This is me.

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:23:44 GMT

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:53:13 GMT

They're screened...

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
02) What was your dream growing up?
03) What talent do you wish you had?
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
05) Favorite vegetable?
06) What was the last book you read?
07) What zodiac sign are you?
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
09) Worst Habit?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
11) What is your favorite sport?
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
16) Do you have any pets?
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
18) What was your first impression of me?
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
22) What color eyes do you have?
23) Ever been arrested?
24) Bottle or can soda?
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30) Do you swear a lot?
31) Biggest pet peeve?
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
35) Do you believe in God?
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Survey funtime!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:40:27 GMT

Appearance:
- I am 5'4 or shorter.
- I think I'm ugly.
- I have many scars.
- I tan easily.
- I wish my hair was a different color.
- I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
- I have a tattoo.
- I am self-conscious about my appearance.
- I have/I've had braces.
- I wear glasses.
- I'd get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free, scar-free.
- I've been told I'm attractive by a complete stranger.
- I have had more than 2 piercings.
- I have had piercings in places besides my ears.
- I have freckles.

Family/Home Life:
- I've sworn at my parents.
- I've run away from home.
- I've been kicked out of the house.
- My biological parents are together.
- I have a sibling less than one year old.
- I want to have kids someday.
- I have children.
- I've lost a child. So many of them have been washed down the drain or went out in the trash... :'(

Embarrassment:
- I've slipped out a "LOL" in a spoken conversation.
- Disney movies still make me cry.
- I've snorted while laughing.
- I've laughed so hard I've cried.
- I've glued my hand to something.
- I've laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose.
- I've had my trousers rip in public.

Health:
- I was born with a disease/impairment.
- I've had stitches. Back of my head. Fell backwards over the rail on my grandma's front steps and whacked the back of my head on the corner of a stone step.
- I've broken a bone. Right Thumb.
- I've had my tonsils removed.
- I've sat in a doctor's office with a friend.
- I've had my wisdom teeth removed.
- I've had serious surgery.
- I've had chicken pox.

Travelling:
- I've driven over 200 miles in one day. Over 1000 a few times!
- I've been on a plane.
- I've been to North America. Ummm, I live here?
- I've been to Niagara Falls.
- I've been to Japan.
- I've been to Europe.
- I've been to Africa.

Experiences:
- I've been lost in my city.
- I've seen a shooting star.
- I've wished on a shooting star.
- I've seen a meteor shower.
- I've gone out in public in my pajamas. Middle of the night fire calls. Got teased for my "Naughty? Nice?" pj pants.
- I've pushed all the buttons in a lift.
- I've been to a casino.
- I've been skydiving.
- I've gone skinny dipping. Wouldn't mind going again, either!
- I've played spin the bottle. Yes, I was in high school once.
- I've crashed a car. 2 actually. One of them a couple times, totaled the last time.
- I've been skiing.
- I've been in a play.
- I've met someone in person from the Internet
- I've caught a snowflake on my tongue.
- I've seen the Northern Lights.
- I've sat on a roof top at night.
- I've played chicken.
- I've seen the Rocky Horror Show.
- I've eaten Sushi.
- I've been snowboarding.

Relationships:
- I'm single.
- I'm in a relationship.
- I'm available.
- I'm engaged.
- I'm married.
- I've gone on a blind date.
- I've been the dumpee more than the dumper.
- I have a fear of abandonment.
- I've been divorced.
- I've had feelings for someone who didn't have them back. Emmanuelle Chriqui!!
- I've told someone I loved them when I didn't.
- I've told someone I didn't love them when I did.
- I've kept something from a past relationship.

Sexuality:
- I've had a crush on someone of the same gender.
- I've kissed a member of the same gender.
- I've had sex with someone of the opposite gender.
- I've had sex with someone of the same gender.
- I've had sex with more than one person at the same time.
- I am a cuddler. As long as it's not too hot...
- I've been kissed in the rain.
- I've had sex outdoors.
- I've hugged a stranger.
- I have kissed a stranger.
- I have had sex with a stranger.

Honesty/Crime:
- I've done something I promised someone else I wouldn't.
- I've done something I promised myself I wouldn't.
- I have lied to my parents about where I am.
- I am keeping a secret from the world.
- I've cheated while playing a game.
- I've cheated on a test. =-0
- I've driven through a red light.
- I've been suspended from school.
- I've witnessed a crime.
- I've been in a fist fight.
- I've been arrested.
- I've shoplifted.

Drugs/Alcohol:
- I've consumed alcohol.
- I smoke cigarettes.
- I smoke pot.
- I regularly drink.
- I've taken painkillers when I didn't need them.
- I take cough medication when I'm not sick.
- I've done hard drugs.
- I've been addicted to an illegal substance.
- I can't swallow pills
- I can swallow about 5 pills at a time no problem.

Mental health:
- I have been diagnosed with depression.
- I shut others out when I'm depressed.
- I take anti-depressants.
- I have an eating disorder.
- I've slept an entire day when I didn't need it.
- I've hurt myself on purpose.
- I'm addicted to self harm.
- I've woken up crying.

Death:
- I'm afraid of dying.
- I hate funerals.
- I've seen someone dying.
- I have attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has committed suicide.

Random:
- I can sing well.
- I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
- I open up to others too easily.
- I watch the news.
- I don't kill bugs.
- I hate hearing songs that sacrifice meaning for sake of being able to rhyme.
- I fucking swear regularly.
- I sing in the shower.
- I am a morning person.
- I paid for my mobile phone ring tone.
- I'm a snob about grammar.
- I am a sports fanatic.
- I play with my hair.
- I have/had "x"s in my screen name.
- I love being neat.
- I love Spam.
- I've copied more than 30 Cd's in a day.
- I bake well.
- My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red or blue.
- I don't know how to shoot a gun.
- I am in love with love.
- I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.
- I laugh at my own jokes.
- I eat fast food weekly.
- I believe in ghosts.
- I am online 24/7, even as an away message.
- I can't sleep if there is a spider in the room.
- I am really ticklish.
- I love white chocolate.
- I bite my nails.
- I play video games.
- I'm good at remembering faces.
- I'm good at remembering names.
- I'm good at remembering dates. As long as I have something to connect it to!
- I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
- My answers are totally honest

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:21:09 GMT

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:00:18 GMT

Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits.

That is all...

W-T-F, mate?

Sun, 11 May 2008 19:14:27 GMT

So I get up, eat a light breakfast, rinse off in the shower before heading to the gym. Had a great workout, came home, grabbed my wallet (forgot to take it this morning, knew I needed gas), hit the gas station (pump shut off at $75, just enough to fill the land yacht), then came home and had a string cheese for protein. Got changed out of my nasty gym clothes, weighed in (Down 50lbs!), threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, put in a load of laundry and headed out to mow the lawn...

I ran the lawnmower dry last year, so I filled it up, primed it and got it running in a few pulls. I mow one section, shut it off and move to another section of the yard at the other end of the house. WTF? Either my grass genetically re-engineered itself not to grow over 1" tall, or someone else mowed a section of my yard. I presume it was the neighbor on that side since his grass is cut to about the same height. If he's ever home again same time as me, I'll have to thank him. So I mowed the last section and headed back inside. And now here I am, pondering why one would do such a thing. Was it a message that my lawn was unruly and it needed to be cut? Was he just bored and felt he needed to run his mower a bit longer? *shrug* Either way, I'm thankful that someone saved me about 15 minutes.

And now, I take a shower, watch Transformers that I DVRed last night and prepare for the Penguins game on Versus tonight. :-D

LET'S GO PENS!!!

Writer's Block: Road Trip

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:19:34 GMT

When was the last time you drove out of town?

View 500 Answers

That all depends on how you look at it. I live in a little suburb I guess. It shares a zip with another 'burb. Leaving "town" is involved in everything since there's nothing but houses here. Even the gas station and pizzeria at the end of the street are in the other town, so I'd have to leave town for that, too. I went into the city this morning to the gym. About 7mi each way.

Writer's Block: Family Matters

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:39:00 GMT

What is your "role" in your family?

View 501 Answers

I guess I'm the "Holiday Jell-o Cube Guy" and sometimes "The Fun Cousin." Other than that, I don't really know.

Day 3

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 04:57:42 GMT

Forgot to post Thursday night. Day 3 was Biceps, shoulders and more stretching, running and biking. Shins were sore again, but we think it's mostly due to the new shoes.

Weight is fluctuating around a bit, but trending downward. I'm trying to drink a lot more water. I've cut out coffee since my morning cup was probably about a thousand calories thanks to the sugar and milk I put in it. That should help a bit, too. Once I've eaten the food I have here in the house, I'll be trying to watch what I eat a bit closer. Need to find tasty things that are lower in calories or lesser in fat.

I even ordered off the Weight Watchers menu at Applebee's last night. 2/3 plate of broccoli, a small portion of steamed potatoes and a microscopic steak with portobello mushrooms and brown sauce. Drank water with lemon. :-D

So in the scheme of things, I'm headed in the right direction. I just need to figure out my "nutrition plan" to get my eating right to coincide with my exercise plan and shed the pounds.

w00t!

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:19:14 GMT

Day 2 of working out.

Not so bad. Running and biking. Shins are a little sore now as are my chest and triceps from yesterday.

Hockey Wednesday, back to the gym Thursday. Not sure what's on the agenda for then...

Entered a "Health Challenge" at work today. I have until April 30th to lose 43lbs. That's gonna be tough. Hopefully I make it. I could stand to win some money!!

Now I just need to get my food intake to be a lot more healthy.

That is all.

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:21:58 GMT

Day 1 of working out.

Pain.

Pleasure.

Day 2 tomorrow.

That is all.

Still Kickin...

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:45:20 GMT

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Bought my first house. Grew a full beard.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Didn't make any last year, but going to the gym starting Monday. The guys at work know I want to do it and I'm going to the gym they go to, so I'm sure they'll keep me on it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My pseudo-seester Holly had her second. My brain is not triggering on anyone else.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I remember.

5. What countries did you visit?
Countries? Heh. None. Didn't leave the US this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Pet(s), less fatty tissue.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I guess May 29th for when I signed the papers on my house?

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Staying out of serious debt?

9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting friends to pay back money they owe me. :-(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had serious food poisoning in January. 3 days of puking and shitting constantly is NOT fun. Lost 36lbs in 72hrs from that. I check the dates on the eggs before I eat them now.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My TV and surround sound system. The house could use some improvements.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
No one that I can think of. :-\

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
A close friend's behavior was appalling, but it didn't depress me. *shrug*

14. Where did most of your money go?
The new house, stuff for the house, utilities...

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The motorcycle trip we took in July was a blast.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
No idea.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier because I'm not sick.
b) thinner or fatter? Probably fatter.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer than I would be had I not bought the house. Overall, pretty much the same lifestyle, though.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercising, Sexing, Sleeping, Motorcycling.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying, Stressing.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Slept in, went to my Aunt's for lunch and to see that part of the family, then back to my house to exchange gifts with my dad and brother, then back to my Aunt's for a while. Also had already done lunch and gifts with dad's side of the family the Sunday previous.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Nope.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Got hooked on 'Duel' at the end of the year. Other than that, 'How it's made' on Discovery/Science channels.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.

24. What was the best book you read?
I don't read books.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hellyeah.

26. What did you want and get?
A house.

27. What did you want and not get?
Hit the lottery? I had a list of things to do over giftmess (I was off from the 22nd-Jan2) that didn't get touched due to laziness and procrastination.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Saw IV.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
26 and my brother and his g/f took me to the movies after work.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning the Powerball.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Nothing new, really. Polos/khakis, t-shirts/jeans, hoodies.

32. What kept you sane?
I think you have to be sane to start out in order to be kept sane. ;-)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No idea.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
*shrug*

35. Who did you miss?
Mom. :'(

36. Who was the best new person you met?
New person? I rarely meet new people. I can't really think of anyone I just met this year.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Don't skip reboots to keep long uptimes. Use a newer virus scanner. My home PC got PWNT by some MalWare and a virus on the 28th/29th and I spent the rest of the year fixing it. Still trying to get programs taken care of, but not going too far since I want to upgrade from Windows 2000 to XP (not touching Vista) for security's sake.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Losing my sanity...

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:42:25 GMT

So I have this friend. Him and his g/f have gone on vacation with us the last 2 years. He's one of my best friends, so I didn't want him to be left out. He couldn't come up with the money, but was supposed to be getting a pretty sizeable raise from work. The raise didn't come and kept getting postponed. Etc, etc, ad nauseum...

So then this year comes up for hockey season ticket renewals and he never said anything to me, so I assumed he was getting them. At the last minute, he calls and says he can't afford it all at once and the team won't do payments at that point. So here's me with my ticket paid for and the seat next to me empty. Lame. In my own interest, I ended up paying for it and adding it to his running total. Keep in mind I bought his ticket last year just to keep the seat even though he wouldn't be able to make most of the games due to him being in paramedic school. I took whomever I wanted to take all season (he went a few times when he could), so I ate that cost since I used them. Not this year; that wasn't the agreement.

Now that brings us up to like October? and he's indebted to me by about $1835. I need to have this paid back ASAP just to get it taken care of. I had to take a low-interest loan to cover some bills. He's gotten his raise from work and all that jazz, so I have no problem asking him for money regularly. He just seems to think I don't need it or something.

So anyway, we're 2 years out from the inital debt. February of 2006. He's now paid me $200. $1635 remaining. Is it too forward of me to email him a loan amortization table with payment due dates? Do I charge interest? How long do I give him to pay it back? Keep in mind his credit is crap and he can't get a loan to pay me back in full.

Next order of business is the fact that he brought up the other day taking another group vacation this year. I told him to let me know when and where and who I have to pay, but I am *NOT* going to do the arrangements this year since I got screwed the last 2 years. He goes on to list people that might be interested, but one can never be sure that they actually will be able to go. He said "I've been putting money in savings every pay so I should have around $1500 by July for vacation." and I said "Good, if we don't go, I'll take that." I don't think he understood that I was being serious. I'm also not sure if he figured in his tax return, either. I'm sure he'll get a decent amount there.

So basically I'm just venting here, but I have to ask... If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Demand payment ASAP and give a set payment schedule? Force him to see if he can get a loan of some sort? Give him a chance and if he defalts, file forms to garnish his wages? Take him on Judge Judy or Judge Joe Brown? What should I do? I'm at wits' end and need to get this straightened out since I have some debts that I need to pay off as well.

Help!

Nothing new, really...

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:45:54 GMT

So life in the new house is boring. I get up, eat breakfast, shower, go to work, work all day, come home and then pretty much sit and watch TV all night and chat online. After the new year I'll be starting at the gym with some guys from work. I finally found a gym that has the equipment I need and isn't like $70/mo. Hopefully I can stick with it. The guys won't let me back out, though, so that's good. They want me in better shape for softball season! lol

Penn State and Florida State both ended their football seasons in shit-tastic fashion. The WBS Penguins are also starting their season in turd-riffic fashion. I guess that's all there is on that front...

Personal life? Also boring. I don't like going out to the bars and all that, so I just sit at home bored when I don't have a hockey game to go to or anything else to do. I think I might get a couple cats to chill with.

I hope I hit the lottery soon. I hate how small my bathroom is and there's a perfect little concrete pad attached to the house to build an addition on. If only I could afford that, I'd know I can get more out of the house if I decided to sell and move on up ~~to the east side~~.

Is anyone that reads this not on myspace? I might just start doing my blogging over there if everyone that reads is over there anyway...

-JB

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:52:38 GMT

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

another survey...I'm still alive...

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:16:33 GMT

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope. I was a little miffed about that, too. I like family names and such. I've always been jealous that my brother was named after the maiden names of two great (great?) grandmothers. *shrug*

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Ehhh a while ago.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Not really. It's not all that nice.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
None that I know of yet.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Would anyone answer no to this? I think I'm a pretty likeable person. So yes. Unless that other person that I am temporarily is terribly superficial, that is. Some people just hate fat people. Assholes.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Everyday.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yup.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I'd love the rush, but I don't know if I'd trust the equipment. If I did, it would have to be over one of those giant air cushion things.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
I eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the morning. I have Fruity Pebbles, too, but not as much of a fan of those as I am of the CTC.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope. Well, my motorcycle boots and my steel toes, yes. But my sneakers and dress shoes, no.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Moose tracks!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Teeth. :-X Whatever sticks out the most, I guess.

15. RED OR PINK?
I'm gonna go with Red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR SELF?
My manboobs. :-(

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Not living alone. Up until I bought the house, I always had either roommates or family living with me. It's weird.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Sure.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black pajama pants that say "Naughty" and "Nice" all over them.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese. Was going to make over-easy with toast, but my bread was green. Oops.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The #1 Countdown on Fuse and the fans on my computers.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh-cut grass, steak on the grill.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My pseudo-sister Holly. She brought my suit down to my house from my Dad's for the wedding and called to let me know she was outside.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Absolutely!!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
AHL Hockey, College football, Motorcycle racing.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
Electric blue.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, but a lot of people seem to think I do. No one believes that the color of my eyes is real.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Pasta. Lasagna, Spaghetti, Macaroni. Love it.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Ehhh... Scary movies, I guess.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I have no idea. Something on HBO or Cinemax most likely.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Nothing right now. Heading in for a shower before my friend's wedding this afternoon.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
They both have their pluses. Winter means Hockey and Skiing. Summer means pools and MOTORCYCLE.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both. They're tasty. If we're talking physical affection, I prefer hugs unless the person is a good kisser. I've only met a couple girls that are. ;-)

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Banana Creme Pie.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
*shrug*

38. LEAST LIKELY TO Respond?
*shrug*

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I don't read books. I suppose I should get back to my MCSA training books, though. Need that promotion!

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Hard Rock Cafe. I either got it in Toronto, Florida or NYC. I forget which one. :-P

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I don't remember. Nothing important.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
The little song my Wii makes when I clear a level in Super Paper Mario. Either that or girls screaming in ecstasy.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
None of the above. I mean I can tolerate either one, but not a big fan of them either...

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Bahamas.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I dunno, do I? I'm good with computers. I can pretty much piss off anyone within a couple minutes; all you need is to know one thing they're passionate about. I can burp on command. Other than that...I don't know.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I can't release that information. Doesn't like every online bank use that as a security question?

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Everybody's!

Bored. Survey.

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:55:53 GMT

A) AVAILABLE:
If you can catch me...

B) BIRTHDAY:
October 18th.

C) Crushing?
Kinda, but I'll probably never see her again...

D) DRINK YOU LAST HAD:
Lipton Brisk.

E) Ever been out of the country?
Canada and the Bahamas

F) FAVORITE GROUP/BAND/SINGER?
I can't pick a favorite. Anything from Maynard James Keenan is good and Mike Portnoy is my idol.

G) GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS:
Either one.

H) HOMETOWN:
Junkyhammock... errrr Tunkhannock, PA

I) INSTRUMENT(S)
Just the drums. I can attempt guitar if someone shows me stuff because I can't read music.

J) JUICE:
Apple, orange with no pulp or grape.

K) KILLED SOMEONE:
Almost killed my brother once. If dad hadn't been right there, he probably would have.

L) LONGEST CAR RIDE:
Straight-shot car ride? Last year to Iowa in mrjackson's Cavalier. 17 hours I think.

M) MILKSHAKE FLAVOR:
Vanilla.

O) ONE WISH:
To have more time to spend with my friends and family.

P) PERSON YOU TALKED TO LAST:
Like, talked to talked to? Steve and Nikki. Online? The guys in IRC...

Q) QUIZZES TAKEN LAST:
Oh, hell, I have no idea...

R) REASONS TO SMILE:
I'm on the right side of the grass and I have a Wii and awesome friends.

S) SONG YOU LAST HEARD:
Slipknot - Duality

T) TIME YOU WOKE UP:
Which time? Alarm goes off at like 0550, I hit the snooze button until like 0645ish then usually end up falling asleep on the couch...

U) UNDERWEAR:
Boxers or boxer-briefs.

V) VEGETABLES:
Carrots or raw broccoli.

W) WORST HABITS:
Procrastination, oversleeping, lack of punctuality...

X) X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD:
Hands lots of times, lower back and hips. Maybe a couple of my ankles...

Y) YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL:
I love dogs, but don't have time to take care of one. I've always had cats, though.

Z) Zany?
Sometimes...

2-wheel goodness

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:27:39 GMT

Friday, July 6th: Tried to get my bike inspected at lunch time. Went to 2 different shops, both turned me away no charge because of my rear turn signals. I was less than happy. Went back to work and finished out the day before going home to pack. Ended up doing dinner with friends. Finished packing and got to bed around midnight or a little after...

Saturday, July 7th: Took my bike up to the Tire Barn in Tunkhannock and got it inspected, no problem. Went to Randi's dad's and waited. Randi was there, also loaded up and ready to go. We were waiting for Ben. Finally fuel up at the Lukoil and head out. On the road at 10a. Took all 2-lane roads, no highways. Started out rt29 to Mooretown Rd to 118. 118 took us to Bloomsburg where we got on rt11. Stopped in Danville, PA at Burger King to grab a drink. Stopped for gas somewhere. Continue down rt11 toward Gettysburg. Gettysburg sucked. Took damn near 2 hours to get through there because of tourist traffic. Kept moving. Finally broke the PA line and got into Maryland, West Virginia and finally Virginia. Headed for Skyline Drive. When we realized it was $10each to ride Skyline Drive, we turned back and paralleled it on another road. What a mistake!! We could see the road on the top of the mountain pretty much the whole way. Suckage. We finally see the end of Skyline Drive and the beginning of the Blue Ridge Parkway. BRP is free, so we hop on. We follow the BRP all the way down to 66 (I think) that takes us into Harrisonburg, VA, our destination for the night. Arrival at the Harrisonburg Super 8 at 930p. 11.5hrs and 360mi.

Sunday, July 8th: Got up and left the hotel at 930a to hit Waffle House before we got on the road. On the road at 10a again, headed back up 66 to the BRP. Took the BRP all the way to Fancy Gap, VA (just short of the VA/NC border) and hopped on 52 to head SouthEast toward Concord. Eventually picked up 601 and then 29. Nice roads, beautiful scenery. While on 601, we were headed for Mocksville to grab a bite to eat when we saw what we thought was a little pile of leaves in the road. We all swerved to miss it and as we were passing, we realized it was a kitten. Turned back and Randi stripped off the gloves and picked the poor thing up and got it away from the road. One of the neighbors came out and Randi thought it belonged to him, so he was about to give this guy the business when he said "It belongs at that house, there." and pointed to the house we were parked in front of. "That guy has about 30 cats in there and doesn't take care of any of them." Randi looks around the place, but there doesn't seem to be anyone home. Leaves the kitten under the carport and we get moving again. Got to Mocksville, ate at a KFC. Got back on the road and kept riding. Accidentally saw Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte because Randi missed a turn going to his in-laws. Finally got there, again at 930p. Another day at 11.5hrs and 360mi.

Monday, July 9th: Woke up and got showered up and chilled for a while. Randi was playing nice with the in-laws and his wife and kid were there, too. They were getting ready to leave to do stuff before his wife had to be to the airport, so we looked up a hotel in Robbinsville, NC and booked a room for 2 nights. This allowed us to ride out, hit the hotel and drop off all of our stuff, have a full day of riding at the Tail of the Dragon and that area in Western NC without luggage and then back to the hotel to relax. This worked out great. We rode out Monday afternoon and checked in and relaxed. Should have ridden around a bit, but it started to rain not long after we pulled in. Got pizza from the gas station on the corner and settled in for the night. Short riding day at about 4hrs and 240mi.

Tuesday, July 10th: Ben's birthday and our day at the Dragon. Got on the road around 11 and headed north on 129. Stopped at the Deal's Gap Motorcycle Resort to look at the shirts and stuff in there, then headed up the dragon. It was amazing. 318 turns in 11 miles. Great stretch of road. We headed on up 129 past the end of the dragon and ate at The Homeplace before heading out to take the Cherohala Skyway loop. Stopped at some gas station and fueled up before our ride over the skyway. It sucked. We saw about the first 15-20miles of the skyway then got poured on the rest of the way. The rain was so heavy and the fog was so thick that we couldn't see anything. We lost Ben and I finally got Randi to stop. I believe the words were "Dude, I haven't seen Ben for about 4 miles. I don't know if you need to take out your earplugs or what, but I've been trying to flag you down for 2 miles now." We followed Ben's slow ass the rest of the way out from there. Finally got out of the rain and fog and could pick it up a little. Decided we were heading back to the Deal's Gap resort to look at shirts and stuff and see if it would clear up and dry out enough to ride the tail of the dragon again. Sat around and shot the shit for a while and then decided to give it another go out and back. There were still some wet spots, but not enough to not trust your tires. Had a blast riding out and back and then headed back to Robbinsville for a bite to eat and then back to the hotel. Relaxed and talked a bit. If the weather was nice when we got up Wednesday, we were going to book the hotel for another night and ride the dragon and skyway again sans luggage. No idea how many hours we were on the bikes this day, but racked up 200mi in the rainy mess.

Wednesday, July 11th: Woke up to cloudy skies and forecasts of rain all day. We packed up all our gear and loaded up on the bikes to head out. It started raining. Randi and I pulled away and thought Ben was right behind us. We got a couple miles up the road before realizing he wasn't there. Randi pulled over and asked where he was and I said "I thought he pulled out right behind us at the hotel." We waited a minute and I said "I thought we were going to turn left at the light and head back the way we came. Maybe Ben went that way?" So we headed back toward town and pulled into a gas station. Figured if he was going to come through there, we'd see him. A Harley guy that was at the hotel said "Your buddy turned left at the light here, seemed pissed." So we made the turn and headed out. I figured he thought he was behind us and trying to catch up, so he'd be flying. We took our time in the rain and were on the lookout for him at all the gas stations and crossroads, but no dice. All of a sudden I see a bike come up behind me. We stop at the end of 143 and he says "Didn't you guys see me at the gas station jumping up and down? I was inside trying to call Randi's Cell and heard you coming and ran outside to try to flag you down." Randi said "Nope, and we were looking pretty hard to see if you stopped anywhere." We continue on our journey. We find our way out to 74 and head for the south end of the BRP. Get on at the south end and head north. The rain breaks and we make a stop for gas. We discuss our plans and Randi looks up hotels in Roanoke on his phone. We find a place in Dalesville (Daleville? something like that) and spend the night in the Econolodge there. It was by far the nicest room we'd had for the whole trip, but there was no one open to deliver pizza. We were hungry. Zipped through the grass median to the gas station across the street and grabbed some foodstuffs. Don't know if VA has a helmet law, but if they do, we didn't abide by it. TSK TSK. So we end our trek for the day there. 12.5hrs and 450mi.

Thursday, July 12th: Slow day. Slept in a little and didn't leave until 1030a. Gassed up at the Sunoco and headed to Bojangle's for breakfast. Good breakfast food there. Excellent. Got on 81 for a bit to get to Skyline Drive. Me knew we missed a lot up there on the way down, so we wanted to ride it on the way back. The road was basically just like the BRP but had less signs/exits/overlooks. It cost $10 for a motorcycle pass because the road goes through the Shenandoah National Forest. There were warning signs for deer, bear and other wildlife, but we figured we wouldn't see much. I don't think we were even a mile in when we saw the first deer. Saw quite a few deer. A bit later, some motorcyclists coming the other way were waving to us to slow down, so we figured there was a ranger ahead. We were wrong. There was a black bear momma (about 350lb) and her cub on the side of the road. They were so cute!! Continued along and saw a couple more deer. Heard Randi blow his horn and then he pointed to the right where there was a stone wall. I'm thinking "What the hell is he beeping about?" and then I see the Turkey sitting just on the other side of the stone wall. Poor thing looked starved! Came up on some light construction and got behind some traffic. When we got around the construction, traffic came to a halt and we weren't sure why. I was the only one in the group that saw the 3 bears going off through the woods to the right of us. Saw a few more deer on the way down. Got off Skyline Drive and headed to Hagerstown, MD for the night. Found a Days Inn. I swear, this place looked nice. As we were walking down the hall to the room, I hit a soft spot in the floor and thought I was going through. We get in the room and none of the doors line up properly. You couldn't latch the bathroom door at all and you had to really push the main door to the room to get it to close. Seems like the place has settled a lot recently. Weird. Ordered pizza and mozzarella sticks from Rocky's Pizza. Good stuff. 8hrs and 275mi.

Friday, July 13th: Another slow day. Left the hotel at about 1030a and hit up McDonald's for breakfast. Forgot that those ass-clowns only serve breakfast until 10a, so we had to get lunch-type food. Suckage. Oh well. Got on the road with a lunch destination of Harrisburg, PA after a quick stop at Dale's Drum Shop. Drooled over an awesome DW drum kit until I realized it was a $2500 kit. Ouch. Headed from there over to Applebee's for a late lunch/early dinner. Good stuff. From there we headed out 322 west to catch 11 north. Followed 11 north all the way up to Kingston and then 309 north home (309/29 for Ben and Randi). I got home at about 645. 8.25hrs and 275mi.

Total mileage for the trip was 2160. Just shy of what I was aiming for (I only had 2714 at the beginning of the trip and wanted to double my mileage).

Overall it was awesome. I'm sure there are a lot of details I missed, but I didn't take my camera or a laptop with me for journalling purposes. Didn't want the laptop to get ruined and knew if I took the camera, I'd need to offload pics at some point because the POS only takes a 256mb SD card. Oh well. Ben and Randi will send me their pics and I'll make up a gallery and upload it at some point. I have a few (41 is a few, right?) camera phone pics, but I'm sure Ben's pictures will be much better than those. I'll add the link here once I get that taken care of...

-JB

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:13:41 GMT

So my friend Randi wrote this poem about my brother... I guess he was bored at some conference he's at. I tweaked one line because Randi's more of a tool than I am.

If you don't know my brother, this pretty much paints a picture of him.

Well it's half past 2,
in the afternoon.
I just stepped out of bed,
gatta be somewhere soon.

So I step into my flip-flops,
and take a look around.
I gatta check my email.
I got a certificate in "sound."

Cuz I'm Ben,
I love my pretty hair.
Cuz I'm Ben,
What Rock+Roll T-shirt should I wear?

Well I love my dads basement,
it's where I call my home.
Some girl called me creepy,
Cuz I got her picture on my phone.

So I finally grab some breakfast,
and lumber to the shower.
Randi calls me bitching,
I'll be at least another hour.

Cuz I'm Ben.
I'm waitin for some girl to call.
Cuz I'm Ben.
I'm like 8 and a half feet tall.

My ZZR is awesome.
My HHR's the same.
I used to have a Chevy.
Thank god it was in my name.

I've got so many friends.
Though some just arn't that great.
My favorites know who they are,
cuz they're all in my top 8.

Cuz I'm Ben.
Well, I work at P + G.
Cuz I'm Ben.
You wish you were cool as me.

Well, Zack Wilde is my idol.
I even bought his axe.
I play in a couple bands,
But they are all just hacks.

I can learn any song,
on guitar, drums, or bass.
If you have a hard time playing,
I'll rub it in your face.

Cuz I'm Ben.
I own 16 guitars.
Cuz I'm Ben.
I'll only drive black cars.

Well I brag about my numbers,
I'm catching Isaac now.
I'll sleep with almost any chick,
as long as she's no cow.

This girl asked me over,
I'll go; she's got blonde hair.
I better take some rubbers.
I hope Dateline's not there.

Cuz I'm Ben.
I please all the chicks of course.
Cuz I'm Ben.
And I'm hung like a horse.

Money is no object.
As long as it looks cool.
My brother just bought a house,
But he's not an uber tool.

Well Randi is my best friend.
Against him I'll never win.
Everyone knows the real truth.
I wish I was cool as him.

Cuz I'm Ben.

Good news and bad news...

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:09:54 GMT

The good news is I'm not allergic to bees.

The bad news is that I had to find out the hard way.

It must have been thoroughly comical to the people standing on their porch across the street from the parking lot I pulled into. You see, I was riding along, minding the traffic and the road when I see something come up from under the car in front of me. I figured it was a pebble. It hit me just below the adam's apple and went directly down my shirt. Figuring on it being a pebble, I excused the pain from the impact. As I approached the next red light, I felt something moving inside my shirt. Oh shit!! I feel the same sensation I just felt in my neck. Bee sting!! I pull over, put the bike on the sidestand and immediately start stripping gear. Off with the gloves, helmet and jacket. Look down shirt, don't see anything. Feel another sting around the side. Off with the shirt!! Feel another sting and see the bee fly off. That little bastard stung me 4 times!! It was just a regular old honey bee I think, but holy crap! I haven't been stung by a bee or wasp since I was about 10, so it was a seemingly new feeling.

So there I was, standing in a parking lot topless and flailing. I look around and some motorists passing by are looking at me funny. I start re-dressing and realize "I haven't been stung in 15 years. I could have somehow developed an allergy. I better not get fully geared back up until I make sure I'm not having a reaction." Checked my pulse and breathing and seemed fine. Waited a couple minutes, no noticeable change other than reduced heart rate and slower breathing (comedown from the panic attack). Geared back up and headed off for the rest of my ride.

Yes, I was alone. Holy crap on a cracker was that scary. While I was checking my pulse and all that, I actually had my cell in hand ready to dial 911. Hope I never have to go through that again!!!

More house stuff...

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 22:20:12 GMT

So I had my closing on Tuesday. Went off without a hitch. Took about 20 minutes and was much less than I anticipated signing/initialing. Was going to go look at furniture after that, but I was supposed to have softball practice. I went back to MY house and parked in MY garage and just wandered aimlessly around the house for a bit. Had to get changed into my softball stuff, so I decided it was time to get naked in the new house for the first time. :-D Somewhat anti-climactic, but hey, it was fun!

Went on Wednesday to find a suitable TV for the Home Theater and settled on a 57" Mitsubishi DLP 1080p HDTV. Didn't want to load it up at lunch since I didn't think the heat would be good for it. Went back to get it after work and called my brother to come help unload it at the house. When I got back to Best Buy, they tried to load the TV into my Durango. No dice. They wouldn't try what I wanted, but I think it would have fit. Luckily, my Uncle lives right around the corner from where my new house is and he has a pickup. Called and asked if I could borrow the truck and he said no problem. Went and got it and went back to the store. Loaded up the TV, headed back to the house and unloaded it. Gave him and his guest that came along for the ride the 10-cent tour and then we headed out.

I took the truck back to my Uncle's house and my aunt and my cousin wanted to play cards so I ended up sitting there until 10p playing pitch.

I stopped back on Thursday after softball and Dukey's to grab some boxes my Aunt left for me and check the mail. Nothing spectacular. Came home, went to bed. Got up Fri morning and felt like shit. If anyone can explain why 4 beers made me feel worse than previous weeks when I had 7 or 8 beers, let me know. Kicked my sorry black ass.

Came home Friday night with the plan to start packing (no, I hadn't started yet). Didn't get started with the actual *packing* but got some stuff sorted out a bit. I have about 2 boxes packed up now and I have a long way to go. I want to take whatever I have packed down to the house tomorrow and maybe see if I can get the trailer and take the spare bed and some other things down. I'd also like to go pick up my living room furniture. We'll see.

As for now? Back to packing while I watch "Flip this house" and run up the electrical bill with the a/c.

More ducky house stuff...

Fri, 04 May 2007 20:06:14 GMT

Met with the new mortgage people this morning.

ERA would not approve a second appraisal even though the first did not use legal comparable properties. I fought and fought with them and they would not do anything. I guess they didn't want to service my loan. *shrug*

The new mortgage company. They are great. They have a better appraiser that knows wtf he's doing. I signed all the pre-closing papers and everything was explained to me in detail. My rate's a little bit higher than it was with ERA, but at least I can get the money I need to be able to afford the house. Everything should be set and ready for closing by the middle of next week even though my closing isn't until the 29th. I love it. A huge load has been lifted from my shoulders.

Wicked.

In da house, boyee!!

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 04:56:33 GMT

Pics from the inspection.

There are no pics of the washer/dryer, the driveway or the whole house from outside. My camera batteries were dying even though I charged them last night...

The owner was a cool guy. Minor things need fixing (some outlets with reversed polarity mostly, a couple dead outlets, and a couple minor cosmetic fixes outside). It's ready to go. I love it. :-D

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 23:58:16 GMT

Looked at another house last Friday. Put an offer in Wednesday. Got accepted today. Signing more papers tomorrow and calling the inspector and all that. Will definitely pass. I will own this house by the end of May. I can't wait.

Inspection...

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:34:34 GMT

So I think I'm going to walk away from this house and look elsewhere. I was not pleased with the inspection.

Laundry room: Electrical (ungrounded outlets), Drain size smaller than recommended, single-pane windows do not provide adequate insulation.

Kitchen: New sink (acrylic is melted, looks like someone threw a flaming pot into the sink to extinguish it), all new drain pipes (current ones are in deplorable condition and are not up to code), electrical outlets are not properly installed, electrical wires to hood fan over stove are not in a box, hood fan does not vent outside (circulates are over your head), some broken cabinetry, oven/range is unusable and needs to be replaced (oven has things burned to the inside, uncleanable; range smoked when turned on), countertops need new grout (coat of polyurethane wouldn't hurt, either), dishwasher needs to be wired in (someone spliced a plug onto the end and plugged it into an outlet; inspector said you can't do that).

Bathroom: New toilet (someone overtightened the nuts that hold it to the floor and cracked the bowl on both sides), New faucet, stopper for tub, handle for shower faucet, GFCI outlets.

Dining room: New ceiling, replace ceiling fan with new fan or light, new door handle (looks like an attempted break-in).

Living room: New ceiling fan or light, molding on windows and door, screen door handle broken.

Bedroom: 3 new windows, outlet covers, different switch and re-wire ceiling fan/light.

Bedroom 2/loft area: 2 Windows, outlet covers.

Bedroom 3: Outlet covers, Ceiling fan replaced with light, insulation blown into crawl space, ceiling needs work.

Basement: New furnace (remove entire old system and replace), some minor wiring issues, no ground in electrical box, new outlet and light on own circuit needed in electrical box for emergency use, garage door is rotting and track looks bent, garage door opener not properly attached to ceiling (unknown if operable), new shutoff (ball valve) below water meter, clean crawlspace below living room (possible fire hazard; old carpet/padding and insulation falling down).

Outside: Chimney does not meet code (Must be 2' above anything within 10'), flashing on chimney is shot, Hot tub is hooked up to an extension cord (code requires a separate 50A GFCI breaker specifically for the hottub so no one gets fried).

Rough estimate on all the work is between $10,000 and $15,000 depending on whether I do it myself or contract it out. I can't afford all of that.

Furnace would have to be done prior to closing in order to get insurance on the house. Have to have the closing in order to get equity. Have to have the equity before I can afford the furnace. Just plain won't work. It's like the teenage car/job conundrum (need a car to get a job, need a job to get a car) with an extra step thrown in.

I really don't understand how anyone is living in this house. It's not in any condition to have anyone living there. I'm just hoping I can walk away and get my deposit back. I'll still be out the $375 for the inspector, but it will be worth it!!