VOTE

I don't care who you vote for, but everyone should exercise their right to vote.

HUH?

I don't get it...maybe it's because I played sports for so many years and back-talk was quickly punished by some sort of physical activity.  Maybe it's because I don't understand why you would pay money for something and then not use it to its fullest extent. 

I'm talking about people who hire a personal trainer and then whine when told to exercise.  Today for example, this women was trying to bargain with the trainer about the number of push-ups she had to do.  If the trainer says ten, then do ten, or at least as many as you can squeeze out.

It is possible that this is jealousy talking.  I'd love to have a trainer to help me shed some weight and pack on muscle.  Thing is, I can't justify spending the money on something that I can motivate myself to accomplish. 

So suck it up and do what you're told, or fire the trainer and do what you want.  Having a trainer is no excuse for hard work and shouldn't be a bragging point to your friends.

SCALE BACK

I've been back to the gym for three days in a row...longest stretch in about 5 months.  It makes me sad this "achievement" is blog-worthy.  I used to go every day like it was my job.  Anyway, I'm down 3.6 pounds.  A victory, albeit a small one, is sometimes worthy of celebration.

Although I've been actively searching for a job for the past 12 months or so I've really stepped it up lately.  Could it be that my seasonal job ended?  You bet it is.  I would have never thought it would be this difficult to find a job with a Master's degree and over 6 years experience.  What are the people who just graduated doing? 

I bet if all employees working in the retail, restaurant/bar, and other service industries were surveyed, a large percentage would have a college degree.  I'm also assuming this percentage would be higher than it was 15 years ago. Kinda makes you rethink what type of education (college or trade school) you'll push your kids toward, doesn't it?

GYM

Today was the first day back at the ol' gym in a long time.  Was I able to pick up right where I left off?  Not even close.  Unless you count the higher number on the scale I'd say all progress was lost. 

During stretching I couldn't help but think of an over stretched rubber band nearing its breaking point.  I have no idea how I was ever able to touch my toes while keeping my legs straight...I think my legs got longer or my arms got shorter, either way, those toes just couldn't be reached.

Although I felt like an old man it was good to be back.  I'll see what I have to say tomorrow when I can't move.

FISHING

I went fishing this past weekend with a buddy of mine.  I'm sure you're like most and want to see a picture of all the fish I reeled in.  Well, what you see is what you get.  I caught a zero fish.  It's not that there were no fish to catch, my buddy caught three and his 5 year old son caught two. 

Still, a great time was had thanks to the good company and amazing weather.

WEATHER

For the last couple of mornings it has been cold enough to wear a hoodie.  Just another reason why this is my favorite time of year. OK, that is enough earth shattering news for one posting.

AS PROMISED

SMOKER

Just bought an off-set smoker at a garage sale.  Best purhcase ever. 
Pictures to follow.

BUST

The concert didn't happen...

LESSON LEARNED

I should have known better, but I waited to long to buy tickets to a favorite band (which happens to be playing at an awesome venue) and now they're all gone. 

I'm throwing the Hail Mary, we're going down to the show and are going to one of the following things will happen...
1:  Purchase some forgotten about, and just found, tickets at the door,
2:  Pay way too much via a scalper for said tickets
3:  Go to the bar next door after no tickets were acquired

I'll keep you posted.

HOLY-GOD

I know I haven't written in a while, but WOW! just seeing the last posting date made me cringe.  I've been in a funk lately and haven't felt like writing. (It's my blog and I do what I want...both of my readers can get over it).  A lot of things could have contributed to this, but most likely the top reasons are the 100+ temps this summer, a do-it-yourself bathroom renovation that wouldn't end, and a broken computer. 

We went camping this past weekend.  And yup, the record stayed intact, it rained.  Every time we've gone it has rained.  I guess smart people would find a new hobby, we just hope the spell breaks sooner than later.  At least this time it waited until Saturday morning, so we were able to do the whole fire thing Friday night. 

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

To start the weekend off we headed out to a local hole-in-the-wall pub for drinks and dinner. 

Saturday we put in an honest days work in the bathroom before meeting up with some friends...this was long overdue and as always, a great time. 

Sunday consisted of more work in the bathroom and then partaking in a wild goose hunt.  We didn't find what we were originally looking for, but we did stumble upon some cool thrift stores.  Guess who has a new pair of polyester pants...this guy!  Other stuff happened today, but the pants purchase pretty much the best part of the day.

GO US

Today, we set 2 records due to the number of excessively hot days.  I believe the exact records were most number of days over 105 degrees and highest temp for this day in history.

I ready for snow.

DOUBLE STANDARD

Those of you fortunate enough to know me in real life are aware that some (a lot, actually) of my hair has turned what I call silver, but what others call gray. I've had gray hair since high school and it really doesn't bother me, after all, I could easily dye it and no one would know. The truth is, I actually like it because it is something a little different.

The odd thing is, when people realize this quirk they are typically surprised and almost always make a comment.  What if I was super short or way fat? Would people be so quick to point out that easy to see physical characteristic too?

Maybe the next time someone states the obvious about my hair's ability to change colors I should state something equally obvious about them.

We'll see how it works.

BACK HOME

This past weekend was spent playing washers and bags, white-water rafting, celebrating a buddy's upcoming wedding, and catching up with good friends. 

I was not pleased to see that I am returning home to another week of 100+ degree weather.

THANKS???

It was a call I dreaded making, but I couldn't take it any longer.  I reluctantly picked up the phone and called our cable distributor.  Our internet had been decreasing its speed (and increasing my frusteration) for long enough.  After being allowed to speak to an actual human, I explained my problem and the help desk worker was all too happy to help.  She even was able to get a technician to my house within the next 2-3 hours.  I was instantly amazed at the customer service as it was drastically different than past encounters.  Then it hit me. 

The technician showed up (as scheduled) and was very polite and professional, but he informed me that his company no longer provided their customers with an all-in-one router-modem combo.  In fact, the company only provided the modem.  I was in-charge of getting the router.  I bought a router, and the $40 or so didn't break the bank, but that isn't the point.  Why didn't the lady on the phone explain this to me? 

The moral of this little story...if you're going to try to increase the positives associated with your brand, go all the way.  This company is lucky the technician was well informed and well spoken. 

I'M BACK...FOR NOW.

I'm sure you're wondering what I've been up to lately.  Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll fill you in.

(In no particular order)

1. Went to a buddy's wedding
2. Went to a Cub's game in Chicago
3. Read some good books
4. Mowed a lot of grass
5. Saw a Jimmy Buffett concert
6. Remodelded my bathroom (It is almost done!) <--This is the main reason for my lack of postings
7. Hung out with some friends
8. Ate more frozen pizza than I'm proud to admit
9. Was abducted by martians and was returned unprobed
10. Watched some episodes of Law & Order
11. Went swimming
12. Discovered some new bands
13. Decided that I am going to re-start purchasing CDs as my main way to obtain new songs.  No more iTunes for a while.

Here is a list of things I haven't done since my last post
1. Bought any new CDs
2. Purchased gas for under $3
3. Reversed my decision about grown adults who are dressed as clowns
4. Won the lotto

Hopefully that brings you up to speed. 

Until next time.

WHAT A DICK

LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS

I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been a busy guy.  I've switched gigs and am now working as a landscaper/grounds-keeper.  For those of you who know me, this is the same job I had 2 summers ago.  Yup, must've like the way I kept the weeds under control so they invited me back. 

I'm super happy about this shift, I'm outside all day, have better (and more) hours, and make more money.  Bing.  Bang.  Boom. 

I'm hoping to land my big marketing job in the near future, but until then, this is perfect.

Don't forget your sunscreen.

OLD LADY VROOM

Today at work I saw 2 old (we're talking 87+) ladies riding around the store in motorized carts.  You could tell they were friends by the way they would be laughing one minute then bickering about something inconsequential the next.  I thought it was so cool that these two old ladies were out having a ball on these carts.  So, when they were riding down the isle in-front of where I was standing, I jokingly said, "You two should act like you're in bumper cars"...BAM. Next thing I know, the curly haired lady totally swerved and rammed her friend's cart into a pallet of tents.  I was shocked but both of them laughed.  The one that just got rammed said to me with a smile, "You'd better watch your toes boy, she must not be able to see me and I'm on a cart, you get too close to her and your toes don't have a chance".  Coolest old people I've seen in a long time.  I hope that when I'm that old I have a that same sense of humor. 

Good luck to anyone driving the same time as these two.

LOBSTER BACK

That's what you'd call me if you could see my back...it's red...like a lobster...get it?

CONE HEAD

In case any of my readers are curious (which they shouldn't be because I talk to both of them on a regular basis) BluDog is doing good.  I have a picture of his neat collar they gave him, but I'm too lazy to get up and walk the 4 feet to get my phone...so, consider this a cliff-hanger for tomorrow's post. 

It took him about 4 days, but he finally realized he needs to give himself more room to go through doors and chase cats...he has hit the door frame about 1,302 times since last week.

FISHIN' 2

Went out again today, caught a small bass...not worth the 2.5 hours I was out there but better than nothing.  Just enough to make me want to go out again tomorrow.  At least after tonight, I've convinced a buddy to buy a license and we'll go out next week.  What are the odds that three weeks in a row I'll get skunked?

BLUDOG

Well the boy is back.  The first day he was like a drunk on nickle shot night...couldn't move his legs and the stairs were too much for him to handle.  I'm happy to report that today he is doing good.  Although he has a cone on his head, he is trying to chase the cats and is tying to maneuver the doors at full speed.  The only problem is that the doors frames aren't forgiving.  The other bummer is that Blu wants to jump and run when he is outside...these are the exact two things the vet said he can't do...hopefully he will understand English in the next day or so...otherwise, he will have a sore neck and not understand why.

SNIP SNIP

Tomorrow BluDog will walk into the vet a man and walk out a eunuch. 

Bob Barker, I expect a thank you card.

HOT

It's only April 1, and already the temperature is near 90...makes me scared for the rest of the summer. (How global warming is disputed by so many people is an entirely different post). After last summer, I have officially had it with the ridiculous heat. 

Before you fine readers of mine start to grumble that summer is supposed to be hot, let me say this...I grew up in central Illinois and for almost every summer which I was old enough to work (this means 13 or 14 since I grew up in a farming community, and the agriculture industry plays by different rules) I had outside jobs.  This means manual labor...in the heat.  I know what hot is, and I know what it is to work in the heat. I get it, you're going to sweat, it's going to be painful at times, it's almost never pleasant...but on the upside you get a good tan. 

But after last summer, something snapped.  I had finally had enough.  Enough of the constant humidity, enough of never being 100% comfortable, enough of dreading fun events (like baseball games) because the heat would suck all the fun out of it.

So you've been officially warned summer...you better not suck again this year.

So this is where I went to fish...it was a nice "lake" but I would have called it a pond...even though I'm not a 100% of the difference...but it reminded me more of a farm pond than a lake.  I caught a couple of sticks and some weeds...nothing picture worthy.  But whatever, I was out when most people were working and I had a great time...next time will be better!

FISHIN'

Used to do it all the time as a kid, each summer my buddies and sister and I would go too many times to count.  Somehow, it has been 10+ years since I've done much more than choosing fish off a restaurant menu.  I didn't even really realize it was happening, fishing went away as new hobbies and interests crept in...real smoothlike, see.

Well kiddos, that's all going to change tomorrow morning.  Yup, waking up early, guzzling some coffee, and heading out.  Hope it's as fun as I remember it being...even if it's not, at least I now I don't have to ride my bike to the ol' fishin' hole.  Hopefully some good pictures will follow shortly.

SUPER STRONG

The sink in the bathroom is clogged, so I bought some drain-o.  While I was standing in the isle looking for the perfect bottle, I noticed something odd.  Most brands offered 2 types of drain clearing options, "original" or "extra powerful"...why would you not opt for the "extra powerful" option? 

Its the same with head-ache medicine or pain relievers...why not always go for the extra strength?  I don't know about you fine readers, but when I have a head ache I don't want it half-way gone, I want that pounding to stop as quick as possible!  I've been accused of being impatient in the past, but doesn't it make sense to go with the strongest option? 

Smart or not, I found, and purchased, the strongest bottle of drain-o.  Take that clogged sink.

ST. PAT'S RUN

My buddy and I ran the St. Patrick's Day Parade run yesterday.  Even though I haven't ran in about 2 months, I was able to finish and still had enough energy to hang out and watch the parade. 

Hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Pat's.

ENJOY

There is no excuse to not be outside enjoying this awesome weather...that is what I'm going to blame the lack of postings on.

SMELL GOODS

I like candles.  Clearly, not the most "manly" confession but I am a firm believer in their soothing abilities.  When I walk into a room that smells good, I'm almost always feel a sense of calm. 

Recently, as is often the case, I headed to the store to get a new candle.  Only this time, I decided to get incense instead.  Thinking the incense would last longer plus it is much cheaper.  I have to say I was disappointed with my decision.  It could totally be that I chose the wrong smell, but I thought it was much stronger and not as soothing.

Oh well, now I know.

UNCALLED FOR

In regard to this blog, and my other social network sites, I try to stay relatively neutral with anything political...to be honest, I don't care what you believe and you don't really care what I believe.  That is something we can agree on.

I don't care what side of the isle you stand or if you protest something I hold dear to my heart.  Thanks to too many dead soliders to count, you have the right to say what you want.  While I might whole heartidly disagree with what you stand for I still value your right to protest (most would call this Free Speech). 

What I can't handle is the government revoking the right of any U.S. citizen's free speech.

Check out this new bill and let me know what you think...am I over reacting??? 

Official wording or if this doesn't work for ya, google it.  Search H.R. 347. 

After last year's Occupy protests, is it weird for me to think everything is owned, and ran, by the 1%?  Seems if it wasn't, we would have heard about this before now...

A GOOD TIME

I've heard horror stories about jury duty.  But let me tell you friends, when I got the summons in the mail, I was actually happy.  You see, I just graduated with my Masters and am still job searching, so an excuse to get out of the house was welcome.  Plus I've been watching a ton of Law & Order lately, so I'm up on court room lingo.

Well, I'm sad to report that I didn't get selected.  What did I do?  A lot of reading.

I don't understand the thinking of some of the other potential jurors.  Once you get the summons, it should be no surprise you’re going to spend the majority of your day at the courthouse…why not bring some reading material?

Me...I totally rocked jury duty.  I had a satchel full of 2 sandwiches, 5 magazines, 2 books, about 13 pens and pencils and a notebook to doodle in and a phone with internet capabilities.  If you don't know me, I have a very hard time sitting still for anything more than 17 seconds.  To say it doesn't take long for me to get antsy is an understatement.   But what I lack in the ability to sit still I more than make up for with the ability to plan for my short attention span...give me a heads-up that I'm going to have a day of 8+ hours where I'm going to have to sit in one place and entertain myself and I can totally do it with a smile on my face.

But, what really stuck with me was the sense of pride I felt when I showed up at the courthouse.
 Even though I've fought "the man" since 3rd grade, I was more than willing to serve in this capacity. Since my world is almost exclusively filled with shades of gray rather than black and white, I think dictating the outcome of someone’s life would be extremely difficult.  In that respect, I’m glad I was not chosen but I was happy to be available if needed.

JUDGE THIS

Tomorrow, for the first time ever, I will be doing my civic duty of jury duty.  Well, maybe not.  I'm just supposed to show up and who knows, maybe I'll get selected.

LEAP

Happy leap year.  Hopefully this blog will be a whole lot cooler for the next leap year.

NO THANKS???

This past weekend I went bowling with a couple of fine people.  As I was trying to figure out which ball was going to give me the best chance of rolling a 300 I heard a kid scream behind me...no biggie at first.  After all, the group next to where I was standing was made up of about 6 adults (aged 25-40) and two little kids, aged about 2 and 5.  Well, the screaming became more panicked so I turned around only to find the 2 year old had his hand stuck in the ball return with a ball quickly approaching.  

I was able to grab the bowling ball right before it rolled over this kids hand.  At about the same time, a woman, I'm assuming this kid's mom, got the kids hand unstuck from the machine...the whole time scolding the child and making unfunny comments to the adults in her group. 

The only person to thank me was the 5 year old who also happened to be standing there.  Was I expecting to get the keys to the city or free beer for the night?  Did I stop the ball only so I could be thanked?  No, in fact, I stopped the ball before I even thought about doing it.  What I was expecting someone other than a 5 year old to thank me,  namely the mother. 

Are good manners a thing of the past?  Every day I ask myself this question and, as of late, I'm starting to think they are gone from the majority of people's lives. 

It's a shame really.

SEE YOU SOON

MISSED-GRAS

For years I've been threatening to reduce the overall fun level at the Soulard Mardi Gras by not blessing it with my presence.  All threats were very idle and generally unbelievable and no one paid them any attention.  Until this year.  This year my friends, was different...I didn't go.  Not because I had some sudden surge of strength and suddenly felt like a "grown up" (because I didn't).  Nope, I didn't go this year because I picked up a part time job and was scheduled to work.   

Here are a few things I noticed while working and not partying.
1. I always assumed the whole city shut down for the Saturday of Mardi Gras...I was a more than wrong, and a little shocked, at the amount of people NOT in Soulard.

2. If you're in a public setting that's not the parade, there is no reason to wear your furry Mardi Gras themed pimp hat.  We get it, you're a party guy that people just love to be around, but take it down a notch bucko.

3. If you're talking to me and unable to stand up right by your own devises and you reek of booze, there is no reason to tell me once, let alone four times, that you've been to the parade.

BRAKES

Guess who took advantage of a sunny day and taught himself how to install new brake pads?  Well, it was me of course...why would I write about someone else's accomplishments. 

I'd say it was a success.  Feel free to double check my math if you’d like.

One trip to the auto parts store + minimal swearing = new brake pads successfully installed.

WARP SPEED

I made a quick list to keep all (both) of my fine readers up to speed on the ever so important happenings that I call "Life".

1. I've gone to the gym quite a bit
2. I've sent out some applications
4. I got a part-time gig
5. Taught the pooch to "lie" and "stay"
6. Cleaned the house more times than I can count
7. Made some phone calls

So, if you're wondering why I haven't been posting a lot lately, it's because I haven't been doing that much stuff worth the time for me to type or you to read.

HANG IN THERE

My good buddy, LittleMan, just got some seriously tough-to-chew news.  I have no doubt he will come out of this ordeal stronger than ever, but it sucks in the mean time. 

Hang in there dude.

SIMPLE MATH

The stronger the doubt...the stronger the drive.
In case you were curious, the drive will prevail.

YUP

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Big R...this is for you.

FIN

Well, my week long experiment is done.  Overall, I lost 4 pounds just by eating healthy and working out with more focus.  During this week I found a few things out...

1. It is hard for me to be healthy when I don't have meals planned out for the day.
2. We eat like old people at our house, by 5:15 dinner is typically done...this means that around 9ish I'm ready to eat my arm.  I need some healthy snacks for this time.
3. It wasn't really that hard to eat healthy, and I cheated more than I'd like to admit, but I was still able to drop a considerable amount of weight. 
4. This experiment proves this fatty has some hope.

Enjoy your weekend.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS???

Does Facebook capture the true essence of a person or does it merely capture the "cool" parts of one's life?  Based on the majority of updated pictures it would seem as if everyone is living some grand adventure and paying no attention to the realities-the nuts and bolts-of daily life. 

I guess it makes sense and I know for a fact I only post the noteworthy things but sometimes it just seems as if people are trying to hard.

EXTRA EXTRA

I just thought you'd like to know that I'm starting to feel the effects of healthy living...I've been sleeping sounder and have quite a bit more energy.  I'm feeling so good I might do something crazy today...like wash dishes AND have a load of laundry going at the same time.  Watch out world!

FATTY UPDATE

I was nervous the weekend would totally derail my healthy eating mission.  I'm happy to report that I was able to eat healthy Friday night and all day Saturday and Saturday night.  In fact, I stepped it up a notch and went to a bootcamp with a good buddy Saturday morning.  It was awesome! I haven't worked out that hard in a long time.  By the time it was done I was pretty tired but had that awesome feeling of accomplishment. 

After bootcamp, my buddy recommended going to this deli-type restaurant that only serves healthy fare.  What an awesome idea, and it was no more expensive than going to a fast food place.  I can't remember the name of the place now, but when my memory returns, I'm going to post the name.  A place like this needs all the publicity it can get.

DAY 2

So, day two of healthy eating challenge is almost over.  Today was a bit harder than yesterday, but I think I know why.  Yesterday I had the food I was going to eat for the whole day determined by 10 a.m.  Today, I "winged" it and determined what I was going to eat on the fly.  While I didn't eat terribly, I didn't eat as good as yesterday. 

Now that I know what makes it easier to eat healthy, I'm going to make an effort to have all meals and snacks figured out for the rest of the experiment. 

Tomorrow is a new day.

HAPPY

This is a project I've been working on for a while now, I have been snapping quick pictures when things make me smile.  Granted, I have smiled a lot more than these 15 or so pictures might make you think, these are just a sample.  Before you go getting all materialistic on me, many things that make me smile don't cost a dime, I thought I'd save you the pictures of me working out and figured you'd get tired of seeing pictures of my friends and family.

UNO

OK, so day one of the 7 day challenge is almost over.  Today seemed easy enough and I ate healthy all day.
Breakfast was an egg and 1 instant oatmeal packet and black coffee.  My snacks throughout the day consisted of: an egg with salsa, protein shakes, and a banana.  Toss in a turkey sandwich on wheat for lunch and a dinner consisting of baked chicken and a little pasta and that's what you call a day of good eating. 

Now if every day was this easy, I'd have it made in the shade.

Take that fatty food.

SEVEN

The Super Bowl is 12 days away.  I don't have any big VIP events to go to this weekend.  What do these seemingly unrelated things have to do with this fine piece of journalism (AKA this blog)?  I'm glad you asked. 

It seems like yours-truly was hit pretty hard by the fat stick over the past couple months.  Looking back, it was just a case of bad timing really.  Sit back and let the FatMan explain.  First the thesis occupied all of my time, leaving no time for eating healthy much less going to the gym.  Right about the time that lil’ project finished up the Holiday's rolled around…meaning I ate more than I should have on countless occasions.  Again, no gym. 

As I already stated (see the first paragraph...right under the awesome graphic) I have no excuses to not eat right for the next 7 days.  Am I expecting huge results?  Nope, I'm not really even expecting to have to use a different notch on my belt loop on the 8th day.  What I am expecting is to feel better and have more energy.  Maybe, just maybe if I'm really lucky, this experiment will also help me sleep better. 

I'm sure you're all like, "Man, I wish he would blog about this for the next 7 days".  OK, since you asked so nicely, I'll go ahead and keep you in the loop.  This experiment will start tomorrow.

I'll be sleeping better by the end of the week.  I'm not going to think about it as a weight loss solution but more like an experiment. 

TICK TOCK

Since I'm in that weird time between graduation and employment (some may call this period "unemployment") I've got some time on my hands.  Aside for networking like crazy, applying for jobs, and doing chores around the house, I've got some time on my hands.  Does anyone have any recommendations as to any activities I should do while I have this extra time?  Remember, the cheaper the better.

WISE WORDS

WELCOME HOME

Welcome back...to me.

Sure, I haven't written anything for for like a month.  Sure, I graduated and you didn't post a picture.  Sure, I didn't post about the thesis being completed.  Sure, I didn't wish anyone happy holidays or a happy New Years. 

In the midst of all this "I didn't" non-sense, what did I do you ask?  Well, I'll tell you in the form of an easy (although not chronological correct) to read list.

1. I graduated with my Master's degree
2. I went to Chicago
3. I gave some pretty awesome Christmas presents to some pretty remarkable peeps
4. I got some pretty awesome presents from the above mentioned people.
5. I've been looking for a j-o-b like crazy
6. I've watched about 23 episodes of "Law & Order"
7. I rode the ups and downs of my NFL team making, and then quickly, leaving the playoffs
8. I have thought about writing on this ol' blog for about every day for the last month
9. There have been numerous other things that I have done, but none of them are going to make this blog.

Now that I've broken the "not writing" streak, I will start writing more often.

Happy Thursday.