6 for Rix

Rixblix tagged me.

Tag Rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My six random things:

• I have never broken a bone
• Summited Mt. Whitney (tallest mountain in the US outside of Alaska)
• I am the inventor on 2 US Patents and an inventor on 2 more
  
• Boxers or briefs? Neither, I wear boxer briefs
• I've been in 47 of the 50 states
  
• Family has been in North America since 1639 which makes me a native since my ancestors were here before there was a United States of America

I'm supposed to tag 6 more bloggers but I won't because I am generally opposed to chain letter type things, but I made an exception and (partially) participated in this one just for Rixblix.

the absolute truth about jury selection

This is how John Edwards and other vermin like him got rich.

my blogger bash defloration

A very interesting and enjoyable (surprisingly so for an INTP like me) night attending the blogger bash. Initially I seated myself at the bar and took stock of the scene. I recognized a couple of the attendees. Thank you to Sue, Diane, Jaded and Katie for drawing me in.

Good choice of location. Tough to beat $1.25 drafts!

You know how when you listen to someone on the radio and develop a mental picture of that person? Then you see the billboard advertising that radio person and he doesn't look like your mental picture? I had that same experience tonight. Some people have posted pictures of themselves on their blogs so they were not a surprise, others haven't and were. I imagine others had the same response to my presence.

Everyone I met was very friendly, interesting and non-judgmental. It was a much more diverse crew than I expected. I was anticipating a narrower slice of the population taken from the digerati area of the pie.

For Rixblix who was not there: you missed seven hotties including one wearing panties that were white with light blue stripes. I estimate a 7:1 ratio of stripe spacing to stripe width, but was unable to determine whether it was a thong. I can provide additional description of her and other hotties upon request.

melrose memories

BTG wore a skirt today that hearkened me back to the glory days of Melrose Place business attire. Damn good for a Monday, hopefully there will be more of that in the future. Check 30 seconds into this clip for a reminder of what it was like.

interesting plate

I saw a license plate today "S_N_EM_1". I was curious to see the person(s) who so boldly proclaimed their lifestyle. But I didn't see the car's owner so the mystery will remain.

where did it all go?

I got my annual Social Security report in the mail. According to the statement I have paid $50,769 in SS taxes and my employers have paid $51,190. I would gladly forego all future SS payments if I could have my $50,769 under my control and ownership. Getting even a portion of my employers' "contributions" would be icing on the cake. I want to opt out of this Ponzi scheme!! Let me keep my earnings and I won't ask for or expect anything when/if I retire. Is that $101,959 in an account with my name on it? NO. It has been squandered on ethanol subsidies and every other asinine thing the feds do with my tax dollars. If it had all gone for bullets and tanks and killing terrorists and other Constitutionally proscribed things, I wouldn't mind, but it didn't.

My employers and I also have each ponied up $12,082 to the Medicare system. Again I would rather have that money myself and get nothing from the federal government when/if I retire.

selfless then selfish

I took the boys to the Chillicothe Shore Acres Pool this afternoon so J could have some time to herself since she has had a long week with those two and I checked out for a couple days following the head shrinking Tuesday. We had a good time. G was too afraid to go on the big slides, but had a good time with the rest of the facilities and J2 enjoyed himself all around. I was even able to avoid being too distracted by hotties in bikinis to keep track of both boys.

This evening I went to Old Chicago to play trivia and catch up on the current mini-tour. The sad bartender was there looking a little less sad than usual. She was wearing shorts (first time I have seen that) and her legs looked great!

I wish J was awake so she and I could talk.

older dudes and urinals

I have noticed a trend among older guys leaning against the wall behind the urinal while taking care of business. The common pose is leaning forward with one forearm against the wall and resting his head on his forearm while his other hand takes care of aiming. This is weird to me. I try to touch as little as possible in bathrooms. These guys go out of their way and increase contact with bathroom surfaces. I have not seen anyone under 50 doing this. I do not plan to adopt this old guy behavior when I get to that age.

the economy is NOT that bad

How do I know this? Because of the advertisement for a new store at Grand Prairie touting its fresh baked biscuits for DOGS! No more whining about the economy until this place is out of business!

not routine yet

Another shrink appointment this evening. Since starting the head shrinking process I have had a few flashes of insight while going about my usual activities. Puzzle pieces I hadn't put together before, connections I hadn't made. Still far more questions than answers. Maybe now at least I am asking better questions and more open to answers than I was before.

back to the routine

Back to work for the first day of a full work week after three irregular weeks. I was happy to get home Friday and enjoyed spending time with J. We went on a short date Friday night while trying out a new babysitter. J was very generous letting me catch up on sleep Saturday and Sunday morning. Made plane reservations for a trip to Colorado with my dad the first week of September. I have been keeping a pretty regular schedule of jogging to try to prepare for the rigors of hiking at elevation which constitute the purpose of the trip. I hope to have reports of successful summits for the blog following the trip. I was disappointed by the failures of our trip two years ago to Mt. Baker and Ruth Mountain. I need to do better this year to redeem myself.

smooth travel

Flying from Louisville to Peoria via Chicago went without a hitch or delay. Waiting for baggage in Peoria took its usual, inexplicably long time. I had a long layover at O'Hare and put in a couple miles of walking while passing the time listening to my iPod. There was the occasional bit of nice scenery as I made the rounds of the B, E, F and G concourses.

successful plant visit

Good visit to the supplier plant today. It was a clean, efficient facility. After returning to Louisville, I jogged around the Expo grounds. Then dinner with the business associates. I left them at the hotel and went to BWW to play trivia. The location I chose was at the northern end of a very long string of bars and restaurants. If I was going to go bar hopping, Bardstown Road in Louisville is the place to go. It must have been two solid miles of bars and restaurants before getting to BWW.

interesting vehicle feature

Ended up with a Dodge Journey for a rental car yesterday. I hadn't previously heard of this vehicle. This one was equipped with an anemic four cylinder engine. In an attempt to make up for that shortcoming, the air conditioning (i.e. compressor) was shut off whenever I put the pedal down hard to accelerate. I have often manually turned off the AC in cars when I couldn't afford the power drain, interesting that this vehicle did so automatically.

post family vacation business trip

I like to travel alone. This business trip I am not. Yesterday I drove 4 hours to Milwaukee with a guy from work I had never met before. I was really dreading it but it turned out OK because he was on a conference call for half the drive. We were meeting a supplier in Milwaukee, but I managed to avoid going out to dinner with them. I went to a local bar and played trivia while watching the baseball All Star game.

We went to the supplier's plant this morning and reviewed their manufacturing and quality processes. After lunch was a total waste of time. Nothing of the main purpose of the visit was accomplished. Finally it was time to leave for the airport. Mechanical and weather delays resulted in being almost two hours late getting to Louisville, KY. Once here my work associate, the supplier representative and I went out for a couple beers and something to eat. Tomorrow we drive an hour and an a half to another plant of the supplier. I am hoping to get away by myself tomorrow night.

wedding reception problem

I have the same complaint about wedding receptions that I have about most bars: the music is TOO DAMNED LOUD! I am not an old fogy but I do like to actually hold conversations without yelling and that was not really possible at the wedding reception yesterday. People on the dance floor need to hear the music, but it does not need to overwhelm conversations 70 feet away. I don't know anyone who enjoys the wedding reception sounding like a rave or frat party, but they all do anyway. Look at the size of the speakers in proportion to the space. It is completely out of whack. The dance floor isn't much bigger than a typical living room, but the speakers are ten times bigger than most home speakers. Why? The only thing I could come up with is that it gives people an excuse to not talk to people they don't want to talk to and/or to pretend not to hear things they don't want to hear.

family vacation dispatch 9

Got going about an hour later this morning than J had planned, but we made good time on the highway and got back to Peoria around 5. Plenty of time to mow the lawn twice, have dinner, go to the store twice, set up the replacement Dish DVR box and try to get ready for going back to work tomorrow. I have kept up with my work email while I have been gone so at least there shouldn't be a mountain of unexpected crap waiting for me. Overall it was a good vacation. The timing and duration were not ideal, but it certainly got me away from the daily grind.

family vacation dispatch 8

Tonight was the cousin's wedding. Nothing too noteworthy about the day. The reception was the fanciest of the many family weddings I have been to with J. One of J's cousins (not the one getting married) wore a hat and gardening gloves. Her family has a habit of needing to be the center of attention at any event, especially if it is supposed to be somebody else's day.

family vacation dispatch 7

J and  I have been jogging together twice in the last three days. This activity can be a source of tension for us because she is naturally faster than am I and we are both competitive people. I have been jogging more often of late than has she so that helped to even us out. I really enjoyed the time together and wish it was something we were able to do more of, but without the free and available grandparent babysitters, it just isn't in the cards. 

Otherwise it has been pretty low impact here at my parents' house. I bought some new hiking shoes and J got a pedicure in preparation for tomorrow's wedding. My brother and his family visited last night. Fortunately the kids were able to be outside for once so that kept the stress level down. My brother and I helped my dad with some computer issues. I continued that activity long into the night and throughout today also. 

family vacation phase 1 wrap up

Woke to the best weather of the trip: sunny, breezy and dry air. Too bad it was time to leave. One last morning with the Moldovan princess (the name J and I have been using for the cute housekeeping girl at the hotel), a final continental breakfast and a last sweep of the room and we were off. Two more pictures from the trip: the first of general hotties on the beach and the second of my hottie (J) looking good on the beach.

family vacation dispatch 6

J's parents and sister (and family) headed back home today. Her parents left because her mother's mother is in the hospital with a broken hip. Her sister left because her babysitters and all around support system were leaving. Today was J's birthday so I tried to get the kids to focus on what she wanted to do instead of what they wanted. I think that was somewhat successful. We had a cookout for dinner with her brother and his family. It was a very good time for everyone. The night ended with a big bonfire on the beach. Overall a very good vacation for everyone, now its on to phase two: staying with my parents for a few days then going to the cousin's wedding.

family vacation dispatch 5

J and J2 left early this morning to ride horses with the cousin and brother-in-law. G and I went miniature golfing then ran a couple errands and got lunch. It was overcast all morning, the first sub-prime weather we've had. We played cards with Grandma and later I went for a jog. Grandpa took everyone to dinner (grandpa, grandma, me, J, J2, G, cousin, J's brother, J's brother's wife, J's sister, J's sister's husband and their twins). Dinner was very nice and afterward we walked around the little downtown a bit. Then back to the hotel and a little time on the beach before getting the kids settled down for bed. J's mother then came over and told us that her mother had fallen and broken her hip. Now I sit with the boys: J2 is reading and G is supposed to be going to sleep while J is in her mother's room. Phase one of vacation is winding down.

family vacation dispatch 4

Lazy day for me today. Slept late while grandpa took the boys to the Cherry Festival downtown. I watched the F1 race after waking up and then went down to the beach with the whole family, then to the pool with J2 and G. Just our family had pizza for dinner then everyone except me went out on a pontoon boat. I stayed ashore due to my propensity for motion sickness. I went to the store to get a few supplies. Now I am listening to podcasts waiting for them to return. I feel kind of lonely, and not the good lonely. J and J2 are going horseback riding tomorrow morning so it will just be G and me to entertain ourselves. Both the kids are getting overwrought and tantrums and apoplectic breakdowns are increasingly frequent.

family vacation dispatch 3

Another day of perfect weather. Got up with the family for continental breakfast then spent the rest of the morning on the beach playing in the sand with G. I went for a long jog after J took over kid duty on the beach (J's sister doesn't seem to have to make these trade offs since the grandparents continuing to enable their dependency). After several hours on the beach the kids were ready for some rest and we hung out in J's parents' room playing Scrabble while the kids watched a Harry Potter movie. J's brother had procured hot dogs, brats and side dishes for dinner and grilled out here at the hotel. We then all played and drank on the beach ending the night with S'mores. Pretty tough to complain about anything today, so I won't.

Even J commented on the hotties on the beach today so it was a good day on all fronts.

view from our hotel room

Here's what it looked like mid-afternoon on Thursday from the balcony of our hotel room. Weather has been great so far here.

family vacation dispatch 2

Wow, that was some crazy shit in those last couple posts. It was a surprise to see much of that this morning. Actually it wasn't until after noon since I had all of last night's drinking to sleep off. J had the kids on the beach while I slept. After finally getting going I took the kids to the pool. Then we went miniature golfing with Grandma and cousin in tow. Then it was dinner with Grandma, cousin, sister-in-law and twin boys in addition to my family. Everyone else spent the whole afternoon golfing. Following dinner we hung out on the beach while the kids played in the sand. I went to the store for supplies. When I returned everyone was back from golfing and we sat on the beach to watch the fireworks. Seemingly every hotel on the bay was having its own, amateur fireworks display so we had all those to watch in addition to the professional, city display in the distance. Overall a decent day including some nice hottie spotting on the beach.

unfiltered crap

I can barely see. I close my eyes and lean my head on the concrete. Part of me wants to die. I care for nothing, want nothing, seek nothing, desire nothing. Oblivion is all that I want. It is the only thing that is solid for me. The only thing I can grasp. So many times I wish I could fade away into nothingness. But I have anchored myself to this world. A wife, children. These are what tie me to what IS. My mind does not exist there. It lives in what "might be" and what "should be". Those places are not real. When will I accept what IS? Part of me hates who I am right now. Part of me wants only to sleep and forget. The responsible part will close down his computer, go back to his hotel room, take out his contact lenses and try to play the role of decent husband and father and son-in-law and brother-in-law tomorrow (actually later today). I do not know the real me or what he thinks or feels about this. I suspect that the "real" me wants to be a hermit.

family vacation dispatch 1

Way too drunk to be blogging, but here I am. In a stairway in the hotel next to our hotel "stealing" their WiFi. Stayed in the bar in the main floor of our hotel with the brother-in-law until midnight (EDT). Watched baseball on the big screen and otherwise did normal stuff this evening. Today everyone pretty much got to do what they wanted to. I got up with J and the kids and went to breakfast. After that I went back to sleep while J and the kids went miniature golfing. Then J and the two boys and I went shopping in the quaint, little downtown here. I went jogging while J and everyone else played on the beach. I met them for dinner after jogging. J2, G and their cousin went into the cold lake after dinner. I hung out with the brother-in-law at the bar for sometime after that. Now I am totally wasted and regretting every sip of it. It is getting worse. Such a mistake to stay at the bar with J's brother and keep drinking. I just had beer while he was mixing beers with shots of Jagermeister. I want to puke, to purge myself of this stupidity. But stupidity comes in many forms: drinking too much, borrowing too much, lying too much. I have done plenty of the later most of those, now I just do the first of those occasionally. Now is one of those occasions. I want to sink into oblivion. That is where I am happiest, because there I do not exist. There, in dreams, I am no more. Just a passenger, just an observer am I in dreams. I should become a Buddhist so I can just watch, just observe life. Take it in and not care. If I care, I hurt. If I ignore, I don't. If I sleep, I dream. If I dream, I live. If I wake, I don't know what to do.