Homeowner!

Hi folks!  It's been a while since I blogged, so I thought I'd catch everyone up.  I just bought a new house on September 30th, and I'm still living out of boxes.  Luckily, the internet is installed now, and I can get back to business as usual to some degree.  I really enjoy owning a house.  There's always something to do, and now I have a chance to work with my hands like never before.

The other nice aspect is that my girlfriend moved in.  I honestly expected it to be more of a transition than it was, but things are going very smoothly.  Plus, it's nice to have someone to cook for me here and there.  My cooking is pretty crappy.  My neighbor on one side is a retired meat cutter and handyman that was really good friends with the previous owner.  He has been very helpful with getting acclimated to the neighborhood.  On two sides of the house, I have an empty field that occasionally contains show horses.  They pretty much keep to themselves, though.  In the back, I have a jungle.

I am co-authoring a new blog called Nerdy Homeowners.  There, we are planning to share our experiences with basic home maintenance and other projects.  I've been dreaming about this for years!  Life is so exciting right now (but also busy).  I'll keep you updated as things unfold.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good:
I've been running into cute girls here and there.  The other day I met a girl named Cindy at Cicero's.  She was the hostess and helped save me from a crazy homeless man that had been following me for a while.  I was ordering carry-out.  After handing me my food, we had a pretty good chat about our experiences in the loop (that part of town) and various other things.  I was to chicken to get her number though.  Maybe next time.

I've actually been home long enough to go grocery shopping.  It's been aaaaages since I last went, and it felt good to make my own food for a change.  This time at home has reminded me that there's a lot of neat things for me to do when I'm actually in town.  Now I just need to make sure I'm capitalizing on those opportunities.

The Bad:
My medical situation is still going on.  I feel like I've been running the longest marathon ever, and sometimes it really wears on me.  Seeing goathouse a few weekends ago helped me snap out of it some, but there's no resolution in sight as far as I can tell.

I feel like nothing I do matters, and thus I don't really care about anything.  The only thing I'm invested in are my friends, and everything else is pointless.  Survival really does seem to be the only higher purpose in life.  Sometimes I think of everything as a giant game of evolution, like we used to play in Res Life.  =/

The Ugly:
Pugs - Why does that breed of dog exist?

Day ??? - No Time

I sense a growing discontent with things, and I'm not sure why.  I thought I wanted companionship, so I sought and found companions.  This has not really improved things so much as made for some drama-filled experiences.  I have also experimented with indulgence.  I got wasted this weekend with friends and partied to my limit, but it brought me no lasting peace.  Perhaps pouring myself into my job will help things.  Ha!  Nope, that never works.

Regardless of what I do, there is an emptiness that I cannot seem to fill.  Additionally, I have found myself contemplating my mortality more than usual.  Nothing good ever comes of this, but it seems that I cannot avoid it forever.  We will all be dust in the blink of an eye, and we will never be here again.  There is nothing after this, and I find no solace in the fairy tales we tell ourselves to sleep better at night.

In spite of all of this, I continue my quest for happiness.  I think that, perhaps, the only real point in life is survival.  The rest is immaterial.  The question remains, "where do I devote my time and efforts?"  Do I give up everything for a fresh start, or do I just focus on one or more areas of my life in the hopes that they prove a worthy distraction?

Days 9-12: Jet Lag

Days 9-10

 

Days 9 and 10 were huge travel days (Thursday and Friday). My first flight from SFO got delayed due to a mechanical failure, so I had to spend the night in Denver. This sounds great until you realize that there's a blizzard and you're getting in at 9-10 PM. On the bright side, I was in Denver! It's an amazing city, especially in the summer. Lots of good eats and nice people. The hotel was very comfortable - best bed I have ever slept on for sure.

 

Day 10.5

 I didn't really plan to go out Friday night, but Jon managed to talk me into it. We went to the Urban Chestnut, a new brewery that a mutual friend works at. They have a number of tasty beers, but my favorite is "Myth". It's an exceptionally smooth and flavorful dark beer. I could drink it all day! Anywhoo, Jon and I played every game we could think of in the bar. We played cards (which he killed me at), chess (which I killed him at), and darts (which we broke about even at).


Eventually, his friend Chris showed up and offered to bring a couple of girls over to his place if we wanted to party. Of course, we accepted the invitation. By the time we got to Jon's it was already really late, and I was tired. Finally, Chris arrives with one really pretty girl (which he has dibs on) and this other girl. My interest wasn't really peaked, so I decided to bail and get some sleep for a change. :) It was definitely the best decision I made that night.

Day 11-12

 

Saturday was filled with bar hopping and watching The Wizard of Oz to the tune of The Dark Side of the Moon.  Thanks for all the crazy times, Pink Floyd!  Of note - we checked out the Twisted Olive.  I've been fascinated by it ever since I first laid eyes on it.  This has to be the most inaccesible bar I've ever seen.  Go up the hidden stairwell three flights, walk across the upper catwalk, and you will find the door to the Twisted Olive.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very smokey and loud bar.  It was very small with an older demographic.  We decided not to stay.  The evening concluded with watching Hot Fuzz.  I suppose it was for the greater good.  ;)

Sunday was filled with eating, sleeping and gaming.  You know, the usual.  Hope you enjoyed this week's installment of my crazy life.  Cheers!

Days 7-8: Celebrations

Apologies for not posting more pictures.  I left the cord that hooks my phone up to my computer at home.  The picture above is from a triple work birthday party on Tuesday.  As a gag gift, my boss got this co-worker a sash and fake mustache (he didn't have to wear the mustache through dinner).  We got a lot of good laughs out of it!  Birthday dinner was held at an elegant establishment called "Uncle Yuu's".  (The name is a bit deceiving, but it really was nice.)  I had beef tenderloin medallions and beautiful orange prawns.  There was wine, smiles, and combat over the lazy susan that held our appetizers.  All in all, it was pretty amazing.

Also, I have a bit of good news.  The doctor completed his tests on my grandpa and found that he is 100% cancer free.  My family and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief.  Big thanks to everyone who expressed their concern.  :)

In the work world, I started my first week of training (ever).  Most of my class sizes have been small, but I've really enjoyed interacting with the workers and bringing them up to speed on how to use our software.  We bribe them to pay attention with candy.  :)  I find it highly effective when I don't eat all the good ones myself.

Tonight, I ate dinner with my friend Toni and her fiancee.  We went to a new place called Sushi Station where the tea was luke warm (but tasty), and the sushi was decent.  In terms of value for our dollar, I think we did fairly well.  It was also neat to learn about the goings on at Toni's work.  She has a cool opportunity coming up, and I'm excited for her.

When I finally got back to the hotel, I joined my co-workers in a game of "Cards Against Humanity".  It's like the messed up adult version of Apples to Apples.  Best of all, the game is relatively free.  It costs about $6 to print the cards at Kinkos.  You can download it here.

Lastly, my romantic life is still going pretty slow again (not the worst thing ever).  I did manage to patch up some hurt feelings with one of my ex's, which makes me happy.  Hopefully, we continue to make forward progress as we get to know each other again.

I was remarking to my friend John that I'm starting to feel like the old, light-hearted Lancifer is rising to the surface again...long overdue in my opinion.  It's really hard telling where tomorrow will take me, but this week has been a good start to what could be some vast improvements in the quality of my life.

Well, it's time for a  little sleep.  I'll catch you all later.

Days 5-6: Conflict

I continue to consider who it is I want to be.  I realized today that I am a very uncompromising person.  I tried to be uncompromising in terms of truth, but I've come to think that truth is often detrimental.  When someone asks how you are, a lot of times you should probably tell them, "Good," even if you're not.  I think that negativity tends to build on itself, and sometimes it's worth the lie to be happy.  I will continue to consider this throughout the week. 

Instead of my normal pictures and spiel, I'd like to post this music video and lyrics.  They seem to capture the struggle I'm having with happiness versus becoming the ideal version of myself.  It's like the voice inside my head cheering me on.  ;)

When I was a young boy
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said, "Son, when you grow up
Would you be the savior of the broken
The beaten and the damned??

He said, "Will you defeat them
Your demons and all the non-believers
The plans that they have made?
Because one day, I'll leave you
A phantom to lead you in the summer
To join the Black Parade"

Sometimes I get the feeling
She's watching over me
And other times I feel like I should go
And through it all, the rise and fall
The bodies in the streets
And when you're gone we want you all to know

We'll carry on, we'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on, we'll carry on
And in my heart, I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it

And while that sends you reeling
From decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all

So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout out loud and clear
Do you fight it to the end?
We hear the call to carry on, we'll carry on

And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on, we'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
You're weary widow marches

On and on we carry through the fears
Disappointed faces of your peers
Take a look at me
Cause I could not care at all
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part

Won't explain or say I'm sorry
I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it's only

I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
Just a boy who wanna sing his song
Just a man, I'm not a hero
I don't care!

We'll carry on, we'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on, you'll carry on
And though you're broken and defeated
You're weary widow marches on
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
(We'll carry on)

Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Though you try, you'll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
(We'll carry on)

Days 4-5: When It Rains It Pours

(My buddy Jason messing with Popeyes workers)

(My Friday night diet - chips and juice)

I had an epiphany today.  I don't miss Jenny (romantically).  Sure, I miss having someone close that I can confide in and take comfort in, but I don't specifically miss her.  I think that is an important distinction to make.  I hope that she gets done soon with whatever she's doing to move on with her life.  I'd like to re-establish our friendship if possible.

My quest to get whatever I want whenever I want has been put on hold temporarily.  I found out today that my grandpa has a mass on his stomach and is getting it checked out on Monday.  The doctors suspect cancer, but that remains to be seen.  For those of you who don't know, my grandpa is among my top two role-models and a very important person to me.  I know that he is getting old and that his days are numbered, but I don't like acknowledging that he is mortal.  It's like Lex Luthor actually killing Superman.  You just don't think about it.

Regardless of how things work out, I have a lot of great memories from the time I've spent with my Grandpa.  I guess that's the most important thing.

On a side note, I've resolved to talk up one stranger per day (as opportunities present themselves).  On my plane flight back, I met a lady from Spokane, WA.  She was flying with her youngest of six children.  The family resemblance was uncanny; every detail from their long slender noses to bright ginger hair were identical.  I learned that she grew up in Arizona but didn't do much sightseeing when she lived there.  She hasn't even seen the Grand Canyon, which made me laugh.  Her husband is a mechanical engineer from the University of Idaho.  He did not ride with them, though.  We shared a lot of other conversation, but I don't want to bore you with the details.

Well, back to science.  Toodles!

Day 3 - My Dichotomy: There Can Be Only One

Stare at the sun too long, and all you get is burned. 

I think life is telling me to just do whatever the fuck I want all the time without regard to consequences, morals, etc.  I am rewarded when I do selfish things and punished otherwise. 

Today, Jenny decided to give up again.  Even though I'm fairly okay with that, I still have some feelings for her...so today sucks a little.  This is what I get for trying to have a normal, healthy, sustained relationship.  On the other hand, my lecherous, pure fun relationship is going strong.  There is no challenge.  I can get pretty much anything I want at any time, so I need to decide whether I'm giving up on the good guy in me for a while or not.  Being the good guy just doesn't seem to pay off.

*thinks a moment*

...No, my mind is made up.  The human brain is a complex pattern recognition machine.  We experience patterns and develop heuristics for life that serve our interests.  In my case, trying to be what I would consider a decent person leads to heartache, disappointment, and the dulling of my emotions.  Perhaps it's time to put that person I was aspiring to be to rest.  Life demands that I be a little more self-interested and a lot more manipulative (for lack of a better word).  So be it.  Tomorrow begins a new experiment.  It's time to get what I want when I want it and by any means necessary.  Some of you might see this as a dark road, but I see it as...realistic.  I'll keep you posted.

Day.....2? - Resurrection

Well, it's been a while since I blogged, but I think I remember how this works.  Allow me to catch you up.

• Romantic life - I'm currently dating Jenny from Springfield and a girl named Maggie from St. Louis.  I'm not as crazy about Jenny as I was before, but I think this is a good opportunity to try having a normal sustained adult relationship.  I think this would be going better if she hadn't burned me so bad before.  Every day I hope that things will get back to the way they were for me (mentally and in terms of attraction), but it just isn't happening so far.  Maybe I just need to give this time to develop into whatever it's going to be.  *shrugs* 
• Romantic Life 2 - Maggie, on the other hand, is a very casual interest.  She has been a lot of fun hanging out with, and demands very little.  I'm not sure this is a healthy type of relationship to have, but I think that I shouldn't be afraid to try something new while Jenny is unwilling to commit to anything significant.  We'll see how things develop, I guess.
• Work life - I've been put in charge of purchasing, receiving, quality, and transfers at three different warehouses on our client site.  I've been working hard scoping the project, and now I'm beginning training with the clients.  The programming phase will be coming up too, and I can't wait for it!  A big step up in responsibility might signal a raise/promotion for me if I can follow through with this.  We'll see how things go.
• Other life - I haven't really had one.  I've spent so much energy chasing women and working that I haven't had a second to breathe (or blog).  Nothing is ever easy, I guess.  Also, video games are pissing me off.  If League of Legends continues to disappoint me, I'm going to uninstall and pick up the guitar again.

I did spend some time sightseeing around California a couple of weekends ago, and that was pretty fun.  I saw the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, CA.  They have Jelly Belly artwork all over the place and a gigantic tasting area.  Nom!  I also toured Alcatraz and walked along the Golden Gate Bridge.  My friend Toni generously hosted me during my touristy time.  Big thanks to her for putting up with my crap for three days.  :)

In other news, I'm distraught that the Packers beat the Bears for the NFC championship.  I have been a Bears fan since I was big enough to own my first football....game.  Worst of all, my friend Shaun is a big Packers fan, so I have to put up with his gloating for at least a whole year.  =/

Well, that's all the catching up I can stomach.  I'll bring you some more specific and entertaining posts here soon.  I just wanted to lay the foundation for this next chapter.  Hopefully there aren't any more pauses for jager and tears (metaphorical - I cry less than Chuck Norris).

2011 - Day 1: Everything Has Changed

I am back from my winter vacation, and I guess it's time to fill everyone in on what has been going on.  As many of you know, I had lots of exciting girlbot adventures.  I found someone that I began to deeply care for.  She was smart, fun, and kind.  She isn't interested in me, unfortunately.  It burned me pretty bad, but I have recovered.  There are many lessons I could take from this, good and bad. 

I have elected to be a little more guarded in the future.  I will never take women at their word again if I can avoid it.  I consider both of these to be undesirable outcomes, but I also recognize them as valuable survival skills.  I really think there has to be some level of compromise.  I also realized that girls like her are out there.  Maybe there is someone who will have the qualities I want and recognize a great thing when they see it.  In any case, I have no harsh words for Jenny.  I wish her the best of luck in her life, and I would be amiable toward the idea of our paths crossing again in the future.  I don't place much hope in that, though.  Hope and unabashed feeling have not served me well of late.

I return my focus squarely to my work, my health, and the pursuit of something better than this existence.  I expect that there will be a lot of leisure travel during this stage of the quest.  I need to go forth and experience the world anew.  I have let this half-fulfilled version of myself limp on for long enough.  Time for a teamkill to force a respawn.  ;)

I leave you with a couple of thoughts on failure.  They come from the book The Fighter's Mind. 

"It comes back to dealing with adversity.  Too much adversity, too much losing, and it becomes the 'same old same old.'  It becomes a habit - it's not devastating.  But if you only lose once in a while, at rare CRUCIAL times, you can build to a much higher level.  You can use that as fuel." ~ Dan Gable

"'Investing in loss' means to study your defeat without ego, let defeats happen in practice without reverting to your old habits, and grow from it." ~Sam Sheridan

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.