Friday
The day seemed to drag on forever but if finally ended. I forgot to mention that our department at work is now back up to full strength as Brian came back to work for us again. He and I spent the last 2 hours of our shift kind of catching up and chatting about what had happened during his 9 month absence. He's doing a hell of a lot better than me. I know that much.
BabySteps, the Admiral, and I dined at Greenwood's in Roswell. It was the last of my PC beach cash so I decided to spend it on a nice dinner rather than have a half a pack of ramen noodles. I ordered my usual - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and chocolate cream pie (sans whip cream).
We got back to the homestead and watched Psyche (which was hilarious) and turned in shortly thereafter.
Saturday
I started Saturday morning off right with a delicious breakfast of my leftover chicken and a tiny bit of pie. (Chocolate pie, you pervs...) The Admiral was up and ready to face the day when I came downstairs from my slumber. She went to the "Farmer's Market" in the park. BabySteps eventually rose and we sorted out the gameplan for the day. It included yard work and board cutting.
He let me use his new 4 cycle Gas "Trimmer" a.k.a. Weed Whacker out in the back yard. That thing was heavy. Once we got it started, his advice to me was to be like Flo Rida and get "Low, low, low..." Yeah. I spent approximately 15 minutes whacking weeds and when I was done, I was dripping with sweat. I'd like to think that I've really gotten in a lot better shape, but that yard work totally kicked my ass.
Part of the reason was that the equipment I was using was heavy and vibrated the hell out of my arms and no amount of switching sides was going to help. It was also extremely humid and I must have been bitten at least a dozen times by mosquitoes. Also, if I had had some foresight, I would have put on my coveralls to do the yard work because that damn trimmer was sending little pieces of organic matter at nearly the speed of sound right into my shins and somehow my neck.
We also swept out the pools of water left by the previous week's deluge out of the garage. We had finished up the yard work by the time the Admiral got home so we all jumped into the Pilot to go to Home Depot. I ended up getting 6 12 foot boards. We tied them to the top of the car and made our way back to the temporary sawmill. We set up some collapsible tables measured and marked the boards and got to cutting.
It had been a long while since I had to cut boards and I forgot what a complete pain in the ass it is. It quickly jogged my memory as to why the booster club charges $3.00 per board. I am completely inept with power tools so BabySteps did the majority of the cutting and by majority I mean that I cut 3 boards and he did the rest. The one thing you have to keep in mind about board cutting is that it doesn't really matter if they are all exactly the same size and exactly the correct length because they're just going to be broken in half anyway. Some might say that I very quickly chose the planks without examining them. You might even surmise that I didn't care if there were knots in the board. You would be correct in that assumption because it's up to the student to deliver a technique strong enough to break the board. It's not up to who ever is cutting the boards to make sure each one has the perfect striation and wide grains, etc. That's not to say I pick the boards from the petrified forest or anything. I look for planks without cracks and a general white/yellow color. I stay away from brown boards. If there are knots here and there, then too bad.
After we cut all the boards, we swept up most of the sawdust and took a break for lunch. I finished up my chicken and chocolate pie. We then went back out into the garage to clean up some more and hang up BabySteps' new retractable extension cord. It was a process that took a little longer than it should have because we had to break his new stud finder out of the plastic. The funny thing about that was that he cut right through the instructional DVD. BabySteps commented: "No wonder the plastic was so hard to cut. There's a damn DVD in there! Oh... It's the instructional DVD..." I laughed.
As I said I am inept with tools but I climbed up on the ladder, located the stud, drilled two pilot holes and then mounted the retaining bracket on the ceiling. We finished up that project, showered, and watched the Falcons. We had a delicious dinner and the Admiral and I capped off the meal with an Irish Carbomb with the special cups that I had bought them in Panama City. BabySteps decided to be a girl and did not partake.
Sunday
I woke up at about 09:00 and got a call from my mom at about 09:30. I was at mom's house by 10:00. I had a nice breakfast of rice, fried ham, and fried eggs with a glass of water and a Krispy Kreme donut. I played with my nieces, M and K, and then my mom gave me a massage. She really worked on my gaffled up foot. It hurt like hell when she did it, but now I can get down into seza with only minor soreness.
My brother and my sister in law came over and we soon had a delicious lunch which included a marinated London Broil. We spent the rest of the time playing my mom's new Wii game: Wii Resort (informal review to follow). I got onto the Wii Fit and I am happy to note that it now says I'm an "Overweight" bastard rather than an "Obese" abomination of nature. I also reduced my Fit age from 56 to 36.
Wii Resort
This is an extremely fun game. Some of the activities are a little too complicated for kids, but overall it is definitely a very fun experience. There were only a few activities that I thought were completely lame. The rest were pretty cool. Before I begin, I have to mention that it comes with the special peripheral for the Wiimote that makes it more sensitive. My mom made sure to pony up and buy a second sensor for the second remote. The overall feel of the game is that this is what Wii Sports should have been. Bowling and Golf have made a return and regular Tennis has been replaced with "Table Tennis". Sword fighting has replaced boxing and baseball has been dropped all together.
Swordplay - Probably my most favorite activity. There is the standard duel which is a vertical split screen. You hold the remote like the hilt of a shinai and get to whacking one another. There's a blocking button and how you hold the sword while blocking determines where you can block. The loser gets knocked off a platform into the raging surf below.
The speed slicing activity is pretty fun, too. It is a two player game in which you must cut objects (in the correct direction) faster than your opponent.
The last sword activitiy is a one player game where a bunch of Miis come at you. You can be hit three times in one stage before you fail. Some of the Miis can block and the boss characters have more hit points and are more skilled at dueling.
Frisbee - I thought that this activity would be completely lame, but it ended up being kind of fun. The first activity is "Frisbee Dog" where you toss a frisbee toward a target and the dog catches it. You get points depending on how close to the center of the target throw the frisbee. The second activity is Frisbee Golf. You basically go out to the golf course and throw frisbees instead of hitting a golf ball. You have a long range, medium range, and short range frisbee.
Basketball - This was a surprise hit for me. There is a 3 point shot activity which is pretty fun. There is also a "pick up" game activity that I thought would be overly complicated and completely lame, but it ends up being extremely fun. the action in the Pick up game is seems very stilted at first but it ends up working in the end. You basically pass the ball in and you can dribble and move and pass again or you can take a shot. On defense you can steal the ball but if you miss, you can get out maneuvered and dunked on. The most amusing thing was that it pulls your teammates from your saved Miis. We have my nieces and other little girls loaded in the memory so it was hilarious seeing 4 ft tall 6 year olds dunking on 6'4" adults.
Golf - The same as before but harder because of the new sensitivity in the controller. It even gives you back spin!
Table Tennis - See Above
Bowling- Same as above two entries
Archery - You use a bow and arrow to hit the target. There are three levels of difficulty. Wind, target distance, and obstacles are determined by the difficulty level. There is a feeling of satisfaction of pulling the nunchuck back to your eye, releasing the Z button and seeing that arrow nail the target.
Power Cruising - One of the lamer activities. You basically race around on a jetski or just cruise around the island.
Wake Boarding - Another lame activity. You do tricks while on a wakeboard. Not very imaginative or fun.
Canoeing - Lame to play, hilarious to watch people paddling. I wasn't very good despite my Hawaiian background.
Cycling - Kind of stupid. You flick the remote and nunchuck up and down to simulate pedaling. You steer by turning both the nunchuck and remote in the desired direction.
Air Sports - The first activity is dog fighting. You hold the remote like a paper airplane and then turn by rotating the remote. You can boost by pushing the remote forward and slow down by pulling the remote back toward you. The goal is to shoot the balloons at the tail of your enemy. You can replenish your balloons by going to designated points on the island. If you crash you lose half of your balloons. The winner is the one with the most balloons at the end of 3 minutes or if someone loses all their balloons.
The next activity is sky diving. The remote represents your body and you twist and turn it to try and link up with other people to take pictures. Meh.
The last activity is to simply fly around the island and go from point to point.
My mom, Pop Pop, and I had fun playing the games so I'm sure once we get the whole family involved it will be pretty entertaining. The speed slicing and sword duels will be pretty fun. I think it will also be hilarious once my 6'7" brother in law gets a Mii created in the system and then gets dunked on by one of the little girls.
I got back to Party Central around 21:00. I had a short discussion with BabySteps on my current personal situation and I was questioning why everyone (especially the Masher) was blocking me. BabySteps said that maybe the Masher was trying to help me. I disagreed and I said that the next time he blocks me by telling a chick that I'm gay, I'm going to say, "I'm gay? The Masher has a tattoo on his chest that says, 'Meat Deliveries in the Rear'!" I'll get my ass kicked, but it will be worth it.
END OF LINE...I'm a lady, try and f* me!
Well, I'll have other stuff too.
NFL
I'd be lying if I said, "I don't care about football season." I wouldn't be lying if I said, "The Eagles can suck it, the Dolphins can swallow the gravy, and I hope the Vikings get pillaged!" Here's why:
The Eagles signed mass dog murderer, Mike Vick. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not one of the tree hugging PETA people. I firmly believe that animals are NOT people and thus do not have the same rights and priveledges as humans do; however, I believe that they are under human dominion and should be treated with respect as living things. Basically, animals are here to serve us but it is our job to protect them if it doesn't threaten our existence.
Anyway, we're talking about a guy who pissed away millions of dollars and was involved with criminal activity. Also, if you look at his stats, he wasn't that good. Let the record show that I never liked him from the beginning. Sure he was an athlete, but he wasn't a good quarterback. Now add on top of that giving the fans the bird, the dogfighting, the Ron Mexico incident, and the filing for bankruptcy and you get a pretty decent picture of the guys character (or lack thereof). The ironic thing about this was McNabb supporting the team's decision to sign Vick. I think he's basically laughing his ass off saying, "You people have treated me pretty poorly and I'm near the end of my career. You jackasses deserve Vick."
The Dolphins have pissed me off by getting into bed with the Devil. Yeah, that's right. Buffett. Dolphin Stadium is now "Landshark Lager Stadium". Pffftttt!
Is Favre officially with the Vikings now? Yes? No? I think so. Anyway, I'm pissed at Favre now. I honestly believed him to be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game. Now I think that he is a money grubbing Phead. Oh yeah, I said it. He doesn't care about the fans. He doesn't care about playing quality football. To him, cash rules everything around us. Dollar Dollar Bill, ya'll. Just like another person I can't stand...
MMA
I hate MMA. I think it is ruining martial arts. Just my opinion. I usually don't follow MMA, but how can you not follow this:
Reminds me of some funny Simpson's dialogue.
Homer: Tennis?! What's that sport where hot chicks wail on each other?
Bart: You mean Foxy Boxing?
Homer: Yeah!
Seriously, this chick is hot. Unfortunately, in the ring, being pretty doesn't help you (despite what Mohammed Ali says). She got her ass handed to her by some half-"woman" half robut named the "Cyborg". Now, let me just speak now or forever hold my peace on MMA and women fighters.
The thing I don't like about MMA is that it seems to attract douchebags. The competitors are encouraged to act like roided up asswipes. Not all, but many of the guys out there teaching MMA are egotistical cockasses. They don't teach fundamental principles like respect and discipline. All they teach is how to hurt people. I teach the same thing, but I temper it with wisdom. I told the class the other night: You need to be strong in three qualities to be a good fighter - physicality, mental, heart/spirit. Physicality is your toughness and your endurance. Mental is your ability to use strategy. Heart is your perseverence and your attitude. If you add a 4th quality, you will most likely be a champion and more importantly a warrior. That quality is humility.
MMA frowns on humility. If they didn't they wouldn't push the a-hole fighters and ignore the warriors. At any rate, I just don't see the appeal of watching too muscled up, sweaty guys, rolling around in their underwear. Call me crazy, but that sounds a little...festive to me.
OK, here's my thing about women fighters. Are there women that can whip my ass? Yes. Gina Carano could probably hurt me in an MMA style match. Two reasons. First, I'm not a good grappler. Second, if she ever got me to the ground, I would use all my strength to either a) grab her boobies or b) strategically bury my face into her nethers. She would probably also beat me in a kickboxing match because I'm not used to being punched in the face. I don't think she could beat me in a Jissen Karate match. Why? Because the rules would be too restricting to her and I think that I could handle her full power kicks and punches to the body. I believe I would be able to block my head sufficiently to stop her high kicks. So, Ms. Carano, if you're reading this, let's spar sometime.
Back on track here, there are women who can put a hurt on me. When I went to Japan I visited the Orio Dojo and there was an 18 year old girl who could have knocked me out. She had this technique nicknamed the "Brazilian kick". Here's how it works. She picks her knee straight up and then drops her shin on my face from a range of about 3 inches. I'm also pretty sure that Rita could knock me out too if she wanted. I've seen her do combinations and I've seen her kick hard.
To be honest though, I don't like to watch women fight no matter how attractive they are. It's sort of repulsive to me. Even watching women good at Jissen Karate is sort of a weird thing for me. Here's what I believe: All women should know how to fight and be willing to fight; however, they shouldn't ever have to fight. I guess that's kind of sexist and naive, but I don't care.
That being said, I can respect women in karate regardless of if they are a "fighter" or not. I respect them not only for their knowledge but for the fact that they are women. Without women, the world wouldn't be peopled. Women can do something I can NEVER do. I'll never understand the mindset that some cultures have stating that women are lesser people and less deserving of respect. That's just stupid.
On the flip side, there are some women in karate that I don't respect. The reason I don't respect them is because they don't respect me. They think that because I'm not knocking them out it is because I can't knock them out. I caught some flak for my attitude on this, but I don't care. If someone is more than a foot taller than me and outweighs me by 20 lbs. or more and decides to start swinging for the fence, I'm not going to hold back. I don't care about their rank or gender.
Looking back, one of the worst offenders was the Boss. Yeah, I said it. For some reason, she thought that she was a better fighter than me. Granted, she could kick to the head pretty hard and she caught me with her fair share of them. On more than one occasion, I've made her cry during sparring. I didn't do it on purpose mind you. She told me to go "all out" and when she saw I was holding back, she got mad and yelled at me. I obliged her and kicked the hell out of her leg. She cried and asked why I was being such a jerk by kicking her in the exact same place 4 times in a row. Another time, we were sparring hard and she zigged when she should have zagged and took an uppercut right the the solar plexus. She went down and when I tried to help her she cockpunched me. Then there was the time she purposely kicked me in the nuts so I sort of retaliated by punching her square on the nipple. She didn't cry that time, but boy, was she ever pissed! Man, what a wench... I'll be honest, I'm a little bit aroused right now.
END OF LINE
Is it Hijinx or Hijinks? Doesn't matter. That's a great word. I'm back from PCB and I'll have to say that I had a fun time. For a short while I was able to rise above my ever increasingly crushing depression and forget about my dire personal and financial troubles. I actually have a few funny stories...
Double Zeroes
PFC took a zero in weapons competition by dropping his sai. He then got a goose egg in open hand forms when he went 3 moves into his kata and forgot it. The Masher was one of the judges and he just about lost it when PFC took the 2nd zero. We were discussing it later and PFC told us that his dad had warned him not to do sai because he would drop them...
New Nickname
Mrs. Red is now Rita. I don't know why but that's her new nickname. The funny thing was when she looked at me and said, "I'm Rita, dammit!" The other funny thing she did was ask me if I was half retarded.
Mistaken identity
Shihan McN called me "Latino Heat" (The real name not the nickname). I thought that was amusing. Also, when the tournament was finished, Rita was behind Big Red sort of leaning on him and rubbing his shoulders. I looked at her and put my fingers to my lips and took her place. I then started pressing my cheek up against his back and rubbing his shoulders and biceps with my hands. I quickly stepped away when the people he was talking to started chuckling.
He looked kind of startled and glanced at me and then at Rita. She put her hands over her mouth and started laughing and pointing at me. "Was that you, Picklez?" I laughed and nodded in the affirmative. The Medic said, "It would have been really funny if you had given him the reach around!"
Master level grief
We went to an oyster bar after the tournament. I've never been to one, but believe me when I tell you, I plan on going again. It was tasty. The place was called "Hunt's". When the Masher asked where we were going after the tournament I told him, "We're going to Mike Hunt's Oyster Bar!" He responded by calling me a dirty little effer. When he got to the place he said, "Hey, this restaurant is owned and operated by 'Randy Hunt'!" I told him that "Randy" was Mike's middle name. Everybody loves Mike Randy Hunt.
Anyway, the place was packed so PFC, Big Red, Rita, and Latino Heat sat at a table while the Medic and I sat on either side of Mr. C and Mr. Toy. I noticed a really cute raven haired girl sitting next to the Medic so I asked to switch seats with him. Mr. Toy asked why and the Medic told him that I wanted to flirt with the girl.
I eventually started talking with the girl, but I waited a little too long to say something because she and her friend left just as I started making my moves. Big Red eventually came over and said, "I noticed you talking to that girl!" That's when Mr. Toy said, "Oh, yeah. Maybe five more minutes he have her number!" Damn...
Blocked
The Masher blocked me. Why is it that everyone is cockblocking me?! They should be guiding my cock, not blocking it! So anyway, it all started at the tournament. The first thing he does when he sees me is to start giving me grief. I put a hurt look on my face and said, "Sir, after everything we've shared together this is how you treat me?" We got some weird looks so I said, "Now's a good a time as ever to let everyone know that we are spin galley gay lovers." I then dropped into the "I'm a Lady" position.
So anyway, they were changing shifts at the oyster bar and the hostess was now a super cute brunette with pigtails and a pink tank top. I start working my magic and flirting with her and then Mr. Toy leaves. I went outside to escort him to his car and when I come back the Masher is telling the girl that I'm his "little partner".
She says something to me like, "Your friend here says that you're taken!" I said, "No, no. I still play for the home team. I'm just a switch hitter. I can go like this [mimic swinging a bat] or I can go like this [switched sides and swung my invisible bat]." All in all, a pretty snappy recovery, but why the hell is he blocking me?!
Q: Where does Snoop Dogg take his vacation?
A: The Be-atch! Went out into the ocean. It was swell.
No longer champion
Big Red beat me by two strokes for the mini-golf championship. I had two bad holes (I double bogeyed twice). Other than that I was either par or one under. I ended up getting par for the night.
Latino Heat
Just needed to share a few things about LH. He has gotten kind of overweight. I think all the weight I lost is showing up on him. It doesn't affect his karate or anything. He's still damn good at what he does, but he might want to hit the treadmill before he has a heart attack. Also, he dropped a bomb in the living room that sent all of us reeling.
A new breakfast item
We had breakfast Sunday at the Panama Cafe. I went there with Mr. C last year. It's pretty tasty breakfast food. I had just finished prepping my 2nd cup of coffee. I had set the cup on the table and went back to my food when I heard a plopping sound and felt hot coffee splash on my arm. I look down to see a piece of ham floating in my coffee.
The Medic was passing PFC some unwanted country style ham so that PFC could eat it and failed at properly transferring the breakfast meat. Everyone at the table busted out laughing. Rita took a picture. My coffee actually tasted better after that...
The ride home
I got to ride back with PFC to the half-way point in Phenix City. I think I blew his mind with all my crazy ideas. I learned that he and I are alike in a lot of ways. I don't think we're as similar personality wise like Big Red (who acts almost the same way I did at his age), but I think our personal philosophy and general outlook on life is pretty similar.
I've been thinking a lot about Triple Threat (PFC, Medic, Big Red), and I really like those guys. I sort of see myself as their mentor. The three of them sort of bring out different parts of my personality. PFC is a straight up soldier. No nonsense, get the job done and fulfill your duty to God and country. The Medic is the more cerebral side. He's always thinking of ways to improve, but he tends to stay in the background. If that is by choice, I'm not for certain, but he is someone who should be recognized for his hard work. Big Red is raw talent and passion. Definitely the most volatile of the three, but that unpredicitability always leads to hilarity.
When I think of the future of the organization, I think of these three guys. They all have good heads on their shoulders. I think PFC won't be as involved with karate once he graduates from college and gets a job. I'm not knocking him for that. We've all got to make our paper, boo boo. I'm just saying that at this time, he doesn't seem passionate about opening up his own school. The refreshing thing is that he knows this and would be happy to relegate himself to an "advisory" type position without getting uppity if his ideas or input wasn't used. Big Red is charismatic and very much a natural leader. I also find him to be a good teacher. He is straight and to the point without any guilding of the lily.
The Medic and I also share a lot of similar qualities. First, I think people grossly underestimate him. He is an excellent practitioner and an above average fighter. Second, he's a thinker. He sees a problem and comes up with multiple solutions. Also, like me, he tends to over explain things and it can come off as rambling. I'm really bad about that myself. One of the things that differs between the two of us is that he has a lot more practical knowledge and experience than I do. In other words, he is good with tools. He made a really great bat holder that was used at the Full Contact Tournament. I can barely be trusted to cut boards. To be honest, the person in the organization (in my mind) that he most resembles is Mr. C. Mr. C has the ability, the drive, and the practical knowledge to make things work. He also has the foresight to play people to their strengths and ask for advice from experts. The Medic is the same way. I will oftentimes hear the both of them say, "I don't know, but let me find out and get back to you."
Oh, just for the official record: I'm not teh ghey!
END OF LINE
I'm a changed man. Really. In the span of two years, I've gone from a T-Totalling "Straight Arrow" to an Alchohol Enthusiast. On Saturday, I consumed quite a bit of alchohol. I had 2 pints of the 250 at Taco Mac after testing. A Leinenkugel Berry Weiss when we got back to the house. A 250 on the way to Atlantic Station. A "Snakebite" (half a pint of Guinness and half a pint of Pear Cider) at the Fox Sports Grill. About 3 250s back at BabySteps' house along with a car bomb and then after dropping off Sharapova, BabySteps, Big Red and I each had a 250 and then he and I had one more beer after BabySteps went to bed. Oof. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm becoming an alchoholic...
This upcoming weekend is going to be a doozy as well. Big Red, Mrs. Red, PFC, the Medic, Latino Heat, and I will all be staying in the same room. If I shake my Magic 8 ball, "All signs point to shenanigans". I think I might have to call an audible and stay elsewhere...
Back to the past weekend though, I think a fun time was had by all. Lunch included Hangtime, Overboard, Sweet Tooth, Sharapova, Big Red, Mrs. Red, the Medic, Mrs. Medic, BabySteps, the Admiral, and myself at the Taco Mac. Mrs. Red wanted to go shopping so after a brief stop at the BabySteps household, everyone except for BabySteps and the Admiral (who went to her cousin's house) piled into Overboard and Hangtime's new vehicle.
We walked around a few stores at Atlantic Station. There was a sort of fun and energetic vibe there. There was also a bevy of beautiful babies there. My count includes the ladies in our party. We had some really good ice cream and then went to the Fox Sports Grill. Sweet Tooth and Big Red did Jagerbombs (yuck). Sharapova had a frozen cosmopolitan. It's weird watching her drink. She's 21 and all but she still looks the same as she does when I first met her. Well, that's not entirely true. She's kicked it up a notch in the curves department and she certainly moves more confidently when she walks. She used to have this Jan Brady thing going where she would swing her hair from side to side.
On the trip back from Atlantic Station, I learned a lot more than I really cared to about Sweet Tooth. Apparently, he has lived the dream not once but twice. He has also participated in a spit roast. I always knew he was dirty, but just damn...
We made it back to Party Central and I started mixing drinks and we stood in the kitchen talking. Two unfortunate incidents happened. First, Hangtime recorded me yelling at him and Big Red to stop touching my nipples. Second, Big Red recorded two videos of me. The second one was when I was recounting my "Las Vegas Cougar" story. I have a feeling, I will be catching some grief about this...
Once the party wrapped up, Sharapova drove Big Red's car back to her house and then I drove back to BabySteps. We went up to the computer room and bs'd with BabySteps some more. Big Red and I stayed up another 45 minutes or so talking. Everytime I talk to him his stock goes up in my eyes. I feel the same way about the Medic. Those two are going to be important to the organization one day soon. I just know it.
I woke up the next morning at about 11:00 and took Big Red and Mrs. Red to the Super H mart. We ate lunch there and did some shopping. Fun was had by all.
They dropped me off at Party Central and then promptly went back to Alabama. I ended up napping on the couch while BabySteps and the Admiral toiled out in the yard using their new lawn equipment. I woke up and was a little dismayed to see BabySteps' clothes in a pile next to the door. It was then I knew that he was somewhere in the house prowling around naked.
After a small debate, we had dinner at the Cheesecake factory where I was embarrassed by the singing waitstaff. BabySteps mentioned it was my birthday (even though it really wasn't). He paid for my dinner so it was worth it to endure some fake enthusiasm from the waiters and waitresses. I don't remember what happened after we got back to the house although I vaguely remember getting a haircut.
All in all, a good weekend. I think it's just what I needed to pick up my downtrodden spirit. I've got some changes in the works that might significantly change my finances for the better. We'll see though...
END OF LINE
OK, I just want to say that I'm tired. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. All the "ly's".
That being said, when I'm like this I am very negative. I'm aware of the positives in my life, but the bad things seem to hold sway over me. I wonder if I suffer from clinical depression...
Anyway, it all comes down to this: I'm lonely. [Cue Music] I have been for the past 3 years. It really hit me about 8 months ago when the Boss moved out of the house.
By nature, I am sort of a solitary person; however, this has been an extended period in which I've had no female companionship. Yes, I have close friends, but there is a significant difference between confiding with your best friend (male) and sharing emotional intimacy with the opposite sex. I know I can get along without it (female companionship), but I don't like it. If men were meant to be alone then there wouldn't be any females.
What all this boils down to is that I feel like I'm losing my grip on my humanity. I'm really beginning to feel that I have no use for other people and I'm manifesting it by making myself useless to other people. The only thing that keeps me going is my sense of duty even though my sense of purpose has taken the last bus out of town. The only emotion that I feel lately is anger with a large side order of frustration.
The things that once brought me joy in my life are now bringing me nothing but aggravation. I wake up every morning and force myself out of bed. I just don't want to face the day. The thing that's killing me is that I don't have to deal with anything overly traumatic or even difficult. It's the little things that are annoying me to no end. I don't want to work. I don't want to go to karate. I just want to be left alone but it's the loneliness that's killing me inside.
I think that everyone goes through things like this, but as I mentioned before, I'm close to my limit. Yes, I'll put on a fake smile and then put my head down and do what I'm supposed to do, but there's no joy in it for me anymore. Everything I want seems to pass right by me, but I'm chained to a wall. I hear people say, "You should do this and you should do that" and as much as I want to do it, I can't and it's frustrating. Meanwhile, I feel my sanity sort of slipping away in the night. My mind is changing addresses from a nice, safe neighborhood to a run down, dirty apartment located at the corner of Bat Shit and Crazy. I don't know how long I can keep going on like this...
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I just thought I would weigh in on some of the top grossing films of the summer. Not that I've seen them or plan on seeing them...
Transformers 2 - If you like terrible acting, plot holes, Megan Fox, racist robuts, and Michael Bay, you need to run not walk to your local theater and plunk down $10.00 USD (or more) on this steaming pile of excrement. My tip is for you to buy two tickets. One for your body and one for your self-respect. The two of you obviously haven't been connecting lately and you need some private time with each other. About half-way through the movie, your self-respect will walk out of the theater and you'll reluctantly chase after it. You'll head out to the parking lot so that you can drive yourselves home and at that moment, your self-respect will begin to weep uncontrollably. Not knowing what else to do, you'll hold out your arms to embrace it. Its warm tears will soak into the sensitive skin of your neck and you'll simply rock your self-respect gently whispering to it, "Everything will be all right..." Once it stops sobbing, it will look you deeply in the eyes and say, "I've missed you so much." You'll pause, take a deep breath, and say, "I've missed you, too. You complete me." Then you'll be a whole person again.
Mind you, I haven't seen the movie. I'm basing this assessment completely on the reviews and on the fact that Shia LeBouf has only been in terrible movies.
Up - I've had 5 separate people tell me that I will cry within the first 15 minutes of this movie... or not because I'm a sociopath.
G.I. Joe - This ain't your Daddy's GI Joe and by "your Daddy" I mean the beloved first two seasons of the cartoon show and the not as beloved Marvel comic book series. I said it before and I say it again, it looks like they took the premise from the game "Crackdown" and slapped the GI Joe franchise on it. Yay.
Inglorious Basterds - I think that Pulp Fiction was Tarantino's Magnum Opus. Everything else has sucked a little bit more since then. It's like he's trying to earn film making merit badges. Vampire flick - Check! B Movie - Check! Kung Fu Movie - Check! Gangster Movie - Check! WWII Movie - Check! All that's left is Chick Flick, Sports Drama, Family Comedy, Animated Movie, and Porn.
The Hangover - Overboard told me that this movie is really funny and that I would like it. I'm not so sure. My sense of humor is a little more sophisticated than people think. Yes, I love jokes about penises, vaginas, breasts, public drunkeness, and copulation (not necessarily of just the human variety) as much as the next guy, but I'll have to say that I was not a big fan of Bachelor Party with Tom Hanks. I did like Superbad but I think that was more of a nostalgic thing for me. I can't relate to this film because I never had a bachelor party before I was married. Too much of a straight arrow back then.
Funny People - Of all the films mentioned, I think this one appeals to me the most. I don't even really know what it's about. I think it's about comedians? If it is, I will probably enjoy it.
Hurt Locker - This one is getting an "Honorable Mention". I love war dramas and the story of a bomb defusing team in places such as the Iraq seems pretty interesting.
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Over the weekend I drank 10 Guinness 250s. I also had 3 "Baby Guiness" shots and 3 Car Bombs. I was pretty hammered. I was way off diet, too. I had chicken fingers and fries; Cici's pizza; 2 hamburgers; a huge serving of potato salad; a bratwurst; a donut; a protein bar; 3 fried Oreos; half a fried chocolate bingle; a huge serving of Butterfinger cake; a small slice of peanut butter cake; 5 "Grands" biscuits; 4 sausage patties; 3 slices of bacon; 3 eggs; a large serving of grits; 2 mugs of tea; a piece of pepperoni pizza; some "Wild West" shrimp; 2 pork chops; and mashed potatoes. I've been bad. Very bad.
I'm back on diet this week since Hu-Kaicho C pretty much told me that it would be OK for me and Big Red to fight full contact at the Dothan Tournament. I need to keep my weight down anyway.
I'm pretty much booked solid with activities for the rest of this month. I've got testing on the 15th and the PC tournament the following weekend. I'm going to stop in Dothan on Thursday and attend class there before going to PC on Friday. I think Hu-Kaicho C will need the extra assistance.
I had some really good conversations over the weekend. The Admiral even stayed over at the Man's house! Sweet Tooth stayed with the Tur's on "The Farm".
I got a real funny line on Mr. Tur. He asked our plans for after the testing, and then we invited him to our little suaree. He said, "I've got to go to Lincoln to get some animals." I said, "For business....or pleasure, sir?" He almost struck me.
Hangtime showed up to the testing, too, but he had to hustle back to the ATL to go car shopping. It was good to see him there at the testing. I was assigned to the White/Yellow belt kids group. There wasn't a single person there over 9 years old. Oof. Big Red had to call the group. I think he did rather well. He really didn't start to show his disdain until we started Ippon Kumite. A lot of the kids were 4 and 5 years old, so I didn't really expect anything out of them. I'm sort of opposed to letting kids this young start, but we've all got to make our paper, Boo Boo.
Sunday night, BabySteps, the Admiral, and I watched part of the CMT video music awards. I got inspired to write my own country song. I'll post it once I'm done. I'm basing it on my own experiences. The title is "She still ain't moved her stuff out".
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