The Locked Thing.

Many have noticed that there are a couple of “locked” entries on my blog. I have received e-mails asking what these entries are and the reason that they can’t see them. So here’s the deal.

While I don’t track statistics all that much, I know that there are many, many readers of my blog and for the most part my blog is PG rated. I might drop a few f-bombs here and there but usually I talk about everyday observations of a myriad of topics in a candid, conversational way. It is something that I enjoy doing and in a way it allows me to process random thoughts that are zinging about my head. However, once in a while I feel the need to write about more controversial topics (read “sex”). Always cognizant of my surroundings (in this case, a general idea of who is reading the blog), I find myself without an outlet for some of my seedier discussions. Hence, the locked blog entries. They allow me to write about things I have seen, thought about or experienced over the years AND have some sort of control as to who is reading the content of these entries. I’m not ashamed of what I write in these blog entries in any way, but I’m not ready to discuss the contents of them at the next family reunion or over the water cooler at work.

If you’re interested in the content of the locked entries, drop me an e-mail and we’ll chat a bit and I’ll get you set up for access.

Wet.

This morning the camper dealership called to let us know that the camper was ready for pickup. It’s pumped and primed and ready for camping season, which usually starts Memorial Day weekend in these parts. Eager to get the camper and Jeep back into our hands, I decided to walk to the dealership. Yesterday’s walk was quite enjoyable; I was sure the reverse direction would be equally as fun.

Mother Nature likes to play games. As I made my way up the driveway I noticed that it was quite chilly but the sun was peeking out here and there behind the clouds. It had been raining earlier, but it appeared to have stopped for a while. A brisk walk would help keep the chill under control.

I had walked about a mile (out of 2 1/2) when Mother Nature decided that the butter was really Chiffon and therefore she decided to pull a whammy: lots of wind and a downpour. Since I was nearly halfway between home and my intended destination and had little choice but to get wet.

And wet I got.

Luckily, there’s a shopping plaza along the walk so I was able to stop and dry off for a bit. Soaked to the skin, I watched the rain fall and subsequently stop. The sun peeked out once again.

After a few moments I resumed my walk, leaving the safety of the plaza’s roof behind. That’s when Mother Nature decided to wave her hands again and introduce round two of her little hissy fit.

Undeterred, I continued the walk to the camper dealership, very wet and very irritable. The man at the counter barked the amount due at me, I wrote him a soggy check and off I went. Naturally, it stopped raining once I hopped into the Jeep.

Walking In The Rain.

So as I wait for the results of yesterday’s job interview I sit at home doing the waiting game thing. I briefly thought about immersing myself into soap operas but then decided against it; the last time I watched a soap opera, Iris1 was trying to break up Mac and Rachel on one channel and Luke and Laura were on an island on another.

It’s been a while.

Speaking of soap operas, I remember Grandma Country absolutely loving “The Edge of Night”. Mom was a fan of “Another World”. My sister loved “General Hospital”. I always waited for the 4:00 shows – “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bewitched”.

Anyways, I decided to work on a few projects instead. One of them was getting the camper ready for our upcoming camping trips. I opened it up a couple of weeks ago, but it needed it’s vehicle inspection and some other maintenance type things done to it so I took it down to the place where we bought it. It’s 2 1/2 miles from the house. Since I had to leave the Jeep as well, I just walked home. I took a shot of River Road, our main street, as I was walking back.


Flickr Link.

The exercise did me some good. It was sprinkling a bit as I walked home but I didn’t really mind. I thoughtfully brought my raincoat along so I hardly got wet.

As I was walking along I took notice of the flowers popping up here and there and of the progress of the new Dunkin’ Donuts on a nearby corner. There is no sign indicating that it’s a Dunkin’ Donuts but you can just tell what it’s going to be by the look of the building. The orange drive thru canopy is a dead giveaway. I was hoping for Tim Horton’s to venture into this neck of the woods but no such luck.

After the walk in the rain I did a few chores around the house and made a couple of DJ SuperCub mixes for the bar. They play my CDs on nights without a DJ. Perhaps I should cheat and play CDs the night I am the DJ.

Last night was my first night at Physics II. There’s only 10 students in the class. Summer courses feel so laid back, even though we’re moving through the material at twice the speed. The professor looks old enough to have invented physics, but he knows his stuff, seems to be young at heart and makes it easy to understand. I think I’m going to enjoy the class.

1 The actress that played Iris on “Another World”, Beverlee McKinsey, passed away earlier this month. She was 73 years old.

Lap Cat.

After all these years someone still needs to sit on my lap whilst I work on the computer.

Lap Cat.Flickr Link.

Job Ready.

Dressed Up For a Job Interview today.

So today I had a job interview. It was actually an interview to be a student assistant/engineering intern for the summer with the Department of Transportation. I had given up hope that the opportunity would come along, but apparently I was a little premature in that line of thought.

I feel like the interview went well. I was surprisingly relaxed during the discussion which lasted much longer than I had originally anticipated. I think that’s a good sign. I’m more excited than ever about the new career path that lies ahead. I am ready for the next big challenge. I’ll find out at the end of this or beginning of next week if I made the grade.

And yes, my tie was straight when I went into the interview.

Decompression.

Here it is Monday afternoon already. Many people have a hard time getting going on Mondays and I am among those people.

This past weekend was about relaxing. Earl and I had many different activities to choose from: we were suppose to go to New York for GB:NYC5, we were suppose to go to Albany for Bear Night, there were other places we could have gone. Instead we stayed close to home, worked on the house a little bit and played with our new Wii. Earl had wanted a Wii for a long time and this past week was the first time they were available in this area. So now we have another gadget in the entertainment center in the Great Room. I already like it more than our old Xbox 360. I think the spirit of the games are more lighthearted and that’s what I’m looking for when I’m relaxing. Once we figure out our Wii number we’ll share it.

We also saw “Iron Man”. I wasn’t familiar with this particular superhero but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I followed what I had read on the internet and we stayed through the credits until the very end of the movie. I think we’ll do that from now on because this is another in a growing handful of movies that had some interesting tidbits at the end. Robert Downey Jr makes a delightful superhero and I even enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. That Stan Lee has the whole superhero thing down pat.

This morning I worked myself out of a temp job by completing a two day project in four hours. All the numbers balanced at the end of my data entry so I know I was accurate. I’d rather get the job done at my own pace rather than stall and work slowly just so I can get a bigger paycheck. At least I’ll get a glowing recommendation for my new job interview.

Earl has business meetings tonight so I’ll be on my own for supper and amusing myself for the next couple of hours. I’ve been working in the basement on various projects; perhaps I’ll head out somewhere for supper and write a blog entry in public.

Happiness Is.

… coming home from a Friday night DJ gig (with a lackluster crowd attendance) and finding a take away box full of a cheeseburger and fries from Denny’s sitting on the kitchen counter awaiting your arrival.

 

On The Air.

I went on a rather lengthy road trip today. As I explored various towns scattered far and wide, I opted to listen to podcasts on from my iPod. Most of these podcasts are technology driven however there are some that are not. All are enjoyable.

I don’t know if I’m getting older or if the times, they are a changin’, but I find listening to music and podcasts that I have selected to be considerably more enjoyable to anything that commercial radio has to offer these days. I tried listening to a Top 40 radio station and found it to be very repetitive and loaded with badly produced advertisements. I switched to a country station and it made my head hurt and it was loaded with poorly produced advertisements.

I hate ads. I hate bad commercials even more. With today’s technology you’d think that the ads would sound better than ever, but no, they sound bad: the voice is bad, the message is mediocre and the grammar is worse than mine.

Maybe I’m a little more critical than most because I used to write and produce commercials for a living.

Nevertheless, I believe that everyone should go out and buy something that resembles and iPod. Yes, the iPod is the cream of the crop as far as MP3 players go, but if you want a Zune, buy a Zune. If you want something else, buy something else. Just make sure you can load it with the the music that you have selected and crank up the tunes on your next road trip.

It’s wicked fun.

Long Time.

I desperately need a haircut. It’s been a long time since I’ve uttered those words and it’s been longer since it’s been true. Nevertheless, it’s a fact.

I need a haircut.