frissonic

Sorry about your pets. Bio, how old is your dog? That sounds sadly like old age creeping up ...

lumpy pillows. that is all.

Wow. I didn't realize there are parts of the country where high-speed isn't an option. I guess it makes sense, but still ... dial-up?! He might as well hitch up the horse and buggy and take a fattened pig to the local town hall to pay property taxes. ;)

Trust me--I'm already toying with geotagging apps and my camera settings, and we're brining my wife's lappy to store/upload stuff to flickr on a hopefully daily basis. The only part where it'll probably be a problem is at my dad's house in Buffalo. He doesn't have wi-fi (right ... like this is the 90s or something!), and I honestly think he's still on dial-up.

Yah, I'm pretty stoked. Extremely jazzed for this year. Lots of major fun coming down the pike. In May, we're going to St. George Utah to see an annular eclipse. In July and August, we're road tripping from SLC to Buffalo and back in about 3 weeks. Stopping in denver, KC, St. Louis, Indy, Buffalo (for a week), Cleveland, Chicago, Twin Cities area (hopefully), Mt. Rushmore/Crazy Horse/Black Hills, Yellowstone, and then home. Yah. It's going to be sweet. Thanks man! I don't know ... I know so many people who have dreaded turning 40. I just can't wait! Not that my 30s were bad. THey were great, for the most part. But 40 ... it just seems fun, ya know? I have my ###### together, an awesome fam, great kids, incredible wife, actuallly managed to stay employed for over a year (yay no layoffs!), two well-running vehicles, a good home ... what the hell do I have to complain about?!

This is my last Friday of my 30s. Next week, I hit the big 4-0. I'm so freakin' excited. I've never been so pumped for a birthday. And no--I have no explanation. I just am. So yah. Happy pre-frickin'-birthday to me!

this friggin' building i work in is apparently made of lead. it kills my cell signal about 5 feet in, and i get precisely squat. no pre-game talk show eavesdropping, no nothing. it's really pissing me off.

nerdy though that may be, it's pretty damn awesome to be done with college in its entirety by the time many college kids FINALLY settle on an actual major. @DtM, what did you graduate in? and are you working in that field?

This isn't a complaint so much as an antecdotal story about my daughter and her excellent sense of timing Yesterday afternoon, I left work to go home and swap vehicles with my wife so I could take the van to Home Depot. We want to put in some new baseboards in our upstairs bedroom before moving back into it (after the leaky ceiling debacle at the end of November), so I was going to pick up a contractor pack. My wife also was supposed to take our daughters to dance class. Half way to HD, my wife calls and says that my 6 year old is complaining of a sore tummy. I told her I would meet her in the grocery store parking lot (since they had already left too), and pick up my daughter. After picking her up, I asked her, "Honey, how do you feel? Are you okay?" Her response? "Yah! I get to spend time with my daddy!" Always heart-warming. Anyway, based upon that, I decide to try HD for the baseboards. As I'm holding the baseboards in hand, my daughter says, "Daddy, I don't feel well. Can we go home?" "Honey, we're going home right now. Let's get a cart and wheel these to the register so we can pay." "Okay, daddy." Got the cart, loaded 120 linear feet of baseboards on the cart, got to the register, paid, and got out to the van. "Honey, go get in your seat. I'll load these in and we'll go." "But daddy, I don't feel well!!" "I know, sweetie. We're going home RIGHT now!!" "But daddy ..." "Please just get in your car seat! We're almost ready to go!" She got in her car seat, crying the whole time about not being home ... and then she threw up. All over the new baseboards. Not just a little. We're talking Damian-style throw-up. It just didn't stop. I was able to help get her out of the van for most of the rest, and thankfully, we had a roll of paper towels in the van, so I mopped up her hair, face and clothes as best I could, then wiped down the boards some, then raced home. When we got home, she threw up a little more, crawled into bed, and passed out just after 6 pm. If I have any complaint out of all of that, it's that my poor kid is sick. I *hate* watching my kids suffer and not be themselves, especially when they're puking cuz I know they're just miserable as hell. I don't like the fact that my not-even-out-of-the-parking-lot floorboards may very well be ruined (though I highly dobut it), but really, they only cost $60. I can replace those. I can't replace the time that my daughter is sick. She can't play. She can barely sit up to draw or color like she loves to do. She can't do much of anything other than just lie around and be sick. That hurts more than anything.

you, sir, are my freakin' HERO! i turn 40 in about 3 weeks, and i'm still pushing 3 bills. i've committed to losing weight and being more active, but i never dreamed of dropping to THAT. i don't think it's physically possible for me--to much bone mass. i'd be happy with where i was in college, which was a solid 220. man ... thanks for posting this. i'm printing this and putting it on my inspirational wall.

my complaint: it is not july!!! this is not weather-related. it's time-related. our road trip to WNY starts july 21, and i'm already planning where to stay, KOAs, looking at quality tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses, tourist interests on or generally close to the 70 and 90, things to do in WNY ... i already know one day will be eaten up by taking a road trip to pittsburgh. my boss has lanyards from every major league baseball team EXCEPT the pirates. i will be filling that void for him since he's being ridiculously cool about this 3-week vacation. yah ... it's not much of a complaint, but it's 2012. 2011 is over and in my rear view mirror, and i'm not looking back. i really don't have much to complain about.

good point about the long haul. if you two think you're ready for that step, it would definitely get her out of the roommate-from-hell situation. as one who's been married for 11+ years, i'm all about the long-term commitment. good on ya for taking the step man! dating was fun. i seriously loved it. but settling on one person ... making them the priority and knowing they've made you their priority ... nothing beats it. i know there are some on here who haven't been as fortunate in their marital sojourns, and to that end, i truly am sorry. i guess i just got super lucky. angelic doesn't even come close to describing my wife. she puts up with all my crap day in and day out, yet she still sees past that and finds the good in me. that is ... it's indescribable. anyway, sorry for the rant. should've saved that for tomorrow, eh? :)

as nerdy as this may sound, i will swear by it: rub peppermint oil on your chest. it clears that stuff right out and helps you breathe a lot easier. i've used it the last two times i've had a cough like that, and sho' 'nuff, cleared out the nasty nice and fast like.

is the lease in your GF's name? if so, i would kick the roommate to the curb right speedily. obviously she has some self-esteem issues, and getting thrown out of her apartment probably won't help, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. if she can't keep her fingers off of other peoples' food or belongings, then something's gotta change. i'm sorry man. sounds like a nasty situation she's in.

wow. that actually gave me the shivers. thanks for sharing this.

what ... the black leather body suit didn't help break your concentration on the insightful lyrics and catchy, interesting chords?

easily one of my favorites of all time ... and the CD hasn't even dropped yet. i caught them out here last summer. when they played it, my brother and i were singing along word for word at the top of our lungs. EVERYone around us was looking at us like we were out of our minds, but we didn't care. when it was over, one guy came up to us and said, "holy **it. HOW the hell did you know ever word to that song?! they haven't even released the new CD yet!" we told him it was on itunes for a dollar, and he went ballistic. THEN we told him that that's the "b" track to the actual single (caravan). he almost started dry-humping the row of chairs in front of us. it was ... creepy.

no way. seriously?! that's funny. we seriously went paint shopping last night and got all the stuff--paint, rollers, trays, corner and ceiling edgers, pour spouts, drop cloths ... should be fun. except i'm bone-weary tired. it's actually more tiring trying to look busy at work than it is to actually *be* busy. problem is that my project wrapped up last week, and my boss is on vacation this week, so he can't dole out any work, and everyone i asked if they needed help said that they were in the same boat--no work, no boss. so finally i just said, "screw it" and messed around on google maps and youtube.

you know, i think i'll just repaint my bedroom tonight. we've been talking about it for weeks. no time like the present. already have the paint and supplies ... just need to do it.

but it's a road game so it has less chance of sucking. :thumbsup: the beauty of next week is that i have a 3 day work week. THAT is awesome. :)

A. Happy last work day of the year. B. Happy new year. C. Leaving work at noon to take the fam to (FINALLY) see the new muppet movie. D. Mentioned by SwampD in the "Complaint Thursday" thread, Pomplamoose frickin' rocks. Ignore her "Steven Segal" one-look pony or whatever. Her vocals are smouldering. and DAMN she's hot! Not to mention that they're just a fun, fun band. DAH! Almost forgot the big E! E. Planning a 3-week road trip to WNY! Leaving July 22, getting back to Utah August 12. Could not be any more excited for this trip. We're taking the 70 there and the 90 on the way back. Lots of stops along the way, but no more than 5-6 days on the road each way.

rush gets snubbed a lot. and it's tragic--especially considering the sheer volume of quality music they've made. even their two newest singles are amazing. and they're quickly approaching 60. the great thing about them is that they just don't care. hall of fame, no hall of fame, recognition ... whatever. they make music cuz they like doing it. seriously, if you haven't heard BU2B yet, you *have* to check it out. it's out of this world amazing.

ooh. good call. love is indeed a battlefield.

hmm ... i sense an idea here.

maria brink of "in this moment' is good. she has an incredible dynamic range ... not so much octave range, but she can belt it or croon it.