It's going down

Friday. That's when I make my scene baby.

** Update

Or not. I recieved notice just 4 hours after setting up my interview that it had been filled internally. So maybe march isn't the month that it was last year. I had my hopes up, but I'll recover in a little while.

Called out

oh yeah, lest i forget...

I got called out by cat the other day.

Cat said...
FYI: It's been far too long. 6 months? since the last reunion (that you missed b/c of illness)? When are we going to show these young ones how it's done again?
3/15/2006 9:04 PM

You're damn right woman. It has been far too long since the last Rowdy Region Reunion, and my attendance at the one.

I'm rethinking the whole idea of a commuter crawl. There seemed to be little interest... and when i really thought about the schedule of the trains... they're two hours apart on the weekend. that means to hit the 4th bar at midnite, we'd start at... 6pm. Unless we mixed dinner in to the mix, it might be a bit hard on the welterweights.

It's possible i might be able to make something normalish happen out here in the suburbs in a couple of weekends... but no promises.

Any Rowdies (past and present) out there have any ideas?

Opportunity strikes in March?

There must be something about march...

last year, i interviewed for, and got a job in downtown chicago.

this year, i've at least got an invitation to an interview. before spring break i had applied for a position related to meeting planning at a hotel downtown. and yesterday their HR department left me a message asking me to interview. I called back, and left a message. Today i got up and waited a little bit, and then left a message and waited the rest of the day. It was frustrating to not get a response, but i didn't dare call any more for fear of looking too eager or desparate.

The waiting game continues on monday. Hopefully I can keep the streak alive.

Peace and Vacation

It's not like my life is a whirlwind of stress, but that doesn't mean i don't value time spent away from the normal grind. Spring break was this week, but fortunately started last wednesday. Planning started late, and initially included heather, my wonderful girlfriend. Our grand escape was going to be either disneyland or savannah, and personally i couldn't care less which one it was, as long as she came. but she didn't, or couldn't rather. it was a bit too last minute for her work schedule. but the planning was a step forward, a week or weekend trip hasn't ever been an option before.

left to my own devices i returned to the truely lame, poor man's spring break... getting out of the house and seeing family and friends. the only true investment in that scenario is travel costs.

And so i drove off to st. louis to see my dad's brother and his wife. they're such a fun bunch, with a couple sweetheart dogs. we caught a commedian, jeff dunham and laughed our asses off. my jaw was seriously sore from smiling and laughing. yes, i know... ventriloquists aren't cool. but this one is. check him out... truly amazing.

we also went skeet shooting. shooting the sh*t out of defenseless orange clays as they sail through the air is a good stress reliever. part of the skeet ritual is stopping at the Quik Trip for a coke before we go. (mike, myself and everybody who visits the discount den at purdue call 'em phatty cokes.) The Quik Trip soda fountain is below. I think mikey and i need to go worship at the alter pictured.



next it was off to columbus, indiana to see my friend lisa... i haven't seen her in a while, and haven't visited her since i stayed with her after WSC '03 in atlanta. she was one of the corporate pilots for coke then, but just this year started flying for cummins. the planes aren't quite as cool, but she's wayyyy happier and that's what's important. we played in the snow, watched movies, played with her cat and generally hung out.

finally, it was up to indianapolis to see my sister. got there in time to watch some sopranos, and then slept in the next day. my sister and i met for lunch at yats, and then headed off to a nearby art musuem. that evening i played with my niece norah. on my way out of town the day after, i made sure to stop at yats again to really savor the experience. see the picture below?.. it truly captures the power of the moment.



Steaming hot chilli cheese crawfish ettoufe, a free soda, a decent book, an empty restaurant and classic french and italian jazz music for ambiance. if you can't tell, i'm in love with the damn restaurant and that dish in particular. I even bought some extra to bring home and freeze. if heather is lucky... i'll share. mikey, if i could figure out how to ship it to you... i would.

thank god for cheap lazy vacations!

nomaders headed to oozefest beware...

the parking ticket wars are so bad in buffalo right now even fire trucks are getting ticketed...

once lost, then stolen, now found

That camera that some crazy canucks had found, and then stole has finally been returned. not that you cared. but it's interesting to see that justice has been served. funny how the threat of being arrested at the border motivates people.

another reason DRM sucks

it shortens the battery life of mp3 players.

Guess Who?

On Monday I was out shopping at my local computer outlet store and guess who I should see?..

The 'Cool Guy' from my earlier brush with Multi Level Marketing (MLM)! See my entry "Keeping Your Options Open?" from last November to refresh your memory.

However, the Cool Guy wasn't there shopping... He was there working... As the rent-a-cop! I didn't recognize Him at first until He came over to match the items on my receipt to what I was walking out the door with.

"Is this all... Brian is it?" Cool Guy said. Recognizing the voice, I looked at Him more closely as I affirmed both of his assertions. It was definitely him, I recognized the face, and the glasses. He initialed the receipt and I left the store. Once in the car, I looked at the initials... Another match, CG* for Cool Guy.

*Initials changed to protect the... innocent?.. Guilty?..

So it seems that His 'great and glorious opportunity' that He was offering me has not panned out yet. I didn't see any point in outwardly recognizing him. If things didn't work out, there was no sense in gloating over failed dreams. If they're slowly realizing... Well then, why get gloated over?

Honestly, I bear the guy no ill will. He only wasted about 15 or 20 minutes of my time, but gave me two or three times that in interesting conversation. I'd seriously considering befriending him assuming there was no further pressuring.

And now I know where to find Him. That store is one of the places I was planning to apply for part time work when I move to a night school schedule. If life takes that turn, then we'll get a chance to get reacquainted.

MLM is a dangerous creature because it appeals on so many different levels. Many very smart people have been pulled in to schemes that were just barely legal. I just hope He didn't get sucked in too far, and had his dreams smushed. Nobody deserves that.

what a strange and wonderful world

this is a world of amusements

tonight is super slooow at work. admittedly, work is usually quite slow, but we don't even expect any phone calls tonight. one wonders why i'm here. i choose not to question it.

my time is split between working on a take home test and playing with Pandora.

the test is tough in a way i think take home tests should be. if you want to be absolutely sure the answer is right, you'll search in the book through several different sections and chapters. this test wouldn't be all that hard if i was taking it in class, but gunning for that perfect or nearly perfect score is really forcing me to search. plus a bunch of us are going to get together and compare answers next week. So i'm making sure to note page numbers.

the silence in the office was deafening. strictly the hum of computers, printers and flourescent lights. so i busted out the headphones and loaded up pandora. i've known of pandora for a while. but it wasn't until recently that i've decided to give it a try. the ability to integrate it into my media center is a big plus. assuming i get i get it working. anyway, i've got an addition to my sidebar of what 'radio' stations i've created. feel free to explore some new music based on my own initial selections. the ratio of like to dislike is high, and usually dislike leads to the creation of a separate station. give it a shot.

friday's are, as a general rule, lazy. i've got not classes, no work till the evening, and the house is empty. i spent a fair portion of the day playing with dad's new toy. a little remote control plane called an air hog - aero ace. small and slow enough to fly in the back yard, and with a little work i'm sure they could be flown in the house too... we're thinking of getting a couple of them and having pylon races or some kind of air combat. We'd just have to put up the volleyball poles and have a go at it. not a bad toy for $30 USD eh?

the ability to track favorites and radio stations in pandora interests me heavily in a social networking kind of way. so many connections and shared interests... so little time.

paradise is a place on earth

Found myself in a moment of total peace today. My schedule for Wednesday involves quality time spent in the library and I retreated to my usual area; off the beaten path and under a skylight.

the cloistered feeling of sacred books and semi-private study carrels was brought to dizzying heights by a gentle rain. The beat was steady and soft. I was transported to moments of lovers departing, huddled in a car and isolated by the rain; Lazy afternoons and evenings on a screened porch sheltered from the rains; Tender moments of shared umbrellas and tents.

the rain is an elemental force that heightens romantic isolation.

the time for spring is nigh...