waster lite

I've got nothing to say.  Actually, I might have too much to say, and can't figure out how to prioritize it all.  Some various ramblings...

Joe, Celeste, and baby Maddie are doing just fine down in KY.  Maddie is 3mo old now, and growing like a weed!

Samantha just finished her freshman year of college with a 3.414 GPA!  She's been working as a nanny while taking classes, and just been busting her tail all around.

Ethan is planning his summer vacations ... he's got trips w/ us, his dad, and his grandma down in FL.  He's pretty much booked the whole way thru.  Lucky dog.

Megan is still a freshman, but she already lettered in the ColorGuard.  They had a really cool performance this year, set to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."

Missy has been even busier than I've been.  She took a new position at work, but still has a lot of the old responsibilities, too.  So everyone in the office knows what a superstar she is, but it's a heckuva a load to carry.

I've already done two races this year.  I ran the Monument Rock n Roll 10k down in Richmond in April.  It's called the rock n roll bc they have bands playing all up and down the course while people are running.  Totally cool.  It was my first run-only race, so it was really weird to start with my feet on the ground.  I didn't even know how to warm up.  I did OK, but def could have done better:  total time 1:00:14.

The second race wasn't much of a race, but actually more of a party disguised as a race.  A couple friends, my sister, and I were on a team of 4 for the Rock Creek Park RunAmuck.  Beer, sunshine, friends, exercise, and a hellacious amount of mud made this a excellent day.  Check out the pics here.  (When you get to the video of the finish line, give it a minute to load.  It's totally worth the wait.)

I'm planning to make next year's RunAmuck a big event, w/ fam, friends, and even the kids.  Be ready.

The rest of my race schedule is rather quiet thru for a few months.  There's a 5k in Herndon on June 5, then nothing else scheduled until Aug & Sept, when I've got 4 triathlons on deck.  The season is capped with the Tough Mudder in October.  That one scares me a little bit.

Mud racing done wrong.  Or right.  Depends on your point of view.

That's the update.  Dunno if I'll be back next week, or if I'll be writing once per season.

It's kinda interesting to look at the links I collected over the past while, though.  They span from the tail end of the cold weather to the bright sunshine of spring.  I even had a couple of Cince de Mayo bits to share:





= = = = = = = = = =

Osama bin Laden flash games.

= = = = = = = = = =


Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.....!

There I was.  Mother of God, there I am!

I was hoping for just one more snowstorm before springtime rolls around.

OK, nevermind winter.  Kate Upton is jiggling me full-steam into bikini season!

I started a new business.

No, really, I started a new school.  Karate school.

AntiVaxxers continue to breakdown herd immunity in the US.  We're on track for the most cases of measles in a decade.  Click to see the JennyMcCarthyBodyCount.

GraveDigger* pulls an effing monster-truck backflip!

*I do understand this isn't GraveDigger I, but don't really care enough to learn the whole Digger family tree.  And since I haven't found time to blog in months, I didn't want to waste any more.

An educational look at Cinco de Mayo.

Scarily true.  Even the hair-dryer guy.

Finally, a couple quickies from Mighty Optical Illusions (Caution, clicking the pic for full screen may help, but will also potentially mess with your head.)

If either your screen or your brain start melting, don't say I didn't warn you.

= = = = = = = = = =

put it on hold

I'd planned on using this week's Waster to vent about recent escapades at the courthouse. Nope, still no resolutions...more delays and silliness. My venting is shelved until sometime this winter, then maybe I'll tell you all about it.

So instead of having a topic of discussion here, I'm just rambling. Dunno where the ramble will take me yet. I'm sure it'll be disjointed and boring.

On my mind recently: Verizon Wireless. We have a total of 5 phones, with a bunch of different call/text/data packages. For years and years, I've loved Verizon, and told anyone and everyone how awesome they are. They have a lot of my money already, and I was trying to give them a lot more (1 new droid + 2 new phones + 3x2 year contract extensions). Instead...

Fuck Verizon Wireless.

They've introduced a new contractual requirement for some of their phones: forced data plan purchase on mid-level phones. I'm not talking about smart-phones like droid or crackberry, but the regular call/text/games/music/ringtone type camera phones.

These phones can optionally connect to the web for things like facebook, VCast, or downloading more media files. Optionally is the key word. The phones do not NEED the data connection to operate. We have data comms blocked on all the kids' phones.

Those greedy Verizon bastards don't like the way we use our phones, so they force a data purchase now, even if you don't want/need/use it. If you phone simply HAS THE POTENTIAL to make a data connection, the charge is $10 per phone, per month. Some quick math:

(4 of our phones are not using data)
x($10 each)
$40 per month
x(24 month contract)
$960 !!!

Read that number out loud, slowly ... nine ... hundred ... sixty ... dollars.

Fuck Verizon Wireless.

Seriously, nearly $1000 in forced additional charges, for nothing. Even though we have data comms completely blocked, we're still required to pay up for any phone that we buy with the POTENTIAL to make a connection.

Can you imagine if other companies did this?
Have an HD TV? Oh, you're required to purchase HD cable now.
Drive a GM? We're making you purchase the OnStar service now.
Have a TomTom? You're forced to pay for monthly map updates.
And you have to subscribe to HBO, whether you like vampires or not.

I called my way up the customer support chain to no effect. The phone monkeys only know what they've been told, and they've been told that "These phones need a data connection to operate." Close. More accurately: "These phones need a data connection before Verizon will allow them to operate on their network."

As soon as this contract is over, we're gone. Eat my gummi nads, you greedy Verizon bastards.


= = = = = = = = = =

Robichai reminds me a little of the original Pitfall game.

Tron + LineRider + some old-school motorbike game = Neon Rider.

My favorite Mario game EVER!




= = = = = = = = = =

A different perspective.
(source, and cited references)


I miss you, Batman, the Animated Series


Butt-lift surgery gone wrong.


Daddy, I want a miniature giraffe, and I want it now!


I'm not scared of a lot of things. Some think I'm brave, some think I'm stupid, some think I'm reckless. I just enjoy the adrenaline jolts. That said, this video literally made my palms sweat and my heart race. Fuuuuuuuuck this tower-climbing job.


= = = = = = = = = =

too much stupid

Not a lot on my mind this week; I've been busy, but things are pretty simple for the most part.

Vacation is done, probably for the rest of the summer. I completed my first 5-day work-week in quite a while. I needed it, too. I've got a big project coming to an end next Friday, and I've got a buttload of work to get done before then. Not like a regular-size butt. A big-ol' circus fat-lady buttload of tasks that need to be completed before things wrap up next week.

School is in full session, too. Both of my classes have a heavy workload. Nothing especially difficult, really, just a large volume of busywork. It really grates my nerves when I have to slog thru crap like this, too. The professors know that we're all adults, and we're all taking classes with the intention of learning something. The students will either learn the lesson or not, and pass the class or not. End of discussion. Assigning busywork at this level is effing retahdid.

The kids have all been (somewhere else) all week long. My girls are down in Carolina with their mom, staying at their grandmother's beach house. Kid1 is home alone with the dog (and whoever he invites to the party). E's up in MD hanging out with his granddad. So it's been a pretty quiet week at home.

Nothing crazy on deck this weekend either. We've got some friends from the neighborhood coming over tonight, and some fam stuff scheduled in MD tomorrow. Other than that, I'm looking at a tough schedule of yardwork, carstuff, and checking the chemicals in the hot tub.

= = = = = = = = = =

Would it piss you off if I wrote the entire ɹǝʇsɐʍ ʎɐpıɹɟ upside down?

Remember the old game, F* - Marry - Kill, where your given 3 people and have to select what to do with each? Here's the updated version, with pics to help you decide.

Iron Maiden!!!! Rawk on! \.../ \.../
Score points and complete levels by dropping loudspeakers near the locals to convert them to headbangers. I was a bit disappointed when made it thru the end of Canada and still hadn't seen Eddie.

= = = = = = = = = =

I'm not sure I believe that red wine works better than chugging shots of Jager...

Boooooobieeeeeees!
Sorry, I got a little excited. Here's a (mostly) SFW discussion (with visual aids) about my favorite topic in the whole wide world. BTW - I almost included the "synonyms" portion of this page in the games section this week.

Lots of people sent me lots of stupid this week. (other times, lots of stupid people send me stuff.)

Not that sending me stupid stuff is a bad thing, it was just interesting that it was a recurring theme this week.

So, starting this week's special parade of special people....


She's a state senator, she's discussing nuclear power and uranium, and she's freaking clueless!!! Why do we have people like this involved with making policy?


This dumbass stole a $20,000 autographed MJ jersey, and sold it on CraigsList for $120.

Winner! Queen of the stupid!


If she's the queen, Bill O'Rly must be teh prince. Get a load of his awesome math skillz.

Gahhhhhh! Don't forget Jenny Mc-BabyKiller!


Dom found more stupid math in Hawai'i.

Stupid in the kitchen - Mike's EXTREME RICE!!!!!!


Ally tells me that this is where they get the stupid: from Stalker School!

= = = = = = = = = =

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!

= = = = = = = = = =

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!

= = = = = = = = = =

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.

= = = = = = = = = =

i love mushrooms!

Yes, this blog is called the "Friday Waster". Yes, today is Monday. I'm guilty, but I've got some splainin to do.
+ The blog ate my homework.
+ Everybody else is allowed to go to the party.
+ Sometimes, I just suck.
+ My mom said I had to be home by 9.
+ But truthfully:
The 1130 going-away luncheon at Jimmy's turned into happy hour at Jimmy's turned into meeting my neighbors and some Jager at Jimmys turned into a recap session in Conference Room 9.

Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, but I know...it's all Jimmy's fault.

Anyway, last week was one of the busiest weeks I've had in a long long time. The holiday weekend leading up to it was pretty cool. We had some free time to hang with the kids, and I also had the chance to get a lot done on that network job we've been working on. I didn't start my actual-working-in-the-office week last week until Wednesday. Looks great on paper, but I only had 3 days to do 5 days worth of work. Not such a good idea.

So let me ramble a bit about these past days...

SafeLite sucks. Not the local guys who actually do the work, but the fucktards that work in the corporate office. Recently I caught a rock and got a chip in the windshield of the truck. Under GEICO, this is a free repair.

GEICO calls SafeLite. Jeff Spicoli calls me to set the appointment. I can't wait for this guy's job to be outsourced. He loses all my info while we're talking, so I have to re-provide all the contact and policy info that GEICO already provided. A day or two later I find out that they lost my policy info again, have me scheduled for the wrong service at the wrong time. I escalate the trouble to the elite SafeLite customer support team.

By now, the local guys have contacted my office, gotten my direct number from the receptionist (bc SafeLite lost it a third time!), figured out what I want fixed, and set an appointment. One phone call, 45 seconds.

The morning of the repair, SafeLite Customer-(don't)Care calls me to apologize for having to deliver more bad news: they have to cancel my appointment bc the local shop is booked solid, and can't make it. Since I spent the entire week learning that the Corporate office is staffed by monkeys, I wasn't surprised a bit when the local guy showed up right on time, just like he said he would.

Alan - thanks for the good service. SafeLite corporate - bite my nads. GEICO - You've been good to me until now, but teaming with these idiots is a huge fuck up.

Good customer service...
Over the holiday weekend, I picked up a new LCD from The Big Screen Store. I do know a couple of the guys there (shout out to Corey and Essey!), but they're good to everyone, not just me. The shopping experience is the opposite of visiting one of the big-box stores: These guys know their business and products inside and out, and will take the time to help you find the right set-up for your theatre. All that, and better prices that MarkupCity or BestBox!

We signed the check on Saturday afternoon, of a holiday weekend. The delivery truck was in front of my house Monday morning, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The guys did all the unpacking, basic assembly, and cleanup in a matter of minutes.(but not installation, although I think you can buy that as an extra)

Kidstuff, and the ongoing college drama:
Kid1 is still at school, but I'm not sure how, exactly.

The school hit me up for payment last THU, including a copy of the latest invoice. I know now that he did register for more classes, so he's officially a full time student and is allowed to keep his FinAid and remain on campus. However, he hasn't paid for anything yet. I dunno how long he can play it out before they change the locks on the dorm room and kick him out of class.

While I really don't like seeing the slow burn, it's a very interesting experiment to me. If he's trying to out-stubborn me, I know the outcome and he'll learn that lesson soon enough. If he's trying to out-wit the school, I really don't know where that will lead.

My buddy Dan just had his first kid Saturday morning. He has no idea....

= = = = = = = = = =

Are you old enough to remember Diamond Dave? What about vector-graphics asteroids for 25cents in the game room of the local swimming pool? If so, you will effing LOVE this game. (Many thanks to Joe, who is old enough...)

When Josh sent this in, I played it for a minute and thought it totally sucked. Bad graphics, simple gameplay, easy scoring. But this is a sneaky waster, and after a minute I was hooked. Check out the XGames of the supermarket, Shopping Cart Hero!

Lots of the tards receiving bailout money deserve to be slapped.

= = = = = = = = = =

Jules brings back memories of the old-school GDays crew, and all the losers they used to date.

The world's strongest magnets, and lots of nerdy stuff to do with 'em.

Ladies... top 10 "don't ever do this" list. (btw, the comments are just as entertaining)

Much love to Donna for finding a site dedicated to real vanity license plates found in the wild. Some good, some lame. I'm torn between two favorites: top-shelf creativity or creativity with boobies.


(Found on Sand & Cotton (along with a bunch of other fun stuff.)



= = = = = = = = = =