Random Access

Musings on the day:

• I like our cats; I’d even go so far as to say that I love them… especially when they are behaving. This morning, however, they were not exactly on my “Favorite Creatures List.” Having gotten to bed late/early (depending on your p.o.v.), I was looking forward to sleeping in a bit. Unfortunately, I didn’t check the cats’ social calendar, otherwise I would have seen that “Fighting Under the Bed” and “Running Through the Apartment” were scheduled for 8:00 am today. Not an auspicious start to the day, but I did manage to get a little more sleep.
• Football: Two of my top three teams – the Ravens and the Dolphins – won today; the Panthers, however, couldn’t seem to get with the program.
• Spending a relaxing afternoon at the inlaws’ is always a plus. And when you throw in three (count ’em: THREE) football games, and some homemade pumpkin pie, it just gets better.
• The Parking Lot Is Full contains funny and irreverent comics. They remind me of The Far Side and strips of that type.
• Does anyone remember making “suicides,” the soda drink, as a kid? I was introduced to them at camp many, many rains ago… and I still like them. My usual concoction consists of: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Mr. Pibb or Dr. Pepper, and what ever orange soda is available. I had one today and I actually stopped and thought about the first time that I tried one. Nostalgia. Who knew?!

And that’s all the news from behind the Zion Curtain. What happened in your respective parts of the world?

Peace.

Days off are a good thing. We got to (more-or-less) sleep in, which is always a nice thing. We didn’t have to rush to get anywhere. I called my father, twice, for his birthday – Happy Birthday, Dad – but he wasn’t home. And, I was able to work on – and seemingly fix – the network. Yup, I just checked – it’s up and running again… FINALLY!!!

Jess and I went to Scott’s to cook out. The usual crew was there. And, most importantly, we had a good time. Angie made potstickers, too; they were as good as, if not better than, ANY restaurant’s potstickers that I have had. And, she made lots of them!

We left there and headed to Peggy’s (the coolest ex-gf in the world) place for a party/get-together. It was fairly low-key… for a while. A few people got a little boisterous, but not too over-the-top. As a major bonus, I got to see Peggy’s daughter, Sadie, for the first time in… in… oh, Hell… in a LONG time! Sadie is easily one of the most adorable, cute and funny young ladies that I know. We also got to meet Shasta, who is up for a visit; she’s a regular in an IRC channel that I’m on, so it was nice to be able to put a face with the name. And… Bill and George, whom we haven’t seen in ages, also put in cameo appearances. I tell you: I was better than “Night of a Thousand Stars!”

Tomorrow brings football, wonderful football. While I am hoping, possibly in vain, that the early game that will be air in this region is the Ravens’ game, I am not going to hold my breath. If not, hopefully the games that air will be good matchups that I will want to watch, because there is almost nothing worse than having to sit through a game (not to mention TWO games) between two teams about whom you don’t give a flying rat’s ass.

Until next time…

Peace.

Finally… the weekend has arrived!

Today’s adventures included:

• Gym – We actually got up and went this morning!
• Work – We stayed all day although the temptation to get a few hours’ head start on the long weekend was very tempting…
• Trip to Borders – I picked up Issue #8 of IKEA Space. What can I say: I’m an IKEA junkie. Now, all I that remains is to await the arrival of the 2001-2002 catalog.
• Home.

It was a pretty painless day at work; we didn’t get moved around too much, and considering the fact that we process mail for thirteen plants (there are a few smaller cities that feed into the larger ones, so it’s more like twenty cities), not moving isn’t bad. One of the major benefits of not moving was getting to sit near and talk with Jen and Dee – who singlehandedly was a veritable fountain of Quotes of the Day:

• Me: “I hate you.”
  Dee: “I agree, I hate me too. Let’s kick my ass!”

• Dee told me about one of his sons going down the stairs at their house saying “Gravy. Gravy. Gravy. Corn,” in a rather emotionless manner. He then bumped into a wall, and in the same manner said, “Dizziness. Stars,” and then returned to “Gravy. Gravy. Gravy. Corn.”
• “You can be counted on; you can be trusted… except when it comes to having lunch in Park City.”
• “I’m not above anyone, but some people act beneath me.”

Back to tinkering around with the network settings. *sigh* No rest for the wicked, I guess. That’s not true – I have three days of rest… and that includes a shindig at Peggy’s tomorrow night. Yes, as Dr. Pangloss said in Voltaire’s Candide, “This is the best of all possible worlds.”

Peace.

Four down… one more day. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Congratulations” to Barry Bonds, who tied Mark McGuire with 70 home runs today. Astros’ left-hander Wilfredo Rodriguez served one right down the line… and then watched as it cruised to the upper deck in right-center. Three games left for the Giants; will Bonds take the home run title? And, there are only three more games before the Iron Man himself, Cal Ripken, hangs up his jersey. For more on Ripken’s achievements, check out The Orioles’ page.

Just another day in the neighborhood:

• Work.
• Gym. ::: flex :::
• Home.
• Late breakfast with a couple of friends. This was a plus because I found out that a few good things may be heading my way in the not-too-distant future. Damn this “delayed gratification” thing!!!
• Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

Have I mentioned “three-day weekend” yet? No? Well, consider it mentioned. Three days of schedule-free goodness… maybe I’ll get some decent cleaning done. Maybe I’ll just squander the time. *shrug*

Today’s quote came from Julia: “He’s not quite Superman, he’s more like… ‘Adequate Man.’ “ I just wish that I could remember the context of the quote.

Peace.

Three down and two to go…. and there’s a three-day weekend on the not-too-distant horizon.

Pretty uneventful day…

• Saved the world, yet again.
• Went to work.
• Went to the gym.
• Came home.

I even called home (“hometown home”) tonight. Rana’s still sick, but she’s not deathbed sick (unless you ask her opinion of it), so I’m taking that as a good sign. She’s still scheduled to leave in just under three weeks and she seems a *wee* bit excited about that. Talked to Dad for a little bit; not much going on, but all’s well on homefront.

And that’s all the news from Lake Wobegone.

Peace.

Pretty good Tuesday.

• Slept in – Jess wasn’t feeling well and I was tired.
• Went to work.
• Left early – always a bonus.
• Went to the gym.

To wrap up my phone’s Sea World Adventure: It’s home and charged and ready for action. It doesn’t look like it got a tan during it’s stay, so I’m going to have to ask just WHAT it did for fun while it was there; it probably went to Tijuana and got drunk and has a tattoo on an embarrassing place.

And, apparently, one of the local stations is still showing DS9, which is a “good thing,” in my book. Now all I have to figure out is whether I’ll be watching “Enterprise” on Wednesdays or Sunday; guess that will depend on what it’s up against.

Lots to do tomorning before work. Yay. Until next time…

Peace.

Monday.

Just another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Went to the gym, then to work – left early, came home for a few and then down to the inlaws’ for the game (San Fran won). We came home by way of Burger King and here have we remained. And on the plus side of that: I got to talk to my friend Joe. ~waves~

I forgot a QotD from Saturday night: We were sitting in Ghetto Denny’s and Angie was looking through her “Happenings” coupon book. She passed a coupon for something – I didn’t see what – to Scott’s brother, Dan. Apparently, it was for up to seven people. Dan looked at the coupon and deadpanned: “Where am I going to find six friends?” He makes me laugh.

And to top it all off: Not only was the Sisko Show on tonight, but it was an ep that I had not seen before. This must truly be Elysium!

Peace.

Park City Day

Any day that starts off and ends with football can’t be all bad. Today was no exception. The Ravens won (HOO-HAH!), but the Panthers and Dolphins caught a beatdown though. However, the Eagles laid an all-mighty smacking on the Cowboys… so, that makes it all okay. And San Fran is playing on MNF tomorrow night. Truly, this is the land where all things are possible.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to go to Park City. The weather was just that right combination of “warm enough to not need a jacket” and “cool enough to not make you roast as you walk down the street.” And, there weren’t TONS of people there, so you actually had elbow room. Of course, we aren’t in ski season yet – that will ALL change. And with the Olympics coming in a few months, it will be a place to avoid – as will all of the greater SLC metro area. But I digress…. We met Angie and Scott for a great brunch at Cisero’s on Main Street. Meats, cheeses, omelettes, fruit, pasta and eggs, and oh Belgian Waffles. VERRA tasty. After that, we wandered through some of the shops and galleries and soon met up with Dee and Kim. They were originally coming up for lunch, but we missed the call – Dee called my “no-longer-AWOL-but-sitting-at-the-Post-Office-until-tomorrow” phone. We wandered through more shops and galleries and topped off that part of the day trip with ice cream from Cows. Then, it was off to the Alpine Slide. Jess, Scott and Angie went on the slide while Kim, Dee and I stayed at the bottom of the hill and watched what HAD to be an out take from David Letterman’s “Stupid Human Tricks.” We watched a family try to play hackey sack. I got a TON of pics of this… umm…. spectacle. Now, I don’t play hackey sack, or more to the point – I’ve never tried, but I do understand the basic concept: Tap the ‘sack with your foot/leg and “bounce” it. You do NOT kick it like it’s a soccer ball. We expected them to kick the ‘sack onto on of the roofs or balconies. They didn’t.

After Park City, it was off to the inlaws’ to spend some Q.T. with the family-unit. Grandma and Grandpa E are in town for a week or two, so we got to spend some time with them, as well. And we watched football! I even managed to help Brian with a paper that he is working on. Can you say “multitasking,” boys and girls?

We’re most likely heading back up to Park City in a few weeks to check out the silver mine. That’s something to look forward to. But, since it’s back to the grind tomorrow, I’d best call it a night.

Peace.

Weekends. Gotta luv ’em.

I was able to sleep in, visit some friends and “family” and just plain hang out.

For the first time in months – We went bowling! And we saw some PRIME examples of “What Not To Do To or With Your Hair” at the bowling alley. It was like stepping into Mullets ‘R’ Us! We even saw Skullet Claus; he was probably taking a low-profile breather before his big December rush. And some of the things that some of the people wore….. *shiver* After bowling, we went to Denny’s, not our “usual after-bowling-Denny’s,” though. We went to “Ghetto Denny’s” where we were treated to more fashion and follicle casualties. We’re so lucky… and me without the digicam. Oh well.

Tomorrow: Park City.

Peace.

Twas another good day:

• Gym.
• Work.
• “Hearts in Atlantis”.
• Home.

“Hearts in Atlantis” is the new Anthony Hopkins movie that is based on a Stephen King story. It was not the “Cujo” or “Christine” or “It” kind of Stephen King; more like “The Green Mile” meets “Stand By Me” style. It’s a good movie – I recommend it. The story is (fairly) simple and features characters with believable mannerisms and idiosyncrasies… in other words: “They’re human.”

It’s the weekend, finally. I’m still trying to decide if I want to go to RMR tomorrow night to see the jet car drags. Decisions, decisions. Regardless, Sunday will be spent in Park City. I [heart] the weekend. But for now, bedtime.

Peace.

All-in-all, a pretty good day.

• Gym.
• Work.
• Home.

Nothing really unusual or special happened. Imagine that.

I did get an AIM message from my sister: They’ve given her a (or “yet another”) departure date – 21 Oct. This is the third, if I remember correctly, pushed-back date that they have given her. At this rate, I’ll be on Social Security before she leaves.

And now…. Quotes of the Day

• “The sun shines on a dog’s ass, too” is a saying that we use when someone – usually someone that you would NEVER expect – has fortune and/or fate smile on them. Of course, this is also known as “dumb luck.” Dee and I were talking about… something yesterday (Wed), and he retorted to a comment of mine with: “You are the sun on a dog’s ass.”
• Today, we were talking about a few things and wound up on the subject of pets and exactly who belongs to whom in the pet/owner relationship. We both have cats, which led to: “Anything that you allow to live in your house and to shit in a box and YOU have to clean it up, it owns you. Good point.
• Kristen, another co-worker, called a guy in the “no talking” section (yes, we have talking/no talking sections there) “Queen of the hypocrites,” for telling her to be quiet…. and then proceeding to have a conversation of his own. I did mention that he was in the “no talking” section, right?

That about wraps it for today. More later.

Peace.

It’s come to my attention that this journal has a few more readers/viewers/whatever than I had thought. This was a bit of a shock… but all-in-all, it’s pretty cool to think that people find this interesting enough to check out on a (semi-) regular basis. Just a couple of points that I’d like to make for new readers:

• This is a repository of things that I have thought about, felt, or had blowing across the corners of my mind… along with the wind.
• Since you can’t hear inflection and intonation on here, I’ll let you in on a secret: While I am fairly serious about 95% of what’s written here, there is also a pretty large “tongue-in-cheek” factor… so keep that in mind.
• If you choose to read this, remember: You do so of your own volition. If you are offended by anything, I repeat: “ANYTHING” that you read here, please use the “Post Comment” link at the bottom of each posting. If you agree, disagree, or just want to tell me “piss off,” please do so. NOTE: If you are posting from the web (and are not a LiveJournaler), your comment will be posted “anonymously.” If you choose to remain anonymous, that’s your prerogative, otherwise leave your name/initials/alias in the body of your response.

::: gets down from his soapbox :::
Okay…. on to what I was originally going to write about two days ago…

The California Trip
I have been to Walt Disney World (all four of the Florida parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney/MGM and Animal Kingdom) three times. Each of those trips had their respective disastrous points. I was hoping to break the streak on this trip. I am glad to say: I DID!!!! Best Disney trip to date! And that is including the 20-odd people that we had in our group – Jess’ mom’s side of the family got together in Cali to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa E’s 50th (yes, I said “50th“) wedding anniversary.

Tuesday Night/Wednesday
I stayed up all night Tuesday to finish getting things together. Kind of like staying up on Christmas Eve…. We got to the airport early – 5:45 for a 7:30 flight – and the signs of the increased airport security measures were apparent:

• No one waiting around at the curbs.
• I.D. checks at the counters and gates
• NO ONE, other than airport staff, flight crews and passengers beyond the security checkpoint.

And, that’s where one thing concerned me: the security checkpoint. I had five (5) electronic devices in my backpack – laptop, Palm Pilot, phone, CD player and digicam…. not to mention all of the necessary wires/cables. I expected to spend a few minutes unloading most, if not all, of them and proving that they were in fact what they seemed to be. Nope. Nothing of the sort. I put the bag on the x-ray scanner conveyor, they ran it through, I picked up the bag on the other side and headed for the gate. That didn’t exactly instill me with a lot of hope for THAT part of the new security measures. Sandi’s brother (the one who lives in SLC) and his kids were on our flight out and back; the flight to Las Vegas was uneventful (translation: “I slept on this flight.“). I did take an opportunity to call home and mention that I was in Las Vegas to my sister – the one who’s joining the Peace Corps and heading to the Ukraine for two years. Mean, maybe, but it’s the privilege of being the older brother. The flight to L.A. was equally uneventful (translation: “I slept on this flight, too.“) The most memorable thing about being at LAX – the lady waiting next to us for the shuttle bus. SHRILL VOICE!!! *GAH* She was yelling at her husband about why wasn’t the bus there already to pick them up; poor guy – he looked so…. um…. sullen. We got our vans, checked into the hotel, and then……

DISNEYLAND!!!
As I’ve mentioned before: I’m an overgrown Toys ‘R’ Us kid. And there is “something” about being in the Disney parks that brings out the kid in everyone… I’m proud to say that I am no exception to that! And it was FUN!!! And I put in a fair bit of time over this trip to get pics with as many of the Disney characters as I could!

Thursday
We piled into the vans (another of Sandi’s other brothers and his family arrived at the hotel Wednesday afternoon – I met a lot of people for the first time on this trip) and drove to Sandy Eggo to go to Sea World – another verra cool place. In fact, my phone liked it so much that it decided to spend a few extra days there! (It’s on the way home now.)

Friday and Saturday
MORE Disneyland and California Adventure AND dinner at the House of Blues at Downtown Disney AND…. the Lego Store! They had a full-sized Darth Vader and R2-D2, both made entirely of Lego, in the store. There was even a full-sized Lego giraffe there. Someone had WAAAY too much free time on their hands. Also, Sandi’s sister and her family arrived Saturday night. Have I mentioned that I met a lot of people in a relatively short time on this trip?

Sunday
FOOTBALL!!! Yes, even on vacation, I like to watch some gridiron action. We went to breakfast and then piled into the vans (again) for a ride to Corona, CA to Sandi’s third brother’s house; this was my first time meeting him and his family, too. Do you see a pattern here? This is where we spent the day and had the anniversary party.

Monday
We checked out of the hotel and took one of Jess’ sisters (and her boys) to the airport. And… at LAX, you have to take departing passengers to one of the vacant parking lots (monitored by LAPD and airport security) where they board shuttle buses that take them to the terminal. From there, we went to Santa Monica… and, for the first time in over 20 years, I got to wade in the Pacific Ocean. We returned our van and shuttled to back LAX – where, again, no one asked me anything about all of the electronics in my bag. *sigh* But, they did ask for I.D. at three places – the ticket counter, just before the metal detectors and at the gate. Again, we were a BIT early, so waited for the plane. A short while later, we boarded and flew home… and again, I slept on the flight.

This was a GREAT trip. I did mention that “best Disney trip to date” part earlier, didn’t I? And I want to reiterate something that I said Monday night – If you get a chance to go to Disneyland/California Adventure, get on the “Soaring over California” ride in California Adventure!!! This is, without a doubt, THE BEST flight/motion simulator that I have ridden!

*WHEW* Now that I have gotten all of that out, it’s Miller Ti…. no….. it’s Howdy Doody Ti… no, that’s not it either. *DUHR* I got it….. it’s bedtime.

Peace.

Here it is, a groove slightly transfo…. Hmm. No, that’s not what I meant to say.

::: ahem :::

Here it is, a rare mid-day posting. (Yup, THAT’s what I was after.) Just wanted to post a few not-as-random-as-they-may-seem thoughts.

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.” – “Hamlet” – Shakespeare
———————-
“Each of us,
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete.
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that’s far too fleet.” – “Freewill” – Rush
———————-
“Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts.” – “Emotion Detector” – Rush
———————-
“A memo to a higher office
Open letter to the powers that be
To a god, a king, a head of state
A captain of industry
To the movers and the shakers…
Can’t everybody see?

“It ought to be second nature
I mean, the places where we live
Let’s talk about this sensibly
We’re not insensitive
I know progress has no patience
But something’s got to give

“I know you’re different
You know I’m the same
We’re both too busy
To be taking the blame
I’d like some changes
But you don’t have the time
We can’t go on thinking
It’s a victimless crime
No one is blameless
But we’re all without shame
We fight the fire while we’re feeding the flames

“Folks have got to make choices
And choices got to have voices
Folks are basically decent
Conventional wisdom would say
But we read about the exceptions
In the papers every day

“It ought to be second nature
At least, that’s what I feel
Now I lay me down in Dreamland
I know perfect’s not for real
I thought we might get closer
But I’m ready to make a deal

“Today is different, and tomorrow the same
It’s hard to take the world the way that it came
Too many rapids keep us sweeping along
Too many captains keep on steering us wrong
It’s hard to take the heat
It’s hard to lay blame
To fight the fire while we’re feeding the flames” – Second Nature – Rush
———————-
“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

“If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

“If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!” – “If” – Rudyard Kipling

Man, talk about a Rush-track…uh… I mean “one-track” mind. Oh well, as Bobby Brown put it, so eloquently: “It’s my prerogative.” Anyway, it’s nearly worktime, I’d better bounce.

Peace.

Words can be very powerful and pervasive.

Words can be used to build or destroy, as can both the closed fist or the open hand. A closed fist can be used to pummel or hurt, but it can also be used to carry or protect. An open hand can grasp or gently touch… and it can be used to strike.

Often, we forget that words have that same ability. I was reminded of this today.

Something to think about.

Peace.

Back behind the Zion Curtain.

The trip was GREAT! I think that I have finally broken “The Curse of the Disney Trips!” Yes, after three less-than-stunning (overall) trips to Walt Disney World, I have had my best Disney trip ever this past weekend.

I was wrong about one thing though: I’m not going to do the full recap tonight. THAT will wait until tomorrow night.

Have I mentioned “best Disney trip ever” yet? Just wanted to make sure. Because it was. I will say this: If you are planning a trip to Disneyland, make absolutely certain that you get a Park Hopper Pass and go to Disney’s California Adventure – they have a ride/attraction there called “Soaring over California” that is… well, it’s simply the best flight/motion simulator that I have been on.

Ok, enough of this for now, it’s about time to hit the rack – gym and work will be here early.

Peace.