Yet another holiday approaches...

What a great holiday to end the year with. Completely religion-free so everyone can say Happy New Year without wincing.

So, I got Monday off!!!!!! Which was a big surprise on Friday afternoon.

Itinerary:
Fireworks at 6pm
Dinner
Drinking

Yeah, it just dawned on me that getting into a restaurant is going to be tough tonight. Oh well, it just adds to the excitement.

when in doubt, double down.

I slept 12 hours last night and it was fantastic... although I couldn't really tell though today. Work has been extremely boring this week. We have been getting a lot of slack for doing nothing even though there is basically nothing to do.

So for the record, Emilie visited. We've decided talking is better than silence and friendship is better than nothing. Not much gets accomplished by no communication whatsoever. Actually, I think a lot of wars have started that way. Assumptions are the mother of all evils (and fuck-ups).

Also in the news... Becky is visiting this weekend with her "friend" Mark who is a musician/magician. Yes, you heard me right.

Some friend of a friend's profile caught my attention with a Swingers' quote - so I couldn't resist:

"All right, all right I'll ask her. Miss, miss! Do you know where the high school girls hang out around here? What? What? That's right, I'm the asshole! I'm the asshole!"

3 days until 2006. I miss Summer.

So I went to the "4th worst house to fix a computer in" today.

Let's just say, the floor also doubled as the garbage... along with every other surface in the house.

I ended up just taking the computer back to the office to work on. I needed some fresh air.

I am SO tired. I am already in bed. I am going to try and read my new book, A Brief History of Time before falling asleep. By the way, the book is compliments of Emilie.

Emilie = kryptonite

So tonight on my way back from Boston, I stopped and saw my dad at work. They recently bought a new press to print the New York Daily News and the Metro (Boston). They now print 3 daily newspapers, all at 11:30pm each night. Apprently, it is a rarity.

His work is pretty cool. He is the Director of Operations at a newspaper. Huge rolls of paper - the size of a VW bug. Robots that grab paper and feed the press when it runs out. He recently bought another press to compliment the 5-story high press they currently own. It has been having problems.

He has been working 18-20 hours a day. He has been sleeping in his office. He recently rear-ended someone and his boss offered to pay for it. He was driving between his two offices in the middle of the night and hadn't been sleeping at all. He has decided to take full responsibilty for all these problems and has been really worried they won't be fixed soon. Apparently, at the very end of printing the paper, it is folded twice... and that's where the biggest problem is. Anyway, he joked around about committing suicide soon, which was not funny. He was also wearing this funky sweater, which worried me even more. But, in the end, he was glad I stopped by. Even with all the turmoil i have caused him these past few months, and with the incredible burden of making his $4 million dollar press work, he was in a great mood.

WOW, I think I skipped a day or two.

I am watching the west wing, waiting to go out.

"Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, 'Leave it to Beaver' trip back to the fifties."

Merry Christmas!!!

We are waiting for Jackson to get home so we can high-tail it to my aunt's house for Christmas, Part II. We decided it was no fun opening presents without him so we will wait until tonight.

Just sitting here, coughing and wheezing because I am sick!

Catch ya later, blog family.

Merry Christmas!!

It's in 45 minutes, but what the heck.

Here is what I've got to say about the subject:

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse."

Wrapping presents is exhausting. So very tired.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Better off Dead

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb): "Ah, come on! It's Christmas Eve! I could be home right now, drinking this *monster* eggnog my brother makes with lighter fluid. "

ho ho ho.

Amazon felt bad so they overnighted my package. The only thing is, I had it shipped to my office and I am not going to sit in my office all day on Christmas Eve. FUCK THEM. I am now 0/2 for online ordering this christmas. This is a four-alarm griswold family emergency.

I kind of like myspace more. People actually check it regularly, which is cool. And no, I dont have the Benz anymore JOSH. My 1985 banana yellow mercedes 380SE got sold back in 2000 because it was: 1) falling apart, 2) leaking gas, 3) burning oil and 4)overheating. My dad traded it in because he drove his then truck home from Auburn to Southbridge without any oil.

Oh, and Emilie: get a fricken oil change. It has been 2 years and 30,000 miles. Dust is not a good engine lubricant!!!

I have to spend all day Tuesday and Wednesday working in Boston. I have 9 boxes to bring with me and somehow park on Beacon St and lug them up to this law office. I'm not even sure they will fit in the truck.

Funny story which I am sure you will appreciate. Sophmore year of college, we took a liking to climbing out our window and partying on the ledge of our dorm in Southwest. One day we decided to sneak a keg upstairs and subsequently party outside on the ledge, drawing massive amount of attention to our room. Before we knew it, the director of the building has everyone from our room down in his office, yelling at us... as best he could. He told us how very "f'ing stupid" we were (exact quote... f'ing - HAHA) blah blah blah. The point is, the keg was just slightly out of view and since he never came into our room, we suprisingly got away with it. We were a breath away from a proper fuck.

And for one of the most bizarre stories of 2005:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9841877/

"Corpse mistaken as Halloween decoration"

This is Colleen sitting at her computer, cleverly titled

"colleen sitting at her computer".

Mother fucking AMAZON.COM is holding my Christmas presents for people HOSTAGE!!!!
I ordered a few days ago and they still haven't shipped. This means that they wont arrive for christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now i have to go to a mall. FUCKING MALL on CHRISTMAS EVE EVE!!!

Okay, tonight we had our holiday party for work. It went well. There were more people than I expected and more bonuses handed out than necessary with invariably lowered my bonus. Thank you, part-timers.

I think snowboarding would be fun to try. I hate skiing. Gravity kicks in too much. God this reminded me I have some work to do before bed. WHAT THE HELL.

I ordered nachos, fried pickles, burger, fries and 3 beers tonight. I could have had several more beers and some desert but I decided to be magnanimous. That is also my new favorite word. Too bad i can't pronounce it.

When I was in elementary school, i had to go to speech once a week. To this day, I am not sure why. I could talk just fine but they insisted I couldn't say "S" and "R" well enough. Also, they were concerned since I was 80% deaf in my right ear. Oh well, not like that's a problem. Of course, it is hard to explain to people that whispering into my right ear is a hopeless endeavor. Why is it hopeless, do you ask? Because I am fucking deaf in it! Were you not paying attention you ADHD prick?

I need to calm down. I am pissed about my bonus. It is right between butt-fucked and jelly of the month club.

best baby

A Jackson video - trying to stand for longer than 5 seconds.

http://jonparent.dyndns.org/100_0994.mov

"Sounds like big trouble. You're going to need plenty of legal advice before this thing is over. As your attorney, I advise you to rent a very fast car with no top. And you'll need the cocaine. Tape recorder for special messages. Acapulco shirts. Get the hell out of L.A. for at least 48 hours.

Are you ready for that? Checking into a Las Vegas hotel under a phony name with intent to commit capital fraud on a head full of acid? I sure hope so."

playlist

Another good song is: Tenacious D - Tribute

POTUS - Lump

ND - thank the lord for the night time

Today is the shortest day of the year. I HATE WINTER.

Some notable events for December 21:

-1620 Mayflower landed at Plymouth
-1909 first officially recognized middle schools opened
-1913 first crossword puzzle published
-1944 Horse racing banned until WWII ends
-1945 General Patton died
-1991 USSR collapsed
-1988 Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Scotland

digression from mediocrity

My posts have been a little flat lately. Flat as all hell.

Today I recieved a gift basket from a client. It was from Josh Simpson's office staff. They filled it with little snacks and a JS glass ornament. I recieved it early this morning since I got a call from them around 7:30AM. We can't get online. NO ONE can get online. I drove the 30 minutes to Shelburne only to leave with a gift basket. No sense of accomplishment. I could NOT fix the problem, only circumvent the problem. I returned later with associates and managed to fix it.

I was greeted by a client this morning dressed like a secret service agent. He had a suit, long jacket, flag pin, USSS tie holder, earpiece and police radio, a "seal of the president" flag flying proudly in his yard and a homemade ID badge. I didn't know how to react. I would have probably done the same thing by now if I had any chutzpah. Ok, I was just looking for a reason to use that word.

Things could be worse. My blog could be called "Living with Diabetes - It makes me short with my family".

So, what the fuck is wrong with everyone today? Just throwing that out there.

Family Guy corner:

How you uh, how you comin' on that novel you're working on? Huh?
Got a a big, uh, big stack of papers there?
Got a, got a nice litte story you're working on there?
Your big novel you've been working on for three years? Huh?
Got a, got a compelling protagonist? Yeah?
Got a obstacle for him to overcome? Huh?
Got a story brewing there?
Working on, working on that for quite some time? Huh?
Yeah, talking about that three years ago.
Been working on that the whole time?
Nice little narrative? Beginning, middle, and end?
Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends?
At the end your main character is richer from the experience?
Yeah?
Yeah!?

Intelligent Design

 

myspace

Seems to be coming along. I guess I had more friends out there than I thought. Amazingly Amanda added me to her friend list but refuses to email me back! wierdo.

I baked cookies tonight. Well, not so much *baked* but heated them up until they were cooked thoroughly. Seriously, does anyone cook anymore??

I rented bad santa and actually watched the whole thing. It holds the record for F bombs in a holiday movie. But they work so well!

I was in a pretty shitty mood today. Maybe because I spent 8 hours at one appt today or because I worked 10 hours, give or take, today. Or because I find out that next week I have to work in Boston two days in a row and will now need to stay out there. I have an appt to set up 3 new PCs, 8 hours a day for two days straight at this law firm on Beacon St. We would normally send two techs to speed things along but apparently that is not possible this time. WHAT THE HELL!!!

I did find out that Ebru dislikes unhappy people, especially if they work at bruggers. Also that she likes her office cave-like. Perhaps they will forget she is in there and not give her anything to do???

I did some christmas shopping tonight. I may need to double check and make sure I still have money in my checking account. I bought two books and some postcards. My christmas list is pretty modest this year:

-NEW BED
-condoms
-sex
-a crackin good yarn

new bad santa quote:

Kid: Santa!
Willie: Yeah.
Kid: You're bringing my present early?
Willie: No
Kid: But I never told you what I wanted.
Willie: I said I didn't bring it, dipshit.

right up there with...

A Christmas Story
Grinch
Frosty

"Bad Santa" with Billy Bob (mr. ex-angelina jolie but I am too fucking selfish and had sex with my therapist, what is wrong with him) Thorton.

New favorite quote:

"Why don't you wish in one hand, and shit in the other. See which one fills up first. "

c. 2004

 

the way the cookie crumbled today

I know this isn't exactly *last minute* yet, but I decided tonight to do some Christmas shopping. I was about a 5 seconds from going to the mall at 10am today but decided the fact the parking lot was already packed was a bad sign. It's bad enough having to shop but that many people just get in my fucking way. Plus I can't park that truck worth a damn.

So I am trying to spend about $20-30 for everyone I am buying presents for. I am so far doing alright. I need one more gift for my mom, my aunt Lorrie's gift, a few cards, wrapping paper and some misc. other small stuff. For everyone else, your gift is a lifetime subscription to my blog.

This is slowly becoming old news but Jackson had to go the hospital the other day. He hit his eye on something and needed stiches, five in all. Maybe now would be a good time for Becky to get health insurance? Or a job? Or a sugar daddy?!

I had to work this morning. However, I didn't go to bed until about 4:30am. Between absinthe, vodka, scotch and the beer at the tunnel bar, I am very surprised I managed to get to work. I did however, have to sleep the day away to make up for it. Right now, it feels more like noon than midnight.

Superman is on right now. How did this become a holiday movie? Because Ebru has him on the top of her christmas tree, perhaps??

Some more things on my Christmas wish list:
-$1,000,000
-platform bed (full)
-not having to go to church on xmas

ps. Apparently MySpace is full of my old friends. Well, actually, I can't find Kenney, Brian or Jarett on there... but Larissa and Debbie and Eron all have pages. As do Colleen and Sammy Needlz. I find MySpace has a lot of problems. The interface is really klunky and pages only work half the time. Oh well, maybe one day it will become a cyber-mecca.

jumping on the bandwagon

I guess I had to. I don't want to be left behind -

http://www.myspace.com/jonparent

even though MySpace SUCKS!!!

stats

I eeked by with the most billable hours this week. Go ME!

For the year, 2 out of the 3 of our top billable customers were mine!

Pretty, pretty, pretty good!

c. 2004

The end of an era of good TV...

John Spencer died this afternoon, of a heart attack of all things. He was 58.

How will West Wing survive without Leo??

Favorite quote:

"We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the hill." 

"Big Bird" and his Woodstock, CT woes...

Apparently "Big Bird" from Sesame Street lives in Woodstock, CT, where my parents now reside.

A body of a woman has been found in a shed behind his house.

Apparently an employee of his struck a jogger and killed her. Possibly raped her as well.

He lives right on the Woodstock/Southbridge, MA line. They are unsure which state the shed is actually in.

Full story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/13/AR2005121301945.html

If you haven't noticed

God has decided to punish us today. There is about an inch of ice covering every surface. Sure does make for a great commute, even if it is only 4 miles.

Holy testicle tuesday!

Johnny Cash didn't actually write Sunday Morning Coming Down.

It kind of puts a black mark next to the title of my blog. What the hell JC?

So, what else could I name it - if it came to that? How about something Beatles-related:

Strawberry Fields, A Day in the Life, Benefit of Mr. Kite, Fool on the Hill, Paperback Writer, Glass Onion.

Hell with it, I will keep the title for now.

In case you don't know where it's from:

"On a Sunday morning sidewalk,
I'm wishin' Lord that I was stoned.
'cause there is something in a Sunday,
that makes the body feel alone.
And there's nothing short of dying,
that's half as loney as the sound,
of the sleeping city sidewalk
and sunday morning coming down."

Oh, and another song on the hit parade:

The Ballad of John and Yoko.

It is a chronicle of their attempt to get married.

And how did Yoko introduce herself to John? She walked right up to him, did not say a word, and handed him a card. All it said was "Breathe".

Perhaps I should call it, Sympathy for the Devil?

"Oh, spot on, spot on."

The great Danny Vermin

"Dames are put on this earth to weaken us, drain our energy, laugh at us when they see us naked."

mastication

Chew on this.

Since Josh Simpson has been my client, I have met some interesting people. Tomorrow I have the opportunity to meet the guy who designed the lunar module for the Apollo moon landings!

I have also met his wife on several occasions, Col. Cady Coleman. She is an astronaut and has been in space twice. She has logged over 6 million miles in space!

More recently, I met the US Ambassador to Brunei at his house.

He has a piece of a space shuttle as a centerpiece for his dining room table. And an engine in his living room. It is a cool place.

I check the list:

Rubber tubing
gas
saw
gloves
cuffs
razor wire
hatchet
Gladys
and my mitts.

Mind-blowing facts

High Military Expenditure in Some Places - Global Issues

Before I forget, the first color photographs were developed around 1906. I can't believe that early! George Eastman, founder of Kodak, committed suicide.

Ok, back to military spending.

The US spends about $400+ billion (not including wars, Homeland security) on Military.

This equals approximately HALF of the money in the world spent on defense.

To put it another way: the US spends as much on defense as the rest of the world COMBINED.

We spent 6 times as much as #2, Russia.

I guess we are the only superpower left.

endless babble

It's 6:38pm. You can tell Tammie just came through the door because the drama arrived slightly before she did.

I had a OK/good/great/OK day.

I seem to be running out of pictures to post to my blog. Actually, I have several hundred more pictures but many include horses.

If you go to the CNN.com site tonight, there is a link on the right hand side for color depression-era pictures. I guess color photos were around as early as 1940. And knowing me, I will probably have to find the exact date.

Dear Boss,
I will be unable to make it into work today.
There is 12" of snow right outside my door!
I have enclosed proof to that regard.
Your honest employee,
Jon

 

Nigerian Love Triangle

Okay...

How come these Nigerian scam artists can fabricate a whole story but can't lie about where they are FROM?!

___________________________
Hello,
How are you doing? hope cool , well i hope we can start as friends then we can let our friendship grow,well am looking for one that can be there for me, one that can be my backbone , well my name is simmy , people think its odd , but really i so much value the name cos it was the name my parents who are of blessed memory ususally call me with , well i think for us to know
each other we have to chat one on one and maybe sit on a table and talk personally , well ilike ur pics but i look into ur heart cos beautyfades and the mind is intact , well before i forget am not in the states anymore , i left the usaafterthe death of my dad , i left with my mom cos she is nigerian , so i left with hear on getting to nigeria we got robbed and that wasthe end the last time is
aw her caring smile, well why am trying to tell you this is just to let you know that am looking for a guy that can make me feel hapy agin , well am a good christain and i am looking for one thats down to earth,well i think have said enought now , hope to get a mail from you soon , what do you do for a living?, what are u lookign for ina girl , what are ur likes and dislikes , whats the
sadest day in ur life , who is ur mentor , and what turns you on when down , what are ur hobbies, pls when you mail i want you to get back with answers ,
keep it Real and true,
stacy cares

She was right!

This blog is pretty cool:

http://theshapeofdays.com/

Kind of like your blog should be... "cool" without looking like you are trying to be cool.

Wait, you don't have a blog, do you?

You are all incredibly lucky

To be reading such a cool blog.

I have checked out other blogs and found they are not worth reading. A few reasons:
-spelling mistakes
-not updated regularly
-in a language you can't understand

I take pride that this blog is always published in 100% American English, the standard language throughout the world (isn't it)? You will, of course, never find me sympathizing with any Republican causes. I am in favor of woman's rights. Gay marriage. Teaching sex education in schools. I am in favor of a powerful, central government. I feel, to quote JFK, "Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."

People can't always lift themselves up on their own. People need more than just a few extra dollars in their pocket every week via tax cuts. They need a government where no one is left behind. Just take a look at New Orleans. Less than 10% of the city remains in terms of population. The entire city is completely devastated. It's been three months and people have yet to return and see what little of a life they have left. Thousands of people are going to be defaulting on their mortgages declaring bankruptcy. Many will kill themselves to escape this harsh reality. It doesn't have to be this way. It seems that the deficit can be exploded for anything but actually helping people. Since when did the US have a doctrine against human rights, especially one against their own citizens?

I don't know what it is like to have nothing. I pray that the will to live is enough motivation to hang on when it appears all hope is lost.

14 Days until Christmas

I guess it doesn't help when you wake up at 11, but this day went by incredibly fast.

I went grocery shopping with Tammie today. We managed to lose her purse for about half an hour. Somehow, we switched carriages in the middle of shopping and left her purse in the candy isle. I was dumbfounded it was still sitting there, waiting for us.

Kenney called from Florida. He asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to go but I obviously can't pick up and go like him. He dad owns a condo in Naples and is spending the week. Lucky bastard is going to have 80'F+ weather this week.

It's Teri Garr's birthday! Who is Teri Garr, you say? Maybe you should just try to figure it out on your own.

My transition from Sunday to Monday is always tough. I tend to be really wound up, thinking about the coming week and have a hard time falling asleep.

What a fricken boring post.

Last Widows of Veterans of America's Wars

Revolutionary War (1775-1783): died 1906

Civil War (1861-1865): died 2004

Tonight

I typed this long-ass post but it got erased so here is the abridged bersion:

Never made it downtown but managed to crash a party until basically thrown out.

Party is still raging.

In other news, Forbes Magazine richest FICTIONAL characters list came out. Guess who is number 6:

Scrooge McDuck!!

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/fictional/06.html?partner=msnedit

Other notables: Willy Wonka, Bruce Wayne, Ebenezer Scrooge, Monty Burns, Santa Claus.

MySpace.com message

Someone just emailed me this yesterday!!

"Hey Dude is your name Jonathan Parent?

I was wondering becasue I searched MY name and you came up. I already found another Jonathan Parent in Florida."

At HOME...

In Woodstock.

Helping my dad write a business plan for school. We are modeling it after a business plan he essentially wrote for his work during the past year. His company recently bought a new printing press and spent over a year working out all the details, having meetings, getting approvals, installing equipment, etc. We are simplifying it and changing the layout a bit.

Jackson is not home this weekend :-(. He is visiting with his dad.

My dad got his license un-suspended in Mass and CT yesterday. It cost $460. All because of a faulty FastLane transmitter!!!!!!

I had to put the computer back together. My sister took it apart installed a CD burner. She was impressed that it only took me 1 minute to fix it.

Listening to Johnny Cash... trying anyway. This computer sucks.

Apparently when my grandfather was younger, he used to slick his hair back and wear a lot of black - a la Johnny Cash!

Okay, heading back to Noho.....now.

Reality Distortion Field

"Reality distortion field (RDF) is both slang and computer industry jargon. The term was coined by Bud Tribble at Apple Computer in 1981 to describe company co-founder Steve Jobs's charisma and its effects on devoted Macintosh users and on others.

RDF is the idea that Jobs is able to convince people to believe almost anything with a skillful mix of charm and exaggeration. He is able to "sell" people on ideas that they know are against their better judgment or interests."

SNOW!!!

The snow SUCKED this morning.

It finally stopped and now maybe I can get lunch.

I only got stuck once!

CNN.com - Iran leader: Move Israel to Europe - Dec 8, 2005

CNN.com - Iran leader: Move Israel to Europe - Dec 8, 2005: "TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed doubt that the Holocaust occurred and suggested Israel be moved to Europe."

How do people like this rise to such important positions in the world?

In October, he also said Israel should be "wiped off the face of the Earth".

CBS News | Mass. Changes Hospital Contraception Rules

CBS News | Mass. Changes Hospital Contraception Rules: "Gov. Mitt Romney abandoned plans Thursday to exempt Roman Catholic and other private hospitals from a new law requiring them to dispense emergency contraception to rape victims."

So I am not really sure what I want with my life. I have overcome a few things recently which have opened the doors to any life I choose.

I have a good job, but I don't think of it as a career.

I am exceptionally bright, smart and witty.

I believe greatness is just a feeling of satisfaction. A mix between self-worth and accomplishment. For some people, it is their careers. For others it's their family. For many, it's both.

I have only recently grown to enjoy my family. It is amazing sometimes how long it takes for you to realize you've always had what you've always needed.

I' m starting to feel more and more isolated out here. My greatness probably does not lie within the boundries of Western Mass.

The best thing I can do for myself is be constantly aware of what really piques my interest. To not crawl back into some dreary black hole where my imagination and my ambitions can be shadowed.

Oh yeah, and then there is Emilie.

Good Quote (ii)

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
-Dale Carnegie

ps. this quote reminds me of the movie Dumbo.

Crow #1: Did you ever see an elephant fly?
Crow #2: Well, I've seen a horse fly.
Crow #3: Ah, I've seen a dragon fly.
Crow #4: Hee-hee. I've seen a house fly.

The "head crow" was named "Jim Crow" according to IMdb.com

I guess it kinda, sorta fits with the message of the movie. An elephant seperated from the other elephants and basically his whole circus society. But, come on. How racist can you be?!

And of course, some trivia:

"In December 1941, Time magazine planned to have Dumbo on its cover to commemorate its success, but it was dropped due to the attack on Pearl Harbor."

World's smallest MP3 player

mobiBLU Cube 1 GB MP3 Player (Blue) w/5 BONUS Music Downloads - Wal-Mart

Good Quote (i)

"For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal."
-JFK

December 7th

Oh yeah... Today is the 54th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

For 50 years this was the worst attack on American soil.

Hawaii was not even a state at the time, just a territory. It did not become a state until 1959 (with Alaska).

On December 8th, War was declared on Japan.

FDR proclaimed "we have nothing to fear but fear itself". He went on to serve three terms and part of a fourth. He was elected 4 times with polio. I guess it helped it was a secret.

FDR married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. What is her maiden name? Why, Roosevelt! She was FDR's cousin.

Truman drove himself to the White House after FDR's death.

He didn't know about the first nuclear weapons, "Little boy" and "Fat man", until after he was President.

Cell phone for dogs

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters: "'A company called PetsMobility has come out with PetCell, the first cell phone for dogs. The phone will allow users to call their dogs in case the dog gets away and also includes a GPS tracking device if the dog doesn't respond to the call. In addition, the PetCell will feature GeoFence, which will alert owners whenever their dogs wander outside a prescribed area. Will the PetCell actually prove useful to dog owners or is it just another cheap gimmick?' "

wack-a-do

I feel like I have been working a lot lately. I was always afraid if I put 110% into my job, I would lose control of things. I'd start to forget things or try to take on more than I can handle. I almost feel like that now, but it isn't out of control. They key is some degree of organization (which I still don't have).

I'm rediscovering the first season of the Sopranos. It's more of a comedy than anything. Very subtle. Good stuff.

So, Amanda decided to ask me for relationship advice today. It's amazing that it doesn't bother me. She is almost done school and can finally get the hell out of Burlington.

And by the way, this is all a by-product of progress.

Somehow I spent 25 dollars at walmart on nothing. Not good.

My mom is back on the Internet bandwagon, it appears:

"hi jon love you too. CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME HELP IN WHAT TO GET YOU FOR XMAS? I don't have a clue I've been shopping without your dad he's been working alot talk to you soon. LOVE MOM"

Birthdays

Walt Disney

1901 - 1966

hotrod manifesto

This kind of thing has only been said about infinity times before.

I have had 4 girlfriends in my life. I can't tell you exactly why I was drawn to any of them; it just happens. I don't recall ever actively looking for one. Love like to surprise us when we are not looking. More to the point, it likes to smack us in the face.

This "smack" is the beginning of something great. It is also a very big warning sign. "Proceed with caution." Everyone who has been in love knows that there is a signifigant chance it will not work out. In fact, before Emilie and I got serious, I wrote her an email stating just that. I said "I don't care if we break up down the road because now is perfect...". At the time, it seems like the thing to say. You want to believe it. You want to think you are stronger than everyone else.

Well, that was quite a bit of nonsensical rambling. I guess what I am trying to get at is that we do it - fall in love over and over and over - knowing it will hurt eventually. It does not make us masochists, it makes us human beings.

My first computer!!

Some key features:
no hard drive, modem or mouse
a floppy disk that could only hold about 20 emails worth of info
a printer that couldn't print graphics
384Kb RAM

We were lucky, our Tandy got upgraded to a whopping 20MB hard drive and 640Kb memory. It cost about $300 at the time.

In comparison, I found a 250GB, which is 1,000 times bigger, for $110.
No computer sold today will have less than 256MB of RAM or about 400 times more.

 

It's snowing

Well this is unexpected! 1-3 inches predicted. It's not going to be warn anytime in the near future. Perhaps spring.

"How I did it."

Turns out my boss left the keys in the car. I left for a little bit this afternoon. I might go downtown and grab a huge Mimmo's slice. I'm on a budget now - and it sucks hardcore.

I watched half of Raising Arizona. What a great movie. Reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite.... the music, the odd characters. And it is funny as hell. As you may have figured out from the last couple entries, I get too antsy during a movie and can't usually sit through the whole thing.

I-gor!

Frodrick!

How did you get down here?

Through the dumbwaiter. I heard the strangest music and just... followed it down. Call it a hunch!

Forecast is for "bad craziness".

So yesterday I only ate some pretzels, a cookie and some orange juice. I took a nap last night and woke up with an amazing headache.

I got some decent sleep last night. I decided, even though I wasn't hungry, I needed to eat a lot. Me and Kurt went out to breakfast (however we need to expand our horizons beyond "Bickfords" for breakfast).

My boss took the truck today. I hate feeling stuck at home. I have no money at the moment but I wish I could go downtown or something and walk around. It is nice to be surrounded by strangers, run into people you know, people watch, etc. Too bad I don't drink coffee. Coffee drinking are pefect cover for people watchers.

I am also a little nervous because Josh Simpson's electricity should be back on by now but I still can't get to his new server. I might have to go up there this weekend so everything is kosher for Monday.

Oh what else is going on... Kurt says I complain too much on here. I'll try to work on that.

I've been watching a lot of old-school Law and Order lately - from the first season. It is the bommmmb! It is the show I was addicted to before the West Wing.

I watched part of Where the Buffalo Roam. It is a freaky movie about Hunter S. Thompson. I didn't really like it or Fear and Loathing... but I enjoyed the books.

"As your ex-lawyer, I advise you to relax!"

up and down

This day keeps alternating between a good day and a bad day. Now it is about average. My first appt went well, but I had to miss lunch to go give Kurt rent money. I came to the office and was told I owed $60 in parking tickets/penalties. But, after some investigating, I only owed $20. I was upfront about the broken mirror on the truck but need to get it replaced. I have one more appt I get to relax.

more Jackson exploitation

 

update

I still feel awful. It almost feels like I have been poisoned. Ok that sounds stupid, but it is this slow, agonizing ache. Maybe it's just the onset of the flu.

So I only worked until 8pm tonight.

Everything is going great except except for this. I had 8ish billable hours today. A client finally came to grips with what he wanted for his long-term IT goals. The damn truck mirror is still broke, though.

Michelle was begging me to update my blog. Well, I am too tired to write anything remotely witty. Maybe tomorrow when I have been drinking

hooray!

Today I had my first big server install. My boss made my other boss come with me and help. At first I was incredibly offended but it turned out quite well. I may have a problem asking for help. Just one more realization I am coming to grips with.

I didn't get out of work until 10pm. But it was worth it!!!

On a sad note, I accidently crashed the truck into a wall today. The passenger side mirror didn't make it, unfortunately. I lucked out and nothing else got damaged.

Speaking of damaged goods, I feel awful again! My back is sore and everything just aches. I have only eaten a hamburger and 3 pieces of sushi today. Yesterday, I had a muffin and some spinach. Tonight, Josh Simpson kept me drowning in Dr. Peppers. All that sugar can't be good.

So, has anyone read the white house report on the Iraq war yet?? Many of the pages have these odd, motivational quotes at the bottom. It just doesn't read like something the National Security Council whips up as a plan of action... more like what a NSC intern whips up over the weekend.