Living at Work, Part I

I was offered and accepted a new job, folks. Starting next month I will be the newest Dorm Parent at Southwestern Academy, a boarding school in San Marino. In case you didn't know: Steff, who played an integral role in my consideration and subsequent hiring, also works there in the business office when she is not busy being a nice hot cocktail waitress at CCB. Also I believe Troy used to work there.
They are giving me an all-utilities paid apartment, folks. And free board. I don't know which God I prayed to in the right way on the right day but I feel very, very blessed to have this opportunity. So wish me luck! I will update you on how things roll at that joint.
ps I am not leaving Westridge yet I love that place.

Sunday Insomnia

Well...
Another sleepless Sunday night. I know my last post says that I drank coffee but that was at like 2:30pm. So its just the Sunday insomnia. At least I won't be hungover like some Mondays. It was close though. This Sunday evening was so boring that we almost resorted to drinking more of the beer my neighbor gave me. Here's a thought, HBO needs to stop showing the Star Wars trilogy. They show all three movies like every weekend. Its enough already. I like Star Wars, as you know, but seriously its enough.
I finally bought a new cell phone the LG 8550 (also known as the Chocolate). I know, I know, it's kinda gay, but damn thats a clean looking phone. I'm gonna end up scratching the shit out of it though. I almost copied Randy and got the envy, but that thing is too big.
What else? I have tried sleeping on the couch and watching TV to fall asleep, but that ain't working. I made the second attempt to go to bed, that didn't work. I took the half an excedrin PM before bed, but it ain't workin. I could take the second half, but I got three hours before I have to get ready for work so it might make me super groggy. But I'm going to feel like shit anyway so really whats the difference. sleep for 2.5 hours, or sleep not at all. Whats worse at this point.
I'm listening to SModcast with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes. I don't like when Mewes is on. Kevin is dumb, but Mewes accentuates the dumbness.
Thats it, I'm gonna read.

Mental Ejaculate

My new favorite line from The Big Lebowski:

"Walter, I love ya, but sooner or later your going to have to face the fact that you're a Goddamn Moron!"

also

"I'm sorry your stepmother's a nympho"

Here's a question, Why was Cost Plus both closed and full of employees today? they kept shooing us away as we drove through the parking lot? CIA Black Ops?

I propose a new Sunday tradition, Sunday Champagne Brunch at Acapulco. It's expensive, but I can eat that Al Pastor for days.

Coffee and boredom do not mix well.

I hit a new low and washed my work shirts in the sink to avoid the laundrymat.

I was having a very bad Friday when on my way into my apartment, one of my neighbors, whom I've never met, offered me a case of beer. Apparently he works at the Miller Brewery and gets 3 cases a month. Sure it was MGD but you put a lime in that shit and you're good to go. Needless to say, I indulged and substantially brightened up my Friday. The Universe is a strange and wonderful place.

Which one of you Knuckleheads is having a Superbowl party? I miss the 511 Superbowl parties. What are the rules of a superbowl party? Is it mandatory to be engrossed in the game? The problem with that is, who's got a place big enough for everybody to comfortably sit and watch the game? What about multiple locations with a max capacity of 7?

Super Tuesday is coming? How do you feel about your choice of candidates?

One final question and this one I expect an answer to: If you were a character on The Big Lebowski, who would you be? Not who would you want to be, but who WOULD you be. I think I would be Donny, Lauri says she would be Maude (I can kinda see that). Randy would be the Dude. Alex would be Walter. (I know he will be demanding an explanation.)

People really aren't this dumb, are they?

I am up late here in AK and watching Jay Leno. He just had the segment on "Jaywalking." Basically he walks around and asks people questions about the world we live in. For example:
Where is Iraq?
What is the tallest mountain in the world?
Where is the Panama Canal?
What are people in Denmark called?
What do people who live in Great Britain speak?

Anyway the questions are really simple questions and nobody on answered on correctly. Are people today really that dumb or does he just find the dumbest people in the universe and ask them these questions? Just curious...

In the hopper

There a couple of things that have been brewin' like a hot pot of coffee on a cold sunday morning in the old noggin lately.

1. Why do I keep watching the "Bourne" movies? The first one was mediocre at best. The last installment should've gone straight to cable. Bad story, terrible dialog, no characterization, and several 15min chase scenes that are completely void of dialog. Here's the thing that really struck me about this last one though: Bourne is not a hero, he does nothing that is not self serving. He doesn't save the world from certain disaster he doesn't rescue the damsel in distress all he does is try to find out what his origins are, and since we don't know because it seems to change every movie, then what the fuck do we care?

2. This tax refund? Is no one else pissed about this? Think of the implications:
a) Is the government trying to tell me that it took 110 Billion of our dollars that it didn't really need? Really? There aren't after school programs that we can invest in? The Homeless? National Parks?
b)What are you gonna do with your $600? I'm gonna pay rent. Does that stimulate the economy? I don't think so.
c) Does nobody see that the republicans have completely manipulated us democrats? If this were not an election year, would the democrats be for this? No. But no democrat in his right mind would oppose a $600 tax refund, in an election year if we ever hope to take back the White House.
d)IS the economy that bad? Feels the same. Unemployment is at low point. Sure the DOW is having trouble, but did we think it was going to keep gaining 200 points a day for the rest of our lives?

I guess thats all.

It's not High School Musical

Sorry guys it's not HSM. I also don't have the lead. It is going by the name "A Broadway Review."
What it is is basically a bunch of different numbers from different musicals. For instance:
"Belle" - Beauty and the Beast
"One Day More" & "Master of the House" - Les Miserables
"Get Me to the Church on Time" - My Fair Lady
"Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat" - Guys and Dolls
"Comedy Tonight" - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
That's some of the numbers I think those are all the ones I am in. But there are other numbers in the musical. Most of the time I am in the chorus. I have some solos but not many. Anyway sorry to disappoint guys but no HSM.
Well that's it I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions that may be floating around. hope everything is going well down there and you guys are staying dry. Bye bye.

Holed up in Alaska

Hey everybody how's it going down there? Still raining? Well up here it is snowing and it's cold. But then again it's always cold, seriously I cry for the days when I thought 50 or 60 was cold. It is Alaska though so I guess it is to be expected. Besides it being cold not a lot really happens or is happening up here. The big news is the Tip-Off torunament this week. A basketball tournament with 3 other teams besides the home team Cordova playing all weekend. I will be there watching the girls team crush their opponenets and the boys team get crushed by their opponenets. Anyway so that's the big event this weekend.
Next weekend is the event everyone has been waiting for I gather. Iceworm weekend. I know...it seems that there is a parade, contests all week long, a dodgeball tournament, a rec league basketball tornament, a cake bake, a variety show, a food fair, a carnival within the food fair. Basically a lot happening. I seem to feel it will not quite live up to the hype surrounding it. But up here I guess it is THE thing. We'll see...
I had an interview for a bank teller job at the local bank. I think I did well but then again I thought I did well at all the interview I had and then was shot down. I should know by the end of the week though. I kind of want and need a real job with a real schedule and consistent money coming in. Cause without the latter I am stuck here and that can't happen. If everything goes to plan and happens the way I want it to I am scheduled for an August arrival in time for Pete's birthday to be even more exact. So that's the plan as of now.
I wish I had some more exciting things to report back but I don't think I do. Oh here's something I think Pete already knows. It is kind of depressing and I am a bit embarrassed too. But you know those TV ads where those people are talking about getting rejected by eHarmony.com. I am sure you have seen them. Well anyway I can now be on one of those ads. That is right on a whim I went on eHarmony for this free trial weekend thing and after filling out all their damn tests and questions, I was rejected. Ouch you know it's getting bad when you get rejected by an online dating service.
Well I am going to get outta here before any other embarrassing stories come to mind. I am working on someone's website and I should get back to work so that will be done. how is it that I, a man who knows basic HTML has now become the web designer for 3 or 4 people in this town. Anyway that's the way it is in small town Alaska. Ok I gotta do this website for real and I should get some practice in before tonight. Oh yeah I almost forgot I am in the town's musical production. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Ok I am outta here. PEACE everybody.

Randy

P.S. I miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Movie Review: Cloverfield

So the wife and I decided to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. by going to see a scary movie - Cloverfield. I'll admit it, I bought into the hype of the mysterious whatever that was the "monster" in this movie. However, in the end it was the style of the movie that kept me there more than the monster.

First things first, though. The Previews were crap. Complete crap. There was one for a movie where the new kid in town finds out that all the rich kids in town go to parties and then have ultimate fights at the end. I won't spoil it for you, but it looked worse than Pirates III. Then there was Ironman, which I will leave to Pete, the resident comic book nerd, to decide upon. There was also some piece of crap about some secret Mayan temple that turns you into a plant or something. Finally, there was a small teaser for a new Star Trek movie.

OK, Cloverfield. If you are really interested in seeing the mysterious Cloverfield monster here you go. In any case, I wasn't that surprised or impressed by the monster. I was, however, impressed with how this movie was done. It relied on the fear of the unknown to scare you more than gratuitous gore or constant startling. I'll warn you (and so will the people at the theater) that its very shaky since its filmed as if it were someone carrying a camcorder throughout the "event". There are only rare glimpses of blood and/or guts and its not gratuitous. All in all, it was a decent flick. Amanda seemed to like it more than me, but it was worth using our free passes to see it. Plus, we snuck in sandwiches.

I couldn't resist

I was watching Wolf Blitzer's dumbass on CNN this morning and he has this Jack Cafferty guy on who asks questions for viewer response. He wanted a response to Chuck Norris' assertion that McCain was too old to run for president. I couldn't resist responding with what I knew to be true about Chuck Norris...mine is about the 40th response on this page

A lot of things are happening (post no.1)

This time of year can be pretty inspiring. Super Bowl, electoral crap, January in general, the brisk cold, all of it combines to make me feel pretty crazed and amazed. Like I have to keep moving to stay warm. Imagine my surprise, adding me to this blog really I am elated and humbled just to be a part. 902 posts???

Jesus, you people need to get out more. Seriously, thanks I just hope I can pull my own weight. I'll write what I know. And post pics of what I like. For example:

double whammy: jock chicks are the best as well as the art of Jaime Hernandez. Huh maybe I really don't belong. I am one of those assholes who actually likes their job(ss).

The New Blog Header

Thanks, to AJ for the New Blog header. I think it captures the spirit of Life Outside the Rat Race. You are a true artist sir. I've sent you an invitation to join so you can post here if you want. Thanks again.

The Only Good Flying Space Monkey is a Flying Space Monkey wiht a soup ladle jammed in the Engine of his Jet pack!

GOD DAMMIT! Just remember who it was that dreamed up your evil little army and installed you as the leader. Also know this, roving tribes of orangutans have been spotted throughout the city buying up stocks of soup ladles from Targets, Bed Baths and Beyond, and the like. We are coming for you, never before will so few orangutans be responsible for the destruction of so many space monkeys.

Flying Space Monkeys would dominate orangutans even if the ugly orangutan whores had missle launchers

I'm just stating a fact.

Yosemite

If you guys get the chance, check out the link to the Yosemite webcam. The pictures are beautiful. The valley has snow and it looks so clean and crisp. Makes me wanna do the 5 hour drive there just to take it all in. I bet its quiet and empty these days. So nice.....

Working out in 2008 to look fine in 2009

Ok people I'm going to lose forty pounds this year. I know what some of you might be thinking that's alot of weight. Well i weighed in at 218 last week, so that would put me at 178. when i ran the trail race two years ago i weighed 180, so that's the goal. Who's with me?

Why I'm a Democrat

I usually don't get political here, but 'tis the season so here is why I'm a democrat:

Education- I believe there is nothing more important in civilized society than well educated people. Well educated people are not poor. Well educated do not commit crimes. I think that we should sink more money into the education of our people than into the incarceration of our people. I believe education should be as free and as well run and funded as our courts, our Fire Departments and our Police forces. I do not believe in vouchers, because private schools are not regulated and provide poor education.

The Environment- Democrats have a better environmental record period. They are not perfect and they are not as effective at saving the environment as republicans are at destroying it. I do believe in government regulation of business to ensure good corporate citizenship. I wish the free market could solve this problem but until you investigate the environmental record of every company that produces every product you buy, I think we need the government to perform this function.

Health Care- Health care is not a huge issue for me but, while I believe in the free market, I do not believe that when that inevitable heart attack comes, I'm going to be doing any comparitive shopping for cardiologists. In fact, even if I did, I wouldn't find any bargain basement prices because health care is a legal oligopoly. There are no doctor Nick's in the real world. There are only really expensive doctors, and really expensive doctors that are government subsidized.

For that matter...

The Mistaken notion that the Free Market will solve all of our problems- It won't. The free market is a great way to sell TV's and cars and houses. Its a terrible way to provide a society with education, health care, and social safety nets. These things aren't optional or "for those who can afford them" in a civilized country they are absolute necessities.

The social safety net- I don't like welfare fraud, but I believe in the inherent disadvantage that some are placed in at birth. I'm prepared to pay someone welfare to keep them from committing crimes or begging on the street. (don't forget, it was in the Clinton administration that welfare was reformed.) Plus, if we are to be country that embraces our judeo-christian identity, a lot of that is making sure the even the least of our brothers are given second chances. Don't worry, even if with welfare you can still get as stinkin rich as you want.

I have major disagreements with republicans on social issues, but I think social issues have been given too much press in the last decade or so. I get it, they are sexier than all this economic mumbo jumbo but they really aren't what makes a political party.

Of course the last six years have given me a lot of reasons to side with the democrats but above are my core beliefs and the reasons why, unless there were a huge shift in philosophy, I could never vote for a republican no matter how spineless and vague our candidates have become.

Here's where I have disagreements with Democrats.
All these programs and regulations are costly and I don't think that more taxes are the way to pay for them. I think that if the government is going to involved with as much as we democrats want it to be, then a major overhaul is required to make government agencies much more efficient so that they can stand up against their free market counterparts. President Clinton was right when he said "the era of big government is over."

Union labor- I believe in worker's right and minimum wages, and I understand why unions were formed. But high (really unreasonable) union wages are driving jobs out of the country. And unions are becoming self defeating when GM had to lay people off this year because it could not afford to continue to pay retirement salaries at the same time as current salaries, democrats should have moved to make the unions fall in line. But there are a lot of long standing votes there.
I do not believe in farm subsidies or any subsidies for private industry for that matter and I think ethanol is a corn farmers scam.

There it is, have ats.

i'm baaaaack

wow, i haven't posted in years - my old ones aren't even in the archives - that's how long it's been. this one's experimental. i've got to think of something interesting to talk about and then i'll be back to share it with you guys.

Star Wars stuff

Hey guys, hope all is good with you, all is well in the strange and dark land of Wales.

For those who are inclined, check out 'Taff Wars' on you-tube- a 're-imagining' of Star Wars set in South Wales, dont know if its funny to anyone not from here, bit it might give a cheap laugh :o)

Hello!

So i don't really have that much to say but i thought i would touch on a few things that pop into my head.

1. its raining!! i love the rain. however not when it involves working at the Civic. On Friday nite, Pete and I were at Tom's and work would not stop calling Pete! At midnite we decided to "swing by" work to check things out. to our amazement, it was leaking so bad that certain people wanted to call the fire department. I ended up staying till 2am and then had to be back at work at 7am for a 10 hour shift. Pete worked the graveyard to help clean up. Midnite to 7am. total bullshit!

2. New Years. i hate new years. ok i think i just hate the actual day. but then i get over it. see it makes me think......

3. i need a new cell phone. my battery doesn't last a day. now granted its sorta kinda old. at work the other day, this couple who was about my age asked for directions. BUT here's how the asshole guy asked. "hey you look like you work here. you have a walkie talkie but that sure is an old cell phone. where's the ice skating rink?" *sigh* i hate people.

4. Pete doesn't like to be hit in the head.

5. Sheila is planning. She's made her first wedding decision. very cool!

6. I do not miss my old job. not one i-ota! I get emails and phone calls every now and then and those poor people are just miserable. I'm sorry i left you!

7. Randy and Alex.....what up! Post some pics on the blog of good 'ol Alaska!

8. there are hardly anymore paid days off at work until Thanksgiving. i might cry.

9. Will this year, 2008, be another year of change??? i think so! Friends are having babies, more friends are getting married, jobs are potentially changing, maybe even weight loss. Please refer back to my "Year of Change" post for inspiration of things to come in the future. i think i see the future sometimes.

10. i need a washer and dryer of my own. there is nothing i dread more than having to save up quarters to do laundry. Torture i tell you, torture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess that's about it. Kinda random stuff, but at least one of these will relate to you. i know it will! :) happy new year!!! 2008 mother fuckers!

The Writer's Strike

I didn't used to have an opinion on the current Writer's Strike. If anything I was against the union on this one. A bunch of people doing what thousands dream of and they think they aren't getting paid enough? And then I heard about this: American Gladiators is back on TV! Not only is it back on TV but its on Thursday nights prime time! Is this the downfall of Western Civilization? Possibly. My opinion on the Writer's Strike is now this: Please pay them whatever they want to get back to work! I can't live like this! Even just knowing American Gladiators is on is rotting my brain cells!

Happy New Year!!!!!