Where's Greg?

Mood: slightly sick

No, I am not dead. Just slightly sick. I haven't posted an entry in what seems like ages! There's not much of an excuse other than the fact that I only turn on my computer these days to download music from the Russians. And now I don't have time for much of an update, as I am wrapped up in Christmas preparations. (God that was an awful pun!) I am still driving with a permit, though I could have taken the behind-the-wheel driving test a couple weeks ago and passed. Everything else is basically the same, as well.

Okay, maybe one day I'll post more....

So Sorry

Mood: tired

Why have I not posted since November 27? Quite frankly, that was probably the last time I actually took the time to turn my computer on. I could say I've been busy with other things, but I really haven't. So there.

Well, I'm really just passing time to see if AllOfMP3.com will work. The site has been busy, and I need to redownload the third track from Tears for Fears' Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. Somehow between transfering it from Bella's computer to mine via CDR it got lost. The rest of the album, by the way, is very good. Check it out, even if you were never a T4F fan....

Four Feet from Disaster

Mood: relieved

Tonight I was driving home from Bella's and I came within four feet or so from hitting a stray dog. Three things prevented it:

1. Bella gasped, a gasp being all she could manage to vocalize,


2. the fact that I was not speeding, and


3. my apparently fast reflexes.

I was beginning to wonder when my reflexes would be tested. I just wish they didn't have to be tested on a poor, innocent dog. I'll never forget how he stopped in front of the car, looked at me, and said: "Oh shit. I'm gonna die." When the car halted mere feet from him, he quickly decided that he sure as hell better get across the street.

I don't know what I would have done if I had hit him. I mean other than taking him to the nearest emergency animal hospital. But after that I would be an emotional mess.

I must say I am rather impressed with how I handled it. I didn't completely freak out and slam on the breaks (which, of course, would have resulted in my skidding into the dog). It's like my reflexes just pushed all thoughts or doubts out of my head and directed my body to do the right thing.

Or maybe it wasn't my reflexes but something more?

Regardless... THANK GOD!

A Lose-Lose Thanksgiving

Mood: disappointed

Not unlike last year, I am now confronted with the dilemma of choosing to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family or Bella. Once again, my idea of changing the time we eat dinner has been shot down. It wasn't worth arguing the point, though there can be no valid reason for not changing it to accommodate Bella. So here are my choices:

1. eat dinner with my family and be miserable without Bella


2. eat dinner with Bella and her family and possibly upset my family


3. not eat with either family

I'm certainly not going to pass my problem and force her to choose; I would never do that and neither would she. She's basically said that it would be okay if I chose to eat with my family.

I hate that I'm forced into choosing between my family and my Bella. After thinking about it long and hard, I've decided that what I am most thankful for is Bella. She has done so much for me this past year, we've been through so much.

Isn't Thanksgiving about giving thanks? How can I give thanks without Bella? I am so thankful for her.

Of course, I love my family, and I am thankful for them as well. That's why this is a dilemma. But in a lose-lose situation, I have to go with what will make me more happy. I never want to spend another Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without her. I shouldn't have to.

Early Morning

Mood: groggy but good

I successfully forced myself to get up earlier this morning. This allows me not only to have a leisurely morning, but also to make this post, which is really about nothing in particular and for no good reason.

I'm working very hard on getting in a better financial situation. I just reopened an account at Bank of America, and I opened a savings account as well. I have it set up to automatically deduct $25 per month from my checking and transfer it to my savings. And I will be putting additional money in my savings as I can. In addition, I'm trying to pay off my credit card bill. So far, not much luck, but I'm trying.

I'm going to have to be a cheap ass for Christmas again. Though I actually have a job this year, I need to put money towards other things. The one-year mark for the wedding is approaching all too quickly. I know with the head start Bella and I have working on the wedding, we will have money and time for everything that needs to get done. I'm confident of that.

Let me just mention that I love how I have 5,400+ MP3 files on my computer. I set it to play random songs and a very interesting mix is the result. Chet Baker one moment, Limp Bizkit the next.

Let me also just mention that unlike Bella's Dad, I prefer my coffee flavored. I had some French Vanilla coffee when I woke up, and mmmmm was it good!

Oh, let me just mention one last thing. I am seriously considering setting up a hobby/business making hand-made bookmarks. I've been tossing this idea around for a while now and the more I think about it, the more I like it.

Okay, you can stop reading now.

Really.

I mean it.

Stop.

Just stop!

Go no further!

I'm warning you!

Leave!

Go google or something!

Don't you have email to check?

Hey, where are you going?

Don't leave!

Damn.

Me Avi & Wir

Mood: proud

Last night I drove home from Me Avi & Wir. Er, that is, Me(g)aVi(deo) & Wir(eless). (There is no end of the fun Bella and I have laughing at this sign that has over half of its letters unlit. The joke is that it sounds like another language... not to mention Bella likes the way I say it. That being an unnaturally high, almost nasal tone. Imagine a little Hispanic girl with the beginnings of a cold and ya nailed it!) This involved driving out of a moderately busy parking lot, turning left onto a four-lane street, a lane change, blah, blah, blah. At this rate, I may feel comfortable taking the driving test before Christmas!

Oh, special thanks to a certain purple person for sending encouragement about my driving via some sort of small vole. ;) Rest assured I have no intention of driving on the freeway any time soon. After all, I just now feel comfortable driving 38 miles per hour.

Well, it's payday. Which means it's time to go birthday shopping for Bella. I have a basic idea of what I am going to get her. I may not have time to get it all today, though. As it is, I may have to meet my friend, Joey, on the shopping trip. We'll see how it works out.

I'm rocking out to Emery right now, taking the opportunity to blast it while Gran isn't here.

Well, gotta go. Time for some coffee and breakfast.

Driving Home

Mood: excited

I drove home! Okay, so it was only from the church parking lot--a whopping one block or so--but this was a big step for me. Of course, I practiced in the (empty) parking lot for a while before hitting the street, but I picked it up pretty quickly. We practiced turns--including three-point turns--parking, backing up, driving backwards. It all feels pretty good so far. I'm very happy with this first experience.

To celebrate, I am going to download The Very Best of Elvis Costello.

(Written) Driving Test, Part 3

Mood: impressed

The other day, Bella reminded me that I needed to write the third part of this ongoing saga of my driving permit. Well, I am glad to announce that this is the third and final installment. I passed the written test, without a mistake. It's funny. I got myself all worked up about not having studied enough and I was actually beginning to doubt if I would pass or not. I even felt nauseated at one point, but that was more from imagining all the horrible things that can happen when one drives rather than the test itself. I felt a bit foolish after I passed. So there you have it.

In other exciting news, Bella and I have our first meeting with the priest who will most likely officiate our wedding. (Which means we'll also be putting down the deposit to reserve the church for June 17, 2006!) I'm a tad nervous, but I promise not to build it into something more than it is, like I did with the driving permit test.

Well, I have a few other things to do here on the Internet while I'm waiting for my laundry to finish. I haven't been online in a few days!

Oh, a couple of quick reviews:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Jim Carrey's best movie! I instantly loved it from the opening scenes. I must have it on DVD. Bella liked it too, I think.

Emery's The Weak's End - Even though I shouldn't be spending money on myself right now, I just had to support these guys. I had corresponded with them via email before they got signed to a major label. I wanted to support them then, but didn't for one reason or another. Now I'm telling you to support them if you care for Emo at all. It's an amazing album.

Okay, that's all for now....

My Vote

Mood: curious

Here I sit, sipping mead, nibbling on a brownie, not entirely sure if such a thing is a good idea... and casting my vote! Yes, I am completing my absentee ballot, which I will drop off at the local polling place before work.

First, the mead. It's the most widely available brand of mead, Chaucer's, which I picked up for a mere $7.99 at the World Market in Ontario Mills. It's interesting, but not as good as I had hoped. Admittedly, I don't like wine. But as far as wine goes, this isn't bad. It features a mild flavor, and is lightly sweet. I expected a stronger honey flavor, and much more sweet. (My brother, Daryl, would remind me to try port if I'm after a sweet wine.) Anyway....

Here is how I am voting:

President - Michael Anthony Peroutka
Bush doesn't deserve to be reelected and I'm not convinced that Kerry would make a good President, so I am going with the party that most closely fits my beliefs. My only hesitation is that I am not happy with a political party that bases itself on religion, such as the American Independent party.

United States Senator - Don J. Grundmann
Again, I am going with the American Independent party.

United States Representative - Kevin Akin
The theme for this election was to vote for anyone that isn't Republican or Democrat. Akin was the only alternative.

State Senator - Gregory M. Short
Not presented with an alternative to one of the "big two", I was forced to vote for myself. It's not the first time!

Member of the State Assembly - Jack N. Lee
The Libertarians have their hearts in the right places, even though I disagree on major issues.

1A - Yes
Of course local government should keep money collected for their own use! I don't want my tax dollars going somewhere that they won't benefit me.

59 - Yes
Our government should not be allowed to keep secrets from us!

60 - Yes
This gives our votes more power!

60A - Yes
Why not? Who cares?

61 - Yes
If it helps children... you bet!

62 - Yes
Again, more vote power!

63 - No
I am strongly against taxation based upon income levels. Tax everyone or no one!

64 - Yes
I'm tired of frivolous lawsuits!

65 - No
Huh?

66 - No
The only way to deal with crime is to be tough and stay tough. Repeat crime is repeat crime, and many (most?) of the criminals put away by the Three Strikes law deserve to be where they are! Do we really want them back on our streets?

67 - No
The medical community gets enough of our money! Don't give them more.

68 - Yes
Though I think we should basically give the Native Americans whatever they want, I am also a strong believer in competitive Capitalism.

69 - Yes
Criminals lose their right to privacy! If collecting their DNA can help solve crimes in the future, it's the only answer.

70 - No
Broken agreements are not going to help anyone!

71 - No
We can use stem cells from adults and umbilical (sp?) cords. I don't like the direction this proposition could take us in.

72 - No
This would only serve to drive businesses out of business. Health care should be the responsibility of the government, not employers!

Well, those are the main ones. It's getting late. I need to finish voting then get to bed! I have to get up early!

I'll be following the progress of the election on NPR tomorrow at work. It should be exciting, even though I fully expect results won't be conclusive until Wednesday.

Ah, fun!

Thought for the Day

Mood: philosophical

"We're only human if we act like humans." This statement of mine came in a discussion with my brother, Daryl, of how taggers tagging their territory is no different than animals marking theirs. Daryl has noticed--and I must agree--that there is a marked increase in graffiti in places where it hasn't been in the past. A good example of this is when Bella pointed out, with much dismay, the graffiti on the Barnes & Noble. What would be a good punishment for graffiti?

I've been reading the paper a lot lately, and today there was an article I wanted to comment on. It was about this 87 year old man who drove his car into the rear-end of another car, proceeded to drive around the car, and then plowed through a farmer's market, killing 10 people and injuring 63 more. He just recently had a preliminary hearing in which his defense blamed the "accident" on various health problems the man has. This makes me wonder:

1. What "condition" of his caused him to ignore the original accident?


2. Should someone in poor health be allowed to drive?


3. Shouldn't there be an upper age limit for driving, where we say it is no longer safe for people to drive after a certain age?

I am very happy with my recent purchases of Steve Miller Band's Young Hearts: Complete Greatest Hits and Marilyn Manson's Lest We Forget: The Best Of. An odd mix, I know. But that's me!

I am feeling pretty good right now. I've even just remembered that I forgot to take my medicine. That's how good I'm feeling!

Did I mention I now have a CD burner that works with Linux? Yup, burning shall commence shortly....

(Written) Driving Test, Part 2

Well, by the time I found my birth certificate, took care of my pets, got ready, and figured out what buses to take, I decided I didn't have enough time to get to the DMV (on two buses), wait in line, do whatever, wait in line, take the test, wait in line, and get the results before I have to go to Bella's for baby sitting. Not to mention the DMV closes at 5PM. But I did find out that one can schedule an appointment online... so I did! It's for next Friday at 2PM. I'll post Part 3 of this unfolding drama sometime thereafter.

(Written) Driving Test, Part 1

Mood: relieved/eager

I am going to go take my written driving test today. I haven't really studied as much as I should have, but oh well. A good deal of my study time was taken up by trying to find my birth certificate. There was a real scare there for a while when I didn't find it in the "barn" (i.e. shed). That's where a lot of my stuff from Illinois is packed away. But then I deduced that I must have used it since I have been living with Gran; the address on my photo ID is 11657 not 11659. So it was safe to assume that it was somewhere here in the house, most likely in the office. Feeling overwhelmed looking through the mess, something told me to look in my "file" (i.e. a cardboard box with manila folders standing up in it in some sort of orderly fashion) and sure enough, there was a folder marked "Birth Certificate". I guess I can be organized sometimes....

So now I must take a shower and be off to the races. Erm, test, I mean.

Godfather Greg

Mood: honored

Wow! Bella and I are now the proud Godparents of Evan Harris Finefrock. We are truly honored. Evan was pretty darn happy today, for the mostpart. He seemed to know there was a celebration going on just for him.

In other fantastic news, Pip has finally taken to his new home. There is evidence of him having had a dip in the "pool", and he is in fact now resting comfortably next to it. He's not even hiding in the moss! I am so happy for the little guy. Next, I'm going to consider getting him a companion, most likely a fire-bellied frog.

Though I absolutely love this rain we're having, Daryl informed me this morning that the store has several leaks. It should be very interesting surveying the damage tomorrow....

Pip's New Home

Mood: delighted

No more plastic "paradise" for Pip! I've given him a much larger, more natural environment. Bella and I went to Petco to pick up crickets and I ended up getting a HerpHaven, complete with a "rock" dish for wading and a "boulder" cave. Pip especially appreciates the terrarium moss, which is currently his preferred means of hiding. Bella bought a cute little "plant" for Pip, which provides yet another hiding spot. I think Pip has yet to do any real exploring, but he doesn't appear to be in shock like he was after I transferred him to his new digs.

In the pic I took, Pip is hiding under the moss in the bottom right corner. I was fully expecting to find him in the cave at the top of the pic, and panicked a bit until I found him under the moss. (He's still a small frog!) The wading pond is in the bottom left corner. Small crickets may or may not be seen in the picture.

In other news, I've discovered I really like Spanish ska. I'm currently listening to Ska-P's "Revistas Del Corazon". They really rock! Sort of like a Spanish version of Madness, but more rockin' and less silly.

I'll admit I'm a bit nervous about becoming a Godfather tomorrow. Not so much of the becoming as the "event". I have the job of lighting a candle for little Evan. Bella will write his name in "the book". I'm sure it will be over before I know it, so I don't know why I'm nervous.

I was disappointed to not find a CD burner in the price range I was hoping for ($30). I don't know that I can warrant spending $50-80 on a CD burner right now. (So I opted to spend the money on Pip's new home instead.)

Evan

Mood: proud

I have finally posted the picture of my soon-to-be Godson, Evan. You can check it out HERE. I am proud not only of this great picture I took, but also of the fact that I'm gonna be the Godfather of this cute kid! It's truly an honor.

Cut Hours

Mood: so ready to see Bella

Thanks to the cut hours at work--a cut of 16%--I have already been home for over a half hour. But that's good: I am so ready to see Bella! We are going to eat cheaply but goodly. (Yes, I know "goodly" is not a word, but I like the sound of it. Bella could even go so far as to give the literary term for such a thing, I'm sure!)

I was going to look something up on the Internet (I thought of it as I was waiting for the bus home), but now I can't think what it was. Oh well!

Hey, just FYI, I am currently reading C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, starting with Out of the Silent Planet. I really enjoy it so far. I was looking for a good series of books to read and it looks like I chose wisely.

Anyway, Bella will be here soon. Gotta go!

Evan

Mood: sleepy

I took a couple good pics of Evan, my soon-to-be Godson. I will post them when I'm not so darn sleepy. As it is, I slept for a few hours at Bella's house. Felt kind of bad as she was just sitting there watching me sleep. (Not the whole time, I'm sure, but still.)

I was hoping to ride my bike to work in the morning, but I don't know if I will feel like getting up early enough to clean it up. We'll see.

Now? Sleep.

Hideously Bad Movie

Okay, so not all of the DVD's I bought at the 99 Cents Only store are good so far. The Jackals, starring Vincent Price, has acting that's bad enough to make the movie bad, but not so bad as to be funny. (There's a fine line there.) Maybe I'll pass the bad ones along to my brother, Daryl, so he can build his DVD collection! :P Teehee....

Publishing Problem

Mood: too tired to be frustrated

I tried adding a thumbnail/link to my photo blog, but Blogger is having problems publishing my blog right now. I'm hoping this post will reset whatever is causing the problem.

Oh, tomorrow (today, actually) Bella and I will be going to the prep class to become Godparents of little Evan. I'm gonna see if I can get a picture of him and I will post it to my photo blog.

Wedding with Bella

Mood: tired

No, it wasn't our wedding, but Bella's cousin's wedding. We went there with Bella's brother, Mark, and her mom. It was nice, but not what Bella and I have in mind for our wedding. For one thing, the wedding ceremony itself should be more than 10 minutes. A decent DJ is a must, too. (Charisma goes a long way, DJ lady!)

Anyway, I had a printer issue with Linux last night, but I finally got it resolved this morning. Now if I could just get my CD burner working....

At Last!

Mood: delighted

I am finally done updating Linux! Yippee.... Now, on to the fun stuff.

I have switched from Linux's Konqueror web browser to Netscape 7.2. Before you start groaning, just know that I only did it for compatibility's sake. I found Konqueror wasn't 100% compatible with all web sites, including one Bella frequents. So I made the switch. Also, it will be better as I slowly get back into web design. (Whether or not I will be doing it as a business again remains to be seen.)

Things were really slow at work so I decided to leave early. Plus my brain was feeling funky, most likely from the bad combination of caffeine and dehydration. I sometimes forget to drink. Like right now, I feel I am thirsty, yet here I sit.

--

Okay, I just chugged two 9-ounce Dixie cups of water; I've been craving water all day!

Anyway, the highlight of the day was when this customer-turned-applicant came in my store. With his glasses, button-down shirt, and full beard that failed to hide his weak jawline, I was instantly struck that he was an intellectual type, maybe a professor that never quite made it out of the 60's. Turns out he was a former network specialist that had recently become a parolee. He offered this information, honestly and up front, as he expressed interest in working in my store. He seemed giddy at the thought of even the most remote chance of working in a bookstore.

My initial reaction was one of acceptance. But inside I was wondering what on earth this guy could have done to get himself landed in jail. Looking very innocent and harmless, I can't help but think of all the murderers and pedophiles that really look no different that he did standing there two feet in front of me. But something tells me that he is as harmless as he seems. Maybe even moreso.

As he filled out an application, I couldn't help but think the perfect character for a story had just walked into my store! Do I want to know more of who he really is, or just let my imagination run wild? I have this nagging feeling that this may be one case where reality is more interesting than any fiction. I think a little background check on this guy is in order. But will I only find out that there is no story here after all?

Back Online!

Mood: excited

Thanks to Bloo Internet and my ModemBlaster serial modem, I am now back online. Currently, I am in the process of upgrading my Suse Linux software. There are a lot of updates, so with only dial up access, it's going to take a while. Well, back to downloading. And bed!

So Close

Well, I've found a modem that works with Linux, but now my Juno account has expired. I've signed up with Bloo Internet, but I have to wait until tomorrow to verify my home phone with them before my account will be active. Things are no longer so bleak, so I am hopeful now.

Bella and I just had lunch with my friend Joey. It was delightful! Then we went shopping and he bought me a very nice pedometer at Sharper Image as a belated birthday present. (He had me pick it out; I've wanted a pedometer for the longest time, and it was the cheapest thing I could find.)

Last night was a big step for Bella and I! We had our first wedding-related meeting at the church where we put in our requested wedding day of June 17, 2006. We have yet to meet with Father Richard McGee to set the wedding date; he will most likely be the one to officiate the ceremony. This beginning of the real process of getting married--even though it's still very early--makes it all seem very real, rather than just some fantasy I cooked up in my head. I get to marry this beautiful, amazing woman whom I am completely and utterly in love with! I think that makes me the luckiest guy in the world....

Ibby & Me

I have taken my journal back into the real world and have been keeping it on my computer until such a time comes that I can post to this blog on a regular basis. However, I will occasionally drop in here with a few words and maybe a pic or two....

For now, check out Ibby & Me.

Blogger Blahs

Mood: disappointed

I am really disappointed in Blogger right now. Not having Internet access at this time thanks to Linux, I am basically relying on the blog-by-email and blog-by-phone features... but neither is working as they should be. I am tempted to either switch back to LiveJournal (which I suspect may offer the needed features now) or just abandon this blog altogether until I have reliable Internet access. For now, I'm off to investigate....

The Distraction of 32

Mood: disgusted with myself

I am very disgusted with myself, and I only have the distraction of turning 32 to use as an excuse for what I've done. I totally forgot to pay my credit card bill! Now huge sums of fees will be the result. And somehow my checking account is slightly overdrawn, though it looks like the bank hasn't charged me an overdraft fee. (God bless NetBank!) Just when I thought I was getting stabilized financially....

In other news, my birthday was nice. I spent it with Bella and my family... after work, that is. I got some nice gifts, most of which were books I had in my hold pile at work, so I have some excellent reading ahead of me. Bella and I will be having our own little celebration tomorrow when she takes me out to eat. I still don't know where I want to go, but most likely it will be the Old Spaghetti Factory. That's always been a special place for us, and quite a bargain.

I'm feeling extremely restless and very blah, so I'm going to go do something. I need to get my mind off of financial matters.

On the Eve of My 32nd Birthday

Mood: relieved

On this, the eve of my 32nd birthday, I could have been very, very depressed. You see, I had some sort of idea where I should be--what I should have--in my life by this age. If things had gone as a young, optimistic man of 18 had imagined, I would be married and have a couple kids by now. But the older me, for the most part, is glad that I am heading down this road much later than anticipated.

For you see, though I even now think I should be further along in life--in status, not age--I am quite content. I have been with the one person in the world who makes me happiest for over two years now. A wedding is in the not-too-distant future. Kids may or may not be part of the plan now, but for the mostpart I am on my way to where I have always wanted to be. Sure, I may be a bit delayed in my arrival, but that will only make it sweeter.

I will be spending my birthday working. Don't worry, I planned it that way, though it wasn't Plan A. But seeing as my birthday had the audacity to fall on a Monday, I have paperwork that needs to get done, and I'm the only one to do it. But my day will be shorter than usual so I can enjoy an evening with my family. Nothing major is planned. Just hanging out at my mom's house. But seeing as that is a rarity now, I think I'll rather enjoy it.

If you happen to notice a certain air of dignity in my written voice, it's because I've been watching Manor House on PBS. The truth be told, I'd love to have been a butler. (Wouldn't mind being one now!) They actually wielded considerable power in the household. But I think you have to be "mature" to be a butler. Maybe in 20 years?

Well, I'm off to enjoy the now rare event of atttending church with Bella. Being understaffed at work, I end up picking up the slack, often not having more than one day off per week.

grumble grumble

Mood: annoyed

I just discovered that for some reason my audio posts aren't being published to the site automatically. They're stored in my Blogger account, but then I have to republish the site. It's not supposed to be that way! UGH!

I am also getting a little annoyed with Linux. You would think it would be easy enough to get a modem to work.... Well, it's not. I, in fact, have TWO modems, and I can't get either of them to work. It's weird because Linux can actually identify one of them, but then it doesn't work! ARGH! Am I going to have to go out and specifically buy a modem for Linux? Is it worth it? Though it looks like Linux will be interesting to play around in, it's not the most practical operating system.

It's sad when one can find something superior about a Microsoft product....

Bella's First Day

Mood: relieved

I just spoke with Bella (she's still at work, planning for tomorrow), and it sounds like her first day as a real ("real" meaning "paid") teacher went well. I am so happy, and a bit relieved, I must confess. I knew Bella could do this, but she doesn't have faith in herself sometimes. Now that she's in the midst of teaching, I know she will feel better.

I happen to be downloading a free album by Thyrfing. Thyrfing? I dunno. They're a Death Metal band. I am still oddly attracted to the contrast of the almost symphonic music and the growling vocals. Yes, I am perfectly happy being eclectic in my musical tastes.

I've had a perfectly lazy day and it feels good. Tomorrow I will be out and about. First I have to pick up and cash my paycheck, then go to my best friend's birthday barbecue. Hopefully it's not supposed to be too hot tomorrow.

Didn't go on a bike ride. By the time I was feeling up to it, it was already too hot.

Well, I'm off to do a little more relaxin' with Mister Rogers.

WAP

Mood: sleepy

I'm tired from a long, hot day at work. But I am looking forward to the next two days off, and Friday is PAYDAY!

When I should probably be getting to bed early, I've been downloading things on my cell phone. WAP is the big acronym of the day. I've hunted down two WAP-enabled sites offering free downloads:

wap.getjar.com - for games and apps
www.polyphonicringtonez.com/wap - for polyphonic ring tones... duh!

I may take a joy(bike)ride down Riverwalk early tomorrow, before it gets hot. But we'll see if I can get myself up early enough. I may just sleep in. Ha!

I need to spend some quality time with Ibby. He really seems to be eating up the extra attention I've been giving him lately.

Tomorrow is Bella's first day with her new students. She's very anxious about the whole thing, but I know she'll do fine. She always does. I have such great faith in her; I know she can do anything! She's amazing.

Well, I'm off to watch a little Huell Howser and Mister Rogers, either of which could (will) be interrupted by the backsides of my eyelids.

Ibby's Pedicure

Mood: proud

I feel like a proud daddy. I needed to cut Ibby's toe nails, and he was pretty well behaved for it. Well, I did have to snatch him at one point, but then he was calm and had accepted his fate. After I finished, I hugged him to let him know that I still love him, even though I have to cut him up once in a while. He showed his love by insisting on staying in the crook of my arm, checking my shirt for worms. So I set him on his playground (he's starting to associate it with food), and went to the fridge for some meal worms. He saw the container, flew to my shoulder, ran down my arm and started digging through the grain the worms are kept in--and making a mess--only to come up with a shrivelled piece of lettuce. I started picking the worms out for him as he told me, "You're so cute!" After hand feeding him several, I let him dig around more to find his own. That's his natural behaviour, after all, so it's good to let him practice it now and then.

Let me just mention (again?) that I am ecstatic that Ibby can fly again, after continually breaking his primary feathers.

Oh, I cleaned Pip's aquarium, while I was at it. He really didn't seem scared of the turkey baster-turned-poop vacuum. Or maybe he just thought I couldn't see him behind that little plastic plant. I thought I heard a voice declaring, "He'll never find me back here!" Poor little guy didn't realize he was practically in plain view....

I sent out a mass email with my new email address and my cell phone number. If I missed anyone, my appy polly logies. (Clockwork Orange reference.)

Hmmm....

Mood: considering

Under consideration is the change, yet again, of my email address. This has been brought on by the discovery that Yahoo Mail can be accessed via my new cell phone. This is most intriguing! And seeing as I receive very few emails anyway, it probably wouldn't be a problem to switch. I may just try it!

Bella is very worried about teaching, and the only reason I'm writing this rather than comforting her is because she is temporarily distracted by taking care of her niece. But I'll have to keep this short.

Apparently my audio posts are working again. I did a test one this morning, and I assumed it didn't work. But then I heard Bella playing it! How exciting....

Complete with Matching Cell Phones

Mood: delighted

My cell phone ran out of minutes and it struck me that Bella and I could both save money by adding a line for me to her account with AT&T. So last night, that's just what we did! As a result, we now have matching, flip-top cell phones. They're really quite cute... erm, I mean, small. They have the cool polyphonic ring tones and color screens. When Bella calls me, it plays the wedding march. Family calls and I get to hear "Clocks" by Coldplay. Meanwhile, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" plays when friends call. Work-related calls are announced by the "brrring-brrring" telephone ring, and for everyone else I hear the retro "brrrrrrrrrrrrring" telephone ring. The latter of which I actually like a lot. So far, I've had problems downloading pics to use as wallpaper on my phone. I get a 406-Not Allowed error. Oh well. For the time being I have a nice animation of a Dutch windmill in a field of tulips. (Tulips are my favorite flower, and I once planted a small flower bed of them. Fun.)

All of this is really to say that I now have a new phone number. If you should be calling me, you know how to get a hold of me to ask me for the new number. Ha!

I was all excited that I could now make a lot more audio posts using my free nights and weekends, but the audblog service is down for maintenance. And, I think I still need to have them fix my account. Bah!

Better Idea?

Mood: tired, but in a good way

Whew! Just rode my bike home from work. Most of the way was pretty easy, lots of coasting. But that last bit, up Pierce, is always painful, though it doesn't look menacing in the least. I did pretty well, though. I'm proud of myself. Took a much-needed cold drink at the water fountain graciously provided at the SDA church.

Anyway, I'm thinking I should just break down and have Daryl download the file for me. I really don't feel like spending 58 hours downloading. (And that would just be the trial version!) I may have Bella take me to Best Buy to take a look at the boxed edition.

Speaking of Bella--my beautiful Bella!--we've talked about her adding a line on to her wireless account and then we could split the costs. My phone is having major problems--turning itself off randomly, not to mention the 25/10 cents per minute deal isn't as great as I first thought. I rarely use enough minutes to get to the 10 cents per minute rate. So maybe we can go see what kind of a deal we could get.

Anyway, I need to take a shower so I will be fresh-and-clean for Bella. Meanwhile, just for the heck of it, I will continue the Linux download....

Killing Microsoft (?)

Mood: devilish

The more I read about Linux--not to mention the more my computer crashes--the more I want to wipe out Windows from my computer and use only Linux. Now that I am not doing much of anything productive on my computer, I have all the time in the world to learn a new operating system. (You may remember a long while back when I tried installing Red Hat Linux, but decided I didn't have time to learn it; I was running my business at that point.)

My brother, Daryl, running a dual-boot system with Windows and SuSE Linux, suggested that SuSE Linux is much easier than Red Hat. So, as a sort of trial run, I am downloading the Live CD of it. By "live", it just means that I can boot my computer from the CD and Linux will run from it. (Rather than going through the task of defragmenting, repartitioning and installing. Not to mention backing up all of my music [20+ CDR's] and data with a slow, external CD burner.) The download only has 58 hours left! Woo... hoo...

The Hollies vs. The Beatles

Mood: concerned

Okay. I can hear everyone now, but I must say it like it is. I think early-Hollies were better than early-Beatles. There. I've said it. May the hate mail commense.

But this, dear readers, is not the subject of my concern. I am concerned about one of my co-workers, Bianca. Yesterday, she called in asking for the day off because of a family emergency. She sounded near tears, but I assured her it was not a problem for us. I just hope she's in a stable enough state to work today. But I will offer to let her go home early. I am beginning to see what can happen with only three people working in the store. (And that's not per day. There are THREE employees. Period.)

Pip is doing well. He's happy eating the fruit flies. He's extremely jumpy when he sees me. I suspect that that will always be the case. Small frogs aren't exactly cuddling pets. But I love him anyway....

After a long period of not having any meal worms, I have been giving Ibby worms on a daily basis again. When I hand-feed them to him, he reverts to a baby, making a cute squawking sound, crouching, and fluttering his wings. Then he proceeds to snatch the meal worm right out of my hand as soon as it gets close enough to the cage. Oh, I got a parakeet playground for Ibby (and the budgies), but he's scared of it. So I'm getting him used to it by putting worms on it. Occasionally I just grab him and set him on the perch, but he immediately flies off onto my shoulder. It's wonderful that he can fly again, now that his primary feathers have grown back.

A couple days ago, I bought a new bike. I rode it to work yesterday. It was very tiring riding that three or four miles. Yes, I'm outta shape. But not for long! As instructed by Bella, I had to buy a helmet to go with it. So I figured if I have to wear a helmet, it might as well be a cool one. It's black with blue flames on it. Need I say more?!? There's a nice little room in our store that is perfect for storing it out of the sight of customers. Vince, my other co-worker, didn't even see it!

Evidence of Eating

Mood: happy

Not only am I happy because I have tomorrow off and it's payday, but there appears to be evidence that Pip has indeed been eating the fruit flies. Two pieces of evidence, to be precise, for at the bottom of the water one can witness what appears to be two little... droppings. I stood and watched him after putting a new batch of flies in his aquarium. As I marvelled at the little miracle that is Pip, I thought I saw him lunge at a fruit fly. I think he may have gotten it, if that was what he was doing. He seemed content for a little while until he repeated the lunge in a different direction, presumably catching another fly. (This morning's batch was a bit lean, so I suspect he was really hungry.)

Though I am finding Pip incredibly interesting and amusing, I can't stop thinking about that Bearded Dragon. It was so amazing holding a lizard that wasn't struggling in the least, and had no desire to bite. Though they look a bit scary at first, I think they are a really beautiful creature, with a temperament not entirely unlike my own.

Before the temptation of a Bearded Dragon, I was considering getting a small aquarium of fish. Though I may stick with the original plan, it certainly is tempting to do otherwise. There's nothing like a pet that you can actually hold and with which you can interact. Plus, a Bearded Dragon would essentially have the same diet as Pip, and even Ibby could share some of their food.

Hmmm.... Now there I go talking myself into it! Egads.

Email

Maybe it's because I didn't really tell anyone, but I have received hardly any emails since I switched to theegg @ gmail . com quite some time ago. If you happen upon this post, please update your address books. If you don't happen upon this post, you probably don't have much to say to me, anyway. Nyah nyah!

Petco to the Rescue

Mood: relieved

My "trap" to catch fruit flies yielded exactly two fruit flies. So I decided, just for the hell of it, to call a couple other pet shops. Elliot's could special order them, but that wouldn't help me now. Then I called Petco thinking there was no way: 1) they would even know what a flightless fruit fly was, and 2) if they had any. But for once they came through for me. (Back when I was shopping around for budgies, they showed how little they knew about birds, and Bella and I have always used Petco as a last resort ever since.) They had a small jar of them for $4.99! A buck cheaper then the small jar that they didn't have at Strickly Reptiles. PLus, the girl in the reptile room let me hold a Bearded Dragon. I asked her if it was a good starter lizard, and she confirmed her knowledge, for I already knew the answer. She said they make an excellent first lizard because they rarely bite. I could totally see myself getting one, but I think I'll have to wait to get it as a "replacement" pet. I'm starting to have a bit of a zoo as it is.

The few flies I put in with Pip last night were gone this morning, so I'm hoping he ate them. I dumped several more in this morning. Those little suckers may be flightless, but they sure can jump! I'm improving at getting them in the aquarium rather than all over my hand. I'm going to go check on Pip's progress now.

Oh, the (possibly) counterfeit Traveler's Check is weighing heavily on my mind. I actually feel a bit sick, just thinking of it.

Poor Hungry Pip

Mood: frustrated and misanthropic

As I mentioned this morning, after work I walked over to Strickly Reptiles to get some flightless fruit flies for Pip. Well, they told me over the phone that it would be $5.99, and when I got there they only had the larger size for $11.99! I didn't have enough cash, so I left empty handed. My task now is to catch regular fruit flies here at home. I've set up a container outside with a banana stem in it, in the hopes to lure some fruit flies. I will then quickly put the lid on to catch them. Isn't this ironic? Why just a couple of weeks ago there were hundreds of them in the house! Talk about poor timing....

Feeling rather misanthropic as I suspect I took a counterfeit Traveller's Check today. I hope I'm wrong. We'll find out when I take the deposit tomorrow. I'm dreading it. I feel like such a fool. God I hope I'm wrong.

I think I'll have Bella cut my hair tonight. When I'm in a bad mood, a haircut always seems to have a cleansing effect. If I do it myself, I will be too tempted to just shave it all off....

More Pip News

Mood: excited

Yesterday after work, I checked on Pip and couldn't see him in the water. That's because he wasn't in the water! Yes, Pip is a little frog now, finally. So now he will be hungry for fruit flies. I was told I could buy some flightless fruit flies at Strickly Reptiles after 2PM. So I will head over there after work. Well, I gotta go. Just thought I would update....

It's Oh So Quiet

Mood: relaxed

Sweetums napping. Me downloading music from the blessed Russians. The Residents, then Art of Noise. Next? Who knows!

Our Day at the Beach

Mood: refreshed

After a day at the beach, I am feeling refreshed. We ended up going to Newport Beach instead of Huntington Beach. It was literally the best time I have ever had at the beach... any beach. We set up our three towels and two chairs, having a delightful lunch that Bella prepared. After we ate, we spent some time along the edge of the water, but were abruptly drawn back to our sitting area when our food was raided by a flock of seagulls. (Not the band, though they must be hungry, as well.) I fed them the remains of the chips (we just didn't want them to eat the plastic bags), and then we sat down to read after the birds decided we had nothing left to offer them. We hadn't been reading for very long when we needed to find a restroom. So we packed up, took our stuff back to the car, and headed back to the beach, our hands full of nothing but love. (i.e. We walked, hand in hand, along the beach.) Barefooted, we sauntered along the waterline--holding hands all the while--for a mile or more until we found some restrooms. Showing no interest in the various shops and restaurants, we decided to walk back along the beach. Our love for the moment was apparent in our leisurely stroll, neither of us wanting the beach to end. We could have easily walked along the water, hand in hand, for the rest of our lives. It was one of the moments that you remember forever. I picked up a shell, just for that purpose.

Having left the beach, we ate at Tommy's Burgers, famous for their Chili Burgers and Chili Dogs. Then, we headed over to visit a sleeping Evan, our soon-to-be Godson, and his mother, Josie.

It was a wonderful day. We both agreed that it was like a mini-vacation. Why didn't we go to the beach sooner?!?

Pip Update

Mood: thrilled

By the way, after a failed audio post about it, I forgot to mention: Pip is finally turning. Into a frog, that is! He has four healthy little legs, and has stopped eating. That's a good thing; he is now using his tail for nourishment. That's how a tadpole's tail disappears when it becomes a frog. If all goes well, I can really see myself getting into frogs more.

Well, I have to go get ready. I just wanted to share the good news.

Working Myself to Death

Mood: mostly rested

Well, after working 11 days in a row, I finally have a day off! Whew! I really overworked myself yesterday. Between the heat in the store (I swear it was hotter in the store than it was outside) and my trying to get too much (heavy) work done, I was really burned out. Sitting in the sun for another 45 minutes as I waited for the bus didn't help, either. I haven't sweated so much since the broom-pushing days of when I first got the job.

For my "lunch break", I simply had to treat myself to some Pralines and Cream ice cream at Frost Bites. Though I requested the normal P&C ice cream, the girl behind the counter recommended their own version, sundae-style. OH... MY... GOD! It was the best P&C ice cream I have ever had. And their prices are better than Basken Robbins, too.

Last night, I also treated myself to more music from the Russians by adding money to my account. Currently downloading some Supergrass. Next up: Tom Waits.

Today, Bella and I are going to Huntington Beach to have a relaxing day of reading and walking hand-in-hand along the water. We don't plan to swim, but who knows? Surprisingly enough, this will be our first trip to the beach together. (The time we drove by the beach in San Diego doesn't count, I'm told.)

Oh! Guess what? On September 19, I will be a Godfather. How cool is that?!?

The Fabulous Futon

Mood: well-rested

Not only did I sleep in until 9AM, but I slept extremely well... in my new futon! This futon is perhaps larger than most, and I could easily get a good night's sleep in the couch position. But folded down into a bed... WOW! It's been a long time since I've slept so well.

I feel kind of bad. The previously mentioned dearly close friends of Bella--and Bella herself--spent two hours going to three WalMarts to find the futon that was on sale. Though Bella and I treated them to (cheap) dinner, it's not nearly what they deserve. Something must be done about that! For now, anyway, another HUGE thanks to Bennifer!

Bella and I spent some time putting the futon together. It's things like building things together that makes me realize what a perfect team we are. We had fun!

Well, I need to go in to work early to pick up my much-needed paycheck and go to the bank. But all I really want to do is go back to sleep in The Fabulous Futon. (Apologies to Philip Jose Farmer, re: The Fabulous Riverboat.)

Eggs are Stronger Than They Look

Mood: accomplished

Well, cleaning the living room to make way for the futon has taken the greater part of my morning. I had a path cleared to get the couch out, and I eyed the couch in that special way that eggs eye wisks. Overcoming my fear of what might be hiding under/behind the couch, I tested the weight of it and decided I could move it... all by myself! Bear in mind, it's not just a couch, but an old, heavy, fold out bed-type couch. I decided to remove the cushions and mattress to lighten the load, and it was just enough. I slid the couch over to the doorway, deemed the only way to get it out of the door would be to stand it on end, and I proceeded to walk it out. I am now thoroughly exhausted, but the couch has successfully been placed in the yard. Next, I need to clean where the couch was--it's filthy, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. And, best of all, no dead rats!

It's good to know I can move a large piece of furniture by myself, if necessary. But I have no intention of testing my strength again any time soon. Whew!

Futon Dreams

Mood: delighted

Bella is going to help me get a large, comfy futon to replace Gran's ancient, broken-down couch that I sleep on every night. With the aid of a friend (previously mentioned dearly close friend's hubby) and his truck, they will be bringing it to my house tomorrow night. Assuming, of course, that the futons haven't sold out at the fantastic price of less than $90. Here's hoping!

King of Crown Books

Mood: proud

I realized how cheesy the title of this post was as soon as I typed it, but I'm leaving it for your entertainment.

Well, my hard work has paid off! I am now the supervisor at Crown Books. That means I received a retroactive raise--albeit a small one--along with large doses of... power! Mwahahaha.... It feels good to be in this position after having worked my ass off for it.

You know, even though this is a low-pay, low-prestige job, I find myself loving it. And that, dear readers--the love of one's work--is a rare thing indeed! I am truly blessed.

I don't know that you'll be hearing much from me in the next week. One of the employees quit on short (i.e. no) notice, so as supervisor it is my duty to take up the slack, meaning I will be working no less than seven days in a row. Another employee has already been hired, but he's in training.

One reader (and her hubby), dearly close friends of Bella's, gave me a keychain from their trip to Canada. I was further thrilled when they later gave me a mug from Canada featuring a chickadee (originally identified as a bushtit, and once thought to be a tufted titmouse) marching around the cup with a Canadian flag! This is one of the coolest mugs I have ever owned. Thanks Bennifer!

Woops! Time to call Bella. Might write more later. I work late tomorrow, so I can sleep in!

Lord of the (Fruit) Flies

Mood: tired

When I should have / could have / would have been relaxing before work at 3PM, I've instead spent a good deal of the morning battling vast numbers of fruit flies to no avail. I tried blowing them out the doors, vacuuming them with my little electric sweeper-type vac, spraying them with various chemicals.... There are so many, nothing seems to work. I did successfully raid their "nests", destroying hundreds of eggs. But that, dear reader, was the limit to my success.

This whole fruit fly infestation started because of one spoiled peach (long since been removed) that was left in the fruit dish. They're going after the ripening bananas now, so the fruit dish, fruit included, has been banished to outside.

I did get some downloading done (Supergrass and Yello), managed to do a load of laundry, and took care of the birds, cat and tadpole. But I still have to take a shower and have some lunch before leaving at 1:25PM. (The next bus would get me there just a few minutes late, so I have to leave super early. UGH!)

Anyway, this long blog entry isn't helping matters. G'bye!

God's Blog

It occurs to me that the last two entries mentioned God in their titles. Come to think of it, so does this one.

Does God talk about the weather in his blog?

God Bless the Russians

Mood: thrilled

Thanks to the Russians, I am able to download albums that I have lost due to hard drive crashes (there have been TWO) at a rate of a mere nickel per song! Also, big thanks to Daryl for telling me about the wonderful Russians, and my dear sweet Bella for saving me hours of download time by using her computer. I have many more albums I need to download yet, of course, but I've had a good start.

Working Like God

Mood: tired

I'm working for the sixth day in a row. (And on the seventh day, Greg [will be] rested.) We've been working six-hour days setting up the store, so in the interest of getting as many hours as possible (36 rather than 30), I volunteered to work today. In addition to the monetary benefits, I think it makes me look even better for the supervisor position.

I'm tired and don't know how productive I will be, but I always manage to dig deep and get work done. The bus will get me there super early today, so I will be able to veg for a while. I'm taking my CD/MP3 player to pass the time. I haven't been able to do that in a while, but thanks to the batteries I picked up at the 99 Cents Only store... rock on!

Whoosh!

Mood: sad / renewed

Like the flush of the toilet, my sites are gone! I was leaning back and forth between keeping my business going and setting it aside, and I have decided to set it aside. So as I was talking about a while back, it doesn't make sense to spend the money on hosting my sites if they're not making money. So, for now, they're gone! For a moment I thought this blog was gone, too, lost in the transfer from my own hosting to BlogSpot (free blog hosting provided by Blogger). But I finally was able to republish my blog to BlogSpot. Whew!

Though I feel a bit sad about the loss of my sites, I also feel renewed. I feel like I can have a fresh start. I feel like I can concentrate on my new job. It feels good.

By the way, work is going really well. I have thrown myself into it completely and it's paying off. The District Manager, Frank, is very close to giving me the Supervisor position. Today there was a big step in that direction: I am now a keyholder for the store! Frank and Rob, the foreman, had to leave early today, so I was in charge for about an hour and closed the store at the specified time. (We're still setting up the store, but we are very close to opening. It will probably be opened on Tuesday.)

Perhaps when I am well-settled into this job I can start thinking about my own business again. Maybe I will stick with web design. Maybe I won't. We'll see what the future holds.

But I can rest easy knowing I am doing what's right for my future with Bella.

Happy Birthday!

Let me not forget that today is my brother's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Daryl!!!

Two Years Down, A Lifetime to Go!

Mood: Happy Beyond Belief!

How is it, exactly, that I managed to charm such a beautiful, intelligent, funny, creative, talented, caring, etc., etc. girl to such a degree that she would stick with me for TWO YEARS! When this all began, I thought I would be lucky to get a few dates out of my sweet Bella. But here we are... two years later. It blows my mind.

I can't begin to express what Bella has done for me. I can only say that she has saved my life. Better yet, she has given me life! The only way I can thank her for that is to show her, every day, just how much I love her.

Not having received my first paycheck from the new job, I won't be able to offer her much for this grand occasion. I know she doesn't expect anything, but I want to give her the world! She, more than any person I know, deserves it.

And Many Safe Returns

Mood: relieved

Bella is back, safe and sound. We had our reunion in the parking lot of the Post Office. I've never been so emotional in a parking lot before, Post Office or otherwise. Needless to say, we were thrilled to finally get to see each other after a two-hour flight delay kept me from going with her brother to pick her up from the airport late Wednesday night.
 
Even though I am enjoying my new job, I am not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I need more Bella time! And sleep. No, really just more Bella time. Yeah, that's it.

The Bloodied Sock

Mood: triumphant

Doing my laundry tonight, I discovered that one of my socks from the first day of work had blood on it. Yes, I literally shed blood for this job!

Last night, I truly didn't know if I could physically take any more punishment in the form of being one of two people to sweep the thick layer of dirt from the floor of a large, grocery store-sized building. I felt like I had been whizzed in a blender with a dull blade. I was walking with great discomfort on blistered feet and overexerted muscles. But somehow, this morning I felt rested and in much less discomfort.

My attitude had changed dramatically from last night. Whereas then I felt physically broken, today I felt like a battered hockey goalie in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, ready to make the Cup-winning save with five seconds to go. And let me just tell you, I kicked some ass and made that save!

Though I can't say that the supervisor position is mine just yet, I made great leaps in that direction. After work, Frank, the District Manager, talked to me and said that he's noticed my "conscientious work". He expressed concerns about my not having a car, but assured me that would not factor in his decision. I'm hopeful.

I need that supervisor position. I figured it would mean no less than an additional $40 per month. (Yes, I know that's not a lot to most people. But it is to me!)

Anyway, I have to do a logo design and finish my laundry before getting to bed. And though I feel a million times better than I did last night, I can feel myself starting to crash....

This Job Just Beat the Crap Out of Me

Mood: painfully exhausted

I really shouldn't be using up the miniscule amount of energy I have left to write this; I'm going to need it and much more tomorrow. So this post will be necessarily succinct.

Friday: A lot done on job search.
Saturday: Applied/interviewed/hired at Crown Books.
Sunday: Went to church alone. Spent time with Bella's family.
Monday: Started work at Crown Books, cleaning the "new" store. (Really an old Albertson's.)

In trying to impress, I worked too hard for what I am getting paid. But that supervisor position WILL be mine. If not, I'll be pissed, but grin and bear it, for Bella's sake.

This job really beat the crap out of me today; my whole body aches, and breathing is uncomfortable. But like the words of that song that nobody admits to liking: "I fall down, but I get up again/You can never ever keep me down." Or something like that. I can't think, really.

Back to Reality

Mood: content

So I have been tossing around the idea of keeping AlphaStar Media going. I know I said I was going to put it on hold indefinitely, but I just can't let go. I even considered advertising in The Business Press. I was this >< close when I decided to ask myself what Bella would tell me to do. I knew she would tell me not to invest such a large sum of money in my business right now. And you know what? She's right. I need to keep focused on the job search.

However, I have decided to keep my business going, if only on a small scale. So as a result, I designed a postcard which I will mail to businesses found in the Fictitious Business Name listings. That, with maybe the occasional phone call, will be the extent of my advertising. I feel content with this decision. Thanks Bella!

In other news, I totally got lost for my interview. A street which looked like a through street on the map... wasn't. I did my best to recover, but I made a couple wrong turns and ended up in the opposite direction I was supposed to go. I called my rep at Finesse and he said he would try to get them to reschedule the interview for next week. We'll see.

I did take advantage of being downtown to apply at The Press Enterprise. Unlike the missed interview, it is located right along the bus route. I am really hoping I can get a job there.

As part of my distraction from missing Bella so much, I rented Miracle, starring Kurt Russell. For those that don't know, it's about Herb Brooks, the coach that led a team of young college hockey players to defeat the Soviet Union's team in the 1980(?) Olympics... in the midst of the Cold War, no less! They then went on to beat Finland to win the Gold. I'm not afraid to admit that this movie was so uplifting that it brought me to tears. I think it's a must-see for everyone, not just hockey fans.

Hey, one last thing: Did you know how DELICIOUS Shrimp with Lime Flavor Instant Lunch is?!? Oh my God, it was good. Usually I dump the noodles out on a plate and bury them under a pile of parmesan cheese. But these seriously didn't need anything! If you don't mind eating five or six microscopic shrimp, you have to try it.

Not a Good Start

Mood: cranky

My mood isn't the best mood to be in for a job interview. I can only hope the THREE HOURS between the time I leave the house and the time the interview is scheduled will change it.

There's no doubt about it. If I get the job, I will be forced to rent a room closer to the job site. There's no way I'm going to waste six hours of every day getting to and from work.

Tomorrow's Long Journey

Mood: distraught

Tomorrow I have an interview with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It's way the hell over on the other side of Riverside. I just figured out my options of getting there:

Buses #10 & 25
Total Travel Time: 3hrs 45mins
Total Wait Time: 2hrs 2mins
Cost: $1.25

Buses #10 & 13 & Walk (1/2 mile)
Total Travel Time: 3hrs 45mins
Total Wait Time: 2hrs 2mins
Cost: $1.25

Bus #10 & Walk (2.5 miles)
Total Travel Time: 3hrs
Total Wait Time: 1hr 33mins
Cost: $1.00

Bear in mind that these are for ONE WAY! Also, the Total Wait Times are included in the Total Travel Times.

I decided on the 10/Walk option. It allows me to wake up 45 minutes later, saves 45 minutes of travel time, saves almost a half hour of wait time, and it costs less. It does involve a considerable amount of walking, but the weather should be good at that time. The trip back is a different story, and I haven't even done the numbers on that. But I'm assuming I will do the same thing, in reverse. I expect the time to be roughly the same, as well.

Needless to say, I am taking plenty of reading material and a radio.

Well, I better get to bed. If nothing else, I should be well rested.

Inland Printworks' Newest Employee

Mood: missing Bella

I was checking my personal email, and I noticed there was one marked as spam. I read the excerpt of the contents of the email provided by Gmail and found that the email was from the person who was ultimately hired at Inland Printworks. He said he Googled "Inland Printworks" and found my site. He seems like a nice enough guy; he went so far as to offer to meet with me and give me pointers on Quark Xpress. Though it was nice of him to offer, I'm not sure I want to head back in the direction of print design any time soon. I've decided web design is where my skills--and, more importantly, joy--lie.

Anyway, this got me thinking about a conversation very near the end of my stint at Inland Printworks. Bill, the owner, wanted to see some of my web sites. I showed them to him, and of course he nitpicked them. "What's your tracking set to?" he asked. Well, Bill, there is no tracking in web design. I had to explain to him how web design differed from print design. I described why web design was in some regards much more difficult than print design. In print design, you are dealing with a static design, what you see is what you get. Web design, I informed him, is much more complicated than that, requiring the designer to take into account the multitude of different operating systems, screen resolutions and browsers. I was proud of myself. Bill, you may know print design, but I know web design. No one can tell me otherwise.

She's a Snapshot

Mood: numb

As Bella's brother and I dropped her off at the airport, I noticed a phenomenon that I can only refer to as a snapshot. I took this mental snapshot of Bella walking through the doors to the airport as I was getting back in the car. It's not something I consciously did. Had that been the case, I would have pictured her beautiful face, smiling. Instead, I took this snapshot as she passed through the doors, her back to me. White shirt. Red and white plaid skirt. Hair resting on her shoulders. Pulling her large, floral suitcase behind her.

She didn't look back. I couldn't look away. What if's raced through my head. I forced them back into the dark places worries hide when we're distracted by living. The car pulled away. She disappeared.

I cling to the snapshot. "Don't go," I say. I want to remember. "Don't go."

(She's) Leaving on a Jet Plane

Mood: sad

Bella's leaving on a jet plane tonight. She's going to New York to visit her brother for 10 days. This is something we've talked about. This is something we've agreed will not only be good for them, but for us, as well. But last night we were both asking why we've done this to ourselves. We can only hope that her dissolving into New York and my getting lost in the continuing job search will distract us.

But oh how I miss her already....

Feathers in the Wind

Mood: sad

I went out to put some letters in the mailbox, and on the way back I noticed a large pile of feathers in my Mom's front yard, near the bird feeder. I feel bad. I feel bad because not only do I love birds, but my Mom does, as well. She's kind enough to feed them, and then Stella--or any number of other cats in the neighborhood--pick the birds off as they eat.

The problem, I think, is the fact that the bird feeder sits on the ground and is no more than three feet high; that's an effortless jump for a cat! I feel obliged to buy my Mom a new bird feeder, one that hangs from a thin metal post stuck in the ground. That would surely reduce the number of birds that get caught. When I get a little money, I will do just that!

I tried cleaning up the feathers, but it was a lost cause. I got maybe a little over half of them, anyway. The majority of them were just too small to be raked up.

Why does a well-fed cat feel the need to continue hunting? Sometimes I really don't like cats. Birds will always be my first love. (That includes Bella, a sort of bird! Hehe....) So when Stella eats a bird, it makes me mad! I wish there was some way I could punish her, but you can't really punish a cat, can you?

The next time she comes in the house, I will try keeping her in here as long as I can. But she goes a bit crazy if I don't let her out. And that, of course, drives me crazy. Any ideas?

The Job That Almost Was

Mood: down but not out

Well, Tuesday of last week I went in to Inland Printworks about their opening for a pre-press tech. The owner scheduled a test run for later that day. Everything went pretty well, and he asked me to return the next day to see how I faired for the whole day. Again, the day went pretty well, but it was becoming apparent that I did have a lot to learn. However, I was told I would be tried out for the next several days, so on Thursday I worked yet again. Then, on Friday, the owner decided I was not yet at a level at which he would want to train me. Broken-spirited, I could only agree with his opinion that I was not ready to work there. I was devastated. I felt like I had failed myself. Worse yet, I felt like I failed Bella and my future with her.

But Bella, bless her, lifted my spirits. She let me know that she was proud of me for giving my best. She encouraged me, reminding me that I will find a job and things will work out. And so, for her, for our future, I continue the search. I will make her proud!

Death of a Dream / Birth of a Dream

As a result of a depression-induced self-analysis, and a much-needed wake up call from my brother, Eric, I have decided to put my business on hold indefinitely. A talk with Bella last night confirmed that this was, indeed, the right thing to do. It saddens me because I feel like I failed. My dream of working for myself has died. But I realize I was foolish to hang on to it this long, with a marriage less than two years away. I need to be saving money. I need to have a steady income. I need to put myself in a position to support Bella. If giving up on my business and getting a job is what it takes to achieve that, then so be it.

A sad result of this is I most likely won't keep my web sites, including this one, active. The whole point of maintaining these web sites has been for the promotion of my business. With the business on hold, there's no point to the expense of keeping these sites going. So within the next month I will be changing my email address and taking down the sites.

However, there is a happy ending to all of this. Amidst the sadness of one dream lost, another dream has been born. That is the dream of a beautiful life with Bella. I realized that she is really the only thing in my life that makes me happy. She is the only thing in my life that makes the sun shine, turns the skies blue, greens the grass, gives the birds their songs.

We have a happy life ahead of us. My dream, a newborn dream, is alive and well.

New Benefit of Teaching

Why do teachers in Thailand get all of the benefits? Hopefully this won't make Bella want to move to Thailand.... ;)

A New Low in Dog Wear

The only thing worse than a dog wearing clothes is a dog wearing lederhosen.

I just realized I haven't posted in a while. AND, I failed to mention the beautiful, wonderful engagement ring Bella got for me. A week after I proposed to Bella, she gave me a sterling silver Claddagh ring. I had been looking for a manly Claddagh ring for quite some time, with no luck, but Bella miraculously found one! Isn't she amazing?!? I love that girl....

Thank you again, Bella! I really do love it.

Takin' Care of Bella

Mood: sad

I'm sitting here as Bella rests. She has some sort of flu bug, we think. She's achey (sp?) and her stomach hurts. She may have had a fever off and on, as well. I hate it when she's sick. I feel so helpless. All I can do is comfort her, massage her back, make her chicken and rice soup. But maybe that's all she needs. I feel there must be something else I can do for her. But what?

Oh, I picked up my certificate from school. It hardly seemed worth going in; I doubt I was there more than five minutes. I told my teacher I would stay in touch. I think I actually will. So often people (i.e. me) say they will keep in touch, but they never do. Maybe this time will be different. I want this time to be different.

Takin' Care of Bella

Mood: sad

I'm sitting here as Bella rests. She has some sort of flu bug, we think. She's achey (sp?) and her stomach hurts. She may have had a fever off and on, as well. I hate it when she's sick. I feel so helpless. All I can do is comfort her, massage her back, make her chicken and rice soup. But maybe that's all she needs. I feel there must be something else I can do for her. But what?

Oh, I picked up my certificate from school. It hardly seemed worth going in; I doubt I was there more than five minutes. I told my teacher I would stay in touch. I think I actually will. So often people (i.e. me) say they will keep in touch, but they never do. Maybe this time will be different. I want this time to be different.

I'm Outta Here!

Mood: elated

Well, I just finished putting together a list of five job listings as instructed by my teacher, and I completed the Quark final. So I am almost out of here. Wow! I miss this school already, which is something I never thought I would feel about any school. But there you have it.

This final was the toughest, mainly because Quark has a lot of little keyboard shortcuts which can easily be mixed up. But I think I did pretty good. We'll see in a few moments....

Just a Little Essay

So, I have a little essay published in THE BLACK LIST. Nice.

Now, I want to see if they'll publish a longer essay. But first, I need to write it. Teehee....

Lightening Strikes in Tampa!

I can't believe the Tampa Bay Lightening won the Stanley Cup! That is too cool. I'm happy for them.

Unfortunately, having no TV, I haven't followed hockey at all this season. It's kind of sad. I miss it.

Check It Out!

Mood: sick
Weight: 160

Although I'm feeling a bit ill, last night and this morning I managed to get my new business web site to some sort of completion. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Hopefully, with this new direction in which I am taking my business, it will be more profitable. That's the idea anyway. I feel it looks much more professional than the LogosByG site. Better company/domain name, too.

Now, time to rest for a while.

Nice Save, Greg!

Mood: relieved
Weight: 160

Today has been frustrating and scary, but it seems I saved the day. BearShare, a program I have used and loved for at least a year now, appears to have caused major problems with my computer. Okay, so it wasn't actually BearShare causing the problems; it was the programs the ad-supported version of BearShare forces you to install along with it. Namely, Weathercast and Save/SaveNow. AVOID THESE PROGRAMS AT ALL COSTS!!! Plus, there appeared to be a program called IncrediFinds that may or may not have been installed by BearShare. This one completely took over control of my browser, effectively keeping me from using the Internet. I tried various things, including deleting the programs by hand, which only seemed to make matters worse. So after undeleting them, I went through the Windows uninstall programs feature and uninstalled BearShare and any programs I knew/suspected to be associated with it. Well, guess what? My computer is working fine now! Just in case, I ran a complete virus scan, and my computer appears to be clean.

That's it! No more peer-to-peer for me. It has caused too many problems, no matter what p2p program I use. (I've tried BearShare, Kazaa, and LimeWire.) It's just not worth it.

Indoor Tanning Quote

"Life isn't really worth living if you're alone and pasty."
--Becky Steele, "Indoor Tanning", THE BLACK LIST: IN MEMORY OF MEMORIAL DAY.

Well, I'm not alone.... ;)

Freelance Project

Mood: hopeful

My teacher may have found a freelance project for me that has great potential for $$$. I called the client and we will be meeting sometime this weekend. Which means I need to put together some sort of proposal. I don't know when I will have time, though. I will probably be up super late tonight and tomorrow night coming up with something.

My cell phone was not only low on minutes, but also was about to expire. (It's a prepaid phone, requiring that I add minutes every 90 days.) Seeing as I will need my phone to stay in contact with this client, and considering I am basically broke right now, I took a chance on charging the $20 to my check card... and it went through. Of course, this means there will be a $28 overdraft fee. But I have promised myself that I am not going to borrow any more money from Bella. Besides, if I get the job, $28 will be a drop in the bucket. Kind of a gamble, I know. That's me.

Innovation in Advertising

Jaguar gets the Big G Award for Innovation in Advertising....

Done!

Mood: proud

I just finished what I think is the last lesson in QuarkXPress! WOOHOO!!! There is one more lesson, but I don't think it applies; it relates to using Quark for web pages. (Why would anyone use Quark for that when there's Dreamweaver?!?)

Next up, I think, is some sort of final. But I have to check with my teacher to make sure I am, indeed, done.

Ahhh... I'm just beaming with pride right now.

Almost Done!

Mood: excited

I looked ahead in my book for school just now, and I only have THREE lessons left! Wow. Could I possibly finish the class before June?!? That would be cool. Then I can concentrate on getting a job and Bella's family (i.e. her mom) can stop worrying.

Oh, the pissy email I sent to eBay? It worked. Nuff said!

Crap!

Mood: pissed

Looks like I jumped the gun. eBay lifted the suspension on my old account that I don't even use any more, but they haven't lifted the suspension on the two accounts that I do use. I just sent them a pissy email telling them to lift the suspensions immediately or I will take my business elsewhere. They've dragged this process out long enough!!! Bastards...

Suspension Lifted!

Mood: relieved

FINALLY, eBay has lifted my suspension, so I can start using it again. Hurray!

Well, I got some really good work done today. As a result, I won't feel a bit guilty that I am going home early. Haha!

Ta-ta!

It's Not a Dream!

Mood: in heaven

I can hold it back no longer. For those that haven't heard the audio post with the BEST NEWS OF MY LIFE... Bella and I got ENGAGED!!! It feels even more like we're a bona fide couple now. We're gonna get married. This is for life. It's a blessing. I'm incredibly lucky. My most amazing dream ever has come true. And Bella made it happen when she said "Yes!"

I will have to post the details of the proposal soon. (Don't have time right now. I'm supposed to be getting ready for school.) I must say it went off remarkably well!

Okay, more later... see ya!

Helping with School Web Site Promotion

Have you heard the GREAT NEWS yet?!? I'm not gonna tell you what it is until you listen to it. Haha!

Meanwhile... I've been spending the day at school helping the teacher promote the school web site. It's been kind of fun, and the day is flying by! (About an hour to go....)

When I get home, I really have to settle down and get some hardcore work done. I usually feel so sleepy by the time I get home; I guess the bus ride home lulls me into a sleepy state. But I need to fight it by whatever means necessary (e.g. coffee, a swift slap in the face, etc.).

My money worries are continuing, as well. Stupid eBay still hasn't lifted the suspension on my old account, so I am blocked from listing auctions until they see that I paid the past due balance like a week ago! eBay has always been a good source for quick cash, and has in fact been a steady source of income. Not having access to it has really put me in a bind. My money is getting dangerously low....

Anyway... Maybe I should actually try and get some school work done now. Probably won't be able to get much done in the time remaining, though.

The Best News EVER!

Listen to this audio post for the best news in my entire life! No kidding. It's BIG.

I'll write more about it later.

Happiness

Happiness is in the air....

Phrase of the Day

I don't think bread is supposed to be green.

Job Search

Mood: optimistic
Weight: 161

Bella found a potential job in graphic design for me. I stayed home from school today to look into it. Tried calling, but I keep getting voicemail. Left two messages. I decided to fax a resume, which I freshened up this morning. In addition, I faxed the same resume to a few local print shops. Next step: submit my resume to advertising agencies, graphic design companies, and anyone else that might employ a graphic designer.

Today marks 22 MONTHS of mutual adoration between Bella and I. TWENTY-TWO MONTHS! I had no idea she would put up with me for that long. Nice.

Spearmint, Baby!

Lately, I am very much into spearmint. Not just the herb, mind you, but the flavor in general. For a while we had some spearmint disc candies here at school, and I snagged several of them, discovering they were far superior to the normal red-and-white peppermint disc candies. (The spearmint ones are green and white, in case you're looking.)

This morning, I got some spearmint sugarless gum, which I'm hoping will help me with my diet. So far its working excellently!

Nice.

I am proud of the work I've accomplished here today at school, so I think I will leave early. Besides, my brain is about to hit information overload.

But first, a little more work to pass the time until I can go without looking like a slacker.

First Pound!

Mood: generally happy
Weight: 162

I am feeling fairly good this morning. Actually got up five minutes early. Of course, I went to bed at 11PM. I actually had time to clean the bird cages this morning. Poor Ibby's cage was filthy. (Of course, it doesn't take long for Ibby to make a mess.)

I am a little concerned about my web sites and my cash flow. My web sites have been down so much lately, it's really effecting my income. I may have to switch hosting providers yet again.

Also, I had this other account on eBay that I forgot about, and the payment was way past due. So they suspended all of my eBay accounts. I could pay it off and hope they immediately unsuspend the accounts, or I could wait until I get a little more money before paying it off. (I am leaning towards the latter, as I have my money budgeted and it's going to be pretty tight as it is.) Unfortunately, a good deal of my money comes from eBay. But we'll see.

Well, gotta finish getting ready for school. I actually went in a half-hour early yesterday, but I think I will go in at the regular time today. May or may not leave early, depending on how much I get done.

Okay....

Not So Bad

Mood: content

Well, today QuarkXpress doesn't seem so bad. I'm finally learning tricks that are cool! I guess I have to say I might actually end up liking QuarkXpress. But we'll see.

I'm over halfway done with this part of the class already, which means... I'm almost done with the class. Woohoo! Then I can concentrate on getting a job so I can prepare myself financially for wedded bliss with Bella in 2006. (No, you didn't miss news of a proposal; we've just decided that would be a good year to get married.)

In the rush of getting ready this morning, and at least partially due to the fact that Gran was hanging out in the bathroom while I was supposed to be getting ready for school, I failed to weigh in. I'll have to be sure to do that tomorrow. After 24 hours of being back on my diet, so far so good.

Well, back to Quark, now....

I'm Not Alone

Mood: surprised

Sometimes it seems like I'm talking to myself here in Blogland. But just now I received an email from a perfect stranger who has read my blog. Of course, he was writing to ask for one of my two Gmail invites that I can send out... but he read my blog! Needless to say, I sent an invite to him immediately. I think it's really cool that someone who doesn't even know me would take the time to read my blog.

Meanwhile, I'm a bit disappointed that no one has cared to use the comment feature yet. I like to think the reason for that is what I write is so brilliant, so well-written, so utterly correct, that it leaves everyone speechless. But then I know that's not always the case. ;)

Well, if anyone wants my last remaining Gmail invite, you'll have to be the first to post a comment, dammit!

Slim-Fastin' Again

Mood: Disappointed
Weight: 163

I am disappointed in myself that I gave up my diet for so long. I need to regain control, so I will once again document my progress in this here blog. If nothing else, the embarrassment factor will help push me in the right direction.

I suppose as one last hurrah, Bella and I ate at Don Jose's last night. (She had a coupon; we can't resist using a coupon.) It was a beautiful dinner with the most beautiful girl in the world.

Late last night, sometime after 11PM, I repotted my rosemary plant that Bella gave me. Never repotted that late before. But it needed to be done. The poor little plant was heavily root-bound. It took some serious prodding to loosen up the roots.

I need to repot my Chilean Guava, as well, but I don't think we got enough potting soil. I'll have to get some more when a little more money comes in.

Well, I have to seriously start getting ready for school. As it is, I'll be going in no less than a half-hour late. I was just so completely tired this morning. No time for coffee, but usually once I'm out and about I feel much better.

New Taxation Methods

Mood: low energy

Uncle John was trying, with little success, to explain two of the proposed replacements of the current taxation method to Gran. They're quite simple, really:

1. Flat Tax - everyone pays the same percentage of tax, using a form the size of a postcard to file


2. Fair Tax - income tax is replaced by a national sales tax

Though the Flat Tax method is better than what we have now, it doesn't solve key problems. For example, people could still cheat, and there's still paperwork, however little, that must be filed by a certain date.

Fair Tax, on the other hand, would entirely eliminate both paperwork and tax evasion/fraud. Also, it's based on the amount a person spends, as opposed to the amount a person earns. This would encourage saving, and discourage overspending on luxury items. This method is currently being endorsed by the American Independent party.

My only real concern about the Fair Tax system would be that it would give businesses a big responsibility, which I'm sure would come with a significant amount of added paperwork. And unfortunately, small businesses would be the hardest hit. If enough government support is provided to these businesses, this might not even be a factor.

Obviously, I think the Fair Tax is, well, more fair. However, because it is such a drastic departure from the current system, I think it is less likely to be used in the near future.

On the other hand, I can see the Flat Tax being widely accepted. This, perhaps, makes it a more realistic change for the short term. Perhaps it could be a stepping stone used in finally reaching the utopia of the Fair Tax?

Lucky Tourist is Back!

In my excitement of making this audio post, I forgot half of what I was going to say. But I am proud to announce that my musical persona, Lucky Tourist, is back! The song is currently untitled, so take a listen to this post and if you can hear the song in the background, give me a suggestion for the title using the comment feature.

One of the reasons I was so excited is that I overcame the obstacle of not having enough RAM in my computer to both play the MIDI file that I composed and to record a WAV of it. So I found out how to import the MIDI file into my synth and pipe the audio into my computer to record it. It worked beautifully!

Also a good deal of excitement came from the fact that I didn't use a single sample in the song! What you hear is straight from my synth, as composed by me.

Okay, enough patting myself on the back. Take a listen!

Stella, an Indoor Cat?!? Hell, No!

Mood: missing Bella

This article is complete rubbish! Outdoor domestic cats are in no way endangering wildlife populations. Besides, as the author herself even points out, it's darn near impossible to keep an outdoor cat indoors. After being inside for a while, Stella needs to go out; she gets quite frantic if I don't let her out.

Now, by all means, if you are raising a kitten, it is in its best interest to train it to be an indoor cat. But an adopted stray is another story entirely!

Comments Again?

So Blogger now has a built-in comments feature. I will be turning it on for select posts. Like this one. Usually I will reserve this feature for posts that warrant comments. Hehe....