Beckie had much to say about the cottage. I do not have as much to say. I do have pictures, but I can't post them yet, as my memory card reader is acting up.
Getting to the cottage was relatively easy except for a detour and me berating Austin for not knowing how to get there, even though he'd only been once. The Beckie-mentioned "Squ" game was quite amusing.
Saturday morning was when the drinking began in earnest. I think the only non-alchoholic drink I had all day was a glass of milk at breakfast. I think this was also the case for Jessica, Ryan and Austin. We went to the beach for a couple hours and Austin and I did Ultimate Fighting in the water.
Tess cooked dinner and it was awesomely tasty. There was more drinking, and the fire pit and s'mores. Jessica was determined that we have no beer that had to be taken back home. So she tried to drink it all. I cut her off eventually. I also totally rocked the Pat Sajak "All Easy" crosswords puzzles. And Su Doku.
Sunday, Ryan and I volunteered to return the bottles to the Beer Store. It was kind of a long wait there, as Monday is a Civic Holiday*, and the Beer Store is closed. Having accomplished returning the bottles we set out to find a secluded dumpster in which to illegally dump the excess trash from the weekend. We found a trash can at the park and dumped and ran.
While we were gone, breakfast had been cooked and I had breakfast and lunch, lunch being a BST, a Bacon, Spinach and Tomato(e) sandwich.
I signed the guestbook and was berated for including the phrase "wherenot else" which I thought was perfectly suitable as a turn of phrase deriving from "whatnot else". A supposed English major disagreed.
The drive home was uneventful except for the aforementioned Beckie-mentioning of the wallet incident and the Austin-tiny-bladder incident. We also stopped at Steak and Shake for dinner, which was very tasty. I had a strawberry milkshake. When I got home I had to go to "Mike"'s to pick up Skippy, where I had left him for the weekend. I was pretty tired, but I managed to watch Feasting On Asphault with Alton Brown. It's a really good show.
I'm pretty tired at work today. I nearly considered calling in. But I still came to work. Sleepy. Apparently I did have some stuff to say about the cottage.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Did I mention it's hot?
So, the weekend was hot. Very hot. It's gonna be hot today, and hot tomorrow. Hot.
I feel I should recap the events as I experienced them. Let's rewind back to Wednesday.
Beckie had finished the bar, so I ended up going out to Jenn's to hang out with Beckie, Jenn and Mike(OOAM*), whereupon we went to Gus O'Connors and sat in the other corner booth until our corner booth opened up. Jobe and Susan eventually joined us there. Gus's strangely closed at midnight so we headed over to 5th Ave. for more drinks. I headed home after 5th Ave.
Friday Austin, Beckie and I carpooled to Ann Arbor to go to the Necto with Ryan for dancing and drinking. I drank a blue-flavored fishbowl. And lots of other stuff. Sam met up with us as did Jackie with her friend Trina and Coronado showed up also. Sam apparently made out with 2 "chicks". There were a lot of shirtless dudes. It was also 7000 degrees in the Red Room.
After the Necto, the carpool stopped at Denny's for food. Driving home I nearly fell asleep. Austin puked behind my garage.
Saturday I went to Beckie's cousin's where we went to Fishbone's for more drinking, and I had food, as I hadn't eaten earlier. Jennifer was upset with Jim because... well, for some reason, but it's why we were at Fishbone's and not at the show seeing Jim's friend's band. I was tired and didn't feel like going to Jackie and Sarah's so Beckie and Ryan dropped me off at my car on their way over there.
Sunday was Julie's birthday brunch. The food was delicious. I also went to dinner with my parents. It was my mom's birthday. We ended up going to Lily's Seafood in Royal Oak, as we were going to go to the Redcoat, but I forgot that it's closed Sundays.
One more strange thing. This morning when my alarm went off, I couldn't figure out why, as I didn't really realize I had to get up for work. I just didn't think it was Monday already. So sleepy.
*Other Other Asian Mike**
**We need a better appellation for Mike.
I feel I should recap the events as I experienced them. Let's rewind back to Wednesday.
Beckie had finished the bar, so I ended up going out to Jenn's to hang out with Beckie, Jenn and Mike(OOAM*), whereupon we went to Gus O'Connors and sat in the other corner booth until our corner booth opened up. Jobe and Susan eventually joined us there. Gus's strangely closed at midnight so we headed over to 5th Ave. for more drinks. I headed home after 5th Ave.
Friday Austin, Beckie and I carpooled to Ann Arbor to go to the Necto with Ryan for dancing and drinking. I drank a blue-flavored fishbowl. And lots of other stuff. Sam met up with us as did Jackie with her friend Trina and Coronado showed up also. Sam apparently made out with 2 "chicks". There were a lot of shirtless dudes. It was also 7000 degrees in the Red Room.
After the Necto, the carpool stopped at Denny's for food. Driving home I nearly fell asleep. Austin puked behind my garage.
Saturday I went to Beckie's cousin's where we went to Fishbone's for more drinking, and I had food, as I hadn't eaten earlier. Jennifer was upset with Jim because... well, for some reason, but it's why we were at Fishbone's and not at the show seeing Jim's friend's band. I was tired and didn't feel like going to Jackie and Sarah's so Beckie and Ryan dropped me off at my car on their way over there.
Sunday was Julie's birthday brunch. The food was delicious. I also went to dinner with my parents. It was my mom's birthday. We ended up going to Lily's Seafood in Royal Oak, as we were going to go to the Redcoat, but I forgot that it's closed Sundays.
One more strange thing. This morning when my alarm went off, I couldn't figure out why, as I didn't really realize I had to get up for work. I just didn't think it was Monday already. So sleepy.
*Other Other Asian Mike**
**We need a better appellation for Mike.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
From The Free Press: Gov. not to blame for economy
Governors are not to blame for economy
July 23, 2006
BY KEVIN J. MURPHY
So on a recent morning I'm flipping through the New York Times and I come across an article entitled "Faltering Economy Obstacle for Granholm." The gist of it was that Republicans, at both the state and national levels, are attempting to pin the blame for Michigan's lackluster economy on Gov. Jennifer Granholm. It reminded me of the late '90s when Republicans, at both the state and national levels, attempted to give credit for Michigan's robust economy of the time to then-Gov. John Engler.
I shrugged it off then as politicians simply trying to take credit for good things that happen on their watch. The article in the Times, however, is no shrugging matter. If Republicans persuade enough Michigan voters that Michigan's economy is foundering because of Granholm, they could swing an election via a patently false claim.
I address this not from any political standpoint but as an economist. The basic economic question is whether a state's governor can significantly influence the economic performance of the state -- and the answer from the economics profession is no.
Government, to the extent that it can influence macroeconomic activity, does so through two channels: monetary policy (i.e., interest rates) and fiscal policy (taxing and spending). States do not engage in monetary policy.
States, of course, do set some of their own fiscal policies, setting tax rates and determining the amount they want to spend on public goods and services. But many states, including Michigan, choose to tie their own hands by requiring a balanced budget.
Now having your fiscal house in balance may sound like a great idea, but it can be problematic from an economic stabilization point of view. During a recession, personal income naturally falls, driving down the state's two main sources of tax revenue -- the income tax and the sales tax. When you force yourself to balance the budget, then the state must cut expenditures at exactly the wrong time. Such cuts only serve to make a bad situation worse.
My basic point, then, is that the state's poor economy cannot be blamed on the governor. She simply does not have the fiscal or monetary policy tools at her disposal either to have caused it to tank in the first place or to yank it out of the doldrums now.
So whom should we blame? For better and for worse, our fortunes in Michigan have been tied to the auto industry for the better part of the last hundred years. Auto sales are extremely sensitive to national economic conditions. If the U.S. economy slides into recession, consumers stop spending on consumer durables like automobiles. The consequence for a state like Michigan can be disastrous.
Given the recovery of the U.S. economy, why haven't we followed suit? I have four possible answers:
First, the national recovery has not been very strong or very sustained. Both the federal budget deficit and the trade deficit are positively huge by historical standards. Some indicators look good, but a lot of other traditional indicators have been pretty flat.
Second, because of fears about inflation, the Federal Reserve has been engaged in a prolonged program of raising interest rates. Higher interest rates are bad news for sales of large goods such as automobiles.
Third, the auto industry is clearly undergoing major structural change. Gas prices have tripled in the last decade. Demand is shifting away from the SUVs and light trucks. The market for vehicles is more competitive than ever before, and this exerts constant downward pressure on market share for the domestic companies. As local automakers scale down, that puts a drag on our prospects for recovery.
A fourth possibility is that those who would blame the governor are simply exaggerating. Consider that Michigan's unemployment rate has averaged 7.4% over the last 45 years. The current 6% rate doesn't seem so bad. Moreover, using the same 45-year window of data, Michigan's unemployment rate has exceeded the national rate by about 25% on average. With the current U.S. rate at 4.6%, we are almost exactly where we have traditionally been relative to the nation.
Finally, comparing the state's employment situation at the same points of Engler's first term to Granholm's first term, one finds Engler had both higher unemployment (6.3%) and 300,000 fewer jobs (4.5 million versus 4.8 million).
I'm not trying to tell anyone whom to vote for come November. I bristle at the thought, however, that the election might be hijacked by a slick campaign of disinformation. Let the election be decided on the basis of which candidate presents the stronger vision concerning issues over which the next governor really does have control.
KEVIN J. MURPHY is a professor of economics at Oakland University and a political independent. Write to him in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit 48226 or oped@freepress.com.
July 23, 2006
BY KEVIN J. MURPHY
So on a recent morning I'm flipping through the New York Times and I come across an article entitled "Faltering Economy Obstacle for Granholm." The gist of it was that Republicans, at both the state and national levels, are attempting to pin the blame for Michigan's lackluster economy on Gov. Jennifer Granholm. It reminded me of the late '90s when Republicans, at both the state and national levels, attempted to give credit for Michigan's robust economy of the time to then-Gov. John Engler.
I shrugged it off then as politicians simply trying to take credit for good things that happen on their watch. The article in the Times, however, is no shrugging matter. If Republicans persuade enough Michigan voters that Michigan's economy is foundering because of Granholm, they could swing an election via a patently false claim.
I address this not from any political standpoint but as an economist. The basic economic question is whether a state's governor can significantly influence the economic performance of the state -- and the answer from the economics profession is no.
Government, to the extent that it can influence macroeconomic activity, does so through two channels: monetary policy (i.e., interest rates) and fiscal policy (taxing and spending). States do not engage in monetary policy.
States, of course, do set some of their own fiscal policies, setting tax rates and determining the amount they want to spend on public goods and services. But many states, including Michigan, choose to tie their own hands by requiring a balanced budget.
Now having your fiscal house in balance may sound like a great idea, but it can be problematic from an economic stabilization point of view. During a recession, personal income naturally falls, driving down the state's two main sources of tax revenue -- the income tax and the sales tax. When you force yourself to balance the budget, then the state must cut expenditures at exactly the wrong time. Such cuts only serve to make a bad situation worse.
My basic point, then, is that the state's poor economy cannot be blamed on the governor. She simply does not have the fiscal or monetary policy tools at her disposal either to have caused it to tank in the first place or to yank it out of the doldrums now.
So whom should we blame? For better and for worse, our fortunes in Michigan have been tied to the auto industry for the better part of the last hundred years. Auto sales are extremely sensitive to national economic conditions. If the U.S. economy slides into recession, consumers stop spending on consumer durables like automobiles. The consequence for a state like Michigan can be disastrous.
Given the recovery of the U.S. economy, why haven't we followed suit? I have four possible answers:
First, the national recovery has not been very strong or very sustained. Both the federal budget deficit and the trade deficit are positively huge by historical standards. Some indicators look good, but a lot of other traditional indicators have been pretty flat.
Second, because of fears about inflation, the Federal Reserve has been engaged in a prolonged program of raising interest rates. Higher interest rates are bad news for sales of large goods such as automobiles.
Third, the auto industry is clearly undergoing major structural change. Gas prices have tripled in the last decade. Demand is shifting away from the SUVs and light trucks. The market for vehicles is more competitive than ever before, and this exerts constant downward pressure on market share for the domestic companies. As local automakers scale down, that puts a drag on our prospects for recovery.
A fourth possibility is that those who would blame the governor are simply exaggerating. Consider that Michigan's unemployment rate has averaged 7.4% over the last 45 years. The current 6% rate doesn't seem so bad. Moreover, using the same 45-year window of data, Michigan's unemployment rate has exceeded the national rate by about 25% on average. With the current U.S. rate at 4.6%, we are almost exactly where we have traditionally been relative to the nation.
Finally, comparing the state's employment situation at the same points of Engler's first term to Granholm's first term, one finds Engler had both higher unemployment (6.3%) and 300,000 fewer jobs (4.5 million versus 4.8 million).
I'm not trying to tell anyone whom to vote for come November. I bristle at the thought, however, that the election might be hijacked by a slick campaign of disinformation. Let the election be decided on the basis of which candidate presents the stronger vision concerning issues over which the next governor really does have control.
KEVIN J. MURPHY is a professor of economics at Oakland University and a political independent. Write to him in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit 48226 or oped@freepress.com.
Well, Duh!
Lance Bass of `N Sync reveals he's gay
07/26/2006 10:37 AM, AP
Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.
"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything," he tells the magazine.
'N Sync is known for a string of hits including "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me." The band went on hiatus in 2002. Bass has also found headlines for undertaking astronaut training and failing to raise money for a trip into space.
Bass says he wondered if his coming out could prompt "the end of 'N Sync." He explains, "So I had that weight on me of like, `Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did."
The singer says he's in a "very stable" relationship with 32-year-old actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of CBS' "Amazing Race."
Bass and Fatone, 29, are developing a sitcom pilot inspired by the screwball comedy "The Odd Couple," in which his character will be gay.
"The thing is, I'm not ashamed — that's the one thing I went to say," Bass says. "I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy."
07/26/2006 10:37 AM, AP
Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.
"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything," he tells the magazine.
'N Sync is known for a string of hits including "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me." The band went on hiatus in 2002. Bass has also found headlines for undertaking astronaut training and failing to raise money for a trip into space.
Bass says he wondered if his coming out could prompt "the end of 'N Sync." He explains, "So I had that weight on me of like, `Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did."
The singer says he's in a "very stable" relationship with 32-year-old actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of CBS' "Amazing Race."
Bass and Fatone, 29, are developing a sitcom pilot inspired by the screwball comedy "The Odd Couple," in which his character will be gay.
"The thing is, I'm not ashamed — that's the one thing I went to say," Bass says. "I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy."
Friday, July 21, 2006
Damn Death...
You scored as XIII: Death. Death is probably the most well known Tarot card - and also the most misunderstood. Most Tarot novices would consider Death to be a bad card, especially given its connection with the number thirteen. In fact this card rarely indicates literal death.Without "death" there can be no change, only eventual stagnation. The "death" of the child allows for the "birth" of the adult. This change is not always easy. The appearance of Death in a Tarot reading can indicate pain and short term loss, however it also represents hope for a new future.
XIII: Death | 75% | ||
II - The High Priestess | 69% | ||
XIX: The Sun | 69% | ||
VIII - Strength | 63% | ||
XVI: The Tower | 63% | ||
I - Magician | 56% | ||
XI: Justice | 50% | ||
XV: The Devil | 50% | ||
X - Wheel of Fortune | 50% | ||
0 - The Fool | 44% | ||
III - The Empress | 38% | ||
IV - The Emperor | 38% | ||
VI: The Lovers | 25% |
Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com
Stolen from Coronado
Monday, July 17, 2006
Melting...
It's hot. I had to wait until the sun went down a bit to take Skippy for a walk. It was still steamy. He apparently doesn't understand why god created air conditioning.
I've been watching a lot of brainless TV this summer. Well, more brainless than normal. One of the things I've been watching is Kyle XY, on the ABC Family channel. It's kind of John Doe for teens. There's also new seasons of Reno 911!, Chappelle's Show, The Dead Zone,The 4400, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Monk, The Closer and new shows Psych and Saved. I'm still rather far behind on some of the other shows from the spring. I need another long weekend just to catch up on some things. 4 days of lounging about watching TV would be awesome.
Friday went to play poker with Austin's friend Brian somewhere in the wilds of Wixom. I lost $40 but won back $10 in the last game. Still, fairly inexpensive for a night's entertainment. Saturday I was supposed to go to the roller derby with Austin, but my stomach was still acting up. I went to my parents on Sunday for dinner. I also talked to Dan on the talking box for a while.
Man, sometimes I just don't know how to end these posts.
It's still hot out. Even with the rain.
I've been watching a lot of brainless TV this summer. Well, more brainless than normal. One of the things I've been watching is Kyle XY, on the ABC Family channel. It's kind of John Doe for teens. There's also new seasons of Reno 911!, Chappelle's Show, The Dead Zone,The 4400, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Monk, The Closer and new shows Psych and Saved. I'm still rather far behind on some of the other shows from the spring. I need another long weekend just to catch up on some things. 4 days of lounging about watching TV would be awesome.
Friday went to play poker with Austin's friend Brian somewhere in the wilds of Wixom. I lost $40 but won back $10 in the last game. Still, fairly inexpensive for a night's entertainment. Saturday I was supposed to go to the roller derby with Austin, but my stomach was still acting up. I went to my parents on Sunday for dinner. I also talked to Dan on the talking box for a while.
Man, sometimes I just don't know how to end these posts.
It's still hot out. Even with the rain.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Tongue Tide
Weekend was fun. Went to Jenn's Friday for "Fry-day". We deep fried many things and also went to Gus O'Connors for drinks. Then we deep fried more things after the bar.
Saturday I went to Austin's and we used our newly devised system to decide where to get dinner. The dice chose Tubby's. It was good. Then Austin had ordered the UFC 61 on pay-per-view and we watched that. Jordan and Gerry, and also Steve came over and watched too. After that Austin and I met up with Beckie, Jenn, Ryan and "Full-Asian" Mike at the Coney. The food took a while to come out. I think I may have pissed off Beckie with a comment I made.
Somehow, from my brain to my mouth, whatever I was attempting to say ended up not being as funny as it sounded in my mind. This happens to me frequently. Maybe I'm only funny in my mind. Anyway, I didn't mean to offend, I don't usually mean to offend or be mean, but somehow the words just come out wrong and it gets construed wrongly. I can't even blame alcohol for the afore-mentioned incident, as I hadn't been drinking. I guess maybe that's why I usually follow the adage of, "Better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Also, maybe some topics are better left unjoked about.
Anywho, beyond that I had a couple cups of coffee at the coney, and I was up for a couple hours after I got home. I read a travel book on Hawaii I had gotten at Sam's Club earlier that day. Then I slept in until like 3 or so in the afternoon. Lovely.
Saturday I went to Austin's and we used our newly devised system to decide where to get dinner. The dice chose Tubby's. It was good. Then Austin had ordered the UFC 61 on pay-per-view and we watched that. Jordan and Gerry, and also Steve came over and watched too. After that Austin and I met up with Beckie, Jenn, Ryan and "Full-Asian" Mike at the Coney. The food took a while to come out. I think I may have pissed off Beckie with a comment I made.
Somehow, from my brain to my mouth, whatever I was attempting to say ended up not being as funny as it sounded in my mind. This happens to me frequently. Maybe I'm only funny in my mind. Anyway, I didn't mean to offend, I don't usually mean to offend or be mean, but somehow the words just come out wrong and it gets construed wrongly. I can't even blame alcohol for the afore-mentioned incident, as I hadn't been drinking. I guess maybe that's why I usually follow the adage of, "Better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Also, maybe some topics are better left unjoked about.
Anywho, beyond that I had a couple cups of coffee at the coney, and I was up for a couple hours after I got home. I read a travel book on Hawaii I had gotten at Sam's Club earlier that day. Then I slept in until like 3 or so in the afternoon. Lovely.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
New Music Video From David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff - "Jump In My Car"
| It's awesomely cheese-tastic. Shweet. That's right, it's Hofficial... your favourite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of "Bay Watch" and "Knight Rider" fame returns with a cover of the 1975 classic 'Jump In My Car' and its a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year with the legendary Harry Vanda (AC/DC, The Angels), the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his Hofficial fans. Watch it, enjoy it, share it on Google Video, courtesy of Sony BMG Australia. Want more? Buy the buy the track on iTunes Australia by clicking here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=155871591&s=143460 | |
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Pork on the Fourth of July
Lots of stuff happened this weekend. Here's a few keywords.
Mystery Friday.
Cornhole.
Car Parts.
Karaoke.
TV.
New Pornographers.
Late Payments.
TV.
Rolling Dice.
WAB.
Berkley Front
TV.
Superman Returns
Dogs.
BBQ Pork Loin.
Cornhole.
I'm sure that I did some other stuff, but it escapes me at the moment.
Mystery Friday.
Cornhole.
Car Parts.
Karaoke.
TV.
New Pornographers.
Late Payments.
TV.
Rolling Dice.
WAB.
Berkley Front
TV.
Superman Returns
Dogs.
BBQ Pork Loin.
Cornhole.
I'm sure that I did some other stuff, but it escapes me at the moment.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Ms. Austin
My Placesetting Card
Originally uploaded by M Kawamoto.
I went to Austin's cousin's wedding on Saturday. The ceremony was at St. Hugo of the Hills, which is a really nice church. It was a bit different than other churches I've been to though, there was this throne for the priest, and giant altar in the middle of place. There were also some Filipino wedding traditions that they followed, which was a little different. Still, a beautiful service.
The reception wasn't for a couple hours after that though, so I went home for a bit, saw Beckie who was taking the dogs to a dog park (Thanks Beckie and Sarah too.), and chilled out. I decided to stop by the Apple Store at Somerset for a bit as the reception was at the Somerset Inn, across the street from the mall. I ran into Audrey, Allen and Austin's cousin Michael there, as they had mentioned they were going there. We left the mall and went to the reception.
They had name tags for all the tables and Vic (Austin's cousin) mentioned something about my tag being under Austin's name. When I found the tag (as shown above), I laughed. And then I was teased mercilessly as "Ms. Austin."
The reception was a lot of fun. Austin was quite drunk when the wedding party entered the reception. Also, Austin had put his guest down for a vegetarian meal, so I had to finagle the waiter into bringing me the beef entree. The food ended up being pretty good, and the rest of the party was a good time.
So, Congratulations to Vic and Lea. Thanks for the good time.
Edit: Forgot to mention that I've been dogsitting Scooter this last weekend. That's why Beckie and Sarah (Beckie's sister) came over to walk and play with the dogs (plural, you see). "Mike"'s picking up Scooter this afternoon.
Also, I love parentheses. Even if I use them incorrectly.
Love the grammar ninja!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Car bombed...
Went out to Novi last night to go out with Jenn. We ended up going to Gus O'Connor's again, and sitting in the same booth we sat in last time. We waited for other people to show up, but only Jenn's friend Mike (Another Asian Mike) and his friend Tom showed up.
We had Irish Car Bombs and some more beers and Jenn and I had those Chambord drinks that she likes, and well, I hadn't had anything to eat since 4:30, so I was pretty drunk. Actually on the drive back to Jenn's I began to feel drunker, as some of the alcohol must have begun to absorb more. I ended laying on the floor of Jenn's bathroom for a while as I was a bit spin-y. Then I passed out on her couch. Another Asian Mike and Tom were sleeping on the floor.
I woke up about 5:15AM and headed home. I didn't know that it actually starts to get light outside about that time. Obviously because it's so close to the solstice that there are a lot of hours of daylight, but I just didn't realize I slept through so many of them usually.
Oh, my liver.
We had Irish Car Bombs and some more beers and Jenn and I had those Chambord drinks that she likes, and well, I hadn't had anything to eat since 4:30, so I was pretty drunk. Actually on the drive back to Jenn's I began to feel drunker, as some of the alcohol must have begun to absorb more. I ended laying on the floor of Jenn's bathroom for a while as I was a bit spin-y. Then I passed out on her couch. Another Asian Mike and Tom were sleeping on the floor.
I woke up about 5:15AM and headed home. I didn't know that it actually starts to get light outside about that time. Obviously because it's so close to the solstice that there are a lot of hours of daylight, but I just didn't realize I slept through so many of them usually.
Oh, my liver.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Card Sharks and other sea creatures
Friday was uneventful except for going to dinner with Dan at Olga's.
Saturday was hot. I mostly watched TV and stayed in the air-conditioning. Austin and I did end up going to the El Grande Azteca Mexican restaurant across from Oakland Mall. We were pleasantly surprised to find they had finally acquired a liquor license. Later, we headed to Beckie's cousin's house where Beckie was cat-sitting the hairless cats. We played Balderdash and eventually UNO all while drinking 'forties'.
Playing UNO reminded me of another card game we used to play a lot in high school, Egyptian Rat Screw, or as we commonly abbreviated it, ERS. I couldn't remember how to play it so I ended up looking it up when I got home. The rules sounded familiar, as did the warnings of violence.
Here's links to some various sites with the rules. One of the variant rules that I had never heard of, was the "Pyromania" rule, where if 666 was played, then the deck had to be burned. We probably would have gotten in a fair amount of trouble for kind of pyromania.
Egyptian Ratscrew
Egyptian Ratscrew
Last night Dan and I went to the WAB for cheap booze and they had $2.50 margaritas. Excellent. Austin also stopped by for a time. Good times.
Saturday was hot. I mostly watched TV and stayed in the air-conditioning. Austin and I did end up going to the El Grande Azteca Mexican restaurant across from Oakland Mall. We were pleasantly surprised to find they had finally acquired a liquor license. Later, we headed to Beckie's cousin's house where Beckie was cat-sitting the hairless cats. We played Balderdash and eventually UNO all while drinking 'forties'.
Playing UNO reminded me of another card game we used to play a lot in high school, Egyptian Rat Screw, or as we commonly abbreviated it, ERS. I couldn't remember how to play it so I ended up looking it up when I got home. The rules sounded familiar, as did the warnings of violence.
Here's links to some various sites with the rules. One of the variant rules that I had never heard of, was the "Pyromania" rule, where if 666 was played, then the deck had to be burned. We probably would have gotten in a fair amount of trouble for kind of pyromania.
Egyptian Ratscrew
Egyptian Ratscrew
Last night Dan and I went to the WAB for cheap booze and they had $2.50 margaritas. Excellent. Austin also stopped by for a time. Good times.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Close Encounters or rather Near-Close Encounters
Totally weird.
I went to dinner with John last night, 'cause Julie was working late. We ended up going to the Quizno's on 14 Mile, and we're sitting there eating, I'm on the phone with Dan, and I look up and I see a car that looks familiar turning into the parking lot. I'm looking at the driver and it looks a lot like Fisher. The car pulls in and it is Chris. He sees John and I and gives me kind of a dirty look and then turns his car around and drives off. Freakin' bizarre.
Also, last night we also played poker at Austin's. I played horribly and got screwed a couple times. I ended up losing second. John was actually one of three left at the table by the time I ended up leaving, so I'm not sure how John placed.
I went to dinner with John last night, 'cause Julie was working late. We ended up going to the Quizno's on 14 Mile, and we're sitting there eating, I'm on the phone with Dan, and I look up and I see a car that looks familiar turning into the parking lot. I'm looking at the driver and it looks a lot like Fisher. The car pulls in and it is Chris. He sees John and I and gives me kind of a dirty look and then turns his car around and drives off. Freakin' bizarre.
Also, last night we also played poker at Austin's. I played horribly and got screwed a couple times. I ended up losing second. John was actually one of three left at the table by the time I ended up leaving, so I'm not sure how John placed.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Like a Good Neighbor
I was going to mention this before, but this last weekend I had a bit of a confrontation with my neighbor, but it was in a good way. My neighbors to the left I haven't talked to much before, and when I was outside this weekend, the neighbor asked me if I didn't like them. I don't dislike them and thought they didn't like me, and we realized that we had just kind of misunderstood each other. We're starting over. I'm making an effort to say hi and just be a good neighbor.
I know that I didn't really make an effort before, but as is my way, I mostly keep to myself. That and most interactions we had had before weren't always positive, e.g. the late-night-howling episode. So, really it's really mostly my fault that we haven't been neighborly.
So in the knowledge that I'm likely to be living next to these people for a least a couple more years, I might as well be friendly if not necessarily friends.
I know that I didn't really make an effort before, but as is my way, I mostly keep to myself. That and most interactions we had had before weren't always positive, e.g. the late-night-howling episode. So, really it's really mostly my fault that we haven't been neighborly.
So in the knowledge that I'm likely to be living next to these people for a least a couple more years, I might as well be friendly if not necessarily friends.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Toledo! Oh, Toledo!
I'm still rather tired this morning. I don't think I even heard my alarm clock this morning. This is due to my weekend.
Friday Austin and I went out to Novi to have dinner with Ryan and Jenn. We went to Happy Sushi and um, yum, sushi. Then we went over Fountain Walk to the Emagine to see a movie. We were going to see The Break Up but had just missed a showing and decided against waiting for the next showtime, instead opting to go to a bar. We went to Gus O'Connors in the "Main Street" Novi area. We sat in a booth that had window directly to the bar.
Convenient. We had some Irish Car bombs and I think I had a Boddingtons, Smithwicks and a Black and Tan. Tasty. Someone had a craving for ice cream so we headed to Meijer after that. I bought some Skippy stuff, like rawhides and a bowl mat to help contain his spillage. I think I ended up getting home about 3, not sure, but it was late.
Saturday morning I had to get up to meet "Mike" and drop off Skippy for the night. "Mike" and I went out to get some dim sum too, as he had a exhibit that evening and he had a performance piece that involved serving dim sum food, so he was picking up a to-go order also.
After leaving "Mike"'s, I did some yard work and also decided to wash and wax my car.
Later, Austin and I went down to Toledo for Ryan's "June 10th" party. Austin and I hadn't eaten yet, so after stopping in at Ryan's we went out to Long John Silver's. There were some pretty sketchy people around. There was a guy at the restaurant wearing a Dio t-shirt. On our way back to Ryan's we stopped at the liquor store. I'm not sure who was dodgier, the people that worked there or the customers. Anyway though, I bought a six-pack of Beast Ice tall-boys for only $3.00. Awesomely cheap. After a bit of pre-partying, we went to the RHouse. There was much drinking. It was amazingly cheap at that bar. I ended up falling asleep/passing out soon after we got back to Ryan's apartment.
Jenn slept inside a monkey.
In the morning we went out for pancakes. IHOP not very international we decided. I also unfortunately had to cough when I had a mouth full of coffee, spraying some on Ryan. This made Jenn laugh hysterically for several minutes.
Eventually we made it home. I was tired and after picking up Skippy from "Mike"'s I did laundry and watched TV. I also watched Grandma's Boy, which while it did have a few funny parts, is probably much funnier if you are as stoned as the guys acting in the movie, writing the movie, directing the movie, and editing the movie.
Yawn.
Friday Austin and I went out to Novi to have dinner with Ryan and Jenn. We went to Happy Sushi and um, yum, sushi. Then we went over Fountain Walk to the Emagine to see a movie. We were going to see The Break Up but had just missed a showing and decided against waiting for the next showtime, instead opting to go to a bar. We went to Gus O'Connors in the "Main Street" Novi area. We sat in a booth that had window directly to the bar.
Convenient. We had some Irish Car bombs and I think I had a Boddingtons, Smithwicks and a Black and Tan. Tasty. Someone had a craving for ice cream so we headed to Meijer after that. I bought some Skippy stuff, like rawhides and a bowl mat to help contain his spillage. I think I ended up getting home about 3, not sure, but it was late.
Saturday morning I had to get up to meet "Mike" and drop off Skippy for the night. "Mike" and I went out to get some dim sum too, as he had a exhibit that evening and he had a performance piece that involved serving dim sum food, so he was picking up a to-go order also.
After leaving "Mike"'s, I did some yard work and also decided to wash and wax my car.
Later, Austin and I went down to Toledo for Ryan's "June 10th" party. Austin and I hadn't eaten yet, so after stopping in at Ryan's we went out to Long John Silver's. There were some pretty sketchy people around. There was a guy at the restaurant wearing a Dio t-shirt. On our way back to Ryan's we stopped at the liquor store. I'm not sure who was dodgier, the people that worked there or the customers. Anyway though, I bought a six-pack of Beast Ice tall-boys for only $3.00. Awesomely cheap. After a bit of pre-partying, we went to the RHouse. There was much drinking. It was amazingly cheap at that bar. I ended up falling asleep/passing out soon after we got back to Ryan's apartment.
Jenn slept inside a monkey.
In the morning we went out for pancakes. IHOP not very international we decided. I also unfortunately had to cough when I had a mouth full of coffee, spraying some on Ryan. This made Jenn laugh hysterically for several minutes.
Eventually we made it home. I was tired and after picking up Skippy from "Mike"'s I did laundry and watched TV. I also watched Grandma's Boy, which while it did have a few funny parts, is probably much funnier if you are as stoned as the guys acting in the movie, writing the movie, directing the movie, and editing the movie.
Yawn.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Beep beep boop *beep* bloop! blurp...
Well, looks like the wireless portion of my router has died. That's $50 bucks I didn't really want to spend. I guess I can get by as the regular wired part is still working. I'm not sure what caused it to stop working, but I did have a brief power outage yesterday morning, and that could have fried it. I guess it's time to upgrade. I'm going to try a few more things tonight to try to revive it, but from looking on the internet, it's not an entirely uncommon thing to happen with these, especially considering it's about 4 or 5 years old.
This is what I have.
This is what I'm considering getting.
Yes, they look nearly identical. But the new one would be faster for computers that support that speed. So, any of my neighbors leaching off my signal could download whatever they wanted faster.
This is what I have.
This is what I'm considering getting.
Yes, they look nearly identical. But the new one would be faster for computers that support that speed. So, any of my neighbors leaching off my signal could download whatever they wanted faster.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Poker? I hardly know her!
Well, there was a lot of poker playing this weekend. Thursday night we played at Austin's, I came in 4th, just out of the money.
Friday night, Austin and I went to his cousin's friend's place to play. I ended up down about 20 bucks that night.
Saturday, John came over to pick up his chairs and tables. We were putting something in the trunk of John's car and because we didn't latch the gate, Skippy managed to push it open and took off down the street. Luckily we cornered him in a neighbor's yard before he got too far. Later, I went to Austin's where Gerry and Jordan eventually showed up and we played Guitar Hero. They left after while and being hungry, Austin and I went to late night Dim-Sum place for food and then to Lucky's in Novi to meet up with Steve for his birthday.
Sunday, my parents came over to plant my garden, I now have 3 tomatoes and a jalapeno plant growing. I also cleaned my gutters out as there was a tiny forest growing in them.
I watched two movies I got in the mail, Date Movie, which was horrible, and American Pie: Band Camp , which was less horrible. Band Camp definitely was the more boob-filled movie. Neither is the pinnacle of film-making, but at least I laughed more than 3 times at Band Camp.
I still a lot of TV to catch up on in the meantime. You know where you can find me, chilling on the couch in the A/C, drinking a beer.
Friday night, Austin and I went to his cousin's friend's place to play. I ended up down about 20 bucks that night.
Saturday, John came over to pick up his chairs and tables. We were putting something in the trunk of John's car and because we didn't latch the gate, Skippy managed to push it open and took off down the street. Luckily we cornered him in a neighbor's yard before he got too far. Later, I went to Austin's where Gerry and Jordan eventually showed up and we played Guitar Hero. They left after while and being hungry, Austin and I went to late night Dim-Sum place for food and then to Lucky's in Novi to meet up with Steve for his birthday.
Sunday, my parents came over to plant my garden, I now have 3 tomatoes and a jalapeno plant growing. I also cleaned my gutters out as there was a tiny forest growing in them.
I watched two movies I got in the mail, Date Movie, which was horrible, and American Pie: Band Camp , which was less horrible. Band Camp definitely was the more boob-filled movie. Neither is the pinnacle of film-making, but at least I laughed more than 3 times at Band Camp.
I still a lot of TV to catch up on in the meantime. You know where you can find me, chilling on the couch in the A/C, drinking a beer.
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