How to get a raise Hinojosa style

Follow the steps of Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Dallas ISD superintendent:

1. Say you want to stay in your current position
2. Say you are not looking for another job
3. Interview for another job
4. Other job says you are one of their top candidates
5. Say you really aren't looking to move but this opportunity "just came up"
6. Continue to say you'll stay while waiting to see if the other job offers you something
7. Have your current employer panic and scramble to make offers to keep you
8. Say you still aren't looking to leave
9. Tentatively agree to contract extension aka "raise"
10. Other job offers position to someone else
11. Deny that you seeked out the job but it was an opportunity you couldn't "pass up"
12. Say you can't wait to get back on track in your current job and you will mend the fences you burned in looking for another job
13. Take the "raise" and continue to seek other opportunities as the "come up"

A man after my own heart. I don't blame him. I've done it. We've all done it. But it makes good gossip in Big D.

Click here for article while it lasts.

Sprint HTC Evo 4G

My wife has talked me into getting her the HTC Evo on the Sprint network. We have had Sprint for a long, long time and I have never really been disappointed by it's call service and quality. There is the once-in-a-while static calls that I dial the number and/or answer a call and it's nothing but static. It's easily fixed by hanging up and calling again. Not efficient if it's a 911 call but it happens so few and far between that it's a non-issue right now.

I must admit the Sprint customer service is between 5-7 on a scale to 10 but it's not completely horrible. It is beneficial that the mobile service is pretty damn good that I don't have to call customer service. The only times I have called is to get my phone service, complain about why I'm getting a charge as a long-term customer that new customers are not getting or to remove that stupid-ass, fucking-retarded activation fee of new phones. It's used to be $15 and I think it's something like $30 now but I'll be damned if they will keep that charge on there for as long as I have been a customer.

Oh crap! I went off topic.

So, the wife is getting an Evo. We stopped by the local Sprint store and put in an order. The phone is a pretty hot item right now so they didn't have any in stock and there are none available online. The store guy said a shipment was coming in Tuesday, today, of nine phones and four were already reserved. For a $50 deposit, he could reserve one for her. We did. Then as we drove around, we wondered if other stores might have them in stock. We check two in close proximity and both were out as well. She was bummed because she wanted to play with it over the weekend. Oh well. Didn't happen and Jay wasn't a replacement for the playing. :-(

A quick side note: As mentioned, I've been with Sprint for a long time. As such, I'm what they are calling a premier customer. I don't know if that rates me with someone who has 2+ years of service compared to my 10+ but it does make me sound special (I just don't feel it). We've only had our current phones for a year but as a premier customer I can upgrade in a year with the same pricing as a new customer. So the Evo will cost me $299+tax out of pocket. Yep! Ho-ly shit! It does have a $100 mail-in rebate because of their 30-day money-back guarantee which is pretty cool but I don't know how cool because I've never used it. So then the phone will have cost only $199+tax. Oh, and the $10 "premium data" add-on for the 4G which I'm sure is available in Dallas but I hear it's not widely available like in Podunk.

She'll pick it up tomorrow and we'll see how she likes it. I'll see if I can get some hands-on time with it and give my opinion as well. I've played with a coworker's Evo a little bit but not enough to get an in-depth view/feel. So far, I know it's similar to the iPhone but it is slightly bigger. The battery usage is atrocious but so was/is the iPhone. I'm a little put off by the everythings-touch versus tactile because I'm used to a BlackBerry Curve. Of course, I used to have a Samsung M or A 900 flip phone and when I changed to the BB Curve I didn't like it much either but I eventually loved it after getting comfortable with all it's functionality.

The wife doesn't use her BlackBerry Curve to quite the extent I do and I mentioned that she would have too much phone in the Evo and it would piss me off if she didn't use it for all it's worth OR answer the damn thing when/like she should. For instance, she turns it off or on vibrate before teaching her class and then...it's fucking silent for all purposes since it's in her purse because she doesn't turn the ringer back up/on after. It pisses me off to no end to call and call and call and she not hear/feel her freaking phone because she's retarded. Yes! I called her retarded. She likes it when I do. Okay, she doesn't but I think many thousands of people would agree with me that her actions are retarded!

Enough on that and I'll see if I can get some play time and review the Evo when we get it.

Natalie Portman to play Lois Lane?

I just read in an article over at Geek Tyrant (and snagged their photo usage of her instead of linking) about Natalie Portman possibly to play Lois Lane in a new Superman movie.

Hell yeah! I don't even care what the movie is about. It has my "Queen" in it. I can't wait to see her in Black Swan.

I think I also read at Geek Tyrant or somewhere else that she would do a sequel to Leon: The Professional if the original director directed it. It seems there already is a written sequel but it hasn't been farmed out to the studios or something.

Anyway, I would really like to know what ever happened with Mathilda...did she kill the plant? Did she take over Leon's work? Did she this, did she that? I need closure!

I think I'm tired of working and going to school

I'm sure I've posted about it before but I'm going to be like the 40-yr-old undergraduate graduate. I've got something like 24-28 hours left for my BBA. If I could go full time, I would be done in a year but I work full time so that means it will take me approximately another two years. I don't mind really.

What I do mind is that I do not have the "unlimited" freedom I would like. I quote unlimited because even without school I wouldn't have fully unlimited because I have responsibilities like kids, wife, car payments, rent, etc. I just would like the freedom to say, "Today, I feel like just sitting at my patio table to enjoy the wonderfully cool and refreshing weather we are having in Dallas the past few days," and not worry about having to read a chapter (which I usually push off anyway), study for an exam or take my B&W photographs for my class critique.

I'm distracted easily as it is but pushing off what I need to get done for work takes a toll on my later. My fault, yes, but still not fun.

Sometimes I think to myself how awesome it would be just to be an employee. To work from 8:30am to 5:00pm and be done with my required thinking. I want to enjoy the lazy moments with my wife and kids. I want to randomly walk around the neighborhood with my dog and not care that I am walking for an hour instead of 30 minutes.

It was so nice last week. I skipped class (except for Monday, and not totally skipping because I was the only one in the office to hold down the fort and Wednesday's class was a work day) and it felt fantastic! Of course, the worries I have now are a test next week in one class and a photo critique in the other. I have read one chapter for the test and will read the other tonight (maybe) but I am still lost on a theme for my photography class. I have some ideas but then I shelf them because it requires too much work in the sense that I have to go somewhere, I have to get people to help out, and some background setting is usually needed. Hopefully, I'll come up with something...hopefully, because I HAVE TO!

Lunch at Ikea

The wife and I took the kids and a few of their friends from the block to Ikea in Frisco. We originally told them we'd go for the lunch special of two hot dogs and a drink for $2. It seems that most every time we think about having this lunch at Ikea, we end up having something different, more expensive.

The kids ended up having some kind of pasta in marinara sauce ($5.99 + $1.something x 5 kids). The wife and I both got the meatball meal pictured ($3.99 + $1.something x 2). Total bill came to something like $41.

So, if we all got the hot dog deal like we were supposed to it would have been $2 x 7 ppl = $14.00 because the tax is already included.

Either way, the food would have tasted fine with whatever meal we got. I actually like the simplicity of the hot dogs, bag of chips, and drink. The meatballs are pretty good too but I actually think they shrunk the size of the meatballs along with the price decrease from last year. What you see in the meal is 15 meatballs, a small dollop of mashed potatoes and some berry-type jam with gravy slathered all over. I guess it's a right-sized meal for proper portion eating.

From now on, we'll have to rethink our plans of heading to Ikea to eat the hot dog meal and stick to it versus just eating here, closer to home.

With the drive to Frisco from where I live, spending $41 on lunch could have been more convenient locally. Plus, I did buy three picture frames and a set of 10 dish towels so we didn't just go for the food. Oh yeah, we also picked up 7 yogurts on the way out (+$7 to the $41).

In the news 09/24/2010

My niece forwarded me a story from WFAA.com about a hit-and-run fatal accident in Euless, Texas. Click here for the article while it lasts. I don't know why other than that we grew up in Euless although she's like ten years younger than I.

What's weird is that without even starting the video they had along with the story, I recognized the man it was about. I didn't know his name and I didn't know about his life but he was the guy that almost always took my order at the Taco Bell at the corner of South Main St and Hwy 10/Euless Blvd. Since moving to Dallas some ten years ago, I would occasionally (at least once a month) stop by this Taco Bell on the way back from playing tennis Saturday mornings in Hurst.

Richard Neal wasn't always the most talkative when I was dining in or driving through but he was always cordial when asking for the customer's order. Sometimes he would talk fast or mumble with his low voice that I couldn't always understand him. He never lost patience though. He would walk around the dining area to clean up and/or mop. I noticed he would sort of take tiny steps or shuffle steps. I assumed he was "old" but not elderly, know what I mean? I didn't know he had a cane because he didn't use it at work when I would see him or that he suffered from arthritis. I don't know his situation but the first time I saw him it upset me that this is how America takes care of it's old and elderly where they had to work at Taco Bell to get money and insurance. Again, it's just my assumption. Mr. Neal could have been working because he wanted something to do or people to engage with.

What I do know is it's always some dickhead like Christopher Holland to fuck up the sanctity of a hard-working person's life, if not end it. I don't care what Christopher Holland was doing. It's what he did after hitting Mr. Neal that questions what he was doing and what kind of person he is. I commend the girlfriend for turning him in no matter what the reason (read the comments for reference). Christopher Holland's actions after the accident should automatically sentence him to an amount of time, like 3-5 years, without having to be negotiated. Any sentence he may get for the actual crime, if there is one, should start after the initial sentence.

Anyway, I feel for the friends, family and customers that knew Mr. Richard Neal. A dedicated employee who ailed as he did but walked to and from work without fail deserves recognition by the community and especially his employer!

Rest in peace, my man...rest in peace!

Elvira Returns!

I read somewhere a day or so ago about Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Wiki or official site) returning to television. I don't understand why other than the whole vampire-romance stuff that's supposedly "in" right now.

Don't get me wrong. Elvira was a big part of my late-night TV watching as a young boy. I remember wanting to just see her -- who cared about the movie? I dreamed of the day one of her boobs would pop right out and my boyhood fantasy would have been complete. But gosh darnit, unfortunately, it never happened!

She's always been funny to me. Better entertainment than a lot of full-length big-budget movies these days.

So, I give Elvira props on becoming a cult icon and branding phenomenon. She was obviously smarter than she sounded! And at 59 yrs old, if she still has the goods like the photo below from her official web site, she will be worth every minute of renewing that hope of a boob slip!

You call this homely?

I just saw an article at Evil Beet Gossip on a particular celebrity whom they referred to as homely. This should be the link to that post.

I've seen this persons name before and had forgotten until now about wanting to Google them. So, I Googled and I think to myself, "How can they call THIS homely?" After Googling images, I had to check the IMDB page and see where I've seen the name before. I couldn't remember other than the wife and I saw the name together and she said something about Mad Men and daughter of some famous Mr. Jones (which one I can't recall but it doesn't seem she is anyhow).

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

Ninjas vs. Zombies

Out of pure curiosity, I had to put Ninjas vs. Zombies in my Blockbuster queue a week or so ago. I finally got a chance to watch it this past weekend and I must say that I was sorely disappointed.

I didn't expect much but I expected more than I got. It was very campy but way too cheesy to be interesting. It starts off very slow and doesn't speed up much along the way. It'll probably become one of those "cult movies shot for $35,000 with their father's old VHS camcorder." I wouldn't give it that much clout but it will probably happen with the kids of today that like the repetitive songs like "Alejandro," "California Gurls," "Baby," and the like.

I think I lost you but the point is that the kids of today...and some adults...are mindless and think that these songs are "the bomb" which they are in my definition of "bomb" which is a dud. Don't get me wrong. These songs are definitely catchy but when you hear them every 20-30 minutes on the radio and they repeat the same 4-5 lines in the song for 3-5 minutes, the song gets a little annoying and old!

Damn! Off track again. What I mean is there are people that will probably make this a "hit" just because they are mindless like...well, zombies. Bam!

I read somewhere that this movie was Evil Dead-like. NOT...EVEN...CLOSE! Evil Dead should sue whoever made that lame ass comparison. Is that slander or libel? Libel is written, right?

Anyway, there was no creativity to this movie. There was nothing new to this movie. There was nothing good about the filming, lights, make up, costuming, or acting. There were decent parts but they were few and far between. There was occasional but very little quirky, good humor.

If you have a bad movie, one way to make it better or more appealing to men anyways is to add female nudity. This movie had one scene about 15 minutes from the end when briefly there was a busty naked chick. She was there and gone within about 4 seconds. Earlier in the movie, two girls were in a bedroom talking. One girls is getting dressed or undressed, I don't know which. She was decent looking with a nice body and all she showed were her black, lace bra and panties.

That's it!? Really?! I was robbed of all good horror and nudity! I was scammed.

There's a phrase in the book that is used multiple times by one of the black magic guys and it says, "ELSEWHERE!" which is where I wanted to be about 5-10 minutes into the movie!

I can't recommend this movie to ANYONE, sorry guy who made it. I'd much rather watch Clerks again and not get the reason for it's cult following. Just because I don't get it doesn't mean it wasn't a overall way better movie than this one.

M1 Carbine

This is an M1 Carbine. For reference, it's the gun that Tom Sizemore's character carries in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Not to be mistaken for the M1 Garand which is what I kept doing when my buddy was talking to me about it.

So, my buddy had the M1 Carbine in Pennsylvania where he grew up. I don't know how he came into possession of this historical weapon but it's pretty cool.

I guess I should feel honored that he trusts me with it because a couple of weekends ago he lent it to me to take to the ranch, aka friend's 9,000 acres, to shoot. I haven't gone yet but he figured I'd get a chance to shoot it before he would. I'm looking forward to shooting it when I get some time to visit the ranch. It's about an hour and a half drive towards east Texas.

The gun is actually kind of cool to hold. It's solid wood which is weird compared to my .308 which has a polymer frame. The wood is in surprisingly good shape for a 60-yr-old rifle. The rounds are .30 but I think he said they are of a special kind not found at the local 7-11. He gave me a box of like 10-15 rounds but I'm going to see what I can locate because I think it might be a pretty fun rifle to shoot...depending on the price of the ammo. The box he gave me had two price stickers. One before the Obama tax increase scare and one after. I don't recall the exact pricing but the difference was in the neighborhood of $15-$20 more after the score. Crazy!

Anyway, I'll see if I get to shoot the rifle in the next week or so and I'll try to post about it because I know there are so many of you out there reading my posts AND care about guns.

Blockbuster claims bankruptcy

Headline at DallasNews.com (and many other places I'm sure):

Blockbuster files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Click here for story while it lasts.

It's a sad day if Blockbuster completely closes for many reasons.

For one, I will lose my most favorite DVD rental membership of all time. That's right I said it. I hear Netflix is a great service and I'm sure it is. I'm just one of those that likes to get the most out of his money. For years, I didn't rent movies from Blockbuster because of their outrageous rental fee and follow-up late fees if turning in a movie late. I was a long time customer before quitting and they couldn't/wouldn't deduct these fees from my account so I dropped them like it's hot! Flash forward some 7-10 years and they had this Total Access Plan which I decided to use the trial period within the first few months they offered it. For me, it was like $14.99 plus tax. Total it was like $17 and I could rent 3 movies at a time online. I was watching like 20-30 movies a month. Hell yeah! I caught up on movies I've never seen but came out 5-10 years ago. You would not believe how far behind I was because I'm a CHEAP ass! The only movies I went to the theater to see were sci-fi like Star Wars episodes I, II, and III. I think I saw Contact, Pulp Fiction and V for Vendetta (for free) at the theater. I'm sure there were a few others that I can't recall but I was not paying $7 for a movie and now it's what, $10? Piss on that. Anyway, Blockbuster eventually added the in-store exchanges of mail-order at brick and mortar store for a free. Booyah! Another added bonus for me as the store is about two blocks away. Now, I was doubling my watching power because when I exchanged the mail-order movies at the store. I would get three movies (most of the time) and then Blockbuster would automatically mail me the next available movies in my queue. So, technically, I could have six "free" movies out at a time. I think within a years time I had watched something like 200 movies. (Yes, I had a life: I had wife, kids, work, and school. I still do. You have to make time to enjoy every aspect of a day. It's tiring but it has to be done occasionally.)

Blockbuster eventually screwed me by increasing my monthly plan but not as much or like they did late-comers. I was raised to like $17.99 plus tax which comes out to like $22. I still get unlimited store exchanges a month but they moved to three movies out at a time and they can be a combination of online and store rentals. For instance, I have two mail-order and one store rental. Until I return/exchange one, I will not get another movie. Not that big of a deal for me as my kids have gotten older and more school responsibilities, I've had to cut back on the movie watching and sometimes I'll have a movie for more than a couple of days. It bugs me but at least I'm not paying late fees on it. My coworker jumped one plan late and she went from like $22 to like $30 and she only gets like five in-store exchanges a month. She never used the in-store exchanges anyway which I thought was stupid but some of us cherished our hard-earned money than others.

So, that's where I stand on my Blockbuster Total Access Plan. If they increase my monthly dues, I will more than likely drop them. I guess it may depend on the combination of what they change: increase fee and no in-store exchanges and I'm definitely done with them.

For two, I am an immediate gratification type of guy. I want it all and I want it now. Currently, Blockbuster provides that for me. I can get a movie in the mail and then go to the store and get another. I'm almost never without a movie to watch if/when I get around to watching it. I'm also a creature of convenience and this is very convenient for me. Now that they added games, it's an even sweeter deal...although I haven't taken advantage of the games section yet because games are a longer-term commitment than a movie. I have to keep the game until I beat it and that cuts into my exchanges although since there are no late fees it probably really is a better overall deal. I don't know.

For three, my local Blockbuster store is busy every day of the week and at least most of the day. It's very well located among a wealthy neighborhood with parents that love to occupy their kids with movies/games while they do their thing and it's across the street from a college with students that are always looking to have a reason to get together with friends. I don't think it is one of those stores on the chopping block as "not profitable" so I think I'm safe for now. If they completely fold, then yes but it wouldn't be good for overall DVD/movie rental business to have one less competitor. Netflix is $8.99/mo and Redbox is $1-$2 per movie but if there is no more competition, then they would surely turn into the mindset of old Blockbuster and consider the customer as a cash cow.

I don't dish on Netflix other than what friends and colleagues have told me. Their selection of newer movies isn't as vast and their turn-around time for mailing isn't quick enough for 9 out of 10 people I know that use them. For $8.99/mo, I want...I need my immediate gratification and I don't see getting that with Netflix. Now, I know they have digital downloads but I just don't know if I'm one of those that want to use that medium yet or more consistently. I try to watch DVDs on my computer and I always get distracted and want to use my computer for something else during the time I should be watching. I like to watch on the TV and work on my laptop at the same time or even watch on my desktop computer while working on my laptop. It's probably why it takes me three hours to watch a two hour movie. :-)

I hear Redbox doesn't get new releases until a month after Blockbuster. That's not that big of a deal for me as I've already waited for the movie to begin with. Some movies I'd like to get sooner but I guess it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to wait a little longer. I'm also a little leery about giving my credit card information to a machine on the outside of a building, kind of like an ATM. I'm sure I could use it without fear. It's just odd to me.

So to hopefully close a longer story than expected, I hate Blockbuster to an extent just like other people. I'm a grudge holder and they have previously screwed me over. The way I see it is I'm the type of customer they didn't expect/want. I've taken full advantage of every aspect of the Total Access Plan and will continue to do so until I quit. 20-30 movies a month is unusual, expensive (for them), awesome (for me) and a bit weird but that's the way I need to roll to get my money's worth. The comments on some of the articles about the bankruptcy story are just downright ignorant and seems like most people need to rant about something but have directed it towards Blockbuster. Actually, most of the bitter ones seem to be people that got screwed in the past by Blockbuster when they were a brick and mortar business only. They have hung on that anger, relish in it and are giddy about the prospect of Blockbuster ending. I too feel this way...to an extent...but that's why I feel like I'm exacting my type of revenge with taking advantage of my rental plan. When they are only making like $0.73 per movie from me, it gives me some joy no matter how minute it may be.

Blockbuster is no different than any other business: when it's good they stick it to the customer; when it's bad they stick it to the customer. Are there really any businesses left that are loyal to long-time, loyal customers? Maybe some Maw and Paw shops somewhere but even they are in it to make a profit. Blockbuster had a management decision error just like the music industry. They didn't want to embrace a new medium: BB --> mail-order/online movies; RIAA --> MP3/online streaming. It's not the company as a whole but the supposedly higher-ups that know everything but really don't know jack shit!

Well, there you have it. My daily rant while at work. It's a good thing the office is dead and the boss is out of town.

Kids say the darnedest things

I was talking to my kids about how I met their mother. I'm such a sap that I remember it vividly.

We got into the "sometimes people put on weight over the years, blah, blah, blah" part of the conversation. I made comments like, "Your Daddy has always been cute," "The girls had always liked the looks of your Dad," and the like. I mentioned that even though I'm heavier than I was in high school (I'm not fat...I'm pudgy! Assholes!) the girls still occasionally shoot me a glance. It must be my overwhelmingly striking inner beauty. Anyway...

My oldest says, "Yeah, you are a cute guy Dad, like a bald panda." WTF? The follow-up was, "You know how pandas are cute looking and you just want to squeeze them but you don't have all that hair like they do. So, you are cute like a bald panda."

I guess it could have been worse.

Fred: The Movie (2010)

Okay, I'm embarrassed to say that I watched Fred: The Movie (2010).

I didn't want to watch it but I was flicking through the channels and saw a commercial for it. I had to see what story line they would use as a movie plot. I don't think Fred is funny. I think he's kind of stupid, ignorant, retarded and just plain lame. Apparently though, the WWW doesn't think so. I hear he's some kind of Internet "phenomenon." I've seen his YouTube videos and I must say that he knows how to edit video. But his acting abilities? Hm...obviously some kids dig it.

So, I had to watch the start of the show just to see how bad it is. I still couldn't believe they made an entire movie for Fred. Once I started watching I had to complete it to see where they went with it and how it ended up.

I must say that I cannot get back those roughly 120 minutes of my life. It was so horrible that I couldn't move away from the TV except during the commercial breaks. But then I found myself returning for more of the abuse. I don't really know why. I guess it's one of those bad movies that I have to say, "I've seen it," even when I really didn't enjoy it or go around bragging about seeing it.

It's seen. It's done. I'm moving on.

Gordon Biersch

The wife and I were joined on our date night by a couple of couples. The wife had spoken so highly of my awesomeness (of taking her out on a date once a week) that these couples asked if they could join us the upcoming time.

We said, "Okay," for this time but she and I decided we don't want to make a weekly or even bi-weekly habit of it. For one, I like to be on our time frame and our spur-of-the-moment choice of venue to have our date. Not that our friends were annoying or anything, it's just we like our "OUR" time. For another, I don't think the other couples will be as willing to do a weekly outing (thank God!) because of money, kids, and busy-ness. The wife and I don't always have to eat and we don't drink as much alcohol as our friends so it's not as costly for us. The wife and I just like to hang out together without the kids to give us and the kids a short break. We may do a monthly couples thing but we haven't all decided/confirmed on this idea as of yet.

So, this date night we gave our guests the option to pick the venue. One guy, let's call him Mr. P., suggested some place I forget the name of at this time and Gordon Biersch. I've seen GB a few times since they built it but I haven't ever had the chance/need to go in. This was a good opportunity to check it out. We said we could go to both places or just one they preferred. We decided to start at Gordon Biersch and see where we felt later.

According to our bill, Tiffany D was our server...although there were a few creepy, older, White guys that seemed to be regulars (alone ones other than each other) that said her name was Stephanie. That's what happens when you ask buzzed, over middle-aged, probably slightly horny old men what the waitress's name is.

Anyway, Tiffany was very sweet and attractive. She was tall, petite with a very pretty face and personality (as much of it we could assess from her few minutes of attendance in front of our group). It just happened to be Oktoberfest at GB and they made all the employees where German or semi-German outfits. I say semi because some of the guys' outfits were like khaki pants, white shirt and suspenders. You get the point but not much thought was put into the wardrobe. Some of the waitresses and female bartenders wore the more frilly short skirts/shorts with low-cut tops and matching shoes. Again, Tiffany looked extremely hot in her outfit. I told my wife that I would tip Tiffany at least 20% even though her overall service sucked because every time she came to our table she would bend over to pick up the glasses and such. Purposefully or inadvertently, she would flash me her nude-colored strapless bra. If it weren't for this bra and her not having more than B-cups, Tiffany would have periodically received folded one-dollar bills from me.

Okay, enough about Tiffany and more about the restaurant.

It looks really fancy, okay sort of fancy, from the outside. The entrance is a revolving door...a spinning door. We headed in and were told there was a wait. WTF? A wait, on a Wednesday evening at 6:30pm? Luckily, we had Mr. P. with us who is a frequent patron and he had a V.I.P. card. This V.I.P. card got us access to the "ever secure" patio. On this patio, the seats were taken but they were serving free food: bratwurst, some toppings, and hot pretzels. I got one bratwurst because I didn't want to look like a mooch like all those beer-guzzling bar-combing losers. Turns out, I should have because when they ran out of food Mr. P. and Mr. D. didn't get any food. They were combing the other end of the patio for empty seats. Luckily, Mrs. P. and Mrs. D. followed suit of Jay and were able to at least give them a few nibbles of their bratwursts. After about 30-45 minutes, we were able to snag some patio furniture and seating in front of the outdor fireplace.

That's when Tiffany found us. And how delightful it was when she did...and every time she briefly visited thereafter.

Um...Tiffany told us about the 'fest beer which was the brew specifically for that day for celebrating Oktoberfest in mid-September. They weren't too sure about it so Tiffany said she could bring samples. I decided I would sample it along with the group. Tiffany brought sort of like shot glasses as samples. We all toasted and took our tastes. It wasn't too bad. I don't drink but I know when the taste of beer sucks versus really sucks...I guess sucks to me anyway. To me, the self-brewed beer establishments all sort of taste like Shinerbock or a version of it. After the tasting, the Ps, the Ds and the wife ordered one each to begin the evening. And it was a nice evening overall.

I think I'll end there as I've kind of lost the need for a recap since it's been a few days.

Resident Evil: Afterlfe

Just something random...typical for me.

I have to see this movie if just to see these two hotties soaking wet. It's not the wet I prefer for them but...

I can also definitely wait until it hits DVD.

Blue Man Group

PegasusNews had an article today about the Blue Man Group (official site and Wiki) in concert at the Winspear Opera House.

My first thought is "I didn't know that the Blue Man Group was still active or that anyone would care to see them anymore." Not that they are horrible or whatever. It's just that I don't see/hear them as the "in" or even "sort-of in" thing these days.

My second thought is "I haven't been to the Winspear yet." Not that I really, really care to but I would like to go once just to say, "Oh yeah, I've been there." I've heard the acoustics are phenomenal but the seating spacing isn't much better than the Dallas Summer Musicals venue at Fair Park. I'm sure I'll have some reason to attend something at the Winspear some time. It just won't be the Blue Man Group.

I remember seeing them growing up. The first time I remember seeing them is in a television commercial for some product. I don't remember which. As a teenager, they were interesting to see and watch but I don't think I ever wanted to see them in concert. I'm sure they have progressed in their performance but I still don't see them as a big attractant to pay however much they are charging.

Anyway, more power to them because they obviously have a good following if they are on tour and performing in the big venue of the Winspear versus something smaller. I guess I'll have to wait to read the reviews if I happen to see them.

100% Recycled Paper Bathroom Tissue

They had a deal over at Amazon with the product listing saying this:

Green Forest Unscented Bathroom Tissue, 100% Recycled Paper, Whitened Without Chlorine, Case Pack, Eight 12 Roll Packs
Product page

Now, at first glance, I (you) think, "Recycled Bathroom Tissue." But then I realize, at least I hope it's the case, that the toilet paper is made from 100% recycled paper (like notebook paper, copy paper) NOT 100% recycled toilet paper.

100% recycled toilet paper would be an interesting concept if not a very gross one. I think of how they would recycle toilet paper as it's supposed to be biodegradable as well as dissolves/falls apart pretty quickly when in water. So, the science, both mechanical and chemical, behind recycling used toilet paper would have to be an amazing feat.

Anyway...

[end transmission of randomness]

Craigslist posting

Perusing Craigslist again today and came across a few mentionables but thought I would post this one.

What do you do when you want to change up your yard and don't want to do the labor? Post a listing on Craigslist for "Free [insert item here]" and hope people are dumb enough to respond.

Actual posting here while it lasts.

So, this guy is offering free shrubs. Are they really free? Hell no! The "buyer" has to put out the effort to dig the fuckers up and haul them away. Then they have to put out the effort to plant them wherever the hell it is they plan to.

Is it really a bargain? Some may think so but I'm not doing some other person's labor for free. You might as well tell your boss you are going to work your 8-hr shift today wage-free.

The only way I could see this being a bargain is if some landscaper just happens to need this type of bush, digs them up, takes them to the job where they are needed and charges the customer a hundred bucks or so. Then this would be a great deal.

Oh well. Back to my mundane job!

Everclear "in concert"

Sent on the Super Jay Network from Super Jay's BlackBerry®

The sky is on fire

 

Sunset on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

 

Totems at the Polynesian Center on Oahu, Hawaii

A mountain range of clouds

 

Night time off Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Boats in the ocean off Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Some more photos from our trip to Oahu, Hawaii

A yellow hibiscus

The beach where the make-out scene was filmed in "From Here To Eternity"

Palm trees as seen from our 13th floor balcony

A cliff view of the ocean

Busy street on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

American Flag on the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Sunset on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Night time on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Hotels at night time on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Why spend this kind of money on audio phones much less ear buds?

Saw this on SlickDeals. $60 seems to be a bargain on these when they say they are $145+ on Google Products.

My fear would be that I'd somehow accidentally pull the damn cord out of the ear plugs and there goes my $60 or more. The prices of some things these days. I don't think everyday-music listening needs prices like this for their products.

Midichlorian Rhapsody

This is pretty good...and funny.

What's wrong with this picture?

Saw this on the cover of today's New York Times. I thought we were training these Afghan "police" to take over as the American troops pull out. Why is the American soldier the one that's on-guard and paying the hell attention to his surroundings?

This is why that country and others are not worth "defending" because you can't defend people from themselves.

Retro NES game player at Buy.com

Got an email today from Buy.com for this little gem: Retro NES TopLoader Video Game System. Yes, it is a gem. Those of us that remember the 8-bit graphics of the NES can appreciate this "machine."

One reviewer remembers the quick fix to get a game cartridge to if it wasn't working properly by "blowing in games and console." It's funny how this more often than not worked like a charm.

Oh the days of old. If I had any of my cartridges left, I would consider this for $25 or a black one for $18 but alas, the cartridges have been sold, given away, damage or forgotten.

How many fist bumps is too many?

This was shown during a men's tennis match at the U.S. Open between Sam Querrey and Stanislas Wawrinka. Wawrinka just broke Querrey's serve after losing his own and Wawrinka's posse reacts.

Frying wingettes for buffalo wings

I've never "deep" fried anything before. I am trying to make homemade buffalo wings.

I was told to deep fry then put them in a container with the buffalo sauce to marinate.

We'll see how it goes.

UPDATE: I don't think they turned out too bad.

The kids, my kids and a couple of neighbor kids, taste tested and said it was very good. The buffalo sauce I used wasn't really spicy but probably more of what I'd call tangy. Next time I'll try a little more of a spicy flavor.

Overall, I thought I did a good job if I may say so myself. 1^st time frying and 2^nd time making hot wings. Good times.


Sent on the Super Jay Network from Super Jay's BlackBerry®

How could you not love this face?

She looks for me in the crowd.

She finally sees me.

She shows this kind of excitement every time she hears from or sees me.

In the news 09/06/2010

I think this was one of the best headlines I read in a story line this evening.

From Yahoo News:

Wozniacki downs 2006 champ Sharapova at US Open

Click here for article while it lasts.

Both players are pretty attractive. Both players are very skilled. One screams while she plays while the other relies strictly on her abilities. One isn't enjoyable at all to watch because of her screaming.

Can you guess which one I can't stand?

Email humor 09/06/2010

Law Officers Said It!

These are actual comments made by 16 Police Officers. The comments were taken off actual police car videos around the country:

1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through."

2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them a while."

3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."

4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."

5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you."

6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh."

7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?"

8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket."

9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"

10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop."

11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."

12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." (National Crime Information Center)

13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?"

14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we can."

15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."

AND THE WINNER IS....

16. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't.. Sign here."

Racists, racists everywhere

I just got a chance to write about this but there was an incident at my roller hockey game a couple of weeks ago.

No, it didn't involve me.

It could have easily been avoided but there's this uncanny knack that men cannot take the high road (I'm guilty of this once in a while as well). It bears no weight that most are at least in their late 20s and above on whether they act like a jackass or not!

This though was completely ignorant and 95% one guy's fault.

So, picture my teammate: about 6'2", Caucasian, biker mustache/goatee, definitely seems to have anger issues. He's on the bench with me and my brother when a team member of the opposing team seemingly (more than likely) takes a dive to draw a penalty. One is called on our team but for slashing instead of tripping. Weird but we move on.

"Angry man" responds to the call with something like "What was that?" "Are you seriously going to call that?" "That was a Dora-like performance!"

Where that last comment came from is beyond me other than the fact that the "diving guy" was seemingly (more than likely) Hispanic or Mexican. The Dora comment was pretty ignorant but I guess if one dug deep enough the correlation could be made...maybe. The point is there was really no need to bring ethnicity into it.

So, the immature bantering goes on between my teammate and the "Diver" and a couple of others on the opposing team. There is about 20 seconds left in the game and what players just happen to be left on the rink: White guy, the Diver and a few other Hispanics (presumably), and my brother (who looks Mexican like I do).

All of a sudden we see White guy get tackled by Diver. Which is just plain stupid to begin with because we are all "adults" but I do understand the Diver's reaction to the ignorant Dora comment. White guy gets out from under Diver but is in a kind of sitting position and then Diver's brother bum rushes White guy, knocking him to his back and sucker punches the White guy on the left side of his face.

It's not my altercation so I remain on the bench as to not bend/break any of the "rules" as I really don't know what the facility's rules are to begin with. I just know it's not my issue and I'm not friends with White guy or Diver.

My brother sees it another way. He's three years older than me and a little shorter and scrawnier. But he has the same temper - we get that from our dad. Anyway, my brother sees the sucker punch and goes in to pull Diver's brother off White guy. I yell from the bench for him to stay out of it. His wife and son are in the stands watching and I hear her voice the same sentiment. I keep a close eye on my brother because if someone did involve him, I would have jumped off that bench and leaped over the wall to bust some knees! Fortunately, the facility workers were able to separate and settle things if not temporarily. They went ahead and ran the remaining 20 seconds off the clock and the game was called. Our team was victorious.

We are removing our equipment in the locker room (basically the back side of the stands without doors or really a room) when I told my brother that I'm glad he stayed out of it. His wife and son again shared the sentiment. My brother said he wasn't getting involved until he saw Diver's brother sucker punch White guy. He just wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.

After a few minutes or so, when we were done de-equipping and getting ready to leave, my brother walks down to White guy and says something. My brother starts to walk back towards me and I hear White guy say, "No disrespect," and my brother says, "That's alright. I'm not Mexican."

My brother sits back next to me and says that White guy skated by Diver and said, "Chico." This apparently is what set off Diver. This is also some portion of what White guy probably said and "apologized" to my brother because White guy thought my brother was Mexican.

So, other than the obvious immaturities, I was a little bothered by the situation. Granted, I'm not Mexican but as I've stated time and again, I look Mexican, especially to the ignorant gringos of the U.S of A. especially in the border states!

Should I feel offended by White guy's comments even though it wasn't me and I'm NOT Mexican? Yes, because that very well could have been me he asininely called, "Dora" or "Chico." Would it have pissed me off like it obviously did Diver? Fuck yeah it would have!

Should I feel awkward by my brother's oblivious statement of "It's okay, I'm Hawaiian?" Because fucking White guy thought he was Mexican to begin with. And as such, his Dora and Chico comments could have indirectly affected us. Just because we aren't Mexican, doesn't mean we haven't had to deal with the outright ignorance, stupidity, racism and dickheadedness of White guy in some form or fashion.

White guy is obviously a pigheaded dip shit that doesn't know any better. Diver is probably an asshole too but it has nothing to do with him being Mexican. My brother is just a dumb ass for encouraging White guy and thinking that whatever White guy said was funny or intelligent sounding.

So, it bothered me a bit. I'm over it but I wanted to write what I was feeling/thinking at the time. I'm just as racist as the next White guy but I've written before about how I don't think it's racism by me when I hate and make fun of every race. :-) Most of the time I'll make fun of your intelligence, your overall life skills and your wife or family in general (even though I don't know her/them). Sometimes, deep down in my mind I may have some damn good racial slurs waiting to creep out of my vocal chords but the odds are I won't bring them to the plate unless the other person brings it first. Even then, I really try to keep my arguments precise and to the point and if your race had nothing to do with it, why even bother mentioning it? It's a waste of time and effort for the argument and it just shows the ignorance of the person who flung the race card because they can't hold their own without turning it to race.

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

Amazon book pricing is slightly messed up

There was this book for sale on Amazon that's a part of a series my wife has read. It's the latest of the series in fact. I noticed something funny about the pricing. If you look at the screen cap below, tell me what YOU see.

Yep, that's right. The hardcover price on Amazon is $12.97. The Kindle version is priced at $12.99.

Now, my understanding is typically and usually the Kindle version is much cheaper than the hardcover. That's kind of the whole point of the eBook, right...cheaper and more convenient to carry around?

Is this the way of the eBook? Suck the customer in and then fuck them over...like the Audio CD: buy a whole 15 songs when you only want 1-2 of them?

I guess I'll have to wait and see if this is an error or truly Amazon trying to pull one over.

UPDATE 9:51 p.m: I looked on Amazon just now for the book and the hardcover has been upped to $15.17. Interesting.

In the news 09/02/2010

Headline from the Star-Telegram reads:

Bedford high school student turns in dead woman's purse

Click here for article while it lasts

Just a few questions:

1. Why did the kid(s) take the purse in the first place?
2. After taking the purse, did they immediately say, "Let's turn it in"? or...
3. Did the teens feel guilty and decide to turn the purse in once they found it belonged to a dead lady?
4. Why not just keep the purse? (it probably didn't contain much valuables)

I'm not condemning the kids. I just like to wonder without ever getting answers. I like to frustrate myself like that. Besides, as a teen, I'm sure I did a lot of "questionable" things too. But now that I'm an adult and father, Hell hath no fury like me being pissed off! :-)

It reminds me of a time in junior high when me, my older brother, a guy friend and two girl friends were walking along a walking/running trail in the local park. I found a wallet. Opening it up revealed a driver's license, credit cards, and $500 in cash. Whoa! There was five of us and that meant $100 each. Booyah! The girls were sisters, one was very God-fearing and the other was a tad more wild than her older sister. They both agreed though that returning the wallet would be the "right" thing to do. WTF? What dumb ass goes for a jog/walk with a loaded wallet? Finders Keepers, bitchass! The girls' opinion somehow won (probably because I was the only male - bro is gay, guy friend was in the closet at the time and then the girls) and they returned the wallet to the address on the DL. I can't remember if they mailed it or did it in person but the guy somehow knew their home address. A few days later they came to my house - they lived two houses from me - to show that the guy thanked them by sending them both a dozen red roses. Again, WTF? They didn't find it. I found it!

No, I'm not bitter after all these years. Okay, maybe just a little bit. I mean I could have invested that $100 at age 13 and by now 20+ years later it could have been a million dollars or more! So, why be bitter?

Nah, nah...nah, nah, nah, nah...hey, hey, hey...goodbye, Andy Roddick

Tennis was not so good last night for Brooklyn Decker's husband. Yes, I feel he is no longer "Andy Roddick - tennis player." He has been sucking for so long and his one major (2003 US Open Champion) that he won was from pure determination, a powerful, feared forehand and a dominating serve. What does he have now? Nada!

Headline on Tennis.com reads:

Roddick eliminated by Tipsarevic in second round
Click here for article while it lasts

I watched the match an in my opinion, Tipsarevic dominated Roddick on every aspect of the match. Even though he lost the 1st set, it was a minor hiccup. I think they said Tips was coming back from ankle injuries so I'm sure he wanted to try and ease into seeing how they felt before going harder.

He just played Andy's "wait for them to make a mistake" game plan better and at times changed that plan to the "I'm ripping this bitch past your ass" plan. Mrs. Decker just seemed like he was confused on how to play: should I go for broke when it feels right or wait for the other guy to do that and screw up? It didn't work either way. It was a pity. It is a pity to see someone with such talent waste it, like James Blake. Maybe either or both will have a second wind like Agassi did. Let's hope.

I like Tipsarevic. He's a very decent player. I've seen him playing at his best and not-so best. He's a likable guy and he was very respectful in his on-court post match comments. What's no to like about a guy like that?

Here is another article on the official U.S. Open website about the match while it lasts.

Dinner at Central Market on Lower Greenville

The wife and I have decided on a weekly date night for us to get away for an hour or so, by ourselves, while the kids are at home. We've only done it a few times now but it's been pretty enjoyable just to get out for a bit, especially for the wife.

So, tonight I decided that we'd try Central Market. I'm not a fan of Central Market. In fact, I think they are overpriced for their groceries and although their "fixed" food looks good and tasty (and so far has been), I think it's slightly overpriced as well. I'm not a "fancy food" expert so I could be way off but I just don't like to pay too much for "basic food."

Anyway, we live and learn on what is good, tasty and worth the money and that which is not. The wife went with her standard visit to the salad bar where as I wanted to venture out a little bit. I ordered 1/2 lb of the shrimp salad and 1/2 lb of grilled flank steak with honey garlic. Her salad was rated at $7.49/lb and each of my items were priced at $17.99/lb. The price of mine is why I went with a 1/2 lb because there was no way I was paying $35 just for my shit. Total bill cost with tax was $24.31.

The shrimp salad was passable, very passable. The salad consisted basically of shrimp, diced celery and some dressing. That's it. The counter attendant did give me a decent amount of shrimp but I think for $8.64 I could have just bought a shrimp ring at Kroger for $9.99 and it is currently a BOGO. So, I'd get 60-80 decently priced and tasting shrimp for roughly $11. The celery was like needless filler.

The grilled flank steak with honey garlic was pretty tasty. It wasn't oo, ah awesome. It wasn't fork-cutting tender. It was however well grilled and marinated nicely. I could see a pound for $9 worth it but $17.99? That's just ridiculous.

On the way out, we picked up some dinner for the kids. We saw the "dinner for two" meals in a bag. They had a meatloaf dinner that had a good-sized portion of meatloaf, two rolls, a side of garlic mashed potatoes (probably like a 1/2 lb) and a side of amandine green beans for $13.99 plus tax. Once we got home, we opened the dinner-for-two bag and found that it contained way more food than we got with the individual orders combined! We got jacked. If we'd known any better, we would have gotten 1 or 2 dinners. I think we could have easily split one dinner between the four of us with the amount of food that was included.

Staples has some of the dumbest coupons

I'm on a newsletter listserv for Staples. Yes, I'm on a bunch of e-newsletters that may or may not benefit me at some point in time.

Anyway, I got this email today with the header reading, "Hurry! This coupon ends Saturday." Of course, I open up the email to see how awesome this coupon is and this is what I see: $5 off my purchase of $50 or more. Are you shitting me!?

What is with the store advertisements and pricing "deals" these days? This is nothing special and it isn't that devastating for it to not be used before Saturday. Granted, $5 is 5$ but to have to spend $50 is not a good or decent return on an investment. What if I go to Staples to get something I really need and the total only reaches $40 but I was lead to Staples because I wanted to get $5 off? Should I purchase something not necessary to reach the $50 mark just to get the $5 off or not? It's always, "Hell no!" with me but others may be different. Now if it was something that I was having to pay $45 for in the first place then making an additional $5 purchase to get $5 off is sort of okay because it's close to getting something for nothing but then you add tax and we're back to "Hell no!"

Oh well. I think I posted something similar in regards to a Sports Authority coupon scam. Yes, it's a scam no matter what they may say.

Vanilla Ice T-shirt

Saw this in an email newsletter from Thrillist. Link to actual page is here. I'd get it but they don't have my size. I'm not a youth nor have I been a medium since junior high or high school.

I really don't know why I'm on the Thrillist newsletter. I know I signed up for it but it doesn't contain anything (yet) that I find of real interest. It provides occasional things to post about but nothing that I can really say, "Wow! I want to get that," or "I want to do that!" I guess I stay on it because I have hopes that one day they will provide me with something of worth to me.

Until then, I'll just enjoy the sporadic humor they provide me now and then.




"Word to your mother!"