Wednesday, August 31, 2005

I Get So Emotional, Baby!

So Emotional - sung by Whitney Houston

"I get so emotional baby
Everytime I think of you
I get so emotional baby
Ain't it shocking what love can do"

Start of Interruption!!!! Before I get to the next segment of 'what's wrong with eric g. today?', I have to say woo hoo! Okay, why? I was elated because a stock that I got into on Friday, shot up over 20%, netting me a $260 gain. See...I lose money one day and get it back just as quick. Cool-io! End of Interruption!!!!

Ain't it shocking that I've mentioned Whitney twice in two days? It's shocking what an addiction to Being Bobby Brown will do to you. I miss BBB already. I so can't wait until the DVDs. Heh.

Hemingway, the reason I'm focusing on those particular lyrics is because I tend to get overly emotional about a lot of things. Fortunately it's not because of love. At least that hasn't happened yet.

Sometimes my emotions are work related. For example, there was this old time lady (meaning she's been with the company over 20 years) who has the annoying habit of making snide comments to you in the guise of acting sweet. I'll call her Pickaninny. Stuff like..."Ohh, I like that shirt, though it look like a dog threw up in it." or "I can help with that but I'm sure you wouldn't want any help from me." I was forced to work on a project with Pickaninny three years ago. It was one of those six month to a year long projects. I remember too that she would always try to schedule her meetings at the same time I scheduled mine. I finally call her on her shit and she's like.."Ohh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to cut on your time." Bitch, please. (See, my emotions are going off just thinking about it. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe In. Breathe Out. *LOL*.) Then one time I forwarded the meeting items to everyone beforehand to print and Pickaninny says to me, "Sorry I'm late, but I had to print out handouts since you didn't provide any to the group." I acted nonchalant and said, "Are you trying to tell me something?" She left it alone after that.

I'm the kind of person who shows my emotions but keeps my opinions to myself. I remember when I told my sis "Trina" about Pickaninny, she told me she would've straight up cussed her out. See, that's why I love my sister! She cuts through the B.S. and nips shit in the bud. But not me. I would make faces at the bitch and she'd know she would irritate me but that pushed her buttons and made her go at it more. It's too bad I wasn't brave enough to say..."At least I'm not a fat overweight cow like you." or "Bitch, unless you got something constructive to say, leave me the fuck alone." Honestly I don't know if that approach would've worked either. I might find myself in H.R. a lot. But there has to be some balance. I was happy as hell when she left the project mid-way for another project. Unfortunately you do have to work with these people, even if they get on your last nerve. If I quit everytime someone annoyed me, I'd be looking for a new job every week.

Then I get emotional when jerks like Vince play around with me. I remember feeling so hurt when he told me to 'have a nice life'. It was a blow to me, especially since I really enjoyed the brief time I spent with him. Then when he tried to snare me in a bootycall, I got angry. Who does he think I am? Does he think I'm so hard-up, that I'd give it to him at a moment's notice? I may be hard-up but I ain't that hard-up. Heh.

But why do I get emotional over someone I hardly knew? Why should I care? I think I get put off by the action that's taken but then instead of moving on to the next issue, I ponder it in my mind and wonder what I could've done differently. It then leads me to overanalyze and then when I think of the other possibilities, it affects me mentally and gets me upset. It is good to review what went wrong sometimes, but I have to learn when to let go.

Then I get pissy over the little things. You know...Why didn't that co-employee wash his hands after taking a dump? (There are some nasty, nasty people working at my job. That's why I always open the door with a hand towel.) Why did that idiot flick his/her cigarette out the car window? You know, stuff I can't control...*LOL*.

"Let go, let God!" That's a phrase that I heard in my Church a couple years ago. Basically it's another way of saying the following common prayer...

"God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I can not change, Courage to change the things I can,and Wisdom to know the difference."

I think I'm still trying to figure out the difference. Maybe once I do, I'll get better control of my emotions and don't let stuff get to me so much.

I'll get there eventually. I'm sure of it.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Manufactured Weekend Drama

I hear or see these phrases all the time....

  • Save the drama for yo' Mama!
  • Not looking for folks on BS and drama.
  • The only drama I look for is on the shelf at Blockbuster's.
Okay. Fine. I sorta made up that last one. I'm sure variations of that one are floating around, though.

The thing is...most of us say that we hate drama. Yet there's that part of us that deep down inside craves it. Maybe even creates it? At least I think it applies to me.

Case in point...these last few days I've been chatting with two different guys. Guy A, "Winifred", we've chatted a couple weeks before but everytime we try to meet up, different circumstances either with him or myself come up. I'd be working a little bit later than expected. He'd have his own work-related issue come up. So that's "Winifred".

Then there's "Aaron". We had a couple of amazing conversations over the phone and seemed to really hit it off. Hell, we stayed up till 3AM Saturday night watching "Girlfriends" on BET (over the phone). And three of the four episodes were post-Season 3, which for the most part were mostly sucky, IMHO. And I was actually laughing during the show. You can also tell it's post-Season 3 because Reggie Hayes, who plays William, picked up at least 25 pounds since the show's conception. But that's way off-topic.

So Hemingway, Aaron and I were trying to make plans to meet. Friday night was a no-go because he was hanging with a friend. Saturday was a no-go because I had arranged to meet with Winifred Saturday afternoon. Can you believe I actually told Aaron I had a date Saturday? Talk about creating drama.

Of course, I cringed after saying that. But you know, I created the problem myself.

I heard Aaron make this off-putting sound when I said that. His voice said 'okay' but his mind probably was going 'you skank ass hoe'. Although why people assume when you're on a date you're getting sex is beyond me. (It's not always true.) Heh.

And do you think the drama ended there? As Whitney "McCrackney" Houston would say...."Hell to the NAW!!!"

Early Saturday afternoon comes and I get am IM from the cool Philybred himself. I met him over a month ago and enjoyed hanging out with him in his neck of the woods. Hammond, IN. So anyway, he tells me that he's having a BB-Q and I'm more than welcome to come.

I'm thinking. Free food, plus it'd be cool to hang again. So I tell Philybred that I'll meet him later in the afternoon.

But wait a minute. Didn't I have a date with Winifred that afternoon? Umm, yeah.

I actually had some errands to run in the Southwest burbs that day as well, which would've put me half way to Hammond. I get a phone call from Winifred. He mentions that he has a friend coming into town around 7PM at O'Hare. (He lives about an hour from there.) He wasn't sure if we should still meet or not. I smiled. He actually gave me a way out. I told him that we could always reschedule to next week sometime. He asked if I was sure or not and I said that'd be fine. We hung up.

As I stepped outside to head into the garage, I thought I was in the clear. But then he called two minutes later. A normal person, trying to avoid drama, would've let it go to voicemail. But not me. I immediately picked up. He suggested we meet for an hour at the mall and then he can go pick up his friend. I debated on whether to say anything or not but at the time didn't. I told him okay and after I run my errand, I'll give him a call.

So I'm off running my errand and I'm thinking, you know, I'd rather hang out at the BB-Q. I finally get the nerve to call Winifred. I half-lied and told him that I met a friend while running my errand and we're heading to dinner.

Yeah I know. I'm bad. (Well karma's a bitch...as I found out the next day!)

Hemingway I enjoyed myself at Philybred's and met another friend of his. The three of us wound up watching Fight Club, which I've never seen, and OMG, the movie was the bomb. It seemed stupid at first but I really got into it and didn't see the climatic point coming. We all then watched some Chinese Kung-Fu spoof, which was actually pretty darn funny as well. Then after an enjoyable evening watching movies, I went home.

Aaron emailed me later that evening and then we chatted on the phone. He did confess to being put off by my admitting to a date, though please, I'm sure when I was blown off in the past, it was because they had a better date. And yeah, two wrongs don't make a right. (Ack! Leave me alone...*LOL*) Besides I already had the plans Saturday before I even worked on making some with Aaron. That led to our three-hour chat, culminating with the whole "Girlfriends" marathon I alluded to earlier in my thread. Sometime during our chat, we toyed around with meeting Sunday afternoon.

So we get to Sunday morning (Well technically I was already there...*LOL*) You know, the day karma bit me in the ass! It started out pleasant enough. I was surprised to receive an E-card from Aaron. According to the email, the card arrived at 6:30 AM. That was surprising since we were on the phone till a little after 3 AM. I myself didn't wake up until "Eugene" called me a little after 9:30 AM. Of course, I told him about all my drama...but that's getting away from the point. (Okay, back to the point!) So anyway I receive the E-card, get a smile-on and proceed to send him one back.

Early afternoon comes and I decide to head to Bally's. For the last three weeks, I've been going to the same Bally's near my house Sunday afternoons, Tuesday evenings, and Thursday evenings. Normally I mix it up going to different Bally's but since I got over my fear of the "track", not to mention noticing my mid-section seemingly being smaller afterwards, I've been sticking to the same Bally's. It's the only one that has the actual track, which I run around Tuesdays and Thursdays.

So I put my stuff in a locker and work out on the treadmill around 2PM. I know Aaron may call me at anytime so I leave my cell phone on my person, even though I leave it on vibrate. I finish on the treadmill around 2:55. Yeah I did 55 minutes...whoo hoo! I open my phone and there's a voicemail. I didn't even feel my phone vibrate at all. So I head upstairs, check the message, and it's Aaron. I call him moments later and we make pleasant talk. I tell him that I still have another 30 minutes of working out to do and then I'll call him and head over to meet him. Things are all cool.

I do ab stuff and then more leg exercises. I head back to the lockerrooms to retrieve my stuff and wash up. I get to my locker and my stuff is gone. I act relatively calm considering and try to think if maybe I picked the wrong row or something. After going to the other rows, I know deep down that my stuff is gone. I race to the front desk and ask if they seen anyone taking off with a bag like mine (Like they'd know.). I look out at the parking lot and am relieved to see my car still there. So an attendant and myself raced back into the lockerrooms and frantically (well I was frantic..*LOL*) searched all the other lockers. I even went to the steamrooms and the pool area. Nothing. Moments later, the attendant calls me and points to my bag near the stalls. I race to it and everything is there, except $140 and a credit card. Luckily they didn't take my ATM card or Best Buy card. Of course, Bally's has the big warning that you assume the risk of putting your items in the lockers. So relieved that everything else looked unharmed, I take the bag (ignoring the fact that it was exposed to germs...*LOL*) and race out of the facility.

I immediately call Aaron, who answers like on the first ring. I tell him what happened and he plays the part of sympathetic friend appropriately. He tells me that he understands if I can't make it to see him. I'm a bit distraught still but I tell him I'm okay with still meeting but I had to head home real quick and get the number to my credit card company so I could cancel my card. So we hang up and I decide to call Eugene. Of course, he questions why the hell I leave valuables in the lockerroom. He annoys me a bit but fortunately I find the credit card contact information at home so I tell him I'll call later.

The punks waste no time using the card, stopping at a Speedway. Unfortunately they couldn't tell me where, even though the punks were long gone by then anyway. So Hemingway, the whole process of closing is relatively less painful than the last time, which wasn't that long ago, actually...*LOL*.

I call Aaron after getting off the phone with the credit card company. I get his voicemail. Hmmm. I leave a message. I wait for a bit, hoping Aaron will call back. Nothing. I start to get hungry so I actually eat some canned pineapples. At least that's kinda healthy...:-) More time passes and I still don't hear anything. I call him again, leaving a slightly more agitated message. I decide to order a Lou Malnati's small deep dish. If you're a native of Chicago, you know Lou's ranks up there as one of the best deep dishes in the Chicago area. At that point, I accept that I probably won't be meeting Aaron.

Before picking up my "pity party meal", I head to the local Police station to file a police report. The cop there kindly informs that since the Bally's I go to is in another burb, I need to file a police report there. When I get to that burb's station, I create some unnecessary drama by not reading the entire sign that only barred entry if you had a dangerous substance in your possession, otherwise you can enter...*LOL*. I wasted my time walking all around the facility until the boys in blue directed me back to that door.

So I file my report and learn that there's been a rash of locker break-ins at Bally's. Based on that, I confirmed what I already knew. I would just be another statistic and the perps would remain on the loose to do it again to other unsuspecting members. For now on, I plan on keeping all valuables in a pouch that's with me at all times. I think I may even change my clothes at home (or work) before going there so I can leave my stuff in the car.

I go pick up my pizza and head over to Jewels for some Haagen-Daaz ice cream (Caramel Cone & Cookies n Cream) to go with it. eric g., pity party of one, to go please!

To top it off, I never heard anything back from Aaron. Didn't I tell you, karma's a bitch!! All because of created drama. I get back enough drama for my Mama and my Grandmama. :-)

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Saturday, August 27, 2005

Loose Parts

I wanted to give a car update. I had mentioned that my car conked out on me at a Citgo gas station. Based on my past problems, I was suspecting that something was wrong with my alternator. It turned out to be a loose positive cable connection. They charged me $100 for labor, anyway. Capitalism at its best...*LOL*.

I had them fix my blower motor for my A/C and heat while I had my car there and then they said that my front rotors were warped & needed to be replaced. My total cost: $712. That put a hurting on a brother...:-/ To top it off, I know I could've saved at least $20 on the blower motor if I got it myself online. Of course, if I found a blower in the junkyard, I'd save even more...*LOL*.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Father Blues

My dad went to see his doctor Monday morning. The day before he had complained of feeling full and constipated. He also felt a bit feverish Sunday night.

When I heard the news, I flashed back to Thanksgiving 2003 when he spent two weeks in the hospital for an infection in his intestines. He had lost nearly 30 pounds during that time period and had to be on antibiotics that time.

Since he didn't have an appointment Monday, he was taking a chance that he may have had to wait a bit before being seen. Luckily his doctor happened to have an open slot within a half-hour to see him.

They wanted to do a Cat Scan on my dad but he mentioned that it would have to be in another couple days. Luck was on my dad's side again when an opening came up for the cat scan right around the same time. So after an hour wait, he got the procedure.

He got the call Wednesday morning that he needed to proceed to emergency. At the time, my dad was out taking care of another urgent matter. He had gotten a letter from the IRS saying that he owed $15,000 in back taxes. I spoke to my dad briefly about this and he mentioned that he did a transfer of funds from one mutual fund to another but wasn't aware that doing so would incur capital gains (or loss). Even so, though, it doesn't seem like that would cause him to owe that much. He had his taxes done last year by a tax service so he headed over there to get things straightened out. Unfortunately they weren't able to straighten it out then and there, but they would have to look into it further.

My mom called me around noon yesterday in a panic. She had no way of reaching my dad to tell him that he needed to go to emergency. She also received a letter about the $15,000 and started freaking out about that too. She grumbled that she has no clue what's going on financially since my dad handles all the finances. I did my best to calm her down and tell her things would be okay.

It's times like these that I feel the frustration of being away from home. I definitely want to be there to help out but distance forces me to take a back seat. I prayed that things would be okay for my dad. I called home around 7:00 PM but got no answer. It wasn't until 9:30 PM that I finally got a hold of my younger sister "Trina". She gave me the 411. My dad was admitted to the hospital that afternoon and is currently hooked on an IV with antibiotics for his infection, a mild case of diverticulitus. The disease is actually pretty common among adults over 60. She assured me that he was fine and would likely be released from the hospital Thursday.

While talking to her on my cell, my regular phone rang with a call from my mom. I said my goodbyes to Trina and picked up the phone. My mom sounded a lot calmer than earlier, which was a relief to me. She pretty much confirmed what Trina said and then gave me my dad's room number. We chatted some more for a few minutes more before hanging up.

I immediately called my dad. He sounded really good, which was definitely a positive. He mentioned that he wasn't allowed to eat anything for the night. I asked if he felt hungry and he said he felt fine. For entertainment, he was listening to classical music on CBC radio. We talked a bit more before I let him go to bed.

I called him the next morning on route to work and he sounded well. He said, though, that he didn't get much sleep. I think being in a hospital bed isn't the most fun place to be. He seemed pleased with the service received, though he was a bit disappointed that he still hadn't eaten yet. He was waiting to see his doctor to give him a prognosis. We shot the breeze until I arrived at work.

Work really dragged today as I was anxious to hear news on my dad. Soon as I left work, I decided to call home. My hope was that he would've gotten good news today and be released as promised. I got the voicemail. My heart sank. I was prepared to leave a message when the phone picked up. It was my dad. I was joyful.

He confirmed that the doctors spoke to him and said that the antibiotics were working as expected and that he could go home. One thing my dad will need to do is include even more fiber in his diet. That means more veggies, metamucil, the works. Needless to say, I was relieved.

My dad's health issues made me think about the inevitable, meaning death. We all eventually do have to meet our maker. I honestly have no idea what my parent's last wishes are. It's a subject that nobody wants to talk about but I do realize you need a plan. Otherwise when the worst happen, you're in a vulnerable state and can easily be taken advantage of by the system. I wonder if my folks want to be buried in Detroit or if they want to sent back to their native island. Do they want to be cremated? How about assets? How will they be split between the surviving members? I would hate to have to fight with my sisters over stuff like that. I've heard the horror stories.

Hell, what do I want happening to me if I die? Should I bury myself in Chicago somewhere? Go back to Detroit? I mean, I still don't know if Chicago is my final destination in life. How about my property? What will happen to that? How should I divide my possessions out?

It's questions that I definitely hate to deal with but something that should be discussed. How do you take that step, though? Any ideas out there? Anyone care? *LOL*.

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Monday, August 22, 2005

A Flat Out Eventful Weekend

These last few days have been pretty eventful to say the least. The "fun" all started moments after I left my abode Friday afternoon.

As I mentioned earlier, I was heading out to Detroit for the weekend. It just so happened that "Sally" was planning to go there that same weekend for a family reunion. We agreed to ride together in order to save on gas.

On my way to picking Sally up, I stopped at a Citgo gas station to half-way fill my pump. It was around 1:30 PM when I arrived there. My plan was to get just enough gas to make it to Indiana and then fill up the rest there.

A "diva" (I'm being polite because she was was acting like something other than a diva...*LOL*) in a mini-van started yelling at me to move my car because I was blocking her in. I looked at the space between us and figured she'd just need to do a bit of back and forth manuevering to get out. I ignored her and proceeded to pump gas into my tank. I could see her killing me softly with her eyes the whole time.

After I finished half-way filling my tank, I returned to my car to start it. Nothing. I was thinking to myself, you gotta be kidding me. I was basically reliving Tuesday again. Of course, my highest priority was "diva"'s well being. She groaned in disbelief that I couldn't start my car. I apologized but told her that she has enough room to get out if she manuevers her van between the two cars. It appeared that the person behind her was leaving, however, and moments later she backed up and did the same. I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head as she drove off. I assume she was having a bad day and my little car problem just bought her over the edge.

But back to me. I couldn't believe this crap was happening again. I was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers at the pump, begging for someone to have jumper cables. I found solace in an older Hispanic guy, who had a good sense of humor. He joked that he'd charge me $20 for a boost. I wasn't really in the joking mood and it took me a minute to realize he was kidding. He didn't have jumper cables and could've just moved on like the half dozen other people I asked, but he told me if I could find someone with some, he'd give me a boost.

I did find solace in another lady who had cables. So the Hispanic guy (I wish I had gotten his name, but oh well) drove his mini-van over towards me. He had me put the connections on my car while he put the connections on his. I tried starting it but it wouldn't kick over like last time. We did this several more times before he concluded that it was either my starter or the alternator that was out. I quickly returned the lady's jumper cables to her and thanked her. He mentioned something about running some errands and then coming back in 40 minutes but I never got his cell phone number or anything so I couldn't guarantee he'd be back by then.

I bitched about my situation to "Stan", "Eugene" and Sally. After talking with Sally and arranging for her to come pick me up at my local Chevrolet dealership, I called a tow truck. They came around 45 minutes after I called and towed me to the dealership.

Since it was Friday afternoon, Monday would be the earliest they'd be able to look at my car. Sally came to the dealership around 4:30 and we were off to Detroit. Other than several traffic jams and an unexpected dinner stop at Denny's (we were planning on stopping at a Wendy's to go), the trip to Detroit went unhitched. (As a sidenote, Sally had me driving her car since she was planning on snoozing while I drove..:-) She did stay awake for the majority of the trip, however.)

I learned from my parents that both cats were currently suffering from fleas. That totally explained my shock when Scaredycat actually came up to me when I was walking down the hallway between the different sections. My Mom wasn't allowing either cat in the main part of the house during the flea infestation. As I mentioned earlier, both cats hate my guts, just expressing it in different ways. Poor Scaredycat was so desperate for human companionship that he came crying to me. I'd touch his nose for a second and then go wash my hands. My parents bought collars for both and have some flea killer spray but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working so far. I may need to do some research to see what might work. I had to shake off a few fleas from myself while staying there. Sick.

My plan was to drive myself back and forth to the Ren Cen as needed. I also needed to pick up a new tux shirt and bowtie since I misplaced the ones I had at home. Since I was carless, I asked my older sis "Tasha" to drop me off and take me tux shirt shopping. We decided to first head to the tuxedo shop. I knew what I wanted so it was just a matter of having a clerk guide me to the items in question.

So Tasha and I leave the shop. I turned my eyes to one of her rear tires. It looked slighty frayed. Tasha did mention that she had a used tire in the back so I figured that was the reason. Plus she Fix-A-Flatted both front tires. Ghetto, yeah...:-)

So Hemingway, we were driving down the freeway heading downtown. A few miles into the trip, we heard what sounded like a plane crashing over us. I looked into the rearview and saw that the used tire had blown out. We safely pulled over to the side of the road. And then I did what I never had to do before. I changed a tire. I felt such a rush of testosterone enter my system as Tasha and I comically went about changing the tire. I felt such a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

I won't bore you with too much details about the work conference. I hung out basically for an hour and a half helping my company at their booth seek qualified candidates. I hitched a ride back home with one of my co-workers. The most interesting part was my running into former New Edition and BBD member, Michael Bivins. He didn't have an entourage around him since his star power has faded & didn't pay anyone much mind. Actually other than my co-worker and myself, nobody really noticed him. Sadly he was wearing a "POISON" t-shirt.

It wouldn't be the last time I saw him either. When Tasha and I went later on to an evening banquet at the Marriot, we once again saw Bivins. This time he was sitting alone outside the hotel lobby on the phone. It was too weird. I wanted to shake his hand at least but he was on Tasha's side and it would've been too awkward for me to cross over her. Plus I wasn't that pressed.

I thought I looked fly in my tuxedo with a red bowtie and matching cummerband. But Tasha proved to be the star of the evening. She wore an elegant red evening gown, which drew at least a half dozen compliments from women even. And you know how catty some women get...*LOL*. Tasha mentioned it was a dress that she had gotten from Gantos year ago before they went out of business that she never had the chance to wear.

Towards the end of the dinner, she got a phone call from her current boyfriend. Apparently he wanted some late night nookie. I couldn't help but laugh. So he wound up coming to the Marriot to pick her up. While waiting for him, I had my second celebrity encounter of the night. Tasha and I were sitting on some granite outside, when I saw what looked like Faith Evans walking towards the Marriot with a girlfriend. It wasn't until Tasha tapped me on the shoulders and the mystery celebrity walked back the other way, that I realized it was Tisha Campbell of Martin and My Wife & Kids fame. Needless to say, I was starstruck. Tisha caused quite a stir with the Marriot staff and random people on the street as well. She was nice enough to shake some people's hands. Several of the male busboy staff went on and on about how "fine" she was in person. Which she was. She looked a lot smaller in person. I remember the media dogging her about her weight gain. Apparently she worked it off.

Tasha told me that her husband's new film was premiering at Fox Theatre that night, which probably explained why Tisha was in town. Guess she was hanging with her girl while hubby hung with his guys.

So yeah, two celebrity encounters in one day. And I didn't have a freaking camera for either. You'll just have to take my word for it...*LOL*.

Tasha's boyfriend rolled in his late model Cadillac fifteen minutes later. It was my first time meeting him since I'm always out of town. He looked okay in the brief two seconds I saw him. They took off and then I contemplated going to an afterparty at the Marriot but since I started getting an allergy, I decided against it and drove home.

Sunday came and I spent the day with my parents, driving my Mom around for groceries. It's our bonding time together. Then later that afternoon, my Mom prepared some food for me to go & then Sally came to pick me up and six hours later, I was back in Chicago. The end.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Bowling The Nice Life!

Previously on Half & Half, Tit & Tat....

I called Vince again two weeks after our initial date & arranged another date that day. He was available. I suggested before bowling that we pick up a quick bite to eat at a TGIF's not far from the alley selected. He was game so we met there.

We had an interesting lunch. I chatted about flirting with a cashier who was closed and getting her to ring up my items. He chatted about his job. He works for the state prison as part of security. I mentioned my recent fascination with 310+ thread count sheets. I have Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to thank for even knowing about thread counts. There was one odd moment ten minutes within the lunch. There was a group of russian (not sure of the origin actually) guys sitting at the next booth behind us. As I was talking, I noticed Vince kept giving this odd stare towards them. I was sitting with my back towards them so I had no idea what was going on. I turned around briefly and didn't notice anything. I asked Vince what was up and he wouldn't say. When the group finally left, I asked again. He said that one of the guys took a photograph of him. He asked if I noticed the flash, which I didn't. I made some joke that his face will probably be in a porn magazine attached to another guy's body. He then told his tale of how three girls decided to take a photo of him with their cell phone. (Sidenote...I had no reason to believe he was lying, though when I told Eugene about it, he theorized that the story was Vince's way of letting me know that he considers himself a "hot" commodity and that I was lucky to be hanging with him. He also didn't believe those guys really took a picture of him.)

So after lunch we decided to head for the alley. He told me that he'd follow me over there in his car. I raised my brow and laughed. If you recall, during our last outing, Vince drove off so I wouldn't be following him. I made some comment that I don't like people following me. He laughed, I'm assuming because he recalled our last outing. Since the alley was only ten minutes from the restaurant, I suggested we drive together in my car instead and I'd swing back afterwards and take him to his car. Oddly enough as I was getting in the car, I noticed he was just standing by my open door staring at something. It took me a minute to get his attention and he never mentioned what he was distracted by.

We got to the alley and then learned that we had to manually keep score. We decided to keep each other's score to keep it honest. I was a bit more cool this date, trying not to fawn all over him like I did our first encounter. I even retracted my initial offer of giving him my old bowling ball, saying that I would need it after all. Of course, he said he had forgotten about that. Whatever...*LOL*. Long story short, we bowled five games (I think he even won one against me...*LOL*) while enduring an alley full of father/daughter day folks. This led to some interesting yet disturbing convo between us. Vince mentioned coming across a site where there were men that basically talked about their daughters and admired other men's daughters. It sounded a bit perverted.

We then played another four rounds of pool, where I actually won a game as well.

Our date ended and Vince asked me if I liked going out to drink. I told him I did. But I assumed it wasn't for that night since I needed to get home. So we agreed that we'd have to make plans another time.

Now for the real interesting stuff...

A couple days later I looked at some old email (yeah I like rereading stuff days afterwards) and noticed that Vince was online. I click on a random name from my IM box and typed his name in, then I shot him a message. He didn't know who I was. After saying my first name, he still needed confirmation. Finally when I mentioned bowling and pool, he got a brain. So we chatted and stuff & I remember asking him if I could add him to my buddy list. I then jumped into this whole side rant about needing to ask because you can't assume. I can't say I remember whether he said 'yes' or not but I decided to add him. He must've went away from the computer because he stopped responding to my inane chatter. I forget about him and run my own errands. Hours later I return to the computer and I get a "decline" from him. I remember being pissed about it but deciding not to respond. The next day I had to leave for an out of town trip to Detroit. It was Memorial Day weekend.

I came back Tuesday and basically decided to say something when I saw he was online via my email program. I basically got pissy and said 'why the heck did you not accept me'? He then said something about his system logging him off and Yahoo automatically sending a decline. (Lies, lies, lies.) Then he said that he doesn't deal with negative people and to have a nice life!

I remember thinking, 'woah, what just happened here?' I may have been a little pissy but that seemed a bit too quick to just dismiss someone. Especially considering it was my first time expressing any displeasure.

I left things alone that night and then called him the next day. Of course, I get his machine. Then I never heard from him again. Until almost three months last Monday.

His message on A4A..."Hey guy, wanna go bowling tomorrow (Tuesday) at such and such alley. $1 games on Tuesday."

When I saw his name flash up in my email box, I was thinking, is this for real? Then I clicked and read that message. I laughed for about a minute, not even thinking that he didn't even remember my name enough to mention it. I was a bit stupid, of course, so I responded..."Hey Vince. It would have to be in the evening. Is the special all day?" (You know. I at least remembered his name...*LOL*) This was in the morning before I left for work. When I got back later that evening, he responded , "Yes, all day."

By that time, Eugene got a hold of me and put some sense in my head. He told me straight up that Vince was basically looking for a quick blowjob and hoped I'd be the sucker to give it to him (oooh..sucker, like that double meaning...*LOL*). He reminded me again about how Vince dropped me like a hot potato months before & all of a sudden he waltzes back in as if nothing's happened. (The moron probably forgot, to tell you the truth...*LOL*) Eugene continued to say that Vince put me on his list of 'lower class people' desperate enough to jump at the opportunity to be with him. I guess that fawning I did first date wasn't such a good idea, huh? He told me if I met him Tuesday night, that would confirm his opinion of me.

Eugene knew it would be hard for me not to want to meet him. He mentioned that his arrogant side would keep him from even responding in the first place. So he suggested I schedule another time for the meeting. Which is what I wound up doing. I made up an excuse for not going and basically asked if next weekend would be okay.

As if to confirm Eugene's theory, Vince didn't even respond to my question. Funny thing, Tuesday night when I got home at 9:30, I saw him logging in and out of A4A. He still hadn't responded to my request. I realized then that Eugene was likely right. He was basically looking for a quick hit and hoped I'd be it.

I'm sure I won't hear from him again until another three-six months when he's forgotten about my last blow off and suggest another meeting.

I was sad for a couple weeks after his initial IM blow-off. I kept blaming myself thinking I fawned a bit too much. Maybe I was too gay with him. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so pissy about the IM blow-off. I got over him eventually after a month.

But I'm really glad he was stupid enough to email me again. It made me realize that it wasn't my fault (entirely, I do realize I did things that made him think I was an easy mark. Remember the fawning...*LOL*) things ended abruptly. I made the mistake of trying to be friends with a jerk.

On another note, I'm grateful for the friendship I have with Eugene. He's become like the big brother I never had in the six months I've chatted with him. Believe it or not, we've never met each other. He was busy working on his Ph D. & trying to find a full-time university job while living three hours away from me. But we manage to chat almost every night. He finally has his Ph. D and found a job in Boston. He moved there last weekend. So we never did get to meet, he instead blew me off for some dates. (Heifer.) But we know if something's on our mind, that we can always call each other. Maybe we're better off not meeting.

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Thursday, August 18, 2005

Off To The D...With A Bang!

Detroit, that is. I'm heading down there Friday (by car) for a work related conference at the RenCen, which I learned from "Eugene" isn't called the Rennaisance Center anymore. Sad that I'm from Detroit and I didn't know that fact. Hemingway, it'll always be the RenCen to me...:-)

After work tonight, I went bowling with my co-worker and bowling pro "Reid". They were having a 50 cent special per game. We bowled ten games each. My highest was a 216 and my lowest was a 122. Interestingly my last game was a 209. Ironically Reid's highest game was a mere 194. Sadly he still beat me in total pins due to a couple of real bad games I had. But it was all fun.

Actually I was also e-vited to bowl Tuesday night from a dude named "Vince". For once, I have a real juicy tale behind this. Yes, readers, you're finally getting the confirmation of what many here have already known. I'm gay. And no, my family doesn't know, though I'm sure they suspect. I live a double life at work as well, even though I'm sure rumors are floating around, especially since I've been in the same job for over 8 years now. Plus I found out another co-worker there I know is gay. But that's another story. And no, he's not my type...*LOL*. Let's get back to Vince.

Get some popcorn. It's a doozy.

I first laid eyes on this tall, attractive piece of chocolate (I feel liberated already...*LOL*) via Adam4Adam around mid-May. I had to email him a couple times before he finally gave me some attention. (Yeah...pathetic, huh?) He described himself as 6"2/215 lbs., muscular build. So ff'ing just a bit here, we chatted and we originally arranged to meet for an evening of bowling Saturday night and exchanged numbers. Unfortunately I had a conflict come up so I wound up cancelling on him. He was cool about it.

Next day I called Vince and asked him if he was available to bowl Sunday afternoon. He was. We agreed to meet at a alley (that sounds so dirty) mid-point between our homes. As I near what I thought was the alley, I get a call from Vince saying that the alley wasn't where they said it was. We decided to meet at a gas station near that spot.

First impression. I drove up and saw Vince sitting in a newer model burgundy Ford Taurus. I thought he looked pretty hot, even though he dressed very understated in a white t-shirt & jeans. We both got out of our vehicles and I may have been fawning a bit over him. I think I even acted a bit blonde (no offense meant to my blonde readers). He had gotten real directions to the alley from someone working there and basically he was going over them with me. I was so mesmerized he had to repeat them to me.

I half listened, even though I was able to recite it back to him. I figured I'd be following him anyway. That would be the wrong answer. Can you believe he didn't want me to follow him? I think he may have made some excuse about taking off and disregarding people that follow him. My tiny brain thought he was joking but he was serious. He basically got back to his car (we were standing closer to his car) and took off before I even got to my car. (Guess that should've been a warning, huh?)

I remember thinking, 'I know he didn't just take off without waiting'. I even thought about not going to the alley and doing something else. But did I mention he looked hot. Heh.

So I started my car and started my trip to the alley. Being dim about the directions didn't pay off since I wound up stuck at a light staying on a left lane where the majority of folks were making a left turn instead of hopping to the faster right lane. So after wasting 10 minutes there, I drove until I reached the half-way point. I get a phone call from Vince saying he's there (well duh, he took off before I had a chance to even start my car, of course he got there before I did) I wound up getting lost a bit so he had to guide me to the alley again.

I get there and I'm slightly pissed. But his smile kinda took that feeling away. He looked surprised when I went towards my trunk & pulled out my bowling bag. I remember saying to him, yeah you pissed me off so now it's game on.

Long story short. I beat him all 4 of the games we played. I told him about my record high game of 238 and wound up bowling a 224 our first game. I was all over the board the next couple games but managed to stay ahead of him. His highest may have been a 110-something.

Nothing really bad happened during the afternoon date. Honestly I think we both enjoyed ourselves. We even stayed and played 4 games of pool afterward, which he beat me at mercilessly.

Towards the end of our 4 1/2 hour date, we walked back to our respective cars. I got the impression that he wanted to hang out with me again & I most definitely wanted to hang out again. We promised to keep in touch and set something up.

A little more background...after that date, I remember immediately calling my friend "Eugene" and telling him all about it. Basically I was saying despite the one flag that things went real well. I remember saying I wouldn't mind giving some to Vince. (See what one little blog reveal leads to...*LOL*) Eugene then asked me if I would want to be friends with Vince a year from that date. I told him most definitely yes. So to summarize, he said don't be so quick to jump in the sack since that tends to end things, due to the awkwardness afterwards. Which is so true. Plus he was annoyed with the fawning I did over Vince. I think I offered to give him my spare bowling ball for free & even bought him some iced tea. Eugene asked jokingly if I wiped the sweat off his brow. But I got his point.

So I vowed to try and develop a friendship with Vince.

I called him two weeks later and we set up another Sunday date.

I'm gonna pull a Bernard and end it right here. I'll tell the rest of the tale and the subsequent events after that another time. I'll try to finish it before my trip to Detroit Friday.

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Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Cold-Started

I had the most crazy day today. It started out innocent enough with me driving along listening to Paula Abdul's Straight Up CD. As I sang about the way that you love me and how I was knocked out taking two steps back, I as usual was playing around with the A/C. Unfortunately my A/C's been on the fritz for over two years. The air resistor thingie died and basically the only way my air works is if I put on real high. Of course, that gets cold real fast so I have to moments later, turn it off. Apparently doing this back and forth caused my display lights and gauges to all go out of whack. I was so afraid my car was going to die on the way to work but I made it to the office, where upon shutting off the engine, the car literally stopped motion in a New York Second, unlike normally where it'd gradually die down. I thought nothing of it and went into the office.

Work. Problems, problems, problems. Unfortunately a lot of accounts weren't updated with application sensitive data. The issue wound up being due to a conversion step being forgotten. It took me half the day to figure that out.

In the meantime, I tried to get a break from the office by going out to Subway's. I get to my car and it won't start. I sit in the car for a minute just stunned. I pop open the trunk as if I had a fucking clue what to do. Umm, nope! I sighed as I slammed it back and wound up ordering mundane cafeteria food before they closed shop.

After working through work issues some more, I go to security to see if they have jumper cables. They don't and apparently the company doesn't want to get involved for fears that a sneaky employee might want to sue.

Luckily I was able to find a co-employee ("Bob") who had a set of jumper cables. He was able to start my car right off once the connections were made. Bob suggested I turn off my engine and try starting it on my own. It didn't click. He redid the connections and I was able to start it straight away. Bob was nice enough to let me have the jumper cables in case I needed them on the way home.

I decided to stop by the place where I purchased my battery. I wanted to see if perhaps something was wrong with it. Logically that would make sense but I was horrified that it may have been my alternator, which would cost mucho dinero. I was fortunate enough that it was a bad battery and they replaced it free of charge. How cool is that?

I later went to work out. And I went on the track!!!!! I'm so hyped up.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Misinformation Highway

Thanks to the advent of the information superhighway, information on various subjects can be found instantly with a quick search on Google or Yahoo! But a lot of this information is really misinformation. Here's some funny pieces of misinformation floating on the Net.

1. The average person swallows eight spiders per year.
2. Barbara Walters Interviews an Afghan woman on gender roles.
3. Watch out for the Budweiser Frogs Screensaver. It's a virus.
4. Woman impregnated after eating contraceptive jelly with toast.
5. Groom writes about in-laws unusual test to Dear Abby.
6. Man stuck in cat hole.

Of course, it's not like anyone would believe those stories. I'll close with a real story.

Dog vs. porcupine. Guess who won?

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Life's A Gas

The huge hikes in gas prices since 2003 have more than pissed me off. However, the price of gas from the last few days have been enough to make me consider curtailing my driving a bit. I can't do that too much, though, since my commute to work is 25 miles each way. Weekends vary depending on where I decide to venture.

I've seen prices for regular unleaded gas range from $2.50 - $2.80 a gallon. These high prices have been the talk of the week at my job (again). A lot of the blame is falling on our esteemed (gag!) president George Dubya Bush and the continuing war on Iraq. I tend to think the same way since I really hate Bush. But is he really the only one at fault? Is he, dare I say it, totally innocent? (Heh. That gave me a good laugh.)

In all honesty, I have no freaking clue (aside from the rising oil prices) what is causing the gas prices to spike up. Is it, as I said earlier, all Bush's fault? Is it the greedy corporations like Amoco, Mobil, and Shell wanting even bigger profits? Is it our greed? By that, I mean, our insatiable need to drive bigger and badder cars that require more and more gas? I admit, I was thinking about upgrading my Cavalier to an SUV. But why? I'm single with no dependents and would have no need for a car that size. Why can't I just settle for a Mini-Cooper (aside from the fact that I hate them...*LOL*)? On the subject of needing more and more gas, why haven't we pushed harder for alternate fuel sources to gas? Considering that we depend on third world countries a lot for their oil, you'd think coming up with a fuel source found exclusively in the U.S. would be top priority. There are hybrid cars out there like Toyota's Prius but why aren't there more cars like that? On that note, if the government is so concerned with the environment (yeah I'm jumping a bit...but it's my blog, deal...*LOL*...or leave, NO, don't leave my one faithful reader...*LOL*), umm, Hemingway....as I was saying, if the government is so concerned with the environment, why in addition to encouraging more hybrid varieties, don't they offer more incentives for people to purchase those type of vehicles. Actually though, I did read on the Prius site that some states offer carpool lane privileges. (That must be in Virginia or D.C. since I remember when living there that they had the concept of carpool lanes. That shit's a foreign concept in Chitown.) Ok. So fine, some incentives are happening. But we need more. Anything to reduce the nation's dependence on gas. Of course, corporations like the aforementioned Amoco, Mobil, and Shell won't like this. I imagine they'd do all they can, including woo woo wooing (Synclair, is that you?)our senators and house of reps with cash incentives to keep themselves alive. What do they call that again? Bribes? Ohh...that's lobbying. I think I need to be a senator...*LOL*.

In the meantime, I came across a nice article that explains how gas price work? Forgive the pop-up. That's a whole nother rant that I'll save for another time.

I don't know. Maybe my next car will be a Prius.

On a much lighter note, I've been reading in blogland a lot about the Black Weblog Awards. Apparently it's a big thing. The BWA's came about due to other blog award sites not giving any recognition to the black bloggers out there. It's a cute concept, though I mostly blog just to release tension and give my thoughts somewhere to go. I'm not really looking for recognition (not that I'd get it...*LOL*) but I do support the concept and there's a lot of bloggers out there that definitely deserve accolodes for what they do. (Sidenote: I do have to say that it is nice reading comments from folks out here. It amazes me that my boring shit would warrant them. I'm definitely appreciative, though.) It's hard work coming up with creative ways of presenting thoughts and ideas. I won't categorize them but some of the blogs I do read a lot include:

  • Bernard's Sex and the 2nd City (His explicit sex tales always leave me on edge. He's good at cliff hangers too. I wish I were half as edgy.)
  • Lady In Satin's Sophisticated Lady (I recently came across her site and enjoy her perspecitves on life as she makes her mark on the world. A true lady indeed.)
  • DizYaBoy's Lost...In Translation (It's a psychedelic, something like volcanic, you know it's seems organic...okay, oops, guess I went Mariah Carey on yall. Her latest CD is the bomb and so is DizYaBoy's blog.)
  • Rod.2.0.'s Beta (Whenever I feel like reading more serious topics, this is the place. And you know he's rolling when you see corporations sponsoring his page.)
  • Terricka's Sauda Speaks ( I just recently came across this blog & enjoy reading the random thoughts from this up and coming actress. I was especially moved by her 07/31/2005 entry because it's something that I wish I'd be willing to do. And yes, you'll have to click the link and scroll down to that entry to see what I'm talking about...*LOL*.)
  • Miss Holiday's Heiress Diaries & Hollyhood (This lady needs no introduction. She's taken the blog world by storm in the few short months she's been blogging. Plus she has a heart of platinum. *LOL*)
I'll admit that I could be a bit more forthcoming with what's going on with me. Knowing that somebody could discover my secret identity (it wouldn't be that hard seeing as I use my real first name), I've been a bit reluctant to get too deep about the things I'm going through. If I mention anyone I know personally, I use an alias. But with each passing day, I believe I'll share more and more. This is supposed to be like therapy, right?

Hemingway I need to go shower and shit. Yeah, that shit...*LOL*. TMI, huh? Remember? Therapy? Hemingway, I'm off to a housewarming of my friend "Sally". It should be a blast. See ya.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Track Of Songs

I received a challenge from my long-time friend "Stan" earlier today. A little brief history on Stan. He was one of the folks I had interview me when I was applying for a job way back in 1997. He's a brother whose family is originally from Haiti. Anyway I wound up getting the job and years later Stan would tell me that when I met him that day, I was talking all "street" going "Yo, what's the dealio, bro" and slang like that (ok fine, I wasn't hip...*LOL*)but as soon as I got the job, I was all prim and proper with him. We would always laugh whenever recalling that time. Perhaps I was thinking he'd relate to me more if I was, umm, "down". Stan no longer works at my company instead devoting himself full-time into real estate and being his own boss. However, we've kept our friendship over the years, which I've grown to treasure.

So Hemingway (my dorky way of saying anyway), I was telling him how I was getting back into the gym and stuff. He then asked me if I ever ran across Bally's track. I never had. I don't know why, really, but I always seemed intimidated by that track, instead opting for the safety and anonymity of the treadmill. I always felt like when you're on the track, you're putting yourself out on display for all the other folks doing stationary weight exercises. I like blending into the background as opposed to being seen. We were talking some more and then he dared me to run 3-5 times around the track. I was a bit nervous but I accepted.

As I got to the gym, I realized that one time around the track wasn't technically equal to a mile. I talked to one of the folks working there and she told me going about 10-11 times around would equal 1 mile. I'm inclined to think 10.

So I put my very cool Rio MP3 player on and as I laid my Pretty Brown Eyes on the gray track area, I took a deep breath and realized Me, Myself, and I would be the only one that could accomplish this goal. I said to myself, 'Float like a Butterfly, sting like a bee' and before I can say Sussudio ten times backwards, I'd reach my goal. I walked a lap to feel out the terrain. Then I began to run Back & Forth around the track. Around lap 4, my pager fell out from my side pocket. 'It's Not Right But It's Ok', I said to myself as I went back to pick it up. I wound up going 13 laps before realizing I Don't Want To not Live To Tell Stan about my accomplishment. One Thing I have to say. I love my MP3 player.

Today was a pretty cool day. We had our annual company outing at Navy Pier. We had lunch inside a cruise ship called the Odyssey. I was pleasantly surprised by the menu choices, which include roasted duck, lobster ravioli, and other fine dishes. As much stress as I've been having at work, I definitely needed the break. Although when we got back at 3:30, I went back to work until 6:30. Such a dedicated employee! I know Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki wouldn't approve...*LOL*. Sorry.

I was a bit bummed to realize I'm only getting $3200 back between the state and federal government. I was also annoyed with the $351 fee the H&R block lady charged me for doing my returns, which will eat into my refund. I would've argued about it but I sorta went there on company time Wednesday and was in a rush to get out. At least now I know how to do the Schedule C myself and won't need assistance next year. There's always a bright side...*LOL*.

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Wednesday, August 10, 2005

When Desperation Cries

My first thoughts when seeing this title was that it was quite deep. Webster has two definitions on desperation. Definition #1 - the condition of being desperate. Okay. Definition #2 - recklessness arising from despair. These days, if you hear the word desperate, the first thing on most people's minds is Desperate Housewives. You know, it's that crazy ABC show that's one of their biggest hits. Sigh. I ain't even gonna lie. I watched that shit every Sunday, even though I'm still not over ABC dicking The Mole, the absolute most perfect reality show out there. Bless ABC's hearts for still having the link up. Ahhh, memories. On that note:

DHedie
Congratulations! You are Edie Britt, the serial divorcee whose romantic conquests have everyone buzzing.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Heh! I doctored my answers so that it'd point to Edie. She's definitely my favorite. ABC, you're still not off the hook.

So back to the title. When Desperation Cries is the story of a young black girl growing up during the Great Depression of the 30s who gets kidnapped by an evil employer and is forced into slavery at said employer's house for six years, instead of the two weeks the employer told her family. It goes through the trials and turbulations of this young girl and how she eventually was able to make her escape. I bought the book a month ago from one of my college buddies whose aunt is the author of the book. His published aunt, Erin Cummings, wrote the story based on what her mother, the young girl in the story, told her. I hadn't the opportunity to read it until a couple days ago. I wasn't able to put the book down at all, except to go to sleep or...work. The characters just jump out at you and you find yourself cheering for Ruthie. I wish I were Oprah. I can wave my hands and say...."I command you. Buy this book. NOW!" And millions of her followers would do so. But I'm just eric g. from around the way. I have to say, though, on the off chance that I have any influence of anyone, you simply must buy it. Umm, now!

I worked out again tonight. I made it through okay, even though I was a bit tired towards the end. I came home and immediately tried some Miracle Greens. Yes, it arrived earlier today. I decided to do half a serving since I didn't want to shock my body too much. I mixed it in plain water. It tasted okay, though I may not have mixed it enough since it was pretty chalky as I reached my final gulp. It's too early to tell whether I feel different or not. I'll probably know after a few days, I guess.

Ironically desperation drove me to Miracle Greens. My doctor claims that I'm 100% healthy. My bp average as of last Friday was 134/79 Pulse 70, which is okay. When I got it checked at the office, it was 116/82. I just don't know what to think. I'd feel better about his claim if I didn't feel like I was being rushed through. He dismissed pretty much all my theories on causes (other than stress, which I honestly don't think is the culprit since I've always been stressed.) and even frowned when asked what I did to reduce the stress. I told him I drank 2-3 cups of green tea. I guess he doesn't believe in alternative medicine. So I didn't even tell him I was considering Super Greens.

I'm just going to take things one day at a time. That's all you can do. If I drop dead tomorrow, I'm so haunting my doctor. *LOL*.

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Monday, August 08, 2005

Get It Back

I went to the gym for the first time in two weeks yesterday. I have to admit it was nice being back. With everything happening to me lately, including not being able to finish my last workout and feeling like passing out, going back was really cool. I did about 50 minutes on the treadmil, almost half of that time speed walking. I also did 20 minutes of abs & another 25 minutes of leg exercises.

Funny thing was my pulse remained in the 90 zone hours after my workout. (It peaked at 157 during my workout session.) But when I woke up this morning, it was back in the 70s.

I thought about going today but decided to not push it and just go tomorrow. I'm looking to do three times a week & gradually introduce the fourth day back.

The odd thing is I learned that my one other co-worker that's into exercising and nutrition also had some unexplained blood pressure issues. Ironically he sits across from me. Maybe it's something in the air. Hmmmm.

I finally made an appointment with H&R to do my taxes. As you may or may not know, I didn't turn my taxes in on 04/15. I have to file a Schedule C and basically I was confused about some of the rules. Work got pretty hectic and well I wound up filing an extension. I need to gather all my documents, including last year's tax returns, and give them to my advisor on Wednesday. I just hope I get at least $5000 back. :-) Then I can put that into some stocks.

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Friday, August 05, 2005

Amazing Amazon

I gotta love Amazon.com. You can get just about anything from them. I love them almost as much as Overstock. I placed an order for Miracle Greens and can't wait to try it out.

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Stock Trading 101

Since my last couple stock picks have been less than stellar....*cough* DNAP *cough*....I've decided to give up picking stocks based on fundamentals (or potential) alone & enter the exciting world of Technical Analysis.

In hanging out at my favorite geeky investment site, I came across a board titled Stock Chart School And Chart Plays. I found the folks there to be very informative and for once, not seeming like they're trying to pump up the latest stock. Don't get me wrong. Folks do give recommendations and pump up what they believe will take off. However, unlike the "to da moooon (heard that one a lot on DNAP)" & "it's hitting the sky" comments you see on certain boards without the person saying it having one iota of proof of such a thing happening, the ones hyping a stock actually backs it up with charts that show candlestick patterns, moving averages, support & resistance prices, the whole nine yards.

I'm learning so much. I even made a tiny bit of money in a stock. Basically $150 but considering I only put a $1000 in the stock, a 15% gain isn't too bad (for me). It started trending downwards so I got out while I was ahead. Besides I have more than enough losses to cover it.

I would love to eventually just have my full-time job be trading in and out of stocks. I would be a glorified daytrader. I would need to have enough of a financial buffer (I think $300,000 should be sufficient...*LOL*, though I suppose a little less is fine) to live within my means and be able to pay for the mortgage, all my insurance, etc., while working to amass even more of a fortune. I definitely want to learn all I can to get to that next level.

I realize too that TA alone won't help me pick winners. The key is to take advantage of TA and some fundamentals (especially when news is released) to get that one-two punch.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Tit for Tat

I'm so tired of measuring my blood pressure. It's about as exciting as watching bad porn. Actually it's not. Heh. My systolic has been slightly above normal a few times but my diastolic is doing great. Cheerfully my BP is currently 133/77.

My blood giving session last Saturday went well. I was able to give away twice the number of red blood cells. I was excited about that prospect considering my RBC count is above normal. (I'm sure I'm back to my high level anyway but it was nice giving my liver a little bit of a rest...*LOL*.) The "Alyx Machine" makes this all possible by separating the RBC from the platelets & basically returning the platelets back to you. Plus I don't have to go again for another 112 days. Sweet.

In other exciting news, I was recently approached by my friend "Will" to consider an opportunity in Prepaid Legal. "Will" was actually pretty slick (they don't call him slick Willie for nothing...*LOL*) when he bought it up. He asked me if I had a will done. Sadly I don't and while my imminent death isn't something I like thinking of (though well with my latest issues...err, never mind...*LOL*), I realize that it is important to have your loved ones know what your final wishes are. So I told him no. Well I was told Prepaid Legal can help. Actually he was looking for me to sign up for the chance to not only help myself but to make money on the side owning my own business. He even had me talk to another guy that's looking to recruit more people.

Long story short, I did some research and even got some information from the lovely diva Ms. Holiday (thanks diva!) about other PPLs and didn't care much for the MLM portion of the business. I decided the opportunity wasn't for me. I told both of them over the phone since they're having a meeting at Will's this Wednesday to discuss the opportunity further. Of course, both guys tried to convince me otherwise and to just come to a meeting to hear them out. Then Will's friend had the audacity to throw an insult at me. He said, help your friend Will out by giving him the number of folks "more open" to the opportunities of PPL. I was ready to tell him to go fuck himself but instead said none of the folks I associate with would be interested. Besides if I'm not interested, how am I going to convince them to try it? Next.

Getting back to my health for a minute, I'm thinking actually of buying some Super Green. It's a supplement that can provide you with up to the equivalent of ten servings of vegetables a day when mixed in 8-oz of water. It contains such ingredients as Cauliflower Juice Extract and Brocolli Powder. It claims to provide a lot of health benefits. My slightly less annoying manager (I'm getting used to his managerial style & he actually was very helpful to me when I had my little emergency in January.) says that his brothers all take it & they've noticed it helped their blood pressure as well as cleared their skin.

I'm willing, or should I say I'm OPEN to giving it a try. If I decide to try it, I'll let you all know.

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Tuesday, August 02, 2005

The Meaning of my Birth

I stumbled across this site that supposedly analyzes your personality based on your birthdate. Here's what mine said. A link for you to try it yourself is on the bottom. Enjoy! A lot of it seems true for me. Hmmm!






Your Birthdate: October 15

With a birthday on the 15th of any month, you are apt to have really strong attachments to home, family and domestic scene.

The 1 and 5 equaling 6, provide the sort of energy that makes you an excellent parent or teacher.

You are very responsible and capable.



This is an attractive and an attracting influence.

You like harmony in your environment and strive to maintain it.

You tend to learn by observation rather than study and research.



You may like to cook, but you probably don't follow recipes.

This number shows artistic leanings and would certainly support an talents that may be otherwise in your makeup.

You're a very generous and giving person, but perhaps a bit stubborn in ways.


Week 2 Readings

Monday
9:00AM 135/79 Pulse 71 2:00 PM 144/80 Pulse 69 10:30 PM144/73 Pulse 72

Tuesday
12:45 AM 123/67 Pulse 74 10:30AM 127/77 Pulse 77 7:00PM 143/82 Pulse 74 11:30 PM 133/77 Pulse 75

A person on this health board I read recommended this site to post my readings. So much more convenient (though it was a pain in an ass entering my previous readings since it only lets you do it one at a time) and I don't have to pollute my blog with boring readings...*LOL*.

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