Just Working

Just wanted to take a minute to say hello to all of you. You're all slack and need to post more on the blog, you know that? I had a good day today... spent the day getting back in the saddle with Sales. I met with the owner of Finishing Accents, a beautiful home accessory store in Arlington Village, about upgrading her office systems, her phone system, and spending some time to teach her how to use her software to make brochures for her business. Then I went over to Pacso Concrete and worked with the owner's wife there and got them to agree to let me remove and replace all that atrocious wiring in that building. That place is a fire hazard waiting to happen at this point. Tomorrow, however, it will look much nicer. That's been my day. I spent most all of it on the road while talking on the phone.. surprise surprise. Well, April's going to work at the bar tonight and I'm gonna hang out at the house and actively NOT work on anything. I think Hannah and I are going to play computer games for awhile. Talk to you all soon.

Christmas Memory

I was reading Yankeebob's blog and came upon a memory from Christmas years ago that I thought I should share. I was 11 or 12 maybe, and my brother was maybe 8 or 9. My mother and father are divorced and my Mom has spent all year working two and sometimes three jobs to provide for us. I didn't know then, as I do now, that much of her Christmas presents from friends were cash, so she could get things for us boys when times were tough. All the things she did for me and my brother for so many years; I will never forget what she has gone through to get us this far in life. My brother and I wake to run into the living room and drag mom out of bed. It's Christmas and we have lots of work to do... (and by work, I mean opening presents in fervent abandon.) I can't remember what we got that year now, the memories have faded through time, but the point still sits with me. It happened when we were done. My brother and I were happy, ready to play with our new toys, as any kids would be. Mom was exhausted from spending all night being Santa Claus. I guess Christmas had to have been pretty sparse that year. I can't remember for sure, but it would have to be for this to have happened... Mom sent me outside with the trash, to carry all the paper and boxes to the can at the end of the driveway. As I walked past the car, I saw a black trash bag on the trunk. Curiously, I grabbed it and prepared to heave it with me to the road. I remember being surprised at the weight and size of it. It was a giant lawn-leaf trash bag and the sides of the bag were stressed in places where the sharp corners of packages had left marks in the plastic. Curiously, I ran back inside and asked Mom if she had forgotten presents outside. Of course not she told us. Who would do that? "Well, they're out there" I informed her. I ran outside to get the bag and bring it back in the house, all thoughts of the trash forgotten. I'll never forget seeing the truly curious look on her face when that bag came inside. I've always been good at reading people, even as a child, and I remember watching her face; waiting to see her sly smile belie the lie and expecting to discover that she truly DID know what was in the bag. She didnt. I remember seeing her stand there curious as we opened the bag. There were of course gifts in it. Gifts were pulled from the bag and stacked in piles, separating those for me and my brother. Suddenly, she was surprised seeing a third pile formed. Those had her name on them. Now my mother has a beautiful hand-writing but she's left handed, so I can recognize her South-Paw script anywhere in the world. These were all adressed to us by name, individually, and it truly was not her writing. I can't remember what we got from that bag that year, but I don't think that was the important part of gift. We each opened our presents, truly amazed to see things we had all wanted. Who would know this stuff? I remember playing detective and trying to puzzle these things out for myself. Both my brother, myself, and mom got things we asked no one for but all wanted. Somewhere in the distance that day, I'm sure there was a "ho ho ho" because Santa Claus had truly come to my home that year. If it was a person, and I'll never know for sure who it could have been, then they have my eternal gratitude. I will forever remember the day that Christ and Christmas were joined in my memory. We weren't poor, but we weren't wealthy either. Someone knew that. Someone cared enough to take money from their own family, their own children, and themselves, and shared it with us that year. That was the Christmas I remember most. Merry Christmas everyone.

Merry Christmas

You know, I 'm wondering how many people across this earth of ours, are sitting right now, writing some out-of-the-box Merry Christmas on their own blogs, emails, or letters. Amidst all that, I'd like a to take a minute to deliver a sincere thank you to all the people who have made 2005 the year it has been for me . All of you "Scoobies" know who you are. Others are new friendships I've made this year. I've had a very busy last half of the year, working most all of the time and not having much free time to spend with my friends, but it's not for lack of wanting to. I love and cherish you all and I carry you all with me every day. I wish all of you the most Merry Christmas possible. I hope you all know you're loved and that I hope to see you all soon to get together ourselves. ( I'm thinking maybe Tuesday or Thursday night.) And on a sincere note, please try to take some time to remember Christ this Christmas. It's his holiday, not ours. Don't leave him out of your celebrations. Later all.

Nicole's B-day

Wed is nicole's B-day .....after we go to child birthin class ....around 830 i am taking her out to eat ...the place is yet un-named at this time but all is invited.....i know this would mean a lot for her feel free to call me on my cell anytime other than early morning......i be workin all night at the pd 717 3689 thanks.....lee

Pictures Pictures and more Pictures

Ok all.. I've finally gotten the free time to update the photos from this winter thus far. Here are the New Albums added under the "Special Events" Category

• Halloween 2005
• Thanksgiving 2005
• Denver Colorado Trip
• Gatlinburg Photos

Additionally, since these involved updates of individuals, the following people had pictures added to the albums from the above categories.

• April
• Me
• Tim & Clair
• Hannah

I dont' need to post the link to the individual albums (mainly because they're still publishing and I can't even if I wanted to), but you can click on the photo album link on the right links menu and get to them that way. Hope you all enjoy them. Please post comments as you see fit.

Our Vacation... over at last.

Greetings once again to all of you in the digital world. It's been five days since I last saw any internet communication and I definitely needed the time away. It was indeed a roaring success, with neither April nor Clair having any idea what we were up to until we actually arrived. Friday night we left and drove through most of the night. As midnight closed upon us, we finally arrived at our destination, Maggie Valley, North Carolina. I haven't had the opportunity to re-visit Maggie Valley since my young childhood, when I traveled there with my grandparents and family. So, for me at least, this part of the trip was a reunion of my childhood of sorts. Saturday morning we rose early and departed for our destination. Friday, I took us all but 50 miles to our final destination, wanting to rise Saturday and spend it enjoying the last 50 miles of scenic beauty. We departed Maggie Valley on a meandering course through the Blue Ridge parkway to take in natures sights. We stopped to see Ghost Town In The Sky, but found it to be closed. It seems it was finally bought this year and will re-open in the Spring of 2006. Deflated, but not defeated, we drove on. As we traveled up towards Cherokee North Carolina, we stopped to take in the sights. Having been detoured due to heavy ice in the mountains, we found the Blue Ridge passes also closed to all traffic. So, after enjoying the scenic pleasures of Cherokee and spending a little time shopping, we headed off into the wild blue yonder, and I DO mean WILD and BLUE. The tops of the blue ridge mountains were visible, encased in a snow covered dome, as we approached. Having been turned back at the entrance to the parkway, we sought another path. As I have often praised the inventors at Garmin, I do so again. With the GPS, we simply clicked another pathway and the computer generated us a new course, only about 25 miles longer than the first. The alternative was to go back all the way past Maggie Valley and proceed north, circumventing the mountain range altogether, which was definitely NOT in my plans. A park ranger stopped us at the base of the mountain pass, warding away all traffic sans the benefit of four-wheel-drive. After assuring the ranger that I could indeed, if needed, press the magic button, he let us proceed with fair warning and we were off up into the snow. The ride was beautiful. As we crossed from 1500 feet to 2000 feet, we started to see signs of ice and slush on the roads. The rise to the top carried us a full 5, 080 feet up that mountain range, to the North Carolina/Tennessee border. Frequent stops were made for photos of the surrounding mountains, valleys, creeks, and ice covered wonders nature had on display in its holiday spirit. At long last, after spending 4 hours just to traverse 26 miles in the ice, we arrived through the other side of the mountin range, deposited instead into the Great Smoky Mountain range and the wonder and gentle beauty of Gatlinburg Tennessee. Lost amid the architecture of the late 1800s, we made our way at last to the condo. The girls had been told at this point where our destination was, but had no idea what we had in-store for them. As we drove past this complex on the right, the girls faces lit up with "ooohhs" and "oh how cool"s . April asked me where we were staying, and I knew I had it made when I said "umm.. you're looking at it honey..." We entered into our ,1200 (or so) square foot condo with a full kitchen, rustic dining room, leather clad living room, king-sized master bedroom (with built-in jacuzzi by the bed) and a studio apartment attached that Tim and Clair claimed as their own. Saturday night was spent mildly relaxing amongst the plush accomodations and planning what we would do the next day. As Sunday rolled around, the girls took us on their shopping spree across Gatlinburg. We walked the half mile or so to the main street and headed right, up the street, to begin our trek, after having devoured a huge breakfast in some Pancake place on the same road as our hotel. Soon after our travels began, the girls delighted upon a hawker eagerly selling discount packages to all the attractions in town. We began our journey in the Ripley's Haunted House, where, as I'm sure you'll hear from April, I was jumped by a dead body in the elevator at the end. I'll let her regale you with this tale, as I'm sure she's dying to practice her embellishment skills. After this event, we toured some more local shops, and headed on to Ripley's Amazing 4D Theatre. Twenty grinding minutes in the four dimensional (although technically it was only 3 dimensional as the 4th dimension is time, not motion.. but I didn't feel the need to argue semantics at this point in the trip) theatre left me feeling quit nauseous so we headed back to the condo to enjoy a repast of ham sandwiches and hot chocolate. Mid afternoon found us back on the streets, headed down the opposite street to see what wonders were to be found there. Here we traversed more shops, more knick-knack stores, the Guinness World Record Museum, and the Ripley's Aquarium. Of all the events, being a huge nature fan, the aquarium was by far my most favored attraction up to this point. (Of course, no dead bodies assaulted me in the elevators here, so it was already in the points lead by the time I arrived.) We have probably close to one hundred photos detailing our events throughout the aquarium, so we'll share those with you on here later. By evening, starving, tired of walking, and in search of sustenance, we found our way to the Park Grill for dinner. A beautiful antiquarian building with absolutely stupendous steaks made our day complete. Sunday evening was spent coupled up in various jacuzzis throughout the complex. I'll let you determine the results of the rest of the evening on your own. Monday morning was what I was waiting for. In an attempt to recoup some of the costs of the vacation, we split up and each couple visited a time-share presentation. We walked, they talked, we didnt buy, and they gave us one hundred bucks. Not a bad use of time at all I'd say. In a rush and bundled up for an arctic event, we headed for the ski slopes. Unfortunately there are no pictures detailing this event. We thought, and correctly so, that the cameras would not survive the tumult in which we were about to immerse ourselves. Boy Was I Right! We spent an hour in Ski School, during which I only crashed into the main instructor twice, the secondary instructor once, and the big blue retaining fence numerous times. After an hour, our instructor relesed us to the slopes and to our own demise at nature's hands. As April and I headed down the slopes the first time, Tim and Clair passed us TWICE, once at such speed that I was sure I was going to find Clair in a bundle at the bottom of the hill. She had attempted to slow down to see if April was ok on her second visit past us in our initial descent. Her attempt at help was more akin, however, to a passenger in a speeding car screaming out an open window. She blew by me at about 40 miles per hour, hands out, knees locked, ski poles flailing, and yelling "are you ooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk?" Later, I made a second descent alone, just to enjoy one final time at coming down the hill. Somewhere in the middle of two slopes and two curves, my legs finally figured how to maximize their position for speed. Unfortunately, my feet were still working on the stopping lessons I had been fervently teaching them earlier. The result was a feet-splayed smash into the snow, at about 30 or 40 miles per hour. I hit face first so hard that I scraped all the finish off one side of my sunglasses. Thirty minutes later, I was trying to get my ski clothes off and was STILL finding giant balls of ice and snow stuffed in various places from that fall. Suffice it to say, all things considered, I had an absolute blast on the slopes. We returned to our rooms, ate dinner inside, and immediately seeked refuge in the hot tubs. The english tobacco, dominican cigars, hot coffee, and jacuzzis made a nice way to forget the stress of the day's events. Now, that being said, no one moved a muscle for the next four hours on the couches. We were sore in places that we didn't know existed. Today, we rose and began the long drive back home. Now, hours later, I am once again comfortable, back behind my keyboard, telling you all my story. To those of you who called a hundred times, we ignored the phones on purpose. lol April didn't want to alert the SBN (Scooby Broadcast Network) individually and thought instead to let everyone know at once what happened and what we did. So, there is my story to all of you. I hope you have had a wonderful week yourselves. Know that I missed you all, and those of you I'm speaking of know who you are. I'm glad to be back to my home, listening to my narcississtic cats, and banging away on my keyboard. Hope to see you all soon. Me.

And we're off......... Sort'a :P

It's midnight, and I'm just finishing up packing for our "surprise" vacation....... I know I need to be in bed, but I just can't calm down enough to go to sleep! If you didn't know, Tommy, Tim, Clair, and myself are leaving tomorrow for a fun-filled, relaxing, break away from Greenville, surprise vacation! The boys have gone to GREAT measures making sure Clair and I don't know anymore than what they've told us..... (which we've been trying to sneak little hints out of them......but no luck) We're all pretty excited about going, so I can't wait to leave!! :D For all the Scoobies that are hanging around this weekend, we luv ya, we'll miss ya, and we'll see ya when we get back! I'm sure we'll have lots of stories, and pictures.... To my baby, You sure know how to make a girl feel very special! I have NEVER had a guy do this for me, and it's the sweetest thing in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!! I know I may not have said it enough this week, but I'm so excited about having some "us" time away from home. ;) I love you so very much, and I can't begin to think of how I'll ever show you just how much that is! I LOVE YOU!!! Well, that's it for me.... I'm going to try and get some sleep now...... we won't be blogging or anything while we're gone, and our cell phones are with us ONLY for emergencies, so we'll be sure and catch y'all up when we get back! TTFN!!! (Ta ta for now!)

I miss you!

Tommy Just wanted to say that I miss you bunches and I LOVE YOU!!! Can't wait 'til you get home. Hope things are going well in Denver! Take lots of pictures! I'm going to bed now.... so I'll talk to you in the morning! LOVE YA HONEY!!! *Hugs & Kisses* April

New Scooby By Proxy

Well, the final first generation of Scoobies has not turned 21.. so we have no more Scoobies who aren't legal. Personally, I think Lil'Bit is still recovering from her two-fisted plunge into adulthood. Today, however, another generation of the Scoobies had a landmark moment. Dez's little girl, Elanor, took her first steps today. Not a huge thing in the minds of some, but I thought some of the more awww-how-cute types out there would want to know. So there you go, the second generation of Scoobies now numbers two.

Marion's 21st Bday Pics

I didn't have everyone's e-mail address, so I'm just posting a link. If you need me to send the pictures in some other way, just let me know.

Scooby Updates

Ok.. here's a quick recap for those who don't see the comment posts, along with a few updated notes from me. 1.) As of 8:00 AM this morning Mike has landed safely in Kuwait and sends his Hello's to everyone here. 2.) Marion's shin-dig is at 7:00 PM sharp at Olive Garden. I believe it is to be followed by a trip to On Cue for drinks (legally). 3.) Tom, my brother needs a roommate.... just an idea if you're interested. And congrats on the house in Greenville. Where's it at? And when you throwin the hoot-en-anny to celebrate?

Greetings all

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you to whom I haven not been able to speak yet this holiday season. I know it has been quite a while since I graced these pages with my presence, but I've still been around... lurking. I just haven't had the inspiration to write anything lately. Anyway, I wanted to wish you all a good Thanksgiving and give you all my love. Hope to see you all soon, and Yes I'll be there for dinner at Marion's birthday, though you're on your own for the Longbranch. And yeah I couldn't help it. We already put the tree up. Lol.

NEED HOME!!

Hey everyone. Sorry I've been away. I've been working on career advancement. I've accepted a job with First South Bank in Washington. I'll start December 12 and am looking for a new home as we speak. Would like to live in Washington, but Greenville may be the only option. I NEED YOUR HELP. I need a home with a fenced in backyard or at least a home that will take pets. I can pay up to $800 a month. Something on the east side of town near 264 or 33 would be great. If anyone can offer any help, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm also willing to room with someone who LOVES pets. Most of you know my pets!!! I need at least a year lease while I decide where and what to build near Washington. Thanks in advance. Email me if you have any recommendations: tcrobbins4@gmail.com Thanks, Tom

Waaaaaaaaaaaaassuupp!

What's going on Scoobies?? Haven't been around too much lately (I know, I suck) :P But I've also noticed I haven't seen anyone else around here lately either (except Lil Bit and M). So what's been going on with everyone? Anything big happen lately? I really wanna know, so talk to me!!! Ok, that's it for me, hope everyone's having a good day and have a great weekend!!! **kisses** A little something to make you laugh: In a Chicago hospital, a gentleman had made several attempts to get into the men's restroom, but it had always been occupied. A nurse noticed his predicament. Sir, she said " You may use the ladies room if you promise not to touch any of the buttons on the wall." He did what he needed to, and as he sat there he noticed the buttons he had promised not to touch. Each button was identified by letters: WW, WA, PP, and a red one labeled ATR. Who would know if he touched them? He couldn't resist.. He pushed WW. warm water was sprayed gently upon his bottom. What a nice feeling, he thought. Men restrooms don't have nice things like this. Anticipating greater pleasure, he pushed the WA button. Warm air replaced the warm water, gently drying his underside. When this stopped, he pushed the PP button. A large powder puff caressed his bottom adding a fragile scent of spring flower to this unbelievable pleasure.. The ladies restroom was more than a restroom, it is tender loving pleasure. When the powder puff completed its pleasure, he couldn't wait to push the ATR button which he knew would be supreme ecstasy. Next thing he knew he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed, and a nurse was staring down at him. "What happened?" he exclaimed. The last thing I remember was pushing the ATR button. "The button ATR is an Automatic Tampon Remover. Your penis is under our pillow." MEN NEVER LISTEN !!!!!!!

Mike is going to Iraq

hey folsk I unfortuanely have to be the bearer of bad news today. Mike Etheredge called me this morning to inform me that he has recieved his ship out details. He is leaving Alaska this weekend for texas for 2 weeks and then he will be sent over seas tothe heart of everything. So please everyone take a minute to call him and say hey that we miss him he needs all of our support. 706-593-6116 I hope you all call him at least for only a minute. But my prayers are with him and I am sure yours are to. Ray

Hey

Its me again. Daisy good luck with your diet ideas and what not. Little bit we are all counting down the days til your 21, and waiting for the party details and invites. but as for now I have to run work is getting busy so you al lhave a great day and night tonight and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Ding's Cruise

Ok, I just went on my FIRST cruise. It was a drunken blast filled with bellydancing, more danicng at nightclubs, alot of food and didn I mention booze? No? Well, alot of drinks. I figured since I am a size 14-16 I can handle my own... and by golly I sure as Hell did. So I am adding a few pictures of Moi since my pic on here is of my COH toon...Oh, did I say there was drinking? No? Somehow I didnt have a hangover.. just very sleepy. Especially since someone stupid decided that he wanted some duty free Sirminoff, Bailey's and Kaluha. . So I as his minion and best friend who doesnt live with him, putting up with his bullshit ( Yes, Shak, you know who I am bitching about_) I bought 7 bottles of stuff . You get one bottle tax free... and anything you get for free on the boat you dont declare... taxes may apply. As a result, I had to get my wonderfully developing ass due to all of those stairs and ass exercises I do for dance... up at 6AM ( after going to bed at 3) to go to Customs. BUT NO< the assholes said that I needed to take care of it when I was getting off the boat. This was after hardly any sleep.... But drinks were awesome Funny thing, I go on this cruise and didnt make it off the boat to go into Ensenada. ( Oh, that be Baja Mexico, Really close o the California/ Mexico border) well hell. I cant put in my pictures. That just sucks the tinest cock ever. Oh well. Ok, I need to kick students out of my classroom. Y;all have a rocking day. Ding

Changes.....

This last week I guess I had an epiphany. . . . . . I've been way too lazy about some things, and it's time to change that! Last year I was working out every day or so, had lots of energy, and spent lots of time with my friends and loved ones. . . . This year, I'm tired all of the time, don't want to leave the house, and feel fat as a cow. I've put on a minimum of 30 pounds in less than a year. But. . . . . . NO MORE!!! I need to get off my lazy ass and start doing something, and it starts this week! I've asked Marisa to help me (I figured all that personal training she's received she should be pretty informative) get my life back together. I need to figure out a way I can start exercising everyday, even the long 18hr days I work when I bartend. I figure I can start trying to do my Yoga videos in the morning before work and then walk around the neighborhood or go to the gym in the evening. I've even considered looking into the South Beach Diet plan to see if it was something I could manage. . . . . . . Here's the big question: Can I do it?? Will I gain more energy, lose some weight, feel better about myself?? Will I be able to stick to a routine/diet without cheating too much?? Not sure, but I really want to. I know Tommy is tired of hearing me complain about my looks every day, and I'm really tired of looking at a closet full of clothes that I can't wear. I'm not trying to be a toothpick, I'll never be that small, and enjoy to eat too much to try it. I would like to return to the size I was a few years back, when I was very physically active and taking better care of myself. I want everyone's help in this, please! I don't want a hardass, or a meanass, but someone who can be understanding and strong and VERY supportive. I wouldn't even mind a workout buddy occasionally if schedules coincide. Give me some feed back on this, I'm getting ready to plan a grocery trip and need to start figuring out what I can/cannot eat, etc. Here's hoping for a brand new me!!

He thinks/She thinks.....

Eight words with Two Meanings. . . . . and a few short jokes. . . . . 1. THINGY (thing-ee) n. Female...... Any part under a car's hood. Male..... The strap fastener on a woman's bra. 2. VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj. Female.... Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another. Male.... Playing football without a cup. 3. COMMUNICATION (ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon) n. Female... The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner. Male... Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys. 4. COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) n. Female.... A desire to get married and raise a family. Male...... Trying not to hit on other women while out with this one. 5. ENTERTAINMENT (en-ter-tayn-ment) n. Female.... A good movie, concert, play or book. Male...... Anything that can be done while drinking beer. 6. FLATULENCE (flach-u-lens) n. Female.... An embarrassing byproduct of indigestion. Male...... A source of entertainment, self-_expression, male bonding. 7. MAKING LOVE (may-king luv) n. Female...... The greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve. Male.. Call it whatever you want, just as long as we do it. 8. REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) n. Female.... A device for changing from one TV channel to another. Male... A device for scanning through all 375 channels every 5 minutes. AND. . . . . He said . . . I don't know why you wear a bra; you've got nothing to put in it. She said . . . You wear pants don't you? He said . . ..... Shall we try swapping positions tonight? She said . That's a good idea - you stand by the ironing board while I sit on the sofa and fart! He said . . What have you been doing with all the grocery money I gave you? She said . .Turn sideways and look in the mirror! He said . . How many men does it take to change a roll of toilet paper? She said . . We don't know; it has never happened. He said . . Why is it difficult to find men who are sensitive, caring and Good looking? She said . . . They already have boyfriends. She said . . What do you call a women who knows where her husband is every night? He said . . . A widow. He said . . . Why are married women heavier than single women? She said . . . Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go to bed. Married women come home, see what's in bed and go to the fridge.

Hurricane Ophelia

FYI. I'm sure everyone would like to know that the "tow-a-bull" survived the storm. The shed did not! LOLOLOL. Hope everyone else faired as well.... Love and hugs, Big Gay Tom

How I spent my Saturday

Today Tommy and I went to a wedding of some of my bar customers, a family I have known for almost 5-6 years. Here are a few pictures of the day....

This is Megan, Bridget, and myself after the wedding. I didn't take any pictures during the wedding because of where I was sitting and that I was sniffling some. :)

This is the bride and groom dancing their first song together! They were such a beautiful couple!

This was the father-daughter dance!! Her dad was happier to be out of the suit and tie, and shortly after the dance changed into his jeans and t-shirt! :)

This was the groom getting the garter off. They were playing the Mission Impossible theme song!! LMAO it was pretty funny!

This was when she was throwing the bouquet. Megan was adament about wanting it, so the rest of us backed off to let her have it. She didn't even catch it, she had to pick it up off the floor...... :)

Now here is the groomsman that caught the garter putting it on Megan. I think they were both enjoying it a little bit more than others thought....... hehe it was really funny!

Now you know I have to throw in the token couple shot! :) It's actually a good picture!

Oh, almost forgot!!! Meet the guest of honor! He resides in the Moose Lodge where the reception was held, and he was even dressed for the occasion!

Well, that's all for how I spent my day. Tommy and I ended up going out to the OC last night and hung out with Tim and Claire and some of our other friends. Then we came back and watched a movie. All in all we had a really great day, very nice and still lots of fun!

What did you do on Saturday??

Hello, fellow scoobies!

Just a quick hello, sending good thoughts of strength and peace to you all!

Sniff, sniff, sniff

Whaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaa-hiccup-Whaaaaaaaa OMFG!!!! I swear can this get any worse for me???? I had typed this very long and emotional post, only to loose it in one keystroke. I'll try and recap it as best I can. I just went to a wake earlier today for one of my bar customers. He was 34, married to the love of his life, and had 3 children. His wife found him Saturday morning, he had passed away sometime in his sleep. He was one of our regular customers, and a big spender (GREAT tipper too!!) He was best friends with one of the owners of my bar, who is having an extremely hard time dealing with this. I ran into him at the wake, and he looked devastated. He told some coworkers and myself that it's just coming and going, but we could see he was hurting. This guy had been a baller- he owned a handful of bingo places, and a few bars in and around ENC. He always treated our staff very well, and overcompensated in tips if he got out of line. We all looked forward to he and his wife coming in every week or so. One of my coworkers, M, has been through something similar. She lost her sister to suicide almost 6 years ago, she was 17 when she killed herself. It had a HUGE impact on M's life, so she wanted to go today to show her care and concern for the family. We also wanted to show the support from the bar. He was 34!!!!! He had been out partying with his wife and some friends, went to bed that night, and never woke up the next morning. That could happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. It hits pretty close to home when you start thinking that way. As we were leaving the wake, M said a few things that hit me really hard. "It's not truly going to hit her until she starts doing the things they were used to doing together. I have never seen a couple as in love with each other as they were." Well.......... I have! I feel that way about my bf. I love him more than anything in this world! When I got home from the wake, he was waiting with open arms to listen to how it had gone. I was really upset, but didn't want to deal with it then, so I told him who/what I saw and dropped it. We've been dealing with a lot of dumb things at work, and he's been at breaking point. Tonight he finally snapped, and ranted and raved to me for over an hour about all of it. I sat and listened to everything, but began to withdraw into my head and wondered about how I would be if I lost him suddenly. Then I lost it! It freaked him out terribly thinking he had said something out of line to me (but had not in any way, shape, or form). I know he loves me just as much as I love him, and we know we want to spend the rest of our lives together. (and that's not a load of bull). I guess all I'm trying to say (to anyone still left reading), is to treasure every day and your loved ones as if they won't be there the next day. Life is too short to be ignoring these things, because you won't get a second chance. (Why is it we can get philisophical at times like these?) I want to ask everyone to stop and think of those you love, can you deal with the idea of losing them? Can you accept the idea you may not have much longer to live? How do we function without celebrating the joys we do have, instead of focusing on what we don't? This goes out to all those affected by Katrina, we all know the losses they are dealing with in the aftermath of the storm. Remember to tell the one's you love that you love them, a nice big hug usually helps too!

The Finished Product

Ta da! It's done. Yeah. Now I can go to bed. It's 4:15 AM.

Fun Things For Geeks on Saturday Night

Well, this was MY Saturday night! Sometime around 3 PM, I decided it was high time to change around the office. The prior layout offered privacy to each user, but was generating WAY too much heat by having all the core components close together and not allowing the heat to dissapate in the room. Hence, my computer room was more of an office-sauna. So, 8 and a half hours later, I have completely stripped the room to its walls, mounted a 6 foot backboard to the wall, and finished the massive recabling that is my computer. Now, to those of you who aren't familiar with my love for the obscenely powerful computer, I will tell you that ALL those wires except for 4 are completely for my computer alone. Yes, I have too much time on my hands apparently and am in need of better hobbies.

Oh No She Has A Gun

lord have mercy little bit, glad to hear you have your weapon back.. good for you. and some of us still think abou that everyday, but yet it doesnt hurt anymore to think abour it which is good. I hope this finds you all well and in good health and happy spirits. Need a favor from anyone who might have it, (Gandalf, meaning you most likely), I am loking for soem photo editing software and come to realize that it is all expensive, and really expensive none the less. so if any of you might havea copy of a recent issue please let me know and what I can do to get a copy of it. Thank a bunch and hope to see you all soon.

I am still alive, well kinda

Hello everyone long time no hear from I know. I kinda disappeared for a little while. But jst wanted to let everyone that iam still here and still kicking. I have been working a lot here in the past month or so, but it will be worth it all in the end, well I hope so anyhow. Just something for all to think about, I am with any luck I am going to be miving back to G'Vegas by next summer. So anyone who needs a roomate or might know someone RESPONSIBLE who needs one by all means let me know and we can get soemthign set up ahead of time. So be ready for a good ole fashioned Scooby bash when I get there, cuz I am planning on it and looking forward to it. Hope to see you all soon again. With love and hugs for all I am oughta her l8r Rainman

My birthday

So while you all are out making Shak think he should move out of California all together, I shall be celebrating my (censored) birthday, sniff, alone. Sob. I plan on dancing Saturday in this really cool bellydance event called Tribal Cafe. Then I shall go home in my spiffy overpriced car, put on COH and get stinkin drunk with anyone who will sing happy birthday to me. Then I shall recover ... since I start work with kids the NEXT DAY on my official birthday. So when you all get together have a drink ( or a pop/soda whatever) in my honor!

Dinner tonight! :)

For those of you that may/may not know, we're going out tonight for Marisa's birthday! We plan on hitting Chili's around 7 pm, and then maybe heading to the OC afterwards. Anyone that wantst to join us, meet us at the OC, we should be there after 9 or so!!! I hope everyone's having a great weekend! Catch ya around!

**Agent M** This one's for you!!

GUESS WHAT??!! Tommy and I aren't going to the beach for the weekend, so we're all yours!! :D I say if you want, come hang out at the pool during the day, and then let's go out for dinner afterwards! Call Tommy or me and let me know what's going on, I'd love to hang out! Hope your vacation was fun, and not too stressful, I look forward to talking to you soon! Love ya!

emerald city

just fyi we have a bikini contest tonight we are kicking stuff off at around 9 or 930 depends on when i get there......hope everyone's week is going good...been kindda busy over my way trying to get stuff done around the house making room for the addition of another person....well anyway the smart people in the city are acting up again...damn that big thing is the sky is annoying not use to being up at 5 in the morning no wonder tommy's blood looks like coffee......j/k gotta go lee

Just in case you didn't know. . . .

I'd love to say that I found this on my own, a little bartender knowledge and all, but this is an email my mom had sent me. I felt it needed to be shared with everyone. "Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your bra and panties. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. " ~Frank Sinatra WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" ~ Brian O'Rourke WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." ~ Dave Barry WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can! ~ Dave Howell WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite s e x without spitting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers." WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not. Now share this knowledge with those that don't know! :)

The Welfare Office

A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches straight up to the counter and says, "Hi . . . You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job". The social worker behind the counter says, "Your timing is Excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur/bodyguard for his nymphomaniac daughter. You'll have to drive around in his Mercedes, but he'll supply all of your clothes. Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll be expected to escort her on her overseas holiday trips. You'll have a two-bedroom apartment above the garage. The starting salary is $200,000 a year". The guy says, "You're bullshitting me!" The social worker says, "Yeah, well, you started it."

Y'all have fun now, 'ya hear!!!

Just wanted to say bye to everyone! Tommy, Tim, and I are heading to the beach for Tommy's mom's birthday. We have to swing through Pinetown and pick up the pig first. :P That should be interesting!! I hope everyone has a great weekend, but I wish you were with us! Agent M and 'Lil Bit, give us a call sometime this weekend, I'd love to chat for a second or two..... :) Tom, wish you could make it (I know you'd be a blast to hang out with!) Ding and Shak, I hope your weekend goes well in Cali! We'll catch y'all on Sunday, I hope! As for anyone else I left out, I'm sorry :( forgive me, but I hope you have a great weekend too! Oh, Happy 21st Birthday, Rogue!

Mom's Pig Pickin

Ok all, it's time for the second big event of the summer for 2005. The scoobies are packin' it in and headin for the crystal shores of the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a festive fun filled weekend of pig pickin! I need to get a list of who's going from where. Raymond, when you see this, make a comment post and add your friends and mom's guest list. Here's who I know: My List:

• Me
• April
• Doc
• Marisa (maybe)
• Lauren
• Chris
• Hannah?
• Tim
• Claire

Mom's & Ray's List: (Updated from Rain Man on 7/6/05)

• Mom
• Jodie
• Kim
• Jamie
• Christy
• Janet
• Gail
• Jeff
• Amanda
• Zack
• Arvin
• Nancy
• Nathaniel
• Brenda
• Jason
• Jason (other one)
• Meredith
• Mike Clough
• Tom
• Ilene
• Sam
• Keith
• Sue Zuri
• Gail
• Pete
• Jean
• HG
• Jan Krauss & Family
• Crystal
• Ben

List of Stuff: (Ray, also post an update comment to this and I'll re-edit this post to include your stuff) Tommy:

• Pig! & Sauce

Mom:

• Plates & Napkins, etc?

Raymond

• ???

Let me know asap.

No SH*T!

Believe it or not A woman pregnant with triplets was walking down the street when a masked robber ran out of a bank and shot her three times in the stomach. Luckily the babies were OK. The surgeon decided to leave the bullets in because it was too risky to operate. She gave birth to two healthy daughters and a healthy son. All was fine for 16 years, and then one daughter walked into the room in tears. "What's wrong?" asked the mother. "I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out" replied the daughter. The mother told her it was okay and explained what happened 16 years ago. About a week later the second daughter walked into the room in tears. "Mom, I was taking a tinkle and this bullet came out." Again the mother told her not to worry and explained what happened 16 years ago. A week later her son walked into the room in tears. "It's okay" said the Mom, "I know what happened! , you were taking a tinkle and a bullet came out." "No," said the boy, "I was playing with myself and I shot the dog..."

Happy 4th of July Everyone

Hey everyone. Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of July before I head out. I'll be down at Atlantic Beach all weekend. If you're down there, give a brother a shout out. Take Care! B A N A N A S ! ! ! ! !

johnny dollar tonight

well how i worked it i have no idea but i am off tonight i may see if nicole wants to go to mesh tonight after she gets off if anyone else wants to let us know..other than that i will probably be ready to fall out being as i am getting off at 7 then coming back to work at 1 tommorow then going to fight to get ready for my tournament at the end of next month ......hope ya'll have a good day lee

Pics from This weekend

Ok. Here's the photos from the weekend. You can click on the link on the top of this page to see all the updates. The link above will take you to the main Special Events page. The following folders are new sections that I've added to the galleries.

• Bday Tommy's 28th
• Concert-Rascall Flatts 2005
• Clubbin & Bar Photos/Emerald City 2005
• Tommy - Me/Gardening 2005 (Under the main directory, since no one but me cares about these... lol)
• Ice Skating 03-26-2005
• Lauren Comes To Greenville
• Lucky's 3-4-05
• Marisa/Photos From Marisa's Cam These are also under the main category under her name.
• Superbowl 2005
• Valentines 2005

As usual, anyone who is in any picture that has their own photo album under the main Friends section has their relevant photos copied to their directories for use in whatever Yahoo albums you want to copy them to... (That's 456 pictures added to the album tonight!) Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and the photos. See you again soon. Bannag, send more boob photos! lol

Great - Great Weekend

Hey everyone. I just wanted to say how great the weekend was. I am really glad I met everyone. You guys were great and I had a blast. I'm going to go ahead and put my name down on the calendar for a weekend in July and August so we can go back. I have been so bummed since everyone left. I finally headed back around 6. I was debating about whether to stay and come back tomorrow morning, but I came back. I would love to have everyone's email address. I hope it's ok for me to get them from Tommy. Happy Birthday again Tommy, and thanks so much for everyone coming and having a great weekend. Tom

And..........we're off!!!!!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!!!!! :D Well, we've finally made it! Today's the day we leave for the beach! SUN, FUN, AND RELAXATION!!!! I can't believe its finally time for us to take off for the vacation we've been planning for what feels like forever!! For those of you that missed last night.................. OH MY GOD!!!!! Nicole had saved us the best seats of the house!!! Front row, center! We were deliciously close to all of them! Bridget and I received most of their attention!!! (and we weren't complaining one bit!) WOW! We definitely have to do that again as a whole group, (I didn't even need to drink last night!) I hope everyone has all the fun we were hoping for this weekend! I think this little vaca is what we've all needed. I hope everyone has a safe trip, and comes ready to PAR-TAY! We plan on taking lots of pics, so those of you that don't get to make it, you can see what trouble we got in to. :P We'll be back on Sunday! Asta lavista, baby!

Top 10

The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. When everyone had gathered, the boss, who understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt-out staff the purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest. The theme was Viagra advertising slogans. The only rule was that they had to use past ad slogans, originally written for other products, that could capture the essence of Viagra. Slight variations were acceptable. About seven minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a Top Ten List. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the week went very well for everyone. The top ten: 10. Viagra; Whaazzzz up! 9. Viagra, the quicker pecker upper. 8. Viagra, Like a rock! 7. Viagra--when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. 6. Viagra. Be all that you can be. 5. Viagra. Reach out and touch someone. 4. Viagra, strong enough for a man, but made for a woman. 3. Viagra; Tastes great! More Filling! 2. Viagra--we bring good things to Life! And the unanimous number one slogan: 1. This is your penis. This is your penis on drugs!

Blow the horn!

One day a blonde and a brunette were out for a ride in the blonde's new car. Suddenly, some jerk pulled in front of them. The blonde then put her lips on the steering wheel. The brunette feared for her life, but had the courage to ask, "What are you doing?" The blonde calmly replied, "I'm trying to blow the horn, of course!" Hahaha! I made a funny! :D

Identity Crisis

A man standing in line at a check out counter of a grocery store was very surprised when a very attractive woman behind him said, "Hello!" Her face was beaming. He gave her that "who are you look," and couldn't remember ever having seen her before. Then, noticing his look, she figured she had made a mistake and apologized. "Look," she said "I'm really sorry but when I first saw you, I thought you were the father of one of my children," and walked out of the store. The guy was dumbfounded and thought to himself, "What the hell is the world coming to? Here is an attractive woman who can't keep track of who fathers her children! " Then he got a little panicky. "I don't remember her," he thought but, MAYBE....during one of the wild parties he had been to when he was in college, perhaps he did father her child! He ran from the store and caught her in the parking lot and asked, Are you the girl I met at a party in college and then we got really drunk and made love on the pool table in front of everyone?" "No", she said with a horrified look on her face. "I'm your son's second grade teacher!" Another funny email I thought should be shared!

Chinese Proverbs

CHINESE PROVERBS Man who run behind car get exhausted. Man who run in front of car get tired. Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok. Man with one chopstick go hungry. Man who scratch ass should not bite fingernails. Man who eat many prunes get good run for money. Baseball is wrong: man with four balls cannot walk. War does not determine who is right, war determine who is left. Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat house. Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night. It take many nails to build crib, but one screw to fill it. Man who drive like hell, bound to get there. Man who stand on toilet is high on pot. Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement. Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs. Man who fart in church sit in own pew. Crowded elevator smell different to midget. Man that cooks carrots and pees in same pot, very unsanitary. Just a little funny sent to me by my mom! :D

Men are like................

1. Men are like .......Laxatives ..... They irritate the stuffing out of you. 2. Men are like ....... Mascara ...... They usually run at the first sign of emotion. 3. Men are like ....... Weather .... Nothing can be done to change them. 4. Men are like ....... Blenders .... You need one, but you're not quite sure why. 5. Men are like ....... Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips. 6. Men are like ...... Commercials ...... You can't believe a word they say. 7. Men are like ........ Department Stores .... Their clothes are always 1/2 off. 8. Men are like ....... Government Bonds ..... They take soooooo long to mature. 9. Men are like ......... Bananas ..... The older they get, the less firm they are. 10. Men are like ....... Popcorn ....... They satisfy you, but only for a little while. 11. Men are like ........ Lava Lamps ..... Fun to look at, but not very bright. 12. Men are like ........ Parking Spots ........ All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped. For those of you that needed a good laugh, and to realize how good you may/may not have it! :D

Phew!

Hey guys!! I am at work, bored...desperately craving entertainment. (Pleeeeeeeese, somebody!!!!!) Anyway, much to Nicole's relief I am not dead or injured. I just slept ALL day yesterday. Literally. I think I really needed it, but it has definitely conflicted with my sleep for today. I have been up since 1am. When I got up, I started downloading music, got something to eat, watched a movie, went downstairs at 6am to talk to my mom, played on the computer, tried laying out (but at 97 degrees, that lasted 45 minutes), then I worked out for an hour and got ready for work. What a gripping life I do lead!!! I am VERY excited about next weekend though. Tommy, I got your present. Be VERY VERY afraid. You might not get embarrassed, but you sure will laugh!!! Oh, and FYI, Nicole is now debating on whether she will ride down there or not. She wants to go, she just has to make arrangements. I really hope she comes!! April, you will not believe what happened to me Wednesday morning when I came home from work (at 6am). I went to unlock the door and there was a frog beside it, so I was brave and I just crept up to the door and squatted to unlock it. I went through all of that and opened the door and the fucker jumped inside. I calmly stood there, turned around, walked back out, closed the door, and called my mama. The next thing I know, I see the door fly open and a broom flinging all around where mom is trying to chase the frog out. The frog got stuck to the broom!!! Mom just beat him up against the steps until he fell off. (If there are any animal activists out there that read this and get pissed, lick my crack, you can come and save the fuckers yourself--take them all with you.) Just in case y'all didn't know, my 21st birthday is 3 weeks from tomorrow!! I kind of wanted to do something like a luau, but I'm not if no one is going to come. To me it doesn't matter what we do, I just want to be able to hang out with everyone. If anyone is interested or has any ideas, please let me know. My idea was to have a luau at my house that kind of floated throughout the afternoon. We'll cook out and drink and listen to Jimmy Buffett!! I have had several people offer to DD for those who want to drink. Maybe later, if I'm still conscious, I'll try to go out for a little while. I don't know...what sounds fun to y'all??? Call me, email me, post it, whatever. Before I go, I have to add a little food for thought that I felt was worthy of posting: Before you criticize someone, try to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when they get mad, you're a mile away and you have their shoes!! Th-Th-That's All Folks!!!

A letter home.........

Dear Ma and Pa, I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc. but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you til noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route marches", which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice but awful flat The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none. This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes. Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry. Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers getonto this setup and come stampeding in. Your loving daughter, Mary Lou Just a typical letter home from some of the folks in Basic Training! :D Just Kidding! A funny email I felt needed to be passed on!

Things overheard at a doctor's office

A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients while he was performing their colonoscopies. 1. "Take it easy Doc, you're boldly going where no man has gone before!" 2. "Find Amelia Earhart yet?" 3. "Can you hear me NOW?" 4. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" 5. "You know in Arkansas we're now legally married." 6. "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?" 7. "You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out.." 8. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!" 9. "If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!" 10. "Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity." 11. "You used to be an executi ve at Enron didn't you?" 12. "God, Now I know why I am not gay." And the best one of them all... 13. "Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is in fact not up there?" Just a little humor to start your day off with! :D

Absolutely Crass

This is short, but I laughed my ass off at this one. For his birthday, little Patrick asked for a 10-speed bicycle. His father said, "Son, we'd give you one, but the mortgage on this house is $80,000 and your mother just lost her job. There's no way we can afford it." The next day the father saw little Patrick heading out the front door with a suitcase. So he asked, "Son, where are you going?" Little Patrick told him, "I was walking past your room last night and I heard you telling mom you were pulling out. Then I heard her tell you to wait because she was coming too. And I'll be damned if I'm staying here by myself with an $80,000 mortgage and no bike!"

Hey Folks I Am Back Once Again

Well to let you all what has been going on down here lately. There hasnt been a whole lot to be all excited about. We had Dare Days, which sucked this year as it has for the past several years. I remember many years ago when it was all the kids talked about for a little more than two months ahead of time. Now, nothing. I had to buy me a new truck, well not new, but new to me, since the Danger Ranger, finally found too much danger for it. The transmission took a crap on me. So I figured why pay 500 to fix a truck I dont like. Take 850 and buy me one I like right. Well that was my reasoning anyhow. I bought me a bonified redneck truck, 86 GMC Seirra Classic 4x4, witha 350 ci and straight pipes, you dont get more redneck than that. And now I am loving life and loving pushing tourists down the road like bumper cars. I had to make a trip to Va Beach lastw eek and had an absolute ball. I decided since my plans went sour that I would make a tourist day of it. You knwo I realized one thing while I was being tourist in Va Beach, what the hell if the fascination with the OBX? I dont get it ,they have a boardwalk, we have Mulligans. The have ocean front courtyards to LOITER in. You get caught hanging out in a spot like that down here you go to jail for something or get a ticket for something. It was one of the, for lack of a better term, funnest days of my life. And about the cookout here at moms, so far what everyone hsa come up woth has been great ideas, what I would like to bring up to everyone, is camping out on Oregon Inlet beach Sat night, just and idea but let me knwo if some are interested so I know to get permits for it. And we have a boat lined up for skiing and what not. I just ask that we all keep it cool ad level headed for the entirety of the parental party, after that I could care less. I am going to be putting together a list to find out who wants to come and all that good stuff that way we can start to get things organized a little better than they are at this time. Any question or comments please email me at ray27953@yahoo.com

And now for the rest of the story........

Update from the last post: Todd and Sameena were able to join us for dinner on Sat., as well as Sam's lil bro. We decided we'd try Olve Garden or Longhorn (since they're next door to one another), and see which gave us a shorter wait. OG told us it would be only 30 mins (when we thought there would only be 4 of us), and only changed it to 45 when we changed it to 7 people. Tommy decided to go to Longhorn and check, and they said about 50-90 mins for a group of 7, so we put our names down anyway. Well, we had been waiting for over an hour when Agent M decided to see what was up. The hostess (who didn't even have a clue to what day it was I'm sure), realized her clock was off and told us it shouldn't be too much longer..............yeah, like she really knew. They finally called us to be seated, and we get settled in to our table, and wouldn't you know, our buzzer for Longhorn starts going off! We decided to stay there, since we had a table, and the waitress had started getting our drinks. It was great! The girls were all so hungry we filled up on the salad and breadsticks so we didn't each much of the actual meal (that's ok though, we all brought it home with us!). I had been scheduled to work the mid shift at the bar that night, but since it's summer time the OC wasn't busy enough to need me. Since the gang was coming out anyway, I hung around with some of the regulars until they got there. We stayed until about 12 and came home. Tommy and I played some CoH for a while, and then finally crawled into bed around 4 or so. Needless to say, I wasn't to excited about getting up on Sunday. We had a nice, relaxing, lazy day, never leaving the house. We also got some more cleaning done, and the bills for the month, so we can try to figure out how much we'll have to spend on the beach weekend! So far, it's not looking as bad as we had thought it could, so we should be able to relax and have fun all weekend! *****For those interested (GO AHEAD AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS), July 8 is Bridget's 21st birthday, and I think she said something about a luau, but you'll have to talk to her about that, but the rest of that weekend is Tommy's mom's cookout (most of you remember last year's). We will leave early Sat. morning and probably be back sometime on Sun. We have a hotel room for the night, so those of you that want to go, but don't want to stay at his mom's, you should go ahead and check into finding rooms for yourself. Tommy's mom is cool with a few people staying, but there's not a whole lot of room inside for you (but you can always pitch a tent LOL). We have a cooker lined up, I think Tommy is going to look into the pig within the next couple of weeks, its BYOB as far as we're concerned (within reason). Ms. Brenda doesn't want a crazy out-of-hand weekend, so we ALL have to behave. Ok, that should be all for now, if anyone has anything thing else to add or change, let me know!

What a week...

Ok all... finally, after 1,500 miles, 4 hotels, 3, states, 2 jobs, and 1 meeting; I'm home again. It felt SO good to be back in my own bed again. What's new today..ummm.. as little as possible! I did finally settle on a name for the kitten. I chose to name her Anyanka (or Anya for short). Why? Well, she's a russian blue, and I thought a russian name would be cool... and as much as I liked Nadya, it was a little overdone, as Doc pointed out. Dasha up for for consideration, but I figured everyone would screw it up and call her Tasha, so Anya it is. Coincidentally, and no I didn't plan this, it fit well with the Buffy theme that my other pets were named after these recent years. Cordy, (the cat) being true to her fictional archetype on the TV show, killed all the others (which happened in season two's "I Wish" episode.) So far Cordy has killed Xander, Giles, and Willow... which resulted in my putting a No-More-Fish rule in place. As suspected, she hasn't liked Anya one bit, but it took her about a month to learn to tolerate another animal the last time I got a cat. Hey Sameena.. DON'T throw this one away ok? Well, April, Agent M, Lil'Bit, and myself are going to dinner here in an hour or so and then going on to OnCue later if any of you want to come. I already invited Todd and Sameena to dinner, but I'm not sure who'll show up yet. Oh yeah. I'm thinking about getting the gang to chip in and buy a boat. What do you think guys? There's a 12 man pontoon party boat with the trailer in Henderson for sale for $1,000.00. I think it includes the trailer as well as the motor. IF it's got all the necessary hardware to put it in the water, we were talking about getting together as a group and buying it to use and the Scooby party boat (aka "The Mystery Machine"). I've got Tim checking on it tonight and he's supposed to let me know the condition and relevant details tonight. I'll know more later tonight or tomorrow. Just keep it in mind. I want to see who wants to go in on it. I REALLY want a boat to pull skis with this summer, but this would be awesome to have too because we can hold the whole gang in it at once. Ok.. the girls are on their way here for dinner. I'll talk to you all later. Take care!

Gandalf's Birthday

NOTE: You may note that your post is not on top.. you don't need to repost it. I've just changed the post time on this particular one so it stays on top for a few days until we get the event ironed out. I'll be editing the main content of this post as days go by. Ok all. That time of year that I love to much has come around again. More grey hair, more "wow, you're old" jokes, etc. It's always been a tradition that I try my best to get the scoobies together for a "hangout" event for at least 1 afternoon cookout and night on the town. This year we're taking it up a notch. Here's the deal. Tom, has offered his beach house in Atlantic Beach that weekend for any of us who want to come. There's bedrooms, shag carpet, a jukebox in the living room, a nice bar (BYOB), a place for the girls to lay out and get some sun, and I think he's bringing the boat down. (Yeah.. I get to be captain again.. woohoo..) Here's the relevant information: Where: Atlantic Beach (Tom, please post a comment to this post with the address information, and I'll get a digital map in everyone's email sent to them that wants to come) When: Starting: Leaving Greenville at 5 PM Friday night, June 24th, and returning early Sunday Afternoon, June 26th. Who's Invited: Any scooby or associate.. lol. Seriously, I want you ALL to come. Singles, couples, all of it. There's plenty of places to go out so if some want to be rowdy and others want to hang out and relax, it can all be done. What You Need To Plan On: This is something I have questions on, so I'm posting these questions to Tom as well as making you all aware of them.

• What do we need to chip in for the house? Or for the utilities?
• Will we have the boat there this year? (so I know what to bring)
• Do we want to shop here and take food or shop there and all pitch in together on dinners for the weekend?
• How many bedrooms? I think it has 4.
• Sleeping arrangements: Sorry guys, but Couples rule on this one. I know Tom gets one room, April and I will get a room, Todd and Sameena will get a room( if they can make it) or Lee/Nicole, etc. Singles... y'all can do whatever floats your fancy in the living room. There is at least 2 couches I think.. and others might be willing to bunk up.. god knows it's not unheard of in this group of people.
• What clubs or entertainment are nearby?
• What is the address?

That's all I can think of at this point. Here's what I know of who's coming. There is a FR, SA,SU beside the names of them, designating who will be there all weekend, or who will just remain for a few nights. Guest List:

1. Tom FR,SA,SU
2. Tommy FR,SA,SU
3. April FR,SA,SU
4. Doc FR,SA,SU
5. Marisa FR,SA,SU
6. Nicole
7. Lee
8. Marion FR,SA,SU
9. Mark FR,SA,SU
10. Joe FR,SA,SU
11. Bridget
12. Todd
13. Sameena
14. Justin
15. Ed

Please comment with anything you want to know, add, etc.

"Route"r adjustments...

Well, I write to you from a hotel in Gainesville, Georgia rather than from the comfortable console of Zeus at home this evening. I'm currently sitting in yet another Hampton Inn (my 4th different one this week) and watching Impostor on the Sci-Fi channel.

Georgia (the kitten, not the state) has adapted quite well to my presence in her life it seems. Her contented purrs guided me into a restful but short sleep last night. She curled up in the back of my right knee last night as I lay on my stomach and slept there all night. Tonight, she's sitting on the keyboard with me, with her paws on the mouse, watching how her movements move the mouse while I type. I woke this morning and got the guys moving on to Gainesville from Atlanta while I prepared for a meeting with the IT Technical Sales Consultant from ITC Deltacom. Compared to theirs, my day was wonderful. I was escorted through the more technical locations in Atlanta by a woman with more technical knowledge than I've ever met in one person. We had lunch at some place that I can't remember the name of and I walked her through the presentations from our last 5 VC3 jobs. Apparently she was impressed and I've got a new client! So kudo's to me on closing a great national customer. What held up the trip was the hang up in Gainesville that the guys had. I've been lecturing VC3 for months that they have no surge protection on their analog devices feeding back into the Cisco 3700 router. Did they listen? Apparently not. Later today I had to call and schedule an emergency transport of a replacement card for the Cisco on location at the Gainesville branch. Cisco has assured me that it will be on-site by 9:00 AM tomorrow, so I'm getting up at 7:00 to get there and get the new card installed. From that point on, it should be HOME for me!!! I can't wait. I miss my friends, my girlfriend, my cat, and my computer! Not to mention that now I have a solid week's worth of work to catch up on. And I can't wait to see the new office that had BETTER be setup when I get back to the shop next Monday morning. I only left the 3 man crew one task to be done the whole week. The entire task should have taken them no more than about 4 hours total for one person to do, but should have definitely be done with 5 whole days at their disposal. Personally, I'm betting that it's not been done and I'm going to REALLY be able to show my true asshole self when I get to work Monday morning. Sassenach can tell you what I'm like at work when things aren't right... lol.. Remember those days Sass? Ok... well, I'm going to watch the rest of this movie I suppose. You guys have my number in one of April's comments on my prior post tonight. Feel free to give me a call up until about 1 AM if any of you are awake and reading this. Love you all...

When Kitties Attack! Tonight at 11:00!

Posted By Gandalf

Chillin

Posted By Gandalf

Well, as you can see, Georgia made the trip to Gainesville in one piece. I successfully embezzled her outof the hotel. Now we're in another Hampton Inn in Gainesville Georgia. She's been crawling all up in my lap all afternoon.. trying to sleep on me the whole afternoon. I thought I'd send you all some pics to show her to you.

Posted By Gandalf

For Your Entertainment...

25 New Country Songs to be released this year 25. Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye 24. Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure 23. How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away? 22. I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling 21. I Bought A Car From A Guy Who Stole My Girl, But It Don't Run So We're Even 20. I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You 19. I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well 18. I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better 17. I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win 16. I'll Marry You Tomorrow But Let's Honeymoon Tonight 15. I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here 14. I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lyin' On My Back And Cryin' over You 13. If I Can't Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You 12. If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now 11. Mama Get A Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head) 10. My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love You 9. My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him 8. Please Bypass This Heart 7. She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger 6. You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat 5. You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly 4. If The Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me 3. She's Actin' Single and I'm Drinkin' Doubles 2. She's Looking Better After Every Beer 1. I Haven't Gone To Bed With Any Ugly Women, But I've Sure Woke Up With A Few

Seriously.. CHILLIN on my lap.

Posted By Gandalf

See post below for more info. Click the picture to see it full size.

Posted By Gandalf

Dude.. I went to Woodstock!

Never thought you'd hear ME saying that did you? Well I am! I'm currently in Woodstock Georgia, a suburb 5 miles north of the downtown heart of Atlanta. And what am I doing? Going to the strip club, checking out a bar, clubbin with the boys? No.. I'm ironing clothes and blogging to you guys. Let's see.. this was an unusual day.. I'll try to recall the events in the order of occurence, though the order of strange occurrence would also be possible for today. Well, we got on site at Moultrie this morning at about 11:30. Expecting a quick 1 hour job, we found out when we got there that there was another office to wire up... oops.. no one told us that before.. we assumed that was a closet door or something. Anyway, we finished that job up and I spent the better part of 6 hours in the rack closet, re-wiring the patch panel and making an poor man's 24 port panel installation... I'll show you the presentation later.. lol.. it was interesting. We said our goodbyes to the client, which was actually sad. It's strange to have clients that are so cool that you hate to have to leave them, but we had a time table to keep and we were already about 5 hours behind our desired departure time. Before we left, VC3 called me and asked if we could do another job in Georgia while we're here. Being the awesome team that we are, we said "Sure!, Why The Hell Not?". They love when we do that. THEN they called and said that it was the phone companies fault so the phone company would handle it. THEN they called back and said the phone company denied ANY involvement in this mess.... but they would handle it on their end. THEN they called back and asked us once again to do the job... to which we said... DUH.. ok! (ACk.. GET THIS CAT OFF THE LAPTOP) Damned cat locked the CAPS key.. I'll get to that story in a minute... shit.. now it's drinking my coffee.. we're gonna have words here!!!! That's MY coffee and MY blue berry muffin... EWWW.. she licked all the blueberries! I offered her pound cake instead but apparently that's not cool enough!!! Ok, back to my point. We began the drive up here and placated ourselves with flipping through the radio stations trying to find hard rock and alternative stations... it was funny to see Hal head banging to Nine Inch Nails... then I had to explain the meaning beind the words to "Closer".... hmmmph... anyway. Once we hit the Atlanta outskirts, Hal decided he wanted to experience the HOV lane on the highway. Apparently, he'd never had the experience of the HOV lane because he's always on trips solo.. so he really wanted to enjoy the HOV experience. Then, I finally had that moment in my life that I've been waiting for: Waiting for someone to ask"What does HOV mean?"... just wanted someone to ask that.. that fact has been banging around in my head since I learned it.. like 10 years ago. Finally, Tim relieved from unfulfillment by asking "Tommy, What does HOV mean?" Hal and I announced together "High Occupancy Vehicle".... Now, I can't decide if the moment was truly worth relishing... I finally got to say it.... but my thunder was stolen by Hal, who ALSO knew the elusive meaning to the dreaded street sign that never gets explained. It's like figuring out Darwinism for the first time only to find that someone else already knew it... and could have told you before... takes the glory away. Upon arriving at the Hampton Inn in Woodstock, I was greeted with a hotel NOWHERE near as cool as the other Hampton from last night. As I came in, there was a bag of someone's trash wrapped up neatly in a Wal-Mart style bag at my hotel door. (Oh yeah, Hal and Tim seemed disappointed to have to share a room, but I'll be damned if I'm sleeping in a lumber mill again tonight. I'm interested to see which of them wakes the other up the most during the night with their incessant snoring! Serves them both right.. lol) So, to continue my narration of the evening's events: I stepped over the trash bag at my door to enter a not-so-cool hotel room. Tim met me here and we went for our nightly raid of the front desk concession stand. See, Tim raids 4 or 5 packets of hot chocolate and I raid half a dozen creamers and 30 or 40 sugar packets. Now, when we get in the elevator to go down to the lobby to make our rummage-raid, the elevator power blinks and stops us midway between floors. I'm immediately crushed by the thought of being stuck in an elevator in the dark, without my phone which I left in my room, with TIM... instead of Tyra Banks.. who it's SUPPOSED to be in this scenario. However, my consternation is short lived as the lights blink back on and the door eventually opens onto the landing. Hal is dutifully taking care of the Laundry for all of us, which is made somewhat aggravating due to the lack of cash on hand. None of us are carrying cash at this point and the laundry services don't use credit cards. What gives? EVERYTHING takes credit cards. I've seen condom machines that take credit cards.... but ok... So, Hal, in his way (OFF MY MUFFIN KITTY!!!) ACK!!!! Ugh... anyway.. Hal, bribes 2 dollars off the man at the desk to wash laundry somehow and then we settle in to begin on the dilemma of food. Hmm.. 11:30 right near downtown Atlanta Georgia, and there's NO pizza places open for delivery. In fact, there's NOTHING open for delivery.. we looked everywhere. Meanwhile, I'm on the phone with the wireless technician who provides support for the Hampton's wireless internet. He tells me he doesn't know what's wrong because he can't get into the router remotely. (No Duh shit head... if YOU could get into the router, then I could TOO.. and we wouldn't be speaking about this in the first place!) Eventually we work together and get it fixed... which is to say I got off the phone and waited for the Gateway device to finish rebooting in this lightning storm and then it let me on. Now, whilst all this is going on ( I love the word "whilst".) Hal is continuing to attempt to locate food. Well, everything is shut down in this town apparently, so what does he do? He sneaks around the main floor of the Hampton and KNOWS that there is a prep-room for tomorrow's morning breakfast. We got real friendly with the people at the last Hampton Inn and saw how their's was setup, so Hal assumed this one would be the same. Upon successfully negotiating his way through the dangerous office staff, he finds the stock room with 3 refrigerators unguarded. At this point Hal decided "screw it" and raids the fridge(s). He comes back to the room with stolen pound cake ( a whole bag of it) stolen blueberry muffins (half a dozen, minus the kitty's which she stole) and a ton of apples, and milk. So we munch on our stolen goods and check email etc while the clothes are finishing. Later on, I hear a strange sound in the hallway. I open my door and what do I see? Nothing! Hmm.. ok.. so I turn around and come back into my room. Guess what... there's a Russian Blue kitten staring me in the face as if to say "Dude, shut the door and let's find some grub!") Dutifully, I shut the door, pour the kitten some water into a clean ashtray for a bowl, and prepare to share my pound cake, which I've since learned is less palatable to the feline digestive system than blueberry muffins apparently! Now, at this moment, I sit here typing to you while my cigarette burns beside me, my half eaten muffin attracts my attention, and this kitten is asleep on my crossed legs in the chair, purring contentedly on a full belly of water and muffins... which.. hell, that's all I had for dinner tonight too... so she can't complain too bad. I contemplated calling the Hotel manager, but that's a no no because the owner would get into trouble for having a kitten here anyway. I decided that if no one comes knocking before morning, that I'll have me a new kitten on the ride home tomorrow. I've already had a cat with this name, but I find it fitting, so if I wind up keeping her, I shall dub her Georgia. Since I know there are those out there reading this who are the "aww.. she's so cuuuuute" type, I'll post a picture of her (right above this blog) and let you see her for yourself. Ok.. I'm tired of writing now.. you all have a good night. I think I've recanted most all of my evening and now I plan to curl up with a good book until I pass out (and probably get attacked by this cat!) Love all of you.. and hope that I'll be home tomorrow night.