Random Thoughts...

Bought a house recently. Best thing I ever did besides marrying ny wife (no, I'm not an ass kisser). Great neighborhood. Quiet too. Still haven't got used to that part yet. Funny thing, that quiet part. I grew up in a relatively quiet neighborhood. You'd think it would be a welcome thing. Seeing as the apartment my wife I had when we first got married was on a busy street about half a mile from where Waste Management kept their trucks in the South suburbs. Then when we bought our townhouse in Alsip it was right off the Tri-State tollway. I got used to the trucks waking me up and the drone of 18 wheelers taking me sleep each night. Now, when I hear the trees blowing in the wind (Hello, Robert Zimmerman) and the leaves rustling on the ground, I wonder what the hell that noise is. Then I realize that it's the most peaceful sound I've heard in many, many years. I can't remember being this content.

I had a job interview a few days ago. It went well. Got a decent offer. Decided to stay where I'm at. That's kind of funny. I've been waiting for a good opportunity to leave this place I'm at for a while. When it came, I thought I was gone for sure. But when it comes down to it, I guess I really didn't want to go. Maybe I do like where I work. Either that or that content thing is contagious.

Proud American?

The title says it all. For the first time in my life I'm questioning whether I'm proud to be an American citizen. For the better part of the last two nights I've been watching Spike Lee's documentary on HBO about Hurricane Katrina and its affect on the City of New Orleans and its residents. The people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have been put through the worst kind of hell imaginable. Losing their homes, friends, families and everything they've worked for for most of their lives. And what has our government done to help? Not much. The levees around New Orleans were not built properly and it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The Army Corps of Engineers has had chances over the last 40 years to do something about the levees, to rebuild them properly and yet nothing was done. What did they think was going to happen in a city surrounded by water? When you build a protection system that can't stand the worst storms it's like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.

Our government has failed the City of New Orleans. It will never be the same. Shame on them.

What happened to the government of "By the people, for the people". When did it become so complacent? We can't go on like this as a country. The political process in the country of ours needs to be blown up and started over.

Something needs to change.

Where the hell have I been?

It sucks when when you have to worry about money all the time. It sucks when you can't afford to do whatever the hell you want to do because you have to many bills to pay. Welcome to my life. Compared to some others, my life isn't actually that bad. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, nice car and a job that pays well.


I wrote this back in February. Some things haven't changed. While I still worry about money, I don't let it consume me like it used to. It's just not healthy.

My wife and I just bought a house about a month ago. Finally got out of the crappy townhouse and in to a real house. Feels good. Like I finally acomplished something with my life. I'm still tighter than I used to be with the cash flow, I'm just not letting myself lose sleep over whether I'm going to be able to pay the bills each month. I'll get a second job if I need too. I'm going to have fun when I can. Life's too short. I lost 2 friends in the last month to cancer. It's made me realize that I can't sit back and wonder "what if?" anymore. I can't and I won't. Because before I know it my time on this planet will be done. And I don't want any "what if's" when I go. It's "what the fuck?" time now.

Ho Hum

How do people deal with jobs they don't like? How do people deal with a job they like but not liking where they work? I wish I knew. See, I like what I do. I just am not enthused about where I work. It's getting to be very hard each day, dragging my considerable ass out of bed to go to a place I really don't like anymore. I've always said that if I found a job paying the same amount I make now and I thought I could do it, I'd leave in a minute. But those opportunities are few and far between. I guess I just have to make the best of it. I guess I should have stayed in school. Hindsight is only 20/20, it's a bitch too.

I'm All In

Won another online poker tournament yesterday. That's my 2nd win in the last two days, 3rd in the last week. Maybe I've finally found something I'm good at. Lord knows I'm not that good at this writing thing. But then again, I've just started playing poker online so who knows? Somehow, I think, Mark Twain doesn't have anything to worry about.

Puck You, Canucklehead!

I'm a hockey fan. There, I said it. One of the few left in this town. I've found that since the lockout ended a few weeks ago that I can't wait to see an NHL game again. It's amazing. We have a minor league team (the Chicago Wolves), who are a pretty damn good team, that I barely notice. Went to see them this year for the first time. It was fun. Though it made me wish I was at a Blackhawks game instead. Maybe things will better for my beloved 'Hawks this year. Although they haven't given me much hope in the past, I still believe things will be better (my God, I am delusional). Now if the White Sox can do some damage in the playoffs, I can truly be happy. The long suffering sports fans in this town can only hold on to the memory of the '85 Bears for so long.

Sorry Wolves fans. The Calder Cup is still a minor league championship.

The Legend of The Trashburger

Got back from vacation this past Monday. Went to Virginia Beach. I love it there. My wife and I went there four years ago and we said when we left that it was one place we'd definitely come back to. The beach, the boardwalk, the people are outstanding. I won't even start with the women. It's something a guy would have to experience himself. Simply put, they're unbelievable. Las Vegas used to be the only place I'd leave Chicago for. Not anymore. Virginia Beach is one the best places I've ever been. Although I'm not as relaxed as I wanted to be after coming home. The first day I was gone I got a call from Kelly, my sister in law. She went to my house to feed my cats and check up on them, collect the mail, etc. When she got there she saw that someone had busted a window in my house. Luckily for me, it was double paned glass and only the outer pane was broken. At least my place wasn't robbed. I would have blown a gasket then. Let's just say it put a real damper on the week. One of the things I was looking forward to was a burger that I had last time I was there called The Trashburger. It consisted of the pattie, cheese, bacon and a fried egg. Yes, a fried egg. My arteries started hardening at the sound of it. I had to have it and I did. Had the egg cooked over easy. Big mistake. Took one bite and SQUISH, out came the yolk. You'd have thought it was a squirt gun. But damn was it good. I waited four years for another one. Looks like I waited to long. The restaraunt when I had the burger got remodeled and changed the menu. No more Trashburger. BASTARDS! But least they cook a good steak. I'm going to see a demolition derby this weekend with my sister, niece and nephew. Man those are fun. Maybe I'll have a burger at the track. It won't compare to the Trashburger, though. No burger ever has. Maybe I'll find one comparable someday. Damn, it was good.