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I have spent the weekend down in San Diego. Originally, this was a three-part trip. First, it was a chance to meet up with my cousin. He’s an Eagles fan and they are playing the Chargers today. Second, I could see Maximus since he goes to SDSU. Finally, I was going to see my old buddy Steve from Key Club. Well the only that came through at the end is Maximus. So I’ve spent the weekend chilling with him. Unfortunately, the poor guy has mono and kidney stones. We’ve been having a pretty low key weekend. It is a good chance for him to get some rest away from the dorms cause the guy is just exhausted.
But I also learned this weekend that I’m definitely not in my teens anymore. The guy eats SO much and I can’t keep up with it. I had to run an extra 10 minutes today plus an extra trip on the elliptical machine to pay for the food penance from yesterday.
We also just been hanging around doing cool stuff. Last night, we went to Dave and Busters to play. I forgot how much fun that place is… sober. I got some glee beating him in the basketball shooting game. It’s really strange because I’ve never played basketball in my life, but I can play that game really well. I mean I really suck at basketball. I can barely dribble and run. When I get roped in playing, I just hang out at the basket and do layups and get rebounds. One gift for being tall I guess.
Right now, Maximus is still asleep so I’m sitting in the corner writing this as I cool off from my run. When he wakes up, I think we’re going to head downtown to watch the afternoon games. On Friday when I got my car, I elected to just pay for them to refill my car. The rate was great, so I figured it wasn’t a bad deal. What I forgot is that I got an economy car that gets like a million miles a gallon. In order to feel like I got my money’s worth, I have been driving around San Diego for no real reason just so I can return the car on empty. It’s not cheap… it’s being economical with my purchases.
I have a week until I leave for South Carolina with Jen. I’m excited because it’s going to be a different experience than just hanging around. She’s done a great job planning out a bunch of stuff for us to do. We have worked out in our relationship that I’m transportation chair and she is social. My job is to get us there and make sure we have somewhere to sleep. Jen figures out what we’re going to do when we get there. It’s great because I love figuring out travel and I hate figuring out what to do when I get there.
But for today, it’s me getting ready to root on my beloved Patriots against those nasty Colts. God, I love football season.
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It’s a beautiful day here in November. The sun is shining and the Patriots are winning… again. Jen and I just got back from a nice weekend in Napa. We decided to leave early so we could make the most of the weekend.
On the way down, I did something very unusual for my road travels, I stopped to use the bathroom. Because of my rule of five–I don’t drive more than five hours… I just fly. So for me to stop for the bathroom, it’s rare. We stopped in Dunnigan to use the bathroom. Dunnigan is a little highway town that doesn’t have much. We pulled into the local Jack In the Crack (aka Box) that smelt like the place had an indoor pool somewhere hidden in the place.
We arrived at Tracy and Greg’s house to meet Baby Lia who is as cute as a button. We met Tracy’s parents and had a nice lunch before heading out to the wineries. I was smart and found the item with the most bread in it on the menu for lunch–a calzone. Greg who works for a local winery knows all the ins and outs of the wineries. He took us to some great places to see taste some great wines. Then he took us on a special tour and showed us he does.
I think I learned SO much about wine just listening to Greg explain what he does. I learned about different wines and blends, what happens to wines that doesn’t make what it should, and just the process a bottle goes through before getting to market. It felt like I was in Oz and the wizard took me behind the curtain to see how the magic really works. It was just so much fun to just chill out and sip on some very good wines and learn the difference between a REALLY (I mean REALLY REALLY good wine) and wines that weren’t going to be much.
After napping off the wine, Jen and I headed downtown to check it out and grab something to eat. A burger sounded fantastic. When we ordered, we spent $33 on burgers and fries. Let me tell you, it wasn’t so special–Nobby’s is WAYYY better. But we walked around the downtown and checked it out. It was cool, but not spectacular.
What I learned is that I am not quite ready to be a wineo. Don’t get me wrong, I love wine. I am just not ready to be the middle aged people hanging our at wine bars. We walked around and realized that if we went into any of the places, we would be the youngest by at least ten years. I love hanging out with friends that are different ages, but not strangers. Of course, strangers are just friends you haven’t met.
We decided we would just be happier hanging at the hotel and watch a movie. On the way back, we stopped by Raley’s to get some ice cream. Now in Chico, Raley’s is where the more affluent people shop in town. In Napa, it’s where the poor people shop… what a change in culture.
We got back to the hotel and Jen pointed out that the hotel doesn’t have any movies. Bummer. Luckily, I brought my swim suit and had an extra pair of board shorts in the car. I’m so prepared. We just hung out in the hot tub and came back to find Manchurian Candidate on TV. It is a great movie, but I hate watching movies on TV because the commercials cut the flow of the movie.
This morning we got up rather early and had some breakfast before heading back to Chico. We were supposed to hang with a friend on the way home, but he didn’t get up in time. We wanted to get back home to go for a bike ride (Jen got a bike for her birthday) and for me to watch the last half of the Patriots game.
On the way home, I looked at the gas tank and figured I had JUST enough to get home. Boy was I right. When we got to the gas station, I had about .35 of a gallon left. My laziness almost caused me to push my car home. But now, I’m home. The tank is full. I have a lazy Sunday ahead.
Filed under: Chico
Happy Halloween. I’m going to spend it on my couch drinking water and harassing Trick or Treaters–if I get some. I quite mean to the older ones. I don’t just dish out my subpar candy for anyone. It’s subpar because if it’s a mix, I’ve already picked out my good ones and put them aside for me. No, older kids that come to my house must tell me a joke in order to get candy. Depending on the amusement level I receive is how many pieces of candy I give them. I think it’s a fair trade.
Speaking of older kids, I spent most of yesterday working our Halloween Ball. This is our second one and I’m happy to say it’s finally done. But Halloween is such a funny holiday for adults. I think we all go nuts and spend a ton of money on costumes because we finally have control and the money on who we want to dress up. A hundred bucks for a mad scientist costume–no problem. Do you take Visa? I remember when I was a kid, I would go to K-Mart (when it was cool) and see all those cool costumes that I could never get. My parents would never drop that much cash on something I was going to wear once. But you know, I’m one of those kids, I mean adult, that will drop cash if that’s who I want to be.
Well this party was full of people with great costumes. Jen and Kelly did a great job making the plan for decorations. We spent about five hours decorating for the party. But what’s funny about the whole thing is our personality differences. I’m a three (go to www.enneagramcentral.com to find yours) and Jen and Kelly are ones.
Here is an example:
I was hanging these cool light balls over the balcony. I just wanted to get them up in the order she wanted. They wanted them in perfect position. Threes just want it to look good; Ones want it perfect. Thank goodness Jen thinks I’m perfect. (:
But everything came together great and we head all headed our own directions to get ready for the party. I went and picked up Jake, some ping pong balls, and pizza before meeting Jen back at my house. So by the time I got back home I had just enough time to eat, change in my costume, and reprint my party list. A shower wasn’t happening. But hey, I was a pirate and they are supposed to be stinky. But Jen looked great. She was Carmen Sandiego.
The party got started slow, but we got rocking. Everyone was having a good time and no one was complaining to me. However, I never really relaxed the entire time because I just can’t stop worry about everything. That’s why I can only be in charge of a few big events… I would never have fun. About a half an hour in, I went looking for Jen and the venue we’re having the party isn’t that big. After about 10 minutes of looking, I started asking my friends, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” And I meant it. After about a half an hour, she reappeared after having wardrobe issues.
We did a costume contest and the bartender bought me a tequila shot. After that, it all becomes a blur. All I remember was telling the DJ at around 1:10 to stop playing music so I could go home. Jen’s feet were hurting so I made another barefoot (I was in my socks) trip home. We got home and passed out very drunk in bed.
This morning Jen wasn’t feeling that great. Which is weird because the last time she got sick, it was at the Airshow also bartended by this company. But we had to go back this morning to clean up the party. We walked in and the place was a disaster and smelled of beer. Thankfully we had some help and we got most of it cleaned up within a few hours. We threw everything in storage and headed for lunch.
A group of us met up this La Comida (aka La Chlamydia) for lunch. It has good food, but you have to know their routine or you’re going to starve. First, I am not aware of such routines. Secondly, don’t fuck with me when I’m hung over and hungry… just give me my food. But I played nice because I was just enjoying the high that the party was done.
We had a great long lunch just chatting away with our friends and I wanted to grab a movie before we headed back home. As we were walking into Blockbuster, I ran into my friends Travis and Jenny, my friend Steve’s sister. We also got to catch up and plan for our annual Risk game–Christmas time.
By the time we got back home, I was ready for a good quality nap. I sprayed down the beer soaked tarps and hunkered down in the hammock. I woke up sore and a wreak. The plans to go the gym were immediately postponed. But I feel good that I made someone’s life better. And now I get to give some children a complex tonight!
I have hardwood floors through out my house. As I have mentioned before, I love the clean feeling I get when I walk around them without shoes. However, the downside of these floors are dust bunnies. I woke up this morning to one of them staring me right down from my bed. Normally, this would require me to clean the entire house because I feel that it is dirty. But I’m not really feeling like I should waste part of my workday cleaning the house. Instead, I decided that I would just vacuum the floors. It sounds gross, almost as gross as someone enjoying popping pimples or picking scabs, but I LOVE the sight of watching those damn bunnies getting sucked up in the vacuum. It gives me some sort of satisfaction that house is getting cleaner by the minute. Sick, I know.
Here’s where it gets worse…
I chased a bunny with the vacuum under the futon in my office. I wasn’t going to let it get away. I moved the futon to suck it out when I noticed spots on the floor. My body twitched. I already started to look at putting things up on the desk so I can mop. NO. I must hold back. Ah Ha I thought to myself. I went to go get my dust mop and spray I thought. Then, I would only be cleaning that spot and I wouldn’t feel that I was wasting an entire bucket of perfectly good mop water.
Now the sad thing is that I really could spend the entire morning cleaning my house and be completely satisfied. I really don’t care about the front or backyard… but the house, it shall be clean. I am practicing restraint and only taking care of the immediate issues. That way, after our Halloween party on Friday is over, I can clean with true satisfaction.
Filed under: me
A few months back, I received an envelope with some return address labels from a charity. I need address labels. So, I put the donation card in my basket of things to process. At the end of the month, I found the donation sheet and decided to make a small donation to the cause. I figured that if they took the time and resources to make these labels, five or ten bucks wouldn’t hurt. Boy, was I wrong.
Now I receive at least one set of labels a day. I swear all these charities have like a bat phone when I a sucker like me decides to donate. I get them now, they are from random charities I never even hear they existed. I used to put them in my file maybe thinking I would donate… they go straight to the recycle bin now. I have come to the conclusion that all these charities are using the same company to market for them and are probably taking 80% of the profits. Sad that’s the way it’s got to be.
Other than that, life is going fantastic. Work is kind of slow so I don’t have a ton going at the moment. So that leaves me time to take care of other parts of my life. Mainly me. I spent most of Saturday morning out in the hammock enjoying a quiet day reading. Then, I headed over to Oroville to help Jen’s family celebrate her Grandpa’s birthday. It was fun to meet all of Jen’s aunts and uncles. They are all characters in their own way. I am comfortable in Jen and my relationship that I came out swinging. I thought they should see my wit from the beginning because it wasn’t going away anytime soon. We had some Chinese food and headed back to Chico. When I got home, I had a craving for some rice crispy treats…. so I did what any real man would do… I made them myself. Jen got to my place and we just sat in the kitchen just talking. It was probably the best hour I’ve spent with Jen that week. I also introduced Mean Girls to Jen. It’s funny because the movie was made in 2005, but it’s already looking dated. It’s so crazy that the last four years have just flown by.
Sunday was quite the event. I hate getting up to an alarm clock on Sundays. However we had major Halloween decorations to take make. But first, I had to be disciplined enough to go to the gym. Sunday was one of those days that I couldn’t run no matter what was in front of me. I get really frustrated at myself when I can’t accomplish what I want. I had a feeling I wasn’t carbed up enough to make the run. Still, I was pissed. I’m still pissed because now I have to run two days in a row which I don’t enjoy.
We got to Blake’s and got started on the decorations. We were painting anything that would hold still silver and black. After a few hours of painting, pizza, and E! True Hollywood Story (Kaitlin sucked me in) we had the majority of the decorations done. I was exhausted from being out all day. When we got home, I was making dinner and Jen had to do some running around. She called me while she was out and asked me if I wanted Dairy Queen. How could I resist? When she got back home, I opened the freezer for her to realize that she had already ate half of hers. Argh. Well I guess I was making dinner of myself. It’s okay Jen hates leftovers and I’m not cooking again until all the food I’ve already made and/or bought is gone. I’m on dinner strike. (:
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This post has been brewing in my head for a while. Now given that I have time to think this month, I thought it would be a good fun one to write. John Mayer, if you love him or hate him, is a damn good song writer for guys. It took me a trip to Europe to fully understand what his songs are saying. Since then, they just click for me. So I thought I’d share my world according to John Mayer.
When I’ve gone out on an emotional limb for someone and got burned: My Stupid Mouth
This song was soothing for me when I decided to go out of someone and got rejected (I know it’s a surprise that anyone would reject me). But it wasn’t the rejection that killed me that most, it was the back and forth that drove me nuts. So for that the line “Just one more thing… why is it my fault” always sticks in my mind.
Living in the Moment: Say
This is one of my favorite songs from him just because the message is so simple. Just say what you need to say. It’s such a simple idea that is sometimes the hardest thing to do in the world.
Realizing that I screwed up: Dreaming with a broken heart
I haven’t experienced this too much, but when I have screwed up and realized that it can’t be fixed this song comes to mind.
When I feel like I’m growing up a little more: In Repair
This is the one song that plays in my head the most since I’ve heard it. Everytime I scab my knees, I realized that I’m still in repair. I keep growing from the situation and I have more to learn. I’m never going to be where I want to be, but I’m still working towards getting better. “I’m not together, but I’m getting there”
When I’m missing someone I love: Comfortable
I know this song is about moving on to a new lover, but to me it’s about maybe the good times you had with the same person that you lost that connection.
Understanding where you in the world: The Heart of Life
The Heart of Life really does explain that you are part of a bigger thing in the world. How you treat others who love you does have a reflection on your character. Also, being there for your love ones is more important than what material things you can give.
Living up to your dream: Bigger Than My Body
Nothing is more inspiring to know that your dreams are bigger than you body can contain… so go out there and do something big. (:
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I love clean floors. There’s something about the squeakiness of the floor makes against your feet. I know that sounds weird. Most of my friends and I are reaching the point where we have disposable income in our lives. Most of my friends have a housekeeper. First, they are dudes and don’t like cleaning. I say not so much about that. I do have a landscaper because I suck at it. But inside, I want to make sure the house is clean. It’s also a way for me to survey the damage around the house. Plus I love the smell of clean.
I spent most of the day catching up on all the backlog work that has been piling up on my desk. I also got my teeth cleaned. Afterwards, my dentist (a new one) scolded me for not flossing enough… big surprise. Why dentist get such glee from giving me a lecture about flossing. Well dentist lady I floss once a day… just not enough for her. I mean she was scraping the crap out of my teeth and then she wondered why they were bleeding? Hmmm… maybe that sharp hook you’ve been prodding it with might have something to do with it. What’s that white thing she ask? Maybe it’s my tooth that once had a home in my mouth.
I have the suits coming to visit again tomorrow. This time it’s the credit department… he is going to count my three rings and tassels just to make sure I’m not lying. Woo hoo. I’m going to milk him for the most expensive lunch I can think of in Chico… teach you to bug me when I’m working….
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I’m going to use this movie as a launch point for this blog. On Friday, Jen and I went to go see Where the Wild Things Are. People are mixed about the movie, but it got me thinking about so many things. First, it’s tough to be a child. There are so many emotions that fly through their lives every day. Life is in the moment and I think sometimes we forget that. The movie itself got me going because some of those emotions are still unresolved in my life. Some that I have been working on and some that I don’t want to deal with at the moment. Just like Max, I try to make sense of the world that I was dealt. At times I just want to make it all better and everyone happy, but what I wind up doing it just making it worse. I keep trying to center myself that the person I am responsible for in the world is me and everyone is responsible for their own actions.
Where the Wild Things Are are really in our hearts. The passion and imagination we store away time and time again to take of the “real world” keep getting pushed back further and further until we don’t even know where the are anymore. However, they are still always there and waiting for you to unleash them. Each Wild Thing whether it be fear, anticipation, joy, or imagination need to be let out now and then to be reminded that they are part of you.
I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone, but there’s one scene that sticks out the most from the movie. At the end, Max is sailing back home and Carol was running to say goodbye to him after stubbornly running away. But it’s too late. Max is already out in the world on new adventures. I related this to a father/son relationship. After Carol put his own selfish pride aside that he was hurt by Max it was too late to do what he really wanted to say before he was gone. I feel this way with my parents. I think they realized that their own selfish behavior was affecting their relationships with their children too late. I can’t speak for the rest of the clan, but for me, I was already sailing out in the world well before the realized that I was even gone. There were others to help push me out to sea–to see me out into the world. All you can do is howl and hope that they other howl back. But sometimes, the howl isn’t enough to turn the boat around… there’s so much more in the world that I want to see.
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I haven’t been writing for a while. However, as most people think, it’s not Jen’s fault. I have actually been working a ton. Last week corporate (i.e. the suits) were in town helping me out with Grad Fairs. I actually really like all of them quite a bit. These people in particular are some of my favorite in the company… however, they are still the suits. My style in life is that of semi professional. I could never make in life wearing a suit to work everyday. One, I would hate it (although I’m not saying I wouldn’t look good). Secondly, the minute I opened my mouth people would realize that I am not one to be in a suit ever. I’m way too casual and friendly to be talking down at you from a tailored suit. I would rather mock you in my dockers.
I really don’t like old people… in the gym. Thanks to my adventures with Jake on Sunday, I had to workout twice on Tuesday to keep up with my schedule. It really sucks since I don’t normally work out on Tuesdays at all. I drove over to the gym (another annoying thing to do, but it was pouring) and started my workout. I know I have ranted about this numerous times, so what’s one more time, but they really fuck up my world. First off, going to the gym is a social event for them before the Price is Right. For me, it’s my downtime or a way to get me focused for the day. When I was done with my weights, I went to find a treadmill. Now keeping in mind that it is raining outside, there weren’t any available up front. So, I got banished to the back of the gym with the REALLY old people. I’m talking about people with bottles of oxygen strapped to them. Here I am moving at under seven minutes a mile and they are taking seventy to get a mile. God I hope I don’t get to that point.
I think I’m also banned from hanging out with my friend Jake I believe. For the last two Sundays I have been going to Jake’s for football. Last weekend, I had a blast. I was drunk by noon and proceeded to tell Jen. She also came over to hang because she has know Jake and his family longer than me and hadn’t seen Jake’s dad in a while. I was also so drunk that I sang Karaoke which I never do. But all in all, not a bad drunk, more of a happy drunk. I rode my bike home and was functional the rest of the day. This weekend, not so much. Jen even sent me with a list of rules for Jake in a humorous way. Of course we followed none of them. The sad result is that I got way too drunk, passed out at 5p,and was a wasteland until Monday afternoon. I swore off drinking again after drinking half a jar of pickle juice at 1:30 in the morning. Which as gross as it sounds, really does work.
People that ruin books by turning them into movies should be shot. Jake and I went to see “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” on Monday as well. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this movie’s arrival into Chico. The book is a great guy book. The guy is a complete asshole with no moral compass what so ever. His stories are outlandish and crude and part of me wishes I could be like him without the jerkiness. Well anyway, my expectations were pretty high considering he produced and help write the movie. It was a tragedy among no other. The book about what a prick he is and how he uses and discards women became a chick flick. Now, I’m not against chick flicks in any way… see 500 days of Summer… but when you are ready to have some male bonding time laughing at a jerk, it’s definitely a let down. I was verbally assaulting the movie before it was over. Thank goodness there were only 15 people in the theater… not many people had to suffer from it. Tucker Max, you should be ashamed.
Filed under: me
So I learned quickly that having children is quite difficult. Going from zero kids to three is a little too much for this guy to handle. This weekend I volunteered to watch my nephews while my sister went to a concert. I thought it would be fun because I haven’t really got a chance to see them in a while. So on Saturday afternoon, Jen and I drove down to Marysville to go get the little rugrats. I was smart enough from the last experience to make sure that I had reinforcements helping me. On the way back Jen kept them occupied while we drove back to Chico.
We got back to my house and I planned on taking them to a movie. Selfishly, I wanted to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and I need some kids with me so I didn’t look so silly. This was my nephews (aka the nephs) first time going to a theater in their lives. Of course being the nice uncle that I am, I got them popcorn, soda, and candy. A price I know I would pay later in the evening. We also took them to see it in 3D which was a hoot too. The movie wasn’t that great in 3D and I made frequent trips to the bathroom with all the boys.
After we got through with the movie, smart Robby decided to take the boys to McDonalds for dinner because it is the only place in Chico with a playland still. I figured they need to run off the sugar they consumed in the past two hours. They ran crazy for about an hour, ate a little, as Jen and I made fun of the helicopter mom in the same area. She tried to tell a three year old that he had three minutes left in the play area. Like the kid has a watch or even really cares.
When we got home, I put the boys in the bathtub and then we turned on Hook thinking it would knock them out early. My sister told me that they went to bed at around 9:30. Lies. 10p rolls around and all three of them are very much awake. As the movie comes to an end, they all almost fall asleep at the same time. Jen and I turn the movie off and I take Peyton into bed with me because I’m scared he’s going to fall off the couch. He winds up kicking and getting mad every time I rolled over.
I woke up, made the boys breakfast, and let them run around a bit. They got restless and wanted to go to the park. I grabbed a few magazines and walked over. I learned a few things on this adventure:
- Don’t pick up cell phones on the ground—it’s just too much work to be nice and try to get it back to the right person.
- I am the heavy. I’m fun as long as you’re behaving. Step out of line and I will crush you. Don’t touch the walls or the windows and we’ll get along smashingly.
- I am not a helicopter parent. My nephs were pushing each other in the mud and I didn’t even notice. I just kept flipping the pages of magazine until it got ugly. Then I came in and I was… you guessed it, the heavy.
- I was sitting on the bench with my TIME and Jen joined me later. I made a remark to her that the parents will follow their child’s every movement. The kid went down the slide, the parent moved… then up the stairs… they moved. At one point there were 22 adults and 18 kids on the playground area, not the surrounding benches, the ACTUAL playground area. Dude, let your kids play. They are fine.
So when I become a daddy for real, I don’t know if someone will call CPS because I’m not hovering enough.
