restroom

Earlier this afternoon I headed over to the restroom near the vending machines here at work to "do what needed to be done". This is the larger of the men's restrooms in the building and boasts 2 stalls and 2 urinals. I proceeded to one of the stalls and discovered that the previous occupant was apparently not feeling well and left behind some "residue".

But, hey, two stalls. I went into the next stall and found that there was what appeared to be blood on the outside of the toilet bowl. It started at the edge of the bowl and ran down the outside in two areas.

In the men's room? Blood on the outside of a toilet bowl? I've seen this before... in a horror movie.

"what needed to be done" was not that urgent - I'm going to wait until I get home.

(shudder)

hail, driver, guilt, experiment

As I got out on the road today, the sky opened up and started to pelt my car with rain and hail. I almost typed "me" instead of "my car" but that wasn't the literal case. It had been, however, pelting the poor soul on a motorcycle before he got under the cover of an overpass. I slowed down as a I went past, thinking that excessive splashing would only add insult to his injury.

I reached my destination, accomplished the tasks I set out before me, and attempted to leave the parking lot.

Now, I don't like parking lots. Rather, I don't like the other people that use parking lots - as they usually do it wrong.

1) They park as so to take up multiple spaces. I freaking hate. Either learn to park more accurately or don't take your fancy pants car out into the world if you are that scared.

2) Lots are designed so that humans not paying attention to their world are forced directly into the lane of traffic right in front of the store.

3) People that cut across the spaces and don't pay attention.

It's that last one that really torqued me to today. I was traveling down the lane as I was supposed to and this car came screaming diagonally across the spaces - headed right for where my car was going to be. Since I'm not an idiot, I slowed down to a stop and so did the other car. The driver stuck her hand out the car window and I expected that she was doing so to wave me on or perhaps flick away the cigarette ash.

Instead, she flipped me off - then put the accelerator to the floor and took off in front of me - still going diagonally across the lot. Since she was still diagonal, she decided that the stop sign didn't quite apply to her so she ran that as well.

Ironically, I caught up with her at the next stop light. She was one car up and one car over - putting me ironically diagonally from her car. She didn't notice me - or if she did she chose not to acknowledge me. In any case, I thought some unpleasant things about her and considering myself lucky I both saw her in time to stop and that I don't have a baseball bat in my car since I would mostly now be in jail.

Speaking of guilt - there are two things I am guilty of, and they are both internet memes. Now, I am normally disdainful of overly hyped things. Example: I still haven't seen Titanic nor do I care to. So, appreciating anything that is defined as hype should be impossible for me, but there are two memes that I really enjoy.

1. LOLcats. I know, I know. It's terrible. These damn things just crack me up. I mean, there's some really stupid shit here, but there are a few gems in there that sometimes make me LOL. The best I've seen so far is a cat in a box, looking up at the camera. The caption says, "I'm in your Quantum box. Maybe." That's funny on several levels.

2. "Do not want" and "All your base are belong to us". The first is a mistranslation of the ending Darth Vader shout of "Nooooo!" from Star Wars episode 4. The other is another mistranslation - this time from a video game. I really like how they have taken on a life far beyond their orginal forms. Also, the "Do not want" has a decidely Zen quality to it which I'm just really starting to appreciate.

Finally, I tried an experiment today. Over the weekend, I tried something called Cashew Crush - which was a really excellent snack except that I got seriously congested and spent the rest of the afternoon sneezing. I ended up having to take an allergy pill to get it settled down - and I really don't like to take any kind of medicine until it's really serious.

Thinking that I might be developing an allergy to cashews - which would really bite since I enjoy them - I tried a bit more cashews today in the Cashew Crunch to see if I would start sneezing again. I haven't. So, that wasn't it.

That's it for now... later...

car, steps, swim, lunch

My room-mate's lease on his car will be expiring soon and so on Saturday he decided to head to Columbus to the dealership where his brother works to return the car and lease a new one. I went along - partly for something to do on a quiet Saturday morning and partly out of relief. For the past several months there has a been an ever increasing debate for my room-mate on exactly which car to get. Make, model, features, color - over and over again. And for me, a non-car kinda guy - it was becoming seriously tedious.

We get to the dealership and I had fortunately brought a book - so I sat quietly in the lounge and tried to tune out the blaring TV. If I could have found a volume control, I would have turned it down.

With the paperwork done, we loaded back in the car, stopped at Long John Silver's for lunch, and then headed back. The car is pretty nice and has some cool features and such - though not enough cup-holders - but I was just glad that the endless debate was done. Oh, and the car comes with XM radio for 3 months free - but we found that XM radio has commercials. I can't believe that anyone would pay for radio and also pay to have commercials - thought I guess cable TV is that way. In any case, my room-mate already has Siruis and he'll be sticking with that.

In other news... the back steps out onto the patio have been starting to bow and pulling the nails up. So, I bought some treated lumber, some outdoor wood-screws and on Saturday afternoon my room-mate and I replaced the steps. We didn't do the railing or the risers, just the steps themselves. And it was a good thing too as a huge thunderstorm rolled in just as we were finishing it up. It was a successful project - no mistakes in the cuts for the wood posts, no injuries, and the steps are sturdy and level - and lined up well.

Last Friday, I was in a meeting most of the morning and then had lunch plans and so missed my window of opportunity for my mid-day swim. I had planned to go for a swim after work, but then remembered that the pool was going to be closed for a special event. So, that kinda sucked.

The good news was that my lunch plans included a former co-worker visiting - a few of us went to lunch with her at the student center and swapped some work stories and just generally had a really nice time.

I guess that's it for now. I'm not really looking forward to this week - but we'll get through it.

later...

fuel, swim, visit, hike, dinner

I usually don't fill up the gas tank in my car - usually just put in about 20 bucks or so at a time which usually lasts quite a while since I'd really drive that much. By avoiding the big fill-up, I don't worry so much about the fluctuating gas prices. This time, since I had a little traveling to do this past weekend, I filled up Thursday morning on the way to work. Grand total: $42.86 It went up that afternoon again, so at least that's something, but it was still quite a shock to see. I think there are ways to fix the gas price problem - but most of them involve getting people to not be greedy. So, not likely.

I got in 96 laps total last week - and did 36 today. Getting off to a good start on the week. I'll have to check my records to see what my per week record is.

I went and visited my parents this past weekend for Father's day. My sister and brother-in-law came over too and we watched some movies, played some dominoes, and went for a hike. My sister didn't have the right shoes so she had to borrow a too small pair from mom. A substantial blister was the result. I just had my flip flops and while they were a little uncomfortable and loud, they didn't cause me any injury. Also, we saw a small toad on the trail - so, that was cool.

We weren't sure where to go for dinner for father's day that wouldn't have huge lines - so, we went to CiCi's pizza in a nearby town. The food was pretty good, the service was okay - but some of the other customers were a little disturbing to see. Let's just say they could have benefited from more trips to the salad bar and fewer trips to the dessert area.

That's about it for now... later...

karma, 122b, party

After a mostly unproductive and still cranky afternoon on Friday, I headed to a craft store and then on to get a CD. The CD was in stock, but the craft store didn't have exactly what I wanted. After my futile search, I got on the highway to go home and suddenly found myself stuck in traffic.

It felt a little like karma - that my pointless anger had traffic based repercussions. In retrospect, I feel a little guilty about things for the rest of the drivers on the road. We were all creeping along when I heard a "pop" and looked over to the side. A guy in a suddenly not-so-nice car was trying to pull off the road with a sluggish success since the traffic was tight. There was smoke coming out of his hood and something leaking from under his car. I didn't feel karmicly upset about this one - clearly, he's been having a far worse day than I could be blamed for. He got off the road and a glance showed him to be neither surprised or really upset. I didn't go try to help him, assuming he had a cell phone.

Of course, had it be a reversed situation - I would have needed some help since I don't yet have a cell phone. Another reason, I suppose, that I should reconsider getting one. Even well intentioned people will assume that should I break down, I would be okay since I could just call on my non-existent cell phone for help.

Anyway, back to the traffic. We were still creeping along when I came upon an exit - though it was not the one I wanted. There may have been more detailed signs that I didn't notice before, but all this one said was Exit 122b. I don't know where it went, only that it was within a few miles of my home, but maybe not the direction I wanted to travel. I tend to find a route and then stick with it until there's some kind of extreme situation and I wasn't sure if stuck in traffic warranted getting lost and maybe wasting even more time trying to find an alternative way home.

A car in front of me - really mostly past the road - decided that they would give old 122b a try. They executed a tight, almost U, turn and took the exit. They rounded the curve and disappeared behind the trees. I remained in my car, with the windows rolled down and my heat turned to try and keep my engine cooler. I wondered if they knew where they were going. If they had a plan and a route in mind. Or maybe they just decided moving - in any direction - was better than just sitting there.

The "horrible" accident that had traffic backed up in both directions for miles turned out to be a fender bender that had been pulled off the side of the road and the only thing blocking and slowing traffic was, well, traffic.

In other news... yesterday evening I went to a party with some friends to see the latest addition to an outdoor train set in one of the friends backyard. The train itself was having some issues, but the setup was amazing. It included some new buildings since I was last there - a new house and more cars and an amazingly detailed greenhouse in miniature.

The snacks were good and the conversation lively. I overheard a discussion in the kitchen that seemed to mix religion, politics, and alcohol in equal parts. Curiously, everyone in the conversation seemed to be on the same very loud side. Not an argument, then - but a general complaint session on the sorry state of the world. I stayed out of...

Wait. I need to pause for a moment and un-recommend a snack food. Early this morning, I had some "bold" flavored chex party mix working off the assumption that the chex mix was almost like cereal and counted as a breakfast food. It's good and has a nice and appropriately bold flavor, but even teeth brushing and mouthwash have failed to remove the taste. While I was typing I burped a little bit and the flavor came right back. It is NOT good the second time around and I feel the need to just go ahead and drink the mouth wash this time. I'll be back....

(please wait)

Less intense mouthwash? Don't believe everything you read. Anyway...

I stayed out the discussion and had a really nice conversation with a few other people - one of whom is allergic to alcohol. He had one beer that he really enjoyed - and then spent the rest of the night sneezing and blowing his nose. I both started and stopped my drinking while in college - but I could still sympathize.

Anyway, it was late when my room-mate and I got back - turned out he'd been one of the debaters in the kitchen so I drove his car back.

I've been enjoying the quiet Sunday at home - did a little reading outside and now I'm listening to the new Aimee Mann CD while I write this unusually long blog. I guess that's it for now.

later...

54 laps, meeting, aftermath

I swam 54 lap today - that's one and a half miles. I was fast and intense - hardly even slowing down on the turns. I outlasted everyone else in the pool.

I feel pretty good physically afterward - caught my breath in less than a minute and was composed before I hit the locker room. I swam through my lunch hour and just got a couple of healthy snacks instead.

The reason for this personal record-setting swim, however, was not a good thing. I generally try not to talk about work here - and when I do I'm impossibly vague - since that sort of thing tends to get people fired. So, I'm going to vent a little here, but I'm still going to be vague.

I got called into a meeting this morning and got dragged over the coals for things that were not my fault by someone outside our department. I took it personally - which was a mistake, I know. I think I'm good at my job because I care about what I'm doing with the big picture - but that same commitment was attacked today. This guy was belligerent, condescending, arrogant, argumentative, and a whole slew of unpleasant big words. Even worse, my boss got the meeting started and then left for most of it - returning only at the end.

I felt thrown to the wolves. We've done extraordinary work in very little time and this guy had only bad things to say about what we'd accomplished. I stayed polite, quiet, and civil - and managed, just barely, to keep my cool. Should have gotten some kind of award for not smacking the shit out of him.

I think the swim made use of "rage-propulsion" and most of that has burned off. I'm back down to my standard "slightly cranky" - and I can live with that. In the grand scheme of things, this guy was just an ass and with that kind of an attitude, life is going to punish him far better than I could. I'd still like to help punish him - I've even started a list - but we've got too much to do.

So, time to get back to it. I think I may go buy a CD after work or maybe some flower stems for an origami project. I think some good music and a little folding will do me wonders.


later

visit, game, work, news

Earlier this week, my sister and brother in law stopped by for a quick visit on their way back from buying a car. She had sent me an email earlier in the day to let me know they would be in the area - I replied back with a "Yes" for a visit, but they were already on the road. The rain and traffic made them a little later than they expected, but they got to the apartment safely and then my room-mate joined us for a dinner at CiCi's pizza. After dinner they stayed only for a short while before getting on the road. The weather didn't look good, but the weather channel said the worst would be over before they got home. Dad called my sister while they were at my place to warn them about the tornado warnings at their home, but he was neither surprised or really that interested that they were in akron. He called me a couple days later to apologize for not talking to me when he called my sister - even though she was in my living room at the time. I told him it was no big deal since I figured he was heading for shelter in the basement anyway and shouldn't have been on the phone.

I picked up a new game recently - Patapon. I'd heard good things about it, but wasn't sure if I could get into it. It's a rhythm game - you tap the appropriate buttons following the beat to play. In this case, you are commanding an army of primitives by pounding the war drums to get them to march or attack. I was a little worried since I don't have much natural rhythm, but I got the hang of it and I'm inspiring my little warriors onto battle and victory. The missions aren't too long (there's no pause feature), but just long enough to really get into the adventure. I don't play too long in one sitting because the PSP isn't comfortable to hold - but I'm enjoying it.

Finally, work has been crazy busy - I'm double booked for meetings today and considering a workers comp claim for my copy|paste pinky on my left hand. Been doing a lot of that.

Oh, almost forgot - I called my FRM's mom last night to see how she was doing. Apparently, my FMR's wife had a baby girl and his oldest son just moved into an apartment about 6 doors down from where FMR and I used to live. Small world...

Okay, gotta go - later...

bookstore, no swim

I went to a bookstore this weekend in Wheeling, WV called Books-A-Million. Based on the store name alone, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a headache when we got there. I couldn't find a Horror Fiction section, so I headed over to SciFi and began to peruse the selection. I noticed two things right off:

1. The staff was doing some kind of inventory with those bar-code scanner guns that required them scanning every single book one at a time. The scanner gun beeped every time they did this. I was instantly homicidal, but didn't act on my impulse.

2. They were completely missing several of my favorite and prolific authors. Irksome.

I tried another section, only to have another staffer begin beeping. My headache getting worse, I finally gave up and headed for the checkout. Before they clerk began checking out the items, she asked if I had a rewards card. I told her no and she began to explain the stickers on the hardback books and how I could get a discount if I signed up. I politely declined and she continued with her pitch. I declined again, still politely, but with a slight increase in tone.

Still, she continued with the great features of the reward card. I interrupted her and told her I was not from the area and that I had never heard of this store before. Undaunted, she asked where I was from and I finally trumped her by saying Akron, Ohio. She tried to come back by staying that they were expanding up north, but really had nothing to go on - if I'm unlikely to come back, why would I "need" a rewards card? I thought it was done, but just before giving me the total, she hauled out a sheet of paper and suggested that I could sign up for a magazine subscription. I declined again, polite in words, but not in look or tone. Transaction complete, I headed for the door and freedom.

As a coda to the story, my room-mate was behind me in line and tried to get her stopped by telling her he was from Akron as well, but she essentially ignored him in favor of her "speech".

Rude behavior in the name of customer service. Annoying and disturbing.

I've got a headache again this afternoon - though I think this is work related and comes from staring at a computer screen too long. I also forgot my swim trunks today and so missed my swim.

Almost time to go home - later...