C'mon:

Another post about some ridiculous TV. I was watching PBS and came across this documentary on a group of scientist who were trying to catch the largest crocodile ever recorded by man. It was ri-freaking-diculous huge! Something like 20 ft long and over 1000 lbs. They built all these traps and cages and watched the crocodile (named Gustav) for some time. Here's the thing. They didn't catch him. I watched the entire documentary and they didn't even catch him? Seriously, c'mon people. What a disappointment.

Also ridiculous. The whole thing takes place in Africa along a small section of the Nile. The scientists can only work over a period of two months because after that, the government can no longer offer them protection. Apparently, the change in state government which was going to happen after the two months expired could result in civil war. I don't know, but somebody's priorities seem to be rather screwed up. Unstable government that could result in hundreds of thousands of deaths or the freakin' pointless/unsuccessful giant crocodile documentary? Alright, end of rant. Rage, fading. I am afterall a ticking timebomb of fury.

Confession:

So I was vegging by the TV for some of today and I was just flipping through the channels. And I must admit, I stopped to watch Veronica Mars for the first time. And I liked it. It had that Sherlock Holmes feel, probably because the execution was well done in developing the mystery. The show also seemed to have a fun mix of her solving "big-person" problems and her trying to solve the mysteries that surround her in her high school life. There are probably a lot of Nancy Drew undertones, but I wouldn't know since I've never read any of them. I like her character, too- daring, driven, and a little grown up for her age because she won't let others look down on her. It was a pleasant surprise and refreshing to find something different on the tele. Anyway, if any guys out there were reading this I'd probably get railed on.

Work:

This post is dedicated to one of my coworkers, since tomorrow is my last day there.

Gilbert Fogle
You can already tell by the name that this is one strange fellow. Gilbert is the guy who stations the dock during the day, which means he's usually outside for 8 hours a day. He's a rather large, grizzly guy and more often than not, he's very dirty. Honestly I don't think he's incredibly intelligent. He knows how to do everything he needs to do, including some paperwork, but somehow I feel like he would have a hard time trying to do too much else. The funniest thing about him is that he doesn't (either can't or just plain chooses not to) enunciate at all. It's pretty much like he's speaking bear-language. No wait. It's more like a mumbling bear.

The great thing about Gil is that he always smiles. Even when it's painfully hot outside, all he does is smile. Not in that creepy way, either. A nice, gentle smile all the time. I think everyone working at Suburban believes that there's something better out there for them. They believe that they deserve better given the hard work they put into the company. And it's true! They are so underpaid and incredibly underappreciated. I've never seen people work so hard and dedicate so much of themselves to their job and duties, and yet not receive what is rightfully theirs. Anyway, Gilbert isn't really like that. He just "hehs" at everything and smiles. Like Charlie in the chocolate factory, he's just glad to be along for the ride.

It's guys like Gilbert who exhibit the most wisdom. Taking life in as it is and enjoying every second of it. So this one for you Mr. Fogle. You crazy old man.

Step:

Sara is right as usual. So I guess I can take a few baby steps forward in being more clear.

Addressing parts of the problem... or rather a problem which is part of the problem. Okay, I'm not doing a very good job of being clear at all. I tend to overanalyze things that don't really call for analyzing at all. Last night was a really good time, and it was very nice to break out of the grind that is work. But all it took was three words. And an hour and a half on the metro with nothing to do but think. This formula made it easy for me to get pretty confused and bummed.

Over the semester, I really prayed hard that I could, instead of dwelling on my own 'what ifs' and 'so whats', move forward and trust in God's plan. Over the summer I've been slacking. So there in lies the problem that's part of the problem.

In other news, the tablet has shipped! But, it's still in China. Sooo, 3-5 business days. I really hope 3 more so than 5 because I'm really impatient like that. Wait, I've been waiting a month and a half already so being impatient is pretty well justified.

Ouch:

Hitting a brick wall here.

Nerves:

Today, a day that seemed like any other, wasn't quite. Exhausting as usual, though. There were a few gems to grab onto that didn't turn today into the usual spiral of endless monotones. One was finding this in the mail thanks to Rob:

Pretty hilarious. The second gem is for me to know.

I don't think I have the nerves to say what I need to say. This referring to maybe right now or soon, I really don't know. Apparently, not only is the presentation of this thought vague, but also the thought itself digesting in my head. I guess there are certain levels of honest I'm not ready to hit, not now and not here. Not usual. Often you can ask me about anything, and I mean anything... (except if it breaches someone elses confidentiality)

I know you can't take this entry seriously with that silly looking puppet picture right there.

Damage-Control:

Today was a fine day. Somethings I could complain about, but I probably shouldn't in my effort to remain focused on the good things. So now, the random thoughts of the night:

I was reading the CVS history section on their website. Don't ask why. It's pretty bad, with it sounding like CVS is taking over the world and destroying everything in it's path.

My urge to go rock climbing has not gone away. I don't think I'm good at it at all, though. Probably worse off now, since I haven't been practicing. I think I can see my arms shrinking (if that is even physically possible given that they are already like toothpicks). Maybe doing a pullups regiment might be a good idea.

You know, there's a nice event that happened today that I didn't think too much about until now. Cool, a golden nugget for me to take away from today.

Sunset:

Today's post is brough to you by the number 24 :)

A most beautiful of days. Some of the family went out to Kent Island to enjoy some crabbing and then some crabs. The crabs we caught were HUGE (pictures some other time). The sunset over the water, while on the pier, was very... majestic. I could be very happy living in a shack on the water... with an old rowboat and a fishing pole. Oh, and some chicken and string.

Crabs today, crabs tomorrow, and crabs Tuesday. Living the high life.

Today, I really want to take a page out of Tiff's book and be appreciative of everything. I've never really been spoiled on my birthday before, and I rarely get a gift (I mean this with no bitterness at all... honestly). But learning to be happy with all of the small stuff is still very difficult for me.

I wouldn't complain if someone got me a beach house and a boat out on the bay, though.

Birthdays:

Tonight was just a lot of fun. It was really chill and I got along with Tiff's Annapolis friends really well... which is odd, because that doesn't happen often. I definitely don't warm up to people quickly. Something that really amazed me was how shocked Tiff was with all of the little things. Like, she was genuinely touched by the fact that we came all the way from CP. Which was only 40 minutes for us, so none of us really thought it was a big deal. And the cake... she just seemed so happy. I find it astonishing that she can take such joy from the little things. That's real vision right there.

Riding the metro and holding the bar (up on the ceiling) made me want to go outdoors. Well, it made me want to go climbing somewhere, which would probably be doing a little bouldering outside. Maybe two weeks from tomorrow.

Gifting:

Right now, I can only think of three things that I would want to buy for myself. All of them are computer upgrades/accessories. When someone asks me what I would want for my birthday, I'm stuck. Why? The parts cost $135, $103, and $50. I would never ask for a gift that expensive. So maybe if people instead just gave me money. That's so impersonal, though. And even then, I'd have a hard time justifying spending that money on additional computer equipment. *sigh* whatev.

Untitled:

Just a thought here and there. Today was tiring, as usual. I work hard... for a job that doesn't pay all that well and at a place where I really don't mind getting fired. Because then I would have more free time. But, I feel bad for my coworkers, who have become friends quite quickly. They work hard, and put in extra hours in the weekend... usually for not much extra or not much thanks. They're smart, well trained, experienced and motivated. I guess I sort of expect that people who work that hard should be higher up on the ladder. I figure, since I'm just a glimpse in their lives, I might as well help them as much as I can. So it's tiring.

I picked up another set of uber-sized fire hazard stickers. Message me to call dibs on them.

I am excited about one particular feature of my incoming, new computer today. Forget logins and passwords. Heck, forget even using a signature as a security level. Think fingerprint reader. Yup, the laptop will only unlock when it scans my fingerprint. It's considered 100% secure... unless someone uses my finger while I'm asleep. Or they take off my hand.

Now, to work on the away.

Routine:

Nothing all that special today.

On Friday, I want to get out and maybe do something for Tiff's birthday if she wants to get something going. Though fighting traffic to get out there might be difficult on a Friday afternoon.

Saturday, I have a pre-engagement at 1, I think. Not entirely sure though.

Sunday is my birthday. Not sure what'll be happening. I just want to get out of the house.

Technology:

I downloaded Google Earth. It's a ridiculous satellite imaging program. Major stalking abilities.

It brings up the topic of the future of technology. I feel like it won't be long before the entire Earth is rendered. As of today, there exist photo-realistic environments that are the sizes of states. The thing is, right now they are fictional environments dreamt up by programmers and developers. How much farther away is our world from these 3D environments? Not far at all.

Imagine this. Click on a program, up pops the Earth in globe form. Rotate the Earth to say, west of the US... zoom in on Hawaii. Choose the beach on the west side of that remote looking island. Zoom in further and...


Minus the gun, of course. Walk around, check out the wild life, and go for a helicopter ride. This is a screenshot taken from a game... yes, you spend the entire game walking around this beautiful tropical island and interacting with stuff (mainly shooting things).

But what about, say Baltimore? Every sidewalk, wallpaper, and graffiti mark documented and rendered into something as virtually realistic as the pic above. Crazy, eh? Not too far away, I say.

That's enough out of me, enjoy another screenshot from that game (Farcry - where you're supposed to shoot stuff, but you'd much rather sit and stare at the sky):

Scandalous:

I'm trying to figure out what happened today, and I can't think of anything really important to relate. I did a lot, but I have been mentally and emotionally numb lately. It's how I run away.

Though, I did come across a picture online that somewhat shocked me. Some people might consider it scandalous, but not me so much. I think it's beautiful. Anyway, if you do a sufficient amount of stalking, you should know what I'm talking about. I'm not going to link to it, otherwise that would be straight up gossip. You can ask me though.

Yesterday, I got to spend the majority of the day hanging out with the Bigelow family (Beau's family). I'll title the day "A Day in the Life of the Bigelows". I love his family, but it was just a iddy-diddily tad bit awkward (relatively speaking) when they took me to a family friend's graduation party. And also, today some of the Bigelow family is going through a rough time given some news they received at church. Strange (in the lightest sense of the word).

*edit* Forgot to mention- two thumbs up on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was absolutely hilarious in that bizarre, obnoxious sort of way.

Last post still stands. I might be busy, but I'd much rather sneak out of those obligations and do a CP thing.

Organizing:

Anybody up for organizing something next weekend? I think I'll be able to break out of any pre-existing obligations.

Stickers:

I am starting to collect the most crazy room decorations for my residence in the Marlbrough Mansion next year. The other week, will cleaning out the basement I found a framed poster. It says "WERF Incineration 300". I think WERF stands for Waste and Environmental Research Facility. Anyway, the poster has an animated, happy little guy in a protective radiation suit. He's handling a barrel of radioactivite material next to a big truck. And he's waving like he's having a good time.

Today at work, I was cleaning out the back and they let me take some extra stuff that I'm probably not supposed to have.

I'll explain this for those of you who don't know what it is. This is the NFPA's (National Fire Protection Agency) standard label for hazardous materials. The blue box indicates biomedical health hazards, the red shows the flammability hazard, and the yellow tells you how radioactive the material used at that facility is. The white box just contains additional information (OXY means oxidants). It's scaled from 0-4 with 4 being the most dangerous.

I picked up a 1 by 1 foot sticker today. It's similar to the picture, except the health hazard is 1 instead of 2 and there's no oxy warning. Sweet, eh? I also got a sticker the same size with a picture similar to those on fuel trucks that say "imflammable". I don't think I've ever had stickers this big.

Bert the Good Dancer's Bottom 10:

1. Anything touching my eye (contacts, needles, etc.)
2. Show offs
3. Wet socks
4. No internet
5. Bad commercials
6. Decadence/over-self-indulgence
7. Mushrooms, yuck
8. People who talk in a loud voice all the time
9. Boredness
10. Being late

Hilarious:

Caution, scroll down at your own risk...

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Don't say I didn't warn you. Some people just need to be a little bit more careful of what kind of pictures they put on the web. Or rather, pictures of them that their girlfriend's sister puts on the web.

Patience:

I seem to be lacking in this department... majorly as of late. And in more ways than one.

Summer has dulled my brain and work has pulverized any extra-curricular activity. Somebody save me.

Picture:

I am, indeed, wearing purple.

Today:

= The Big Day

Tired:

I think having no adventures makes me overly tired.

Ketchup:

There are a bunch of things from today... here and there, but I am too exhausted to think about them. So instead, I will elaborate on a thought last night.

I find I can enjoy fireworks in two ways. The Gaithersburg fireworks are great. The timing of the show is well done every year. Plus, the good use of variety in sound and visually just make it top-notch. But the DC fireworks are great also because of the music. There's nothing like hearing the NSO (National Symphony Orchestra, for those non-Sara imaginary people out there) live, playing the 1812. And they have cannons. The cannons play along with the orchestra. Seriously, that's pretty hard to beat.

Wouldn't it be a great job to coordinate the fireworks?

The 4th:

Spent the day on the Capitol lawn from 2-9 pm. It was hot. And crowded.

I guess it was alright... not worth the wait this year. They didn't play the whole last movement of Tsaikowski's 1812. I'm not sure if that is forgiveable. More later, sleep now.

Recap:

Today was fairly interesting, so I thought maybe a recap would be good.

Before that, though, I just looked up the word recap. Literally, it means to replace the lid on something. However, it is short for recapitulation. Capitulation happens to be the act of surrendering, or a set of terms that discuss the terms of surrender. Only the third definition speaks of a summary or headline. Strange.

The morning was church. There was a joint service to welcome the new pastor to the church of which we share the building with. Reverend Donna. Yeah, a female pastor. Shocker, right? Nah, not really a big deal in my book. She gave a pretty good sermon... nice that is was one of those back-to-the-basics sermons. Sort of.

Went to Church for Darfur. It wasn't as interesting as last weeks. A couple of speakers were missing, so maybe that threw them off. The main speaker/sermon giver used too many political terms and I just couldn't follow his flow of points. Oh well, it was a nice day and a nice location. Dupont circle is sort of neat... besides the fact that I detest the amount of money that flows around there. It's all about expensive style and living. Wasteful.

The rest of the evening and night was filled with birthday celebrations and wedding planning. The impending doom can be strongly felt as the day approaches in less than a week. I hope I look good in a tux.

Tomorrow, the family and wedding crew ventures into DC for the fireworks. Ridiculous. It's going to be so horribly crowded. But, call my cell if you want to do something fun in DC. Like make fun of tourists. One time, my siblings and I took pictures of us next to trash cans and dumpsters in DC... how hilariously mean.

A Nice Day:

So in hopes of not making everything depressing-sounding, perhaps I can elaborate on a semi-nice day. Today.

This morning I got a hair cut... and I use that term loosely. They refused to cut a significant amount of my hair because they thought it was better long. No. I want my hair short. I had to get my sister's fiance to help me trim it down to a reasonable length when I got back home. How ridiculous is that?

Then a bunch of us guys went to watch Batman Begins while the gals had that bridal shower. Okay movie. The actual cinematography could have been a bit better in some parts. Just my humble opinion.

Then we ate and cleaned up (same thing) at the bridal shower place. Food = good.

Then chilling for the rest of the night. What an uneventful day. Oh, and some things/some people I now find extremely offensive. But getting off that note.... a nice day.

Get a towel and stop drooling:

Difficulties:

It is very difficult for me to be away from the computer for extended periods of time. It has a lot to do with me not wanting to miss any messages. I am almost 100% reliable about receiving messages, and I guess I don't want that to ever change.

But it seems like these times are forcing me away. The proximity to my computer that I've come to love is just not possible with so many people in the house. I suppose this might be somewhat of a healthy exercise.

Anyway, please leave comments and send messages... I am a lonely person.

On a lighter note:
Darth Vader's tablet is soon to be mine (maybe 2 weeks?)