One Year Old

Apparently last week my blog turned one year old (shows how much I have been paying attention to this).

Hoping to get back on to a regular basis but things are just crazy here and not really in the mood to blog

I Hate Weekends

Thats right you read correctly.

From 4:30pm Friday to Sunday evening when I go to bed is the time I hate most. During the week I have my set schedule:
5-5:15 am - Get Up
5:30-5:45 am - Begin morning workout at gym
7:45-8am -Leave gym and head to work
8:30am - 4:30 pm - Work
5-9(ish)pm - Evening workout
9:45-10pm - Get home
10:30pm - Bed

The weekends suck because I have nothing really to do. The house is not really messy since I am hardly there so I just twiddle my thumbs and it drives me crazy...too much idle time and the gym closes at 7pm. I need the routine.

In other news my cholesterol test results came back "Excellent" and according to the nurse I have water passing through my veins.

-c

Whatever

Sure there is plenty to tell since my last real post but I really don't feel like sharing it with anybody.

Behind Blues Eyes

... ...

-c

Let's Get a Physical!

Monday I had my first physical in I do not know how long....and believe me it was not pretty.

First I am definately overweight (duh!) according to the doctor he would like me to lose 40-50 pounds which would put me down around 200 lbs.

According to the doctor my eating habits are ok...not great but he agrees that the lack of excercise might be the reason for my weight gain. I have to go back in a week or so and get some blood work done to check my cholestoral (wahoo...not).

I am at the point that I feel miserable and definately going to be joining the YMCA so I can work on getting back in shape...November 1st, BABY! The pain begins!

Also got a referral to have the bump on my back looked at and taken care of finally after 2 years.

Not much otherwise my blood pressure is good and what not. So all in all I guess I didn't learn anything that I didn't know but I now know what my goals are going to be.

-c

Delayed: My weekend in San Antonio, TX

So if I had to use one word to describe my weekend in San Antonio it would be "delay."

Friday it was raining and heavy winds here in the Northeast which caused massive havoc in my travels. Friday afternoon while I was at work I recieved a call from the airline saying my flight from Newark, NJ to San Antonio would be delayed and that they would hold tickets for me to fly through Houston to SA. Since I had my laptop at work and found a wireless signal I checked to see if my flight out of Albany was delayed also. Apparently the information on the website was wrong because when I got there the 1PM flight to Newark was just boarding and my orginal flight was delayed. Luckily I was able to get a seat on the 1PM flight that left at the time of my original flight. Coming into Newark was probably one of the roughest landing I have been on ever because of the wind blowing so hard. Anyway all the flights were delayed going out of Newark believe me I waited in line at the customer service desk and checked. Since they were holding tickets in case I needed them on a different flight so I was glad to have options avalible but opted for the direct flight since they were SUPPOSED to leave around the same time. Originally the direct flight was to leave around 9:40 but a plane apparently came in and designated for the flight earlier. About 8:30 they announced the plane was on the runway and they were going to unload, get us on the plane and get in the air with a short turnaround. Well after we got on the flight and they had gone through the inflight procedure (which I don't think anyone really pays attention to) the capain came over the loud speaker and said that there was a minor issue with the plane and they would be back in 5 five minutes to tell us when they would be ready to leave. Well we sat at the gate, in the plane for 90 minutes while they worked on the aux. power supply (which they ended up bypassing). They gave us headphones and played crappy sitcoms which really didn't help pass the time. Once we were airborn it was a grueling 4hr flight we finally arrived in San Antonio about 2 am. I finally got to my hotel and checked in around 2:30 and in bed just before 3.

I got about 3 hrs of sleep because we were going to the service project at 7 so I had to get up and shower then grab my power breakfast of a waffle and blueberry muffins which I finished enroute to the service project. The service project was a good time as we were working on a local house. I worked in the bathroom ripping up the flooring and helping hang the sheet rock around the tub. We worked at the site until noonish and then headed back to the campus.
After having our business meeting and religious project we went out to eat at the local Mexican Resturant then headed down to the Riverwalk for the evening. We walked over to the Alamo ,took the river tour and went over to the Tower of the Americas before heading back to the hotel. Sunday morning I slept a bit longer although I did go down to the lobby at 8:30 to grab a waffle and some muffens and took them back to the room and went back to bed for an hour. Finally it came time for my friend to pick me up and take me to the airport for my 2:40 flight through Atlanta back to Albany.

As I was sitting at the bar in the airport killing time before my flight I got a call saying the departure of my flight was pushed back 30 minutes. This really didn't bother me since wither way I still had a 3 hr layover in Atlanta. After arriving in Atlanta I grabbed a bite to eat and made some phone calls and was glad to see that my flight was on time with the good possiblity of being early. Well once we got on the plane they once again came over the loud speaker and said that it would be a few minutes while they waited for an oxygen ball for the pilots which apparently the first one was empty so they had to send for another. Since we were still at the gate tehy decided to wait for some people to board whose flight had just got in since there was the delay already. We finally got in the air about 30 later and got into Albany about 12:15. By the time I got to my car and made it home it was around 1 AM and I headed strat for bed since I had to go into work early since I had my Doctor's appointment that evening.

OVerall I had a good time in San Antonio. This was my second time out there and I had as much fun as I did last time I was there. It was also nice to go somewhere warm...I wore shorts and flipflops on the return trip and my firend had the top down on his car on the way to the airport. Needless to say I was freezing when I stepped outside of the airport in Albany as I waited for the shuttle to the car. Anyway despite the delays it was a great weekend.

-c

Away For the Weekend

So tomorrow after work I am flying out to San Antonio, TX for the weekend for the fraternity. I am going in early to work since my plane leaves at 5 ish so that means getting u at the crack of dawn. I still have to pack and do a few things around the house here like the dishes and make lunches for tomorrow and Monday since I won't get back until close to midnight on Sunday. Then I have to go in early on Monday because I have my first real physical since high school. I am finally going to have the bump on my back looked at, get a note so I can get a better chair at work for my back, and hopefully get something for my sleep problems.

I am really looking forward to getting away for the weekend even if it on business. Maybe the change of scenery will do me some good. Hopefully get to go back to the Alamo and go inside this time.

*Note to Self: Pack the Camera

-c

Summing It Up

Lost in Translation

I still would like to try and start what I posted about last week however I am finding it hard to translate what is in the brain down to the fingers and into the computer. It is like there is this big disconnect and what sounds great and thought provoking in my head comes out gibberish on the screen. As I type this it is happening, I have thought about this for sometime but as I pound this out it is becoming garbled and disjointed.

This does not only happen when I post to the blog but I notice it happening in everyday situations and I feel as if it is hurting my social interactions and progress in achiving my goals in life. Sometimes it feels as if the rational and educated part of me is trapped in side and what people see is "JoJo the idiot monkey boy."

It is very frustrating and that is the last thing I need at this point in my life.

-c

Getting Back Up to Speed

It's been over a week since the last post simply because things have just been so tiring. I am sure those of you who check this blog regularly (all 5 of you) are ready to actually read something new. I never promised anything to exciting hence the name of the blog the Edge Of the Infinite Monotony.

Last weekend my best friend Craig came over from Boston for the weekend. I had a great time considering the importance of the timing. He came in around 9 pm Friday and we decided to go grab a bite to eat so we went to Albany. After not being able too find a place to grab a bite to eat and drink in town. After not being able to find a place that wasn't crowded or packed and blasting music, I suggested we try some of the places near to the house which I hadn't been to but been wanting to check out to see what they were like. Well...lets just say I am not missing much. We ended up walking into the local Subway as it was closing and getting sandwiches and coming back to the house.

Saturday after getting up around 9 in the morning we headed to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Before we went to the Hall we went to the Ommegang brewery took the tour and purchased some of thier wares. We then headed over to Cooperstown, before we went ot the Hall, we went to the ballpark to watch some of the Fantasy Camp game. We saw George Brett and Ozzy Smith which was cool. We then headed to the Hall of Fame and went through and looked at the different stuff. I really want ot go back and take more time to look at the different displays and pieces of baseball history. After we finished up in the Hall we walked around town looking for a place to hangout and watch the Yankees/Tigers game. We decided to head back to Albany and find a bar to watch the game and grab a bite to eat. On the way back we listened to the WVU / Miss. St game and talked about how since moving out of WV we both have become not only bigger WVU fans but more proud of being from WV overall. I know this is true becasue when I was still living in WV the thing I thought about most was getting out of the place. Since I have moved up to NY I have come to embrace the fact that I am from WV and can't stop telling everyone at work how great of a place WV is. The guys at work like to joke with me about being from WV and all the stereotypes that many people think of when WV is mentioned. I go along with it but always say how great things are in WV and how I am try to change people perceptions of the state. yeah I am a schill...so sue me. Anyway we watched the ballgame at Chilii's and made a few enemies in the place as we cheered on as the Tigars shut down the Evil Empire and knocked them out of the playoffs again. After the game was over we came back to the house and we went into music geek mode. I ripped music and Craig grabbed music off my computer as he ragged me about my taste in music. Again we turned in reletively early. We both came to the conclusion that our Wild and Crazy days were behind us and now that we both had jobs that required us to get up early and work all day. We also conlcuded that pretty soon we would be going to bed even earlier and not going out to bars and enjoying the nightlife becasue there was a Matlock marathon on tv which could not be missed. I guess when you get older and you wnat ot go out you want somewhere where you can have a drink and talk and not have to worry about music being blasted around you.

This weekend was fairly calm. Friday Night I played volleyball at church after work then went ot bed (but didn't fall asleep till 3 am, my friend INSOMNIA has been back for a few weeks now). Saturday I got up and cleaned the house, talked to mom and my grandmother who is Florida, and transfered music from the desktop to the laptop. In the evening I went to the Albany River Rats Hockey game with one of the other PMI's. She and I had a good time and it was nice to get out and pretend that I had something that ressembled a social life. After dropping her off I stopped at Chili's and watched the rest of the Mets /Cards game before heading back home. The River Rats game was awesome...there were 2 fights only one which I got to see. During the first period I had to go answer the call of nature and as I was coming out of the restroom I saw two of the cleaning staff watching the tv and saw that there was a fight going on and was upset because I love to watch hockey players fight. So on my way back I decide to grab an adult beverage and I am standing in line and look up at the tv see another fight going on this one involving both benches so I step out of line and run to the nearest opening and got to see some of the action. Overall the game was exciting and I can't wait to go back ...oh yeah I got to see the Stanley Cup which was cool. This afternoon after church I went to a get together for one of the guys who used to work in my division at work. He retired about a month and a hlaf after I started and passed shortly after due to health reasons and one thing he arranged was a party for his friends and coworkers. So all I have to do for the rest of the day is go to the store then I can hang it up for the day.

Going to San Antonio, TX next weekend so I am sure something exciting will happen.

-c

Homesick

"The memory of your dear Father, instead of an agony, will yet be a sad sweet feeling in your heart, of a purer, and holier sort than you have known before."
-Abraham Lincoln

The following line was penned by President Lincoln in response to Fanny McCullough shortly after her father's death during the Civil War.

Saturday marks the 9 year anniversary of the death of my father. It is hard to believe that it has been that long even now, if someone had asked me back on October 5th, 1997 what I would be doing 9 years from now, then writing about my father who was no longer with us would have probably been the last thing which would have been the farthest thing from my mind.

I can remember the events of that night clearly without much effort. The day itself was nothing out of the norm, got up went to classes then dinner then to a Bonner Scholars meeting and then back to the dorm. It was around 8:00 when I got back and didn't have any homework so I was just chilling in the hall with my friends next door until 10:30 PM when I decided to go to bed early. The next part is God's honest truth that for some reason and I have only told a few people this. As I lay in bed listening to Enya, the last thought I had before falling asleep and I thought it strange that my mind drifted there. For some reason I thought "what would happen if something happened to mom or dad that they somehow passed away early what would happen?" Looking back on it perhaps God was preparing me for later that night. At 2 am I awoke to my roommate shaking me awake telling me that mom was on the phone and needed to talk to me. I thank God that my roommate had walked in at the moment the phone was ringing becasue I would have slept through it. I could tell something was wrong by the tone of her voice and at first I thought I was still dreaming(sometimes I feel as if I still am) but once I shook the cobwebs from my brian and things started to clear I felt like the world had not only stopped but fell completly to pieces. I didn't sleep the rest of the night, but I was not alone my friends next door and my roommate stayed up with me the whole night. I talked briefly with my older brother over the phone and got ready to go because my aunt and uncle were picking me up on their way down to the house. From this time things started to seem surreal (due to the lack of sleep) and pretty much lasted the rest of the week. Upon arriving home, even with people stopping in and bringing food reality still had not set in I think I keep expecting dad to walk in the house and wonder why everyone was there. Around 4 pm, I was told to lay down and try to get some sleep which I think I may have done so for a few hours but can't really recall. The rest of the week was spent making arrangements and getting things ready. It was not until the night of the viewing when we went early with the other members of the family that the realization of everything really set in and the surrealism was broken. I was very proud that we stood there for a good +4 plus hours while people waited in line to pay thier respects, and remember being told that there were people lined up outside waiting to come in the church. The next day was the actual service, to my surprise some of my friends came down from WVWC which was great although I was in the middle of dressing when they showed up which was kinda funny at the time.

Returning to school the following week I just wanted things to go back to some sense of normalicy. The same semester that dad was killed I was pledging STE, again I think God led me this direction so I could have a support group. One night I came back from my pledge meeting and on my bed was a framed paper from the brotherhood and with everyone signing or writing words of encouragement on it. I still have it to this day and have it up on my wall so everytime I see it and it give my spirit a lift.

I was going through and cleaning my files the other day and came across a few items that made me sad and happy at the same time. The first thing I found was a Halloween card from my freshmen year signed by both mom and dad, I think I really don't know why I kept it other than the fact that I am a packrat, but am glad that I still have it. The second thing was a keyring with a picture of me, dad, mom and my younger brother from Parent's Weekend my freshman year. In the picture my mom's eye is swollen due to some surgery she had on it, however if you didn't know that you might have thought someone punched her or hit her in the eye. While my brain was on this track I realized that I had something that I have been using on a regular basis that my dad got me not long before he died. As I mentioned above at that time I was a very sound sleeper and needed as much help getting up in the morning as possible. My freshman year I had two seperate alarm clocks which I used to get up in the morning. Dad got me a dual alarm clock which I still use to this day. When I realized this I was upstairs sitting on the bed and just sat there for awhile just staring at the alarm clock thinking that it was funny that something like an alarm clock could mean that much to me.

I miss my dad everyday but especially this time of year. I can still remember how there would be nights when I was young when I would get up to use the bathroom and dad would be asleep in the floor or the chair. Another thing that made losing dad when I did was that I was just coming out of the phase where it wasn't "cool" to hang out with your dad. I was just begining to understand exactly what mom and dad had done for me and my brothers. As I have mentioned in previous posts not a day or event in my life goes by that I wish my dad was not here to experience with the rest of a family. Recently I found a song by MercyMe that sums up how a feel. The song is called "Homesick" and it says everything that I wish I could and does it in manner I only wish I could.
"Homesick"

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more home sick then now

-C

The Examined Life

Yesterday driving back to Albany from my weekend in Cleveland I had a lot of time to do some thinking. I thought about many things and realized that I needed to sit down and get my thoughts out or they were going to drive me crazy if they stayed wedged in my brain. As of right now I have a good idea of the things in my life I am going to examine but I first need to to sit down and arrange them in some sort of order. Thoughout this process I might ask for some feedback other times maybe not.

My philosophy behind this is that no matter what you do there is always room for improvement. While there is somewhat of an idealized goal that I have I am sure as I embark on this process that I will hopefully learn more about myself.

-c

My Friend Bauer

A few weeks ago my older brother and his wife suddenly lost their greyhound Bauer. I have been wanting to write some stuff here on the blog but figured I would give them time to post something on their blog before I posted here. Since they now have posted something there I would like to take an opportunity to post some of my memories of Bauer.

I first met Bauer in the summer of 2004 when I traveled out to San Francisco to attend my brother's wedding. The first day we were there Shawn and Emma had a get together for the two families at their place and this was the first time I got to meet Bauer. For some odd reason dogs and cats (especially) are automatically drawn towards me when we are in the same room. Before I met Bauer, when someone said "greyhound" words such as hyper, racing, and endless energy were the first things that came to my mind. As soon as I met Bauer it was obvious that these were misconceptions. When we arrived I think Bauer was laying on the floor and looked at us as we walked through the door then went back to his relaxing on the floor. As the evening went along I was able to get him to go out to the backyard. My plan was to get him to play "fetch the stuffed animal" which didn't work out very well. I would throw the stuffed animal across the yard and tell him to go get it and bring it back. Instead he just looked at me with his big eyes and I bet if I could read his mind he was probably thinking 'yeah sure whatever I go get it, NOT'. So I would start running toward the toy hoping he would follow and find the toy...but he just stood there looking at me like I belonged in a mental institution. After tossing the toy a few more times I finally gave up but I have a sneaking suspision he was mildly entertained seeing me running back and forth.

The second time I really got to hang around Bauer was when we visited Conn. last December after Christmas. While we were opening gifts Bauer kept licking a spot or something on his rump which Shawn or Emma would tell him to stop. Whe he continued to do it Shawn got out a pair of red boxers that had smiley faces on them and put them on him...it was a humorous site to see him wearing the boxers.

This summer after I spent the week here in Albany searching for an apartment I went over and visited and stayed over at my brothers before heading home. When I arrived at the house both Shawn and Emma were still at work so after getting in the house I went upstairs and hung out with Bauer and Berkeley until my brother got there. When he got home Shawn and I took the guys for their evening walk. I started out with Berkeley but he was being somewhat stubborn so I traded and was walked by Bauer. That evening when it was time to go to bed Bauer decided that he wanted to sleep downstairs in the room where I was staying which was really cool.

I will really miss not seeing Bauer when I go to visit my brother.
-c

Team of Rivals

8 months , 750 some odd pages, and learning to read I finally have finished TEAM OF RIVALS by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Even though it took me a long time to get through it I really enjoyed reading the book and have developed a greater appreciation for Abraham Lincoln as a man, political tactician, and President. The main focus of the book is on Lincoln and his life from a young age through his early political career to his time as President during the Civil War. When I started reading the book I felt as though I had a good idea of his life and career from my studies in History and Political Science, but the knowledge I went into the book with was only the tip of the iceberg of who Lincoln truely was. Along with Lincoln, Goodwin also follows the lives and career of William Seward, Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates who were in competition with Lincoln for the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination and would eventually become the key members of his cabinet.

One of the things I found most interesting was how Lincoln was able to manuever the turbulant political landscape of the civil war while dealing with Chase, who while serving as Secretary of the Tresury, was constantly scheming to make Lincoln look bad so he could have another chance to run for President. The hardest part of the book to get through was the beginning when Goodwin traced the childhoods of each of these great men. Once the Civil War started then I really got interested and could hardly stand to put the book down. The only thing that I would have liked to read more about was the process and discussions that went on when Lincoln gave the order to allow West Virginia statehood, but that could be the country boy in me speaking.

One kinda funny thing that happened when I was about a third into the book was the day I substituted for a 5th grade class. In the class they were studying the Civil War and I was able to use some of the information that I had read from the book in my lecture to them. I am glad my brother got me this book for Christmas becasue I probably would not have picked it up on my own accord.

I think the next book I read will be the next Harry Potter book (number 5) becasue the old brain needs a rest.
-c

New Posts

I should hav some new posts up toomorrow after I finish typing them @ work....

I love working for the government.

Motivation

I could write a whole blog post about how stressed I was last week, but I won't.

I am overweight. I feel it in my cloths, in my energy levels, and especially when I look in a mirror. I have never in my life been "skinny" or even underweight. All my life I have had to deal with my weight and I think that since I have had to deal with it so long it has negatively affected my self image and confidence level which has directly influenced other areas of my life. There have been times when I have had some success losing weight but once I do it seems I always get side tracked and put it back on. After much reflection I have found that there is a pattern to my losing weight and putting back on again.

When I started my senior year of college I weighed close to 300 lbs and I kind not. About a month and a half in the school year my roommate and friend at the time began blaming me for problems he was experiencing in his life. What started out as walking around campus in the evening to clear my thoughts and get out of the apartment so that I did not have to be around him and his moping, turned into a fulfledged daily workout. If I was not in class or studying I was either in the rec center working out on the nautilus equipment or outside if it was nice walking or jogging. There was also another reason that I was exercising, I wanted to be able to sleep at night. When I get even the slightest bit stressed out, I don't sleep very well and had bouts of insomnia that have lasted over months at a time. So by the time I graduated in May, I weighed about 220 and I felt and looked alright but was determined to continue to lose and maintain the progress I had made. Well after graduate school did not pan out I was working 2 part time jobs and going to the YMCA when I could but I gradually began to put the weight back on. This trend continued until the end of my second year of graduate school two years later.

So flash forward to the end of my second year of grad school, I was coming off of having my back surgury and it was obvious I was not going to be able to finish my Poli Sci MA in the 2 years because I had a whole sememter of work from when I was out having and recovering from the operation. On that heap of stress I began pursuing a relationship with a girl from my church Home Group which kicked me back into the same pattern of rollerblading everyday for 3 hours after work and a long visit from my friend INSOMNIA. I probably started the summer around 220 and was down to a nice 190lbs by the beginning of the semester. At this point I was in the gym working out with my friend who was an amauter boxer. I was feeling great about how I was looking. Well at the end of the year I thought I would be finishing my second masters and moving on to bigger and better things...which did not happen. I ended up back home working a crappy job and I was going to the YMCA again but I did not have that motivation that I had before. When I returned to WVU to finish my last semester I tried to go to the gym on a regular basis but was more focused on finishing my schooling. By Christmas I was getting back out of shape and not having access to the WVU rec center did not help even though. I tried walking or jogging but I hurt my knee again so I had to put the stop to that. when it got to be warm enough I started trying to get back into rollerblading but I was just so worn out by the end of the day since I was substitute teaching.

Since moving to NY I have tried walking during my lunch period and in the evening but again I am just worn out when I get home and just can't find the motivation to get up and do it. I have been toying with the idea of joining the local YMCA (short detour on the way home from work) but right now I am trying to watch expenses. I could justify it as I am taking preventative health steps ...especially with my back. I am working on finding a doctor so I can get a much needed physical and see where I am and need to be. I could also say I will save money in the long run because if I walk around the area where I live then I have to take a shower and my hot water is heated by gas and gas ain't cheap. By joining the YMCA I could shower there and not have to worry. My only worry is that I will not be motivated to go on a regular basis. I already watch my diet since I take my lunch to work and hate fast food.

I really need to do something.

-c

9-11-01: In Rememberance

It's hard to believe it has been five years since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

I remember that morning very well. I got up as usual and got ready and left for my Intro to Research class on the downtown campus. When I got to class I had just sat down and all of a sudden one of my classmates came in screaming "The world is going to Hell!" Now my initial thought was that this person was angry at a professor or somehow life was treating her unfairly(such is the life of a grad student). She then preceded to say that planes had hit the WTC and the Pentagon, which I thought that some radio station was pulling a prank or something stupid like that. The professor came in and said that we were going to continue with class in light of the events...the room was completely silent as the professor began the discussion when all of a sudden a fire truck drove by which jarred us out of the trance we all seemed to be in at that time. We finished with class and I was headed to work but first I had to run some copies of a paper I had to read and write a paper on for the next day. As I entered the Mountain Lair I was able to catch a quick look at the television and the mass of students huddled around watching. It was not till I got to work that I realized the severity of the situation. Not having a tv in the office we had it tuned to the local radio station which kept breaking into the national news reporting a "mysterious white plane" which was circling about 30 miles away. The work day went slow and I did not get any work done which was mostly me typing my paper which was due the next day. As soon as I got home I turned on the TV and running back and forth from the other room where I was typing my paper. I finally got to bed about 3 am or so with my paper finished and being both physically and emotionally drained. The next day I went to work and then to class. The first thing the professor said was "Due to the current situation I have decided to extend the paper due date by a few days". The following day I had my Research class again. The professor apologized for keeping us in class and said that if he had known the severity of the event he would have canceled class.

This spring I went to NYC and went to Ground Zero. It was a very humbling experience and it was like the time I went to the Holocaust meusem in Washington D.C., I just felt numb. We also went to the church right across from the street which was not damaged in the collapse and has been turned into a memorial.
All in all it was a very powerful experience and hope everyone has a chance at sometime to visit. I hope that we never forget what happend that day or the people who gave thier lives for their fellow man. I don't think that we will ever completely heal from the tradgedy of that day and that it should remind all of us of the many sacrifices that have been made.
-c

Random Mish Mash

Just a bunch of quick hits

As you probably know by now the pictures of all my stuff when I moved in last week. Got a good portion of it taken care of today but still have some boxes that need to be taken care of but its basically books which I don't want to get out until I have bookcases. I have this theory that plastic hangers left to their own devices over 2 years will multiple like rabbits.

Church Search
I have narrowed the choice down between two churches. Tomorrow I am going back to the second church then I should be able to make my decision. Found this clip from King of the Hill which I found humorous and something I could relate to.


LOST
I joined Blockbuster Online and decided to give the show LOST a chance. When it originally started I couldn't watch it on a regular basis and then didn't have tv so I just didn't get into the show at all. So as I said I decided to give it a chance and now I am hooked and Blockbuster can't send the dvd's quick enough.

BOTTLE CAPS
Every now and then I enjoy an adult beverage at the end of the day. I prefer bottles over can beer and with the bottle comes the bottle cap. So I am saving the bottle caps and placing them in the half gallon growler I got from the WV Brew Pub. The goal is to fill the jar.


I know...boring post...maybe something will exciting this week but I doubt it. I am only going to be in the office 2 days. Monday I have a computer class, Tuesday and 1/2 day Wednesday I have PMI Orientation then in the office Thursday and Friday is half a day due to FallFest.

Labor Day Weekend Adventure

I am totally exhausted...

This weekend has been a very busy one indeed and I am glad it is over.

Thursday after work I drove over to my brother's in Conn. and spent the night before we headed to WV. I originally thought we were going to be leaving to coming back early Sunday and unloading stuff Sunday evening so before leaving the house I deflated my airbed. While I was eating dinner I found out that the plan was to come back Saturday. Since we were leaving early in the morning I went to bed early but had trouble getting to sleep. I had my alarm set to go off at 5:45am but ended waking up around 5 and finally got up at 5:30am. We got on the road on time and made really good time on the road, except in PA which just seemed to go on forever. After stopping for lunch and to pick up pepperoni rolls in Fairmont, WV we stopped in and visited for about 15 minutes with my grandparents before heading down the road to have dinner at our other grandfathers and see our aunt Ellen in from Cleveland for the weekend. After dinner I took my brother back down to the house so he could pack the toys (GI Joe, Star Wars, Transformers, and He-Man) and his stuff he was bringing back to his house. While at the house I rounded up my stuff from the house then headed back down to my granddad's to get the rest of my stuff which had been stored down there for 2+ years. I figured I would be up all night getting stuff together but my aunt Kirtha and her family helped me get everything into the staging area in the garage. I finally went to bed about 1 am dead tried from driving ~11 hours straight.
At 8am my aunt Ellen woke me saying that my brother called, I tried to get up but my legs would not respond and I had my alarm set for 8:30 am anyway. Finally I got up and drove to the house and picked up my brother while my aunt Kirtha went to the DMV and took care of renewing my car which the sticker on the car ran out at the beginning of August. Once we got back the packing started in earnest. One of the ladies at my church gave me a queen-sized bed but she must have been out of town because I tried calling her to tell her I needed to get out of her storage building. Since we were not able to get a hold of her it was a good thing that my mother is good friend of the lady who owns the storage buildings so we were able to get the bed out of the storage locker and get it packed in the truck. Then we loaded up the stuff at the house then had lunch before leaving at 1pm on our way back to Albany. On the way back, my brother drove the truck while I followed behind in my car. This worked fine form the first part of the trip because I would follow behind and could let him get ahead and easily catch up to him. However, half way through PA it start to rain and get windy and I, in my light Focus, was getting blown all over the place and had to concentrate on not hydroplaning and keeping the car on the road. It was so bad in some places I was only going 50 mph max. Once we got on the NYS Thruway the road got better and it stopped raining. We got to my place about midnight and we were both dead tried. Now if you remember I deflated my air mattress before leaving on Thursday and I did not have the pump charged. I inflated my full sized mattress for my brother to sleep on then as I made a poor attempt to fill the queen-sized mattress the pump ran out of juice. I was so tired I took my body pillow, two regular pillows, and a sheet downstairs and slept on the floor, I was that tired.
Sunday we were up at 7 am and unloaded all my crap into the house(I took pictures but my piece of $Y^@ desktop is not working right) and finished around 9am. After my brother left and headed to his place I figured that I was up and sweaty and I really didn't want to start unpacking so I showered and went to church. Sunday afternoon I put together my computer desk and set up my tv and dvd player and then tried to will the rest of the stuff to put itself away while I watched LOST. Finally went to bed around 11 and slept till about 10 this morning.
This afternoon I went to a Church picnic, played football and softball, all the time hoping that when I got home a modern miracle would happen and everything would be put away when I got home. So over the next few days I have to move the comics and the toys upstairs, unack my kitchen items, and go through 3 bags of misc. crap and figure out what I need to keep and what can be tossed.

When I first moved up here I never felt homesick, after this weekend I am feeling a little homesick.

-c

Homeward Bound

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week!

After work I am driving over to my brother's in Conn., spending the night then heading to WV Friday morning. The purpose of the trip is to bring all my stuff back up to Albany.

For the past month and a half my place has looked as though a squatter has been living here. I can't decide which thing I am looking forward to the most: either being able to sleep on an actual bed or finally being able to use my desk which has been in storage for 2 years. I can also finally get around to fixing my desktop computer which has a virus on it.

Other good things about going back home:
Seeing my mom, grandparents, and other family members
Getting to see the WVU Mountaineers kick the Marshall Thundering Nerds around the field


Today my health insurance kicked in...now I can get sick or hurt and not worry about it. Today at work everyone in my area went out to lunch at this nice Irish Pub which meant a nice lunch hour. Add to the fact that my lunch was covered was cool, but the best part was that the consumption of adult beverages was allowed, in fact encouraged. I found this strange because when I worked for he WV State Treasurer if you had an adult beverage with your lunch you could not come back to work. After lunch my supervisor handed me some cash and told me to have another drink before I came back to the office. So me and the other guys stayed another hour or so and watched some of the Yankee-Tigers game before heading back to the office.

So it was a good day

-c

Jet Set Weekend

This past weekend was probably the most fun I have had in awhile and also one where I got the least amount of sleep. This past weekend I flew out to Missouri to bring in a new pledge colony into the fraternity .

FRIDAY
My plane left Albany at 4:45pm so I went into work at 7am which meant I got up about 5:30, which is way to early. I left work at 2:30 and headed to the airport thinking that I was going to get the full service going through security like I always do when I fly. Surprisingly enough I didn't get pulled which really surprised me especially with the new "strict" screening procedures. Apparently I was lucky unlike the girl who was in front of me who had to surrender her contact solution and other tolietries. I somehow got through with some old sleeping pills and some hand cream which had been in my computer bag since my trip to NYC in April. My flight went from Albany to Washington D.C. then on to Kansas City. On both flights which were almost full I had a seat to myself which great because I could put my laptop on the tray on the seat beside me and stretch out and be comfortable. After arriving in Kansas City I had to call the rental company to come pick me up and take me to get the car. When you travel cheap I guess you get what you pay for because the other car rental places had nice shuttles which clearly displayed the company compared to the white 15 passenger van with the logo on the side. Being dark I tried to keep an eye out for the white van which I saw drive right by so there I am running in my birkenstock sandal's trying to wave down the van while pulling my luggage. Of course even after running down the street waving like a madman the guy driving did not see me so there I am having a heart attack hoping he will come back around and thinking I am going to have to throw my body in the road to et him to stop. Finally he picked me up and we headed over and I picked up my car and proceeded to drive 2 hrs East to Marshall, MO where Missouri Valley College is located. After checking in to the hotel and getting to the room it was about midnight (1am est) and I was beat.

SATURDAY
After getting maybe 5hrs of sleep, the expansion director and I headed over to the college where we spent the afternoon with the guys who were going to become the new pledge colony. After meeting with them, we headed back to the hotel and I went to the pool/hot tub to unwind, which was not the cleanest pool but was not so bad...mainly a few bugs floating in the pool(it was an indoor pool no less) which I pushed towards the filter. After a short swim we headed to dinner then back to the room and I made another quick trip to the pool since I was getting bored just sitting around the room. At 10 pm we headed back over to the college to officially bring in the group and ended up hanging around and visiting until 1 am.

SUNDAY
After pulling myself out of bed and going down for a wonderful hotel breakfast of biscuits and gravy and doughnuts I packed up and checked out. Since my plane did not leave Kansas City until 5pm I had some time to kill so I decided to go see the local AAA baseball team the Kansas City Royals take on the MLB Oakland A's. For $12 I got one of the best seats I have ever had it was the aisle seat in the second row from the right outfield.

I wish I had a digital camera because it was cool to be able to look right in to the bullpen and see the pitchers warming up and getting ready. My view of the field was this but obviously a lot closer.Unfortunately I had to leave during the middle of the 6th inning and was probably on ESPN because in the 4th inning Reggie Sanders hit a solo home run and it bounced off the roof of the bullpen, which had it been more to the left it might have fallen right in my lap. So I left the ballpark and made my way to the airport, again with no problems getting through security. No real problems on the way back, however my connection in D.C. to Albany they were trying to load four flights from one gate at the same time...headache. Finally got back to Albany, off the plane, got my luggage, and got to the car around midnight. After waiting for 15 minutes to pay parking and get on the road and headed home I was beginning to feel the fatigue of traveling. Got home about 12:45 and went right to bed (thinking ahead I made my lunch for Monday on Thursday night).

As I said I did a lot in the short weekend and I loved it although I am still trying to catch up on my sleep... speaking of which I think that's where I am headed now...

-c

The Great Church Search

One of the most important things for me since moving to NY has been finding a church, specifically one where I can take an active roll. In my 28 years here on the planet Earth I have only attended 2 churches on a regular basis, Elkview Baptist and Chestnut Ridge Church (Morgantown, WV).

Elkview Baptist Church was the church I was raised in and spent all my life growing up there. I was even active in the church during the years I was in college, both undergrad and grad. I coached and refed basketball, participated in the drama productions put on during the year, and just willing to help out any way I could when needed. EBC does not have a huge congregation but it is a good-sized church.

When I started grad school at WVU I had a good friend who had just graduated and told me about Chestnut Ridge Church. From the moment I went there I felt welcome and began attending on a regular basis. I was also there when the "Singles" group formed, which although having gone through a lot of changes, still exists as a slightly different group. Chestnut Ridge is a large growing church which also provided many ways to get involved and serve. Due to other obligations and school I was not able to be as involved as I would have liked to have been but maybe it was good for me to just do a little, such as helping with parking which sometimes required a degree in Astrophysics or a minimum of 50 hrs of Tetris experience. For the most part I had a very enjoyable experience in the church and the home group. When I came back last year to finish my MPA I sort of felt like an outsider in the group although there were people there from my previous involvement in the group. I eventually was able to shake that feeling but still protected myself so as to avoid a situation like what happened the summer before I left after I was supposed to finish both degrees.

Flash forward to now. Having lived up North for almost a month now I am still looking for a church which I can call my own. So far I have been to five in all and have seen a spectrum of different churches ranging from the small community church to the "Holy Rollers"(a term I use with the utmost respect). This church was just full of energy which is a good thing. Although I prefer the more calm atmosphere, there is just something about seeing 60/70ish men in suits "jazzercising" in the aisles that made me smile.

I am not sure exactly what I want in a church, but I think I will know it when I experience it. However, until then I keep asking myself do I want in a church...Do I want something similar to what I had in Morgantown or do I need to go a different route to continue my spiritual growth? Again I am not sure but hopefully I will be willing to go where God leads me because I know that he put me here in NY and he will help me find a place to worship.

-c

Broken Internal Alarm Clock

Until a year or so I could sleep through anything. Blaring radios, air raids, world war, and fire alarms( at least 3 I know of during the times lived in the dorms at WVWC, which tells you what kind of friends I had). However, since I moved to NY I have been constantly waking up anywhere from 5-10 minutes before my alarm clock goes off of a morning at 7 am. I noticed that I started doing it sporadically back in May which probably can be attributed to my anticipating the phone ringing with a substitute job.

I really don't know what it could be except that I am sleeping on an inflatable bed and maybe shifting around and stuff like that might be waking me up . I go to bed around 11ish every evening and been waking up 2-3 times and looking at the clock to see what time it is thinking its almost time to get up and get ready for work.

I don't know, it just struck me as weird since its been going on for a month and not affecting my alertness during the day so I am not going to worry about.

-c

I Feel Off...

Been feeling off the past few days.

Probably due to finding out that my grandfather was in the hospital with 2 broken lumbar vertabrae. He was riding his 4-wheeler and a dog got loose and knocked him off the ATV. He seems to be doing alright and I have talked to him on the phone a few times but I wish I was home to help take some of the stress off of mom.

Last night and today didn't help. Last night after I was finished reading I got up and went in to the bathroom and as I was finishing up I started to get dizzy and even though I told myself to be a man and fight it the next thing I remembered was my head hurting in two places and I was laying in the floor with my head on the side of the toliet bowl. After checking for blood and making sure I was not seriously hurt I somehow made it back to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up 5 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:15 am. I had to get up early because I am taking a Microsoft Access class for work today and tomorrow. When I got home this afternoon I think a mixture of the heat and the Double Whopper I had for lunch (not a big fast food person but I forgot to grab my lunch this morning) and the throbbing in my head just weren't mixing well. So I laid around and watched Dilbert on my laptop.

I think it is just stress...trying to find a church in the area(plan to elaborate on in a post soon), trying to find a group of people to interact with, worrying about stupid gas prices going up, the Red Sox tanking, and everything else is just piling on to the other more important stresses that I have.


oh well I guess I am still alive.

-c

Hot, Hot, Hot

UGH...

Usually I don't mind it beening hot and muggy but the past few days when I get home from work have been torture. It has been so hot and muggy that I haven't even been walking in the late evenings becasue the heat just zaps all the motivation out of me. I drink at least two 2 liter bottles full of water when I get home, so not only am I hot but also bloated.

I have inflated my full-sized air mattress in case it gets so hot and uncomfortable at night that I can sleep downstairs where it is a little bit cooler. It must be nice for those people who live around me who have pools in their yards. I look out the kitchen window and see the next door neighbors out in their pool and it just makes me sweat more.

Everytime I move I start sweating unfortunaely I can just lay here all evening...well I guess I could
Is it fall yet?

The Joys of Podcasting

Ever since I got my new wonderful Ipod I have been hooked on downloading Podcasts off iTunes.

This is how I entertain myself these days since I have no tv and it helps the day at work go by quick. So what do I listen to...

Sports:
Pardon the Interruption (PTI) - No tv? No problem. I can still listen to my favorite sports talk show. I wish it was a video podcast to help with the visual jokes that go on during the show.

ESPN Baseball Today - I nice 20 minute recap of the previous day games with previews of upcoming series around the league.

MLB Radio Daily -a 30 minute program where they talk with different people around the league.

Red Sox: Without a Curse - Hosted by Alex Reimer AKA "The Phenom" ..this kid is like 14 or 15 and he does a good job except I think he needs to sit back from the mike because he shouts the whole time.

Original Red Sox Podcast: two guys talk about the Bo Sox...not a bad one to listen too.

MLB.com Fantasy 411 - thought that I could get some tips to help my struggling fantasy teams plus the hosts are fun to listen to and keep the show moving along.

New England Patriots Podcast: got to keep tabs on my team, it is a 2 hr show which can get boring at times but I listen to it in short segments

NFL Rants and Raves: Just started this one so we will see once the season starts about this one.

Religious:
In Touch w. Charles Stanly and Insights for Daily Living with Chuck Swindoll: Like both but I find that Charles Stanley has the more interesting topics in my opinion.

Movies:
Ebert and Roeper: the two critics who should go sit on their thumbs

From the Balcony w. Statler and Waldorf: My two favorite muppets give their crotchity and sarcastic review of new movies and have the greatest rating scales...well they started off that way and it was funny. Now they just do skits based on the the newest movie that is coming out.

Misc. Topics
Quirks and Quarks : Canadian science show that intriges me and makes me feel really stupid at the same time.

NPR's Wait, Wait,...Don't Tell Me: Think of a game show with comedians who sit on the panel and answer current events questions. Once you get past the fact that it is NPR and they just love to bash conservatives then its a funny show most of the time. My favorites are when Mo Rocca is on the panel, loved him on the Daily Show and he just cracks me up.

Dropped Podcasts:
Steven A. Smith: Ugh...this guy thinks the Yankees are the greast team in the world and I could say other things about the show but they are not fit for a blog.

So can anyone suggest any other podcasts?

Office Computer Background

This is the background for my computer at work...it complements the map of WV held to my wall with blue and gold pushpins

-c

It's Been One Week....

since I moved to NY and what an interesting (and boring) week it's been. I wrote about my first day of work, Thursday and Friday were pretty much the same without the massive amount of paperwork that I had to fill out for Personnel. Work is going fine, just difficult coming into a new job where everyone is using acronyms left and right and I am just trying not to do or say something stupid. Luckily I got a nice thick booklet of some of the more commonly used acronyms used in the division, of course the department head was quick to point out that many can stand for different things. After looking through the booklet I noticed one that I will be lobbying for inclusion and that is FUBAR (I am sure I will be needing that one from time to time).

The picture below is my office and the red square are MY windows (click for bigger view) which are nice to look out during the work day. I have a coworker on either side of me and ironically the one to my left is a staunch democrat and the guy on my right is conservative with me being a DMZ. I guess if a rubberband battle breaks out I can offer my rubberband missle shield services to the highest bidder. But the two guys are good friends so I doubt anything will happen, although I did hear about the Limburger cheese incident this afternoon.

In the evenings after I get home I do the usual check email and fraternity boards while I eat a turkey sandwich or have a bowl of cereal. Once the sun starts to set and it cools off I usually go out for a walk around the area, taking a different way each time. One thing I have noticed is that many people have pools which look so nice and cool, although the lady next door who I am renting from has a pool which I got to use one evening. On my walks I just try to clear the old head and try to take everything in between swatting the gnats and mosquito's who love my sweet WV blood. I wish I had a bike because there are some good riding around here, hopefully be able to get one eventually. For the most part evenings are pretty boring and dull.

Saturday it rained most of the day as I worked on getting stuff squared away which was nice because it meant the house was relatively cool. Saturday evening I drove into Albany which was interesting because the hard rain had caused the two main roads that I am familiar with to be flooded so I had to whip out my handy dandy city map to navigate around to where I wanted to go. After stopping at Target and some other places I went and saw CLERKS 2 , which was fairly good, not sure about it being worth the $9.25 ticket cost, but it was a chance to get out of the house a bit longer.

Sunday I started the Church hunt. I attended a relatively small community church in the city the only draw back is the 25 minute drive to get there. Having never really had to search for a church before (when I was in Mo-town I had a good friend who recommended an awesome church and went there ever since). I have found a few other churchs which are closer to where I am so I will make a decision after visiting a few places and find the best place for me. Since I was in town I went back to Target and got a stool (my only piece of real furniture at this time until I get another one(wanted to make sure it was a good height before getting another)) so I could sit at the counter in the kitchen. The rest of the day I spent working on stuff around the house and took a short walk before turning in for the night.

Monday it was back to the grindstone at work and a trip to the store in the evening (exciting I know). Today I sat in a OPTS meeting with one of the bigwigs of OMRDD, and even though the office manger tried to explain stuff to me on Monday I am just glad I did not have to say anything...I am sure eventually I will ::shudder:: The last todays I have been in 3 meetings...the job of a state employee is never done.

So far things have been really positive here. The only thing is evenings are a drag and with no furnature it is either sit in the kitchen or in the floor of what eventually will be the TV room. Another thing that has made the experience difficult is learning that my grandmother(mom's mother) in the moderate stage of Alzheimers and has had a series of mini strokes and I know mom is really stressed out and I can't be around to help out like I used to be able to. I still talk to her on the phone but I can tell that she is a lot more forgetful these days.

I know that I have only been here a week but I feel like I am on the inside looking out at people who are established. Just trying to figure out how to go about meeting people, finding things to do and doing stuff outside of work and around the house(which will have to be put on hold until I start getting paid).

Things will get better

-c

First Day on the Job

I survived my first day at work!

Woke up this morning about an hour before my alarm went off at 7:30, so I just lay in bed and let the cool breeze blow over me. Got up around 7:15 and took another shower sans shower curtain and got dressed and hopped in the car and headed for work. Got to work and the office manager introduced me to everyone again and the few that I did not meet the first time and then I headed down to fill out the obligatory paper work and get my ID card made (with my sunburned face and the white patches where my sunglasses were on my face). After doing all the fun paperwork, I went back up stairs and got right into the mix of things. Spent the rest of the day working on evaluation surveys they are processing. I think I am going to enjoy working in the office, the other staff were jealous that me and the other PMI girl have flat screen monitors for our computers and they don't. Got my lunch from the cafateria only because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of leaving the building and trying to get back in while I am waiting for my ID badge to be given to me.

After work I stopped at Wally World to get a shower curtain...I was really torn between the tropical fish and the map of the world but purchased the typical colored horizontal lines with a clear stripe because ...well... not sure guess going for a more mature decoration scheme. I doubt the Fab Five would approve of any of them...speaking of which since I now live in NY if someone wants to put my name in to be on the show I wouldn't mind and could use the free furnature at least. After my adventure at Wally World I stopped at Price Chopper's the local grocery chain and picked up some sandwich stuff, cereal and milk. Apparently only people with NY drivers license can get the Value card which makes no sense to me.

After returning home I had a sandwich, caught up on my email, and worked on a few things around the place like got the window in the kitchen unstuck and tried to figure out what was wrong with the deadbolt on the inner kithcen door. Afterwards I decided to take a walk and explore the area. I walked down Main Street to the edge of town, saw some places I might want to check out eventually. Got back the place sat on the steps and cooled down and talked a friend in Morgantown then showered and got ready for bed and called and talked to mom.

All in all a good day but I need to hit the sack going in to the office early. I get to go to my first staff meeting tomorrow at 9am..I am so syked ;-)

-c

Arrival

Got to my place in Ravena (about 15 minutes outside of Albany) around 7pm this evening. It was an 8+ trip from Cleveland but I went a dfferent route to avoid the NY thruway. I think it was worth the extra hour because I had more options for stopping rather than the service areas and I didn't have to pay the $15 toll.

After arriving I unloaded the crap from my car and then had dinner with the owner and her boyfriend who live next door. After dinner I just inflated my bed and started to square things away. I then decided to take a shower and remembered I didn't have a shower curtain or something to cover the drain so I could take a bath(going to have to get these things after work tomorrow along with groceries).

Speaking of work I start tomorrow at 9am , I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I am sure everything will be okay, if not I can use the Homer Simpson excuse..."Sorry, its my first day!"

-c

RollerCoasting...

I am in pain... my arms, face, and neck are freaking sunburned.

Having delayed my move to NY by a day and deciding to stay in Cleveland and head over to Albany tomorrow I got to have a mini vacation today.

So today my uncle was taking two kids to Geauga Lakes Amusement park for the day so I got to tag along.

Now in the past I have not been a real fan of roller coasters, I mean the last time I rode one was over 10 years ago when we went to Cedar Point. When we were there I rode The Raptor under the condition that if I rode it dad would buy me a t-shirt after going on it and I paniced and shut my eyes the whole time (my brothers can confirm said story). Anyway I decided to suck it up and ride the roller coasters no matter how afraid I was.

The first one we rode was X FLIGHT (the green one in the picture). You start out going up the hill on your back and then at the top you flip over before and for the entire ride you are looking right down at the ground or being flipped this way and that way. Pretty smooth ride overall and really exciting.

Next was the Head Spin (the blue one) which was alright a tad shakey. After taking a few rides and getting drenched on the big flume ride we moved onto the Dominator(purple/gold) and Thunderhawk (red/green). The Dominator rocked and was very smooth , however the Thunderhawk was a completely different story but still not as bad as the wooden coasters. The wooden coasters sucked and were as shakey as a surgeon who has drunk a whole bottle of vodka. I am sure my back is going to be sore for the rest of the week because of them. I can understand why those 21 people were hurt on the Son of the Beast a week so ago.

Anyway I am tired, sunburned, and I think a little nervous about the next few days with finally moving in to the new apartment and starting the new job.

Well I need to head to bed so I can get up and drive to Ny in the morning.

-c

On The Road

Thursday I headed over to Cinncy for the weekend to attend a meeting for my fraternity. Since the meeting didn't start til Friday I decided to visit some friends from college who live in the area. We decided to go the Red's game versus the Colorado Rockies.

All in all in was a good game, we left beginning of the 9th inning becasue we thought there was no way that even the Red's could screw up a 9-4 lead. So after leaving Great American Ballpark we headed to grab a small bite to eat and found out when got there that the Rockies scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th and came close to winning. So far this is the only ballgame I have been to but it was a good one, I mean Ken Griffey Jr. hit homerun 555 of his career.

Friday I woke up after a very restless night, not sure why it was but I just didn't get a lot of sleep. Around noon I headed over to the Aldridge's house where the meeting was taking place and where I was staying for the weekend to meet one of the other guys who was in early. We decided to go grab some lunch and run some errands so as not to distrub the young ones who were down for the afternoon nappy time. Once we got back the fun started when the reenergized young-uns awoke and the other national officers started to show. While dinner was being fixed we passed football, frisbee, and tried to keep up with the (h)Ethan. After dinner we got down to business, not fraternity business but...
---> <---Unfortunately I didn't do very well in either game because I kept getting dealt crap and since I can't bluff very well every other play for me was "FOLD" and the times I did get a decent hand someone always had a better one. Finally went to bed around 2:30 am and was up and ready to get down to the business at hand at 8 am.

Saturday was spent discussing fraternity business with a lunch break at one of my favorite resturants in the Cinncy area...
That evening we went to Quaker Steak and Lube for dinner where I once did the Atomic Wing challenge, which I have now done in 3 states. After dinner we headed back to the house where we had another exciting round of Texas Hold'em Poker, I did a bit better but not much.

Today went to church then came up to Cleveland. I was going to go over to Albany tomorrow but something has come up and I will be heading over early Tuesday.

At least I get one day off the road

oh yeah and check out the latest post on The Life of Gweedo

-c

The Journey Begins

Tonight is my last night in WV

In the morning I am leaving for Cincinnati, OH for the weekend. Sunday I will leave Cincinnati and head North to Cleveland where I will spend the night and head over to Albany on Monday.

The car is packed full with all the stuff that I can possibly get in there. Well I better get some sleep so I can hit the road early in the morning.

-c

Moving....

Sigh...

I have too much crap!

In the process of packing things for the move to Albany. My original plan was to move everything at once...I guess the saying of the best laid plans of mice and men do oft go astray...is true. The back up plan now is to load what necessities I can in the car and comeback for the big stuff.

The good thing is most of the things I own are still packed from when I moved from Morgantown back home in 2004. I think I am just going to wait until I get that stuff up to Albany then sort through it and pitch stuff as needed.

Its the stuff that I have acquired over the past 2 years that I have to pack up (mainly books and such) and get ready.

I wish I could just beam the crap up to Albany and not have to worry about packing it up, loading and unloading it off a truck and then figuring out where to put it once its out of the box.

I need to become a minimalist
-c

Home...Sweet...Home

As promised...

So as you know I was in Albany last week searching for somewhere to live. Well after looking at many dumps and few nice places I was a able to find the perfect place to live.

My place is a duplex in Ravena (approx. 15 minutes from work). My side of the house
is about 1600 square feet and it has a full basement. The first floor has a kitchen with laundry room, dining room, den with bay window, living room and sun room. Upstairs features one large bedroom with a huge closet, one medium size bedroom with 2 huge closets and one small bedroom with 2 normal sized closets and a bathroom. The kicker is that the landlord put a clause in the lease that would let me have a greyhound (hopefully this will happen eventually...).


On to the pictures....

The Front of the House

The Back Porch and Driveway

The Living Room, Dining Room and the "Sun Room"
(WARNING: Previous tenant was in the process of moving out)

The Kitchen

The Bedrooms (2 of 3)

**this one will be my study**

Overall a very nice apartment and in a quiet neighborhood.

Adios Facial Hair

Well I start work in less than 2 weeks...

I guess it is time to start looking "professional"

For the first time since February I am clean shaven.

Went from this ...
to...
Yeah so not a major improvement, still need a haircut.
Will probably let it grow back in eventually but I want to look decent for my new drivers license and work ID badge.
Anyway tomorrow I will post pictures of my apartment.

-c

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

All I can say is what an extended weekend.

Thursday after leaving Albany I headed over to visit my brother and his wife in Conn. and then hit the road early Friday morning back to WV. I spent from 7:30 am to 10:45 on (and off) the road.

7:30 am: Leave Conn.
4:30 pm: Arrive in Morgantown
5:30 pm: Leave Morgantown and head to Buckhannon
7:00 pm: Leave Buckhannon heading towards home
9:00 pm: Stop in Clendenin and visit grandparents
10:00 pm: Leave grandparents head towards home
10:15 pm: Arrive at the house
10:35 pm: Leave house head to granddad's
10:45pm: Arrive at granddad's

While I was home I found out that the trip to the Island was still happening and that my younger brother had already taken the boat up and was at the Island. By the time I got to my granddad's I was beat. I was so tired I had trouble falling asleep and ended up sleeping until 11:30 am Saturday morning. After getting up I headed to the Island where my brother and his friends where roasting a pig (mmm....pig!) for everyone to eat. After eating I went sking...Man can I tell I am out of shape not only with the extra poundage I have put on let alone the fact that my upper body strength is almost nonexistant , throw in all the trash in the river from the rain and it was pretty rough going on river. The rest if the day was spent swimming, eating and teaching people how to ski.Spent the night at the Island and layed around, swam, ate more pig, and took one more run on the skis. We decided to take the boat out Sunday becasue we were all beat and tired from all the fun we had. Sunday night I crashed and slept very well and long.

Monday I did somethings around the house and then came back up to Morgantown to get the rest of my stuff and to attend my Homegroup Pig Roast this evening and say goodbyes to my friends here in Morgantown before I leave for Albany.

So to recap the weekend:
Drove all day Friday
Boating and Sking Saturday and Sunday
2 Pig Roasts = eating pig 4 days in a row
Leaving Morgantown

Hope everyones weekend was as exciting!

-c

Albany: Day 2

My Tuesday in Albany:
After getting up and eating a hearty hotel breakfast (doughnuts , waffles, and OJ) I got ready to head out and begin the full day I had planned. First on the agenda was to go get fingerprinted for the background check the department requires. I just want to say Albany is big and confusing. So I had to go to Schnecidety to get said prints taken well made a wrong turn and in the process of said turn I some how got a flat tire. So I had to wait an hour for the AAA guy to come then I spent 30 minutes at the Goodyear shop getting a new tire...yeah it was that bad.

So after that I finally made it to the fingerprints place and got that taken care of I went to my office and met the people that I will be working with in less then a month. My work area is a 8' x 10' area...by the WINDOW....which is awesome. So after meeting everyone my quest for the Holy Grai....I mean apartment began . Looked at 3 places, one of which is a 3 bedroom bottom part of a house with a basement that has an actual "bar" down there. After looking at apartments I grabbed dinner at a local eatery and watched the Red Sox/Mets game on the tube then it was back to the hotel for the evening.

oh yeah...also got a city map from one of the ladies at the office ...very helpful...very


-c

Back to Albany

For those of you who thought you had the wrong blog, don't panic I just changed the name (more on this at the end).

With less than a month before I move to Albany I still do not have an apartment. I thought I had one but after being told it was not in the best part of town I decided to pass on the place. So I decided to make a trip up to Albany so I could look at places in person and figure out where I want to live. Being that it is an 8 hours trip I knew I needed to leave early Monday morning so I could get up to Albany and make the most out of the trip. So being an almost spur of the moment trip I had little time to plan. So my plan was to get into Albany early afternoon and look at one or two apartments Monday evening. So that meant leaving Morgantown at 7am would put me in Albany roughly around 3ish. So after packing and making sure I had everything I needed I went to bed at 12:15, but didn't fall asleep until about 2am:
12:15 - crawl in bed and turn out light
12:25 - get up and use the bathroom
12:40 - think I should pack a flannel shirt
12:45 - get up and pack flannel shirt
1:00 - get up use the bathroom again
1:14 - The idiot dowstairs is snoring and I hear it in stereo
1:26 - hmm going to have to get coffee in the morning
1:35 - must...sleep...arghh!
1:40 - bathroom
1:50 - wonder if I can find something to knock myself out
2:00 - zzzz...

For some reason I never sleep well before I go on trips.

So I get on the road at 7 and making great time listening to DaVinci Code Revealed then moved on to Statler and Waldorf's movies.com podcasts. So as I said was making good time until I hit the PA/NJ boarder. I had to sit in traffic for 1.5 hours, no AC, and it was sporadically raining which was not really fun or comfortable. Once in NJ I got into NJ I was back to making good time until 20 miles outside of Albany when it just started pouring the rain and had to switch between defrost and tepid blowing air...not to mention I hit a traffic jam on the NY Thrueway. By the time I finally found the hotel I was miserable and smelling ripe.

Needless to say I did not make my apartment visit so I went out located where my office will be and explored the area before heading back to the hotel to order pizza and plan my day.

The renaming of the blog:
Decided to rename it after it was brought to my attention it was named after a movie with Angelia Jolie...never my intention...honestly.

-c

Under Construction

As you can see I have made some changes to the Blog. First I changed the templete to a lighter color and updated and added links to the blogs that I visit on a regular basis...so check them out if you have a chance. I am considering changing the name of the blog also so if you have any suggestions leave them in the comment section.

Until the next post I am outta here...

-c

Ipod Envy

Thursday evening my Ipod (Generattion 4 20 gb) went on the fritz. I couldn't even get it to charge when plugged into the computer so I could try and resync it. So Friday I took it to Best Buy because I knew that when I bought the thing I got the service plan was good for 2 years I just could not remember which plan I got. So I took it to the store and the guy could not even get the thing to do a hard drive scan on itself. Then he tried to look up the service plan but since I did not have the card I used when I purchased the Ipod they could not look it up in the computer. So 3 hours later, a phone call to my bank, and another trip to Best Buy I finally find out that I got the replacement plan. Since they do not make the 20 gb Ipod anymore I got upgraded to a 30 gb video Ipod...and the kicker...the promotion they were running was a $30 gift card with the purchase of a 30 or 60 gb Ipod...so I also got the $30 gift card...



So all in all I came out ahead...

Time to go check on MY PRECIOUS...

Father's Day: In Memoriam

Father’s Day is only a few days away. For the past 8 years (this will be 9) this day is one that I really do not look forward to all that much. The reason being that in October of 1997 my dad was killed and to this day we still do not know all the details or what truly happened that night.

But for this post I don’t want to dwell on the negatives but to try and remember some of the good times that I had during the 19 years that I knew him.

During the summer of 1984, my brother and I were in the backyard playing on the swing set and I was hanging on the bar and I dropped off and landed on my arm. Well that evening after cleaning up dad took me to the hospital to get my arm checked out to see if anything was wrong with it. Dad and I ended up spending most of the night in the hospital. I remember that dad got a chocolate bar and was giving me small bites until the nurse came by and told him that I could not have any…and as soon as the nurse left he gave me the rest of it. It was late at night when we left the hospital after the doctor x-rayed and set my arm in a cast. Before we headed home dad took me to the donut shop and let me get something to eat which was really cool and a treat. This was the same year that I played soccer and the referees would not let me play with the cast on my arm. Dad came up with the idea of wrapping the cast in foam so I would not accidentally clobber some innocent kid on the field during the game.

I also remember that on Saturdays he would work half a day at the office and sometimes I would go in with him. Not only did I get out of doing work around the house but we usually would get breakfast before we went to the office. Once at the office I would just hang out or “help” out doing stuff (which meant I drew pictures and made paper airplanes). I would also jump at the chance to go to Cleveland with him when he had to go to Cleveland for optical seminars. I remember that there were times when we would be traveling late into the night and keep him company while he was driving (which might be why I have trouble sleeping in a car). There was one time we were driving to the beach and for some reason we drove through the night and while mom and my brothers were in the back (we had a suburban) sleeping I was right up front talking to him and trying not to fall asleep myself.

The last time I got to spend time with dad was Labor weekend 1997. He and I went to the island and went boating. It was great because it was just the two of us and I got to spend some quality time with him.

I will always remember the last thing he said to me the last time I talked to him was a week or so before he died. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of college and me and some of my friends thought it would be cool to leave Buckhannon, WV early Saturday morning and drive to Virginia Beach for the day then drive back to school that evening. It was a long drive and we didn’t get back until about 4am in the morning Sunday. Well that evening mom and dad called and I for some reason told them about the weekend excursion and let’s just say that they were not happy, but before the call ended dad told me how proud he was of me and was glad that I was doing well and enjoying school. Had I known that was the last time I was going to talk to him I can’t begin to think the things I would have wanted to tell him about how much I appreciated the time we got to spend together over the years.

If I become a father someday I hope I can be half the dad that he was that I can take the things I learned from watching him and raise my kids the way he raised me and my brothers. Not a day or milestone in my life goes by that I don’t think of him, but I take comfort in the fact that he is looking down from heaven and one day I will get to see him again.

I miss you Dad...

-c