This calls for a rant.

This morning was a wreck.  Chaos was sick (of the really smelly, runny, explosive poops variety....you're welcome for the visuals) and I'd slept in, so I decided to skip the hour-long commute and drive today.  On a side note, it's a damn good thing I drove because I had a meeting in the industrial area at lunch time that I completely forgot about until I opened my e-mail at school. 
When I drive to campus, I usually park under the Ag Building.  In the summer there's LOTS of ROOM so, it's easy access. 
So, there I was, driving my gass-guzzling-emissions-test-failing-rusted-out-can't-miss-it-in-a-parking-lot 4-Runner down the ramp under the Ag building when I had to SLAM on the breaks because some PRINCESS was trying to park a HUGE TRUCK in a spot that was WAY TOO SMALL!  I'm pretty sure she decided to park there because it was the first open spot she could find and maybe was in a hurry.  I don't know, but if she was in a hurry, she lost a 5-minute head-start.  In the summer, there's absolutely no shortage of spots under the Ag building.  Absolutely no shortage, and if you hunt a little more, you can even get away with taking up 2 spots in a huge truck. 

I guess this rant really has 2 parts: really big trucks and bad drivers. 

I know there's a purpose for REALLY BIG TRUCKS - mostly as compensation for lack of, well, you know - but I really don't see the purpose for any typical city-dweller, except if you have a boat or a HUGE RV.  Honestly though, those trailers are so light, you could get away with a 1/2-ton, just fine....without the lifts.  Why people life their trucks, I really have no idea, simply because the gear box is still dragging about 18" off the ground - in the center - and really doesn't add much to the suspension.  If you're going to be that much of an idiot to get stuck, you're likely going to high-center the son-of-a-bitch and you're no further ahead if you lifted it or not.  Yeah, I'll never really understand.  I'm no expert on why someone would truly decide to put a lift kit on a truck, I'm pretty sure it's because they prefer to show their balls off on their trailer hitch, but seriously.... 

Getting on to Princess.  I really hate women drivers who make bad decisions and make the rest of us lady drivers look incredibly bad.  FUCK!!  I'm a hell of a good driver.  I've driven very large equipment through very busy city streets and have done just fine....and have even met my fair share of idiot drivers there too.....FUCK!!  I know the limits of my vehicle, I know how quickly and tightly I can turn, and honestly, put me in a different vehicle and I'll figure that out pretty damn quick too.  I know where the edges of an '82 Lincoln Continental are and even parallel parked the sucker for my driver's test.  I'm a really good driver.  I can back a 30' long, 8' wide trailer into the space between a NH Precision drill in transport position - I'm threading it into a 9' hole.....I'm THAT GOOD!!  Now when some pretty girl who thinks she can park a huge truck into a spot too small, and has to re-align herself 6 TIMES (I counted) that really chaps my ass.....yes, the assless kind.  Her best bet would have been to give the fuck, turn around and park outside where she is less likely to hit shit. 
Very frustrating morning. 

Business as Usual

Once again, I figure that the lack of updates is proportional to the amount of excitement worth sharing in my life. 
Stuff's been pretty normal lately.  Eat, sleep, drink, research.  Sometimes in that order, sometimes in even proportions.  Most of the time not.  More drinking than I'd like to admit to, to be honest.  Between 1/2-price wine at Original Joe's on Tuesday night, Wednesday Patty O'Steak and Wednesday Volleyball, I managed to get 3 good buzzes within 24 hours.  Go me??

Lately, I've been hooked on "My Drunk Kitchen".  I could rave about it all day....and night!  It's epic.  I have a lady-crush.  If you haven't watched it yet, DO IT!!  Right NOW!
The latest episode made my afternoon so much better.  I'm in Moose Jaw at APEGS meetings all day today and tomorrow.  My nod-off count so far is somewhere between 10 and 15, all between 1:00 and 2:15....I blame lunch and the presentation on law.  Something about presentations on law that instantly put me to sleep.  After a good meal really doesn't help either. 
I figure I'm doing pretty good actually.  To only nod-off within one presentation is a personal best for me at these things. 
Tomorrow I'll stay awake, or at least I'll make that promise to myself. 
Tonight though....I get to lounge in the Spa.  Gonna bring a book and have a little R&R.  I've been jonesing for a "Soul Vacation" lately.  Maybe this will be a brief get-away.

I didn't find the humor in this at first...

This week, I've been trying to have a more positive outlook on life and such.  Normally it is pretty positive and I'm usually optimistic, but the last couple of weeks I've been shifting more to the "Debbie Downer" end of the spectrum than the "Abby Upper".  Either way, I decided to try to be more positive. 

It was really tough on Tuesday.  I think it started when I stepped out of the shower.....

I got out of the shower, like I normally do - one leg at a time - but for some reason I was cranky.  I think it was because I had uber razor-burn and was running late. 
Either way, I had to deal with the razor-burn, because that's hella-uncomfortable.  I reached for what I thought was moisturizer, lathered up my legs and continued on with my morning...in a reasonably crusty mood.  
So, there I was "Derp, derp, derp",  moisturizing my legs.  Nothing out of the ordinary, and I went on with my morning.  I decided on jeans....mostly to hide the razor-burn. 
The day was mediocre, I was having some trouble with some code, but nothing I couldn't handle.  I managed to move ahead with some of my analysis.  It works, but not exceptionally.  Just an average day. 

I got home and decided to put on shorts to walk Chaos.  Well, what I thought was moisturizer at 7:30 Tuesday morning happened to be crazy streaky "fake-tan-in-a-bottle" on my bright orange legs at 5:30 Tuesday afternoon.  Shit.  Looks like it's pants for the rest of the week too. 

It never got brought up again until lunch today, when Amy and I decided to eat our sushi outside.  She was making fun of her pastiness and how the light was actually reflecting off her legs (and in all honesty, it kind of was).  The light would have been reflecting off my legs too if it wouldn't have been for Tuesday morning's crusty mishap.  Amy thought that it was much more funny, mostly because I was crusty. 

Yeah, well.....I guess being crusty have some high points too. 
Thanks Amy.  

I can FINALLY blog about this....FINALLY!

This weekend was pretty damn awesome.  Incredibly damn awesome!

For the past 3 or 4 months, my friends and I were planning on surprising my good buddy Timmy, aka Cancer Boy, at his home-town Relay For Life event.  It hasn't been a hard 3 or 4 months of planning.  I think the harder part was trying to keep our little plan a secret as opposed to getting down there, entering a team, etc, etc.  The sketchiest part was trying to collect funds and pledges without a team name or a team website.  
Sketch-tacular. 
Even harder was getting excited about the event.  We couldn't really talk about it in the open, and I really find it helpful to get excited about things by talking with other people who are involved and getting them pumped, then I get pumped, and the feedback loop asplodes!  I really couldn't use that strategy with this event.  I really didn't get pumped until the morning of - and that was even a challenge because I got into the home-brew and Nerf guns with Darren, John and Fred the night before....I kicked ass....again....mostly because Eamon was in Ontario. 
Either way, it worked quite well and we actually did surprise Timmy.  I don't know if we succeeded in surprising the shit out of Timmy, but we did take him off-guard and made the event even more awesome for him.  Here's to you Cancer Boy!  Big kisses!  Bigger hugs!!  We got 'cher back!  Tim, you're awesome! 

The aftermath is a little different.  I think I walked the equivalent distance of something between 15 and 18 km.  On the plus side, I think my ass is going to be more toned than ever.  On the down side, my knee is so incredibly sore and my ankles aren't much better.  Ice packs are awesome.  Mentol icy rub is even better!  Good thing I don't do a lot of manual labor anymore. 
My body does not understand the concept of it being 10 PM on a Sunday night and that it should start considering going back to bed because 6:00 tomorrow will come a lot earlier than I'd like. 
Smarten up body!

Good friends, Great wine, Excellent Food.

Tonight I went to Purdy's for supper.  Her Mom was in town, and made us an AMAZING Guyanese curry.  It was awesome.  John and I provided the wine and Steve pitched in on the entertainment and we were in for a damn good evening. 
When I got up this morning, I was hoping to spend a quiet night with Chaos.  Plans changed when "home-cooked-meal" was mentioned.  Either way, it was nice to get away from routine for a bit.  I can't wait until July, when Mamma Purdy comes for another visit!

The project is coming along, slowly but surely.  I'm no where near overwhelmed anymore, but there are days where I wonder if I've delved in too deep.  I have 3 projects on the go right now, and the part that's getting me is the open deadline on all three of them.  I guess it will still take some adjustment, but I'll get there. 

Being a Hopeless Romantic is starting to get to me again.  I'm still working on riding the wave.  The last few months have been full of some rough wakes, and I'm wondering if they'll ever start to either smooth out or turn into a tube-wave I can ride.  Maybe I'll just have to learn to eventually chill and hang loose.  Either way, I'm getting sick of this ride.  I want to get off this crazy train.