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Sunday, July 31, 2005

...because there are two new carpetbaggers in town!

The eagles have landed!

Pictures will come later on. But, we got to Ithaca last night, had a good night's sleep and are now hanging out with the cool people who helped move our stuff into our palace of a place last night.

DATU_B, I'm sitting on the futon right now! With coffee! And wireless (albeit low frequency strength) internet!

There are a few problems with the apartment, but for all the amenities and the fact that we're living in a place about 5 times the size of where we were living, they're nothing we can't cope with.

I'm at that point of exhaustion where even the smallest amount of exertion, even typing, tuckers me out, so I'm going to drink more coffee and come back later.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

I've pointed out how similar Ithaca is to Athens. Others have pointed out, "Hey... those are both Greek names, you know?" But, even though I can't see myself saying "Damn, I really want to move back to Athens!" there will be some things about it I'll miss.

I ate one last time at my favorite Chinese restaurant yesterday. I've walked up and down Court Street visiting all the spots I used to. And now, I'm spending some last moments at Donkey Coffee and Espresso - the best coffee shop in the world.

We get the truck and leave tomorrow. We head for Cleveland to pick up the rest of our stuff and head out to NY on Saturday.

The next entry I post will (unless I miraculously gain some time between now and the move) be as a New Yorker!
Since I couldn't find any quiz meme about New York not having to do with New York City, I settled for this...

You scored as Loner.


Loner

94%

Goth

81%

Drama nerd

63%

Geek

50%

Prep/Jock/Cheerleader

44%

Punk/Rebel

31%

Ghetto gangsta

31%

Stoner

31%


What's Your High School Stereotype?
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Wednesday, July 27, 2005

...because we're still doing it :(

This is us picking up stuff at my parents' house. Big, heavy stuff. Anyway, we're in Columbus a.t.m., and should be back in A-Town later today and (hopefully to do very little) for the next couple of days.

she hates moving, too 2 I hate moving 2

Sunday, July 24, 2005

she hates moving, too

House is 95% packed up! Now, we got people to visit and we still have to clean this bad boy which, ironically, we have less room to do now that everything is packed up.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

I hate moving

Kitchen's about half done, but we're fast running out of places to put all our packed stuff. I'll be happier when we're finally unpacking.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

...'cause I'm movin' out!

We've got this room and the bathroom all packed up. The bedroom's all organized, and stuff just needs to be thrown into receptacles. The kitchen is going to be the biggest pain in the @$$, though. But, we've still got a couple of days, not counting the time we're gonna see my 'rents and some friends in Colubus.

packing up

I haven't been this excited about moving since I moved away from home ;).
What kind of man eats NASCAR vegetables? This kind...

This is me

Take the F1 drivers quiz on supersonicsquirrel.net

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Star Trek's Scotty dies aged 85

Doohan, whose role was immortalised in the line "Beam me up, Scotty", had been suffering from pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, his agent said.
RIP
"But Don," you say. "NASCAR romaine sure makes for a fine salad for my big-haired floozy wife that accompanies me to the races. But, I'm a real man--a meat and 'taters man!"

Well, look no further...
NASCAR potatoes

I'm sure you can cut them just right to fit on the same skewer as your fried-meatwad-on-a-stick.

See also: NASCAR lettuce

Monday, July 18, 2005



Make yours here.
...because having been up since 3:30 AM, I believe DATU_B when he says he plans to use his old job skills to sell this:

Friday, July 15, 2005

Talk about "Big Score" -- not only did Ivy League score herself a job that issues her a Mac G4 laptop, she scored us an awesome two-bedroom deal. It was a dark picture, so I had to up the brightness and the contrast.



Here's a new shot of the Commons as well as what will probably be my "new home." It's a little bright, I know, but maybe I'll photosynthesize better or something.



Ok, here's the best part. This place really does have most of the comforts of Athens, and then some...

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Via Boing Boing: Harry Potter famous author pastiches where people come up with death scenes a la certain famous authors. My favorite:
Palahniuk: Harry was an irritant scab to Voldemort for years. He was the Yoko to Voldemort's McCartney. The Kid was a hero. He'd been stopping Voldemort since he was 11, and every year after that.

At 17, his head is being pulled off slowly by a Giant. His heroic roars of defiance have been contorted into pathetic squeals. The sinews and bones in his neck are snapping. In an instant he will lie lifeless, as his head is torn off.

Voldemort is now telling the cannibals to save him the head.

The Cannibals throw Voldemort Harry's head like a Deflated beachball. As his head bounds slowly past, I catch a glimpse of the school. The great hall has turned into an abattoir.
I'd buy it, if Chucky wrote it.




Your Inner European is French!









Smart and sophisticated.

You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.


I'm in one of E's old Columbus haunts where I just got off the phone with her. She should be in the air right now on her way to Charlotte, then to C-town.

Supposedly most of "The Committee" were consulted and approved the decision to make the wife an offer, which she accepted. Henceforth, she shall be referred to as Ivy League!

She also scored us a nice two-bedroom place in the same complex as her boss where, because of said boss, we got a break on the rent which includes AC, basic cable, and internet access! God, compared to A-town, I'm going to feel like I'm living like the Prince of Brunei.

"Yeah, we're movin' on up... to the east side... to a deeeeluxe apartment in the sky-hi-hi!"

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

I don't believe in coincidences of this magnitude.

Obviously, in the midst of processing our upcoming, life-changing move to NY, my mind shifts to an important topic: Where on earth am I going to train?

Guru Mushtaq Ali, who's graciously provided me with much martial advice (and balur!), has been in the process of moving his Silat Zulfikari HQ from LA to upstate NY, some two to three hours away from Ithaca. "Occasional weekends of martial fun in the forest" (as Guru puts it), here I come!

But, I've since discovered that there is at least one FMA school in Ithaca, headed by the person who heads up the New York chapter of Cumann Bhata. His name is listed on the website along with that of two others that I personally know and have trained with here in Athens.

Silat, FMA, and Irish stick-fighting. If I can afford it all (which I probably won't be able to, at first), it'll be like I never left Athens. All that's missing is a Bando grandmaster...
Just got off the phone with The Wife.

It still has to go through "The Committee," whoever they are, but the Program Director wants to hire her, and she will know 100% by Friday. Her advice to me was "Pack up some sh!+! We're movin' to Ithaca!"



It's so heart-warming to see DATU_B (who's 100% of the Caucasian persuasion) embrace his Filipino heritage.
Still no word yet, and there probably won't be for another couple of hours. Supposedly, Cornell is making quite the day of it.

The worst part for me isn't whether or not The Wife'll get the job. We've decided that we're moving to Ithaca in any case--it's just a matter of whether the move happens in next two weeks or the next two months. I'm more concerned about the effect to her. She's feeling that not only her life rides on this (whole other can of worms which she can blog about if and when she wants to), but that she's somehow letting me down as well if the gig doesn't pan out. It's been hard convincing her that it's not the case, whatever happens. And, that I'm proud, whatever happens.

I've read the job requirements and I know what The Wife can do. This is a 100% match if I ever saw one, and I'm not just saying that as a husband, but as someone who one time has screened job applicants. I keep telling herself that they must think so to, otherwise, why do all the stuff they're doing?

Still, you see how my fingernails are worn from biting. You can imagine what she must be going through at this very moment.

Suffice it to say that alongside the various prayers/positive energies/warm-fuzzies she's getting, some more can't hurt.
Ask New York Times Bestselling novelist and TV writer Steven Barnes a question about his "Year Long Writing Program" (i.e. a set of steps that, if pursued diligently for about a year, should result in the skills needed for eventual publication), and get a great answer.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Yes, Cornell is still considering other applicants, and absolutely nothing is in the bag yet. We'll know by Wednesday night.

But, on Thursday, The Wife has an appointment to see an apartment, set up by her interviewer...

More and more, this is going to end up being a 100% sure thing or a 100% mindfcuk.

Saturday, July 09, 2005



This was a shot of our loot from DATU_B and his wife's yard sale before they moved to Parts Unknown, MO (Ok, Columbia). Today, I scored some more loot from a yard sale that was across the street from my house.

I walk out the door on the way here (the coffee shop) to check my email. I see the yard sale and figure, "What the hell?" So, I go over there and find that they had an HP Deskjet 920c color/photo printer for sale for $15. They must've wanted to get rid of it, because the first thing the seller said when I was looking at it was "It's my friend's, and she says she'll take $12." Needless to say, I snatched it up faster than a strung-out coke addict goes after a pile of white powder that he doesn't know is really powdered sugar.

Anyway, it was sans cable and other stuff, but the owner forgot to take out the white paper/photo paper that was inside it. So, I just downloaded all the drivers and documentation that's online, and just need to buy a cable, and I'm all set to go!

Thursday, July 07, 2005



The film TARDIS

75%

The secondry control room

75%

The 80's TARDIS

65%

The Original TARDIS

65%

The New TARDIS

50%

The Rani's TARDIS

45%

The Master's TARDIS

40%


You scored as The secondry control room. You need not always come first. This wood varnished interior has an elegant, clean victorian style. It looks a bit like a church, but this sort of style never goes out of fashion. You'll never go back to the primary control room again!


What is your TARDIS interior
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Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Sick of nothing but beer and deep fried meat product on a stick when you're at the races? Well, look no further, because available at your grocer's produce department...

NASCAR lettuce

This is real, I swear.
From The Wife's blog
Ohmigodohmigodohmigodohmigod...

Just picked up an email from the Ivy school on the hill in Ithaca: they've reviewed my portfolio and want to do a 2nd interview today!!!!!!! She's gonna contact me a bit later to talk more. Oh my goddess! This is it - the final frontier. If they offer me the job I'm flying to Ithaca this weekend to get an apartment set up. If they turn me down, I don't know what I'll do but it will probably involve frozen alchoholic beverages. Stay tuned for developments later today...
As Mr. Dynamite says: Yessssssssssssss!

UPDATE!
Well, it was a short phone interview, and while nothing's in the bag yet, they're flying her out to next Tuesday. Flying her out -- what does that tell you? Sure, she could theoretically blow it all by saying something like, "Yeah, now it won't be long 'til I have your job!" Or "Why don't you put a couple more zeroes at the end of that figure, then we can talk." But, faux pas like that aside...

Sunday, July 03, 2005

It's that time of year again, that time where I get another year older. As for how old, I'll give you a clue - it's been staring you in the face ever since you started reading this blog.

Once upon a time, in sadder days, I'd mull over my birthday with the song "Birthday Boy" by Chicago. Being from Chicago XIV, it's a pretty lousy song. It's about someone trying ostensibly to cheer someone up on their birthday. Good luck trying to do that with a song played at a dirge-like tempo. I listened to that song last night, as a lark, grinning to myself that my life is much, much happer.

Like last year, I searched for the song that would define the upcoming year of my life. This time, I went and compiled a list and, much like Nick Hornby's Songbook which I had the pleasure of reading lately, I'm going to comment on each.

“Fight Test” by The Flaming Lips: The song sums up the feelings of someone who wishes they would have fought to keep what they had, rather than surrendering and letting it go. The singer saw many sensible reasons not to fight, but now regrets them all. The most important lesson in this song is something that would've saved me a lot of pain a few years ago: That "there are things you can't avoid. You have to face them when you're not prepared to face them." I need to remember that.

“Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster” by Geto Boys: If I distill all the good things I have in my life and the way they make me feel, you basically have the words to this song.

“Just Another Parade” by Cassandra Wilson: This song illustrates the kind of quiet strength and perseverance I’d like to develop. It involves the realization that if you’ve spent any time in this life whatsoever, you have seen and will see both bright and dark days, so there’s no really no use for fear and anxiety. "Yesterday's news is tomorrow's blues," true. "But today, I am alive." So, part of my life's plan will be to make sure I do "much more than survive."

“All is Well” by Chicago: Robert Lamm said it best when he said, “There was a time when I thought I was fooling myself, but now, I’ll take a bow, ‘cause I’m free and easy.”

“While You See a Chance” by Steve Winwood: Underneath the obvious titular advice, Winwood outlines the circumstances in which it’s ideal to follow it, even if it doesn’t seem that way. For instance, “When there’s no one left to leave you. Even you don’t quite believe you. That’s when nothing can deceive you.” Been there, done that - and he's right.

“Hi-De-Ho” by Blood, Sweat & Tears: They add one verse to this Carole King tune about meeting the Devil, being offered a deal for your soul, and deciding to turn it down. In life, though, I've found that it’s often a daily choice. Some things just aren't worth it.

“(She’s) Some Kind of Wonderful” by Huey Lewis & the News: On the other hand, if there’s one thing worth selling my soul for, it’s my wife.

“Back in the High Life Again” by Steve Winwood: There was a time, when I was at the height of my game as a mental health worker, that I had the respect and admiration of my peers. I'm out of that game, probably never to return, but I miss that. Not really being gaped at, but there's something about the mutual admiration of professional colleagues that I miss. But, I know that as I pursue my life's plans, I'll have all of that back.

“Misery Isn’t Free” by Sons of Champlin: Until that day comes, however, there's no place for misery. What does matter, then? "The right direction's all that counts and there's no way for me to get there late."

"Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" by Styx - Sounds cliche, but often I need to be reminded that "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And, gosh darn it, people like me."

“My Thanksgiving” by Don Henley: “I wallowed in the springtime, now I’m welcoming the fall” is one of many lines that are the perfect metaphors for aspects of my life. I’ve liked this song for a long time, since I first heard it two years ago, and I think I’ve finally realized why. It’s because I’m still in the process of fully accepting the message of this song, which is that you need to be grateful for the good and bad times, because it all shapes your life. And, both can shape it for the better, but only if you allow them.

“Today” by Beckley, Lamm & Wilson: I can never get over this song, which is about late Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s musings about the whole of life – everything on earth, everything under the sun – and how it all boils down to one thing: the importance of today.

"Hold On" by Sons of Champlin: So, knowing everything I've written so far, there's only one thing to do with it, and that's go forward, and for anyone who wants to come with me, "Hold on/ The brakes are gone/ Ain't no stoppin' this train we're on." (Sure, I could've put the song "Plaid" in here, but I always liked this one better.)

“Right Now” by Van Halen: This is more than jut another track to psych me up. If you listen through the verses, you’ll find some of the types of things that stopped me at different times from reaching out and taking the things I want in life: the slow accumulation of little problems, trying to keep up with life, missed beats, slipped paces. The song is really a list for me of pits not to fall back into.

“The Show Must Go On” by Chicago: My favorite Bill Champlin song simply because I’ve never ever found a better personal anthem. It still stirs the soul to hear:
And I’m tired of turning my back on myself
Throwing truth away
Let the fire burn down the front door to myself
And give me a season of play.
I’ve listened to this song for years, and over the years I’ve found myself step by step, day by day, and year by year more and more able to reach for what I want in life.
Well, it’s time for collecting
What I’ve been neglecting
It’s gonna be a little strange
‘Cause one day I’ll be gone
And I’ll be back in town
Nothing’s gonna, nothing’s gonna
Be the same
In my 32nd year of life, damn straight nothing's gonna be the same.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Well, our two dear friends have left for MO which, I guess, isn't really the "Wild West," as I put it before. Turns out the machete wasn't the last gift. I've got a birthday present on the way (Damn, that's in three days!) and he gave me his copy of Gene Simco's Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Basics: Mastering The Essential Techniques on permanent loan. I tried to return it to him last night, but they really didn't have anywhere to stash it.

My BJJ library is growing. Did I mention that another friend gave me his copy of the Gracies' Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Self Defense Techniques?

Anyway, with our friends-base dwindling, A-Town's feeling a bit less like home, now. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, in that we hope to be out of here in a month.

"Everything has its time," as The Doctor says. We say goodbye, we hopefuly say hello again, and more than likely we'll be saying hello to more and more new people.