Closing down shop

I remember a post that I came across on Chicky's blog about people cashing out of the Blogsphere and not really offering any explaination. Of course, I commented and said something to the effect of "yeah, it's kind of uncool for people to do that." What kind of asshole would I be if I did the same thing?

So I have a lot of things happening. I'm leaving some jobs, starting a new one, moving about 850 miles, and going through some other life changes. I think this blog has been a good experience. It kept me sane during cancer treatment, and was just fun all around. But, it is what it was and it's no longer to be.

I'm not totally disappearing. I'm still reading blogs (and commenting when I can). So, it's less like I'm leaving, and more like I'm just going to shut up and listen.

To all who have visited, thanks for stopping by, and I'll be crashing into your blogs now and again. :P

Black & Tan

Ok, so there was an big snit in the news about Ben & Jerry's new ice cream, "Black & Tan". The Irish found it offensive because Black & Tans were the "police" (aka death squads) put together by the Brits while the Irish were fighting for independence from the crown.

As an Irish-American, I can understand the offense. It would be like putting out a flavor like "Nutty Nazi" or "Klu Klux Coconut". Generally speaking, it's not a good idea to immortalize bad people, even if it's only ice cream.

However, as an Irish-American, I also could see the bigger picture. Beer-flavored ice cream! How brilliant is that!? Let's face it, they could call it "All Irish people are bastards who must die", and if it's beer-flavored ice cream, I'd still try it.

So, I went to the store today and picked up a pint. I was a bit disappointed when I saw that the "Black" was not Guinness flavored ice cream (it was just chocolate), but I still had hope. The "Tan" part actually tasted kinda like beer. Mixed with the chocolate, however, it tasted more like Tiramisu than a Black & Tan. Overall, it was pretty good, but it needs improvement. Ben & Jerry's needs to focus more on the beer-flavor.

:)

The SWAT team, a misunderstood joke, and a pissed off Easter Bunny...

all walk into a bar.

But, seriously...

The SWAT Team

Ok, my cousin has become a bit of a dumbass. This time, last year, he was solidly on the med school track, had a good girlfriend (also pre-med), and despite growing up in the same shitty ghetto as myself, he was working hard to get out. I was proud of the boy, and I dare say a tad jealous.

However, he pissed it all away this past year. He broke up with his girlfriend because "he didn't love her anymore". The funny thing was that he was also planning a trip to Amsterdam with some of his boys. Now, these aren't the friends he's had all along, but a new crew he was hanging out with. So, he discovered that he didn't love his girl shortly before his trip to the get-high-get-laid capital of the world.

Oh, med school is also out of the picture. He's gone from pre-med, to pre-pharmacy, to possibly pharmacy, to not-even-sure-if-he's-going-to-be-in-college-next-year. He was fired from his job as a RA, and was kicked off campus. Apparently, there were pictures of him getting wasted on myspace, and his bosses found out. He only has his senior year left, and he might not finish.

Whatever. That's not my business. I have to wonder about this new crew, though. A lot of them are into the drugs/dealing scene, which is totally uncool. There was a huge bust at a university in Connecticut. I'm not saying any names, but if I was this college, my school mascot would probably be a big, white, dog that rhymes with Busky which is known to be used on a dog sled. Some kid (one of my cousin's new friends) was selling Oxycontin and was also caught in possession of a zip gun. It was the SWAT team who made the bust, and my cousin was there when it went down. He got the cuffs and everything, but was not brought in because they figured he had nothing to do with the guns and drugs. He got real lucky. Around here, they would usually tack on an accessory just for something like that.

And who the fuck runs drugs with a zip gun anymore? Really, does it get any more ghetto than that? *shakes head*

Let me qualify my opinions with this...

I'm a very open-minded guy. I don't have a problem with what he did, as much as how he did it, and how he's letting his "party years" ruin his life. Where we grew up, there's a certain degree of "trouble" that one gets used to. However, the key not getting stuck in the ghetto is not making it your life. Hell, the first time I played a PS2 was at a crackhouse, because let's face it, only a drug dealer can afford the opening market prices on a new console. On the other hand, I never touched a rock, and cleared out anytime business was about happen.

Furthermore, my friends and I were no angels back in the day, either. A couple months ago, Domestic Bryan, Sean, and I had a little celebration because the statute of limitations had finally run out on our little "hobbies" back in the day. Granted, we weren't about guns or drugs, but we had a good time. What made us different though is that we never got caught...E-V-E-R. I'm not saying we were flawless, but we were careful enough that we didn't have to worry about the local fuzz. We weren't like these other hoods who talked big and walked big all conspicuous-like. As for myself, I've only been in cuffs once, and it was just some cop trying to throw his weight around over a little "reckless driving". The only time I've been in a courtroom has been for speeding tickets or for law classes.

My cousin on the other hand, just isn't playing it that smart. If he keeps this up, I'd put solid money that he's going to get collared for something serious within the next year or two. But hey, it's not my business.

Though I did have to suffer because of it. Last year, his mother (my aunt) started a tradition where she does a little easter egg hunt with us cousins. Except, instead of easter eggs, it's goodie bags with nips and stuff. Oh, and she serves egg-shaped jello-shots before the hunt. Well, she cancelled it this year because she's concerned that she's setting a bad example for her son (because of all his partying). I can understand her cancelling, but it's his fault that she did. I was really looking forward to that. :)

A Misunderstood Joke

Ok, I've been told I was "wrong" to do what I did next. If it was any other person (than my cousin) or any other situation, I might agree. Two facts:

1) Some (older) family members have been talking a little too much crap about how I should be getting married.
2) My cousin's ex-girlfriend (L) is wicked cool. The rest of my cousins and I consider her to be family.

So our family Easter get-together was coming up. I talked about this with my sister and cousin (not L's ex, but a different cousin) beforehand and they thought it was a good idea. L usually comes to our family shindigs. Now that she wasn't with the cousin anymore, we weren't sure what was going to happen. My solution was to ask her to come as my "date". Now, it wasn't a real date (and I made sure L knew that from the start). We just wanted L to come to the party and hang out. Of course, the funny bit was in telling the rest of the family that I was bringing a "date" to Easter, but not telling them who. The idea was that they'd see L, realize I was yanking their chain, and we'd all have a good time.

However, it didn't exactly go down like that.

My sister ran her mouth off to my aunt who told my cousin (L's ex). Of course, my sister wasn't supposed to tell anyone. At that point, I figured everyone knew so I brought it up at a family get-together before Easter. Nobody had their story straight. At first, people thought L was coming, but with my cousin. Then I had to correct them and tell the family that I was bringing L.

They didn't get it. They started to think that I had been dating L for a while or something. Most people were actually happy about it. L is one of the people that part of my family thinks I should marry (even though she's seven years younger than me). However, my aunt's boyfriend started to give me crap about how I shouldn't be dating my cousin's ex...blah...blah...blah.

I should have further corrected the situation, but I figured I'd have some fun with it...starting with my aunt's boyfriend...

Me: You know, if it was anyone else, I'd agree with you. I'd never date any of my friend's exes. But hey, he broke up with a good woman to party and fuck around. His loss...c'est la vie.
Him: Yeah, well you shouldn't do that to a guy, especially not family.
Me: Well, he was in the wrong. I think that negates that rule.
Him: You should have at least talked to him about it first.
Me: Maybe I would have, but I can't even find the guy. You haven't seen him in a week and the two of you live in the same house.
Him: *bitch bitch bitch*

That's how that went. Personally, I don't think the guy should have been running his mouth. He's started trouble in the past with some super-political left-wing propaganda (most of my family are moderates and don't tolerate extremists on either side) and has been known to offend people on more than one occasion. In fact, on Easter Day, he crossed the line a bit with some rudeness (also not tolerated too well in my family).

So anyways, I eventually corrected the family, and they realized that even though I was the one bring L, it wasn't a real date, we were all just hanging out. Of course, my cousin (L's ex) didn't really care one way or the other.

C'est la vie.

Why I work alone

I have to vent...

I've been working since I was 10, which is pretty uncommon for someone of my generation. I've had all kinds of crappy jobs. I was a dishwasher, a grocery cashier, a fry cook, a receptionist, an IT technician...to name a few...and this was all before I was 18. I definitely had to miss out on some things growing up because of work. After-school activities, and even college organizations, didn't fit too well into my schedule. But I'm not bitter. I'm actually glad that I put up with all the miserable work when I was younger as it really helped my define my career goals.

One of these goals is to work alone, independently, and without a "boss". It's one of the reasons why I left teaching high school to teach university. It's also one of the reasons why I like my "consulting" job so much. My philosophy is that I don't take a job unless I'm sure I can do it right and do it well. It's why I spent the last few years working in teaching rather than research (I still have some learning to do in that area). I can count my professional screw ups on one hand, and I remember them all.

1) IT Tech.: accidentally installed the wrong software on a computer, which caused a bunch of technical problems.
2) Pharmaceutical Tech.: Unknowingly tipped off a person (trying to fill a fake prescription) that the cops were onto her.
3) Pizza cook: Screwed up my first pizza. It was shaped (and kinda looked) like a football.
4) Research: Discovered a significant flaw in a theory after I submitted my findings.

Bada-bing, bada-boom, that's it. I was able to fix #1 and #4. #2 didn't matter much as the woman was picked up a week later for the attempted sale of perscription drugs (I wonder where she got them...:P). As for #3, I got lucky, it was for a superbowl party. They thought it was so cool, they gave me a $20 tip. :)

On a professional level, I don't get a whole lot of credit. A lot of it is crap from my family who doesn't even understand what I do. However, I also get some crap from colleagues (especially from the consulting job) who disagree with my methods (which, by the way, work). Whatever, I have professional freedom, I'm my own boss, and my clientele likes my work, so the critics be damned. It's just really annoying when people who don't know what they are doing (or what they are talking about) try telling me what to do.

(Sorry for all the code-speak coming up, but I signed a non-disclosure agreement for this project. Of course, I probably wouldn't say anyway. ;) )

However, with the consulting job, I sometimes have to work with project groups (other independent consultants with somewhat different backgrounds). That part is kind of a bummer, but a necessary evil. One of the projects I am working on (we'll call it Project L) involves a group (four other people). Long story short, the project could go in two very different directions (say, X and Y). The client made it very clear that he was not interested in X and was only interested in Y. In fact, it was one of the major highlights in the prospectus. We had a planning meeting recently, and this is a part of the discussion:

Me: Ok, so here's the layout for Project L. As you can see, the client is aiming for Y. Today, we have to figure out how we're going to get there. I'm thinking that focusing on A, B, and C would be a good start, right?

Smart Guy: That works, because we'll also have to consider D and E, but we need B and C in place before that.

Smart Gal: Well, we also have to take F into consideration. If we don't, we could find ourselves ending up at X.

Me: That's good, I didn't even think of F. Any other ideas?

Dumbass 1: Well, we could always do Q and then R.

Me (confused): Um, if we do Q and R, we'll end up at X...that would be bad.

Dumbass 1: Yeah, I know, but I really think X is the better option.

Dumbass 2: I was thinking the same thing, but adding S. It will get us to X quicker.

Smart Guy: Uh, but the client wants Y.

(this next smart ass comment totally made my day, and I wish I said it.)

Smart Gal: Yeah, see, the thing about X, is that it's not Y. In fact, if you were to put Y in Moscow, X would on the beach in Buenos Aires.

Dumbass 2: Well, if I was the client for Project L, I would think X is the better way to go.

Me: Are you the client?

Dumbass 2: Uh...no.

Me: *gives him the do-you-realize-what-a-dumbass-you-are look*

Dumbass 1: Maybe we should call the client and ask?

Me: Oh, you mean the same client that primed us on Project L and specifically stated that he understood X very well and was absolutely certain he did not want that?

...and we moved on. Smart Guy told the client about this exchange when giving him a status report, which got the two dumbasses removed from the project. I thought it was a little overkill, but at least things are running smoother now.

And this is why I like to work alone. Peace, quiet, and the job gets done twice as fast.

Yeah, I know, who cares? "Brota, we would rather hear the story about morbidly foul strip clubs or your piss-drunk friends.

Well, sorry, I just wanted to vent today.

But I'll tell you what, my next post will be about Easter Weekend, a joke gone wrong, and my cousin getting arrested by a SWAT team...not necessarily in that order. :)

Is it just me?

So I've been in bed for the past hour, unable to sleep, and I thought I'd blog about it.

It usually takes me hours to fall asleep. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I would lie down to go to bed, and I'd still be awake hours later. The all-nighter I pulled earlier this week wasn't even because I had a lot of work to do. I just couldn't fall asleep that night.

Actually, I did get some good sleep for a few years when I was in undergrad, but I was smoking alot of weed at the time, so...

I'm wondering, is there something odd with me? I remember seeing some news report or some such that said it took the average person about a half an hour to fall asleep. The fact that it usually takes me 4 hours or more makes me wonder. Like, maybe I'm doing something wrong.

The good part of it is that there's really no negative effects. Even when I pull all-nighters, I'm not tired the next day. And when I do get to sleep (at around 4am), I have no problem getting up by eight if I set my alarm. Still, I think I might prefer more normal sleeping habits.

I think part of the problem might be thinking. I literally don't stop thinking. Every waking hour is spent actively thinking about something or another. Even when I'm having a conversation with someone, I usually only catch half of it because I'm also thinking about a few other things at the same time.

So when I lie down to sleep, I'm still thinking. Tonight, as soon as I hit the bed, I started thinking about how I should discuss such-and-such with a colleague about one project, and also how I could improve another project with so-and-so, and how I have to remember to run an errand tomorrow before I visit my grandparents, and so on.

The thing is, it's not stress. I'm not a worrier in general. Even when I had the cancer, the only thing I really thought was, "Great! Now I can make all the cancer jokes I want and people can't get mad." I'm actually happy to be working on the projects that I'm working on. I enjoy it more than my regular job. Also, grandparents are always fun, so there's no stress there. Regardless, I don't always think about work...I just think about things that need to be thought about.

I'm a die-hard analyzer. So, maybe that is what is keeping me up. I don't know.

What I want to ask anyone who reads this blog is what do you do when you go to bed? Do you just drift right off to sleep? Do you think a lot like I do? Something different? What's the story?

Mo' money, mo' problems...

So I haven't blogged much this past week, nor have I read too many blogs. Things have been a little hectic for me.

I kind of took on another job, but I won't say what job. All I'll say is that it falls under the category of "consulting". And no, it has nothing to do with porn or sex, and it's not illegal, and not generally considered to be immoral (though there are those who would disagree).

Nobody knows about it except for the people I work with. My RL friends and family don't know about it either, and if any of you read this and call me up asking about it, I'm not talking. I won't say that I'm embarassed about the job, but yeah, I kind of am. In a way, it's a guilty pleasure. The work is challenging, creative, and analytical...my three favorite things. The job doesn't exactly have the best reputation, though. The main reason for this is the people I work with, who, by the way, suck. Seriously, when it comes to my clients and colleagues, there isn't a single one that doesn't grate on my nerves in one way or another.

But I like the work. It's fun, and I enjoy it. If it wasn't for the bad rep the job has, the people I would have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, and the less than impressive financial reward, I would do this as a career. Instead, it's just my little secret on the side.

Speaking of fun job stuff, my father got to play around on an F-22 Raptor flight simulator today, instead of doing actual work (which is aircraft related). I'm not talking about some lame-ass computer program, but the full-cockpit console with which they train USAF pilots. The new software/hardware on these things is just amazing. I could blab about it all day. He also got to play with the weapons, too (just sim, but he got to check out the tech). He shot down four MiGs. Lucky bastard...

Relatively Normal (part 2)

I am definitely a bit of a flirt. Many times, I flirt without realizing it. Truthfully, I do not consider it flirting, just witty banter. However, I have been told on many occasions by many people that what I consider to be "witty banter" is actually flirting. So, ok, I am a flirt. Is that so bad?

The reason why I did/do not consider it technically flirting is because of how I flirt. This is a bit difficult to explain. I would say that I flirt more intellectually than sexually. There is the occasional double entendre, but only if it is actually funny. Not only do I do this because sex is more than just sex to me, but flirting solely on a sexual level is a conversational cop-out. I cannot really give an example, as it all depends on the situation and conversation in play.

The problem with a 17-year-old boy flirting like this with a 17-year-old girl is that the 17-year-old girl either cannot keep up with it, or is just scared off. I assume that they are expecting the 17-year-old boy to keep it simple and sexual, and anything more is just weird. At 27, I still have this problem with 27-year-old women, though to a somewhat lesser degree. Whatever. I am not changing.

On the other hand, do you know who can appreciate "witty banter"? Older (or more mature) women, apparently. And that is where the cop's wife comes in.

We just talked, and it was cool. I was finally having intelligent conversation with someone. This could possibly have been my first friendship with an intellectual bond. We talked, bantered, and probably even flirted. We even shared certain intimate details of our lives. I would not say that it was too much information, just what close friends might talk about. Until a certain point, these intimate details never involved the two of us together. It was mostly our attitudes towards sex and intimacy, basic information about certain experiences, and attempts at a better understanding of the other gender. Eventually, she attempted to move our relationship in a more provocative direction.

Like I said, I did not do anything with her. I am not a religious person, but I completely respect and value the sanctity of marriage. I was not going to be a homewrecker. I would like to think I was clear about that from the start, but I probably was not. Regardless, this did not stop her from "doing things on her own", later telling me what she did, and what/who she was thinking about at the time (it was not her husband). She also started buying me gifts, and some were a little expensive.

This "change" came on rather fast. I stopped it as soon, and as gently, as I could. Obviously, I had to return the gifts, and we went our seperate ways. It was unfortunate. I only hope it did not cause problems in her marriage. Of course, her husband had a badge, a gun, and a temper, so I did not exactly stick around to find out.

(side note: It was about five years later when I learned that this type of thing is considered to be an "emotional affair". Of course, this was information that would have been handy five years before. Better late than never, though, right?)

Yeah, I am supposed to be Mr. Marital-happiness-and-stability-expert. Enjoy the irony, I sure do. :)

So, when I said I would be happy with a relatively normal relationship, I meant relative to all this. If a woman is not a fanatic psycho spiritualist, a delusional hood-rat wannabe, or married, and can hold her end of a conversation, that is a good start with me.

Relatively Normal

Ok, so here it is. Yes, the story about the cop's wife is in here. Beware of the irony.

When it comes to relationships, I am actually considered an expert. This is not my own opinion, but the opinion of (other) academics and researchers who develop the theories that are used in everything from marriage counseling to cheesy articles in Cosmo. The work that I do is primarily centered around marital happiness and stability as well as partner selection. I have not even finished my Ph.D. and I am already being encouraged to work with one of the largest research centers in my field.

With all this in mind, you would think that I would tend to have happy and stable relationships, right? This is where the irony comes in.

There was the one girlfriend who eventually told me that she believed I was a god. I do not mean god in the I-am-great-in-bed sense. No, no, no. She literally thought I was the incarnation of the god Chronos, Master of Time. She was also under the impression that she was the incarnation of the goddess Chloe, Mistress of Fate. Of course her ex-boyfriend was the god something-or-another, Master of Pain. She said that if I ever left her, she would kill herself. Now, I could live with that until she added, "but I'll kill you first."

Of course, when she said that she wanted to keep my penis in a jar beside her bed, I had to break it off. Not my penis, the relationship. She never ended up killing herself, and obviously I got off the hook. It was the one time I could appreciate that people of my generation cannot finish what they start. I told a friend (that had set me up with her) about it afterward and he said, "Oh yeah, I should have mentioned she had a weird religion thing going on."

There was also the girl who was pretty normal, at first. Then she started telling me a bunch of crap about how she was involved in the Chinese Triad. This is not as crazy as it intially sounds. Where I grew up, there were a lot of gangs. We had the Latin Kings, the Bloods, and a couple other smaller groups. However, one group we did not have were the Triads. Furthermore, one night when she had told me she was going on a "job" with the Triads, she was actually hanging out with some friends watching some movies. After I broke up with her, she spent a month trying to get me back while apologizing for (though not explaining) the whole thing.

The cop's wife came along during my first year of college. Now, I technically do not consider this a relationship because I did not actually do anything. Of course, the essence of the story is in that I would not do anything. I considered her to be more of a friend with whom I happened to flirt a bit. It may seem odd for a 17-year-old to have a 36-year-old friend. However, because of the family in which I was raised (a little "old world"), it was not uncommon for me to have friendly relations with people as old as 80 or so.

Also, I should add, she may have been 36, but she was a semi-pro figure skater who settled into a teaching/coaching career when she married. Anyways, that kind of exercise can keep a woman young. All I am saying is that if she was actually single, things could have gone differently. As it was, we were merely engaged in a little harmless flirting...for the most part.

You may be thinking, "What is a 17-year-old boy doing flirting with a 36-year-old woman?"

Well, that is a very good question, and I would be happy to answer that, when I have a little more time. :)

(to be continued...)

I'm on TV...and, is it a little weird in here, or is it just me?

I don't even know how many times I've killed my television. But there's always something bringing me back. Goodnight Sweetheart, Red Dwarf, Rollergirls, and now Teachers. Not only is it funny, but my philosophy and professional behavior (or lack thereof) is perfectly portrayed by the "Jeff" character. Seriously, the main reason why I stick with university teaching is because when I've used my methods in a high school, I tended to get a little...well...fired. I'm already anticipating the faculty meeting that's going to come about due to a "class exercise" I'm planning in a few weeks (which would cause a lawsuit in a public school).

I know TV is not good for me. I know I should make a clean break. Nevertheless, I'm drawn into TV again, but just for this show. Besides, considering my track record with TV shows, it will likely be cancelled within months and I'll be back to killing my TV.

Ok, so I posted not too long ago about a little weirdness that has been going down. The situation had somewhat simmered down since, but has now become totally insane.

Forget about B trying to hook me up with her daughter. I'm fairly certain B is trying to get some action for herself. She's started this habit of giving me "hello hugs" and really drawing them out, sometimes telling me how nice I smell. She's also "joked" about moving out west with me. Recently, during a hug, she kind of tried to kiss me on the neck. WTF!? Since then, I've been keeping my distance.

The woman is twice my age. She's not my type for many reasons, the age thing being one of them.

This has only happened to me once before. I was 17, and she was a 36-year-old amateur/pro ice skater who was married to a cop. But that's a totally different story...

I do keep a good sense of humor about it. Let's face it, life is funny. A lot of my guy friends have the good girls and solid relationships and wish they had the freaky shit that gets thrown my way. I, on the other hand, am totally not into this freaky shit and would be plenty happy having a relatively normal relationship with a relatively normal woman. C'est la vie.

Hair Wax?

Has anyone ever heard of this?

I'm not talking about the stuff used for hair removal. I think it's also called Pommade or something like that. It's used like mousse or gel. I remember hearing about it quite some time ago on like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or a show like it.

I ask because I'm sick of using gel. I have good hair, and it's pretty thick (I blame the Italian in me). The problem with this is that there's a fine line between too much gel, and too little gel. And there's no way to tell which side of the line I'm on until my hair dries. It rarely comes out just right.

So, I remember hearing about this hair wax kind of stuff that's supposed to be way better, but I don't know anything more. I tried to Google it, but just got a bunch of crap on hair removal.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

My First Meme

I can't say I'm big into memes (as this is the first one I've done in the six months of having a blog), but I'm such a music whore that I could not pass it up. Basically, I have to answer each question with a song title of a particular artist. So I am picking the late, the great, Frank Zappa.

1) Are you male or female? Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?
2) Describe yourself. Trouble Every Day
3) How do some people feel about you? Is That Guy Kidding or What?
4) How do you feel about yourself? Flakes
5) Describe your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend. Catholic Girls (though I was tempted to go with Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? just because it would have been funny. :P)
6) Describe your current significant other. Lonesome Cowboy Nando (closest song title to "currently single")
7) Describe where you want to be. Outside Now
8) Describe how you live. We're Turning Again
9) Describe how you love. Magic Fingers
10) What would you ask for if you had just one wish? A Token of My Extreme
11) Share a few words of wisdom. Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
12) Now say goodbye. Let's Move to Cleveland

Though I was really tempted to go with Smashing Pumpkins.

1) Are you male or female? Spaceboy
2) Describe yourself. Rocket
3) How do some people feel about you? Smiley
4) How do you feel about yourself? Obscured
5) Describe your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend. Blew Away
6) Describe your current significant other. I Am One
7) Describe where you want to be. Galapagos
8) Describe how you live. Whir
9) Describe how you love. Sweet, Sweet
10) What would you ask for if you had just one wish? Zero
11) Share a few words of wisdom. Here Is No Why
12) Now say goodbye. Farewell and Goodnight

I blog about the gym too much, but still...

So part of my new program entails hitting the gym first thing in the morning. Well, first thing in my morning, which is probably a little later than most people's mornings. Still, I get there by 9:30, so it's still, you know, technically morning. One thing I've noticed is that attractive women don't hit the gym at 9:30 in the morning, just old men. On the upside, this means I have no distractions. On the downside, this means I have no distractions.

Apparently, old people can be assholes, too. Now, I have a good deal of respect for the elderly. One of my jobs involves working around the elderly. Furthermore, my grandparents are pretty old, and I like them. However, old people at the gym are a different story. On Friday, I had to wait for the Delt/Rear-Seated Row machine. An elderly man was using it, so I did other work (it would have been rude to hover). I get to the machine right after him and he screwed with all the adjustments when he was done. The chest pad was set all the way in (as if for a really short person), but the seat was dropped all the way down (as if for a taller person). Basically, it was set for someone who was 7' tall, and had arms that were less than 2ft. long. It only bothered me because all the gear in the gym sticks so it's a pain to readjust things.

Furthemore, he put the linchpin in at 250lbs., as if he was actually doing that (he was probably doing 50lbs.). I could really care less about the linchpin. Almost every single guy at the gym does crap like that. It's just one more thing that I see "super-macho" ubermench guys do at the gym that's just stupid. On a side note, Bruce Lee could only bench 135lbs. and he was one bad ass mo' fo'. Yet, all this roid-raging uberdudes feel the need to hit the whole stack (even at the sacrifice of proper form) or at least give that impression. Oi...

I've heard that there are gyms that are like, just for women. I don't mean stuff like Curves, but real gyms. I want to go to one of these gyms. I bet these gyms are all tidy, and all the women put away their weights when they're done, and people are there to actually work out and not just strut like a ponce.

Anyways, the weather has been great the past couple of days. I had to spend Friday afternoon running errands and I would have rather done so on skates or a bike than in my car. Note to self: get your shit together and buy some skates and a bike. It's actually pouring out as I type this, but I'm stuck at work so I don't care.

Birthday Greetings to Hammer

In case you didn't know, today is M.C. Hammer's birthday. I found out because he apparently has a blog on Blogger, which I found through another blog. Pretty cool, eh?

I'll be honest, I wasn't so much into the Hammer back in the day. Let's see, that was like the late 80s, early 90s? I was 12 and probably listening to a lot of AC/DC, some Megadeth, and probably a little Poison. But he does love music for music's sake, so you have to respect that. Also, I did catch a bit of him on the Surreal Life. He seemed like a genuine guy who could really appreciate life and people. After all, everyone knows he lost all that money because he kept buying stuff for friends and family. How can you not like a guy like that?

Anyways, I dropped him some birthday wishes over on his blog. Maybe you all should, too. :)

It's on like Donkey Kong

I had some free time last night, so I redesigned my training program and started it today. Today involved doing my interval training first thing this morning (before eating). I also threw in some chest and back work before my intervals just for kicks. Previously, I would do all my workouts in the afternoon, after I had a couple of meals. Furthemore, I'd usually have a small glass of orange juice and maybe some quick carbs right before I'd work out for some extra energy.

Intervals kicked my ass today. I couldn't even do a full 45 minutes. After 30, I was spent, and finished up with regular cardio. I didn't even think I'd make it to 30. By 15, I was thinking that I'd stop at 20. At 20, I figured that I might as well push to 25. Then, at 25, I decided that I'd tough it out for an even 30. Finally, at 30, my mind said keep going, but my legs told me to fuck off. I'm not disappointed, though. 30 is pretty good on an empty stomach.

Anyways, I'm really getting psyched about moving. In about two months, I'm taking a trip out west to do some apartment hunting, and then making the move another 6-8 weeks after that. The moving itself is going to suck, but I think I'm going to like where I'm going. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I'm going to be the first person in my family (extended family included) with a Ph.D. It's actually pretty ironic as (when I was younger) I was thought of as the family member most likely to end up in prison.

Man, I love irony.