Mark's Blog and Taco Too!

Just a quick update…

2010-07-09T11:58:00.001-05:00

Personal note…

First, I just got back from vacation. I went with Anthony, Meriel and Rebecca to Seattle. Seattle is where Meriel is from. It was a really fun trip and I met most of Meriel’s family. There are too many to name, but they were all great and fun. There were two (cousins) that I really enjoyed hanging out with, which were Maxx and Christa. Maxx is the “life of the party” personality. He is a DJ (both in Seattle and Vegas) and he is really good. We went out to a club one night where he was DJing (it’s a word now) and had a blast. Plus, there were Smokin Hot Asian girls EVERYWHERE. Christa is married to a Marine and is currently living in Okinawa. She has two great kids. She was home for the summer. She is funny and was a blast to hangout with.

Seattle is a cool place to visit, but don’t think I could live there. We got on the plane in DFW and it was about 85 degrees…at 7 am! We got off the plane in Seattle at 10am (their time) and it was 60 degrees. Really? It’s July! I was freezing my ass off. Thank God I packed a fleece to wear. It was overcast and rainy most of the days, but everything was green. Really green! Very scenic. It kind of reminded me of Pittsburgh in the neighborhoods.

Professional note…

Well, it is official today. The good news is I got a promotion at work. The bad news is I now have to move to Bentonville, Arkansas. It actually is pretty nice there in most places, but it is Small Town USA. I am really going to miss the hustle of Dallas. Conveniently, I will be visiting my friends there often (5 hour drive).

So my new title is Senior Manager Support Non Store Operations for Health & Wellness Division. I know a mouthful. It will be the first time in 14 years I will not be in Asset Protection. I have made the transition from a support field to operations. My new role is very exciting, with things I already do and new responsibilities. A primary responsibility will be managing Environmental Compliance for all 7 facilities. I already have vast experience with this, so it won’t be that much of a change for me. I will also be responsible for managing Capital Expenditures (outside of Maintenance) and Inventory alignment for the buildings. Additionally, (and what I am most excited about) I will be involved as a project manager as we build new Fill facilities. All in all, very excited.

I can’t help to be reflective. When I was married, I passed on several opportunities because she didn’t want to move from Columbus. The first couple of times I brought up the subject, I took tongue lashings. I eventually just quit telling her about them. Since I have been free, I have made the most of the opportunities presented to me. If you think about it, it’s kind of ridiculous. I have moved from a single facility AP manager, to a multi facility AP Manager to a Senior Manager is less time that I spent as an hourly supervisor. I still feel “behind” in the game. But, everything happens for a reason. Maybe I was meant to go through what I did to be a stronger person now in this situation. Who knows? But I am happy.

Moving to Bentonville won’t be as bad as when I moved to Dallas. At least this time I know people where I am going. And I can always go back and visit my friends it Big D…

New Blog Design...

2010-06-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

So, what do you think?

Holy Snikies….

2010-03-11T12:27:00.001-06:00

It dawned on me a couple of days ago it has been months since I have posted to the blog. I would like to say that I have been so busy in my life that I haven’t had the opportunity to post anything. Albeit, there is a measure of truth in that statement, it isn’t entirely accurate. Frankly, I haven’t really felt there was anything really exciting to report. In reality, there still isn’t anything interesting to report but I now at least have several months of random mundane stuff to talk about.

Let’s start with Professional…
My job has been great and I really am enjoying it. I found out this week that I received the APM of the year award again for my group. Now, this news comes with some mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am honored to receive this for the third year in a row. It is great that the sacrifices I make and the work I do is noticed and appreciated. On the other hand, my peers are just as capable, make as many sacrifices and work as hard (probably harder-after all, I am inherently lazy). They are equally deserving of this award. I guess I humbly accept the award on behalf of all our successes.

Most of the past three months I have dedicated my time to the newest building I support (and if you are counting, yes, I am up to 6 now – 5 official and 1 unofficial). It is our Central Fill Pharmacy in Houston, Texas. I have now been to Houston WAY more that I ever wanted. The traffic there is bad. I know, you’re thinking “can’t be THAT bad”. Oh yes, my friends, it is indeed THAT bad. I would say it is 10 times worse than Dallas (which is horrible). I have been in California stopped on one of their parking lots they coyly describe as a freeway. There is NO difference. One evening at 5 o’clock it took me 1 hour to go 8 miles on FM1960, which is about 20 miles north of the outer-outer belt. Now imagine what downtown is like. But I digress. The building is up and running (although still in testing). Once ISD has worked all the bugs from the code, we will go full board. The computer geeks will enjoy this, last week testing was scaled back because of an ISD issue. In their coding they failed to incorporate correct code for three (or two or even 1 digit) store numbers. They were only prepared for four digits. So when the first 3 digit store number came in, the system hacked off the leading zero and then couldn’t recognize it as a legitimate store. For all of you who know me well…I am thinking of monkeys and footballs. Anyways, it is smother now and starting to run like a normal building.

I have also been dealing with a large construction project in the Carrollton building. On one side of the building we are putting in a regional office for Dallas AND a divisional office for Texas. Now the regional office isn’t so bad, 1 VP and a few senior managers. But the divisional office will have 1 SVP with little VPs running around. We’ll have brass wall-to-wall going forward and all walking past our department everyday. Awesome!!!

For the most part, work is good and I am really enjoying it right now.

Now for personal…
As most of you are probably aware by now I have moved out of my apartment. I am now sharing rent with my friends (they are a couple – Anthony and Meriel) in a house on the north side of Dallas near the racetrack…err, I mean the North Tollway. The house is awesome and Ant/Mer are great housemates. Anthony’s Uncle owns the house and it is something like 3400 square feet. The left side of the house has the four bedrooms. Ant and Mer are in the master bedroom (they are the couple and seemed logical). They have a cute little Min-Pin who gets along great with Taco. They are like fric and frac. The next room is the “boys” room. Before you say it, yes a ten pound (or maybe a little closer to 11) Chihuahua and a 10 pound Min-Pin have an entire room they stay in when we are gone. No comments…you all already know I am a little unbalanced when it comes to Taco. Next is the guest bedroom. So if anyone wishes to visit, we have a place for you to stay now. Well, it doesn’t actually have a bed in it yet, but we are working on it. The final bedroom is the “hen house”. You’re probably thinking “what the…” Well, Anthony and I have our big screen TV’s in the living room next to each other. And on occasion we play video games online (yes, two TVs and Playstations. We play online games and are always on the same team. So, while everyone else is playing against or with other players across the world…Ant and I are literally sitting right next to each other. It’s a little sad and TOTALLY awesome!). Because of this, Meriel needed a room she could “escape” to. Which, Ant and I dubbed the “hen house”. Catchy, I know (the men are laughing now and the women are shaking their heads). My room is the only room that is upstairs and is located on the complete opposite side of the house as these rooms. My room was designed to by like a game room. It is pretty big and has its own fireplace, full bath, closet and wet bar. Now tell me that doesn’t sound like the bachelor pad from heaven.

Anthony and Meriel were great friends and this has only gotten better as housemates. We get along great and the arrangement has worked out for all. It still amazes me how life can take such drastic changes. At the time, you only think about the negative impact of that change and fail to realize the potential of positive impact. I keep thinking if it weren’t for all the things that happened a couple of years ago, I probably wouldn’t be in Texas, enjoying my job and have such wonderful friends (this includes Rebecca- we don’t see her as often since she is further away now).

Oh, I have to tell about my upcoming trip. Meriel’s family (mother side) is from Seattle. We all decided to go for a visit over the 4th of July Holiday (our trip is from the 1-5). I have never been and always wanted to go. We will stay with her family and have been talking about all the things we want to do (one of which is a “Duck” ride tour. It is one of those WWII amphibious crafts. The tour starts in downtown and literally finishes IN the water at a nearby lake). But the biggest joy I got so far for this trip was booking the flights. Now, most of you are saying “you’re kidding.” Nope, I am not. I have been flying so much I am now a Gold Elite member for American Airlines. And I have been racking up points like crazy (elite points to boot). I costs 25,000 miles for a domestic one-way flight. Since I have elite points, I was also able to get Business/First flights for 25,000 each. So, I used 50,000 points to book my flight out and back. After checking my seats…I’m in First Class baby. All those agonizing business trips finally paid off.

I now have a female interest. Albeit, the relationship is still in its infancy (we have only talked on the phone to this point). Her name is Gina and she is about my age (don’t know for sure, but am working on that). She is about a foot shorter than me (what am I saying…everyone is down here). She has blonde hair, dark eyes and a petite frame. AND, she is damn cute. I’ve known her for a little while; she worked at my unofficial building in Carrollton. Well, up until last week. She was part of the latest round of cuts and was laid off. I saw her in the building again last week and asked someone if she was single (my observation skills already determined there was no ring or outline of a ring). They stated they did not know. To my horror, they then proceeded straight back to her and said “hey, Mark was asking if you were single. I didn’t know!” When they told me that was what they did my thought was “Holy shit, you did WHAT? “ What came out of my mouth was “oh!” Thankfully, her response was to get a piece of paper to write her name, number and (in parenthesis) the word “single”. So, after getting the knot out of my throat and collecting my…well, let’s just use the word gumption…I called her the next day. I chose the next day to not seem desperate, which I hoped worked. We have a lot in common. She would rather go to an art festival than to a club (dancing- to which she stated she hates…at a girl) and prefers wine to beer. My kind of girl. She was married once and has a 13 year old girl. Not sure how to feel about that. I am glad she only has one child as apposed to four. But, I would have rather it been a boy. Obviously, with not having kids myself I have no experience. But, if it were a boy I at least have my childhood to pull from. Plus the experience from having two older brothers that tormented me as a youth. Brothers…I’m just kidding. Well, I mean sort of kidding. No, just playing…you all were great brothers. Now that I have had many years to forget the tormenting…lol. I crack myself up. But, I digress. The fact that it is a girl…well, I have no frame of reference. And quite frankly, that scares me. A little. Nevertheless, that will be a bridge I may or may not have to cross and will deal with it then. We have our first official date next Friday. I am starting to plan for it tomorrow. Lol. When we first talked over the phone she said “I didn’t think you even knew who I was or noticed me.” To which I responded that I had, in fact, noticed her (pushing down dirty thoughts) and always enjoyed our usually brief conversations in the past. Isn’t it amazing, that I am 39 years old and still don’t notice when women find me interesting. Before you say it, yes that is my keen investigation skills coming out. Boy, I can see right through a liar who is stealing from our company and turn their words on them. But let it be a woman in my personal life trying to let me know they are interested and I can’t see my hand for my face. She could have flashed me and I would have thought “hum that is weird!” Lord God!!!

I know this post is long and has turned into an exercise akin to reading The Art of War, but I have one more topic. Hang in there, I have faith in you.

I have one new hobby, which when you hear about it you are going to think “you have got to be kidding me.” I am not and if you think about it I am uniquely qualified for this role. It first started out as doing a little surveillance work for a different project. Coupled with the knowledge of what I went through with my Ex-wife, a friend at work approached me with a problem they are having in their marriage. You guessed it. He has been suspecting for sometime that his wife isn’t being faithful to their vows. Initially, he sought me out and began confiding information to me in hopes of getting advice from someone who has been through a spousal affair. Ironically, as he is telling me concerns I started to notice they were the same ones I experienced. Some included his wife pulling away from him, dressing different and more proactive (in his case she actually got new boobs) and being very secretive (especially with her text messages – HUGE red flag). She has been staying at a female friend’s house (under the story she needs help with her kids) and then comes home the next day hung over. So, I have been advising him as I would have wanted someone doing for me. First, we are going to put a “spy” program on their computer that will capture email, screen shots and has a Key Stroke Recorder. However, I don’t have hope this will revel much useful data but we have to check. The biggest problem is her text messaging. She is being very secretive about these and is up at all times at night texting. He finally inspected the phone last night only to see that EVERY single text (both sent and received) was deleted (Huge red flag- note to any potential cheaters…It is good to delete your evidence, but not every single text. This makes you look guiltier. Only delete the “bad” texts and leave the rest. This way it will look normal. She apparently is a member of the 80% from my theory). Now, unfortunately for her she has forgotten a critical piece of information. All of their phones are under one account and you guessed it…under HIS name. So, in the next couple of days he will be contacting his cell provider for transcripts of text messages for all of his phones under his account. In addition, there is an event that she is going to that she has made very clear to him that she doesn’t “need” him there. It would be a week long trip (sound familiar).

Now, I did some research and I have yet another reason to LOVE Texas. In this state, you can file for divorce for adultery. This is what he has asked me to help him prove. So, the next time she visits her “friend” for an overnight stay…there will be a lurker outside with a very large zoom lens. He is done, but they have one kid together. He wants to ensure he gets custody. For that to happen, he is going to need to prove adultery. If from all the bad I went through I can help just one person I will feel better. And who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a brand new business venture for me. God knows there are plenty of potential clients out there.

And this note is just for Mom and Dad…Yes; I will be very careful and won’t get hurt. I promise. Don’t worry. Lol

I do have a trip planned for Ohio (visit to my building there) in April from the 6th to the 9th. I would love to schedule a get together with everyone during if all schedules permit.

That is it for now. If I write anymore I will have to get this copyrighted. Lol

Take care…

My trip to Arkansas (or Mecca)...

2009-06-12T15:46:00.002-05:00

So, I participated with the security detail for the Board of Director's meeting for WM. My job for most of the week was anti-climatic. The team I helped was the Executive Protection Support Team. Executive Protection handles personal security for Executives and Board Members. The Support team helps them, primarily with drivers. So, their were 6 drivers and 2 command post workers. The command post was set up in the hotel where the Board members stayed and was the base of operations. I was one of the two that manned the command post. Since I was the FNG (military will get this immediately), I was the one watching it over nights. 6pm to 6am. I know, sucks. Although, I had to have been the highest paid night watchman in the entire country that week. Our job was to help coordinate the drivers movements and document them. We were also responsible for manning the IP phone system set up in the hotel for the members. Plus, all the little things that needed to be done. Not too bad if you worked during the days. Absolutely boring if you work at night. And for someone like me who likes to be on the move when I am at work, it was killing me.

On the up side, I did get to meet a lot of people and most of the board members, to include Sam's son and current Chairman. He was exactly as I expected. Not very flashy, very personable and very intelligent. I have worked for the company now for 13 years and this was the first time I have met a member of the "family". It was a great experience for that alone.

I was also able to attend the Shareholder's meeting (more like a concert mixed with the occasional meeting items) on Friday. I was attached to the security detail that escorted the Board Members in and out of the arena. They had great seats (in front of the stage to the right) and I was able to sit behind them during the meeting. Probably the best seat I will ever get at the meeting. Unless, of course, I ever land an executive job...might happen...just saying.

So, in between pesky business stuff...we had several performances. Ben Stiller was the host. He was extremely funny (his first joke was "man, you guys get up early (meeting started at 7am)...Target is still a sleep". That got a great response from the crowd) and I think he was really excited to be there. I don't think he has ever experienced something like that before. In between his on stage parts he would come down to the tunnel right next to where I was sitting. He was taking pictures of Miley's and Smokey's performances. He is also a fairly short dude. I saw Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (for you who don't know they are members of the band called Kiss). Apparently, they are serious share holders. Gene, is NOT a small dude. Actually, he is a VERY tall man. To the performances...First was some Latin singer. She sounded OK, but she was smoking hot. The Latin American Associates really enjoyed her performance, especially the new associates from Chile. Close seats paid off here. Then Kris Allen (American Idol winner) performed. Good, little guy. Then Miley Cyrus performed. Close seats paid off again. She is entirely to hot to be only 16. I actually feel ashamed for even saying that. She was very good, however. Then Michael Jordan made an appearance. And the final act was Smokey Robinson. Not really my thing, but was good. His last song was a duet with Kris Allen. Which is what set up my claim to fame, which is I about "took out" the American Idol winner. Yes, sadly it is true.

My assignment after the meeting was to trail the board members who were being escorted through backstage to a back door that takes them directly to their bus. I was also charged with carrying the Sr Liaison to the Board's (Mike) bag. Big and heavy. I was some distance behind the board members trying to catch up. When out of nowhere one of Smokey Robinson's band members cut across straight in front of me. In my effort to dodge him and step out of his way, my right shoulder and the very heavy bag hits Kris Allen. Now Kris is a little guy. This moved him and I don't mean in an emotional way. The ironic part was Kris immediately apologized to me. Why I have no idea, because it was clearly my fault. I immediately told him "No, no...it was my fault...I apologize." I think he is really a nice guy. We'll see how long that lasts in show business. I kind of wished I had run into Miley. I would have asked for her autograph for Abby.

I can't help but think I have wasted my claim to fame. Oh well....

All in all, it was a good experience. However, I will not be doing it again. It put me way to far behind in my real job and I am way to high of a pay band to be doing that job. The company could have saved money by having a store APA or equivalent do that job. Apparently, my boss agreed because he told me this week not to do that assignment anymore. I was happy because it gave me an "out".

Well, until the next post, which will probably be June 25. That is my official anniversary. I will have been in Texas for a year and will be an Official Texan...Long live the Republic... lol.

That's funny...I don't care who you are.....

Happy anniversary.....Blog!

2009-05-23T10:31:00.004-05:00

I am a little nostalgic! As of the 21st, this blog is now a year old. I will have been in Texas in a month. It is amazing how quickly a year goes. As you all know, prior to this move I had some rough times. I will probably (based on how life goes) will have more rough times to come. But I am thankful for a GREAT family and GREAT friends (both new and long lasting).

I guess, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have supported me and love me. I love you all very much.

Hopefully this next year will be even better and you will all hear about it in my "electronic" diary.

Take care, Mark...

Las Vegas trip......

2009-05-05T16:52:00.004-05:00

Here are some random pictures from my Vegas trip. Fun was had by all.

Love this picture of the Paris Casino...

Mike doing his best Vito Corleone impression from the original Godfather movie. Funny...

Everyone enjoying GREAT Mojito's and Fuente House cigars at the Casa Fuente Cigar bar inside the Ceaser's Forum Shops. Have absolutely no idea where Kim is....and before you say it, she is not the one behind the camera. That was the hot, barely clothed Casa Fuente Waitress....:)

First night at Margaritaville in the Flamingo and, appropriately, we were all drinking Margaritas....well, except Scott. Lori was still in transit at this point...

I really enjoyed my trip and it was great to see everyone...until next time.

Casa Fuente...

2009-04-26T15:30:00.000-05:00

A fine Corona (house), a peach mojito and a barely clothed hot
waitress...love Vegas!

Vegas baby...

2009-04-26T07:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm on my way to Sin City and already had two "hickups"! First,
I got Taco to the pet hotel too late to drop him off. Thankfully Benny
was there! Crisis diverted!

Second, I decided to get to the airport early to see if I could get an
upgrade. I can't because I purchased the cheapest ticket on the
planet! I might have been able to if I was a Gold Advantage member,
but I just barely missed that qualification last year! I am a third
the way there this year so far!!! Maybe next year. I digress...it was
a good thing I did get here early because they changed my gate ( and
terminal, for that matter)!

All good now and I'm ready for Vegas!

I did get word, I will be working for Special Services on the Board of
Director's Meeting! The third quarter meeting was suppose to be in
Rio, Brazil, but it was cancelled. :(. Apparently, the company didn't
want to in the current economic climate. So, I will have to wait for
next years meetings for an overseas visit!

Well, gotta go..........

I am the "TOKEN" white guy.....

2009-04-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

I bet you are dying to know what this post is about....

I feel the need to do a little explaining first... So we all live in a
world with racism and with that a need for Diversity Inclusion.
Which, of course, means employers must focus on hiring a diverse work
force. Now, in a perfect world it wouldn't matter what your race,
creed or color is...you would be hired on your ability and the rest
wouldn't matter (great concept...right?). Unfortunately and obviously,
this isn't a perfect world and racism does still exist. Which is why
we have- and need - Diversity Inclusion. Which is what my friend,
Meriel, does for work. Which might be how we got on this topic to
begin with....

So, we (and by we, I mean Antz, Meriel, Rebecca and myself) were
having our weekly "noodles" night (at a vietnamese resturant called I
Love Pho next to my apartment...btw, I am really bummed about missing
that the next two weeks) and discussed our ethnic descents. Now
Meriel is of Asian descent. Rebecca is half white and half Hispanic
descent. Anthony is of Asian descent...actually after listening to
his family tree he is of "everything" descent! To include a full
fledge Italian. Me, however...well I am as much of a white boy as a
white boy can be a white boy (I don't care who you are...that was
funny).

So, at the conclusion of our conversation last night...Rebecca
declared me the "token" white guy of our little friend group. In true
Diversity fashion.

So, now, in line with the many coloful adjectives I answer to...I will
also answer to "token white guy"......

Going ons......

2009-04-09T12:32:00.003-05:00

Well, let me start with the history making event that took place last night with the Columbus Blue Jackets making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. And to all you Blue Jackets fans...you're welcome. Because (obviously) it took me moving out of state and about 1000 miles away for them to accomplish this task (oh, and FINALLY firing Doug McClain had something to do with it as well). To top it off, it took a defenseman who never participated in an overtime shootout to sink the game winner. That is truly in Blue Jacket's style....

Things are going really well for me here both personally and professionally. I have been hanging out with Antz, Meriel and Rebecca on a pretty regular basis. We enjoy going out to see one of Meriel's friends band. They are really good. Then we usually come back to my apartment to play Guitar Hero. Because, as you may or may not know, Guitar Hero is for those of us who wish we were Rock Stars, but don't actually have talent to play real instruments....

The three of us are planning a trip to San Antonio in May. We are going to stay near the river walk, go to Sea World and visit the Alamo. It should be a fun trip. I'll have blog updates and pictures for it.

I am going to be really busy the next several weeks….
First, Curt is coming into town on Friday night and staying the weekend. I am planning on taking him for a tour of our Hooteresk (yes, just made that up) type restaurants. If all goes right, we should be able to eat 5 different times at 5 different restaurants all with scantily clad women servers/bartenders. God bless Dallas...

Second, on Monday morning when I take him to the airport, I will also be boarding a plane as well. I am traveling to Lake Mary, Florida again, but this time I plan on filling my open supervisor position. The personnel manager at that location has already pre-screened the 13 candidates and has narrowed the field for me (bless her). I hope I find what I am looking for. I will be traveling back home to Big D of Friday. As soon as I land I have to travel to my Carrollton facility to meet with a contractor who is giving us a bid on a new access system. Then I can collect Taco and go home and crash…

Third, I am going with Antz, Meriel and Rebecca to what is called the Scarborough Festival (which is basically a Renaissance Fair) on the Saturday after I get back. Then I have on day to relax (Sunday) because…

Forth, I am traveling to Arkansas on Monday to meet with the AP Team to accomplish some rather large projects we have been working on. I’ll be driving this time (bummer) and will be there until Thursday. I then have that Friday and Saturday to relax because…

Fifth, I will be boarding a flight to Las Vegas on Sunday morning for a well deserved and earned vacation. I will get to see a few of you and help Mike celebrate him slipping into Old Age….Also, I have every intention of visiting Case De Fuente to buy/smoke some fine cigars, partake in some really good Mojito’s and get my picture taken with the scantily clad Fuente Girls. Good bless Vegas….

So that is my April and will be “slightly” busy… Take care, Mark.

Oh, I just found out I may be working for EP (Executive Protection) for when the Board of Director’s meet for their board meetings. I would be working in the command post essentially “dispatching” the board member’s drivers when they need ground transportation. My boss has to approve it. This would be a really cool job and I would get to do it 4 times a year. Plus, it would give me great company contacts…..

Rock Star.....

2009-03-03T21:45:00.006-06:00

OK, I know you all were desperately waiting to see me in my first Rock Star performance on Lead Guitar...

Enjoy....

Warning up...

High point of the song and RIGHT after her high kick...just funny.

Guitar solo...

Our drummer...

And the Lead Singer....

Just too fun. Like I said...Alcohol, friends and video games. Right up my alley....

Update.........

2009-02-23T16:26:00.002-06:00

Well, I have been very busy, but very much enjoying myself. Not even sure where to start...I guess I will start with the newest news which comes from work.

I found out today that I won the Health and Wellness Division Asset Protection Manager of the Year for 2008. This is the same award that I won last year (I'm starting to feel like the Steelers with back-to-back accomplishments). I have to be honest, I was kind of expecting the award last year, but was not this year. So, this was a real surprise for me and I am a little "high on my horse" right now. It always feels great to be recognized for your accomplishments, especially when you work so hard and aren't sure you are making a difference. I finally feel like I am doing a job and a role that I was meant for. I only wish I had taken this step earlier in my career. But, hindsight is always 20/20.

I will be traveling to Lake Mary, FL next week for 3 days (March 4-6). I have to complete the Asset Protection Review for that facility and address a few problems that have come up. There is a real chance that one person in particular there will be exploring their employment opportunities based on my findings. It is never fun to term someone, but it is far easier when they are dishonest or unethical.

My personal life has been going very well. I have been hanging out with the oriental couple (Anthony and Meriel) that I met at the Cigar Shop. They invited me (and I went) to a Wii (Nintendo Gaming System) party. It was a BLAST... Basically, a bunch of people get together, drink, eat and play video games. Now tell me...Is that not right up my alley.... We played Mario Cart, Bowling and (my favorite) Rock Band. For you who don't know, Rock Band is a game where you can either sing, play guitar (and yes the controller for this looks and functions like a real guitar without the strings) or play drums. We had the most fun that night when we played this game. I was the Lead Guitar (of course), Anthony played the Bass Guitar, Meriel played drums (and she is really good at it) and Meriel's friend (who I might add is Asian, 30's, hot and single :) ) played as Lead Singer. Now, she can't actually sing but she was drunk. This, of course, allowed her to think she could and not know the difference. She got all into it...even high kicking her leg during our weak interpretation of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. Actually we all got into it way too much. You would have thought we were actually on stage performing...well, except for all the other people in the room laughing. It truly was the most fun I have had in one night for a while. Also, the party was at the apartment of a guy who works with Meriel at JCPennies. The apartment building was downtown (and I mean DOWNTOWN). He has his own parking garage under the building that is gate and fence controlled. He lives on the 17th floor and has an impressive view of downtown and their salt water pool. It was a VERY metro-urban apartment and it was VERY nice.

My diet has gone really well...although I miss hamburgers. When I decided to start I was back to 213 lbs. which is about 20-25 lbs to much for me. I am currently playing around 195-198. My goal was to get to 185-189, so I have 10 more pounds. After I get there, I then want to add 10 lbs of lean muscle. Now, since I am inherently lazy this will be difficult for me. But, I think I have found a solution. This Saturday, I am going with Anthony and Meriel to rock climb. Ahhh, indoors.... There is a facility here that caters to indoor rock climbing. Nothing else. This works well with my plans as I want to focus on upper body strength. And it is fun. If I like it (which I think I will), I plan to go every week. We will see.

Also I have been hanging with a new friend named Jaxie (it is short for Jacqueline). We watched the scariest movie I have seen in a while last night. I think it was called something like Quarantine. It was shot like the Blair Witch Project...first person camera. Creepy. Jax has only lived here for a few months. She is also deaf. Well, mostly deaf. She lost her hearing when she was young. She can speak and I can understand her 95% of the time the first time around. She is REALLY good with reading lips, which is good because I suck at signing. It's kind of cool when we are in the car, I have to keep the map light on and tilt my head a little to the right so she can see and read my lips. That's the only way we can have a conversation in the car. And for all of you who are wondering, we are only friends...at this point. :)

I also have been chatting with my neighbor (who owns the Pet Hotel and has a pack of dogs) Amy as much as humanly possible :). Very nice girl and is really interesting to chat with.

Well, I have rambled enough…Miss you all and love you all. Take Care, Mark.

Update...

2009-02-07T15:49:00.001-06:00

Well, things are going well. I took Taco to the vet on Wednesday. I had them do the K9 dental cleaning. As you know, they put them asleep for this. Daddy was REALLY worried all day. But, like the Trooper he is...he did just fine. Apparently, he was already missing 4 teeth. I guess that isn't unusual for small dogs to not get all their teeth. He did, however, have to get a tooth pulled on the top back left. I have to give him antibiotics for 10 days. Thank God it is in liquid form. He was a little lethargic on Friday so I went back to get some pain meds. Poor little guy... He is doing great today.

Just trying to relax today. I went out with Taylor last night to Sneaky Pete's to see that cover band. It really is amazing how good the are. They cover everything from CCR to Michael Jackson. And all VERY well sung. They pull a very diverse crowd...19 to 70 plus. Great time.

I'm going over to the Smoke shop. Anthony will be there, but his GF is in CA. Her uncle is in the hospital. I hope he is doing well, say a prayer for him. I think we might play a little Playstation tonight. We will see.

Work has been great, but very busy. I have another large theft case. It has required some '' stake out'' surveillance...I'm such like a secret agent...lol. Having a blast with it...

I would tell you all how ridiculously nice the weather is today, but nobody in the north (you yankies...) would find it amusing ...lol.

Miss and love you all...

Pictures...

2009-02-01T15:27:00.002-06:00

As promised...pictures of the new apartment...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157613242156914/

Also, please enjoy these pictures of Jerry Jones' Monument to the football gods. They are suppose to have the 2011 Super Bowl there...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157613207137135/

Later...

Random Thoughts...Sorry in advance

2009-01-26T22:25:00.003-06:00

This is the email I sent to everyone today about my address change without, of course, my address. If I missed anyone...I am sorry. Send me an email and I will send you my address....

For those of you who read my blog, I moved this weekend. I stayed in the same apartment community, but have gotten rid of enough crap to downsize to a one bedroom apartment. Ironically, this apartment is 12 square feet bigger than the two bedroom!! Basically, they took out the second bedroom and second bathroom. Then they made the rest of the living area bigger. Taco and I now have more room to play. I will be posting pictures on Flicker and my blog this weekend.

Also, I have met two single neighbor ladies. Both cute :) One is Kellie and she lives in a one bedroom by my old apartment and the other is Amy and lives next to my new apartment. Amy runs a pet hotel…imagine. I think I might use that one for Taco. They have web cams at her place so you can watch your dog when they are there. Cool... On top of that, it gives me an “in” with Amy. Kellie and I are supposed to “hang out” either this weekend or next. We’ll see how that goes. Oh, I also went out Saturday night with Anthony and Meriel (Asian couple I met at the smoke shop) and Taylor (a girl…she works at the smoke shop) to see a cover band at a place called “Sneaky Petes”. It is bar on the edge of Lake Lewisville (one of the larger lakes here). It is one of those bars on a lake where one side you can park your car and the other side you can park your boat (because everyone wants happy drunk boaters???). Ryan and Vicki, you guys would love this place. I had a blast. Also, I met one of Taylor’s friends who is in the Army and does the same job I did when I was in. He was drinking heavily because today he re-deployed to Iraq. I bought him two shots. I felt he was going to need them… I told him to keep his head down and eyes open. Nothing like walking around in an Iraqi town with C-4 and Dynamite strapped to your back… Oh…and Nicole called me on Sunday. A little weird, but it was good to here how she is doing. Apparently, she is having some medical problems. Oh…and I think Curt is coming down to visit for a couple of days in April (don’t worry Mike, it is before your birthday bash in Vegas…).

I actually have a beginning of a social life here…who knew. It only took me 7 months. I am supposed to go with the “smoke shop” people on Friday night to a place that is a huge bar/dance club and bowling alley. Not sure I would have mixed those two, but should be interesting to say the least…

I really miss “hanging” out with all of you and seeing you on a regular basis. But I have to admit, I am really enjoying living here right now. Maybe that will change, but it hasn’t yet. I was really apprehensive when I made the decision to take this job and move (a big one when you are making by yourself), but so far it has been really good. It kind of struck me on Saturday when I was talking with Kellie and she said “you know, you look really happy.” The comment took me back for a minute, but I responded with “you know, I really am.” Then I started thinking that I am happier right now then I have been for several years. I hope this doesn’t change anytime soon. I enjoy smiling.

I will be watching the Blue Jackets tomorrow. They need to do really well these next few games out of the break. Dad, you might actually see them in a playoff game…who knows.

Oh, and I am eagerly anticipating the Super Bowl. Especially down here where they hate the Steelers. They are beside themselves to think the Steelers will be the first team with 6 titles. I keep reminding the Dallas fans that we were the first team to win dual back-to-back championships and the first team to get to 4 Super Bowl wins (I also add that this feat was accomplished on the backs of the Dallas Cowboys…not once, but twice). And because of this “Glorious” history, we SHOULD be the first team to 6 wins. As you can imagine, this all goes over quite well with them. I usually have these conversations in well lit and crowded places, just in case. I now have talked so much shit that we HAVE to win or the comments will be endless. It is so much fun though…

Anyway, “long story short”… I know “too late

Been a while...

2009-01-18T15:57:00.001-06:00

I haven't posted in a while because, well quite frankly, I really haven't had a lot to talk about.

I am doing really good and have been busy with end of year grap at work. I wrote my self eval Friday (i will send it in on Monday). And, of course, it was a great eval. We will see if my former and current bosses agree. I think they will.

I have been enjoying the weather here. It is about 65 today and sunny sky. I know you in the north still don't find that funny. On a serious note, I think the constant sun has really helped my outlook on life. I miss everyone, but love it here.

I am moving apartments on Friday. Kind of weird, I am going to a one bedroom, but gaining 12 square feet and cutting my rent by 160 dollars. I just need to downsize now that I have gotten rid of a lot of junk from my former life. I also will only have to go up one set of stairs instead of two. Really looking forward to that... My new apartment looks over the dog park, which will be kool for Taco.

I am sitting at Cutie Pies waiting for the Steelers game. I think we will win. We will see...

Hope everyone is doing well...

Going Downtown today...

2009-01-03T11:27:00.001-06:00

Since it will be a high of 80 degrees today (that comment was for my northern friends), I decided to head into downtown via rail and play with the new camera. It is a beautiful day and what better way to enjoy it. I might head over to the art museum and see Tut. Will see.

Hope everyone is having a great new year...

Merry New Year...

2008-12-31T20:41:00.001-06:00

Love you all and I wish you, and I quote, 'a merry new year'.

I am going to the 'SkyBar' tonight...

Houston...the eagle has landed...

2008-12-28T03:05:00.000-06:00

On a warm planet this time. We are home and safe. Some final stats...I drove 2299 miles for the trip (doesn't count driving in C-Bus). I averaged 64 mph and total drive time there and back (moving) was 36 hours. Hoh-Ray...

Texas...

2008-12-27T23:29:00.001-06:00

Just crossed the border...I have been on the road for 15 hours now...still feeling pretty good. That power nap a few hours ago really helped. Taco is freakin trooper...

So...

2008-12-27T21:48:00.001-06:00

Taco and I decided to get back on the road at about 745 central. We are now past little rock & a VERY scarry gas station. We are making good time & feel good. No more storms...

Ran into really bad weather...

2008-12-27T17:49:00.001-06:00

And decided on some down time.

Wow that was quick...

2008-12-27T16:20:00.001-06:00

I am in Arkansas...home of the Wal-Mart machine.

Goodbye Tennessee...

2008-12-27T16:09:00.001-06:00

Hello missouri...at least for a bit.

Goodbye Kentucky...

2008-12-27T14:35:00.001-06:00

A fond farewell...and thank god I don't have to spend much time in Tennessee...because I will have to spend WAY to much time in Arkansas...

Update...

2008-12-27T13:28:00.001-06:00

I am west bound on the Wendell H Ford Western Kentucky Parkway about an hour or so from the state line.

Oh! I forgot...

2008-12-27T12:18:00.001-06:00

To say Hi to Aunt Jean & Stella...Hi!

Short cut...

2008-12-27T12:05:00.000-06:00

There is a new highway, Kentucky express way, that goes from south Louisville to Memphis. Meaning I get to bypass Nashville.. AWESOME...

Louisville...

2008-12-27T10:58:00.001-06:00

This post is for Carrie...this is our first official piss break... I know, TMI...

Gods country...

2008-12-27T09:09:00.001-06:00

I have crossed the blue grass line into the Great State of Kentucky. I also am being vigilant in watching for the unmarked Gastopo...

And so it begins...

2008-12-27T07:37:00.000-06:00

The 1008 mile trek back to Republic of Texas. I had a great visit and really enjoyed seeing everyone. I wasn't able to work out a visit with Ryan/Vicki or Herb, but there is always next time. I love you all and everyone always have a standing invite to Texas. And sis, I was glad we were finally able to celebrate the 'event'...

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-25T21:44:00.008-06:00

Or Happy Holidays, what ever you prefer.

Christmas day went well. Mom and Dad decided to show pictures of all of us growing up on the big tv. I thought that was a good idea until I started seeing me with ridiculously large glasses. Could have done without that...

The gift exchange went very well and was a lot of fun. I took a little over 500 pictures with the new camera (it has a speed shutter mode), but I decided to only load the very best ones.

Enjoy...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157611599819993/

Taco didn't come out un-scathed...Abbie and Mom just couldn't wait to get him into this...

As most of you know my brother likes to take pictures of himself with other peoples cameras. This time was especially great for him since my camera has a speed shutter feature. Enjoy...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157611600013229/

Was a very good day....

Apology...

2008-12-23T18:37:00.001-06:00

Some how two messages from my gmail inbox got posted to the blog. One was from Jamey with Zack's pictures. That email also contained everyones email addresses on the her distribution list. I deleted it off the blog to protect them. I will post Zach's pictures later, just not like that. Again, sorry.

Houston, the Eagle has landed...

2008-12-20T15:28:00.001-06:00

...and apparently this is a frozen planet. I don't care who you are, that's funny.

After an unscheduled pit stop...

2008-12-20T14:53:00.001-06:00

My new ETA is now 4:30.

Leaving Indiana...

2008-12-20T13:34:00.001-06:00

Finally leaving Indiana, thank God.......just kidding...luv ya G. Maybe next time I make this run, our schedules will permit me, you and Andy to meet for lunch.

Ohio...home of THE Buckeyes. Whom, unfortunately, are going to get killed by Texas. And more unfortunately, I am a vocal Buckeye fan living in Texas...you have no idea how much crap i'm going to take...

Garmin tells me I will be pulling into Mom & Dad's at 4:08, and she is never wrong...

Indianapolis...

2008-12-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

I am passing through Indianapolis right now. Home to the, an I quote (from my former boss who mentioned the Colts, Steelers and mediocre in a recent email. He, of course, must have been referring to the Colts as being mediocre. I mean he couldn't be referring to Gods team - The Steelers), mediocre Colts...

And before anyone tells me I am being to hard on Gaytanna (she's a Colts fan), we are 'fighting' because she called me Marcus...

Oh, and don't fire back with you all beating us..we let win........

Indiana...

2008-12-20T11:02:00.001-06:00

Just entered the great state of Indiana...uhhhh who am I kidding, it's Indiana. And that comment was specifically for Gaytanna...

Such a patient dog...

2008-12-20T08:40:00.000-06:00

Such a good traveler...i'm telling you I hit the K-9 lottery!

St. Louis...

2008-12-20T08:28:00.000-06:00

Taco and I decided to visit the Arch since we were passing right by it. But we are back on the road now...

Goodbye Fort Leonard Wood...

2008-12-20T05:26:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed this visit MUCH better than the one 19 years ago...
On to I 44 to St Louis...

Fort Leonard Wood...

2008-12-19T18:16:00.005-06:00

Taco and I are comfortably relaxing at the Candlewood Suites just outside of Fort Leonard Wood. We had a great day.

We stopped last night to get a little bit of rest at a truck stop. I put fleece blankets over all windows, reclined my seat and placed my motion detector alarm system on my chest (aka Taco). It was good and we got three or four good hours of sleep. We arrived in Fort Leonard Wood at 1pm.

I will be leaving at 5am on route to the Great State of Antartica...errr, I mean Ohio. Actually, they feel the same.

If you would like to see the other photos I took from Fort Leonard Wood, please follow this link...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157611357665111/

See you all later...

On the road again...

2008-12-19T09:14:00.000-06:00

I just can't wait to get on the road again...oh, never mind. Taco and I just back onto I44 for the last leg into Leonard Wood...

Taking a little break...

2008-12-19T06:03:00.000-06:00

We are tired...

Outside of Tulsa

2008-12-19T04:52:00.001-06:00

Well we are making good time. We have stopped at a Pilot Truck stop to shake a leg. Quite literally for Taco. We are now getting a quick bite to eat and will be back on our way. We are 56 miles from I44. Later...

I'm off...

2008-12-19T00:42:00.001-06:00

OK, so I couldn't sleep. I decided waste not want not, and left...at 0 dark thirty. I looked at Leonard Wood's web site and tomorrow...or today I guess...is graduation day. Imagine the timing. By the way Pat, we are no longer 12Bravos, we are now 21Bravos. Who knew. Well, of to the home of the Army Gods...yes Mike I am talking about those who occupy the Castle of Gold...the ENGINEERS...

Talk to you all later.

Christmas Trip...

2008-12-09T16:41:00.001-06:00

I have decided on my route for when I drive back to Ohio for the week of Christmas. I have decided to take a slight stroll down memory lane and end my first days travel at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (or for you Army folks, Fort Lost In The Woods, Misery – Pat will get that comment). I do hope the weather is not like the last time I was there in December – Our final field trip we had a foot of snow. Taco and I will be staying at the MainStay Suites about 2 miles from the post entrance in Saint Roberts, Missouri. I plan to leave Friday and arrive at the hotel by dusk on Friday night. On Saturday Morning, Taco and I will attempt to find my old training unit/building, visit the Engineer, Military Police and Chemical Regiment Museum and, of course, visit the Engineer Regiment Gift Shop (Pat – let me know if you want me to pick you up something). As you all know, it is very important to pay respects to one of the oldest AND most important Army Regiments. Because, and no need to explain this since it is common knowledge, the Army doesn’t move until the Engineers say it can move. Especially those Armor pucks… (Sorry Mike had to get that in). After my visit at the Army Garden of Eden, I will set out on Eisenhower Express Way (or I-70) in route to Columbus, Ohio. I do plan to stop in Indianapolis to have lunch/dinner with Gaytanna.

I will be sending updates as the trip progresses in the blog, so be alert. I am really looking forward to the trip and seeing everyone (either again or, if I missed you last time, for the first time since I left).

Take care…

Late Posting...

2008-12-09T16:22:00.001-06:00

These are the posts I wrote when I came to Ohio over Thanksgiving, but never got around to posting them…

November 24th…

So, Taco and I are sitting in DFW awaiting our flight to Indianapolis. I have become very efficient with air travel. Since I have Taco and am checking two bags, I decided to wait to check in here to see if there was an upgrade to First Class. There was. Let’s do the math. When I scheduled this flight, I was told that Taco would cost $150.00. I am checking two bags, so (in AA world) that is $15 for the first and $25 for the second. So, aside from the ticket price, it was going to cost me $190.00 extra dollars to flight with the rest of the commoners… So, imagine my surprise when I found out an upgrade to First Class only cost $70.00. The beautiful part is that the bag check fees are waived. So it really only cost me $30.00. Then I go to the ticket counter to pay for Taco and she tells me it is only $100/00. Apparently, it is cheaper to carry a dog if you are rich than if you are poor. LOVE THIS COUNTRY… So, it cost me $170/00 to fly First Class with Taco. A $20.00 savings. You can’t make this shit up…

Taco has a new pill for this flight. A tranquilizer… We went to the animal doctor on Saturday so he could get his year booster shots. I, at the same time, both feel sorry and entertained every time I take him to the vet. I can’t explain how he absolutely loves to cross the threshold of the door to their office. He reminds me of those cartoons where the animals pull out their claws and try to “dig” in to something to keep from going somewhere. I have to drag him in with his claws “scraping” the ground. I feel bad for him, but it is damn funny. This time he had to get blood drawn for a worm test, two booster shots and his claws clipped. I have to be honest; I am not sure which part he hates worse. He was pretty calm when the doctor took his blood, although he immediately began licking the area as soon as we let him go. After he stopped he looked at me like “what did I do to you….” Then came the physical exam, which he did very well with. Next were the two booster shots. Now, Taco now knows what shots look like and about when they are going to happen. He’s not dumb. As soon as the doctor picked up the first syringe, Taco tried to make a “break” for it. I, however, was prepared for this move and quickly countered. Caught… Back on the table he went and “manned” up for his shots. Then came the nail clipping. For those of you who know Taco knows how he overprotects his paws. He REALLY doesn’t like his nails clipped. I believe to him it is akin to how I view the prostate exam. Although I don’t “fight” it. I actually had to hold his body and head so the doctor could finish. When we were done Taco literally jumped into my arms as if to say “Uncle, Uncle” or “enough, I sorry for whatever I did.” Now when he gets shots in his neck, it causes him to want to itch the area, but he can’t actually reach the area. So when we were walking out of the building his instincts were still trying to itch this area while be were walking. So, imagine if you can, as he was walking his right hind leg was completely off the ground, but constantly moving as if he was scratching. He wasn’t because he can’t reach it and the rest of his limbs were trying to walk. So, three legs are propelling him forward, his right leg off the ground and moving at the speed of light near his shoulder and his head turning every so often to reach back to the shot location to lick it. All while moving forward. I felt so sorry for him, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Truly one of the funniest thinks I have seen him do. Well, back to where I starting this tangent, I told the doctor about him flying and they gave me a tranquilizer pill to give him. It is now 6:20 and I will give him one quarter of one pill in ten minutes. I hope it helps him to sleep through the flight. We will see.

Talk to you all later…

November 29th…

Ok, so I was not able to connect to the internet to post the above previous post. As it turns out, I am again sitting in an airport awaiting my flight. However, I am now waiting for my flight home to Texas. Unfortunately, I was not able to get an upgrade this time. I now must sit in the back of the plain with the rest of the commoners…

I still am feeling a little under the weather. I, apparently, am now a wuss and can’t handle the cold weather. I am fairly sure I have a full blown sinus infection. Thankfully, I have the rest of tonight and tomorrow to recover before I have to go back to work. I have to travel to Fayetteville, AR on Tuesday and Wednesday for work. I think they will appreciate it if I wasn’t coughing on them the whole way.

I really enjoyed seeing everyone. I did miss Ryan/Vickie and Curt/Erin this time, but we will fix that when I come back for the week of Christmas. I am going to send out an email the week before and try to “schedule” everyone.

Cold Front...

2008-11-19T12:37:00.002-06:00

As you may or may not know, our world in North Texas (specifically Dallas) came to a screeching halt this past weekend. This, of course, was due to the massive cold front that swept into the area on Saturday morning. We all hung up our flip flops and shorts for our winter parkas... I noticed a sizable increase at local grocery stores where frightened citizens were stocking up on all the necessary items to sustain life during a prolonged crisis event. On Saturday the temperature plummeted to a low of 36 and a high of an unbelievable...

Are you ready for this...?

The further north you are the less funny this will be...

A high of 59 degrees.

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE THINKING… How do people sustain themselves with such cold temperatures? However, we are fighters here and some how managed to get by…

Now this would be funnier if it weren't actually true. I know, pathetic. Remember, in Texas a morning low of 36 is the equivalent of all of you waking up to 6 inches of snow with the degrees in the teens.

Y’all will be happy to know that everything is back to normal now with a high of 74 degrees… I’m sorry, what is the weather up there??? I know, I am going to pay for that comment…

I have been really busy at work. Two of my locations are under performing (operationally) and at best are going to downsize and worst be closed. This means I have to decide on reduction of staff. This, of course, is a polite way of saying i’m going to have to can people for reasons they don’t directly control. It is odd that when I fire someone for not performing, theft or integrity I actually feel like I accomplished something good. And in some ways even good for them. But reducing staff to help make an operation profitable is something else completely. I'm still uncertain how this makes me feel. I will have to let you know that later...

Nothing especially exciting to report. I have been seeing and talking to Megan a little less each week. I believe this is beginning to flame out. Since our age difference and business/social lives are VERY different we really only have two things in common. One is conversations and the other I will leave to your imagination. I am at a point of exchanging emails with a women I met on E-Harmony, but that is too soon to tell anything. I still have a few “usual” hangouts that I like going to. One is the Restaurant/Bar in Grapevine that is similar to Hooters. My favorite radio station and radio DJ have a “weekend” party there every Friday from 7-9. There is always a “theme” and Friday’s is a Bikini Spelling Bee. Lets face it, a spelling bee can ONLY by entertaining if it has “of age” girls in bikinis.

Well, that is it for now. I am excited to see everyone that I can when I am back in Ohio for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

My Civic Duty...

2008-11-04T19:59:00.001-06:00

Back-to-back blog postings aren’t you lucky…

Since this is my blog and I am assuming you are going to read to the end, you are forced to listen to my rants… :)

I voted today. This after I had a great debate in my mind whether I should actually go and vote. I have to admit, it was a brilliant debate. Especially me…errr…Both of me s…errrr… or both of I s, or what ever…

My major concern was that all of the candidates are completely worthless and probably don’t deserve to be running for this high of office let alone actually winning it. I truly am terrified by the prospect of any one of them. Barrack and John, one is part of the problem and the other doesn’t have the experience to run a convenience store. Joe and Sarah, one is REALLY part of the problem and the other doesn’t have the experience to run a convenience store. Don’t even get me started on the nut running for the Libertarian Party. At least Sarah has one thing going for her…she is smoking hot. I briefly thought I might as well vote based on who I thought looked better since this is nearly as good as voting for merit. But I talked myself out of that. So I did what I have done in most elections I have voted in. I choose the candidate that I thought would screw things up the least. Yes, I voted for the lesser of the two evils. Now, I am not going to tell you who I voted for, because, quite frankly, that is personal and should stay that way.

Instead, I am going to rant on what is broke. I see all this media attention on how we need a better President and the country needs to change. The ironic part is that the Presidency isn’t what is broken, nor does the country need to change. The government needs to change and, actually, of the three branches, the Presidency probably functions the best. You could argue that the Judiciary isn’t functioning well either. I don’t care what party you lean, no judge should re-write a law to serve any agenda (this includes conservative judges as well). All judges should be strict constructionists and use extreme caution when rendering interpretations of existing laws. Even as progressive as Thomas Jefferson was, our judicial system is NOT what he envisioned. However, clearly the problem lies with the House and (particularly) the Senate. It was after decades of corruption that finally caused the implosion of the Roman Empire and it is likely due to their elected officials. History has a tendency to repeat itself when we are unable to correct our mistakes…

So…

I have a dream…(no a different dream). I dream of an America where my children (yeah, like that is going to happen) will vote in an election where there is a real (and by real I mean not crazy like Perot or just plan weird like the Green Party candidate a few elections ago), viable and strong third party candidate (call it the Centrist Party) that represents the true majority. Let the right wing and the left wing people have their parties where the Democrats can continue their goal of a socialist state and the Republicans can continue to mix way too much religion into politics and drunken spending. But please have a party that knows when to have social programs and when to remove them when they do not achieve their results. Where they will focus on fiscal responsibility and finally get this spending machine that is our national budget under control. And know that the power really does lie with the people when they really put their creative minds and spirits into the process.

Stop laughing at me…I told you it was a dream.

Finally a new post...

2008-11-03T18:44:00.004-06:00

OK, so I haven’t posted in a while. I have still been busy and, of course, a wee bit lazy…

I would like to start with the Texas State Fair which ended a couple of weeks ago. I went twice and I have to say was unimpressed. A state this size, I was expecting more. They have the fair around the Cotton Bowl. This is probably because the parking structure is already in place. Speaking of the Cotton Bowl, I was also unimpressed. It looks MUCH bigger on TV and in far better shape than it actually is. I didn’t realize that the Dallas Cowboys used to play there until they moved into Texas Stadium in Irving in 1971. I guess that shouldn’t shock me that I didn’t know that since when they moved I was one year old… But I digress… The fair was really anti-climatic for me. Actually I thought Ohio’s fair was much better. And for you who have been to Ohio’s fair, you know that isn’t saying much.

The keystone to the Texas State Fair is Big Tex. He is, well…Big. And every now and then he says “howdy folks, welcome to the Texas State Fair.” He is sponsored by and (unfortunately for him) dressed in Wrangler Jean attire. Honestly, if I were from Texas it would be embarrassing. However, everyone seemed to be very taken with a twenty foot tall cowboy saying “Howdy.” All I could think of was Howdy Doody (or however you spell that puppets name). The overall adjective I have for this experience is…well, just odd.

I believe I told several or all of you that my manager is leaving me and has taken a new position with Optical Operations inside the Health and Wellness Division. This is mostly because they have split his current role into two Senior Managers. One Sr. Manager will be in charge of the Diversion Investigators, while the other will be in charge of the Optical Lab Facility Team and the Pharmacy/Optical Income Development Support positions. I really want the position that will be over the Lab AP Managers and would have liked to be included in the candidate pool. However, they are not going to allow me to post for this position because of two reasons. First, there is some ambiguity about what is my “time in position requirement.” Policy states that field associates are held to 6 months and Home Office associates are held to 18 months. So the basic question comes down to semantics, am I a Home Office associate placed in the field or am I a field associate who reports directly to the Home Office. Thus this presents problem number two, which is I don’t have “time in position” either way that falls (which it is looking like 18 months now…). So, for me to post for this position, the process will have to go as follows: 1. They post it. 2. Candidates apply. 3. They interview all who meet the minimum requirements. 4. They do not offer it to any of those candidates. 5. Then they open the position to persons who do not meet the “time in position” requirement. Which we all know that is never going to happen. So I am screwed for the next 13 months. This is OK since I really don’t want to leave Texas just yet. I am really enjoying it down here. Did I mention it is 85 degrees today… :)

Well, this past weekend I celebrated my 17th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Its fun staying 21 the rest of my life, and I glad I decided to do it…

As you may or may not know, a friend from Columbus decided to cut his yearly vacation to Phoenix short and come spend a few days in Dallas. Kevin got here Thursday evening and left Sunday late afternoon. It was really good to see him and was nice to have someone to hang with on my birthday weekend. We rented a few games for the Playstation and pretty much spent the evening playing football, golf and a “kill’em all game.” The following day he wanted to go to as many Hooters as possible, but I advised that he was in Texas. And in Texas, Hooters isn’t the highest quality dining establishment I would recommend. I told him that if he was looking for quality dining and, ummmm, fine décor that we would have to visit other establishments. However, that initially fell on deaf ears. As it turns out, for Hooters 25 year anniversary they are handing out “passports.” Which, if you are able to acquire 25 unique Hooter stamps in your “passport”, you are registered to win $25,000 dollars. After explaining this logic, it seemed completely reasonable to me to attempt to visit as many Hooters as possible in the Metro-plex. So, on Friday – Halloween, we began our quest at the nearest Hooters in Lewisville which has the hot coeds from the local universities working (woops, that was out loud, wasn’t it). We then visited the Irving, Arlington (north), Downtown Dallas, Addison and Grapevine Hooters. And, before you ask, no we did not eat at each Hooters. No one could survive eating at 6 Hooters restaurants in one day. However, there was an added bonus. If you recall from above, it was Halloween. This means the Hooter girls put down their boring old orange and white uniforms for hot and sexy Halloween costumes. So the bonus was we were able to see all of the Hooter girls in their various skimpy outfits. Completely worth the gas spent…

After our Hooters experience, I decided to show him his other options in this town as opposed to Hooters. I told him about the Wing House, but we didn’t go there. It basically is a COMPLETE rip-off of Hooters. It is exactly the same restaurant, theme, food items and even uniforms. The only difference is that instead of white top and orange shorts, they wear black on black. Not very unique. So, I decided to take him to the second best place, the infamous (and by infamous I mean because I posted about it previously) Twin Peaks. And yes, the name is a play on words. The main problem with this place is it has terrible food. However, the plus is they have really hot girls in even more skimpy uniforms. They are dressed like lumberjacks, well, I mean if lumber jacks were Playboy models who showed a lot of mid drift and leg. Not sure why you would want to see lumberjacks showing mid-drifts and legs. Come to think of it, that was a terrible analogy. I completely strike that sentence. They wear flannel half shirts with short shorts and boots. Of course, this was Halloween so they were wearing even less. I think Kevin appreciated the décor. Nonetheless, we did not eat there. If you want a Hooters-like experience with actually good food, you must go to Cutie Pies. Hot girls in half shirts, short shorts and cowboy boots with REALLY good barbeque food. Of course, I had to do all this research RIGHT before Kevin got here because I would have no idea about these places… Rushed that didn’t I… Oh well, a couple people might have bought it…

Later that evening, we decided the proper way to celebrate my birthday was to visit a couple of Gentlemen Clubs. After all, this is Dallas and when in Rome, well you know. So we decided to visit both ends of the spectrum. We went to Baby Dolls which is kind of like the “working mans” strip club. Not really a “rough” crowd, but you sure aren’t going to hear a “please” or “thank you” in this club. It was a nice time with the exception of the constant annoyance of playing one country music song after another. Most of you already know this isn’t my favorite genre, but they weren’t even playing hits…go figure. After we left there, we decided to hit a higher end club called the Spearmint Rhino. This is a spin off of the supposedly infamous club in Las Vegas. There were a lot of Benz, BMW and other expensive cars in the parking lot. I might add they were parked next to a tiny, very inexpensive Dodge Caliber. I valet parked. I could only imagine what that guy was thinking…”what am I suppose to do with this piece of …” I just smiled and took my ticket. This was a very interesting experience. We meet a girl who is supposed to be a Maxim Magazine model. She is supposed to be in the December issue. I will have to get that issue to see if she lied (as if I needed a reason). My bet is she did, although she was good looking enough to believe. She told me she turned Playboy down. That I didn’t believe… The only thing that really stuck in my mind about this place was the idiot who through a wad of money over the head of one of the dancers (it must have been fifty dollars in ones). Kevin and I looked at each other right after he did it with the same expression on our faces. You guessed it, we thought “what a moron with way too much money…” Clearly his brain activity had shifted south…

The next day we decided that since Kevin already kicked my ass in Playstation Golf, that we would go and actually play golf. (This next sentence is for all you Ohioans – even though it is nice today and tomorrow it will be could again after that) The weather was clear blue sky, 85 degrees and an ever so gentle breeze…did I mention that this is NOVEMBER. I love Texas… Don’t hate the player, hate where he lives. I don’t care who you are, that was funny. Now this is where I tell you how I soundly defeated Kevin in a complete route, since this is my blog and I can lie my ass off. Which is what that would be, since, in fact, Kevin beat me by two strokes…with rented clubs…after jet lag…and occasionally using my own clubs. I hate you Kevin…(just kidding). Really, he only used one of my clubs (the three iron), since he did not like the hybrid 3 in his bag. The first time he used it he hit it beautifully. This, of coursed, pissed me off. I immediately put a jinks on the club before he used it next, which surprisingly was very affective. So I didn’t release the jinks. The down side is I wasn’t hitting it well either and I’ve decided to blame it on the jinks. Logical, right?

When we were finished, I decided to go and hang out at the smoke shop and visit for a while. Kevin wanted to travel to Fort Worth and a little north to collect a few more Hooters stamps. I believe he collected 4 stamps in Columbus, 4 stamps in Phoenix and 12 stamps in the Metro-plex. He is now just 5 away from being disappointed because he didn’t win $25,000. What can I say, I’m an optimist.

We finished that evening and the next morning playing more games until his flight left. It was a really fun visit and hope that he does it again next year.

Now that I have finished my most recent essay…honestly, how many of you are tired after reading this? By the way you have read over 1970 words and over 10,700 characters. I bet you are thinking that is fifteen minutes you will not get back. I have checked with a local university and just by reading this, it grants you an honorary Doctorate in BS. It is from the Montgomery BS University. By the way, the BS doesn’t stand for Bachelors of Science…

Later.

Blue Jacket Game Visit...

2008-10-12T20:33:00.005-05:00

I am really sorry for not posting something sooner, but have been really busy.

I want to start this post with my visit this weekend with Kim and Mike. I really appreciated them coming down to see me. I have missed hanging out with everyone. As most of you know, we went to see the Blue Jackets play at the American Airlines Arena for the Dallas Stars home opener. Of course, being loyal Blue Jacket fans we were pretty sure we were going to get our butts kicked. But we defied all logic and wore our Blue Jacket Jerseys. We were impressed with the overwhelming response of Blue Jacket fans in the arena…I mean there were so many it was hard to count. We tried and I believe we ended up counting…god, this is so hard to remember…but it was something like 7. And that would have included the three of us. Actually, it was so unusual I had a guy take my picture with his camera phone because he had never seen a Blue Jacket fan (especially with a jersey) in the arena. During the next intermission, another fan told me I was the first one he had seen, to which I responded “well, you are the tenth person to say that to me tonight.” This caused an almost immediate response from him saying “well, now I don’t feel my comment was very unique.” Which it wasn’t….

We did represent well since Mike wore his new authentic Rick Nash third Jersey, Kim wore the home blue and I wore the away white. And, as it turned out, I now have a new authentic Rick Nash third jersey myself, since Mike left his in my closet. I believe the saying is “possession is nine tenths the law”…right.

It was a great game, we won it – lost it – won it back – then gave it away – and finally won it in overtime. The guy sitting behind me patted me on the back after the Stars scored two goals back-to-back to tie it at 4 goals. However, he was very quite when Rick (I only use his first name since we are such good friends…) scored the game winning goal in OT.

On Saturday, we decided to go downtown to see the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Art Museum. We decided to take the train like I did a couple of months ago. I think it was the right decision because it allowed me to better enjoy their company. I didn’t have to worry about getting around or parking. However, we did not get to see the exhibit because, as it turns out, you needed to schedule a time and buy the tickets in advance. Apparently I missed that part on the web site, but in my defense it is a terrible web site. So, the exhibit has eluded Mike once more, but not necessarily me since it will be here for a while (sorry Mike).

We decided to take the Trolley back to Uptown, find a restaurant and have lunch. It was VERY entertaining, since this week was The Red River Rivalry (Texas vs. Oklahoma – much like the OSU and Michigan rivalry, but at a neutral site). So, we had the opportunity to sit on their patio and watch all the drunken college kids (and some not so still in college and can’t give up the dream) walk back and forth. You must remember that this is the VERY trendy area of Dallas were Cadillac’s are what the poor people drive. So everyone (except for me, of course) was in the top ten percent of the gene pool as far as looks. And they were dressed to get attention from a mile away, which got my attention from a few feet away. A lot of VERY short one piece dresses to which I prayed for strong wind gusts…I don’t care who you are that was funny. We even witnessed an ambulance come to attend to a fight victim, and then the police to attend to the aggressor. Isn’t amazing how alcohol can bring the collective IQ down so far.

Finally, got the train back to the parking area, had dinner (very cool little Tex Mex restaurant) and then watched the Blue Jackets get their ___ kicked by the Coyotes. I thought it was a great visit and am looking forward to the next time.

On a personal note (some know, but some don’t), I have been hanging out a little lately with a female friend. She is (cough, cough, cough) years old and lives in Addison (a few miles away). We have very good conversations and enjoy each others company. Some might say she is a little too young for me, but I’m not looking for a long term relationship. I am just looking for someone to hang with and have fun. She fills both those requirements. We are going to a haunted house next weekend and then she is cooking me dinner. That hasn’t happened for me in a long while. It should be fun.

I went to the State Fair last week and will go again this week (they have the best corn dogs I have ever eaten), but it is too involved to post here. That will be the next post…

Until then, I hope everyone is doing great and I miss you all…

Lake Mary, FL

2008-09-23T17:18:00.001-05:00

I hate the humidity. I could never live here. Hot and humid is a sure fire way to awaken cranky Mark. However, I will say the trip here went very well.
Since I now have a toll tag, I just drive into DFW on site parking right up to my spot. The toll tag records the charges, I print a bill and submit the expense. I don't have to say hi or kiss my ass to anyone. The bus comes to your car to pick you up and it is straight to the terminal.
It took about 10 minutes to get through the ever vigilant TSA. I don't care where you are, that's fast. I had just enough time for nature and a coffee, then boarded the plane.
The flight was very smooth and I managed to get a lot of work done. No checked baggage and an Avis Preferred customer, so I was able to walk up, be handed keys and drive off.
I arrived at the hotel, stated my name and was handed the key card.
I unpacket, checked email and was able to get more work done.
Very smooth. I'm getting petty good at this traveling thing...
Hope everyone has a good night...

Busy, Busy, Busy....

2008-09-20T13:54:00.001-05:00

I have been really, really busy the last couple of weeks. I had a visit form my boss two weeks ago and from Global Security who helped me with a risk assessment. This week brought issues I had to deal with from all three of my locations. Next week I will be in Florida and the following week I will be attending an OSHA conference (it’s in Dallas). My Franklin classes have started back up and I’m getting back into that swing. I decided to change my major to Business Administration. At this point in my life a technical degree would not help me. On top of that, all the senior management jobs I have been eyeing are looking for Business degrees. I have even begun to entertain the idea of pursuing a Masters after I am done with the BA. We will see if I can keep the pace. I think I am going to look into transferring from Franklin (I haven’t changed my address with them because I don’t want to pay out-of-state tuition – shhh don’t tell anyone) to a local university. In addition to all of this, I am beginning to learn Spanish (Latin America). By the time I am done I will have attended College for 10 years. In the immortal words of Tommy Boy “A lot of people go to school for 10 years”…”Yes, they are called Doctors…” I expect my brain to explode any day….

I find it interesting how perspective can change in such a short distance of time. This week has been (according to the news) “very fall like weather.” Not what I would associate with “fall like weather”, but apparently it is Dallas’. The funny part was this past week when I walked Taco in the morning. I put on a t-shirt and shorts and proceeded outside. About a minute into the walk, I felt cold and began thinking I should have worn pants and maybe a jacket. When I got back to the apartment I checked the temperature outside. Are you ready for this… it was 75 degrees. All I could think was you have to be shitting me. I think its jacket weather at 75? I think that means I am officially climatized. This is the first year I can’t wait for winter. Just to see.

On a completely different note, I now have the Big Ten Network. Down here Time Warner put it on their sports tier. So I now have 1 channel to watch the Big Ten and like 6 channels to watch Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Just weird…

I still don’t have a very significant friend network here. It is interesting that my personality doesn’t position myself well with new people. Although, this has been a very fascinating journey to take. I consider this piece of my life a work in progress. Ultimately, I am fairly shy outside of work and need to learn how to “blossom.” I think it has to do with comfort, because I don’t have this problem at work. I also don’t have a lot of time to work on a personal life, but am trying. I did join EHarmony, the online dating sight, with mixed feelings so far (been on it for a week). First, it turns out that it is very difficult to describe yourself in a few paragraphs and answers to a dozen questions. You start thinking “is that too much information to start with or is it not enough.” Then I start thinking I might attract a psycho like Nicole again (lets face it, I don’t have a great track record). Second, I seem to be grouping the respondents into two categories. The first I perceive them to have a lot of strings attached or baggage and ,quit frankly, scares the hell out of me. I start moving them to the not interested list. The second seem to have less or no baggage, but have descriptions or personalities that remind me of my ex. I need that like I need a hole in my head. So I move them to the not interested list. Of course, after these two “cuts” that leaves a VERY short list. Maybe I simply am not ready for any kind of relationship yet. Maybe I will find new friends this way. Maybe I am putting way to much thought into this shit. Maybe I just need a drink…

I am looking forward to hockey season to start. I will miss going to the games with everyone. I will even miss watching them on TV. I am going to look into getting Center Ice to see if I can catch a few of the games. I am looking forward to going to the American Airlines Center on opening night with Mike and Kim for the CBJ game. We play in Dallas again (I think in December) which I plan to go to as well. I saw the article that Scott sent about Z. He can frustrate the New York fans now….

I am watching another pathetic display of football from Ohio State. I hope he can get this turned around. There is way too much talent on this team to be as bad as they are. Thank God my Steelers are playing well. Unfortunately, we do play Dallas this year, but it is at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

I think work is going to send me to Columbus in Mid October to help train the new AP Manager at the lab (that took my spot). Hopefully I can see everyone then. I really enjoy writing in this blog. I find I have to “schedule” time to write and then (as you can see) I get a little winded. Ironic that a shy guy can talk so damn much…

If anyone sees Lori (or you read this), Taco said to tell you he received your card and thought it was cute. He also promised he would “grace you” with his presence next time. I sent a text to you when we received it, but later thought you might not be able to get them.

Well, maybe the next post I will have something more interesting to post. Talk to y’all later…

Physically sick...

2008-09-14T14:13:00.001-05:00

As it turns out, you CAN get physically sick when your team embarrasses themselves on national television. Or at least that is what I am blaming my sinus infection one...

Ike just missed us...

2008-09-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Ike...

2008-09-13T11:35:00.003-05:00

I am still alive at Hurricane central…

As you all are aware from watching the news reporters stand out in Hurricane force winds (and let’s be honest…it was funny as hell when Geraldo Rivera was swept away from a wave…and we all secretly wished it had been a larger wave.), bravely showing us how dire the situation is in Houston and Atlantis…err, I mean Galveston (come on, that was funny…in appropriate, but funny). The thing I like is that these reporters take this pounding and abuse to try and humanize the level of force and catastrophe. It is actually a little insulting to think the news agencies believe we are so ignorant that we need this visualization. But since I find it FAR more entertaining watching these idiots that it really doesn’t insult me. Go figure….

Well, Galveston got pounded pretty hard and the island is virtually underwater. Houston looks like a scene out of one of my “kill’em all” video games. They showed the JP Morgan building in Houston and about a quarter of its windows had been blown out. Street lights were blown off poles and trees were everywhere. And this was only a Cat 1 when it hit Houston. Imagine…

They are reporting that about 1 to 1.5 million people are without power on the coast and Houston. Let the looting begin….

Now the death and destruction is on its way to me. Well, according to the new tracks, a little south of me. We are under a wind advisory after 7 pm tonight. They expect the eye to track southeast of Dallas and move to Arkansas as a tropical depression, dumping a whole lot of rain on its way. Of course, we are expecting a lot of rain as well.

I am not really concerned about the wind at the moment. I do have a closet on the ground floor that I have prepped incase all hell breaks loose. This is where first responders will find me and Taco cowering our scared little asses. It will be interesting who ends up shaking more – me or him…

Hopefully the wind will remain under control and all I have to worry about is the rain. I prefer this challenge because I am uniquely prepared for that condition for two reasons. First, I live on a very large hill. Second, I am on the third floor. I will be watching from my balcony (eating popcorn) as people at the bottom of the hill scurry up to “high ground” (or as an unnamed brother put it “rats running from the water” – I don’t care who you are that’s funny). And in case you are wondering, I do have enough ammunition to hold the hill (I bet mom didn’t find that funny – just kidding).

Thank God that The ...just for you Mike.. Ohio State is on National TV tonight so I don’t have to go out in this to watch it. If the power goes out, I am going to be pissed. I plan to send you all updates as the evening progresses and if it is impressive, some video too.

Hope you all survive the Hurricane as well …

Love this view...

2008-09-07T19:54:00.000-05:00

Go Bucks...

2008-08-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

I am in a BW3 in Lewisville,TX, which is near my home. It is filled with Iowa and Ohio State fans. The attached picture is in the restaurant and celebrates Eddie George, Archie Griffin, Chris Carter and Orlando Pace. How cool is that... When I walked in (i'm wearing an OSU shirt) a bunch of people said 'O H'. All watching until I responded with 'I O'. Then we all began yelling.

I love football.

Some will get this immediately...

So I got up at 8 am because...well because I had a 10 lbs Chihuahua standing on my chest licking my nose trying to tell me he had to go out and NOW!!! As you can imagine, he can be VERY determined and persuasive. I got up and began planning on where I was going to watch the game. Everything was going to plan. At about 1030, I got a shower planning on leaving the house at 11. I figured I would take my time, get there early and watch a little pregame.

(you who have figured it out have a smirk right now)

As I am driving, to my horror the radio announces that Ohio State has scored on their opening drive. But that is not possible because they aren't playing yet. I mean the entire planet knows the kickoff is a twelve noon eastern standard time...

EASTERN STANDARD TIME...shit!

Somewhere between Valley Ranch and Lewisville I had the sudden realization that I no longer live in the eastern time zone. In addition, I found myself exactly one hour behind schedule.

I'm such an idiot...

Go bucks and I hope everyone is doing well.

Art Museum...

2008-08-23T15:42:00.001-05:00

Ok, not a great Art Museum. I tought C-bus's was better. In addition, I got a drink when I was leaving, an a guard told me I couldn't walk across the hall to the exit door with it. Because 'that's in the museum' and everyone knows you can't have food or drink in the museum...give me a break... I wonder if he knows how close he came to wearing that drink...

Trip in...

2008-08-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

So, the entire trip here took two hours. Not time efficient, but I like to think I saved something green...

Tower...

2008-08-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

Mom, this is the Tower I was talking about. It is attached to the Hyatt Hotel. Since, there is a Tunnel that takes their from Union Station, I will check it out on the return trip.

Same...

2008-08-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

Train I came in on..

2008-08-23T12:46:00.000-05:00

Unio Station...

2008-08-23T12:45:00.001-05:00

I am at Union Station waiting for the Red line train to take me to City Center Station, where I will pick up the trolley. It has been fun so far.

Light Rail Train...

2008-08-23T12:33:00.001-05:00

Note for Mike and Kim. As it turns out, 20 minutes down the track and 3 stations is AA Center where the Stars play.... Hummmm...

Downtown...

2008-08-23T10:47:00.001-05:00

I have decided to explore downtown Dallas today. I'm also going to do it using public transportation. I wil take the DART (Dallas Area Rail Transit) light rail line to the City Place station downtown. Then will ride the tolley to the Art Museum (my final destination today)

Should be fun. Hope everyone is doing well.

Grapevine Heritage Rail Road Conclusion...

2008-08-17T12:51:00.006-05:00

I had a really good time yesterday. The Stock Yards are a really good place to people watch. You see all types. There is such a huge difference from Fort Worth and Dallas. Dallas is very metropolitan and 21 century. Fort Worth is just the opposite. It is unusual that they are this close.

Here is a link to the pictures I took.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157606784504214/

This is a movie of Big Red, the 1953 Vintage Diesel Locomotive, moving our train in position. You will notice that at the end, "Puffy" is already attached to pull us to Fort Worth.

This is "Puffy" at the "end of the line" at the Fort Worth Stock Yard Depot. He was taking on water to "refuel" for the return leg of our trip.

And finally, the infamous Long Horn Steer Cattle Drive. For some reason, I expected more cattle than this. I guess this helps to make this a little more safe...

Later...

If this place...

2008-08-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

Doesn't bring your inner hick out, nothing will. I have seen more cowboy hats and boots in the past hour than the hole of my life. Kim, I have found a place for you to find a cowboy. You will, of course, have to search through the ass load of wanna-be cowboys here.

Currently, I am waiting for the Long Horn Steer drive in about 6 minutes..

Meet 'Puffy'...

2008-08-16T15:07:00.001-05:00

The Stockyards in Forth Worth, TX...

2008-08-16T14:45:00.001-05:00

We have arrived and are late. It is 245 and we will board for the trip back at 515.

'Puffy' did great...

We were robbed...

2008-08-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

Sort of...

'Puffy' is running...

2008-08-16T12:40:00.001-05:00

Apparently he has been given a clean bill of health and is up and running. So, for the first time in my 37 year young life, I will be transported my a steam locomotive...named 'Puffy'. Would have picked a better name, but 'oh well'.

I will have pictures and a movie posted later...

Tain update...

2008-08-16T12:36:00.001-05:00

Currently, I am waiting on the platform for the train. Whether or not 'puffy' will be joining us is still a question. Apparently, he has been 'under the weather' for a few weeks an has not made the run in a while. The diesel engine is positioning the cars on 'the main line' while 'puffy' preps on a service line. I guess he is currently listed as 'probable'. If he doesn't make it, then it will be trusty diesel for the trip. Since the world is anxiously awaiting tis outcome...I will keep you up to date.

PS - when I got my ticket the lady said 'you alone' with a shocked look. I wanted to say 'yes, I have leprose' as I touched her hand to retrieve my ticket. I don't care who you are, that's funny. Love our society...

Grapevine, TX

2008-08-16T09:02:00.001-05:00

This is a little city about 10 miles away that, of course, has a great mall (like all cities here). However, it is supposed to have a quaint downtown area and a few wineries (right up my alley). Now…you’re thinking “well, makes sense Grapevine has wineries”…right. Interesting you should ask, because vineyards are relatively new to Grapevine. Grapevine was settled in 1844 and is names so because it was located on the Grape Vine Prairie which was near Grape Vine Springs. Historically, Grapevine wasn’t known for wine, but Cotton. It was part of the infamous Cotton Belt after St. Louis South-Western Railroad (the Cotton Belt Line) began service there in 1888. This remained the primary agriculture industry until 1974 when the rail road left and the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) began. It was during this time that cotton fields began to turn into vineyards. The Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association officially moved to Grapevine in 1990.

However, there is still one historical piece of the past that remains in Grapevine, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. They still run a route between Grapevine and Fort Worth Stockyards on the weekends. They currently run a 1953 Vintage Diesel engine on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. However, on Saturday (unless it is down) they run “Puffy”, an 1896 Steam Engine #2248.

http://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/ThingsToDo/GrapevineVintageRailroad/tabid/267/Default.aspx

So, I’ve decided to kill two birds with one stone today. I would like to ride the train and see the Stockyards with out having to drive there. The train will leave at 1 pm and arrive in the Stockyards at about 230 pm. For the math lovers, that is an hour and a half to go thirty miles. In there defense, there is a mock “train robber” half way through. Or at least I hope it is a mock “train robber”. Won’t they be surprised when they rob me…they might feel so bad they might give me money.

I will then have two hours at the Stockyards before the return trip back to Grapevine.

This should be fun and I will post a critique of the adventure (complete with pictures) when I return…

Flight...

2008-08-09T10:33:00.001-05:00

I have a relatively unhappy Chihuahua right now. Everything was fine until I fed him a piece of fruit. Now he is awake and ready to go. Of course, he can't since we are only half way there. A little wining with a gentle foot tap on the bag to remind him to stop. Nothing like stretching out on my seat then tapping the bag that he was shoved into twice today where he has little room to stretch out. I bet i am number one on his list. He'll probably piss on something of mine tonight. I have such guilt...

I hope he will soon lay back down. :(

Traveling...

2008-08-09T07:34:00.000-05:00

Inside this bag is a very well behaved, yet extremely annoyed, Chihuahua. We have made it through TSA without either of us having a breakdown.

Let me set the stage. I am carrying two bags over each shoulder. On the left shoulder is my work laptop bag with all my traveling goodies. Over my right, the above mentioned Chihuahua. When we get to the first TSA agent, I am juggling my boarding pass, passport and my morning orange juice. Now, all of you frequent travelers you are probably asking two questions. Why are using your passport and why haven't you already finished your orange juice? Both very good questions. I am using my passport because until the State of Texas mails me my official license, I am using a temporary license with no picture. As for the OJ, I forgot I had it and didn't want to through it away. Plus i figured everyone behind me will be much more pissed at me when I go through the scanner that they will forget about this incident. And I was right...

So this is the process through the scanners. I grab two totes. Remove said laptop and place in a tote. Push laptop bag and tote to the end of the table. Placed dog bag on table. Removed all metal/shoes and place in tote, preparing for the 'violation'. Open Taco's bag and remove his harness and collar (I know I should have already had this done, but give me a break - first time!!!). I then remove the Chihuahua. I am now standing in front of the table (which is not connected to the scanner) looking at two bags, two totes and carrying a Chihuahua. I make a quick scan around me and noticed I have consumed the entire prep table. And angered several people around me. I bet they have forgotten about the OJ. :)

I really can't explain this visual, but I now must tranfers all bags and totes to the scanner while holding Taco. Priceless...

Can't wait for the flight...

Officially a Texan...

2008-08-08T15:18:00.003-05:00

It is official...I am a Texan. The first step was accomplished last week when I transferred my insurance to Texas and I now have proof I comply with Texas Insurance laws. The next step was to have my vehicle inspected by an approved State Vehicle Safety Inspector, which was accomplished on Monday. With these two steps completed, I could now proceed with step 3 - vehicle registration. This was accomplished on Wednesday when I had to pay the 90 dollar New Resident Tax before being issued my Texas plates. Something I find unusual are the stickers. Once you get your inspection sticker, it is placed inside the front window on the drivers side at the bottom. Then your registration sticker is placed right above that sticker, instead of on the plate. A little odd.

So, those three steps cleared the way for my final indoctrination to the state...a Texas License. Today, I renounced all other citizenship to all other counties...err I mean states and became an official member of The Peoples Republic of Texas. And I have an ID/license to prove it...

For other news, I have mixed feelings about coming back to Columbus. I am looking forward to seeing all my friends and especially family. However, I am not looking forward to the divorce hearing or seeing the Anti-Christ. Knowing her and her lack of dignity, she will likely have someone from his family with her. On the other hand, it will be nice to finally have this over. Because of this hearing, I have been thinking about how everything happened and her actions the past three years. And to be honest, it makes me angry every time I think about it.

After the hearing is final, I will finally remove my internal filter and send a post with exactly what I think and how I feel. I feel like I have to finally have a conclusion for me. Besides, this is my post and I'll do what I want… I would tell her specifically, but it would fall onto deaf ears like it has for the past several years. Besides, she only cares about one person and it sure as hell isn't me. So, for all of you who are related to her or don't want to hear my rant, please "tune out" the next post.

On a side note, Taco will be taking his first flight tomorrow with me in his new specially designed carrying bag for air transportation. It even has wheels. This ought to be a new experience. Hopefully I will see most of you this weekend. Later...

Taco and the Vet...

2008-07-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

First, it is the surface of the sun today at a balmy 103 degrees. There is a slight breeze that occasionally blows the heat around. The good news is it is only 20 percent humidity, which means you can't see yourself de-hydrating.

Second, there are few things in this world that scare a Chihuahuas. For instance, running up to 80 lb Rottweiler doesn’t scare them. Or for that matter, standing on the edge of a two foot high curb stretching your hind leg to desperately piss on the bush (that a MUCH larger dog must have marked previously) just to loose your balance and fall those two feet to the mulch. And then look at me like I pushed him or something. However, there is one thing universally true that Chihuahua are deafly afraid of…The Vet.

Interestingly, when we approached the door of the new Vet, he sensed something wasn’t right (bear in mind - new Vet and he has never been here before). I opened the door and he stopped immediately. I proceeded inside to convince him it was alright and safe to enter. He looked at me like I was crazy for having crossed the line of death and he had no intentions of following. He locked up tighter than the tracks on a tank. I spend a couple of minutes coercing him to enter. Two hundred pound man out willed the 11 pound Chihuahua. Pathetic I know…

I took him because he was reverse sneezing and sounded like he had some congestion (much more than normal). The Vet told me that some dogs (especially Chihuahuas) have allergy problems and the reverse sneezing/congestion are signs of this. He also told me there is little to do about it. I asked about anti-histamines. He said I could give him Children’s Benadrile, but that only works for about 10% of dogs and is only a treatment and not a cure.

He did a full exam on the Taco and even took his temperature (which was as painful to me as him and I just had to watch – ever since I hit 35 and started getting the FULL physical exam, I have much more sympathy for anyone who gets something stuck there…). He examined his teeth and notice that one of Taco’s gums is a little recessed. Apparently, if there is an infection in the mouth it can cause more nasal congestion. So, to rule this out the doctor gave him some anti-biotic for 10 days. We'll see how he does after that.

Nothing else... Hope everyone is good back in O-H-I-O.

Unbelievable...

2008-07-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you leave the ironing board too close to the love seat...

The Dark Night...

2008-07-19T14:52:00.001-05:00

Another beautiful day in Northeast Texas. Sunny, blue sky and right around 100d degrees. I actually have been enjoying the heat. As long as the humidity stays low.

I just got done watching The Dark Night. This and Ironman have begun to tie themselves to the upcoming Avengers movie. I highly recommend it, it lives up to the hype. Bale is as awesome as before, and Heath redefined comic villians. This is how Batman should have been done the first time. Tim Burton wouldn't have been able to achieve this dark and gritty version. Later...

Dealey Plaza

2008-07-16T20:25:00.007-05:00

I first want to start this post by letting Dad know that actually visiting the site only strengthen my belief in what happened. I bet you’re rolling your eyes right now…

I will explain the above sentences for everyone else. Dad, who remembers the event, believes the findings of the Warren Commission and doesn’t give much credit to the “conspiracy theories.” In addition, he REALLY enjoyed Oliver Stone’s embellished version of the event in the movie “JFK” released in 1991. I, however, am one of “those people” who believe in a conspiracy theory. Therefore, since I live in Dallas I thought I would visit the site and museum.

It is a unique place and rich with history. The basics of this event are as follows. JFK arrived at Love Field for a political visit. He left Love Field and proceeded on a “Tour” of Dallas in a lengthy motorcade on a pre-determined route (which the Secret Service refrains from now). The motorcade path brought his limo down Main Street to Dealey Plaza and the triple over pass. It is named because three routes pass under the overpass built for the rail lines. As the motorcade came to the end of Main Street, it turned right onto Houston Street and then Left onto Elm Street. It was after his limo made the left onto Elm Street that the assassination took place. Most witnesses remembered hearing three shots. The first was very faint and sounded more like a “firecracker.” The second and third were clearer, louder and produced an echo. The second shot produced the “magic” bullet and the third was believed to be the fatal shot.

This is a picture of the view from the street looking at Oswald’s alleged (that word added for Dad :) ) perch. Kennedy’s limo was at this position when the first shot was heard. In all the photos, you will see many large trees. They were mere shrubs or did not exist at the time of the assassination. Therefore, in this case the view would have been unobstructed and probably a distance of 150 yards.

According to the Warren Commission and supported by private photography, this first shot did not strike anyone. Witnesses stated it was a faint sound and were not sure what it was.

This is a picture of the view from the street looking at Oswald’s alleged perch :). Kennedy’s limo was at this location when the second shot was heard.

This is the infamous second shot that is more commonly referred to as the “magic” bullet. It got this name because, according to the Warren commission, it broke every physic rules known to man. The explanation goes like this. The bullet first passes through JFK (and through a bone), makes an abrupt u-turn and pierces JFK again. Wait, that is not all. It then travels through portions of the car, then strikes the governor not once, not twice, but THREE more times. It is explained that to do this the bullet made multiple turns like on a Le Mans racecourse. Further, it is explained that this is possible in freak nature events. Right… Now if what I just told you seems unlikely, you will love this next piece information. They found the bullet! That isn’t shocking, but what is shocking is its condition. It is in pristine condition like it had never been fired. This from a bullet that pierced four bones, a seat and a car door. Hummmmm!!

This is a picture of the view from the street looking at Oswald’s alleged perch :) . Kennedy’s limo was at this location when the third and fatal shot was heard.

If the Warren Commission Report seems unusual at this point, then it really is going to get complicated here. This is what most experts believe to be the fatal shot. This is the shot most seen on videos where Kennedy’s head suddenly moves rearwards and “debris” is seen exiting the rear of his head. Now, just reading this you might assume the assassin is in front of the vehicle, but not the case according to the Warren Commission. They determined it was medically and physically possible for the body to “jump” towards the location of the shot instead of the usual movement in the same direction of the bullet. You see, if it weren’t possible, then the bullet would have had to come from the front, which would have place a second gunman on this infamous Grassy Knoll. Thus defining a conspiracy and messing up a “clean” investigation. There were three witnesses standing in front of the location that some believe the second and third shots came from. All three witnesses say the shot came from behind them. One stated that he felt like he was “in the line of fire.” A police officer riding a motorcycle in the motorcade chose to park his bike and run to the fence on the Grassy Knoll instead of the Book Depository Building. Another witness reported seeing a “puff” of smoke from the fence area. No gunman or gun was ever found in that location and was the basis for removing the possibility of a second gunman.

Now if I might digress! I stood at the window to the right of where Oswald sat on the Sixth floor of the Book Depository Building. When I was in the Army, I qualified as a Expert rifleman. I struck 35 out of 40 targets. Had I hit just one more (36) I would have made Sharpshooter. Oswald qualified as a Marksman shooter when he was a Marine with a lower score. You are trained in the military to shoot “center mass” to reduce the possibility of missing. I thought two things about looking out of that window and trying to make those shots.

First, the easiest shot he allegely took was the first shot. Because JFK was sitting back into his seat, Oswald would have had the clearest “look” at his target. In addition, this was probably 150 yards which is a good engagement distance (moving target or not). Finally, with the limo having just made the turn onto Elm Street, it would have been moving very slow. However, this is the shot he missed? The other two shots would have been significantly more difficult. Both because of the distance and speed of the target. The second shot was probably 200 to 250 yards and the third at least 300. I don’t know if you have ever hit a target at 300 yards with a rifle that doesn’t have a scope, but it is really hard when the target ISN'T moving. Of course, these were the shots he hit?

This is a picture of the route.

My second thought is this, why take the shot on Elm Street? If he was truly the only assassin, waiting for the motorcade to turn onto Elm Street doesn’t make sense when the better vantage point is right in front of him. Even an inexperienced and unintelligent sniper would have recognized the advantages of taking the shots on Houston Street before the turn onto Elm Street. There would have been a clearer “look” at the target because of the distance his seat was from the Governors. Oswald would have had a clear view of his entire torso sitting in the seat. It would be easier to hit a moving target that is directly in front of you, moving towards you, and slowing (for the turn).

This is the position that "those people" believe the second and third shots came from. The car in the picture was where (got lucky with this picture - I lined up with the X on the ground and the car came into the picture) the limo was when the third shot struck Kennedy. Notice this is in a concrete structure build as a "walk" for Dealey Plaza. This would have produced a much louder sound and the echos witnesses heard. I'm just saying...

Dad is probably pulling his hair out now and everyone who doesn’t care quit reading half way through. Oh well, I had fun writing it…

Later.

Flight to Orlando (yesterday)

2008-07-16T20:05:00.002-05:00

I am writing this on my flight from Dallas to Orlando for my first visit to the Specialty Pharmacy Facility. It is currently 1215 Central time. Why is this important? Because I should already be in Orlando… My flight was supposed to leave DFW at 850 this morning. Everything was going great, we boarded the aircraft (Mike – you would have loved it, a 757), began pre-flight preparations and even closed the door. That was when the Captain came on the intercom to tell us our plane had been “flagged” by maintenance. Apparently, during landing an unsuspecting (I would guess) bird was “sucked” into the port engine thus causing enough damage that the maintenance crew “grounded” the plane. Now normally being delayed (even for work) is upsetting to me. However, when the engines, that are attached to and (more importantly) provide lift, become “questionable”, then I have NO problem being delayed.

We were immediately de-planed and returned to our customary waiting positions in the terminal. We received few updates, but what we did hear was they were trying to “repair” the engine. This was when I began to have visions of hurrying maintenance persons carrying spare parts and duct tape. I was starting to have less positive thoughts about this flight. Just then, a page came that told us this aircraft was indeed NOT flying today and they had found us (almost like running to the back room, checking inventory and dusting off an unused 757) a new aircraft. They instructed us to vacate Concourse A and proceed to gate 26 in Concourse D. DFW is a great airport with phenomenal Terminal Transit Trains, so this relocation took about 5 minutes. When we arrived to our new gate, there was a crowd of people by the AA desks…

After taking a new seat, we heard that the flight at this gate going to Cancun had been cancelled. The AA attendant announced it was cancelled because of mechanical problems. It began to seem like an epidemic. However, moments later she announced that the plane that was going to Cancun was now going to Orlando. This seemed to irritate a few of the Cancun passengers, so she clarified her announcement by stating that they plane was mechanically safe to fly to Orlando, but not Cancun. Hummmmmmm! I now have visions of the maintenance crew joking how there is “no way she can make it to Cancun, but might be lucky to make it to Orlando…go ahead and send it, they will never know”. Therefore, the attendant made the announcement to begin boarding. Ironically, boarding went much better since everyone already knew where to sit!!!

Nonetheless, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t just right. So, since I was sitting across from the flight attendant (Mike-I managed to get aisle seat row 9 which is emergency exit behind First Class. Stretching my legs as I type) I asked her what made the plane safe to fly to Orlando and not Cancun. Surprisingly, she answered honestly. She said “money.” As it turns out, the Cancun flight simply takes a full plane to Cancun and (usually) a half plane back to DFW. On the other hand, the flight from Orlando goes to California and then on to Hawaii. So, the airline cancelled its least profitable flight so a more profitable flight could continue. Now, if I had been on vacation going to Cancun at this particular time, I would have been “pissed.” However, since I needed to go to Orlando, I believe the Airline made a responsible and cost effective decision to scrub the Cancun flight and give us their plane. Which, at present is functioning fine and completed its journey if you are reading this post?
That’s it for now. I went to Dealey Plaza on Saturday and will post my thoughts on that later. Dad, you will really enjoy that post…Later.

Texas tea!!!

2008-07-11T19:40:00.000-05:00

Who needs a Long Island Iced Tea when you can get it Texas style...at 22 ounces of liquid pain relief. Yes that is my large water next to it. ;)

Short commute...

2008-07-11T15:43:00.001-05:00

I made it an entire week driving back and forth from work on half a tank of gas!!! And that was with running the 'life support system'...(Texans don't call it air conditioning). Very happy. ;)

Fourth of July Weekend.

2008-07-06T19:34:00.006-05:00

I went exploring a little more on Friday. To say this is a big place is an extreme understatement. I found a cool little hole in the wall place that has really good slushes. Moreover, when the temperature gets to 100 or close, slushes are really good.

I went to Irving to watch their Fourth of July Parade. It took about an hour and really had a small town flare to it. At first, I could not understand why so many people were carrying umbrellas since the weather was supposed to be perfect. However, after standing on the bridge for about 20 with the sun beating down and watching everyone around me chillin in the shade of their umbrellas, the logic became clear to me. Thankfully, I found a little room down the street to stand under a tree. This is a link to the pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/

That evening the fireworks were on Television just like Red, White and Boom. However, I could not see those outside my window. I could see five other fireworks that looked to be from various towns. Only one picture came out. Most of them were so far away they looked like the size of a penny.

On Saturday, I decided to try a local water park out. I thought of Abby, she would have loved it. I stayed there for about five hours. Lounged in the “lazy” river, floated in the wave pool, rode the tube slide and the rode the speed slide once. The latter did minor damage to the “gems” and I decided that was enough. I went home and collapsed from exhaustion.

All in all a pretty good Fourth of July, I just wished I could have been at Abby’s birthday. Please tell her I said Happy Birthday.

Another cute picture of Taco on “watch”. Until next time…

The Past week and Twin Peaks...

2008-07-03T21:23:00.005-05:00

I have had a good week this week. I am off work tomorrow and will be scoping Los Colinas out for the Fourth of July Parade. Should be fun. I am anxious to see how many fire works I will be able to see from my balcony. My apartment sits on a hill in Valley Ranch (for you Cowboy fans – this is where they practice) with a very good view of Dallas. Apparently, there is something similar to Red, White and Boom where the fire works are coordinated to music. I am going to try to take pictures.

I have quite a few things to do at both facilities. It is good to be busy. I will be traveling to Florida in two weeks and to Arkansas in four weeks. Taco is going to love me…

I am going to try to go to Lake Lewisville on Saturday. It is the largest lake near me. I hope I can find a place to rent a Jet Ski. There are several places here to take scuba diving lessons and certifications. Both are expensive hobbies, but I would really enjoy them. It is nice to do things that I find fun.

This announcement will probably only interest the men, but I have found a new beer friendly restaurant/bar to go to while traffic dies down. My previous favorite location was, of course, Hooter’s for their aesthetically pleasing environment. My new favorite is a place call Twin Peaks. This, of course, referring to the mountain cabin restaurant décor. This place is a much-disciplined establishment that encourages the servers to wear proper mountain cabin attire. For proof, please see photo…

Yes, those really are the “uniforms” the servers wear, and Coors draft is just $2.50. God bless Texas.

On a serious note, I have had minor back issues this week. Because of the unusually striking pain, I decided to visit a Chiropractor (got her name from the St Ann’s bulletin). After examining the X-Rays, it turns out that I have some compression of the L5 vertebra in the lower back. In addition, I have a calcium deposit that is pushing on my pelvic (right hip) bone. This certainly did explain where my constant and persistent lower back pain is coming from. So I will be partaking in some therapy to attempt to reverse some of this damage. It appears that, wrecking a 5-ton dump truck and pushing a parked Ford 150 pickup truck 48 feet over two curbs with Honda Civic did some damage.

That is all for now. It is a beautiful night at about 75 degrees with a medium breeze. Taco and I will be spending the rest of the evening on the Patio…

Church

2008-06-29T18:41:00.004-05:00

This is the church I went to today and will likely join.

This is a link to more pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157605885227960/detail/

I have been sitting in Starbucks for the last three hours because I still do not have internet access yet. I don't mind to tell you that is very irritating.

Well I don't get to slack anymore, I will be going back to work tomorrow. :( I will probably be traveling the first time to Florida in two weeks, we will see. That should be fun...

My Apartment

2008-06-27T17:43:00.004-05:00

I decided to go out today and cruise around Los Colinas. It is a large area in Irving. They are going to have a 4th parade that I am going to and wanted to scope out the area. Should be fun.

I also went to the local movie theater – Hollywood Theater – and saw Wanted. I really want to tell you how it ends, but in case someone is reading that really want to go I will not. I will say it is an outstanding movie. If you like kid friendly, thought provoking and socially accepted movies --- then this is absolutely NOT the movie for you. However, if you like intense action, visually unique CGI graphics, a twisting plot and (I have to include) a naked Angelina Jolie, then you will love it. Especially the ending…

This is my apartment…

I have posted more pictures on my newly created Facebook page. I was tired of Myspace running too slow and decided to change. This is the link - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=549&id=1349347746

In addition, you can find them here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/91874780@N00/sets/72157605884946524/

I hope everyone is doing well.

Update...

2008-06-26T14:32:00.001-05:00

All of my previous posts came in out of order…or I actually went through Texas, arrived and then went through Arkansas. Was a long trip, so I guess either is possible?

All of my crap is in the apartment and I have begun the terrible task of trying to get everything put away. The bed, couch and TV are set up and working…I mean the most important things are up…right?

I have been cruising around the last couple of days. I found a cool lake that rents boats. I really want to get a jet ski. One day… I found Six Flags, which is about 15 minutes down the road. I went to see the new football stadium and where the Rangers play, but could not find it. That will be a later scouting trip. There are a lot of malls here as well as restaurants. There is every imaginable place to eat here.

I am still without internet access since Time Warner could not get my modem working. They are having a contractor come out on the 11th…I don’t know if I can survive that long without internet. I actually don’t know how I lived without it. I found a cool little smoke shop (Up In Smoke) that has internet access (with security), which is where I am sending this post.

I am having some phone problems that I am going to try to solve today. That is it for now…

Past Little Rock

2008-06-25T05:50:00.003-05:00

We are about 90 miles away from texarkansas. We should get to the apartments by 1pm central. Taco ate a little today and has done his business. I think we are good to go...

Houston...

2008-06-25T05:50:00.001-05:00

The eagle has landed!

Texas!!!

2008-06-25T05:49:00.001-05:00

We have offically crossed the border. Viva la Republic...

Am in Arkansas

2008-06-23T05:57:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to contain my excitement...

We are ready to begin

2008-06-23T05:26:00.000-05:00

As you can see...Taco is ready to go.

First leg complete

2008-06-22T15:43:00.001-05:00

First leg of the trip is complete...we are secure in our hotel room. I had to leave Taco for a minutes in the room to get a few things from the car, he was not happy. Time for dinner...for both of us.

Making good time

2008-06-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

Taco & I are 60 miles outside of Memphis at our last rest stop (at least for today). It is 210 central time, we should be in the hotel room by 330. Smooth sailing...

In Tennessee

2008-06-22T14:11:00.000-05:00

Mammoth Caved

2008-06-22T10:21:00.001-05:00

Passing the caves...go times there.

On the move

2008-06-22T09:11:00.001-05:00

When I entered 'the promised land', I wondered why the grass wasn't blue?
I am now driving through Louisville -hello Stelle & Jean.
We have stopped once, but Taco is on a food srike-not evan a graham cracker!
We will stop again in about a half hour. Nashville is 165 miles away.
Till next update...