Sick Day Review.

Yesterday I took a sick day... something I rarely do. In the last eight years at the same company I probably have taken less than ten sick days (not counting the time off for surgery on my legs). So what did I do on my day off... well...

Got up around 7:30am.
Decided I was sick so no need for a shower.
Got myself a very large cup of coffee and large glass of OJ. Took my daily vitamin.
Turned the computer on and emailed my boss and office mates that I would not be in.
Deleted the tons of spam on email.
Did a little bit of work... an important client needed some help so I sent some emails to get things going.
Watched some GMA. They had a good segment on mac & cheese.
Started some laundry.
Made the beds (the guest bed needed to bed made since LP slept in it... because of my cold I was snoring like a LION).
Ate some breakfast (2 eggs, sausage, english muffin, more coffee).
Attended to more laundry, ended up doing four loads.
Talked to my boss on the phone (yes, when working for a small company the boss calls you when you are sick at home which sounds worse than it is).
Sat down and tried to watch Red Dwarf (BBC) Season 7. It's hard for me to sit still for long periods of time so thankfully they are in 30 minute episodes.
Drank more coffee.
Did some work, checked some work emails.
Ate a small bowl of Cheetos.
More Red Dwarf, laundry, and Cheetos (Cheetos kill bacteria).
Fell asleep on couch with one of the cats watching Red Dwarf.
Woke up realizing that I probably did way too much for a sick day and that I was kind of tired.
By 5:00pm it was 45 degrees outside... not that I went outside, but the news said so.
Ate leftovers for dinner.
Watched Wheel of Fortune and American Idol.
Paid some bills.
By 10:00pm it was 5 degrees outside... not that I went outside, but the news said so.
Sat on the couch and watched the blizzard conditions outside.
Ate some ice cream.
Drank a diet coke.
Fell asleep on the couch with a different cat watching Wayne's World 2.
Yep.

Out Sick.

This photo actaully makes me feel worse than the head cold I've come down with.

Julie Gong's Idea.

Thanks to the ever awesome Julie Gong I took a break from my hectic day yesterday for a mental break to create an album cover. Her post yesterday had the challenge to follow some simple instructions to come up with your very own album cover.

I thought this was lame until I did the first random search and the article was called "The Devil's Music." How awesome is that!? At first I did not believe that was a random page... so I tried the link and got some boring article on the Olympics at which point I was a believer. "The Devil's Music" is so cool. So Rock 'n' Roll. Next was the quote random search and luckly "Gained From Useless Knowledge" worked alright. Not bad. Then the photo - bummer. I was hoping to death and destruction. Nope. I get some rainy nighty city photo. Whah-Whah. I spent some time trying to look for a better photo, but then realized that would be cheating. I don't want to be a cheater.

Thanks Julie... this really helped me unwind for a couple minutes during my crazy day.

Politics... Yep.

I never blog about politics. Ever. Why? Because there is so much in the media about it anyway... and being that this is an election year you just cannot escape the coverage. So today will be my first, and probably last on the subject of politics. There are just three small points I'd like to make about the primary and caucus system.

1. Independents. Why should we allow independents to vote in the primaries? These elections are there for parties to decide which candidate should be the party's nomination to the general election. If some one does not want to be part of a party that is totally fine... you can wait until the November election.

2. Parties Pay. Why should states and tax payers pay for primary elections? These elections are there for the sole purpose to help the party pick their nominee. So shouldn't the parties pay for them?

3. Debates. This last point goes for any political debate... I wish there was an independent group that would address the panel of candidates at the end of the debate and address the group about any incorrect statements they made.  That would be awesome. The average viewer never follows up the debate to see which statements were true and false. For example, the last Democratic debate had seven untrue statements made by Sen. Clinton that she made against Sen. Obama... and Sen. Obama was found to have one false statement he said about his own record. But most saw the debate as Sen. Clinton saying nasty things and Sen. Obama getting upset and picking a fight. Well... it looks like some of Sen. Clinton's huge "facts" were wrong.

Sure I'm a Democrat, so my view points are skewed. And yes, I know who I am going to vote for. It would be a bummer if my candidate did not win... but it is a great feeling to know that the likely Democratic nominee will be a Woman or Black Man. Times are changing and it feels good.

Blogging = Lame.

So tonight LP and I were at the grocery store (Jewel) where when checking out we ran into Dr. Ken (The Gancer). Always nice to run into a friend while buying an 18 pack of TP. Very gentleman-like Dr. Ken introduced the lovely lady he was with (thumbs up) to us and then we made small talk about when we would be meeting up next.

Dr. Ken then filled in his lady friend with the fact that we were "blog-friends"... "we blog." The expression on this poor girl's face was priceless. A little bit confusion. A little bit shock. A little bit disappointment. Classic. Her only words were "Oh, how cute."

I panicked and blurted out "We're Gay!" To which everyone in line was surprised to find out.

Lovely.

Yea for blogging buddies!

Dr. Ken hope she still thinks you are awesome.

Sad.

Sadness today. Heath Ledger was found dead in his NYC apartment at the young age of 28.

My Heath story... the very first DVD I ever purchased was "Ten Things I Hate About You." One of my favorite teeny-bopper films. I'll probably watch it tonight.

Bye Heath. You'll be missed.

Tony's, I Loved You.

A new and blossoming relationship in my life ended Sunday morning around 5am. It was heart wrenching. It was tearful. It was so painful it made me sick. I ended my year plus relationship with Tony's.

It started around August of 2006. LP and I moved into our second home in Chicago... only a few blocks from our first house. This one was much better in so many different ways. Around the corner from our house we discovered Tony's... a little Mexican Taco shop. Sure it's a hole in the wall, but mmmmmm so good. LP was never a believer. She fought off the Tony's and told me to do the same. But like any addiction, I needed just a little taste of Tony's - usually the steak taco. Oh steak taco from Tony's you were my friend. You were there for me many times. You healed my hunger. You made my tummy just a little bit fatter. And you gave me some of the worst gas I've had in my life. I never doubted you. I never stopped singing your praises to all that would listen. Until now.

Saturday night I had to skip out on a friend's birthday party to attend a show (Plague Bringer at the Beat Kitchen) for work. I was certainly bummed out to miss the birthday party, but I had a good time at the show and got some work done. Even though I desperately want a new job, I cannot shoot myself in the foot by not doing well at the job that pays me now (something about biting the hand that feeds). After the show and a few PBRs (for the record I was not drunk) I walked the two blocks in -5 degree weather to Tony's. I picked up a few steak tacos plus some beans and rice. I inhaled them and then zoned out on some television while waiting for LP to get home. After LP got home it was time for bed. Then around 5am I woke up with the biggest headache I've ever had. EVER. I now understand what a migraine feels like. I wanted to rip my head off. This was followed by several burbs that tasted like... Tony's. (You know where I'm going... right) Right to the toilet to rid my body of Tony's. When it comes to barfing I turn into the biggest potty mouth five year old. I just cannot handle it. Between spewing I was badmouthing Tony's to LP and the cats and letting them know just what I thought of that evil empire. Dirty, nasty, and definitely food poisoning. No fun.

I'm not sure I'll ever go back. How can I? Tony's you were a good part of my life - but I think it ends here. I have the memories, and can smell your food from my house on really windy days. I need to move on and say my good-bye.

Cold.

Friday... Random Thoughts.

This morning I woke up singing "Material Girl." I have no clue why, and I am not sure how I segued into singing some John Cougar Mellencamp after that. There is something really with a person that can belt out "Sucking on chili dogs outside the Tastey Freeze" before 7am. When I was walking out the door I put on my headphones and my mp3 player popped on... yes, Material Girl. Weirdness. Too bad the Coug (that's what I call him... we're buddies) was not second - it was Yo La Tengo.

Bobby Fisher R.I.P. Sadness. I hate playing chess... because I suck at it.

Remember when Bjork made good pop records? What happened? Sure, every record she releases get fantastic press - but they are just not listenable albums. Really. Come on, be honest with yourself. Debut and Post were good times. They are still good times. Medulla and Volta not good times.

Why does my computer keep playing "Try" by Lisa Loeb. Sure, I dig the Loeb (she has a Hello Kitty toaster too)... but the same song keeps popping up again and again.

The the high temperature tomorrow is supposed to be around 7 degrees... I'm thinking about doing nothing all day.

Niner... so Cliché, Part 2.

More than a week ago I was super cliché by joining a gym after the New Year. I then followed that up by being even more cliché by not going. Not even once. I am often a little nervous about doing new things by myself in front of complete strangers since I just know I'll make a complete ass out of myself (this has been proven). Yes, I know these ass-experiences make for good blogging, but sometimes I just do not feel like taking one for the team. Since I had never been to a gym, I had no clue how to use the big scary machines... and just knew I would step on the treadmill and go flying backwards, or get my head caught in some lifting machine thingy (yes, that is a technical term).

Monday evening I went. Yep, I did. I made an appointment to see a trainer to find out what I am supposed to do. When my trainer never showed up one of the other YMCA employees took my appointment. I wish I could of taken a photo of his face when I told him I had never been in a gym or on any gym equipment before. It was probably the same look if I were to tell him I was a virgin (BTW, I'm not). This was followed by my trainer telling me I look like I am in very good shape, and he was totally surprised I do not work out. Maybe he was hitting on me (I am pretty hot), but I think he was just being nice.

The next hour we spent touring the entire facility, going over the classes offered, and going from machine to machine and explaining what they do and how to use them. He also showed me the free weights version of each machine. This was classic. He was showing me some arm curls with two 25 pound weights and I could not curl so well. OK, I could barely lift them. Sad but true. He did a good job at not laughing, then gave me the 10 pounders instead. The Niner has no upper body strength at all. Something to work on.

So now I have a routine, and I am totally set with what to do at a gym. I followed up Monday night's meeting with skipping the gym on Tuesday and going home and drinking some wine.

Thanks Rhymefest!

A big thanks goes out to my favorite Chicago rapper... Rhymefest. While patiently waiting for his new album to drop (I'm so street) he has released a free album that is "dedicated" to the one and only King of Pop... Michael Jackson. I've never been a big fan of all the skits on hip hop records, but these skits are roll-over-funny. Below is the link to the free download. You should get it before it gets pulled by MJ's legal team.

http://rhymefeststore.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=page&id=1&chapter=0

Danbury Mint.

Every Sunday I look forward to the Sunday newspaper.  Some days there is way too much to read in one day... and some days there seems to only be a couple articles worth giving an overview.  I always start with the sports section since in Chicago there is something about baseball each week even in the off-season.  Whether it's a day long reading session with a couple pots of coffee, or a straight to the recycling but with plenty of coffee anyway, there is always the coupon sections.  Each week the coupon section has something from the Danbury Mint that would make anyone under the age of 50 want to barf.

This past Sunday had to be the utmost worst offering Danbury has ever published (see photo).  For $32 (+ shipping) you can own for yourself an ugly ass painting of a poodle on a collector's (who the hell is collecting these?) plate.  Yes, it is ugly.  Scary, a bit.  Completely wrong, very.  But the Danbury Mint goes one step further by adding the inscription...

You look at me with eyes of love;

You never hold a grudge...

You think I'm far too wonderful

To criticize or judge

I'm choking on my own barf.  Who the hell buys this crap?  I know the obvious answer is old ladies.  Sure, but does anyone else?  The Poodle Association of America should sue.  How can one sleep at night if this was in their house?  Make it stop!

Not So Golden.

Wow... I just finished watching the Golden Globes "ceremony" and I do believe that might of been one of the worst sixty minutes of television ever. Really. I understand that they cancelled the show because of the writer's strike (good idea)... but they surely messed up by still trying to make it an TV event. Terrible all the way around.

What I Did On My Break...

Since you are all dying to know what I was doing from December 21 to January 7 (since I was not posting)... I am going to fill you in an all of the excitement (sarcastic undertone implied)...

1. Caught up on this season of Project Runway. I give this season the big thumbs up. Plain and simple - it's just good television.

2. Went Ice Skating in Millennium Park. This is something I've wanted to do since moving to Chicago and have never gone. Each winter it seems like LP and I always put it off and then wham-o it's Spring and the rink is gone. We took Cherry with us and had a blast. Well worth it.

3. Saw the movies Juno, PS I Love You, and Sweeny Todd. My original goal was to see at least five movies, but even though I fell short I was entertained by the three I did see... even though PS I Love is really depressing.

4. Sat on my ass. Yep, lots of ass sitting went on.

5. Freaked out because our computer at home crashed. I kept thinking I needed to buy an external hard drive since our computer is over three years old and the warranty had expired. I found a good deal on Amazon so I ordered it... and the next day the computer crash (before we could back it up). Big bummer. We are still working and trying to fix it.

6. No traveling. LP and I spent Christmas and New Years in Chicago which was awesome. Traveling during the holidays can make a Niner grumpy... so this year there was no grumpy Niner.

7. I got a new baseball jersey from my brother that says "Cubs Blow." Excellent! Cannot wait for baseball season to get here.

Now on to 2008... and finding a new job.

Calendar Day.

One of my favorite movies of all time (yes, it's a romantic comedy) is a little film called If Lucky Fell.  This Eric Schaeffer movie was released in 1996 and included Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller, and Elle MacPherson in the cast.  It's has a charming, yet awkward, story line - and mostly reminds me of the good times living in NYC.

The movie's opening scene starts with roommates Lucy & Joe realizing it's calendar day.  On one of the walls in their apartment they have painted a huge calendar that has each day checked off.  So calendar day comes each first of the month where the old calendar needs to be covered over with white paint and new black day/week boxes need to be outlined.  I won't go into the fact that at the end of the month they have newly painted they are planning to kill themselves by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge if they have not found true love (OK, maybe I just did).

This is something I've always wanted to do in my house (the calendar, not the killing myself).  Sure maybe it's a bit juvenile, but it might also add some fun.  My guess is LP would never be into it.

Things I Do Not Understand, Part 1 (of many).

I'll admit I am a fan of 2 Fast 2 Furious, and the Tokyo Drift.  Excellent crappy movies.  Cinema at it's worst, but I am addicted to watching them over and over.  The movies even make me want to go racing in my car (reminder: I hate cars, I hate driving).  So I completely understand the people that invest the money and trick-out their cars to make them look "cool" and drive really fast.  You may think this is awesome, stupid, or just not care about it.  All three are fine.

The part I really do not understand (I have spent countless hours pondering this) is when I see tricked-out piece of shit cars.  Yesterday I saw a mid-80's Honda that looked (and sounded) like it was about to die, but appeared to have brand new wheels and a spoiler.  Last week I saw a tricked out Kia (maybe it was a Daewoo) with a fit-for-Tokyo-Drift paint job, spoiler, and neon lights underneath.  Hello?  Couldn't these people take all of the money they spent on tricking-out (upgrading?) and bought a better (safer / more reliable) automobile?

I understand the idea of wanting to be cool... I still buy from time to time stupid things to be cool (not a car) - but are Kia's and Daewoo's really "cool" cars?  Does your mid-80's Honda really need new wheels and spoiler, or maybe you should spend the money on a new engine?  Shouldn't you just save your pennies and buy a better car?  I would.

This really is a Daewoo.

I Want to Be Hugh... Well Kind of.

For a long time now I have realized I want to be Hugh Grant.  Yes, you read that right.  No matter how many times you read the first sentence of this post it will always come out the same... For a long time now I have realized I want to be Hugh Grant.  I know very little about the actual person, I have not picked up an issue of People Magazine in a while.  But I always find myself completely absorbed with his characters in different films.  So judging the man by his body of work (yes, he did appear in an episode of Dr. Who), I like him very much.

Think about it, Hugh Grant picks some fantastic rolls.  Sure, I understand that many feel his rolls are too similar - but just like The Smiths... if you like one song you like them all.  His self-confidence, charisma, his charm seem to spew out of every character.  I find often myself wanting to be The Prime Minister who tells off the President and dances around Number 10 Downing Street to Jump.  I find myself day dreaming about being William Thacker and owning a failing travel book shop.  I drift off and imagine myself having a pint of bitter in Whales as Reginald Anson trying to measure a mountain.  I want to be a washed up pop star like Alex Fletcher from Pop.  I even see the charm in the slimy Daniel Cleaver.

Yes, I might be too much of a dreamer... I realize this.  But it's fun to day dream a little, and maybe take a lesson or too on how to be a little more romantic, and little more charming.  As long as I keep reminding me that there is also the real world, and I can become the person I want to, or dream about, but it take will power and support.  Don't worry... my end goal is not to become Daniel Cleaver.

Niner... so Cliché.

It's a new year, and with a new year for some comes resolutions on how to better ourselves.  Each year I come up with a few, and I must say I usually remember them through the year, and often succeed.  But I also keep them simple, and never pick the obvious goals that everyone else seems to pick.  A great example was for 2006 my goal was not to make fun of an office-mate's tattoo... it looks like an Insane Clown Posse logo, which it is not.  I passed with flying colors, and actually carried it though most of 2007 as well.

This year I cannot say that I kept my goal original.  I jumped on the biggest New Year bandwagon.  One day last week after work I joined a gym.  I have never even been to a gym.  I hate gyms, and the people who are obsessed in working out in gyms.  But since my goal of 2008 is to get healthy, and in Chicago the winters can be pretty miserable outside, I saw little choice.  Which did I pick?  Crunch... Gold's... Ballys... 24 Hour Fitness? Nope.  The YMCA.  For a few simple reasons the YMCA was an easy pick.

1. Close to my house and work.

2. They have a pool.

3. No sign up fee.

4. It's month to month, so there is no contract.

I must also fill in the fact that I have yet to go.  Yep, not even been once.  I was hoping LP could go with me to show me how to use the machines, I really have no clue in a gym... since I've never been, but LP has not been able to.  Today I am going to call and see if I can get some help.  I will make this work.  Hope you succeed at your resolutions too.