Wow, I actually went two days without updating, which is a long time
for me. Anywho, I will start with Friday. I was offer another position
at work. It very similar to my current job, in fact, its a latteral
move, with no bump in pay. The thing is, the only choose the best for
this position, and its a highly visable job. I have been told that when
one gets offered this postion, its not good to turn it down. Its also a
very good way to move up quicker, in fact, I think I would move up a
level within about 90 days. All of this made up my mind for me, as
Monday I will tell them I’m taking it. I took a big pay cut from AAA,
so I need to move up as soon as I can, which means I should be doing
everything I can do work my way up. All the managers and big wigs (at
least, the big wigs that know about me) like me and think very highly
of me, so I can’t see me not moving up more within the next 6 months or
so.

Last night, I went to Uvon’s. Parking was a COMPLETE and utter bitch.
It litterly took over 45 minutes to find a spot. In fact, I had to park
even further away then normal, which sucked ass. I brought my road
journal, my road pics, and my dads road pics. For those of you that
don’t know, back in the day, Dave, Jt and I used to take a lot of road
trips together, and I have a written journal and a picture journal I
kept. After my mom died, and after I had been keeping my journals, we
found a picture journal that my dad had from when he and his 3 friends
took road trips……..it was from back in 1948! I shit you not, it was
from 19-fucking-48, before there was even an interstate. Can you even
imagine road trips back then? No power steering. No power braking. No
AC in the car. Cruise control? Whats that? Shit, I don’t even think
cars had FM radio back then. Still its one of the things that connects
me to my dad. And I love those trips, and wish we could still tke them.
It was great to look back at those pics and think back about those
trips, although to be honest, it couldn’t have been much fun for Uvon.
It really got both of us in a mood for a road trip, though.

Last night while looking for parking, I noticed that my brakes are
squeaking again, which really pisses me off to no end. After all, I
just had them fixed MAYBE 3 weeks ago. I didn’t drive my car much today
and they didn’t make any noise, so maybe, just maybe, there was just
water on the breaks.

I went over to my cousin Tony’s house today to play beanbags. Before we
started playing, I was shooting hoops with Tony’s son and step son,
both 10 years old. Tony’s son, Nick, is a total whiner. BITCH BITCH
BITCH! I know kids can be like that sometimes, but he is awful about
it. We played horse, and he just kept complaining and pouting. His step
brother, Dillon, was not like that at all, he was very laid back and
fun. But Nick, he kept running off the court and pouting, it was so
annoying. Later on, we played 2 on 2 (me and a 9 year old girl that
lives up the street) and Nick kept pouting about every little damn
thing. It was driving me nuts. And his dad hates when he acts like that
too, so its not like his dad is accepting of that sort of behavior. He
just needs to learn to be a better sport and stop whining. He needs to
be like his step brother.

As for beanbags,  at first, it was just Tony, Mark, John and I.
Mark and I were on the same team, and we started off badly, we were
down 11-0 (games go up to 21) but then we caught fire and wound up
winning. Next, it was Tony and I, and we won again. Then, Tony’s
neighbor, Tom, showed up. We started playing again, and it was Tony and
I against Mark and John. I was throwing against Mark and it wound up
being a very close game. The game was tied 20-20 when Mark and I were
about to throw. I said it was 20-20 like the newsmag show, and I said
“will I throw like myself, or like Diane Sawyer?” Lets just put it this
way, for most of the rest of the afternoon, they were calling me Diane.

After awhile, another neighbor, Vic, showed up with his 14 year old
son. I used to play basketball with Vic about 10 years ago at the rec
center. He is a very good guy, and very respectful, doesn’t talk much
trash. His son, on the other hand, is quite the yapper. He and I played
a game and won. He started shooting around on the court and started
calling me old timer and asking me if I wanted to play. I was in the
middle of a game of beanbags, but this kid kept right on talking. So, I
agreed to play, but I had to balance between the 2 games. He said we
would play up to 5. He was pretty quick, and good for 14. The whole
time, he jaws were flappin. Talking so much trash. I fell behind 3-2,
but knew I would win. After all, I had him right where I wanted him,
knowing he would underestimate me. Plus, I was still concentrating on
beanbags. Tony didn’t like the fact that I was doing both, in fact, he
tried booting me from the beanbags game. I tried telling the kid I had
to finish up my beanbags game, but he kept talking. So, I quickly
scored the next 3 points and shut him up, until he started playing
beanbags with us.

We also played some 2 on 2, it was me and Tom (Tony’s neighbor, he was
the dude that did my roof) against some dude named Eric and the kid. We
eventually lost, but the score keeping was so fucked up. The kid was
pretty damn aggressive and physical, he kept pushing and fouling me,
but I would just give it right back to him. Normally, I try not to be
too physical, but if somebody wants to get physical, I have no problem
dishing it right back out. I know it sounds bad, me being almost 30 and
he being 14, but not only was he only an inch or 2 shorter than me, he
was only about 10 pounds lighter, and if you are going to talk trash
and want to play, I sure as hell aint gonna go easy on you.

We also grilled some burgers, dogs and chicken breasts, it was all very
good. They had some grean beans and some other stuff that I can’t
remember. Tony’s pregnant wife, Harriet, did all the cooking and did a
damn fine job with it. It all turned out very good considering it was
all done on short notice. It was a great day, and I hope we have more
like this over this summer.

Well, Eddy Curry is going to miss the rest of the season (including
playoffs) for the Bulls due to his irregular heartbeat. This sucks, but
I hope Eddy is ok, there are just too many players that have heart
issues and then drop dead during a game or during practice, so I think
this is the right move for him.

We got into a discussion at work today about the driving age in other
states. I thought there was a state or 2 that allowed people to get a
license at 14 or 15, but I guess I might be wrong. This got me to
thinking Why is it that the drinking age is 21? I feel it should be 18.
People think I’m nuts when I say this, but hear me out. I feel there
are too many inconsistencies in the law. For example, the age to vote,
go to war, smoke, buy porn, play bingo and lotto, and stay out as late
as you want is 18. You are legally an adult. So, why can’t you legally
drink? It just doesn’t make sense, in terms of holding consistency with
the other laws. In Wisconsin (at least, it used to be like this) you
could gamble in a casino at 18 as long as there was no alcohol being
served. As an 18 year old you can die for our country, but can’t get
drunk the night before you die. I know people say its a responsibility
issue, but what can be more responsible then fighting for ones
country? I know people say that if 18 year olds could drink it would
make it easier for minors to drink. This is true, and that is why you
make tougher penalties for 18-21 year olds that give alcohol to minors
along with stiffer penalties for underage drinking. Now, this might not
be a important or very pressing issue, in fact, there are a million
other problems that can be solved before lowering the drinking age, but
I just another one of my fucked up opinions.

I don’t know if you faithful readers outside of IL have seen the
Menards commercials, but they are some of the goofiest ones on tv.
First of all, through the whole commercial, there is this guitar
playing what sounds like get-away music. Why in the world do they need
get-away music? Mind you, all they are showing is products and
sometimes a guy talking. Speaking of that guy, he is one creep
sonofabitch. First of all, he has big white poofy hair, like a football
helmet. He has this huge square jaw, so large you could serve dinner
off of it. And he has this creepy smile, that sorta says “I’m coming to
give you an anal probe.” Maybe they are playing the get-away music
because you are trying to get away from Anal Probe dude, or maybe the
Anal Probe dude is trying to get away from the police?

The Chicago Chocolate company was selling chocolate in our building
today. There was a hot dude working there and all the chocolate looked
and smelled very good. It was all a little pricey, and there was a lot
there, but they let me try samples of things.  They had peanut
butter chocolate maltballs which were very good. I also sampled this
dark chocolate peanut butter thing, which was VERY good and I
just  had to buy some. They had chocolate marshmellow squares and
chocolate covered Oreos, which ROCKED. I bought those too. We also had
free muffins and donuts and shit at work as well, so I had to have a
good ass blueberry muffin. I had a lot of crap today. It was all very
good, but not healthy at all. Hey, what can I say, I got my test
results back yesterday, my cholestrol and sugar level was all normal,
so I could indulge.

I work right next store to the Foundry in Aurora, which was called by
The Chicago Tribune as the best sports bar in the midwest. Its also
where we had our big farewell party at AAA. I hadn’t been there since.
I had an idea, that I could go there for lunch every now and then and
watch Cubs games. So, I did that today. I walked in, not knowing that
they now have OTB. This can be dangerous. The Cubs were getting their
asses kicked, so I quickly lost interest. I ordered my food and drifted
over to the OTB section. I haven’t bet the ponies in a couple of years,
so I needed a quick refresher. I placed $6 on a trifecta box for the
5th race at Aquaduct. I bet on horses 2,4, and 5, which would be a
decent payout if I won. I would have gotten it, but the 5th horse
finished 4th, but it was exciting, because he was in it for quite some
time before fading. Man, I want to go to the track, I have that itch.
Of course, being within walking distance of an OTB, I can occasionally
get a quick fix. Anywo, it was the only race I bet, because, then my
food game. I had a turkey sandwich and a bowl of cream of potato soup.
The sandwitch was good, but the soup ROCKED THE HOUSE! It had to be one
of the top 5 soups I have ever eaten, I highly recommend it if you are
ever in the area.

There is something seriously wrong with this country, read this story, then continue on.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=650484

For starters, our country asks so much of our brave men and woman in
uniform, yet we don’t take care of them. Routinely, and for years I
might add, our country has not given our soldiers their just due.
Vietnam vets were not taken care of when they got home. The same is
shaping up for our Iraq soldiers. Now, here is a man, a hero, who was
wounded in the war. Wants to go back, but they won’t let him, because
he is gay. In fact, he might be jailed because he is gay. This is a
disgusting outrage. It flat out makes me ashamed to be an American when
I read things like this. In a war we shouldn’t be in (thats a whole
different story) with a desperate need for troops, we discriminate and
take away the freedoms of our own, when those same very people are out
there fighting for the freedoms of another country. How can we even
justify this? First of all, gays should have the same rights. Secondly,
veterans should be well taken care of and should not have to worry
about their health or getting benefits, as is a common problem of those
injured in wars.  They should not have to come home and wonder if their
country, the very country they are fighting for, is going to take care
of them. I have a friend who is in the Air Force now and he used to be
in the Marines. I know he would never see this, but I hope he knows
that there are people back home that are thinking of him and all the
other people that defend our country. I hope he understands how proud
his friends are of him and how every time I read anything about the
military or the war, I think of him. And I just hope that Mr. Stout
can join him again.

As is the case every year the first week of the baseball season,
Comcast gives us free MLB extra innings, so that means a lot of
watching baseball all weekend long. This might sound weird, but it
really gets me in the mood for a road trip. I see these commericals for
places in other cities and it makes me want to go there, it just
reminds me of watching tv in a hotel room. And seeing all those clips
of other cities, it makes me crave a damn trip. I want to take a road
trip so bad, its been too long.

Of course, most of the baseball I watched was the Cubs. What an
exciting game today. Now, in watching a lot of sports, there is
something that has been going on for years now, that is really
annoying. The cell phone enabled fan. Sometimes, there are some combos
that are lethal, such as alcohol, a cell phone, and TV cameras. 
You know what I’m taking about. These people are in the stands, on
their cell phone waving at the camera. Its a damn annoying
embarrasment. Now, maybe I’m annoyed by it because I’m not a cell phone
guy. But, I have heard other cell phone people bitch about this too. Of
course, this is something that has been going on for years, dumbasses
in front of any camera making a jackass out of themselves. The worst
ones are on the news. The reporter is standing there talking about the
massive 10 car pile up that killed 16 people, including the local bingo
team and a class from a daycare center, and in the background, you’ve
got some loser jumping up and down, smiling and making faces like they
are stoned, which in most cases, they are. Now, with the advent of cell
phones, its even worse. At sporting events, you have them in the same
seat the whole game, and of course, people are calling them. Now, I
would find it really funny if somebody decided to call them just so
that they can see their friend make an ass out of themselves on tv.
That would be funny, almost like “Bill has had 8 beers, time to call
him and watch him make an ass out of himself on national tv.”
Unfortunetly, this is rarely the case. Most of the time, the jackass
calls somebody and shouts into the phone “I’m at the Astros game, can
you see me? Look I’ll wave. Whats that, you can see me? Wow, now I’ll
stand and jump. Who cares about the people that are behind me, or the
fact that I’m embarrassing my kids any any relatives watching at home,
I’m on tv.” When somebody goes to buy beer, they should take the cell
phone away from them if they are showing signs of intoxication. Or,
better yet, they should just take away cell phones when people are
going into the stadium and give them back after the game is over. They
would be doing people a favor, saving them the embarrassment of going
into work the next day and having co-workers say “Hey, boss, I saw you
at the game last night jumping up and down waving like some kind of
fool. I’m afraid I can’t work for you anymore, I no longer have any
respect for you.” I think people should be held accountable for
their  foolish behavior at events like this. “Honey, no sex
tonight, my parents saw you at the Hornets game looking like a drunken
imbecile, if it happens again, we are going to get divorced.” Or, even
better, they can be arrested for public embarrassment and as part of
their community service, they have to clean the stadium up after the
game, its the only way these people will learn. Ever notice that the
people they are with are sitting there pretending not to know them?
There is a reason for this, people, its because you look like a
jackass. And their kids…………their poor kids. If they don’t get
their asses kicked at school the next day, then they just might grow up
to do the same thing when they start going to games. Oh, what a
embarrassing, jackassing, vicious cycle it will become.

YAAAAYYYYY!!!! The Bulls are in the playoffs!!! For the first time
since the glory days, I will be watching basketball with great interest
in April and May. Now, if only they could get Eddy Curry
back………….

Tonight was another card game at Scott’s house. I was determined to
play different this time, to see where it gets me. I was going to bet
the same all night, and not protect my money. They say you should bet
the same way no matter if you have a lot of money or not. We had 8
people for both games. Each game was a $15 buy-in, plus an extra $5 and
for each person you take out, you get $5. Payouts were $75, $30, and
$15, 4th place gets a porn. I have a habit of winning the porn. I was
deathly determined NOT to get another damn fucking porn. I was going to
either walk out of there with money tonight, or nothing.  The
first game got underway about 9ish. It  actually went pretty
quick. I was the 3rd person out. I lost to a dude that had 3 eights.
This fucker was lucky with those damn eights. He took 2 other guys out
on seperate hands with eights in BOTH hands. Scott actually wound up
winning, which is odd, because he usually doesn’t win. The next game, I
started off blazing hot. In fact, about 20 minutes in, I took 2 dudes
out on one hand, I won it with  a straight. Not only did this make me the chip
leader, it also meant I got $10 for taking them out. Yay for me. I was
worried, though. It seems to happen every game we play. A person get a
big lead early, and eventually, they squander it all away, a lot of
times going home with nothing. I was going to try to play smarter, and
try to coast until at least 3rd place, so I could get my money back. I
kept getting the cards, and kept winning. And, since I had the money, I
was able to buy a couple of pots that I otherwise would not have been
able to do. It was a nice change, as opposed to being the person that
is down big. Eventually, I was able to take another person out, earning
another $5. We got it down to 4 people. I was no longer chip leader,
and was once again within porn territory. I was tempted to protect my
money, and did on a couple of hands, but for the most part, I played it
like I had been all night. I could see Scott and I were both down, but
I didn’t know who was worse off. He went all in a couple of times, and
won. He went all in again, and this time was not so lucky, losing. It
meant I could do no worse than 3rd place, which assured me of getting
my money back, which is what I wound up with. After all was said and
done, I went home only down $5, a productive night for me.

I was SUPPOSED to have plans tonight, but frustrating story short, they
fell through. So, I stood home and watched the Bulls game. Another win.
I have been watching basketball since I was 13, and I thought about
something today. The refs don’t wear shorts. Now, I have always known
this, but I was jus wondering, why don’t they wear shorts? After all,
they run up and down the court just like the players, shouldn’ they be
comfortable like the players?After all, I’m sure the get plenty hot and
sweaty. It would stand to reason, that they would feel better wearing
shorts. Instead, they are all hot and probably can’t concentrate as
much becaue of it. Maybe they are dehydrated and dizzy from all the
heat and that is why they miss calls sometimes. After all, they are
human too. I would hate to see one of them get overheated and pass out.
They are all in good shape, and with good reason, not only do they run
the floor all night, but with those pants on, they sweat a lot and
probably burn tons of calories. Will somebody, please think of the
refs? I know if it was me, I would be asking David Stern if I could
wear shorts, after all, why shouldn’t they be comfortable.

The Cubs……………well, lets just leave it at that.

I had one of those Uncle Ben’s rice bowls for lunch today. Those things
are so good, but not very filling. After all those times eating Uncle
Ben’s, I still can’t believe he and Aunt Jemima got divorced. I mean,
it seemed like such a happy marriage, a match made in heaven. Why would
he leave her for that whore Mrs. Buttersworth? Poor Aunt Jemima. I’m
glad she was able to recover and find true love with Cap’n Crunch. But,
how true can it honestly be? I think he only stays with her because he
knocked her up. This is 2 kids for this guy. First, Fruity Pebbles, and
now, he and Aunt Jemima get some jungle fever and out pops Cocoa
Pebbles. Besides, its fairly obvious to even the casual observer that
she has her eyes on that lovable Pillsbury Dough Boy. And then there
is that trampy Swiss Miss bitch. She runs around like Paris Hilton. She
even put out to the Jolly Green Giant, who isn’t as giant as everybody
thinks, if you know what I mean. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with
the fact that she sleeps around, I just don’t like her prissy attitude,
thinking because she is sweet and all that she can treat people like
shit. I mean, get over yourself! Its not like you are Sara Lee or
something like that. Speaking of Sara Lee, first the Kool Aid dude
drops dead, and then her next man, Duncan Hines, turns out to be gayer
than Boy fucking George. I mean, did he really have to run off with
Snap, Crackle AND Pop?  And all this while Betty Crocker is laid up in
the hospital with that massive heart attack brought on by her high
cholesterol. And where is her husband, Tony the Tiger in all of this?
Off boozin it up and gamblin’ with his low life friends, Lucky the
Leprechaun and Count Chocula! What a disgrace! What in the name of Tucan
Sam is going on here? They are going to wind up dead like Boo Berry or
in rehab like Frankenberry. Oh, the pain of it all!

As we sit on the eve of the Pope’s funeral, it got me to thinking. I
was raised Catholic. Well over 10 years ago, I threw off what is the
shackles of the Catholic faith. As many of you know, I’m agnostic, and
I have many issues with organized religion, none moreso than Catholic.
They are going to be selecting another pope soon. I hope, but I know
they won’t, make a good choice. The time is now for change. Religion is
not supposed to be about division and hate, its supposed to be about
bringing people together and love, and yet, it too many cases, it
creates many more problems than it should. For example, their whole
thoughts on gays. I have written about that many times before, so I
don’t see the need to go into it yet again. Instead, I will focus on an
even bigger travesty: the Catholic churches stance on woman. If I live
to be 100, I will not understand why females can’t be priests. If
somebody knows, please enlighten me. Although I don’t agree with their
stance on gays, I can understand it, because they claim the bible says
its wrong. But, woman priests? How can they justify that? And its not
only Catholics. My friend Danel is a hardcore Lutheran (what some
people
call Catholic lite) and not only do they not allow female pastors,
females can’t even give readings in church. All of this is disgraceful.
And it is shameful that some females not only put up with this, but
they keep coming back for more, like a drug user that keeps coming back
for more heroin. We should be outraged at the way religion divides,
yet,
we accept it as the only way. Well, there is another way. Don’t accept
it. Move away from organized religion. That is what I have done.
Although I feel it is the right way for me, I can’t say if it is the
right way for others. I don’t believe in the bible and do very much
doubt God’s existence. Yet, I can say that I feel I’m a better person
than those that practice to discriminate and divide and preach hate.
Think about how many wars have been fought in the name of religion? Too
many. And I heard this week, that people are trying to organize a gay
pride parade in Jerusalem, and because of this, it has brought together
a conference of religious leaders to find a way to stop this. Although
it is good that a variety of religions have been brought together, its
sad that it was to hold another group of people back. Its not
bad enough that it affects gays. It also helps to spread the seed of
hate to their followers and those that look up to them. How can these
so-called leaders look at themselves with good faith and honestly
believe they are doing the right thing? I for one, have had enough of
this. It needs to stop, but I know it never will. A good first step
would be to elect a pope that wants to bring people together as one.
John Paul was a great person, and did many great things, but, I find
his views on gays and females inexcusable, especially in a position of
influence. We are all the same.
Male, female, gay, straight, black, white, Jew, Asian, Muslim,
Buddhists, rich and poor and everybody else that I might have left out.
We all just want to live and be happy and go about our lives. I realize
its a losing battle. I realize things will never change. But, that
doesn’t mean we can’t try.

For a while I have mentioned a lot about bean bags, forgetting that not
all of you know what it is, so I have included a link so you can get an
idea of what it is. It goes by other names, such as cornhole, and other
names I can’t remember. Anywho, here it is:

http://www.windycitybags.com/

Well, I went to the doctor today for my physical. Turns out, I’m in
good health………….and that shall be confirmed further when I get
the results back from my blood test………..I hope I didn’t fail it,
I did not study at all. Man, corny jokes are so lame. The doctor asked
me if I did any drugs, and I said only steroids, which as you can tell,
are not working. He chuckled at this, but I think it might have been a
courtesy laugh. Is this what I have become? Courtesy laughs from the
man tugging at my balls? After he was done with me, he sent in the
nurse chick to draw blood and stick me with a tetnus shot. Note to
everybody, I don’t need another one for 10 years, so if anybody tries
to force feed me a tetnus shot within the next 10 years, please give
them a convincing beatdown. I also had to pee in a cup. I hate being in
a cup. Too much preasure, although I didn’t have a problem going this
time.

We had some sort of thing at work today, some sort of party for people
that passed some test thing. I’m hoping they will give me one when I
pass my blood test. See, again with the cheesy jokes. Anywho, first the
company said there would be “refreshments”. Next, they said “treats”.
Turns out, their idea of refresments and treats were cupcakes and a
meat and cheese platter. Good stuff, but I don’t know how refreshing it
was. It got me to thinking, though. In my daily time to think about
ways to improve the world, I came up with something that, in theory,
sounds nasty. The combining of chocolate and cheese. Now, keep in mind,
the best dessert on the planet, pound for pound, is Eli’s Chocolate
Chip Cheesecake. So, that being said, what other cheeses and chocolates
can we combine? Sure, it sounds nasty, but don’t you think the person
that came up with chocolate covered strawberries didn’t encounter some
sorta  gross feedback? Or, maybe even peanut butter and jelly. Of
course, I can be nuts, maybe somethings are better left not combined.
Nah, its my 2 favorite foods, so somebody get working on a tasty combo.