One last...

... cold shower, at least for awhile :)

I can't wait to get settled into my new place!

First thing I'm going to do when I unpack: see if I can find an unsecured wireless network :)

A bit calmer...

Stupid cold + body aches from weekend kept me home today, and it was a well needed rest after a four day weekend, ha. However, I had time to think about my situation, moving and having worked a bit over a year now. Sometimes I know I need to remind myself that the things I think that are bad in my life are nothing compared to what so many others face on a daily basis. Just reflecting like that sometimes puts my mind back in it's rightful place, taking into consideration all of the positives that so many others that are less fortunate can't ever come close to touching. Yet at times I want more. I sometimes catch myself trying to do things the easy way to get there, and when I'm conscious enough to find myself trying to get there like this, well, I'm not happy with myself and I try to make changes to improve. *sigh*. One of these days I'll find what I'm looking for.

A bit sore and disappointed

I was hoping for a bit more from my Thanksgiving weekend, I have to admit. The only two things I can say were on par were the meal and the pickup football game, the rest seems to have disappointed me in one way or another.

Wednesday after work, I was ecstatic to have a long weekend and I planned on partying hard that night... well I did so a bit too fast, and hardly remember anything. So much for meeting up with old friends, MY fault on this disappointment.

Thursday the meal was good, but I had to cancel my dad's and my somewhat odd tradition of going to the casino after Thanksgiving dinner due to my lack of money. A little bit disappointing, but not that bad since it's a place I really don't need to go. More disappointing in the fact that my dad was probably expecting I'd go.

Friday was glum as I had hoped for a few certain callbacks but did not get them, and I ended up going out in White Bear, again. Once a year in WB is good for me, I go strictly to see people I haven't seen in a year and once a year only. Basically it's not my scene and I'd much rather be out almost anywhere else. Another thing happened Friday which is inappropriate to talk about almost anywhere, so I won't mention it unless asked in person... it stopped me from staying home to see my other sister as I could not stand to be at home any longer...

Saturday started well with a pickup football game with a dozen of us, and we planned on going to a friend's house near downtown so we could go downtown late night. Everyone was like "yeah" about going downtown, and I was looking forward to it. It came time to call cabs and I ordered 3 for about a dozen of us. Four of us got in the first one, and the rest stayed. Hmm, thanks, I hope that cab company picks up my call the next time I want to order more than one, not to mention the hypocrisy of the situation. At the club, I ended up stuck with a girl with a couple, a girl with a bf, and another girl that was already "claimed" by my friend, and it pissed me off that he was like "dude, go dance with her" when 1. I wasn't going to make any attempt to interrupt his game and 2. he would have gotten mad if I had "ruined" his chances, which could have happened as he was doing just fine. I was fed up with the whole situation and went to the bathroom to basically kill time. I got back to the dance floor and they were gone, so I was like f-it and went outside to see they were already out there having ditched me, too drunk to know what they had done. Not happy at all was I.

Sunday I was so sore from football (I wouldn't normally mind, but...) I couldn't do anything but rest my body (it hurt horribly to cough or even laugh) so I didn't get any packing done. I did watch Cinderella Man, 9.5 out of 10, highlight of the day. Other than that, a below par weekend.

Today was a continuation as I discovered a financial error due to automatic payments and I got slapped with numerous late fees which I had to pay off with a credit card cash advance which also requires a bitch of a fee. I'm so distressed right now, I just want to get this year done.

Last weekend, a bit late, and Thanksgiving

Friday: the Alarmists concert at the Kitty Cat Club in Dinkytown. I know 3 of the 5 in the band from high school, and I must say they sound pretty damn good, I'm impressed with how good they are. I've never been to the Kitty Cat Club, not to mention I haven't gone out in Dinkytown, and I liked the change in scenery and the fact that you could actually move without having to tough guy your way through packed crowds. There we met up with some others from high school that I haven't seen in a long time so that was fun too. A little bit of a different night that was very enjoyable.

Saturday: had a dentist appointment at noon, and no cavities (yesss), but geez did they poke around a lot and make my mouth ache... later when I took my mom out for lunch I was cringing while sipping my friggin' soup, come on! Anyways, I got a mattress (queen, no more of this tiny bed b.s.), a futon (inherited), and a kitchen table. Progress. Very nice. That night was another night in Cloud, and wow, did I go nuts for some reason. I ended up making an early call to M (ayeeeee....) and somehow getting a huge bruise along the length of my arm. Hey, it's not stitches...

Sunday: watched M.I. 3, which I must say was very good. It blows the first two out of the water, IMO. Other than that, a lazy Sunday.

This is a nice short week with Thanksgiving tomorrow, so I'm thankful for that. I doubt I'll do any Black Friday shopping as I usually don't, but who knows, maybe I'll find some sweet deal. Tonight is the annual go-back-to-White-Bear-if-you-went-to-White-Bear-high-school-reunion-at-the-bar, and I'm actually kinda pumped for it as I'll get to see a ton of people I haven't seen since last year's event. The rest of the weekend will consist of going out each night (well I'm just assuming), packing to move, and cleaning (boo). That's all for now.

Vent

For some reason I've never enjoyed running. I used to force myself to do it for the euphoric benefits and general health well-being. Until now. I think it's something you have to do almost every day to get in such a rhythm that it's not such a tough thing to do, now I just do it, and I love it. It really gets me away from everything else going on for a few moments and is one way to vent. I didn't think I'd ever do it, but I got my resting heart rate below 60, crazy.

I also recently vented in a way that was a little mean, but it kinda felt good, and maybe I wasn't being as mean as I thought. Maybe sometimes you just have to be a jerk.

Previous post cont'd

Lucky Number Slevin was pretty good, IMO. I think they tried to let you think you're smart by putting in a relatively easy-t0-guess plotline, but in the end you don't really know as much as you think. 9 out of 10.

Saturday night was consisted of about 20 of us at a friend's house for pre-bar activities, then we grabbed some cabs downtown and decided to meet at Brother's. I didn't really want to stay there the entire night but once everyone was there we never left. Anyways, it was packed with little room to move, but having 20 others there that you know makes it a little easier to navigate. The end of the Wild game was on and ended up going into a shootout, which was pretty fun considering there was a bar full of Wild fans watching every move. We won and everyone high fived everyone, not a surprise ending to a dramatic home team win + beer. Continuing on... so I have this one friend that will sometimes just go nuts and make an ass of himself to entertain the rest of us, and that's exactly what he did, dancing up on everyone that walked by with the occasional person or two jumping in to try to mock him (which didn't work as it was all of his friends around) or dance like a freak with him. Eventually he had his own circle in the middle of a no-room-to-move packed bar, and he was the free show. I was in a state of non-stop laughter pretty much the whole time. Something else a little out of the ordinary happened during the night too, I don't know how or why it happened, but at one point I found myself in the face of, honestly, the biggest dude in the bar for no reason semi-trying to pick a fight, but I was mostly joking around pretending I couldn't hear him to egg him on. Seriously, he was huge, my friend called him Bob Sapp. Well my friends ended up pushing him away from me and that was that, and that was it. Oh yeah, and while walking out I saw him so I got his attention and quickly said "sorryIdon't knowwhathappenedbye". Thinking back on that whole thing, I'm grateful to have my face still in-tact. What the hell was I thinking?!

Sunday: Well the Vikings suck, nothing more to say about that. I was invited to two events, one a 1-year wedding anniversary party and the other a birthday party of my sister's boyfriend's brother's. I didn't go to either as I didn't want to choose one over the other. I got to have a nice lazy Sunday and actually did something a little bit productive... I played poker! I actually had to force myself to play as I would have much rather just, well, recovered from the night before, but I need money and this is the only thing besides work that can help pay the bills for now. Maybe I can turn this toothpick into a lumberyard, so far I've turned my last $11 into just over $100. Just maybe...

A bit of a different weekend, but not really

Friday I was at home for a birthday party for Dad, with my sister's boyfriend's of 5 years parents and two other friends' parents also in attendance. Basically, a different kind of party with grown-ups I'll have to get more used to. Nothing against anyone there, but I've pretty much accepted that once I reach a certain age, I won't be able to act the way I do now without looking like I'm trying to be cool or funny... it's kind of hard to explain. I'll try using an example. YouTube came up into conversation from one party, with an explanation about how it's the new big thing on the internet, and some of the others knew of it and some had never heard of it. Then came the exchange of why they should see it and the oohs and ahhs, and then came the asking of the young crowd if they've heard of it. Of course we have. Anyways, these semi-awkward conversations came up all night which I didn't really mind for the night, but I don't think I could handle this on a daily basis, which is one of the big reasons I won't be moving back into the parents' house. Man, someday I'll be on the other side of those conversations (AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH).

I crashed at the the parents' house Friday night as we had planned on having a family portrait taken Saturday morning. Again, something I can put up with for a single day, but not much more.

Oops, I'll have to interrupt as the roommates and I are beginning Lucky Number Slevin, TBC...

Help! I've fallen...

... in to MySpace, and I can't get out! I finally gave in and put up a profile. Bring on the crazies...

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That thing I was pissed about I'll still be pissed about for awhile, but at least now I can think clearly again. Enough on that.

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For once I think I'll have a low-key weekend. I am at the 'rents on Friday for Dad's b-day, so I'm in that night. Saturday I promised myself I would not initiate a going out night... I will only go out if others want me to :) If I somehow manage to stay in, I'll start organizing for my move at the end of the month into something I've never done and have wanted to try: living alone. Honestly, I think I'll really like it as I'll have everything the way I want and it will be that much more sweeter to see friends when I do see them. But, I'll just have to see. Whatever happens, it's exciting to get to try something so new and I look forward to learning and making the most of the situation.

Absolutely pissed.

Nothing more to say.

My Madison Romance, part 2

...continued from part 1, probably posted below this post...

Saturday morning I'm awoken at 7 AM from someone tickling me on my cat chest, and I'm up for good after about 2 hours of sleep. Whoever it was quickly went back to bed as I have no idea who it was... I showered and drank some fluids as I woke up and put on everything red, and by the time I was ready there was still nobody else up. Naturally, I went and woke up my loudest and most obnoxious friend so he could wake everyone else up, which he did. As everyone else got up, I went across the street and got a case to get everyone started. We finally got out and about at around 10 AM and headed to Wando's for breakfast and drinks. After an $8 prime rib breakfast and beer, we started the mile walk to Camp Randall, recently upgraded and home of the Badgers. We could have gotten a shuttle, but obviously we walked to get free bong beer on the way from tubes hanging from second story windows. Next to the stadium is the Stadium bar which is always packed on gameday, where we stopped for one final pregame drink. We stopped for a mandatory picture at one of the cannons sitting in a park outside the stadium, and finally found the gates. We were greeted by some people handing out towels with a W and promotions on them, which was pretty cool as everyone in the stadium got to wave them around in unison while cheering. Once again I got to hear all of the crazy fight songs and do the dances with them. Jump Around was ridiculous as usual, thousands of students next to each other jumping crazily. It's quite a sight to see from both the outside and the inside. Good defense and just enough offense had the Badgers capturing a big win 13-3. Post-game was walking back and crashing until dinnertime.

5:45 rolled around and everyone got up to go to dinner, which was decided to be at Old Chicago. Dinner was as usual and we headed back to get ready. The night out was similar to Friday's starting at Monday's, next to the Crave, but this time ending at the City which used to be practically owned by my group of friends. We still knew almost everyone working so we were greeted with hellos from behind the bar as we were so many times prior. All of it makes me miss that place.

On the walk back I got to have a drunken deep conversation with L about how good friends we all were and how we'll be reuniting like this so much in the future... that made me happy :)

We got back to the apartment and I was instantly requested to change. I obliged and as I was changing I heard the song come on as everyone waited. I put on an embarrassing show which may have gotten videotaped, I'll have to check YouTube... crap. Oh well, it's not my first embarrassing video ;)

Sunday I awoke to a sea of chips on the carpet with everyone scattered around the apartment. Eventually everyone got up and some had to leave, so we said our goodbyes and the rest of us hung around. One friend decided to make a quick trip to State Street for a hat, and I decided to go along to embarrass everyone in my cat pants. There were definitely some giggles and staring, crazycatfun. After that we had lunch at Coppertop and left once again with what seemed like a blink of an eye. So fun.

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This week I'll be looking for an apartment close to work, and I've decided to force myself to start playing poker regularly again as I'm too broke to sit and do nothing. I hope it goes well and I can get back on the pace I was at earlier in the year, and I hope I can get back that urge to play like I used to. I wish I didn't have to rely on such a fluctuating game but with the way things are going at my main source of income, I pretty much have to do this. Well, either that or tone it down. But that will never happen.

My Madison Romance, part 1

Like Halloween, I love Madison. There's something about that city that I know I won't find anywhere else. It has to be some combination of the memories, the people I met there, the food, the culture, the places, well you get the idea. Our core group of friends unofficially decided to meet up at least once a year for a football game, and this weekend was it vs. Penn State. Of course the football game would only be a small part of the entire weekend, but important nonetheless.

Before I even start talking about this trip, I have to mention the ridicuously long email threads that continually circle on a daily basis between everyone in this group. In these emails are some of the most funny, vulgar, witty, nerdy, and serious comments known to man. If someone particularly likes something, pretty much everyone else finds every which way to rip it down and boast their interest. If we all agree on something, we'll all agreei in some ridiculously nerdy way. And if there's something serious someone needs to address, it goes in there too. It's quite the digital life. I probably check my email 283492837948273 times a day. Just kidding. But not really.

Anyways, I took Friday off of work so that we could drive there during the day and arrive in the late afternoon. D&D, two old roommates, and I planned to ride down together for the 3rd time in a few months. Our friend L, who relocated to New York after graduating, had a connecting flight in Minneapolis to get Wisco to meet her parents prior to all of us meeting, but their stupid airline screwed up in holding planes back for their hour delay, so she missed her flight. So, she readjusted her plans to ride with us, and it all worked out in some weird way. The four of us endured the 4+ hour drive to meet up to see Borat, which we all have been looking forward to for a long long long long time. Unfortunately for me, I was drinking liquids in the car and had to go sooooooo bad for the last hour, and it got to the point where I could not hold it any longer, pretty sick. We were 10 minutes away from our destination when I reached this point, and it was at this point that I asked for a pull-over to a "no way" as he pointed to an empty powerade bottle, and at that point I reached for it and did something pretty sick. The two guys were laughing, and the girl was screaming and squirming. We arrived and met up with 3 others, but I couldn't hug or high-five yet as I had a mess on my hands... don't worry I washed up. Then we saw Borat, which was pretty sick. 9 out of 10.

Next was dinner at some place I initially thought was a joke in our email thread, Quaker Steak and Lube. Seriously, a place with lube in the title is a little weird. It was a racing themed restaurant with doodads all over the place and the food was surprisingly excellent.

After that we headed to downtown and got ready to go out. The first bar was unanimously Monday's, which probably has the stiffest mixed drinks, ever. I'm serious. The red bull vodkas are ice, vodka, and a splash or red bull. Basically this stop is just to get things jump started. Next stop was the Crave, the new workplace of one of the friends still in Madison. Having vast bar experience in the past, he was already Mr. Manager. He was just getting off as first cut so he changed and introduced us to some newer friends he's met since most of us were last there. I'm not sure when word of mouth spread a request for a post-bar appearance by a certain cat, but it did, and I informed everyone that I unfortunately didn't bring the costume. After Crave was Bullfeathers for a final drink until after-bar. I must note at this point was ecstatic to just be out until bartime for once as I hardly ever get to do that on a regular basis. In Madison, there's always someone to go out with on any given night until the sun comes up, and while I may be outgrowing those days, damn do I miss it.

A-bar time came and we headed back to the apartment where people reached for anything they could get their hands on to eat, and I changed into my newly labeled alter-ego and made an ass of myself. 4:30 rolled around and I finally bit it.

Well it's lunchtime, I'll have to finish this later.