Someone You Should Know

My favorite Lisa Loeb song. I didn't know there was a video for it. I like they she does a similar thing in this video as she does in the "Stay" video. It's basically one sweeping shot through the whole video.

Manos: The Hands of Fate - 2007 Trailer

I saw this originally on Mystery Science Theater 3000 years ago. It was always one of my favorites. I owned the video tape and now have the dvd. It's soooooo damn bad, it's awesome.

Cheese

This is such a cheesy, bad video for a song I've always loved.

Penis Drawings

It's somewhat disturbing to hear George-Michael say the 'f' word.

Plastic Man

Potential Parents Beware

It's a whole new me. I'm not going to bitch, piss or moan today.

So there's a rocket scientist I work with who always has wonderful words of wisdom. Always. (See how positive I am!) Last week she was talking about how certain names become so associated with certain people that they, in her words, they become "reserved." Not to put words in her mouth, I believe she meant that some names become so synonymous with the people with those names that the names sort of fall out of use. A moritorium is placed on them. She had three solid examples of names that are not used anymore. Parents just don't name their kids these names because the men who had the names are too well known. I know you're dying to know those three names. Here they are. People don't name their children Roosevelt, Jesus or Hitler anymore. Think of it. When was the last time you met someone named Hitler Liebowitz? Roosevelt Doherty? Jesus Diaz? She's got a point.

Bitch

I bitch. A lot. About anything and everything. I don't know why I'm such a crab. Very often I make a deal with myself that I'm going to be much more happy-go-lucky and not let stupid things (and stupid people) bother me. That usually lasts an hour or two.

It's just over a week until vacation. I can't wait.

I know I had something I wanted to say here, but can I remember it? No. So instead here's a picture of Cher.

Another Reason To Hate Starbucks

The new Lyle Lovett cd is out today. Starbucks' version has bonus tracks. They say. I bought the cd today. Paid $6 more for it than I would have at a record store. No bonus tracks. No additional content. I'm pissed off.

Can't You Knock First?

Aimless

I needed to go to the bank today to deposit a check. Ken suggested a late lunch/early dinner, so we went out together. Made a quick stop for cat litter and some other things and then we were on our way. Three hours later, after not finding a suitable place to eat, we ended up at the diner that's walking distance from the house. We're pathetic.

Stupid Frappr

My Frappr Map died. Grr... I had to put up a new one tonight and it won't let me put my own picture on it. I'm not a happy camper. I had a bunch of people add themselves to my old one. If you're reading this, would you mind putting yourself on my new one? Sorry.

I'm beat. Time for bed.

Food

My favorite apples are Golden Delicious. I didn't buy them this week because the selection my supermarket had sucked. The Golden Delicious apples were greener than the Granny Smith. That's a crime. So I bought Pink Lady instead.

Last week I made pork chops and for no apparent reason put swiss cheese on them. Man, that was de-fucking-licious. Seriously. I thought there was a party going on in my mouth.

Went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch and didn't have cheesecake. My willpower is so great that I should be a Green Lantern.

I Love Her... For Her Brain

Friday Night Notes

I tried posting via email from work again today. Looks like it didn't come through, which is fine. I was bitching about a scumbag cow-orker (hyphen is correctly placed, btw) is all. And I probably didn't make much sense anyway. Her scumbagginess really got on my nerves today.

The weather has been retarded this week. For the first half of the week I had the windows closed because it was so damn cold and damp out. Hell, I wore pants (as opposed to shorts) to work one day this week it was so cold. It's August. It's supposed to swelter here. Today is a completely different story. It warmed back up to normal and brought the oppressive humidity back with it. I like the warm, but not the humid. It made my walk tonight extra sweaty. Not fun.

I think I'm working tomorrow. I'm not thrilled, but I get used to the overtime money. It'll be my last Saturday for a few weeks, though. Next week there's no overtime offered. The following is the day before going to Florida. The one after that I'll be in Florida. So it's now or never.

I bought three new cds last night. The new ones by Lori McKenna, Marc Broussard and Teddy Thompson. All three are great. I spent all day listening to them.

Test

I think I remember the correct address to email a posting from, but I'm not sure.  This will be the proof I need.

Anyway, I dripped the juice from the apple I had at lunch all over me today.  I just noticed that it's left stains on my shirt and shorts.  I don't want to get up from my desk now.  I'm such a slob.

Dickhead

"Dickhead" by Kate Nash

Why you being a dickhead for?
Stop being a dickhead
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations

Why you being a dickhead for?
Stop being a dickhead
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations

Shiny floor, slippery feet
Lights are dim, my eyes can't meet
The reflection that turns my images
Upside down so I can't see

Think you know everything
You really don't know nothing
I wish that you were more intelligent
So you could see that what you are doing is
So shitty, to me

Thirty five,
People couldn't count,
On two hands the amount of times you made me stop,
Stop and think why are you being such a dickhead for?

Stop being a dickhead,
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations,
Why you being a dickhead for?
Stop being a dickhead,
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations

Stop, don't show, just have a think before you...
Wil you, stop, now don't show, just have a think before you...
Will you stop, no don't show, just have a think before you...
And, stop, don't show, just have a think before you...

Cos my brain and my bones don't want to take, this anymore
My brain and my bones don't want to take, this anymore
My brain and my bones don't want to take, this anymore
My brain and my bones don't want to take, this anymore, so

Why you being a dickhead for?
Stop being a dickhead
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations

Why you being a dickhead for?
Stop being a dickhead
Why you being a dickhead for?
You're just fucking up situations

Ramblings For Tuesday

Okay, I had intended on posting something last night, but circumstances prevented it. I got home about 8 last night. About ten minutes later the doorbell rang. It was Orin. Carol invited him over for dinner. To my house. She was out with Ken. They got home about ten minutes after that. And stayed for a while. I was cranky and all I wanted to do was to read DC Comics' new solicitations. At 10 o'clock I excused myself and went to bed. Company left, I'm told, somewhere between 11 and 12.

Anyway, I didn't leave work until 7pm last night. I walked out of the building and to the bus stop. While I was standing there, minding my own business, this woman decides she needs to give me crap. I think. I hear her go "State worker. Hey, what kind of state worker leaves work this late?" I want to tell her to go fuck herself, but instead I say "Me." Then she says, "What? You probably don't go in until 2 o'clock." Now I want to tell her to go fuck herself with a chainsaw, but instead I say "No." Defeated, she says "Good for you" in a sarcastic tone and goes back to minding her own fucking business. Whatever.

Today I started physical therapy for my shoulder. I'm not thrilled about the idea. They want me to come in twice a week for the time being. I don't see that happening. I'll go twice next week and then figure out what I'm going to do. I was given a series of exercises to do at home and I personally think that will be enough. Besides me examination today, I got to lay on a heating pad for twenty minutes. If that's my treatment on Monday, I'm done.

I had other things to say, but I've forgotten them. Bah.

My Bad Pictures

I've started a second blog. A picture blog. I got a new cell phone today with a built in camera. I'm just going to post my bad cell phone pictures to it. The camera isn't all that good, but who gives a crap. http://mybadpictures.blogspot.com

229

Well, I hit my vacation goal weight today. I'm 229 lbs, though I think this might be a false reading. I realized over the weekend that my eating habits this past week were poor at best. Friday for lunch I had two junior bacon cheeseburgers for lunch and that's all I ate all day. Not the best diet choice. I pigged out yesterday, though and it felt good. But I've got three weeks to make sure I can maintain (or lose) this weight. I'll be thrilled if it can happen.

Late

It's a little after 1am as I write this. It's waaaaaaay past my bedtime. I really should go collapse because I'm beat. Long day.

Had my doctor's appointment this morning. He seems to think my shoulder problem is from a pinched muscle and/or nerve. He referred me to a physical therapist and I have an appointment with her on Tuesday. I hope this is all it is and she can easily fix me.

I also weighed in at the doctor. I weighed 230 (fully dressed with keys and wallet in my pockets). That's 32 pounds less than the last time I was there a few months back. I want to be in my 220s for vacation, which will happen. I'm so proud of myself.

After the doctor, I ran a couple errands and then off to the record store to give Sharon a hand. I worked for her for 9 1/2 hours tonight. Got there at 2 and left at 11:30. But I helped her put a dent in the huge repricing project she has. Naturally, since the music industry is in a tailspin, what does TransWorld do but raise the prices on thousands and thousands of cds. It disgusts me. I filled out my form for temporary work and should see a check in a week or two. I'm in no hurry. I'm happy she got approval to hire me as a temp. I would have done it for free, though.

Work

I just got myself a part-time job. Sort of. My friend Sharon runs the record store I used to work at. She was just given a massive repricing project and has almost no help. I told her I would help her out if she needed me. She just called and took me up on the offer. She also said she contacted the home office asking if she was allowed to hire temporary help for this. She got approval from HR, but hasn't heard a thing from payroll about what she's allowed to pay. I don't really give a shit because I was going to do it for free. So if I get enough for a couple of cds, I'll be thrilled! Got my eye on the new Teddy Thompson, the new Marc Broussard and the new Suzanne Vega right now.

The timing is perfect, too, because I took tomorrow off from work for a doctor visit. I'll probably go in shortly after that and work until I can't take it anymore. Earlier this month would have been my 16th anniversary at the store if I'd stayed. I've been gone for a little more than a year now. I don't miss it.

Bigot Brother 8

I just read about this today and thought it was hysterical. This guy posted a graphic pointing out what groups the various members of the Big Brother 8 cast hate. Very informative if you're having trouble keeping track of who hates the blacks, the jews or the gays.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=18836291&blogID=298382705

Taking Care Of Me

So I've had a sore shoulder blade and neck on and off for the last week and a half. I've been very content to wait it out because I'm sure it'll get better. And the last two days it's been better than it's been. But all day long at work, all I could think about was my friend Todd's friend Mike, who I talked about yesterday. The guy was healthy as an ox, yet something like this could happen without warning. So I called and made an appointment to see my doctor. I go Friday at noon. I really should have done this years ago. Actually, let me correct that. I did try that years ago when I first started having this problem. Unfortunately, my doctor at the time was a little jackass. He told me to stop being a baby and take an aspirin. Is it any wonder why I don't have him as my doctor anymore? So I'm going Friday and hopefully it will be nothing.

Mike Wieringo

I just got online a little while ago and one of my usual stops is a comics news site. One of the headlines was something about a tribute to Mike Wieringo. If you're unfamiliar with Mike, he's a great, great comic book artist. Anyway, I was confused by this. Why is there a story called A Tribute to Mike Wieringo? Then I saw the next story. He passed away yesterday. I have to tell you, I'm in complete shock. He was only 44. That's so young.

I didn't know Mike personally. I did meet him once at a New York City convention. He was working on one of the Spider-Man books at the time. When I saw him at the convention, my first question to him was "Is Todd here?" Todd, being Todd Dezago, one of my best friends in the world and Mike's collaborator on the book. (fyi, Todd was there the day before. I had missed him.)

So I just read the news and tried to call Todd, but his voice mail picked right up, no rings. He's probably got the phone shut off, and I can't say that I blame him. He and Mike were as close as two friends could get. I feel just awful for Todd. I know I'll talk to him shortly, but I hate having this helpless feeling. He's my friend and he's in pain right now and I just want to be there for him.

Besides Spider-Man, Todd and Mike did a book called Tellos. A great fantasy book that you should pick up if you haven't already.

I don't know what else to say. I'm always terrible in situations like this. Here's a link to the news story on Mike: http://www.newsarama.com/Chicago_07/Ringo.html

Centipede

Remember when Rebbie Jackson tried to have a career in music?

Batgirl

Because I love Batgirl, that's why.

Crash Course In Doctor Who

If you've ever wanted to watch Doctor Who but were too afraid of the vast history of the show, watch this video. In just over 5 minutes, the entire 40+ year history is crammed in, with spotlights on each of the ten incarnations of the Doctor. Quite well done, I think, but I'm a super geek.

Cher, Tina Turner and who?

Sure, seeing Tina Turner and Cher performing together isn't something that should catch people off guard. Their fanbases are very similar, if not identical. But when you add Kate Smith into the mix, you get a huge "What the fuck?" moment. Here the three of them are, doing a Beatles medley.

A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow

From one of my favorite movies, A MIGHTY WIND.

Don't Know

I was going to write something here earlier, but for the life of me, I really can't think of too much to say. I could talk about my back. I've had a backache (more of a shoulderache, I guess) for a few days now. I wish it would go away. But who wants to hear about that?

I'm not working this weekend and I'm thrilled. Ken's going in to the office tomorrow and I'm even more thrilled about having a quiet alone day. I'm sure Ollie will stick to me like glue, but I can deal with that. I'm exhausted and really need to rest.

Dick and Daniele are the nominees this week and it's not surprise at all. Jen & Kail have been the nominees the last three weeks running and D & D were nominated the week before that. I'd like to see some fresh, new nominees soon.

Okay, that's today's boring blog post. Someone leave me a comment telling me, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the most boring, 10 being the least boring) how boring this post was.

Alexander Schultz

I was overjoyed when I got home from work and found a package all the way from Norway waiting for me. I've been listening to singer-songwriter Alexander Schultz for a little while now and have posted about him once or twice. He got wind of these postings and we've had a couple message exchanges. He's such a talented musician, I want nothing more than to see him breakthrough in the US. He's making a little bit of headway. Here's something stolen directly from his website:

I am very proud and happy to announce that I will be featured in the upcoming issue of NoCover Magazine. And even better yet, one of the songs off my album,”The Worst Case Ever” will be featured on a cd-compilation along with major indie and major label artists. The cd will be distributed along with the NoCover Magazine and will be distributed on the newsstand at all Barnes and Noble locations and Barnes and Noble College locations nationwide in the US.

” No Cover Magazine is a music and action sports lifestyle publication focused on new and upcoming bands and athletes. The indie publication was responsible for highlighting and giving some of music’s best talent their first-ever magazine cover. Artists like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (May 1997), Ziggy Marley (August 1997), Ben Harper (Sept. 1997), Crystal Method (Dec. 1997), Blink 182 (March 1998), Eve6 (April 1998), Linkin Park (Oct. 2000), Alien Ant Farm (March 2001), Kut U Up (Feb. 2004) and many more. No Cover was also selected to be the “Official” JagerMusic Tour Magazine in 2003 with Slayer headlining.

Currently, No Cover Magazine is a 4-color glossy with 72 pages focusing on new music and action sports athletes. Music has always been a vital part of the action sports community and No Cover Magazine is now bringing them together!”

So, if you live in the US, make sure you grab you copy when it comes out

So go check him out. His website is http://www.alexanderschultz.com/. You can purchase is cd at http://www.alexanderschultz.com/purchase.html. And IRadioLA is playing two of his songs, so check them out, too.

Kermit The Frog

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

The Picture Has Nothing To Do With The Posting

I was just going through my iTunes, deleting podcasts that I've listened to when I accidentally deleted and unsubscribed to EVERYTHING. Panic set in and I tried to remember everything I subscribe to. I hope I remembered them all. I really should update the list on my sidebar with everything I'm listening to just in case I pull another bonehead move like that.

Wasted

I took today off from work for a doctor's appointment. I was out of there at 10:15, so I had the whole day to get stuff done. Did I? Not really. I spent most of the day on the computer. But I did get my desktop mostly cleaned up. That's got to count for something.

I'm dreading work tomorrow. I usually don't care, but I really liked having today off. I want another day. Makes me realize I haven't had a vacation in two years. I really need one. Just five weeks from now. And maybe I'll take some extra time off at Christmas. Or maybe not. I don't know.

I thought I had something to say today, but I obviously don't.

One Year

August 4, 2006 is when my doctor told me I needed to lose weight. I had reached 300 pounds, a number I never, ever wanted to see. My actual weight on the scale was 300.5. But I think I needed to see that. If I saw 299.5, I don't think it would have had the same effect on me. I could have told myself I was still in the 200's. After the appointment, I went to McDonald's for lunch and told myself I needed to change something.

On August 5, 2006, I made a change. I stopped just eating and started thinking before eating. The doctor told me I needed to lose 100 lbs. That number seemed unrealistic (and it still may be. I haven't been 200 since I was probably 16.) Hell, 290 seemed unrealistic to me, but I managed to drop ten pounds in that first month. I only remember this because I was at 290 when Ken and I went to Chicago last September.

It's been a year as of today. In that time, I've managed to drop 66 lbs. That's a lot of weight. It's like losing a 3rd grader or Nicole Richie. (Or is that a 3rd grader PLUS Nicole Richie?) I'm really proud of myself, though I don't usually let myself know that (if that makes any sense.) When Ken and I met 13 years ago, I was at 230. I'm 4 lbs heavier than I was then. These last 34 lbs are going to be hard. The easy weight comes off at the beginning. I'm giving myself a year to drop the last 30 or so. But to be honest with you, if I can get below 220, I'll be so happy.

Below are my before and after pics. The first is of my at 300 lbs. The second is of me now. I keep looking at the first one and wonder how the hell did I ever get that big? Then I wonder why do I feel that fat now, but didn't when I was that size?

Saturday

I got up at 5:30 this morning to get ready for work. We can go in as early as 6:30 on Saturday mornings for overtime. I try to do two consecutive Saturdays on, then the next two off, etc. Today was my second Saturday. It was extra quiet in the office. Denise, who works every Saturday was off because her son was getting married today, even though she threatened to come in since the wedding wasn't until 5 o'clock. She's the loud one. Martha, who is next, didn't come in either. Nice and quiet, just the way I like it. Until 9am. That's when the power went out. We still had the emergency lights and the air conditioning, though. For the next hour, those of us who were there hung around and chatted. Around 10 we got word that it was going to be a number of hours before everything was fixed. I was going to stay until 12:30, which would have put me at 20 hours of overtime on this time card. I have until Wednesday to make up the 2 1/2 hours I missed out on today if I want.

I went out twice today for walks. I don't usually go two times in a single day considering the problems with my feet (which I've mentioned too many times already). My first walk was when I got home from work. I figured that since I hadn't planned on being home already, I could go out for an hour or so and I'd still be home before I was suppposed to be. After we got home from dinner I went out again. I feel foolish, but we went to MJs and Mary Jo insisted we try her Pasta Fazool soup. It was delicious, I thought, but I've avoided pasta for the better part of a year. So I panicked and went to walk it off. I'm such a fucking retard sometimes (okay, most times) but I feel good about it now.

I'm so excited I have Monday off. I have another podiatrist appointment, but it's at 10am and I really don't have an excuse as to why I can't go in to work right after other than I don't want to. I never take any time off, so I deserve it. I think I've got four weeks of vacation, 3 personal days and 84 hours of comp time sitting on my time sheet right now. I deserve the day off.

Jen won the Power of Veto again today. I'm thrilled. She's annoying as all hell, but since everyone in the house hates her and she doesn't care, she makes for good tv. This makes her third consecutive week being nominated and her third consecutive week being vetoed. I love it.

And the picture is of Spandau Ballet. Why? Because I fucking love them, that's why.

Burn Out

I might be working on a case of Work Burn Out. So far I've managed to put in 14 hours of overtime on this time card, which is 8 days old right now. I plan on going in on Saturday this week and then kicking back for the next few weeks. I'm getting to the point where all I'm doing is working and the rest of my life is being put on hold. But it's been so damn hot and humid that I don't mind staying at work. It's too hot to do anything and I don't have central air, just window units in a couple rooms. Saturday won't be so bad, I think, because I'll still have a whole weekend after it. I have Monday off for another visit with the podiatrist. I think it's time to seriously discuss orthodics for my shoes.

I got a giant box of comics in the mail today. I'm very happy. When I finish this up, I'm climbing in bed (with the a/c blaring!!!) and I'm reading until I fall asleep.

I don't have the Big Brother live feeds (I'm too cheap and I can't justify spending even more time in front of the computer....) but I check the various websites that keep up on the feeds frequently. Tonight the HoH competition is an endurance one and it's still going on, even though the show is over. I just checked in on two of the sites I normally check and the live feeds are off line right now. Grrrrrr..... I want to know who is still in the game. I have a feeling that Jen is going to fight like hell to win HoH this week. I think Kail, who needs it, will be out soon. And I thought Daniele was going to be a contender, but just before the show went off the air, it looked like I could be wrong. I don't think Amber has a chance at winning, nor does Zach. Eric will drop out before he has a chance to win. I think this competition is going to come down to Jen and ED. That's my guess, though who knows what else they're going to throw at the houseguests before the end of the game.

Two weeks

I broke my soda-free streak yesterday when I popped open a Diet Dr. Pepper after lunch. I made it fourteen days without a drop of carbonated goodness. I'm pretty shocked at how easy it was to do this. I'd only stopped drinking soda once before, maybe ten or twelve years ago. I remember the headaches and dragging caused by the withdrawal from caffeine. Not so much this time. Actually, none of that at all this time. I guess I proved to myself that I can do pretty much anything if I set my mind to it. Yay me.