We've had a string of beautiful days. Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, not a cloud in the sky. I've been skipping out of work early whenever possible so that I can try to get outside and enjoy it. I'm hoping to try and get at least an hour of sunshine a day this summer.
Last night Jeannie and I went down to Annapolis to see Aimee's show, She Loves Me. It was a cute show, a good date, and we enjoyed walking around downtown Annapolis a little bit before the show. We stopped and got a little bit of ice cream before the show, and thankfully it did not give me the shits, as ice cream sometimes does. But anyway, it's always good to see the A-Train, and hopefully we'll hang out a bunch this summer (maybe a trip to the beach together!).
Tonight the Jeanners and I are picking through our financial shit. Good times.
My dad sent me in the mail a poem that he wrote. It's funny, but probably only if you know my dad. He's able to pull off "gruffly conservative" in a cute way.
Anyway, that's all I got. It's almost bikini season, so I'm currently starving myself a little bit. It's not too bad, though. How bad can life be when there's a big bowl of fresh (ish) strawberries in your kitchen? I hope to try and get down to the 160's by the end of the summer.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hit My Tapestry One More Time
I woke up about an hour ago from a night where I had two interesting dreams:
In the first one, I was hanging out with C. Bosco at some sort of rural retreat house outside of Kansas City. It was fantastic, because I haven't gotten to hang out with CMB in real life for several years now. It is sad that I only get to see good friends in my dreams now, but it's better than nuthin'.
In the second dream, I was producing Britney Spears' next CD, and we were discussing what she wanted the album to sound like, and she said she wanted it to sound like a 70's singer-songwriter album, like Carole King or Joni Mitchell. Even though I kinda hate Joni Mitchell, I was excited by the idea. Even now, awake, I think it would be a good move for Britney.
I hope that Joni Mitchell does not leave an angry comment on my blog now. At least I didn't say I wanted to punch her in the face--right, James Taylor?
While I'm on the subject, one more word about James Taylor: I used to pick up old James Taylor albums (Gorilla, Sweet Baby James, etc) and listen to samples from them, in the hopes that James Taylor is one of those people who sounds pretty flat and dull now, but back in the heroin-takin' days used to get down and dirty and sound all gnarly, a la Rod Stewart or even (although he still turns out a good song here and there) The Boss. But no, old James Taylor albums just sound like James Taylor. I've tried. I want to like the guy, he seems like a nice guy, but no.
It's been raining for several days now. Also, I have been illin' for several days. My poor nose has been blown more than Charlie Sheen.
I watched this Billy Bob video the other day, and while its not really interesting, it is kinda interesting. When I want to be an asshole, I think this is the variety of asshole I tend to be. It is kinda long, though, and there's a little bit of language that's not work appropriate.
In the first one, I was hanging out with C. Bosco at some sort of rural retreat house outside of Kansas City. It was fantastic, because I haven't gotten to hang out with CMB in real life for several years now. It is sad that I only get to see good friends in my dreams now, but it's better than nuthin'.
In the second dream, I was producing Britney Spears' next CD, and we were discussing what she wanted the album to sound like, and she said she wanted it to sound like a 70's singer-songwriter album, like Carole King or Joni Mitchell. Even though I kinda hate Joni Mitchell, I was excited by the idea. Even now, awake, I think it would be a good move for Britney.
I hope that Joni Mitchell does not leave an angry comment on my blog now. At least I didn't say I wanted to punch her in the face--right, James Taylor?
While I'm on the subject, one more word about James Taylor: I used to pick up old James Taylor albums (Gorilla, Sweet Baby James, etc) and listen to samples from them, in the hopes that James Taylor is one of those people who sounds pretty flat and dull now, but back in the heroin-takin' days used to get down and dirty and sound all gnarly, a la Rod Stewart or even (although he still turns out a good song here and there) The Boss. But no, old James Taylor albums just sound like James Taylor. I've tried. I want to like the guy, he seems like a nice guy, but no.
It's been raining for several days now. Also, I have been illin' for several days. My poor nose has been blown more than Charlie Sheen.
I watched this Billy Bob video the other day, and while its not really interesting, it is kinda interesting. When I want to be an asshole, I think this is the variety of asshole I tend to be. It is kinda long, though, and there's a little bit of language that's not work appropriate.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
8 years of service
I forgot to mention the other day that my brother and his wife had a little baby boy on Thursday -- Timothy O'Brien. And so, if everything goes normally and I don't live 200 years or something, then our branch of the O'Brien tree won't die with me, which is a load off.
Yesterday on the phone my dad told me that he had received in the mail an 8x10 photo of George W. and Laura Bush, because he (my dad) had written a letter to W, "thanking him for his 8 years of service." I laughed at him (my dad), and he laughed too. He's whack.
Been working on a song, and the song has some good things going for it, and some things that I don't like. Can't come up with a vocal melody or lyrics, though. Will wait and see. I do think I'm getting better at mixing, though. I can now mix something in headphones, and it ends up sounding pretty decent on regular speakers.
Jeannie and I have been experimenting food-wise. Last night we made some Chinese dumplings that took several hours to make, and they weren't that good and they gave me violent shits.
Yesterday on the phone my dad told me that he had received in the mail an 8x10 photo of George W. and Laura Bush, because he (my dad) had written a letter to W, "thanking him for his 8 years of service." I laughed at him (my dad), and he laughed too. He's whack.
Been working on a song, and the song has some good things going for it, and some things that I don't like. Can't come up with a vocal melody or lyrics, though. Will wait and see. I do think I'm getting better at mixing, though. I can now mix something in headphones, and it ends up sounding pretty decent on regular speakers.
Jeannie and I have been experimenting food-wise. Last night we made some Chinese dumplings that took several hours to make, and they weren't that good and they gave me violent shits.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Chronic, pt. II
Well, Sean, it seems as though your comment on my last post has influenced my subconscious, as last night I had a dream about rockin' the ganja with you and Cole. Don't know why I'm dreaming about weed lately, but I think that for now I shall stick to my good ol' G&T's and Guinness.
Not a whole helluva lot exciting going on. The Jeanners and I looked at a few more houses today. Nothing's grabbing us by the balls yet, though. Although we have signed a paper that ends the lease on our current apartment at the end of August, so that adds the potentially stressful element of a deadline into the whole process. Joy.
We both have the day of tomorrow. What shall we do? Monticello, anyone?
My farts smell like crabcakes. Crabcakes from a fiery, sulfurous hell.
Not a whole helluva lot exciting going on. The Jeanners and I looked at a few more houses today. Nothing's grabbing us by the balls yet, though. Although we have signed a paper that ends the lease on our current apartment at the end of August, so that adds the potentially stressful element of a deadline into the whole process. Joy.
We both have the day of tomorrow. What shall we do? Monticello, anyone?
My farts smell like crabcakes. Crabcakes from a fiery, sulfurous hell.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
The Chronic
Last night I had a crazy dream that went something like this:
Jeannie and I and the Schluetermetz' were traveling somewhere, and we stopped and spent the night at my parents' house. After everyone went to bed, the Schluetermetz' got up and started smoking pot. My parents woke up and smelled it and kicked the Schluetermetz' out. My dad told me what happened and I got very upset and started crying.
I woke up confused and hurt.
p.s. Holy Shit the C. Bosco Family had another baby! Welcome, young Jack!
p.p.s. One day when I'm famous, I hope I get asked to recreate this (thanks, Ricky!):
Jeannie and I and the Schluetermetz' were traveling somewhere, and we stopped and spent the night at my parents' house. After everyone went to bed, the Schluetermetz' got up and started smoking pot. My parents woke up and smelled it and kicked the Schluetermetz' out. My dad told me what happened and I got very upset and started crying.
I woke up confused and hurt.
p.s. Holy Shit the C. Bosco Family had another baby! Welcome, young Jack!
p.p.s. One day when I'm famous, I hope I get asked to recreate this (thanks, Ricky!):
Friday, April 03, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Tiny Daggers
At work, I am able to access, on the cash registers, the web page of my employer. On this web page, there is a kind of reader application that lets you read parts of certain books. So I've spent the last few days at work reading White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. It's pretty good. Well, yesterday, at a little over 100 pages in, the application told me that I've read all the pages that are loaded into the preview. So now I have to get the damned book for real to finish it. Reading books on the clock was a whole lot easier back at the power plant where I could just spend all day in the john.
I have the day off work today, and I would really really like to spend the day working on music, but I'm feeling totally uninspired. So I think I shall avoid a day putting lots of work into something that has a high chance of ending up being crap and uninspired. And I will go to CSC and work on organizing the storage area. Over the last few months I have developed a little personal motto: If you have a choice between staying in the house and getting out of the house, get out. I have not always heeded this motto, but I have found that when I do I'm a whole lot happier. And the day is more interesting.
Jeannie and I bought a 7 quart crock pot on Saturday. The muthafucka is big. What? Very big.
"Tiny Daggers" is a song by INXS. It is also the term that I used in my head yesterday to describe my farts.
I miss R. Riley.
I have the day off work today, and I would really really like to spend the day working on music, but I'm feeling totally uninspired. So I think I shall avoid a day putting lots of work into something that has a high chance of ending up being crap and uninspired. And I will go to CSC and work on organizing the storage area. Over the last few months I have developed a little personal motto: If you have a choice between staying in the house and getting out of the house, get out. I have not always heeded this motto, but I have found that when I do I'm a whole lot happier. And the day is more interesting.
Jeannie and I bought a 7 quart crock pot on Saturday. The muthafucka is big. What? Very big.
"Tiny Daggers" is a song by INXS. It is also the term that I used in my head yesterday to describe my farts.
I miss R. Riley.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Milk in the batter, milk in the batter!
We are back from Oregon! Jeez, what a good visit we had. I feel well-rested and happy, and I wish that I got to see the Schluetermetz' more often, because then I think I would feel this way more often. Here's the highlights:
Thursday: lots of flying. 3 hour layover in San Francisco, during which time we thought it would be really fun if Drew happened to be performing something clownish at the airport. No such luck. Arrived at the Schluetermetz' around dinnertime, visited, and went to bed.
Friday: lounging around day, and Jen and Brad had gotten a babysitter for the evening, so the four of us went out for dinner and hit the town. None of us knew what to do with ourselves, because we're all so much out of the habit of 'hitting the town.' We ended up having some Thai food (that Schlueter lied about the spiciness of) and then going to a bar called, I believe the Downtown Lounge, which, after we had been there a little while, revealed itself to be a kind of David Lynch-type place. It was kind of dark, with red fake leather booths and furniture, and red and gold curtains hanging up, and the lead singer for the band there was super tall and wore a beret, and there was a one-armed woman dancing (and basically having sex with the creepy dude she was dancing with), and a woman in a wheelchair, and then an Asian woman walking around selling very vivid-colored flowers. And the band took like an hour and a half to do a stupid soundcheck, and they were annoying me, and they had a setup of congas and chimes that they never even fucking used (at least during the first 4 songs, after which we departed). If I had congas and chimes, they would be in every song, you can be assured.
Satuday, Sunday - Head to the beach house in Waldport, OR. Crazy weather. It would be sunny for 20 minutes, then hail for 10, then be cloudy for 20, and then sunny again. I got in the water up to my knees. It was cold. Jeannie was afraid that if I went in any more I would lose control of my body and be swept out to sea, and then they would all die trying to rescue me. There was a seal in the water not too far from me. We flew kites, which was pretty awesome. Jeannie was a good first-time kite flyer. We made big dinners of lasagna and falafel, drank some, and had heated games of hearts. We also played a childrens' version of hearts that Henry had, and during one of those games, Schlueter played the Jinx card after I had lead the 7 of Clovers. On like the second trick. You probably don't know what that means, but it infuriated me, you can be assured.
Monday - Drove home from the beach, Schlueter made a big dinner of roasted vegetables and goat cheese and pasta (that turned everybody's [or at least mine and Jeannie's and Schlueter's] poop red for the next day or so), and good ol' J. Schmor came over and joined us. We chatted and drank and it was good to see him. He reminded of of the fact that I once bought him a Seal CD. I vaguely remember this and I am ashamed of it, but I think I only bought it because he said he liked it.
Tuesday - Hungover. I used to associate hangovers with sitting in the House of Brown listening to Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day.' I now associate them with leaving the Schluetermetz house. It seems that every time that I have to drive away from there I am feeling hungover. Our plan for the day was to visit Anna and Chris in Corvallis (which we did, and it was good to see them and hear about their cross-country adventures [see Sockiboos or Wine for Truth for details of their trip], and they treated us to a tasty pizza lunch and walk around Corvallis) and then drive up to Salem and try and find a fun Cob house that Jeannie's former boss built out of mud and hay and earthen-type shit back in his hippie days. Unfortunately, we got a flat tire on the way up to Corvallis, and the car felt a little funky after that, and I wanted to do as little driving in it as possible, so we had to skip the Cob House detour. So anyway, we flew out of Portland at around 11pm, and had a layover in Chicago from 4am to 8am, then arrived in Baltimore at around noon, and then I left for work at around 2pm. So it was a long day, but fortunately I was able to sleep pretty well on the flights and in O'Hare Airport, so it wasn't too bad.
You are now at least somewhat up to date. I hope this pleases you.
Thursday: lots of flying. 3 hour layover in San Francisco, during which time we thought it would be really fun if Drew happened to be performing something clownish at the airport. No such luck. Arrived at the Schluetermetz' around dinnertime, visited, and went to bed.
Friday: lounging around day, and Jen and Brad had gotten a babysitter for the evening, so the four of us went out for dinner and hit the town. None of us knew what to do with ourselves, because we're all so much out of the habit of 'hitting the town.' We ended up having some Thai food (that Schlueter lied about the spiciness of) and then going to a bar called, I believe the Downtown Lounge, which, after we had been there a little while, revealed itself to be a kind of David Lynch-type place. It was kind of dark, with red fake leather booths and furniture, and red and gold curtains hanging up, and the lead singer for the band there was super tall and wore a beret, and there was a one-armed woman dancing (and basically having sex with the creepy dude she was dancing with), and a woman in a wheelchair, and then an Asian woman walking around selling very vivid-colored flowers. And the band took like an hour and a half to do a stupid soundcheck, and they were annoying me, and they had a setup of congas and chimes that they never even fucking used (at least during the first 4 songs, after which we departed). If I had congas and chimes, they would be in every song, you can be assured.
Satuday, Sunday - Head to the beach house in Waldport, OR. Crazy weather. It would be sunny for 20 minutes, then hail for 10, then be cloudy for 20, and then sunny again. I got in the water up to my knees. It was cold. Jeannie was afraid that if I went in any more I would lose control of my body and be swept out to sea, and then they would all die trying to rescue me. There was a seal in the water not too far from me. We flew kites, which was pretty awesome. Jeannie was a good first-time kite flyer. We made big dinners of lasagna and falafel, drank some, and had heated games of hearts. We also played a childrens' version of hearts that Henry had, and during one of those games, Schlueter played the Jinx card after I had lead the 7 of Clovers. On like the second trick. You probably don't know what that means, but it infuriated me, you can be assured.
Monday - Drove home from the beach, Schlueter made a big dinner of roasted vegetables and goat cheese and pasta (that turned everybody's [or at least mine and Jeannie's and Schlueter's] poop red for the next day or so), and good ol' J. Schmor came over and joined us. We chatted and drank and it was good to see him. He reminded of of the fact that I once bought him a Seal CD. I vaguely remember this and I am ashamed of it, but I think I only bought it because he said he liked it.
Tuesday - Hungover. I used to associate hangovers with sitting in the House of Brown listening to Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day.' I now associate them with leaving the Schluetermetz house. It seems that every time that I have to drive away from there I am feeling hungover. Our plan for the day was to visit Anna and Chris in Corvallis (which we did, and it was good to see them and hear about their cross-country adventures [see Sockiboos or Wine for Truth for details of their trip], and they treated us to a tasty pizza lunch and walk around Corvallis) and then drive up to Salem and try and find a fun Cob house that Jeannie's former boss built out of mud and hay and earthen-type shit back in his hippie days. Unfortunately, we got a flat tire on the way up to Corvallis, and the car felt a little funky after that, and I wanted to do as little driving in it as possible, so we had to skip the Cob House detour. So anyway, we flew out of Portland at around 11pm, and had a layover in Chicago from 4am to 8am, then arrived in Baltimore at around noon, and then I left for work at around 2pm. So it was a long day, but fortunately I was able to sleep pretty well on the flights and in O'Hare Airport, so it wasn't too bad.
You are now at least somewhat up to date. I hope this pleases you.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Getting Away From It All
Have I mentioned that the J-Dog and I are going on vacation this week? Well, if I haven't, we are. We're going to Oregon on Thursday, to visit our good friends the Schluetermetz', formerly of Ohio. Jesus H. Christo I am looking forward to this trip. Visits with the Schluetermetz' have, in the past, acted as psychic enemas of a sort, cleaning out a lot of the mental bullshit and recharging my emotional batteries. And thus, I am very much looking forward to this visit, as the ol' mental bowels seem to be experiencing some blockage. And the emotional batteries are in desperate need of recharging. And, after eavesdropping on a public conversation on Facebook today, I have learned that there is an outside chance that Uncle Rico Riley might show up, which would put a smile on my face that would last all week long.
I haven't been to Oregon since I think around 2000 or 2001, and am looking forward to getting back and seeing a little bit of that beautiful area, although I'm sure it'll probably be raining the whole time. It's ok. Rain I can handle.
So for the past week, we've been looking at houses, and thinking about houses, and there was this one particular place that Jeannie and I had been thinking about, and Jeannie had been drawing up some ideas for floorplans and stuff (this is what she does), and we went over on Wednesday night and walked around the neighborhood, and we've seriously been putting A LOT of thought in about this place. Cause it's not perfect, but it had some good things going for it. And then on Friday we found out that there had been a fire on the back porch and part of the house, well, burned up a little bit. Which doesn't take the house out of the running, because the part that burned was a part that we probably would've wanted to change anyway, but it does add a definite "What the F@#$?" aspect to our house hunting experience, thus far.
Seriously cant wait to get out of here.
Jeannie and I both had trouble sleeping last night. Could've been the falafel (we made a bunch and I'm having some leftovers right now - it's delicious!) we had for dinner, or the beer I had, and I'm guessing that Jeannie was kept awake by thoughts of houses, because when I got up at 5:45 this morning, she was in the living room working with floorplans on the computer. I ended up having at some point some weird dreams about people from high school.
House hunting is strange. It's not easy, and it has definitely taken effort to try to remember to enjoy the process. I'm thankful that we're looking at a time that's a relatively low-stress time for buyers, and I'm thankful that I'm looking with someone who cares very much about houses, and cares very much about how they work, and is able to see the potential (or lack thereof) in things.
I haven't been to Oregon since I think around 2000 or 2001, and am looking forward to getting back and seeing a little bit of that beautiful area, although I'm sure it'll probably be raining the whole time. It's ok. Rain I can handle.
So for the past week, we've been looking at houses, and thinking about houses, and there was this one particular place that Jeannie and I had been thinking about, and Jeannie had been drawing up some ideas for floorplans and stuff (this is what she does), and we went over on Wednesday night and walked around the neighborhood, and we've seriously been putting A LOT of thought in about this place. Cause it's not perfect, but it had some good things going for it. And then on Friday we found out that there had been a fire on the back porch and part of the house, well, burned up a little bit. Which doesn't take the house out of the running, because the part that burned was a part that we probably would've wanted to change anyway, but it does add a definite "What the F@#$?" aspect to our house hunting experience, thus far.
Seriously cant wait to get out of here.
Jeannie and I both had trouble sleeping last night. Could've been the falafel (we made a bunch and I'm having some leftovers right now - it's delicious!) we had for dinner, or the beer I had, and I'm guessing that Jeannie was kept awake by thoughts of houses, because when I got up at 5:45 this morning, she was in the living room working with floorplans on the computer. I ended up having at some point some weird dreams about people from high school.
House hunting is strange. It's not easy, and it has definitely taken effort to try to remember to enjoy the process. I'm thankful that we're looking at a time that's a relatively low-stress time for buyers, and I'm thankful that I'm looking with someone who cares very much about houses, and cares very much about how they work, and is able to see the potential (or lack thereof) in things.
Friday, March 13, 2009
J-Dog Fun Fact #1
My wife keeps a rolled-up orange towel by her pillow, and calls it "Waylon." Waylon's exact purpose is unknown (by me), but apparently has something to do with a heating pad and the ability to apply the heating pad to areas of her head at the proper angle and pressure.
Huh.
Huh.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Shotgun Willie
A few weeks ago I heard a Willie Nelson song called "Shotgun Willie" on an episode of LOST (I'll just go ahead and link to it over there in the music player). Ever since, it's been kinda stuck in my head, haunting me. I'm a sucker for country songs with stabby horns and chill 70's beats. And anyway, this song, and the fact that some of LOST is now set in the 70's, and my big shaggy beard have started me thinking about the 70's. I think I would've liked them had I been around in them longer. They seem kinda sad and dreary and dominated by different tones of brown, all of which I enjoy. In my head I picture the seventies as being constantly October and constantly raining.
I decided today to shave the beard. I think that during the shaving process I'm going to pause to mimic the different facial hair styles of several historical U.S. presidents (most notably a Chester A. Arthur) but I'll probably settle on a good ol' Al Swearingen for a few days before going back to my usual sexy stubble. Wouldn't mind trying out a Rollie Fingers, either.
Not too much else. I went to the gym today for the first time in a long time. For most of the winter I've just been running around the neighborhood and not making official gym visits, but I think I'll start up again, as it felt pretty good. I tend to be able to run longer at the gym because it's not so goddamned cold (or hot, depending on whatever temperaturely-annoying season it happens to be). Also worked on some music last night and came up with absolutely zilch. I'm feeling pretty creatively dead recently. Empty. Blank.
Looking at more houses this weekend. Let's hope they're not, overall, as shitty as the last bunch.
I decided today to shave the beard. I think that during the shaving process I'm going to pause to mimic the different facial hair styles of several historical U.S. presidents (most notably a Chester A. Arthur) but I'll probably settle on a good ol' Al Swearingen for a few days before going back to my usual sexy stubble. Wouldn't mind trying out a Rollie Fingers, either.
Not too much else. I went to the gym today for the first time in a long time. For most of the winter I've just been running around the neighborhood and not making official gym visits, but I think I'll start up again, as it felt pretty good. I tend to be able to run longer at the gym because it's not so goddamned cold (or hot, depending on whatever temperaturely-annoying season it happens to be). Also worked on some music last night and came up with absolutely zilch. I'm feeling pretty creatively dead recently. Empty. Blank.
Looking at more houses this weekend. Let's hope they're not, overall, as shitty as the last bunch.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Flip Flopper
Alright, first off, I have listened to the U2 album a bunch more times and as much as I am surprised to say it, I'm sold. I'm surprised because when I first heard it I thought it was absolute crap (as Jeannie will attest), and I'm also surprised because I'm even coming around and liking 'Get on Your Boots,' which I went on the public record against. But damn you, Brian Eno, you're a wily bastard, and it turns out that this record is quite the grower. Damn you, Brian Eno. It's not perfect, there are some lyrical and musical clunker moments, but on the whole it's good. I will enjoy spending time with this record, and I'm interested in hearing these songs live, which has not been true of the last few albums. Hmmm. I'd say it took me about 10-15 complete listenings before I started liking this one.
Second, the J-Dog and I looked at houses today for the first time. Well, it's the first time that we actually went with a realtor and got to go inside places. Fun, scary, a little overwhelming, a little underwhelming. We went to 7 houses, and 5.5 of them were pretty much complete crap. Like, falling apart crap. One has some potential but is kind of half falling apart and would need a lot of work, and one appears to be in good shape but would need some work to get it the way we would want it. But, nonetheless, it was exciting, and I feel like I could easily spend the next 2 months sitting in front of a computer screen, eagerly awaiting new places to come on the market.
Tomorrow I am off work again, and we will be striking the set for The Country Wife. The show appears to have been a success, and was enjoyable, and last week as we were remounting the set for the weekend's performances, I was remembering how stressed I was while building it and how silly it all seemed now. But yes, I was stressed at the time. Anyway, now it'll all be over, and we'll have the summer free for home-buying adventures.
Wonder how PKP and T are doing with new baby Finn? I hope that all is well and that people are getting at least a little bit of sleep and rest.
Second, the J-Dog and I looked at houses today for the first time. Well, it's the first time that we actually went with a realtor and got to go inside places. Fun, scary, a little overwhelming, a little underwhelming. We went to 7 houses, and 5.5 of them were pretty much complete crap. Like, falling apart crap. One has some potential but is kind of half falling apart and would need a lot of work, and one appears to be in good shape but would need some work to get it the way we would want it. But, nonetheless, it was exciting, and I feel like I could easily spend the next 2 months sitting in front of a computer screen, eagerly awaiting new places to come on the market.
Tomorrow I am off work again, and we will be striking the set for The Country Wife. The show appears to have been a success, and was enjoyable, and last week as we were remounting the set for the weekend's performances, I was remembering how stressed I was while building it and how silly it all seemed now. But yes, I was stressed at the time. Anyway, now it'll all be over, and we'll have the summer free for home-buying adventures.
Wonder how PKP and T are doing with new baby Finn? I hope that all is well and that people are getting at least a little bit of sleep and rest.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Foto Finnish
Pat (PKP) and Teresa have a new son, Finn Daniel. The dude was 9 lbs 1 oz, and arrived yesterday morning. Woo Hoo! Very exciting stuff, indeed. Everybody is doing well and happy. And, Pat told me, as of yesterday afternoon Finn had pooped twice. Just so you know. I think I had him beat by one.
Also, yesterday morning at work I was putting out the newly released CD's and DVD's before the store opened, and I had the opportunity to listen to U2's new album, 1.5 times, in headphones. And, well, it grew on me a little bit. So maybe it's not as bad as I initially believed. But still, I am skeptical.
The home buying process continues to be a little overwhelming. And we haven't even really started yet. Must remember to find the joy in all of this.
I'm off work today, and have lots of little things on my plate. Laundry, call to a lender, maybe a trip to the gym, maybe a vehicle emissions test. Woo-Hoo!
Also, yesterday morning at work I was putting out the newly released CD's and DVD's before the store opened, and I had the opportunity to listen to U2's new album, 1.5 times, in headphones. And, well, it grew on me a little bit. So maybe it's not as bad as I initially believed. But still, I am skeptical.
The home buying process continues to be a little overwhelming. And we haven't even really started yet. Must remember to find the joy in all of this.
I'm off work today, and have lots of little things on my plate. Laundry, call to a lender, maybe a trip to the gym, maybe a vehicle emissions test. Woo-Hoo!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Waltz For Debby
I've been listening to a lot of Bill Evans lately. He's a jazz pianist from back in the day, and I think I'll just go ahead and call him a genius. Listening to him makes me want to never touch another musical instrument again. He has an amazing head and amazing hands. Hmmmm.
I was thinking the other day about the fact that the two classes that I took in college that I use the most in my daily life are Stagecraft and Jazz History. I'm sure I never would've guessed that at the time...
LOST is very good this season. I think it's the payoff season for all those fans who have stuck around this long. I'm enjoying looking forward to it each week.
I took a break from running for a good chunk of the winter, and now that it's getting springier outside I want to start up again, but dammit if it wasn't too cold this afternoon when I got home from work. So then my plan was to put on my long underwear and run at night when nobody would see me, but that didn't really happen. Tomorrow, I suppose.
I have heard the new U2 album in its entirety, and I'm not too impressed. Oh well.
Still no baby for T and PKP! I feel for T.
Only a few more weeks till me and the J-Dog head to Oregon!
I was thinking the other day about the fact that the two classes that I took in college that I use the most in my daily life are Stagecraft and Jazz History. I'm sure I never would've guessed that at the time...
LOST is very good this season. I think it's the payoff season for all those fans who have stuck around this long. I'm enjoying looking forward to it each week.
I took a break from running for a good chunk of the winter, and now that it's getting springier outside I want to start up again, but dammit if it wasn't too cold this afternoon when I got home from work. So then my plan was to put on my long underwear and run at night when nobody would see me, but that didn't really happen. Tomorrow, I suppose.
I have heard the new U2 album in its entirety, and I'm not too impressed. Oh well.
Still no baby for T and PKP! I feel for T.
Only a few more weeks till me and the J-Dog head to Oregon!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Is This Real Life?
It's hard not to blog about interest rates right now, because they're taking up a lot of my head space. But I'll spare you the details and just say that we're in the midst of negotiations. Wheelings and dealings and whatnot. But not for any particular place, just looking for a good deal on a loan.
Anyway...
Not a ton has been happening. I finished reading John Adams, which I enjoyed very much. I have started reading Don Quixote, mainly because it's the only old, good-looking book sitting on the shelf that I haven't read.
The Jeanners and I had an argument yesterday and then we talked it out. We're getting pretty good at that, I must say. The talking out part, that is. It's nice.
We spent the day walking and driving around the Hamilton neighborhood, looking at houses. It was a good time, although I spent a decent amount of time looking for a good bush or alley to take a leak in. Never found one, but we did eventually hit the library so I could relieve myself. I found the reference section to be nice and secluded. HA! Just kidding. I used the somewhat scary restroom, which had a toilet that really just bubbled a lot when you flushed it. It's true. Ask the Jeanners.
Jeannie has wanted pancakes all day. Or french toast. She also has added chicken fingers to the list of things she wants.
That's all! Seacrest out!
Anyway...
Not a ton has been happening. I finished reading John Adams, which I enjoyed very much. I have started reading Don Quixote, mainly because it's the only old, good-looking book sitting on the shelf that I haven't read.
The Jeanners and I had an argument yesterday and then we talked it out. We're getting pretty good at that, I must say. The talking out part, that is. It's nice.
We spent the day walking and driving around the Hamilton neighborhood, looking at houses. It was a good time, although I spent a decent amount of time looking for a good bush or alley to take a leak in. Never found one, but we did eventually hit the library so I could relieve myself. I found the reference section to be nice and secluded. HA! Just kidding. I used the somewhat scary restroom, which had a toilet that really just bubbled a lot when you flushed it. It's true. Ask the Jeanners.
Jeannie has wanted pancakes all day. Or french toast. She also has added chicken fingers to the list of things she wants.
That's all! Seacrest out!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I, Clavdivs
Really having trouble focusing on writing lately. I guess this is one of those times where having a blog isn't very fun or interesting, and you gots to just keep on keepin' on. I suppose that I just got out of the groove, and must go through the motions until the groove returns.
Quite a few interesting things have happened over the last week or so, so let's see what we can remember:
1. The J-Dog had her birthday last Thursday. We both had the day off work, and it was a lovely day, weather-wise, so after going to HCCA to re-mount the set for The Country Wife, The Jeanners and I had a tasty Qdoba (is that how it's spelled? Why don't I know how that's spelled?) lunch and headed down to DC to see some museums and frolic about the town. The National Gallery of Art (and Farts) had an exhibit of a photographer that I've been a fan of for awhile, Robert Frank, and we got to see that, which was nice. We also went to the Hirschorn Museum and saw some Modern Farts and Sculpture, which was less interesting but we had fun frolicking. Then we drove home and went to dinner with Katie (who has once again left town to go work on her farm in Massachusetts) at an Ethiopian Restaurant of Jeannie's choice called the Dukem Restaurant (or something like that). I was not really a fan of the Ethiopian food, because the bread stuff was kinda like a cross between pancakes and human skin. I am not a fan of eating either. The Ethiopian beer was OK, though.
2. Nice customer, Mr. Kim, gave me a bottle of very nice cognac. I'm not sure how to drink it, not sure if I'll like it, and a little intimidated by it. But, like Miss Scarlet in the movie Clue, I enjoy getting presents from strange men.
3. The Jeanners and I went to dinner and to see The Country Wife with PKP on opening night, and then we all went to the opening night party afterward. The show was better than expected (and got a good review in the Baltimore Sun!) and it sure was good hanging with the PKP, although he did cut stinky fahts during the show, and his hair is long like a girl's. And he's gonna be a daddy in like, jeez, any day now. So that's pretty exciting stuff.
4. I spent a good portion of my most recent day off playing Civilization III. It was pretty great.
5. Everything I'm reading about the upcoming U2 album is very exciting. Everything I've heard from it is not. Although I think the mark of a great album is that it's better than the sum of its parts. Perhaps this album will be like that.
6. As the Facebookers already know, I sent a letter to Willie Nelson's manager, because I've always heard Willie Nelson's voice singing some songs that I wrote quite a few years ago. The truth is that I actually heard Johnny Cash singing one of them and Willie singing the other one, and then Johnny Cash died. So now I'll never hear Johnny Cash sing that one. But I figured I could actually do something about the other one, so I figured I would write to Willie Nelson someday. Well, for some reason, it kept me awake the other night thinking about it, so I got off my ass and wrote a quick, awkward letter that included links to the songs and put it in the mail to his manager's address, which I found on Le Interwebbe. Not expecting anything to come of it, but it felt good to do.
7. Jeannie and I started watching I, Claudius (or as we like to call it, I Clavdivs). She fell asleep. I thought it was a little bit corny, and, well, I think I've become spoiled by the lavish production values of shows like Rome and Deadwood. And I Clavdivs doesn't really stack up. Plus, Brian Blessed looks like Richard Kind.
Quite a few interesting things have happened over the last week or so, so let's see what we can remember:
1. The J-Dog had her birthday last Thursday. We both had the day off work, and it was a lovely day, weather-wise, so after going to HCCA to re-mount the set for The Country Wife, The Jeanners and I had a tasty Qdoba (is that how it's spelled? Why don't I know how that's spelled?) lunch and headed down to DC to see some museums and frolic about the town. The National Gallery of Art (and Farts) had an exhibit of a photographer that I've been a fan of for awhile, Robert Frank, and we got to see that, which was nice. We also went to the Hirschorn Museum and saw some Modern Farts and Sculpture, which was less interesting but we had fun frolicking. Then we drove home and went to dinner with Katie (who has once again left town to go work on her farm in Massachusetts) at an Ethiopian Restaurant of Jeannie's choice called the Dukem Restaurant (or something like that). I was not really a fan of the Ethiopian food, because the bread stuff was kinda like a cross between pancakes and human skin. I am not a fan of eating either. The Ethiopian beer was OK, though.
2. Nice customer, Mr. Kim, gave me a bottle of very nice cognac. I'm not sure how to drink it, not sure if I'll like it, and a little intimidated by it. But, like Miss Scarlet in the movie Clue, I enjoy getting presents from strange men.
3. The Jeanners and I went to dinner and to see The Country Wife with PKP on opening night, and then we all went to the opening night party afterward. The show was better than expected (and got a good review in the Baltimore Sun!) and it sure was good hanging with the PKP, although he did cut stinky fahts during the show, and his hair is long like a girl's. And he's gonna be a daddy in like, jeez, any day now. So that's pretty exciting stuff.
4. I spent a good portion of my most recent day off playing Civilization III. It was pretty great.
5. Everything I'm reading about the upcoming U2 album is very exciting. Everything I've heard from it is not. Although I think the mark of a great album is that it's better than the sum of its parts. Perhaps this album will be like that.
6. As the Facebookers already know, I sent a letter to Willie Nelson's manager, because I've always heard Willie Nelson's voice singing some songs that I wrote quite a few years ago. The truth is that I actually heard Johnny Cash singing one of them and Willie singing the other one, and then Johnny Cash died. So now I'll never hear Johnny Cash sing that one. But I figured I could actually do something about the other one, so I figured I would write to Willie Nelson someday. Well, for some reason, it kept me awake the other night thinking about it, so I got off my ass and wrote a quick, awkward letter that included links to the songs and put it in the mail to his manager's address, which I found on Le Interwebbe. Not expecting anything to come of it, but it felt good to do.
7. Jeannie and I started watching I, Claudius (or as we like to call it, I Clavdivs). She fell asleep. I thought it was a little bit corny, and, well, I think I've become spoiled by the lavish production values of shows like Rome and Deadwood. And I Clavdivs doesn't really stack up. Plus, Brian Blessed looks like Richard Kind.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
The Answers
Since I have not been writing much for awhile, I'm feeling rusty. Therefore, I will use this opportunity to post the answers to the quiz from a few weeks back, as a warm -up for future posting.
1. What is my all-time favorite breakfast?
a) 2 bowls of Lucky Charms with milk, 1 banana.
b) 2 eggs over easy, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage patties, toast, juice.
c) 3 fried eggs, 1 can of black beans, 3 TBSP salsa, 1 TBSP lowfat greek-style
yogurt. Mash it all together.
ANSWER: B. THIS WAS A TRICK QUESTION, AS I'VE BEEN EATING A LOT OF "C" LATELY, AND I USED TO LOVE ME SOME "A". BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL-TIME FAVORITE, IT'S GOTTA BE "B".
2. How many siblings do I have?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
ANSWER: D. TWO OLDER SISTERS AND AN OLDER BROTHER.
3. What is my oldest childhood memory?
a) J. Hines peeing on the boys' bathroom wall -- kindergarden
b) Cutting my head on a chair leg at the bank -- age 2
c) Afternoon walks with my mom through the neighborhood, spelling W-A-T-E-R on
sewer lids -- age 4
d) burning my eyelashes and -brows on the cake at my first birthday party.
ANSWER: B. "A" and "C" ARE ACTUAL MEMORIES, "D" IS ENTIRELY MADE UP.
4. What is my current favorite song of all time?
a) "All I Need" by Radiohead
b) "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie
c) "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" by U2
ANSWER: A. I'VE LISTENED TO THIS SONG A LOT, AND I STILL GET GOOSEBUMPS EVERY TIME. GREAT BEAT, GREAT BUILD, GREAT SINGING. IF THIS SONG HAD BEEN AROUND WHEN I WAS 14, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE COMMITTED SUICIDE TO IT.
5. I prefer to wear:
a) boxers
b) briefs
c) boxer-briefs
d) commando
e) bikini briefs
f) thong
ANSWER: C. VERY OCCASIONAL "A" AND "D".
6. My least favorite coin is:
a) penny
b) nickel
c) dime
d) quarter
e) Kennedy half-dollar
f) Susan B. Anthony dollar
g) Sacajawea dollar
ANSWER: B. FUCKING NICKELS.
7. I have 3 bullets. Who gets them?
a) D. Finlaysen, A. Beanstock, B. White (local NPR personalities)
b) E.V. Arnold, Ross, Beatles Guy (B&N loons)
c) George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Ann Coulter (political players)
d) Dane Cook
ANSWER: A.
8. Favorite Soup?
a) vegetable
b) pea
c) ass
d) clam chowder
ANSWER: B. GIVE ME PEA SOUP OR GIVE ME, UH, SOMETHING ELSE.
9. What is my preferred style of government?
a) monarchy
b) democracy
c) communism
d) despotism
ANSWER: A. THERE'D BE SO MUCH LESS BULLSHIT IF WE JUST HAD ROYALS. OR, AT LEAST IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT SORT OF BULLSHIT.
10. If I could live during any past era, it would be:
a) Wyoming, 1870
b) New York, 1950
c) England, Medieval Times
d) Dinosaur times
ANSWER: B. I'D GO HEAR SOME DIFFERENT JAZZ EVERY NIGHT.
11. My favorite nostalgic TV show is:
a) Growing Pains
b) Who's the Boss?
c) Silver Spoons
ANSWER: C, ALTHOUGH I WAS THINKING THE OTHER DAY THAT THE ACTUAL ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS PROBABLY 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.'
EXTRA CREDIT
ESSAYS
Please write a short essay on one of the following topics:
1. Describe one of my typical days at the power plant.
WAKE UP SUPER ASS EARLY (IF I WAS WORKING AN A.M. SHIFT; P.M. SHIFT STARTED AT 2PM, AND THE OWL SHIFT STARTED AT 10PM), HIT 'JACK IN THE BOX' TO BUY 2 BREAKFAST JACKS FOR BREAKFAST AND 2 JUMBO JACKS FOR LUNCH. GET TO WORK, GET WORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THE DAY. SPEND 2.5 HOURS WALKING AROUND, 2.5 HOURS HIDING/SLEEPING, AND 2.5 HOURS IN THE BATHROOM. TAKE A SHOWER. GO HOME.
2. Describe a typical day for me in Kirksville, MO.
WAKE UP AROUND 10. SIT IN RON'S OFFICE UNTIL AROUND 4. EAT CHICKEN SANDWICHES. GO DRINK, SOMEWHERE.
3. Describe a typical day for me at the B&N.
COME TO WORK, STRAIGHTEN A FEW THINGS. STAND AND SAY 'HELLO' TO PEOPLE. AVOID CONVERSATIONS. CLEAN UP ANY STRAY TURDS. GO HOME.
1. What is my all-time favorite breakfast?
a) 2 bowls of Lucky Charms with milk, 1 banana.
b) 2 eggs over easy, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage patties, toast, juice.
c) 3 fried eggs, 1 can of black beans, 3 TBSP salsa, 1 TBSP lowfat greek-style
yogurt. Mash it all together.
ANSWER: B. THIS WAS A TRICK QUESTION, AS I'VE BEEN EATING A LOT OF "C" LATELY, AND I USED TO LOVE ME SOME "A". BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL-TIME FAVORITE, IT'S GOTTA BE "B".
2. How many siblings do I have?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
ANSWER: D. TWO OLDER SISTERS AND AN OLDER BROTHER.
3. What is my oldest childhood memory?
a) J. Hines peeing on the boys' bathroom wall -- kindergarden
b) Cutting my head on a chair leg at the bank -- age 2
c) Afternoon walks with my mom through the neighborhood, spelling W-A-T-E-R on
sewer lids -- age 4
d) burning my eyelashes and -brows on the cake at my first birthday party.
ANSWER: B. "A" and "C" ARE ACTUAL MEMORIES, "D" IS ENTIRELY MADE UP.
4. What is my current favorite song of all time?
a) "All I Need" by Radiohead
b) "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie
c) "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" by U2
ANSWER: A. I'VE LISTENED TO THIS SONG A LOT, AND I STILL GET GOOSEBUMPS EVERY TIME. GREAT BEAT, GREAT BUILD, GREAT SINGING. IF THIS SONG HAD BEEN AROUND WHEN I WAS 14, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE COMMITTED SUICIDE TO IT.
5. I prefer to wear:
a) boxers
b) briefs
c) boxer-briefs
d) commando
e) bikini briefs
f) thong
ANSWER: C. VERY OCCASIONAL "A" AND "D".
6. My least favorite coin is:
a) penny
b) nickel
c) dime
d) quarter
e) Kennedy half-dollar
f) Susan B. Anthony dollar
g) Sacajawea dollar
ANSWER: B. FUCKING NICKELS.
7. I have 3 bullets. Who gets them?
a) D. Finlaysen, A. Beanstock, B. White (local NPR personalities)
b) E.V. Arnold, Ross, Beatles Guy (B&N loons)
c) George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Ann Coulter (political players)
d) Dane Cook
ANSWER: A.
8. Favorite Soup?
a) vegetable
b) pea
c) ass
d) clam chowder
ANSWER: B. GIVE ME PEA SOUP OR GIVE ME, UH, SOMETHING ELSE.
9. What is my preferred style of government?
a) monarchy
b) democracy
c) communism
d) despotism
ANSWER: A. THERE'D BE SO MUCH LESS BULLSHIT IF WE JUST HAD ROYALS. OR, AT LEAST IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT SORT OF BULLSHIT.
10. If I could live during any past era, it would be:
a) Wyoming, 1870
b) New York, 1950
c) England, Medieval Times
d) Dinosaur times
ANSWER: B. I'D GO HEAR SOME DIFFERENT JAZZ EVERY NIGHT.
11. My favorite nostalgic TV show is:
a) Growing Pains
b) Who's the Boss?
c) Silver Spoons
ANSWER: C, ALTHOUGH I WAS THINKING THE OTHER DAY THAT THE ACTUAL ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS PROBABLY 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.'
EXTRA CREDIT
ESSAYS
Please write a short essay on one of the following topics:
1. Describe one of my typical days at the power plant.
WAKE UP SUPER ASS EARLY (IF I WAS WORKING AN A.M. SHIFT; P.M. SHIFT STARTED AT 2PM, AND THE OWL SHIFT STARTED AT 10PM), HIT 'JACK IN THE BOX' TO BUY 2 BREAKFAST JACKS FOR BREAKFAST AND 2 JUMBO JACKS FOR LUNCH. GET TO WORK, GET WORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THE DAY. SPEND 2.5 HOURS WALKING AROUND, 2.5 HOURS HIDING/SLEEPING, AND 2.5 HOURS IN THE BATHROOM. TAKE A SHOWER. GO HOME.
2. Describe a typical day for me in Kirksville, MO.
WAKE UP AROUND 10. SIT IN RON'S OFFICE UNTIL AROUND 4. EAT CHICKEN SANDWICHES. GO DRINK, SOMEWHERE.
3. Describe a typical day for me at the B&N.
COME TO WORK, STRAIGHTEN A FEW THINGS. STAND AND SAY 'HELLO' TO PEOPLE. AVOID CONVERSATIONS. CLEAN UP ANY STRAY TURDS. GO HOME.
Friday, February 06, 2009
The Best Day of My Life
I'm expecting today to be the best day of my life. Here's why:
For the past week or so, my life has looked like this:
1. 5:45am-7:15am - wake up, go to work.
2. 4:00pm-ish - leave work, go to theatre
3. 12:00am-ish - leave theatre, go home and sleep
I haven't gotten to see the J-Dog, I've been eating crap, and I've had no free time.
But today looks like this:
1. 9:15am - wake up
2. 9:30am-10:30am - watch LOST and eat ice cream
3. 10:30am-12:30pm - e-mails, dishes, music, cleaning
4. 1pm - MASSAGE
5. 2pm-5pm - errands, laundry
6. 6:15pm - me and the Jeanners meet PKP for dinner
7. 8pm - watch The Country Wife
8. 11pm - post show party
9. 12am - sleepy sleepy
I think it's gonna be pretty awesome. And really, the past week hasn't been too terribly awful, just way too long and busy. I've enjoyed working with the people who are working on the show, and I've enjoyed listening to The Unforgettable Fire at truly deafening volume while I drive. But I have seriously been missing the J-Dog. I got home a little earlier than usual last night, so she was still awake when I got home, and it was wonderful to just talk and laugh and shoot the shit.
For the past week or so, my life has looked like this:
1. 5:45am-7:15am - wake up, go to work.
2. 4:00pm-ish - leave work, go to theatre
3. 12:00am-ish - leave theatre, go home and sleep
I haven't gotten to see the J-Dog, I've been eating crap, and I've had no free time.
But today looks like this:
1. 9:15am - wake up
2. 9:30am-10:30am - watch LOST and eat ice cream
3. 10:30am-12:30pm - e-mails, dishes, music, cleaning
4. 1pm - MASSAGE
5. 2pm-5pm - errands, laundry
6. 6:15pm - me and the Jeanners meet PKP for dinner
7. 8pm - watch The Country Wife
8. 11pm - post show party
9. 12am - sleepy sleepy
I think it's gonna be pretty awesome. And really, the past week hasn't been too terribly awful, just way too long and busy. I've enjoyed working with the people who are working on the show, and I've enjoyed listening to The Unforgettable Fire at truly deafening volume while I drive. But I have seriously been missing the J-Dog. I got home a little earlier than usual last night, so she was still awake when I got home, and it was wonderful to just talk and laugh and shoot the shit.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Snow
It's been snowing here in the mornings every few days. Snow is pretty awesome. I like it.
I continue to be busy as hell.
When this show goes up, I'm going to use the massage gift certificate that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday.
I continue to be busy as hell.
When this show goes up, I'm going to use the massage gift certificate that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
"Get On Your Boots" is not a good song.
I have heard the new U2 song, "Get On Your Boots," and I would like to go on record as saying that it is grade-A poop. Doo doo. Brian Eno, I am disappointed in you. Hopefully the rest of the album will be better.
I am currently reading John Adams. It's a very good book, and I usually hate non-fiction stuff. But the J-Dog and I watched the HBO miniseries about JA a few months ago, and it was good, and it made me want to read the book. So I'm reading the book. It's better than the miniseries, but I'm glad I saw the miniseries first. One complaint about the book: I think it would be better if the title was Juan Adams.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the DOB quiz. I'll post the answers sometime in the future, but I would like to say that Karista, you got a C because you didn't answer most of the questions (did you forget to turn the test over?), and OAA you got high marks for effort, but I unfortunately have to give you an F.
Been very busy working on stuff for the set. Jeannie and I have worked together at the Habitat shop a few nights, which has been nice. Not looking forward to spending my whole day and night off tomorrow working on show stuff.
I am currently reading John Adams. It's a very good book, and I usually hate non-fiction stuff. But the J-Dog and I watched the HBO miniseries about JA a few months ago, and it was good, and it made me want to read the book. So I'm reading the book. It's better than the miniseries, but I'm glad I saw the miniseries first. One complaint about the book: I think it would be better if the title was Juan Adams.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the DOB quiz. I'll post the answers sometime in the future, but I would like to say that Karista, you got a C because you didn't answer most of the questions (did you forget to turn the test over?), and OAA you got high marks for effort, but I unfortunately have to give you an F.
Been very busy working on stuff for the set. Jeannie and I have worked together at the Habitat shop a few nights, which has been nice. Not looking forward to spending my whole day and night off tomorrow working on show stuff.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Quiz
First, let's start off with this video that K-Torr posted on Facebook:
I have the morning off, and it's the first weekday morning off that I've had in a long time. FORESHADOWING: I think I'm going to fix myself a version of my all-time favorite breakfast.
Jeannie and I went over to Katie's last night for dinner, and we had a good time, and a tasty lentil soup and kale salad and Guinness. I have discovered, though, that lentil soup seems to pack a lot of gunpowder into the ol' ass cannon, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
Next: Work was super slow yesterday, so I had some time to work on the quiz that I mentioned the other day. Test your knowledge of DOB.
You have 1 hour to complete this test. Timing will be done on the honor system. Answers will be posted in a few days. Good luck.
1. What is my all-time favorite breakfast?
a) 2 bowls of Lucky Charms with milk, 1 banana.
b) 2 eggs over easy, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage patties, toast, juice.
c) 3 fried eggs, 1 can of black beans, 3 TBSP salsa, 1 TBSP lowfat greek-style
yogurt. Mash it all together.
2. How many siblings do I have?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
3. What is my oldest childhood memory?
a) J. Hines peeing on the boys' bathroom wall -- kindergarden
b) Cutting my head on a chair leg at the bank -- age 2
c) Afternoon walks with my mom through the neighborhood, spelling W-A-T-E-R on
sewer lids -- age 4
d) burning my eyelashes and -brows on the cake at my first birthday party.
4. What is my current favorite song of all time?
a) "All I Need" by Radiohead
b) "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie
c) "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" by U2
5. I prefer to wear:
a) boxers
b) briefs
c) boxer-briefs
d) commando
e) bikini briefs
f) thong
6. My least favorite coin is:
a) penny
b) nickel
c) dime
d) quarter
e) Kennedy half-dollar
f) Susan B. Anthony dollar
g) Sacajawea dollar
7. I have 3 bullets. Who gets them?
a) D. Finlaysen, A. Beanstock, B. White (local NPR personalities)
b) E.V. Arnold, Ross, Beatles Guy (B&N loons)
c) George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Ann Coulter (political players)
d) Dane Cook
8. Favorite Soup?
a) vegetable
b) pea
c) ass
d) clam chowder
9. What is my preferred style of government?
a) monarchy
b) democracy
c) communism
d) despotism
10. If I could live during any past era, it would be:
a) Wyoming, 1870
b) New York, 1950
c) England, Medieval Times
d) Dinosaur times
11. My favorite nostalgic TV show is:
a) Growing Pains
b) Who's the Boss?
c) Silver Spoons
EXTRA CREDIT
ESSAYS
Please write a short essay on one of the following topics:
1. Describe one of my typical days at the power plant.
2. Describe a typical day for me in Kirksville, MO.
3. Describe a typical day for me at the B&N.
I have the morning off, and it's the first weekday morning off that I've had in a long time. FORESHADOWING: I think I'm going to fix myself a version of my all-time favorite breakfast.
Jeannie and I went over to Katie's last night for dinner, and we had a good time, and a tasty lentil soup and kale salad and Guinness. I have discovered, though, that lentil soup seems to pack a lot of gunpowder into the ol' ass cannon, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
Next: Work was super slow yesterday, so I had some time to work on the quiz that I mentioned the other day. Test your knowledge of DOB.
You have 1 hour to complete this test. Timing will be done on the honor system. Answers will be posted in a few days. Good luck.
1. What is my all-time favorite breakfast?
a) 2 bowls of Lucky Charms with milk, 1 banana.
b) 2 eggs over easy, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage patties, toast, juice.
c) 3 fried eggs, 1 can of black beans, 3 TBSP salsa, 1 TBSP lowfat greek-style
yogurt. Mash it all together.
2. How many siblings do I have?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
3. What is my oldest childhood memory?
a) J. Hines peeing on the boys' bathroom wall -- kindergarden
b) Cutting my head on a chair leg at the bank -- age 2
c) Afternoon walks with my mom through the neighborhood, spelling W-A-T-E-R on
sewer lids -- age 4
d) burning my eyelashes and -brows on the cake at my first birthday party.
4. What is my current favorite song of all time?
a) "All I Need" by Radiohead
b) "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" by Death Cab for Cutie
c) "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" by U2
5. I prefer to wear:
a) boxers
b) briefs
c) boxer-briefs
d) commando
e) bikini briefs
f) thong
6. My least favorite coin is:
a) penny
b) nickel
c) dime
d) quarter
e) Kennedy half-dollar
f) Susan B. Anthony dollar
g) Sacajawea dollar
7. I have 3 bullets. Who gets them?
a) D. Finlaysen, A. Beanstock, B. White (local NPR personalities)
b) E.V. Arnold, Ross, Beatles Guy (B&N loons)
c) George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Ann Coulter (political players)
d) Dane Cook
8. Favorite Soup?
a) vegetable
b) pea
c) ass
d) clam chowder
9. What is my preferred style of government?
a) monarchy
b) democracy
c) communism
d) despotism
10. If I could live during any past era, it would be:
a) Wyoming, 1870
b) New York, 1950
c) England, Medieval Times
d) Dinosaur times
11. My favorite nostalgic TV show is:
a) Growing Pains
b) Who's the Boss?
c) Silver Spoons
EXTRA CREDIT
ESSAYS
Please write a short essay on one of the following topics:
1. Describe one of my typical days at the power plant.
2. Describe a typical day for me in Kirksville, MO.
3. Describe a typical day for me at the B&N.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rebloggin'
Jeannie's brother, Jake, recently visited the Hoover Dam, and posted this picture on his blog. It's a sign at the dam that lists some of the lingo used by the folks who built the damn. As you can see, those folks was dirty as hell. Banjoes and Crutches, indeed. Step aside, Donkey Punch, here comes the Candy Wagon.
I worked outside on the set today after working at my real job, and it was cold as shit. My poor little nubbin fingers got all frozed up.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Rev. Al
I have decided to legally change the name of my car from "The Reverend Al Crawford" to "The Reverend Al Crawford Slater". That way, I can still refer to him as "The Reverend Al", or just "Al," but I can also call him "The Reverend A.C. Slater." There. It is done.
Jeannie and I have not known where to start with this whole "maybe buying a house" thing, so on Saturday morning we had a meeting at a place called Live Baltimore, where you can basically just go in and ask a realtor questions about buying a house in Baltimore. It was super helpful. If you're thinking of buying a house in Balto (or as we like to call it, "Chesapeake Shakesb'more", ) I'd recommend it.
Is diarrhea funny because it's a funny word, or because it refers to liquid poop?
I've been having lots of weird dreams lately. Many of them involving Ricky Elz. The other night I had one where me and Ricky and Bosco were riding in the back of a car that was being driven by some high school girls, and the high school girls drove to their high school and us guys were waiting for them in the back of the car while they ran inside to get something, and we were talking about how back in the day it would've been really cool to be in the car with three high school girls, but now it just seemed kinda dumb. And Bosco said, "The only thing I want from these high school girls right now is for one of them to watch my kid so I can take a nap." Which I thought was pretty funny.
I think I had that dream because Jeannie and I had recently watched a "Family Ties" episode where young high schooler Mallory had to fend off unwelcome sexual advances from creepy family friend "Uncle Arthur."
I've been super busy lately, spending a lot of my free time working on the set. It's going pretty well. I feel well prepared, mainly because I've been making construction drawings and actually planning out what I need to build before I show up to build it. Strangely helpful.
I think that sometime in the future I'm going to post a quiz called "How Well Do You Know DOB?" I was thinking about it today in the shower.
Jeannie and I have not known where to start with this whole "maybe buying a house" thing, so on Saturday morning we had a meeting at a place called Live Baltimore, where you can basically just go in and ask a realtor questions about buying a house in Baltimore. It was super helpful. If you're thinking of buying a house in Balto (or as we like to call it, "Chesapeake Shakesb'more", ) I'd recommend it.
Is diarrhea funny because it's a funny word, or because it refers to liquid poop?
I've been having lots of weird dreams lately. Many of them involving Ricky Elz. The other night I had one where me and Ricky and Bosco were riding in the back of a car that was being driven by some high school girls, and the high school girls drove to their high school and us guys were waiting for them in the back of the car while they ran inside to get something, and we were talking about how back in the day it would've been really cool to be in the car with three high school girls, but now it just seemed kinda dumb. And Bosco said, "The only thing I want from these high school girls right now is for one of them to watch my kid so I can take a nap." Which I thought was pretty funny.
I think I had that dream because Jeannie and I had recently watched a "Family Ties" episode where young high schooler Mallory had to fend off unwelcome sexual advances from creepy family friend "Uncle Arthur."
I've been super busy lately, spending a lot of my free time working on the set. It's going pretty well. I feel well prepared, mainly because I've been making construction drawings and actually planning out what I need to build before I show up to build it. Strangely helpful.
I think that sometime in the future I'm going to post a quiz called "How Well Do You Know DOB?" I was thinking about it today in the shower.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Busy as Hell, Bitches.
I been busy as hell, bitches.
But tonight me and the ladyfriend are goin' on a date.
But tonight me and the ladyfriend are goin' on a date.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Dinner Time
It's a nice time of day on a Sunday. Dinner time. I'm making the sauce and prepping the vegetables and defrosting some tofu for a kick-ass stir fry. Writing this makes me sound like I'm a good cook or that I'm that one that makes the good meals in our house, but the truth is that the Jeanners usually does all the heavy lifting when we make something for dinner that is more involved than pasta, pizza, or veggie burgers. But she's at the gym. So I'm trying to be helpful and getting shit ready so that she can do the actual stir frying when she gets home. Because large pans full of boiling oil scare me. Probably because I cook shirtless a lot.
So the sauce is done (4 cloves of garlic!), and I'm listening to the "good jazz" playlist on the ol' MP3 player, which I'm convinced is probably one of the greatest playlists in existence on Earth. It really is good. All instrumental stuff from the 50's and early sixties, except for Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours, an album which, hopefully obviously, has vocals.
I lost a bet this evening. I bet Jeannie that Eddie's market would have chili garlic paste, and she bet that it wouldn't. I was so sure that it would. I was so very sure that I told Jeannie that when we got to the market, I was going to buy 2 jars of chili garlic paste, one to use in the recipe and one to smear all over her face. Because she lost the bet. But she didn't lose the bet. I lost the bet. But we ended up finding some chili garlic paste at the cute little halal market where we buy flatbreads. It really is cute. But I hate losing bets.
We got some good work done today, transporting the set pieces that we built at the Habitat Shop over to the theatre, where they will live for the next couple of months while they get prettied up for the show.
Why is the overhead light on in our kitchen? Yuck.
Alright. Time to cut vegetables.
Whoa, I almost forgot to add that the other day I was looking at James Taylor's christmas CD and I decided that I have an inexplicable hatred of James Taylor. I kinda just want to punch him in his face. But he seems like he'd be an OK guy, so I don't know why I have that feeling. I also want to punch Carly Simon, but that's because her last CD was an insult to the human race.
So the sauce is done (4 cloves of garlic!), and I'm listening to the "good jazz" playlist on the ol' MP3 player, which I'm convinced is probably one of the greatest playlists in existence on Earth. It really is good. All instrumental stuff from the 50's and early sixties, except for Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours, an album which, hopefully obviously, has vocals.
I lost a bet this evening. I bet Jeannie that Eddie's market would have chili garlic paste, and she bet that it wouldn't. I was so sure that it would. I was so very sure that I told Jeannie that when we got to the market, I was going to buy 2 jars of chili garlic paste, one to use in the recipe and one to smear all over her face. Because she lost the bet. But she didn't lose the bet. I lost the bet. But we ended up finding some chili garlic paste at the cute little halal market where we buy flatbreads. It really is cute. But I hate losing bets.
We got some good work done today, transporting the set pieces that we built at the Habitat Shop over to the theatre, where they will live for the next couple of months while they get prettied up for the show.
Why is the overhead light on in our kitchen? Yuck.
Alright. Time to cut vegetables.
Whoa, I almost forgot to add that the other day I was looking at James Taylor's christmas CD and I decided that I have an inexplicable hatred of James Taylor. I kinda just want to punch him in his face. But he seems like he'd be an OK guy, so I don't know why I have that feeling. I also want to punch Carly Simon, but that's because her last CD was an insult to the human race.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Auld Lang Syne
Does anybody know what "Auld Lang Syne" means? Neither do I. So last night, while Jeannie and I were over at Katie's for New Year's Eve, we decided it means, basically, the equivalent of "oh well." As in:
"Oh no! I've missed the train and now I'm late for work! Auld lang syne."
"Shoot! I just spilled coffee on my brand new trousers! Auld lang syne."
"I've forgotten all my old acquaintances! Auld lang syne."
My car is in the shop, because a mystery belt is squealing loudly and randomly, and the J-Dog and I had to get up early yesterday to drive it there. And then I had to go to work, and then after work Jeannie picked me up and we got some Thai food and went over to Katie's, where we watched The Kite Runner (which, we pretty much all agreed, was not a very good movie), and sang/hummed "Auld Lang Syne" (complete with harmony). We were home by 11 and promptly asleep, and did not wake up for any fireworks/random-Baltimore-gunfire that may have occurred at midnight.
While in St. Louis over Christmas I got a bunch of clothes that belonged to my Uncle Larry. Some of the clothes make me look and feel like Jimmy Buffett, especially a pair of turdy mustard brown loafers for which the J-Dog displays a keen dislike, but hey, free clothes.
Also, speaking of clothes, I read in Entertainment Weekly that 'lumberjack chic' is now "in." Finally, the look I've been sporting for well nigh 12 years now is starting to get some props.
I have one New Year's Resolution: use my time better. Yep, I am adopting the hoary old chestnut, Carpe Diem, as my motto for 2009. I think I'm gonna start by getting my ballsack pierced.
"Oh no! I've missed the train and now I'm late for work! Auld lang syne."
"Shoot! I just spilled coffee on my brand new trousers! Auld lang syne."
"I've forgotten all my old acquaintances! Auld lang syne."
My car is in the shop, because a mystery belt is squealing loudly and randomly, and the J-Dog and I had to get up early yesterday to drive it there. And then I had to go to work, and then after work Jeannie picked me up and we got some Thai food and went over to Katie's, where we watched The Kite Runner (which, we pretty much all agreed, was not a very good movie), and sang/hummed "Auld Lang Syne" (complete with harmony). We were home by 11 and promptly asleep, and did not wake up for any fireworks/random-Baltimore-gunfire that may have occurred at midnight.
While in St. Louis over Christmas I got a bunch of clothes that belonged to my Uncle Larry. Some of the clothes make me look and feel like Jimmy Buffett, especially a pair of turdy mustard brown loafers for which the J-Dog displays a keen dislike, but hey, free clothes.
Also, speaking of clothes, I read in Entertainment Weekly that 'lumberjack chic' is now "in." Finally, the look I've been sporting for well nigh 12 years now is starting to get some props.
I have one New Year's Resolution: use my time better. Yep, I am adopting the hoary old chestnut, Carpe Diem, as my motto for 2009. I think I'm gonna start by getting my ballsack pierced.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Golddigger
Well, our '08 Christmas trip home is over. Some of the highlights:
1. On the flight to the Lou, Jeannie and I watched a twenty-something pick her nose for a good 20-30 minutes. Basically, anytime during the flight that she was awake, she was picking her nose. Awesome.
2. Response to the bushier beard seemed generally positive.
3. Familial response to the fact that Jeannie and I are going to start looking for a house in Baltimore was generally positive. Folks (including friends in the realty business) agreed that it is a good time to try and buy.
One of the lowlights of the trip is that our age is starting to very obviously catch up with us, as we were back at her parents' place and in bed by 11 or 12 every night we were there. Lame.
Nonetheless, it was good to see many party people. And the trip was not too rushed. And although I was experiencing a bit of general malaise, I still enjoyed myself.
1. On the flight to the Lou, Jeannie and I watched a twenty-something pick her nose for a good 20-30 minutes. Basically, anytime during the flight that she was awake, she was picking her nose. Awesome.
2. Response to the bushier beard seemed generally positive.
3. Familial response to the fact that Jeannie and I are going to start looking for a house in Baltimore was generally positive. Folks (including friends in the realty business) agreed that it is a good time to try and buy.
One of the lowlights of the trip is that our age is starting to very obviously catch up with us, as we were back at her parents' place and in bed by 11 or 12 every night we were there. Lame.
Nonetheless, it was good to see many party people. And the trip was not too rushed. And although I was experiencing a bit of general malaise, I still enjoyed myself.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)