Flyin’ and Singin’ in Pairs, OH MY!
Jonathan will be coming to visit again on Easter weekend. 14 Days, 4 Hours, 47 Minutes according to my countdown Google gadget. We’ve got a lot of plans made so far, so I may as well relay some of them. He’s flying in Friday afternoon, getting in just when I get off of work. Since All Tile is so close to O’Hare, I can pick him up right from work and take him to his hotel. We’re planning on picking up Steak ‘n Shake for dinner, since he’s never had it before. Saturday, we’re going to wake up relatively early and head downtown. We’ll tour the city, since he’s never been there, and then head over to Blue Man Group for the 4pm show. Afterwards, we’ll pick up Lou Malnati’s and have a pizza and Arbor Mist night with Renee, and then head over to karaoke with Michelle & Jake at the Neighborhood Inn. So, as you can see, our Saturday is pretty booked. Sunday, we’ll be going to my family’s Easter party, which looks to be dinner at some sort of restaurant, but we have no idea what time. I took off from work on Monday, and we have plans to go to Claim Jumper for lunch/late dinner before his flight leaves. Also, Lexi and Scott will be in town that weekend, so we might try to see them.
Karaoke should be fun again. Last time he came to visit, we went with Michelle, Nicole and Renee. I sang my song (“All that Jazz” from Chicago, a real crowd pleaser), and Jonathan did a very spirited rendition of “Baby Got Back” (a very good crowd pleaser… so good in fact, he had a few guys come hit on him afterwards). The place was pretty crowded, so we didn’t get many more songs in. I went up with Michelle, Nicole and Renee to sing a song, but I don’t think we stayed much longer than that.
For whatever reason, Jonathan wanted to buy me stuff. He bought me three Karaoke Revolution games, an idea he came up with on his own. It’s funny, because I’d had two Karaoke Revolution games on my Amazon Wish List for something like two years and had recently taken them off of the list, assuming I’d never get them because they were out of print (at least the versions I was looking at). He got me the Country version and the American Idol version (complete with two microphones) when he saw me a few weeks ago, and he has ordered the Party version, which I’ll probably get the next time I see him. Renee really likes playing these games, which is great, because the two player modes are a lot of fun – particularly the “Sing Off,” where you both sing a song at the same time and try to out sing the other person. You can adjust for different skill levels, too: Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert.
I’ll be going to Maryland April 20 through the 22nd. I’ll be going to O’Hare straight from work and coming home late on Sunday. So far, we’ve got plans to have dinner with his friends on Saturday night. After this visit, we’ll likely go to the wonderful Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast. I went there in probably late summer 2003, and the rooms are just as beautiful as the pictures let on. I’ve wanted to go back for a while, but it is on the expensive side.
Feeling: Very, Very Glad it’s Friday
Listening to: My iPod at Work! Woo! The Ataris – San Dimas High School Football Sucks
March 22, 2007
Kicking Boxes and Taking Names
One thing I forgot to mention in my major update post is kickboxing. I’ve been going to kickboxing twice a week since July 27, 2006. It’s not sparring or anything crazy, but it is taught at a karate school by a third degree black belt, JR Hutson and occasionally his wife, RC Hutson (pictured at right). It’s a very upbeat class, and JR in particular is very motivational. We do a lot of punching and kicking, but there’s also a cardiovascular component and even some basic strength and core training.
I started going to kickboxing because Renee wanted me to come. Renee started kickboxing because JR owns the restaurant she works for, Pilot Pete’s, and he recommended it to her. Now, Michelle comes as well. The classes are at National Karate in South Elgin (yes, there are closer National Karate schools that teach kickboxing, but the instructors aren’t as good) on Tuesday & Thursday nights. There’s also a Saturday morning class if you’re insane enough to want to punch things at 8am.
Feeling: Sore from yesterday’s kickboxing :-/
Listening to: Carrie Underwood (yes, again) – Starts with Goodbye
1 comment March 14, 2007
Major Update #4
[Boyfriend]
To the surprise of many, Alan and I broke up after nearly five years. As with many relationships that end after such a long time, it was ugly and painful. After a week, I started eating again. After a month, I made significant progress on self-discovery. After a month and a half, I found myself in a relationship with Jonathan.
Jonathan has been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and he honestly wants what is best for me. I could babble on about how wonderful he has been, but instead I’ll just sum it up. He’s the most sensitive and thoughtful guy I’ve ever met, and every day I find some other hobby/preference/bizarre quirk that we have in common.
So um, there is a catch. He lives in Maryland.
After talking to him for about 2-3 hours a day on the phone for over a month, he came to visit me this past weekend. We had a wonderful time going to karaoke, two fantastic dinners (plus some great lunches and a tasty breakfast), watching movies and playing the Karaoke Revolution games he bought me. We’re still planning where/when our next visit will be, but I imagine it will be finalized in the next couple of days.
[WoW]
I’ve significantly reduced the amount of time that I play WoW. Since it was an activity that I primarily participated in to have more in common with Alan, I am trying to determine whether I actually enjoyed it or not, and if so, what did I like doing. Do I like raiding? Do I like leveling? It seems that more than anything, I like playing with friends. If nobody is around to play with, it just isn’t that enjoyable for me. Oddly enough, WoW is where I met Jonathan.
[Betta Fish]
Chris (aka Fishy #3) is doing well. He is still one of the most active fish I’ve had, which is surprising considering that he came from a Walmart. Every once in a while, though, he seems to get really jealous that I spend more time staring at the computer than him.
[Car]
My Eclipse is running well, in spite of many projections that it would be kaput by now. I have the thought in the back of my head that I will need to replace it eventually, but I’m not actively seeking a car or even actively researching a car.
[Job]
I’m still working at All Tile. I recently went on my third Vegas trip for the Surfaces 2007 convention. The trip itself was fantastic, considering we were having our typical Chicago winter and Vegas was having its typical February spring. It’s always refreshing to go from seeing snow everywhere to seeing palm trees and sun. Our Sell-A-Bration show went very well. Since the show, however, we’ve been pretty busy playing catch up with all of the important things that were put off to make sure the show went off without a hitch. I still don’t think that we’re fully caught up.
Feeling: Tired. I’m still not caught up on sleep from the weekend.
Listening to: Carrie Underwood (yes, country, sadly) – Before He Cheats
March 13, 2007
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Don’t you just love it when you get a haircut and everyone asks you “Why’d you chop it all off?” not “Where’d you get it done?” or anything even slightly flattering. I swear, everyone but the guys who have commented on it have asked the former. I’m starting to hate hair as much as I hate shoe shopping.
Feeling: Frustrated, as usual
Listening to: Too many people’s opinions
2 comments May 1, 2006
The Alien has Landed
And here it is, the new Alienware m5500. By here, I mean sitting on my lap. Not that it helps you see it or anything, but I’m too lazy to actually take a picture of it.
I’ve never had a laptop before, so I am trying to use it like one would usually use one. Right now I’m in my living room. Wireless internet, battery powered. It’s neat, I suppose. If it was later in the day (I woke up at 6:30 this morning, ugh, that’s what you get for going to bed before 11pm), I’d probably be talking to people on GAIM. Which I haven’t done since, well, probably since I started playing WoW. Just like updating my blog, I hadn’t done since I started playing WoW.
I suppose that’s about it. I could probably type forever on this thing. I don’t know why, but there’s something about laptops (the feel of the keyboard, the look of the screen) that make me feel like I could write a dozen novels on them. Not that I’m inspired enough to do so, but it is a nice thing to be able to type and such wherever you want.
I think that was a squirrel that was jumping on our roof just now. Kind of loud. But as interesting as squirrels are, I digress. Because I’m just babbling at this point. Time to end this bloggy entry.
Feeling: Alone, because no one is awake yet
Listening to: I disconnected the harddrive on my desktop that has all the MP3s on it, and I’m too lazy to turn off / reconnect / turn back on… so nothing.
1 comment March 18, 2006
Major Update #3
[Alan]
We are still together and will be celebrating a 4-year anniversary in about a month. He’s going to graduate with a masters in Computer Engineering this semester. He doesn’t have any immediate job plans, and I recommended to him that he take a few months off after school is finished. Going straight from years and years of school to a full time job isn’t my idea of a good time. Everyone deserves a break once in a while. I’ve been driving down to visit him every other weekend, and due to the below reason, dragging my server-case-sized computer down with me.
[WoW]
As some of you know, I now am one of the many addicted to an MMORPG, namely World of Warcraft. I really do play it too much, but I enjoy it. It keeps me entertained daily for a monthly fee, which works out to be (like Nathaniel had once tried to convince me) cheaper than if I had been doing things IRL (in real life). Alan plays too (as well as many of my other friends from college), so it’s nice to keep in touch with everyone so much.
[Laptop]
Because dragging my heavy computer to Champaign is dangerous to its lifespan, I started looking into laptops. I’ve wanted one for a long time, but I’ve never liked how expensive they are.
Last night I purchased the following Alienware Laptop.
Area-51® m5500
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 780 2.26GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 90-Day AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4″ WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD – Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Wireless Network Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz – 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 60GB 7200 RPM ATA100
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Ethernet NIC: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
There are a lot of reasons I like this model over others, including the Dell XPS ones. First of all, it’s small. I want the option to use it as a “coffee shop chic” tool as well as a heavy duty gaming machine. Since I’ve never had a laptop, I don’t know how much I’d use it, but I want to try to take it as many places as I can. To add to this utility, it has two video cards. You can choose which one to use with a switch on the outside of the machine. The 256mb video card can be used for gaming, while the other would be good for power saving. I wanted an Alienware computer from the start. I’ve been a big fan of their brand since I built my current desktop (back in August of 2003?). I actually modeled mine after one of the ones they had, and it is pretty relatively good even now, two and a half years later.
[Betta Fish]
Brian and Stewie have both died. Brian freaked out and we think he may have had some sort of heart attack, and Stewie got pretty depressed and simply didn’t want to swim anymore. Stewie had been playing dead for weeks before he died (he’d sleep slightly on his side at the surface of the water, and when I’d tap the bowl he’d wake up… but he looked dead). I do have one fish left, Chris. I bought Chris at Walmart because he had the longest fins I’d seen on a betta that was for sale. He seems pretty young so he’s active and funny.
[Car]
My Mitsubishi Eclipse seems to be running perfectly after the folks at Weber Automotive fixed it. It’s been a long time since they fixed it, and the problem hasn’t even come close to returning. I would highly recommend them to anyone. If you have car problems that no one else seems to understand, visit them. 890 S. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090. Phone: (847) 520-3740.
[Job]
I’m still working at All Tile. Not too much has changed about this. I went to Las Vegas again for the Surfaces 2006 trade show, and we again had a “Sell-A-Bration.” It went pretty well, but it was a lot of work (again). No, I didn’t win any money, but I only lost something like five bucks. I went out to dinner with one of the salesmen I’m friends with and one of his clients. We all shared 13 pound lobster, on top of our incredibly expensive and filling meals. Considering it was the second time I’d ever had lobster (the first being an Outback lobster tail that really sucked), I really liked it. If it wasn’t over $700 for 6 people, I’d think about going there on my own. 
Feeling: Glad it’s Friday
Listening to: I know it’s corny, but the Wicked soundtrack is a lot of fun to sing along to.
1 comment March 10, 2006
Good Bye, 94.7 Zone
I was listening yesterday afternoon when 94.7 the Zone changed over to an Oldies station. I thought it was a joke. Today, I find that’s not the case. The station I have been listening to every morning since October, 2004 has vanished, with no farewell.
Reading this article confirmed that the Zone has gone the way of all the great rock stations and has been cancelled. Brian the Whipping Boy, Freak, Sludge, Cassie, El Bobo, and J.V.O., I’m sorry to see you go. I don’t care what the other stations are saying this morning, you had plenty of fans. If any of these guys show up on another station, I want to know about it.
:(
Feeling: Sad and lonely
Listening to: No other station feels the same.
2 comments September 27, 2005
Dell’s Bells
For those of you who don’t know, I went on Vacation to Wisconsin Dells last weekend with Alan.
Friday, I drove to Alan’s house. Saturday, we left for Wisconsin Dells. On the way we stopped at a Walmart to buy CDs to listen to on the way up there. One of them, the AC/DC one Alan wanted to listen to, was skipping and making a knocking noise when we put it in (brand new!). So, motiviated by having to listen to Kelly Clarkson, Alan figured out what was wrong with it (the top layer was put on crooked), fixed it (filed down the edges of the top layer), and it works now. We ate lunch at Fudruckers (Alan loves it there), and checked into the B&B.
The White Rose B&B was nice, but it wasn’t as well upkept as I would have expected. The bathroom didn’t have any ventillation, which made taking the steamy jaccuzzis a little less enjoyable. Other than that, the bed was soft, the cable TV was a better commodity than expected, and it was free of screaming children (not easy to do in the dells).
That night we went to Wally’s House of Embers. It was fantastic. I had a coupon for prime rib, which is apparently a really fantastic cut of steak, and wow, it was amazing. Alan was jealous. It was really expensive (for us, anyway, at $20 a plate). After that we went to a Drive In movie theater, cuz I’ve never been to one. We saw the Dukes of Hazard and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (again). Dukes of Hazard was pretty funny, although I really wasn’t expecting much.
Sunday morning we went to the B&B’s breakfast (not bad, especially for free – or at least sunk cost – food). We went shopping (much to Alan’s disappointment) around the downtown Dells for a while and ate at Famous Dave’s, but then I passed out for 4 hours because I took a Benadryl. I’m not taking that again. We went to Pirate’s Cove minigolf for 36 holes, and Alan kicked my ass. I stopped keeping score after he got a hole in one on one that I took the 6-stroke limit for. I only got it in the river once, but it was almost twice.
For dinner, we went to the Essen Haus (German Restaurant). I wasn’t particularly impressed (especially at ~$12 a plate), but Alan seemed to like it. The atmosphere was very European.
Monday we went to Noah’s Ark. That was a lot of fun, but it would have been much better if we brought flip flops. As it was, our feet were practically raw by the time we left (about 4 hours later). We did go on the “Sting Ray,” which is a big, wide u-shaped thing (Looks like a sting ray with his “arms” up?) that they drop you down on a double innertube and you just kinda slide willy-nilly back and forth until you stop. The drop was kinda big, so Alan made sure I went down backwards so I’d scream more. He seemed to think that was funny. Alan told me if I bought him a deep fried Twinkie, he’d eat it, so I did. It tasted weird, like a sweet doughnut saturated with fat. I didn’t get too burned (aside from the top of my head, which is still a bit red), so all in all it was good.
That night, we went to Monk’s Bar & Grill (cheap!!!), and the food was amazing for the price. They had beer battered fries (awesome), and cheese curds (also, awesome). The food was like $5-7/plate, considering that it’s downtown Wisconsin Dells, that’s pretty spectacular. We went back there for lunch on Tuesday and I bought a shirt.
Tuesday, we went to Top Secret, which was by far the biggest waste of money ever. The outside looks awesome, though. It looks like someone took the white house and dropped it – upside down – onto a parking lot from about 50 feet up. There’s a car partially smushed under it and everything. Anyway, it was $12/person, and it lasted about 10 minutes. They took us inside and we “oohed” at the chairs and tables, etc, stuck to the ceiling. Then they took us to another room to ooh. And another. And another. Then we had to walk through “tunnels,” some of which had mirrors, so it was kind of difficult to tell where to go. They had one of those “try to walk straight on the bridge with the spinning walls around it” things, and a little girl who was on the tour lost her balance and walked into a pole. Then, there was a “mad scientist” who claimed the presidents were all robots that she created. Then you were dumped into the gift shop. The guide at the beginning said the purpose of the tour was to find out “Why the White House landed in Wisconsin Dells 7 years ago,” but there wasn’t anything that really explained it. Very stupid.
Anyway, after buying fudge, we went back to his house. I went home the next day, since I didn’t go back to work until Thursday.
Feeling: Tired.
Listening to: Much more Kelly Clarkson than I ever thought I would.
1 comment August 20, 2005
Go Wolvsies
Ok, so here’s the plan for this weekend. Today I’m going to drive out to Champaign after work, and I might see Lexi tonight or early tomorrow morning. Saturday afternoon I’m taking Alan back to suburbia and we’ll prolly try to have a nice dinner and then go to the Chicago Wolves game (huzzah to my tickets right behind Philadelphia’s bench). Those tickets are what I got him for his birthday. Sunday I’ll take him probably to Fudruckers where he’ll meet up with his parents who will drive him back to Champaign.
So, one of the managers at All Tile asked me if I knew anyone who would be interested in a job doing pricing for us. I talked to Lexi and she seems interested, and I’m sure she’d be good at it, so I recommended her today. It would be nice to have another friend at work.
Feeling: Excited, Tired, Hungry.
Listening to: Kelly Clarkson – Gone
June 3, 2005
The Weekend, The Car, and Bowling
So it has been a while since I posted. Let me do a very brief recap.
Bowling: Good. Last time we got tipsy and I bowled a 175. Huzzah to new highest score I can remember.
Alan: Good. I like him, and I appreciate him more, but he just bought World of Warcraft. I am worried.
My car: Drives. It’s not completely better, and it seems like it got worse after I put gas in it. I’m taking it to Champaign this weekend; highway driving should be good for it.
Weekend: Going to Alan’s. If the Wolves didn’t completely rule, we’d be going to their game this weekend. But, alas, the game will not happen. It was a Game 6 of 7 playoff game, and the Wolves took it in four. I’m sure we’ll see a game of theirs soon, but not this weekend. On Friday I’ll drive down, I’ll be back in time for bowling on Sunday. Monday I’ll either loaf around the house (since I have the day off, huzzah) or watch Season 1 of 24 with Nicole. She hasn’t seen it.
Work: Good. I spotted a big problem yesterday before it could cause unfixable damage. I don’t even know how I caught it, but I did. Huzzah.
Feeling: I heart gobstoppers.
Listening to: Not Launchcast. IE on my work computer just crapped out, and apparently you need that to listen to launchcast – even if it’s through the Yahoo Messenger. Bah.
May 26, 2005
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