Days 24-27: Time at Home

Day 24:

I spent my first night back in Farmington visiting my old school and some of my old houses.  Ultimately, Josh got done with some of his family obligations, and we went to the bar.  After finishing a couple of beers, we decided to watch some Scott Pilgrim back at my dad's place.  Unfortunately, booze makes me sleepy, so I didn't make it through the entire flick.  I'm just glad I didn't wake up with a markered penis on my face.

Day 25:

When I arrived in Iron Mountain my Grandpa wasn't home, so I took a long walk to my place of Zen.  Sometimes communing with nature has a unique way of putting me at ease.  Once I got back, I spent all day with Grandpa including helping him load up his trailer with firewood and filling up his furnace.  We also lit a big bonfire.  Mwahahaha!

Day 26:

Samantha read my fortune for the year.  Start at one o'clock and work your way around.  It looks like a promising 2011, after all!

Day 27:

This is my sister hiding from the camera.  We pretty much played Mario all day and goofed on the computer some.  Exciting stuff.  :)

Days 20-23: Short and Sweet

My winter holiday has started, and I'm planning on taking a little break from blogging.  However, I had a goal of posting one picture for evey day this year, so I will continue to post pics as time permits.

Day 20:

I took my sister's advice and came home for strawberry cheesecake.  It was dericious!  I also played a lot of cards with my step-mom and grandparents.  Grandma schooled pretty much every game except one.  The last game, was a landslide victory at rummy.  I swear she gets two jokers every hand.

Day 21:

This year, I actually took the time to make my presents aesthetically pleasing.  They're still missing bows, but I know my dad always has a stash.  I also cleaned my room and did some other random chores on this day.



Day 22:

Sarah took me out to a Blues game completely at random.  We lost, but I really enjoy watching all the action!  Hot dogs (NOM NOM NOM), beer, hockey....what's not to like?  Sarah was a lot of fun to hang out with.  I can't think of a better person for my roommate to date.

Day 23:

We hosted game night on Tuesday night.  Jason needed to get an oil change for his holiday travel, so I ended up doing a lot of the cooking.  The picture above features one of the dishes that I made.  I was worried that my kitchen incompetence would be at work here, but everyone seemed to really enjoy the food.  We followed up with the Family Guy Star Wars movies and a game of Acquire.  Acquire is Monopoly-esque, and I found it to be pretty fun.  I took a very close second place at the end of the game.

General update:

My dating situation continues to improve.  Jenny and I have been talking every night, and the more we do, the more I like her.  We re-scheduled her visit to St. Louis, and I may even visit her in Springfield if we're lucky.  It depends on whether I can secure some sleeping arrangements.  I also really want to see Zack and Sam while I'm there.  I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.  :)

Days 19 & 20 - Now what?

At the end of the work week, I look back and appreciate the opportunities I've had over the past couple of weeks.  I got to hang out with pretty girls, go to a Cake concert, get into the holiday spirit, and enjoy the fact that Asher is finally home. It's been a good few weeks!

Thursday was spent working, playing video games, and listening to Cake.  There are sooooo many songs that I don't know by heart, but I must learn them all.  Todays pic is actually a 105.7 pic from the concert.  I just wanted to share a good one of the concert.  Otherwise, you'd just get a pic of me at my computer with my headphones.  =/

Friday, this year's Christmas presents started rolling in!  I'm so excited about the hot wheels set I'm getting my nephew.  I remember when my brother and I used to build insane tracks out of a bunch of random kits that weren't even designed to go together.  I hope he likes it.  I spent a good chunk of Friday chatting Jenny up.  I still have hope that things will work themselves out.  I have pretty much given up hope on Mandy, though.  She seems to be avoiding me, which I have learned to be girl code for, "don't waste your time."  Maybe that's an inaccurate assessment, but that's how I interpret it.

My sister wins the sagely advice award this week with, "You're a man. A fault in intelligence is to be expected. Come home and eat away your sorrows in strawberry cheesecake. Mom made some earlier."  I need to find something really cool for my sister this year.  She is awesome.

Day 18 - Have your Cake and eat it too!

This picture amuses me because it captures almost every element of the concert (except the band).  Note the Mary Jane fog, the lights that didn't even raise for intermission, and the halo bar over my right shoulder.  Someone almost walked right in front of this picture, so I started to make a really funny face.  I almost wish the camera would have waited another second before going off.

Seeing Cake has been one of my childhood dreams, and I have an overwhelming sense of satisfaction from crossing that off of my bucket list.  Doing things like this makes me feel more goal-oriented.  I think my next big undertaking will be the space shuttle launch in April.  If I can get tickets and a good place to view it from, I should be happy.

Also, be sure to check out Cake's new album that is shipping out January 11, 2011.  It's going to rock.

Days 16 & 17 - Girl Troubles

It's pretty bad to find out that someone is not as into you as you are into them, but it's worse to get the "we should be friends" speech from someone you really like...or is it the other way around?  In any case, I got both of those talks. =/  Jenny's was handled very adult-like, and we're still cool even though I am disappointed in her decision.  She evaluates things the way that I used to, by assessing which path has the most obstacles and choosing the other.  I, on the other hand, have started to look at the potential in a relationship and choose that which has the most promise.

Mandy's words and actions are often inconsistent, but now I know where she stands and to some extent what she expects.  I think our conversation probably hurt our relationship some, but I'm hoping that things will go back to normal after a while.  I really need to develop patience in relationships, especially when the other party had a nasty breakup from a serious relationship.  I guess we'll see what happens.

I moped a bit the next day, but I rebounded surprisingly well.  That evening, my roommate and I went to a mutual friend's house for games and movies.  I got skunked every game, but I still managed to have some fun.

From these events I've realized a couple of things.  First, I haven't really dated in seven months or so (a good chunk of my illness).  All of that desire for companionship is rising to the surface, and it's hard to relax those feelings.  I need to give people a little more space and try to trust a bit more.  Maybe then I'll find an environment more conducive to landing a long term lady friend.  Lastly, I'm going to make a lot of mistakes until I get some more dates under my belt.  I need to get better at forgiving myself and moving on.  I hope that some of these girls will be patient with me as I grow in that department.

Wednesday....CAKE CONCERT!  Look for a badass update.  :)

Days 14 & 15 - The End of the Race

Saturday and Sunday were rather hectic with dates, visitors,etc.  Saturday, I was supposed to tour Ranken, but after a night of almost zero sleep I completely forgot about my appointment.  =/  I'm going to try to re-schedule for some time Thursday, I think.  Saturday, Shaun stopped by.  We played some fierce Rockband 3.  As it turns out, Shaun is pretty badass with a keytaur.  Even on pro-keys he did a good job. 

Later that evening, Mandy invited us out to a bar with some of her friends.  We played a few rounds of nine-hole (taught to me by my friend Kelley) and designed super hero costumes before setting out.  The bar turned out to have live entertainment (super loud) and a general lack of billiards or arcade games.  The only productive thing I really got out of the experience was negotiating a few days off for Mandy around New Year's Eve.  I'm unsure how this will impact my Goat House party plans as of yet...  The evening ended with everyone crashing at my place after driving home through a giant snowstorm.  Fun stuff.

Sunday was a lot calmer.  Shaun and I chilled at the house in the morning.  Mandy left early for work.  At this point, my eye infection had grown a little more irritating, so I started looking into optometrist availability.  (There is none on Sunday...)  Ultimately, I called in a favor with my friend Drew's dad and got an appointment for the first thing Monday.  This ultimately cancelled my work travel for the week.  Surprisingly enough, there were a number of positive outcomes from this.  First, I'll get to hang out with Mandy Monday night and watch Inception on blu-ray.  Second, I can actually use my Cake concert ticket for Wednesday!

On Sunday evening Jay, Steve, and Alex (Steve's wife) all grabbed some sushi with me.  Steve is not typically a raw fish eater, but he's coming around.  I stopped by Mandy's house on the way home with the sole intention of giving her a proper goodnight kiss.  I think it worked out rather well.  It wasn't long after that Jenny cancelled our plans to hang out next weekend, for which I am simultaneously relieved and disappointed.  Cancelling long-standing plans is one of my SUPER pet peeves, so she loses out big time.  I think this has probably concluded the competition for my affection.  Mandy is a great girl, and I'm looking forward to exploring the potential of our relationship.

Note: The second picture was taken at the door of a shop adjacent to the sushi restaurant.

Day 13 - Movie Night



Friday was date night with Mandy, and I hoped that it would help me gauge our social compatability a little better.  It was scheduled to be a quiet movie night, and everything pretty much went according to plan...for once.  We brewed up some tea and watched The Count of Monte Cristo, a bunch of episodes of The IT Crowd, and a few episodes of The Guild.

One of the exciting moments in dating someone is deciding when to go for physical contact.  Nothing racey, just a simple holding of hands, back rub, etc.  Up until now, it felt like Mandy and I had this invisible force field between us, but that finally came down.  I'm not really an expert on giving/receiving signals for this kind of stuff, so each time it happens, I'm pleasantly surprised.  I think that Mandy has potential as a girlfriend, but I'm just going to have to be patient and enjoy getting to know her before I have a definite answer.  This is probably a healthy attitude to have for any girl I end up dating.  In any case, I welcome the opportunity for growth in this area.

I pretty much forgot to take a picture today, but there was one on my phone.  Above is a pic of my cable...  I especially like the sub-titles.  Thanks Charter!

Day 12 - Homeward Bound

This week has been tough, and looking back, I'm pretty sure that lack of sleep was the main factor.  At long last, I have finally gotten back on my schedule!  I'm a creature of strict habits with regard to my sleep and diet.  =/

I thought for sure that I'd miss my flight this week and get stuck in Denver.  We were already delayed for the first leg of the trip by an hour, which had me FREAKING OUT.  That's what we get for taking the very last flight home...  Luckily, my friend Jason helped me through the A-List security line so that I would make it through in time.  I literally walked off of my first plane, across a hallway, and onto my second plane.  Talk about luck!

When I got home, I went to Mandy's house and met her mom.  Mandy and I just kinda talked and watched How to Train Your Dragon until about 3 am.  I don't know whether we were both tired or what, but I wasn't feeling the conversation.  We'll have a chance to redeem ourselves when she comes over today.

An observation about my social development....  I seem to have grown comfortable with the "get to know you" phase of relationships, but I'm not a great conversationalist for what comes after that.  I'm not really sure why, either.  It just doesn't come naturally to me.  I think that only practice can really help with that, so I'll try to make every topic count tonight.

The pic is from Buffalo Bill's Brew House in California.  It is a brewery, bar, and restaurant.  They have a fantastic red ale, and the nachos and BLT are substantial.  (Nachos pictured above...)

Day 11 - Thank God for Skype

I'd like to give a big shout out to Skype.  They make conversations with amazing ladies possible...and even boneheads like my buddy Asher.  I might be a little intoxicated at the moment, but I had a wonderful evening.  I spent a good chunk of it with my friends Toni Donovan and her fiancee. 

At work, we discovered that my friend Jason has never had mango before.  He mentioned it in one of our interviews, and the client jumped up and grabbed us a fruit tray or four off of the line!  Karthik was so hungry that he tried to eat the packaging and everything.  It was great!

Day X - Sleep Deprevation

I have been a Zed, the undead, a zombie for the past day or so.  I've learned that lack of sleep can completely destroy my sense of judgement and turn me into a complete control freak, which I do not particularly enjoy.  Luckily, I grade myself on a day-by-day basis, so tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a new day!

The pic was taken at a tavern where I had a "shitty day drink".  It helped put me in a better mood, and kept me from eating anyone's brain.

Day 9 - Return to California



The weather in California is infinitely superior to that of Missouri.  I love love love my sunny 60s.  The leaves are really beautiful, like fall is clinging on for as long as it can.  I spent a lot of time today processing the events of this weekend, and I've decided that I truly have no regrets.  I'm going to do my best not to over-think this and just have fun.  Things will develop on their own, or they won't.  I don't really think I can/should force an outcome here. 

Sorry this post isn't very exciting.  Flight delays in the Denver airport will do that.

Days 7&8 - A New Challenger Approaches



Days 7 and 8 are being combined because the shenanigans happened overnight, bleeding into day 8.  Day 7 was Saturday.  I had plans to meet my cousin Joe at the Tilted Kilt in St. Louis, but they fell through.  A friend of the family was murdered in my hometown, and Joe went back for the funeral.  That left me scratching my head as to what I should do.  It should be noted that at this juncture, I was still recovering from the blow of Mandy dating some other bloke.

The facebook vote suggested I go to a party in Rolla where beer pong would happen.  In total agreement, I packed an overnight bag and met up with my friends Kelley and Jenny.  We played some fierce beer pong.  I was the clutch man, taking two games into overtime when we would have lost otherwise.  We also played a lot of fun drinking card games.

Now, the next part requires you to know a little history.  I had a crush on Jenny for a looooong time back in college, but she was perpetually unavailable, as most girls are in Rolla.  I pretty much gave up hope of catching her interest, and we went our separate ways.

Next thing you know, Jenny pulls me into the bathroom, and we do some quality kissing...the kind you still feel once they're over.  I would later be propositioned by a ditsy blonde that I shot down.  I'm not a ho.  The rest of the night was relatively uneventful.

The next day, I returned home to learn that Mandy called it off with her ex, so now he's an ex for good.  I'm left with the choice of which I want to pursue.  Maybe dating will actually be useful for once and help me make an informed decision.  I typically hate dating, but it seems to be the most reasonable solution here.  I guess we'll see how it goes.  Adios for now!

Bonus Post: My Landlord's Name is Hitchcock!



I offer this bonus post as atonement for being really late on a couple of posts this week.  I shot this from my apartment while my friend Mandy was over.  Enjoy!

Days 5&6 - Back to the Basics

Day 5:

SJC Taken Over by War of the Worlds Aliens

Sorry I missed Thursday!  I travelled/worked most of the day, and I didn't get home until 1:00 AM Friday.  Bleh.  Looking back, this week has been stressful for two reasons.  First, I didn't know how this whole Mandy situation would work out.  I really like her, which is a vulnerability I'd rather not nurture without some assurance that it is reciprocated.  In any case, the second reason I've been stressed this week is because the first phase of my project is coming to an end.  All of the hard work we've done over the past few weeks is being compiled into a report (eight pages of bullet points on just my stuff) for the group to review next week.

I've learned that attitude can play a huge role in my workplace happiness.  This week, my goal has been to start every day in a positive frame of mind, and although it wasn't perfect, I did a pretty good job. My work was monotonous but not unbearable as it has been the past few weeks.  I even enjoyed a few meetings and felt like my relationships with my teammates was improving.  Overall, I would say that this strategy has proven very effective.

Day 6:



Spending Time with Mandy

As I said, I've been thinking a lot about whether I should invest in this potential Mandy relationship.  I thought I had been pretty clear about expressing my interest, but I hoped to cement that sometime after we went Christmas shopping tonight.  The mall trip was not very exciting, but then one of her friends invited both of us to a bar.  We set out, and I found out on the way that she just started seeing one of her exes.  I was too late...  However, I've decided that she is worth the fight, so I'm going to stick with it.

We went to the bar, had a great time drinking and playing pool, and I told her to dump the guy she is with for me.  She said that if it doesn't work out, I'll get my shot.  Based on our awesome chemistry, I really hope that it's soon.  She makes me feel all warm and mushy sometimes, and I like that.  Honestly, I am a little ill equipped to deal with these types of emotions.  It has been a long time since I genuinely liked someone enough to fight for them.  This may be a first, actually.  In any case, I'm trying to keep my enthusiasm down and prepare for the worst, but it's probably an effort in futility.  I have a serious crush going.

Sometimes it's hard for me to convince myself that I deserve someone great...  Well, I do.

Day 4 - Visiting Toni



There seems to be a trend where all of my friends are getting married, sometimes even to each other.  While I am a little jealous that they've found their special someone, I've also noticed an alarming trend of people distancing themselves from the rest of the world.  It almost seems like marriage comes at the cost of being able to form new relationships.  In any case, I think that Toni and Bryan will defy the odds and be very happy together.  They deserve it.  Best of luck to both of you!

Dating again has reminded me that I lack some basic skills, so I'm going to take some classes and pursue some of my interests a little further.  I have emailed a dance studio and guitar school to see if they offer any weekend lessons that I might be able to get in on.  If those fail, I'm going to start looking at cooking classes.  Although cooking would probably be the most beneficial skill set to me, I'd much rather do something less productive.

On a complete side note, I often wonder what my ex-girlfriend V is doing these days.  I really liked her but didn't know how to make long distance relationships work at the time.  *sigh*  I hope that she's doing well, wherever she is.

Day 3 - Family Dinner

Today was a grueling day at work.  We had non-stop meetings with people that droned on forever about all the paperwork they have to fill out for their jobs, what problems they experience with their current tools, etc.  I did, however get to talk to some QA folks that had interesting stories about the quality of the food they purchase.  For legal reasons, I can't repeat them here, but I can say that I'll never look at salad kits the same way.

We finished up the day with a big dinner at a quality Italian restaurant.  The Cajun Chicken Fettucini was outstanding!  A member of our client's team, joined us and brought his baby son, John Franklin.  Needless to say, John Franklin stole the show.  Well, I'm running late for work.  More to come later, perhaps.