Good Morning,
"Borrowing" an internet connection at the apartment has been a little difficult recently... so it may be a few days until I can get our own connection set up... so don't be startled if you don't hear from me for a few days. The surgery yesterday morning went fine, I've just been away from work the past two days because the swelling & soreness is pretty bad... and let's face it, nobody really wants to see me looking all Phantom of the Opera anyway. Been there before after my car accident when I was 16 & don't need any of that. Not nearly that bad though... just a square inch of my cheek taken off & about a dozen stitches to seal it up. Just don't want to push it & cause it to be something much bigger than it is... and four days of nothing will really help those odds. Didn't hear about the basketball game last night... but I assume we lost or forfeited. Lame... sorry guys... but there's hope. At work, some of the guys are talking about starting a team in the same league... so maybe we can combine forces instead of struggling to get five people every week. I'll keep you posted.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm at the Starbucks right now using their connection but need to get back to the apartment for rest, relaxation & recuperation. Have a great weekend everybody!!!
Showing posts with label hospitals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitals. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Kind of a Downer
Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
Well, as the title might tell you... this one's going to be a little different... but hey, I'll be sure to keep it somewhat light. First off, Thursday was not the greatest day ever. Work was extremely busy... and towards the end of the day, I was the only one in the office. About that time, I got a call from the dermatologist, my results were in... and they weren't horrible... but they weren't peachy. Basically, that thing on my cheek was more than a thing. It was basal cell carcinoma, which is really nothing per se. It's very treatable (they usually just cut it out with what's called a Mohs procedure) and since it's been there for a while, they'll check to make sure they get it all. Then again, we're talking about a little cancer... the other c-word, right next to my eye... so I was a little frazzled to hear about this at work... but hey, I'll survive & it could've been a lot worse.
About that time, one of the managers came in and... long story short, I wasn't in the mood for certain criticisms... and I kinda snipped at her. Nothing major & it may very easily be forgiven & forgotten (I did apologize) but then again, you never know. We'll see. Not proud of myself at all... but it happened. Can't take it back, right? So yeah... not the best day at work.
After work, was a basketball game... and this game was pretty good. We were down early by about 20, but then we figured out a strategy (and they finally gave me the ball down low) and we pulled back to within 4... but then the referees screwed us. It was seriously one of the worst officiated game I've ever seen or been a part of (and that's a statement). I came out of the game looking like I joined Fight Club... and made it to the line once. We were playing spectacular defense & not even coming close to touching them... and we'd be called for fouls. It was ridiculous... and we lost by 8... but we also know that when we have a strategy, we can win... if the refs don't dry f**k us over a barrel. Whatever. F**k em.
Friday was much better. Still busy at work, but I didn't have the ten hour day that I was expecting, just the standard constant eight hour day. Still gotta go in Sunday morning for a few but hey, that's what they pay me the big bucks for, right? Speaking of which, watched a movie called "Outsourced" the other day & it was pretty good. It's about a guy who's office gets closed because the jobs have been outsourced to India... but they want him to train his replacement in the new office. So he goes down there, learns the culture, meets the people, finds a woman, the usual movie stuff... but it's pretty good. Go check it out.
Okay, so as you all know, there was the recent 10th anniversary of September 11th & the tragic attacks in New York & DC. Since I didn't do this blog back then, let me give you a little background into who I was at that time. I was 20 years old, bit of a nerd, funny, virgin, scary intelligent sometimes, yet naive... you know, like most college sophomores. I was an engineering major (because I was great with math & physics, but didn't really care for it), was on the practice squad for the University of Utah men's & women's basketball team, no scholarship but made my money with this full-time job that wasn't too bad but paid the bills & had great benefits. Maybe I'd just do it while going to school. They even had sent me to Jamaica for five days for a business trip in which there was very little business. The flight back was on Monday the 10th. I had the world by the BALLS!!!
That Tuesday, I was getting ready for school. I had just moved back into my dad's basement because he was only charging $200 a month for rent in a place that I was only there to sleep & the dorms were over four times that for a shared apartment. Took a shower, was wearing a towel, nuking some pizza from the night before for breakfast, typical morning. I was about to head downstairs to get some clothes when I got a phone call from my stepmom. She was a little frantic but told me to turn on the TV... so I did... you can guess what I saw. It was like a bad movie. Only it was really happening. How could I tell? The reporters were all struggling for words. Even in the bad movies they have some cheesy line of exposition... but nobody knew what was going on. My first thought: China! Don't recall why exactly... but I think right before that we had a spy plane go down in China & maybe it was retaliation for that or something. It was a first impulse. I didn't know what to do... so I gathered myself a bit... and went to class. Class obviously was pretty focused on the events... and I remember one of my professors breaking down from an engineering perspective HOW the towers fell... and how it was suspicious because (referring to the book) the burning temperature of the gas is this... and the melting point the steel in the girders is this... and with reinforcement, blah blah blah. You don't care.
So... what has changed since then? Well, obviously I'm 30 years old now... and where my job used to send me traveling, now I have to travel to find my job. I'm still pretty nerdy, funny, super intelligent sometimes, downright moronic others, still pretty naive... but I cashed in my v-card. There was about 7-8 years where I didn't play basketball much... but I'm getting back into it. I've had a lot of friends, coworkers, colleagues, acquaintances come & go... and I've honestly forgotten most of them... unless they're on Facebook. Oh by the way, I know how to use the internet now. Didn't really back then. Did I ever tell you that I had never seen the internet or used email until I was in college? Just never really happened in high school. We didn't have computers that did more than word processing for our creative writing classes. Gotta love public education even back then.
When I was 20, I had these aspirations that by the time I was 30, I'd be considering an early retirement from basketball to save my knees or something... after a few championships, millions in contract money, movies, advertisements, business ventures, wife, three kids, make sure all the family & friends are set too... cuz it ain't no fun if the homeys can't have none. Obviously it didn't turn out quite that way. Played semi-pro ball for about a month before the team folded, bounced around majors until I settled on Marketing Management after 7 years of school (and tens of thousands of seemingly wasted dollars). Oh... and that job for while I was at school... I had my 11th anniversary with them... and have worked at five different offices in three western states.
Where will I be ten years from now? Who the f**k knows? The Apocalypse is apparently coming next December, the global economy is in ruins, there are still crazy religious sects with nuclear weapons (including us, there, I said it), global warming, possible pandemics, all these big things that could destroy us any day. Then again, I'm crazy & self-indulgent enough to just say "phukit" and go about my daily life in spite of threats on all fronts. Let's see, ten years from now, I hope to cross off a whole bunch off my bucket list. It'd be nice to have a family... but there's honestly no real prospects at this time. Kairi & Vinny will be teenagers... so hopefully that won't bring about the Apocolypse. The parents will be older too... and I worry for them... but hey, it's not going to change anything. When your number's called, your number's called. I guess... I'll just live one day at a time, take a few chances, see what happens. Wish me luck!!! Have a great weekend everybody!!!
Well, as the title might tell you... this one's going to be a little different... but hey, I'll be sure to keep it somewhat light. First off, Thursday was not the greatest day ever. Work was extremely busy... and towards the end of the day, I was the only one in the office. About that time, I got a call from the dermatologist, my results were in... and they weren't horrible... but they weren't peachy. Basically, that thing on my cheek was more than a thing. It was basal cell carcinoma, which is really nothing per se. It's very treatable (they usually just cut it out with what's called a Mohs procedure) and since it's been there for a while, they'll check to make sure they get it all. Then again, we're talking about a little cancer... the other c-word, right next to my eye... so I was a little frazzled to hear about this at work... but hey, I'll survive & it could've been a lot worse.
About that time, one of the managers came in and... long story short, I wasn't in the mood for certain criticisms... and I kinda snipped at her. Nothing major & it may very easily be forgiven & forgotten (I did apologize) but then again, you never know. We'll see. Not proud of myself at all... but it happened. Can't take it back, right? So yeah... not the best day at work.
After work, was a basketball game... and this game was pretty good. We were down early by about 20, but then we figured out a strategy (and they finally gave me the ball down low) and we pulled back to within 4... but then the referees screwed us. It was seriously one of the worst officiated game I've ever seen or been a part of (and that's a statement). I came out of the game looking like I joined Fight Club... and made it to the line once. We were playing spectacular defense & not even coming close to touching them... and we'd be called for fouls. It was ridiculous... and we lost by 8... but we also know that when we have a strategy, we can win... if the refs don't dry f**k us over a barrel. Whatever. F**k em.
Friday was much better. Still busy at work, but I didn't have the ten hour day that I was expecting, just the standard constant eight hour day. Still gotta go in Sunday morning for a few but hey, that's what they pay me the big bucks for, right? Speaking of which, watched a movie called "Outsourced" the other day & it was pretty good. It's about a guy who's office gets closed because the jobs have been outsourced to India... but they want him to train his replacement in the new office. So he goes down there, learns the culture, meets the people, finds a woman, the usual movie stuff... but it's pretty good. Go check it out.
Okay, so as you all know, there was the recent 10th anniversary of September 11th & the tragic attacks in New York & DC. Since I didn't do this blog back then, let me give you a little background into who I was at that time. I was 20 years old, bit of a nerd, funny, virgin, scary intelligent sometimes, yet naive... you know, like most college sophomores. I was an engineering major (because I was great with math & physics, but didn't really care for it), was on the practice squad for the University of Utah men's & women's basketball team, no scholarship but made my money with this full-time job that wasn't too bad but paid the bills & had great benefits. Maybe I'd just do it while going to school. They even had sent me to Jamaica for five days for a business trip in which there was very little business. The flight back was on Monday the 10th. I had the world by the BALLS!!!
That Tuesday, I was getting ready for school. I had just moved back into my dad's basement because he was only charging $200 a month for rent in a place that I was only there to sleep & the dorms were over four times that for a shared apartment. Took a shower, was wearing a towel, nuking some pizza from the night before for breakfast, typical morning. I was about to head downstairs to get some clothes when I got a phone call from my stepmom. She was a little frantic but told me to turn on the TV... so I did... you can guess what I saw. It was like a bad movie. Only it was really happening. How could I tell? The reporters were all struggling for words. Even in the bad movies they have some cheesy line of exposition... but nobody knew what was going on. My first thought: China! Don't recall why exactly... but I think right before that we had a spy plane go down in China & maybe it was retaliation for that or something. It was a first impulse. I didn't know what to do... so I gathered myself a bit... and went to class. Class obviously was pretty focused on the events... and I remember one of my professors breaking down from an engineering perspective HOW the towers fell... and how it was suspicious because (referring to the book) the burning temperature of the gas is this... and the melting point the steel in the girders is this... and with reinforcement, blah blah blah. You don't care.
So... what has changed since then? Well, obviously I'm 30 years old now... and where my job used to send me traveling, now I have to travel to find my job. I'm still pretty nerdy, funny, super intelligent sometimes, downright moronic others, still pretty naive... but I cashed in my v-card. There was about 7-8 years where I didn't play basketball much... but I'm getting back into it. I've had a lot of friends, coworkers, colleagues, acquaintances come & go... and I've honestly forgotten most of them... unless they're on Facebook. Oh by the way, I know how to use the internet now. Didn't really back then. Did I ever tell you that I had never seen the internet or used email until I was in college? Just never really happened in high school. We didn't have computers that did more than word processing for our creative writing classes. Gotta love public education even back then.
When I was 20, I had these aspirations that by the time I was 30, I'd be considering an early retirement from basketball to save my knees or something... after a few championships, millions in contract money, movies, advertisements, business ventures, wife, three kids, make sure all the family & friends are set too... cuz it ain't no fun if the homeys can't have none. Obviously it didn't turn out quite that way. Played semi-pro ball for about a month before the team folded, bounced around majors until I settled on Marketing Management after 7 years of school (and tens of thousands of seemingly wasted dollars). Oh... and that job for while I was at school... I had my 11th anniversary with them... and have worked at five different offices in three western states.
Where will I be ten years from now? Who the f**k knows? The Apocalypse is apparently coming next December, the global economy is in ruins, there are still crazy religious sects with nuclear weapons (including us, there, I said it), global warming, possible pandemics, all these big things that could destroy us any day. Then again, I'm crazy & self-indulgent enough to just say "phukit" and go about my daily life in spite of threats on all fronts. Let's see, ten years from now, I hope to cross off a whole bunch off my bucket list. It'd be nice to have a family... but there's honestly no real prospects at this time. Kairi & Vinny will be teenagers... so hopefully that won't bring about the Apocolypse. The parents will be older too... and I worry for them... but hey, it's not going to change anything. When your number's called, your number's called. I guess... I'll just live one day at a time, take a few chances, see what happens. Wish me luck!!! Have a great weekend everybody!!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What's the Plan?
Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
This weekend was pretty good, thought fairly uneventful. Friday night, after a rough week at work, I went to get some drinks with Bubbles in the Inner Sunset & we enjoyed the fine beers of The Social Club, followed by a stint at Yancy’s. They were pretty nice places. The main part of the evening though… was hanging with Bubbles again. It had been a few weeks with both of us traveling and being so busy with our social calendars… and I’ve missed hanging out with her… even if we’re working together all the time, it’s obviously not the same. We had some catching up to do.
During the conversation, she asked me what my plan was. “Well first, I’m going to finish this beer… and then maybe work on the fries.” Obviously that’s not what she meant. She meant a Plan with a capital P, like my Career Plan… for the long term. See… she said that I seem the most miserable that she has ever seen me be. Granted, there were a few years when we were in different states that she didn’t see me much except when I was on vacations in Vegas or the holidays back in Utah, but I got her point. She meant miserable at work… which I’m not really… but obviously I don’t have the bounce in my step that I used to. I don’t think that anybody does really since the whole recession (and yeah, like everybody else I’m going to talk a bit about 9/11) but again, I see her point. So what is my plan? I honestly wish I knew.
See, you all know that I’m an infinite optimist, fully loaded with abilities & creativity that others would kill for, a charmer, easy on the eyes, hard working, well-educated, healthy & built like a marble sculpture, but I simply have no idea what I want to do with my life. Do I want to keep in my current career? Do I want to go “Into the Wild”? (By the way, Bubbles said that’s a stupid idea… and on a certain level, I have to agree… but then again) Do I want to use my college degree for something other than campfire kindling? Do I want to continue my education? Learn a new trade? New hobbies? Knock up somebody random and do the family thing? Where do I want to do these things? Here in San Francisco? Back home in Utah? The Peace Corps? Germany? China? Start my own business? I mean… I’ve got a bucket list… but as far as an end goal, I am without. Anyway, we chatted about that… and I thought about it a bit when I got home… and the next day… and most of Sunday. The sad thing is… I still don’t really have an answer. There are several paths that I could take in my current career… and I like it here in San Francisco… but it’s not like I’m surrounded by family & friends here, though slowly but surely I’m at least building casual friendships & acquaintances. I don’t want to let my talents go to waste… but I just don’t know how to utilize them. But hey, I’ll keep you posted.
Saturday was a laundry & cleaning day… and it was pretty gloomy and cold outside so I went out for a few walks for fresh air, went to the gym for a few hours, but really not a whole lot else. I watched “Your Highness” and then “Spirited Away” with the roommates. The latter is a Japanese animated movie brought stateside by Disney and it’s about a young girl who travels with her parents… and they stop at some tunnel… and then go on what I can best describe as a magical journey of absolute craziness involving dragons, bouncing heads, witches, giant babies, and… you don’t need to have a good buzz going to watch this movie. It takes care of that for you. I recommend it though for a kid’s flick… but you may be asked some odd questions by your kids that you don’t have answers for them like “What’s going on?” “I… I don’t know… but it’s pretty.”
Sunday, I was told to await the Direct TV guy between the hours of 8 & 12. Now, if you remember my trials with Direct TV in Tahoe, then you know that as long as they show up by Halloween, it’s an improvement. So I waited… and waited… and then finished up laundry… and cooked some bomb low fat white cheddar mac & cheese with chicken sausage… and waited some more… all the while checking my phone for a message from the cable guy & simultaneously seeing my Eagles dominate the Rams statistically… but it’s just not the same as on the big screen… or in person. Well, he got there a little after 2 PM (and a call to Direct TV) and he got it hooked up just in time for me to catch 3 touchdowns in a minute at the end of the 49ers / Seahawks late game. So now I have TV… and it only took a week or so… and get this, less than HALF what it was in Tahoe. Seriously! My share in Tahoe was MORE than the whole bill here in San Francisco. Is that not f**ked up?
Speaking of football, I was talking with my dad… and he’s decided that he wants to go to the Chiefs – Raiders game the weekend that he comes to visit (the Chiefs are his team) in October… and also, my Uncle D will be in town going to BOTH games too!!! So I’ll have plenty of male bonding that weekend… and the tickets are pretty good too. 7th row, 50 yardline, right behind the Chiefs bench (closer to the field) and about $100 each, so about half what the 49ers tickets were last year against the Eagles… and I get to check out the Oakland Coliseum first hand. BOOYAH!!! Just over five weeks away too…
Monday started off with a trip to the dermatologist to ask about my cheek (I have a little pimple-sized growth thing that my mom has really wanted me to check out) and it was pretty standard. Really only took about ten minutes total. They did a little biopsy thing so that they could scan it… but because of that, I have to wear a little band-aid on my left cheek for the next week or so. It’s okay though, I totally pull it off. The best part is… when people ask me about it, I’m responding with “The first rule of Fight Club is… you know what, never mind.” A few people have gotten the reference. “You should see the other guy.” My personal favorite though was when I responded with, “She didn’t tell me about her piercing… until it was too late.” That’s a $teve original. Go forth & spread the word.
After work was the company softball game & BBQ against our rival company. The barbecue was excellent (and free) and the game was absolutely gripping, by far the lowest scoring defensive struggle of a softball game I’ve ever seen. We just weren’t getting any good hits… and through four innings, they had pulled out to a 5-1 lead… and the fans started to leave. “You’re going to miss the comeback!” Long story short, we ended up winning 6-5 thanks to a few walks and finally scoring some runs. Still undefeated… but yeah, we got a little lucky. Why was the game so close? Well… they didn’t play me. That may have had something to do with it. I’m not sure how… but maybe I’m just good luck or something. Every other game I’ve been in, we dominated. I already let the coach know during post-game drinks with a few of the other teams & he liked the idea. Good times.
Tuesday night was my first San Francisco Giants game… and first of several trips I’ll be making to AT&T Park in the next few months (Utah-Cal game & Kraft Hunger Bowl). Bubbles was originally going to the game with me… but earlier in the day, she was having terrible female pains… so I asked around to see if anybody wanted a free last minute ticket. Carmen accepted!!! So we went, had a few $10 beers & some food, and enjoyed 7 innings of a great game (that ended up being 12) but after a long day at work, we just didn’t want to be hanging out until midnight when we’re really not interested in baseball in the first place… but I’ve been to a Giants game now. I’ve also been the only person on a public bus now too. It happened for the last mile or so of my bus back from the game. I may live a little outside of the city officially. Anyway, best thing about AT&T Park… is the view… even from the upper upper decks. Observe!!!
Wednesday night, I just needed to relax after another busy day, so I hung with the roommates and we watched “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” starring Zach Galafinakis. It’s the story of a kid who is under constant pressure to achieve from his parents & friends… so he has suicidal thoughts… so he checks himself into a mental institution for a week for observation… and he meets a colorful collection of crazies… and of course a girl… and you can guess how it goes from there… but it actually IS kind of a funny story. The title was surprisingly fitting. Go check it out if you’d like.
Well, that’ll do it for me today. Lucky you… you don’t get to hear my ramble about how things have changed for me in the last ten years… but maybe I’ll get around to it next time. I’ll put it this way, I still work with the same company, I still have the same family, but basically just about everything else has changed. I’ll elaborate more sometime… if I remember to. Maybe I'll fill you in on The Plan too. You never know. Have a great night everybody!!!
This weekend was pretty good, thought fairly uneventful. Friday night, after a rough week at work, I went to get some drinks with Bubbles in the Inner Sunset & we enjoyed the fine beers of The Social Club, followed by a stint at Yancy’s. They were pretty nice places. The main part of the evening though… was hanging with Bubbles again. It had been a few weeks with both of us traveling and being so busy with our social calendars… and I’ve missed hanging out with her… even if we’re working together all the time, it’s obviously not the same. We had some catching up to do.
During the conversation, she asked me what my plan was. “Well first, I’m going to finish this beer… and then maybe work on the fries.” Obviously that’s not what she meant. She meant a Plan with a capital P, like my Career Plan… for the long term. See… she said that I seem the most miserable that she has ever seen me be. Granted, there were a few years when we were in different states that she didn’t see me much except when I was on vacations in Vegas or the holidays back in Utah, but I got her point. She meant miserable at work… which I’m not really… but obviously I don’t have the bounce in my step that I used to. I don’t think that anybody does really since the whole recession (and yeah, like everybody else I’m going to talk a bit about 9/11) but again, I see her point. So what is my plan? I honestly wish I knew.See, you all know that I’m an infinite optimist, fully loaded with abilities & creativity that others would kill for, a charmer, easy on the eyes, hard working, well-educated, healthy & built like a marble sculpture, but I simply have no idea what I want to do with my life. Do I want to keep in my current career? Do I want to go “Into the Wild”? (By the way, Bubbles said that’s a stupid idea… and on a certain level, I have to agree… but then again) Do I want to use my college degree for something other than campfire kindling? Do I want to continue my education? Learn a new trade? New hobbies? Knock up somebody random and do the family thing? Where do I want to do these things? Here in San Francisco? Back home in Utah? The Peace Corps? Germany? China? Start my own business? I mean… I’ve got a bucket list… but as far as an end goal, I am without. Anyway, we chatted about that… and I thought about it a bit when I got home… and the next day… and most of Sunday. The sad thing is… I still don’t really have an answer. There are several paths that I could take in my current career… and I like it here in San Francisco… but it’s not like I’m surrounded by family & friends here, though slowly but surely I’m at least building casual friendships & acquaintances. I don’t want to let my talents go to waste… but I just don’t know how to utilize them. But hey, I’ll keep you posted.
Saturday was a laundry & cleaning day… and it was pretty gloomy and cold outside so I went out for a few walks for fresh air, went to the gym for a few hours, but really not a whole lot else. I watched “Your Highness” and then “Spirited Away” with the roommates. The latter is a Japanese animated movie brought stateside by Disney and it’s about a young girl who travels with her parents… and they stop at some tunnel… and then go on what I can best describe as a magical journey of absolute craziness involving dragons, bouncing heads, witches, giant babies, and… you don’t need to have a good buzz going to watch this movie. It takes care of that for you. I recommend it though for a kid’s flick… but you may be asked some odd questions by your kids that you don’t have answers for them like “What’s going on?” “I… I don’t know… but it’s pretty.”Sunday, I was told to await the Direct TV guy between the hours of 8 & 12. Now, if you remember my trials with Direct TV in Tahoe, then you know that as long as they show up by Halloween, it’s an improvement. So I waited… and waited… and then finished up laundry… and cooked some bomb low fat white cheddar mac & cheese with chicken sausage… and waited some more… all the while checking my phone for a message from the cable guy & simultaneously seeing my Eagles dominate the Rams statistically… but it’s just not the same as on the big screen… or in person. Well, he got there a little after 2 PM (and a call to Direct TV) and he got it hooked up just in time for me to catch 3 touchdowns in a minute at the end of the 49ers / Seahawks late game. So now I have TV… and it only took a week or so… and get this, less than HALF what it was in Tahoe. Seriously! My share in Tahoe was MORE than the whole bill here in San Francisco. Is that not f**ked up?
Speaking of football, I was talking with my dad… and he’s decided that he wants to go to the Chiefs – Raiders game the weekend that he comes to visit (the Chiefs are his team) in October… and also, my Uncle D will be in town going to BOTH games too!!! So I’ll have plenty of male bonding that weekend… and the tickets are pretty good too. 7th row, 50 yardline, right behind the Chiefs bench (closer to the field) and about $100 each, so about half what the 49ers tickets were last year against the Eagles… and I get to check out the Oakland Coliseum first hand. BOOYAH!!! Just over five weeks away too…
Monday started off with a trip to the dermatologist to ask about my cheek (I have a little pimple-sized growth thing that my mom has really wanted me to check out) and it was pretty standard. Really only took about ten minutes total. They did a little biopsy thing so that they could scan it… but because of that, I have to wear a little band-aid on my left cheek for the next week or so. It’s okay though, I totally pull it off. The best part is… when people ask me about it, I’m responding with “The first rule of Fight Club is… you know what, never mind.” A few people have gotten the reference. “You should see the other guy.” My personal favorite though was when I responded with, “She didn’t tell me about her piercing… until it was too late.” That’s a $teve original. Go forth & spread the word.
After work was the company softball game & BBQ against our rival company. The barbecue was excellent (and free) and the game was absolutely gripping, by far the lowest scoring defensive struggle of a softball game I’ve ever seen. We just weren’t getting any good hits… and through four innings, they had pulled out to a 5-1 lead… and the fans started to leave. “You’re going to miss the comeback!” Long story short, we ended up winning 6-5 thanks to a few walks and finally scoring some runs. Still undefeated… but yeah, we got a little lucky. Why was the game so close? Well… they didn’t play me. That may have had something to do with it. I’m not sure how… but maybe I’m just good luck or something. Every other game I’ve been in, we dominated. I already let the coach know during post-game drinks with a few of the other teams & he liked the idea. Good times.Tuesday night was my first San Francisco Giants game… and first of several trips I’ll be making to AT&T Park in the next few months (Utah-Cal game & Kraft Hunger Bowl). Bubbles was originally going to the game with me… but earlier in the day, she was having terrible female pains… so I asked around to see if anybody wanted a free last minute ticket. Carmen accepted!!! So we went, had a few $10 beers & some food, and enjoyed 7 innings of a great game (that ended up being 12) but after a long day at work, we just didn’t want to be hanging out until midnight when we’re really not interested in baseball in the first place… but I’ve been to a Giants game now. I’ve also been the only person on a public bus now too. It happened for the last mile or so of my bus back from the game. I may live a little outside of the city officially. Anyway, best thing about AT&T Park… is the view… even from the upper upper decks. Observe!!!
Wednesday night, I just needed to relax after another busy day, so I hung with the roommates and we watched “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” starring Zach Galafinakis. It’s the story of a kid who is under constant pressure to achieve from his parents & friends… so he has suicidal thoughts… so he checks himself into a mental institution for a week for observation… and he meets a colorful collection of crazies… and of course a girl… and you can guess how it goes from there… but it actually IS kind of a funny story. The title was surprisingly fitting. Go check it out if you’d like.Well, that’ll do it for me today. Lucky you… you don’t get to hear my ramble about how things have changed for me in the last ten years… but maybe I’ll get around to it next time. I’ll put it this way, I still work with the same company, I still have the same family, but basically just about everything else has changed. I’ll elaborate more sometime… if I remember to. Maybe I'll fill you in on The Plan too. You never know. Have a great night everybody!!!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Zombie Noir
Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
The past few days have been pretty good. Been watching “Nip/Tuck” with my roommate Nurse & we’re both basically addicted to it now… even though it seems that all of the characters are complete narcissistic idiots with delusions of grandeur & the inability to keep a secret… but hey, drama comes from secrets & doing stupid sh*t. It’s been proven. The kid who tried to circumcise himself though… I just about vomited. In fact, I’ve got to stop watching that show when I’m having dinner. There’s a reason that I’m not a doctor. Cutting into people just isn’t my idea of a good time. Anyway, great show. I highly recommend it. We're about midway through the second season.
Speaking of hot doctors, I had my first physical in San Francisco (and a few years) this morning... and boy did I luck out. The doctor... was a fox. Like... probably could've been on Grey's Anatomy kind of hot. Like... looking around for hidden cameras kind of hot. You get the idea. We'll call her Doctor K. Green eyes, probably Lebanese descent, born & raised here in San Francisco (we chatted), like... yeah... and I'm in a paper dress thinking about baseball to keep from priapism. Anyway, it was just the usual questions, then she listened to my heartbeat (in a purely non-sexual manner), and blah blah blah I'm healthy, which I knew... but it's good to get a baseline, I guess. I mean... I don't smoke, drink in moderation, I'm working out 4-5 times a week on top of walking 2-3 miles a day, I eat... well, everything in sight, but I'm trying to do more vegetables & healthy options. For God's sake, I had a veggie burger yesterday when there was a perfectly good pile of charred bovine flesh right next to it. If that's not worth something, I don't know what is. I am probably going to go back in tomorrow for a quick cholestrol test (again for a baseline), then schedule a meeting with a dermatologist for a little thing on my left cheek, and then probably find a dentist in town... but hey, that's what grownups do, right? And besides... I got to have a beautiful woman touch my chest, ask me about my sexual history, make me say "AH" & then shoot me up a tetnes-whooping cough vaccine for $25 co-pay. You really can't beat that... even in Vegas.
Also, I'm starting to do better with the pickup games at the YMCA too. I’m still trying to get over my “heavy feet” that I’ve apparently developed over the past few years… but that may also play into the 2-3 miles that I walk to/from work every day… and I’m not as young as I used to be… and I kinda rolled my ankle pretty good the other day… but I still hold my own. I’m usually matched up against smaller guys anyway, so speed isn’t going to be my advantage in most cases like it was matched up against fellow tall guys back in the day. Oh well… you can’t teach height… and I’ve got a little bit of that. Once I start getting my rhythm & stamina back… look out, b**ches!!! Speaking of which…
Ditch the B**ch? - Men are more concerned with their partner's body type than women but they also seem to value family more highly, according to a new survey released on Tuesday. Nearly half of men questioned in the poll of 70,000 people said they would ditch a partner who gained weight, compared to only 20% of women. Two-third of men also said they had fantasized about their partner's friends, while only one-third of women had done so (both of which are lying… because everybody has done it). "Even as men are getting more comfortable with meeting their girlfriends online and less anxious about who she's 'friending' there, other romantic behaviors have proven to be timeless ones: chivalry isn't dead, size matters, and women forgive while men forget," said James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen, which conducted the poll jointly with Cosmopolitan.com. While only 18% of women said they would want their mate to be better endowed, more than 51% of men said they wished they themselves were. But the survey also found 39% of men chose family as their top choice of the ultimate status symbol. By contrast, 43% of women selected a beautiful home, compared to only 6.5% of men (we know what they cost in dollars & chores). One-quarter of women named a successful partner as a top status symbol. But men were more likely to lie about the number of sex partners they had had (50%) than women (35%). Again, both would probably lie anyway for better or worse. One thing both sexes agreed on was an as-yet undeveloped male birth control pill, an idea that proved popular all around. More than half of women would want their partner to take it, while more than two-thirds of men were ready for male birth control. But the sexes differed about paying for dates, at least in the early stages. More women, 38%, think each should pay their own way, versus 33% who think men should foot the bill. But 59% of men think they should cover the tab, at least until a relationship is established. I’m kind of waiting to meet that 38% of women but they must be on the East Coast or something. Nearly 80% of men said they feel cheated by the divorce courts (with the other 20% having developed mental blocks about the whole experience). But more women feel the sexes receive equal treatment than those who agree the men get a raw deal. Women are also far less comfortable with their mates keeping in touch with their ex. More than two-thirds of men are okay with their partner friending an ex on Facebook, as opposed to 38% of women. But three-quarters of men surveyed said they consider sexting cheating. There’s a link to the full results in the article… but yeah, this is pretty common knowledge, right? Men are admittedly shallow, women are more jealous, both sexes have fantastic notions of equality until the check hits the table or the sh*t hits the fan in divorce court, same old stuff. How do you feel about sexting? I think it’s unnecessarily stupid… but cheating is bold. I’d be more concerned with WHY she’s sexting. Is it because she wants to be adventurous? Is it because she doesn’t feel any desire for you? Or is she just an evil b**ch who gets off on being a whore? That’s not even an exaggeration. Some people are just like that. I’ve known a few in my days. Anyway, just thought I’d share that with you… and then you can pull it out when somebody gives you the look like “So… are you going to pay for dinner?” Sigh… you must be one of the 62%...
King Tut: Not Egyptian? – You know… Hollywood gets a lot of flack for “whitewashing” their movies… where they’ll have Caucasian actors playing roles that are really meant for other ethnic groups. You know… like that whole “Last Airbender” thing and the Old Spaghetti Westerns, etc. Well now… maybe having Brad & Angelina playing Marc Anthony & Cleopatra or Willem Dafoe as Jesus isn’t so unfounded. Why? Up to 70% of British men and half of all Western European men are related to the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, geneticists in Switzerland said. Scientists at Zurich-based DNA genealogy centre, iGENEA, reconstructed the DNA profile of the boy Pharaoh, who ascended the throne at the age of nine, his father Akhenaten and grandfather Amenhotep III, based on a film that was made for the Discovery Channel. The results showed that King Tut belonged to a genetic profile group, known as haplogroup R1b1a2, to which more than 50% of all men in Western Europe belong, indicating that they share a common ancestor. The real surprise… among modern-day Egyptians, this haplogroup contingent is below 1 percent, according to iGENEA. "It was very interesting to discover that he belonged to a genetic group in Europe -- there were many possible groups in Egypt that the DNA could have belonged to," said Roman Scholz, director of the iGENEA Centre. Around 70% of Spanish and 60% of French men also belong to the genetic group of the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. "We think the common ancestor lived in the Caucasus about 9,500 years ago," Scholz told Reuters. It is estimated that the earliest migration of haplogroup R1b1a2 into Europe began with the spread of agriculture in 7,000 BC, according to iGENEA. However, the geneticists were not sure how Tutankhamun's paternal lineage came to Egypt from its region of origin. The centre is now using DNA testing to search for the closest living relatives of "King Tut." "The offer has only been publicized for three days but we have already seen a lot of interest," Scholz told Reuters. So many questions, so few answers now. Okay, so Tut wasn’t Egyptian? Was his father Akhenaten Egyptian? Was Akhenaten… his father? Did a traveling Spaniard make sweet love to Mama Tut? Like I said… so many questions. Another question is… does it really matter? There may be thousands… even millions of people that are direct descendants of King Tut… or Vlad the Impaler… or Genghis Khan… or the cobbler who fashioned their boots… what does that mean now? Pretty much nothing… but still, it’s kind of interesting.
Bonnie & Clyde Remake – There are some stories out there… that just don’t need to be told by Hollywood. Or they already have… and just don’t need to be repeated or remade or revamped. Seriously, I saw the preview for “The Amazing Spiderman” last week… and isn’t it almost frame for frame what the movie ten years ago was? Anyway, Neil Burger ("Limitless") is in talks to direct a new take on classic Depression Era outlaws Bonnie and Clyde for Kamala Films reports Deadline. The film will be based on Jeff Guinn's 2010 book "Go Down Together" which gives us a less romanticized version of the duo than seen in the classic 1967 film with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Okay, so a more gritty and real tale of murderous bank robbers without the romantic aspect, I can see that. Going against the legend a little bit. What kind of changes will be made to the story you ask? Such potential details include Bonnie Parker's life as a prostitute before meeting Clyde, and Clyde's first victim… a cell mate who had raped him repeatedly. Yup! They’re taking Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway’s portrayal… and turning them into a prison rape victim & a whore. I wouldn’t be surprised if the working title is “Fish & the Trick” instead of “Bonnie & Clyde.” Sheldon Turner is penning the script while Sean and Bryan Furst and Marissa McMahon will produce. Burger is not yet set and is scheduled to shoot the "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" adaptation as his next project… so thank God there’s some time before this happens at least.
Zombie Noir? - Emma Stone is in early talks to play the female lead in the 40's-era Los Angeles crime drama "Gangster Squad" at Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow says The Hollywood Reporter. Based on a series of LA Times articles, the true story tale follows a secret "off the record" police task force in the 1940s who pursued high-profile gangster Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen, a member of the so-called "Jewish Mafia". Former LA cop and novelist Will Beall penned the script. Stone would play a woman caught between Ryan Gosling's good cop character and Sean Penn's gangster Cohen. Bryan Cranston, Josh Brolin, Michael Pena and Anthony Mackie also star while Rubin Fleisher ("Zombieland") is directing. This sounds like it could be a promising film. I loved Zombieland… and the cast is fantastic. Even the story is intriguing like a whole Untouchables, LA Confidential, Black Dahlia, Hollywoodland kind of film. Anyway, that’s just more of an FYI in case you were wondering what Rubin Fleisher was up to.
Comic Book Movie Ratings – Now, comic book movie adaptations are a powder keg of controversy in the kingdom of Nerddom. I should know being a high-ranking lord of the realm. I found this pretty good article though that compares the films fairly justly. Comic book fans have always argued about which film adaptation of their favorite property is the best. You can argue box-office until the cows come home, the fact of the matter is box-office has never been an accurate judge of quality. For example, Twilight. In fact what the general public has embraced hasn't always been what the critics have embraced, and vice versa, yet certain titles are also held up high or shat upon by all. So to add fuel to the fiery debate, they set out to tabulate some scores and see if they could find some kind of reasonably argued consensus. To do that they combined three scores for each film using three major sites - the wide-sweeping critical countings of Rotten Tomatoes, the more selective critical assessments of Metacritic, and the open to the public IMDb user ratings.
Does it prove anything? Not really, but it has resulted in a healthy list of the best films of the comic book-to-film genre. The results contain some major surprises. A film like "Watchmen" had a 6.2/10 RT average rating score, a 56/100 Metacritic score, and a 7.7/10 IMDb user rating. The result was worked out like so:
(6.2 x 10) + 56 + (7.7 x 10) = 195 / 3 = 65.00. This meant its final score was 65.00 out of 100.
On the rare occasion where a Metacritic score wasn't available or didn't qualify (at least ten reviews had to be counted on MC), the remaining two scores were combined and divided by two rather than three. In the cases where the final scores are equal, those with the superior combined RT & Metacritic scores are placed higher in the graphic. Over 124 films were included in the study, a dozen were knocked from the list ("Sheena," "Modesty Blaise," "Brenda Starr," two versions of "Prince Valiant", several "Asterix" films, "Lucky Luke", "Tintin and the Blue Oranges") because they didn't have enough reviews on either RT or MC to qualify. Here are the results for the remaining 112:
Some notes that I found interesting from this:
- Batman & Robin is apparently NOT the worst movie ever made in this genre… as apparently I had forgotten about treasures like “Catwoman” (I can’t hate on Halle Berry in that outfit), “Superman IV: Quest for Peace”, “Son of the Mask” and of course… “Steel” starring Shaquille O’Neal.
- Swamp Thing scored better than… well, frankly I’m surprised that it’s in the middle of the pack.
- I simply refuse to believe that “Flash Gordon” was better than the Addams Family.
- Why have I not heard of a lot of the top scoring movies like “Persepolis”, “American Splendor”, “Ghost World”, “Nausica’a” & “Porco Rosso”? I may have to check them out.
- Glad that “The Dark Knight” is on top of the list… but REALLY surprised that Spiderman 2 is that high. I mean… maybe I just thought that Peter Parker was a whiny little b**ch for all three movies but… whatever, not my list.
Anyway, that should do it for me for today. Weekend’s just around the corner… and I have absolutely no plans… but I should have my new phone before long… and my mom’s coming to visit in a few weeks with my brother, the kids, C-Rock & whoever else may tag along. Have a great day everybody!!!
Monday, July 20, 2009
The First Half Was Amazing
Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
Well, as the title will foretell, the first half of the trip to Vegas was super awesome delicious...while the second half kinda sucked...but it could've been a lot worse. Let's see, where to start?
Friday, I watched some movies. While in Utah, it was "Vertigo" starring Jimmy Stewart & Kim Novak...and I think that I really like Hitchcock movies. It's the story of a detective (Stewart) that's afraid of heights and resigns from the San Francisco police after a traumatic experience. Then an old classmate of his contacts him as a private detective to trail his wife and find out the meaning behind her mysterious behavior. Well, what follows is a tale of murder, intrigue, betrayal, Love, Passion, ghosts, obsession, revenge from beyond the grave and a whole lot of other dark, twisted and awesome stuff...you know, without all the gore and stuff that you see nowadays. I would highly recommend it. Genuinely creepy throughout...and a great nailbiter if you're into that stuff...which I am in this case. Go rent it today.
Later on, I hung out with my dad for a few hours and we watched one of Lilie's favorite movies, "Ratatouille" which I'm sure you all have already been forced to see at least once being within 50 feet of children in the past year. It's a cute little story about a rat who wants to be a great chef...and the busboy who's his little puppet. Just go check it out. It's Disney & you know that you'll love it. Don't even try to deny it. Still say that French food is overrated...but Lilie did promise to make me some ratatouille to prove me wrong. We shall see.
That evening, I finally flew over to Vegas, Bubbles & Harpie picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the Strip to get some jello shots and watch "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" starring Megan Fox and...who the hell cares? Now, when I watched the first one, it surprised me how good it was given the material to work with...and Michael Bay directing (and knew that Megan Fox was going to be HUGE). This one though, pretty much lost me. Now, for an action flick, yeah it has a lot of nice CGI robots kicking some ass and all...but don't even try to comprehend the story because there's so many loopholes and nonsensical character development that it just becomes really cheesy, metaphorical and seems...about 45 minutes too long for some reason. Then again, that may have been the few slow-motion shots of Megan Fox running...which seemed to go on for a while...but I doubt it was 45 minutes. Towards the end, I basically leaned over to Bubbles and said, "Are you sh*tting me?" She agreed...but hey, it was just a little too cheesy for my taste. That's all. I'm sure my brother still thinks it's the greatest movie ever made...but I would strongly disagree. I'd say...not even the best that I watched on Friday. One last thought...
Saturday, Bubbles & I went to a weekend work get-together at one of her boss' cribs (very very nice) and we had a nice selection of food & beverages including pineapple mojitos and mango sangria...and there was Guitar Hero World Tour...so a good time was had. Afterwards, we went to get my present for Bubbles, a wonderful little lamp that meets her needs ten times better than the one she was currently using - adjustable (dimmer), esthetically pleasing, and best of all...free and no assembly required (to/by her). I also got to see Keanna & Barbie...and Keanna was SUPER excited to see me, her Cookie. Because it was Bubbles' birthday, I didn't get to spend a lot of time hanging out with Keanna...but she got me a present...and you'll get to see it later.
That night, we went to Fremont Street and some of the bars in that area. First up with Hogs & Heffers, which is basically like a biker bar...with with girls in leather bikinis dancing on the bar ala Coyote Ugly...and it was a lot of fun (but the drinks were HELLA expensive). After that, we went to the Griffin, which was a little more low key (even darker than the biker bar but more contemporary per se) and we had a few drinks there too (I cut myself off early being the designated driver). Then we went to PT's and had a good time there until about 3 AM then headed for home. I had made sure that nobody drank TOO much to not enjoy their Sunday...but apparently there were other plans in store.
So, long story trying to be shorter, about 4 AM, Bubbles is complaining about her stomach hurting...but not the usual drunk stuff...and basically for the next ten hours or so, she isn't doing good. Trying to go to sleep but having to get up every thirty minutes or so to pray to the porcelain god...and of course, I'm playing the role of nurse making sure that she has a wet washcloth, ice water and the fan blowing when she's feeling too hot...or covering her in blankets when she's cold...and trying to make her feel better...but obviously after a while it was just beyond my control...so then we went to the ER. Now, for those of you who don't know, the hospital is just about my least favorite place in the world. Not a lot of good memories (other than going to see Vinny for the first time) and it just wears on me. There's a reason that I wasn't a doctor...and it wasn't the memorization of body parts & functions. It was everything else.
How does it wear on me? Well, picture that you've been up for about 30 hours straight at this point...and the last ten or so watching somebody that you care about in horrible pain and there's really nothing that you can do for her...and you feel like it's your fault because you were the one who enabled her to drink...even if you were keeping an eye on her...and of course, the ER is full of similar stories. Whether it's the guy who passed out from dehydration in the 120 degree weather (later found to have certain herbs in his bloodstream) or an elderly man from the VA who hit his head and has no idea where he is or what's going on and has to be restrained because he keeps hitting himself on the bump on his head...and keeps crying out, "Please help me! Please help me! Where am I?" and no matter how many times you answer him or try to keep him focused, it continues...for hours. Meanwhile, I'm there trying to keep an upbeat attitude and making sure that my friend knows that I'm there for her...and everything's going to be okay...and try to put her at ease with some human contact, a gentle brush here, a reassuring word there, yet trying not to be funny because laughing makes everything hurt incredibly. Then they do the blood work, ultrasounds, cat scans, everything trying to find out what her ailment is. It just wasn't the greatest place to be for anybody...but I had to be strong and hope that it helped her somehow in the pain that she was in...and I did it. I held out. What really helped was that I could gradually see the color going back into her cheeks and I even caught a glance of a smile here and there when I rubbed her back...so it was all worth it. Besides, the only reason that I mention how I feel...is because it's my blog. In the grand scheme, it doesn't matter how I feel...because it's all about her feeling better. Enough of my ranting on that...
Well, after about five hours, they found out what they think was wrong and gave her some prescriptions to help with the pain and nausea...and she's doing much better. Obviously, we spent the night at home watching "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" marathons after that...so no wild sendoff for $teve or anything...but that's historically how it works out anyway. No bother. I was exhausted anyway. However, through the night I was still a little worried, especially when I would start to doze off and then hear a cough down the hall and would rush to see if she was okay. Basically, to put me at ease, I slept at the foot of her bed right next to her dog Brutus. How sad is that? Anyway, it helped put both of us at ease...and though it wasn't the greatest slumber of my life, I caught a few resting moments here and there.
This morning, we woke up around 7:15 and headed for the airport...but didn't get there until 7:55 AM. No bother, my plane doesn't leave for 45 minutes....so it should be fine...or so I thought. "Sir, did you know that your flight leaves in about 15 minutes?" "What? I thought it was 8:40." "Nope, it's 8:20. If you think you can make it in that time though, I'll put a rush on this bag." "How's security?" Shrugs shoulders, "Are you a good runner?" "Like O.J. in those Hertz commercials as long as Homeland doesn't tackle me." "You should be fine then." Then what followed was about everything that could go wrong in such a scenario. Families blocking entire hallways, moving walkway construction, old people dropping pockets of change in the security line, no trays to put my pocket stuff in...or my shoes that are painful to take off (by the way, I pulled a muscle in my lower back Saturday night while helping an inebriated woman and not bending at the knees) and just about everything else...but I was jogging like a champ (a stinky champ...but a champ nonetheless) and made it just in time for them to let me on the plane. As luck would have it...the only seat left on the full flight...was on the front row with plenty of leg room. How's that for Karma giving me a high five?
Then I flew home, took a shower, and basically started typing out this thing. Now I'm probably going to go take a nap or something, since you're all caught up. Also, please say a little prayer for Bubbles and Barbie, who was sick this morning when we were leaving...so it very well may have not been the drinking at all that led to the ER visit...as originally suspected. Maybe I was a good watchdog. Who knows? So yeah, please send them well wishes in your thoughts...and send out a few to all the people that you care about too. They deserve it. Have a great day everybody!!!
Well, as the title will foretell, the first half of the trip to Vegas was super awesome delicious...while the second half kinda sucked...but it could've been a lot worse. Let's see, where to start?
Friday, I watched some movies. While in Utah, it was "Vertigo" starring Jimmy Stewart & Kim Novak...and I think that I really like Hitchcock movies. It's the story of a detective (Stewart) that's afraid of heights and resigns from the San Francisco police after a traumatic experience. Then an old classmate of his contacts him as a private detective to trail his wife and find out the meaning behind her mysterious behavior. Well, what follows is a tale of murder, intrigue, betrayal, Love, Passion, ghosts, obsession, revenge from beyond the grave and a whole lot of other dark, twisted and awesome stuff...you know, without all the gore and stuff that you see nowadays. I would highly recommend it. Genuinely creepy throughout...and a great nailbiter if you're into that stuff...which I am in this case. Go rent it today.
Later on, I hung out with my dad for a few hours and we watched one of Lilie's favorite movies, "Ratatouille" which I'm sure you all have already been forced to see at least once being within 50 feet of children in the past year. It's a cute little story about a rat who wants to be a great chef...and the busboy who's his little puppet. Just go check it out. It's Disney & you know that you'll love it. Don't even try to deny it. Still say that French food is overrated...but Lilie did promise to make me some ratatouille to prove me wrong. We shall see.
That evening, I finally flew over to Vegas, Bubbles & Harpie picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the Strip to get some jello shots and watch "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" starring Megan Fox and...who the hell cares? Now, when I watched the first one, it surprised me how good it was given the material to work with...and Michael Bay directing (and knew that Megan Fox was going to be HUGE). This one though, pretty much lost me. Now, for an action flick, yeah it has a lot of nice CGI robots kicking some ass and all...but don't even try to comprehend the story because there's so many loopholes and nonsensical character development that it just becomes really cheesy, metaphorical and seems...about 45 minutes too long for some reason. Then again, that may have been the few slow-motion shots of Megan Fox running...which seemed to go on for a while...but I doubt it was 45 minutes. Towards the end, I basically leaned over to Bubbles and said, "Are you sh*tting me?" She agreed...but hey, it was just a little too cheesy for my taste. That's all. I'm sure my brother still thinks it's the greatest movie ever made...but I would strongly disagree. I'd say...not even the best that I watched on Friday. One last thought...Saturday, Bubbles & I went to a weekend work get-together at one of her boss' cribs (very very nice) and we had a nice selection of food & beverages including pineapple mojitos and mango sangria...and there was Guitar Hero World Tour...so a good time was had. Afterwards, we went to get my present for Bubbles, a wonderful little lamp that meets her needs ten times better than the one she was currently using - adjustable (dimmer), esthetically pleasing, and best of all...free and no assembly required (to/by her). I also got to see Keanna & Barbie...and Keanna was SUPER excited to see me, her Cookie. Because it was Bubbles' birthday, I didn't get to spend a lot of time hanging out with Keanna...but she got me a present...and you'll get to see it later.
That night, we went to Fremont Street and some of the bars in that area. First up with Hogs & Heffers, which is basically like a biker bar...with with girls in leather bikinis dancing on the bar ala Coyote Ugly...and it was a lot of fun (but the drinks were HELLA expensive). After that, we went to the Griffin, which was a little more low key (even darker than the biker bar but more contemporary per se) and we had a few drinks there too (I cut myself off early being the designated driver). Then we went to PT's and had a good time there until about 3 AM then headed for home. I had made sure that nobody drank TOO much to not enjoy their Sunday...but apparently there were other plans in store.So, long story trying to be shorter, about 4 AM, Bubbles is complaining about her stomach hurting...but not the usual drunk stuff...and basically for the next ten hours or so, she isn't doing good. Trying to go to sleep but having to get up every thirty minutes or so to pray to the porcelain god...and of course, I'm playing the role of nurse making sure that she has a wet washcloth, ice water and the fan blowing when she's feeling too hot...or covering her in blankets when she's cold...and trying to make her feel better...but obviously after a while it was just beyond my control...so then we went to the ER. Now, for those of you who don't know, the hospital is just about my least favorite place in the world. Not a lot of good memories (other than going to see Vinny for the first time) and it just wears on me. There's a reason that I wasn't a doctor...and it wasn't the memorization of body parts & functions. It was everything else.
How does it wear on me? Well, picture that you've been up for about 30 hours straight at this point...and the last ten or so watching somebody that you care about in horrible pain and there's really nothing that you can do for her...and you feel like it's your fault because you were the one who enabled her to drink...even if you were keeping an eye on her...and of course, the ER is full of similar stories. Whether it's the guy who passed out from dehydration in the 120 degree weather (later found to have certain herbs in his bloodstream) or an elderly man from the VA who hit his head and has no idea where he is or what's going on and has to be restrained because he keeps hitting himself on the bump on his head...and keeps crying out, "Please help me! Please help me! Where am I?" and no matter how many times you answer him or try to keep him focused, it continues...for hours. Meanwhile, I'm there trying to keep an upbeat attitude and making sure that my friend knows that I'm there for her...and everything's going to be okay...and try to put her at ease with some human contact, a gentle brush here, a reassuring word there, yet trying not to be funny because laughing makes everything hurt incredibly. Then they do the blood work, ultrasounds, cat scans, everything trying to find out what her ailment is. It just wasn't the greatest place to be for anybody...but I had to be strong and hope that it helped her somehow in the pain that she was in...and I did it. I held out. What really helped was that I could gradually see the color going back into her cheeks and I even caught a glance of a smile here and there when I rubbed her back...so it was all worth it. Besides, the only reason that I mention how I feel...is because it's my blog. In the grand scheme, it doesn't matter how I feel...because it's all about her feeling better. Enough of my ranting on that...Well, after about five hours, they found out what they think was wrong and gave her some prescriptions to help with the pain and nausea...and she's doing much better. Obviously, we spent the night at home watching "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" marathons after that...so no wild sendoff for $teve or anything...but that's historically how it works out anyway. No bother. I was exhausted anyway. However, through the night I was still a little worried, especially when I would start to doze off and then hear a cough down the hall and would rush to see if she was okay. Basically, to put me at ease, I slept at the foot of her bed right next to her dog Brutus. How sad is that? Anyway, it helped put both of us at ease...and though it wasn't the greatest slumber of my life, I caught a few resting moments here and there.
This morning, we woke up around 7:15 and headed for the airport...but didn't get there until 7:55 AM. No bother, my plane doesn't leave for 45 minutes....so it should be fine...or so I thought. "Sir, did you know that your flight leaves in about 15 minutes?" "What? I thought it was 8:40." "Nope, it's 8:20. If you think you can make it in that time though, I'll put a rush on this bag." "How's security?" Shrugs shoulders, "Are you a good runner?" "Like O.J. in those Hertz commercials as long as Homeland doesn't tackle me." "You should be fine then." Then what followed was about everything that could go wrong in such a scenario. Families blocking entire hallways, moving walkway construction, old people dropping pockets of change in the security line, no trays to put my pocket stuff in...or my shoes that are painful to take off (by the way, I pulled a muscle in my lower back Saturday night while helping an inebriated woman and not bending at the knees) and just about everything else...but I was jogging like a champ (a stinky champ...but a champ nonetheless) and made it just in time for them to let me on the plane. As luck would have it...the only seat left on the full flight...was on the front row with plenty of leg room. How's that for Karma giving me a high five?Then I flew home, took a shower, and basically started typing out this thing. Now I'm probably going to go take a nap or something, since you're all caught up. Also, please say a little prayer for Bubbles and Barbie, who was sick this morning when we were leaving...so it very well may have not been the drinking at all that led to the ER visit...as originally suspected. Maybe I was a good watchdog. Who knows? So yeah, please send them well wishes in your thoughts...and send out a few to all the people that you care about too. They deserve it. Have a great day everybody!!!
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