FOR SALE: 2003 Black Poot, Low mileage

One owner, never been raced. (/wink)


As much as I Love my dog, sometimes he gets on my LAST nerve.

Yesterday started out normal, he glanced up as I was leaving for work, then promptly went back to sleep. As I walk in the door during lunch, I discovered that he took everything he owns on my bed; including his blankies, bowls (which he was considerate enough to dump out beforehand), his kong, numerous chewies, scores of toys, etc. all the way upstairs. He made a fort on top of my pillow. he even managed to push the comforter aside to build his little plush sanctuary. As cute as it was, it ticked me off because of the mess factor, especially since now the amount of black fur (not to mention the other little things) has grown to epic proportions where I sleep.

And that was just by noon.

Upon arriving home from work, this time remembering to leave the bedroom door closed, I was greeted by a very innocent-looking puppy on the couch, with a "wasn't me" look on his face. I know that look, and am prepared for anything I may find. It didn't take long. He managed to drag my suitcase up the stairs into the spare room. With all the traveling I do, I leave my suitcase downstairs, so all I have to do is throw in clothes and I'm good to go. So there was a trail of toiletries, books, business cards and assorted miscellany leading upstairs.

This was actually kinda cute (albeit annoying). When he does something funny like this, I imagine his thoughts, and have it narrowed down to:
A) "If he can't find his suitcase, he can't go traveling any more,"
B) He felt bad about the morning incident, and wanted to make up by straightening up.


Ok, so they're both lies. But it makes it easier to deal.

The next couple of hours were pretty uneventful, until he began to get into a VERY heated debate with the dogs next door. Don't know what they were arguing about, but apparently all three felt strongly about it.

That lasted until about 10, when he started chiming in with "and another thing" barking frenzy. Lillith can attest to that, as I was on the phone with her at the time.

I finally got him settled down, or more appropriately he fell asleep on my foot on his own. All was quiet on the Western front until I went to bed around 2.

That was a mistake.

He started in on the barking again. Not loud, but the grumbles, the growls, that little woof under his breath. There was nothing I could do to make him stop, until he finally exhausted everything he had to say around 4:30 and passed out.


So this morning, I'm grumpy, tired, and the last thing I want to do is mess with him. But I'm sure I'll head home during lunch, he'll yawn, jump off the couch, and run to jump on me, smothering me with fur and puppy kisses.

I hate him for being so f'ing cute.

Update

I've gotten so many emails from readers asking "Where the hell are you?" and things to that effect.

Short answer: Busy. But that's a lie.

I took an unscheduled break from blogging for a little bit, both writing and reading (to the people that I feed, I'll catch up soon); mostly because I was in limbo for a while. Minor crises averted, love won and lost, business trips, WoW played, work being... well, work.

I have been doing a lot of writing though, just not here. I completed another journal, and as my tradition, I set it ablaze. A lot of people don't understand why I do that, and it's difficult to explain. Most of my innermost thoughts, feelings, ambitions, the stuff closest to my heart go in that journal. In it I make all the words to the universe. Then, when the notebook is filled after a month or so, I buy another 100-page spiral notebook. After the first words hit the page, I literally set fire to the old one, with no pomp or circumstance. Perhaps the best way to explain it is a rebirth on a monthly basis. Wiping the slate clean. After that, my words are new. Ok, maybe it doesn't make sense, especially since because of my memory issues I usually have no idea what I wrote. But it makes me feel better to move forward.

So what's been going on...

I started dating someone, and then less than two weeks later it was over. Nothing serious, she was just moving WAY too fast for my comfort level. We did have a lot in common, and I did enjoy talking on the phone until my battery died. But when I started feeling guilty about not responding to the scores of email, IM, texts, and calls I received, I knew it was an issue. So I ended it before I started to not like her.

Murphy's doing okay, sort of. Well, HE'S doing great, but someone moved in next door to me with two dogs of her own, and Murphy has long conversations with them through the wall at all hours of the night. In my new neighbor's defense, she's really attractive. It's funny what you can get away with when you're smokin hot.

My cough is finally gone. So is the Nyquil. I am back to 100% (well, 95%).

I had a financial hiccup recently. Nothing life-altering, but it's something that'll take some time to get out of.

Those are the main things going on. More to come soon.

And thanks for being patient.

In The Rough

I know I've been slacking, so here's a vid from Blur Studios for ya.

Baby Steps

I've been slacking lately in my life. Procrastinating a lot, standing still and not moving forward. Come to think of it, there's no such thing as standing still. The floor is not level. If you're not moving forward, then you're sliding back. So about a week ago I decided that it was time to start revving my engine, so to speak.

Here are the things I made myself do, and I can already tell that my life is starting to pick up speed again:

• Write a timeline for the progression of my business.
• Make a certain appointment I've been putting off.
• Ask out a cute girl (This wasn't planned, but I did it, dammit!)
• When I went to the doctor for my latest illness du jour, I asked for a Chantix Rx. So yes, I'm quitting smoking.
• Take care of a particular financial situation.
• Actually put in some work.
  
• Reactivate my Google Adsense (You should see it up in the next couple of days).
• Blog about these choices.

This list right now is incomplete, because taking action is addictive. Perhaps the reason why I've been slacking is that I've been looking for BIG actions, and what needed to be done wasn't "significant" enough, so I ended up doing nothing at all. I know that makes no sense, but that's how my mind works.

Anyway, the ball's rolling again.

Tendering My Resignation

In my email today. Thanks B!

Subject: Resignation

To whom it may concern:

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.

* I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of a 5 year old again.
* I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.
* I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples in a pond with rocks.
* I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.
* I want to lie under a big oak tree and watch the ants march up its trunk.
* I want to run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.
* I want to think a quarter is worth more than a dollar bill cause it's prettier and weighs more.
* I want to go fishing and care more about catching the minnows along the shore than the big bass in the lake.
* I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes. When I didn't know what I know now. When all I knew was to be happy because I was blissfully unaware of all the things that should make me worried.
* I want to think the world is fair.
* I want to think that everyone is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.
* I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
* I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and the loss of loved ones.
* I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, dreams, the imagination, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, a kiss that makes a boo-boo go away, making angels in the snow and that my dad and Superman are the strongest people in the world.


So......here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit cards and the bills too, my 401K statements, my stocks & bonds, my collections, my insurance premiums, my job, my house and the payments too, my e-mail address pager,cell phone, computer, and watch. I am officially resigning from adulthood. And if you want to discuss this with me further, you'll have to catch me first, cause,

"Tag!"...
"You're it!"

Why Didn't I Think Of That?

While I was waiting for my prescriptions to be filled, I meandered around the pharmacy looking at random "As Seen On TV" stuff, and I came across something wonderful.

(SIDE NOTE: I used to collect Pez, but haven't in a while as it can get pretty pricey. But C'MON! I HAD to get this.)

Modern Medicine

I'm sick.

Again.

On Friday I started feeling bad again. Definite flu-like symptoms. This concerned me because as you may recall, I already had the flu not too long ago.

I'm starting to think there's something to this "life satisfaction" talk. Mostly because of my job. Before I started working here, I NEVER got sick. Now it seems like I'm sick all the time. Maybe I should have my office checked for asbestos...

By Saturday I was a hurtin' cowpoke, spending most of my weekend in bed. And not the "good" kind of weekend like that either. I probably slept about 30 hours Sat & Sun alone. With the aches and the coughing and the sneezing and and and.

By yesterday I was done with it. I wasn't even remotely feeling better, so I made an appointment at the Austin Regional Clinic, which has the personality of a free clinic, minus the whimsy. I was there for 40 minutes, in which I saw the doctor for a total of 4. In fact, he only listened to a couple of things I said, wrote me a couple of Rx, shook my hand, and left. I wasn't sure if I was done, if I needed to check out, pee in a cup, anything. So I left. I had already paid my copay, so as far as I was concerned I was done.

As what happens quite often in my life, I decided to take matters into my own hands. While I was waiting for my Rx to be filled, I stocked up on all sorts of OTC meds, vitamins, herbal supplements, and vitamin water (LOVE that stuff). I also ran by Jamba Juice on the way back to the office and picked up a Coldbuster. I figured I'll at least give my body a fighting chance (cue Eye Of The Tiger).

I'm off on a business trip tomorrow, so we'll see what I can make happen by then.

And because SOME PEOPLE (not mentioning any names) think it's just in my head, here's a blurb from IM earlier with Lillith...

Me: ok, you want evidence that I'm really sick?
She: sure
Me: I haven't had coffee since Thursday
She: WHAT?
Me: I'm on the same pack of cigs I opened on Fri
She: dang
Me: and I haven't rubbed one out since Thurs
Me: [point made]
She: dang
She: i'm scared

Nuff said.

Happy Val...Aww, who Am I Kidding?

It's that day again.

And I'm torn.

The romantic guy in me has all sorts of great feelings associated with Feb 14th (and ask any of my exes, I AM THAT GUY), with no outlet. This isn't a "woe is me" thing, this is more of a "being single sucks" thing. What makes it worse is the commercialism that has been oozing from everywhere. Online, commercials, even in WoW (You heard me). It's everywhere.

I was supposed to cook dinner for someone special tomorrow too, but that just got canceled. It wasn't a date or a V-Day thing, but it still would've been a nice diversion. So yeah, today's turning out a winner.

So my friend Lillith and I decided to have a little pity party of our own. We've been cock-blocking each V-Day thing that's been coming up for one another (a full time job), and we're getting together tonight to watch movies, have dinner, do laundry (I'm TOTALLY using her for her major appliances) and forget this day even happened.

The high point of my day was getting a Valentine card from my Mom & Dad. It was really cute and sweet, but it seemed to make the glaring omission of my "singleness" more apparent. Thanks though, folks. It DID make me smile.

...

Lilith just called and asked me to pick up some butter on the way for dinner, and I decided 5 seconds after that it was a sign from the heavens to pick up wine in bulk too.

And for all you happy couples out there, have a really nice time tonight and kiss my ass.

Ok, rant is over.

Best Thing Heard Out Of Context Today

Overheard in Whole Foods today...

"The only reason people think you're funny is because of the camel thing."

Later I ended up being in line behind them at checkout, and this was the last thing I heard said before they left... (emphasis mine)

"My cousin and I went swimming- yeah, my identical cousin- and she cut her foot on one of those pulltabs from old beer cans."
"Pulltabs? Those haven't been around since the 70s, right?"
"Yeah, I mean, who drinks 30-year-old beer?"

Don't think about it too much or blood will shoot out of your ears.

RIP

I need a new job.

So I'm sitting here in my office, entering data into a spreadsheet. At about page 528 (out of 682), I heard a small whimper, and actually FELT my soul die.

It's okay, it was suffering long enough.


Sleep well, little guy.