Where Tymme Stands Still

They're destroying our city!!!

2009-07-06T21:02:00.002-05:00

What an ... interesting... day.

Caught a glimpse of the news saying the Patrick Cudahy meat plant being on fire last nite, between stuff on the DVR. Nothin' special. Fall asleep late/early.

Around 10:30 or so (I think), barely waking up, there's a pound at the door. Never heard door buzz, didn't know what was going on. Blearily open the door, and it's a police; city's under mandatory evacuation. Cop makes sure we're gonna leave and lets the rest of the complex know. Flipped on the TV as they were discussing it and why it happened; there was a good chance the fire could overcome ammonia tanks behind a firewall and the wind was likely to switch from blowing out onto the lake to southwest, right over us.

Tell Kacy when she hoss outta the shower; drearily put on my shoes and we ran to the bus stop. (Kacy had decided to take the later bus, otherwise I'd have been the only one home and have to go with the evac shelter.)

Yay for twitter- kept up with updates there. Went up to UWM and hopped on a PC in one of the labs and checked out the coverage. No sound, so couldn't get much for details, but sounded like everything was already contained.

Spend a few hours getting good and checking up for new info; next thought next conference was at 5pm but instead was 3:30, saying things were better but to conserve water in Cudahy (which was evacuated?) and nearby cities.

Finally heade home around 6pm, still not knowing what was going on. As of noon, they were sounding like possible overnight stays at the shelters. We headed to Kacy's parents. On the way down, the bus made its detour near Cudahy, but they wer eplaying with barricades. At the end of the detour, the barricades were gone. Hopped on the PC quick, and found that as of 7pm, the evacuation order was lifted.

Got home, checked on rats, opened windows, and relaxed after a long, confusing day. Overall an interesting experience. Still several hours of cleanup left, but glad to at least be home.

More info from the news here.

Ratplacements.

2009-06-01T01:38:00.003-05:00

Two new additions from the Humane Society as of Saturday. Originally named Maurice and Buster, we kept Maurice and (after passing up Space Cowboy and Steve (Miller Band)) decided on Zippy. They're Siamese-point and dumbo-eared, which is part of what attracted Kacy (mostly) to them in the first place.

They're already friendly, coming up to the cage to say hi, etc. They don't like being picked up to be taken out but have no problems once they are. We've had them out on the bed a few times, which usually involves quick explorations before running back to hide in my shirt or Kacy's armpit. Zippy likes to sleep there, and Maurice tends to cause trouble.

The two are from the same litter (7 weeks old) and look almost identical; I can't tell them apart and Kacy can only if both are out and about. This also makes it seem like they interchange personalities- Maurice will run out, look around, get in trouble, run into my shirt to hide, and Zippy will pop out (or so we think). That's why there's only one picture, but there's very little difference between them. Hopefully we'll get a shot of both of them at some point.

They like their cage, which is good; they're busy wrestling off/on, running in the wheel together, and so forth. Doesn't look like we'll have any problems. Not going to cage them with Brother/Sister because we don't wnat to neuter both of them nor (at least for now) have a litter from Sister. We'll see what happens in the future....

Byebye Fifi....

2009-03-27T16:02:00.006-05:00

When we first moved to Milwaukee, we got two pet rats from the Humane Society, Ruby and Perl. Kacy already had rats before, and I liked them and other rodentia, so it was a good fit for an apartment.

Perl passed away from a respiratory infection a few months later. We were out at the pet store a few months later, and were greeted by one rat with a big yawn and "what's up?" kinda look from inside the cage. We ended up bringing Opehelia home that night (on the bus, no less).

Since then, we've lost Ruby, and another rat (Momma), and replaced them with Momma's offspring, Brother and Sister. (They have other names, but have been lost over the past year-plus.)

Today we had Ophelia (Fifi) put to sleep. She's been sick for a while, and basically riddled with arthritis since shortly after we brought her home. Steroids would sometimes work, and sometimes not. She hardly had use of her back left leg, and developed a tumor as well (common in rats). She was always eating and constantly losing weight, and so we finally had her put down this morning.

This was definitely my rat- she would sleep on my neck or in my hoodie, ran to me to hide from the vet, and even layed against me last night as we let her out on the bed for the last time. This was destiny, though; she had an hourglass pattern of white fur on her stomach.

I'm gonna miss her... but it's better than limping around as she was, and being trounced over by Brother & Sister. After we lose those two, I think we're upgrading to cats.

Senior Year (just like everyone else)

2009-02-10T12:34:00.004-06:00

This is going around Facebook so I thought I'd chime in, too.

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!! At the end, choose 10 people (or more) to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...
1. Did you date someone from your school?
I got up the courage to ask one girl out about 2 months before graduation, but it was "too close to the end of school" so no dice. (Didn't stop someone else a few weeks later, though.)

2. Did you marry someone from your high school?
Other than a few classmates on FB, I don't think I even talk to any females from high school, which kinda eliminates that possibility.

3. Did you car pool to school?
Few friends with a car had graduated, rest didn't drive, and my schedule wasn't conductive to it.

4. What kind of car did you have?
Didn't have one. Could've if I'd had time to learn how to drive, but didn't do that, either.

5. What kind of car do you have now?
I wouldn't want to be behind the wheel at this point.

6. Its Saturday night...where are you now?
Probably at home on the computer.

7. It is Saturday night...where were you then?
Same as I would be 15 years later.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?
Marketing at Snap-on Tools, designing spreadsheets and stuff for marketing data. Great coworkers, enjoyable work... fun times.

9. What kind of job do you do now?
Tech support once in a great while; otherwise just soak up SSDI.

10. Were you a party animal?
ROFL. I went to one friend-of-a-friend's party and left probably a half hour after showing up.

11. Were you considered a flirt?
That would require people to talk to me... so no.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
I was in FBLA and maybe Debate (I think that was junior year); that was the extent of any sort of extracurricular academia.

13. Were you a nerd?
"Were"? I didn't get stuffed in a locker but just about everything else... so if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

14. Did you get suspended or expelled?
Only a threat of such for playing with the business dept's new computers (see #13).

15. Can you sing the fight song?
No; I skipped most the rallies and wanted the ones I didn't skip to be over as quickly as possible.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)
Coop! Reminded me of my grandpa.

17. Where did you sit during lunch?
At home, getting ready for work (half day of school, work 1-5pm)

18. What was your school's full name?
George Nelson Tremper Senior High School

19. When did you graduate?
1995

20. What was your school mascot?
Trojan.

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
I wasn't at school enough my senior year to know. I'd love to go back to doing what I did at Snap-on, though.

22. Did you have fun at Prom?
I only went to one Prom, Bradford's, and I think Junior Prom, not Senior Prom. Nothing special.

23. Do you still talk to the person (people?) you went to Prom with?
Jan disappeared about a year later and I've no clue what happened to her.

24. Will you go to the next reunion?
I might go to one if I h've actually made something of myself, but I don't think anyone I had any sort of connection with or interest in would attend, so don't see much point.

25. Do you still talk to your friends from high school??
If it's in the pool of senior year friends, then no. My closest & best friends graduated the year prior or after and are still in close, regular contact.

The Sears... it hauntses usss.....

2009-01-30T10:17:00.002-06:00

Apparently my mind was in the mood to kick me in the shins overnight, given the nature of my latest dream. I've had more dreams I can remember lately, but figured I'd write about this one (at least) just because I can and haven't written anything lately- want to make sure I remember how, heh. (No inspiration- too many things on my mind, too many worries... just not a conductive mood for writing I guess.)

Anyway... I was back working at Sears. I was working maybe once a month; people were surprised to seee me and surprised I was still working there. It was just like the goold ol' days.. old coworkers, old boss, etc. A few things were misplaced (always the case with dreams, can't be 100% realistic), but for the most part, I was back working there again.

The beginning was a blur, but a lot of the dream focused on me ringing up one person and dealing with a few rude people. (Not that we EVER got those in Kenowhere... nope.) Since I've been thinking about my eyesight lately, that came into play when it took me a majority of the dream to ring up a certain item because I couldn't read the stock number. Some other guy got pissed while waiting for me (even though there were all sorts of other free people, he had to point out how horrible I was), and the lady I was ringing up got impatient and eventually moved me outta the way and did the rest of the order herself.

Then there was something with colored register tape, but that was kinda a blur. More impatience, more general complaints.... and I remembered a majority of why I stopped working there.

Of all the things I could dream about (especially lately), though... why there?! Ugh. Could be worse though, could've been school days instead....

I Hereby Decree....

2009-01-06T11:14:00.002-06:00

People, especially on the Internet, are quick to bitch about anything and everything. It's no big surprise, really.

What does get annoying, really quick-like, is people bitching about things where they haven't the slightest clue what they're talking about.

Thus, I hereby decree that everyone that has na issue and wants to bitch about it, should first spend a week in the situation in question.

Maybe then people will learn things like there's more than one person involved when making your food (e.g., more places your special order could've been screwed up); that there's no elf in the back stock room creating the product you want to buy right then & there; that it takes time and resources to develop, code, and maintain your favorite game or the application you're running; and so forth.

Sure, some of these aren't rocket science (though the coding one gets kinda close)... but it seems most people forget there's many links in the chain, and more oftehn than not, you're not always dealing with the weak link.

2008-12-31T10:48:00.002-06:00

One of these random tag thingies I got on Facebook, but easier to do on the blog. Bored so figured, why not.

1.Put your ~~iTunes~~ music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
It Wasn't Me (Shaggy)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
El Bebe Masoquista (Fatboy Slim)
...is this telling me something I didn't know?

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Dungannon Dew (Aethera)
...eew?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Incognito (Enigma)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Easy (Faith No More)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Time for Fear (Who's Afraid) (Art of Noise)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Dreaming Tree (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Great New Adventure (QBNZ)
...probably true

WHAT IS 2+2?
Heaven (DJ Sammy)
...if we talkin' boobies!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Alligator (Weird Al Yankovic)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Battle for Heaven (Glenm Danzig)
...que romantico!

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The Big Boom (Jonathan Coulton)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Snowball in Hell (They Might Be Giants)
...I just wouldn't be one for long.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Lover Lay Down (Dave Matthews Band)
...yeah, too easy.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Slash Dot Dash (Fatboy Slim)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
The Fortunes of War (Dropkick Murphys)
...lol

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Exquisite Dead Guy (They Might Be Giants)
...double lol

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Hot Rocks Polka (Weird Al Yankovic)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
You Ruined Everything (Jonathan Coulton)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Magic Carpet Ride (Fatboy Slim Latin Ska and Breakbeat Mix) (Fatboy Slim)
...alrighty then.

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
One Love (Prodigy)
...Yay polygamy! Right?

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Bastards on Parade (Dropkick Murphys)
...I KNEW IT!

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Waiting in Vain (Bob Marley & the Wailers)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Mothers Day (Stephen Lynch)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Santeria (Sublime)
...err, huh?

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Good Riddance (Green Day)
...I guess that's a 'no'.

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Rock & Roll, Pt 2 (Gary Glitter)
...Well, most stuff today IS crap, so....

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Calm Down (Psapp)
...even my music won't let me get my hopes up *sigh*

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
End of the Movie (CAKE)
...Mow to figure out which one.

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Hypo Full of Love (The 12 Step Pain) (Alabama 3)
...Hmmmm.

WHAT DO YOU SAY IN BED
Beast... (Avenged Sevenfold)
...That's what SHE said.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Which Describes How You're Feeling (They Might be Giants)

Holidaze.

2008-12-24T22:10:00.003-06:00

We were approved for the apartment, and moved into the new place on the 20th. Still have some stuff at old place, still have to clean up... but busy few days in here.

We thought we were gonna lose Fifi; a few days before the move, she was squealing and running in circles, twitching, etc. Looked like a stroke or something. Got worse over the weekend, moved her to her own cage, and didn't expect her to last through the move, espec going out (even for a few mins) into the cold weather to move her to new place. But, by Monday, she was back to her old self... as good as can be. Poor rat... whatever was wrong then, plus the arthritis, and everything else... and stilll happy and as carefree as can be.

Another round of holiday stuff tomorrow (dad's last nite, mom's tonite), then a few days for a break, then 'holiday' get-together with friends from mostly out of town... and then back to normal at the end of next week.

Will write more when there's more time....

More Apartment BS.

2008-12-08T22:28:00.002-06:00

Things are going with the apartment app. Got a call Saturday about our previous landlord, getting info on a previous landlord before that, and a screwup on a phone number.

Turns out or previous landlord has jumped ship. He had an old house mysterious burn down, and now a second one, that also wasn't selling, has done the same. Makes for interesting times, but also makes it hard to get a rental reference.

Also had to fax in income verification (hooray for crappy automated systems!), but no big deal there. Waiting on another reference tomorrow, and hopefully hear something soon after that. They've stayed in contact, though, so I'm hoping it's a positive thing.

I guess we'll find out soon enough. Hopefully that'll help my mood....

Anorther plus to apartments:

2008-12-03T18:05:00.002-06:00

There's no !#%T@^!@ snow to shovel!

Anyone who decrees that snow is pretty and/or that they like it, is hereby forced to spend the rest of the winter here shoveling it. And FYI, they're forecasting more than last year (over 100").

More apartment drama.

2008-12-01T16:34:00.002-06:00

We got a call at 9pm last night, from our landlord. She wanted to show the place to two people tonight at 6pm. They raised a stink about 12 hours notice instead of 24 given in our 'we're leaving' letter and she's been rather hostile both times we've talked to her.

We sent the notice in on the 13th of November, and she called on the 16th to say they were putting the apartment up in the Journal for showing. This past Saturday, we got a letter (we didn't find it until she called last night) saying the lease was up Jan 31 and we had to give 60 days notice. The January end date seems right since we added Craig on in February, but if that were the case, we could've been told that when she called on Nov 16. Plus, we have a signed lease addendum that says we give 45 days notice, not 60.

So, we'll see how that goes tonight. Hopefully we'll get the drunk assholes loud and obnoxious too, so possible tenants and the landlord both can see why we're leaving.

We did have an appointment and saw a nice apartment yesterday, down in Cudahy. We're going to see another one a few blocks from there tomorrow and choose between the two, provided things are cleared up with moving out. It's about 2 blocks to Craig's place and 4ish to her parents' place, and it's way south side of Milwaukee County, close to more friends and less distance for them to drive.

App is in the decision processes for UW-M, but since I graduated with just under a 3.0 from UoP, shouldn't be an issue. Seems like it's ages away, but it's only a month and a half or so 'til stuff starts, provided everything gets done by then. Whee!

Here's to hoping things work out.

Movin' right along.

2008-11-12T07:49:00.003-06:00

Our lease was set to expire at end of August this year, but when we added Craig on (to give him the relocation bonus from Bucyrus, since he was stayin' here anyway), it reset to Dec 31.

We've already been having issues with this place. The basement is partially unfinished (dirt floor in about 1/4 of the basement); several heating vents are uncovered and there's even one place you can see into the basement through a gap in the floor; windows are so old they're just about impossible to do anything with (on the ones that have screens, at least); the floor is warped so badly there's only one real spot in the dining room we can put a desk and sit at it without rolling halfway across the room; and there's our back door neighbors.

These are the epitome of drunken rednecks; if they're not working, one (at least) is so shitfaced he can't talk, whether it's after work at 7pm or an off-day and 2pm (or earlier). There's regular shouting matches back and forth, which is fine... until the music gets involved. There's three different sound systems back there, and especially when one brother gets pissed, he raises the stereo up to the point we hear it (clearly) on the opposite end of the house, to purposely piss off the other brother. Then they decide to fight even more, over top of the loud music.

We called the landlord; nothing happened. Called the cops a few times, and they came out a few times (not sure if as many times as we called). In August, I called the cops again and landlord again the next morning; with enough noise complaints, the ticket prices start getting shared with the landlord (to help make sure the complaint gets fixed). I told the landlords we didn't want to do that but once a week shit like this was ridiculous.

It worked, for the most part; music would still be on and bass would be up to the point we could hear it through the walls out into the living room, but overall, it was a lot better, until it started going back to same old shit the past week or two.

Last night, they were at it again, and decided to play 'dueling stereos'. First a home theater went up (some action movie, lotsa booms, etc.), so other asshole turned up his stereo (with xmas music). I guess they've got a third stereo, because that got turned up too. Rigoddamndiculous. Cops got called again and actually got to talk to the officer over the phone for once... hopefully they get a ticket (or another one if they've actually gotten tickets).

If that hadn't cemented our decision, the basement did. Heard dripping last night from a pipe near our washer/dryer, but couldn't tell where. Had Kacy come and look, and was easy to tell where it was... and the whole pipe was caked in mold. Explains why our allergies have been worse the past month or two. With all the open grates (the air return on the dining room wall is just one huge open hole; the grate never stays on)... it's certainly made its way up here.

So, we'd already decided we weren't staying here long; at first we figured stay til end of school in May and look... but have started thinking of doing so now, and have looked at a few places. We're 1 for 3 on looking (one place the landlord never showed up, and we underestimated the time it'd take and missed our appointment at one yesterday).

When asking Craig about a place to store the washer/dryer if we found a place w/o storage/basement, he also offered us the ability to stay at his place in case we didn't find something in time, which is a big help. Hopefully we won't need it, but offer's there at least. And it's closer to friends visiting over Xmas, heh.

So, the search is on....

Lack of updates

2008-11-02T20:55:00.002-06:00

No big surprise I'm sure. Nothing has really changed.

Few job apps that went nowhere.

Only difference is now asshole is playing xmas music instead of his usual shit. One radio station is already doing all--and only--xmas stuff from now 'til the holiday. Fuck's sake.

Back again.

2008-10-16T10:25:00.001-05:00

No reason to keep PC running 24/7 when not online all the time or logging sites in Aard... so moving blog back to a permanent host.

Grunt!!!!

2007-06-14T23:23:00.000-05:00

Rather than usual diet of IQF chicken breasts grilled/marinated and served with rice, or vegetable and tempeh stir fry, or whatever else non-meaty, I filled myself up on carnal pleasure tonite.

I'd gotten an email last week from Pizza Shuttle about tonight being a special night where local restaurants donated 25% of their profits to Camp Heartland. I told Kacy about it and we decided to plan for ordering out.

Well, we couldn't figure out what we wanted. I looked around Camp Heartland's website and got a list of places that were in on the event. We decided on Harry's Bar & Grill.

Definitely not disappointed. We had Mac & Cheese squares for an appetizer, and I had atheir Brat-and-a-Burger for my main meal. Take a half pound burger, add cheddar cheese, pickles, and a bratwurst cut into fourths... and you get YUMMMMY!

I dunno why it's a big deal, but I'm happy to have had burger. Nice treat once in a great while, and nice to not have it every day... sure helps my gut. Still eat too much, but at least it's not stuff that's QUITE as bad for me.

Wandered back towards the house (via way of Cold Stone Creamery) after, but decided we'd had enough and had dessert here. Walking in my sandals made my leg hurt, though- I cross my middle toe over my second toe when I walk in them for long periods of time. Acted up more on the trip home, then got better as night progressed. I hope it's gone by tomorrow... guess we'll find out then.

I wanted to write today, but ended up napping from 10:30 til 2:30 or so. Le sigh. I really need to get back in that habit. Maybe I'll start writing in there rather than writing these... but at least for the moment, it's something.

TV and Life

2007-06-13T07:31:00.000-05:00

I'm fast approaching 30. Not a big deal, really... I don't know that I feel 30, but I never remember how old I am anyway. It's all a matter of attitude.

But, I was definitely reminded of my age when I read some sad news last night. Mr. Wizard wandered off to play with that giant chemistry set in the sky.

I feel particularly saddened by the loss... not like a family member sadness (well, maybe, considering the lack of attachment I have to my family)... but moreso than most other deaths I've read about. It affected me as much as Jim Henson's death did years ago.

I guess this Digg quote sums it up:

This hit me harder than I would have ever expected -- I think because it took me back to a time when being a geek wasn't nearly as accepted as perhaps it is now. In an often lonely pre-adolescence, his show offered a brief but welcome comfort where I could watch TV for 30 minutes and not feel guilty or stupid or dorky or lame.

I even feel a bit bad about the fact that TV stars' deaths have had more impact on me than my family's deaths (save my grandfather)... but I guess I'll live with that. I haven't lost anyone else that was extremely close, so I guess it's hard to compare.

I'll move on, but it's at least got me thinking this morning.

Leaving a mark....

2007-06-12T19:19:00.000-05:00

Quiet day. Class is all done, no developments on Aard... so a long day of doing lotsa nothing. Nice to get one of those once in a while, I guess.

Not completely useless; our porch 'makeover' that's been promised since before we got here was done today. This big project that wasn't in the budget for last year, etc., involved replacing the four or so main struts into the old, warped, rotting wood that makes up the rest of the porch. We're not happy.

More should be coming, we hope... but it sounds more like the guy's just trying to weasel away with money that he's losing on his own new house he built (and now has to pay fines on). I'll give our old apartment one thing- it may have been small, but it had quick, reliable service and great managers! Almost makes me want to move back... almost.

So, I've had a headache all day, and didn't get dishes or any writing done like I wante. But, I have now left my mark on Internet society! I checked today, and my entry into the Urban Dictionary has been approved! One step closer to world domination... muahahahaaa!!!

Oh well, back to doing nothing special. Maybe I'll get some dishes done... though likely not, heh.

Tag stuff.

2007-06-04T07:25:00.002-05:00

Not actually tagged, but I agree that these are fun to do, so here's my responses.

4 Jobs I've Had

Snap-on Tools (twice)
Fast Food
I/T consultant
Retail sales

4 Movies I'd watch

Shrek 2
Clerks 2
Spaceballs
...can't think of a 4th

4 Places I'd Live

Phoenix
Seattle
northern Florida
Texas

4 TV Stations
(if I had cable again)

Discovery Channel
Comedy Central
Adult Swim (Cartoon Network)
ESPN2 (for the billiards)

4 Vacations

Las Vegas
DC
New York City
Orlando

4 Fave Foods

Pizza
Lasagne
Burgers
Bratwurst

4 Places I'd rather be

Working at a job
Phoenix
Somewhere about 15 degrees warmer
Back in bed

Test & Tornado

2007-06-02T09:46:00.001-05:00

Figured I'd write this while it's fresh in memory.

I've had a few dreams now w/ a particular girl in it. I recognized her in the dream today and some of the situations/settings/layout.

They all happen at my old junior high school. This last time, it was in some English class. She knew me, I knew her. We had a test (for some reason, it was on black paper), which I was having trouble with. The prof was a dick, one of those notorious for tough tests. Almost everyone that was in there had tried his class before and failed, but it was my first time in the class.

The girl (I don't think I've heard her name) showed how she (and a few others at least) had ways to get around the tough tests- a highlighted copy w/ notes and answers, and a voice recorder that the teacher (and nobody else) somehow didn't hear.

The teacher wandered around the classroom and she knew she'd get caught, so she made up an excuse to go to the bathroom and fix her makeup. The teacher knew what as up and caught her in her request. She left the room crying, and I could feel how hurt I was... but also had to finish that test.

A little while later we heard a big thud from the far end of the school; turns out (we think) a tornado had hit it. I pointed out another twister off in the distance that got close pretty quick and was gonna swipe the same end of the building as the last one. We al started to file outta the classroom, and went down the hallway to go to the shelter for the tornado.

On the way there, I found the girl again. She was busy crying in a hot tub. The hot tub was there before too; I remember it from another dream. We talked and I comforted her (sitting on the outside of the tub), and that's when I woke up.

This dream was strange; for one, it didn't have a totally ludicrous plot. A few things didn't make sense, but for the most part, it was plausible, anchored in reality far more than most my dreams. I dunno where the deep emotions for this girl came from but I can feel again, that my body was reacting to the dream pretty vigorously- heavy heart, etc. I'm not even 100% sure who this girl is. She looks like one or two people I know, but a very different personality from either that doesn't match anyone else.

It'll be interesting to see if these continue. I know this isn't the first dream about her... hopefully won't be the last. Do have to wonder though, what's being stirred up with these dreams. Sometimes I can understand the symbolism, but this time it's escaping me.

Weekend

2007-06-01T10:16:00.001-05:00

Slept funny, think the humidity and lack of circulation in the bedroom is hurting our sleeping patterns. Slept on something funny cuz a few parts of my side hurt, too.

Plus, barin's mushy and stomach's not feeling right. Lovely way to start a weekend.

Supposed to go down to Kenossha tonight. We can buy a few months' worth of groceries down at Woodman's for the cost of a few weeks' worth up here, including bus to Kenosha (and sometimes gas for friends coming back up)... so we were gonna do that tomorrow morning after staying at Kacy's parents' place tonight. Not sure I'll go, espec with the fact I get bus-sick sometimes, and already feeling crappy won't help.

I might sleep it off, stay here, and take the time to write more. I've added another page to my story, but hard to focus on fantasy when you feel like you're gonna throw up.

I do need to implement the 'Write for an hour before you do anything else' policy, though... make it a habit. My morning routine is pretty standard no... wake up wheneve Kacy gets me up, have coffee/breakfast, check notes on Aardwolf, and then find something there to occupy me. Tossing in an hour of writing after she leaves for work wouldn't be a problem.

We'll see how I feel after a nap, might go down there. Might just stay here anyway, feeling good or not, to get some writign time and work on school stuff. Guess we'll see in a few hours.

Tagged again

2007-06-01T08:53:00.001-05:00

I was gonna post anyway, but since I checked Technorati first and saw the tag from Kris, I'll respond to that first.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:15, later than usual... usually 5:45 but musta hit snooze a few times (and still feel tired).

2. Diamonds or Pearls? I love my black onyx ring. No diamonds; I don't go for overinflated rocks with price/demand set by the industry when they get them via slave labor.

3. What 2 things do you always have with you? Glasses (always on), my keys and wallet if I go anywhere.

4. What's ur fave TV Shows? Heroes, Venture Bros, Mythbusters, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Futurama.

5. What do u usually have for breakfast? Either a cinnamon bagel or Pop-Tarts.

6. What is your fave book? I haven't read in years... when I was reading, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series

7. What is your middle name? Michael

8. What food do u like? American-Italian (now that I know the difference)

9. What is ur fave Cd's? I just added a music player to my blog to show (right sidebar at bottom). Probably Forest for the Trees or Enigma's Cross of Changes.

10. What type of car u drive? I don't drive, vision's too poor.

11. Favorite Sandwich? BK's Chicken sandwich, no mayo, add cheese and bacon.

12. What characteristics of person you wouldn't like? I don't like smarmy people, and I prefer a certain level of maturity (in general).

13. Favorite Clothing? It's too warm for it now, but I spent most the winter in a raggedy old green hoodie I inherited from Kacy.

14. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation where would you go? I wanna visit Stonehnge. Also Mexico (Aztec ruins), Scotland, and Las Vegas (again).

15. What color is your bathroom? Royal(?) blue

16. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't pay attn to brands, tho I do like my Old Navy tagless tees.

17. Where would you like to retire? Phoenix, Vegas, or northern Florida

18. When was your most memorable bday? Probably my 18th... limo ride w/ friends down to Medieval Times (including obligatory limo problems)

19. Fave expression? Depends on the person... I just know I use the same ones too often.

20. When is your bday? Aug 4

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I prefer night, but can do either.

22. What's your shoe size? 9 to 10, depending on the company.

23. Pets? Two rats, Ophelia (Fifi) and Ruby.

24. What do you want to be when you were little? I don't remember when I was very little. Once I learned about computers, though (age 8 or so), that's where I was.

25. How are you today? Tired and feeling sick.

26. What is your favorite candy? Peanut Butter M&Ms or Rolos

27. What is your favorite flower? Lily of the Valley, reminds me of my grandpa.

28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward? I'm waiting to hear what day it is yet, my staffing for DVR/Badger.

29. What Church do you attend? Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist

30. what are you listening to right now? Nothing atm... list in the right tab shows if/what/when.

31. What is the last thing you ate? Bagel for breakfast.

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? White, so I stick around longer than the other colors.

33. How is the weather right now? 70ish, kinda humid... waiting for storms.

34. Last person you spoke on the phone? Jim, the driver from Badger.

35. Favorite Drinks? Sprecher's Orange Dream, White Russian

36. Favorite Restaurant? I love Chubby's huge hamburgers when I can get there, which isn't often enough. Otherwise, Charcoal Grill.

37. Hair color? Brown

38. What is your favorite toy as a child? Legos, Lincoln Logs, Construx... anything I could build with.

39. Summer or Winter? Summer- no snow.

40. Hugs or Kisses? Depends on the person, usually hugs.

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate, unless it's a good French Vanilla

42. When was the last time you cried? Might've been during a panic attack last year but I don't remember. Otherwise, an argument (I think?) with Jess.

43. What is under your bed? Nothing, just cleaned out laundry from under there a few days ago.

44. Who is the friend you've had the longest? That I talk to regularly, Steve. Otherwise, Craig, but he's not online much to talk any more.

45. Favorite smell? I visited my first girlfriend (Amy) once, and stayed in her bed while she slept on the couch (we were 15/17 at the time, nothin' naughty allowed). I can still remember the scent of her body from the bed, etc.

46. What are you afraid of? Heights, flying, and mushrooms.

47. Plain, butter or salted popcorn? Salted, though butter isn't bad.

48. How many keys in your key ring? 9. Two house keys, two for my mom's house, one for my dad's, three padlock keys, and my file/safe key.

49. Favorite day of the week? Weds... NWN night and second day of new week of school so no real homework/class stuff to do.

50. Do you make friends easily? Online, yeah- I'm pretty open. Not as much so in real life.

I don't have anyone to tag, all the people I know would post are already tagged. (I need new friends. *sniff*)

Nature

2007-05-30T08:34:00.001-05:00

Nature and I don't get along very well. We coexist, but rather not deal with each other. Light sensitivity and all that means we're not gonna have a good time.

I found out this applies even when generally hiding from it. Was goign to write this morning, but birds chirping outside (had front door open for the breeze) really bugged me. I can't write when it's quiet, but apparently I need my noise rather than nature taunting me.

I tried to write a bit last week too, and the power went out. Maybe it was a hint.

I think I'm overdue for a nap, but we'll see what can be mustered up today... other than the sleepy cobwebs, I can feel creativity waiting and brewing underneath.

Quick update.

2007-05-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

It's warm- AccuWeather says mid-80's. Thank the gods for the breeze! Much nicer than old place, even if we have to put up with mice (the bad kind, though we haven't seen them since that one day) and idiots driving by with bass up too high for anyone's good. Idiots. *grumble*

Appointment with Claire got moved back, a week from Monday now.

Gonna go try to write some more.

Edit- Maybe not. I did add a few sentences, but that was it.

The front door is open to cash in on some of that gusty wind to help with the temperatures and air flow. I'm hearing conversations, cars, and the 'bonkies' from our wood chimes outside the front door, and it's too distracting. I'm a little paranoid about having just the screen door open and not paying full attention with headphones on. I know the chances of anything happening are slim, but we are in a transitional neighborhood and idiots are more rampant when the temp's warmed up.....

Music can be a help sometimes, but it can be a distraction at other times. When I started the story, it was a help, it kept my mood up and was just in a 'good zone'. Those times are always fun. Today, though, I couldn't find music I liked so it was mroe of a distraction having to change it every song or two.

No big deal, though. I've got Stephen Lynch on DVD from Netflix to watch, so I'll find some food, take a breather, and give it a shot tomorrow morning when it's cooled off.

Eek, it's RoboTymme!

2007-05-23T16:53:00.000-05:00

I had that visit from the 'vendor' (it's two people, though only one came here) that sells Jordy.

I tried out a few things. I tried Jordy first. I could be out in the living room, and with the right magnification settings, could read the bag of coffee on the far end of the kitchen, probably 25' away! It also had useful modes for reading text, adding a stand, etc.

I tried a similar product afterwards, but forgot what it was, and wasn't that impressed anyway... it didn't have the zoom and wasn't as clear with what it showed, etc.

I also learned about the Amigo, which is a portable CCTV magnifier. It worked really well for sitting on the table and reading text that was under it.

So, both of these are going to go to Claire tomorrow and be on my recommendation (well, 'required') list, along with a smaller LCD screen that both can connect to so that I can use them without wearing them, etc. The lady that did the demonstration today will also be coming back once I/we have the equipment to help me get a better feel for it, which isn't bad.

Kacy even got 'hired' for helping her with a small rehearsal dinner/cookout in July for her son... so it was a productive day overall!

Haven't done much in the way of writing. Quirky sleeping habits have left me frazzled, and the glare on sunny days seems to scatter my mind as well. (Random conversations from Kacy seem to get on my nerves and are more frequent lately, too, which always kills my writing ability.) Kacy will be babysitting for one of the daycare's families once a week for a little extra cash, though, so I'll have a night to myself soon, and can hopefully use that to my advantage.

Yawnage.

2007-05-22T06:45:00.001-05:00

Not much new to report. Kacy saw a mouse yesterday morning, but we'd already started cleaning anyway... this just helped push the effort and will hopefully get her to stop nesting and leaving food out so much. We also picked up a few traps and put them out, but haven't checked them to see if we caught anything yet.

Went out last nite with Kacy and her gf Heather. They're good friends, and she lives a block east of us, but just haven't managed to get together much w/ conflicting schedules. Tried out a bar downtown, had a yummy calzone and a bit to drink, but nothing special. Went to her place afterwards and talked for a few hours.

So, now I'm working on my paper that's a day late, which is 1 letter grade drop... but not that concerned about it; I wasted the day yesterday exercising my creativity by playing SimCity 4 and then going out, so it's my fault. Think SimCity was just what I was looking for lately; I've had the creative spark, but not in writing as much. SimCity's a good way to get the brain stirring again.

I've still got the story to work on, and have the 'spark' there, too... just timing isn't the best. With Kacy working short weeks and not having class/etc., by the time I'm awake enough to write (or waking back up from a nap), she's getting home. Her hours will be longer starting next week, so that should help. Once I"m caught up in class, and have Heroes watched, I'll have this week free, too. So, here's to hoping for more scribblings in the near future....