Friday, March 31, 2006

Time to Change... Something... Anything

Somthing needs to change. I'm not sure what, but something gotta change. I'm seeing a pattern lately that's been more apparent recently.

In all aspects of my life lately, I've come close to getting what I want, but there would always be a major flaw. I'm not blind enough to always blame the flaw on others when it doesn't work out, because I know some of this is me, but damn. What the hell? Seems like there's something or someone just fucking with me.

My life like a strip club. Always a tease. Well, that's all the similarities really cause there's no hot or skanky chicks around here and I don't enjoy drunk dudes hanging around my couch.

For example, I'm house hunting. There are so many homes I've seen as good, not perfect, but good enough that I can do with. Then a big thing would happen like bad school systems (resell reasons), in airport flight path (noisy), giant radio tower in backyard, or someone buying it before me. Those are total deal breakers.

It's hard enough to find a house I like cause what I'm a bit specific in what I like, and it's hard to find in the area of town I want to live. When I do find one, crap happens.

Strangely, same thing with the ladies. Some seems so perfect on paper or when people talk about them, and are in person too, but then for whatever reason, no sparks between us (maybe it's that whole dating yourself thing. Why bother huh?). Then there are those that I'd have lots of sparks with, but sadly are seriously unstable and undatable. Of course there's always that one from the past that I still wish things were differnt with. I know it's me in a lot of these cases, but damn. Can't a good one just come along... without the major problem this time?

With the spring coming, something needs to change. I don't know what or how, but something's gonna be different.

Personally, I blame it on Jesus. I just found out I'm the spotlight employee of the month for April. Jesus doesn't like competition with the whole I rose from the dead to be our all might lord and savior, April's my month bitches, blah blah blah.

I'm on to you JC. Share the spotlight. Stop fucking with me and help a brotha out.

:D

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Shamless Self Promotion



Come take a ride on The Magical Epicure Tour! Pup and friends' new dinner club blog.

It's still very heavily under construction and only currently have one review though.

Monday, March 27, 2006

FREEBIRD!!!!!!

Blog about FREEBIRD!!!!!!!






done.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

House Hunting Pup

The work has been overwhelming busy lately. Luckily, due to the incompetence of a certain VP at a very large fortune 100 company, I have a little time today.

I was wondering what I should write about having been absent for a while. I had an overload when I was thinking of all the political things out there. The world is so screwed up right now it’s scary. Luckily for most of the American population, they have learned to turn a blind eye to everything except for themselves and their own pocketbooks.

Just a few quick comments though because I can’t resist.
- Mark my words, this hurricane season will be the worst ever. Blame it on Mother Nature or God being angry or whatever excuses all you want. Just keep on driving that 10mpg SUV and see what happens.

- Millions of adults and children are dying in Africa through disease and genocide. The United States has pledged $5.1 billion in the next 5 years to help buy vaccines. That’s the same amount of money we spend PER DAY in Iraq. We sure have our priorities straight. Nice Christian values by the way. War over saving people.

- While we waste all of our resources in a never ending, never winnable war, education and social programs are greatly suffering, China and Saudi Arabia is buying up the US piece by piece and we inch ever closer to a military state. Soon the terrorists will have what they've wanted.

- While this administration has all our military resources tied up in Iraq, the real threats of Iran and North Korea continues to buy time and grow ever stronger and ever nuclear.

- We have “liberated” Afghanistan to become the biggest opium producers in the world. Yea for freedom and democracy.

- While this administration keeps telling us to fear terrorists from other countries, the real terror is from within like the governor of South Dakota signing a bill to ban abortion. Do you know why the terrorists will eventually stop fighting us? Not because we've killed them or they've changed their mind. It's because we’re on a path to be just like them.

- With a base salary of $165,200 per year (not including benefits and more for seniority), congress is scheduled to work about 97 days this YEAR. That averages to about $213 an hour for the base salary. The average American has worked 50 days to congress’s 19 days so far this year. The minimum wage is still at $5.15/hour.

Hmm. Guess I didn’t get to write about my house hunting adventures. We’ll get to that next time. Just for fun, I went with my sister to look at an open house that was on the market for $1.7 million dollars. OMG.

There was a walk in pantry in the kitchen that was the size of a small bedroom. Any of the 3 floors would make a nice 3 bedroom house for a family.

More on that later!

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Don Pup-o-Vanni

One of Mozart’s better known and most performed operas (for those of you that go to operas) based on the character of Don Juan.

I was in Minnesota this past weekend watching this Opera. Yes I know this hurts my redneck status and No, I don’t just fly to other cities to watch Operas. A good friend (I've known since back in the 8th grade) had one of the leading roles for this show. It was his biggest role yet. Throughout the past few years I’ve always went to watch and support him when he had a big role.

We’ve always been pretty good friends this whole time. We even share the same birthday. As we grow older, it is always interesting to reflect on how you got to where you are and those around you.

In a sold out opera house of 1750 attendees, it was amazing watching someone you’ve known for so long up there on stage performing. His voice roared through the opera house. Though I maybe a little biased, he was by far the best in the cast. The audience thought so too as he received the loudest applauds at the end of the show.

I was very proud to know him after the show as he took me backstage to see how it all happens in the background and to meet the other cast members. I was like a giddy groupie telling people who I knew. I think it’s so interesting the life that he has chosen. It’s certainly not the boring 9-5 life that everyone else I know lives.

I know he'll go far. He's a great talent and a great person. Even more importantly, knowing the Pup goes a long way (to where I don't know, but I'm sure it's somewhere).

I can’t wait to see him perform at the Met in New York City.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

New Place, New Tournament, Same Ol' Pup

I don’t understand this. I’m not saying that I’m a great ultimate player, but I think I’m ok (when I’m in shape). Throughout the season, I do ok, and a few games here and there, I get possessed by the Big Bad Pup (BBP) and have mactastic monster games.

Like clockwork, at the end of every season comes the End of the Season Tournament. Regular season is fun, but you gotta kick it up a notch for the tournament. It’s an all day event usually involving at least 3 games (more if you keep winning).

And like clockwork, I choke every time it’s tournament time.

This last Sunday was the Winter League tournament. I got all fired up. This is my first change back in GA to show that I don’t choke anymore. Our first game was at 9am. I packed a cooler full of sports drinks, water, and plenty of beer. I’m ready to go.

After following MapQuest directions incorrectly, what should’ve taken me 25 minutes ended up as a 1.5 hour drive to the field. I just missed the first third of the game. Fantastic start.

With no time to stretch (yes, I know I’m old), I went into the game. After a few points, I thought my heart was going to explode. Needless to say, I was a nonfactor in the game.

I blamed it on my rushed start for lack of contribution to the game. I was going to be huge in the second game. I’ll spare you the details. I played better, but still not a factor.

I think my problem is having too high of an expectation to play well. Trying a little too hard as they’d say. The next game was no better. The solution I came up with was to calm down a bit so I started drinking.

Oh, magic nectar of the Gods. How great you are. You relax me like nothing else. It’s the forth game and we were now in the semi’s. We were up again the top team of the league. We’ve pulled off 2 upsets earlier with wins over the #5 and #4 teams.

This was a classic hard fought match. Scores went back and forth. As I was staring down the the young’in I was guarding, I realized that this guy was faster, taller, and in much better shape than I was. No, this wasn’t bad self-esteem, just the facts. I don’t think I could guard him even if I wasn’t exhausted.

I tried guarding him with very little success. This was a big game and I wanted to be a big factor. The way I thought I’d do this is to take myself out of the game. One of my teammate may have better success with the guy.

Ahead by one and with the clock running out, the other team score once more to put in the final nail.

The kid I was guarding caught the final point.

Oh well. 3 more months till the spring tournament.

Friday, March 03, 2006

FreePup

I just realized that I’m all talk when it comes to being a red neck (yes, I refer to myself as a redneck sometimes but that’s neither here or there). I checked my MP3 collection last night and realized that I don’t have Skynyrd’s original version of Freebird.

OMG.

Seriously, what kind of self respecting redneck does not have the original version of Freebird? I’m so embarrassed.

After shouting “Freebird” numerous times at concerts (most famously at a Tori Amos concert which she heard and laughed) and at other public events/place, and even one verse at a karaoke bar, I didn’t even have a copy of the original.

I watched a movie last night that had Freebird as the big ending song. Gotta tell ya, it got me pretty fired up and this was 1 in the morning. I ran upstairs to look for the song to rock out to, but found that my Skynyrd collection only consisted of Sweet Home Alabama.

I panicked and though I don’t like them, I bought the song off itunes.

Now I’m rocking out to Freebird at 2am.

To make up for this I’ll be getting back to those red neck roots this weekend. Nothing but PBR and the High Life.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Oh sorry, I can’t Make the 8am Meeting. I Need to Protest.

This is something that’s been on my mind for a while now as I watch the increased number of demonstrations around the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Please excuse my ignorance here as I do not know how the culture and business practices are around the world, but I must ask. Do/can people take off work for protests or are only unemployed people and/or students in these demonstrations?

Is it ok for someone to say, “Can we move the meeting till tomorrow? I’ve got a demonstration today” or “Oh, can’t come in today, burned my hand while burning a flag yesterday”. I mean seriously, where they fuck are all these people regularly doing that they can come out in such big numbers to demonstrations. I mean, these demonstrations are not once a year or once every few months. They're out there almost weekly now. Seriously, what do these people do? I seriously doubt a company would think protesting is a good reason for missing work.

Do you know what I want to do after my 11 hour work day? I’ll tell you what I don’t want to do. I’m not in the fucking mood to protest shit. (esp. trivial things like they've demonstration lately). I want a beer, grab some food, and watch some TV. That’s it. I think most people would agree with me.

This is what it would sound if someone suggested I go protesting.

Person 1: “Hey Pup, let’s go demonstrate! It’ll be a good time. I’ve got a flag and a can of AquaNet!
Pup: “You know what, I’ve had a long day and I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow. I’ll catch you on the next one I swear.”

This is what it would sound like if I suggested I take off the day to go protesting.

Boss: “You want to take a half day to do what?! Let me thinking about it. No.”

I believe that’s how these conversations would also go for most people.

I’m not saying jobs are the saviors of social unrest, but I sure as hell think that it would help a lot when large packs of people aren’t just roaming the streets looking for something to do.

People ask about how a lot of social problems can be fixed. You know what, it’s not THAT difficult. It’s a two step process. Education and the need for People to have jobs. It all starts there. We will focus on the job part here.

Governments have a big responsibility to create jobs within their country. If not just for economic reasons, there are big social implications as well.

Human with too much free time is not a good thing. Humans without structure is not a good thing. Humans are bad enough, but humans (esp. those with little education) with too much free time, will cause headaches for the rest of society.

Think of children and teenagers. This population is much more likely to cause problems simply because they have all this free time, and one innate human trait is to do things that keep us amused. With the need to be amused and all this free time, they will naturally do bad things.

This is not all that dissimilar to those who are protesting. Like children and teenagers, this population does not have much money (therefore can’t amuse themselves in normal ways). They do not have the understanding and education to fully comprehend what is something worth protesting/fighting for, and what is just an ignorant mob looking for a fight.

This is where the need of the government to focus its citizens to be productive and create jobs to ensure that everyone is productive comes into the picture. The role of the government is to ensure that the society continues to grow and achieve for the better. Not only are these human (protestors) that I see on TV right now unproductive, but they are a strain on the society’s resources.

Society needs to produce no matter what. So when there are so many unproductive people in one society, that puts the strain on the smaller population that are being productive to support all those other slackers.

Uneducated unproductive people. What are they good for? Nothing. It is up to the government to ensure that the society is build on educating its population and then having a mentality of hard work. Everything else will come much easier.

Happy Thursday!