Walk'n In A Winter Wonderland

1. I am tired and I can't seem to catch up on sleep because there are too many fun things to do.

2. I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I got some new boots for Christmas (one of the things I ACTUALLY asked for....whaaaaaat?) and a bunch of other really cool things that I am excited about.

3. I got to enjoy a bit of time with some old school NES and SNES games. Some of them are still awesome. Ducktales rules, both as a cartoon and a video game. Though Uncle Scrooge never pogo-sticked around on his cane in the cartoon. (see below)

4. I got to play out on the ice with some friends. It was a good mix of people. Some friends I currently live with, but with them were some of their friends who are visiting them. One from California and one from Kansas. Also included in the list of awesome people on the ice were a friend of mine who I want to hang out with like every week, but he lives in Georgia and now he is taking his girlfriend back with him rather than leaving her here to play more on the ice. Thanks to all those people for coming out and freezing your toes off. You need to get skates. It will help.

5. I can't believe that I am at work today or, for that matter, this week at all. It is super slow and I have spent all of my time wasting time. I have only processed four orders all day today and each order takes me about 5 minutes at MAX. That equals twenty minutes of work and over three hours of sitting here being very tired. Nothing in the wide world of work could be better than this. I have seriously considered asking if I could go home because it is wasting time. I would take a non-paid day off...gladly.

6. I am so very fortunate to know pretty great people. I have been fortunate to make nice friends and they are all fun and nice and understanding. It is lovely. *high five* to those folks.

~tood (yep, two 'o's today)

Hello again.

I haven't written in awhile, but then again, I haven't had much to say, so you should be thanking me. Oddly enough, I still don't have much to say, but I thought I should probably just put something here so that if you do enjoy coming here on a regular basis, you would have something new to look at.

So here is it...something new.

I can't believe it is already this close to Christmas already. I haven't done any shopping for anyone, and I feel like I should probably do that soon. I don't have many ideas for people, but then again, I usually think of stuff when I am out shopping. I think that I am getting to the point in my life where I like to know what I am going to go and get before I shop at a mall around this time of the year. I just...am a bit afraid of people in malls, I think. I also think that I think most of those people are idiots, but that has more to do with this job and how it is poisoning my mind and, apparently, soul.

Yesterday I got to enjoy some time with my friends Mike and Jenny and their son, Dylan, who is also my friend. Dylan smiles when he sees me and recognizes that he and I can have of good times together. As someone who is just barely two (I think?) he doesn't have many words to say, but he has a lot to say. He is fun and he likes to cuddle with me and also he likes to laugh at me, both of which I like too. Yesterday, he and I spent some time inside this awesome tent with a tunnel that ran out the door and into the living room. We would whisper inside the tent and the BURST through the door and scare is parents. This was entertainment for everyone. Both Jenny and Mike agreed that Dylan likes me a lot. Of course he does, when I come over we just play. I don't make him eat crappy food, I don't have to tell him "no", I let him play with my cellphone (so do they, so I am not teaching him bad things). Basically every time I come over, every time he interacts with me...it is positive. I think I am destined to be this type of guy for a lot of kids. My other friends, Than and Sarah, have experienced this with their kids, and there are a couple of other children that have benefited from the Todd brand of spoiling. I like spoiling kids with attention rather than candy. I can see that, as a parent, you can't possibly give kids all the attention they want, but all of my friends who are parents give their kids all the attention they need and then some, so they are all sitting pretty good.

but that doesn't mean the kids don't frick'n love it when Uncle Todd walks through the door.

I wish...

I wish I could draw like Grant Gould...check out his stuff at http://grantgould.blogspot.com/

a little funny in a standard day

I haven't written anything lately, but I am sure this picture will make up for it. Enjoy and check back next week for some writing. I will have more to say then.

Bring me some snow.

Yeah, that's right. I said it. Bring me some snow. I figure if it is going to be cold, it should look cold out there. Plus, I like a good snow. It is pretty, I can play in it...and it means there is ice on the rinks. Oh BOY! I can't wait to get out there and skate around. I love playing me some hockey, but can never get myself to pay for ice time to go play around with people. I wish I could, but I just never have. This will be the time of year that I really miss my friend Than because we would go and skate around outside together. I have a some particularly fond memories of skating outside with him. One of them was the first time I went out to skate on the rink in Apple Valley. It was the evening after we had gotten off of work and by the time we made it to the rink, there weren't many people around. We had a whole rink all to ourselves and we began skating around. Snow fell lightly from the sky and the lights shown down on us from the lights around the rink. We skated and skated, (we took lots of breaks too) as the snow continued to fall. It was beautiful. I remember laying down in the middle of the rink, on the ice, watching the snow fall in my face. It was a perfect night filled with laughing and skating and trying to figure out how to skate AND hold a hockey stick AND shoot the puck. When we had arrived at the rink, the ice was perfect, pristine...shining without a mark on it. By the time we left there wasn't a spot on the ice that hadn't been cut by our blades.

The other great memory I have took place in Red Wing, where Than and his wife and two kids (at the time. now he has three! congrats friend) lived. We drove out to kind of the middle of this large open area to the edge of the woods. There was a rink, lit up and surrounded by trees on two sides. It was stunning. I would make the trip there JUST to go skate on the ice again, even if Than doesn't live there anymore (they all moved to Iowa). Than's brother-in-law, Kevin, was there as well and, while later we would be very displeased with him, at the time we were both pretty alright with him. He is a good guy, but has some problems in his life that he needs to deal with. Anyway, the three of skated around in the lights, played HORSE on the ice, and tried to show off. Kevin was very good at skating and shooting in general because, well, he didn't really have a job so he spent a lot of his days just skating around. He needed to grow a beard because I am sure his face got cold with all that outdoor skating. I usually grow a beard every winter and it is GREAT. So helpful. I always tell girls that if they could grow a beard, they would.

It is memories like those and many more that make me even MORE eager for some good old fashioned snow...and ice.

Wide open spaces.

I can't pee when someone is standing next to me at the next urinal. As soon as that toilet flushes though, I am golden...literally...well, usually clear but that is just cause I drink a lot of water. Yes, I am pee shy. I haven't really figured out why, but here is one possibility:

I just remembered that they didn't have stall doors on any of the toilets while I was in school in Hampton, IA. This means that every time that you had to sit down to do the big job in the bathroom, you were left exposed. No wonder no one liked to go to the bathroom in a public place, that experience will give you a complex. Yes, there were still stall walls, but no door, and for some reason, that seemed like a pretty important missing element to the whole bathroom experience...privacy. Also, they didn't have partitions between the urinals.

I thought, for a moment, that maybe this would have been helpful with my disability to use the restroom while in public. Like, it would have built up my immunity to being pee shy. I was wrong because, in my case, it just intimidated me enough to make it harder to use the restroom.

--------

"Nice haircut." A lady at work keeps telling me this. I know she has said it to me at least once since last week when she told me before. The thing is...I haven't gotten a haircut in a reeeeeally loooong time. I think the lady is crazy. Someone...please rescue me.

Brain = Jello

I am so bored today I can't remember the clever thing I was going to write about. I have been staring too much at this computer.

Why won't anyone hire me? I mean, is it really that bad in the job market that I can't get a job at Target or Best Buy? I feel like they are probably missing out on something here...but that is coming from me.

Oh well, at least I am getting paid.

-teej

4 people + 1,000 zombies =

Left 4 Dead. This game is supposed to be the best, newest multi-player game on the the Xbox 360 and PC. I downloaded the demo for the game on Xbox Live and my friend has purchased it for his PC. I think we both agree that this game is at its best when played with a friend (or three). It makes all the situations that much more intense and fun and scary, and you just can't beat hearing everyone scream all at once when a horde of zombies comes your way. When my friend and room mate sat down to play through a bit of the demo she whispered, "I have never seen anything like that. The zombies are so...agile!". This is completely true. The game shows zombies running...no...SPRINTING towards you, climbing over fences, and vaulting from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of the main characters. I don't know the whole story behind the game since I have only played the demo, but some of the zombies have completely mutated and have developed some 'extra powers'. Basically this makes for a variety of zombies, but the majority of them are still your regular 'ol brain crave'n ladies and gentlemen.

At one point during out adventure, BT and I were creeping through a house trying not to make too much noise (the zombies will hear you and attack suddenly). I saw a door over to the left of us and asked BT to please close that door so the zombies wouldn't sneak up behind us, which she did. I then continued on as BT followed a little behind me. Suddenly, from behind us, our two other members (AI controlled characters) start screaming and yelling and gunshots are heard echoing down the hallway. We both quickly turn around to run towards them only to run into the door being broken down, a la The Shining, by a horde of zombies. We start to shoot through the hole in the door and suddenly another horde of undead bodies piles towards us from another area. We are surrounded and shooting wildly. Luckily we are playing on easy because I am pretty sure I nailed BT in the head a few times with the shotgun in an effort to stop the zombies from taking her down. All this happens as we both are yelling and screaming about zombies and how many there are and how we need help and we are going to die. *pant, pant, pant* (Look around. No more zombies...for now.) And that was about the 10-15 minutes of game time that we had before we had to go to rehearsal. ummm...will the rest of the game be this awesome? I think so. I haven't even gotten into the fact that you can play as one of the zombies! How cool is that!? Imagine playing with your friends...four zombie players vs four human players. I am not sure how this all works out since I haven't been able to try it, but I imagine it has to be pretty darn awesome.

Stand up guy?

I was listening to the radio on my way to work today and someone on there was talking about someone guy that was a "stand up guy. He gives money to a charity..." then silence. Nothing more. Just "He gives money to a charity". That's it? That's all it takes? It was a celebrity they were talking about, but no one worth noting. The sad thing here is that seems to be what these celebrity folks think. That they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want as long as at the end of each month their name is mentioned as a charitable donor. This is not a blast at giving to charities at all, I think it is great and every little bit will hopefully help. However, I refuse to believe that it will INSTANTLY make you a better person. It is gonna take more than that you yuppie. I am not the be all end all of 'stand up guy guides', but i am don't think I am alone on this one. You have got to have a bit more on your resume than some random charity donations. It just really bothers me that these folks just throw some money at a problem then turn around and ignore the problem. Basically it just lets them live with themselves and their ridiculously lavish lifestyles.

On a different note: I like Saturday Night Live again. I used to dream of doing that show. That was my big goal. I should do more sketch writing, huh? And by more, I mean some.

wow

This has been an usual day.

I hope my friends are ok. I am thinking about them.

On a lighter note:

Christmas Carole Finale is going very well. Every night it seems to get better and better. It is exciting. I hope that you all can imagine what it will be like if you can't come.

Oh, and Mr. Bolan...if you are reading this...I would like you to come and visit.



That is all.

todd

fall'n behind...again.

poop. i be busy.

i apologize. will try to write more tomorrow.

heart,

todd

Look!

It's Saturday. I am not at work, so I don't want to spend much time on the internet or at a computer. Sadly, that means, this is all you get for today. Pretty exciting, huh? Later.

PS I raked a lot of leaves today.

Exploding eyes.

My eyes. They feel like they are going to 'splode....out my head.

What just happened?

I just went out to my car for lunch because I firmly believe it is important to get away from the workplace on your breaks. I finished a comic I needed to read by tomorrow so that I can return it to the library and had set my alarm on the phone so I would know when I was done with my break. I suddenly found myself curled up, reclined in my front seat.

I slept. Hard. When I woke up I felt like it was 6:45pm. I was out of it. I had no idea how long I had been out, where I was, what I needed to do...just that I wanted to go back to sleep till tomorrow.

It was not 6:45pm. It was 1:45pm and time for me to go back inside to sit here and stare at a computer screen, do nothing, and try and figure out what happened to me in the last 45 minutes.

The most bizarre sleep-related experience I have had (and I have had a lot since I used to sleep walk and talk a LOT) happened while I was living at home still. I was woken up by my mother asking me what I was doing. I answered, "Taking a shower", a little annoyed and surprised that she didn't know. At that point she asked me why I was taking a shower at 2:30am. I had walked to the shower, started it, gotten in and showered...all while being asleep. Had she not woken me up I probably would have gotten completely ready for the morning before realizing what time it was....and still being asleep.

Weird sleep stories anyone?

Wow.

One of my good friends from college just moved back here from Minnesota. She was nice enough to bring along her wonderful husband, and my new friend of about a year, along with her. I really can't express how excited I am about this. I treasure these people so much, no matter where they are at geographically, but it is certainly nice to be able to just call one or both of them up and say, "Hey, let's hang out tomorrow" and then we do. The unfortunate thing is this...I am so busy right now with getting Christmas Carol Finale up and ready for the December opening of the musical, that I really don't get to do as much with them as I would like. I understand that a large part of this has to do with the fact that I am just super excited to be able to hang out with them for more than just a few hours every couple of months, but there is still a big part of me that just wants to do everything with them that I have been wanting to do for...well...as long as they have been in CA.

One comforting fact: at least I know that I will get to see them eventually, and sooner rather than much later.

Sometimes

I just want to eat everything with my hands like I live in the jungle.

Imagine that...spaghetti in the jungle. Delicious.

Last one...

and then I am officially caught up.

Tea vs Coffee

Who wins?
-
When I am not doing any work at work, couldn't I just read instead? I mean, I would start working as soon as I got some work.
-
My eye has been twitching all day...almost all day yesterday. I have heard that means I am tired. Is this true? If so, how are those two things connected?
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I have had a picture of some cats with snails shells on their backs, drawn my my friend Jake, on my desk since I started here two years ago. How come no one asks me about this drawing? Are there really snail cats somewhere and am I the only one who doesn't know about them?
-
Who is your favorite superhero?
-
Can I get a what-what?


~t bagel

What has happened to me?

I used to think that the majority of people were good and nice and kind. Suddenly, I get this job, in this office, at this computer, and talking on this phone...and I really think that most people I speak to and get emails from are just plain horrible. (this means, JUST the people that are work related, not you lovely people who contact me during the day at work and keep me sane)

I don't like my job, but I could survive that if it weren't for how it is changing me. I am ultimately afraid of turning into a grumpy person because of this job. I am not a grump, but I find myself in a COMPLETELY sour mood every day because of this place.

There are so many things that I would do rather than work here. I have applied at the lowest paying jobs that I have applied for since high school. I want desperately to sell my car so that I can take a different job. Ideally I would just like it to blow up someday (while it is very far away from everyone) so that I can just get some money. I don't know how that works, but it could happen. Also, on that day, it will rain gumdrops and lollipops. Don't worry, I have a song prepared for that day and if you ask me to sing it to you the next time I see you, I will.

See? That's the kind of world I want to believe in. Right now, I just have to listen to cranky people talk about air filters and motors that suck or don't suck and how these people suck because they don't suck. Trust me, it is just as confusing and frustrating to me...heck, even more so probably.

Anyway, that was me venting a bit there. Come back later, I told you, I am making up for a weekend with no writing.

I lost.

I didn't write anything this weekend. Excuses:

I couldn't get on the internet.

There was someone in the room that has the computer in it. The whole weekend.

I am afraid of laptops.

I was rehearsing.

I forgot.

I am really not that interesting.

I will make up for it today.



I am so sorry. I lost.

I have to pee.

So this will be short.

Tonight I have an improv show. For those of you reading this blog and you doing the blog challenge...come and check it out. Even if you live...not here. Just hope on a jet and get here. If you can't come this Friday then you will have to be here in February because I think you would like to see some funny things on stage...err...in a coffeehouse.

I haven't had much time today to do anything fun, which is odd because usually I do have too much time.

For example, the last two days I have been keeping track of the amount of time I spend doing NOTHING at work. The 1st day it was 6 hours 10 minutes. The second day it was 6 hours even. Can someone please help me with getting a new job? Seriously, I am an excellent worker!

Take care.

Aftermath

I think everyone can be stubborn from time to time. I have tried to reduce the amount of time that I spend clashing with people just because. I really think that is the right thing to do. It makes our lives less stressful and I just might learn something if I just listen to someone instead of sticking to my guns just because I think my guns are shinier than yours.

This stubbornness is one of the reasons why I just don't understand the folks who lost this election. Didn't you listen to your candidates somewhat, at times, gracious speech? He admitted it. He lost. However, he didn't just admit he lost, he commented on how we need to rally AROUND our new president elect. Remember that? Remember how he said that? If not, go back and watch it again, cause he did. My advice to you: "Stop being so petty". You are gonna be with this president for awhile, at least four years if junior high social studies serves me correctly. And really, is there something that is REALLY bothering you about this guy? Are you pissed because you may have to pay more taxes? You know what, if it is going to make life better in the long run, I will pay more taxes. Yes, I do agree that a lot of money spent by the government is poorly used (see my previous post, Stimulate This) but that doesn't mean I don't think that some of it isn't used for good things. Anyway, back to what I was saying. I am tired ALREADY of these sore losers. Stop all this negativity. Stop it. Just stop it. Can't we be happy for once? Just take comfort in the fact that both candidates could form a sentence (some better than others). When it comes down to it, did you REALLY want to elect another incompetent person even CLOSE to the presidency, someone who would take over if the president should fall ill, someone who would stand directly beside each presidential decision? Really? Did you not listen to the debates? Did she even form a sentence, answer a question, or do/say anything she hadn't rehearsed for hours in front of a mirror?

I will say that I would have a bit disappointed had the election gone the other way because of that particular individual...not necessarily the candidate himself. However, I know that I am not stubborn enough to not support him, wish him the best, and pray for strength for him because he is the leader of our country.

For those folks acting like a five year old who isn't getting that Go-Bot that they really want...I will give you a few weeks...three at the most...but then I expect you to stand up beside your president elect, the United (UNITED) States of America, and the world to support the decision that has been made.

Cats

Why are cats so darn funny?

More writing to come later today, but this was funny enough to make me want to post it immediately.

~t

I live in a post-apocalyptic world and I am a post-apocalyptic girl.

It has taken me too long to get to this subject. Fallout 3. I purchased this game for the 360 the day it came out (actually I traded in some games and didn't pay anything for it thanks to the awesome clerk at the store) and then took that day off as a video game day. The last time I did this was the day that Crackdown came out, probably over a year ago. That day was awesome and filled with video games, pizza, and root beer in glass bottles. The thing about video game days is that it makes me feel like I am in middle school all over again, but just the awesome parts of middle school. Not the parts where I was picked on because of my home made Zoobas. The parts that I got to spend the night over at my best friend, Kyle's house, just playing Ducktales on NES or Twisted Metal on Playstation later on in our times together. Just taking the time to do nothing but rot my brain for an entire day with video games is just silly. And I love that. Sure I did some other stuff during this day, and, yes, I saw the sunlight a bunch that day, but for the most part I just dedicated my time to playing Fallout 3. This particular video game day's enjoyment was increased because I got to spend it with a good friend of mine. He was genius enough to pick up some gummy worms, DOTS, and chips along with the root beer in glass bottles that I had requested of him. High fives and thank yous to this gentleman. He rules. (Now, if I could just see him more often. *hint, hint* friend.)

So yeah, Fallout 3. Sadly, I have not gotten to play any of the previous Fallout games. However, I do remember seeing them and watching them and enjoying that quite a bit. (more enjoyable than watching Wolfenstein 3D as it didn't make me feel drunk) I do regret not ever playing these other Fallout games, but the only time I was allowed to play video games was at other peoples homes, so I never really had a chance to play anything for myself. Yes, I am making up for lost time with games now...still. In fact, the first thing I did when I moved out to go to college was to go and purchase a Playstaion. For the longest time I never had anything but the demo disc that came with it...but it was more than enough. I loved the freedom of being able to just play whatever whenever I wanted. Oddly enough, this is just what Fallout 3 AND video game day is all about. I get to do whatever I want in the game and on the day whenever I want. The choices you can make in this game are just endless. Of course, each choice you make will take away or present you with a new set of choices. There is no way of knowing what these choices will do, so don't bother. I don't even think that playing through the game more than once will help you determine the results of these choices as there are just thousands of options. Heck, some of the choices you make may not even be up to you. Things just happen in this game. One of my friends is playing through this game at about the same pace as me and there are more moments that we DON'T share than ones we HAVE shared in the game. It is incredible to think that we are playing the same game and both following the path of good, but not really seeing anything the same. Yes, that is something else. I am playing the game as a good guy, a person that will fight for the rights of zombies, robots, and humans alike. I haven't even experienced the game as a destructive force at ALL yet. Plus there is a way to just play down the middle on everything AND there is an ending to the game for ALL these scenarios. GAAAHH!!! Considering how large this game is right now, I should be playing this thing for the next 2 years of my life.

You may be asking, "How can I spend so much time with a game?". Easily it turns out. I find that when I sit down to play this game, I am getting really into it. The last time I felt this way about a game it was Bioshock. That was a beautiful game that had a great story and made it really easy to place yourself in the situations. However, Fallout 3 is just more realistic somehow. I mean, here I am wandering around a post-apocalyptic Washington DC and it just feels like something that really could happen. It feels gritty, dead, and very much like a wasteland. I mean, there are times when you see NOTHING for miles except burned out buildings and ruined statues. This makes the times you DO see something out there that much more intense. As you are walking around, suddenly you see a glowing light out across the night covered plains. You zoom in with your sniper scope (if you are lucky enough to have found one) and see it is a robot just wandering around. The next thing you see is probably some horribly deformed mutant with three long tongues flapping about and the only thing you can think is, "Oh crap. I have to get closer to see what exactly is happening there". Either that or you try and figure out a way to get around this confrontation without being seen. Really, the choice is yours.

The game is good at making you think like someone trapped in these circumstances. I have gotten in the mindset so much that, for some reason, I have been carrying around a metal pot and a metal pan because I feel like if I really WAS trying to survive in this sort of wasteland, that I would have these things with me at all times for cooking and such. What can I say? Being a boyscout rubs off even in my video game playing.

Like I said before, I didn't get the chance to experience any of the previous Fallout 3 games, so I can't say if this holds true to them. What I DO know is that I am just really enjoying the world that they have created here. Sure there are little things that will get to you, just like any game, but overall I can't help but spend a little time everyday thinking about this game. Even if I don't get to play (which I haven't really done lately) I am still thinking about what could happen or where I will adventure to next or what mission I should continue on or what sorts of monstrosities I will find next.

The possibilities are endless, and I can do whatever I want whenever I want...because I am a post-apocalyptic girl...

The Challenge

Well, the challenge has been laid down and I am accepting it. Write something everyday for the next three weeks. I was doing really well at writing daily, but it seems to have fallen behind for one reason or another.

1. Our servers at work have been just horrific. This means, as stated in previous blogs, that I can't do any work. What's so bad about that? I still have to sit here. What's worse than that? The fact that the internet can't be accessed during these times, so I am literally just sitting here...staring at a screen.
2. It has been somewhat busy for me at work because I am helping people with their computers. I seem to have a basic knowledge of how to create a folder on a desktop and suddenly I am the IT guy for our department or something. Whatever, at least I get to stand up and walk around once in awhile.
3. I have been spending most of my free time at work, when we actually have the internet, to try and find a new job. My friends keep sending me ideas and opportunities they see that may interest me and I immediately apply. It has gotten to the point where I hardly even read what the job is...I just apply. Thanks to those friends and please, continue this....heck, if you are reading this and would like to join the mission Get Todd A New Job....feel free. I would like it.
4. I haven't had much to say lately. I have been quiet in my life as of late. I guess I just don't have much to say. I hope that is OK.
5. I have a lot on my mind that isn't work related and I am starting to get busy with that stuff. "What stuff?" you may ask. Well, we started rehearsals for Christmas Carol Finale (CCF) and we have an improv show for Delusions of Grandeur on Friday night at 7pm (tell your friends and then show up with them!). So, I have been busy lately. However, I am still finding some time to read a LOT of comics. I haven't read so many comics since I worked at John's Total Entertainment. I have gotten my library card and am putting it to FULL use. I don't even know how many trade paperbacks I have been reading and I don't know how many I have checked out. I just know that I am loving it.

So yes. I will have to get past those things and just post something here every day for the next three weeks. Wish me luck and keep reading and commenting. It is really what keeps me coming back.

Have a good day.

Short and bitter.

Above is how I feel today. Stupid banks.

Below is what I looked at to make me happier. I need to find a way to do this show (Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged) again.

Stimulate THIS!

Okay. First off, I am not a great political mind. I am going to just type this like the regular Joe (Plumber Joe perhaps?) that I am.

I was driving into work today, down 35W South, and I noticed this billboard with headlines scrolling across it. The one that I was able to catch said, "Bush not opposed to the idea of a second stimulus package". I am assuming this means a stimulus package like the one that went directly to us folks and not the stock market. Here's the deal: Why didn't we just take the 700 billion dollars used for the stock bailout (which did nothing) and distribute it among the people of the United States? This isn't my original thought, I have to admit, someone sent this in an email to me awhile back as kind a 'what the crap' joke but somewhat serious email. Right now, I am agreeing with them. Yes, there would be some huge idiots that would misuse this money, but a really think a lot of people would use it to even out their debt if not resolve it, and, if that is the case, perhaps the government could not give this to people directly, but instead to the companies that are owed money by these people. If you don't owe anyone, congratulations! You get $100,000 from the government. Then what do you think those people would do with that? Spend it. Invest in a stock market or some sort of savings account or CD that will earn them money. What would happen to the stock market? It would go up...for a bit...because of this. People would be able to breathe a bit easier (I know I would love it) and be more likely to spend some money on something they may not need. How much would this ACTUALLY help? I can't say. I just know it makes a LOT more sense to give it to the people you are trying to help, ESPECIALLY if you are just going to turn around and approve ANOTHER economic stimulus package.

I don't know. I guess there are probably reasons to do this they way they did, but they are not very good reasons, from what I have seen and read. Obviously it didn't work real well and some companies took the money and went on vacation (see The Patron Saint of Awesomeness blog on the left for a brief look at this). When it boils down to it...I just want the government to give me money to open a store, go back to college, write a book, or any other of the thousands of things that crazy guy with the question mark jacket tells me I can get money to do.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

t-jayers

Calvin and Jobs

I really, really miss Calvin and Hobbes in the funny pages. I think that it was possibly the funniest comic strip ever made. Most people I know could relate, in some way, to that little guy and his imagined adventures. The content was great and the art was just fantastic. Some of my favorite. The expressions that were drawn were just classic.

Now. No more Calvin and Hobbes in the newspaper. Yes, they have some books with collected works in them (have you seen the GIANT collection?! Awesome.) and they are good. However, I keep seeing Calvin pop all OVER the place. And he is peeing on things. Chevy symbols, Ford logos, numbers 24 to 3, crosses, fishes, Osama Bin Laden....I mean, the list is pretty much endless. Which is why I hope that Bill Watterson, the creator and illustrator of Calvin and Hobbes, signed an aMAZing deal for the use of that character. I hope that for every drop of pee that cascades onto a digit, logo, or symbol Mr. Watterson gets a big, fat check. And when did this all start? How many years ago did we start seeing Calvin urinating on the back of cars and trucks (mostly trucks, let's be honest)? Because, if Watterson just got all his money up front...he didn't get enough. Calvin is apparently not going to stop peeing anytime soon, so Watterson should see something of that pee.

Happy Columbus Day!

So I am a day late. What can I say? I'm also a dollar short, so there you go...at least I complete all my idioms.

Yesterday we took a moment to celebrate a huge mistake. In fact, it may be the most celebrated mistake of all times.

We all make mistakes, but not often do we get any good feedback from them let alone a frick'n holiday or recognized day for them. Let's break this down.

Chris Columbus sails out to get to India. He sails and sails and sails and sails until...BOOM...he lands someplace. Mistake #1. Then, he says, "Hey, look at these Indians" and it sticks for all time. Mistake #2. Then, as if landing in the wrong place, assuming you are in the right place, and calling the folks there whatever you like...they decide to do some raping and some pillaging. Sure, why the heck not. Throw in a little disease and slavery and you Mistakes #3, #4, and #5...probably a handful of other mistakes that I am leaving out or forgetting about, but here is the point: C.C. is celebrated for making not one but something like TEN huge mistakes.

So I sometimes wonder, "Does it really matter if I type a 5 instead of a 9? If I turn left instead of right, so what? If I make the mistake of not remembering something, what's the big deal? Shouldn't these SMALL mistakes be overlooked or even celebrated?"

Apparently not. I am still punished in some way or the other.

I hate Christopher Columbus.

The System is down.

For the last couple days at work, I have been sitting here not doing anything. On Monday the fax machine was down, and at a job where I am entering orders from the fax machine...this leaves me with literally nothing to do.

Q: Why would I still have to be there all day?
A: I have no idea at all.

Tuesday, the fax machine was working but the system we use to put orders in...was down. All day.

Q: Why would I still have to be there all day?
A: I have no idea at all.

Are you starting to notice a trend? This company has officially wasted thousands of dollars in the last two days. It was so bad yesterday because even the Internet wasn't fully working, so I couldn't do much of anything to waste the time. It finally got to the point at which I just started reading a comic book. *sigh* I miss working at a comic shop so much. Do some work, do some cleaning, organize some comics and stuff, sell some stuff, talk comics with people, then read some comics. *sigh again* Beautiful.

There are some talks (with my former comic book store boss) of starting a comic shop here in the cities. It would be tough, but in the neighborhood I live in there isn't anything it around. It would be nice to have a nice little shop and it would be much better than working here.

Here's to dreaming about that.

-tj

Too bored to be bored

So. I enter orders that come into this company via fax. Today our fax machine was down...all day, so when I say I didn't do anything today...I really mean that. Why did I have to stay here all day? The world will never know. How stupid was today? Stupid enough for me to be SO bored that I am not taking time to write anything here until the END of the day. Beyond boring. So bored that I was too tired by being bored to even do anything. Does that make sense or has the boredom made me drunk?

It was so boring that the guy you normally talks constantly behind me, didn't say much. As evidence, here is a log I kept on Friday of what happened behind me.

11:31
Him: Do you get emails from Donna Smith?
Me: Yes
Him: She puts smiley faces on them.
Me: ...
Him: Like those...what are they?...emoticons?
11:32
All those years I wasn't working here I didn't know what I was missing.
11:34
I think the jalapeno is in the sauce.
11:34:30
It's got some kick to it.
11:39
Oh man! *mumble, mumble, mumble*
11:44
You could go with the old no arms no legs joke...call her Ilene.
11:59
I'm gonna be bacheloring tonight.
11:59:10
Egg drop soup. I'll have that tonight. Helps fight a cold.
11:59:40
Gotta go talk to Julie. Credit card order...has...*mumble, mumble*...credit card order...*mumble*
12:04
Pepperidge Farms. They make good cookies.
12:06
(He talk to a co-worker about Wayne's Pizza. He retold the entire story he told her, then told the story of when he told her. Too much was said for me to write down)
12:09
That A&W root beer hit the spot. They make the best root beer.
12:10
Don't go home. Go to the park...It's a little cool out there.
12:12
I think I will call this lady.
12:18
Put roller skates on her.
12:18:20
I could go home and get my roller blades and we could push her around.
12:48
I should have talked my girlfriend into waiting one week for that Duluth trip.
1:10
Hey Todd. What percentage of people dress up here for Halloween?
1:12
(As I am clearly up to walk to get prints) I had the weird idea of being a post-op transsexual.
1:13
I had friend in college and he dressed up like Betelgeuse and he took all the clothes out of dad's closet. (pause. pause.) It was cool.
1:15
So Todd....you said you won trophy? (paaaaaauuuussssse) Can I see it? (wanders into my cube)

LUNCH

So yeah...there is an idea of how crazy this dude is.

Cheers.

Sooo funny...

Well, nothing in THIS post will be funny...

However, you can expect some funny from a new improv troupe that a few of my friends and I have started called Delusions of Grandeur. These people are so funny that I can't stop laughing during the rehearsals. Oh well, it is just for plain 'ol fun. We have gigs the first Friday of every month starting...TONIGHT! 7pm. Less than 2.5 hours from now at a coffeehouse. Awesome.

This is another quick post, sadly, because it has been like actual work here today at the office. Pretty nifty how that happens once in awhile.

I still hate it.

_t_o_d_d

Ugh

Not much to write today because I am not feeling well. More tomorrow though as I am sure I am just over-tired today.

Sorry, but check back tomorrow.

~t

Return of the Jedi

If you have read the blog from the beginning, then you know that I have been playing Star Wars: Force Unleashed on Xbox 360. If you haven't been reading since the beginning, well, now you know. (perhaps you should take a look back at the things you have missed in the past...perhaps not...it's really up to you)

The reason I bring this up again is because it has rekindled my Star Wars love. Yeah, I love Star Wars. I have had the pleasure of being in two productions of this fantastic play called Hamluke which is Star Wars and Hamlet put together. It is just RIGHT up my alley, so it has worked out really well for me. Like I said, I have had the pleasure of being in two of the three productions of this show and it is a blasty-blast...hopefully the next time we do it will be at a Star Wars convention!

Anyway, the point being, there are things that once in awhile awake my inner Jedi. Hamluke is one of those things and now Star Wars: Force Unleashed is another. As a younger person I would spend large chunks of time with my best friend playing Star Wars customizable card games and listening to the soundtracks from all the original movies over and over and over again. Heck, I would play the game by myself I liked it so much. I have always been a fan of Star Wars, but I seem to go from liking it a lot to LOVING it. Right now, I am loving it.

In honor of this spring of Jedi love, I will try to make a list of things a Jedi should NOT use his powers for. A friend and I have talked a little about this, so I hope I can remember some of them that we came up with.

Things a Jedi should NOT do with the Force:

1. Flying. The Force can be used to improve the distance of your jumps, but should not allow you to levitate at any time. One addition: Darth Vader should never jump OR fly.
2. Make the dead your little puppet. You should never use the Force to move a dead body around in order to scare someone or make them laugh (or whatever else you can come up with in that crazy head of yours). The dead should not move. One stipulation: if you are being attacked by zombies go ahead and throw those rotting corpses against a wall or pop their heads off.
3. Use your mind powers to 'romance' a person. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.
4. Household chores. Don't be lazy. Plus it would look super lame if you were levitating the poop out of the cat box or spraying that cleaning solution on the window.
5. Eating. Pick up that cheeseburger with your hands, not the force. One stipulation: if a werewolf is attacking you, you can pick up that real silverware (you know? that stuff you got from your mother-in-law as a wedding present?) with the Force and throw it.
6. Playing a musical instrument. Trust me, you will look SOOO much more awesome just playing that accordion.

That's all I have for now. If you have any to add, leave a comment. I would love to hear them.

Later. Thanks for reading.

PS The trees look pretty outside.

Things change. Wait...what?!

Dear Just Born Inc,

I have been noticing for a bit now that your company, Just Born, has started to infiltrate a childhood favorite candy of mine. Mike and Ike candies. I can't help but notice that things have been changing with the classic candies. For as long as I can remember these delicious candies were packaged in boxes. Now they come in plastic bags? Does this make sense? Since when is plastic the NEW safe-for-the-environment material? Plus, it is SO much cooler to get a BOX of candies than to get a BAG of candies. Also, what is the deal with, like, four hundred different kinds of Mike and Ike candies? Mike and Ike were in a green box and they were pink, red, orange, green, and yellow. Of course, we had the option of enjoying Jolly Joes which were all purple ones, but now it is like a frick'n carnival of flavors and colors. Mike and Ike candies are ONLY to be in a green box and ONLY to be the previously mentioned colors.

I would like to think that after your company brought the planet the devil of sweet treats that you would learn to NOT mess these things up. Yes, I am talking about the one, the only...Peeps. Peeps are horrid. Peeps are the devil. However, you somehow managed to make them worse. Peeps started out as just an Easter item. Coming in the shape of birds, either pink or yellow. Now, suddenly, we are seeing bunnies come hopping down the aisles of our local stores. But did you stop there? Oh no. You had to bring these sugar coated sugar puffs to other holidays. Sugary trees grew all around stores during the Christmas season (which, by the way comes earlier and earlier every year MUCH to my disdain), puffy four leaf clovers sprouted up around St. Patrick's Day (ummm...beer please...NOT sugar coated sugar puffs), and even red, white, and blue marshmallow flags taunt me as I walk around during the 4th of July. The point is: you have taken something that I only had to deal with ONCE a year and now...I have to look at these horrors pretty much all year long.

Enough is enough.

Stop it. Just stop it. Please, bring back boxes of Mike and Ike candies. Stop messing with the delicious memories of these candies by adding every stupid flavor you come up with. (lemonade blends should be liquid...not gummy enough to get stuck in your teeth for hours of enjoyment) Make sure that IF you decide to have some flavor other than the classics...you call them something else entirely. Something like Jolly Joes or Snapple Fruities or something equally ridiculous. Just stop messing with my candy.

And stop making peeps.

Sincerely,

~t

Take me out to the black...

I like imagining things. I really do. I like making things up in my mind and creating things from those imganings. It passes the time and makes me feel a bit more free when I am trapped in the cube here at work, driving in traffic, or sometimes when I am just in a foul mood.

This is part of the reason that I am enjoying the time I am spending with some of my friends playing a little role playing game (RPG) based in the world of the Joss Whedon cancelled TV series, Firefly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series) For those of you familiar, please read on. For those of you not familiar...STOP...go find this TV series on DVD and watch it...completely...non-stop...and then you should continue reading. (really? cowboy/smugglers in space and you HAVEN'T seen this yet? come on!)

So yes, we have tried to get together every week and play a little and it has been very fun. Lots of great characters and dedication to those characters (even if it means getting in a lot of fights with your own crew). So far we have killed a lot of folks and even turned a little bit of a profit. Our game master is one of my favorites and his imagination is something to be reckoned with, as I am sure we will find out soon enough.

Another thing I have been imagining a lot about lately is escaping on another adventure. I recently got to run away to Colorado, land of mountains and trees and lakes and snow and cool air and delicious food, but now I have the itch again. Duluth may be in the cards before the snow happens. On the other hand, I have never seen Duluth in the snow, so it could be pretty awesome...but colder.

Oh, also...I went to Wendy's the other night and was immediately asked if I would be interested in a fresh, tastey Baconator. I declined.

Indoor rainstorms

Day two in the...what do the kids call it?...blogosphere? Whatever.

Last night I had rehearsal for the new improv troupe that I am going to try and start up. We are called Delusions of Grandeur (DoG for short) and we already have a show booked. Pretty sweet, huh? It will take place the first Friday of every month which puts this show on the 3rd of October at 7pm at this place: http://www.janinescoffeehouse.com/

It should be a lot of fun. In fact, that is idea behind this group, just have a good time with improv. I still would like to do some more stuff with T-Rex Force or Man Secret or whatever the other group I am in is called, but things are a bit busy for some of the members of that group.

Okay. Well, I am sure that was boring for everyone to read. On to the REAL story of this morning.

While I was outside rehearsing with DoG, one of my room mates came out of the basement saying that we had a leak and that water was going everywhere. At first I didn't pay too much attention since I was in the middle of a scene, but as time went on and more and more of my room mates ran downstairs, I decided that I should probably go and take a look at what was happening. I excused myself and made my way into the basement. I as came down the stairs, I looked to the right where all three of my room mates were scrambling to grab buckets and any other containers they could in order to catch the water that was pouring through the floorboards in the basement. At the same time, water was leaking on the outside of the house were the hose was at, so I ran out to shut it off. I came back and noticed that this water was coming from directly below the tub where a guest was taking a shower. Now, lately we have had the distinct pleasure of showering in some standing water because of a slow drain. While this is a little gross, it is only mildly inconvenient...until now. I am assuming that the tub filling up with water and the drain was so plugged that the water found its way along the bottom of the tub and then start pouring out through the floor in the basement. This meant that it was time for me, as the handyman, to clean out the drain of the tub. I began to take apart the plumbing of the drain sequence and found the block. Now, I wish I could describe to you all what I found in there, but there are a couple of reasons I can't: #1 I am not a very good writer #2 There are no human words that would describe the abominations that I pulled out of that place. By the end of the night our tub was draining much more quickly and hopefully we won't be having any water raining down into the basement.

Earlier during the week, in a different area of the basement (thankfully) I had completed the new Star Wars: Force Unleashed game for Xbox 360. All in all, I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I bought it because I am already starting to play through it again for a second time. The story is pretty good and does a great job of expanding and adding pieces of Episodes 4, 5, and 6 in the Star Wars saga. The voice acting is top notch and the 'acting' done by the characters in the game is actually quite good. The graphics are pretty great and the new physics engines that are used are pretty incredible. You can tell that if the game makers had more time and money that they would have used the engines on pretty much everything in the game, but right now only most of the things in the game have it applied to them. This means that while I blow through set of GIANT steel doors, I can't blow over a tiny tree. However, the items and places that DO have these engines applied to them are just awesome. Just plain awesome. Bending girders, throwing TIE fighters, blowing threw those doors I mentioned before, ripping apart metal cages, shattering glass, and using force lightning on mouse droids makes you feel like the coolest, most powerful, evil person in the world...but really, that droid had it coming.

Also, on the horizon for games, Fallout 3 comes out on October 28th. I can't really get started on talking about this game because I am already too excited for my own good for it, so why make it worse for myself by talking about it here? Just know it will be just incredible.

You know, I can't really think of anything else to say at this point and glancing back at what this has been so far today, it looks kind of boring. But hey, I am sure I will write something interesting at some point, right? I guess if you are still reading this after all of that, congrats to you. I should buy you a drink or perhaps share an appetizer with you sometime. I would like that very much.

Have a nice day and a good weekend if I don't have a chance to write during the weekend.

(oh, and don't let me forget to mention something about the RPG that I am participating in right now, the next time I write)

Heeeeeerrrre we gooooo....

Ok. I'm gonna give this a shot. It seems interesting and who knows, it may be fun too. Heck, I don't know if anyone will read it or, if they do, if it will be at all entertaining because I am not the greatest writer ever. We will see though. Please comment all you would like. I am always looking for something to read while I am at work.

And that is where I start. My work.

It's lame. I sit at a computer all day, I think a lot about things that are not work related, and I spend a lot of time on the internet. The internet part is odd because, as I have explained to some of my friends, I did not have the internet (for real) until I went BACK to college in 2004. When I was in school in Iowa, we didn't have the internet. Yeah, I know that makes me sound like an old man talking about this new fangled information carrying magic tube device, but it is true...we didn't have it! Now, feel free to insert any and all Iowa related jokes here. In fact, take a few shots at my age if you care to. I mean, this blog should be fun for everyone, right? Anyway, having the internet at my fingertips is a bit odd. I don't really know what to do with it all. I basically read the same things everyday and check the same comics everyday. All in all, the internet can be interesting, but mostly a waste of time. A friend of mine once had a great hypothosis that the internet, for as time saving its email and what is, actually ends up wasting MORE time than if we didn't have it. I tend to agree. However, if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't be doing this blog, I wouldn't be able to quickly email my friends about events, I wouldn't know how to make a 3-D dinosaur cake, and I wouldn't be able to chat with any of my friends on Gmail Chat. (Gmail Chat has been a lifesaver and the only reason I am able to survive my days here at the office.) The other thing that has helped pass the time is listening to the radio online. Oddly enough, I spend most of my day listening to sports radio KFAN 1130am. This is odd because...I am not really a huge sports fan. Now, I LOVE hockey. I mean, hockey, to me, is really the best thing about cold. (Well, that a blankets and movie watching and hot drinks (hot apple blast!) and sledding) I like to watch hockey, I like to play hockey, and I really like living in the State of Hockey, Minnesota. Spreaking of hockey, my favorite team is the Minnesota Wild and I recently had the wonderful chance to be their first ever mascot. It did not work out in the end, but I made it all the way to the last round of only 6 people. 6 all the way down from 60 isn't bad. In the end, I should have spent more time skating on the ice for the audition rather than just playing with the kids they had there. Oh well, it was a mistake and I can't change that now. Back to listening to online radio. Long story short...they have recently blocked ALL radio stations at work. All. Seriously, do they REALLY need us to be mindless robots at work? I mean, I am still going to listen to something at work, but now I am going to do it with even MORE hatred for them in my heart than before.

Here is one more example of why I hate where I work:

My supervisor recently sat down with me to tell me that this job wasn't important enough to me. Now this is true, but she then told me that this job needed to be my life. .... Really?! My life? How sad is that? Well, I will tell you; it's pretty frick'n sad.

Wow...on a compLETEly different note: my friend just messaged me and told me that "the U of I calendar of events in the handbook handed out to thousands of students has a Black History Month Lunch and Learn.only in the handbook it is printed: Black History Month Lynch and Learn". Whoops.

Obviously this post will be longer than the normal post because I am getting you all caught up with what is up. I am sure this isn't necessary, but you never know who will start to randomly read these sorts of things. I hope you come back again. Have a nice day.