Jack Turns Two!

Two years ago today, I posted my first post with Blogger. Two years later, I have my own domain name and host my blog there. A lot of great memories. More to come!

News of Note

A life and death struggle with Gator vs. Snake.

Facts about Quicksand.

No more backing up with this car.

Bengals' Games of Note

Okay, I know I'm going on a lot about the Bengals lately, but I'm really proud of my team... so back off! Just kidding. Here's some cool facts and stats about the notorious underdogs...

January 10, 1982 - The Bengals defeated the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game, 27-7, the coldest game ever played in NFL history. The wind chill factor brought the game-time temperature down to -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 degrees C). The Bengals' offensive linemen were on the field with their standard sleeveless jerseys in an effort to intimidate a Charger team more accustomed to the warmer California weather.

November 16, 2003 - By week 11 of the 2003 regular season the Kansas City Chiefs were the only remaining undefeated team in the league, at 9-0. The Bengals were the losingest NFL team between 1990 and 2002, and at the time had a record of only 4-5 under rookie head coach Marvin Lewis. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati's 2nd-year wide receiver, made headlines with a pre-game guarantee that the Bengals would win the game [2]. The Bengals went on to beat the Chiefs, 24-19. The team missed the playoffs by two games but finished the season at 8-8, their first non-losing campaign since 1996.

October 25, 2004 - With much fanfare from Cincinnati residents, Monday Night Football returned to Cincinnati after a fifteen-year absence. In their first MNF appearance in twelve years, the Bengals (1-4) were matched against the Denver Broncos (5-1), whose defense was ranked number one in the NFL. Considered a long shot, the Bengals defeated the Broncos, 23-10.

September 24, 2005 - Forcing five interceptions the previous week against the Vikings and five more this game against the Bears, the Bengals accomplished a feat that had not been done in 34 years. The last team to have back-to-back games with 5 or more interceptions was the 1971 Browns.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Bengals

WHO DEY?

Bengals 4 - 0

Bengals win again!

The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Houston Texans 16 - 10 this afternoon. This one came down to the last few minutes in the 4th quarter as a close call, and after (admittedly) a questionable call by the referee.

Another Friday

Not to be confused with "Friday" or "Next Friday" or "TGIFriday".

12 hours (11:00am - 11:00pm);
22 episodes of Friends (1/2 from season 2, 1/2 from season 3);
3 Sprites;
1 peanut butter and jelly (on toast) sandwich;
3 granola bars;
2 Ovaltine chocolate milk drinks;
1 Cinnamon Chai Latte from Starbucks;
1 1/2 hour conversation with a friend;
and 8 loads of laundry (2 whites, 2 lights, 2 darks, 2 jeans).

This is how I spent my Friday, September 30, 2005.

Exciting, no? Productive, eh?

Fall Releases

Here's a BUNCH of stuff I'm getting excited for in the next couple of months!

Release Dates:
Stargate SG-1; Season 8 (DVD) --- Oct 4
Fable: The Lost Chapters (Xbox) - Oct 18
Point Pleasant (DVD) ------------ Oct 25
Friends; Season 10 (DVD) -------- Nov 15

Gas Myths

No, I'm not talking about uncle Louie's dinner time musical stylings... I'm talking about Automotive Gasoline. I found this link on Patch's blog, and found it to be quite informative. It's all about getting good gasoline mileage.

What Really Saves Gas

Horse Hockey

Due to the graphic nature of tonight's episode of THE OFFICE, WLEX-TV has chosen not to air the show.

Crap.

They Say It's Your Birthday

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

Go Bengals!

For the past 14 years, the Cincinnati Bengals have had sub-par seasons. Not since 1990 (the last time they were in the playoffs) have they started out this well. The best part about these wins is that've not been "just barelys" or "lucky calls". The team has been playing well both offensively and defensively. But they're keeping very level heads about the whole thing. Realizing that there's still 13 games in the season left to be played.

Want to read more? Check out some of the following news articles:

Bengals All The Rage After Breakthrough Win
CINCINNATI (AP) - Carson Palmer piles up the touchdown passes. Chad Johnson does jigs and push-ups in the end zone. The defense picks off five passes per game. These Bengals are nothing like their legacy. They don't self-destruct. They don't wallow in self-pity. And, they don't lose. Instead... [more]

Bengals 24 - Bears 7
CHICAGO (AP) - The Cincinnati Bengals picked up the habit of bumbling starts after 1990, the last time they started 3-0 and made the playoffs. On Sunday, they broke it - with a 24-7 victory over the Chicago Bears. Cincinnati, which entered the game with a league-leading 10 takeaways... [more]

Pitching Tents

Found this video clip on another blog today. Too funny NOT to share.

Fixed...

well, mostly.

My design portfolio and resume are finally finished and adjusted to the *ahem* "new" style. The only thing missing is the final navigation between the portfolios and resume. Finished for now.

Too Cute for their Own Good

Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes,
They've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses.
And what's with all the carrots-?
What do they need such good eyesight for anywa - y?
Bunnies, bunnies it must be bunnies!
- Anya; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling

Here's what happens when Bunnies just can't take being cute any more.

Housekeeping

Well, I figure I'll start getting some time on my hands again now that I've got my home situation mostly under control again. The past two weeks have been spent cleaning, unpacking, rearranging, and moving. I'm getting another roommate, and my current roommate and I have been getting the place organized and ready for a third person to be living here.. trying to make room and all that.

As of today, I'm finished. What that means is next week, I look for some part time employment to pay the bills (been living off the last couple of paychecks from my summer gig).

Also, I've been thinking about working on my site again... not changing the look of it... but getting EVERYTHING working the way it should or at least the way I want it to. When you've been out of practice from HTML and CSS for a few months it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming to even think about looking at the code again. I think my mind is finally ready to wrap itself up in dozens of lines of HTML and CSS.

Conversation: Strange but True

The names have been changed to protect the wierd. This conversation happened on AIM and has been in no way altered.

Friend: There is a company marketing "Disposable Travel Underwear". You wear them one time and then toss them.
Me: uh... what...
Friend: You disposable underwear, one time use. ;)
Friend: That was suppose to say "You know..."
Friend: dang brain and fingers.
Me: ... that's ... special
Friend: no cooperation
Me: do... do they like... uhm... fall apart after one day... or what?
Friend: no, but I think they are made of the kind of material that the sides of diapers are made of. So you wouldn't want to try to wash them. But I guess you could wear them more than once if you really wanted to.
Me: ...

----- End of Conversation -----

Top Ten

The Top Ten... Reasons I'm Glad to Be Back

10. Cable Television.
9. Movie Theater's have matinees in the middle of the week.
8. Qdoba.
7. Kripy Kreme.
6. Miyakos (japanese steakhouse - great sushi).
5. Starbucks.
4. LiveWire coffee house.
3. High Speed internet access.
2. My church family.
1. I'm only 20 minutes away from my two best friends.

New Toys!!

I had a really cool Saturday afternoon today. As many of you know (or may not know), I started an internship with my church. I'm a technical intern helping with the "production" aspect of the services. Also as you might know, our church is building a new building (which is actually attached to the old one and integrated). For the new space, the church is upgrading some of their equipment or buying new stuff altogether. Some of the new gear they bought was for video. New cameras and a new switchboard, etc. Very good quality stuff.

My main focus in my internship is lighting (since that's my background), but to avoid complete boredom, I sort of branched out today. Today I got a chance to "play" with some of the new "toys". I became a camera operator for tonight's service... it was LOADs of fun. The only bad thing was the camera was setup so high and almost against a wall so I had to crane my neck to see the monitor most of the time, but it was worth it.

Hopefully this becomes an occasional thing and not just a one-shot deal.

What's the Buzz?

'Tss. Tss. Tss. Goo-kah-ku.'

Okay, so not many people will actually get that whole little beginning bit... but, it doesn't really matter, huh? :)

Anyway - just catching up on a bit of blogging. I'm pretty bad about telling people things and keeping in touch most times, so it's just as easy to post the minor updates and things here. So here goes.

In the past two weeks, I started my part-time position as an intern at my church. So far I've helped pull wires/cables through our new expansion, and figured out a decent plot and number of light fixtures to purchase, also helped bat around different solutions about accessibility vs. "new toys". In the spare time I've been eating, sleeping, and cleaning/organizing. I need to re-organize my room to accomodate a new roommate that I'm getting. The church hired another intern, so my current roommate and I are getting things ready to make room for all of us.

Aside from those things I purchased Season 4 of Smallville (excellent show) and I'm about 1/2 way through the six disc set. Today has been a major day of cleaning and going through things, so I put Season 8 of Friends in so I wouldn't be too distracted. :)

Anyway... back to the grind.

Tag!

Okay, I found this on a friend's blog, and although he didn't tag me, I took some initiative and started it out for myself.

10 years ago: (1995) I was a Junior in High School with plans to goto college and play in the UK pep band with a degree in Computer Science. (blah)

5 years ago:(2000) Moved to Richmond; switched my major; and met one of my two best friends.

yesterday: I had lunch and Starbucks with above friend from 5 years ago; played a computer game; met with the T.D. at my church to talk about my internship there; watched some Stargate: SG-1; and went to bed.

5 snacks I enjoy: Oreos (w/a glass of milk); Chips & Salsa; Swiss Cake Rolls; String Cheese; and Wheat Thins w/Beer Cheese.

5 songs I know all the words to: The Happy Birthday Song; Every New Day by Five Iron Frenzy; Super Rad by The Aquabats; Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel; and Good Riddance by Green Day.

5 things i would do with 100 million dollars: Buy a house; Buy a car; Buy a computer; Donate to Charities (this includes friends); and invest.

5 places I would run away to: someplace with a body of water; Starbucks (or LiveWire); Mom's; Stephanie's; Dustin's.

5 things I would never wear: Liederhosen (sp?); a fig leaf; clothing made from bubble wrap; any kind of piercing; and a big fruity hat.

5 tv shows that I love: Friends; Family Guy; Stargate SG-1; Smallville; Charmed; and The Simpsons (i know that's 6, get over it!)

5 bad habits: Stopping at Red Lights; Calling People to say Hi; The Heroin; Joan Cusak; and breathing.

5 biggest joys: God; My family; My friends; Theatre; and Life

5 favorite toys: Xbox, iPod, Computer, Digital Camera (photo & video), and Guitar

4 people I'm tagging: Dustin, Patrick, Jeff, Stephanie

Okay... if you got tagged. Just do what I did. Copy down the questions and plop them into your blog and answer them. Or if you don't want to do that or don't have a blog - write the questions and your answers in a comment for this post.

Season in Revue (part III)

The Shows

Beauty & The Beast - Our season started off with this monster of an undertaking. The crew working long hours to prepare the sets, lights, costumes, and sound. The actors working their butts off to provide an amazing two and a half hour evening of entertainment. My favorite memory of the pre-production part of the show was during the Designer's Run, which is basically a final run-through of the show in a rehearsal space (minimal costumes, props, no lights or sound, no set other than a taped outline on the ground, and no orchestra other than a keyboard and an amplifier). Many of the crew had taken the time to actually come to see this run of the show. We sat there in awe. We laughed, we were amazed at the quality of the performance that had been set before us.

We were challenged.

At the end of the run, we had a production meeting, and all of the crew was just floored and were in 100 percent agreement - we've got to make things happen! The lighting and set designer added a few more elements at the last minute in order to give the set a bigger and much more fantastical feel. This show was going to be phenominal in the performance, and the technician's knew they had to step up to the plate and put out a product that could compliment the performance.

The end product was amazing. By far the best show we presented this summer. Of course there was fear going on that everyone burned themselves out getting this show on it's feet, which would make getting the next show up just as big of, if not greater, challenge.

Jesus Christ Superstar - This was a fantastic show, a lot of emotion, great dancing, talented singers, with just a little bit of artistic license taken. Although some license was taken, the show stayed pretty much true to the story. I think it was a bit too heavy of a show for our type of audiences, even though we generally do get a lot of church groups coming to see our shows, people want more to be entertained than to be challenged. And the "rock concert" style of the show was probably too much for the people who came to see the story of the last seven days of Jesus' life.

This show should have been an easy build, but the crew - due to some poor leadership and exhaustion - was worn out and morale was pretty low, despite the brave faces they showed. This show ended up feeling like a much bigger task than it should have been.

Steel Magnolias - Many people think of Steel Magnolias as the movie with Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, and Olympia Dukakis. Well, before it was a movie, it was a play. I saw this play when I was very young - actually it's the first play I remember seeing, and it was well before the movie came out. It is a wonderful story revolving around six women and set in a beauty shop.

The actresses in this show all did a fantastic job portraying women who were already made famous by some top actresses in Hollywood, yet bringing a touch of their own flair and personality into the mix to really own the characters. I could only see this show a limited number of times, and it just got better each time I saw it.

Isn't It Romantic? - This fourth installment special event became a new tradition in 2002, and has gone through the incarnations of New York, New York!; Hooray! For Hollywood; 40 Years in Revue; and Isn't it Romantic? I've been lucky enough to design lights for each. And each concept that Scott Bradley has come up with has been fresh and fun. This year was no different. The concept this year was that the show was to be an extension of the yearly Gala/Dinner event that happens before the show. The actors/actresses all mingled with the audience, and slowly filtered onto the stage to begin the "show". It's been one of the most fun cabarets that JWT has done since their beginnings.

Season in Revue (part II)

The People

I made a lot of great friends this summer, I never really found myself depressed, and I enjoyed many people's company, but mostly that of my house-mates. Where to start?

Fiona Farrell - The PSM (Production Stage Manager), also acted much like the mom of the house. This is the 3rd season I've worked with her, and I just become more impressed each time. She does a fantastic job of dealing with the actors and all the pressures associated with her job. She's also one of the most loyal people I've met, as well as being one cool chick. Oh yeah, did I mention that she cooked for us most of the time? She's going to make a great mom one day. And that fiancee of hers is a lucky man!

Sheana Tobey - Actress, is an incredible person. She is one of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet. Credentials: "Retainer voice", infectious laughter. She is very much a kindred spirit for me. She is such a fun person to watch a movie with - no matter how many times she's seen a movie, she gets very into it. Oh and she makes a mighty mean birthday cake.

David Utley - Scenic Designer, Scenic Charge (head painter), is someone I've known since 2003, but really got a chance to work with him last season at JWT. He and I seemed to bond instantly. Whether our love of movies, quoting and watching all of the FRIENDS episodes, or killing each other endlessly in HALO and HALO 2 brought us together as friends, or something else, who knows. He's an awesome guy with some great values in life. And he plays a mean game of darts.

Sarah Obrock - Actress, is another wonderful person to be around. Another very sweet person, and again, another person who loves to quote movies with you. I think I've had several conversations with her in nothing but miscellaneous movie quotes. She had some of the best moments of the summer, too. We were like brother and sister this summer (with Fiona as the mom) and had some of the most fun pretend fights ever. She's a lot of fun to pick on, too.

John Hemphill - Technician, Sound Engineer, is another incredible guy. Pontoon boats and cookouts were our chief leisure time activity this summer. The man consumes more Diet Pepsi's than a fish drinks water. And he's another person that's going to be a friend for a long time to come.

Eugenia Primis - Actress. I feel that Eugenia and I got a late start on our friendship this summer. But that's due to the all-consuming ideal of love. She and Dave Utley were pretty into each other this summer, and it wasn't until Dave left in the middle of the summer (since his contract was up), that I really got to spend much time with Eugenia. She is another person that is a lot of fun to be around.

Dana Maddox - Actress, Dance Captain. Dana and I got along great. We got to have some of those really cool late night conversations with each other. She tells stories really well because she's so animated. I would crack up at her for hours! Very rarely a dull moment when I was around her. She makes a mighty mean margarita, too!

The people this summer were some of the kindest most down-to-earth people I've ever met. And the above people were just a few of the people I lived/worked with. This was just the tip of the iceberg... but the best tip.

Season in Revue (part I)

Overview

I am finally home from Jenny Wiley Theatre's 2005 Summer Season. Home, but not unpacked. This past season was one of the greatest that I've experienced. The actors/actresses were all very talented, and a great majority of them were very genuine and down-to-earth. The technical crew was all very talented, although not very organized due to some lackluster attitudes and abilities in the upper-echalon, which quickly trickled down into the ranks. Once the poison was removed, the season took a much happier turn for the better.

I truly can't remember a season that I've been involved with that I didn't end up depressed at least once during the summer, or feel very overwhelmed in one way or another... at least until this summer.

At the end of every season I have with JWT, I wonder if it can get any better, or if it has peaked and I'm just setting myself up for disappointment. I especially thought that after my first season. The seasons after that kind of paled in comparrison, and they kind of fluctuated, one worse than the last, the next a bit worse than that, then a bit better then the one before. Of course I always come back, because I love the place and the people there... it's kind of my second home.

This summer was just great. The shows were awesome, and the people were fantastic. I can't wait to see what next season brings!

JWT Summmer Fun - Photos

Hey gang! I just wanted to share with all of you some pictures I took over the summer. I had such a great time, but I'll talk more about that at a later time. For now enjoy all the photos I have... at least the ones that were fit to print. ;)

http://community.webshots.com/user/skipthehero

More 'Tour' Like

So far the "Theatre On Wheels" Tour of "The Hobbit" has been going great. This past week we based ourselves out of Prestonsburg, KY, and toured to Eastern KY schools. We've been staying at the theatre's company housing. Well, starting tomorrow, we'll be basing ourselves out of Richmond, KY, and touring to Central KY schools in Anderson Co., Corbin Co., Danville, and Madison Co. We'll be staying for four nights at the Hampton Inn in Richmond.

Now, this is my third season working with JWT's end of season children's tour. But this is the first time I'm going to get the feeling of being on an actual tour. I guess it's really the hotel stay that's making it feel that way, but still, it's closer than I've been to being on a "real" tour. We got so many Central KY gigs this year from a single Madison Co. performance last year. Word spread.

"The Hobbit" has been well received so far in the Eastern KY venues. We've been bombarded with positive feedback from teachers, principals, and students. The managing director, Martin Childers, has been very pleased so far, I believe. I think relief hit him with the sounds of praises in his inbox.

One more week to go and I return to the "real" world - back to my friends and my church.

I've missed and am going to miss many more people this year than I have in the past. I made a lot of close friends this year. I don't regret it one bit, but it has made saying goodbye this year that much more difficult.

Congratulations, Stephanie!

I just want to send a big Congratulations out to one of my best and dearest friends, Stephanie. She spent the summer in England on an internship, and when she came back she had a big announcement. She's engaged!!! So once again, I say congratulations, Steph (and Chris)! I couldn't be happier for you two!

UPDATE: A big huge "OOPS" on my part. I was so excited that I let the cat out of the bag before Stephanie and Chris had a chance to talk to people personally. I jumped the gun a little... no, a LOT. My apologies to Stephanie and Chris and all the people they were going to tell - for spoiling the surprise. But again, congratulations!

The Last Days

Well, two shows have closed here at Jenny Wiley, and people are packing up their belongings. These are always my least favorite days of the summer, not because of the work - I'm in this "biz" for the work - but because it's a time of goodbyes. And fortunately (or unfortunately if you look at it that way) I have a lot of goodbyes to say this season. I have made more friends from this summer than any previous. It's going to be very difficult to say goodbye to a majority of the people this year. What makes this feeling worse is that I am staying around for two weeks after the regular season ends to Tour Manage the tour that the theatre sends out every year. It's a very small cast, and the house that I live in will seem very empty.

The only that helps me is that I will stay fairly busy until Monday or Tuesday, and that will keep my mind off of the fact that everyone is gone.

Breathing Room

Wow, I've really been kind of busy the past few weeks. It's flown by really fast. I finally have a chance to catch my breath again... Whew.

Let's see over the past weeks, I have went canoe-ing, designed a show, rented a pontoon boat, closed a show, had a birthday (turned 27 on July 29th - sheesh, getting old), participated in Xmas in July, attended a "Wine and Cheese" party, co/co-hosted a "white-trash" theme party, had a "few" drinks, eaten a lot, slept some, worked some shows (6 nights a week), read the new Harry Potter book (fantastic!), bought a digital cam-corder (just today, I'm very excited!), and just generally hung out with friends (new and old).

I bet you're all wondering "What's Next!?"... no? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. Right after the regular season is over, and two-week touring children's show heads out for several parts of Eastern Kentucky. I'm the "Tour Manager" - which basically entails driving 6 (possibly sleep deprived) actors in a big Ford Van, loading in a set, running the show, taking money, loading out the set, and driving to the next school. There's usually two shows a day, and just enough time in between them to grab some fast food before hitting it again.

Then right after that it's time to head back to Lexington and make some more money, and visit all the friends I've neglected the past three months (bad job, me... but then, hey, phone works both ways, huh?).

Post #557

In other news... Blogger finally fixed their post counting feature in the Dashboard. I'm pretty excited. Can't you tell?

On another note, I'm pretty excited about the upcoming year. My work calendar is filling up nicely. I already have booked a couple gigs in Atlanta, GA, again. Another one or two for good ole' Jenny Wiley, and doing the Edge Conference again for my friend Ben Stewart.

In the "off" time, I'll be taking correspondance or internet classes from school, interning at my church, and working part-time at Starbucks. This, of course, is if all goes according to plan.

Bombings Hit Close to Home

I woke up on Thursday morning without a care in the world, sat down in the livingroom where one of my roommates was already watching a 24-hour news channel. As the sleep began to slowly leave my eyes, I focused on the television. There were news reports of bombings in London subways.

I quickly woke up. I knew people in London. What's worse, as I kept watching, I recognized names of places that one particular person I knew passed through everyday. All emotion left me for the next 45 minutes as I tried to call the two London phone numbers of the person I knew over there.

"All circuits are busy at this moment, please try your call later" was the cold voice that came across the line. "LATER IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH," kept screaming in my head. All I could do was alternate between the two numbers I knew to call... and watch the news of the attack. I became more and more numb, doing nothing but dialing the phone and glancing at the television screen hoping to NOT see my friend being wheeled away on a gurney.

Finally I got through on a number. My friend left a message with her boyfriend to let me know she was alright. She had missed the bombing by 10 minutes. She was fine. Relief. So much relief. Thank you. Oh God, thank you!!!

I hung up the phone, with a great weight lifted off my shoulders.. then all the emotion and everything that I had apparently kept under check during those 45 minutes of uncertainty - I cried. I sobbed. I balled like a baby.

The next day I got to talk to her - it felt like one of the best phone conversations I've ever had. And I was so excited to speak with her. She's my best friend. I'm very grateful she's okay. I'd miss her terribly.

Independance Day

Question: What do you get when you mix a pitcher of Margaritas, a dart board, a pool, lots of friends, and fireworks?

Answer: Fourth of July, 2005!!!

This year was a lot of fun. I woke up around noon-ish, my friend from here, Dana, mixed up a batch of home-made margaritas, and we started the day. A couple of games of darts later, I walked to the community pool for a swim. Upon returning from the swim, a small group of people from my cabin drove to Archer Park in Prestonsburg to watch the fireworks. It seems pretty simple, but all-in-all, it was an awesome, fun, and very relaxing day!

Thank God.

Sun, Work, and Fun

Well, the past few weeks have been really good. Two out of the three season shows are up - with the third in rehearsal and being built. Went out on a pontoon (pontoof - haha... sorry, really only I will get that joke) a couple times. Got to zoom around on a wave runner. Had some awesome late-night and pseudo (and non) drunken talks with new friends. Participated in a wedding (not mine). And visited with some friends.

Good times to be had by all.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to my best friend DUSTIN MCCLAIN and his new wife KATIE!

This morning at 10:30, Dustin and Katie stood before God, family, and friends, and declared their dedication and love for each other.

It was a beautiful ceremony. It took place outside in a park in Richmond, KY. The best part was the music they picked. They didn't walk down the aisle to the traditional songs (Canon in D, Bridal March, etc) The songs were all contemporary, and the best was the song for the recesional - "Good Thing" by Reel Big Fish. A really rockin' song.

The reception was held in the banquet hall of the local Best Western. There was food, photo flashes, and fun. I even made Dustin cry with my Best Man speech. It's okay - he made me cry when he gave me my groomsman gift... so it was really an even trade. Of course there were the obligatory cute kids dancing. Although there was no bouquet or garter olympics... which I didn't really think about until just now. The food was great and the decorations were awesome. Katie (and all the bridesmaids) look absolutely beautiful! All of us groomsmen were drop dead sexy in the tuxes that Dustin picked for us to wear. The jackets were long and a little non-traditional, with no collars and no buttons - very sleek and trim.

It was a great time, and I couldn't help but smile during the whole ceremony. I was kind of like a proud poppa, but also super happy and excited about the life, the journey, and the adventure that they've just started together.

Where o where?

Life's been pretty busy in grand old Prestonsburg. We opened Beauty and the Beast last Friday and open Steel Magnolias tomorrow. It's a pretty hecktic schedule, but after tomorrow we get to slow down a notch or two. We have two weeks before Jesus Christ Superstar opens! And then we're pretty well home free for the rest of the season.

I've had a pretty decent time here so far, I get along well with most of the people here... and those I don't particularly care for - well, you'll have to ask me in person. I always seem to find the one or two people every summer that I connect with pretty well, and I've found those people this season as well.

Some of you may hate me, but I was actually in the Lexington area on Monday to "get away" for the day. A couple of the company members and myself went to Dudley's to enjoy a very nice and very expensive dinner out on their patio. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we dropped into a couple of bars on the main drag. One where we particularly enjoyed ourselves was at a place called "Buster's" where we had a drink, threw darts and shot some pool. Now, I finally know where "The Dame" is that Patch keeps talking about.

Well, I guess I need to get back to work, I guess that's what they pay me for around here. ;) Everyone take care! And feel free to drop me a quick hello via email or call if you feel like it.

later taters

Wedding Bells

As I get older, I see more and more of my friends "growing up", and either talking seriously about marriage or actually tying the knot. Also, I seem to be accumulating more friends who are married. I was noticing this the other day, then I commented it on a friend's blog last night. His reply was - "Yeah... so when are you getting married?"

My response was this:

That's step 7 in an 8 step process.
1) Find a girl
2) Date said girl
3) Figure out if said girl is "the one"
4) Ask the girl's father if it's ok to ask
5) Ask the girl to marry me
6) Be engaged
7) Get married
8) Live happily ever after

Maybe I'm dreaming a lot, but I look forward to the day I get to start on step 2. Will it happen? Who knows...

One Week Down

Thirteen to go!

After the first week at Jenny Wiley, everything is going very smoothly, and all the departments seem to be keeping ahead of the game - which in outdoor theatre is very important, since you never know when the weather will put all your best laid plans and good intentions on hiatus.

We have a really good crew this year, and my assistant is the best I've had. We've worked unoffically together before, and so I know what she's capable of and what her experince level is. It helps a lot to not have to explain and teach every single thing to someone. I don't mind imparting my knowledge, especially if someone is eager to learn - but there isn't always time for a lot of that.

So far, my assistant and I have had it pretty easy, our first two days were a lot of manual labor (good stuff, but man, was I sore later) and then a lot of sitting around cleaning lighting equipment. Next week is our 'turn and burn' week. We will run over 4000 feet of cable, hang over 150 light fixtures, drink over 30 cups of coffee, spend approximately 3500 dollars, and work more than a 90 hour week... but it will all payoff and be worth it in approximately two and a half weeks.

On a side note - tonight I also got a call from my wonderful friend, Stephanie. For those of you that DON'T know - or are just 'tuning in', she's in London, England for the summer on an internship. Anyway - it was really good to hear her voice, I wasn't expecting to get a phone call from her at all this summer, since it's very expensive to call internationally. It put a smile on my face immediately. My face was actually sore at the end of the conversation from smiling the whole time. Well, I've got to log off here for now - need my beauty rest and all that.

- Cheer-i-o <- That one's for you, Chris ;)

JWT - Day One

Just finished my first day of the 2005 Summer Season at Jenny Wiley Theatre. It was good to do some hard work again. Every once in a while, good old fashioned manual labor feels good.

All the tech crew arrived yesterday, and man, I'm really starting to feel old in this line of work. All the crew seems like a really good bunch of people. There are a couple of pseudo-annoying people this summer, but I think I'm learning to tune them out - er - I mean get along with them. But everyone seems ready to work and really has a lot to "bring to the table".

Well, I'm beat - Two more things before I to head off to a quick shower and then to bed. First, if anyone gets curious about when shows are and how much they cost - check out Jenny Wiley Theatre's website.

Lastly, I would love to send many warm wishes and a LOT of prayers to my best friend, Stephanie. She's heading off to London, England for the summer. I'm gonna miss her a lot. Love you, Steph!!!!

I'll buy that!

For a dollar eighty-nine, yeah, I'll buy that!

That's the cheapest I've bought gas for in several months! The Speedway at Exit 104 (off I-75) in Lexington is selling it for that right now. Go quick, hurry, fill up!!!

Focus

UPDATED updates in bold italics

It's really easy for us sometimes to lose focus. I fully believe that people mostly focus on the good in their lives (and in their friend's lives). Sometimes some people have what I'll call a "social hickup" which causes their focus to waiver and then they focus on different things, or the wrong side or notion of a particular thing. Sometimes people even become obsessed about certain things. Sometimes people feel that they have every right to know something that is really none of their business.

Now, even I have been guilty of having a social hickup. I don't think anyone can really say that they haven't, whether it was just for a brief moment, or if it's chronic for some people. The trick is to realize that you have the social hickups, and fix it. Or at least correct what you've done during the social hickup. I'll give you an example from my own life.

A very dear friend of mine (Stephanie) is going away to London (yes, England) for the summer. I had BIG social hickups when I found out about that. Instead of focusing on the good of the excitement on the trip to a foreign country, and how much fun she'll have, I hickuped and thought only about how it would affect me, how much I would miss her this summer. I eventually realized that I was being selfish in my thoughts, and that was my social hickup. Since I realized that, I've been much more supportive and excited for Steph and her trip. I'll still miss her a lot, but I know this experience is going to be awesome for her, especially since she's met a special someone over there... and she'll get to experience all of her joys with him. And I'm incredibly happy for her. And our friendship is stronger for it.

Unfortunately, focus is an easy thing to lose - and only when we realize we've lost it, can we do anything to fix it. I learned this lesson the hard way. I can only hope that everyone doesn't have to. Of course, there are SOME people out there, that just don't get it. Some of you will know who I'm talking about, the rest of you may not. But that's okay. Have a great day, and keep focus!

As per Steph's suggestion - check out Mike's recent post "Pardon Me While..." to see what the "instigation" of this post is all about.

Eulogy for CommentThis

As many of you who read my blog regularly know - I recently switched to blogger's comments system due to a server problem with my old comment host, CommentThis! I originally found out about this service from Patrick Drury. This was the "goto" service before blogger introduced their own commenting system.

After the server problem, I scoured the "how-to" archives at blogger and found a way to preserve the old comments on the old posts while implementing the newer blogger comments on all of the new posts. I also helped a friend to do the same with her blog.

Just a few minutes ago, I went to check on the status of the old comment host, and found the following message.

It looks like the Comment This! service is no more.
It's been a good run, but the hard drive that the Comment This! data resided on died, and is not recoverable. I only received about $160 in donations, and that doesn't even cover my bandwidth for two months, much less replacement hardware. Blogger's comments system works well enough, maybe you should try it.
Regards,
The CommentThis! admin.

P.S. If you want to contact me to praise or complain, you can reach me at:
comments@commentthis.com

Good-bye CommentThis. You've given me a lot of memories over the past year and a half. Thanks.

What's in a Name?

Actual horse's name.

Hoof Hearted

Say that one out loud a couple times.

I was watching one of those "blooper shows" last night on TV, and that was an actual horse's name. And the announcer was like, "Hoof Hearted" in the back!

Hilarious.

Victory is Mine!

Stewie

Which Family Guy Character Are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


Which Family Guy character are you?

All Things New

The new design that I've been keeping mostly under wraps is finished. Right now just the blog and bio pages have made the transition. Next will be the design pages, followed by my online photo album, and then the guestbook. Oh, and I've updated the bio page - enjoy. Tell me what you think.

Last Chance

This weekend went amazingly well! This is truly the most fun I've had in a LONG time. I haven't had an actual good vacation in several years. The guys I hung out with this weekend are some of the best. An amazing group of people to go on a trip with. The group was almost TOO laid back - it was tough to get them to make a decision! But it made for a very stress/drama-free weekend.

In attendance were: Dustin McClain (the doomed), Me (the best man), Jarred Winebarger (groomsman), Eric Whitson, Jason Bowles, and Brian Ink.

Here's what we did:
rented:
cabin - (click to see)
van - Chrystler: Town & Country (we rode in style, automatic everything - power sliding doors, windows, etc.)

played:
poker
Halo2
putt-putt
lazertag
ping pong
pool (billiards)
air hockey
raced gocarts

soaked in hot-tub:
combined total - 12 hours

watched:
Shaun of the Dead
Hellboy

bought (at China Bazaar):
soft pellet guns (3)
"samurai" sword

ate:
burgers and dogs, chips, potato salad
steak, baked potatoes, cornbread
ribs, shrimp, chicken, potatoes, fries, onion loaf, bread
bacon, sausage, eggs, waffles

drank:
pepsi, coke, sprite, O.J., milk, water, ginger ale, and other various juices
corona, bicardi O3, Smirnoff Ice, and other various beers/wine-coolers

slept - very little

For Your Eyes Only

I'm really excited. I'm working on a new look for my website. It's going to look a lot nicer and more professional than this one. Basically I'm trimming a lot of the fat off of the old one. It just felt too bulky to me at times. I love this design, but each design for me is just a stepping stone to the next - honing and sharpening my skills and craft.

Be excited... VERY excited.

Roll with the Punches

This is definitely something I need to learn how to do.

The past few weeks, I haven't really been myself. To some, I may've covered it up well - then again, maybe not. And to others, well, there's just no fooling some people, they'll always know when your not yourself (and thank goodness for those people).

So, to anyone that's noticed - worry no more, I'm on the quick road to getting back to me. To those that I've weighed heavily on... I apologize greatly. To everyone else - no sweat, I'm here and as good as ever.

" Life as it happens is rarely the way that you planned
Roll with the punches or you'll end up a mad, little man "
- "Six String Rocketeer" by Daily Planet

Dark Side of the Blog

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Did you realize that the dark lord of the sith himself kept a blog? Neither did I until I stumbled upon it.

It's pretty humorous... and a little scary. Check it out.

Posts Revisited

// Quotes from Real People

"It's like butter and chocolate syrup."
- Greg Chandler (describing how performances were good, just not good together)
Originally Posted on: 11/30/2003

// Two Words

Huggies Thong
Originally Posted on: 02/08/2004

// Past Weeks:: Barenaked Ladies Concert

click to view post
Originally Posted on: 03/15/2004

// Video

Japanese Commercial - too weird... and too funny.
Originally Posted on: 04/13/2004

Video

Ever get bored sitting in front of your computer? Me too. Oh, and not to mention this guy.

Discuss. And feel free to post links to other videos you think are funny, stupid, crazy, cool.

Time's Ebb and Flow

Whoever said, "The more things change, the more things stay the same" should be drug out into the street and shot.

Too much? - Nah.

Last Chance for Fun!

Updated!

For those of you that don't know - one of my best friends (Dustin McClain) is getting married this summer to Katie Winebarger. When he proposed, he also asked me to be his best man. Now we all know what the best man's REAL job is.

To throw a killer bachelor party!

Well, due to mine and Dustin's nature... we're not really into the traditional bachelor party fare (aka - vomitting from being sloshed and strippers). So I figured out a really awesome idea to make it an awesome party. Next weekend, 6 guys are headed off to Gatlinburg, TN, to live it up for one last weekend of fun (before Dustin's not allowed to have anymore). We rented a cabin and a van, and are headed down Friday morning, and won't return until Monday afternoon/evening.

Less than 7 days to go! (at time of posting - 6 days: 23 hours: 28 seconds)

Update:
----------
Oh yeah, if you want to check out the cabin we're staying at and it's amenities, click here.

Housekeeping

Did a bit of housekeeping on the ole' blog tonight. Got rid of a few links where people rarely (if ever) updated them. Also added a new one.

Update! Update! Update!!

My Design Portfolio has been updated. Go check it out.

Quick! Hurry!

Comments. Questions?

Today, I switched to Blogger's Comments from CommentThis. The cool thing is... all the previous comments will still be there, just the posts from now on will have the new comment style. The reason I did this was due to the CommentThis servers being down for a few days. This way it'll be an all or nothing kind of deal. I've enjoyed CommentThis, and who knows... may go back to them eventually, but they've had problems in the past, so I'm going to try my luck with the Blogger comments. Hope you all enjoy!

-spg

Free Time

Okay, so I've got 18 days until I leave again for Jenny Wiley. Here's a few possibilities for my free time. I'm either going to be:

a) productive
b) lazy
c) counter-productive
d) counter-lazy
e) a small ethiopian child
f) none of the above
g) all the above
h) 30 mph
i) a rock
j) paper
k) scissors
l) or a combination of some of the above, but not others

Somebody Hates Me

Lyrics by Reel Big Fish (from "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" album)

did you misunderstand something that i did
or was there one of my jokes that you didn't get
or do you think you've got the way i think all figured out.
what did i say, to make you feel i'm not cool now?

i know,
no matter what no matter who no matter what i do,
somebody hates me, and i hate somebody too.
i know its wrong, but i do it too
and i guess i should say,
don't let it get to you

Seussical - Part Two

SOLD OUT

[no rhyming this time... not even for a dime] (D'oh)

Seussical - Opening Night

What a great performance by such a talented group of young adults. The show went off without a hitch, and the singers were all on pitch. The audience raised a loud noise, and the cast was greeted with great joys.

Mark Smith and crew put on one heck of a show. And it feels great to be open, don't you know.

So from Georgia to Who to Solla Salloo, have a great night, and I'll see all my friends soon.

Atlanta, revisited

Well, down in Atlanta... yes, again. We had our final dress rehearsal tonight for 'Seussical'... and we open tomorrow night. I still have a few polishing up items to take care of... but it's a phenomincal show. This is kind of a school play on crack kind of deal. It's a school show, but with professional scenic, lighting, and sound design. And Mark Smith (director) is a supremely talented and accomplished director. With such high production value going on, you might think, "yeah, but it's still a cheesey school production." Well, you'd be wrong. While not ALL the actors/singers are Broadway material... there are a few stand out performers in the bunch - Nia (The Cat in the Hat) & Katie (JoJo) are two such performers. Great stage presence, wonderful timing, talented voices, and absolutely sweet people.

If you happen to be around the Atlanta area this weekend and want to take in a great show... gimme a call, I'll get you in touch with the right people and we'll get you some tickets.

Oh, and of course, later, you'll be able to catch a few moments from the show in my design portfolio gallery.

Signing off - spg

Home... ?

Hey Gang. I'm home from my 2 week stint as Stage Manager and Props Master at Jenny Wiley Theatre. It was a good time, lots of work, lots of fun, and lots of friendly familiar faces. Here's a quick run-down:

Worked
Ate
Slept
Drank (some)
Geeked out a bit
Worked
Was invited to dinner by a local cast member
Watched Smallville Season 3 DVDs
Watched a few of Buffy Season 3 (4?) DVDs
Hung out with friends around a fire
Cooked food on said fire (hobo burgers)

Good times, yeah, I know. Well, now I'm off to Atlanta Georgia for another gig. I'm designing lights for a show called 'Seussical' for one of my good friends, Mark Smith. I'm down there for a week... and I'm not sure if I'll have internet access or not. Just know that I'm doing well, and if any of you gets the bug and wants to drop me a quick call... feel free to do so! Hearing a friendly voice in a sea of strange faces is an uplifting feeling.

Now... i'm off.

Worth

Do you ever have those days when you just feel like you're not worth anything to anybody?

I have them sometimes. I've had a couple of those days kind of recently and it pretty much blows huge chunks. I'm talking about one of those days where nothing goes right. You feel pretty useless at work, you don't feel like that good of a friend, and just generally a waste of oxygen.

But on the other end... there are those awesome days... the days when every friend you know calls you - or in my case, both of them ;) - and you have great advice, or just a really fun and light conversation with them. And at work... the ideas won't STOP coming... and you have this uncanny 8th sense about how the best and quickest way to accomplish your tasks is. I haven't really had any of these days... well, not in a while, anyway. But I've come close to them before. I've had a couple of days close to that recently, too. Those are much better than the other ones.

Now - Naked Shaven Mud-Wrestling Grizzly Bears!

Forecast

:UPDATED:
Weather forecast for Wednesday, April 6, 2005.

Dark Skies. Cloudy. With a good chance of thunderstorms.

Also be on the lookout for floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and tornados.


[note: not an actual weather forecast]

----------------------------
update: 8:26pm
No actual storms or anything. Clouds are mostly gone... but the sky doesn't seem quite as blue as it did yesterday.

Back to Work

Well, I'm down in Prestonsburg, KY, again. I'm here Stage Managing 'Babe, the Sheep-Pig', a play based on the hit box-office record breaker 'Babe'. Yeah, the one with the talking pig... and NO we're not having an actual pig on stage.

All's well, and pretty much how it was at the end of my last job here. The office staff is super cool and fun as always... like a big family. The crew are a couple of guys I worked with last summer, and a lot of fun to hang around... yeah, they're good workers, too. The cast ... well, mostly kids... and I know about half of them from previous gigs. There's only 4 people in the adult cast, all of whom I've worked with before, and are great people.

Not sure how often I'll post while I'm here... so in the words of Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show" - "... If I don't see ya'... good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"

... Happily Ever After

Just got home from my cousin Jenny (Glascock) Anderson's wedding. What a beautiful ceremony! And what a fun reception!!

This wedding had all the classic ingredients - beautiful ceremony, beautiful bride, crying relatives (happy tears), the cute kids on the dance floor, the weird drunk old guy, hot single women, dancing, a great band, and at least one gay guy who can really dance and show all us "movers" up.

It really was a blast though. I got to see three of my cousins, whom I have not seen in well over 13 years. Jenny (the bride), Tom, and Jill. These are all cousins on my dad's side. And it was SO nice to see them all again, and they seemed really happy to see me too.

I miss getting to see that side of my family as much, but it's tough that Jill and Jenny live in Atlanta. I don't really have much of an excuse not to see my aunt Jane or Tommy... my aunt lives in Winchester (30 minutes away?), and Tommy lives around Cinci, OH... which is on my way to my mom's house.

To me it was a family reunion of sorts. It really was a great time, I just hope it doesn't have to be another 13 years before I see all of them again. In fact, it's my goal to make sure it's not another 13 years.

I have some pictures to post - I'll dump 'em on here when I get home.

Okay, if I ramble on too much longer, all the alcohol is going to get to me and I'm going to start whining. And I know you don't want that.

More to come... (?)

Swank

Down in Atlanta, GA, right now. My mom and I are down here for my cousin Jenny's wedding. She's one of the few cousins I have on my dad's side, and I haven't seen any of them in something like 10 - 13 years. Two of them (Jill and Jenny) live in/around Atlanta, the other one (Tommy) lives around Cinci. I'm super excited to see all of them - we actually just had lunch with my Aunt Jane and Tommy in the Hotel Restaurant... which brings me to the original point of this post.

Swank.

We're staying at the Marriott Suites in Mid-town Atlanta. This room is uber-nice. It's actually a suite - has a king size bed, a pull out sofa-bed, a bathroom with a shower and separate tub, two TV's, a mini-fridge, High Speed Internet Access, and a really neat view of Midtown. We found out that this room normally rents for over $300.00 a night!!! Since we're with the wedding group, we're staying here for $90.00 a night... how awesome is that!?!!??

The REALLY awesome part that I'm fascinated with is how helpful and friendly the whole staff is. I've never stayed at a nice hotel before where there was a concierge, "bellhops", doormen, and such hospitality. Everyone that sees you tells you to have a nice day, asks if you need anything, and we're using the Valet Service for the car... that's really nice to just hand your keys off and let someone else park the car, and when you want it, just call down and ask for it.

I'm taking pictures and I'll post some when I get home (I don't have the means to get them onto my computer til then). I'll probably post later tonight after the wedding.

I know - you guys are all on the edge of your seats, aren't you?

Uhm... what?

Watching "Attack of the Show" tonight (formerly "The Screen Savers) on G4TechTV, there was a webserver that claimed it was so small it could fit up someone's rectal cavity. That's right... his ass.

And it did. Care to visit? www.yourassgotserved.com

Where are the good shows?

In the past couple of weeks, a lot of shows have been getting cancelled or are being closely looked at to decide if cancellation is the right move or not.

After watching Point Pleasant for a few weeks in a row, there was a two or three week hiatus, and then it returned for another week... and then again stopped. After that, I got news from a friend that it had been dropped by the FOX network, and was being replaced with episodes of TRU CALLING that had never aired due to it's cancellation.

This made me a bit suspicious of another of my favorite shows that started this season. Committed. It was a funny, quirky show in the midst of all the reality TV and "become a star" shows on these days. The show had not been on for a few weeks, instead being replaced by re-runs of "Scrubs" (which I also watch). So I did a little digging. Went to the NBC website, and it said that no shows were currently scheduled. I dug a little deeper, and found a couple of forums that talked about it. Basically, Committed is dead in the water for the moment, it's fate is being decided and will be announced on May 16 when NBC offically announces it's Fall lineup for 2005.

How do you get a hold of one of those Nielson Ratings boxes?! Give it to me!

Tools of the Trade

While having lunch with my good friend Stephanie this afternoon, I did something that I had never done before, and it was really cool, and I felt cool saying/doing it. Steph said it was kind of cool, too.

Steph had kind of a "downer" day yesterday - so, when we got to Logan's for lunch, I told her I'd treat her. Inside Logan's we were seated and browsing the menu, and I mentioned that Filet Mignon was really good, and it turned out that she never had one and decided to try it.

Okay, now here's where the cool part comes in - when we ordered... I did all the talking, yep, I ordered FOR her. It went a little something like this:

Waitress: What can I get you?
Me: We'll have Mozerella Sticks for an appetizer, and two 6 oz filet mignon's... I'll take mine medium well.
[waitress looks to Steph]
Steph: Medium, please.

It was too cool. It was the first time I'd ordered FOR someone like that before. I couldn't help but smile really dumb like a couple times during the meal. I kind of surprised myself.

While we were waiting to order, I noticed I felt tall... it was like I was sitting on some kind of weird nexus in Logan's. After that, the meal and the company and the conversation was great!

As we were leaving, I was opening the doors for Steph. The first one was SUPER easy to open, and as she was messing with something on her coat, I attempted to open the second door - this one was a bit ... stuck. So I leaned in a bit more... nothing. Gave it a little harder push... nothing. Finally, I put my shoulder to the door (while still leaning a good deal). The force of my shoulder was enough to open the door, and ALMOST enough to send me onto the sidewalk outside of Logan's. Thankfully, it was just almost enough.

We laughed a lot... and ate WAY too much.

I'm gonna miss that girl when she leaves for London. A lot.

Good Game

Okay. UK got beat by Michigan tonight... bummer. I really got into the tournament this season, too. Had been several years since I really watched college hoops. It was a great game, though. UK had nothing to be ashamed of, and from what I can tell, the refs were much more fair this game than the one vs. Utah.

Now, in the fine tradition of a fellow blogger:

G0 North Carolina!!!!
Go Illinois!!!!

Insomnia + Boredom =

Steal... I mean, borrowing ideas from other people.

Okay I totally ripped this idea off of Patch... but I wanted to see what my top 25 most played songs were on my iPod/iTunes.

Here they are:

* Never Going Back - Big Daddy Weave
* Rest in Peace - James Marsters (Spike on Buffy)
* Fields of Grace - Big Daddy Weave
* Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
* Another Postcard - Barenaked Ladies
* Exciting Times - Across The Sky
* Happy - Goldfiner
* Look What Happened - Less Than Jake
* Humor of the Situation - Barenaked Ladies
* Eight Days a Week - The Beatles
* Grey Street - Dave Matthews Band
* 3000 Miles Away - Daily Planet
* These Walls - Trapt
* Kit Kat Jam - Dave Matthews Band
* Drunk Again - Reel Big Fish
* Meet You There - Simple Plan
* Ticket to Ride - The Beatles
* Zak and Sara - Ben Folds
* Scenes From an Italian Resaraunt - Billy Joel
* Flying Blind - Daily Planet
* It's Your Life - GOldfinger
* He Reigns - Kirk Franklin
* Crutch - Matchbox 20
* Lonely Day - Phantom Planet
* What I Like About Your - The Romantics

Commercials

If anyone has been watching any of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, you may have noticed that there are some good commercials during the timeouts. Many of these commercials outclass many if not all the SuperBowl commercials this year. They have some good stuff! I can't remember any at the moment because my brain is fried from the past week plus today. Just know that they're good. So what's up with that? I guess the companies that are spending the "bajillions" of dollars for 30 seconds of air at the SuperBowl, spent all of their budget on buying the timeslot and couldn't afford to make a commercial that was interesting or at least memorable. Even if I HATED the commercial... I at least remember it.

Good Day/Bad Day

Well, today started off a really good day. The evening was even really good. Right around 1 o'clock, everything went crappy. But first the hightlights...

+ Had lunch with a good friend of mine
+ Worked on something at someplace that I have a huge passion for
+ Watched the U.K. game at a friend's house
- Ref's for the U.K. game must've hated Kentucky, or been paid off by the other team
+ Watched the season finale of Stargate Atlantis
+ Taped season finale of Stargate: SG-1
- Got pulled over by a cop on way home from above friend's house
- Failed to put my new Insurance card in my car
- Have to go to court to prove I have insurance
- Other realities are starting to hit me as well, but I won't go into them here or now.

Let's just say that the day ended in a tie for either a good or bad day... unfortunately, it didn't start off bad and got better... it started off great and went into the crapper.

Confucious Say

Surfing the web a little today... none of the usual "haunts" were too interesting, so on a whim, I dropped by my Church's recently redesigned website. I stumbled upon their FAX of Life, a weekly message of inspiration sent to you via FAX or email. I don't subscribe to this, but apparently it's online, too. Anyway, part of the message caught my attention, and so I thought I'd share it.

That great philosopher Drew Carey once said, "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."

I'll see you at the next meeting.

Halo 3 Wishlist

Yeah, yeah... I know... Halo 2 just came out a few months ago... what's all this talk of Halo 3??

I jumped on Bungie.net tonight. I've been in a serious mood to play Halo2. I've beat the game twice since I bought it, and played through a couple of my favorite missions countless times. So let me tell you what I want (what I really really want).

I REALLY want to play some Halo2 multiplayer. Just me, and two or three friends duking it out via Xbox. Unfortunately... it's difficult to get people together to play video games. So what I'll settle for is "bots" - computer controlled players - to play against in a multiplayer atmosphere.

Well, luck has it, my wish is on someone else's wishlist, too.

Friends, Romans, Bloggers...

[new updates in bold blue old ones just bold]
[the updates will stop when everyone has finally updated their blogs]

The following people need to update their blogs...

blogger/last update
Music Box Girl - - - 03/24/05
Dustin McClain - - - 03/23/05
Ben Stewart- - - - - site is down
Mr. HibGib - - - - - 03/22/05 - okay
Erin Adams - - - - - 03/17/05 - 6 days ago
Patrick Drury- - - - 03/24/05 - "freakin' awesome"
Katie Winebarger - - 02/22/05 - 29 days ago
Mike Tuttle- - - - - 03/16/05 - 7 days ago

That is all... GO.

ASS of U and ME

[updated]

Never assume... unless the assumtion is that your assumptions are wrong until proven correct.

- Scott P. Glascock, 03/23/05 @ 12:58am

------------
update:
I got a phone call this morning. I didn't mean for this to be a cryptic entry. Nothing's wrong. I had a coversation with a friend on AIM last night, and this was one of the things I said. It kind of caught me off gaurd, and I thought it was interesting. Almost a "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck.." situation. The quote really makes sense if you think about it and break it down. It's really just one of those kind of sayings that are very factual... kind of like "if it's not here, it's there." There's probably a better example... but I don't have the discipline to keep thinking about this any longer.

On another note: I give you this - and this too.

Bad Ass

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while!

Well, it's working on me...

Stumbled upon an article from MacWorld.com that has firmed up my decision to purchase a Mac Mini in the near future. Wanna read it? Okay, here it is.

Patrick Drury is the Devil

Okay, not really. But unfortunately, he's sparked an interest in me for a show on Fox Thursday nights... The O.C. This week, there was no "Joey" on NBC, so I ended up watching The O.C. before Point Pleasant. Now, an small curiosity has turned in to me getting hooked on the show. Thursday nights are going to be a struggle between me and my remote control... too bad I don't have Tivo.

Oh, and btw, Happy (late) Birthday Patch! See ya' on Saturday!

Two Button Mouse?

Have you ever heard of such a thing?! What is this fantastical new innovation in personal electronics? A two button mouse? What?

... apparently, Apple is FINALLY getting around to developing a two button mouse. Uhm... took long enough. For PC users, the ability to have up to eight programmable buttons has been around for a long time. Two button mouses have been around... well, as long as I've owned a computer (at least), and I got my first computer way back in 1991. Back in the days that MS-DOS was an incredible operating system, and Windows 3.11 was just another program you could run on your computer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very impressed with Apple products. As a PC owner/user, I also own a 20GB iPod w/Click Wheel, and am in the process of saving up money for a new Mac Mini. It just stikes me as funny that it's taken them this long to get to this point.

Hopefully, Apple won't develope a two button mouse and say that PC's stole the idea.

View the FULL ARTICLE

Busy

Hey all. Hope life is treating everyone fairly. The blogging scene is getting kind of stale and dry. I wish I had a lot of things to report on, but really, I don't. I've been busy trying to finish my lighting design for a show in Atlanta, GA, in mid April. Unfortunately, without the proper tools... it's a slow process. Plus my computer is getting on in years (I've had it since February 2002) making the process just a tad slower. Maybe if I get a chance, I'll post a screenshot of my work so you can see what I've been up to. Well, enough frivolity for now. Back to work.

Back in the Groove

Over the past week and a half, I haven't had internet access at my house... which has been a huge bummer. So I had been leeching off various places (with their knowledge and permission) to gain a few minutes here, and a few minutes there. It was particularly upsetting because I've needed to be in contact with several people about different jobs that I have coming up. But today, I regained my "freedom". My access is back up, and I feel oddly "whole" again. :) It's good to be back.

Learning to Praise Him

A couple of kids from the SCC Teen Theatre Festival (see previous post) recognized me from playing in a Christian Rock band when I lived in that area. We called ourselves Extol (which means "praise").

I was the drummer for the band... we were good, not great, but we enjoyed ourselves and spread the message of Christ the best we could. I remember when I played, it didn't even feel like I was playing, it felt like something (or someone) else was controlling my arms and legs. Two of my favorite memories of playing with the band was we played for a church's Jars of Clay CD release party (when they released "Much Afraid"). One song in our repetiore was Flood (one of my favorites to play)... so of course we played it. The other memory was playing for a neighborhood block party. We just kind of jammed out. The bass player layed down a rhythm, I joined in, the guitar started jamming out, and then the vocalists just started singing... and it came out in the form of a song that (in my opinion) was really fun... it was titled "Wizard of Oz"... the only line I can vaguely remember (other than the chorus) is close to the end saying something about if a house landing on you and what are you going to do... (not exact quote at ALL).

Since we broke up as a band, I kind of struggled with what gifts I have and how I could use them to honor Him. I didn't really think there was much more I could do than what I had done when I was with the band. I really felt connected to God when I played... and I knew I was serving Him how He wanted me to.

Over the past couple of years, I think I've found another way to serve... I've gotten really involved with the Tech Team at Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, KY. I'm helping bring the message of Christ to people in the best way that I know how. I have a difficult time bring the topic up to people. I wish I had an easier time of it, or knew how to approach it. I guess I'm just hoping that by the way I live and act, people will realize that I am a christian and know the love of my Father and Savior, and by seeing me, will begin to ask questions and realize that Christians don't have to be "uptight" and "boring".

In fact, thanks to a few people I know, I've realized I can be a real person AND be a follower of Christ.

Another Great Weekend

Yeah, it keeps going and going!

Friday night was relaxing. Watched Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis on Sci-Fi Channel. Great couple of episodes.

Saturday morning and afternoon, I spent in Somerset for SCC's Teen Theatre Festival. I DIDN'T pickup any girls down there, so I don't have to run from any cops or angry fathers with shotguns. It was really cool. A couple of kids actually recognized me from playing in a Christian Rock band when I lived in that area. We called ourselves Extol (it means praise) pronounced: EX-TOLL. (more about that in the next post)

Saturday night a bunch of friends and I got together for a surprise birthday party for our friend Jennifer Redmond. We had pizza and birthday cake, and then went to a coffee house downtown to listen to another friend of ours play guitar and sing. She did an accoustic verson of Evanessence's "Bring Me To Life" and ROCKED.

Sunday was probably the best day of them all. I went to church, and then got to hang out with one of my most favorite people... all day long. It was great. One of the best times I've had in a long while. We had been having a slight bump in our friendship for a month or so... but we worked it all out, and just totally went back to how we used to be around each other. Incredible! Thanks God!

Soundtrack - The Last Track

I don't know if you've ever heard a song, and thought, "this would be great for (such and such situation)!" Well, I found a song that I want to be played at my funeral. Now before everyone thinks I've gone nuts, or I'm paranoid about my own mortality and this and that... don't worry. I ran lights today for a memorial service that really seemed more like a celebration than a funeral. This is how I have always said I want my funeral. Now, the inevitable crying will happen, cause hopefully, people will be sorry that I'm gone or miss me a little bit, but I want them to ultimately celebrate my "home coming". Here's the song:

I'll Meet You There - by Simple Plan

Now you're gone,
I wonder why you left me here,
I think about it on, and on,
and on, and on, and on, again.
I know you're never coming back,
I hope that you can hear me,
I'm waiting to hear from you..

Until i do,
you're gone away,
I'm left alone,
A part of me is gone, and I'm not moving on,
So wait for me, I know the day will come..


I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me to,
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you here,
I'll meet you there.

I wish I could have told you,
The things I kept inside,
But now I guess its just too late.
So many things remind me of you,
I hope that you can hear me,
I miss you,
This is goodbye,
One last time..

You're gone away,
I'm left alone,
A part of me is gone, And I'm not moving on,
So wait for me, I know the day will come..

I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me to,
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you here,
I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me to,
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you here,
I'll meet you there.

I'll meet you there....

And where I go you'll be there with me,
Forever you'll be right here with me..

I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me to,
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you here,
I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me..
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you..
I'll meet you there...

I'll meet you there...
I'll meet you there..

Obligated

Okay, I'm feeling obligated at the moment to update my blog... so here it is!

There's not been a whole lot to report since this weekend, really. I finally got my stuff organized from moving in (in January). In my defense, most of January for me was spent traveling. I lived out of a suitcase for most of that time. But it's neat now, and it feels much more like a home to me. I forgot to mention that Friday night was spent hanging out at Common Grounds with a few friends from Church. Another friend of ours was playing that night, and we went to watch him.

In other news... a friend has introduced me to Diablo II (game for PC). I'd just like to say that there aren't many things (in video games) more satisfying than pummelling monsters until they pop. Also, I'm holding my own protest of the NHL Season being cancelled due to negotiations failing. I'll make my own season - by playing NHL hockey for the Xbox... so take that NHLPA.

Forward thinking - I'm looking forward to this weekend... it seems to be a promising one. I'm going to be traveling to the town I grew up in and visiting my old Community College to judge "auditionees" in a High School Theatre Festival. This will make my fourth or fifth year doing so. It's actually the only time each year I make it down that way. (Don't worry, my family doesn't live there anymore, I'm not a horrible son... at least not for that reason.)

Quotes (out of context)

This quote was said on: Tuesday, February 22, 2005:

" Alright everybody - Hold your balls, and let's pray. "
-Steve Edens (said unknowingly)

Hours upon hours of entertainment. Thanks, Steve.

no whammies, no whammies... stop!

Updated (see bottom)

I really don't want to jinx it, but I find it really amazing the number of great weekends I've had in a row... and this one is looking just as good as the previous ones. The weird thing is they all haven't been like "big" and "action-packed". And even one weekend in there, I didn't do anything except go to church on Sunday morning, but I felt it was still an incredible weekend.

Now then the question I would pose, is... what's different about how I've gone about the past several weeks since Christmas vs. before Christmas? If anyone figures that out, let me know. I want to keep it up.

Update: (02/27/05 @ 12:20am)
- Frisbee Golf (free)
- Halo 2 multiplayer (free)
- 2 tacos and a drink @ Taco Bell ($3.19)
- The Incredibles (for $1.50)
- an evening out with the guys (priceless)

... not bad for a Saturday night.

Soundtrack to my Life - Track 1

Carlita -- by Goldfinger

Empty man hollow man
I call myself a hermit
My self esteem contingent on the way you look at me

I'm hanging on your words
yeah I'm reading all your thoughts
If only I could be you now cause you got the control

----Chorus----
Well after today I'll never see you
and you'll be left with your life
Collecting all your souvenirs
I'll never get it right


Empty man lonely man
I call myself depressed
I'm finding ways to avoid you at the expense of sanity

I'm hanging on your words
and I'd like to share a thought
I know I can't be you now but I'd like to stay a while

the end

... is the end of an era in sight?

Is this a good thing... or a bad thing?

I can't tell yet.

design - more good stuff

Hey everyone. Just wanted to draw your attention to the sidebar "Photo" section. I know, it looks pretty much the same, except I made the thumbnails a little bit "prettier". Also, if you refresh the page, you'll get a different set of photos. Since it is purely random... you might get one or two of the same images.

That's done. The list gets shorter... thank goodness.

Enjoy!

taking attendance

1001101001110101... present.
1011101000110110... present.
0111010011101011... present.
Schools are taking a cue from wildlife experts. Tag those kids.

it's a ferocious beast

Okay, I saw this on a friend's blog today, and had to pass it on. It once and for all, answers the question: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow. The Answer.

(this post courtesy of Monty Python/Holy Grail and Mr. Hibbity Gibbity)

Update: Questions are posted for Mr. HibGib in the comment section of The Interview Game post.

In other news:
Dogs are becoming addicted to Toads.

Things of the Day

I couldn't be more specific in the title, because I have a couple of interesting websites and programs to share today.

Websites:
deviantArt - this is a great site to find icons, wallpaper, skins & themes for a variety of programs. I've found skins for Trillian and Mozilla here... as well as buddy icons for AIM and other chat programs.

Tired of paying upto $5.00 for a ringtone for your mobile phone?
Check out: Smash the Tones a free service that let's you take ANY mp3 you own and make it into a ringtone. They were recently featured on G4TechTv's The ScreenSavers, so they've had to revamp the site. Check it out.

Ever wonder what it would look like if you or one of your friends were a southpark character? Check out this website, and wonder no more. Create-a-character.

Another website devoted to the ever sought after desire to make your computer as personalized and unique as you are brings us to wincustomize.com. Just check it out to really get a grip on what all you can do with your PC.

Program:
Object Dock is a fun program that lets windows users have a program dock like on Mac computers. Complete with smooth flowing animation and attention grabbing icons. Many options available for customizations, and find new icons and themes at deviantART or wincustomize.com. There are even little options called "docklets" which are basically little programs that can run on your Dock. Two that it comes with are a clock, and a temperature/weather program that updates from weather.com. (kinda like weather bug)

So that wraps it up. Hope someone out there gets a kick out of a least one of these sites or program. Let me know what you think if you try any out.

Wal-Mart

Okay. So when did Wal-Mart become "high-brow" enough to have hardwood floors?

Yeah. I walked into the Richmond Wal-mart a couple days ago, and in all of the clothing sections (men's, women's, shoes, jewlery) is hardwood floors. What's up with that? When did this happen? Is this a sign of the end-times?! This is a bad sign.

Very bad.

First Time for Everything

Last night was my first time taking a DVD player apart.

Last night I took apart Stephanie's DVD player in order to get a DVD I had rented out of it. It seems her player died and wanted to take a hostage. It was kind of interesting to see the inside of one. It's actually kind of hollow... not jam-packed with as much stuff as you would think. Of course, her's is a slightly older (and larger) DVD player, so that might've had some bearing on it, too. Unfortunately, all I could do was get the DVD out... I'm not knowledgable enough to try to fix it for her. :( But, I won't get charged for my movie, now. :)

The Design

:::UPDATED - 2:27pm::: (new update in bold)

Well, the new page design is up, but not perfected. You may notice little things that make the site have that "not-so-fresh" feeling, y'know... the one your mother told you about... I mean...

So. The page. Yeah. It's up, and I'm fixing the bugs and tweaking some things to make it all look pretty and work nicely. I hope you enjoy.

Comments, questions, and suggestions are all appreciated (as always).

UPDATE -
Sorry to my viewers using Internet Explorer. Apparently my side bar has become a bottom bar when viewed using IE. My apologies, I'll work on this as time allows.

- Show/Hide Archives and Bloggers isn't working properly.

Interview Game

(questions provided by Mr. Hibbity Gibbity).

1) If you could be an article of clothing, which would you be and why?

I would be 1 of two things (or types of things)... 1) an article of women's under garment... or 2) a warm sweatshirt. Why? 1) to be close to her heart 2) to keep her warm :) You thought I was going to go somewhere dirty with that didn't you?

2) Of all the nicknames you've had over the years, what's been the worst? The best?

- The worst - donkey dick. Sure, it seems like a compliment, doesn't it. And NO, I haven't accidentally exposed myself in public... and YES it is that big. :) A close second is "you little F#@ker".
- The best - skip or skippy... and a particular fav variation - skip nasty. Of course I've always been fond of a lispy "scottie" spelled sthcottie - but it's not really a nickname.

3) What are your top 5 favorite movies of all time?

Army of Darkness, The Princess Bride, The Jerk, Airplane, Pirates of the Caribbean

4) Is Ken gay or is Barbie just playing hard to get?

Barbie is just a little tease who has everything while Ken just sits there and pines away for her... whoa... sorry. That's the 26 years without a girlfriend talkin'.

5) What's one thing that you absolutely, positively must do before you die?

Before I die, I must begin to live. Do more things... travel more. Enjoy life to it's fullest because we're only here a short time. Oh, and have sex. I hear that's a lot of fun.

-------------------------------------------------
Official Rules for The Interview Game

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions
6. I will answer reasonable follow up questions if you leave a comment.

Love smells a lot like Gas

I can't tell if they think they know me... or they're mocking me.

from Excite Horiscopes
Less than a week to go before Valentine's Day and you know what that means. It's time, once again, to reinforce your reputation as the most romantic sign in the zodiac. Not that you mind, or that it's hard work for you to pull off. You love being in love, you love being romantic, and you're very, very good at it! So get started. Think about what to do to make it the most special day of all for your dear ones.

Getting close

check out the progress

Believe it or not... I really do listen to you guys when you comment.

And thanks, in part, to your comments, the creative block has been removed. I've been showing some of you my progress every now and then just for poops and grins, and to kind of get a reaction from people... so far, so good. I'm getting really close to getting it just how I want it. Hey, check out my progress, and then come back and tell me what you think. I'm going to bed, now.... zzZZZzzzzzzzZZZZzzZZzZzZzzzZZzzzzzz

(Stand-by... and GO feedback!)

Bathroom

... apparently, that's what my car is

The past couple of days, as I've gotten into my car, there has been bird poo on the driver side door and front window. Apparently there is some sick bird, or birds, that decide the tree I park under is the designated restroom. Submitted for your approval are two photos of said "poo".

As with all the photos on my blog, click them for a larger image.



Needless to say, I've moved my car.

Poo on me once, shame on you... poo on me twice, shame on me.