i'm your aunt flo

I don't know how many times I have to admit to sucking at this 'weekly post' thing. I know it's been at least a month since I logged in here and scratched out anything worth reading. Heck, even this post might not be worth reading... won't know 'til I'm done yammering.

I have many excuses for not writing, but basically excuses are just reasons for failure. Seriously, every Friday for the past too-many-to-count weeks has been whipping my tail. I've got lots & lots of stories in my head, but I won't do any one of them justice. This is definitely the McD of blog posts today... quantity trumps quality today.

Here we go, in no particular order. I can't keep the weekends or events straight in my head, so I won't even attempt to write down the sequence.

Happy (not) 60th birthday to Uncle Kirk! Yasha planned a surprise party for him. To avoid the extra attention of partying on a landmark year, she scheduled it a whole year early. Who has a 59th birthday party with all sorts of family and old friends? KIRK! It was lots of fun chatting with all of his ex-roommates and hearing redacted versions of their stories.

There are a few redacted stories from my trip to OBX, too. James & Affie planned their wedding on Manteo, so a bunch of us guys went down early and rented a beach house for the week. 5 guys, no burgers or fries, just lots of sunshine & partying. It's probably been 10 years since I had that much free time. I did have to teach the young'uns a thing or two... I was down there 4 nights, and they each took a turn trying to keep up.

Having free time in the morning was pretty cool, too. I got out for a swim/bike/run every single day, without having to worry about getting stuff done at the office. Very niiice.

After spending Sunday-Wednesday at the beach house, I drove back to VA on Thursday. Samantha got all of her stuff packed up in the truck, and we set off for Radford Friday morning. Move-in went pretty well, she already knew her roommate, and the weather was beautiful. She's been down there a couple weeks now, and seems to be chugging right along. She told me last night she's got an oh-point-four GPA, which is a good thing, right?

Back home from Radford move-in on Friday night, so Missy, Megan, and I could drive back down to OBX Saturday morning for the wedding. We got into town early, and had enough time to run around a bit. We jumped the dunes at Jockey's Ridge, spent some money at Kitty Hawk Kites, bought some fudge, splashed in the ocean, and saw some guy get rescued by the real-life Baywatch people.

The wedding was really really cool. Services and reception were both at the Manteo Aquarium. They have a park overlooking the sound. The wedding was held on the shore of the park with the sunsetting in the background. Afterwards, we went inside for a few private hours in the aquarium, plus catered dinner. The family's tables were under the curving arch of a million-gallon shark tank. I've been to a lot of weddings, and this was one of the most memorable. Big love to James & Affie!

While running all over the east coast, I got the message the my Uncle Bill had passed up in OH. I made drive up there on Monday morning. Bill was definitely one-of-a-kind. He worked concrete construction for the county 'til he was at least 70. After he retired, he went around town helping all the old people! He took care of their recycling, brought 'em meals & snacks, but mostly shared time and attention with folks. Aunt Nova said it best when we were at the viewing, "I knew Bill had a lot of friends, but this is ridiculous... I didn't know there were this many!"

Labor Day weekend was packed with the traditional celebrations: Buffett all day on Saturday, Block Party on Sunday, and a relaxed neighborhood BBQ on Monday.

I was nervous about Buffett bc of the change from Nissan Pavilion to JiffyLube Live. The venue has a lot of 'official' rules, but they've always looked away when Buffett comes to town. We weren't sure if JiffyLube would be so relaxed. It all worked out well. The show was at 8pm, the lot opened at 6, but by 1pm we were done setting up furniture, doing decorations, and had the grill lit. Other than a slow parking experience, JiffyLube gets 4 stars for the day.

Block Party on Sunday was a mad scramble. I was completely unprepared for the day. Mostly, preparations included telling people to come out and play, then letting it happen. So many people helped with so many aspects of the day, it really did go very well. The over/under on a police presence was 330 in the afternoon; Deputy McGruff and her trainee were there an hour before. You pays your money and you takes your chances. They saw we were all responsible adults, so they let the party roll on.

Big shout outs and lots of love to this year's musical guests: The 300-Proof Band, Byrn, Augur, and The Pocket Band (at least Big-T and Matt). Without these guys, the whole atmosphere would have been so much weaker. There's just something perfect about good grooving live music to make the day sparkle.

Yes, we did break out the wizard sticks again this year. See for yourselves:


Last Sunday morning, I ran my first Olympic-distance triathlon. It was also my first open-water swim and my first 10k run, too. It was cold and rainy all morning, but once I was wet it didn't really matter too much anymore. My target was 3 hours, which I barely missed at 3:04:14. What I learned... Reston's Lake Audubon was dark, dirty, crowded, choppy, and hard to swim in. The rain didn't slow down my bike nearly as much as my fear of the 10k. I didn't want to blow out my legs before the run started. A 10k is a long way to run; not so much meaning I was worn out, but that I just seemed to be running and running and running and the rowers keep on rowing but there's really no way of knowing when the damn run would ever end.

Next tri - this coming Sunday! It's my third time running the Taylor Love race in Worldgate. It's a shorter distance tri, with a pool swim instead of the lake. I'm totally stoked for this race... after surviving the Reston Tri last weekend I'm ready to slam this one. If I stay motivated and write again next Friday, I'll tell ya all about it.

One new toy to tell ya about before I finish scrambling this mess. Twitter's FastFollow lets you follow my ramblings, without having to register an account. Text "follow pj_haas" to 40404, and you'll have direct access to the inner workings of my brain.

Have a great weekend, and I hope to be here with you next week!

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Game credit to Dom, again. I'm starting to think I should just give him an admin password to the Waster. Spin the Circle.

Hue Shift ... takes a minute to understand the functions, then it gets good.

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Manage your own data, issue 1
QuickenOnline data was destroyed on 29 August. No workaround. Everyone was effed.

Manage your own data, issue 2
Napster DRM data destroyed on 1 Sept 2010 - All wma files purchased thru Napster are no longer supported. They have DRM encoding, which proves your Napster account paid for the music. Napster no longer supports DRM, so there's no proof of ownership. (Note: does NOT affect mp3s purchased after 2008.)
"Napster, a part of BestBuy"... just great.

Manage your own data, issue 3
If you use Bloglines as your RSS reader, get off now. Bloglines is shutting down on 1 October. Your config and all backed up links will be gone. At least their website provides directions to export your settings to another RSS reader.

It's football season!


I really hate the music industry. Thanks for calling them out, Rolling Stone.


Amurricans are stupid. Really really stupid.

List of the bazillion records held by Jerry Rice.

Fingerprints? What?


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clearing my plate

Things have been pretty busy in Wasterland over the past few months. As a result, I've been slacking pretty bad on getting this thing posted on any sort of a regular schedule. I'm sorry for sucking.

I realized today, that writing is more difficult when I do it less often. When I do a weekly post, there's generally been one main activity to write about. It's pretty easy to select the subject matter when the choice is limited to one. Plus, it's totally fresh in my mind so I don't have to fictionalize my memories.

Last time I scribbled anything was right after the cruise, which was a full month ago. I've got a skull full of a month's worth of topics trying to get out, but no gentle and orderly way to release the jam.

So I'll just ramble on, in no particular order.

All the young'uns skipped school and spent the day with me on Take Your Kid and Make Them Work Day. Sam, Ethan, and Megan, plus Sam's bf helped me around the office for a few hours. They really did earn their lunch, too. They cleaned my whiteboards (and drew new pics), hung some corkboards, did some software installs, and helped with a bunch of inventory tasks. Then we took a walk up to Moe's for lunch.

btw - Moe's in Herndon has $2 beers all day every day. Welcome to Moe's!

I scraped all the Christopher Newport University stickers off the truck last weekend. When Joe first dropped out, I held on to the hope that he'd have a revelation. He'd get his act together and go back to school. My "CNU Dad" stickers would be legit again. Now he's been out for nearly a year, got married, and moved out of state, so I've accepted the fact that it'll probably be a long while before he focuses on education again.

A good friend of mine just recently started working with University of Phoenix (not in AZ, right here in NoVA) He's the guy that can help you get back on track with your own derailed education. They cater to working adults who have to balance jobs and schoolwork, so they really do understand your situation. Touch base w/ Brandon here: brandon.bonnette@phoenix.edu

Sam applied early-admission to both Radford and Longwood. She got accepted to both, so the admissions process ended rather quickly. She decided on Radford, did the dorm paperwork, and already had me sign the first check. I've got a lot of space on the truck windows to put up new stickers.

My school has been a struggle this semester. I've been putting off my final ENG class, "Writing for the Business Professional" for a long time, and finally had to hunker down and do it. It's kicking my tail. I can take a full load of senior tech classes without any troubles, but this stupid sophomore-level writing class just isn't what I'm cut out for. Midterms were this week, so I'll be done with ENG in 6 more weeks.

Work sucks. Way too busy, being pulled in way too many directions. It's still better than not working, but some of these sunshiney spring days makes me wonder how true that is.

I've already registered for two triathlons this year, and I'm looking into a third. Plus there's an open-water swim coming up at the end of the month that I might go after, too. My workouts have started to extend recently, and I'm just feeling good. It's pretty rewarding being 40 years old and feeling better now than I have in a long long time.

Besides, biking makes me smile.


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I seriously have dozens of submissions for the Waster sitting in my inbox. I've only got a few items here. Keep sending stuff, I promise it's not going into a black hole.

Geek out with this space/gravity/orbiting java app. Play with the presets for a bit before trying to monkey with the custom settings.

Bill had a slow week a while back. He must have sent 1/2 dozen games. The first to share: Starmaggedon!

Graphics suck. Music awful. Gameplay meh. But tossing a fat kid with a catapult overrides all the fails of this game.

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VA State Attorney Ken Cuccinelli is a moron and a prude.

Drunk-ass Jerry Jones talking smack about Bill Parcells and Tim Tebow.

Dan Snyder, defending his Redskins and yammering about the other sports teams he wants to buy.

I'm the other one. Plus, I can ride my bike with no handlebars.


Congrats from the Simpsons -> SouthPark.


Some old Sublime (like there's any legitimate new?) I love the double-hedgehog-cameo by Ron Jeremy.


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out of hiding

Yes, I missed writing an update last week. I had to do a lot of workstuff before being able to entertain, and I figured with the holiday not many people were suffering in the office on Friday afternoon. I'm sorry for acting like a grown-up, but sometimes I don't have much choice. Full refunds will arrive in your inbox shortly.
(click the pic to enlarge)


Before I start my yammering, I need to apologize to anyone who doesn't get a shout out or credit for submissions this week. I'm honestly putting about 10% effort into this edition of the Waster, which is a good 5% less than normal. Some lapses in quality are expected.

First though, to get your brain back in the mood, check out the ad below. Eh, nothing exciting. Look again. Once you notice one instance, you'll understand. Mmmmmmhmmmm. After you get on my wavelength, you're allowed to continue reading....
(click the pic to enlarge)


OK, now that we're sharing a brain, I'll release the logjam of updates.

Many of you asked about "Fripples", as mentioned in my reference to the pic of Farrah Fawcett. Fripples are frozen nipples; or simply "high beams". Clear now? If not, please return your eyes to that pic above, until your mood is proper. Thanks.

June 27 was my one-year anniversary of not smoking. None nada zippo zilch goose-egg. Not even a sneaky puff off of somebody else's cig. I can't touch it, bc I still really miss it.

It was also my one-year anniversary of retiring from the bar down at the 'Hole. I miss that even more than smoking (but there's no way I could ever tend bar without lighting up). I promised myself, and a lot of other people, that I'd return to hang out a lot as well as occasionally pick up a guest-shift behind the bar. Fail x 2. I haven't tipped a glass there nearly as often as I would have liked, and didn't even work a single shift. (Maybe one football Sunday this year? Note that I have to ask permission bc it's not my bar anymore.)

The NC trip was an overall success. We're in touch with a couple of realtors, and have identified a few properties to investigate further. At the moment, we've narrowed the choices to Robeson, Scotland, or Moore counties. Next step is to get into more boring levels of detail, such as how deep we have to drill to get water.

The FirstLady was sick all of last week with the flu. The for-real flu, not the made-for-TV swine flu, & not the stay-home-from-school bellyache. I'd never seen anyone with the flu before, and it was rather odd. No nastiness, no hurling, no yarfing, just an overall feeling of bleh that lasts for over a week. She's all good now.

Kid1 is not returning to university in the fall. They finally called him out on not paying for the spring semester, so he's in a bit of a jam. He has stepped up his work ethic a bit, though, and is busting his tail at 2 jobs to get his finances back in order. He's living at momma's house, and registered at the community college for the fall. His plan is to straighten out money and grades, so he'll be able to go back to the dorms as soon as possible. I'm there to help him, but I'm not carrying him any more.

I started back to school this week. One week break between spring and summer semesters is not enough. wah.

I've got a drywall repair project to do this weekend. I hate drywall. Stupid dogs. We lock 'em in the laundry room when we're not home, and they have access to the backyard thru a little dog-door. One of the dog-tards was scared witless by the fireworks, so she dug a hole right thru the laundry room wall out into the house. Grrrrrr.

Kid2 is in driver's ed / behind-the-wheel this week. Finally. I'm pretty stoked that we'll have another taxi driver in the very near future. She got her SAT scores back the other day, too, and was totally happy with the results. All numbers are right in line with the schools she's planning on. And we celebrated her 17th birthday last week. Only 51 weeks til I stop paying her portion of child support (and, following the pattern of Kid1, only 45 weeks before my ex takes me to court again for an increase on Kid4).

I added a swim to my regular workouts this week. I started hitting the pool for 30 mins in the morning before work, and it's totally kicking my tail. I failed this morning bc I was just too whipped to get out of bed early enough to make it to the pool. I'll be back in the water tomorrow though. Promise.

HAPPY FRIDAY! ! ! !


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Game time (I need more submissions, please...)

Get the kitty.

The Smoking Gun provides a game with prizes and a deadline! Guess the band from their backstage snack demands by 4pm today...

Incredibots 2. Just as annoying as the first iteration, but potentially sucking more time.

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World's strongest cooter? I'm waiting for the finals to be televised on SpikeTV.

This is why I love tennis!


A sampling of tattoos, and how they translate to reality.

Rock star sex stories

Do what with lysol?!?!?!?

I've always liked Tiger, bc he just gets out there and does his job. Michael Wilbon supports my case.

Tech and financial things to understand about gas stations, gas, and your car.

The next big romantic thing for redneck couples: combine a luxury cruise with a hunting trip. Only this hunting is juuuuuust a bit different.

In case the past week of media coverage has helped you forget, here is MJ's other legacy.

One final MJ thought before I'm done with him: Michael Jackson is dead, not just to me, but to everyone.


One final Sarah Palin thought before I'm done with her: She still doesn't make any sense. Not then, not now. Goodbye.

Any last words?
The parting words of men and women on their way to the (allegorical) gallows. I didn't expect much from this link, then I got sucked into reading dozens upon dozens of 'em.

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shallllllllunge!

Preamble 1 - Regarding last week's Waster, my message is not "don't be nice to bicyclists". Please, continue to be nice. Just be SMART and SAFE first, then be nice afterwards if possible.

Preamble 2 - Stop reading the Waster now. Click this link, read the letter, and share it with your friends & family.

Now on to the silliness...

(sandman simms vs bill cosby)

You get an abbreviated Waster this week... pretty much only getting what I've written over the past 7 days, and nothing more. I'm bailing out of the office in a minute to prep for the weekend.

We're heading up to Gettysburg PA for a weekend of camping with all the kids, and the dogs, and the neighbors, and the neighbors' kids & dogs. I think we've got a crew of over 30 people heading out for the weekend. I'm not sure that the Granite Hill Camping Reeeeee-Sort is ready for the circus to roll into town.

A quick update on the Kid1 drama ... He's back in town, home from school for the summer. He's living in his mom's basement. He has picked up server shifts down at the 'Hole, and he's actively searching for a day job, too. I think the realization finally set in that his money is tight.

He's got plans to go back to school in mid-July. He and his room mates from last year have a reservation for a school-owned off-campus apartment. Obviously, he's got a buttload of overdue payments that he needs to make before then. I'm hoping he can work 3-4-5 jobs for a couple months and get it done. I'm hoping he succeeds at it. We'll find out soon....

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Two quick games, which I haven't spent any time playing....

The first came recommended by Tony: Magnetic Defense.

The second is from the same site, and I just liked the name: Ball Racer. I bet mine are faster than yours.

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Even the idiots at "Cracked" think Jenny McCarthy is an idiot. (Surprisingly well written and logical, too!)

More idiots! Getting married! Little idiot spawn can't be far behind!
(no, this is not the link to tacky weddings that you've already seen 1000x. it's a collection of rather poorly-selected wedding first-dance and daddy-dance songs.)

What kind of beer tastes best? Free beer! Free is my favorite price. Friendly's Ice Cream is giving away single scoops for free on June 6 from noon-5pm! mmmmmm.....

Giggle...


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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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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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it's not a clown car!

We start the week with a barstool soliloquy about all the effed up people out there who spawn, then proceed to screw up their kids. Swimming upstream should be so much more difficult. (If you ignore all the other crap I send, please at least read this link. It might save you from effing up your kids lives.)


(Thanks for the pic, Jen!)

Octomom pisses me off. A lot. So much, I really can't even write about it. I thought about writing about it, then realized just how worked up I would get if I did. Besides, I'd have to swear a lot, and then the Waster wouldn't make it thru the email filters anymore.

End of rant, before starting.

I've been busting tail all this week and last. I'm doing a side project with a few friends, rolling out a computer network at a private school in the area. This is go-live weekend; crunch time. We're shutting down all the old systems this evening at 6pm, and when the teachers come back on Tuesday morning, they're expecting 100% transition to be done. There's a lot of work to complete between now and then....

Kid1 is still away at college. I haven't been able to get a straight detailed answer about his current status, but I've collected info from a lot of different sources. It's not looking good. He did register for additional classes, so he's qualified to stay on campus and doesn't have to start paying back his FinAid package. However.....he's in the hole for a couple thousand dollars right now.

It's really stressful watching him crash so very slowly.

Kid2 is away this weekend with the ColorGuard. They've got a competition down in NC, and even skipped out of school early to make the trip. I'm trying not to think of the trouble that 30 teenagers can get into when they're spending the weekend in a hotel 300 miles away from home. My only solace is that all the guys in the Guard are gay.

Kids3&4 are pretty much just hanging around the house for the weekend. They've got a couple little things schedule, but nothing out of the ordinary. Me and the FirstLady are trying to figure out what to do for V-day, but since we've got the monkeys with us it can't be too crazy. I'm thinking that as long as we just have some low-stress fam time, I'm cool with it.

Happy Presi-Valen-LongWeekend-Day!

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I wasn't sure if I should include this in the 'games' section or not....if you've got twitter, you can def play with it. If you don't, Cursebird is still a hella entertaining link.

Simple and entertaining billiards, with a couple variations.

Another simple and solid waster. Totally basic, and totally frustrating. Squeeze.

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The Periodic Table of Awesoments

Source has a bunch of other retarded crap, too.

Octomom isn't the only retard in the US.

I'm calling Joaquin's bullsht.



Boogers.

Heavy Metal Band Names:

One more clown car before we go. Ugh.


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holidays and happy hours

I'm on vacation in just under 3 hours. This is a quick-rip of a waster before my brain checks out for a couple of days. We're not going anywhere, just hanging around the area with the fam and some friends. No holiday travels makes the whole thing a lot less stressful.

All the kids are on break already, and The First Lady is on vaca after working a 1/2 day tomorrow, too. I've got a last little bit of holiday prep to do tomorrow morning, then my to-do list consists of keeping the fire stoked and keeping the eggnog cold.

I've had dozens of people ask about Kid1's grades, and I still don't have an answer. I'm pretty stressed over the situation, too. My gut tells me that no news is bad news, although I don't have the specific information yet.

But holidays and happy hours have a way of easing the stress. Give me a ring if you're up for HH tonight. I'm hitting the first cold one in about 2.5 hours. If I don't see you out tonight, have a safe and happy holiday!

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Seth got this game into my inbox last week, but I didn't have a chance to play with it til the weekend. It may be a bit late, but it still gave me a good giggle.

Laura found the perfect game for us dizzy blondes!

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Not-quite-right Christmas lyrics.

I know how to pronounce it, but this isn't the proper spelling, is it?
(click to enlarge)


'tis the season for The Smoking Gun to reveal that Santa isn't always a model citizen.

I've been a complete 100% non-smoker for almost 6 months now. My last smoke was the same day as my last day behind the bar. I promise that I'm not now and won't ever be one of those militant anti-everything buzzkills; smoke 'em if you've got 'em. This pic did make me stop for a moment though:
(click to enlarge)

scattered around the world

I'll miss this guy just a little bit. (Note: this link is SFW, but other stuff on that site isn't necessarily.)

Learn how to behave yourself online. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. Manners don't change just b/c you're behind a keyboard, ya know?

So last weekend we took a trip down to see Kid1 at school. His grades have been stressing me out lately, but overall he's still doing pretty well. It's cool to hang out with him, and to meet $ greet with his roommates, and to spend a little bit of time in the dorms. It's also cool to see my younger kids looking up to their older brother. Kids2, 3, & 4 can't wait til they go away to college.

So even though he's tromped all over my last nerve, he still makes me proud.

The other kids are all finishing with their first quarter grades. Everybody is doing well. No stress, no worries (yet). I took my midterms last week too...I took the hardest effing exam I've had in three years at school. Wow. Dude tried to whip my ass, but no way I'm letting that happen. I pulled an A on the exam, and I feel really good about it.

This weekend is kinda scrambled. My buddy Eddi is in town from Europe. We used to work together (online) in my old office, but never in person. I've known this dude for nearly a decade, and honestly consider him a friend. Until this week though, I'd never met him in real life. I know his girlfriend, his work, his history, his education, his music, but not his face. We had lunch yesterday, and it was a very interesting situation. It was almost like we went to lunch together every week, and yesterday was just another day in our lives. It makes me wonder what kind of friendship we may have had if we lived in the same area.

It also makes me reminisce a bit about the friends that have moved away. People that I still chat with, but really never get to tip a beer with anymore. They're all over the country: Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, Vegas, Florida, Carolina, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana; even Australia and Italy. (Forgive me if you moved away and I skipped your state. I can't even remember all 7 dwarfs...)

So I'm hanging w/ Eddi and a few other old friends tonight. Working some stuff around the house tomorrow, and spending some time with the missus' friends on Sunday, before football of course. Besides that, not a whole heck of a lot else to chat about.

Happy weekend!

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Jules' method of stress relief.

Remember feeling guilty for watching BumFights? Well relax, b/c no bums were harmed in the making of this game.

The simplest games are the most addictive. This one? Keep your balance.

Robokill.

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Automotive recalls are hit-or-miss. If you're registered with the manufacturer, then you should be notified when / if they have a safety recall. Otherwise, you might just have to be lucky enough to hear about any safety issues. You can check out your car here to see if there's anything you need to address.

OK, one more election post, then I'm done for reals. The groundswell support is how he really won the election. Groundswell always gets me. Kinda NSFW.

I really am gonna miss this guy.

Yes, it's for real. Multiple shockers, in the White House. Story here.

I try not to geek-out too often, but sometimes it slips. Here are some awesome case mods.

Mark and the boy scouts want to help me save the tatas!

I do love the tatas.

Obama's fall back plan. (btw: UUDDLRLRBAStart - tattooed on the backside of my brain.)

I'm now officially a Red Sox fan. Again, this link is SFW, but I'm not speaking for everything else on the site.

I wait all year for the superbowl ads; creative, fun, high dollar investments. I'm wondering how they're going to present this one.

Time for one more vid. Eddi sent this to me at 630 this morning; fuck Folgers, this was the best part of waking up today.


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