couldn't bear for you to remember me this way

changing my mind

I've been thinking a lot lately about the railroad job situation. I got invited to a hiring session the other day, but they called me on a wednesday for a hiring session on monday. I need a week's notice to ask for a day off from work, and I had already asked for the next monday off. Besides, Mondays are our busiest day of the week at work, and I like my co-workers too much to take too many Mondays off. So, I'm not going to the hiring session tomorrow.

I've also been thinking a lot about the lifestyle changes that I would have to accept if I were to take a job with the railroad. A railroad employee has to be on call and ready to work 24/7, 365. On top of that, the railroad companies do random drug and alcohol tests. I don't do drugs, but I do like to drink. Having to be on call all the time would make it hard to drink, or even to hang out with friends or family. The job would be my life. I would have to give up my social life for higher pay. Having extra money, and maybe not having to have roommates would be nice, but I'm not sure that it is worth giving up my life as I know it.

I've come to realize that I get paid pretty well at my job, and that it is a pretty good job. It isn't the most exciting job, but the pay and benefits are good, and the work isn't too hard. I'm sure with time I will get promoted and be making more money. Also, in a few months I will owe less on my car than the trade-in value. At that point I could trade my car in for a cheaper model so that I am only paying for a few grand, instead of over $12,000. That would bring my car payment down quite a bit which would help out with money.

I think that I have come to realize that better times (financially) are on the horizon. Ally is making good money now too, and if she continues to enjoy her job and do a good job, maybe they will make her a manager and she'll be bringing home even more. Lower car payments and more pay will put us in much better financial stability. I don't need a job at the railroad for that.

sad news

I just got an email telling me that my friend Becky's older sister was just killed in a car accident. Ally and I just went to Becky's wedding a few weeks ago. I never knew her sister, but I can't imagine losing my siblings. An ex-girlfriend of mine also lost a brother while I was dating her, so I can kind of imagine what Becky is going through. How terrible that this happened so soon after her wedding. This is supposed to be a happy time for her and her new husband. I hope she's handling it okay.

For anyone who may be interested, here is a link to a website about her and her funeral.

http://www.briergoldens.com/casey.htm

coughing inside your coffin

I can't stop coughing.

I'm not talking about coughing in the way that a person coughs when they have a cold, it's more like a cough to dislodge the phlegm in the back of my throat. The trouble is, the phlegm never comes out. Which explains why I can't stop. I have no other symptoms of a cold, so I'm pretty sure I'm not sick.

I'm sure it has to do with smoking, but I haven't started smoking anymore than usual. In fact, I probably smoke less than I used to. I rarely smoke before I return home from work, having my first cigarette of the day usually around 6pm. And I usually don't smoke more than three cigarettes a day unless I go to the bars or drink in the garage, which is also happening less frequently than previously. So maybe it has less to do with smoking than I am inclined to believe. I'm sure my non-smoking friends will suggest that I quit smoking, but I honestly don't want to. Not because of the addiction, but because at the right time and/or place, I really enjoy smoking. Just as someone else really enjoys a cola when they are thirsty. I'll let you all have that nasty vice and you can let me have mine.

I usually only get allergies in the spring and early summer. It is late summer/almost fall, so I doubt that the problem is allergies

I'm not sure what is wrong with me. I just know that I want to get this stuff out of my body.

a thought

I'm kind of bored with Portland. I regret not moving to Providence last year. Although, I do own a house in Portland, which is pretty cool. Still, I sometimes wish I lived somewhere new. I have lived in Oregon since I was 4 or 5. I wish I had a change of scenery.

I still think about Providence and Boston, but now Pittsburgh is up there too. It was ranked the #1 most liveable city in the US. Plus, it is beautiful with all of the hills, rivers, and bridges. Cost of living is low too. A 3-4 bedroom 2 bath house averages around $162,000. Makes a person think ...

are you ready for some football?

College football started last weekend ... obviously.

Tonight, the NFL begins another season with a game with the world champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Miami Dolphins (too bad Joey Harrington isn't starting for them).

I'm about to go home from work to watch the game.

Thus begins several months of Ally being mad at me every weekend for not getting anything done because of college and professional football. What can I say? It is to me what celebrity gossip TV shows and trashy magazines are to Ally.

OUCH!

There are two reasons why I am naming this blog entry "ouch".

#1 - Stanford is saying ouch right now after the Ducks beat them 48 to 10

#2 - While watching the Ducks beat Stanford, Adam and I got really, really sunburned.

Now it is time to clean up and get some dinner. Then we'll be off to John Henry's to see Marisa's boyfriend's band.

another member of the gang

Last night I got a cryptic google messenger message from Jeremy Lanig. All it said was "I hear you're losing friends like wildfire. Sorry about that."

I can't figure out why my "friends" can't seem to find the courtesy to ask my side of the story before they make a judgement. Especially those friends who live in Japan.

I have been treated like shit by quite a few people that I have considered friends in the past. I'm sure it is because of Ally and her unwillingness to fit into whatever stereotype they want her to fit into. Ally doesn't refrain from calling people out for their flaws and mistakes. I've seen Ally do it to her closest friends, and she does it to me practically on a daily basis. I don't consider this a problem, but rather look at it as constructive criticism ... a chance to grow. For some reason that particular group of people is more willing to drop a long-term (no pun intended) friendship than to accept their own faults and try to change.

I have been making an effort to distance myself from them, and to make new friends with people that are strong in character and won't treat me and Ally like shit. For some reason though just about every two weeks someone from that group has to butt in and put in their snide remarks. I'm tired of it. Why can't they just move on like I'm trying to do?

headed south

After work today, Adam and I are headed to Eugene for the Duck game tomorrow. Opening game versus Stanford. It should be an easy win, but even if the game is boring it will be fun to be back at Autzen stadium after all these years.

We'll be staying at Slye's house, but he'll only be there tonight. He's heading to Seattle for Bumbershoot. Hopefully we can meet up with Chuck and Brynn since it could be a while before they come back from Italy.

reacquainted

On Saturday Ally and I went to a wedding. It was the wedding of Becky Slayton.

I met Becky in the dorms freshman year of college. I was in a relationship at the time, which was the only thing that ever stopped us from getting together. One of the first nights I met her (it may have even been the first night) she slept in my bed, and to be honest I can't recall if we kissed or not. I remember her saying over and over how she wished I didn't have a girlfriend. I did have girlfriend though, and therefore nothing really happened. It's probably better that way, we are very, very different people ... it couldn't have worked out.

We remained close friends throughout freshman year, but sort of lost touch the other three years, rarely hanging out.

A few years ago, Becky found out from Matt Thomas (who I went to high school with, and who owns a tea shop on NW 23rd Ave) that I worked down the street at the Shutterbug. That X-mas I got a card from Becky at the store. I tried to call her to get in touch with her and to see if she wanted to get coffee and catch up for old time's sake. For one reason or another, that never happened. Over a year went by before we actually met up. Ally and I were now engaged, and she had just become engaged too. The four of us met for dinner, but I honestly thought that after that she wouldn't be interested in hanging out again ... time had changed us even more apart from one another.

About a month after our wedding, Ally came home from work to find a present on our doorstep from Becky and her fiancee. It was a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. It was a really nice gift, especially since we didn't invite them to our wedding. A few weeks later we received an invitation to their wedding in the mail. It was starting to seem like the differences between us still didn't matter to Becky, she wasn't going to let that stop a friendship from nearly ten years ago.

When we arrived at the wedding on Saturday, we felt like maybe we shouldn't have gone. I didn't know anybody there. We decided that after we ate, we would bow out. As soon as the ceremony was over, we turned around and saw my roommate from the dorms, Chuck. He and his wife (Brynn) live in Italy but were in town to visit and to go to this wedding and David Wood's wedding. Things started to look up now that we had someone to talk to. We sat at a table with Chuck and Brynn and after a short time, Matt Thomas and his wife Bethany showed up as well as Luke Atwood. I can't say that I have ever been friends with Luke, but it was interesting to talk to him about his Eurobowl championship and to realize that he has seemingly outgrown the cockiness that made me steer away from him in high school. It was also nice to catch up with Matt Thomas. We were on the soccer team together freshman year of high school, his older brother took me to a Nirvana concert the same year, and we lived together for a brief time in college. He now lives in NE Portland, not too far from us, and I'm thinking of calling him one of these weekends to see if he wants to hang out. I could always use a new/old friend.

All in all, it was a fun wedding ... I'm glad that we went.

published

My friend Jeff is re-opening the Satyricon. If you are unfamiliar with the Satyricon, it used to be the longest running punk rock music venue on the west coast. It closed a few years ago. Jeff needed photos of himself for an article in the Mercury, and he asked me to take them. The article came out on Thursday. The picture is small, and nowhere in the paper do they have photo credits. Despite the fact that you have to be looking for the picture to notice it and I got absolutely no recognition, a photo of mine has officially been published in a periodical for the first time.

Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor)

I watched this movie last night.



I'm not going to say that it was the best movie ever ... because it wasn't ... but it was awesome!

It's sort of weird combination of the Matrix, the Lord of Rings and vampire movies. Sounds weird right? It is ... but it is also interesting and well done. Even the subtitles are done in an innovative way; moving around the screen, passing behind objects in the foreground, coming out of a character's mouth when they scream, dissipating into water, and changing colors.

As for foreign films of the last few years, it ranks up there with Oldboy and City of God as one of my favorites. I would recommend all three of these movies to anyone that can appreciate good movies.

culinary ingenuity

You know you're poor when you have to start putting together weird meals using whatever you've had sitting in your cupboards for a while. Or by combining food items that you wouldn't usually pair together.

Tonight I dined on a grilled cheese sandwich and a reheated barbequed sausage from several days ago. Not exactly a pinnacle of cooking mastery, but filling nonetheless.

As I peer into the cupboard and the fridge, I am start to worry about the ratio of side dishes to main courses. Soon I will be forced to make a meal of only sides. Perhaps au gratin potatoes, green beans and pineapple wedges. Doesn't that sound excellent?!

I can't remember being this food poor since college, when it somehow seemed normal and not in the least bit ridiculous to eat an entire box of Stove Top stuffing in one sitting ... without meat as an entree.

I also have very few slices of bread left for my PB&J sandwiches I've been taking to work. It may take some inventiveness to sustain myself the rest of the week.

I can't wait until Ally gets paid on Friday, then we can buy some groceries.

Odin

Look at how awesome my dog is!

broke

My entire paycheck went towards the mortgage this month. It's proof positive that Ally and I can not currently be a one income couple. We'll be low on funds until Ally's next paycheck a week from tomorrow. What makes this a tricky situation is the fact that Deana and Shain are in town. I guess this is what "they" mean when "they" say that credit cards are good for emergencies. I need to win the lottery one of these days just to pay off my credit cards. Isn't this what being American is all about though ... living beyond your means and constantly putting yourself deeper into debt?

I want to be more finacially stable than I am now. I need to minimize my expenses.

I'm tired of my job. I have applied for a job with a railroad company based on the fact that they pay well and have amazing benefits (plus I would be able to work in jeans and T-shirt). I am thinking of applying to another railroad company to increase my chances. Financially and careerwise it would be a great opportunity. The downside would be having to be available to work 24 hours a day 365 days a year, the high possibility of relocation and being out of town a lot. So far, the pros outweigh the cons. I need something stable that pays me well.

mini-vacation

It's Sunday, and I am on day four with no work. I don't ever work on Saturdays or Sundays, so that is nothing special, but when you start out with Thursday and Friday off, it makes for a nice little break from the 8:30-5 Monday through Friday gig.

The extended weekend started in all reality on Wednesday around 4 when I was off work early for a dentist appointment. It was round two of my deep cleaning sessions. I hadn't been to a dentist in 6 years, and my teeth were gross. Two days of novocaine and pain and the brown is now gone from my teeth. With my coffee and tobacco intake, one can only wonder how long it will be before it all returns. Oh well ... I may quit smoking someday, but I'll never part ways with my precious black coffee.

On Thursday, Ally and I headed to Eugene for a change of scenery and for the Death Cab for Cutie show. Death Cab was pretty good, they played a tight set, but I'm not a huge fan of outdoor concerts and in all honesty, DCFC sound good but are pretty boring to watch. I think metal and hardcore shows have ruined me for life, I just can't help but think that indie bands aren't trying hard enough to entertain me.

After the concert, we headed to John Henry's in downtown Eugene for 80's night. For some reason I ordered a Long Beach, even though I was already probably 4 beers into the night. Apparently that was all I needed to start dancing on stage with Slye, Silke, and their friends. Tyrel's friend Matt pointed out to Ally some girl on the dancefloor who was getting finger-banged ... I can't believe people really do that kind of thing in public.

After we left John Henry's, we went back to Slye's and tapped the keg that we bought earlier in the day. Slye passed out before even taking a sip of his beer and Ally went to bed, so Slye's roommate Jesse and I drank beer and smoked from a hookah until I was ready to pass out.

The next day we went to breakfast at Brail's, watched a bunch of episodes of Tourgasm, and went to coffee at Espresso Roma's before heading back to Portland.

Once home, we went to the Marathon Taverna for Amai's birthday and saw Logan who has been on tour with Emery for last 6 months or so. We left there and went to Sabala's to see Mike V's band Black Mamba. I wasn't feeling that great all night (probably because of the previous night in Eugene) so we left early and went to bed.

Yesterday, Ally worked most of the day so I just took it easy at home. I cut my hair, did the dishes, and did laundry until it was time to pick Ally up from work. I made dinner for us, and then we went to Leslie's house to see their new cat.

After we left there, we picked up some beer and went home to the garage where we drank and played video games until we were tired. It was nice.

Today, Ally is at work again. My mom and grandma are coming over later this afternoon. Yesterday was the 19 year anniversary of the day my grandfather died. I haven't been to his gravesite since his funeral in 1987. I have been meaning to go, but I always find some reason not to.

Tomorrow it will be back to work. I'm not excited about that, but it was inevitable. On Wednesday, Deana and Shain are coming to visit for a few days. We haven't seen them since we were in Vegas for our honeymoon. It should be fun, Shain has never been to Portland. It's nice to have something to look forward to.

and we're off ...

Ally and I are leaving for Eugene in a few hours, and then on to Veneta for the Death Cab for Cutie show. It will be nice to have a four day weekend and to see friends in Eugene.

Slye and Silke ... we're coming!

Seattle pics

Finally, here are a few pics from our trip to Seattle the other weekend.



Gasworks park



Adam and Shannon



Ally with Seattle on the other side of the lake



Ally and me



Ally and Toby rockin' out with Jimi

for Judy

While I am writing this, you are probably somewhere between Portland and Atlanta, on your way to your new home in Dublin, Ireland.

I would be lying if I said that I'm not completely jealous of you. The fact that I minored in German in college and yet never lived in Germany is one of my biggest regrets in life. I wish I could go back and make better decisions the second time around.

I would also be lying if I said that I wasn't happy for you. You know what you want in life, and you aren't afraid to get it. I wish that I had even the slightest clue about what I want to do careerwise in my life.

I wish you all the best and hope that everything continues to work out the way you want it. If I'm ever in Europe, I'll let you know.

video game marathon

I went to Target after work yesterday and bought a TV stand for the computer in the garage. I came home and set it up. Then Tim and I played video games for around 4 hours.

Super Mario Land
Super Mario Kart
Super Tecmo Bowl
Super Mario Brothers
Street Fighter Turbo
some crazy japanese game called Super Chinese Fighter
Road Rash II
some cop game
Psycho Pinball
..... what else?

My garage is awesome!

officially over now

Around 1pm yesterday I got a call from Caleb asking me if I have a belt that holds a belt buckle. I knew why he was asking, he had bought his groomsmen belt buckles from Hot Topic. I asked him what time the bachelor party started, and he told me 8pm. This was perfect, I could go to Judy's going away party at 6 for an hour or two and then head over to the bachelor party.

Then around 5pm I get a call from Tyrel telling me that Brett posted a bulletin on MySpace around 1:45pm pushing the bachelor party up to 6pm. Not only is this bad for my being able to go to both parties, but it is starting to make me think that I am not wanted at the bachelor party since it is an hour away and I have yet been called about it by anyone other than Tyrel.

When Tyrel and I get to the Kennedy School, we join everyone at a table outside and have dinner and a few beers. I heard Brett say something about calling everyone to let them know that the time had changed from 8 to 6 which seemed funny because in the week or two he has been in the states I haven't received a single phone call from him. Ryan Begley, Justin Ferry and Brent Patterson are at another table so it isn't a big deal. After dinner a few of us go into the detention bar and smoke cigars so of course those three don't go in because they don't smoke. So again, no confrontations so far. Ryan Begley left around this time.

After a few more drinks at Kennedy School, we head to the Lucky Lab and My Father's Place (the bar, not my dad's house) and have a few drinks and play some pinball. Someone finally convinces Caleb to go to a strip club, so we head up the street to Sassy's. This is where the shit hit the fan. First Brett comes up to me and asks me what I know about what happened when Ally was in San Francisco last March. I tell him that we already talked about it and it didn't need to be brought back up. He tells me that he just wanted to make sure that I was told "the truth", which he says is that Ally slept with a bartender. I know this to not be true, as I said, we've already dealt with this. I tell Brett that she didn't sleep with anyone, and he says something about me being okay with infidelity and how he just wants to make sure that I know "the truth". Immediately after Brett finishes, James Potter comes up to me and tells me that Ryan left because he couldn't be around me. I respond by telling him how I didn't make Ryan leave, and he counters by telling me that I need to apologize to Ryan and Brent for how I've treated them because we are all friends and we should just apologize and let things blow over. I point out to him that it is not my duty to apologize, and that friends grow apart, and that just because we are all his friends doesn't mean that we all have to be friends with one another. He doesn't seem to get it. Feeling cornered and angered, I tell Tyrel to take me home. Once home I go straight to bed where I toss and turn and barely sleep, my mind reeling with anger and the obvious decision that I was going to have to make about not being in Caleb's wedding.

I called Caleb this morning and told him that I couldn't be in his wedding. He was mad. I pointed out that he himself had told me that maybe Ally shouldn't come to the wedding because he didn't want drama at his wedding, and so since those "friends" of his couldn't keep the drama away last night that I shouldn't be at his wedding so that there is no drama. He said that he had asked me if it would be a problem that those people would be there, and I had answered that it wouldn't be a problem. It's true that I said that, but when I said it I was assuming that those people would be able to put things aside like I did last night. Obviously my assumptions were wrong. Caleb mumbled something about me being selfish and hung up on me.

If only he could see that they are the ones who are being selfish and that keep bringing up the past and blaming everything on me and Ally. Caleb and Brett were sort of the last stronghold of people in that group that I became friends with in college. Now that they are gone, I know who my real friends are. I don't have to deal with that pack mentality that they seem to thrive on. They're like a gang, and I am now out of the gang.

Ground Kontrol

http://www.groundkontrol.com/

This is the greatest place in Portland, if not the world!

We went the other night to see our friend Ruben's band, Hello Lobster, play a show. It was great! SO MANY PINBALL MACHINES!!!!!!! Also lots of old school arcade games, old school consoles, and best of all .... BEER!!!!!!!

a lot going on

This weekend looks like it is going to be pretty busy.

I am leaving work 10 minutes early to meet Ally and Tyrel at the movie theater to see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby tonight.

Tomorrow is going to be the really busy day. Actually, everything is happening at the same time, so really it is just a busy night. Judy Cecil (a high school friend) is moving to Ireland, probably for good, and her going away party starts around 6pm. Caleb's bachelor party (if you can call it that) is tomorrow night too, although aparently no one has actually planned anything because Caleb put at least three seperate people in charge of planning it, as well as put a bunch of restrictions on the party (i.e. no staying overnight anywhere and no strippers or strip clubs). I guess I'm still in the wedding, since he hasn't asked me not to be, although I'll be surprised if I ever hear from him after the wedding. Saturday night, Aura (Tyrel's friend) is having a party at her place too. I'm not sure if I'll make it to her party. I guess it depends on how Caleb's faux bachelor party goes.

If anything is planned for Sunday, I can't think of it. I hope not. I would like to relax for a change. I would also like to work on getting all of my emulators and games loaded onto my old desktop computer and put the computer in the garage so that we can start playing some NES, SNES and Genesis games out there.

hope for the future

Fidel Castro has given his power over to his younger (yet still old) brother Raul. I wonder if Raul is as staunchly communist as Fidel, or if he will start making changes towards a democratic Cuba, which could lift the export ban.

If Fidel dies, Raul may not be entitled to the presidency, with power then being given to someone else. Hopefully, if and when that happens, there will be a democratic vote and the beginning stages of a Cuban democracy will be put in place.

One can only hope, not only for the future of US-Cuban relations, but for the people of Cuba as well.

weekend fun

I'm not sure that this blog needs to be written since the only people who seem to read my blog are Adam, Shannon and Ally, but here goes anyways.

Ally and I decided around 8pm Friday night to drive to Seattle. This decision came partly from a need to get out of town, partly because of a desire to hang out with Adam and Shannon, and partly because of a desire to go to the Capitol Hill Block Party and see the Murder City Devils play a reunion show.

We arrived in Seattle (or Shoreline to be exact) around midnight Friday night, so not much happened that night. A few beers and friendly conversation and then off to bed. Saturday was where the fun really began. Shannon made some delicious blueberry muffins and coffee for breakfast. We hung out around the house and played with the dog a bit before heading into Seattle to get tickets to the show and grab lunch at Dick's (I can't go to Seattle and not eat a bag of Dick's ... hehe). Turns out that Tyrel had three extra tickets, so we were only in need of one extra ticket, and Jamie and Toby were towards the front of the line so we didn't have to wait very long. After getting the tickets, we grabbed lunch and then went to GasWorks park, then were on our way back to Adam and Shannon's to let the dog out and to rest before going back to the show.

After a few hours of relaxation we headed back to Capitol Hill for some music. We met Tyrel and his friends at a bar called Linda's where we walked for what seemed like a really long ways to the back smoking area. Tyrel bought Ally and I a shot and we had a beer each. Little did we know that these were the first of a night of drunken debauchery. Once inside the festival, we headed straight for the beer garden where we stood and listened to a band or two while drinking a few beers before Tyrel met back up with us and bought Ally a whiskey and me another beer. Eventually we made our way to a bar within the walls of the festival where there was a photo booth, bathrooms, beers, and more shots on Tyrel's dime.

It was finally getting dark and the Murder City Devils were coming on soon. We were pretty drunk at this point and waiting for Chad Davis to show up. When Chad finally showed up, he spilled Ally's beer on accident, but like a nice guy bought her a replacement. Ally found Tyrel, who at this point could barely stand he was so drunk, and when he saw Chad he pointed in his face and said, "hey, it's Chad Davis!". He later dropped his cell phone and when I picked it up and gave it back to him, warning him not to throw his phone on the ground, he wound up and threw it straight to the street below, sim card and battery flying all over the place. Eventually Tyrel wobbled off to get closer to the stage for the show. We stayed back and watched the Devils from the side of the stage. They were amazingly tight for having had a 4 or 5 year hiatus. Unfortuantely I was too drunk to really enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but it was good nonetheless.

The rest of the weekend was more mellow, and consisted of visiting friends around the metropolitan area. If it hadn't been for the off and on again downpour of rain, it might have been nicer than it was. All in all, it was a fun weekend. What more could you ask for than good friends, good live music and lots of alcohol?

another one bites the dust

In two weeks, I am a groomsman in Caleb's wedding. I have known Caleb for around 12 years. I've watched him grow up. He's always been like a little brother to me.

His birthday was a few days ago, and apparently he had a birthday party. I didn't know about it until Tyrel mentioned it to Ally last night. I can only assume that he didn't tell me about it because people like Brent Patterson and Ryan Begley would be there, and Caleb knows that I don't want anything to do with those guys. Still, I can't help but think that a true friend would have invited me with a warning that those guys would be there, and let me decide whether or not I wanted to show up. Not getting invited makes me think that he doesn't consider me a friend.

Maybe this is for the best. It is difficult to be close friends with someone who isn't understanding of my feelings towards those other people. Maybe he has decided that it is just easier to be their friend instead of mine, and if that's the case, then so be it. But, if that is the case, then why am I in his wedding? If he really wants me in his wedding, then that is fine. I'll do it because of the past that we share, but I can't say that the future looks bright for our friendship at this point.

new stuff

The couch and chair were delivered yesterday. They are so comfortable, and they look really nice. It's nice to finally have couches that aren't "college" couches. One of the best things is that the couch is big enough for Ally and I to lay together and watch TV without one of us feeling like we are going to roll off of the couch.

Also, Jaime moved in last night. I'm excited about having a new roommate.

for Adam

It's like watching you vs. me

lonely at work

Shad and Jaime don't work with me any more. It sucks because they are my friends, and they have been replaced by people who are not as fun as they are.

Also, I have called Shad probably 3 or 4 times in the last week, and he never calls me back. I have an envelope for him from someone at work. I'm tired of having the envelope in my bag. If you're reading this, Shad, please call me back.

a place to lay my weary head

When Tyrel moved out, he took the couch and loveseat with him. It's fine, they were his, and they are butt ugly anyway. However, it is definitely frustrating to come home from work and not have a couch to spread out on and take a quick nap, or even just relax on. We've been using camping chairs, which as you probably know, seem really comfortable after a night of sleeping on the ground out in the wilderness, but are in all actuality very uncomfortable.

We bought a new couch and oversized chair two weekends ago, but they aren't being delivered until Thursday. They are very nice and comfortable. I can't wait to be able to come home from work and relax on our new furniture. Sometimes it's the small pleasures in life that make us happy.

HOT HOT HOT!

It has been triple digit temperatures for the last 3 or 4 days. It's damn near unbearable. We've been trying to avoid the heat the best we can with movie theaters, the mall and our almost useless window AC unit, but we still can't avoid completely the scorching heat. I feel like I am living in the Southwest where it is normal to have weather like this. I hate the heat so much, I find myself wishing I was somewhere like work, where at least I can be in an air conditioned room.

Yesterday Ally and I, desite the temperature, ripped the carpet out of the bedroom that Tyrel moved out of to expose the hardwood floors. The floor looks good. Also, if you didn't already know, since the day we moved into the house, Tyrel had completely filled up our garage with boxes and furniture. Since, in his absence, we have now reclaimed the garage, we took the carpet from the bedroom and laid it down in the garage. Tim has a recliner that we never had room for and a coffee table. After "liberating" an ashtray from the bar last night, we now have a pretty cool lounge started in the garage. Once I move the mini-fridge and some sort of speaker setup into the garage, we will be well on our way towards having our own bar to smoke and drink in at a fraction of the cost of actually going to a bar. The fact that I am posting this blog from the garage right now means that the wireless has a range that will allow us to have wireless in our lounge too. We really need some entertainment out here. Maybe I'll pick up a dart board or figure out a way to hook up the old computer with some contollers and lots of emulated games. I can't wait for everyone to come hang out. Hopefully the heat won't keep us out of the garage for too much longer.

an empty room ... for now

Tyrel moved out yesterday.

It was time.

I would be lying if I said that we haven't had a few good times with him over the last 2 years or so, but Ally and I have moved on from the "non-stop party" lifestyle. It's hard to get enough sleep before work in the morning when your roommate comes home at odd hours drunk making a lot of noise. It's even more difficult when he brings other people with him who are also drunk and just as loud (if not more).

I had always thought that his plan was to live with us and fix his credit. I never saw a single sign that he was working towards that goal. The guy spends a shitload of money.

He has a job that pays him a lot of money, but when you wake up at 3pm, check your MySpace for about an hour, take a shower, go out to eat and then go out to drink again, it must be hard to find time to actually get any work done. He hasn't been to his job site in over 3 months. I'm baffled by the fact that he even still has a job.

I hope some day he decides that his current lifestyle isn't doing him any good. I hope for his sake that that day comes sooner than later. For now, the best thing that could have happened was for him to move out. I think all parties involved need a break. Only time will tell if it is an indefinite hiatus, or if we're all done for good.

So for now his room sits empty, waiting for the arrival of our new roommate, Jaime. We have a few days before he moves in, which gives us just enough time to rip out the carpet that is currently covering beautiful hardwood floors. Best of all, the garage is a lot less full which means that we can start creating our lounge/bar. Hopefully soon we won't need to spend so much money at bars. We will be able to drink at home and have just as much fun. Plus, once Oregon passes a ban on smoking, we'll always have our garage to smoke and drink in. If only someone wanted to donate a free and functioning pinball machine ...

a hipster no more!

I did it!

I cancelled my MySpace account today. I even went back to my Friendster account (which I hadn't logged into in probably 3 years) and cancelled that membership too. I no longer have to try to be cooler than I really am in the hopes of impressing someone online. I'm not "hipster" enough for MySpace, and now that I'm married I don't need to meet anyone of the opposite sex (does that really happen to anyone on MySpace?) through networking online. Recently I have been reacquainted with several friends from high school, which was cool, but I have realized that if they want to get back in touch, they can find me some other way. There may have been a reason that we lost touch 9 years ago. Not to say that there aren't several of those people that I would like to get back in touch with, but it wasn't worth being on MySpace anymore. Besides, one of these days someone is going to figure out how to create a virus that spreads through MySpace and destroys billions of people's computers. As long as Ally deletes her profile as well, we won't be infected with that virus. Then we can laugh and tell everyone ... we told you so!

Hello

I opened this account a while back and never posted on it. I always had MySpace for blogs. I am quitting MySpace in a few days so I thought I would try this site out. I'm bad at writing blogs anyways, so I may not post very often. I may even keep this a secret, I haven't decided yet. I like the idea of having a blog where I can write about things just to get them out. Maybe it is better if no one reads them, maybe not. It's sort of a situation of a tree falling in the woods. If I write my thoughts and emotions in a blog that no one reads, does it help me feel better or understand myself better; or do I need some sort of recognition, vilification, or vindication from the words I type? Is it good enough to have an outlet without feedback? People talk to psychiatrists everyday and the only other person that knows what is said is the doctor. Does that help? I have only been to a psychiatrist a few times in my life and I was maybe 12. I don't remember if it helped. I still had a lot of angst as a teenager, but I think that is normal.

Maybe I will let people know about this blog. Certainly that is true only of certain people though. We'll see.