my office

Some of the women in my office light candles in their areas because they enjoy the smell.

I also have a couple of (free) candles that I brought into the office. There are two reasons I did so.

One, there are times, usually in the early morning, when my body tends to emanate some rather off-putting odors. So, the scent of the candle masks this smell, to some extent.

Secondly, I place the candles on a shelf that is clearly visible down the hallway that leads to my office. This way, it serves as a beacon or warning light to those approaching. "Proceed at your own risk," it subtly reveals.

Slowly, people are realizing what the candles are there for. No, it's not because I'm a "fruit," to quote one of my co-workers. Funnily enough, the few who haven't caught on yet include the ladies in the office who are regular candle users. They visit me every time they spot the candle lit, to either compliment how well my candle goes with theirs, or to check what scent it is today. If they only knew the rest of the story...

Matisyahu, estimating, hoops, Pete and Pete

Two weeks from today, Matisyahu comes to Kansas City for a show. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you probably will soon. He is a Hasidic Jew (this a conservative form of Judaism; he wears the long, uncut beard and will not perform on Friday evenings or Saturdays, out of respect for the Sabbath) who performs reggae. While this kitschy combination is a part of his appeal, his music is very enjoyable. Only recently has his popularity begun to surge. A song of his recently broke into the top ten at a lot of radio stations. (The irony of this is that the song just came on the radio as I wrote this.)

I plan on attending the concert on March 1, as I’ve heard his live show is rather exciting. I also hear, because of his Jewish background, that the crowd is an eclectic mix of the “normal” concert crowd, along with an older Jewish audience. This could be because the content of his music is very faith-based. A few others have expressed interest in attending, and I think it will be a fine concert experience.

I’ve been at my mechanical contracting job for about seven months now and it is still interesting. This bodes well thus far. I’m still learning new things everyday, but with the educational background I have (and the mechanical background that I lack—thank you very much, Environmental Systems I through III), this is the way that I will have to go about it. And I don’t take for granted the opportunity that was offered to me (a mechanical contracting firm hiring an architectural graduate; trust me, architects aren’t spoken too highly of in this office). Anyway, the head estimator has moved back by my office, and this was a beneficial development, I believe. I can walk in and see what he’s working on, and he stops in frequently to see how my practice is going. (I’m practicing on old jobs and then comparing my results to his original estimate.) In due time, the title on my business will change from “Estimating” to “Estimator.” Mark my words.

For the past few Thursdays, I’ve been going to play some pick-up basketball with a co-worker of mine (the estimator mentioned above, actually). Usually, ten or fifteen guys show up. I usually try my hardest when playing sports, be it during a practice or a championship game, so that counts for something in this case. Meaning, I’m probably one of the least talented, basketball-wise, on the court. I mean, I’ll dunk on someone’s ass every now and again, but I’m not fundamentally sound overall. Nevertheless, it’s been good exercise and I enjoy playing. In a way, it brings me back to the glory days of Team Scorch! basketball (if by “glory days” I mean the one season we played and ended up 0-5, being outscored an averaged of 35 points a game, including our inaugural game where we lost 107-31). Yet, I still enjoyed intramural basketball, even if it wasn’t our most successful of Scorch! teams.

And, I’ve recently received DVDs of the old Nickelodeon show, The Adventures of Pete and Pete. I got Season 2 for Christmas, and just received Season 1 for Valentine’s Day yesterday. I don’t know if anyone else used to be a fan, but this show takes me way back. The great thing is that I enjoyed the show when I was a kid because it was very strange and funny. But, now, as I watch these episodes again, I realize there’s really another level to the show that I had no idea was there the first time around. (I sort of equate it to Scrubs in that sense; a show with very goofy humor in general, but that has a serious message somewhere within each episode, no matter how strange it gets) Not to get overly analytical about a TV show, but there aren’t too many shows that just break the mold of your average 30-minute television show. Pete and Pete is one; My Name is Earl, Arrested Development, and Scrubs are a few others that come to mind. Good stuff. Here's one fansite: The Adventures of Pete and Pete

(As a quick and bitter aside, Gretchen and I watched the last four episodes of Arrested Development to be shown on Fox. They were on last Friday. And it really is a sad day when a show as great as this one is ended (at least on one network; there are rumors that a few others might pick up the re-runs or, optimally, new episodes), and crap like Wife Swap, American Idol, and Will and Grace is still on the air (personally, they aren’t worthy of the italics I normally give TV shows and movies). It’s a funny, intelligent show that I don’t think enough of the public gave a chance, nor did Fox extend any effort whatsoever in advertising and marketing it either. A sad situation that I hope turns out for the best. Here’s a fansite with some info about the show and its undecided future.

great (and appropriate) Onion article

I was in Target yesterday evening and I saw the new Fusion razor (not sure if it's Gillette or Schick or whoever). It has FIVE blades and a SIXTH blade on the back for trimming hard-to-reach places. This is getting out of hand, really. When will it end? I use the Mach 3 with aloe strip and it is awesome. It works really well, and I don't have what you'd consider a tough beard to shave. But they're going to have to stop with the blades sooner or later, and I really thought four was where they would max out.

Anyway, it reminded me of an Onion article from a year or two ago that's one of my favorites. It is hilarious. Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades

football, USBs, meth, Carl Sagan, and the Hogan Family

The Super Bowl is Sunday. And I'm really not that interested at all. It's exciting in and of itself, because it's the last big game of the season. Both teams are trying really hard. Yet, I'm not really a fan of either of the teams, nor do I want either of them to win (for one particular reason or another). Like last year, for example, I wanted the Eagles to win, because I didn't want the Patriots to win again. This stems not from their dominance in prior Super Bowls, but because they beat the St. Louis Rams in the big game a few seasons ago. (Yes, I hold grudges.) Anyway, this year, there are none of those petty reasons. So, I'll watch the game, probably have a brew or two, but am I filled with anticipation like I usually am? Not really.

I saw an intriguing article online yesterday. It was entitled "Top 10 Weirdest USB Devices Ever." It was an enjoyable read. See the article here. My favorites were the USB George Foreman Grill and the heated gloves, mainly because they are so ridiculous in nature. I wouldn't necessarily want a grill that close to my computer, and the heated slippers make a lot more sense to me than the gloves (mainly because it seems like gloves would hinder typing, and to me it seems feet get colder more often than hands). Honestly, I don't find the vibrator to be that odd of a USB device, because I'm sure plenty of individuals could find many different things to do with a computer and a vibrator.

There was also a sobering story I read yesterday. I had heard rumors that Stephanie from Full House had become a meth addict. Apparently, this is true. Jodie Sweetin was on Good Morning America on Wednesday officially coming out about it. Here's an article about it. It's actually an interesting story. She had become bored after not acting for a while, so she took up methamphetamines to pass the time. Then, some of her old Full House castmates held an intervention for her when they found out. I'm glad she's doing better. She used to be my favorite girl on Full House (probably because she was closest in age to me). I don't mean to slight Becky, D.J., or the modern-day Olsen twins. Because they are also attractive. Anyway, the moral of this story is most drugs are very dangerous, and should be steered clear of.

Segue to this very interesting website a friend referred me to. Dr. Lester Grinspoon is a very enlightened thinker. I enjoy his ideas and insights. His website has some very enjoyable reading. One of my favorite essays in the "read" section is the essay entitled "Mr. X" which was later discovered to be Carl Sagan, one of the most badass astronomers in the history of the world. See his writing here. I'm not a liberal thinker in very many ways. This is one exception.

And, my friend Bryan sent me a link to this totally AWESOME site, Retro Junk. It takes you back to the good ol' days of the 80's and early 90's. My favorite section of the site so far is where you can view all the intros to the 80's sitcoms. The Hogan Family, ALF, Muppet Babies. A nostalgic tear forms in my eye. It has tons of other interesting content too. I haven't even delved through it all yet. (Hmm, did I use "delve" properly? It's nagging at me a bit.)

PS - Check out Carl Sagan's unbelievable documentary "Cosmos." It was originally on PBS. I got it on DVD (in a seven disc set). It is mind-blowing. Buy it here if it tickles your fancy. Here is a link to Sagan's website too, if you're interested. (I think he died about ten years ago, unfortunately.)

a blog by any other name would smell as sweet

It’s been a substantially long time since I’ve posted, and I make no excuses. I’ve been pretty busy at work, which is good. When not at work, I’ve been dealing with tons of paperwork related to, among other things, the house Gretchen and I are getting, homeowner’s insurances quotes, taxes, and wedding things. And I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading, since I have a pile of 20 books or so to get through, along with the weekly newspaper and monthly magazine I receive in the mail. And I have to get in a game of online Scrabble every now and then. But again, I make NO excuses.

There were a lot of big sports stories this past week. One of them was Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points in one game against the Raptors last Sunday. It was the second highest total in a game ever. That is a LOT of points. At this point, the debate rages on. Is he a selfish ball hog, or one of the greatest players of the current generation? Though compromise is not allowed in this day and age, I’d say it’s a little bit of both. He needs to get the ball and shoot a lot to be able to score 81 points. And he definitely shoots a lot. Even though he was lying, he said after the game that all he cares about is the win. And in a way, that’s true. So what if comes by 6 people all chipping in 10 or 15 points, or one guy putting up 50 or 60? A win is a win. Kobe haters say, “He’s so selfish; he never passes.” He had two assists that game. Yet, Kobe is a shooting guard. He shoots. He isn’t a point guard. They pass the ball, set up the plays, and run the team basically. But go on and criticize him for doing his job. I think he is an arrogant jerk, who cheats on his hot wife (though he didn’t sexually assault that chick in Colorado; he just picked a psycho broad to mess around with). So, while his moral character is questionable, he plays basketball very well. We could judge Kobe and hold him to a higher moral standard because he’s a celebrity, but why do that when there are probably a hundred cheating maintenance men and florists in Kansas City as I write this? Athletes as role models isn’t the best idea, but for every asshole out there, there’s a genuine nice guy for the kids to look up to also. And I think most kids are smart enough to figure out who the bad apples are and who aren’t.

I’ll tell you what was ridiculous. Isaac Mizrahi grabbing Scarlett Johansson’s breast at the Golden Globes, that’s what’s ridiculous. See the video here. I don’t care how gay you are; you don’t go grabbing people’s breasts, penises, or taints. The stupid commentator woman justified it with that simple reason. He’s gay, so he’s allowed. Well, I guess it’s fine if I go grab a dude’s groin, since I’m straight. “Oh no, don’t worry, man. It’s cool; I’m straight, so we’re fine.” Ridiculous. Isaac Mizrahi’s got a lot of growing up to do. Way out of line. I don’t think it would be right for a woman to grab another woman’s boob. There are a couple of forums where breast-grabbing is acceptable: engaged in sexual activities (of course), in the operating room (implants, etc.), and perhaps in adult-oriented entertainment (say strip clubs, for example). Again, “acceptable” and “appropriate” are two different terms. While strip clubs aren’t necessarily the classiest of places, I find it much more appropriate that a dirty paying customer grabs a stripper’s breast than when Mizrahi did it on live television outside the awards show Monday night. And, it wasn’t a big deal. It seems like Johansson took it all in stride. I just thought it was a bit presumptuous to go ahead and grab her teat, that’s all. (As an aside, I enjoyed it the other day when I heard Dan Patrick, on his ESPN radio show, say, “Scarlett and her two Johannsons looked good the other night.”)

litigation

Society's litigiousness in this day and age absolutely enrages me.

Get your piece of the pie some other way, assholes.

My anger stems from a new book out that I'd like to read called "The True Stella Awards" by Randy Cassingham. It's a whole book about the ridiculous lawsuits you hear about in the news every now and then. The "Stella" referred to is the original idiot who sued McDonalds because she spilled her coffee, burned herself, and claimed it was too hot. The coffee was too hot. (After reading a bit further into the story, while I don't know the final outcome of the lawsuit, I did learn that McDonalds admits it heats its coffee to 180 degrees or some extreme temperature, so that people can't finish it all in one sitting, and keep coming up for refills. I assume it's aimed at all the elderly tightwads who frequent McDonalds for a 6 AM breakfast and 2-hour newspaper reading session.)

But it seems this knee-jerk reaction is prevalent in today's society, and while at times it's reasonable, for the most part it seems to be an irresponsible and greedy attempt to profit from an unfortunate situation. And, again, there are some instances where it might be suitable, but this book is filled with the ones that I'm sure will get your blood boiling and leave your mouth agape.

In other news, Gretchen and I just signed on a house. I guess there's no turning back now. Honestly, though, it's exciting. Oh, and I got a foosball table for Christmas, so I'm learning how to play foosball better now too.

Alright, back to work for another hour and a half. Have a good weekend.

to phree or not to phree

That is the question.

I stumbled upon this section of the website last week. Want to be a Writer?


I had always assumed it was similar to the Onion, where there was a certain group of hired writers and that was that. But, apparently, there are hundreds of contributors across the country that submit stories every week. (See the Contributors section for that large list.)

So now I wonder, do I attempt to submit some stories to the Phat Phree? I've always enjoyed everything I've read on the site. Inappropriate and sexually-tinged humor is right up my alley. But can I produce something they'd be looking for? I guess it's worth a shot. It isn't for the money (they don't offer any) or the fame (I prefer to avoid the limelight); I just think it would just be cool to see a submission by me on one of my favorite sites. The only other catch is "We also want people who are interested in contributing regularly," say the editors of the Phat Phree. I can't guarantee that would happen, as infrequent posts on my blog might illustrate. In the end, I was pondering sending something in, but I thought I'd get everyone's two cents on the issue.

PS - I thank Brad K. especially, because he introduced me to the Phat Phree about a year ago. It was a beautiful moment indeed. Also, it's Brad's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday. Loser.

revisiting the Europe trip, part 2

Just a few pics from the European jaunt (Feb.-Jun. 2004) to celebrate Friday and ring in the new year:

(It shouldn't be this fucking hard to put captions right under my pictures, but I'm screwing it up somehow, so here's a key at the top for the pictures below instead. I'll figure it out one of these days.)

1. Big model, awesome hair, mediocre camera.
2. Sometimes all these lights start blinking on the Tower. I'm serious.
3. Some Austrian chick I met by the tulips, ya?
4. Once again, at the Hotel Post. Weird, huh?
5. View from the hotel in Switzerland.
6. Me, in the Linz half-marathon. (40 pounds heavier now, I wonder how I pulled that off only a year and a half ago.)
7. Outside the Rome Airport, since those dirty wops kicked us out for the night.
8. JP 2, up close and personal. May he RIP.
9. Waiting for the Prague night tram with a bunch of foreigners.
10. Watching some big chess in Amsterdam.























Good times. Everyone have a good New Year's Eve and 2006. Be safe.

if i could do it all over again

I usually catch myself saying that once every couple weeks. Not really in a serious sense, but I think of things that I really enjoy as hobbies and wonder if they would have been good as careers. The list, of those I can recall at this point:

Astronomer – This is of course due to my love of astronomy and stars and the like. I think what I enjoy about it is how unfathomable it all is, as far as distances and sizes go. We talk about light-years like they’re nothing, but one light year equals six trillion miles. If I calculated correctly, and I might not have, it would take over a million years to travel that far in one of our modern airplanes. I guess space shuttles are faster, and that’s what would be used, but you catch my drift. Anyway, astronomy is cool.

Pharmacist – I’m fascinated by pills and that side of medicine. I own a copy of the Pill Book. It’s a handy reference. It’s just cool that scientists came up with all these different chemicals to treat thousands of different illnesses and disorders. I also like organizing stuff, and pharmacies seem very neat and organized. And pharmacists seem like they have less required schooling and also less responsibility than a doctor. And the pay is doctor-like, though I don’t think it’s exactly equivalent.

Geographer – Or perhaps I’d enjoy being a cartographer. Not sure what exactly each job entails, but I do know I love maps. And atlases. I could spend a good hour just sitting and reading through a U.S. atlas. Call me odd; I know I am. But it’s fascinating to me. I figure, therefore, that an interest in maps and atlases would mean I would enjoy geography. I know it deals with statistics and things of that nature too. That’d be fine. I could crunch numbers.

Professional Baseball Player – It’s a bit more fantastic and unbelievable that the other ideas, but of all the pro sports to play in, I think I’d do baseball. It’s a pretty long season from spring training to optimally the World Series (February through October), but if it’s doing what you love, you dig? The travel would be hard at times, especially if you had a wife or family, but having millions of dollars is nice too. The simple fact is that there is no way anyone on earth deserves to make as much money as baseball players (or any sports figures) do, doing what they do. They are batting a ball around and catching it with gloves, for other people’s entertainment. Get off your high horses, assholes. Here’s your salary cap. I say the best player in the league gets $1,500,000 at the end of the year, based on performance. All 900 or so players that will appear in the majors that year are ranked accordingly. #2 player that year gets $1,000 less. And on down the line. So, for roundness’ sake, say there are 1,000 players who play in a year. The “worst” guy who plays, or performs the least, let’s say, gets $500,000. That would be the minimum salary in the league. So, in the end, the league minimum is raised, but the exorbitant salaries of these haughty bastards would be controlled too. I’m sure there are several flaws in my plan, and it would probably never work, but a basic scheme is there. It just needs tweaking.

I think in the end, we can all discover what our dream jobs would be by pretending we won the lottery. A big lottery. You would never have to work again, but say you end up working just to “keep busy.” What job would you take at that point? It would have to be based solely on enjoyment. There’s everyone’s answer. I’m still think about my answer. I would think it would be one of the above. But maybe it wouldn’t.

Have a happy 2006.

horror movies, hate, and the holidays

All alliterations aside, I hadn’t written in a while. It’s probably not right that I’m writing an entry more because I feel an obligation than because I enjoy writing them, but here I am. I do enjoy writing them honestly; it’s either that I’m too busy or a bit too lazy. My goal is one entry a week, and I’ve done a moderately good job of that. It’s the damn Christmas shopping and preparation that takes up all my time,

I found out there’s a new horror film coming out soon called Hostel. If you’re into that sort of thing (I’m not), it looks good. Quentin Tarantino “presents” it, meaning he must have checked it out and giving it his seal of approval (meaning they’re allowed to use his name to attract major attention). Just from screen shots and movie posters, it looks extremely violent. It also has an intriguing plotline. We European travelers might enjoy the story. Roughly, it’s about three students backpacking through Europe and they come across this one guy in Slovakia who tells them all about this great hostel where all these hot chicks there are desperate to have sex with you. Think with your head, not with your dong—that’s what I always say. They don’t take my advice. Of course, it’s this horrible torture chamber of a hostel, and so on. Again, I won’t see it, but it looks like it could be a good horror movie for fans of the genre. http://www.hostelfilm.com/ and http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/film/684 are a couple of sites with some info on the movie.

One of the most hateful religious groups in the world, I’m safely assuming, is the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The leader is Fred Phelps, one of the craziest old men ever to inhabit the earth. Its total membership is about 100 people and 90% of them are related to Phelps, if that tells you anything. Nonetheless, it’s an extreme Christian sect; I personally wouldn’t consider them Christian, though I guess technically they are. To be blunt, they’re a religion based on horrible racism and homophobia and hate for basically everyone but themselves. They have done so many awful things over the years, and I only write about them today because they are planning on picketing this Friday in St. Louis. They plan on protesting at a funeral for a soldier who died in Iraq. They justify this because they blame the military for not keeping our country and the world free of gays and lesbians (to use more proper terms than they do). It’s unreal how they think.

Other tactics include having their children as young as toddlers protest, while wearing t-shirts that say “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for the Tsunami.” (They say thank God for every disaster and attack that has occurred, because they say it is God sending a message that the world is being destroyed and needs to change its ways. As of now, they believe only members of their Church will be accepted in to Heaven.) They also hate Swedes; I forgot why. It is the most unbelievable ideology I’ve ever seen. And it’s despicable. The last thing I should do is tell all ten people a day that visit my site about this horrible church and its backwards views, but it’s a sight (and site) to be seen. It’s a sight that’s a sober reminder of how much hate exists in the world, and that we probably don’t know the half of it. The amazing part is that they believe they are absolutely justified and correct.

On a lighter note, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday they celebrate. It should be a good time. Gretchen and I are heading to Wichita for X-mas weekend, and then to St. Louis for New Year's weekend (for an "X-mas" celebration there). A lot of travel, but a lot of fun still. Hope everyone travels safely and eats a lot of food.

(Sorry, my "link-making" tool in Blogger still isn't working, or I'm doing it wrong, so the links aren't clickable. I'll figure it out soon enough.)