trouble sleeping and the Flash

The past couple of nights I've had some trouble getting to sleep and this morning when I woke up had a master of space and time moment - one where I attempted to defy the passage of time - then realized it was still early and I didn't need to worry about getting up.

I've been a little cranky and stressed the past few days. Taking a little vacation soon and travel stresses me out. Plus, you would not believe the weird ass phone calls I've been getting this week. All I want to do is get my job done and get the heck out of here.

The power just flickered here - not enough to take down my computer, but enough to flicker the lights. Could be a really unplesant day if I get in the middle of something and we lose power entirely.

Well, I guess this post won't be much except me being cranky and complaining a bit. What? Did you expect a sonet?

Oh, one quick thing - I found out from my favorite DC Flash site that a Flash movie is in pre-production. All three of the legacy flashes are being considered for the focus of the movie and it's expected to talk about the Speed Force. Those of you out there in blog land who are looking to get smacked around by an angry geek should at this point ask me a question referencing Flash Gordon. Not the same guy, people.

Flash Gordon = Lame ass ex-football player hero wanna-be.

The Flash = Coolest superhero ever. Outruns time and death itself. Saves the entire world in a half-second. Leaves Superman in his dust.

That's it for now, time to get back to work...

who you gonna call? - and an art project

Let's start as I started this morning - at 5:58 when the sanitation engineers came by to empty the dumpsters from the parking lot in front of my apartment. Granted, my alarm was set for 6:00, but still...

The banging of the dumpersters yanked me out of dream - one that had an element I wasn't familier with. In the dream, I was playing an online game with two friends. The object of the game was to score points by wandering around and looking for spirits to capture. It took place in the real world - as viewed through goggles - so a trip to the grocery store could end up being a challenging level. My goggles broke, so I just had a piece of glass that I carried around to look through. And, when I looked in the right place, I could see the spirits that we were supposed to capture.

To do that, I needed to hold up my right hand in the direction of the spirit and concentrate. The spirit would be drawn toward my hand until I had captured it. Once captured, a raised bump would appear on my hand until I released the spirit - and earn points for it. The funky part was, though it was a game, you could become sick if you gathered up too many evil spirits and didn't release them quickly - a real problem since the release areas were few and far between. And not just sick in the game, but sick in real life as well (yes, I'm aware it was still just a dream).

My team and I were the best - mainly because I could hold up to the pain better than most.
It hurt to drawn in a spirit and my hand would ache until those spirits were released.

And here's where things go off the deep end. I distinctly remember that it hurt to draw in a spirit. I remember the senstation of pain on contact, the ache in my hand and my whole wrist while I stored the spirits. I remember feeling the cold of the day as we hiked out to get "just one more spirit" before quitting for the day.

Real pain. To the point that I was surpised when I woke up and found my hand undamaged and without any raised bumps of stored spirits - since I woke up before releaseing them.

Now, I know that you aren't supposed to feel pain in dreams...but I remember it and it sure as heck felt real. Good thing we were winning the game...

---

Back to reality... Ever heard the expression "Like a hot Dremel through Plexiglass"? No? Well, there's a reason for that. It doesn't go all that well. It'll work, just like cutting a frozen potato with a dull spoon will work, but it ain't fun. For one, it smells bad. Also, the shreaded plexiglass tends to fly off and that stuff is hot. And the dremel bit tends to get fouled when you let it stop as the plastic cools and fills the bit.

Now, why was I cutting plexiglass with a dremel? Well, I was trying to make a mask. Yeah, yeah, I know..."what hairbrained project are you up to now, Anthony?" Actually, I've been working on some masks in various mediums (paper mache, clay, etc) and I figured plexiglass would be the next logical step before tying to carve one out of wood.

I actually had some good success and would have done more to smooth the edges, but it was getting late and I was losing the light - since I was working outside to minimize the mess and I was wearing sunglasses for my safety goggles. I may have time to finish it this week, but it's no big deal if I don't.

And before I close - a big shout-out to my colleague and friend for inviting me to his bonfire last friday. I had a good time and enjoyed the food and the company.

So, that's it for now in this slightly longer than usual blog. Time to get back to work...

2% memory

I had a f'ed up dream last night. I was back at school in Miami - florida - and I had just joined my fraternity (something I didn't do in real life until my second year of school at akron). I was also working at a well appointed clinic when a terrible accident occured. To save me, they cloned me and transfered my consciousness into the clone. But, they only got about 2% of my memories - and all of my bad temper. Then, the sick and injured orginal of me took off and I had to try and track him/me down so that I could get the rest of his/our/my memories. The process would most likely kill "him", but the idea didn't seem to bother "me". During the course of my pursuit, I ran into my former room-mate - who wanted me to look at the art work one of his son's had done and tell him what it was about. It was meant to look like a photo taken of a collage of newsprint, but it had all been done on computer. I started to explain it, but then I got a lead on my orginal and had to leave. I think I had him/me cornered in the basement of a frat-house when I woke up.

Apparently, I have some issues.

That's it for now... back to work....

warped time, rain, giving blood

I decided to give blood yesterday after work so, as is my usual plan, I went to Wendy's to get something to eat beforehand. Otherwise, I tend to get woosie. On the way to Wendy's the sky opened up and it just freaking poured. Not as bad as over the weekend, but still really intense for several miles, then it abruptly stopped. Very strange and a little unnerving - though it did wash the bird crap off my car.

Got to Wendy's and had a snack, then stopped to get gas, then on to the blood donation site.

The place was nearly empty, but unfortunatly that included staff as well. So, I had to wait until the one person ahead of me was nearly done before they got started with me. It was then that I noticed that the big clock in the room wasn't working right - the second hand was stuck to the minute hand. Looked really odd and upset my Master of Space and Time sensiblities.

Finally got through the history section and ovet to the donation area. Normally, I have no trouble with any part of giving blood, but this was not one of those times. First, the needle hurt going in. And it kept hurting, even after she pulled it nearly out and put a pad under my arm to change the angle. It got a little better but it was still kinda painful - like a sharp pinching sensation. Took slightly longer than usual to give the blood and the direct pressure didn't stop the bleeding right away. Finally got that under control and I got woosie. So, they had me lay back and elevated my feet - then put a cold cloth on my head. The site was starting to hurt again, so after my head felt better and I sat up, they gave me an ice pack to put on the site.

Meanwhile, the procedure for reporting a reaction had changed - there were new codes or something. So, there was a lot of hurrying around and such to figure out the new codes and how to report the fact that I felt woosie. Seemed a little weird. They took good care of me, but it was still mildly chaotic.

After a bit I felt well enough to go over to the canteen area and got myself a cookie and some juice. When that was done, I thanked them and they thanked me and I went home.

All the rest of the evening I felt sore and tired - which is unusual for me after I give blood. I skipped the shower last and went to bed early.

I'm dragging a little today, but at least I don't have any meetings.

Well, time to go answer some email.

One thing before I go. My experience with giving blood yesterday was not typical of me or of people in general and I strongly encourage everyone who can to go and give blood. Check out the red cross's site for more information.

http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

Back to work...

here comes the rain....again

I've told this story to a few people already, but for the rest that haven't heard it, here you go...

On the way to visit my parents this past weekend, I encountered some rain just south of Columbus. And then I got pummeled by more rain than I have ever seen in my whole life. Visibilty was so low I sometimes couldn't see my hood. The wind was so intense from the side I thought my windows might break. And the lightning flashes would blank out the windshield. It was amazing and not a little scary. I got through it, but was a little shaky for a while.

The rest of the trip was fine, had a good time visiting with everyone.

Had a dream Saturday night that I ate some blue powder and shrunk to 11 inches tall, which was okay since that's how tall a Ken doll is and it was easy to find clothes. I also tames a cat, threw a saddle on it, and rode off to explore.

In other weird news... I've decided to switch to diet coke with lime, instead of regular coke. Yes, I'm serious. No, it's not the end of the world.

Oh, and I also visited the largest Walmart in Ohio, which is also the second largest in the country. Yes, you should all be very imprssed.

Time to get back to work...

yip yap yip yap yip yip yap yap yip

My neighbors now have a dog. I'm not sure which ones have the dog or what the dog looks like. But I know what it sounds like.

Yip yap yap yip yap yap yap yip yip yip yip yap yip yap

I don't know where they got this dog - maybe the 5th circle of hell ("The angry") or maybe the 7th ("Violent against neighbors and fellow men"). In any case, I heard it last night while I was trying to sleep. I had the fan going and the windows open. A good cross breeze was just starting to form and I was headed to dreamland.

Yip yap yap yap yip yip yap yap yip

And then, just for variation...

Yap yip yip yip yap yap yip yip yap

And every so often, a plantitive howl at the moon. But, since it was only a small yapper dog, the howl at the moon was just a pathetic shadow of what a real dog could do.

Yap yap yip yip yap yap yap

After 20 minutes I considered closeing the window.

Yap yip yip yap yap yap

Yip

Another 10 minutes and I got up to get ear plugs.

20 minutes later and the dog finally YAPYAPYAPYAPYAPYIPYIPYIP (howl) YAP

Okay, 30 minutes later the dog finally shut up.

Yip.

That one didn't count, but I left the earplugs in.

Now, I'm a dog person and I really like dogs. But this little yipper was getting on my nerves. Oh, and did I mention that it echoed between the two buildings so it sounded twice as loud? Well, it did.

Sleep was an elusive misteress last night - hell, let's just say it like it was. I was so ticked off from the noise that I didn't think it would ever come. And I tried everything - well, not everything, but enough of my tried and true methods of getting to sleep that I was really stressing. And apparently the stress of not being able to sleep tired me out enough that I eventually fell asleep.

This morning? I'm king of the yawns. Yea. And all I really want to do it go back home and sleep some more. Or maybe I'll just crawl under my desk.

Well, time to get back to work...

two phrases

Heard a song on the radio last evening - really liked the lyrics, but the station didn't identify what the song was. Fortunately, one line of the song stuck in my head and from that I was able to do a search this morning and locate the song:

"Breathe (2 AM)" - ANNA NALICK

The line that stuck in my head was:

"And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table."

Struck me as deeply profound - and yet a very simple and clear image. I don't normally buy CD's on the basis of one song, but I might break my rule for this one.

On the drive work this morning I went past a church with a sign out front. Normally, this has some kind of pseudo-meaningful phrase on it that is quickly absorbed and ignored. This time it said, "The truth doesn't hurt, unless it should."

What in the heck does that mean? Let's analyze some examples:

1. My shoes are black and green - Or - I'm wearing pants today.

Both of those are true and not painful in the least. In fact, I'm sure a few people around here are relieved at the second one.

2. I could stand to lose a little weight.

Yeah, that's true too. I think I'd be mildly cranky if someone walked up to me on the street and said that to me, but I wouldn't be emotionally scarred about it.

3. I'm slowly going bald.

That's true too, and while I'll just shave my head when it gets bad - some people would be horribly offended if someone said that to them. It might be true, but pointing out someone's flaws without trying to help them overcome them is just cruel. A few episodes of the Surreal Life with Da Brat are good examples of using a perceived truth to gain attention and just be cruel.

Did no one listen to Elvis? Hello? "Don't be cruel"

I still don't understand what they were trying to say in that sign.

Anyway, time to get back to work...

I'm on a roll

So, yesterday, I head to the vending machine to be a late afternoon soda. I'm in need of a caffinee fix and the hot water for tea or hot chocolate has been shut down in the lunch room. I put my change in the machine and hit the button for "Pepsi". I'd much prefer Coca-Cola, but they don't stock that on campus. Instead of a satisfying "thunk", I see a little message on the screen- Selection Unavailable. It's then that I notice the little orange light. So, I hit the Lipton Iced Tea button and get the same message before noticing the light is on for that one too. The machine is nearly dripping with Pepsi logos - but it's only got one area for actual Pepsi dispensing. I could choose from a variety of Mountain Dew products instead, but I hoped to sleep at some point that night and didn't need that much caffinee. So, I get my money out of the machine and go to the juice machine next to it - figuring that if I can have caffinee, I should at least have something good for me. I choose the Peach Papya - which was luckily in stock - and headed back to my desk. It tasted funny and I checked the date - best if used by April of this year. So, I poured that out and had water. Not sure who I'm angy at - maybe the poor sap who fills the machines.

Then, driving home from work on the highway I get stuck behind a slow moving parade. I'm trapped there for several miles while we poke along at 20 mph and everyone else flies past at 65. Things finally clear out when the guilty party takes an exit. He's got his hazzards on and is creeping up the ramp. I don't know if he was having car problems or he's just a really timid driver, but he nearly caused some accidents by driving so slowly on a highway.

Today, I went over to an office to do some training for a staff member. I went up to the front desk and since no one was there, I rang the little bell. I don't like to do that since I don't really care for the noise in that situtation, but I had no other choice. After a few moments, a woman walked....no, she didn't walk, she slowly lurched around the corner. She had on a sweater over her shoulders and sandels on her feet and if I hadn't seen her breathing I would have thought she was undead by lack of expression her face. And you know how I feel about zombies.
I smiled, said good morning, and asked for the person I was there to train. She didn't speak, she just walked out of my view toward the security door and opened it for me. She asked if I knew where his office was and I told her no - so she lead me down into the depths (read: bowels) of the building's basement. My trainee wasn't there yet, so she introduced me to the other occupant of the basement and since he was cheerful I was a little more at ease. My guide headed back up the stairs. So, I waited a bit and plotted my escape routes in case she came back down for a "snack".

There's no real connection between any of these stories, so don't waste a lot of time trying to figure them out. It's just me being annoyed and we should all be used to that by now.

Time to get back to work...

I'm not loving it.

Two extreme views of customer service today. First - a trip to the bank. I use National City usually get good customer service when I stop by the local branch. Today, I headed over there at about 10 til noon - and I expected a bit of a crowd. Instead, they had 3 tellers on hand and one was open as I walked in. I went right up to the counter and was greeted with a smile. The transaction was swift and efficient and friendly. I was on my way in a matter of moments.

Then I went to McDonald's for lunch. Not having gone to McU, I can only guess at the staffing procedures, but over the years I have decided that if you go at a peak time, you'll have to fight a crowd, but you'll get better service. If you go at an off peak time, no crowds, but less efficient service since they have inexperienced people on at those times.

Today, however, blew that theory totally out of the water. I got there at 5 minutes to noon and they had two registers open. One was staffed with a trainee and had a huge line. The other was staffed with a person I've seen before - who has worked at nearly every fast food restaurant in the area. I know her to be inefficient, short tempered, and she mumbles. I picked that line, reasoning that at least she would know how to run the register. Once I finally get up to the front, I start my order.

Two hamburgers, lettuce only.

And then I repeat it at her request. She then begins the process of entering that into the register - an expression on her face as though she's trying to remember a complicated trig formula. After a few moments it looks like she's closing in on a solution, so I continue with my order.

Medium fries.

Instead of punching that in - she holds up her index finger to silence me. She's still working on that pesky hamburger problem. Finally, she looks up at and asks what else I want. I tell her Medium Fries - thinking that she may not have gotten that. But, lo, she did get that - and she starts to roll her eyes in impatience at my foolishness. I proceed with the last phase of my order.

Medium coke.

To which she responds by slamming an empty medium sized cup on the counter. Apparently, I am expected to get my own drink. She then mumbles the total - and go with what I see on the display as it's not even close to what I think I heard her say. $4.08

I hand her a $5 and dig in my pocket for a dime. This combination throws her for a moment and she needs to ring it up so that the computer and do the math for her. She hands me my change and rudely instructs me to wait over to my left. I move into position and begin the waiting.

She bellows incoherently to get someone to come over to her line after inadvertently sending them all away - then waits on the next customer to place their order. Meanwhile, I can see my burgers being made and watch as they are tossed in a bin. The person that waited on me is now ignoring me and that notion that my food is ready - instead, she's filling the order of the customer behind me. Which includes 6 small milkshakes.

I'm doomed.

After waiting for a few minutes, someone takes pity on me and fills my order, shoving the empty cup in my direction as though to further emphasis that I'll be expected to get my own damn drink, thank you very much.

Which I proceeded to do and got out of there thankful that I still had my life and most of my wits about me still. Incidentally, no one thanked me to choosing that restaurant or suggested that I have a nice day. I would have doubted their sincerity anyway.

To their credit - my sandwiches were prepared correctly and any scaring will be emotional and therefore not visible to the naked eye.

It used to be good food fast. Then it was mediocre food fast. Then bad food fast. And now it appears to be mediocre food slowly.

And that wraps it up for me. I hadn't been in this McDonald's since it opened - and I don't think I'll be going back. No catchy jingles or slogans will win me over either - they have fallen too far to be redeemed.

Thus endeth the story and so I do now again return to the task at hand...