can i sleep on your couch tonight?

Ladeeeeeeez and Gentlemens!
Chilluns of all ages!
In case you've been under a rock for the past 15 years, and don't know what summertime in Herndon means.... Friday Night Live 2009 kicks off tonight! Amanda working the beer tent, pizza, and FREE music outdoors on the town green. (I knew that "free" bit would grab your attention.)
Get the band scheds and all details here: www.HerndonRocks.com

So I've had a few requests for info regarding Kid1's drama at school. No change in status yet, but I'm sure there will be soon.

I made a quick road trip to visit him Tuesday evening. He was playing in a symphony that evening, followed by a reception for the parents. His frat was putting on the reception, so the budget and planning were exactly what you're imagining, but it was a rather nice gesture.

A friend of his joined us for dinner, and we hung out with a few diff people at the reception. I didn't have a chance to have any sort of private conversation, so I didn't get the details of how he plans to finish this semester.

So basically, he's still on campus, attending class, living in the dorm, eating at the cafeteria. And he still hasn't paid a dime. I'm not sure when the free ride ends, but it's got to be soon.

He's all set and ready to take finals starting next Monday. Classes are over Friday, and dorms close at noon Saturday. I'm actually pretty impressed that he's lived on campus for free for the entire spring semester. From what I know, he won't get credit for any of the class that he's taken, but it's still pretty cool that he basically crashed on the University's sofa for 3 months, and they cooked him waffles in the morning.

Oh yeah, he recently registered to move into a University Apartment starting July 1. Without paying for that, either.

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Mazes are annoying. Sorry.

Umm, what?

FoxFyre might waste more than just an afternoon. I think this could take a while.

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This is what you deserve for posting pics of your baby online.

The KarmaSheetra:


Kiera has 36 more ways to waste your afternoon. I did shed a tear when I realized the Waster didn't even make the list. True, this is no FaceBook, but damn, that hurts.

Not as cool as Gumby, but better than Mr. Bill.


Sometimes xkcd is a little too geek for me to share. This is a bit more mainstream. We all need to worry about possessing too many tourist maps. (click pic to enlarge)


10 simple rules for not screwing up at work.

I wanna be a cop. I could pass this driving test eeeeeeeasy:


Jules steps in with another winner! Drunk texts, shared with the world. (yeah, like you've never done it.)

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took my kids to work day

(Before I start rambling about kidstuff, lemme tell you why I love GoogleMaps.)

Yesterday was "Take Your Child to Work Day" ... so I made it plural and took the whole brood. No, I did not carry them on the back of my bike.

Kids2,3,& 4 spent the whole day with me in the office. I was a bit concerned before starting b/c they're not used to getting up quite so early. I'm not much of a morning person either, but I really enjoy having the office to myself for a couple hours before getting hit with a bunch of firedrills.

So they were all up and ready to go right on time. No struggles, no stress. We got into the office without issue, zapped about 1/2 dozen bowls of instant oatmeal, toasted some pop-tarts, made at least 20 cups of hot cocoa, and took our vitamins. My morning routine was only about 90 minutes behind schedule by the time we finished breakfast, but I knew my day would be jumbled.

We all checked email (and facebook and AIM) to get organized for the day. I was trying to map out any required workstuff with hosting and acting as a tour guide for the kids when they shocked me with a request: "What work can we do?"

WTF? Twenty years* of having kids and I don't think I've ever heard those words.

So I re-mapped my workstuff and figured out their assigned tasks for the day. They took full ownership, too. There was a chart of tasks and assignments on my white board, with status updates next to each task, and check marks to show what was completed.

The day was wayyyy more productive than I ever could have imagined, and the kids were having a blast actually being legitimate contributors. They tested a whole stack of hardware, sorted thru some inventory stuff, unpacked and set up some new MacBooks, and updated our inventory database to reflect the changes of the day. They saved me many many hours of work. Totally cool.

We walked up to Moe's for lunch, and I found out just how much I was paying for all that help. Holy crap, I had no idea that a side of queso at Moe's is effing $4.99! $42 worth of burritos! Ouch.

I can't wait til next year.

* Yes, twenty years! No, I don't believe it. Kid1's b-day is this Saturday. Only one more year before he can have a legal hangover.

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Like MarioPaint on the interwebs! artPad

Simple little Galaga rip-off.

No, I can't explain falling evil tangerines.

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I thought I was the only one who had these kinds of thoughts. Laura sent a link that's right out of the dark corners of my brain: 10 real-life animals that look like.... ah, LadyFlowers, as Frisky so delicately phrases it.

Jules gives us the rock n roll band publicity pics Douchebag Hall of Fame!

Poetry and art can be found in the most surprising locations sometimes. Bathroom Wall Graffiti of the Day.

I never would have survived going away to college.


Ouch.


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they're baaaaack

I've got a few shout-outs to share in this week's Waster...

As you know, we were out last week doing the college tour circuit with Kid2.

While we were gone, we had the guys from BG Interior Remodeling come in and take care of a few things. They repainted the foyer, stairway, and most of the upstairs; and they also installed a new front door. I've known these guys forever, and their work is awesome, so give 'em a call. If you're looking to have any remodeling done, or even modeled for a first time, they'll take care of ya!

TONIGHT ! ! !
The Pocket Band is playing at the Old Brogue in Great Falls. Little bit of funk, little bit of rock, a big dose of reggae, and a whole lotta good times. I'll be there from approx "early" to sometime around "late".

Jules (I've been in love with that angel's voice since way before she sang at my wedding), and the Backseat Betties have two shows coming up.... 24 April at Auld Shebeen and 25 April right in Herndon at the new Breakers Sky Lounge. I've got kidstuff both days, so I've got to pass. *sniffle*

Now that I'm done shilling for my friends, lemme tell you about the college trip. In a word: BUSY.

We did a circuit around the whole state of VA. We got to visit with a few friends around the way, but also toured ODU, VaWesleyan, CNU, Wm & Mary, Longwood, Sweet Briar, Radford, Tech, and JMU. There are still a couple more local schools on the itinerary in the coming weeks, too.

It was a productive week, but tiring. Kid2 got a good feel for a lot of schools: some with a good vibe and others not-so-good. That was exactly the purpose of the trip, though. She's still early in the college process, so she's just figuring out where to apply in the fall. An interesting side effect of the trip was Kids3 & 4 getting the exposure to the schools, and starting to entertain some thoughts of their own.

But the Waster has suffered. Last week, no chance of posting anything. I was scrambling just to stay connected to the real world, much less provide your Friday afternoon entertainment. This week, I've been playing catch-up at the office, and I'm *almost* to the point of being able to see my desk again.

Plus, I started back to school this week, after taking the past semester off. Ugh. I'm sooooo out of practice. I'm taking 9 credit hours, and they totally whipped my tail. I spent a couple days of all-day-work followed by all-night-school, and was burned out by THU evening. I'll be better prepped for class next week.

But for now, I'm done. No more work, no more school, nothing but a bunch of good music in my future tonight! Happy Friday!

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It's an all Nintendo afternoon here on the Waster.... Starting from last week, I forgot to include the link to the Donkey Kong game. Jacob sent the link, I wrote about it, but forgot the critical piece of information. Apologies to the 15 die-hard, cross-handed, DK fans out there who took the time to remind me what a dumb-ass I can be sometimes. Oops.

And allllll the rest of the Mario games right here forya!

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UPDATED! Crime scene and hospital photos of the ShamPow! guy's fight in FL!

Mike's going to hell. Click here if you wanna catch a ride on his bus.

Do not order these jeans! They will fck up your legs!
(found on PhotoshopDisasters)

Awwwwww....they were so young and innocent....


I love boobies!!!!! (kinda sorta safe for the office)

Top 10 celebrity pervs of all time.

Ha!

Don't say nobody ever warned you.

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