Monday, July 31, 2006

Tough, but very huggable

Good Monday everyone! It was a good weekend for me, hope everyone else had the same. I saw so many familiar faces at the Georgia Dome.. people I haven't seen in years... approaching a decade on occasion. Very good to see some familiar faces. And it only reminds me how much of a slacker I am at keeping in touch. Nothing like walking through CNN center and some one yelling your name, or talking that person you've been trying to find for months... and brief glimpse of terror in her eye when a large mane comes running torward her....

And I have to say, Shelley, Linda, Scott, Jeff, Jenn, and Jennie (they're different people) are such positive people to be around. Make me smile. Makes me want to be a better person myself and get rid of some of the negative influenceas that tend to hang around my apartment. And, normally I don't need anyone to lead me toward temptation... I'm quite good at finding on my own. After being around u guys, I just want to improve myself.. to strive to be better at... whatever. Its nice to have positive role models in life.

And believe me, its not everyone I would carry luggage a mile for or meander all over the Ga Dome looking for people... my feet still hurt. But it was all worth it. I hope its not so long between the next visits, and I fully intend to work on that. However, my whacked out schedule often conflicts with their whacked out schedules. Now that we've all grown up and taken on the burdens of adulthood.. its so hard to be with those who meant so much in your youth. Even more so now that we've spread out across the country. Its very interesting to see how our lives have all worked out... what directions we've gone since getting off the bus that last time.

I have made many new friends since then, and they're great people and i wouldn't trade them for anything, but theres a bond that was formed so many years ago with the durm corps people that just can't be duplicated without enduring the same suffering and joy... we had lot sof both. Its like having another family, except u really like this one!

I find it funny that in years to come, I will forget the performances of the indiviidual corps on the field, but I'll remember having dinner sittng on the floor of CNN Center with Jenn, Jeff, and Shelley. I won't remember what Crown played.. but I'll remember watching it with Scott. Good times.

And that being said... its nice to know that according to Shelley and Jenn, I'm the most huggable person in the world.... but I'm still tough as nails!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

What will we do when all the Chinese come?

Breaking from my tradition of ripping off song lyrics for subject lines, this one was yesterdays quote of the day from work... Without getting into the mundane details of how this phrase came about, Lets just say its amazing that we let some people operate million dollar airplanes.

Lets talk about waste... its big news that theres lots of corporate greed in America. Everyone has heard about the Enron scandal and how CEO's are raping their companies, driving them bankrupt, and then leaving with millions of dollars as a "thankyou". Well.. here at Whiskey Oscar Alpha the rank and file are up in arms. Most the employees in the building here haven't had a raise in 5 years. OK, fine, but the company is making millions in profit... unusal for an airline... and what comes out in the news a couple days ago?? Executive pay up 16%. Wow... a 16% raise in one year?? And wait theres more... the big bosses bonus was 130% of his salary.

Now I'm a firm believer in take it if you can get it, but how can one person tell an entire building of individuals theres no money for a cost of living adjustment when you get a $400,000 bonus? Thats just dishonest. I'm also a firm beleiver that dishonest people suck. And I still haven't figured out what most these CEOs do? I get mission statements every year for the company, and they're always something i could have copied out of a college business text book (serisously, i think some of them are). My own company seems to be on autopilot... (forgive the aviation reference). No one here seems to be making any big deicsions or really planning for more than next year (and only that far to ensure a 150%). SO for the man incharge fo the place thats allowed his company to be delisted frm the stock exchange, loss of shareholder value, questionable corporate purchases, and a money lossing quarter for the first time in 4 years... less give hive a half million $$$ bonus!

And well.. I suppose u can do that when your major customer is paying you to fly and empty airplane from the middle east, to a small island in the Mediterranean, to Germany, and back to Turkey. Yes... empty plane... all over southern Europe.. we're getting paid to do this... alot. (I'm being sort of non descript I know, i don't want to be accused of violating our corporate secrets policy). Amazing!

OK, now for something more positive, its saturday... all the kids are in town. We're gonna have good times this after noon. I can't wait. I was driving yesterday and drove by a couple local high schools and outside i saw the busses and semis and RV's of a couple drum corps. I stopped, and got out and listened to some reheasals... it was neat, bringing back fond memories. Good good times!!

Thats it, tis all I got... Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!!

Friday, July 28, 2006

My rights are denied by those least qualified, trading profit for pride

So, i'm trying to be upbeat and optimistic about things. Not that I have a reason not to be, but its just hard sometimes. I did nothing much today but sleep, and ti was good. And i did hit 50 on the Taco Mac beers done list. A milestone has been reached. Then A came over and woke me up about 1030 and we just chatted. Shes planning a trip for us to Australia... again. We were doing this trip before, then she changed to Greece, and then a world tour, and now back to Oz. I'm not optimistic that it well ever happen, and I'm not sure I even want to go. I would almost prefer doing it alone. Though talking about going down did bring up some wonderful memories of good times and great people met.

One of the things i really love about travelling is meeting different people from around the world. Their opinions and views on things are always so different, just form growing up in a different culture and environment. Even in "western" cultures like Europe and Australia. I remember one question I would always get asked was do I own a gun.. well, yes I do, since I was a kid. That shocked people. And i never thought it a big deal.

And then again, whethers its a round table pub discussion over much beer or traditional Scottish dancing with an Isreali girl ... I've been lucky to experience a lot of different people and personalities that have enriched my view of the world. Everyone should try it.I do however wish I had stayed in touch with some people I had met, many have dropped off due to some... well... we just didn't see eye to eye on some things. Perhaps I'll look for them on Myspace.

And while we're feeling inspirational, check this website out. http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/viewmovie.html I really like this video and agree with the sentiments.

OK, since i wrote a small novel last night I'll keep this one short. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and i'll be writing. I do appreciate that people are taking time to read these things, make sme feel I'm not just talking to myself.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

i'm not broken, but you can see the cracks

So, here I sit, in front of a blank canvas ready to espouse my opinions and emotions on to the world for all to enjoy. I had so many great ideas for this blog earlier today when i was trying to sleep. Unfortunitely now I can remember none of those now... and didn't get any sleep. So if i ramble on, I apologize.

Well, here I am at work again, its an OT day. And I have my 3 flight plans for the 10 hour shift. I was only suppose to have 2, but i discovered an omission by the other guy here.. and appearently since i found the problem, I have to deal with it. That normally doesn't bother me, except I know if I tried pulling that kinda shit with him there would be a riot. But oh well, Its done, sent and over with, and the plane should have no problems getting to Addis Ababa (Ray.. thats over near Chad... in Ethernopia).

And I do believe I have discovered a main reason I don't like my job. Its the shoes. I have to wear shoes. I would prefer to wear sandals. The women get to wear sandals, why can't I? Thats sexist!! I should file an EEO suit so I can wear more comfortable shoes. I don't know if you guys have ever noticed, but i almost always wear sandals during the summer these days, unless i'm on the bike or wearing dress up clothes. I can trace it back to when I gained my dislike of shoes.... Drum corps...

OK, JR, you asked a couple blogs back what DCI meant. DCI stands for Drum Corps International. All of you know I have admitted my nerdiness. And I'm proud! Well, This takes it to the level of Band Geek. Yes that was me. I was in the high school marching band, and loved it. Well, we all know what that is, people go out onto the field and play fun music and make nifty shapes right... well.. Imagine, if you will, you took that concept and pushed it to an extreme and there you have a modern Drum and Bugle Corps. Where your average HS band does say 50 formations in a 12 minute show, a drum and bugle corps (or corps) will do oh.. i dunno 500? And you spend a fair amount of time running between each spot. Oh wait, then you have to play an instrument (only drums and brass) or spin a rifle or flag or sabre. And you have to do it exactly like you 120 neighbors are doing it. And if you screw up everyone will see/hear you.. peers, instrucotrs and ausidence alike. Sounds fun right... go out practicing somewhere like 1000 hours for a 11 minute show. All done in the heat of summer.

Oh and it gets better, you pay to do this sort of thing, and you get to travel the country performing... like gypsies you roll into nowhere in a fleet of busses and trucks, get out, find a lovely hardwood or concrete (my favorite) floor and that's where you slept.. if you were lucky enough to get floor time... otherwise it was bus sleep. Get up, eat some food cooked by the loving moms, rehearse all day, show that night. Move on to the next town. And repeat... every now and then theres a day off to do laundry. And I've always been a big guy, but those of you who didn't know me in those days may be amazed to know how felxible I was and how comfortable on can be in a bus seat, or that i could probably finish the Peachtree Road race by the end of a summer on tour barely breathing hard.

But more so than the playing in front of thousands of people every night, the best parts of this hellish boot camp meets "The Music Man" was that we loved it. And we made the strongest friendships you can ever know. 9 of the top 16 friends are people I met marching corps. And while i don't talk to them often and see them less, I always know they're there for help and support, whenever i may need. We suffered both hardships and good times to be unmatched. And it built a few bonds there... something to be said for showering with the same people everyday (well almost everydy.. some days we didn't get a shower) for months... you really get to know them!

Now thats the brief overview of drum and bugle corps, so when you guys here me say "back when i marched corps".. you have a general idea what it was. And JR, DCI is the organization that sets up the tours and shows, and there's a show in the Georgia Dome this weekend. I'll be running into a few of the fine friends on the list, and jopefully several more that I haven't seen in a decade, and we'll know each other by sight, and nickname (there are people I spent 3 summers with who don't know my real name, but just know me by my nickname). We generally fall back into our old routines and personalities... now we're all "grown up" and "responsible", but for a few hours on Saturday, we'll be teenagers again... and the realities of adult life will disappear. Its like we never split up, like we never stopped touring sometimes. Yes a few of us have added weight and kids and lost hair ... but it won't matter. The conversations will start up like u never were seperated. I'm very much excited about seeing everyone! I miss ya'll much.

And one more thing before i get going to long... one thing i learned form that experience so long ago was that a group of people as diverse as you can get, can get together and work through problems that were looked insurmountable at first, but by the end were readily conquered. We had fights, we had arguments, we were a disfunctional family.. but we got a job done. In the corporate environments I work in, I am so hard pressed to find anything like the dedication or determination to do things as those groups of kids on a rehearsal field. Thje closest thing I ever had to that as an "adult" was a few times working for the legendary LT Hines and pulling off what other ramp crews deemed impossible... we didn't know u couldn't load a full MD-11 in 15 minutes with 5 people... so we did it because it was the right thing to do and it was there. It doesn't happen here thats for damn sure.

Thats it for the night. For you drum corps kids out there, if i left anything out, let me know, or write your own blog. And i wonder who you people are who keep reading these... if you're a Myspace stalker... i'm honored!

Oh, and how that ties into my hate of shoes... we were mandated to wear shoes for rehearsals and shows, about 15 hours a day... even the most comfortable of sneekeres get uncomfortable after 15 hours of standing, jogging, marching, etc... i loved the end of the day when i could get on the bus and into some flip flops!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

We ate, we drank, we have been merry

And when tomorrow came, we felt like dying. Well, a couple of us did. I would to thank everyone who stopped by for cocktails. I enjoyed the company and hope good times were had by all. And as the purpose of this swaree was to remove some old alcohol from my collection... and for those keeping tally's.. "we" went through about a bottle and a half of grey goose, an almost full bottle of Jeigermeister, half a bottle of southenr comfort, half a bottle of meukow cognac, hlaf a bottle of bacardi, half the bottle of makers mark, and various other small amounts of other stuff that was brought in. Good job everyone!!

And while i'm not going to go over everything that went on, in order not to embarrass people, i woule like to hit a couple hi-lights. Most of all, all women will be required to wear "stretch" pants when Grace is present. For some reason Grace requires that said pants must be pulled down in the middle of the room. Jersey found this out firsthand... and the rest of us were just shocked. But very amused. And for her first time hanging out with all of us... she did well. Though she vows revenge... watch out Grace:-)

Everytime i think i've got it all picked up, i find another french fry lurking behind something. i don't know why there was a fry fight, other than just because its always fun to throw food, but i know they went everywhere. oh well. I have some action photos that might make their way to the picture page, and I have an especially good one of Tanya!!

As far as I know, everyone made it home safely with minimal hick ups. And i don't really judge this as a successfull party since the police never made it over, so next time people we just need to try harder. So today being the day after, i recommend we all just vedge out for the evening...

Thanx again for everyone coming over, we'll do it again sometime..

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Eat, drink and be Merry, for tomorrow we die!

Since Grace swiped my original plan for a subject, thats the best i could come up with on short notice. Finally, myspace is back up. I'm becoming way to dependent on this thing for entertainment.

Well, what can I tell ya? Today was pleasent, got some cleaning done around the apartment, had a lovely lunch with Grace, and then was awaken by 2 phone calls. One from the lovely Elise and the next from the Lovely A. I need a name for Elise to match the rest of the women I know. Looks like she'll be joining in the festivites at Taco Mac later today.. good times, and possibly an appearence by "Jersey".

The i tried to go back to sleep, and A called, and informed me she was bringing me dinner. OK, i'll get up for this. She brought a fine homemade meal... a steak "as big as my head". Now, as I carried this massive plate of food to work, everyone assumes i visited mom today. Nope, a hot chick brougth it too me. Or as I refer to her some times.. the "psuedo-girlfriend". The consensus here from people is that shes wanting something from me. We'll see... i just think she's being nice. And apparently her singing career (mentioned in an earlier blog) with the guitar boy is... well, i don't think he was interested in her voice and shes realized that. Too bad. Maybe it will work out.

Otherwise, Monday Monday Monday, my house, eating, drinking, and being merry will ensue. Those of u who may be reading this, I'll give u a list of whats on tap at my house: Bottles of Grey Goose, bacardi, Jeiger, Makers Mark, Jack Daniels, Meukow Cognac, Apple Pucker, Triple Sec, Tequila, Sour mix, and Margarita Mix... if you want anything else, BYO. And mixers, bring mixers!!! FOod wise, well.. i dunno. I'm sure how many people are gonna show.. so theres a kroger 50 yards away we an raid.

I've noticed while inviting folks that... most my friends are girls. Hot ones at that. And as much as it may suck, i could be the only boy there... with a bunch of hot drunk girls... this could be horrible... i mean.. geez whatever will i do...

So, i have Grace occasionally cooking me garden fresh veggies for dinner, A bringing me steak (and cake...i'm eating it now, yum), and then a bunch of hotties coming over later... and a family who loves me... How did i get so lucky??

PS. I might can arrange some quality time with the ladies for a nominal fee for anyone interested... I going on vacation soon and could use some walking around cash!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

You're righteous, so righteous, your always so right

I'll do the courtesy of warning everyone there are some religious and political statements included in this one. You have been forewarned.

I would like send a big thankyou out to the US Congress for making every American traveling abroad, especially in the middle east and other Muslim nations, a target. Yesterday there was a resolution passed that supports is Isreal in the current version of a holy war. And while I'll concede that Isreal has the right as a nation to defend itself from from Islamic fundementalist terrorists, just as I'll concede the Lebonese have a right to govern their nation in anyway they personally see fit as long as it doesn't kill the neighbors... (side note, Hezbollah seems to be a bunch of nut jobs anyways... and basicly asking for by provoking the Isrealis) but this one isn't any really any of our business. I mean, our committment there ends (or should end) when all US citizens who wish to leave are evacuated, at which point we should pack up the Marines and head out. Theres no need for our government to take sides beacuse of the "unique relationship we have with Isreal" (i'm paraphrasing).

The biggest fear I have is that Isreal will use the the Nukes we sold them. And then the shit hits the fan. And I don't think its beyond the Isreali defense force to drop a couple of tactical nuclear weapons in downtown Beirut. During the 7 Days War a few decades back, they had live nuclear weapons flying around on aircraft. So, who's to say they're not doing the same now, hopefully cooler heads will prevail before they pull that particular trigger. Otherwise, I think the US policy in this current be a sort of.. "OK, we got our people out... and FIGHT! oh and we're cutting off your aid money and not paying to rebuild both nations this time".

OK, thats the politics... remember, vote for JD in 2012!!

Now more religion... ya'll may have noticed i don't do the bulletin thing. I don't keep spreading these things (though the party announcements and surveys ya'll keep filling uot do keep me entertained... keep those coming). Its the new version of chain letters. If i don't repost the word GOD to everyone i know, then i'm a heathen. If i don't repost this message some little girl in Nebraska will die a horrible death. This is right up there with Bill gates is gonna give all money if we keep forwarding an email. Ok, so.. just so everyone knows, I beleive in a higher power... some call it God, some call it Allah, some call it Buddah, some call it Yahweh, Some call it (insert unpronouncable Swahili word that means supreme being). The point i think should be made is that we should tolerate others beliefs and not condemn them just because its different than mine or yours. (Hezbollah are you reading?)

"War, the only way to peace... I don't fall for that"

And now for something a little less preachy and more positive. We here at Whisky Oscar Alfa are currently flying flights for the State Department from Cyprus to Baltimore-Washington Airport with evacuees from Lebanon. Its nice to feel your helping some people out of harms way and generally doing something thats good.

And JR is u read this, Sunday sounds good, I get off at 1300.. so let me know! Everyone else, looks like PTC Taco mac on sunday if your itnerested!

I'm not crazy because I take the right pills

I had a moment of confusion this morning. I thought I had finally snapped and lost it. And so did everyone i work with. "They" have started clearing the land across the street from our office to build more offices... and well, about 7:30 this morning I watched a tree start to sway slightly... just one tree. And the sway became a violent shaking and finally it just fell down. Now at this point I didn't know they were clearing land. Imagine if you will... a very angry mutant 1000 lb beaver taking down a 50 foot tree and you kinda have the visual i was getting.

To make it worse, I noticed this in mid conversation with a coworker and just stopped talking... and when he turned, the tree was already down... no one else saw it. Luckily a few minutes later they took another one down and other people saw it. So, i'm not delusional and losing my mind... ok, mybe making that statement is going a bit far. I'm not seeing the results of giant pissed off beavers. Its unfortunite all those trees had to die such a violent death... years spent growing for the sky, and suddenly to be shaken down with much anger and violence... YOU TREE KILLERS!!! DAMN YOU!!!

They're also putting a new traffic signal up, and my commute to work could possible double.. I'll have to leave a minute earlier. All in the name of progress. At least theres a new Target close by!! Very exciting.

Other than that, no excitement today so far. The work environment hasn't provided much in exceptional stupidity. We're just having the normal stupidity, and your all probably tired of hearing about that. And its almost friday, well, my friday. Anyone who's interested looks like Sunday at 1400 at the PTC Taco Mac will be the place to be.

Again, I've found a nifty job oppurtunity over in Dubai. Everyone keep your fingers crossed. I think it would be a fun adventure to go over and live ex-pat for a couple years at least. PLus, if you read last nigths rant, you know Im feeling sort of lackluster about our current Congress. And todays remarks by the Sec of State (though to be fair, I didn't hear the whole speach, jsut the sound bytes that made CNN and Foxnews... and they tend to leave out parts that don't suit them), I'm just not all warm and fuzzy... a quick ceasefire isn't in the best interest?? Tell that to the people getting shot at! Again, lets just stay outta this one America...

Ok, i'll stop before the rant starts.. but anyways, back to the important stuff, me living large in Dubai... everyone would have to come visit! Though if (when) I do go, i think my mother would have heart attack worrying about me.

Something to look forward too - one week from today is DCI in the Georgia Dome with Shelley, Linda, Jeff, Jennie, Scott, and I'm sure a lot more people I haven;t seen in years! Good times!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

I remember when I lost my mind

So, for once i can't actually bitch about being bored at work. Its hopping here at the old Whiskey Oscar Alfa... couple diversions and broken airplanes, and I'm flying solo for a few hours. Thats right, all by my lonesome and partailly in charge. Which given some of the choices, I prefer. At least I know whats getting done. Maybe i'm just a loner and don;t work well with others, but i prefer being solo. I don't have to keep guessing what the other guy is doing or what he's telling people. Some others in here don't play well with the group. And i don't get funny looks for having my shoes off. Could be my "i don't want to depend on anyone else for help" attitude I have..

Went and saw Pirates yesterday, and managed to get drunk and clean most of my apartment ( i just can't bring myself to dust right now). So, I got about 70% of what i had planned done. Thats almost passing. I really need to work on the "getting laid". Maybe next week.

Well this one is short because i'm busy with needy pilots and don't really have a lot to say. I do have this urge to be a pirate though...arrgh. Maybe i'll start wearing a cutlass every where I go and plundering.

FYI, we're flying lebonese/americans out of Cyprus today... thats gotta suck to be on vacation and have the country your in invaded and shelled. I wonder if they get a refund..

And i still made time to watch Shakira videos at work. I'm still waiting for Tanya to do her Shakira dancing immitation.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

I went out walking with a Bible and a Gun.

Since i lack the creativity to come up wiht my own whimsical subject lines, I'm just going to steal song lyrics from obscure songs I've heard that day... and see if anyone can name the artist and title. There will be prizes for correct answers.

This one stuck because i watched a lot of CNN today. Well, alot for me, which consists of about 5 minutes worth. And they're all over the current Lebonese-Isreali war. I'm not quite sure why its a surprise when a war breaks out over there. Its only been going on since... well before Moses lost his sandals in the desert. And with no signs of coming to a peaceful resolution. Whats another 1000 years of killing in God's or Allah's holy name. And really people, i thinks its time we moved along. But not being a religious fanatic I just don't see things from thir perspective. Then again, with the 3 major world religions all claiming the same area as the Holy Land, you would think there would be some understanding between us... And Beirut I hear was just becoming a nice place to go again, it was at one time called the "Paris of the Middle East". I'm assuming thats good thing and not meant to say everyone there is rude and dogs are allowed to crap anywhere on sidewalks. (I kid, i didn't find the Parisians any more rude than say, Atlantans). But the damage from the last Arab-Isreali conflict was just beginning to really fade and the tourists were back... Can't we all just get along, I wanna visit ther,e it looks beautiful when not being shelled.

And with that i'll go to something more mundane... today I spent a couple hours by the pool, cooking to a nice rare color. The tan was fading and i need to be dark and ready for my impending tropical adventure in August. And i know its bad for my skin, but i do it anyways. I figure its just one more thing that can kill me in a long list, and I have pretty good medical coverage. Of course I haven't been to a dermetologist in oh... ever. So no one is telling me to stop.

And after a nap, Grace was so Graceful (ha ha ha) to invite me over for some dinner. And tasty vittles they were. I need to learn to cook to return the favor... maybe I'll just make her some Mac and Cheese some night... seems to be a popular meal in that household. Unfortunitely I had to depart early for some OT here at beautiful Whiskey Oscar Alfa (I'm not sure if our internet poilce would be all warm and fuzzy with my thoughts on the work place... and I do need the paycheck, not that it would take alot for a true airline nerd to figure out what that meant)... Anyways, i left the dinner party in full swing and full swigs of Vodka, Rum, and Beer. And i had none. I did however have a beer 8 and half hours before i came to work today. And in the interest of effeciency, I took a shower while drinking the beer. Now, you migth see that as an indication of a problem... and it is. Actually its an indication fo 2 problems. One i need to better manage my time to avoid conflicts in beer drinking time and bathing. B) I don't have a coozy for a bottle so i need to drink it fast to so not to get warm in a hot shower.

So now I'm at work (as you might can tell by the length of this one, I have some free time... but no ability to drink beer here). I've turned on my web radio station of choice (wdmbradio.com... all Dave Matthews all the time), kicked my shoes off (first thing i did when i got here, much to the surprise of my coworkers), and I'm going to pull some Ben and Jerry's out when I'm finished here... some point i migth actually do some work.

And a note, Sarah and her friend Kat are coming over Monday to help me clean out the liquor cabinet... and anyone else is welcome to come join in. You welcome to stay, but i only have 2 pillows and they're reserved for me and whoever sleeps with me in the bed...

Monday, July 17, 2006

The Wanderer

Like my buddy JR, I do tend to try and find catchy subjects for this thing.. but mine aren't nearly as creative as his. Well, its been a couple days since i've been on here. Not uneventful, but not all that exciting. I took my bike up to my friend Sarah's house and put her on the back and went for a ride. NOw Sarah is a sweetheart, and after a couple hours on the bike.. she was about reayd to get off. In her defense, my ass was getting tired of riding. And didn't plan on making it a all afternoon outing, but I kinda got lost, and ended up in Dawsonville, but it was nice ride through some hills up north, i recommend hwy 136 out of Jasper for u bikers out there. I put up about 200 miles that day, and have the sunburn to prove it. Sarah actually nodded off on the way home... just layed her head on my shoulder and went to sleep at 80 miles per hour on a motorcycle. That girl can sleep anywhere, but rarely with me.

Then last night, went out with A to the local watering hole. And we enjoyed the live music and Jeiger Bombs. I spent too much gain, especially since once again i was stuck with the entire tab. One of the guitar players took an interest in A and has convinced her she should come "jam" with them. Now she has been to music theater school and can carry a tune, but i think the boy has other motives involved. And, on one hand I can't care less... but.. on the other.. well.. we all know that for some reaosn i really dig her... and it drives me nuts. This so can't be healthy.

I woke up this morning feeling ok, started doing laundry... and had some water to re-hydrate myself. And apparently water is my evil nemesis... i suddenly started feeling crappy. Not to be detered,, i did go meet "Hooker" Sean for lunch (had work done on the vehicle and needed something to do)... and well... Taco Mac and some beer. I'm feeling better now.

On the drive, I was feeling the needed for some Johnny Cash, not that chipper "Ring of Fire" Johnny Cash, but something a little more, brooding. Theres a song he did with U2 called The Wanderer... and theres a line thats been stuck in my head all day... "I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch, and to feel as much as a man can before he repents". Don't know why this has been in my head, maybe i'm feeling grounded again and I wanna get out. Yeah i know i just got back (2 weeks ago) from beautiful Wisconsin... and that was great. But its getting that i dread more and more coming back home. Perhaps I need to find a change in my world around here. Now i would like to be out with friends more, and to do something interesting (not necessarily bar hopping). But my schedule and theirs isn't so condusive sometimes. Perhaps i should find a new hobbie... anyone think they can teach me to knit?? Not. Nope... i'm going to buy a guitar next paycheck. If I don't do it.. some one come hit me and remind me to stop putting it off.

And i don't know who all you people are who read this, but hope it provides some entertainment and that you don't mind the grammatical errors. Sounds like the dryer is done.. time to put away the laundry

Saturday, July 15, 2006

I'm tired of being here

Note, don't cut and paste from other websites into the blog it will kill it.

So i'm exhausted. Its the 6th day straight at work, and its the last one, thank god. I should have slept yesterday, except A had me over for dinner. And for everything that has gone ton with her, I have to admit she is a great cook. Very tasty foods. I ate too much, then came back to my place for a midnight swim., which was not nearly as fun as the last midnight swim, probably due to the sobriety and lack of hot half naked girls. At times I'm an overly lucky man. But the problem tonight is i'm about to nod off on the keyboard.

I was told the other day that because I'm a Scorpio i'm a "secretive" person. I would prefer the word private over secretive... it sounds less omninous. And i'll admit it, for the most part I am. Except wth the select close people. And i don't feel that's a Scorpio only trait, I know only a few people that just air their dirty laundry to everyone. And they're nuts anyways. I need to study my sign a little better, as all I've been told is that I'm "secretive", hard to live with yet a passionate fiery lover. I'll buy all those.. i have the burns to prove it.

And for those of you who aren't geographically enhanced, there's a country in Central Africa named Chad. Yes Ray, it exists. I'm sending a plane there tonight.. to the city of N'Djamena (pronounced like "Griffin" only exactly not). For you airlne people the code is NDJ. And after reading the write up on this place on the Lonely Planet website, the place is a real shit hole. Not the big tourist destination one would expect, what with the mine fields, constant civil war and no economic infrastructure more modern then a camel pulled wagon. Sounds like place ripe for take over by an future evil dictator... cue JR.

My amigo at work tonight, Leslie, is keeping me entertained and inspired by playing Shakira videos on the computer. That girl is amazing, i never knew a woman could move that way. And she has a great voice and talent. I think I'm in lust. No, i know it. Since i didn't win the bidding war i was in on E-Bay, i have some extra funds in the budget, Shakira is playing Atlanta in September... hrrrmmm.. i could go drool in person! Thanx to Leslie for knowing how to keep me happy, I need to work with her more... if the whiny asses in the work group will be kind enough to get over themselves and just relax and keep their nose out of our business.

Still working on my 4 goals for the weekend, none accomplished. Thanx to grace for her faith in me getting 75% accomplished. She has more faith in me than I do.

Friday, July 14, 2006

ok damn it lets try again

Lets try this again, blog take 2.

SO nothing much happeneing today. A came over and woke me up. But she brought Strawberry shortcake. That made it acceptable. And shes cookin dinner tomorrow night and invited me. Again, cutting into my sleep. But free food is worth it. I tend to not know what to think about her. I know i have issues that surround her and i don't know what to think about it really, drives me nuts sometimes... then again, i think i'm losing my mind as it is.

Today is Hawaiian shirt day at work. And that cracks me up. If you've ever seen the movie Office Space you'd know why. No one here has seen it and doesn't get why i laugh about it. I suppose its one way of trying to ligthen up my oppressive work environment. Unfortunitely the only "Hawaiian" shirt i have is my Maui Wowwie Hemp Company T-shirt (with bit marijuana leaf on the back) and i have feeling that wouldn't go over well with he fashion police here. I did wear it under my polo shirt, so maybe i'll break ti out if some one annoys me about not being Hawaiian. Or I could go into a tyrade about how the white man oppressed and destroyed the Hawaiian native culture and they only get credited for tacky shirts. Then again, i would probably be sent for drug test, and thats 4 hours i could be out of the office.

And the teacher who banged the student is back int he news. Why is it no hot models turned teachers slept with me when i was 14?? Or now even?? Please "scar me for life". I undertsand how sex can be traumatic, especially awesome mindblowing sex with a hot model at a young.... well, no i don;t understand that... never experienced it. But then again, she must have some issues if shes going after 14 year olds... then again, most the girls i end up with have some huge issues (or are married... which i suppose to be a huge issue on its own).

One of my coworkers discovered myspace yesterday, and I let it slip I have a site and a blog. His question.. "Do you write anything bad about us?' Well, not yet but theres tons of material in my workgroup of 11. And i didn;t give him my page address for just that reason. I maybe should come up with some an alias for everyone.

So thats it, hopefully myspace won't kill this version. Goals for this weekend, get drunk, see Pirates of the Carribean, get laid, clean my apartment. I think i may accomplish 50%... guess which ones.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Rednecks fo the world unite

So i'm over at the 24 hour Kroger getting my lunch for the day and a chocolate milk, and as I'm walking out, this dumbass redneck Mutha F!#$%R in a SUV comes speeding around the corner.. speads up toward me. And i continue to walk at a leisurely pace... I didn't speed up for him. He yells at me out the window. What a bastard (which was half of what he called me). Its a good thing I don't carry a fire arm. I sometimes wished man still lived in a Darwinian environment where natural selection weeded out the dumbasses among us. We just aren't killing off the weak intellects fast enough.

OK, so perhaps I'm being a bit over reactive. But that just started the day off right. Luckily I had a text from Grace (who is living the dream... cruising around florida on a moonlit night in a "new" car with that hottie Tanya next to her.. well its my dream) and I also had a voice mail from Chandra. Those 2 things have brightened a dreary morning.

I miss Chandra... for those of you don't know, shes my former roommate and responsible for my high tolerance to alcohol. Theres a picture of her in my pictures somewhere. We always had the best times out together, and she had guys drooling over her, but she always left with me. Probably the best ego boost of my life!! I need to go see her soon. While its summer in Minnesota, I can't handle winters up there. God shes so hot!! The best girlfriend I never had. Too bad shes married now.

And now I'm at work... and my 5 flight plans for the day are done, 9 hours elft to go. And 2 of them will probably be cancelled due to typhoons. Its apparently hard to load an airplane in a typhoon. Go figure. So half of my "work" will be for not. Basicly i could take a 6 hour break and no one would notice... except the person working with me.

So now, i'm going to turn on the all Dave Matthews Band web radio station a vegitate for a few hours a read some news... this working 6 days straight its for the birds. On the upside, theres 4 containers of various ice cream flavors in the freezer here... mmmhm ice cream

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Sleep....

I'm at work. I'm barely awake. I wish I were asleep. Isn't odd how when you want to sleep, you often have a hard time sleeping, yet when you have something to do, say like drive or work, well... your the sleepiest person. Yesterday I dozed off, and thats was after a good solid 8 hours at home. This morning however, I only slept a few hours and it was broken up ... I find it harder these days to sleep during the day. perhaps I need to hang the blanket over the windows in my bedroom. I'm opposed to that simply because on my 4 days off I don't want it there. I tend not to use an alarm on those days and just wake up with the sun. That way i wake up when I'm done sleeping. And there is nothing much I need to do on my days off, as my busy social schedule rarely includes anything before noon.

And for some reason my parentals seem to think I should wake up every morning by 8 AM. I don't know why, theres nothing exciting on TV then. And if I have no place to go... whats the point.

So, now its 4 AM and i've beed at work for an hour... 9 more to go. And all my flight plans are done for the morning. Nothing to do... What a job. So far the highlight of my day is taking the garbage out. Thats sad isn't it. I need some one more interesting in my life All you single ladies out there, I'm accepting resumes...

And while I'm here, Lets announce the 30th birthday bash. I'm looking at sometime around November 9th. That being my birthday. But I don't know how much vacation time I'll have around then. SO, I think everyone else should spend there vacation time on me. Since most of you are airline people, your probably off during the week anyways. So I'm liking some input here. Looking at going 6th-8th (monday-wed) mainly for economic reasons.. the rooms will be cheaper. So, there you go. Let me know!!! I'm still open to suggestions.

Leslie is being goofy tonight, so I'm going to need to be goofy now. And i see people are reading this, feel free to leave comments. I like comments, everyone loves comments, its like validation for my sad existance... so comment!

Sunday, July 9, 2006

Italy wins!

So, Italy won the world cup. Good for them. I was only half right on my predicition (remember my prdiciton Brazil over Italy in the final... ). And really for a game that allegedly no one in America cares for, there was a lot of people in the bar at Taco Mac really into this game. And its been that way everywhere i've been watching games. Maybe its a sign that the US is becoming more globalized and that our own sports "World Champions" should actually compete on a world scale. Whens the last time a foreign team won the "World" Series or the Super bowl.

I do think we as a country in general need to get out more, especially in a situation that doesn't involve a military action. Americans tend to be very arrogant to the rest of the world... but not everyone out thinks we're the bestest.. and man when u see some American tourists out, it can be scary, especially the older generation... I've heard, with mine own ears, an american tourist complain not enough people spoke english... in France. He kinda reminded me of my dad. You young kids out there reading this... go see the world before you start a "career".. it'll make u a better person!

For those who haven't seen me in a while, I've for some reason stopped cutting my hair and just decided to le tit go. Its the longest I've had it since... oh high school i guess. Not that it was ever that long. Now its just a test to see how long i'll let it go before whacking it off. Any wagers? And man does my hair get curly the longer it grows.

And Grace, guilt trips don't work on me! I've slowly been killing my conscience. But be careful if u go to MIA and get the wheels. If u do get in trouble, I'll come rescue you.

Saturday, July 8, 2006

Travel tips and witty quips

You guys have no idea how long it took me to come up with the rhyming subject. A poet I am not. So, Its my day off, and I only have 2 off this week. Now some of you may think thats normal. But I've grown used to my cushy 4 days on 4 days off work schedule, and six day week seems like a hell on earth. Perhaps thats a bit dramatic but its not fun.

First off, a lovely travel tip for all you types who don't get out as much as me. I've several times taken day trips to places and even been stuck on obnoxious long layovers, and well its pretty boring just hanging around an airport more than 6 hours (especially when u can't drink at the bar). Part of the whole free flying thing is you have to dress up nice and no drinking. Small price to pay, but lets say you hop up on a day trip to some city or you have a 9 hour layover in some kewl city... Heres a tip. Find a nice hotel that has a free shuttle from the airport (or near a mass transit station). Get on it, and ride to said hotel. Tip the driver. When u get there, find some place to change into comfy clothes, and then stash your bag at the bell desk. Tip the bell hop. Most don't care, but try not to mention you arentt actually a guest there. Spend the day doing various activities (This is a great thing to do in Washington DC and check out a museum or 2 or NYC or Vegas). And when your done, reverse the process. Make sure you tip the service personel. They're working people and watching your stuff for u. And there u have it, todays cheap ass traveler tip.

Now for the witty quips... well, Can't say that I have any. But today, i spent the afternoon riding the bike with my brother. He recently purchased an Harley and has seemed to fall into the whole biker lifestyle... its quite amusing really. And i never saw that one coming. People say the same thing about me so i guess its just how things work. But it was a good afternoon and the weather is great here, a cool summer day in the south (below 90 and low humidity).

I need the relaxation especially after last night of just being out. Now, I'm fastly approaching 30, and perhaps its time to not be out until 6 AM in bars and Waffle Houses... but damn u JR you keep bringing over red headed sluts (shots.. i don't mean actual red headed sluts, which would be much kewler). And i did so enjoy myself, firstly in PTC with my new friend Jersey (not her name but her place of origin) and then later with the boys and Elise... who had the best t-shirt on. I'm not going to tell you what it said, but it was funny.

So with the excessive amount of me being at work this week there should be alot of blogging going on, and my employer provides a significant amount of frustration and adjitation (yes i know thats not spelled right). This week, the head lawyer sent out a memo about insider trading and gossiping. Ironically, these 2 memos have caused more gossip than anything else . I find that humorous. Heres a hint to all you executives reading the blog here, if you tell your people whats going on, it will cut down on the rumors. But many of the personel have seemed to taken the saying "Knowledge is Poser" to heart... When I am king, all this will change. And that note. I'm going to start working on my campaign for President of the US. Vote for me in 2012!! I'm looking for a few good people (mostly hot chicks) to work on my campaign. Please send a resume and photo to me! Oh and its a volunteer work, but if I win... i'll make sure you're all taken care of!

Later

Thursday, July 6, 2006

fat dumb and happy

Apparently, thats the way to be in life... And thats what I'm striving for. Though I'm trying to be less fat. And perhaps intelligence is overrated, you think too much and lay awake at night pondering the mysteries of life, the universe, and everything. But yesterday has been fairly good, and this morning isn't too bad.

I've got some easy mac (yum), I've located a website where Ii can watch whole episodes of South Park at work, I've downloaded the 2 concerts form the weekend, and i got some good drooling sleep. Unfortunately I am at work, and its still slow. may take JR's suggestion and see if I can get a plane to do loops... but the pilots seem to get upset with that and write me up when i do that, but I don't like the job so much anyways. I almost got lost it before when i allegedly approved a low fly pass. I wish i could have seen it (and MD-11 at 200 feet over a small airport). I was acquitted when the the recorded phones proved Captain Crunch (not his real name) was full of shit. Besides if i do get fired and quit paying my bills, what will they do?? Charge me more of what I don't pay? Hrrrmmm i won't pay that either. I'll be stickin it to the man.

Ever have something that just blew your mind. I just had a pilot call me departure times, but in the complet eback asswards way... I think he was trying to screw with my head... i'll show them... i'll write them up for excess fuel (not that it matters.. they are always right).

Well.. thats all I have tonight, I'm going to try and figure out how to put a picture on my myspace home page.. wish me luck.

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

Shes sinking fast...

I'm finding there are things that bring me down quick. I returned home Monday in a triumphant flurry of good feelings and now I'm slipping back into that blah feeling. And i'm identifying things that have contributed to this sinking sensation.

First off, lack of sleep. While I can only blame my self for overscheduling my busy social calendar (ha), i do feel that certain people should be more accomodating to my rest needs, namely everyone else who keeps me awake... and the damn Dish TV and Gutter Guard people who keep calling my house in the afternoon. I also believe there should be a nap time at work. Even this morning being a busy morning, I've worked ahead till the end of my shift and have nothing to do for the next 8 hours but watch planes and read messages... most of which require me to just go "ok they're still flying"

And speaking of work, some excitement would be fun, or at least a good round of teamwork and determination to get something done. For example, we had an aircraft gor AOG (airline term for It can't fly for maintenance) and in the attempt to reroute and minimize a delay for subsequent flights, the guy in charge wants swap planes and reroute and all this stuff. Basicly everyone who the guy calls is telling why they can't do it. Not even trying to make a change, just nope, can't do it. How about some freakin help people!! Sorry we have to inconvenience you to do you job, but thats what we pay you for! I wish i could just learn not to care about doing good work.

The last thing... ever have people who just suddenly stop communicating for no reason? I know I'm not the best at keeping in touch but i do make an honest effort I swear. But some people, after an email here and a couple calls, well.. haven't heard from them in a few months. Then I get paranoid, did i say something that pissed them off and not know it? Does she hate me now? What did I do? Of course, i tend to blame myself for things like that, which i probably shouldn't. And the worst part, i think i may have lost a good friend. Sucks...

Well, i have to get back to reading messages and watching airplanes... yep there still flying.

Monday, July 3, 2006

Never roller skate in a buffalo herd

I can't say i know what that means exactly, except one should not skate in a buffalo herd for obvious reason. But let me start at the beginning and we'll get to the buffalo herd...

I have just returned from a glorious trip to the upper midwest. Chicago was nice, good to see Mary Beth (MB) again. And we went out and spent to much money again. Those damn Coyote Ugly girls do it everytime. But the real highlite of the weekend... 2 nights of DMB!!! Oh yes, thats right. I've now hit 20 on the number of DMB concerts i've made it to. And while most of you will probably think thts an obscene number of times to see one band... but.. OH NO... I'm always left wanting more!

However, the trip got off to a slow satrt, traffic in the Chicago area delayed our departure waiting on Marianne and friends. Made it to the campsite about 5:30. Yes, we camped. Yes i camped! I camped ina tent. I know my mother seems to think thats something i would never survive, but I did! And we had a lovely place to camp at Bong state rec area in Wisconsin. Yes, thats Bong state. You just can't separate DMB and Bong in southern Wisconsin. Its fairly out there in the middle of nowhere and for those who haven't been to Southern Wisconsin... its all about corn... miles of corn, as far as the eye can see.. corn. Once this ethanol fuel made from corn takes off... Wisconins will be the new midle east.. corn farmers rolling around in Rolls Royces... yes, u heard it here..

But i digress... SO, we set up camp, head off to the show. We make a quick stop at D's Corner, a little bar in the middle of nowhere... (actually the corner of Hwy 11 and Rte J if anyones heading that way). I got the impression that "Dees Corner" (as it will now forever be known) gets a lot of out of town guests, judging from the folks there. But we had our burgers and as we're starting to head for the show... well, Mariannes current boy toy realizes his ticket is back at the camp site... ARGGGG!!!Theres a checklist of things I go though before heading to a conert.. tickets are on the top! SO we ran abck and got them, got into the parking lot dring the 3rd song of Dave's set... (or course we didn't know then it was the third song). We had lawn seats that night and ended up way in the back. The show was good (and in the middle of Jimi Thing Dave imparted the wonderful roller skating advice... ). I will admit I was annoyed with the whole late fiasco and being way back on the lawn and not in the resevred lawn up front.. but it was still a good show... played some new tunes that rocked, some old faves, and they've added Rashawn Ross on trumpet to a lot fo the tunes. And the one thing that could make DMB better is some screaming trumpet work (like i used to play only... better). Well, good good show... The plus side of being late, we scored free VIP parking and were out of the lot in 20 minutes!

Back at our campsite, I found out that MBs tent has some issues. Mainly the zipper didn't zip. One thing theres an abundance of in Wisconsin besides corn is Mosquitos. I swear these things could carry off a small child. We rigged the rain cover to cover the door and got some of the zipper done. We managed. So here we are in the tent with a few of our closest bloodsucking friends, its about 80 degrees in there, and drenched in sweat, unable to get out of the sleeping bag for fear of losing a pint or so of blood. Not the best sleep! But we did get some sleep (and probably a case of the west Nile Virus). The next day, we headed out form some breakfast in downtown Burlington, WI, or as the sign said, America's Chocolate City ( wonder if the people of Hershey PA know that). Its small town America at its best, we had breakfast at Sheila Mae's (or Ida Mae's or Maggie Mae's or somehting Mae's) Town Fryer restaraunt. And let me recommend the country fried steak and eggs. Delicious.

After that was a shopping trip to Kenosha... and by shopping i mean booze run. A small bottle of Jack, SMall bottle of Captain, Rasperry Pucker and Apple Pucker plus associated mixers. And the the check out girl didn't believe it was all for that afternoon. Headed back to camp, we all did a ticket check and headed to the show for some tailgating action. We got there about 3, grilled some hotdogs and made s'mores, got our drink on, met some other fans and just basicly enjoyed the afternoon. Once we headed into the amphitheater, we found our seats, which were the shit. About 20 rows back and on the far right. Where as last night the band looked like ants marching (ha ha ha puns rock), tonight they were right there wher eu could see Dave's eyebrows move.

And we're they on. From start to finish great energy, great crowd, awesome music. Again the trumpet parts work well and the the band kicked ass. One of the best shows I've seen, if not the best defintely in the top 2. I still have a ear to ear grin thinking about it. They played longer than I've ever heard before, pulled out some old tunes. Great improvements to Warehouse and Last Stop. (for those of u who don't speak DMB those r songs). Just a great show.

And it may sound lame or whatever, but when i get back from these show i just feel engergized. Whatever has been weighing on my shoulders seems to lift and I just feel much better about being me Maybe its the music, maybe its the letting go and dancing for 3 hours, maybe its just the idea of being around 40,000 other people who are just there to enjoy being alive. Its a great energy and its uplifting. For those of u who may have marched in drum corps, its a lot like that feeling at the end of the show when the crowd stood and clapped for you.... And no band I've seen has concerts that capture that feeling like DMB, and thats why I've been to 20 shows.

So this one has gotten very longwinded, I apologize. But it had to be done. Theres more to come from the weekend, but even though not everything went as planned, it was a good trip with good memories. Now its back to work for a little bit. Everyone have a safe 4th!