Bye Bye Bachelor

The time has come, to say "goodbye" to my bachelor days, and "Hello" to my bright future as I start a new family! Looking back, I have no regrets. I have been there, done that, made hundreds of friends (or at least associates), and left a positive impact on everything I touched. That was all training for what lies ahead.

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So at last, this limbo state of being engaged is over with. What is being engaged? You're not single, you're not married... I didn't think this part out too well. When I proposed, I was expecting to get married soon after. The engagement period & wedding was no where on my mind. So now after this weekend, I will finally get back to where where I saw myself going when I decided to purchase a ring.

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The engagement period was very beneficial though since the pre-maritcal counseling set up a excellent foundation to build a relationship on. So for anyone that's thinking about getting married, even it's not the 1st time, I strongly advise you attend couseling first. I'm just like most guys... I didn't want to go. But after I went, I'm glad I did.

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Now it's time to say goodbye. Jez Chill has graduated! To the new Mrs. Chill, I Love You! Looking forward to a life full of adventures that we will share together.

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Surprise!

I wake up one morning, and think this is going to be a crazy day. It was a day I planned on making another visit to the county's commissioner meeting to protest a developer that has neglected my neighborhood. One of those things where you have to stand up and make your voice be heard. Because if you don't, who will? So I'm missing work, and the time keeps passing by since it appears that those in good favor with the politicians keep getting moved up in front of the case I'm interested in. A case that started off at the TOP of the agenda. Anyways, 3 hours later, the case was judged in my favor.

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My cell phone's ringing, it's the soon-to-be Mrs. with a lunch request. So I rush to work to not keep her waiting, and to make my appearance known after being away from the job for so long. I get to my desk, and there she is... looking so beautiful. I then go to make my appearance known, but wait a minute, my entire management line is standing around! Oh crap!!! I'm busted!!! I'm about to get reprimanded, suspended, something. Whatever it was, I didn't think it would be good.

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So I announce that I'm back, and my lead reacts like he is more relieved then surprised. Wasn't the response I was expecting. Then he had already met my fiance'. More weird. So I tried to avoid my manager and director, and sneak off to lunch, but the Mrs pushes me into the conference room. WTH? Inside, I see my manager & director, looking dead at me. I'm like, oh crap, I'm about to get it now!

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I now see that there are about 20 folks in the conference room... so I'm just filled with confusion. 1> My lead's acting weird. 2> My lady just pushed me. 3> My manager & Dirctor are staring at me after I've been gone unannounced for 3 hours 4> 20 co-workers are just staring at me. I'm like a deer in headlights!!! Then I see the pizza, and cake: "Congratulations Derrick!"

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This was definitely a surprise. I know I didn't seem happy or surprised, cause I was scared & confused. But I was definitely unaware of what was planned, and appreciative of everyone's effort & contribution. Sorry for keeping everyone waiting around for 30 mins. It took another 3 hours or so for my heart pace to return to normal.

Bullseye

I took a gun safety course this weekend, and displayed my skills in the shooting range. Check out the results! I think I did pretty darn good. I was not stressed going in, but I was definitely more relaxed when I left. There was a thug wanna-be in the class. He was obviously one of those ignant folks who try to follow all the ignant lyrics. He was aiming for head, and not following any of the proper techniques. After he saw how off his aim was, he realized the gangsta technique wasn't going to work. The lady next to me aimed so badly, I thought she was going to shoot my target!

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GO CAVS

I know this isn't a sports blog, but I just have to express my Cleveland Cavaliers pull off playoff victories!!! There's no doubt that the Pistons are a better team, but their last lost to the CAVS let me known loud & clear that the CAVS are a team that deserves repect! Give Lebron the MVP he earned! It's been 8 years since I last had a chance to cheer in the playoffs. Now that Jordan is gone, maybe we have a slight chance.

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Corporate Hustler

As you may recall from previous posts, I've been successful in my Corporate Hustler role. May latest quest is to get another promotion so that I can stop breaking my neck under this glass ceiling. It seems like I was successful again since my management has submitted my name to jump to the next salary grade, but history shows that it's all talk until it's seen on paper or in the check. The powers that be has some little game they're playing, I think it's called stalling, or procrastinating. Or maybe it's more like a tease, or a trick. Kind of like that new Subway commercial where a sandwhich is hanging from a stick attached to the front of the car. The lure of something that's supposed to be waiting for me is supposed to be creating better performance, I guess. In the meanwhile, I'll be looking to execute my game, of finding another offer to force someone to make a move. I think putting this in writing will keep me focused.

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Thug Rappers Suck (cont.)

Will the ignorance ever end?
DMX Arrested After Flight Disturbance
LONDON — Police arrested rap star DMX after he refused to put on a seat belt and became abusive on a flight from New York to London, authorities said Monday.

Thug Rappers Suck!

I was happy the other day, because FINALLY, blacks weren't dominating the news' top stories. They were all prominant whites getting busted for messing with underaged girls. One was a judge! But this brief moment of elation didn't hide what I was really feeling. Disgust at all these thug rappers. They SUCK!

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Now, their music is tight. I can bounce my head to their beats all day. But so many listeners are living their thug lyrics, and exercising their violent nature back towards them! I guess it's asking too much for them to learn a better way, so the trend of Hip Hop violence will continue.

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I'm watching the Busta Rhymes video, and thinking how tight it was for him to bring all these folks together... like a "We Are The World"... thug style. Like he was following KRS-1's "Stop The Violence" and uniting for what's right. But someone had a better plan, shot up the video shoot, killed his bodyguard.

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The latest incident involved the local Atlanta rapper T.I. getting his entourage shot up in my home state of Ohio. Cincinnati has always been slow, maybe they'll get a clue in the next decade.

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We also have Proof from D-12 got shot in Detroit. Some rappers I know nothing about: Big Hawk in Houston, Keith Bender over a game of pool... The list goes on & on. And I'm getting tired of it. I need to get back to volunteering to do my part to break the cycle.

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French Guys Head Butt

You know the formal way to greet your friends in many countries is to do that fake kiss on both sides of the cheek? It looks weird when 2 guys do it, right? When I was in Paris, I saw two guys do it the cool way! Instead of the kissy kissy, cheek cheek thing, they did the head butt thing! It starts with obligatory hand grab, to keep that body separation. Then its the head butt. I learned something new!

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WASP = Kryptonite

How do you take all the manly attributes away from a man? Ask him to knock down a wasp nest. I think my hot tub makes it attractive for these pests to build nests under my deck. I saw 3 of them the other day! So I sprayed when I thought they were sleep. Then went out the next day to knock 'em down. I really hope none of my neighbors saw me. I'm out there with a shovel (cause they have a firm grip on my deck!), trying to knock down the nest and get a running head start at the same time! Of course, it took about 3 attempts before it fell. After all the antics and adrenaline used to knock down one, I was worn out. I'll knock down the other two later. Hopefully, when my neighbors are sleep as well!

Priceless Relationship Advice

As usual, I can't stay at home. So I spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach. During the road trip, a topic came up, that became a theme for the entire weekend! I gave advice on what it takes to keep your mate happy in your relationship. Since there was someone there who's relationship just took a huge downturn, the message had even more value. Everyone appreciated the knowledge so much, I will share it with my blog family.

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Firstly, we all know the 4 things that men want. I never could finish the list that women want. But that's besides the issue. To have a long, healthy, & happy relationship, the fundamental basis must be met. The man needs to be THE MAN in the relationshp. And the woman needs to know that she appreciated & needed.

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I don't write real long blogs, so I'm going to get right to the point. The Man is supposed to be the Head of the House, the provider, keep everyone safe & secure. It doesn't matter if the woman makes twice as much, big & strong enough to kick everyone's behind, or the one who manages the family's financial affairs. He needs to know that the woman needs him. Whether the needs is emotional, financial, intimate, security... he just needs to know that he is needed. If feels that he is not needed, then he will not feel valued in the relationshp.

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Generally speaking, men don't have have a problem when they meet a strong, independat Black woman. They have a problem when she preaches that she doesn't need a man, and thus not need him. He doesn't have a problem with her being financially sound, and have twice as many degrees. There is a problem when his decision is not respected.

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But relationships are a two-way street. The man needs to realize that his woman works real hard to make the relationship work. So he needs to show appreciation, and provide her what is that she's looking for. To find out what that is, you'll have to, uh hum..., talk to her, ask her. Find out her Love Language. If it's Words of Affirmation, flower her with loving words. If it's Receiving Gifts, surprise her often. If it's Quality Time, make sure you schedule your day appropriately. If it's Acts of Service, you can't afford to be lazy. If it's Physical Touch, be willing to snuggle & hug often. If you don't show your appreciation, and you don't give fulfill her need as listed above, then she will have a problem staying in the relationship.

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I know this is not everything, but it is a basis for a successful relationship. Let the man be the man, and he will be the man. His needs are easily met. If he always has to buy dinner, can't enjoy his sports or whatever his passion is, not allowed time away from you (without an argument), not allowed to relax in peace, he will have a problem. But that's another blog topic.

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If the man is not responsible, not appreciative, not giving, not protetive, then she is not going to feel valued in the relationship. Buy some flowers, buy some gifts, snuggle a bit, cut the grass, wash the car, fix some things, defend her honor, earn her respect.

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A surprising topic was based on the scene in Crash when the husband did the logical thing to not intervene when his wife was being sexually mollested by the police officer. If he did react, he would've gotten beat down, at least 10 years in prison, and possibly killed. But he lost her respect because he didn't at least try. It was just a movie. But, generally speaking, men would rather die with honor, than live without respect. In the movie, he decided to live without respect, and that marked the end of their marriage. Surprisingly, most of the women on the trip said that they would want their man to do something, to try to defend them, even in a situatiion where he would put his life & family in danger. What a dilemma for a man! To risk his freedom or life to try to stop his woman from being disrespected, or stay alive and free and risk losing your woman's respect and lose the right to call yourself the Man in the relationship.

Strike!!!

So our company was raising money for the March of Dimes, and a group over here had a bowling tournament. I have my own ball, own shoes, bag of chalk, so I signed up with some other co-workers. My teammates were all pretty good bowlers as well, so we knew we had a pretty good chance to win. It was eventful.

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Like any desired champion, we got together & practiced. We walked into the alley, it was Cosmic Bowling. WTH?! Lights out, flourescent stickers illuminating everywhere, strobe lights flashing. It looked real cool, but not for us championship bowlers, so left for an adult alley.

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On my way to the alley, I was cruising a couple cars behind a city bus. I know... mistake #1. The bus stopped suddenly, as did the cars behind it. I follow, as well as the car behind me. You would think the 5th car in line would have a clue, but no. He hit the car behind me, I her the loud tangle of metal and the car move forward, so I hit the gas & drove off onto the shoulder to avoid getting sandwiched. Everyone seemed OK.

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The day of the tournament, the had just oiled down every lane before we played. This means all of my teammates that have viscious spins on their ball now had to adjust, cause the lanes were too slick. Over the years, I lost my spin, so I wasn't affected too much. I was expecting to just ride the coat tails of the other bowlers, who regularly bowl around 200 games. Instead, I was the leader the 1st game wtih 165. There were about 8 other teams, and seemed like we were on top. The second game was about the same. Turns out, we were the top team!!! We Won!! We Won!! So I'm now displaying my bowling trophy next to my other work accolades.

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One thing is very weird, that is seeing my co-workers out drinking and trying to act cool. They look so CORNY & STUPID! Well, that's probably what they say about me too.

Real Men Play Rugby

There's not too much TV watching past CNN in an European hotel. A previous trip entertained me with MTV, but not this time. So I had to satisfy my bad habits by watching a Rugby match on 'Mute'.

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I've never watched a Rugby game before, but I made several obersavations:

1. It's like football, but no pads


2. The ball runner has NO blockers


3. Rugby players make NFL players look like pansies!


4. There are no breaks in between plays


5. It's like soccer, they just keep running & running


6. There are no time outs


7. Extra points are hard!


8. It's non-stop action, never boring


9. And the kick spot moves around


10. Players play both offense & defense


11. Did I mention they don't wear pads?


12. Real Men Play Rugby

But the NFL has cheerleaders, so I'll stick with them.
GO BROWNS

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Real Men are not French

I had a new level of respect after watching the Rugby games, but I lost it as soon I stepped onto the Paris streets. I don't know where their sense of stlye came from, but I'm certainly not feeling it. Thugs wearing tight-ass longsleeved shirts out in the street make them look like sissy-boys. I'm not talking about the Under Armour or other workout, exercise gear. Just, tight-assed shirts. Then there's the professional looking folks, dressed nicely, with a scarf wrapped a couple times around the neck. It's hard to respect any man that wears a silk scarf as a fashionable item like a necktie. To stay warm, I can understand that. Indoors, you look like a sissy-boy.

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I won't say any more, in case I encounter a French Rugby player.

St. Moritz, Paris, Bellagio.... OH MY!!!

I'm back from visiting St. Moritz, Switzerland; Paris, France; and Bellagio, Italy. It was a GREAT trip! There are castles everywhere in Switzerland! Including the Roman buildings that were used as guard houses or for working peasants. They should've had some foresight that there would be a huge tour bus winding through the city 2 milleniums later, cause it sure was tight squeezing through the little villages. The Bellagio in Vegas looks nothing like the real one! Well, they both have a hugh body of water (Lake Cumo) and shops everywhere. Paris was pleasant! The Metro train system is very efficient. Some of them need to learn how to shower, and others need to not dress so... feminine. We avoided any student protesters! I kept my souvenier Swiss Army Knife on me... just in case. But it was all good.

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Language Barrier?

I spoke with a German couple on "Holiday" in St. Moritz. She spoke 5 different languages. He spoke 3. Neither of them included English in their list, since it was their weakest one. They were very excited to finally get to practice some English. It was a very interesting conversation. It most consisted of them practicing their English, and me being in awe that my few years of learning Spanish is not even a comparison to their linguistic skills. But I did impress them when my patience had ran real low, and I got up to leave: I said "Danke", which means "Thank you" in German.

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Of course, I took some video: VIDEO 1 or VIDEO 2

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I wanted to reward the 10,000th visitor to my site... but I missed you. Sorry.

Off to Europe!

In my continuous quest to ski (& see) the world, I'm off to ski St. Moritz in Switzerland, and see Paris. . Miss Geckogirl is accompanying me, so it should be a real fun AND romantic trip. The threat of a pilot's strike at Delta and the student protests in Paris have me concerned.

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Seems like skiing in Europe never comes at the most ideal time. The last time I travelled to ski in Italy, we were paralized in fear right after 9/11. We were kindly greated in Venice with graffiti on walls saying, "The USA & the UN Are Terrorists."

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Since I worked on nuclear missiles at the time, I was cautious about revealing my profession. Whenever I travel (or ski), that's the first thing Caucasians ask me, "So what do you do for a living?" or "How can you afford these trips?". Um... "I work and save my money, you idiot!" No, I don't say that, but that's certainly what I'm always thinking.

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My plan on being discrete failed when I at this cafe. I sat next to an American couple that was living in Italy. Come to find out, they were very familiar with where I lived, and the companies in the area. So when I refused to give a clear answer on what I did (I didn't want to lie), they quickly figured out where I worked. Thankfully, they weren't spies and didn't try to kidnap me.

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Sloppy Neighbors

As you may know from my previous posts, I take much pride in my yard & garden. Although it does seem that my upgrades have rubbed on my neighbors since they stepped up their landscaping to compete with mine, it seems like most neighbors are in competition to see who can have the most hideous looking yard! I just can't understand how folks can own a home, and not care about what it looks like. I really care now, since I'm trying to sell my home this year, but even if I didn't, my neighborhood looks ridiculous. My neighbor is now a realtor (who isn't nowadays?), so you would think at least he would understand the value of a well maintained yard. If he doesn't plant some grass in his back yard by the time I return from Europe, I will go out there with my own seeds and do it my own self! Of course, I'd have to get that cheap brand so his lawn won't look better than mine, but I gotta do something!

Truth Serum

Ever wonder how your co-workers really feel about you? It's easy to find out, just go out drinking with them! As always, I have to play the Corporate Hustler role to ensure my management has high regards for me, so I agreed to join the "team" as we went to a bar to celebrate a new hire's promotion. True, no one took me out when I gambled and put my job on the line to force my promotion. But I'll keep those comments to myself. So we're at the bar, and the inevitable question is asked: "This is fun, who's next to get promoted?" All heads turn towards me! So I had to reply. "Don't look at me, look at my supervisor!" who was sitting a few chairs down from me. Everyone knew I was trying to get promoted, and my work performance justified, so there were a few supportive comments thrown out there. But then my supervisor yelled, "You have no sympathy from me to get a promotion. Hell, you're living better than I am!"
Yes, I travel out the county one or two times a year. yes, I take about 4 or 5 vacations a year. But I'm single with no kids! About to be dual-incomed! So of course I'm living well. It's no surprise to him make these comments, but it's certainly uncomfortable to hear the person that supposed to be pushing to get me promoted make comments that may lead is actions to the contrary. Makes me wonder if he really is working on my behalf. Meanwhile, my work load and responsibilities are increasing, and I'm about to break my neck on this glass ceiling.
[Apply For Job] - - *CLICK* - - [Attach Resume] - - *CLICK* - - [Send]

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I'm The Man

Ever come across an old item that showed how cool were back then but wouldn't be caught dead with it today? That's how I felt when I was cleaning out a box and came across my cool icon: My bright blue Motorola pager! For some reason, the gold chain was missing, but that was definitely my "I'm The Man" symbol back in the day. Ahhh... the memories.

Black White

I know, I've been missing in action for a while. It has been a very busy week for me at work, so free time to share my twisted thoughts. That's what I get for agreeing to do a month's worth of work in one week. Would you believe, I didn't even get a "Thank You"?!

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Depicting Racism

Speaking of which, I watched the new show on FX called Black White. Did you see it? It's crazy. First of all, I wouldn't wish my most hated white enemy to participate in a Poetry Slam as an undercover black girl. If you missed it, imagine this. Bunch of creative Black folks giving very emotional spoken word. Most, of course, rememberized it. Those that didn't, had it written on notebook paper. So then the White girl (undercover Black girl) stands up reading her spoken word from an I-Mac Powerbook!!!! Hilarious. Then, her poem was filled with 5 syllable words! No one knew what she was talking about.

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Then the White man went "looking" for racism, and surprised he didn't find any at the use car dealership. Um.... who experiences racism while looking for cars? He should've tried applying for admission into a country club!

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Ski Racing Cont

The other weekend, I led some skiers up to North Carolina so that we could participate in their ski racing program. We ahd to qualify first. And of course, all eyes were on us. I wonder if they were trying to see if we were going to come & take over the sport like we did with basketball, tennis, & golf. Don't worry, it's not going to happen any time soon, but its a start. First, I had to qualify, which I did do (Would've been embarassing if I didn't). I found out very quickly, these white folks are serious! It's not like skiing with the black folks, who just want to get down in one piece. It's obvious these folks take the sport very seriously, and train hard. I don't know if my passion for skiing will translate into serious race training, but I feel like the pressure is on. Like I said, all eyes are on me. Hopefully, I can get some other serious Black skiers to qualify next year, so I can just... blend on in. Yeah, I know. I'm just dreaming. No matter what, I will always stand out on the slopes.

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I haev one last ski trip left. As you may know, that's to Switzerland. I'll let you know how that trip goes in April. I wonder how it will compare to my Italy ski trip. Italy is the only place I've skied where I had to take me skis off, walk across the street, then keep on skiing down. Crazy. Even more so, folks were sunbathing at the top of the mountain!!! Yeah, it was freezing up there, but they had to get the pure sun rays, I guess. Dinner wasn't served until 8 (Italian culture). So I was starving when I got off the mountain at 4:00. Ate at a German restaurant every day, then ate again at 8. There are no fast food joints along the highway. So when we stopped to eat, the place had to cook the food from scratch. The restaurants were small, and there was no rush to get up or get your check when you finished eating. Very different from the U.S. So I'm just going to prepare myself to be very patient when it comes to eating... just in case.

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Don't Sue Me!

So I attended the zoning hearing to continue my protest against my developer, until he improves my subdivision so I can get top money for the houses I'm putting on the market. I thought the case would be "continued" again, but attended just to be sure. I saw that the it was still on the agenda. I got worried when I saw the developer walk in with his charts! Maybe its not continued?

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Previously though, I e-mailed all of the commissioners & zoning board to let them know the developer followed through with their direction for him to work with the residents prior to attending the next meeting by threatening to sue me! When the zoning agenda was reviewed, it was announced that this case will be delayed again! Maybe I had something to do with it, I don't know. I'll be out of the country at the hearing. So we'll see what happens.

Olympic Glory, or is it?

Congrats go out to Shani Davis for being the first Black win an individual gold metal at the Winter Olympics. Of course, I'm all interested in the winter sports. But Shani's story interests me because I was trying to get my club to donate money to the US Ski & Snowbard Association. Other club members didn't share my enthusiasm, and Shani's story explains why. Why is it that Black athletes don't get the same level of support other athletes get? I don't know all the details, but its clear that Shani carries a huge chip on his shoulder because he (and his mother) had to rely on international means of support in order for him to compete on the world level. So if the US Speedskating Association appears to give preferences to athletes that obviously didn't have as much potential as Shani, it's likely that the USSA does the same thing. In fact, Andre Horton is the only American to ever win the Italian Downhill, and he never made it to the Olympic team, and he is black.

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Sue Me?

Here I am, fighting to protect my property value. Protesting at Town Hall meetings, zoning meetings, Board of Commissoner meetings... and quite successful I might add. But this success means someone else is losing. So this loser is now trying to intimidate me from making further protests, and has sent me a formal threat to sue me!!! What the hell? How's a millionare going to sue little ole me? It doesn't matter that nothing I said was inaccurate, he can sue me for any reason at all, and I have to prove it in court. He's already sued the county and other business entinties, and now he's targetting me! The last thing I need is to become broke fighting some rich bastard when I'm about to start a new chapter in my life. I'm not some punk that can be bullied or intimidated, but I will tread very carefully, picking my words very selectively, just in case. Fortunately, I found this crazy neighbor who is just as determined to fight the Bastard, so I think I'll have her speak for me. After I move, I'll be through with all this.

Am I Dreaming

I know I was trippin' this morning when I woke up & saw snow on the ground, I was ready to put on my ski gear and hit the slopes! Must've been all the Olympics I've been watching. I arrived into work early, instead of my usual tardiness, and took advantage of the weather by wearing my Triple Fat Goose Cleveland Browns coat. Yeah, everyone looked at me like I was crazy or lost, and the Steeler's fans had plenty of jokes for me, but I was proud in Brown and Orange. Go Browns! And I'll delay my ski adventure until the following weekend, when I head up to N.C.

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The Man Under The Man

The company had production crews over here today taking video of my lead, as if he's some superstar. Well, maybe he is. He's up for the Engineer of the Year award for my program. That's great recognition... except for the fact that it's an individual award, and not a team. I'm not trying hate, or rain on his parade. But the fact is, he wouldn't be so great if it wasn't for work of his team! For example, I'm the one who travels so he can attend his son's wrestling matches. I'm the one who finds problems & fixes them. I'm the one he comes to get important tasks done. OK, these are probably reasosn why he is pushing to get me promoted. But it's not just me, there's 5 others that contribute as well. All the lead does is delegate, and perform a few urgent projects that everyone is too busy to work on. So for someone who does little, to get a big award, rubs me the wrong way. Do I have a reason to be irked, or am I trippin'?

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It's That Day Again

This is the day I used to run from. As a single guy, nothing good ever came out of Valentine's Day. It was always about material things. And no matter what, it never seemed to be enough. Pressure was too great to be Mr. Romantic when I haven't found Mrs. Right. I'm happy to share the holiday this year with Mrs. Right, and wish everyone out there Happy Valentine's Day. I thought this picture was perfect! No matter how big, ugly, and wrinkled up you are, everyone's lovable!

My First Flash Animation

CLICK HERE to see the movie if you don't see it.
Flash player is needed.

Ignant Politician

I guess there's no qualifications to be a politician. I swear, we have the most ignorant commissioner representing my district. OK, I knew she was questionable when I saw her several times over the past year, but one would think that after a year of public speaking and dealing with any & everybody, she would be able to communicate like she has at least a middle school education! But nope. I attended a town hall meeting Monday, and could not believe that she could not read. It was like, the words were there, but they didn't make any sense, so she tried to make nonsense out of them.

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You know how you read off of bullets, and you may elaborate on each point? Maybe that's what she doing, except there were no bullets. Someone did a great job writing complete sentences that made sense. But she would read it aloud, so it wouldn't make sense. It didn't help matters that she spoke just as ignorantly when answering questions. NEVER AGAIN will I vote for someone just cause s/he's black!

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Anyways, I feel like an activist myself. I was protesting the developer in my area... trying to protect my property value. My question actually got heated when I accused the county planner of accepting the developer's lies, and being allowed to be misled instead of looking at the facts. I came to my senses later on that I need to be careful who I call a liar out in public unless I want to get sued. Even if I have the facts to prove it.

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Today, I went to the Zoning hearing to make my protest directly in front of the developer and the panel that makes recomendations. He must've heard I was coming armed with facts, cause he asked for a "continuance" before I even got there. I expect he'll find a way to present without me knowing about it so I won't object, try to convince me that I shouldn't object because he'll do something for me, or most likely... he'll threaten to sue me. He's done it before. Bastard.

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Web Skillz

Back in August, I announced that I was focusing on learning how to do some F.lash animation. I'm proud to announce, I have learned, I have practiced, I can now create some ultra-cool graphics and animations. I said I would show something impressive in 6 months. I'll see if I can put to gether a little project to post.

Workin 9-5...

My boss sent out a letter day expressing his frustration that no one was around at 7:30 AM when he needed some information. Well, duh! Who the hell goes around looking for folks at 7:30 AM? Was he looking for one person, and just surprised that no one else was here yet? Did he not realize that getting in at 7:30 serves no useful purpose if there's no meeting? We're supposed to work 9 hour days, plus lunch, so we're expectd to be there about 10 hours a day. Uh... yeah, right. It may happen, but don't expect it everyday. Most people subtract their lunch break, claiming since they ate at their desk, they didn't take a lunch break. Others like me.... take a 2 hour lunch break. :-) And yeah, most folks are gone around 5:00. So we've been advised when we come in early, make it a point to be seen. And be seen when you work late. I can't help but be seen, being the only dread-headed guy around. The only thing I will say is I will make an attempt to put in more hours & be more visible, but I'm not making any promises.

Indecent Exposure

Here I am at work, walking up the stairs, and I look up to see the grossest site possible at work! A beer belly was sticking out from under this guy's t-shirt! OK, it happens, maybe it was an isolated incident. NOPE! Walking to the cafeteria, I saw a worse example. I was looking downward towards his belly, and still saw the hanging blobs of fat under his t-shirt. There's no excuse for this! It's near freezing outside, and dudes up here showing their belly cleavage.

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Road Trip

My trip out to Albuqwerky had its challenges the first day. There was bad weather in Atlanta, which delayed my flight a couple hours. I arrive there at 11:30 (that's 1:30 my time), drive for 2.5 hours through the mountainous Indian reservations, and arrive at the small Sipapu ski resort after 2 AM (that's 4 AM my time). A drive from HELL! Seemed like something from a horror movie.

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Once I left Sante Fe (hour from the airport), there was no gas station, no open stores, no nothing for the next 100 miles. The map said I was on a highway, but here I am going 25 miles an hour through little villages w/ my bright lights on. Mapquest said I'll see the intersection in 7 miles, I'm still looking for it 30 miles later. Funny thing is, I was never lost. I was confused, since many intersections had no street signs, but apparently, never lost. One time I stopped, just to be sure I was heading the right direction, then a pack of dogs attacked my SUV!!!! OK, it was only 2 dogs, but it scared the shit out of me! I was in one of those scenes from the Twilight Zone. Away from modern civilization (it seemed to me), wondering if someone behind was going force me off the road and scalp me!

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It was an uncomfortable drive, but I made it to my destination, eventually. Got my free room, with no phone, no tv, and no cell phone service. But I had fun snowboarding the next day. The drive back the next day was very pleasant & scenic. I don't get the fascination with Adobe houses, but they were nice to look at.

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Corporate Hustler, Part V

I'm still trying to get my hustle on. I now have two opportunities to get promoted, and I'm aggressively pursuing both of them! I can either get this new position, or I can keep my current one. Either way, I'll be extremely blessed with anything I receive, even if it nothing this time around. I'm currently bruising my head against this glass ceiling. But if I get either position, I will have moved up extremely quickly compared to my co-workers at the same level, since I don't have an advanced degree. Not even my current degrees are in this field! (To fend off questions, I have BS degrees). Word is, decisions won't be made until the end of March, so I'll report on my status around then.

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Body Clock

In the last 4 weeks, I have been to Hawaii, California, and New Mexico. I have taken red eye flights, & early morning flights. My body clock is all screwd up! I wake up like clockwork around 6 AM EST, but staying up in the morning more difficult than it ever used to be, taking mid-day naps are much more attractive, and I can't fall asleep at night. Aside from a small weekend trip to NC, I hope to get back on track these next 8 weeks. Then it's off to Switzerland, Paris, Cabo, Vegas... *sigh* .... *YAWN*!!!!

Going back to Qwerky

Well, I'm back in Albuqwerky. Came out 2 days early to get an extra ski day in. It was interesting. I didn't go to the big resort that's nearby, Taos. Instead, I hit up this lil small family resort called Sinapu. Since there's not a lot of snow, I figure I'll go with the cheaeper lift tickets and take advantage of the FREE lodging. Who gives free lodging? The catch: No phone, no tv, no maid service. The mountain was bigger than I expected. It was half open, and that was plenty for my & my snowboard. It seemed like I had the entire resort to myself! I counted about 9 other skiers/boards there, not counting the workers. More about this later.

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Spam Breakfast

Going back to my Hawaii post... I forgot to tell you about the crazy breakfast menu at the McDonald's in Hawaii. Click on the pic to see the menu! SPAM for breakfast!!!! MMMMmmmm. No, I didn't try it, but it must be a popular breakfast out there.

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Ski Racing

Here's a pic of me racing exhausted! As I mentioned in my previous post, I was a little late, and just finished taking a shortcut... which was on an expert run. So my legs were like jello. So my time on this run was.... slow. Not to mention that wearing a big old jacket acts like a parachute!

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Here is my second run. I took off my jacket, my legs were still like jello though. My time was about a second faster. Still slow compared to others. But considering this was my first trip of the season, & others ski in their backyard, I'm not disappointed at all.

Heavenly Skiing

I know, I've been gone & busy for a while, but now I'm back. As you can probably tell from my pic (& past posts), I love skiing! I just led a group of 20+ to Cali to ski at Heavenly Ski Resort, located at the beautiful Lake Tahoe! I have soooo much to comment on regarding this trip.

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First of all, Lake Tahoe is probably one of the most beautiful places to ski. Check out this pic! Crystal blue waters as a backdrop to mountain fun & adventure. On the beach one week, and up in the mountains a few weeks later... life is good.

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I did do some racing. But didn't go the awards ceremony, so I don't know the results. I didn't do my best since I was previously traversing trails like this one! Very steep. Double Black Diamond run (experts only). To get a better idea of how steep this slope is, WATCH THIS VIDEO It's called "I'm About To Take It". If you look real close, you'll see a snowboard eat snow in the upper left corner.

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One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip was accepting an invitation to get on the mountain before the resort even opens! The reason this is so sweet, is because you get to be the one who puts the first tracks in the snow. Skiing on pure powder. Us ski bums call it, Virgin Snow. Fresh Tracks. You can only make fresh tracks after a good snow fall, then you have to be first on the mountain. That's why skiers get all excited when there's a snow storm. And also why I'm up at 6 AM every morning to get an early start. So here is a pic of the Fresh Tracks I made in some Virgin Snow, and check out this video. FRESH TRACKS. I'M LOVIN' IT!

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Since I was on the slopes so early in the morning, I was able to get really good views of the sunrise over the mountain. As you can tell from the Hawaii pics, I like sun rises & sunsets. Come to think of it, I love the stars, which must be a reason I enjoy camping. And I like looking at the clouds as well.

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When you go skiing, you have a very unique vantage point of the clouds. Sometimes, I can ski through two different layers of clouds! What's really weird is how the weather changes depending on which part of the mountain you're own, & whether you're above or below the clouds. Here's a video of me SKIING ABOVE THE CLOUDS.

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We stayed in a casino. Won a little money on the blackjack table. Lost a whole lot more the following day. Oh well. What I saw on the way up to the room made up for the disappointment. I'm not lying, I swear to you, I saw an anorexic midget!!! It was the smallest, skinniest man I've ever seen.

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Another hilarious moment is when I was waiting for a chair lift to take us to the top of the mountain, I kept noticing folks ignoring the "Wait Here" sign. The sign is posted so you won't get hit by the chair lift while waiting for you turn to be carried up to the top. I saw two folk almost get taken out. Weird. But not as weird as what happened next. This guy stood diretly in the path of the incoming chair! Now this is a chair lift at the bottom of an expert ski run, so it should be all experienced folks there. So maybe this guy was just an idiot. The chair came around, and took the full blow of a 300 lb metal chair square in the face!!! Knocked him down, it was hilarious. I couldn't help but yell, "DAAMMNN, you got KNOCKED OUT!!" All 30 folks in line started laughing. The dazed snowboarder stumbled to his feet, and was obviously embarrassed, and gave me a quick finger as he got in position to catch the next chair. That's when I yelled out, "Hey man, you left your tooth on the ground!" It was funny. One of those things where you had to be there.

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Mixing B'ness wit Pleasure

Next week, I have a business trip to Albuquerque. Theres's a ski resort a few hours away, so I'm going to fly out there early & check it out. Unfortunately, there's not much snow there.

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Corporate Hustler (Cont.)

I often see my co-workers in the 'Good Ole Boy' network. Getting promotions... a-hem... getting promotions without others getting a chance to compete for the position. Well, a lady just got promoted, which is leaving a vacancy. Now the management talk is that my name was floating around as a replacement. This is definitely a great opportunity for me to be promoted! But wait. Does this mean I'm now one of the Good Ole Boys? Don't congratulate me yet, I still have to do my corporate hustler thing to get the job, and I already know the manager is considering opening up the job to other folks.

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Close Call

I had a really close call yesterday. I'm driving in the rain when this idiot truck driver pulled out in front of me. I thought he would leave my lane before I approached, but he didnt. I had to slam on the breaks and turn the car sideways to aboid him! It came very close to hitting him. Thankfully, I avoided all the other vehicles and my wonderful car (with its new brakes) performed beautifully!

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Mom's Brakes

Speakingn of brakes. I was wondering why Goodyear had me initial a statement that I have to bring my car back in after the brakes were serviced to ensure that the lug nuts were still tight on my wheels. Then I get a phone call from my mom, she had just gotten her brakes serviced as well. But when she was returning from her road trip, going 75 mph at night on the interstaste, the entire front driver's tire came off of her SUV!!!! THANK GOD SHE'S OK. The SUV heavily damaged as it coasted to the shoulder. Since it was nighttime, the wheel is lost. Since there was no human damage, lawyers won't take the case. I'm just thankful she's OK.

Hawaii

I hope everyone had a great Christmas & New Year! Mine was great. Spent it on the beaches of Hawaii. One of the highlights was definitely surfing! The waves may have only been 2-3 feet high, and the water 4 feet deep, but that was definitely enough! It was a lot of fun, can't wait to do it again. Folks were asking me how it compared to my favorite pasttime, skiing. It's not a comparison. The rush & excitement I get from skiing easily trumps gliding on a wave. I take a chair lift to get to the top of the mountain, which is much easier than trying to paddle against the current! Which reminds me, it was very frustrating to paddle your way towards the deep ocean, just to have a big wave negate all your hard work! While it is true I only surfed on a little wave, I do find it much easier to surf than ski. So I'm looking foward to some challenges this ski season

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I observed alot last week:

• This should have been my honeymoon


• I felt like I was in Japan


• Learned to do the head nod to the Japanese


• It's the opposite of the "What's Up" nod


• Sunsets are beautiful


• Saw some negroes that looked clueless


• Saw them later on tv, NC A&T lost to Hawaii in basketball


• Experienced a high-tech toilet


• It spits out more than you put in it!


• Streets are too narrow


• Luau's are more enjoyable when you don't pay $65/person


• Click Here to see a clip of where the Kappa's got their moves from.


• Click Here to see a clip of 5 year old hula dance


• Waikiki has to be the most crowded beach in the world on Christmas


• 9/10 tourists stay at Waikiki Beach (according to the Travel Channel)


• You know you're living good when you can watch the travel channel, then walk outside & visit what you just saw


• I won't complain about the price of gas here again


• But I will complain about the price of food out there!


• There's an ABC store on every corner. Literally


• Hiking Diamond Head Volcano is real cool


• All live sports are time delayed


• Long flights are not so bad in 1st class


• The 1st class movies are UNEDITED!


• I realized my body clock was screwed up when I was wide awake last night at 2 AM

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For more detail, read GeckoGirl's blog.

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Ratings

Nie.lson just sent me $15 to become a data point in their survey of what black folks watch!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I've been slacking off on this blog thing... it happens this time of year.

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Gas Trickery

Now something has been really irking me, for about 16 years now, at least once a week. Every week. Why is it that at every gas station, the different grades of gas are arranged in some random order? Wouldn't make it logical sense to put the low grade on the left, the high grade on the right, and the middle in the middle? Even if it was slightly illogical, reverse the order. Now I know someone got paid a lot of money to design the machines, so there has to be a good reason.

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Reason #1
Let's try to trick these idiots into putting more expensive gas in their car!

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Reason #2
Let's try to trick an idiot to blowing up his engine by putting low octane gas into an engine that requires high octane.

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The 1st reason is not really a big deal. Spend an extra dollar or 2, nothing to cause a fit over. But I fall in this second category. My super-charged engine requires highly oxegenated gas for it to operate properly. If I put low octane gas in there, I risk having to pay $4,000 for a replacement engine. Why? Because someone tried to trick me!

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Is it just me? Or am I trippin' again.

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Web Game

Bored at work? Then Click Here

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Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays & Safe Travels! The cutie & I are off to Waikiki Beach!

Christmas Lights

I was going to say Holiday lights. But my pastor said, don't take "Christ" out of Christmas. So today's topic is CHRISTmas lights. You may have heard about my ghetto neighbors here or in Geckogirl's post, so I figured I may as well continue the rants. So, I look outside, and I see one neighbor has nice lights up, as you can see here. But then I look the other way, and was wondering what these Negroes are thinking?! Are Africans Negroes? I'll assume they are. Anways, I look over at their house, and they have a six foot snowman that takes up their entire doorway! And that's the only decoration they have. Something like belongs in a storefront or in the front lawn. Only a fool will take their one oversized decoration and block their doorway with it.

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What made all of this even funnier, is when I woke up the next morning and saw their snowman had deflated! OK, things happen. Did they fix it, or remove it? No. It's still lying at their front door! Just, plan, ghetto.

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And before you start thinking, what right do I have to complain about someone else's Christmas decorations, I'll let you konw that I did put up some tasteful lights at my house. My plan was to have a light in all the windows, but I ran out of extension cords. But at least they aren't ghetto. I know, I know, pictures suck. I need to figure out how to use the nighttime feature on my camera.

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I'll think of some more stuff to write later.

Coincidence?

Last year, I went to hometown of Cleveland during Christmas. The weather was fine before & after, but when I arrived, records were broken on the amount of snow that fell that week. This year, I go home for Thanksgiving, and they break the record for the low temperature for that day. It was 12 Degrees. Now that I left, the high today is 69 degrees. Coincidence?

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To make it worse, I expected to enjoy watching Cavs continue their winning ways. They had one 8 straight, among to top records in the leage. I watched them twice, and they lost both of them. I'm used to the Browns losing, but was hoping for some shining sports moment while I was at home, but they got creamed.

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My parents were laughing at me because I thought their thermometer was broken. It measures the outside temperature wirelessly. It's Friday, the sun is out, and the temperature thing reads 16 degrees! This is the gift I gave them last year, so I felt bad when I thought it wasn't accurate. But sure enough, it was cold as a witch's britches outside!

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Memories

Since I'm now about to share my house, I started going through some of my boxes of stuff to see what I can toss. Oh, the memories I found! Letters from ex's, Stuff from my 1st job, ticket stubbs from the '96 Olympics, my prized Bell Biv Devoe Poison caseette tape. OK, I confess, I kept all of those things, but through the letters away.

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I felt like I shouldn't have thrown away my ever popular Casio calculator watch. But they aren't cool anymore, so it goes. I wonder if anyone want my poor man's computer, I think they called it a word processor. It doubles as an electronic type writer. I'll donate it instead of trashing it. But after looking at the many floppy diskettes, I was filled many more memories. It's no fun deciding which memories to throw away, and which to keep.

Drive Thrus

Is it just me? Or is it obvious that these drive thru windows are out to play tricks on everyone? You know what I'm talking about, just before you order your number 3 combo when you get to the speaker, you hear some silly girl's voice that says, "Welcome to the joint, would you like to try our special today?" No big deal, right? Then Why after you say "No" and make your order, an entirely different voice comes on?!?!

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Yeah, yeah, I know it's a pre-recorded voice that greets you. But why? I'm serious, the voice changes freaks me out every time! Is it too much for the kid to greet me politely? It's not like it's a professional sounding voice that's recorded either. All I'm saying, is that I should only hear ONE voice instead of playing with my mind.

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And another thing! Why is everyone so damn cheap with the Ketchup? Did the price of ketchup go up? I'm sorry, 2 lil packets is net enough for my large fries. I want to go back to the old days when they gave you a handful every time. Nowadays, if you forget to ask for the ketchup, you're stuck with some dry-ass potatoes. And instead of asking if you want some ketchup, they give you your bag then go hide behind the closed window. That means you have to knock on the window or blow your horn... just to get some ketchup! What the hell?

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OK, I admit it, I have some issues when I go to the Drive-Thrus.

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Keyword Search

I was looking for another topic to ramble on, so I picked one of the crazy search topics people use to find my blog. So today, someone did a search on "Cleveland Cavs Cheerleaders". I've never talked about them, but I will talk about about myself. I'm a huge Cleveland Cavs (& Browns) Cheerleader! So this year, I'm warning everyone out there that the Cavs will be a major contender for the Easter Confernce championship this year. Of course, Lebron James will lead the way. In fact, he was just named the NBA Player of the Week, again! 4th time winning it, and he's only been in the league for 2.5 yrs. This concludes my cheerleader report.

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Gobble-Gobble

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to see my folks up in Cleveland. BRRrrrr.... it's cold up there!

Paintball Fun

This past weekend, I continued on my never-ending quest to partake in adventurous activities. Violating all of the "Black folks don't that" rules. I organized a paintball event, and over 30 folks showed up! Everyone had a great time. Men, Women, teens, kids, it was all good.

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Of course, crazy stuff like this is what I do. But it felt good talking to the grown adults and teens who are new to it, and seeing how much fun they had. For them, their fun boundaries were just knocked down, as they enjoyed themselves in ways they only heard about. After telling about other activities I do that's just as fun, I could see one of my missions was accomplished. Now others realized that they too can do more than just club & go to the movies!!! LOL

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Hoop Dreams

My church basketball league has ended. We made it to the semi-finals! It was great seeing my fiancee' supporting me at the game. Unfortunately, we lost. But I did have another moment of greatness. It was almost the exact same thing that happend a couple weeks ago. Dude set up for a 3, thought it was going to be a swish... but here I come, 20 feet in the air, I smack his shot into the stands! In unison, the whole gym goes "OOOoohhhhh" I didn't shine in too many other areas I guess, cause we lost. Maybe this will mean no more bruises & sore muscles for a while.

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Olympic Dreams

Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but I may get to ski with the U.S. Ski Team while they train this summer!! It will be after the Olympics, but still very cool, nontheless. I just have to figure out how to squeeze in all these trips on my work calendar.

Ultimate Rims

I've thought I've seen it all. But not until I saw this! A set of rims worth a Million Dollars! I'm sure P. Diddy will come out with some rims to top it. 50 Cents will probably be the fool who would buy it. Of all the things I can think of doing with 1,000 Carats of diamonds, putting them on the road won't even make the list. If I do see fiddy rolling in these mil dubs, I will be right behind him... just waiting for one of those jewels to pop out. Then I'll buy me a new car with it!

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What does an Engineer Look Like?

So I spent the weekend up in North Carolina. Asheville, to be exact. I didn't find anything noteworthy to report about this town. Although I did engage in a conversation that just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm talking to some retired folks about about my ski excursions, which have taken me all over the country, Canada, Italy, and soon to be added, Switzerland. Oh, & Chile too if I can miraculous find some another week of vacation time. So I'm talking to retired folks, and they ask me what I do. I say, I'm an engineer. They reply, "Well, you don't seem like an engineer."

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If was talking to one of my peers, I would understand what was meant, since I'm not an anti-social geek. Well, I'm at least not anti-social. :-) But when I'm talking to some Caucasians that are 60+, I think they mean something else. So I ask, "What do you mean?" I didn't get a good reply. The only thing going through my mind is, what type of job did they think I would have since they know I travel a lot for fun? If I said I sold crack, rapped, or played in the NBA, would that have met their expectations?

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Fantasies can come true

You probably heard the story about the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders, right? If not, you can read about it here. I was just thinking of all the craziness in beer commercials skin flicks, these scenarios would never come true. But fantasy sometimes reflects reality. Somewhere, in a bar in Tampa, a guy was daydreaming earlier while watching the NFL cheerleaders.... what if... two of the cheerleaders just started making out... not realizing... it going on right in the back of the bar!

I'm Back!!!

Who said I was getting old? Yeah, my bones creak every time I move a joint, and I no longer hang with the 20 som'ns and no longer kick it like I did... even 20 years ago. But aside from all of that, I'm just as I young as I used to be. As I mentioned earlier, I was having a bit of trouble getting back in basketball shape, and was actually disappointed that I couldln't move like I used to. But guess what? It took 4 weeks, but I'm Back!! I have my youthful, springy legs back. When I played ball this past week, I became a dunking machine! Yes! I can still play above the rim!

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So Sunday came, gametime, and I was juiced. Don't let me have an open layup... I had visions of dunking on somebody. Well, not onsomeone, just near someone. I should have searched for an opportunity at the beginning of the game, cause with each minute, everyone became more & more physical. In fact, I have 2 bruises near my right wrist, one bruise on my left shoulder, scab on my inner left knee (don't know how that happened), and a left over scab from from last week on my right knee. Did I forget to mention that this hostile, overly aggressive game is part of the CHURCH league?

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In the first half, I had one of those blocks folks just dream of. Dude was taking a 3 point shot, I was in the air before he released the ball. I almost palmed his shot in mid-air! But just like in every kid's dream, I smacked his shot way into the 4th or 5th row of the stands!!! OK, fast foward to the 2nd half. I grab an open rebound. Everyone else is tired. I go up for the two-handed throw down, and *BOOM*! No, not what you're thinking. Some fool smacked me in the face on the way up, so I didn't get to throw it down. I was up there too! To make matters worse, the ref didn't call a foul. :-| Aside from winning the game, I was very happy for achieving my personal victory. I didn't have a goal of dunking again, or even necessariy dunking in the game (as I dream some more), but it was an indication that my dedication to staying fit & in shape has its rewards.

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Trick or "GEDAHELOUDAHERE"

Yeah yeah, Trick or Treat. I celebrated last Halloween, passed out candy, posted a scarecrow in the frontyard... I used to dress up & scare the kids when they came to my crib in California, but I think I inflicted very permanent damage on some. I would turn off all the lights, except for the outdoor light. Open the door, it's pitch black inside. As the kids walk up, I would charge the door in my all black grim reaper outfit. Face covered... very scary. LOL The good ole days.

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But those days are gone. You can read about last year's Halloween if you like, but based on these fools taking the fun out of my day last year, I have no desire to give out free candy this year. So why was my doorbell ringing throughout the night even though my outdoor lights are off? My parents are here, and they keep wanting to open the door... knowing they don't have any candy. I convinced them not to open the door anymore, but kids kept on coming up to my door. Why? I looked out the window, and saw parents out there. Is it because they see I'm eating dinner from the window? Is it because I seem friendly the other days of the year? Because they recall all the goodies I gave away last year? I don't know, beats me.

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Ski Flashback

Ahh... getting chilly. You know what that means, right? Ski season is almost here. Here's a video clip of one of my adventures in Vermont. Unfortunately, you'll have to tip your head sideways to see it clearly... or lay your monitor on it's right side. lol As I look at it, it made me wonder if I will have anyone skiing with me this season when I take my more adventerous route. And no, I'm not crazy, I have the skills to make it through safely. Can't wait to hit the slopes!!!

Naughty & Nasty!

So here I am, relaxing, watching the typical nonsense on the news, when a subtle news flash makes this report not-so-typical! The same jailhouse that let a woman handle an ex-football player alone... who ended up killing several folks & escaping... was caught with its employees searching porn sites. Yeah yeah, whatever, happens everywhere, all the time. But then they showed snidbits of the porn, and it was all black men! What the hell?! I feel real sorry for any inmate subjected to a strip search up in there. Watch the news clip here!.

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Friends Can Steal

I'm going to try not to write too much, but it's on my mind, so I have to write something. It's sad when when someone you are cool with turns out to be a thief and a liar. Stealing from the same source of much of my time and & money. Just when you think you know someone, you find out you don't. I guess access to other people's money can bring out the greed in some. I don't understand it. If it's not my money, I have no use for it. Guess you really can't trust folks around money, no matter who they are.

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Adventures

I don't have anything exciting to report. No adventures this week. I will be going to the exciting Asheville, NC next weekend, maybe something will happen there. My parents are arriving this weekend, that may spawn some stories. If not, I'll have plenty of adventures coming soon. Ski season & Honeymoon is coming up, so I will be travelling the globe, stay tuned!

Risky Business

I certainly had an adventurous weekend! You know me, I have to have something going on, at least monthly. But this one is different. Wasn't planned. Not in my job description, but duty called.

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A little background info first. I had a chance to fly on plane to test some equipment when I was in Seattle. The flight was on a small King Air 2 prop plane (6 seater) that was flying very close to ground, flying very close to mountatins, and flying very close to antennas. I thought about it for about 250 milliseconds, and said "No".

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Fast Forward to last Wednesday. "Jez Chill, do you want to fly?" This time, I gave it 500 milliseconds of thought, and said "No". Thursday comes, and my management comes and personally asks me to get my ass on the plane. Of course, I said "YES". The adventures begin. I'll try to keep the summaries brief.

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Due to very bad weather, it doesn't look like we're going to fly. So I head off to lunch with my management. I'm tagging along, since I normally don't eat with the "Good Old Boys". I guess it was the one manager's turn to drive to lunch. He can't see well, his reaction speed is 2 seconds too slow, and it's always an over reaction.

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We get a cell phone call, the weather cleared up, so head off to the airport. Up until this point, I didn't think I was going to fly, so I was relieved. Now I'm asking a million questions to see if I should call & triple my life insurance policy real quick.

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At the airport, the first flight of guys were leaving as we were preparing to jump aboard. One guy is sick. Looks like he ran a marathon, and was running straight for the bathroom. Come to find out later, his management forced him to go despite his desire not to. Now I'm really worried.

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So we fly into the North Georgia mountain area. Of course, nothing but mountains of forests and a few antennas. The wind was whipping the plane like it was made of paper. We flew 500 ft above the forest, getting within 500 ft of mountains & antennas ahead of us. OK, that wasn't too bad, equpment works, I'm ready go home.

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Uh... no. That was just the first mode. The second mode requires us to fly at 300 ft!!! OH SHIT!!!! I'm sweating like the sprinkler system went off. One manager is telling stories how his squad searched and found the wreckage of a plane that crashed a month earlier at one of the mountains. Everyone is trying to turn up & readjust their air vents. And now here we are flying just above the tree tops and avoiding mountains & antennas by LESS THAN 300 feet.

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I forgot to tell you, instead of the test pilot flying, one of our guys somehow worked a deal to let him fly instead! WTH?!?! So the test pilot is giving the havne't-flown-a-plane-in-20-years pilot directions the entire time.

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We returned safe & sound. I swear, this was not part of my job description, but it was pretty cool when I look back on it. Scary though. Just when I thought I was safe, I get in the car with the blind manager... I think that ride back was scarier than the plane ride!!!

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Garage Work

I spent Saturday hanging up dry wall on an unfinished wall in my garage. I've never done it before, but it was pretty easy. I called my neighbor over, he approved of my handiwork, with several good suggestions. Here are pics of my progress. I feel like such a stud now. :-)

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Hoop Dreams

I bought some new kicks, so I ready to play some basketball. I was thinking, the shoes was the only thing I needed to allow me to jump as high I used to... back when I could dunk the ball. No luck. but my feet sure do feel better! Unfortunately, my youthful thinking convinced me that I should dive for a loose ball. What the hell was I thinking? So now I'm really sore, and there's a big chunk of skin from my knee still lying on the floor somewhere. *ouch* My hot tub sure came in handy last night!

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Big-Screen Debut

I saw myself in The Gospel on Friday. 3 scenes. Things that didn't make sense at the time now do make sense. It's great how careful editing makes nonsense sensical. We did switch seats in the church scene to make it look like a different day. But we also additional scenes on a different day, but I didn't see myself then.

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There were 2 scenes that I got called to be in, the basketball scene when Boris is talking to the kids in the gym, and a scene in a bar / cafe. Boris is like, 6'5", and they wanted folks that looked like basketball players. But anyone standing next to him is going to look like short, and I saw that on screen. Maybe next time, I'll have a little more advance warning, and I'll make arrangements to leave work and make my mark on "Ghettowood".

Movie Star!!!

OK, I'm made my first move towards obtaining a gold Star engraved on Peachtree Street. Have you seen The Gospel yet? Don't feel bad, neither have I. But I'm getting a bunch of messages from folks who saw me in it. I'm in two church scenes! I'm wearing a Navy Blue Polo Shirt, dude w/ the locs I didn't think anyone would see me. But apparently, the camera stopped & focused on me while I was "acting" out my grand performance of pretending to enjoy the director's antics, clapping to the CD, and pretending I wasn't exhausted from sitting in a church at 1 AM for a 10 min scene that we repeated about 50 times.

As I blogged about earlier, a couple of times, I have dabbled with getting my movie hustle on. And I had a great opportunity to appear in more scenes and get speaking roles, but I decided the opportunit just wasn't worth it. So instead, I'm going to enjoy my 15 seconds of fame! I wonder if my name appeared in the credits. Doubt it. But anyways, go check out the movie. I'm in the church scene in the beginning when little Boris Kodjoe was singing, and near the end when big ##### enters the church. (I don't want to ruin the movie).

I'll be on the Walk of Fame on Peachtree Street signing autographs at noon tomorrow, right after the Star dedication ceremony.

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Old School Hoops

We just won our first game in the basketball church league! Whoo-hooo! We nearly doubled the opponents score. That's a good sign. Playoffs, here we come. But *ouch* my body is just not springing like it used to. Can't jump like I used to. *Ugh* I just read an article in my Men's Health magazine, and it said that shoes should be replaced after 200 miles. I think I've put about 300 on mine. My heels are killing me!

I bought my kicks to play ball last year, but it didn't happen. So I figure I'll just wear them this year. But they make me feel like I'm jumping on a pogo stick with no spring! New shoes, a must, gotta get. So here I am walking into work today in my dressy shoes, with sore heels. This means I'm more comfortable walking on my toes. Dilemma: Walk on my toes & look like some fruit cake, or suffer in pain walking like a man. Well, this is no dilemma, not question. I'm walking around all day, gingely as possile, knowing my insticts is to walk on my toes to spare me the pain.

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Broken Glass

So I headed off to the public library for a meeting, pull into a nice lil spot, and everything seems all good. When I return, I seen shattered glass everywhere at my driver's door. "AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" (That's a yell, not a scream) Heart starts beating at 300 beats per minute. I walk slowly up to my car... and it's not my window. "Whoa". The car next to mine is gone. There was no car there, & no glass when I pulled into the spot.

So today, I rolling down the street & see a auto store with an eye-catching sign on the store front: "HOT CARS WANTED". I wonder if the car from the library is over there.

Almost forgot...

Whoa, it's Friday already, and I haven't blogged this week. My bad... got caught up this thing called Life.

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Significance

Speaking of "life", let me tell you about my mine. Where ever I go, I want to make so much of an impact on my environment, that I will be missed when I'm gone. Leave the spot better than it was before so that I am appreciated. Fill folks around me with happy memories so when they think about me, they smile. That's me.

If a tree fell in the forest, and no one heard it fall, did it actually ever fall? If I ever fall, I 'm going to create an earthquake big enough for for folks across the way to take notice! And when I rise, I I'll be doing so with my hands down, pulling my folks up with me.

I was just thinking about the old days. Days when the Sophie's promotor, Michael, was calling me up on the phone to bring a couple hundred folks out to his next gig. Thinking about how I helped grow the ski club I joined. Thinking about how I started the Oakland chapter of NSBE. Was disappointed if fell after I left. Thinking of how my house parties got too big for my house, then too big for my boy's house, and my other boy's house. Thinking about how I invited 800 folks to my CA going away party. Evite gave me special permission to invite that many people. Thinking about friends I have kept for over a decade. Thinking about about how great life as been.

But it's like the stock market. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. But I glanced into my future, and it looks bright. Instead of a club, I may be throwing a party for two, and I'll be just as satisfied. Thinking about how I'm going to be the big man on top at job. Thinking about a little jez will make me the proudest dad one day. Thinking about how my future castle will be gem of the neighborhood. Thinking of how I will be the greatest husband ever.

You know, I've been real busy. Didn't have much to say, but I've been thinking.

Seattle

Well, nothing interesting is going on out here in Seattle. My rental SUV has a parking assist feature. So I checked it out to see how it works by backing up real close to a vehicle behind me. Cool feature, it definitely works. No, I didn't hit the car. I did accidently roll over two curbs. Maybe that's why my co-worker decided not to ride in my car this morning.

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Ghetto B'ness Folks

OK. So here I am getting my hustle on. Folks want to sell all this stuff on the net. Great! I'll help them make it happen. Problem #1: They have no product. Problem #2: They have no idea how to market their product, and will not implement my suggestions. Problem #3: They don't want to pay for anything. So the result is a pathetic looking business that's showing other people's product as their own. I think I'll take a break from the hustle until they fix all of these problems.

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Ghetto Neighbors

A while back, C2A asked how we know where our property lines are since we don't have any fences. Take a look at my backyard, and see if you tell where my property ends. The sad part is, he told me that he would try to get one of his two boys go back there & cut the back yard. I don't know how he can be proud of himself, letting his yard look like that. Showing his kids what NOT to do. And I apparently, his wife doesn't care. Then again, this is the same guy that's scared of spiders and has his wife kill them.

Jez Plain Nasty

So I'm walking down the corridor @ work, and I see the man that NEVER washes his hands after he uses the bathroom. As I enter the facilities, I'm plotting my next move: Yellin: "WASH YOUR NASTY HANDS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE BATHROOM!!!" He'll just stop & look at me, wondering if I'm about to get violent. I continue yelling so folks down the hall can hear (There are no doors to our restroom): "IF YOU LEAVE THIS BATHROOM WITHOUT WASHING YOUR NASTY HANDS, I'M GOING TO WARN EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR HOW NASTY YOU ARE!" Then whatever happens, happens.

I nod my head, knowing what I'm about to do. Ready to face the consequences of my management saying I was acting inappropriate... but they understand. I'm juiced, I'm ready, I'm..... waiting. Dammit, he didn't enter the bathroom this time. But just wait until the next time I catch this nasty mf leaving the stall with nasty hands.

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Handy Man

I've finally begun my project to hand drywall on an unfinished garage wall. I'll be sure to post before & after pictures. But at the rate I'm going, it will be long while before I finish it.

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Who's sh!t is this?

Second time in as many weeks I found some dog mess on my lawn. If I was a dog, I'd probably be looking for one of the best yards in the neighborhood myself. But since I'm not, I'm as disgusted as I was with me Nasty Co-Worker. So I see a nice couple walking their dog. Of course, I go ask them if they are helping me fertilize the lawn. She whips out her pooper scooper from her pocket (plastic bags) and says, "No, not I." So then I talked to all of my english-speaking neighbors to be on the lookout. I'm going to set up a Nasty Pooch Dragnet. You'll read about it soon in the newspaper.

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Seattle

I'm off to Seattle. Later!!!