Drama at the cost of lame shit

I dig the drama of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Nothing beats the tension behind every key pitch. Baseball is a situational game and its constantly changing. I like watching this on television. They show the players' faces, the managers body language, and try to highlight the personal battles. This kind of drama is good in that it it's actually drawn out and gratification to this drama takes a while to achieve. Its closer to theater than basketball, I tell ya. Anyway...one thing that I don't enjoy is the peripheral action. Who cares about the things that have no bearing on the outcome of the game? Shugart pointed this out once...that when someone has something going on in their life, they always go back to it during each at-bat. If their father just died, or they overcame a huge injury....they'll recant that over and over again. For example, someone will hit a homerun and as he circles the bases, they say: "his wife just gave birth this morning....his wife just gave birth this morning!" In tonight's case, the pitcher's new wife was at the game. Seeing as how the husky righty was gutting through another amazing performance, they figured showing the (over)reactions of his wife would only enhance the viewing pleasure. Honestly....does that add to the drama? Does showing an athlete's wife change your perception of how the game will turn out?

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Some things never change

For the second year in a row, I got to see things I never got to see before I moved down here. Dudes were screaming, plenty of people were cheering and when Brett Favre showed that 'aw shucks' face on the screen, everybody booed. Yes, watching a Packers/Bears game as a die-hard Packer fan in a Bear's supporting bar can be sometimes hilarious...but always awesome. It can be surreal to see this the first time as a Packer fan...and the more annoying the packer fan, the more surreal it seems. You're not used to seeing people boo your favorite team, but after the standard jump to a big lead, things get quiet and you can prentend that you're watching the game in the dairyland state. For some reason, tonight's crowd was smaller and quieter than last year's monday night bears/packers crowd. I'm not sure why, but the energy just wasn't there...and this is a big game for the franchise...then I realize the its early in the year and the perpetually fair weathered fans have already given up on the Bears...

The Pack was 3-1 after last years monday night game. They finished 12-4. This year, they are 2-2. If you take last year's trend...and carry the one...they'll finish 14-2.

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Heat?

Its cold this evening in my abode, but I don't seem to mind, yet. As they say, you can always put something on to get warmer...so I should complain too much. Then again, I shouldn't have to sleep in my jacket. Just kidding. However, it makes for some uncomfortable mornings, and I'm less likely to rise out of bed when the air feels cold to my face.

The bathtub drains really slow these days. I spent about ten minutes on the plunger, but it has been to no avail. I'm thinking that the main drainage pipe from my top floor is stopped up somewhere. I don't want to have to resort to the biologically outstanding alternative, drain-o...but we'll see.

It's kind of a coincidence that these household annoyances are happening while I deliberate moving away from the lake....strange.

In non house related things:

- During a song, the singer of the band !!! told the crowd that his band isn't a jam band...and that he hates playing for these so-called 'fuckin' hippie jam-band fans'. There's something I couldn't quite figure out after that comment...If they're not a Jam band, then why did they continue to play that song for another seven minutes?

- The Brewers played the role of spoilers this weekend by knocking the Astros out of playoff contention. The game was on National TV and the least known baseball team in America did something right. Usually that team gets attention when bad things happen like a dude tripping three times when he misses a fly ball...or when the manager and closer get into a shouting match during a pitching change. Sadly, this is as close as the Brewers can get being involved with post-season baseball.

- I was making smartass comments, the singer was making fun of the drummer, the keyboard player laughed, the guitarist made us all deaf. Yes, my band has re-united for another show....and I've listened to BonJovi's "Its my Life" so many times today, my brain has dropped a few IQ points. Its like 2001 all over again.

- I GOT BLISTERS ON ME FINGERS!

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Coins, Calendars, and Countdowns

It's Wisconsin's turn in the fun-filled state quarters game. Get your quarter collecting books ready, for next year will feature my homestate's coin. The folks at the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions kindly gave us three finalists. One is a scene with a fur trader and a native american. Another features a cow, a wheel of cheese, and corn. The third features a deer standing near a brook. Some say the dairyland state theme is embarrassing and not at all representative of the state. I know a lot of people who cringe when they see a Cheesehead on TV. Well, a lot of people are going to vote for the dairy coin because it's funny and they want to see a coin with a Cow, Corn, and a Wheel of Cheese be treated as legal tender. Folks....This is a lose-lose situation...so let's let the coin match the license plate and go cow!

I missed the Aesop Rock and El-P show. I also missed the Turbonegro show this week. I guess I shouldn't be complaining since I'm saving a lot of money by not going to shows...on the other hand, if I would look at a show calendar once in a while, I'd be having a lot more fun.

October is six days away. The countdown to M(o)ustache month winds down. Today, I stop shaving so I have some form of a stache in six days. I will snap a webshot every Thursday for the next five weeks to show the progress of the baddest looking moustache this side of Burt Reynolds.



Damn...it sure feels like fall now.

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Take A Breath of Fresh...at least one

Walking by a revolving door, you usually see people step out, pause for a second, then continue on. Sometimes you see people who walk slower than the person behind them is pushing the wheel. Sometimes you see that person step out and pause while the person behind them walks right into them. I saw none of that today, but I did see a woman light her cigarette as she was coming through the door so it was lit by the time she stepped out into the open air. She didn't even give herself one breath of fresh air. Was the day so bad for her that she needed that first (and rumored to be most ecstatic of the drags) drag as soon as she left the building? Or does this count as the breath of fresh air? If you'd confront such a person with such a behavior, they'd say: "hey, I'm smoking lights." Nah...that's not the way it should go. Psychological dependencies on nicotine puzzle me sometimes.

The Japanese/Vietnamese/Thai restaurant I went to was pretty basic. They had a lot of art to pass and fish on the walls. I sampled a Vietnamese garlic dish and a Thai Curry dish. The difference between vietnamese and thai food? I have no idea...

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The Day I Bought a Bunch of CD's

I haven't done this in quite a while. I spent the evening listening to a bunch of CD's I just acquired. I think the last time I did this was back in high school. Well, a bunch of new music came out in the last month or so and for some reason I felt compelled to purchase the music. I should be watching my budget when it comes to impulse splurges like this, but as I've said before, I turn the screws on thrift when I turn 25. Anywho, I've spent the last year avoiding using money for this brand of entertainment. There are other means, but I realize that I should probably support the artists at least once. Since I've acquired these in the last two weeks (four of these today), I've expanded the recent CD catalogue beyond the normal five. What better way to waste tonight's post on the rare countdown? So for all four of you loyal readers, I give you a rare treat: the list. And for you strangers to Leftover Chinese, here's another lame 'top something-or-other' list.

The Top Seven CD's I Just Purchased and a Sentence or Four About Them.

7. Styles of Beyond - Megadef: Disappointing. The beats were stripped down and they came back with a rougher edge. It wasn't quite what I was looking for, but they still do a decent job. I wouldn't buy this album if I were only a casual fan.

6. Blackalicious-Broken Arrow: I've already heard this album and forgot to pirate this CD from Jon when I was in town. It's not new to me, so it gets a near bottom spot. I'm still not sure where on the hip-hop spectrum Blackalicious, Aesop Rock, or El-P fall...but they've got it down.

5. The Berlin Project - The Things We Say: Musically, nothing wrong with the CD. The songs have some power, the hooks and intros are pretty effective, but they still sound like boring-ass pop-punk in every chorus. Unfortunately, the production job sucks ass, because the album sounds like muffled FM radio. I'm not sure if that was for effect, but it really takes away from the CD.

4. Andrew WK - The Wolf : The albums are a totally tamer version of the real life thing. If you weren't paying attention, you'd think you were listening to Asia. Then the sing-along choruses come on and all is well again. The blend of pianos, guitar and screaming give you a nice work of happy rock. Buy the record and punch a wall!

3. Rancid - Indestructible : This is an emotional and mature sounding album. If you know the story surrounding the making of this album, you'd understand. These guys work out frustrations and try to put a positive spin on things. While they haven't changed their sound too much over time, they still do a damn good job at what they do best. I'd get the rest of the catalogue, but they're still one of my favorite bands whom I have no interest in purchasing albums.

2. Atmosphere - Seven's Travels : More angry rap from the guy from Minnesota. This album features the continuing evolution of Atmosphere's sound. Now being distributed through Epitaph, I think slug and co. are starting to find their peak style and sound. This appears to be the most polished out the awesome catalog. Disclaimer: I haven't heard the Lucy Ford LP...so kiss my ass if this isn't as good.

1. The Darkness - Permission to Land : A total 80's throwback. This music features sounding really happy and the triumphant return of the two-guitar attack. We have a serious falsetto at the top (perhaps castratto) and a guitar player who likes to use tonic pedals. Not only that, you can get lost in the music thinking about the best hair rock in the '80's and not notice the simple chorus: "get your hands of my woman" repeated over and over again. These guys took the best elements of 80's hair metal and did it the way it should have been done. This CD made me smile more than once.

Whether you agree with my assessments or want to tell me to go to hell, give these CD's a listen. Hell, I'll even burn you a copy. Special thanks to my 9-5 commitment in not creating one interesting situation today...without you, I wouldn't have been bored and forced to find new sounds.

Godspeed!

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Wilty Plants, Crazy Weather, and the first Western Gust of the Fall

The other breathing residents of my place greeted me with a saggy hello. I should have watered my plants when I left town, but I figure that they'd be okay. Unfortunately, we're changing seasons and the humidity is slowly dropping. I should keep a better grip on this. I think the Peace Lilly and christmas cactus are both giving me the finger right now.

Also, one of the Guppy ladies greeted me by being dead. Its okay, she was aged and produced some young. I have a second generation of guppies well on their way to adulthood. Why do fish turn up dead at the end while you're away? The same thing happened to me last year. I think I can finally keep this up. Anyway I'd leave town for more than a weekend, my healthy and happy Pleco would be gone when I would get back. This happened twice. Either someone is messing with me or I'm just negligent....hmmm.

I overheard a conversation between residents of this building today. The two guys said things like 'lawyers' and 'looking at the building' and 'we are going after his son.' Hmm...it sounds like some legal trouble is in the cards for a landlord of mine. This situation sounds familiar. I didn't want to get involved in the conversation because it would just get me angry again about the saga of '01, but it's a strange coincidence. They are right though...condo owners should not put up with losing their hot water for five days because of the building's money problems. I'm only renting, and losing hot water isn't as bad as getting kicked out without your stuff...so its not a big issue to me right now.

I listed this site with Chicago bloggers. It's a link site that lists Chicago based blogs by what 'EL' stop they're nearby. I have finally crossed the line into being a total dork about this web log thing. Well, we'll see what happens with this one...more strangers peering into my head. Sounds temporary.

Fall finally greeted me today with a stiff wind against my window. I haven't heard or felt a wind like that since spring. With a strong west wind on a cold day, it can get really cold in here sans heat. Hopefully the first chill of the season is a few weeks away. I'm still not done with warm weather.

Quote of the day: "Blogging is like a hit of crack..." - Jon's Dad...of course, the sentence was quite longer than that, but take that quote alone...and its hilarious. Okay, that is the last time I will blog about a blog.

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Staring off into space, 80 miles an hour at a time

I feel like a rockstar, I tell you...except this time around, I played no music, had no groupies chase me around...but I did spend a lot of time sitting in the drivers seat of my dad's car playing race car and staring off into space. Oh yeah, the wedding was fun...so as per the custom after weekends, I give you Leftover Chineses' lessons of the past few days.

- Leaving work twenty minutes early without telling any superiors looks like a faux pas on paper. Fortunately, no one probably noticed and when I get back to work tomorrow, no one will say anything. Sometimes, my 9-5 commitments are fun.

- Sometimes when you stare at the menu and see "Egg Foo Young" listed with the other appetizer, you say to yourself: "this is totally unnecessary seeing as how I have an egg roll and soup, but what the hell?" and you order it...Then when you fill up during the main course you say to yourself: "hmmm...maybe I shouldn't have ordered that egg foo young."

- You'd think that when two twenty-somethings get married, they'd register at a department store such as Target. I was told later..."yeah, right."

- Pit stops along the way totally throw you off. By stopping, you forgo the distance that you could be traveling while you're off the highway...when you get back on, you have to make up that distance. My brother and I calculated the time and distance loss factor at four. That means, every minute you're not on the highway delays your arrival time by four minutes.

- Northwestern Wisconsin features fun highways with hills and the occasional merge into one lane. On the way back, I noticed that the fields and tress are the on verge of changing colors.

- I parked next to childhood friend Danny, and then would up getting a room next to him. We both got the same paper present for the newlyweds, too...but the similarities stopped there.

- At the wedding, we were 'that group'...you know, the folks who sit a little bit separated from the rest of the wedding attendees...who make little comments to each other, and who laugh louder and clap louder than the rest.

- A most inappropriate and awkward conversation took place on the way to the wedding reception. It was hilarious.

- The phrase: "Holy shit....Chad is actually married." was voiced many times.

- Being 'That Group' was probably the same reason the wedding featured a pricey cash bar.

- More people read this blog than I think do. That either means I should clean up the writing style, become more anonymous, or continue the trend where I spend paragraphs on end talking about nothing.

- Pricey Cash Bar = Jack on the Rocks on an empty stomach = head spinning when you sit down for dinner.

- I actually danced....puffed a cigar courtesy of chad's buddy...and had a damn good time.

- Dan and Amanda had a bet about me....Dan won...although I was a step short of giving Amanda the victory.

- Jake's family, The Bunges, took me, an honorary bunge, to breakfast. I had the all-you-can eat brunch. Never before had bacon and hashbrowns taste so good after a night like the one I had.

- Jake's dad and I talked fantasy football over brunch. I'm advised to trade for a running back of his, while I take a wide receiver. Fantasy football for fun is for real.

- Hopefully, a bad Packer's season will thin out the bandwagon fans. In the mid-90's I grew increasingly annoyed at the packer-mania. I mean...back in '98 a song came out titled the 'Packerana' (modeled after the Macarena)...that usually means you're fanbase are a bunch of idiots. You don't hear about chumbawhumba-esque songs about the Bengals, do you? After they blow this season and Favre retires, only the die-hard fans like me and Miller will be left.

- I've been 'single' for about a month now, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.....oh, what fun it is to be single.

- I really need to cut down the copious amounts of "..." in these posts....*sigh*

- Only six more days before I get to travel again. Hooray!

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Another one falls



This being Chad. He gets married this weekend in Minnesota. I've known him since second grade. He was the kid whose parents threw big parties and we'd be partying along in our own ways...eventually the partying ways became the same by the end of college. Hell, in high school, his mom showed up at a house we were partying at and she made us all do tequila shots. Coincidentally his first girlfriend ever is getting married on the same day. Its funny how that works out, eh? We haven't seen each other much since high school, but I'm still pleased to be in attendance. He's joining the ranks of a few other four friends (including 50% of my former roomates) of mine who have taken the plunge. I guess we're at that age where the pins start to fall. Anyway, coming out of high school, Chad was the last person whom I figured would give up his freedom. Lucky for me, my parents still think I'm sixteen and too young to look at porn, so the marriage plank is way off for me. Chad gets a 'way to go'...many happy returns, friend.

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I'm the Screech in the Muthafuckin' Zack Attack


Which "Saved By The Bell" Character Are You?

That's about right....except I'm not a brother of a beastie boy.

In other news, the trailer for the movie Breakin' is worth the price of admission. They make the movie seem so action packed and a lot more violent than the movie actually is. They also neglect to mention that Turbo, O-zone, and Special-K get their own flashy (with bad street-like costumes) dance show under the lights (where they make it seem like the group got a show at Carnegie Hall).....well, that lil' secret is between you me, and the unfortunate few who didn't get to see the movie.

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The Day We got Drunk on the Job

Today's workday was interupted by the Cubs game. After strolling into work at my usual late time, we took off at 11:45 to catch the 1:20 game. Before we knew it, the bossmen were buying beers. I had no breakfast or lunch, so as expected things went straight to my head. It was a perfect day for baseball, but the game was only two hours and nine minutes long. Before we knew it, it was the seventh inning stretch (crooned by one Jack Black) and my head was spinning. I even scored the game...nothing beats casually paying attention to the game with a scorecard. I probably could have lived without the two victory beers, but hey....when its on the boss' dollar, how could you say no?

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Fight that Cold

The allergies and my cold put together can make for a rough time. I was way short of sleep, so I armed myself with green tea, Clarinex and not a thing to eat until 10 am. As you can expect, I was pretty loopy. It made for an interesting lunch. I was okay by the time the afternoon rolled around. Now, its time for the fun colds.

This morning I cracked open one of last week's bargain book purchase. It was Banishing Bureaucracy. It took all but twenty pages to lose me. It reads like a text book and feels like a business plan. I figured the book would teach me stuff, but I felt like I was reading a book for my Management and Human Resources class. During the day, I theorized that the allergy medication probably made it seem very droll, so I tried to read more of it. Conclusion...nope....not at all attributed to the allergy medicine. The book is too dry a leisure read....Time to move on to something more literary.

Speaking of Theories. I'll try to take one from the dictionary of theories and translate (according my interpretation of the dictionary entry) it to you by appealing to the lowest common denominator...or that of one whom uses cuss words...Here's a the first theory for you as you continue your day:

Principle of creative resultants - The philosophical principle that when several elemental components are organized or co-ordinated the resulting synthesis has properties and characteristics that are fundamentally different in kind from those of the separate components viewed independently. The combination of elements into a significant whole produced emergent properties exclusive to that form.

My translation: I + S + T + H = SHIT. The word (or synthesis) has properties different from each individual letter and are exclusive to the word (or elemental components).

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The weekend I went to the Bay Area and caught something

The headline is supposed to make Nick laugh. I hope he gets it, but I picked up a cold yesterday and haven't felt quite the same since. Yes, folks...I have made my way back from the Yay (or Bay Area) of California. Good times were had, a few pictures were taken, and I finally got to visit a state west of the mountain time zone. People say things are different out west and they were right. While I couldn't discern any fundamental differences in the way things are done out, the whole area just gave me a different vibe. I deem Northern California "hella tight." This edition of Leftover Chinese will summarize the trip as usual....brief, rambling, trite, possibly funny, or awful.

- Night One featured a reunion with my buddy Adam and former roomate Jon. I had not seen Jon since May. I had not seen Adam since April...of 2000. Those two guys were always interesting to figure out. They came from Cali to attend college in Wisconsin. Together they always had a certain swagger about them. Things finally started to fall into place. For the last five years, they were in my realm. As soon as I got off the plane, I was in their realm.

- This was not a vacation, merely a chance to hang out with two of my closest friends from school for a few days. The balance between 'touristy' things and just kicking it was suprisingly even. That was a good thing.

- Even though we were at a loud place on night one, Adam and I had a good talk about things...throughout the rest of this excursion, we had deep conversations about the past, the present, and moving in our different directions. We haven't communicated too much since he left college in Wisconsin, but in hanging out with him, it felt like nothing changed This reminded me that Adam and I are still "hella tight."

- Gratuitous use of the term "hella" is still rampant in Northern California.

- When in the States, Adam resides in the Berekely Hills. I was blown away at the use of real estate on these steep hills. Another thing that blew my mind was the mazelike street system. You could lost for an hour trying to get from point A to point B. It was like driving a car through a world in some ultra cool RPG game.

- The first night featured the most partying of the trip. I awoke the next day with the rare hangover.

- I got to match a few more faces with names we midwesterners got to hear about Jon and Adam's exploits in Cali. The stories they told us were always off the wall. Meeting 'nato' was a trip. That guy matches the stories....

- The Cal campus was really nice. I excpected to see more of a hustle and bustle, but the entire campus was laid back and nobody seemed in a hurry. I've learned that trees really make a campus look pretty.

- I purchased Breakin' at this store. It was a part of the 'walking down Telegraph' portion of the trip. I finally got the best breakdance movie in the world on DVD. Adam purchased a copy of it as well. He's apparently going to use it as a way to woo a girl back in Ethiopia. More power to him.

- In terms of its fans, Pac-Bell park is to the Bay area as Wrigley Field is to Chicago. People come to the park to be seen, and to say that they got to see the team's superstar slugger take an at-bat. In their cirles, saying that they saw a Bonds or Sosa homerun legitimizes them as a fan of the team. I noticed this right away. It was no surprise that when Sexon hit a homerun in the top of the first, I was the only one clapping in my area. No one else bothered to boo, clap, shake their heads, complain, or anything else that fans so when the visiting team does something. A woman turned around and gave me the "oh my, that monster behind me is clapping and therefore a threat to my enjoyment of being in pac-bell" face.

- I really enjoyed the lay of the land.

- The three bridge tour featured the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate, and San Rafael Bridge. All are works of art. I guess all I can say is, look at the pictures (well, the golden gate bridge is the only one I took a few pictures of up close).

- Jon's Dad has a blog

- Jon and I threw the football around during sunset in the Marin Headlands. That meant that we got to do two things that we always did when we were roomates: imaginary baseball and imaginary football. Before you know it, we'll probably play dominoes, baseball, and pool.

- We played dominoes.

- We played 'strike-out'...which happens to be 3x3 baseball.

- We played pool and Jon was victorious over me for the first time since we made pool playing a competition between us.

- Jon and I enjoyed the things that made us "hella tight" over the years.

- In setting up a barbeque at Jon's buddy's place (which happenend to be a boat with amenities sufficient to live) we went to the discount outlet grocery store and found Pig's Eye Beer. A 24-can case was 8 bucks. We all had a laugh about that one. I looked at it and said: "what the hell is this? Where do they make this?" Keep in mind that we were at an outlet store. I notice that it is made in Lacrosse, WI. I had never head of it while at school. We all had a good laugh about that one. It turns out that it was brewed in St. Paul, MN for a long time until the brewery closed down. The brand re-opened up not ten days ago this month in Wisconsin. While still new, I should have heard of this beer by now. Further research yielded the fact that it is licensed to be sold in seven states. California was not one of them. We all had a great laugh about that one.

- Touring Jon's boyhood home and having dinner with his parents = more pieces falling into place.

- Touring Adam's American home and him letting me sleep there while he was in San Diego for two days = more pieces falling into place and my ultimate gratitude.

All in all I had a good time. I'm sure I'll add and edit this post a few times this week, so check this post out a few times. All in all...Northern California was "hella- er....total classic action.

Pictures

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Fly Away Day

Leftover Chinese is going to take a long weekend as we travel to the Bay Area to visit Jon and Adam. Jon is my former roomate, Adam is an old college friend who lives in Africa and is in the country for a few weeks. They both came to college straight out of california and the first thing my buddy-to-be Damon asked was: "You're from California?! Have you ever seen snow?!" I remember Jon giving Damon a strange look before he replied. I don't remember what the reply was, but the look said it all. Later that week, saw Adam and Jon talking in the lobby and they seemed to have turned on the Cali accents and terminology. It was like they were speaking in their own language. I asked them about it later, and they sheepishly denied switching back to cali-talk. Eitherway, it will be good to see them again, and while I doubt someone will say: "You're from Wessconsin? Did you grow up with cows?" I'm sure I'll encounter a different world. Awesome.

I'm also going to the Giants/Brewers game on sunday. That would make this season's brewer game total = 5. All of the Brewers games I have been to this season have been outside Miller Park. I'm supporting my team by giving my money to the other team (well, that's not 100% true, but hay, its all gravy).

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The Day My Head was Pounding

Ungh, can't string together too many thoughts on this one. Sometime this afternoon my body sent a message to my brain that said: "pain" So in turn, my brain's nerves decided to go on high alert. It created the pounding sensation in my head and it made for a fun rest of the evening.

I picked up the new Al Franken Book to follow up my Michael Moore book. I was shooting to finish the Moore book tonight, but that is not the case. Searching through the bargain bin, I also picked up a book about eliminating bureaucracy and a dictionary of theories (mathematical and the such).

I'm traveling to the Bay Area this weekend and on advice from my mother, I should:

1) Stay out of the Gay district.
2) Stay out of Chinatown.

Apparently the chances of me getting robbed or kidnapped are the highest in those areas. This is my mother's biggest fear when I travel this weekend: her 5' 11" and 180+ pound son is going to get robbed or kidnapped in a city populated with gays and chinese among others (but only if he steps foot in those areas). Uh...yeah, i'll be careful about that.

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Smells Fishy

I won't make this post a forum for my conspiracy theories, so I'll spare you. But as we approach the anniversary of "September the eleventh" take a look at this guys' in-depth timeline of that morning. One thing the guy readily points out is that when Payne Stewart's private plane lost contact with the folks on the ground, jets where alongside the plane within twenty minutes. This was not the case here. Something smells fishy here...but unlike the aliens, I doubt the government cares if you find out the truth.

Darin suggested I make a porn section for my site. He said that "It would do wonders for your readers with “sealed-off cubicles” at work." Considering that he donated two cents to my fund (unlike everyone else out there) I'm willing to give this some thought. How would an adult's only section play in the sticks? Then I got to thinking. How does one go about creating a porn site without borrowing pictures from other sites? Do they solicit these pictures from dealers? Without a gimmick like the MILF hunter or the Fart Hammer, what can my porn section consist of? Hmmm....I'll take any suggestions...or submissions...heh.

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Random and Similar Comings and Goings

I go to work early and see the same people on the bus that I do when I usually go to work forty minutes later. What's the deal here? Did everybody who shows up for work everyday at 9 decide to show up at 8 today? Is it me, or do people in certain areas follow similar ebbs and flows? Hmmm...I actually wondered that to myself before starting the day. Then I leave work two hours later than usual. I saw a few of the same people I usually see on my way home. That couldn't be a coincidence, right? Is the city big enough and dense enough where the same people can randomly cross paths at the same times at any time? Wrap your mind around that. I bet then certain people will never cross paths with other people regardless of unusual circumstances such as going home a few hours later than usual. Somewhere in my neighborhood, a person probably got a treat and left work at five today as opposed to the usual seven o'clock time. I would hurt my mind if I spent any more time thinking about this. In conclusion....even though I think everybody is on a rhythm, I'm probably understimulated between the hours nine and five.

The 446 has been mentioned in another rap song...we're either one step closer to fame, or a step away from getting our asses kicked.

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Gluttony

My Meals since Friday Night:

- Supersized Calzone (dinner friday night)
- Processed Sausage and a Cup of Rice (lunch saturday)
- Brat with 'Kraut and Potatoes (snack saturday)
- One (1) Personal Jacks Frozen Pizza (dinner saturday)
- KFC lunch (lunch today)
- Three Sushi Rolls (lunch today)
- Six Course Dinner at a Chinese Restaurant (dinner today)
- Three Sushi Rolls (snack tonight)
- Coleslaw (snack tonight)
- Cookies (snack tonight)
- Leftover Chinese (pending)

I'm not sure why the hell I've been on a binge lately. I bet I'm due for a growth spurt. Ha!

NEW $$^ tracks. I'm tellin' you...the beats are getting insanely better this time around. Give it a hear.

G13 & Henny
Megamayne (this uses an insane Nintendo sample)
Some Song about Throwbacks and Whistle Tips
The Blackout of 446

The Packers lost game one. Game one at home is usually a holiday in Green bay. Dating back to 1993, the state of Wisconsin loses their marbles over this day every year. Unfortunately for the loss, domestic squabbles all over the state will increase by a factor of two this week. "Go you packers, Go, Go. Go you Packers Go, Go"

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .

The Day I Saw Someone Fall on the Walkway, a Car on Fire, and Drunken elderly German-Americans

Call this the oddest day of the fall. Call this the oddest day of the summer. Call it what you will, but don't de-rock me. Apologies to those who got the Tesla reference. Then again, you probably thought that an obscure hair metal reference was pretty cool. I'll take a few points for that one, but I digress...

So it was mile sixteen in my seventeen mile bike ride. Things were going well, as usual and the extra pedestrians made for an exciting game of rad racer. First off, Miller called me and I picked up my phone while on the bike. I might have been going seventeen miles an hour...its probably not a good idea, but it was the only bikeride I ever planned to have the phone on during my ride. That should have been an omen of strange things I did. Anyway, things began to go awry when I passed a few bikes and got back into the right lane. An oncoming rollerblader was cruising along when she hit a fat twig and fell down. I should have stopped to see if she was allright, but one person already stopped to see if she was okay. One hundred yards later, I approached a freshly planted accident scene.

A car had slammed into the guardrail at the end of an off-ramp to the recreation parking lot. It was on fire. Everybody was standing up and staring at the scene. Unsure of what to do. The driver's passengers had apparently pulled him out of the car and he was writhing in pain on the ground. Cellphones were already out. The fire got bigger and everybody pulled the guy further from the fire. During the fire, some people stopped in their tracks, others biked right by the fire without noticing. Most just stood there. A cop didn't show up for about five minutes. Two minutes passed before the firetruck came. Another two minutes passed before the ambulance came. People were freaking out about the ambulance. Those nine minutes before the situation is 'stablilized' could be hell for the freak-out types. After the fire was put out, things were back to normal....poor guy..he probably broke an arm.

The Afternoon was capped off at Oktoberfest. Yes, germans all over the world will spend this month celebrating all things german. There was a good polka band, big-ass steins of beer, brats, and drunken old folks. For a few moments, it felt like I was back in Wisconsin. Then I realized that was probably just crazy because I never went to German Fest. Anyway, two steins, a brat, and a few laughs later, I was back at home by 8:30 on my couch...with a warm and toasty buzz. That effectively ends my night...which was a good thing....

Its 11pm on a Saturday night...its bedtime.

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .

...and then it hit me

I stared outside the bus window at the tall buildings and empty sidewalks. It was then that I realized that this is time of the year where coporations can focus on year end quotas and families spend less time together. The kids are school, the interns are back at college, and there are no more family vacations. Around this time each year, almost everybody older than age five and not retired is supposed to be somewhere everyday. Whether its school or work, everybody has a committment. There exists not too much to get excited about save going to work everyday so someone else can make a lot of money...productivity levels should raise due to this societal cycle. Everybody buckles their belts and goes to work. People become machines around this time of year...that kind of sucks.

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .

So Much Energy...so few minor chords

Legend has it singers can still command the stage and put on a hell of a show. This rare sort of crooner not only gets his own band to take it up a notch, the gets the security guys jacked up. It doesn't matter how he sings, or if he can sing on key live. It doesn't matter if the guy is on the marathon tour that averages no more than a few nights off a month. He'll bring the energy each and every night. He'll give you a scream and a half just to get things started. You'll laugh at yourself then realize that the guy is serious. Between songs you'll hear existential ramblings about how where you're standing right now should be the most rocked out place to be at that moment. All this rockin' out and you won't even hear a prominently written minor chord until the third to the last song. The new songs that no one knows about still get the crowd going, even if it sounds like Motley Crue. On top of that, the guy walks on stage with a shit-eating grin and a sheepish swagger. Most lead singers reach into the front row and just blindly slap around. This guy gives straight handshakes. It's like the guy is genuinely having the time of his life. There's no artsy fartsy act, no bad-ass facade (don't be fooled by the press pictures)...he just walks on stage and casually tears into it. This, my friends, is the Andrew WK show...and it blew my mind.

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .

More Pain, a new routine, and Heavy Metal Golf

First run in five days. I just couldn't get loose. I did my lower leg stretches, took a deep breath, and went for a run. The lower leg pain still won't go away. I've tried running less, but something tells me that I should cease the training altogether. I mean, I saw people run by me and I asked myself: "I wonder what it feels like to run like that without pain." That should tell me something. Medman told me that its probably tendinitis and I should stop running altogether. The (break) Girl has said all along that I should see a physical therapist for a professional opinion. To her its more important that I figure out how to get better. I think I should save my money and just shut it down. I already know what they'll tell me: "stop running, get some rest, stretch everyday." Well, I haven't used my insurance yet so this should be a good time. However, I've been a self diagnoser forever, so habit may win out on this one.

New routine? Well, they reconfigured the bus routes in my area. I took a look at the map and it appeared like I could get to work quicker. Of course, waiting ten minutes for the bus didn't make it any faster. Then again, today was the first day of school and there's a school two doors down. That should slow things down a bit. I expected a few stuffedshirts to freak out about the route change. I thought that a few financial types would have been too wrapped up in their cellphone conversations to notice the notices placed on each bus sign along the route. Unfortunately, my cynical wishes didn't come true and only one lady realized that they changed things up. Oh well, I'll just assume that it happened on another bus. Enough about buses.

Two new games arrived today. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 and Tiger Woods 2003. THPS4 should make for a good break from Metroid when I don't want to think. Tiger Woods would be fun to bring back to play with the brothers over the holidays. One funny thing about the games is that they both feature heavy soundtracks. THPS4 has some good punk and rap. What suprised me was the huge dose of today's hard rock on the Tiger Woods game. It was kind of funny, actually...I didn't even know silverchair was still around. Regardless, I'm pretty sure the game wasn't made for the avid golfers aged thirty and up. The juxtaposition is hilarious.

The bossmen are off to vegas for the next few days. That makes for some relaxed schedule action....awesome!

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .

The Longest Weekend Ever

I'm getting too old for this. Having gone out three nights in a row, its actually quite something that I didn't get sick. Oh well, I guess I know how to watch myself now. Last night Fort Awesome hosted a Space Themed party. I was originally planning to attend as a mission control guy with the tie, pocket protector, and headpiece, but after spending most the day on the couch before I met Jacob downtown, I didn't pay much mind to it. Luckily, I dressed in all blue. Jake suggested that I should work with the blue....so I came up with Neptune. I took glitter-glue markers to duct tape and wrote "Neptune" and also gave myself a #8. Unfortunately, no moons showed up (because as everybody knows, Neptune has eight moons). Regardless, it was a good time and at one point, Jason and I came up with the idea to switch costumes (he was Mars Blackman) to see if anyone would notice the changes (we're both Asian). Nic and Bobby almost died laughing when they figured out the joke, everyone else was mildly entertained. After some late night drama and high octane revelry, I made my way home at 4 am. Which was late (or early) enough to get the Monday paper....woah.

Other highlights of the past few days in this never ending B-Movie:
- I didn't bring my camera to the party last night, so there won't be any mysterious pictures on the out-file anytime soon. It was actually nice to not snap pictures all over the place for once.
- The CTA promised "more frequent sevice" beginning August 31st. I sat at the stop on the 31st for fourty minutes before a damn bus showed up. More frequent service, eh? ha!
- New Classical Guitar. I'm going back to where my strongest guitar skills lie: the classical guitar. I'll have something for the ladies on this site in a few days...
- More Metroid Prime. I'm making it a point to not consult any sort of tip guide or walkthrough so I can beat this game on its own. All the games in this series use the same basic premise: Overworld, underworld, lavaworld, waterworld, find the holes in the walls, accumulate the items, etc. I can only take so much at a time, but this is the mental challenge I need from a video game.
- I'm actually listening to Yngwie Malmsteen and he's pretty damn good for an 80's metal shredder. Everyone makes fun of him, but I wonder if they actually ever listened to him. They should...he's actually damn good.
- Futurama Vol. 2 came in the mail and is as entertaining, if not, more entertaining than volume 1.
- Since the all-star break, The Brewers are playing +.500 ball. I'm predicting post season play in '05...can you feel it?

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .