December 8, 2007 after a Norfolk Admirals hockey game. Just a picture of me and Stanley.

Here is what I went out as. How about everyone else?

So....I am still here. Just not alot to write about. I kind of figured after the 8th or 9th entry clogging up your screen of "I woke up, I went to work, I came home, I ate, I watched hockey" someone would of probably tracked me down and thrown a brick at me.

I would not have liked that.

So anyways, yeah, not much going on out here. Added two new toys to my stable and that is about it.

After a faithful service tenure of 7 years, my green beast, the 1992 Ford Explorer has been retired and replaced with a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder which I recieved last week. It was a bit of an adventure in getting it, since the initial one I "bought" was at another dealer, and was to be shipped down. Apparently, whoever my dealer talked to at that dealer, didn't tell their salesmen, and someone sold it before it could be transferred. Or something to that affect. Which then led to a day or two of my dealer going "well, we can get you this one" and I respond by going "does it have the color and options I told you I wanted" and them responding "no" followed by me going "then I don't want it". Seriously, this should not have been a difficult process. I walked into the dealer with a printout of what I wanted prebuilt from the Nissan website. Apparently Nissan did not make enough of that particular configuration in their current production period, but they finally found it, and now it's mine.

The second item is a 1943 M1903A3 rifle in 30.06 from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. This is a continuation of my interest in collecting operational rifles of the second world war, which I currently have the German Mauser k98, the American M1 Garand, and American M1 Carbine. Oh, if I only had the money to afford some full auto versions of the M1 Thompson or the BAR.

Well, sounds like the printer is done. Back to work for another 45 min or so.

So, I saw this article this morning:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have filed paperwork to adopt a boy from Vietnam, according to press reports in the US. The pair have three children, Maddox, five, Zahara, two and Shiloh, nine months. A source in Vietnam tells American publication Us Weekly the couple have filed papers with the US Citizenship and Immigration services to adopt a boy from the Tam Binh orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, which they visited in November. The pair have long been vocal about their desire to raise more international children. Their son Maddox is was born in Cambodia, while daughter Zahara was born in Ethiopia. Jolie said recently, "If we're going to have ten kids, we'd like to raise them while we're young."

Now, I am not trying to make a statement for or against what they have are doing. I just thought it was funny that the first thing that popped into my head was Pokemon. You know the tag line, "Got to catch them all".

It's like they're trying to recreate the Disney "It's a Small World" exhibit....but with real kids.

So I spent the New Years weekend out of town with friends. Friday night we went to a Richmond Renegades hockey game.

At the start of the second intermission, myself, and two of my friends (T and D for this story) head out to use the restroom and get some beer. We get there as the crowd gets in, T gets a urinal as soon as he walks in. D is standing behind him harassing him a bit, saying he has stage fright, can't pee in public, etc.

The urinal to T's left opens up and D steps up, continuing to harass T while he is using the urinal. T looks to D and goes "hey, nice penis", but D keeps talking and ruins the joke. T, being a little buzzed, goes "D, shuttup, youre ruining my joke" when D suddenly goes "hey, do Hokie!". A urinal opens up and I take my spot. T chuckles at the idea, turns to his right, looks down and goes, "Hey, nice penis".

I respond properly. "Hey T, I'm down here" being about three urinals to T's right. T looks up at some random guy and goes, "uhm, you're not Hokie" and everyone in the bathroom starts laughing.

From the Sun Online:

BRITAIN will finally settle its Second World War loan debt to America and Canada tomorrow.

A £55million instalment completes the £4.8billion repaid since 1950. The loans of £2.8billion bankrolled the war effort and post-war reconstruction.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Ed Balls, said: "This week we honour in full our commitments to the US and Canada for the support they gave 60 years ago."

Anyone want to go halfsies on a thank you card?

So....I am about 15 hours away (submitted by 12 noon on Friday) from wrapping up a project that I had to turn around very quickly to have submitted before the end of the year in an effort to beat a county ordinance that may be adopted which would severly restrict the ability for projects like I just completed from occuring in the county. Whew. Nice run on sentance, eh? Anyway, it's been a busy week, and if I went strictly by hours worked on this project, I should be able to leave at noon on Friday, but, I have to take maybe 30 min to breathe, file some things, then move to the next project.

Anyway, the ordinance the county is trying to pass really is just to severely restrict or stop any sort of commercial growth. You know, because they like being a poor county with no tax revenue.

Anyway, things are almost through for this week, then a nice long weekend over Christmas, but being out and about while mentally numb, some things just become amusing.

When did it become ok to run a stop sign in a parking lot as long as you look at the person you just cut off, smile and wave? In the parking lot to my building there is a bank, which gets most of the traffic. But, the aisle where we leave the parking lot has a four way approach, but only stop signs on the two sides. For those with poor abilities to visual what I just said, when I drive through the intersection, the people to my left and right have stop signs, and I don't. Twice this week I have nearly been hit by people running the stop sign in front of me, then smiling and waving at me.

Where the hell did all these people come from? I have been out to the malls and the streets of Virginia Beach on a Saturday afternoon. Many times. But these last few weeks, where has all this traffic come from? Well, I figured it out. There must be a large segment of the population that never leaves their homes except to go out and Christmas shop. Yeah....that's it.

Porn and Monkeys: A How To Guide. Maybe a book that needs to be written. And no, not none of that cheap sock monkey porn I have seen floating around the net.

Yes, I understand at Christmas time and everyone is in a hurry. Just don't get mad at me and give me the finger becase you ran your red light, I floored it into the intersection trying to hit you, and then laid on my horn as you barely miss me cutting across in front of me. Face the facts bud. You have probably spent three times the cost of your plastic car on the horrible sounding exhaust, ugly ass rims, and retarded plastic fenders and spoilers you put on that little rice burner, and I am driving a 14 year old paid for beast that I don't care about much anymore. Please, hit me. I would be looking forward to a new vehicle.

Anyways....everyone can return to your normally scheduled thursday evenings. I think it is time for me to return to watching hockey and drinking rum.

Last night in Newport News, Virginia, I finally was able to see one of my favorite musicians, Brian Setzer. The Brian Setzer Orchestra is in the midst of their 5th Annual Christmas Extravaganza tour, but it was was great to hear them play some of the BSO songs and even some of Brian's older Stray Cats songs in the set along with the Christmas songs found on his swing and rockabilly themed Christmas albums. The rockabilly break in the middle of the show for a few songs with just him, the drummer, and bass player like the original Stray Cats was really good to.

Nothing else really to share. Just happy to finally see him in concert. :)

1. What is your occupation?
Vice President, Project Manager
2. What color are your socks right now?
Olive green
3. What are you listening to right now?
My iPod, currently been playing alot of U2 and Ramones this morning
4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Three cheese lasagna microwave meal followed with Smores Pop Tarts
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Something like a deep forest green
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
A client
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
It showed up on a website. Most people there seem cool.
9. How old are you today?
31
10. Favorite drinks?
Cherry Coke, Mountain Dew, Rum and Coke
11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
In order, hockey, college football, pro football, baseball
12. Have you ever dyed your hair?
No
13. Pets?
None at this time.
14. Favorite food?
Just about anything with chicken
15. What was the last movie you watched?
Casino Royale in the theater, Mr and Mrs Smith on dvd this weekend
16. Favorite holiday?
Don't really have one in particular at this time
17. What do you do to vent anger?
I tend to damage guitar strings. Not that I am really good or anything, I just play them hard to let out stress.
18. What were your favorite toys as a kid?
Star Wars and GI Joes
19. What is your favorite: fall or spring?
Fall, hockey, football, cool weather. Spring just has lots of rain.
20. Hugs or kisses?
Equal opportunities here.
21. Cherry or blueberry?
Cherry
22. Do you want your friends to send this back?
It doesn't matter. Everyone probably has multiple copies of these on file someplace.
23. Who is the most likely to respond?
Beats me
24. Who is least likely to respond?
Dali Lama
25. Living arrangements?
House with a roomate
26. When was the last time you cried?
March of 06
27. What is on the floor of your closet?
Ammo in various calibers
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you're sending this to?
Won't be sending it, but damn, has it really been almost 10 years?
29. What did you do last night?
Watched football, hockey, did laundry, read

So, last night after dinner Bodak and I stopped in Toys R Us to wander around, see what they have, see how toys from our childhood are being brutally raped in horrendus resculptures and repaints and sold as new. :P

But we saw something a bit more disturbing than that.

Many of you may know that Sylvester Stallone is returning to the boxing ring this winter in "Rocky Balboa", supposedly the final chapter of his Rocky character. To celebrate this, they are releasing a line of action figures, with characters from the various movies, the entire set is available here.

But look closely. What is that on the end? Oh no. They didn't. Yes. They made an action figure of "The Meat". And at Toys R Us last night, Bodak held "The Meat" in his hands. Right there in public even! Yes, I am sure your own jokes will write themselves as well.

Really....was this necessary? Oh well. Maybe your friends and kids will ask for "Meat" for Christmas. What will you do? Wrap up a pound of hamburger under the tree, or spend $19 on "The Meat" action figure? Seriously, didn't Ren and Stimpy do an episode about this?

Well, Saturday was quite a beautiful day here in south east Virginia. Enough that when I had to go run by the office to do a few things, then run some errands, it was an easy choice to make. I took the 911, and off came the top. Warm, partly cloudy, great day to drive.

So anyway, I get home and decide, you know, I have been thinking about those new 4 door Jeep Wranglers may be an acceptable replacement for the Explorer when time comes, maybe I should go check them out on the lot. So, Bodak and I head out to the nearest Jeep dealer. We pull into the guest parking area, strangely enough, not in view of the salesman offices, park the Porsche, and walk over to the Jeeps. In the same area there was a salesman helping a guy and a girl who are looking at them, and they wander off to some other vehicles, leaving Bodak and I alone with the Jeep.

We open doors, we climb in, we take off the t-tops, we open the rear gates, we fold down the seats, we wander around other models to compare, and not a salesman in sight. After maybe 15 or 20 minutes of poking around and talking about the size and cargo space in relation to the Explorer, we decide to leave. As we are walking away, a salesman walking out of the office finally asks us if he should get someone to help us as he is walking out to talk to someone else, I say no thanks, we were just looking, and walk around the side of the building to the car.

We drive out of the parking lot, by this salesman, and just kind of nod at him as we leave. I swear he had an odd look on his face as he sees these two "kids" leaving his lot in a Porsche. Oh well. His loss. I will have to remember this when I go back there for a test drive later. :P

Bodak said he was quite surprised by this since even the salesman helping the couple didn't come back over to check on us after they left a little bit after we got there.

So, besides TL and his car salesman adventures, anyone else have any to share?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may now return to your normally scheduled life.

You probably cannot see it very well, but this picture is reading "00,000.2" on the odometer of my 1992 Ford Exploder..er..Explorer. That's right. This evening while out I rolled it over 200,000 miles. So, in about the 7 years I have had it (I bought it used in the spring of 1999), I've put about 102,000 miles on it.

According to various sources, Fraggle Rock, is being made into a full length theatrical movie. Here is a quote from the cnn.com article:

The 1980s cult hit TV show is being developed by Ahmet Zappa -- younger son of Frank Zappa -- into a full-length live-action musical fantasy starring the classic characters.

"(Zappa) recently created his own fantasy property ('Mighty McFearless'), and we had him in to talk about books and movies," said Lisa Henson, who serves as co-CEO of the Jim Henson Co. with her brother, Brian.

"During that conversation, I had an intuition that he might be a 'Fraggle Rock' fan. He jumped out of his seat when he heard our idea of making 'Fraggle Rock' into a feature-length movie."

Zappa -- a musician and TV personality who will serve as the project's executive producer -- is developing a treatment in which puppet stars Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red will travel from beneath the Rock and venture into the human world for the first time.

So, go ahead and stock up on your Fraggles now.

Wow. A little bit metal. A little bit furry. And a youtube video as well.