i have the power... washers
2005.02.27 7.12
So, I paid these guys to power wash everything outside my house. The walls, the floors... everything. It took them four hours and now it looks like this brand new house is stuck in the middle of a dirty crappy street with dirty crappy houses. My neighbors need the power washing, too. Maybe I can work my Jedi mind trick skillz out on them since they'll see how bad ass my house looks and they'll want some cleanness, too.
The roof is still dirty, though. Hmmm.
My dog has, for the third time, taken a pee in the study. I don't know what he's trying to prove, but it's not making me happy. When I was living in Philly my apartment was only 400 square feet so he really had nowhere to go if he wanted to sneak a pee in. He also had benefit of a dog walker at noon. Dammit. I need a dogwalker again, I guess. I really should be walking him twice a day anyway, but it's rather easy to just kick him out into the yard and say, ''Go to the bathroom, Chew Chew'' as if he actually understands what I'm saying (which he -sorta- does). He'd much rather prefer that I get out and walk his ass around the block. It's all about the marking of the other dogs pee and so on and so forth (now I'm talking like the SNL Arnold Schwarzenegger impression guy).
I downloaded a bunch of workouts that I can do with just my dumbbells. Couldn't they have thought of a cooler name for these things? Dumbbells? How about smartbells? Or intelligentbells. I mean, what the hell? So, yeah, I can work out almost any muscle group except neck and lats with the dumbbells. I printed out alternate exercises for those two groups which means I'll still have to head out over to Ballys Total Ghetto Fitness every once in a while (which is good considering they take $50 of my cashish every month).
More develops as it news.
your search results
2005.02.25 11.34
It's finally Friday and I'm excited about paying off my bounced checks, getting my exercise program back into swing, and catching up on movies that I need to see before the Academy Awards show comes on Sunday night. I'll be watching that over at the fam's house. They have big comfy sofas. Aside from love of family, that's what draws me there. And speaking of drawing people in, here is the latest search engine results for MarkShields.com. I'm not going to edit out the embarassing keywords that people are using to find their way here. I normally have several that are god awful embarassing. I think you'll find that people who use Ask Jeeves are perverts. And whoever Yolanda Adams is... I don't know. Maybe I'm out of it. If you're not interested in search keywords, watch this video of Richard Noble getting down at Mardi Gras.Day of 2/24/2005: Top 10 Search Keywords by Server Used AOL NetFind 2: ex girlfriend pictures 2: batmobile 2: ex girlfriend 1: ex girlfriend nude pictures 1: girlfriend video Ask Jeeves 4: 13+year+old+topless Google 62: batmobile 19: ex+girlfriend 14: delorean 10: aimee+osbourne 9: amateur+thong 8: marilyn+manson 8: 16+year+old+nude 7: non+nude 7: guy+models 6: %25+philadelphia,+pa MSN 1: theraflu 1: movies steak and cheese 1: when and how much to tip a waitress 1: mark shields 1: picture of man with baseball bat 1: nude girlfriend pics 1: aerosol can stock photography 1: jersey village gold dusters 1: i've got the flu Yahoo 1: captain james t. kirk original series exclusive assortment figure 1: "your daughter kicked my dog" 1: sam's club halloween party 1: "numbers night club" 1: jerky boys you kicked my dog 1: pat's steaks 1: yolanda adams gospel singer 1: webcam portals 1: you kicked my dog skit 1: spying on women videos
deus ex mystery machina
2005.02.23 17.20
I bought the director's cut of ''Daredevil'' yesterday and watched it last night and this morning. That movie is so freakin' good. I have new respect for Ben Affleck. I'm curious to see how bad the theatrical cut of the movie was. Apparently the director's cut is nearly 50% different. I also am ansy to see ''Electra'' now that I've gotten this one out of the way. If you have the chance to see the Daredevil director's cut -- do it. So good!I'm still busy at work and I'm keeping myself occupied with a few new goals. Better comprehension of SQL commands is one thing I'm working on. I am installing SQL 2000 on my laptop so I'll have something to play with while I model my data and date my model. No, that wasn't meant to make sense. I was thisclose to delving into Microsoft Application Center 2000 and something they're calling MOM. Microsoft Operations Manager or something or other -- it does health monitoring like Site Scope. That whole business is on the backburner at the moment. I'm still sharpening my skillz, however. I would love to do the continuous integration thing somewhere else. All my other projects are small scale and it wouldn't work for them. Well, they may work, but the wages won't be very good.
I'm thinking about building a little program that automatically downloads television programs I want to see off eMulePlus. There's nothin' like a little post-Napster action as far as downloading copyrighted things.
I am seriously contemplating picking up and moving. I don't know where to. That's kind of a gap. I know something is coming. I've been stuck in the same place for so long that I nearly had myself locked in. Two out of my three goals for this week include setting up and executing the garage sale that I was going to hold the weekend I got the flu. I'm also looking to liquidate 100% of the crap in my attic. If that means including it in the garage sale... then fine. If that means including it in my garbage can on Wednesday morning... then fine! I'm not picky. Well, I like getting money for junk. That's always good. Did I mention I took a ton of my books to the bookstore and got $19? Mmmm. Yeah, I think I already mentioned that. Well, I'm mentioning it again. $19, baby. That's like, a whole meal.
My third goal is to get back on track with my training. I have stuck to my diet like a religious nut this whole time, so eating hasn't been an issue. Getting to the gym and exerting myself, however. The flu thing through me off. I don't really like my gym -- Bally's Total Fitness. I've mentioned in the past that I frequent the 290 location whenever possible. That usually means between 9:30 PM and 11 PM. All of the trainers there still look like they're juiced up -- so naturally I fear them. I bought a pair of 10, 30, 35, and 40 pound hex dumbbells and a bench the other day from Academy. I need to get some 12s, 20s and 25s. I wish the bench was adjustable. The problem with my gym in this regard is that all of the dumbbells they have SUCK! They only have three benches, so with a gym that size you are always sure to be waiting around for somebody's ass to hurry up and finish their sets. Very annoying. The other gap I need to take care of is actually going in with a workout in mind. I'm pretty loose as far as when I train myself. The regimented body part training that you get out of a trainer (or any prepared workout program) is something elusive. Elusive like finding True Love or The Perfect Car or The Perfect Chicken Wing. Mmmmm. Chicken.
24 hour bug
2005.02.22 18.22
The weekend went quite a bit differently than I'd expected. Picking up a case of the 24 hour stomach virus in Philadelphia on Thursday night, Heather was down and out for 90% of Saturday. I canceled the Hyatt visit and hopefully that's still something I can do (I need to call and check on that). On Sunday we did manage to make it to The Galleria. Foodwise over the weekend, other than many visits to Kroger for medicines and seltzer, we got to visit The Hobbit Cafe off Richmond, Texas Land and Cattle off 249, and the 59 Diner (also off 249). We passed most of the time watching movies -- which is great because I'm really behind on them. The features watched included: The Incredibles (''I'm your sidekick, IncrediBoy!''), Oh Brother Where Art Thou? (''Damn! We're in a tight spot!''), Singles (''I'm looking for someone to say Bless You to me''), The Punisher (insert cheesy ass quote here), Sideways (''Your 1961 is peaking''), Bowling for Columbine (''Manson!''), and Napoleon Dynamite (''Tina, come eat some ham!''). A trip to the 290 Cineplex theater was necessary to see Sideways. I don't really get the hype that movie is receiving. It was okay and I enjoyed it. There's one scene that is just crazy near the end that I thought was nicely done yet over the top. Now that she's back home I need to look into that whole neutral ground in Switzerland thing that I spoke of. The Swiss. They are pure evil.the visitor
2005.02.18 13.00
My Philadelphia girlfriend-in-training-kinda-sorta Heather is coming to Houston today. I'd originally intended to plan an amazing itinerary of things to do before I got the flu earlier this week. Now I'm thinking we're just gonna wing it. Got any suggestions? I'll be using my Hyatt Regency goodies on Saturday night in downtown Houston. Thereafter I'll be trekking up to Austin, TX for some sight seeing this Sunday. I know a trip to The Galleria will figure in there, somewhere. Dinner at Texas Land and Cattle tonight with The Parker is in the cards. I think the next time we meet up it should be on neutral ground. You know, like Switzerland.guess what?
2005.02.14 11.03
I got a fever! And the only prescription... is more cowbell! Actually, more cowbell won't help. I've been taking TheraFlu every six hours since Saturday morning at 5 AM. My temperature has gotten as high as 101.5 and, when On Drugs, as low as 100.4. There's a huge difference between those two temperatures. The weekend was basically ruined as a result. I was supposed to go to a friend's birthday get together downtown yesterday. I was supposed to go to Number's on Friday. I was supposed to clean up my house for some incoming guests next weekend. Instead, I sat on the sofa and sweated like a dog, moaning, and occasionally coughing up some nice phlegm. It's good times! I have to admit, the TheraFlu is good stuff, but it doesn't last the full six hours like they claim. I was frequently tempted to get my next hit an hour early so I could avoid the body temperature swing of getting my fever back and then losing it again. As of this morning (Monday), my unmedicated temperature was down to 100.2 degrees, and my current On Drugs temperature as of a few minutes ago was 98.4. That's technically .2 degrees lower than normal, although I'm not complaining. I have a wicked sore throat to deal with, not to mention the hacking cough that I use to keep my lungs empty. On the upside, I hired a lawn mower guy and my yard looks kick ass. I may try to drive to Wal-Mart to buy some lawn fertilizer deweeder stuff. Other than that, I'm going to rest up and try to get back to work tomorrow. Apologies to anyone that I stood up this weekend. You definitely didn't want to catch what I've got. Hmmm. I think I'll be funny again tomorrow, too. The lack of sleep has sucked away the ha ha.errand behavior
2005.02.11 15.48
I ran home. I picked up a printer from the parent's house that I sold for my dad. I visited the shipping place. I came home. I did some unpacking. I talked to Rebecca about her upcoming move to New York and marriage. I went to the gym and ran 3.05 miles. I went to bed. Today... I feel sick. Weak. I was wondering if it was the running last night. I normally run a mile or a mile and a half. It's still possible that I'm fatigued from that, but I doubt it. I've got that super-sensitivity thing going with my skin. Ugh. I love how I get sick on Fridays. Perfect. I still hope I can make it to Number's. Maybe I can share my disease with the club. Wah.the big bounce
2005.02.10 14.20
I'm nearly 90% cleaned up as far as my Philly to Houston transition is concerned. One bad thing did happen as a result of my suddenly having access to all of my property. I needed to write checks out for my taxes, the DeLorean insurance, and a lab fee from my last physical. I thought I was using the new checks I'd ordered recently. In reality, I was using checks from a Money Market account I'd opened briefly in 2004. I closed it after two months when I decided I didn't have the time to dedicate to it. So, dumb me, I used these checks and now I'm getting delinquency letters in the mail. Makes me feel so good. I just got back from the bank and then the county tax assessor's office. They've got my money plus a $30 return check fee. Ugh. I found out some fascinating things while I was there, including the fact that the judge will be marrying people all day on Valentine's day. He makes $40 on each wedding and gets to pocket the money! He waives the fee for couples in the armed services, but other than that, it's his cashish. Not too shabby. They finally worked out their problem with the payment computer and I was on my way. I hit up the Fuddrucker's for a 1/2 pound bunless ostrich burger to go. Mmm. Dead bird.Yes, I do have Mardi Gras stories coming. Please to be standing by.
The crazy psycho religious nut continues to write me. I've stopped replying because he's obviously having some mental troubles. I blocked him from visiting the site and he wasn't amused by my technical prowess. I've removed all the extraneous spaces between each line of wacko babble, but I've left in the misspellings. It evens things out. Check it:
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 17:21:22 -0800 (PST) From: "sam cole" <maineman_11@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: REMEMBER THIS IS AMERICA and is not run by YOU why did you ban me from WWW.REALWORLDAUSTIN.COM second why did you block all librarys and even a Homeless shelters computers WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY YOU'RE denying others GOT A CLUE? MTV WITNESSING GODS WORDHe must have grown impatient a few hours later, because I then got this:
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 20:08:07 -0800 (PST) From: "sam cole" <maineman_11@yahoo.com> Subject: Snap Snap Click Click snap snap snap Oh anymore Photos of the REAL WORLD AUSTIN BUILDING MAY CONTAIN A man Lifting up GOD'S WORD AS i am to check into the CITY to findout exactly my Legal rights to Move GOD IS ANGERY WITH THE WICKED EVERY DAY AND HE HATES THE WICKED AND THOES WHO PRACTICE IT REPENT EVER BURN UR SELF? KNOW somone who has been burned? ever smoked a CIG and have a HOT ASH hit you ever sit in the SUN TOO LONG EVER burn in LUST i tell you if you have been burned by a Fire i tell you that little burn is NOTHING compared to what you will face if you do not turn and repent i do not hate you nor ur soul i hate the sin you promote and the war i am wageing is not of the Phyisical world but the Spirtual Wickedness in High places GOT A BURN? REMEMBER THAT PAIN? I TELL YOU HELL WILL COVER YOU'RE ENTIRE BODY WITH THAT PAIN AND MORE but thre Christ JESUS you can be saved from that Condemnation AND leave the Judgeing to the LORDIsn't that special? I'm not worried -- I've got a special edition Jose Cruz commemorative baseball bat set aside just for this guy's face. God, I love the internet.
party gras!
2005.02.07 11.22
We woke up at 3:30 AM on Friday morning. I'd slept for around 3 hours. We somehow managed to get into our cars and drive off at around five. Arriving at Intercontinental Airport, we found that checking into terminal C didn't mean that we were getting on a plane there as well. We had to hop into the cool new rollercoaster-like people mover thing and ride to terminal B. There's some ride at Disneyland that reminds me of this thing. It's in the future world part of the park. We squeezed into the little plane and flew to New Orleans. We took a $49 taxi to our hotel ($12 a person with no explanation of where the mystery $1 came from). This is our second visit to the Alexa Hotel off Canal flanked between Royal and Bourbon streets. Richard showed up later in the evening and our group of five was ready to cause trouble.What are the highlights? One of our group blacked out but managed to still be awake. It was Saturday night and I'd hang up my beads early at midnight. I awoke around 3 AM to his mantra of ''PARTYGRAS! PARTYGRAS!!!'' This was yelled over and over while he took steps to circumvent gravity, albeit unsuccessfully. Other than a slightly cracked headboard on the extra bed, he survived until the next morning. Don't tell the maid. Vodka and Red Bull are to blame. While in New Orleans I've stuck to beer and I've never become too tipsy for my own good. Okay, I have lost my balance every once in a while because I'd slip on beer encrusted beads lying on the ground.
Yes, there's more. But later...
i condem (sic) you
2005.02.03 18.03
I run TheRealWorldAustin.com and the response has been even better than what I experienced in Philadelphia. Every day around 3,000 visitors check out the site. It's been fun. However, I now am getting some action from the Crazy Religious Right-Wing people. I hate them. Check out a letter one of them just sent me. I'm going to Mardi Gras tomorrow, perhaps I'll run into this guy protesting my evil ways. Or not.Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2005 07:30:06 -0800 (PST) From: "sam cole" maineman_11@yahoo.com Subject: REMEMBER THIS IS AMERICA and is not run by YOU FOR AS LONG AS YOU ARE IN MY CITY YOU WILL BE PROTESTED at any point in the day or night AM NOT HERE TO CONDEM YOU OR THE CAST OR THE CREW and i will push my messege aginst SIN
howard stern in houston
2005.02.01 14.17
I can' believe it! He's on. It's AM only, but at least I'll get a little fix now. Check it out... http://kikk.com
