Bored

Well, Monica has been in RI since Thursday, and will be there through July 4th. As for myself, I'm here at home, going stir crazy. I have all this time on my hands, and nothing to do with it. I don't really know anyone up here (other than my sister and her family, and some friends of hers), and I'm not into the whole partying/drinking scene (that starts in December, when I hit "middle age.") It's kind of like being back in college, but at least back then I was in a dorm, and I had people around me all the time, whether I wanted to or not. Back then I used to go to movies at the Tate Center; play video games, pool, or ping-pong in the same place; play card games with the few people I knew in my dorm; or go fishing or mountain biking on the trails around Athens.

Now I just sit here at home for the most part, staying inside during these horribly humid days, and watching movies or working on the computer. I have no life. *sigh* Oh well, things could be worse I suppose, but I REALLY need to get away from here for a while, and go somewhere I've never been, or at least somewhere I haven't been in a long time. I need to get to the beach, or into the mountains...back to Nature somewhere. But it's so bloody HOT and HUMID! I just shut down this time of year. English people weren't made for humidity!

Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant. I just talked to Monica, and things are starting to work out better at the camp, so hopefully she'll have a great week, and make lots of new friends. As for myself, it's work and home, with the only break in my routine (at the moment anyway) being watching Jack and Esme on Tuesday night while Clare and Josh go out to dinner for their wedding anniversary. At least SOMEONE is having some fun around here. :)

Have a great week everyone. Peace.

Movie "Night"

It was really this afternoon, after work, but "movie afternoon" just sounds kind of stupid.

At any rate, Monica and I went to see a matinee showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen today after we both got off work. It's an awesome movie, and excellent soundtrack, and a great movie score! I would definitely see that movie again, if anyone is interested in going to see it! :) It's another one I'll definitely be buying on Blue-Ray when it comes out in several months.

As far as the previews went, of the ones I saw, there are some very promising looking movies coming out over the next few months. The first is the latest installment of the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. They went all in with the effects on this one, and it looks like it's going to be an awesome continuation of the series. Then there is a movie starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, based on the true story John Dillinger (Depp). It's called Public Enemies. Finally there is another movie I've been waiting for. It sounds cheesy, but the live action G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie that's coming out in August looks awesome, and it has 2 of my favorite (read bad @ss) cartoon characters in it, namely Snake Eyes (G.I. Joe) and Storm Shadow (Cobra), both ninjas who trained together, but then became mortal enemies. They've definitely ramped the storyline up from the "nobody every dies" cartoon of the 1980s. This is a serious action flick, and looks to wow audiences looking for a high impact action thriller!

There was another movies, based on some Aime, that I missed the preview for because I was out getting popcorn and a drink for us, but if the title credits for it are any indication, it could also be another action movie hit. It's called The Last Airbender, and it's from M. Night Shyamalan. It will appeal to younger audiences for sure, because it's based on a cartoon.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Go see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen if you haven't seen it already. It's an awesome ride!

Have a great rest of the week. Peace.

Checking In

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've posted a blog on here, so I thought it was high time I checked in with my handful of readers. For those of you who know me personally, or have been following my blogs over the past few weeks, you know why I've been a bit lapse in my postings. I've had a lot on my mind. Also, I finally got a new computer, and I've been in the process of getting it set up the way I want it. It will allow me to do the work I need to do, and will serve as a stepping stone to a more powerful computer in the future.

Anyway, today was another up and down day for us. Monica got her promotion at work, and is back to being a Department Head (although in a different department this time.) She'll be back earning what she was before we moved. As for myself, I'm back to being Supervisor of the ImPress Department, what I was doing before we moved. Unfortunately, it's not very likely that I'll be going back to what I was earning before the move. I MIGHT get back up to what I was earning when I first started with OfficeMax, nearly 3 years ago, but that's probably as high as they'll put me. But who knows, they might take pity on me and give me my old salary back. *fingers crossed* That was the good news.

On the down side of things, when I went to start my car up today, to drive home from work, I found that my battery was apparently dead, and the engine wouldn't turn over. Just what I wanted on a 95+ degree summer day! Anyway, after hanging out at work and at Moe's (the restaurant) for an hour or so, I got a jump from one of my coworkers, and was able to make it home. We might just have to buy a new battery soon though, and that was an additional expense we didn't need.

On the plus side, I got a card for a free burrito at Moe's from one of the corporate guys who's there all the time. He came over to me and introduced himself, thanking me for giving Moe's my frequent business (he sees me in there more or less every time he's there), and handed me the card for the free burrito. I guess all that sitting around waiting for a jump paid off in the end. :)

Anyway, I'm off to stream a NetFlix movie with Monica. Have a good evening all. I'll be back to post more in the near future. Stay cool.

Catch-22

I received the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection in the mail today. I get these programs so I can get jobs on the side that pay better than my actual job. The problem is, I need to get one of those jobs to earn money to buy a new computer that's capable of actually RUNNING these new programs without crashing. Half the time I can't even install them! So unfortunately, it's one big, vicious circle. Sort of like college.

You get the loan, to get the degree, to get the job, to spend forever paying back the loan you got to get the degree (and therefor the job) in the first place! For the lucky few who end up with a decent paying job, they find a way to break the cycle. The rest of us are stuck in this gerbil ball from Hell, walking in place and never really getting anywhere fast. I hate feeling like a gerbil...

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 8

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 7

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 6

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 5

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 4

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 3

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 2

Dad's Birthday Pictures - Part 1

Here are some more pictures from our day out on the lake yesterday (Saturday) for Dad's birthday. To view the others, check out Clare's page.

As Close As I'll Get

Monica sent me this picture from her phone today. She was out with her sisters and her family, somewhere in the Miami/Miramar area. She informed me that the Sea Monkey was definitely part Limey, because fish 'n chips were the only thing she'd been craving all day, and that she'd eaten that for lunch. I asked her where she'd eaten fish 'n chips and she was like, "Oh, at the bar at the pool..."

I'm glad she's having a good time. I wish I could have been there with them all, but she REALLY needed to be there, so I'm glad it worked out that she was able to go. She'll be back late Sunday night/early Morning morning, so it isn't a long trip, but I'm sure the getaway will do her the world of good. And spending time with family is always nice.

As for myself, I'm off to Acworth with Clare and the kids in the morning, to celebrate our dad's birthday. The plan is to rent a pontoon boat (I think) and spend a few hours on the lake, but we'll have to see how that goes. It will be good practice for me, having my schedule basically determined by children. When they're ready to go, they're READY TO GO, so there's no telling how long we'll have to hang out tomorrow. But it will be good to see dad and Sandra. It's been a while since I've been down that way. (It will also be nice to get a bunch more meat to put in the deep freezer, so that's an added incentive to make the drive! *g*)

At any rate, I'm just hanging out by myself for the most part, doing the "bachelor" bit once again. There's not much going on around here. It was nice to spend some time with Clare, Josh, and the kids though; something I haven't been able to do much lately because of my work schedule. Things seem to be evening out though, and this next week it looks like I'll finally be on the regular ImPress Supervisor schedule of Monday (or Tuesday this week) through Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM. I'm sure I'll have to work a Saturday, Sunday, or evening here and there, but for the most part my schedule should finally have stabilized. Now I just need to work on raising my pay. *smile* One thing at a time though, one thing at a time.

Have a great weekend everyone, and stay safe. Peace.

The 2009 Walk To Defeat ALS

This year's Atlanta Walk to Defeat ALS is Saturday, November 14th. We're getting an earlier start on things this year, and getting better organized. Monica and I will be walking, along with various other friends and family members, and we'd love to have all of you come join us in walking for this worthy cause. It's a simple 2 laps (I believe) around Centennial Olympic Park and the surrounding area. It's nothing too strenuous, and it's a fairly slow pace because there are so many people.

In the meantime, we're trying to raise money for Team King Tribute, in memory of Monica's mom, Kim King. Please take a moment and click here to visit my personal donation page. I'm setting a lofty goal of raising $5,000 myself this year, but I can't do it without your help.

So please consider making a tax deductible donation to a great and necessary organization, and joining us on the walk this November.

Thank you for your time, and please have a wonderful day.