Hello Me, Meet the REAL Me!

Umm, Stuff

2006-08-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's been another busy month. I've got a final at school tomorrow night over the muscles of the appendages and then another one next Tuesday evening on how to work those muscles. I should do good.

Our cat, Jasper, had surgery Monday for bladder stones. Expensive little bastage! But he was feeling pretty crappy for some time and he seems to be doing a little better now, so that's good. Our cat, Pixie, got locked in a closet while Christin took Jasper to the vet Monday and when Christin came home she found the little bugger in the closet with blood everywhere! Turns out she ripped one of her claws off while trying to scratch her way out. Dumb cat!

My mom and Tom came and visited us Saturday. It was way cool! We had lunch and then drove around sight seeing. We walked around Seven Falls, too. It was a nice little visit.

I'm quitting Agilent (Volt) tomorrow to work for Express Messenger. I will work less hours and make more money. Sa-weet!! It'll work great while I finish up school and after I'm done with school it will help with being able to give more massages and stuff.

I'm done.

Wedding Pics

2006-07-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the wedding (Brent and Tammy's) in Malibu and the reception that followed. Although you probably won't know any of the people in them, there are a few with Christin and me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/christin.hobbs

Things That Go Boom, Crash, Bang In The Night

2006-07-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago Christin and I were startled awake at two in the morning by some freakish noise. Here is what happened in Christin's words.

Nate and I were just rudely wakened by a most thunderous calamity! Laying in bed, with heart pounding in anticipation of unspeakable horrors, I slowly began to realize..."this must be because of a cat!" Fear gripped me as I quickly jumped up to see what was causing this noise as it echoed through the apartment, back and forth. A shadow (very noisily) raced by me at breakneck speed, into the office. Simultaneously, in the living room, there was a crash into the blinds. The shadow ran by me yet again, this time quietly...into the bedroom, under the bed to "safety."

I was quickly able to determine what happened and could not stop laughing for minutes! Pixie had somehow gotten her head caught in the loop of the Outback bag that was in the kitchen. Trying to escape her attacker, she ran from the kitchen, into our bedroom, back through the living room, into the office (where I thought she lost the bag) weeeeeeeeeeeeeee (that is Pixie's typing, literally - HAHA), and back into the bedroom. By this time Nate was up too and helped me search out the rogue bag. We found it between his desk and chair, pinned down by a book that had fallen on it. This caused the bag to rip, releasing Pixie from its prison, EXCEPT she still had most of the side of the bag and loop around her neck as she cowered for dear life under the bed.

I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time. I almost peed my pants after I realized what was going on. It is criminal that we were not able to see the whole thing play out - I fortunately got a glimpse of "the shadow" racing by me with the bag around her neck. The crashing into the blinds was one of the other cats freaking out as Pixie tore by, which of course, only made me laugh harder. As I write this email, Pixie has braved the world again and doesn't seem any worse for the wear. I am going back to bed now, but I had to share this with you while it was still fresh in my mind!

My Goodness!

2006-07-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

My goodness! It's been a long time since I've posted anything on here. I cannot tell you how busy I've been. Of course, there is work every week, same old routine which takes a lot of time but the main thing has been school that has been taking up most of my time. We started and finished our first six weeks of KOV's (Kinesiology Overview). This covered the muscles in the back, abdomen, head, neck, and rump. That was our Thursday night classes (theory). On Tuesday nights (hands-on) we learned how to work these muslces. Yes, it's true! There's nothing like gloving up to work on the internal muscles of the mouth or working on the muscles two inches from someone's bunghole! Great fun!! : )

We then had our tests on these things and in theory class I got a B (which kind of bummed me out but it was 210 really hard questions!). On the hands-on test I got a 100% though. So, since I passed those I got to continue on with the school program. We jumped back into the swing of things last week with learning KOV #7, which consists of a couple more muscles on the shoulder and chest.

So, that's school. I'm loving it still and enjoy learning all this funky stuff. Oh, we have another class on Thursday nights which is Neuromuscular Physiology. Wild!

I haven't been on any trips or anything...or have I? Yes, I have! We went to California for my brother-in-law's wedding on the beach in Malibu. That was rad! We went to Magic Mountain and rode the scary roller coasters. That was crazy crap! What are people thinking when they build these things?! But it was lots of fun and we were there with about 15 people. Friends from our WoW guild that live in CA.

I had my birthday. I'm 34 now. Weird.

Allana came and visited for a week and we had a really good time. She's still growing up! What the crap?! I hope to be in Boise for my cousin's wedding around the first part of August. It'll be just a weekend trip though. Hope I can see some people during that time.

Well, back to work I go. Peace!

Don't Touch Me There!

2006-06-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

When I came home the other day there was a note on all the apartment doors that talked about how management just wanted to be neighborhood friendly/safe and make sure everyone's aware of local sex offenders. They offered a website to go to find out more information. I thought this just too weird so I looked up our zip code and there's a guy on the top floor of our building that's one. I figured something was up. Not with that dude, because I've never seen him around, but just the note on the door.

I started Student Clinic at school Monday. It's every Monday from 4-9 pm and I give three massages during that time. It's cool. It lasts for 16 weeks.

Memorial Day Weekend

2006-05-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend. Friday evening, Christin and I just stayed home and watched Spanglish. That's a great movie! And then we played WoW until 1:00 am or so. Saturday, I cleaned house, played D&D with the boys, and played WoW again until about 1:00 am. Sunday, I went to some friends house in the morning and gave them massages and then Christin and I went to another friend's house and had dinner with their family. It was awesome because we had deer and moose. It was yummy! Although we each only had a bite of the moose because it was so tough! We just kept chewing and chewing and chewing... Then we came home and played WoW again. Monday morning I slept in until 10:00 am! That's pretty unusual for me. I usually can't sleep past 8:00 am anymore so that was nice. I did some homework and then we went and saw X-Men 3; we we liked it. Everybody dies but that's alright. Then we went to Home Depot and got some pots for Christin's herbs...basil and stuff like that. Not the other kind of "herb". We ate at Chipotle and then we came home and played WoW a bit more and went to bed.

My Space

2006-05-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

I recently, (today) created a MySpace page if you want to check it out. I'm not sure if I'll totally convert to it or not. We'll see...

http://www.myspace.com/bluskalz

Angry White Polka!

2006-05-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hehe...definitely gonna need volume for this one!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9015039751037156260&q=angry+german+kid

Whoever Said Rock Is Dead?

2006-05-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Like a bad train wreck...I just...can't...stop...watching...

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=7610b16c-f51b-46c3-8a18-c60590e48d69&t=s5&f=06/64&p=hotvideo_viralvideos

Reviews

2006-05-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm at work...working. No, really I am! I'm just between parts right now and they take awhile to run.

We've seen some movies recently. It's been quite awhile since we've seen this many movies. We saw Silent Hill last weekend and I liked it because it was a lot like the video game. We went with our friends Adam, Christina, and Kim. It's fun to go to scary movies with girls because they're so jumpy! I missed the very end of the movie though. I kind of had an episode. Like a dehydration-blood sugar episode, most likely. I got faint at the very end and don't remember what happened for about five minutes and it scared Christin. They got me some water and then I was fine. Afterwards, I told everyone that I was "just trying to add to the effect of the movie."

Saturday we went and saw An American Haunting. It was good. Christin really liked and got pretty spooked. The bad thing was that she went home that night and did some internet reading on the actual events and really freaked herself out right before bed. So she had nightmares all night long. Silly girl.

Last night we watched Finding Neverland and thought it was really good. I really like Johnny Depp, he's a good actor. I'm excited to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when it comes out.

The season finale of the fifth season of Smallville is this Thursday. We're excited for that. Lex Luthor is getting bad, dude! Very sad indeed.

I'm Still Alive

2006-05-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note letting you know that I'm still alive. Just really busy is all. Nothing new here, really. Christin finishes school in a couple weeks and I'm just really, really busy with my school. Still loving it! I was talking to Christin the other night about some of the stuff we were doing in school and she said that I sounded smart. I wasn't sure if she meant it as, "ooh, my husband's really smart and cool!" or "thank goodness my husband's finally learning something, he's been such a moron all these years!" I'll pick the first one. : )

We might take a trip to Las Vegas or Baja this October to meet with our WoW friends. That would be fun.

We're going to my brother-in-law's wedding in June. It's on the beach in Malibu, "flipflops optional." Rad!

That's all I got.

Good Experience

2006-04-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I did community service up at the school for a few hours; giving full body massages. I had a really good experience. I was able to work on three clients. The first lady said, after her massage, that she'd never had a massage by a man before and now she prefers that and wanted to schedule another appointment with me. That was pretty cool and I felt good about that. The next client was a man that works out pretty regularly because he was pretty buff. On my evaluation he said that the pressure was great! That's something I've been working on because with males they tend to like the deeper massages and I'm working on getting stronger and being able to dig into the muscles when needed. My last client was a little 75 year old Asian lady (thank goodness because I was worn out after the man before!). She was really sweet! She only wanted her back, shoulders, and arms massaged. For a FULL HOUR people! It's amazing how many different strokes you can make up when you are working on the same areas for an hour! Haha! That was the most people I've done in a row like that so I was worn out afterwards but I felt really good, too. It's cool to help people feel better!

It's Freaking April!

2006-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Good, lord! It's April already? What the crap?!

Anyway, here's the latest news with my fun and exciting life. I went skydiving, bungee jumping, deep sea diving, and climbed a glacier last week...oh, wait, that wasn't me. That was my evil twin, Skippy. I actually have just been going to school (a lot), working (a good amount), and playing WoW and D&D (a little). Not much new, huh? Yeah, I know.

We started our Bones class at school a couple weeks ago and it's kicking my butt. It's very interesting but there's just lots of stuff to learn and retaining that information has been difficult for me. I'm finding that I have to go over and over stuff every day just to keep it in my skull; which consists of the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, maxilla, etc. bones. Ha ha! It's wild too because I'm learning the different little grooves and sticking-out-thingys (processes) on the bones where the muscles attach. Our quiz on Thursday is going to be over the spine. Yeah, it's cool.

Our next class after Bones will be Muscles. Tomorrow night we start going more into ROM (Range of Motion) which we've learned but haven't done it on other people yet. I'm doing community service tonight; giving massages to the public. It's done at the school. I've got a full body massage at 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30. Coolio.

Christin's brother, Brent, is getting married to his fiance, Tammy; probably June 18. So we'll get to take a trip to L.A. which will be fun.

There's a gal in my class, Jill K., that is a body builder. She could literally kick my freakin' butt! Here's a picture of her:

Like I said..."kick my butt!" But she's really cool. Christin met with her and they are working on Christin's metabolism right now and she's got a workout routine that she's been doing for the last two weeks. Christin wants to buff up. Not as much as Jill but maybe do a figure competition some day. Rad! Guess I have to start working out again...dang it! : )

Busy

2006-03-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last night at school we had our first practicum. We had a written test and then a hands on test. That's where the instructor pairs us up with another student and then he calls out a massage move and then we have to demonstrate it. I aced them both! Woo hoo! I'm happy because I've gotten straight A's so far.

On Thursday we start our Bones class where we have to learn the names of the bones and also the names of the little groves in the bones where the muscles sit. They say school is about to get really hard! I believe them! I have to pass this course so I can continue with the program. I have a feeling that studying will be my main priority!

We get to start doing community service hours as well. I think I'm going to do full body massages at one of the hospitals in town. It's for the staff.

I just feel so busy lately! With work, school, life...busy, busy, busy!

Christin was in L.A. for the weekend visiting her dad and brother, and some friends. I just sat at home and played WoW. It was nice and relaxing. My friend, Red, in ID started playing WoW this weekend. He's cool. We played online together for awhile on Saturday night.

Allana's coming to visit for spring break, so that will be a lot of fun.

Save Your Pennies

2006-03-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

OK, it's time to save your pennies so you can buy the new album when it comes out April 4! : )

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E1ZBHM/qid=1141746191/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-4953299-7999341?s=music&v=glance&n=5174

Silent Hill

2006-03-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Have any of you played (or even heard of) the video game Silent Hill? I've played the first two on the PS2 and have loved them! They are great to play alone late at night with all the lights out. They made a movie based on the game. You can go here to view the trailer: http://movies.msn.com/Movies/movie.aspx?m=552547&stab=2. Looks cool to me!

Time For An Update

2006-02-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

I think this is the busiest I've been in a long time, at least for this length of time. Work has been...well, work. Nothing new and exciting there. Usually on Wednesdays, I run Christin's route for her. If you don't know, she took up a part time job doing some courier work. It's Monday through Friday for a few hours during the afternoon.

As far as school goes, it's been really good. We finished learning chair massage and I've been able to give 8 of the 10 massages that I need to have done by February 28. It was really cool because after I gave the first one a couple weeks ago, my friend said that he felt like he could take on the world! He also felt so relaxed that he fell asleep during it and drooled! Ha ha! But it was such a great experience because I don't know how long it's been since I've felt like I've actually helped someone! You know what I mean? It was a great feeling! Also, we finished learning about the code of ethics of massage and what to do in certain situations; like what do you do if a man gets an erection while giving him a massage. Fun stuff!! : )

We started learning table massage last Tuesday which is pretty cool. I should be getting my massage table this week. I'm really excited for that! We started learning medical terms last Thursday which really overwhelmed me. It's been 16 years since I've really been in a "school" type setting. Lots of note taking and weird words. Although, unlike in school when I was younger, I now actually speak up and ask questions when I don't understand something. That's a good feeling.

We sold Christin's 1997 Ford Escort LX and bought a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS which we really love! We feel like grown ups!

Have I mentioned anything about the Steelers winning the Superbowl? Well, they did! That was way cool!

When we have free time, Christin and I play WoW. Dudes, if you get the time and the little extra cash for the monthly payment to play, do it! I highly recommend it! It's so much fun! It's cool, too, because in the game you can create guilds (which is a big group of people) that help each other out on quests or give you certain items that you may need or want. Well, our guild (Blood Cult) is the best! Everyone in the guild knows each other in real life somehow. Like for instance, Christin's brother-in-law is in the guild, as well as his girlfriend, and then they have friends that are in the guild; then Christin knows some others in the guild who have been friends of the family for years and years, and then their friends are members as well. So, it's fun chatting with them and playing the game as well. You get to meet lots of new people. You can group with people you don't know and play as well. Some can be real wankers but most are cool to play with. So, buy the game and join our guild! : )

Oh, the character I play, Rumpletuskin (Christin came up with the name; he's a troll warrior with long tusks), just reached 40th level. I was able to save enough gold pieces and buy a mount, a violet raptor! Cool beans! Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you give a crap. Ha ha! I'll have to post some screenshots.

On a different note, I think I'll throw out one of my thoughts. Over the last few years I've come to the realization that everyone creates their own reality, their own truth. Most of this thinking is about religion and spirituality. I don't think that there's any one true religion or way of thought. People believe what they believe and that will be the way it is for them, whether in this life or the afterlife (if you believe in an afterlife!).

That's all I got for now.

School (And Stuff)

2006-01-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

I started school this week! We were suppose to start the previous Thursday but it was cancelled due to bad weather. I'm really liking it! The instructors are all really nice and knowledgeable in their fields. And their actually interesting! There's quite the age range in our class; from people right out of high school to people around 50 years old. The class size is about 20 students. Soon I get to order my table and we start learning chair massage Tuesday. It's cool because we get to go and do massages at sporting events and places of business. Eventually I'll do an internship at a local business and get some good experience. A couple of my requirements due by February 28 is to give 8 chair massages and the really hard one is to receive 2 full body massages and do evaluations on them. If I have to, right? Ha ha!!

I'm working overtime today at work. Well, I should say I'm at work instead of working. No, I've done some work but it's at a leisurely pace.

Man, not much else is going on. Christin's been a real trooper lately. She's working a full time job, doing some work on the side, and going to school five times a week. She's a nut! And I love her!

My daughter's 10 years old now. That's just crazy!

STEELERS!!

2006-01-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

I Knew It!

2006-01-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last Couple Of Weeks

2006-01-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been busy! Doing something constructive, you ask? Well, no, not really. Just doing A LOT of gaming. Holy cow! I think I said before in another post that I'm addicted to WoW. At least I admit it! But that will all come to a crashing halt very soon though because I start school on the 24th. Yea!! And I have an orientation this Thursday. I'm way excited!

But other than doing that I gave blood last Wednesday. Successfully I might add! I attempted to give blood a long time ago in high school. My friend, Ellen Chandler, and I decided to give blood and well, I didn't eat breakfast that morning and I passed out...twice! They started pumping out my blood which I was totally fine with and then all of the sudden everything went black. After I came to they wheeled me over to a bed and asked me if I could stand up from the chair and lay down on the bed. I said, "yes." And when I stood up I passed out again. So, the moral of the story is to EAT BEFORE YOU GIVE BLOOD! And Drink lots of water, too.

The nurses last Wednesday were very nice and took really good care of me because I told them that story from high school. This time went really well and I gave the full amount of blood. After it was all done I did get a little dizzy though because I don't think I drank enough water beforehand but I still made it.

On the down side of the whole experience, I got my cholesterol checked and it's high which really bums me out. Ugh! That concerns me and it certainly concerns Christin, too. Given my dad's history I need to take care of it now.

It was an exciting weekend of football, wasn't it? The Broncos and the Steelers (my team) are going to the AFC Championships next weekend to see who goes to the Super Bowl. It's fun being at work where almost everyone is a Bronco fan! Good ole Colorado! : ) I hope the Steelers win! That would be righteous!

Update: How could I forget?! Last week at work we found out that we had been working with a sex offender! Isn't that weird? He got let go because of performance issues last week and afterwards one of the technicians here said that he checks the sex offenders list here in Colorado because he has kids and saw this guy on the list a couple months back. It's so weird because we were all shocked! You never would've thought it.

Rock On!

2006-01-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't know W. was a rocker?! Actually, now that I think of it, I thought I saw him at the Judas Priest concert last summer! Right on!

Holidays

2006-01-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

I drove to Denver Christmas Eve and picked Allana from the airport. She stayed for a week and we had lots of fun playing games and watching movies. On the way home from picking her up we stop at three toll booths because we take the toll road that leads to I-25. At the first toll booth the person in front of us had paid for us, wishing us a merry Christmas. That got us in the Christmas spirit won at the next one I paid for the person behind me. Pretty darn cool!

We went and saw Narnia and King Kong which were both good. We had a great Christmas dinner that Christin prepared. There was Christin and I, Allana, Christin's brother (Brent) and his girlfriend (Tammy), Christin's mom and step-dad, and our friend (Mary Beth) and her daughter (Sophia). A whole house full of people! We spent the evening watching one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story.

Christmas was really good. I got some clothes (shoes, shirt, pant; a whole outfit!), a backpack for school, some movies (Star Wars III, Princess Bride, X-Men), Franklin dayplanner, and some games (Star Wars: Battlefront II [you get to assassinate the Queen of Naboo; how cool is that?!], World of Warcraft [WoW] [we call it World of Warcrack because we've been playing it nonstop since Saturday!; we're addicts now; if anyone plays let us know and we'll add you to our Friends List]).

For New Year's Eve I played D&D until about 8:00 pm and then Christin and I went home. She went to bed and I stayed up playing Wow. Pretty exciting, huh?

That's all that the exciting stuff that I can remember for now so I guess that's all I have to report.

Shop 'Til You Drop

2005-12-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

I got all of my Christmas shopping done last night. I guess I should let you know that my Christmas shopping only consisted of gifts for Christin; she took care of the rest which I'm totally cool with. Shopping is definitely not one of my favorite things to do. But going out this year wasn't too bad. I went a few times right after work last week and this week and was home by about 7:00 pm each time. Oh, I've been getting out of work around 4:30 pm. The hordes of people weren't too bad and I only got cut off in traffic twice. Hopefully she'll like what I got her. She better since she asked for them!

Anyway, not much else going on here. I'm really antsy to get the Christmas break going. I haven't been really present at all here at work this week. Just thinking about all the time off I'll have. I work 4 hours Friday and then I don't go back to work until January 3. That will be nice.

We watched the movie Better Off Dead the other day. I love that movie. It's so freaking funny! And John Cusack is so young!

Oklahoma Picture Time

2005-12-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that were taken of our crazy friends when we were down in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving:

Christin, Ryan, and Tammy:

Ryan and me:

Tammy, Kristin, Eric, and Ryan:

Brad, Tammy, Christin, and Scott:

Ryan's friend (I forgot her name), Ryan, Tammy, Christin:

Tammy and me:

Idaho Picture Time

2005-12-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos that were taken in November when I was in Boise:

Allana:

Red's daughter, Jordyn, and Allana:

Nampa, Idaho sunset:

Christin and Allana:

Me and Allana:

Today Is Thursday

2005-12-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

(Man, that was a pretty clever title, huh?)

I watched a two hour special on PBS last night and tonight (half yesterday and half tonight) on Peter, Paul and Mary. I need to get some of their CDs because I really like them a lot! It's been awhile since I pulled out my two audio cassettes of them and listened to their sweet folk tunes. Whenever I do listen to them, I feel like putting on bell bottoms and going to a peace rally to protest the current war. Maybe I can raid one of my uncle's closets and make it happen. Ha, ha!!

But until I get those Peter, Paul and Mary CDs I will listen to other music. Right now I'm listening to the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack. Currently the song that is playing is The A-Team Theme. Gotta love it!

Freakin' Busy

2005-12-14T16:11:00.001-07:00

I've been freaking busy this last month! I'll try to just hit the high points although that doesn't mean that it will be interesting.

Christin and I received word around the first of November or so that we were both being laid OFF by the end of the year. What kind of crap is that?! I tell ya, InformationPages.com is ran by a bunch of crackies that don't know how to keep clients! But it turns out that Christin gets to keep her job at least until the end of January. So I started thinking about what I might want to do for a new job. Of course it had to be something where I could still go to school next year in the evenings.

Last week Christin and I were driving around out in the snow and the cold (we got our first real snow awhile ago. I mean, we already got about 2 inches but that's nothing...it snowed 4-8 inches a couple weeks ago and a good amount of it is still around because it's so freaking cold!). Anyway, we were driving around and I got a call on my cell phone from a guy that I worked with at Agilent Technologies a couple years ago. He asked if I was looking for a job and I said yes and by the end of the day I had a job. Now that's what I'm talking about! Not having to look for a job? The job finding you? That's cool! So I started Monday and it's been cool seeing old work buddies again.

At the last minute we headed to Oklahoma City for Thanksgiving. I didn't get to see any of my friends from Farmer's Insurance but we got to see other friends and had a really good time. We left a day early because bad weather was heading our way.

Let's see, what else? We saw Walk the Line and it was WAY COOL! I'd go see it again! The acting was great!

We bought a Christmas...oh, sorry, a Holiday tree yesterday at Hobby Lobby. It's awesome! 7.5 feet tall, lighted, and weighs a freaking ton! My hip hurts from hauling in the box last night. It was 50% off! Christin told me not to open it last night before she went to school because she wanted to put it up. Well, when I got home she had opened it and set up the bottom part of the thing. Then when she was headed out the door to school she told me to do the rest. What kind of crap is that?! Man, she changes her mind like a person changes socks! She must be crazy or something! :)

What else, um... Music! I've been listening to Hootie and the Blowfish lately. I like them. They're cool to listen to when you're chillin' on the computer. Some of my other new stuff that I like are Sheryl Crow, Trapt, Disturbed, Shinedown, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, and Switchfoot. Good crap.

I want to see Narnia, that looks cool. I want to see King Kong as well but only because Peter Jackson directed it. I think he'll do good with emotion in the film. We'll see.

Well, we're just getting ready for Christmas...oh, sorry, I did it again! I meant this next holiday season that's coming up. We're having dinner at our place this year. My mother-in-law, step-father-in-law, brother-in-law and his girlfriend will be joining us. There was also talk about our friends the Guevaras coming over with their sister but I don't know what's going on there. Guess we need to buy a couple more chairs!

Oh, I forgot! I also got the newest Stryper CD! How funny is that?! It's actually kind of good.

I dug through my tape collection awhile ago and listened to Vanilla Ice. That was a mistake! How lame is he?! We checked out Top Gun from the library last week and watched it. That's a classic!

UPDATE: New Look

2005-11-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

As you probably have noticed, I have changed the look of my blog. I always thought the other design was hard to read but just never did anything about it. I also added a couple more links; a couple of my friend's blogs for your viewing pleasure.

Trip

2005-11-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, I spent last week in Idaho and had a really good time. I got to see most of my friends during the trip and although our time together was short it was good to see them and catch up a bit. I also got to see a lot of my family and even some new family members due to my mom's marriage. The wedding was really cool; short and sweet, just like my mom. HA, HA! It was really cool because Christin actually got to go on this trip and got to meet some of my friends. We had a really good visit with Allana and I don't know what the deal is but it seems like the last few visits with her, she has lost a tooth. So, Tooth Fairy Headquarters (as Allana refers to me) had to fork up some cash for the tooth under her pillow. One night we spent some time with my brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin and his girlfriend. That was pretty cool talking with them. We talked about the good stuff like politics and religion. Unfortunately Christin and I just missed the abortion conversation when we showed up. Controversial subjects...you gotta love 'em!

Also, my mom has been cleaning out her house this year and came upon two boxes of mine from my mission in Arkansas/Tennessee back in 1992 - 1994. It was pretty cool because there was a bunch of letters from friends and family and lots of pictures that I had taken. Like pictures of the Toot N' Tell It BBQ, Gomer's BBQ Pit, and tons of people that I met on my fun adventure. Here's a couple pictures to look at:

I'm not sure what kind of place this is...why would a building have no windows? ; )

Apparently some of the locals weren't too fond of the Arkansas signs!

Kentucky?! Was that in the mission boundaries? I can't remember.

Was Metallica on the approved list of missionary tunes?

Sister Niumatolu was fun...she had cool hair!

Mom always said I was special.

I got to meet lots of interesting people, like Stan the Liquor Man.

Sometimes a mission isn't all fun and games. Sometimes you have to fight evil...like slaying vampires and burning wicked peoples' bums! (don't ask!)

I watched a couple of movies this week. Sin City (it was all right, weird and bloody), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (it was good, kind of weird humor and like I've heard, I think it would of helped to have read the books), and Hamlet (with Mel Gibson, I've seen it before but it's been a long time, I like it). We're going to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tonight at 6:40. That should be pretty cool. We're meeting some other friends there about 4:30 to be the first in line. Just like when we saw Revenge of the Sith, there's 15 of us scheduled to attend the event. I can't wait!!

Hi

2005-11-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been too long so I thought I'd get on here and post for all of my marvelous fans...heh, heh.

I enrolled in school on Thursday. I start classes January 24. Cool, huh? I'm kind of nervous because I haven't been in school for fifteen years! I hope my brain will work properly. More so than in high school anyway. I wasn't really into high school and learning. I was just there for the social activities. Marching band rocked! Oh, excuse me...DRUM CORPS rocked! I don't want Drill Sergeant Shad going ballistic on me for saying I was part of the BAND! Heaven forbid! LOL!!

I'm off to Boise tomorrow morning. EARLY tomorrow morning. My flight leaves at 6:40 am. Ugh! Poor Christin has to get up and take me to the airport. At least she can go home and sleep. I'm traveling standby, which I've never done. I could get first class seating! Woo, fancy me!

Not much else going on right now. It was snowing like crazy this morning. Then by the afternoon you couldn't even tall because it all melted away when the sun came out. I wanted to try my new tires in the snow, man! Darn you nature! You'll get yours!! Better be careful what I say because I could get buried in snow and I don't want that!

What's good to do in Boise for a wedding anniversary? Christin and I will be by ourselves Saturday night getting to celebrate our 5th. Which is actually on the 11th (Friday) but my mom's getting married that day, so...

Oh, the Pain

2005-10-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

You know how you get into a relationship and you just do dumb things that you never would have done when you were single? It happened to me last night. Christin started esthetician school Monday and they are studying waxing. Yeah, you know where this is going! I was bribed to go in and get my chest waxed by her. I can understand someone going to get waxed once just to see what it's all about but going back a second time? That's just crazy talk! It wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be but it was painful enough for me not to do it again! And of course there was a room full of women watching. Ugh. I'm glad I don't have a really hairy chest. It feels weird now.

But, on a more manly note! I got new tires for the Sidekick the other day. They're big boy tires...truck tires! So now I'm ready for winter and to go off-roading. Yea!

It's Smurfy

2005-10-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Man, I'd pay big money if they really had a Smurf show like this! ; )

It Snowed!

2005-10-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

It snowed this morning...and afternoon...and evening. I'm just glad we don't live up in Divide any more. It snowed 8 inches up there! We haven't even had a fall yet! It sucks only having two seasons; summer and winter. : (

What Are You?

2005-09-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

I stole this from Rachel. I'm a socialist.

http://www.okcupid.com/politics

Oh My Gosh People

2005-09-24T02:21:00.000-07:00

Dudes, I just don't know where to begin so I might as well just start yapping and see how it goes.

First of all, I just found out that my friends Tom and Codi have a new addition to the family. I just looked at my email and have three emails with pictures of their sweet little girl. Very, very cute! And apparently she's 11 days old now! I've had a feeling lately that I should give them a call. After having two little critters of my own I know how crazy things can be after the birth...and leading up to it. CONGRATULATIONS!!

In other news, I have to shoot my mom. Not that I want to but it's her wish, not mine! And I always obey my mama! When my step-dad Brent died a few years ago she told me to shoot her if she ever got married again. Well, on November 11 (Christin and mine's wedding anniversary by the way) she's getting hitched.

Back in March, during my last visit to Boise, my grandparents had their 60th wedding anniversary (60 freaking years people!). They had an announcement put in the local newspaper and a guy named Tom saw it and called them up to wish them a happy anniversary. Well, the story goes that waaaaay back in the day (like dinosaurs and volcanoes and stuff) he and my mom met in high school and dated a couple times and blah, blah, blah. In fact, I remember him back when I was like 6 or 7 (or thereabouts) and just remember that I liked him. So I guess after Tom talked to my grandparents, my mom called him up to say hello and as they say "the rest is history." I'm really excited for my mom. She's been really happy and I can tell that she really likes him! She says that he's really nice to her and actually values her input and they just get along great. She's "so in love with him." So that's just really cool and my brother and I approve so it's all good. : )

So, since they're getting married, Christin and I will be flying up to Boise for the wedding. So for all my peeps in ID we'll have to get together. I'm planning on being there November 6-14 and Christin the 9th through the 14th. Yeah, Christin's actually coming! Weird, huh? It's been a long time for her.

Now for the crazy, wacked out, freaking weird news! Holy crap, people! I got an email from my ex-wife on Thursday asking me to have Christin give her a call that evening. We thought this was pretty weird so I told Christin and she called her and they talked... Oh, my gosh people! Dudes...my freaking little baby, Allana, had her first period that day! What the crap is that all about?! Now if that doesn't make you feel old, I don't know what will!! Holy crap! Can you believe it?! Do you know what that means?! Developmentally, it's possible that she can get pregnant!! My daughter...pregnant...holy crap!! Dude, I was shell shocked for awhile but after Christin and Amber and Allana had talked I talked to Allana briefly and congratulated her and all that. She was very excited and felt pretty grown up. I think I handled it well though, as far as talking to her. I didn't make her feel weird or anything and it was all cool. She's only 9, will be 10 in January. Holy crap! I hear girls are starting younger and younger these days due to all the hormones in the foods that we eat, among other things.

Crazy man...just crazy.

Survey Says

2005-09-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

A certain friend of mine who will remain nameless (starts with an A, ends with an N, and has the letters UTUM in it) sent this to me awhile ago and I thought I'd post my answers here.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30 am.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Friday night at the cheap theatres with the Guevaras).
4. What is your favorite TV show? Smallville (we just got the 4th Season on DVD and are quickly watching all the episodes to gear up for season 5 starting Sept 29th)
5. What did you have for breakfast this a.m.? Uh, McDonald's (double cheeseburger and an Oreo McFlurry) at 12:20 pm after church and on the way to Jerry's to watch the Steelers/Texans game (my Steelers who won 27-7 in case you all missed it! Woo-hoo!!)
6. What is your middle name? David.
7. What is your favorite food? BBQ, I miss the south where they have real BBQ!
8. What foods do you dislike? Crappy flavorless healthy food.
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? BBQ and those guacamole Doritoes.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Dang, that's a toughy...I listen to so much stuff! I suppose Year of the Spider by Cold right now.
11. What kind of car do you drive? 1994 Suzuki Sidekick JXL 4x4, it has over 197,000 miles on the puppy, it's a very dark green and we call it Godzuki (that's pretty funny!).
12. Favorite Sandwich? Chopped BBQ pork.
13. What characteristic do you dislike? Rudeness...is that a characteristic?
14. Favorite item of clothing? Black boxers, that I sleep in.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? BUHL!!! OK, not really! That's in Idaho for those that don't know. I would like to take a vacation to Ireland. For some reason I'm drawn to that area...because they're always after me Lucky Charms!

16. Favorite brand of clothing? A T-Shirt...heh, heh. I don't have a preference.

17. Where would you retire to? I don't have a sp[ecific place in mind except for near the coast with mountains nearby.

18. Favorite time of day? Night.

19. What was your most memorable birthday? Uh, I don't know. I'm too old to remember!

20. Where were you born? St. Luke's, Boise ID.

21. Favorite sport to watch? Football...duh!

22. Who won't send this back to you? N/A

23. Person you expect to send it back first? N/A

24. What fabric detergent do you use? Something environmentally friendly called Bi-O-Kleen.

25. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi.

26. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl.

27. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2 or an 8.

28. Do you have any pets? Three freakin' cats! Two long haired shedding bastages and one short haired little freaker.

29. Any new and exciting news you want to share with family and friends? I have decided to become a massage therapist and should be starting school in January. I'm really excited! And it's new!

30. What did you want to be when you were little? A rock n' roll star.

This Is Good

2005-09-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Weekend

2005-09-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through the weekend. I played a lot of GTA: San Andreas this weekend on my PS2. I haven't played that game since before we moved back to Colorado! I wanted to play The Elder Scrolls: Morrowwind on my XBOX but the dang console seems to have broken! It won't recognize any of my game discs. Stupid thing! Ticks me off! But that's not all I did.

Saturday I went with Jody over to his school buddy's house with a few other people. We grilled hamburgers, talked, and made fun of one of the guy's 15 year old brother who got sloshed. Apparently he was sneaking shots of Jagermeister (yuck!). Then we played Halo 2 and the little drunk bastage still beat us old people at it! Even two against one! And after he yacked! Argh!

Sunday I went and played D&D with the guys. That was cool.

Monday I went with Jody out to a friend's house with tons and tons of people for a cook out and some volleyball action. Got some sun. It was a good time.

Gas Prices

2005-09-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this to me...

Muy Bien!

2005-09-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

For lunch today we went down to Pueblo (south of Colorado Springs) with our friends Jerry, Mary Beth, and their daughter, Sophia. The Guevara's said that this place (Don Carlos) had the best Mexican food; it was pretty darn good! It was a Mexican buffet! I've never been to a Mexican buffet before.

I'm going to be bachelorin' it this weekend for Labor Day. Christin is headed to Wisconsin on a business trip. Sounds like a weekend full of movies, loud music, PS2, XBOX, and D&D to me! Heh, heh... ; )

Ahhh!

2005-08-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

I got a massage today...ahhh, it felt good. Sleepy time.

Wet

2005-08-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last night Christin was running a bath and our littlest kitty, Pixie, decided to get a drink of water. She ended up with one of her front legs in the water on the bottom of the tub and was trying to figure out how to get out of the bathtub without falling the rest of the way in. Well she ended up trying to back herself up and her whole body fell in. She frantically tried to scramble up the side of the tub. She looked like Scooby-Doo and Shaggy running from a ghost, just standing in midair with her legs just moving like crazy. She finally got out and looked like a drowned rat. It was pretty darn funny!

Odd

2005-08-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

I thought this was odd. I guess the boy bands and Britney Spears won't be able to lip synch...uh, I mean perform here!
http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=12147388&ps=1020

Today Is The Day

2005-08-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for the Tom Petty concert here in about 10 minutes. Jody's swinging by and picking us up and then we're heading off down the road to Red Rocks. Hopefully there won't be a humungous line or anything. We've only got general admission tickets so we'll have to run to get good seats. I brought a book in case I have to wait around in line all day. I'm glad it's sunny though!

UPDATE: Dudes,We had a good day yesterday. Jody picked us up at 11 and then we drove to Denver and grabbed some lunch at Chili's. Then we motored up to Morrison where Red Rocks is. We got a great parking place and then hoofed it up to the line at the south entrance. We got there at 3:00 and were about 20th in line. The stadium was open so Christin and Jody scoped out the general admission seats that we wanted to get. There was a group of cool people in front of us that kept giving us free drinks. Yeeh... We sat out in the sun catching some rays until the clouds gathered and it started pouring rain (it was cold!). But we were prepared! We brought ponchos, baby! Then it cleared up for the rest of the night. They let us through the entrance at 5:30. We had to run for our seats which was pretty cool. They stopped Christin to search her bag, Jody was carrying some water bottles that dropped all over the place...so I left them in the dust and booked it for our seats. I got us seats on about the 7th row a little right of center. It was great! It's weird because the first 20 rows or so are general admission and then they have assigned seating from there up to about row 50 and then the rest are general admission again. I hear the sound is better in the assigned seating because of the way the amphitheatre is but we got to see the bands up close and see Tom Petty almost biff it walking up the dark stairs for the encore. The Black Crowes gave a good performance and Tom petty was awesome! He was very gracious to the crowd and the music was fab! There was a full moon, too! Full Moon Fever! (get it? heh, heh) After the encore we got out of there fairly quickly. It's always funny watching people carry their drunk friends to their cars. BWAH HA HAAA!! We got home at 1:30 AM...ugh! I'm tired today. We didn't take any pictures but these are from the Red Rocks website:

http://www.redrocksonline.com/index.tml

Juice

2005-08-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

I had a Banana Berry with a protein boost from Jamba Juice this morning...yum!

That's all I got...

Stuff

2005-08-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

I've been like crazy busy with work lately. Which is good for the business I suppose. I worked quite a bit over the weekend but I did get my D&D fix in though. We got to play for about 10 hours which is a decent amount of time.

I'm reading a book right now called Tantras by Scott Ciencin. It's Book II in the Avatar Series set in The Forgotten Realms, a D&D campaign setting. It's a good read. It's about the gods being kicked out of the "heavens" (so to speak) for being stupid and sent to romp around with the mortals. Magic is like way wacked out, too. Like, let's say you try to cast a fireball at your enemies and instead of roasting them in flames a ton of rose petals covers them. That would suck!

I watched the movie Elf the other day. It was all right. There were some funny parts.

Ugh, this was horrible! Christin had me go to the library and borrow a CD by the '80's band Wham! Talk about feeling a little funny carrying that around! I also picked up a CD of Motley Crue which made me feel a little better. : )

Nothing else really going on. I saw that Peter Jennings died. That's kind of weird. Christin, our friend Jody, and I are going to another way cool concert on the 18th at Redrocks, which I've been wanting to go to for 5 years now! We're going to see The Black Crowes and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers!! Isn't that rad?!

UPDATE: I need to get me a webcam!! www.michounet.com/fatman

Picture Time

2005-08-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Christin bought a Harry Potter calendar around the first of the year. There's no August in it! There's two Septembers though.

I feel like posting some pictures...

Here's a picture that I took up in Divide off the patio:

Here are two pictures that Christin took off our patio where we live now in Colorado Springs:

Here's one of our cats, Pixie:

My daughter, Allana, came and visited for two weeks (July 16 - 30):

We took a walk through the Garden of the Gods here in the Springs:

It's Been Awhile

2005-07-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Dang, it's been awhile. Let's see...what's been going on?

We had a cookout at our place on the 8th. We had a bunch of friends over and grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs. It was a nice evening.

On the 10th we moved the office up in Divide. We moved the boss's stuff to her house (which is still in Dived, just further out in the boonies) and all of Christin's and mine computers and crap to our house. This means we are working from home now. "It's a good thing." It's nice never being late for work because I'm always there!

Allana is here for a couple weeks. She flew in on the 16th and will leave on the 30th. I enrolled her into an art class for this week which she goes to every day from 1:30 to 3:30. She's having fun making their little projects.

With the supervision of Christin's stepdad, Jim, I changed the brake pads on one of our cars yesterday evening. I'd never done it before and felt like a "real" man when it was complete. HA! It was pretty darn cool and I still have some dirt and grime on my hands to prove it! : )

4th of July Extravaganza!

2005-07-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hope everybody's 4th of July weekend went well. Ours was pretty cool. My friend, Jody, invited us out to his sister's place in Black Forest Monday with a ton of other people (about 50). It was a blast! There was all the good food; hamburgers, hot dogs, two cake for his niece's birthday, potato salad, coleslaw, blah, blah, blah. It was so good but I didn't over feed myself which was good. Jody and I were a champion badminton duo. Then we played football and that was very fun! We played in this weed/grass infested rocky field with a few patches of cacti pitted with holes. Talk about a challenge. I made a sweet catch and ended up rolling around and getting a big scrape on my right knee, right wrist, and a bunch of scratches on my left leg and left arm. It was pretty darn cool!

Christin and I left after a few hours and went and saw Batman Begins. We liked it a lot! The only bad thing was that the camera was too close during the fight scenes, so all you could see was a bunch of bodies moving around. But other than that I was happy.

Later that night we went with Jody, Liz, JT, and Jody's niece and nephew to the foothills and hiked up a mountain to watch the fireworks. It was really awesome because we could see Woodland Park's, The Broadmoor's, Memorial Park's, and a few other places' fireworks displays. It was rad!!

Thanks Jody for a fun day!

Today I'm still really sore from all the physical activities from Monday! That's sad.

Now to take care of some other business. Here is an example of why I think there should be mandatory testing before people should be allowed to breed: http://dailydancer.com/.

Also, I don't know if news of our little buffalo stampede in the Springs made national news or not but here are a couple of quick stories from a guy that used to be with the Gazzette, the Colorado Springs newspaper. He cracks me the hell up!

http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-05-19/village.html

http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-06-09/village.html

UPDATE: I just read this article and started thinking about what I posted up above; the thing about "mandatory testing before people should be allowed to breed." Here's another story that proves my point: http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-03-17/village.html. When I hear about how people (parents) teach this kind of crap to their kids, I first get angry. It really pisses me off! Then I realize that I'm doing the exact same thing as the parents, being angry and starting to hate others. Then I usually end up feeling sad for these people and especially for their children. Hearing about this type of stuff helps me to be a better parent by making sure I teach my daughter to love all people and not to hate. If people have a name put to them (like Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, gay, straight, Iraqi, German, American...hell, even terrorist) it's just a name, it doesn't mean anything. They are human and don't deserve anybody's hate. Dude, just break the cycle of hate...starting with yourself.

Let The Games Begin

2005-07-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

This would be pretty cool to see. I'd be giving the thumbs down every time!
http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1020&id=12022503

Hope everyone is having a good 4th of July weekend!

2005-06-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

2005-06-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

2005-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

32 No More

2005-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be 33 tomorrow and thought I'd post one more time while I'm 32.

33...nothing too special about that number for me. Just another birthday. I'm glad I've reached it though. Hopefully there will be many more. But if not, it's been a good run.

I remember when I was younger and seeing people who were in their 30s and thinking, "Dang, they are old and seem so grown up." Now that I am in the position of "thirty-something", I think to myself, "Dang, I'm old and I'm not grown up." I wonder if those same people back when I was younger, that were in their 30s then, thought the same thing about themselves? Probably not...they didn't have XBOX!!

On another note, I've got the big concert (Judas Priest and Queensryche) coming up tomorrow night. I'm going to post something special for the occasion tomorrow so stay tuned. Here's some current pictures of the two bands.

Judas Priest

Queensryche

Leather is cool. Maybe I should've asked for some leather chaps for my birthday! And a Harley! HA HA HAAA!!

For those who aren't familiar with Queensryche, they came out with the album Operation Mindcrime back in 1988. It was a concept album. Here's a very quick look at what the story was about, broken up into the individual songs on the album:

6:00 P.M.

Our friend Nikki, charged with several counts of murder involving members of this city's political and religious leaders, has been committed to State Hospital under heavy security. London-born nurse, Debbie, seems determined to administer the tranquilizer and give us her personal feelings regarding her patient. Hmm? Injection completed, Nikki listens to his favorite tape and retraces his past.

I Remember Now

[page]: "Dr. Davis, telephone please Dr. Davis, telephone please Dr. Blair, Dr. Blair, Dr. J. Hamilton, Dr. J. Hamilton" News Broadcast: "...the Soviets... In other news the bizarre murders of political and religious leaders that have shocked this city over the last month seemed to have ended as suddenly as they began. No terrorist groups ... responsibility for the slayings, but police have a suspect in custody under observation in a state hospital. His identity is being withheld pending further investigation. Sports and weather next..." Nurse: "It's ten minutes past curfew, why are you still up? Hello? Hello? Perhaps you need another shot. Ah, that should do it. Sweet Dreams, you bastard." Nikki: "I remember now, I remember how it started. I can't remember yesterday, I just remember doing what they told me…told me...told me...told me."

Anarchy-X

Weeks ago in Occidental Park, hundreds of people gathered for a political rally. There was a man shouting above all the others: "Do we have freedom? Do we have equality? This country's changing! It is no longer for all of the people! It is for some of the people!" The man's name? "Dr. X."

Revolution Calling

....Ring!...Ring! The phone hasn't stopped ringing since the hypnotic meeting with Dr. X. His plan is brilliant in its simplicity: assassination and replacement. He calls it, "Operation: Mindcrime," and Nikki is the key player. Nikki has a weakness. He likes the needle. Dr. X makes sure Nikki feels good so he can do a good job. The chosen "Death Angel" is then easily manipulated through subliminal suggestion over the telephone. The password into Nikki's brain is "mindcrime."

Operation: Mindcrime

Nikki was a loser. A street kid, left to fend for himself at a young age. He was independent, and unpredictable, but harmless. Except now he had a philosophy, and that made him dangerous. "Revolution!" was the word on his lips as he stood in the streets and screamed, "Hey, listen to me!"

Speak

Mary worked the S&M shows in Times Square. At seventeen she met Father William, who arranged her cloister with "Our Lady of Immaculate Pain." A new life. A different way of living. Except for her debt with him, which was expected to be paid in full, weekly, "...on the altar. Like a sacrifice." When she was eighteen, Father William introduced her to a man named Dr. X. Now she works for him.

Spreading the Disease

Nikki spends quite a lot of time these days in his room; drawing gruesome, detailed depictions of his victims' deaths upon the dingy white walls. Drowning in guilt, he sees Sister Mary as his only means to salvation. He lights another candle and flips through the TV channels one by one. The familiar face of Father William appears. Is it wrong? Is it right? ....Ring!...Ring!....."mindcrime!!" Decision made. News Broadcast: "...informing Washington, a technical violation of the 1972 ABM Treaty..." Preacher: "...I'm asking for hands to be uplifted in just a moment. God the Holy Ghost is calling out to embrace you. I want you to reach deep into your hearts and your pocketbooks and take his hand. Nikki: "Bless me father for I have sinned" Preacher: "Some of you are in a state of rebellion right now you're saying..."

The Mission

A long, satin black sedan slides to a stop in front of Nikki. The rain, beading on the dark, tinted windows, distorts his reflection. Bemused by his melting facial features, he's startled as the electric window descends revealing the smiling face of Dr. X. "Kill her," he said. "and get the priest as well." "Kill Mary?," asks Nikki.

Suite Sister Mary

Father William lay crumpled on the stairs leading to the sanctuary. Mary watches in disgust as her lover Nikki's troubled face dissolves into the leering, drooling face of the priest huffing and puffing above her. "...Altar...sacrifice..." something snaps inside her head. Nikki feels the coldness overtake her. He pulls away, vowing to kill Dr. X and set them both free of their master's manipulations. Pulling closed the huge door behind him, he stumbles into the rainy night to keep his appointment with his "maker."

The Needle Lies

After Nikki leaves, Mary is plagued by the vision of Nikki turning into Father William. As they made love on the altar, the memories came flooding back. Years filled with men who has used her, degraded and beaten her, and driven their hatred and coldness into her heart. Once, she thought Nikki was her hope. But now he seemed like all the rest. She hated him. She hated men. She hated life. "Anybody home?" Unable to shake his addiction, and feeling beaten in his confrontation with Dr. X, Nikki returns. "Mary?" He finds her dead in her room.

Electric Requiem

Unable to accept Mary's death, Nikki runs like a raving madman through the streets calling her name. Everywhere he looks he sees her face.

Breaking The Silence

The police arrest Nikki. The charges are: disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed weapon without a license, and resisting arrest. They know he's a junkie because of the tracks on his arms. His weapon also matches the one used in a string of recent killings. Nikki isn't making much sense now, babbling on about perverted priests, some kind of covert operation, and not believing in love.

I Don't Believe In Love / Waiting For 22

Left alone, Nikki thinks of Mary; of the night she died, and why. He wonders about his future. Who will be there to care for him and be his friend?

My Empty Room

Charged with several murders, Nikki is committed to State Hospital to overcome his addiction. Awaiting trial, he suffers insomnia and is delirious. Searching through his past, he tries to find reasons for his actions and his weaknesses. Staring into the mirror, he sees a stranger.

Eyes of a Stranger

[page]: "Dr. Davis, telephone please. Dr. Davis Dr. Blair, Dr. Blair, Dr. J. Hamilton, Dr. J. Hamilton"

6:01 P.M.

"I remember now."

TO BE CONTINUED...2006!!

http://www.queensryche.com/releases/operation-mindcrime-2/index.html

Kick Axe!!

2005-06-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dude, this is just freakin' cool! Rock on, man!!
http://www.koreus.com/files/200502/double-guitar.html

Homeward Bound

2005-06-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

We just got the news today that starting August 1st we'll be able to start working from home full time instead of just Fridays. Way cool!

Thought For The Day

2005-06-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing. But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

(A friend sent that to me today.)

Bush-fire!

2005-06-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

So now something political in nature...

I got grumpy yesterday hearing about how Bush is pushing for more nuclear power plants and for cutting public broadcasting funding by 25%. I don't have all the facts from both sides about these issues but what I heard ticked me off. I've really gotten irked about Bush's lack of environmental friendliness since he's been in office. Like all that land up in Alaska and all that crap. He's a weenie.

Happy Father's Day!

2005-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day all you fathers out there! Hope your sorry ass kids remembered to wish you a happy Father's Day. If not, it's time to take them back to the hospital and get a refund. Allana sent me a cute little card which she thought was just hilarious when she picked it out. That was pretty cool of her.

Today we're going up to Cripple Creek to have dinner at the Steak House. Yum!! It is so freakin' good and so freakin' for free! Christin's mom and step-dad go up there to gamble and get all these coupons which you can use for free food. It's one of them fancy places that cost a lot; otherwise we wouldn't be going because I'm a cheap bastage. : )

Friday night Christin and I went out to a place called Classics in the Springs and played foosball with our friends Jody (Cupcake) and Daniel (Big "D"). OK, I played foosball and she talked to her friend Donya. There was a good band there called...I don't remember what they were called but they were good nonetheless. It's been a couple months since I've played so I was a bit rusty but started getting back into it later in the night. Jody and Daniel are always very good though so it's hard to keep up. Luckily we found a fourth person at the bar who wasn't too bad and I could score some goals on.

We had a raging D&D game Saturday. I'm happy to say that we've got a pretty good darn group going, which is a rare thing. It's unfortunate that a lot of morons play the game giving it a bad name. No, I'M not a moron! No, we don't dress up and wave wooden swords around in the air. No, we don't worship Satan. Yes, every chick that our characters in the game meet are hot with "huge tracks of land." That's just the way it goes.

Here's some freakin' cool news! For my birthday, me and my friend, Jody, (and Jerry and his sister but they are going by themselves) are going to the Coors Amphitheatre up near Denver to see Judas Priest and Queensryche in concert! I am so freakin' excited!! Judas Freakin' Priest...they are like classic, dudes!! And of course I love Queensryche, which I've seen four times in concert already but can't wait until June 29th, my birthday, to see them again! "Breaking the law, breaking the law!" It's going to be sweet!! I'll have a special post on my blog about that event!

Viva Las Nateus!

2005-06-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting here at my desk listening to a new CD and just working away when I came across a song that I thought was pretty cool. I said, "Hey, Christin. Check this song out ," and I started playing it for her. She said, "Oh, my god! Is that Cher?" I said, "What?! It's ZZ Top!" I was listening to their Greatest Hits CD, the song Viva Las Vegas. She's a cracky!

Coming Out of the Closet

2005-06-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Unbeknownst to my mother, I recently came out of the closet...I came out straight...with straight hair that is. Ha, ha! : ) After almost 33 years of having curly hair I straightened my hair last Saturday. I went to my hair dresser, Ben, and I told him I wanted something different. Well, it's definitely different! I'm getting used to it. Kind of weird still, though. It won't last long though since my hair grows pretty fast but it's fun.

Note: To those who are not familiar with a blog, you can make comments by clicking the "comments" button below the posts. Someone I recently talked with didn't know this so I thought I'd post it just in case.

The Little Kitty, the Beotch, and the Furniture (and Some Little Brats Thrown In for Fun!)

2005-06-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Just recently I finished the seven book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I remember starting to read them way back in early elementary school and not understanding them at all so I stopped. This time I was very pleased by what I read. It's a great story! Being a fan of fantasy I loved all the imagination that was put into it. I can't wait until the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe comes out December 9, 2005! It looks sweet! http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html

At Home/Degree

2005-06-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Christin and I just found out today that we get to work one day a week at home now. This will be very cool! We only have to drive up the mountain (Ute Pass) four times a week. Yea!

My good friend, Scott, earned his degree in Human Exceptionality recently and is having a party for his achievement this Saturday. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend but we did talk on the phone this evening. I, for one, think he is an exceptional human for working with "people that have disabilities" (not "disabled people" as he taught me; people first, disabilities second). I've had a greater awareness and more compassion for people with disabilities ever since my son Jaron was born and then died. It just hit home with me with all the disabilities that he had. Though he wasn't around for very long, I learned a great deal about a great many things. I think it's pretty interesting how things that can be so hard in life can teach me so many things and I love and appreciate the experiences that I have.

The Village

2005-05-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

I finally watched The Village this weekend and I thought it was a pretty good movie. I'm surprised that I hadn't found out the ending to the movie before I watched it. I did figure out the "big shocker" ending before it happened though. Good story.

Store Wars

2005-05-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

My friend gave me this link, it's pretty funny.
http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

U-Haul...U-Screwed!

2005-05-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend...the most busiest weekend of the year for moving! This is why Christin reserved our moving truck over a month ago. Imagine our surprise when we called U-Haul Friday "just to make sure everything was good to go" and found out that they didn't have a truck for us! AAAARGH!! They told us Friday morning that they would give us a call by 8:00 pm that night to give us our options. They also said that they we're trying to fill over 200 other reservations in southern Colorado! We called Budget rental in the vain attempt to see if they had anything available but of course they didn't. The Budget representative that Christin talked to said that he alone had already had over 40 U-Haul customers call that were in the same exact situation that we were in.

Well, we had to call U-Haul back to get our options which were: A. tough luck, B. wait until Saturday and hope that 1 of the 25 trucks that were "suppose" to come in to Colorado Springs would be available to us anytime between 8 am and 6 pm, or C. drive 80 miles out of our way to pick up a truck of the size that we needed. We chose option C. So, we got up at the butt crack of dawn and Edie (Christin's mom) drove me to Canon City, CO and I picked up the truck and drove it back to Divide.

After all that frustration, the rest of the move went great! Again, thank you Mary Beth, Jerry, Jody, Mike, Jennifer, Becky, and Edie! You were awesome! Once I pulled up to the house with the truck it only took us about 5 hours to complete the move down the mountain. Yea!! It's over! What relief! The weather was very cooperative. Saturday was the only day it didn't rain a lot this weekend. We spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and arranging the place and we're almost done.

Moving On Up!

2005-05-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Actually, it should be Moving On Down, down the mountain that is. For tomorrow we move back down to Colorado Springs, home of the crazy drivers. I swear, this town has the most dangerous drivers! They are freaks! It seems like everyone is trying out for the Pike's Peak Hill Climb or something. Slow down! (Dang, I'm a grumpy old man. Time to plant me in the ground.)

Anyway, we're really excited to get back to civilization again. Though the mountains are just beautiful we're more city folk than mountain men/mamas. We'll like not having to drive an hour to go to a decent grocery store. I'll miss waking up to the smell of pine trees though that remind me of camping when I was younger with g-ma and g-pa or with a bunch of other rowdy Boy Scouts. But we'll still be working up in Divide so we'll be in that environment five days out of the week.

I'm really thankful for the good friends we have here that will be helping us move. Thanks Mary Beth, Jerry, Jody, Mike, and Becky in advance. You guys rock!

Unfortunately, our cable won't be hooked up at the new place until Tuesday so no internet during the weekend. Which really isn't all that different from normal since we didn't have internet at the place we're currently living at. There we could only get dial up which I just cannot do anymore. I've been spoiled with fast internet speed for the last few years and just can't go back. I can't! I just can't!

Ride The Lightning

2005-05-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is a spiffy little picture that I have for my wallpaper. (OK, I'm really just testing how it will look if I post pictures on this thing.)

Lightning

So It Begins...

2005-05-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

"Hello me, meet the real me!" This is taken from a song by the band Megadeth called Sweating Bullets (Music & Lyrics: Dave Mustaine) off the album Countdown To Extinction (1992). I've always liked this phrase, thinking it pretty catchy and holding deep meaning, and thought it would be a good title for my blog.

And to whom do I have to thank for creating a blog? A couple of high school friends of mine, Rachel and Valerie. Although we've stayed in touch, I've really liked reading their blogs and just seeing what's going on in their everyday lives. There are so many people that have been in my life that I have no idea what the heck they are doing now or would just like to feel like I know them a little bit better. So, I thought I would create this thing and let those people who may feel the same way about me have the opportunity to find out what's going on in my life...and get to know me, "the real me!"

With that said, here are the lyrics to a song from my favorite band Queensryche! It's one of my most favorite songs and I love the lyrics!

SOMEONE ELSE?
Music by: Chris DeGarmo, Lyrics by: Geoff Tate

When I fell from grace
I never realized
how deep the flood was around me.
A man whose life was toil
was like a kettle left to boil,
and the water left scars on me.

I know now who I am.
If only for a while,
I recognize the changes.
I feel like I did before the
magic wore thin and the "baptism
of stains" began.

They used to say I was
nowhere, man,
heading down
was my destiny.
But yesterday, I swear,
that was someone else not me.

Here I stand at the crossroads edge,
afraid to reach out for eternity,
One step, when I look down,
I see someone else not me.

Looking back and I see
someone else.

All my life they said I
was going down,
but I'm still standing,
stronger, proud.
And today I know there's
so much more I can be.

From where I stand at the crossroads edge,
there's a path leading out to sea.
And from somewhere
deep in my mind,
sirens sing out loud
songs of doubt
as only they know how.
But one glance back reminds, and I see,
someone else not me.

I keep looking back
at someone else... me?