Potty Break

I was put into an awkward situation today. I was at my desk at work and decided I needed to use the restroom. My office is in a small group of offices so our bathroom is not very large. Just one stander, and one sitter. As I was approaching the bathroom I heard a man's voice coming from the bathroom. That is not uncommon that people will ask how their days are going while washing hands etc.

I opened the door and walked in and there was only one person in the bathroom, making use of the sitter. He was on his cell phone. Lucky for me I only needed to use the stander. I finished my business but decided against flushing because I wasn't sure if this person wanted the person on the other line (possibly a customer!!! this guy is in sales) to know what he was doing while having the conversation. I sneaked over and quietly washed my hands before leaving the room.

Now, my belief is that it is extremely rude to use the phone while in the restroom. And I usually feel uncomfortable even talking to anyone else in the bathroom while business is being taken care of. Anyone that knows me knows that this is one of my pet peeves. If I realize that somebody is in the bathroom while talking to me on the phone, I will hang up on them. Also if I receive a phone call while in the bathroom, I'll let it ring and then call the person back after I'm finished. Most modern phones have a missed call history so you can easily just call the person right back.

Maybe this is not a big deal to most people, but keep in mind there are people out there like me so please be considerate and leave the phone at your desk when you need a potty break!

Sorrows rides again

It's that time of year. I just put insurance back on my '02 Ford Mustang GT. Silver with black leather interior. The license plate says 'Sorrows'. A lot of people ask me what that is for. I tell them that I got the name from the Metallica song "Harvester of Sorrow". But what most people don't know is that it is also an alternate name that I have gone by in some of my web activities.

Just before parking it for the winter I had blown out my 600 watt 4 channel amp that all my speakers run through (except for my subs, which don't work at the moment). So no music....at all. I just received in the mail the new replacement that I bought from ebay so the system will be up and bumpin again in no time. I hope to revisit my sub/secondary amp situation this summer and see if I can come up with a nice system that is mid-range and adds just enough extra oomph. Right now it has a Kenwood 800 watt amp pushing 2 Kicker CompVR's. You would think it would sound okay, but the amp is OLD and the kickers are somewhat questionable.

Hopefully the weather stays nice!!! I'm looking forward to some awesome cruising this summer!

Best ride so far

I got a new mountain bike back in January. The weather was nice for a couple weeks then it turned crappy so I haven't ridden in a while.

On Saturday I rode out to Findley State Park with my room mate. We covered just about every inch of pavement they had + a little bit of off road (the trails are still very wet!) It is about 2.2 miles from our place. We rode about 11.4 miles in the park. 2.2 Miles back to our place and then another 2 miles to go to the car wash and back so we could hose down our rides!

Grand total of 17.8 miles in just around 2 hours. 9MPH average may not seem very fast, but factor in hills, wind, muddy terrain, and some novice bikers and I think we did pretty well. I know I was whooped, but it was a lot of fun.

School Update

Thanks to anyone who wished me well on my Web/Database Integration Mid-Term. I scored 240 out of a possible 250 for a 96%. That puts me at a ~97.6% for the course so far!

My Cisco2 class started this past Saturday and is going to turn out to be an awesome class. The first day of class and we already got to do a simple configure for 2 routers in the lab portion of class.

Also...on Saturday I saw a flyer for the Lorain County Community College Network Gaming Association (LC3NGA) and read that they had sessions (Lan Party) the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month so I stopped in and had a good time for a bit. Hopefully I'll take my box up there next time they have a session. If you want to check out their website for more info it's here LC3NGA

Why Metallica Rocks

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a BIG fan of music. I listen to it in the car, at work, and at home. I like nearly any type of music except for country. I grew up listening to country, and transitioned to my 'darker side' with Def Leopard showing me the path to the slippery slope. I think of them as my gateway band. Then the best thing in the world happend to me. I was browsing through the wares at my grandmother's garage sale and I saw a tape that simply said "Metallica". It was their self titled album. I had heard the name before and it sounded interesting so I asked if I could have it. Yoink! Of course she let me take it. Thanks Uncle Jeff!!!

I listend to half of that tape every night for about the next 3 years. Each night I'd flip the tape over and listen to the other side, falling asleep to the best music in the world every night. Then Metallica came out with a new album, Load wow, I was blown. What a great album. After that of course they came out with Reload. It just makes perfect sense.

What a great bunch of 3 albums...but wait! The had made 4 others before their self titled album that I'd never heard. Kill 'Em All, Master of Puppets, Ride the Ligntning, And Justice for All How could this not be my favorite band of all time. Each album I listened to got better and better each time I heard it. I started picking up on the subtle harmonies that were hidden behind the headbanging 100 MPH guitar playing. It still gets better each time I hear it.

The 7 CD's I've already mentioned are far and away my favorite albums from Metallica. But they have also come out recently with albums such as Garage, Inc., S&M (symphony), and Saint Anger. These are the products of the gang expanding their musical horizons.

Some Metallica Fanatics will tell you that their self titled album was the beginning of them selling out. I say just the oposite. Once they figured out the recipe for a great metal tune they could have repeated indefinately to make all the cash they wanted. Intead, their music was influenced by the culture around them, other's music, and aspects of personal life. That is what music should be all about. They were taking on the risk of losing fans in order to be true to themselves. It was their love of music that got them into the game and got them were they are as true legends of Rock & Roll.

If you don't believe me, just look at all of the tribute albums that are available. The Blackest Album is up to volume 3 I believe. There is the Metallic-Era. There is the Tribute to Four Horsemen. There is even an album of Metallica songs done by the Four Cellos.

Metallica, I salute you.

Busy little bee

It's been a while since my last post. I've been a busy little bee. I've just signed the lease on my new apartment in Wellington. It's been quite a task of figuring out what all I have, and what else I still need to furnish the place. I got the electric into my name, and the cable installers coming out tomorrow (gotta have the necessities). My room mate and I went shopping this past weekend to fill in the gaps of what we couldn't get free (thanks to Kasey for the kitchen stuff, and Gail & Justin for the couch and chair)! Right now my two worries are a bed, and a TV. I think i'm going to spring for a nice high-def set, but as of yet, I can't decide which one I like the best.

On Saturday my good friend Karl got married! I rode to Howard, Ohio with my good friend Geoff and his wife Sara. Before the wedding my good friend Mike, the best man, asked me if I could throw him the ring box when he gave me a signal. Of course this sounded fun and I agreed. Sara suggested we take the ring out of the box so it didn't fall out and get lost so Mike kept the ring on him. During the ceremony when the pastor asked for the ring Karl turned to Mike. Mike had the 'Uh oh, I lost the ring' look on his face then he looked to the other groomsmen. They then all turned to look at me which was the signal. I stood up, stepped into the isle, and heaved the box and hit Mike right in the numbers. Perfect Strike! He handed the box to Karl, and Karl handed it to the pastor. Then the pastor opend the box and said "There's no ring here!" So Mike pulled the ring out from his sock? (ewww) and handed it to Karl! Good times all around. I had a blast.

I have a mid-term Thursday in my Web/Database Integration class. Wish me Luck!!!

I wish I could have been there!

After talking with Aaron about my post he reminded me that I left out the best part...The part that I apparently don't remember too well. We didn't just go to Kent for a nightcap. We went to 2 bars and hung out for quite some time. After some time I did manage to vaguely remember some of one of the bars. There were peanut shells all over the floor. From what Aaron was telling me it sounds like we had a blast. I wish I could have been there!!! I guess that's what I get for starting at lunchtime.

What a weekend!

Well, I didn't win the Mega Millions on Friday, but neither did anyone else. I think the jackpot is up to around 275 million. But despite my surprising loss, I still had a great weekend in Stow.

Friday---

Friday after work I drove to Stow to see my friend Aaron. Aaron had received a call that our friend Tracy was back in town from AZ and she wanted to get together and visit with another friend, Lucy, who happened to be working in a bar in North Ridgeville (Petey's) that night.

After I got to Aaron's place he informed me that we had to pick up one of his co-workers from the airport on the way. We drove for about 20-30 minutes before we arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. We found a hiding spot (the cops were looking for people waiting for arrivals) beside the Sheraton hotel and waited until we recieved a call. About 5 minutes later the phone was ringing and our cargo was ready for pickup. We made a pass through the pickup terminal and did not see our man. Another quick phone call and we find that our guy will be waiting outside of terminal 7 so we have to make another pass around. We took the inside lane of the termial this time so we could go slower. A couple cars in front of us, there was a person who stopped and was blocking both lanes of traffic, causing me to stop right on the crosswalk. The cop/guard that was there directing traffic approached me and had me roll down my window. He yelled at me for stopping in the crosswalk...totally oblivious to the fact that the reason I was stopped was because some goober was blocking multiple lanes a few cars up. It didn't look like we were going to be moving for a bit so Aaron leaned out the window and yelled for Chris (our guy) to come hop in really quickly. Chris got in the car and we made a quick exit from the airport.

This is already shaping up to be a fun weekend.

We were now ready to head to North Ridgeville, which happened to be where Chris graduated high school. After some quick directions from him, we found the bar pretty easily. Lucy was there looking cute behind the bar in her tall socks and long piggy tails. It was now around 8:30 and I hadn't eaten since noon, so I was getting something to eat for sure. I ordered a turkey club (minus tomato of course) and some onion rings. Aaron got a small pizza with peperoni and PICKLES?!? Chris decided that he had a long trip and that he'd just settle for barley soup. A short while later Tracy showed up. We stayed until around 1:30 or so and I think everyone had a great time except when Aaron was showing everyone his dong (The official currency of Viet-Nam. Safe Link, I assure you!). I'm glad we got the chance to meet up and have some fun.

Saturday---

On Saturday we were feeling kinda lazy. Aaron decided he was hungry. I really wasn't but I figured I had to eat sometime. We decided to go to the Wing Warehouse in Stow. It appears to be a fairly new place. I ordered up a burger and fries(good food) and we got a PlayMaker for the NTN Network trivia game. We logged in as "Yoink", his local login, which is the same login we have used for B-Dubs in Ashland for many years now. We were doing pretty well. I think in all, we got on the most recent high scores like 5 times in that sitting. At one point a young man possibly in his early teens approached me and asked, "Are you Yoink"? He then introduced himself as a fellow player with the screen name "Auburn." He did pretty well for a young guy...I suspect his parents may have helped him a little on some of the questions about decades that were definately not a part of his life.

It was nice watching Ohio State basketball beat the team from up north on the big screen!!!

As we were waiting for our waitress to settle our checks, Aaron's friend Lori called. She said that she and Erica (spelling? forgive me..) would be coming out to meet us after their exhausting shopping extravaganza (Lori didn't buy anything, Erica got some shoes). After the ladies showed up, It was apparent to them that they just HAD to have a PlayMaker of their own. The next game that we played was pertaining to Hockey Trivia. Do you believe those little snots kicked the crap out of us? They were definately on fire with their guesses. They ended up winning the round and making a spot on the recent winners list themselves. They beat the guys at a sports trivia game, how embarrassing!

Another phone call came in. Two more people would be joining us. This time it was a married couple, Eric and Angela. We decided to play some Cornhole until they arrived. You would not believe how freakishly good Erica was at that game. She was bombing two or three bean bags in the hole every round. Amazing.

It wasn't too much longer before the couple got there. We hung out for a while and Angela told us about her idea to have a Mexican themed party. The girls can wear salsa dresses and the guys get weird mustaches? It sounds like a hoot though. We hung out for a while longer and eventually finished with a nightcap over at Erica's place which is nearly right on the Kent State campus.

Sunday---

Sunday was a lazy day. I lounged around, watched some movies, and then after the sunday lineup on Fox, I made the trek back home. All in all, I had a great weekend, got to see a lot of friends, and got to meet some new ones.

Friday Funnies 3/2/07

The best joke I've heard this week.

An elderly couple is in church service one Sunday morning. At one point where they were kneeling the woman leaned twards the man and said, "I accidentally just let a silent fart. What should I do?"

To which the man responds, "Get your ears checked."

Wal-Mart Woes!

I have a '94 ford escort. The day after the big blizzard this year I got a flat tire on the way to work. I couldn't get the jack out of my trunk, luckily my brother was in the area so i called him on his cell phone and he helped me get the 'donut' on.

My tires all slowly lose air pressure and I just stop in a gas station and fill them up with a bit of air as needed...free and easy. Tuesday I needed to drive to Avon for work and one of my tires was low so I stopped and filled it up. Upon inspection of the tire, I noticed there was a golf ball size lump sticking out the sidewall of the tire. I decided to chance it, I had school after work anyway so not much I could do about it. I safely made the trip and figured I'd drive to the new Wal-Mart in Oberlin on Wednesdayto get some new tires after work since I didn't have school.

I've had problems with my transmission for a while now, about 4 months or so. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of clutch left, so sometimes you depress the clutch and it's still in gear. That only happens if you didn't fully let out the clutch when you started moving. I have gotten used to driving it like this.

On Wednesday, I drove the car to Wal-mart. I was excited to see that there were NO cars in the garage and I wouldn't have a long wait like the one in Ashland usually has! I told the girl at the counter that I would like 4 new tires....the 4th was still in the trunk because i still had the donut on the front. After about 20 minutes of her taking my information and telling me which tires they had available she proceeded to go out to my car then came back in and grabbed a mechanic. The mechanic went out for a bit and came back in holding my keys out towards me.

He said, "I can't drive that car in here it's unsafe. It has no clutch!"

I said, "You just have to make sure you let it out all the way, it is a little finicky sometimes. If you don't, you may have to just pull it out of gear without the benefit of a clutch."

He responded, "No man, I can't. I might drive it through the building."

I offered to drive it into the shop for him. He assured me that my proposal wouldn't happen any time soon. I grabbed my keys, and as I walked out the door I said, "It's okay, i can take my business elsewhere, I see you are overflowing in here anyway."

On my way home I stopped by the Ford dealership in Wellington and ordered 4 new tires, told them about the clutch (which they will find the problem and quote me a price for), and they are going to hook me up tomorrow while I'm at work. Take that Wal-mart!

First Notes

I decided after reading the great blogging of the PizzaDeliveryStories that I would start a blog of my own. I'm not sure exactly what my content will be yet. Maybe I will put on some anecdotes from my work as a Sr. PC Technician, tales from classes @ Lorain County Community College, small pieces of a story i'm working on writing, or exciting tales from my online exploits in games such as Dark Age of Camelot or (BETA) Lord of the Rings Online.