And I thought my 2011 was bad. I had a feeling it would get worse in 2012, and to be quite honest, it did. Last year my life was dominated by news of the closing of the family business and efforts to force Grandmother out of the house she's known for the past four decades. My life this year centered around the furtherance of those two huge topics, mainly the completion of the latter and the impending finish of the former. It was the same thing, only continuing.
I think about Grandmother, sometimes. I miss her. I hope she's doing better, or at least OK. But then my doubts creep in. I haven't talked to her over the phone, but I'm afraid that if I do, she'll immediately ask for money, or accuse me of stealing her paychecks. And the wish that she was still here, with us, will immediately be whisked away with a wipe of the brow and the relief that, yes, shipping her out of here was the right thing to do. Even worse is the possibility that she might not even remember who I am.
And The Store. I made it out there today. Have some beer bottles I need to wash so I can return them to the home brewery. I killed two birds with one stone: I need to make sure the water pipes don't freeze and burst, so running very hot water through them is something I need to do over the next several days, as the weather turns very, very cold. It just so happens that running very hot water is the very thing I need to do to wash the bottles.
It's one of the numbered times left I have with The Old Lady. I need to cherish them. I want to take care of it. In particular, I want to wash its floors. My parents left them dirty, and I understand, but I bought some Pine-Sol just for the sake of wiping the floors, at least one more time. It deserves it. One day I'll try and open the door and the locks would have changed.
No, I still don't have a steady job. No, I still live with my parents. No, we still fight. No, I still have no direction. No, I still haven't gotten laid. But with the death of The Store and Grandmother being forced out, status quo, as pathetic as it is, is something I don't believe I've had the past two years. I need things to be the same. But I'm afraid I'll have nothing but more change I hate in 2013.
I might talk about this more soon. I need to get shit off my chest. Because I am still very, very unhappy.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Small Blogging Milestone
I want to note before the year turns that this will be my 435th blog entry of 2012. I have blown past the record of most in a year. More importantly for me, I have reversed a troubling trend of blogging on Wailing And Failing less over the years.
This person blog got up and running January 1, 2009, and that year I finished with 417 posts. That was a high water mark, because it went down to 414 in 2010 and 408 for 2011. This blog means a lot to me, so I was worried the reason or reasons were to post on the blog less often. Was it work? Other commitments? Did I not want to do it anymore? Did I have nothing to say?
So, admittedly, I decided this year to throw some record-keeping shit on WAF -- Expenses Without Receipt, mostly. That way I can keep track of what I spent at the same time shore up the entries here. I hope/think that is the reason I bent the curve of the decline and topped my yearly record. Now I hope I have more to actually say for next year and beyond beyond EWR.
Oh, and another thing I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do is double-post on days. To me it doesn't seem like I've done that more often this year, but yet I cannot argue with the number. I hopefully will be able to post one more time in 2012 about my 2012 later tonight.
This person blog got up and running January 1, 2009, and that year I finished with 417 posts. That was a high water mark, because it went down to 414 in 2010 and 408 for 2011. This blog means a lot to me, so I was worried the reason or reasons were to post on the blog less often. Was it work? Other commitments? Did I not want to do it anymore? Did I have nothing to say?
So, admittedly, I decided this year to throw some record-keeping shit on WAF -- Expenses Without Receipt, mostly. That way I can keep track of what I spent at the same time shore up the entries here. I hope/think that is the reason I bent the curve of the decline and topped my yearly record. Now I hope I have more to actually say for next year and beyond beyond EWR.
Oh, and another thing I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do is double-post on days. To me it doesn't seem like I've done that more often this year, but yet I cannot argue with the number. I hopefully will be able to post one more time in 2012 about my 2012 later tonight.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
(Just a note: This is the final WMNSS for 2012. This will be posted on a new day of the week starting in the New Year.)
#-1: Vikings (Last Week: -1). Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. This team, a year after a 3-13 record, a squad I thought would not win more than five games this year, not only is 9-6, not only is in the hunt for a playoff berth, but controls their own fucking destiny in getting there. How the fuck did that happen? Only in the National Football League. That must be why it's the most popular league in the nation.
I don't know if it's motivation or the perfect game plan, but somehow the Vikes did exactly what it needed to do and beat the Texans in Houston. It was won on the lines; the defense harassed Matt Schaub to a pick-six and a fumble, and Adrian Peterson ran for enough (less than 100 yards, however, ending his streak of reaching the century mark on the ground at ... eight?) to loosen the Texans' defense for Christian Ponder to -- get this -- complete passes accurately. Ponder may have turned the corner with that bad pick in the end zone in their loss in Green Bay, but it looks like Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave has stopped forcing Ponder to say in the pocket under pressure and just let him roll out, bootleg and improvise. And that's meant that he runs to surprise defenses, not just to escape. He could be a game manager yet!
And club has this playoff spot right where they need it. They are at home. They are playing Green Bay, who can gain a bye with a win, but think about this: They were the top seed in the NFC last year, but they looked rusty in not only getting beat but humbled by the New York Giants. They're already in the playoffs, and if they lose today (Sunday), who will they face? The Vikes, this time in Lambeau. Why try now when they could get Minnesota where they want them, in the postseason? I don't think they'll lay down, but if the Vikes get up in the second half by, say, 10 or 14 points, I think they'll dial it back. I'm telling you, the only way Minnesota doesn't win is if they completely get fooled by the Packers' offense. Could happen, but the defense is playing too well nowadays to make me think that could happen.
One other thing to think about: Adrian Peterson needs 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. I say he has a, oh, 20% chance of getting it. If the Vikings win, I think their attack will be more balanced. But Green Bay can't stop players on the ground, so I wouldn't put it past Peterson. I will be at the Dome for the game, and if he does it, damn, we all should step back for a second and recognize that we're watching history.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). Went to the first night of the Mariucci Classic last (Saturday) night. Paid a scalper $40 for two games, both blowouts. Still can't believe I blew $40 and I didn't even try to bargain him down. I suck as a bargainer. The guy probably paid $5 for it. Man, I go through money like no one's business come the holidays. You know when hockey fans chant "Sieve! Sieve! Sieve!" to the visiting goaltender? They should shout that at me whenever I take out my wallet.
So the U. male icers, ranked fourth in the nation, whipped Air Force last (Saturday) night, 4-0. Their other game in this tournament is the tourney's main event, tonight (Sunday night) against Boston College, current #1 team in the country, defending national champions, and the team that ushered the Gophers out of last season's tournament in the national semifinal. They played in the first game, a 5-1 ass-kicking of Alabama-Huntsville. We are talking about a Southern independent school, so the result might show more about the loser than the winner. But the Eagles were bigger, faster and stronger, and they looked awfully scary. I don't think the game against the Gophs is going to be a walkover, but I can see BC repeating as champs. Let's see if they can cap a busy day in Dinkytown (and in Minnesota) with a victory over the best team in the land.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4). The chemistry issues continue, and what's happening to Kevin Love? Only a four-point win at home over Phoenix last (Saturday) night prevented a winless screening week. The defeats, in New York and at the Bullseye against Houston, were only by three points. But wouldn't they be victories if Love was locked in? The nadir of his really shitty 2012 might have come when he failed to score in double figures in Wednesday's loss to the Rockets, and all of those points came in the first quarter. You know, maybe David Kahn was right in not giving him a max contract.
God, I really do think these guys can get a playoff spot and compete in the playoffs. But they've slipped to eighth in the Western Conference, and if Love and Ricky Rubio still can't co-exist, what then? Three games this week: In Utah, at Denver, and home to Portland.
#-4: Twins (Re-Entry!). There are only three other teams in the survey this week, so I think I have enough time to blurb a little bit about the Twinks' penchant this offseason of signing up pitchers coming off injuries. Um ... what the fuck??? Why is this team opening themselves up to being a refuge for reclamation projects like Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Correia, Vance Worley, and Rich Harden? And I know that last year's starting rotation was so awful they should've just blown up the whole goddamn thing, but this is better? Good fucking God, Ron Gardenhire might have less to work with than last season. You might as well ask the last year of Steve Carlton for a tryout. Ninety-loss season, we shall meet again. Happy Fucking New Year.
#-1: Vikings (Last Week: -1). Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. This team, a year after a 3-13 record, a squad I thought would not win more than five games this year, not only is 9-6, not only is in the hunt for a playoff berth, but controls their own fucking destiny in getting there. How the fuck did that happen? Only in the National Football League. That must be why it's the most popular league in the nation.
I don't know if it's motivation or the perfect game plan, but somehow the Vikes did exactly what it needed to do and beat the Texans in Houston. It was won on the lines; the defense harassed Matt Schaub to a pick-six and a fumble, and Adrian Peterson ran for enough (less than 100 yards, however, ending his streak of reaching the century mark on the ground at ... eight?) to loosen the Texans' defense for Christian Ponder to -- get this -- complete passes accurately. Ponder may have turned the corner with that bad pick in the end zone in their loss in Green Bay, but it looks like Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave has stopped forcing Ponder to say in the pocket under pressure and just let him roll out, bootleg and improvise. And that's meant that he runs to surprise defenses, not just to escape. He could be a game manager yet!
And club has this playoff spot right where they need it. They are at home. They are playing Green Bay, who can gain a bye with a win, but think about this: They were the top seed in the NFC last year, but they looked rusty in not only getting beat but humbled by the New York Giants. They're already in the playoffs, and if they lose today (Sunday), who will they face? The Vikes, this time in Lambeau. Why try now when they could get Minnesota where they want them, in the postseason? I don't think they'll lay down, but if the Vikes get up in the second half by, say, 10 or 14 points, I think they'll dial it back. I'm telling you, the only way Minnesota doesn't win is if they completely get fooled by the Packers' offense. Could happen, but the defense is playing too well nowadays to make me think that could happen.
One other thing to think about: Adrian Peterson needs 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. I say he has a, oh, 20% chance of getting it. If the Vikings win, I think their attack will be more balanced. But Green Bay can't stop players on the ground, so I wouldn't put it past Peterson. I will be at the Dome for the game, and if he does it, damn, we all should step back for a second and recognize that we're watching history.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). Went to the first night of the Mariucci Classic last (Saturday) night. Paid a scalper $40 for two games, both blowouts. Still can't believe I blew $40 and I didn't even try to bargain him down. I suck as a bargainer. The guy probably paid $5 for it. Man, I go through money like no one's business come the holidays. You know when hockey fans chant "Sieve! Sieve! Sieve!" to the visiting goaltender? They should shout that at me whenever I take out my wallet.
So the U. male icers, ranked fourth in the nation, whipped Air Force last (Saturday) night, 4-0. Their other game in this tournament is the tourney's main event, tonight (Sunday night) against Boston College, current #1 team in the country, defending national champions, and the team that ushered the Gophers out of last season's tournament in the national semifinal. They played in the first game, a 5-1 ass-kicking of Alabama-Huntsville. We are talking about a Southern independent school, so the result might show more about the loser than the winner. But the Eagles were bigger, faster and stronger, and they looked awfully scary. I don't think the game against the Gophs is going to be a walkover, but I can see BC repeating as champs. Let's see if they can cap a busy day in Dinkytown (and in Minnesota) with a victory over the best team in the land.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: -4). The chemistry issues continue, and what's happening to Kevin Love? Only a four-point win at home over Phoenix last (Saturday) night prevented a winless screening week. The defeats, in New York and at the Bullseye against Houston, were only by three points. But wouldn't they be victories if Love was locked in? The nadir of his really shitty 2012 might have come when he failed to score in double figures in Wednesday's loss to the Rockets, and all of those points came in the first quarter. You know, maybe David Kahn was right in not giving him a max contract.
God, I really do think these guys can get a playoff spot and compete in the playoffs. But they've slipped to eighth in the Western Conference, and if Love and Ricky Rubio still can't co-exist, what then? Three games this week: In Utah, at Denver, and home to Portland.
#-4: Twins (Re-Entry!). There are only three other teams in the survey this week, so I think I have enough time to blurb a little bit about the Twinks' penchant this offseason of signing up pitchers coming off injuries. Um ... what the fuck??? Why is this team opening themselves up to being a refuge for reclamation projects like Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Correia, Vance Worley, and Rich Harden? And I know that last year's starting rotation was so awful they should've just blown up the whole goddamn thing, but this is better? Good fucking God, Ron Gardenhire might have less to work with than last season. You might as well ask the last year of Steve Carlton for a tryout. Ninety-loss season, we shall meet again. Happy Fucking New Year.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Yesterday I Signed The Store's Death Warrant
There are two names under which The Store is incorporated. Wednesday I opened up two letters from my parents' longtime accountant. They are Articles of Dissolution. Basically you fill out this form, pay the State Secretary $35, and The Store is no more.
When I told Mother about this -- I had to, there was no way I could just deny they weren't mailed -- she told me the following: Fill out and sign their names (my folks each head up one of these names); fill out and forge their signatures on two checks, copy those Articles and the two checks, and mail them out -- fast. That last part is funny: I was part dazed over what this meant to The Death Of The Store, part not paying attention to Mother. And either she needed to get my attention or, possibly, she knew how I felt about saying goodbye to The Store and forced me to snap out of it, because all of a sudden she was stern towards me: "You listen to me! Send it, now!"
You know, I understand that there might be some time issues with sending in the Articles. I can reasonably assume that if they get to the state some time after the New Year, they have to pay money they don't want to pay. But you know, fuck that. Fuck what they're doing to The Store. I just find it ... disrespectful to a business that's given us so much. And besides, how much is it to renew a business license? Fuck, I'll pay for it! I won't do anything with it, but at least The Store will be alive! And besides, I did not appreciate Mother yelling at me again.
So that's why, instead of doing what she said and filling out the forms and checks that night before bed, I fucking sandbagged that and filled them out the next day instead. And then, because of ... oh, I don't remember, I didn't send it Thursday.
I thought about not sending it Friday (yesterday), either. That's how sad I am over sending these Articles of Dissolution. You don't come back from this. But if I waited until Monday, there's a remote chance that they don't get postmarked for 2012. Plus, I'm not absolutely sure the post office delivers New Year's Eve. And I could have waited until Saturday (today), but I might've forgotten to send it in, and then I fall into potentially sending it Monday, when it might be too late, and yadda-yadda-yadda.
So, Thursday, I thought I'd just copy the forms at the library across the street from the gym I planned to work out in that evening. However, I was wrong about the hours, and the library was closed by the time I drove over. I took that as a sign; Friday (yesterday) evening I went to the library to finally make those copies, but I figured I wouldn't rush myself in order to drop off the forms (along with some Vegas payments) by the time the local post office has last pick-up at 5.
I was dinkin' around the Internet, primarily Facebook, when I checked my phone. It was a foreign number. at first I ignored it, but then I realized -- it's the Skype number from my sister. Why is she calling me on a Friday evening? I was kind of out the the door by then, which was about a quarter to 5, but I needed to contact her in case something happened to Grandmother, which was the first thought that crept into my mind.
While bolting out of the library and tried reaching my sis on my cell; couldn't get through. I guess you can't Skype through the phone, or something. My mind was racing, but I thought that since I was already leaving, I might as well bite the bullet and drop the Dissolution Articles off at the mailbox. I did, and as I was driving away, I saw a mailman trundle up to the mailboxes, carrying one of their trademark hard plastic corrugated bins.
Getting home I e-mailed my sister urgently asking her to call me to let me know what's wrong. She didn't; instead, today I got an e-mail reply saying nothing's wrong, she just wanted to talk. Meanwhile, with that looming problem out of the way, I just realized that was complicit in the closing of The Store. The family corporation, the mom-and-pop operation that not only provided us with a means of living but also our identity that was not given to us by any other person or company, is just about gone. And I was the messenger who sent out the death warrant.
When I told Mother about this -- I had to, there was no way I could just deny they weren't mailed -- she told me the following: Fill out and sign their names (my folks each head up one of these names); fill out and forge their signatures on two checks, copy those Articles and the two checks, and mail them out -- fast. That last part is funny: I was part dazed over what this meant to The Death Of The Store, part not paying attention to Mother. And either she needed to get my attention or, possibly, she knew how I felt about saying goodbye to The Store and forced me to snap out of it, because all of a sudden she was stern towards me: "You listen to me! Send it, now!"
You know, I understand that there might be some time issues with sending in the Articles. I can reasonably assume that if they get to the state some time after the New Year, they have to pay money they don't want to pay. But you know, fuck that. Fuck what they're doing to The Store. I just find it ... disrespectful to a business that's given us so much. And besides, how much is it to renew a business license? Fuck, I'll pay for it! I won't do anything with it, but at least The Store will be alive! And besides, I did not appreciate Mother yelling at me again.
So that's why, instead of doing what she said and filling out the forms and checks that night before bed, I fucking sandbagged that and filled them out the next day instead. And then, because of ... oh, I don't remember, I didn't send it Thursday.
I thought about not sending it Friday (yesterday), either. That's how sad I am over sending these Articles of Dissolution. You don't come back from this. But if I waited until Monday, there's a remote chance that they don't get postmarked for 2012. Plus, I'm not absolutely sure the post office delivers New Year's Eve. And I could have waited until Saturday (today), but I might've forgotten to send it in, and then I fall into potentially sending it Monday, when it might be too late, and yadda-yadda-yadda.
So, Thursday, I thought I'd just copy the forms at the library across the street from the gym I planned to work out in that evening. However, I was wrong about the hours, and the library was closed by the time I drove over. I took that as a sign; Friday (yesterday) evening I went to the library to finally make those copies, but I figured I wouldn't rush myself in order to drop off the forms (along with some Vegas payments) by the time the local post office has last pick-up at 5.
I was dinkin' around the Internet, primarily Facebook, when I checked my phone. It was a foreign number. at first I ignored it, but then I realized -- it's the Skype number from my sister. Why is she calling me on a Friday evening? I was kind of out the the door by then, which was about a quarter to 5, but I needed to contact her in case something happened to Grandmother, which was the first thought that crept into my mind.
While bolting out of the library and tried reaching my sis on my cell; couldn't get through. I guess you can't Skype through the phone, or something. My mind was racing, but I thought that since I was already leaving, I might as well bite the bullet and drop the Dissolution Articles off at the mailbox. I did, and as I was driving away, I saw a mailman trundle up to the mailboxes, carrying one of their trademark hard plastic corrugated bins.
Getting home I e-mailed my sister urgently asking her to call me to let me know what's wrong. She didn't; instead, today I got an e-mail reply saying nothing's wrong, she just wanted to talk. Meanwhile, with that looming problem out of the way, I just realized that was complicit in the closing of The Store. The family corporation, the mom-and-pop operation that not only provided us with a means of living but also our identity that was not given to us by any other person or company, is just about gone. And I was the messenger who sent out the death warrant.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Kill The Mentally Ill
Another guy got pushed onto a New York subway track, second time in less than a month. Unless news proves otherwise, this evil female is mentally ill. They're looking for her now. I hope someone finds her and murders her.
I mean it. And I'm tired, beyond tired, of the legal precedent that mental illness is an excuse to commit all kinds of crime, including murder. It's mentally ill people who push innocents onto subways. And it's mentally ill people who shoot up schools and movie theaters. (That's not to say that there shouldn't be gun control. There has to be gun control, Wayne LaPierre, you fat fuck.) You say that they can't help themselves. Tell that to the people who are dead.
How is this not a safety issue? Why are these crazy people allowed in public? Is it because they have the constitutional right to declare themselves sane, and if they do, even if they clearly are not, we can't do anything to them, so they can push people onto subway tracks all they want? If that's true, fuck 'em. If that's true, stop using "innocent by reason of insanity" as an excuse. Kill them. Give them the death penalty like all the rest.
What haunts me most about this is that, according to eyewitnesses, this woman was stalking her victim. I'm not saying this proves premeditation, but think about it: The person who killed you eyed you as her target before moving in to kill you. That's stalking. That's deciding she is going to kill you, you who was just minding his own business, trying to make it through the day. And someone who is clearly insane decides to end your life, just like that. How can you feel safe living life if someone insane decides to murder you? I don't give a shit that this cunt is probably mentally unstable, kill her anyway!
I mean it. And I'm tired, beyond tired, of the legal precedent that mental illness is an excuse to commit all kinds of crime, including murder. It's mentally ill people who push innocents onto subways. And it's mentally ill people who shoot up schools and movie theaters. (That's not to say that there shouldn't be gun control. There has to be gun control, Wayne LaPierre, you fat fuck.) You say that they can't help themselves. Tell that to the people who are dead.
How is this not a safety issue? Why are these crazy people allowed in public? Is it because they have the constitutional right to declare themselves sane, and if they do, even if they clearly are not, we can't do anything to them, so they can push people onto subway tracks all they want? If that's true, fuck 'em. If that's true, stop using "innocent by reason of insanity" as an excuse. Kill them. Give them the death penalty like all the rest.
What haunts me most about this is that, according to eyewitnesses, this woman was stalking her victim. I'm not saying this proves premeditation, but think about it: The person who killed you eyed you as her target before moving in to kill you. That's stalking. That's deciding she is going to kill you, you who was just minding his own business, trying to make it through the day. And someone who is clearly insane decides to end your life, just like that. How can you feel safe living life if someone insane decides to murder you? I don't give a shit that this cunt is probably mentally unstable, kill her anyway!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Person Who Should Be Fired: Keurig Sampler Bitch
Happened at Rosedale. Lady, it would be nice if you a) answered my question and b) answered my question while making eye contact with me. I don't need a longing gaze into my eyes, just some acknowledgement that you're trying to answer me. And I didn't know if there was, like, a line or something, so I apologize if I was being all aggressive by putting the cup in there, but for fuck's sake, you already tossed a used-up one to that cardboard box you guys use as trash not three minutes before. Why toss another one? You obviously weren't paying attention. Idiot.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Expenses Without Receipt
We shall start Christmas, Tuesday, December 25:
- I didn't go out on Tuesday, so wind it back to Christmas Eve, Monday the 24th ... the last thing I spent was the wild party at My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Edition). Tip for a dancer onstage, tip for a can of Grain Belt Nordeast, and dances from ********a, Cicily, and a black chick whose name I will withhold for now because even though she may be a rip-off bitch I have a feeling she'd pull on my dick at a private party: $63.
- The mocha at Southdale. Caribou Coffee has a daily trivia question; answer correctly and you'll get ten cents off. The question Christmas Eve was how many yards does Adrian Peterson need to rush for in order to break the single-season rushing record? Well, I over-thought myself because I knew I heard the number 208 in regards to the record. But was that to break the record or merely to tie it? I've heard it both ways, I think. And then I looked at the barista who took my order. She seemed to be a wise-ass, and I immediately imagined me saying 208, and she'd go, "Wrong! 209!" And I'd go, "Wait, I've heard 208 all over the place!" And she'd say, "That's just to tie the record. He needs 209 to break the record!!" And I'd just stand there, apoplectic, with my dick in my hands. I wasn't going to get out-clevered! So I said 209, and of course it was 208, goddammit. And that made me so sheepish and peeveed that I didn't give the quarter-cent tip I usually do. I was pissed. And yet the barista wanted to make conversation about Peterson. At first I didn't want to because I blew a very easy trivia question because I over-thought it, but then I didn't want to act like more of an asshole and just walk away from her, so I slowly started giving her my expertise about what I thought Peterson and the Vikings will do Sunday instead of saying, "Eh, I don't know." Didn't give her more than three cents' tip, though, because I was still pissed: $4.10.
- Sunday the 23rd I finally got out to exercise at the community center. And since I think I have some time, I committed to a monthly pass: $15.
- To Saturday, the 22nd ... my friend and I got to the place we were eating dinner early, so we both paid into a drink for him and a drink for me. I threw in a: $5.
- After eating, I relaxed at the stripclub. Coffee and tips only: $10.
- Oh, and before my night out I went to the Mall of America to try out a shave at The Art of Shaving. Expensive, but I still believe that anyone can shave me better than I shave myself. Besides, I have to try it just once. Anyway, I'm sure that I dropped in a quarter when I passed by the Salvation Army on my way inside: 25 cents.
- Oh, didn't I find a penny somewhere. I think I did. I think I'll put it here. An infusion of: 1 cent.
- Friday the 21st: Probably the last time eating at the corporate eatery at the ground floor of the building I used to work at. I think I got oatmeal and coffee, the latter because they unplugged the coffee machine at work because they were moving. And goddamn, I forgot how much it cost. Fucking Christ, I think I'm going to take a wild guess: $4.52.
- Went to the University of Minnesota women's basketball game that evening. Got in free. Program, hot dog, small Coke: $10.50.
- Somewhat spontaneously, I decided to see the Lovely Creatures Cabaret show at Bryant-Lake Bowl. Ticket, tips for the acts, coffee and a tip for coffee (I think): $17.
- And just before I went in I saw this great place called Rusty Quarters. It's an arcade, for crissake! Had time to play one game of Centipede: 50 cents.
- Thursday, the 20th ... ah, fuck, for the life of me I know I had lunch at this eatery, but I don't remember specifically what I ate, let alone how much it cost. I'll throw out: $7.27.
- For Wednesday the 19th I'll just say the same fucking thing: $7.27.
- And then, that evening, after going to The Store and mopping up a few water puddles, I treated myself to eating at Flameburger. And after I pay after eating I am reminded again why I don't eat there often. With tip, I think it's: $15.50.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas In Solitude
I ate too much yesterday, Christmas Eve. Per self-tradition, I went to Southdale. Breaking from self-tradition, I treated myself to a Pecanbon at Cinnabon (the first time I ever had one -- all their stuff is tasty, it's just too expensive to buy on a regular basis) and a Caribou mocha (even though the local company sold itself out to a German company last week) when I usually don't get anything. Well, sometimes I get a mocha at Caribou ... scratch that.
I shouldn't have eaten because at the Christmas party at My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) after going to Southdale I pigged out on sloppy joes, ham, macaroni-and-cheese and chicken. This totally wipes out the exercise Sunday night -- although, thinking about it, eating chicken at My Favorite Italian Place after the gym probably wiped out the exercise. Anyway, I am so full that I haven't eaten anything today except a bag of chips.
So, what did I do yesterday? Southdale, the Christmas stripper party, then home. I would've gone out if there was, say a strip club to go to, but no one was open, so I stayed home. Feel kind of bad I didn't watch It's A Wonderful Life; I instead dinked around the Internet and watched a Hawai'i Five-O rerun from, weirdly, last season. I vacillated between trying to sleep early and doing the laundry. That damn new dryer does not dry my clothes. I've had to use that thing three times, and it still doesn't work! Anyway, I checked that there were no reruns of talk shows last night (there weren't, all replaced by religious Christmas specials), then I stayed up working the Internet until I finally saw the overnight news.
---
OK, so what did I do today? Woke up around 11, operated the dryer one more time, found that the clothes were still wet, gave up, and took them out to fold. Meanwhile I was listening, then watching, the NBA. Man, if there was a playoff in college football, the semifinals today (or, even better, yesterday) would be great to watch.
After eating those chips, something happened to me that I didn't expect, but had grown accustomed to: I felt really, really sleepy in the afternoon and took a nap. I had six hours this morning, so why would I feel tired now? Well, it is winter, and usually I would be able to take a nap every afternoon. But I haven't this winter, partially due to the job, partially because my parents wouldn't let me. But I have no job anymore, and where are my folks? Yep, not here. So I rolled into bed past 4, turned away from the TV I kept on as I turned away from the Knicks-Lakers game, then woke up around 7 to see the end of the Thunder-Heat game.
Besides just relaxing, I haven't done anything Christmas-y, and I regretted that, so to get into the occasion of the holiday (which, to be honest, feels like a regular night; really, the holiday starts at sundown Christmas Eve and lasts through sundown today, and thinking about it, there is some activity outside today), I put on the classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas in the background while I tool around the 'Net. Never seen it before, and honestly, it ain't my bag. I don't know if I was ever charmed by it when I was young, but now, the made-up words are a turn-off. After blogging this I think I'll re-heat some ribs, try and make a cuba libre (I even bought a lime), and listen to the NBA on satellite radio.
---
So I spent this Christmas Eve night and Day alone. And you know what? That's fine by me. Really, it is. Since I got to, oh, junior high, my family was too tired to get the Christmas tree, decorate the Christmas tree, and even wrap gifts. Pretty soon we just gave each other unwrapped gifts on Christmas, and then as we got older we just gave them as soon as we saw each other after the holidays. And now, since my folks try to leave for Vegas this time each year, we've even dropped the charade of giving gifts.
I speak for myself when I say that, although I was told that Christmas is the most important day of the year -- and I believe it -- it's always been a religious/Christian holiday to me. And since we're Buddhist, I always approached the holiday on a remove, like celebrating it was something I didn't have a right to do. Then again, not "celebrating" Christmas may be a product of my fundamental laziness. Either way, I'm OK just not doing anything. To me, it's a holiday.
The best thing about today, by the way, is that my parents aren't here. I love them, but I hate them. Well, I hate them being around me. I had nothing to do these past few days, and if my folks were here, they would hound me into finding something to do, and I would despise them. I already have to worry about the day they come back and me not having a job and them, gulp, giving up The Store for good. Then what? I don't enjoy spending time with my parents. What I have now, this Christmas In Solitude, is what I need to replenish my soul.
---
Oh, by the way, I'm starting to appreciate Christmas songs more, although I will admit that I don't seek out the Christmas stations, either the free ones or the channels on satellite radio. And you know, on the radio this season I haven't heard a Christmas song that I started to appreciate working at Macy's last holiday season: John Mellencamp's rocking version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." I didn't hear one of my favorite Christmas songs on the radio last year, the classic version of "The Little Drummer Boy," but on, I think, Sunday night, when I tried using my sister's radio for the first time in a long time (I am sleeping in my sister's bedroom because I prefer it to the one I'm in now, which is Grandmother's), I heard it on the oldies station that flips to the holiday format for the season.
By the way, here is Mellencamp's video. Love Little Bastard's hair, by the way. If it were today, and that hair was on a woman, I would be aroused by her:
I shouldn't have eaten because at the Christmas party at My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) after going to Southdale I pigged out on sloppy joes, ham, macaroni-and-cheese and chicken. This totally wipes out the exercise Sunday night -- although, thinking about it, eating chicken at My Favorite Italian Place after the gym probably wiped out the exercise. Anyway, I am so full that I haven't eaten anything today except a bag of chips.
So, what did I do yesterday? Southdale, the Christmas stripper party, then home. I would've gone out if there was, say a strip club to go to, but no one was open, so I stayed home. Feel kind of bad I didn't watch It's A Wonderful Life; I instead dinked around the Internet and watched a Hawai'i Five-O rerun from, weirdly, last season. I vacillated between trying to sleep early and doing the laundry. That damn new dryer does not dry my clothes. I've had to use that thing three times, and it still doesn't work! Anyway, I checked that there were no reruns of talk shows last night (there weren't, all replaced by religious Christmas specials), then I stayed up working the Internet until I finally saw the overnight news.
---
OK, so what did I do today? Woke up around 11, operated the dryer one more time, found that the clothes were still wet, gave up, and took them out to fold. Meanwhile I was listening, then watching, the NBA. Man, if there was a playoff in college football, the semifinals today (or, even better, yesterday) would be great to watch.
After eating those chips, something happened to me that I didn't expect, but had grown accustomed to: I felt really, really sleepy in the afternoon and took a nap. I had six hours this morning, so why would I feel tired now? Well, it is winter, and usually I would be able to take a nap every afternoon. But I haven't this winter, partially due to the job, partially because my parents wouldn't let me. But I have no job anymore, and where are my folks? Yep, not here. So I rolled into bed past 4, turned away from the TV I kept on as I turned away from the Knicks-Lakers game, then woke up around 7 to see the end of the Thunder-Heat game.
Besides just relaxing, I haven't done anything Christmas-y, and I regretted that, so to get into the occasion of the holiday (which, to be honest, feels like a regular night; really, the holiday starts at sundown Christmas Eve and lasts through sundown today, and thinking about it, there is some activity outside today), I put on the classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas in the background while I tool around the 'Net. Never seen it before, and honestly, it ain't my bag. I don't know if I was ever charmed by it when I was young, but now, the made-up words are a turn-off. After blogging this I think I'll re-heat some ribs, try and make a cuba libre (I even bought a lime), and listen to the NBA on satellite radio.
---
So I spent this Christmas Eve night and Day alone. And you know what? That's fine by me. Really, it is. Since I got to, oh, junior high, my family was too tired to get the Christmas tree, decorate the Christmas tree, and even wrap gifts. Pretty soon we just gave each other unwrapped gifts on Christmas, and then as we got older we just gave them as soon as we saw each other after the holidays. And now, since my folks try to leave for Vegas this time each year, we've even dropped the charade of giving gifts.
I speak for myself when I say that, although I was told that Christmas is the most important day of the year -- and I believe it -- it's always been a religious/Christian holiday to me. And since we're Buddhist, I always approached the holiday on a remove, like celebrating it was something I didn't have a right to do. Then again, not "celebrating" Christmas may be a product of my fundamental laziness. Either way, I'm OK just not doing anything. To me, it's a holiday.
The best thing about today, by the way, is that my parents aren't here. I love them, but I hate them. Well, I hate them being around me. I had nothing to do these past few days, and if my folks were here, they would hound me into finding something to do, and I would despise them. I already have to worry about the day they come back and me not having a job and them, gulp, giving up The Store for good. Then what? I don't enjoy spending time with my parents. What I have now, this Christmas In Solitude, is what I need to replenish my soul.
---
Oh, by the way, I'm starting to appreciate Christmas songs more, although I will admit that I don't seek out the Christmas stations, either the free ones or the channels on satellite radio. And you know, on the radio this season I haven't heard a Christmas song that I started to appreciate working at Macy's last holiday season: John Mellencamp's rocking version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." I didn't hear one of my favorite Christmas songs on the radio last year, the classic version of "The Little Drummer Boy," but on, I think, Sunday night, when I tried using my sister's radio for the first time in a long time (I am sleeping in my sister's bedroom because I prefer it to the one I'm in now, which is Grandmother's), I heard it on the oldies station that flips to the holiday format for the season.
By the way, here is Mellencamp's video. Love Little Bastard's hair, by the way. If it were today, and that hair was on a woman, I would be aroused by her:
Finally Done With Expense List Reconciling
I still have a day planner. (Mental note: Order next year's Franklin Quest. Should blog about this soon.) At the back of the last day of every month there is an expense list, and ever since I started using the FQ I have filled it out in order to track my expenses.
There are four blank columns. I use them for "Plusses," which are times I put cash money into my wallet; "Fast Food," "Entertainment" (more than just strip clubs ... although, yeah, money-wise stripclubbin' is the greatest expense in that category) and "Miscellaneous." This is a grossly inaccurate accounting of how much money I spend per month, mostly because this only tracks the ins and outs of the money in my wallet and has nothing to do with the times I use my credit card to charge stuff. I mostly do it out of habit and to justify buying a refill of a year's worth of papers every December.
But when I get busy, the process of what I call "reconciling" my day planner gets pushed aside. That's standard operating procedure since I started. But I have set a record closing out November 2012. It was only about several hours ago that I finally wrote down all the expenses for the month, did the math and figured out how much more or less I put in or took out of my wallet, and wrote down my analysis (how much I spent per category, why it was so much or so little, what happened during the month that resulted in that amount, etc.). I only have space in my binder for a month's worth of papers, and I cannot replace one month with the next without doing this reconciliation first.
I got busy, what can I say? The combination of the temp job and ... well, being so tired after my temp job put this task on the very back burner. My schedule didn't let up after my parents left. And even after my assignment ended I busied myself with other stuff, most notably going out and enjoying myself. It was only December 24th, bleepin' Christmas Eve, when I had the time and the wherewithal to complete this task. I feel bad, and I feel badder because I can't make any promises that I won't do it again. It has never been this late, but I can foresee a month where I get so busy that this just happens.
However, I have never let two months go by before I reconciled. At least not yet.
And once again, Merry Christmas, everyone.
There are four blank columns. I use them for "Plusses," which are times I put cash money into my wallet; "Fast Food," "Entertainment" (more than just strip clubs ... although, yeah, money-wise stripclubbin' is the greatest expense in that category) and "Miscellaneous." This is a grossly inaccurate accounting of how much money I spend per month, mostly because this only tracks the ins and outs of the money in my wallet and has nothing to do with the times I use my credit card to charge stuff. I mostly do it out of habit and to justify buying a refill of a year's worth of papers every December.
But when I get busy, the process of what I call "reconciling" my day planner gets pushed aside. That's standard operating procedure since I started. But I have set a record closing out November 2012. It was only about several hours ago that I finally wrote down all the expenses for the month, did the math and figured out how much more or less I put in or took out of my wallet, and wrote down my analysis (how much I spent per category, why it was so much or so little, what happened during the month that resulted in that amount, etc.). I only have space in my binder for a month's worth of papers, and I cannot replace one month with the next without doing this reconciliation first.
I got busy, what can I say? The combination of the temp job and ... well, being so tired after my temp job put this task on the very back burner. My schedule didn't let up after my parents left. And even after my assignment ended I busied myself with other stuff, most notably going out and enjoying myself. It was only December 24th, bleepin' Christmas Eve, when I had the time and the wherewithal to complete this task. I feel bad, and I feel badder because I can't make any promises that I won't do it again. It has never been this late, but I can foresee a month where I get so busy that this just happens.
However, I have never let two months go by before I reconciled. At least not yet.
And once again, Merry Christmas, everyone.
Monday, December 24, 2012
If I Die
Went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division) for their annual Christmas Eve blowout party. On my way in, I slip on the ice on the parking lot and fall on my left hip and shoulder.
It didn't hurt at first, although I was a little crabby. But then I exhaled really hard and I felt something on my left shoulder. And then I started to move my chest and arm and shoulders around it hurt all around. And then I felt it in my hip pointer. And now it still hurts.
I have slipped on ice before, but not in the past, oh, half-decade at least. I don't remember hurting this long after a fall ever. Must be old age.
So I have just swallowed four baby aspirin. A couple of the strippers say I should take ibuprofen, but this baby aspirin is the only thing I have around the house now. I think I'll take a nap and see where it takes me. I hope it doesn't get worse, otherwise I'll have to go see a doctor.
It's a beautiful Christmas Eve, isn't it? It's really bleeping cold, but I took a few minutes to listen to this heartbreaking story on National Public Radio about a woman living in the name of her son who passed away when he was only three years old, and I noticed that the night was really radiant. The reason it's so cold outside is that there are no clouds in the sky. And the gibbous moon is pure and bright and so, so pretty. A really bad night to die.
Oh, and a Merry Christmas to everyone.
It didn't hurt at first, although I was a little crabby. But then I exhaled really hard and I felt something on my left shoulder. And then I started to move my chest and arm and shoulders around it hurt all around. And then I felt it in my hip pointer. And now it still hurts.
I have slipped on ice before, but not in the past, oh, half-decade at least. I don't remember hurting this long after a fall ever. Must be old age.
So I have just swallowed four baby aspirin. A couple of the strippers say I should take ibuprofen, but this baby aspirin is the only thing I have around the house now. I think I'll take a nap and see where it takes me. I hope it doesn't get worse, otherwise I'll have to go see a doctor.
It's a beautiful Christmas Eve, isn't it? It's really bleeping cold, but I took a few minutes to listen to this heartbreaking story on National Public Radio about a woman living in the name of her son who passed away when he was only three years old, and I noticed that the night was really radiant. The reason it's so cold outside is that there are no clouds in the sky. And the gibbous moon is pure and bright and so, so pretty. A really bad night to die.
Oh, and a Merry Christmas to everyone.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
#-1: Vikings (Last Week: -2). In a WMNSS that is both light and chock full of teams that won the only game they had to play, I give the nod to the team whose win is most important. I thought the ViQueens had a better-than-fighting chance to beat the Rams in St. Louis, but considering Christian Ponder's continuing struggles to throw a ball and the Rams' rapidly improving defense, I would not have been surprised if they lost and fatally damaged their playoff hopes.
Instead, they did something I don't think I've seen all that much this season: They forced turnovers and were aggressive early in the game. It helps that Sam Bradford -- I thought he was going to be The Next Great Quarterback -- threw an interception to Defensive End (and USC Trojan!) Everson Griffen that he took all the way back for a touchdown. It also helps that the Vikes won the turnover battle. Finally, it helps that the team has Adrian Peterson. I was wrong about him. I thought he needed to take it easy, and I didn't expect him to have a great 2012. He in fact is having a season for the ages, thrashing the Rams for that long touchdown that set the tone for last Sunday's game.
He needs to gain 300 more yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season mark for rushing yards. I want him to get it, and I will not count him out, but for some reason I think his hopes of catching Dickerson, as well as the Vikes' playoff hopes, will end in Houston this (Sunday) afternoon.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). Instead of going to a stripper party I decided to spend the first night after being "let go" at my temp job going to a University of Minnesota women's basketball game for the first time in two, possibly three years. I figured there would be more parties, but the women's b-ball team playing this non-conference opponent again may never come again in my lifetime. Specifically, this is the rematch of the Women's Basketball Invitational Championship Game against Northern Iowa, the final of four tournament games the Goofs were given in exchange for accepting the WBI's invitation to compete.
This is not your father's Gopher women's basketball game. The Lindsay Whalen-Jalen McCarville days of packing Williams Arena are long gone. The announced crowd was 2,853, but all attendance announcements lie; eyeballing the crowd I say there was close to half that, maybe. That much of a crowd could pack the Sports Pavilion, the place the team used to play in before their breakthrough season sent them to Williams permanently.
At least the team beat the Panthers. In fact, they beat the ever-lovin' shit out of them, exactly doubling them up, 86-43. Guard Rachel Banham is the real deal; she scored 26. The team was aggressive, out-stealing Northern Iowa 11-3 and finishing the half leading, get this, 50-16. The only downside is seeing Micaella Riché continue to commit travelling violations and offensive fouls. She counts as the inside beef on this team, and if she remains plagued by foul trouble, she'll find herself working those demons out at the back of the bench.
It's weird to see the scores of the games this club has played so far. They have whipped non-BcS clubs, especially at home. But then you look at the losses the 10-3 Goofs have suffered so far: a pair of 12-point setbacks to Richmond (played in Cancun) and an embarrassing 22-point defeat to Virginia at home. The evidence points to a bully of a team, a bunch of players that can batter around teams much smaller than them, but powerless when it comes to squads that are bigger than them, or at least ones the same size. That doesn't portend well since conference play starts up before you know it.
However, they are off till the 30th. You will not see them in next week's survey.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). I thought these guys were going to play Louisiana-Lafayette. But tonight (Saturday night) I saw a few minutes of the replay of their game last (Saturday) night, and they said it was just Lafayette. And then it occurred to me -- oh, you mean the Lafayette of that famous Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry? Anyway, the Gophers clubbed the ... Leopards, 75-50, their eighth win in a row. I am particularly impressed that 42 of the team's points came from guys who started the game on the bench. That's a testament to depth, especially since Trevor Mbakwe, their biggest inside presence, was finally moved into the starting lineup. Now, let's see if Tubby Smith's best team ever since he came here lives up to the hype now that the non-conference/creampuff portion of the regular season is out of he way; however, you'll have to wait, because they're off till New Year's Eve.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). Frustratingly, they began the week with a pair of consecutive losses, at Orlando and at Miami. But then, inexplicably, the Woofie Dogs come back to Target Center and defeated the team with the best record in the NBA, The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics. Moreover, they ended the Thunder's 12-game winning streak. Almost as impressive: The Wolves led that game wire-to-wire.
Why the inconsistency? Both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio have to develop chemistry between the two. But Rubio seems to have more pet players to feed the ball to. Both Nikola Pekovic and Derrick Williams seem to play a lot better with Rubio in the game, even though the team is crazy deep with J.J. Barea the important player that maintained breathing room between them and Oklahoma City. So where does Love fit in? And can he completely overcome the pain he feels in his shooting hand? Until he comes back fully healthy, he and Rubio won't have the proper time to develop the tendencies that could make this team a truly great one.
For example, ESPN is saying that Love won't play in today's (Sunday afternoon's) tilt in New York. Also, the team hosts Houston (and Head Coach Kevin McHale) Wednesday, then host Phoenix Saturday.
Instead, they did something I don't think I've seen all that much this season: They forced turnovers and were aggressive early in the game. It helps that Sam Bradford -- I thought he was going to be The Next Great Quarterback -- threw an interception to Defensive End (and USC Trojan!) Everson Griffen that he took all the way back for a touchdown. It also helps that the Vikes won the turnover battle. Finally, it helps that the team has Adrian Peterson. I was wrong about him. I thought he needed to take it easy, and I didn't expect him to have a great 2012. He in fact is having a season for the ages, thrashing the Rams for that long touchdown that set the tone for last Sunday's game.
He needs to gain 300 more yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season mark for rushing yards. I want him to get it, and I will not count him out, but for some reason I think his hopes of catching Dickerson, as well as the Vikes' playoff hopes, will end in Houston this (Sunday) afternoon.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). Instead of going to a stripper party I decided to spend the first night after being "let go" at my temp job going to a University of Minnesota women's basketball game for the first time in two, possibly three years. I figured there would be more parties, but the women's b-ball team playing this non-conference opponent again may never come again in my lifetime. Specifically, this is the rematch of the Women's Basketball Invitational Championship Game against Northern Iowa, the final of four tournament games the Goofs were given in exchange for accepting the WBI's invitation to compete.
This is not your father's Gopher women's basketball game. The Lindsay Whalen-Jalen McCarville days of packing Williams Arena are long gone. The announced crowd was 2,853, but all attendance announcements lie; eyeballing the crowd I say there was close to half that, maybe. That much of a crowd could pack the Sports Pavilion, the place the team used to play in before their breakthrough season sent them to Williams permanently.
At least the team beat the Panthers. In fact, they beat the ever-lovin' shit out of them, exactly doubling them up, 86-43. Guard Rachel Banham is the real deal; she scored 26. The team was aggressive, out-stealing Northern Iowa 11-3 and finishing the half leading, get this, 50-16. The only downside is seeing Micaella Riché continue to commit travelling violations and offensive fouls. She counts as the inside beef on this team, and if she remains plagued by foul trouble, she'll find herself working those demons out at the back of the bench.
It's weird to see the scores of the games this club has played so far. They have whipped non-BcS clubs, especially at home. But then you look at the losses the 10-3 Goofs have suffered so far: a pair of 12-point setbacks to Richmond (played in Cancun) and an embarrassing 22-point defeat to Virginia at home. The evidence points to a bully of a team, a bunch of players that can batter around teams much smaller than them, but powerless when it comes to squads that are bigger than them, or at least ones the same size. That doesn't portend well since conference play starts up before you know it.
However, they are off till the 30th. You will not see them in next week's survey.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). I thought these guys were going to play Louisiana-Lafayette. But tonight (Saturday night) I saw a few minutes of the replay of their game last (Saturday) night, and they said it was just Lafayette. And then it occurred to me -- oh, you mean the Lafayette of that famous Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry? Anyway, the Gophers clubbed the ... Leopards, 75-50, their eighth win in a row. I am particularly impressed that 42 of the team's points came from guys who started the game on the bench. That's a testament to depth, especially since Trevor Mbakwe, their biggest inside presence, was finally moved into the starting lineup. Now, let's see if Tubby Smith's best team ever since he came here lives up to the hype now that the non-conference/creampuff portion of the regular season is out of he way; however, you'll have to wait, because they're off till New Year's Eve.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). Frustratingly, they began the week with a pair of consecutive losses, at Orlando and at Miami. But then, inexplicably, the Woofie Dogs come back to Target Center and defeated the team with the best record in the NBA, The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics. Moreover, they ended the Thunder's 12-game winning streak. Almost as impressive: The Wolves led that game wire-to-wire.
Why the inconsistency? Both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio have to develop chemistry between the two. But Rubio seems to have more pet players to feed the ball to. Both Nikola Pekovic and Derrick Williams seem to play a lot better with Rubio in the game, even though the team is crazy deep with J.J. Barea the important player that maintained breathing room between them and Oklahoma City. So where does Love fit in? And can he completely overcome the pain he feels in his shooting hand? Until he comes back fully healthy, he and Rubio won't have the proper time to develop the tendencies that could make this team a truly great one.
For example, ESPN is saying that Love won't play in today's (Sunday afternoon's) tilt in New York. Also, the team hosts Houston (and Head Coach Kevin McHale) Wednesday, then host Phoenix Saturday.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Poor Bastard Of The Moment (Well, Maybe Two Weeks Ago, But Who Knows, Maybe He's Still Sad Over It): Trent Steelman
Navy has beaten Army in their annual football game that ends the college football regular season 11 years in a row now, although I really, really don't remember hearing the last time the Cadets beat the Midshipmen. It's already a beatdown, and yet it still feels longer.
Army had a great chance to end that losing streak back on the 8th, though. The Cadets/Black Knights led to start the fourth quarter 17-13 before the Middies scored a touchdown with 4:41 left. But Army was able to march down the field with ease.
The Cadets were at the Navy 14 when their Quarterback, Trent Steelman, fucked up a handoff to his Fullback, Larry Dixon. The Midshipmen recovered the fumble and ran out the clock.
This was the second straight year Army outgained Navy in yards. Although it's the Middies who are known for running the ball, the Black Nights ran through the Middies defense for 370 yards. But it was that turnover, one of three Army committed (to Navy's one), that was the difference. And Army, who drop to 2-10, lose both the Commander-in-Chief's trophy and the chance to finally say they beat Navy after more than a decade.
Right after the turnover, through the final whistle and into the tradition where both teams sing both service academies' fight songs (loser first), Steelman was inconsolable. I don't think I've ever seen a football player cry like that without first putting a towel over his head. This guy is going into the Army after this year. But at that moment he couldn't handle the weight of losing four straight times to that other school. The just-completed loss, mostly at his hands, weighed the most, obviously.
Nevertheless it was nice to see Navy Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo try to find Steelman and give him a hug. They finally did while the teams were walking from the Army side to the Navy side of the field to sing the winners' alma mater. Hope he finds peace with this defeat.
Till then, poor bastard.
Army had a great chance to end that losing streak back on the 8th, though. The Cadets/Black Knights led to start the fourth quarter 17-13 before the Middies scored a touchdown with 4:41 left. But Army was able to march down the field with ease.
The Cadets were at the Navy 14 when their Quarterback, Trent Steelman, fucked up a handoff to his Fullback, Larry Dixon. The Midshipmen recovered the fumble and ran out the clock.
This was the second straight year Army outgained Navy in yards. Although it's the Middies who are known for running the ball, the Black Nights ran through the Middies defense for 370 yards. But it was that turnover, one of three Army committed (to Navy's one), that was the difference. And Army, who drop to 2-10, lose both the Commander-in-Chief's trophy and the chance to finally say they beat Navy after more than a decade.
Right after the turnover, through the final whistle and into the tradition where both teams sing both service academies' fight songs (loser first), Steelman was inconsolable. I don't think I've ever seen a football player cry like that without first putting a towel over his head. This guy is going into the Army after this year. But at that moment he couldn't handle the weight of losing four straight times to that other school. The just-completed loss, mostly at his hands, weighed the most, obviously.
Nevertheless it was nice to see Navy Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo try to find Steelman and give him a hug. They finally did while the teams were walking from the Army side to the Navy side of the field to sing the winners' alma mater. Hope he finds peace with this defeat.
Till then, poor bastard.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Wayne LaPierre Can Go Fuck Himself
Heard the head cocksucker of the NRA finally give a response to the Sandy Hook school massacre after a week's worth of silence and behind-the-scenes planning. And this motherfucker fulfilled my worse fears of him, and then some.
Man, I heard his press conference/rant while listening to The Stephanie Miller Show on Sirius XM Left this afternoon, and goddamn, I hate that fucker. What I childish, clueless, undeservedly defensive and rude gusher of shit that came out of that asshole's mouth.
It was the startling lack (well, maybe I shouldn't be startled; after all, this is the wingnut NRA) of introspection that pisses me off the most. Nothing was the NRA's fault, nothing. Guns aren't the problem. Mental illness is the problem. Violence in movies is the problem. Violence in video games is the problem. And a lack of armed people in schools is the problem. You know what, you fat dick? Maybe they're all the problem. And at least I have heard some of the voices from those sources that led to this tragedy admit that, yes, maybe there's something that they could do better. But no, LaPierre, it ain't the guns' fault. This "What, no me!" victim mentality should be never be used by a group of people obsessed with guns.
And you know what his solution would be? Armed guards! Yeah, let's fucking turn schools into prisons, where little children are introduced to the concept of killing machines, security, and death. Let's jack up the possibility that a twitchy and over-his-head toy cop takes out his firearm at some shit-talking punk kid. Let's see if an active shooter wearing protective gear takes out this armed guard and uses his weapon to take out a few more schoolkids in a sick instance of irony.
Maybe banning assault weapons won't do a goddamn thing. I heard that most of the mass shootings America has gone through were perpetrated by handguns that are safely legal within the giving parameters of current law regarding the Second Amendment. OK, then -- maybe we should just repeal the fucking Second Amendment. Because not only is what this piece of shit LaPierre is saying we should do crazy, it is the exact opposite of what will truly make us safe.
There's one ulterior motive behind all this. More armed guards means more guns need to be bought. The gun manufacturers will see profits go through the roof if this dumbass idea goes through. And you know they have a lobbying group, right? It's called the NRA, who, whenever he isn't stuffing his fat face, spews boastful lies about how guns protect us all while saying little about the adults and kids who were killed and nothing about how they could do their part in helping change things. What an asshole.
The worst part about all this? I think most people are going to fall for the NRA's deadly bullshit.
Man, I heard his press conference/rant while listening to The Stephanie Miller Show on Sirius XM Left this afternoon, and goddamn, I hate that fucker. What I childish, clueless, undeservedly defensive and rude gusher of shit that came out of that asshole's mouth.
It was the startling lack (well, maybe I shouldn't be startled; after all, this is the wingnut NRA) of introspection that pisses me off the most. Nothing was the NRA's fault, nothing. Guns aren't the problem. Mental illness is the problem. Violence in movies is the problem. Violence in video games is the problem. And a lack of armed people in schools is the problem. You know what, you fat dick? Maybe they're all the problem. And at least I have heard some of the voices from those sources that led to this tragedy admit that, yes, maybe there's something that they could do better. But no, LaPierre, it ain't the guns' fault. This "What, no me!" victim mentality should be never be used by a group of people obsessed with guns.
And you know what his solution would be? Armed guards! Yeah, let's fucking turn schools into prisons, where little children are introduced to the concept of killing machines, security, and death. Let's jack up the possibility that a twitchy and over-his-head toy cop takes out his firearm at some shit-talking punk kid. Let's see if an active shooter wearing protective gear takes out this armed guard and uses his weapon to take out a few more schoolkids in a sick instance of irony.
Maybe banning assault weapons won't do a goddamn thing. I heard that most of the mass shootings America has gone through were perpetrated by handguns that are safely legal within the giving parameters of current law regarding the Second Amendment. OK, then -- maybe we should just repeal the fucking Second Amendment. Because not only is what this piece of shit LaPierre is saying we should do crazy, it is the exact opposite of what will truly make us safe.
There's one ulterior motive behind all this. More armed guards means more guns need to be bought. The gun manufacturers will see profits go through the roof if this dumbass idea goes through. And you know they have a lobbying group, right? It's called the NRA, who, whenever he isn't stuffing his fat face, spews boastful lies about how guns protect us all while saying little about the adults and kids who were killed and nothing about how they could do their part in helping change things. What an asshole.
The worst part about all this? I think most people are going to fall for the NRA's deadly bullshit.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
As expected, my last day at my current worksite is tomorrow. However, as alluded to by a text I got from my temp contact, they might -- might -- bring me back in a couple weeks to help clean up flu season. My supervisor and I were in the kitchen and talked about the situation for a few minutes.
That's great, because I certainly need the money. And it's better that I am, for all intents and purposes, furloughed through the New Year; I can bring my car in, and I can finally relax. But I kind of feel bad for the one other temp who is still working. His last day is tomorrow, and he's a good guy. Plus, I feel bad that I've called him by the wrong name the past few weeks. That's compounded by the fact that I had called him by the right name before then.
By the way, there's no guarantee that I will be back. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I need to pick up some money at this restaurant for my parents. Then I hope to double back to The Store to clean up the mess that's still there; I'll blog about it some other time. I hope I make it, because fatigue is tackling me right now, and I will also be driving into the low-horizon sun. Fingers crossed.
That's great, because I certainly need the money. And it's better that I am, for all intents and purposes, furloughed through the New Year; I can bring my car in, and I can finally relax. But I kind of feel bad for the one other temp who is still working. His last day is tomorrow, and he's a good guy. Plus, I feel bad that I've called him by the wrong name the past few weeks. That's compounded by the fact that I had called him by the right name before then.
By the way, there's no guarantee that I will be back. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I need to pick up some money at this restaurant for my parents. Then I hope to double back to The Store to clean up the mess that's still there; I'll blog about it some other time. I hope I make it, because fatigue is tackling me right now, and I will also be driving into the low-horizon sun. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Expenses Without Receipt
From Tuesday, December 17:
- This is probably my final week working at my temp job. So I'm going to spend money trying to eat as many different items from the corporate cafe that I can. Today (yesterday?) it was a normal burger with fries: $6.20.
- Tonight, I went to an open mic comedy show. I went to see a guy who was acting in a web series I was helping out in. Very interesting ... although I don't know if I could do that often since the comedy club is at the Mall of America. I did not know tickets for comedy shows are taxed: $7.72.
- Oh, and I donated to the Salvation Army kettle when I went into the mall: 25 cents.
- Monday, December 16: Eatery downstairs, a small cup of soup and sandwich special -- the soup Italian chicken, the sandwich pastrami and cheddar (?) on focaccia. Both very good. Price: $4.58.
- Go back to Saturday the 15th ... only non-receipted thing I spent, I think, is coffee, tips and a lapper from My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version). I got the LD from ********a, whose going through some tough times and I thought I'd cheer her up by giving her money: $28.
- I also donated to the Salvation Army, also at MOA. I went there to relax, look around a bit, and eat at Hooter's after I dropped off my folks at the airport: 25 cents.
- On Friday, the 14th I had a big bowl of soup (Southwestern turkey, really good!) with a turkey-and-swiss (I think?) sandwich: $5.12.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Do I Look Bad?
So I still have a bunch of packets to go through, but I'm not really picking up the slack. I like the pace I'm at right now.
The whip has come down, however. My supervisor asked me if I could get done with all of them today or tomorrow. I told him tomorrow, and now I don't know if I can come through on that.
And then he came over to grab some of the packets. And then he did it again. I wonder if he thinks I'm slow or lazy, because I can see him thinking to himself, "How come there are so many packets here?"
My contact at the temp agency kind of let me in on some employment news, as they are wont to do: There's a chance that there is even more to do at this place for the next couple of months, and I could work there then as well. Yes, I told him I was interested. Now I wonder if I've blown my chance because my supe thinks I'm slacking.
The whip has come down, however. My supervisor asked me if I could get done with all of them today or tomorrow. I told him tomorrow, and now I don't know if I can come through on that.
And then he came over to grab some of the packets. And then he did it again. I wonder if he thinks I'm slow or lazy, because I can see him thinking to himself, "How come there are so many packets here?"
My contact at the temp agency kind of let me in on some employment news, as they are wont to do: There's a chance that there is even more to do at this place for the next couple of months, and I could work there then as well. Yes, I told him I was interested. Now I wonder if I've blown my chance because my supe thinks I'm slacking.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Poor Bastard Of The Moment (Well, Actually More Like More Than Three Months Ago): Sam Ficken
Apologize for this being tardy ... like, early September tardy.
Penn St. was a football program that was absolutely wrecked this year. With the house-cleaning over the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal serving as a reason, the NCAA allowed any player to transfer to another school without sitting out a year. While most did not, many did, including a guy by the name of Anthony Fera, the Kicker who took his talents to Texas.
In his place was a guy named Sam Ficken, a guy who may or may not be on scholarship, who may or may not be a walk-on who was given the job because there was no one else who wanted to play for Penn St.
The Nittany Lions just came off a season-opening loss to Ohio at home. On September 8, they traveled to Virginia to face the Cavaliers. Now, UVA isn't a good team, but the game was neck-and-neck. It didn't have to be, though, because Ficken was missing field goals left and right all game.
Nonetheless, Penn St. was up 16-10 late in the game until the Cavs scored a touchdown with 88 seconds to play. The Nittany Lions were able to march down the field to get within field goal range. Ficken time!
Yeah, it was that kind of historically bad game. Ficken misses four of the five field goals he was asked to kick. He also missed a point after. If he was as automatically routine like most kickers, they would have won 29-17. But they didn't; they lost 17-16, and thus losing the first two games of a season for the first time in 45 years.
Didn't matter anyway; the sanctions levied by the NCAA on Penn St. for the Sandusky scandal cost them bowl eligibility for this and the next three years, and besides, they -- and Ficken -- rebounded to have a decent season. Still, losing so much that any of those kicks actually made -- any of them -- would have resulted in a win. That's how devastating and comprehensive Ficken's fuck-ups were in a loss to Virginia, a loss that is etched forever in time.
Poor bastard.
Penn St. was a football program that was absolutely wrecked this year. With the house-cleaning over the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal serving as a reason, the NCAA allowed any player to transfer to another school without sitting out a year. While most did not, many did, including a guy by the name of Anthony Fera, the Kicker who took his talents to Texas.
In his place was a guy named Sam Ficken, a guy who may or may not be on scholarship, who may or may not be a walk-on who was given the job because there was no one else who wanted to play for Penn St.
The Nittany Lions just came off a season-opening loss to Ohio at home. On September 8, they traveled to Virginia to face the Cavaliers. Now, UVA isn't a good team, but the game was neck-and-neck. It didn't have to be, though, because Ficken was missing field goals left and right all game.
Nonetheless, Penn St. was up 16-10 late in the game until the Cavs scored a touchdown with 88 seconds to play. The Nittany Lions were able to march down the field to get within field goal range. Ficken time!
Yeah, it was that kind of historically bad game. Ficken misses four of the five field goals he was asked to kick. He also missed a point after. If he was as automatically routine like most kickers, they would have won 29-17. But they didn't; they lost 17-16, and thus losing the first two games of a season for the first time in 45 years.
Didn't matter anyway; the sanctions levied by the NCAA on Penn St. for the Sandusky scandal cost them bowl eligibility for this and the next three years, and besides, they -- and Ficken -- rebounded to have a decent season. Still, losing so much that any of those kicks actually made -- any of them -- would have resulted in a win. That's how devastating and comprehensive Ficken's fuck-ups were in a loss to Virginia, a loss that is etched forever in time.
Poor bastard.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
#-1: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2). Now this is the Woofie Dogs team of our wildest dreams. In an ultra-competitive week where most of the teams went undefeated, this team won all three games this week -- the only team to play more than one game this week, to be totally honeset -- and four in a row.
Plus, Ricky-Ricky's back! Albeit one game later than I thought he would. He came back to play limited minutes last (Saturday) night against Dallas, but he already made his presence felt. And the virtuosity is already back, as evidenced by this stupid nasty between-the-legs pass to Greg Stiemsma:
Rubio certainly helped the Wolves best the Mavericks, but the best part about this team right now is that they won well without him. They have finally turned the corner when it comes to playing when the top two players are out. If the role players win this well without The Spanish Heartthrob and Kevin Love, how good could this squad be with them?
Enjoy that duo while you can, however. The other big news came off the court, where Love bitched to the Yahoo! Sports about his contract and, in particular, the way General Manager David Kahn presented it to him while he was in the training room. He does have some right to complain; this franchise has never demonstrated a competence to compete regularly at a contender level, and as an awesome player and a cornerstone, he has not just the right but the duty to speak up about the direction of the organization. But he walks on thin ice. There have always been nagging doubts that he really likes it in Minnesota and wants to spend the rest of his career playing here. He has not refined his inside scoring game to the point where he's a threat on the down-low as well as popping from three. And notice that he had to sit out last (Saturday) night's game. He has not been an Ironman, let's put it that way. Now, is he going to be constantly hobbled by injuries year after year? If that's the case, Kahn and Timberwolves management did its due diligence in refusing to give Love a fifth year, and Love falls through the thin ice by threatening that he has a long memory.
He did not get a max contract, many speculate with common sense, because the Wolves are going to give Rubio the max contract. He hasn't proved he can survive a whole season either, but ... did you look at that fucking pass? Not only is he a fan draw for all his magician passes, he makes the other players on the team that much better and dangerous. Love is the best rebounder in the NBA, but if you only get one player to max out on (and I think NBA salary rules actually require that), who do you give it to? The jury is still out, but shit, it'd be Rubio.
So if Love still doesn't really believe he's getting the respect he deserves, this now becomes Kevin Garnett-Stephon Marbury, the White Version. Have you ever heard of gospel shows? When I worked as an usher, we sometimes hosted these religion-themed musicals that catered to an African-American, church-going audience. (Tyler Perry rose to fame writing and producing his own gospel shows.) There are overly dramatic, featuring deus ex machina seemingly sent from God as an answer to the main character's praise to deliver them for the evil that manifests as the bad guys in the shows. What I'm saying is that the "Starbury" years had as much drama as a gospel show, and if Love and Rubio assumed the same roles, it'd be the same thing, only Caucasian.
Oh, the team! They'd be in the playoffs if they started today. But they have a tough trio this week: In Orlando Monday, at Miami Tuesday, then home to host The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics in the first nationally televised game Minnesota will be in Thursday.
#-2: Vikings (Last Week: -5). Well, I sure as shit didn't see this coming -- the Vikings winning over Chicago??? How they won was so simplistic it really shouldn't have worked if the Bears had more of their shit together. Everybody and their moms knew the ViQueens were going to rely on Adrian Peterson, and yet, on the first play, Peterson busts one for 50+ yards. Although he was bottled up after gaining more than 100 yards in the first quarter, he scored two touchdowns. And then all of us felt the team was just hanging on for dear life to preserve the lead. With the help of two Jay Cutler interceptions (one of them returned all the way for a touchdown), they did. A victory that the club had to have in order to have even barely serious hopes of reaching the playoffs. Because of the surprise of the win, I put this team above the two others who won their single game this week.
Adrian Peterson is without equal; I bow down. Christian Ponder, on the other hand ... well, I'll say this: The Vikings didn't win despite him, just without him. I think the difference is crucial, though it is sad. I was compiling this while working the game: The Vikes' D had more interception return yards than Ponder had passing yards. I think that's an extraordinary statistic that tells a lot about the soon-to-be Mr. Samantha Steele, and it ain't good. Are you kidding me with that fucking stat?
They really can't afford to lose today (Sunday) to the Bastard Los Angeles/Cleveland Rams. But it's going to be difficult; they have a great defense, especially against stopping the run, and the Vikes are horrible on the road.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). They finished the creampuff portion of their non-conference schedule by pasting Robert Morris Sunday 82-60. They go into their Winter Break at 9-3. However, their break is more abbreviated than I thought, and the back end of their non-con sched gets decisively steeper. It begins with a game at Williams Arena (the fourth of five straight) Friday against Northern Iowa. Say, maybe I'll go that game.
#-4: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: 0). These guys are placed behind the U. women's basketball team because their victory was by a smaller margin; the penis ballers defeated North Dakota St. Tuesday 70-57. But please don't misconstrue my expectations for this team: These Gophers are now 11-1 and still ranked 13th, and I still believe this team can make some noise come tournament time. Like their vagina analogues, they have one game right smack dab in the middle of what should be a long break for the end of the semester: They will end their non-conference schedule by playing Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday evening at the Barn, the second of four straight games there.
#-5: Twins (Re-Entry!). Could have, should have done this way before now, when that flurry of trades happened, but I was tired and I didn't care then. I'll put it here, this week.
This team needed to get better, but they also need to point their way into the future because the present will just outright suck. Their pitching is as barren as I've ever seen it, all throughout the organization. And Denard Span has been the subject of trade speculation for the whole calendar year. So him getting traded to The Bastard Montreal Expos for a pitcher named Alex Meyer was the inevitable finally happening. He seemed to be a good guy, although he had a tendency to look up towards his eyelids when talking, which is kind of strange. It's particularly sad to see a product that came up through the system being shipped out.
Let's see if General Manager Terry Ryan shipped him out for good reasons. This Meyer kid has butane power; he has been clocked with a 100-mph fastball. This already is a huge relief from those of us tired of pitchers "pitching to contact," because we've had a bevy of those and that shit don't work. Moreover, Meyer projects to be a staff ace. If he develops -- and it looks like he won't ripen in the bigs till 2014 at the earliest -- this is definitely worth trading Span.
Ben Revere was supposed to be the next player to take the center field mantle started by Kirby Puckett; the lineage goes Puckett-Torii Hunter-Span-Revere. But then Ryan traded that next player during last week's Winter Meetings in Nashville to Philadelphia in exchange for two gentlemen named Vance Worley and Trevor May.
Revere fit many of the characteristics of a centerfielder and the first man in your starting lineup: He had speed to burn around the basepaths, he could hit for average, and his defense is excellent. (That catch while running towards the CF wall, where he finally catches it and stops his momentum by sticking out his leg, was considered by many pundits to be the best play in Major League Baseball in the 2011 season.) But his toolbox was missing hitting for power and arm strength. I don't think he would be a no-doubt Hall of Famer, but some people believe he's poised to be a star.
In return, the Twinks both got, once again, pitching, both for now and for later -- although both have large question marks looming overhead. The guy for now is Vance Worley, a guy who was in the Phillies' starting rotation (albeit as a #3 man) for much of the year, but was shut down in September to have a bone spur cleared out of his elbow. Not to say that such an injury portends something bad, but hey, these are elbow issues on a pitcher. The pitcher that might be excellent in the future is Trevor May, who, like Worley and Meyer, is cooking with gas and will not need the defense behind him to get outs because he'll just fucking do it himself by blowing a fastball by the batter -- well, that's if it doesn't sail over Joe Mayer's catching helmet and embeds itself in the safety net at the backstop. Like Meyer, this youngster has control issues that need to be ironed out before he's called up to The Big Show. A bad sign is his regression this year. He was promoted to Double A, considered the level at which you figure out if a prospect can or cannot cut it in the majors, and May's ERA and walks allowed swelled.
Also, who replaces Span and Revere in center? Right now the most season guy is Darrin Mastroianni, who has better power at the plate but is a much greater liability in the field. It looks like it's supposed to be, then, Aaron Hicks, whom the Twins are high on and will get some polish in Triple A Rochester to begin next season. Lying deep in wait, by the way, is Joe Benson, a man who I think has seniority on Hicks but is seeing his career cut short because of his constant injuries.
The future is fraught with peril and uncertainty. But all these trades and speculation over what happens now does prove that Terry Ryan believes that such a future is better than having a pedestrian, nothing present. That's a viewpoint that needs tremendous foresight and maturity. I'm just scared shitless that these moves plain won't work out, that both Span and Revere blow up in their new towns and the pitching continues to fall apart like it has the past two year. You don't know until you try, but I'll listen to the devils of my worse nature, thank you very much.
Plus, Ricky-Ricky's back! Albeit one game later than I thought he would. He came back to play limited minutes last (Saturday) night against Dallas, but he already made his presence felt. And the virtuosity is already back, as evidenced by this stupid nasty between-the-legs pass to Greg Stiemsma:
Rubio certainly helped the Wolves best the Mavericks, but the best part about this team right now is that they won well without him. They have finally turned the corner when it comes to playing when the top two players are out. If the role players win this well without The Spanish Heartthrob and Kevin Love, how good could this squad be with them?
Enjoy that duo while you can, however. The other big news came off the court, where Love bitched to the Yahoo! Sports about his contract and, in particular, the way General Manager David Kahn presented it to him while he was in the training room. He does have some right to complain; this franchise has never demonstrated a competence to compete regularly at a contender level, and as an awesome player and a cornerstone, he has not just the right but the duty to speak up about the direction of the organization. But he walks on thin ice. There have always been nagging doubts that he really likes it in Minnesota and wants to spend the rest of his career playing here. He has not refined his inside scoring game to the point where he's a threat on the down-low as well as popping from three. And notice that he had to sit out last (Saturday) night's game. He has not been an Ironman, let's put it that way. Now, is he going to be constantly hobbled by injuries year after year? If that's the case, Kahn and Timberwolves management did its due diligence in refusing to give Love a fifth year, and Love falls through the thin ice by threatening that he has a long memory.
He did not get a max contract, many speculate with common sense, because the Wolves are going to give Rubio the max contract. He hasn't proved he can survive a whole season either, but ... did you look at that fucking pass? Not only is he a fan draw for all his magician passes, he makes the other players on the team that much better and dangerous. Love is the best rebounder in the NBA, but if you only get one player to max out on (and I think NBA salary rules actually require that), who do you give it to? The jury is still out, but shit, it'd be Rubio.
So if Love still doesn't really believe he's getting the respect he deserves, this now becomes Kevin Garnett-Stephon Marbury, the White Version. Have you ever heard of gospel shows? When I worked as an usher, we sometimes hosted these religion-themed musicals that catered to an African-American, church-going audience. (Tyler Perry rose to fame writing and producing his own gospel shows.) There are overly dramatic, featuring deus ex machina seemingly sent from God as an answer to the main character's praise to deliver them for the evil that manifests as the bad guys in the shows. What I'm saying is that the "Starbury" years had as much drama as a gospel show, and if Love and Rubio assumed the same roles, it'd be the same thing, only Caucasian.
Oh, the team! They'd be in the playoffs if they started today. But they have a tough trio this week: In Orlando Monday, at Miami Tuesday, then home to host The Bastard Seattle SuperSonics in the first nationally televised game Minnesota will be in Thursday.
#-2: Vikings (Last Week: -5). Well, I sure as shit didn't see this coming -- the Vikings winning over Chicago??? How they won was so simplistic it really shouldn't have worked if the Bears had more of their shit together. Everybody and their moms knew the ViQueens were going to rely on Adrian Peterson, and yet, on the first play, Peterson busts one for 50+ yards. Although he was bottled up after gaining more than 100 yards in the first quarter, he scored two touchdowns. And then all of us felt the team was just hanging on for dear life to preserve the lead. With the help of two Jay Cutler interceptions (one of them returned all the way for a touchdown), they did. A victory that the club had to have in order to have even barely serious hopes of reaching the playoffs. Because of the surprise of the win, I put this team above the two others who won their single game this week.
Adrian Peterson is without equal; I bow down. Christian Ponder, on the other hand ... well, I'll say this: The Vikings didn't win despite him, just without him. I think the difference is crucial, though it is sad. I was compiling this while working the game: The Vikes' D had more interception return yards than Ponder had passing yards. I think that's an extraordinary statistic that tells a lot about the soon-to-be Mr. Samantha Steele, and it ain't good. Are you kidding me with that fucking stat?
They really can't afford to lose today (Sunday) to the Bastard Los Angeles/Cleveland Rams. But it's going to be difficult; they have a great defense, especially against stopping the run, and the Vikes are horrible on the road.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). They finished the creampuff portion of their non-conference schedule by pasting Robert Morris Sunday 82-60. They go into their Winter Break at 9-3. However, their break is more abbreviated than I thought, and the back end of their non-con sched gets decisively steeper. It begins with a game at Williams Arena (the fourth of five straight) Friday against Northern Iowa. Say, maybe I'll go that game.
#-4: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: 0). These guys are placed behind the U. women's basketball team because their victory was by a smaller margin; the penis ballers defeated North Dakota St. Tuesday 70-57. But please don't misconstrue my expectations for this team: These Gophers are now 11-1 and still ranked 13th, and I still believe this team can make some noise come tournament time. Like their vagina analogues, they have one game right smack dab in the middle of what should be a long break for the end of the semester: They will end their non-conference schedule by playing Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday evening at the Barn, the second of four straight games there.
#-5: Twins (Re-Entry!). Could have, should have done this way before now, when that flurry of trades happened, but I was tired and I didn't care then. I'll put it here, this week.
This team needed to get better, but they also need to point their way into the future because the present will just outright suck. Their pitching is as barren as I've ever seen it, all throughout the organization. And Denard Span has been the subject of trade speculation for the whole calendar year. So him getting traded to The Bastard Montreal Expos for a pitcher named Alex Meyer was the inevitable finally happening. He seemed to be a good guy, although he had a tendency to look up towards his eyelids when talking, which is kind of strange. It's particularly sad to see a product that came up through the system being shipped out.
Let's see if General Manager Terry Ryan shipped him out for good reasons. This Meyer kid has butane power; he has been clocked with a 100-mph fastball. This already is a huge relief from those of us tired of pitchers "pitching to contact," because we've had a bevy of those and that shit don't work. Moreover, Meyer projects to be a staff ace. If he develops -- and it looks like he won't ripen in the bigs till 2014 at the earliest -- this is definitely worth trading Span.
Ben Revere was supposed to be the next player to take the center field mantle started by Kirby Puckett; the lineage goes Puckett-Torii Hunter-Span-Revere. But then Ryan traded that next player during last week's Winter Meetings in Nashville to Philadelphia in exchange for two gentlemen named Vance Worley and Trevor May.
Revere fit many of the characteristics of a centerfielder and the first man in your starting lineup: He had speed to burn around the basepaths, he could hit for average, and his defense is excellent. (That catch while running towards the CF wall, where he finally catches it and stops his momentum by sticking out his leg, was considered by many pundits to be the best play in Major League Baseball in the 2011 season.) But his toolbox was missing hitting for power and arm strength. I don't think he would be a no-doubt Hall of Famer, but some people believe he's poised to be a star.
In return, the Twinks both got, once again, pitching, both for now and for later -- although both have large question marks looming overhead. The guy for now is Vance Worley, a guy who was in the Phillies' starting rotation (albeit as a #3 man) for much of the year, but was shut down in September to have a bone spur cleared out of his elbow. Not to say that such an injury portends something bad, but hey, these are elbow issues on a pitcher. The pitcher that might be excellent in the future is Trevor May, who, like Worley and Meyer, is cooking with gas and will not need the defense behind him to get outs because he'll just fucking do it himself by blowing a fastball by the batter -- well, that's if it doesn't sail over Joe Mayer's catching helmet and embeds itself in the safety net at the backstop. Like Meyer, this youngster has control issues that need to be ironed out before he's called up to The Big Show. A bad sign is his regression this year. He was promoted to Double A, considered the level at which you figure out if a prospect can or cannot cut it in the majors, and May's ERA and walks allowed swelled.
Also, who replaces Span and Revere in center? Right now the most season guy is Darrin Mastroianni, who has better power at the plate but is a much greater liability in the field. It looks like it's supposed to be, then, Aaron Hicks, whom the Twins are high on and will get some polish in Triple A Rochester to begin next season. Lying deep in wait, by the way, is Joe Benson, a man who I think has seniority on Hicks but is seeing his career cut short because of his constant injuries.
The future is fraught with peril and uncertainty. But all these trades and speculation over what happens now does prove that Terry Ryan believes that such a future is better than having a pedestrian, nothing present. That's a viewpoint that needs tremendous foresight and maturity. I'm just scared shitless that these moves plain won't work out, that both Span and Revere blow up in their new towns and the pitching continues to fall apart like it has the past two year. You don't know until you try, but I'll listen to the devils of my worse nature, thank you very much.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Bad Luck Turned Screwjob
All I wanted was to make it to the end of the billing cycle. Assuming that I'll have some time off for Christmas and New Year's, plus with the added benefit of being able to use my parents' minivan since they'll be gone awhile, I could take my car to this new shop for a new round of repairs -- fixing the new big oil leak coming from the engine, putting in new struts/shocks, and getting down to the bottom of the source of the gas fumes that I still detect.
But goddamn this weather. As I was driving home I drove right over what definitely was a pothole. My whole left side went "BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!" I cursed the pothole and the relatively balmy temperature (it was hovering above freezing when it happened, so I guess the cold followed by the warmth buckled the asphalt), but didn't think anything of it ... until I heard it.
It was a moaning or grinding sound underneath my seat. I dashed off to Target and looked away the front driver's side while I was walking away, but didn't see anything with the tire of the rim or anything like that. But when I walked back to my car after I printed out photos, I saw the, um ... there is a thing that covers the underside of the stuff underneat the hood of my car. A safety net? Car underwear? Anyway, that thing -- and it's just a plastic thing that covers the width of the car but is only, like, a foot wide -- has fallen off a few times, most notably when I was backing down my sister's best friend's driveway and the bump from the end of it tore it clean off. It was hanging down a bit for awhile now, but I'm guessing the huge dive because of that fucking pothole either jarred it loose or tore/broke off the screw pinning it up in there. That sound I heard was the left end of that shield thingy dragging on the road.
I feel much self-pity right now.
---
I coud just live with it, but after I fell asleep early last night and woke up early this morning, I figured, What the hell, why not go to The Mechanic Around The Corner? It's nothing to fix, and I'll get both an eyesore and a topic for my parents to yell at me about out of the way.
But I have to admit I was braced for the worst. This was a test to see if they would screw me. And they did. It took them 75 minutes for me to wait until they were done with other stuff and for the guy to fix it. He indeed fixed it, assuming nothing shitty happens later today or down the road. All of a cost of $32.
I do not believe it should cost anything. The last time I brought my car in to get this particular shield put back underneath my car securely, the mechanic I patronized at the time (which actually was at the corner of the street just a hundred yards further down The Mechanic Around The Corner) brought it in in no time, put a screw in in no time, and didn't charge me a single fucking thing, God bless them. These guys charged me $32. And the guy who took my credit card -- great guy, don't get me wrong -- said he was giving me a discount.
Jesus fucking Christ. I'm glad I deposited that $50 check I got for being an extra at St. Thomas a month ago, because that paid for this. Of course, if this were a perfect world, I would keep the entire $50.
I should've just let that thing fall off while driving. Man, I got screwed. And they said they were doing me a favor? I can't go to these ripoff artists again.
But goddamn this weather. As I was driving home I drove right over what definitely was a pothole. My whole left side went "BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!" I cursed the pothole and the relatively balmy temperature (it was hovering above freezing when it happened, so I guess the cold followed by the warmth buckled the asphalt), but didn't think anything of it ... until I heard it.
It was a moaning or grinding sound underneath my seat. I dashed off to Target and looked away the front driver's side while I was walking away, but didn't see anything with the tire of the rim or anything like that. But when I walked back to my car after I printed out photos, I saw the, um ... there is a thing that covers the underside of the stuff underneat the hood of my car. A safety net? Car underwear? Anyway, that thing -- and it's just a plastic thing that covers the width of the car but is only, like, a foot wide -- has fallen off a few times, most notably when I was backing down my sister's best friend's driveway and the bump from the end of it tore it clean off. It was hanging down a bit for awhile now, but I'm guessing the huge dive because of that fucking pothole either jarred it loose or tore/broke off the screw pinning it up in there. That sound I heard was the left end of that shield thingy dragging on the road.
I feel much self-pity right now.
---
I coud just live with it, but after I fell asleep early last night and woke up early this morning, I figured, What the hell, why not go to The Mechanic Around The Corner? It's nothing to fix, and I'll get both an eyesore and a topic for my parents to yell at me about out of the way.
But I have to admit I was braced for the worst. This was a test to see if they would screw me. And they did. It took them 75 minutes for me to wait until they were done with other stuff and for the guy to fix it. He indeed fixed it, assuming nothing shitty happens later today or down the road. All of a cost of $32.
I do not believe it should cost anything. The last time I brought my car in to get this particular shield put back underneath my car securely, the mechanic I patronized at the time (which actually was at the corner of the street just a hundred yards further down The Mechanic Around The Corner) brought it in in no time, put a screw in in no time, and didn't charge me a single fucking thing, God bless them. These guys charged me $32. And the guy who took my credit card -- great guy, don't get me wrong -- said he was giving me a discount.
Jesus fucking Christ. I'm glad I deposited that $50 check I got for being an extra at St. Thomas a month ago, because that paid for this. Of course, if this were a perfect world, I would keep the entire $50.
I should've just let that thing fall off while driving. Man, I got screwed. And they said they were doing me a favor? I can't go to these ripoff artists again.
Friday, December 14, 2012
My Fucking Father is leaving for a long time tomorrow, and as usual he is cleaning up the house like a banshee. Also, as usual, he's browbeating me to clean my room and to throw my stuff away -- clothing as well as newspapers. To which I internally wish that I could tell him to SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PRISSY FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I'll just piss him off by not cleaning the house while they're gone. That's fair.
But I'll just piss him off by not cleaning the house while they're gone. That's fair.
Whoops! At Work
Running out of work was a problem seven, eight, nine days ago. Definitely not now. What I did not anticipate at all was the other temps running out of work.
I was diligently drilling through a packet when the two, who work in a huge room on another of the three sides that make up our office, walked up to me and said, "We ran out of things to do."
I let out a soft, "Oh, shit." I was worried that they had nothing to do, so I just went over there and gave them the prepping tasks for the packets that I usually did. Walking back and getting back to my work, I thought about other stuff I could have them do. It wouldn't be much. They would get through the, oh, last two hours of the day today, but tomorrow?
Meanwhile, back in their room there were at least, oh, 40 packets that were ready for me to do. And I still have about a dozen at my cube. And to think I was afraid I would run out of work a week ago. Don't know why I was scared; there were a bunch of packets that weren't ready to be pushed down the assembly line to me yet, but they were coming. Of course, it's not like I've ever done this job before.
So the temps, who essentially are stationed above me on this assembly line, are searching for ways to extend their temporary employment. A little bit after I told them to review the packets, I gave one of them a sheet of names with duplicate accounts that I wanted him to list and eventually give to my employer. Meanwhile, I not only have work to do, I have a lot of work to do -- so much that it might take me, no joke, another week to complete.
That, I think, does not look good in the face of the other two temps not having work. They are done but I'm not? My supervisor is gone for the week, but his boss is still around. Well, he wasn't around today until the tail end of the day. That sucks for me because another person at work, one my immediate supervisor probably asked to check in on the other temps, told my boss' boss that they had nothing to do.
I know I can see it now tomorrow morning: He'll get us all together and ask me, "What else do you have to do?" And I'll point to the packets I have in my cubicle, and then tell them there are more than in the temporary billing room. He will look at the huge disparity in work between me and the other two temps and go, "Why do you have so much work when they have none?" And I still haven't come up with an excuse that I like beyond either, "Had to count the direct bills," "Had to make sure there was the correct number of claims," "Got bogged down in putting more information in the system," and an explanation that might look like I'm throwing the other two temps under the bus, "I was doing fine and then I got hammered with more work the past few days." And then he -- a guy I have never had a conversation with, just hi's while passing each other in the hallway -- would look at me like I'm either stupid or lazy, and I will lose my job as of tomorrow, and then he'd tell the agency I suck and I'll never work again.
So even though my immediate boss never shook my hand goodbye, an indication that he knew this week would be my last week, I'm still going under the impression that I'm done working there as of tomorrow. I will be let go either because it was pre-planned or because my supervisor's supervisor thinks how I'm working is bullshit and he might as well let me go for poor work performance. And what has become a great place to work and the most ideal way to get back into the groove of "working for a living" will end with an acrimonious thud.
The one big thing that might save my hide is for those two guys to find work. Maybe, just maybe, that will allow us, or at least me, to work into next week, or at least allow me to finish this assignment leaving a positive view by those I have been working for.
I was diligently drilling through a packet when the two, who work in a huge room on another of the three sides that make up our office, walked up to me and said, "We ran out of things to do."
I let out a soft, "Oh, shit." I was worried that they had nothing to do, so I just went over there and gave them the prepping tasks for the packets that I usually did. Walking back and getting back to my work, I thought about other stuff I could have them do. It wouldn't be much. They would get through the, oh, last two hours of the day today, but tomorrow?
Meanwhile, back in their room there were at least, oh, 40 packets that were ready for me to do. And I still have about a dozen at my cube. And to think I was afraid I would run out of work a week ago. Don't know why I was scared; there were a bunch of packets that weren't ready to be pushed down the assembly line to me yet, but they were coming. Of course, it's not like I've ever done this job before.
So the temps, who essentially are stationed above me on this assembly line, are searching for ways to extend their temporary employment. A little bit after I told them to review the packets, I gave one of them a sheet of names with duplicate accounts that I wanted him to list and eventually give to my employer. Meanwhile, I not only have work to do, I have a lot of work to do -- so much that it might take me, no joke, another week to complete.
That, I think, does not look good in the face of the other two temps not having work. They are done but I'm not? My supervisor is gone for the week, but his boss is still around. Well, he wasn't around today until the tail end of the day. That sucks for me because another person at work, one my immediate supervisor probably asked to check in on the other temps, told my boss' boss that they had nothing to do.
I know I can see it now tomorrow morning: He'll get us all together and ask me, "What else do you have to do?" And I'll point to the packets I have in my cubicle, and then tell them there are more than in the temporary billing room. He will look at the huge disparity in work between me and the other two temps and go, "Why do you have so much work when they have none?" And I still haven't come up with an excuse that I like beyond either, "Had to count the direct bills," "Had to make sure there was the correct number of claims," "Got bogged down in putting more information in the system," and an explanation that might look like I'm throwing the other two temps under the bus, "I was doing fine and then I got hammered with more work the past few days." And then he -- a guy I have never had a conversation with, just hi's while passing each other in the hallway -- would look at me like I'm either stupid or lazy, and I will lose my job as of tomorrow, and then he'd tell the agency I suck and I'll never work again.
So even though my immediate boss never shook my hand goodbye, an indication that he knew this week would be my last week, I'm still going under the impression that I'm done working there as of tomorrow. I will be let go either because it was pre-planned or because my supervisor's supervisor thinks how I'm working is bullshit and he might as well let me go for poor work performance. And what has become a great place to work and the most ideal way to get back into the groove of "working for a living" will end with an acrimonious thud.
The one big thing that might save my hide is for those two guys to find work. Maybe, just maybe, that will allow us, or at least me, to work into next week, or at least allow me to finish this assignment leaving a positive view by those I have been working for.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Expenses Without Receipt
Starting yesterday, Wednesday, December 11:
- Does the eatery at the ground floor of the building I work at have the same lunch every day? I haven't noticed, but I think they offer some sort of burrito every Wednesday. If this was my last Wednesday, I took advantage despite not being all that hungry and ordered it. Didn't have a second penny, so I used one from the penny tray: $7.26.
- It got above freezing, so it was a good time to get my car washed and get all that snowy and icy gunk off of my car. It didn't get all of it, but still it was good. Didn't have enough money, so I had to charge for the wash and paid half as much as I usually do for tip: $1.
- On Tuesday, Decmeber 10, I wen to the library after work to get a printout of a craps table to show Mother how to play. Man, it is so difficult to explain anything to her, but craps? I still don't know all the intricacies: 10 cents.
- I wanted to get lunch at the (as they call it themselves) corporate cafe on the ground floor of where I work. But they ran out. Good for them. However, I had to settle for their big turkey dumpling soup. All of their soups are gluten-free, which is a healthy thing, but after I ate it I felt really, really hungry. Oh, by the way, I gave my pennies that I got back in change to the penny tray, but I did that only because the guy before me did and I didn't pay twice what I actually did for a whole lunch. So with that: $3.20.
- Monday, December 10 ... I the corporate cafe offered oatmeal for the first time. They say oatmeal is good, so I bought some. With brown sugar and raising, not bad: $3.20.
- Had to go to the library to make a couple of copies and type out a letter. I guess I could do it at home, but I have no idea if the printer downstairs works at all. Should check it out: 30 cents.
- At Sunday, December 9 I took the light rail amid the slowly-growing blizzard to work at the Metrodome: 50 cents.
- After work I had to stop at My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division). Like I said, I wanted to stay and get a lapdance but the snowstorm changed my mood. Coffee and tipping a couple of the girls: $6.
- To Saturday, December 8 ... that was the day I may have avoided a fight at the library. Afterwards, I planned on going to the gym across the street, but after seeing a friend post pictures on facebook of the grand opening of St. Paul Union Depot I decided to drive all the way from one half of the Twin Cities to the other to see it. Great place. While exploring, I went down the stair to where the buses come through (there is another stairs for the Amtrak that will shift its St. Paul stop there next month and a third which I think is decorative only) and saw a food truck there, all lonely. It's a festive celebration inside, but it was forlorn outside. No one wanted to walk all the way down there just to get some food, especially because you could get some inside. So I felt sorry for them. I bought the signature Cave Steak Wrap from the Cave Cafe, which was quite good, though a tad messy. Slight regret considering that I was packing on the pounds on a day when I decided I was trying to shed some. With tip: $8.
- Went back home, then went back out to downtown Minneapolis to see the North Star Roller Girls bout. Thankfully one of the matchups was close. Roller derby is frequently plagued by blowouts. Had a Pabst Blue Ribbon priced like I was going to a strip club. With tip: $8.
- Afterward I decided I was going to go this stripclub that I had been to several days before, but hadn't been in for a year or two before then. When I went to this place on Tuesday I checked the weekly roster calendar and saw that an ATF and someone whom I saw, somehow, waitressing at a place I like to go to sometimes. I thought not seeing her (naked) in a long time would induce her to ask me for a lapdance, to which I would have totally said yes to, but she didn't. Oh well. Tips for her and the other three girls, plus a Coke with tip: $11.
- This is where my memory gets fuzzy. Tuesday, December 4: I think I had breakfast on the ground floor eatery. An English muffin sandwich. English muffins are consistently underrated, I think. Oh, I believe I used two cents from the penny tray: $3.75.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Now I Don't Know When I'll Lose My Job
So maybe I shouldn't've slow-footed it the past couple weeks at work. I could have, and maybe should have, worked faster on getting through the claims. Before I was worried that I wouldn't have enough work and they would cut me. But I didn't realize that there was more work. It just had to be, uh, treated by the other temps before it came down the assembly line to me.
I realized this on Friday, when I popped my head in to find something. What were once empty Tupperware boxes were now filled with folders and folders. I thought I had emptied them early last week, but alas, they were full again.
Which leads me to the problem for me going the other way, in a sense: Too much work. When my assignment here was extended, I was told that Friday would be my last day. But with what I have at my cubicle, combined with what is waiting for me in the other room, it will take more than two days to do it all, even if I do go faster, and even if I cut corners.
So, I might have to stay past Friday to complete all of this. That's not totally a bad thing; I need the money. But I have had dreams of taking the bus downtown on Tuesday to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Edition) for the first time in almost a year and getting a long-awaited handjob from this killer blonde. Oh well; my parents will be gone for a while, so I can do it after New Year's.
Or, I will leave on Friday without all the work getting done. Maybe they won't care, but maybe people, particularly my superiors, would wonder why I couldn't get all this shit finished before my stay was over. It's possible that I would get a poor performance report after all of this. Who knows?
The problem is is that my immediate boss won't be around the rest of the week to let me know when I'm done. I was in the middle of a packet near the end of day today, one that really got my attention (and so I was really, really working then), when my boss told me he wasn't going to be in tomorrow and Friday. I don't know if he remembered that, at least according to him, we won't be here by the time he gets back on Monday. Unless we'll still be here on Monday. Who knows? He didn't tell us.
I remembered this when he told me he was going to be on vacation. But I didn't bring it up because, well, I didn't want to bring it up. And maybe I could act all casual and come back on Monday like I'm supposed to. Who knows? That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
I am not saying that people there aren't minding the tiller. In fact, after initial negative judgments about him, I really appreciate the fact that my supervisor trusts me to get the work done without hovering all over me. Now, I take advantage of him leaving me alone by taking a few trips down the stairs or re-counting claims that don't need to be re-counted, but I think he may very well be the best boss I've ever had as a temp. Today he even brought in cupcakes he made, which he has done from time to time ... and they're damn good!!!
But that let-them-be attitude may be the reason why he told me he was on vacation and didn't tell me whether I was going to be on a permanent vacation. Well, that might be up to his boss, who's still going to be around. And really, I might have to consult my contact at the temp agency. It would suck if I came in on Monday when everybody just agreed that I was done on Friday and didn't tell me. But bad communication is no excuse for avoiding the touchy topic of when I get laid off. We'll see.
I realized this on Friday, when I popped my head in to find something. What were once empty Tupperware boxes were now filled with folders and folders. I thought I had emptied them early last week, but alas, they were full again.
Which leads me to the problem for me going the other way, in a sense: Too much work. When my assignment here was extended, I was told that Friday would be my last day. But with what I have at my cubicle, combined with what is waiting for me in the other room, it will take more than two days to do it all, even if I do go faster, and even if I cut corners.
So, I might have to stay past Friday to complete all of this. That's not totally a bad thing; I need the money. But I have had dreams of taking the bus downtown on Tuesday to My Favorite Stripclub (Cover Edition) for the first time in almost a year and getting a long-awaited handjob from this killer blonde. Oh well; my parents will be gone for a while, so I can do it after New Year's.
Or, I will leave on Friday without all the work getting done. Maybe they won't care, but maybe people, particularly my superiors, would wonder why I couldn't get all this shit finished before my stay was over. It's possible that I would get a poor performance report after all of this. Who knows?
The problem is is that my immediate boss won't be around the rest of the week to let me know when I'm done. I was in the middle of a packet near the end of day today, one that really got my attention (and so I was really, really working then), when my boss told me he wasn't going to be in tomorrow and Friday. I don't know if he remembered that, at least according to him, we won't be here by the time he gets back on Monday. Unless we'll still be here on Monday. Who knows? He didn't tell us.
I remembered this when he told me he was going to be on vacation. But I didn't bring it up because, well, I didn't want to bring it up. And maybe I could act all casual and come back on Monday like I'm supposed to. Who knows? That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
I am not saying that people there aren't minding the tiller. In fact, after initial negative judgments about him, I really appreciate the fact that my supervisor trusts me to get the work done without hovering all over me. Now, I take advantage of him leaving me alone by taking a few trips down the stairs or re-counting claims that don't need to be re-counted, but I think he may very well be the best boss I've ever had as a temp. Today he even brought in cupcakes he made, which he has done from time to time ... and they're damn good!!!
But that let-them-be attitude may be the reason why he told me he was on vacation and didn't tell me whether I was going to be on a permanent vacation. Well, that might be up to his boss, who's still going to be around. And really, I might have to consult my contact at the temp agency. It would suck if I came in on Monday when everybody just agreed that I was done on Friday and didn't tell me. But bad communication is no excuse for avoiding the touchy topic of when I get laid off. We'll see.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Screwed At The Gas Station
So I patronize a certain franchise of gas station. I did that about a year or so ago because they began to offer double coupon Tuesdays, where the discount on the coupon counts twice as much on that day. Moreover, they honor any competitor's coupon, so why go anywhere else?
(I signed up for the loyalty card, too, and recently they began a program -- which hopefully is permanent -- where they knock off an extra three cents a gallon. I hear that other, national places like Shell and Chevron have gas that actually does stuff like clean your fuel injectors. I thought that was bullshit, but I've heard on the Internet that there might actually be something to that. At any rate, the discount I get on gas is too much for me to pass up, although I might try a flyer once in a while to see if it makes a difference. But I digress. ...)
The one issue that always comes up, however, is actually calculating the total discount. While you get so many cents off per gallon, you rarely get a round number of gallons. So what happens if your tank is full, at, say, 13.78 gallons? I think that's how much I put into my tank just about an hour ago at the gas station near my house that I frequent.
I had a ten-cent-off coupon. It's Tuesday. Also, I am a member, therefore I get an extra three cents off. The gas these days is $3.09 (that's one good thing about the winter: Lower gas prices), so with all of that I should fill up at $2.86/gal.
Unfortunately, the people working at gas stations aren't math whizzes, otherwise they wouldn't be working at gas stations. The person who took my card and coupon is someone I haven't ever seen before. She takes her glasses, looks at the coupon, looks at the 13.78 gallons I took ... and manually punches in a discount of $2.60. This is before the membership discount, which is automatically taken off when my card is scanned, so I'll give her that. But she was too damn lazy to just walk over to their accounting machine which is right next to the outside microphone (I know it's there, I've seen more professional clerks use it) and punch in 13.78*.2. That .78 gallons she choose not to discount for me meant that I paid 15.6 cents more than I should have. And now I can't get that pretzel dog from Auntie Anne's that I wanted.
This has happened a few times before, but this time I kind of went over the edge. I didn't yell or anything; I indicated my displeasure at her refusal to do all the math by throwing my credit card at her. Well, not at her face or anything; she reached out her hand and I just tossed it around there. She was listening to the chatter with the people lining up with the other clerks, so her not totally paying attention also kind of got to me.
She didn't say anything ... until she said, "Thank you, have a nice day." Gah! Now I feel guilty for being so rude. I didn't look at her while I was folding my receipt, but I did say, "Thank you" and left. OK, so maybe she didn't know. And now I feel both guilty and burned for being stiffed on my proper discount. Two contradictory feelings, but I feel them both at the same time, now.
Seriously, this gas station needs to make a hard and fast rule on what to do with fractions on fill-ups. Make them use the calculator. Maybe even say you round down, that's fine. Just be fucking consistent, please!
(I signed up for the loyalty card, too, and recently they began a program -- which hopefully is permanent -- where they knock off an extra three cents a gallon. I hear that other, national places like Shell and Chevron have gas that actually does stuff like clean your fuel injectors. I thought that was bullshit, but I've heard on the Internet that there might actually be something to that. At any rate, the discount I get on gas is too much for me to pass up, although I might try a flyer once in a while to see if it makes a difference. But I digress. ...)
The one issue that always comes up, however, is actually calculating the total discount. While you get so many cents off per gallon, you rarely get a round number of gallons. So what happens if your tank is full, at, say, 13.78 gallons? I think that's how much I put into my tank just about an hour ago at the gas station near my house that I frequent.
I had a ten-cent-off coupon. It's Tuesday. Also, I am a member, therefore I get an extra three cents off. The gas these days is $3.09 (that's one good thing about the winter: Lower gas prices), so with all of that I should fill up at $2.86/gal.
Unfortunately, the people working at gas stations aren't math whizzes, otherwise they wouldn't be working at gas stations. The person who took my card and coupon is someone I haven't ever seen before. She takes her glasses, looks at the coupon, looks at the 13.78 gallons I took ... and manually punches in a discount of $2.60. This is before the membership discount, which is automatically taken off when my card is scanned, so I'll give her that. But she was too damn lazy to just walk over to their accounting machine which is right next to the outside microphone (I know it's there, I've seen more professional clerks use it) and punch in 13.78*.2. That .78 gallons she choose not to discount for me meant that I paid 15.6 cents more than I should have. And now I can't get that pretzel dog from Auntie Anne's that I wanted.
This has happened a few times before, but this time I kind of went over the edge. I didn't yell or anything; I indicated my displeasure at her refusal to do all the math by throwing my credit card at her. Well, not at her face or anything; she reached out her hand and I just tossed it around there. She was listening to the chatter with the people lining up with the other clerks, so her not totally paying attention also kind of got to me.
She didn't say anything ... until she said, "Thank you, have a nice day." Gah! Now I feel guilty for being so rude. I didn't look at her while I was folding my receipt, but I did say, "Thank you" and left. OK, so maybe she didn't know. And now I feel both guilty and burned for being stiffed on my proper discount. Two contradictory feelings, but I feel them both at the same time, now.
Seriously, this gas station needs to make a hard and fast rule on what to do with fractions on fill-ups. Make them use the calculator. Maybe even say you round down, that's fine. Just be fucking consistent, please!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Goddamn Snowstorm, And Goddamn Weathermen
Six to eight inches, they said. The snow should basically stop by the time the Vikings game ended, they said. WRONG!!!
This goddamn snowstorm dumped 13.6" on my hometown. (It will officially go in the books as 10.2" -- it's measured out at the airport, I think -- but the official reading is always a goddamn undercount.) And the snow only seemed to get worse Sunday, as I was heading out to work the game. When I came back, there was a layer of snow so high on top of the car that an oil company could frack the fucking thing.
And then I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) but I could only hang out for half an hour because staying there would only delay the inevitable slow slog back home. There was one ATF that I still owe a dance to; if the forecasters were right, I would've made good on getting a lapdance from her. And I just took off before the stage set of another ATF. Man, I feel so bad.
There were, what 600 crashes and/or spinouts yesterday? And the morning commute wasn't that good, either. Shit, in the evening commute people were still driving 30. I took the slow side street down to work today because the fast side street has a stretch without a stoplight, but it undulates and has some baby curves. I would be compelled to drive a little faster, and that would mean I would spin out and/or crash.
This morning on my way in the weatherman for NPR said that at the last second, the storm that was coming in late Saturday night took a sudden turn south. What was a trajectory well into Northern Minnesota instead became a direct hit right at our poor asses, and turns out central Minnesota got the worst of it. Well, that doesn't fucking help any of us, does it, NPR weather dude?
This goddamn snowstorm dumped 13.6" on my hometown. (It will officially go in the books as 10.2" -- it's measured out at the airport, I think -- but the official reading is always a goddamn undercount.) And the snow only seemed to get worse Sunday, as I was heading out to work the game. When I came back, there was a layer of snow so high on top of the car that an oil company could frack the fucking thing.
And then I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) but I could only hang out for half an hour because staying there would only delay the inevitable slow slog back home. There was one ATF that I still owe a dance to; if the forecasters were right, I would've made good on getting a lapdance from her. And I just took off before the stage set of another ATF. Man, I feel so bad.
There were, what 600 crashes and/or spinouts yesterday? And the morning commute wasn't that good, either. Shit, in the evening commute people were still driving 30. I took the slow side street down to work today because the fast side street has a stretch without a stoplight, but it undulates and has some baby curves. I would be compelled to drive a little faster, and that would mean I would spin out and/or crash.
This morning on my way in the weatherman for NPR said that at the last second, the storm that was coming in late Saturday night took a sudden turn south. What was a trajectory well into Northern Minnesota instead became a direct hit right at our poor asses, and turns out central Minnesota got the worst of it. Well, that doesn't fucking help any of us, does it, NPR weather dude?
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
#0: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -2). Could this be the best Gophers squad Tubby Smith has put together? Barring a complete meltdown in Big Ten play -- and don't totally discredit that; that is exactly what has happened to Smith's teams -- this squad's going to the Big Dance.
They scored a pair of resounding wins this week, at home to South Dakota St. (a task made easier because Jackrabbits Point Guard wunderkind Nate Wolters rolled his ankle and was kept out of the lineup) and at USC just last (Saturday) night (a Trojans team, by the way, one person I know was certain, certain, to be ticketed to the Sweet Sixteen this year). They are now 10-1, and routs over a pesky Cinderella and a road victory over a name school (that, granted, is not good) have to be good notches when the Selection Committee talks about a team's "overall body of work."
By the way, I give this squad a #0 for a milestone: The Gophers' win over the Trojans gave Smith his 500th victory in his career. If what I remember what I heard on WCCO correctly, he is the 91st coach to get that many wins in top-flight college basketball and the 23rd-fastest to reach that mark. Congratulations, Mr. Smith: We've had a lot of ups and downs with you here in Minnesota, but you've made it this far. Plus, you can put those downs in your rearview mirror if you finally live up to our dreams when you first arrived. But first, a beatdown of North Dakota St. at Williams Arena Tuesday.
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). It could've been a perfect sweep at Colorado College in the final series these two hated rivals will have as members of the WCHA. I was hanging out at a stripclub that I hadn't been to until recently. I was looking at ESPN to see if I could get a score on the Gopher volleyball tournament match (see the result below -- way below) and I glanced at the Fox Sports North feed, which was showing that the Goofs had a 4-3 lead very late in the third period.
I stare at ESPN a little more, don't see that volleyball was going to show up anytime soon on their ticker, and so I look back at the hockey game ... and see that the Tigers tied it up just before the game was over. They battled to a tie, and the U. won Friday's game 4-2, but that has to leave a bitter taste in their mouths. It certainly does in mine. And now I just saw that the team held a 4-1 lead heading into the third. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. ...
Next up, a break for the team, and for me doing this survey! Winter break and finals until the last weekend of the year, their special Mariucci Classic, which includes a rematch against defending champion -- and the team that curb-stomped them in their Frozen Four semifinal -- Boston College.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). OK, I can sense that the team has found a new equilibrium after the change agent that is Kevin Love. Boston pulled away from them on Wednesday, but they routed Philadelphia in Philadelphia Tuesday and Cleveland at the Bullseye Friday to go 2-1 this screening week. Alexey Shved, this guy ain't half bad. And things might get even better now that Ricky Rubio appears very close to coming back to playing. It might be another stimulus that throws the team's chemistry out of whack, resulting in losses in games they should win. But if they recover as quickly as they did after Love came back, it'll be worth it.
The Woofie Dogs host Denver Wednesday; the last time the Nuggets came here, it was the game Love shocked the world and came back to play in. Why not keep the same opponent to bring back the team's other big gun? It'd be poetic. The club also travels to New Orleans Friday and hosts Dallas Saturday.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last week: -5). OK, a 12-point loss at #20 Kansas, followed by ass-kickings at home of lightly regarded Denver and Missouri-Kansas City. We know they can't beat really good teams and can dominate really bad teams. But I cannot get at read on how good this team really is. Can you? Does anyone care?
One final game before finals and Winter Break: At the Barn this (Sunday) afternoon against Robert Morris.
#-4: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). I finally went to my first Minnesota wrestling match ... er, dual. I had bad memories when I had to wrestle for gym. There was this one time when my teacher paired me up with another guy who didn't want to wrestle and made us wrestle in front of the rest of the class. Shivers.
Anyway, I learned a lot of terms, such as "riding time" and "near fall." I also saw something I didn't need to learn: The Gophers losing. Yes, it was a very good team, then-fourth-ranked Oklahoma St. (at least according to one poll; that same poll had the Goofs third, so I'll just use that). But champion teams just don't let good teams come into their house and push them around, and the Cowboys did just that, winning 22-15.
There are ten matches, representing higher weight classes, and I think they always start with the scrawniest guys and go all the way up to heavyweight. It was the third match, the one at 141 lbs., that decided the upset. Individual wrestlers are also ranked, and Nick Dardanes was ninth in his weight class. Since his opponent, Julian Feikert, was unranked, it seemed as if he would at least put the Gophers up by a 9-0 team score. (Three points are the minimum a wrestler can get for his team. The first two U. grapplers won their matches [the one before Nick Dardanes was his brother, Chris], so Minnesota was staked an early 6-0 lead.) But 52 seconds into their match, Feikert caught Nick Dardanes slipping and somehow managed to pin him. That's, like, the most decisive way to win a match, and that gives a team a maximum of six points.
That tied the match up at 6, and then the next match, at 149, went how it was supposed to go: OSU's Jordan Oliver, ranked #2, pinned unranked Gopher Seth Lange. The Cowboys went up 12-6 and collected three more wins in a row before the U. finished the dual with three decisions featuring their best players. If Nick Dardanes did what was expected of him and just won by decision over Feikert, Minnesota would have beaten Oklahoma St. 18-16.
The Timberwolves and Minnesota women's basketball teams also went 2-1 this week, but seeing that loss in-person was the (albeit selfish) reason I put the U. rasslers behind them. It does not help, by the way, that last (Saturday) night the team's final player, heavyweight Tony Nelson, had to go to double overtime to outpoint his opponent in his match and break an 18-18 tie with 15th-ranked Oregon St. (They also routed Northwestern Friday.) Maybe this team is a clear notch below Penn St. and Iowa -- which, if true, is exactly the same spot they've been the past several years.
So maybe this really long Winter Break will be good for the team. They are done till New Year's Day, when they participate in the annual Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.
#-5: Vikings (Last Week: -6). While at the wrestling dual the PA announcer gave an update on the Vikings game going on ... 14-13 Vikings in the third??? That can't be right. So after the loss I walked over to Buffalo Wild Wings with the intention of at least getting a beer if the game was close.
Alas, at this point, it was not. They were down by two scores to Green Bay, and when Blair Walsh pushed a field goal attempt wide right, I went down to the bathroom to pee and then left.
Then I saw the highlights. Oh, we could've had this one. But that Christian Ponder interception in the Green Bay red zone was inexplicable, almost Favre-like. Not to say that a field goal there would've given the ViQueens a win. But it's getting to be more and more obvious that Ponder is not playing well at all, and this may seriously damage his future as a quarterback in the NFL. He doesn't have a whole lot of parts helping him, on both sides of the ball. But he hasn't demonstrated that he can lead a team and make plays on his own when you need someone to do that.
That someone right now is Adrian Peterson. Are you kidding me? He notched his longest touchdown run in his career, and I swear he had at least two longer than that. And the most surprising thing about his lead in the rushing category this year is that, at least to me, it seems as if he has lost a step. He doesn't look as fast as I remember him, and he seems to routinely get taken down from behind. But he's leading the league in rushing yards, and he's pushing off would-be tacklers like a beast. The guy is just bleepin' good.
I will be working today's (Sunday's) game against Chicago, assuming I make it through this blizzard that is in its full fury as I type this. If Ponder keeps producing nothing but three-and-outs, it could get very ugly in the Dome. Oh, and it doesn't help this team that their best receiver, Percy Harvin, was put on Injured Reserve this week and is done for the year.
#-Infinity: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). Did a great job of quieting the partisan West Lafayette crowd and downing Purdue in their Sweet Sixteen matchup in four sets.
I was hoping and giving the team a puncher's chance in beating the overall #1 seed, Penn St. I knew that Elite Eight matchup would be the first one yesterday (Saturday), but I forgot to check before going to the roller derby bout last (Saturday) night. It was at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and while you're in one of the exhibit halls and not in the actual halls, the only way you can access the Internet is if you pay for it.
So I had to wait till I got home to check ... and they lost. At least they took a set from them. Hey, what can you expect? The Penn St. program is currently the best in women's volleyball. And the U. traded coaches mid-season. Seeing the scores, that set they took was the second, and they won it handily, keeping the Nittany Lions down at 19.
It was the third set that was the difference. It was a back-and-forth affair, but Penn St. finally own out 26-24. As often is the case in volleyball matches, an underdog that loses a close set appears to have "blown their wad" and fades in the following set, and sure enough, they only got to 18 points in their final set of the season.
Maybe things will change now that Huge McCutcheon has a whole season to set his system and recruit. I don't know if he has anybody great coming in, but at least he still has Tori Dixon, who had a fantastic year killing, and Alexandra Palmer, his main Setter. They might now win the NCAA title next year, but they won't fall off, either. For right now, I am OK with that, even if this season is ultimately a failure because they did not win a championship.
They scored a pair of resounding wins this week, at home to South Dakota St. (a task made easier because Jackrabbits Point Guard wunderkind Nate Wolters rolled his ankle and was kept out of the lineup) and at USC just last (Saturday) night (a Trojans team, by the way, one person I know was certain, certain, to be ticketed to the Sweet Sixteen this year). They are now 10-1, and routs over a pesky Cinderella and a road victory over a name school (that, granted, is not good) have to be good notches when the Selection Committee talks about a team's "overall body of work."
By the way, I give this squad a #0 for a milestone: The Gophers' win over the Trojans gave Smith his 500th victory in his career. If what I remember what I heard on WCCO correctly, he is the 91st coach to get that many wins in top-flight college basketball and the 23rd-fastest to reach that mark. Congratulations, Mr. Smith: We've had a lot of ups and downs with you here in Minnesota, but you've made it this far. Plus, you can put those downs in your rearview mirror if you finally live up to our dreams when you first arrived. But first, a beatdown of North Dakota St. at Williams Arena Tuesday.
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). It could've been a perfect sweep at Colorado College in the final series these two hated rivals will have as members of the WCHA. I was hanging out at a stripclub that I hadn't been to until recently. I was looking at ESPN to see if I could get a score on the Gopher volleyball tournament match (see the result below -- way below) and I glanced at the Fox Sports North feed, which was showing that the Goofs had a 4-3 lead very late in the third period.
I stare at ESPN a little more, don't see that volleyball was going to show up anytime soon on their ticker, and so I look back at the hockey game ... and see that the Tigers tied it up just before the game was over. They battled to a tie, and the U. won Friday's game 4-2, but that has to leave a bitter taste in their mouths. It certainly does in mine. And now I just saw that the team held a 4-1 lead heading into the third. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. ...
Next up, a break for the team, and for me doing this survey! Winter break and finals until the last weekend of the year, their special Mariucci Classic, which includes a rematch against defending champion -- and the team that curb-stomped them in their Frozen Four semifinal -- Boston College.
#-2: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). OK, I can sense that the team has found a new equilibrium after the change agent that is Kevin Love. Boston pulled away from them on Wednesday, but they routed Philadelphia in Philadelphia Tuesday and Cleveland at the Bullseye Friday to go 2-1 this screening week. Alexey Shved, this guy ain't half bad. And things might get even better now that Ricky Rubio appears very close to coming back to playing. It might be another stimulus that throws the team's chemistry out of whack, resulting in losses in games they should win. But if they recover as quickly as they did after Love came back, it'll be worth it.
The Woofie Dogs host Denver Wednesday; the last time the Nuggets came here, it was the game Love shocked the world and came back to play in. Why not keep the same opponent to bring back the team's other big gun? It'd be poetic. The club also travels to New Orleans Friday and hosts Dallas Saturday.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last week: -5). OK, a 12-point loss at #20 Kansas, followed by ass-kickings at home of lightly regarded Denver and Missouri-Kansas City. We know they can't beat really good teams and can dominate really bad teams. But I cannot get at read on how good this team really is. Can you? Does anyone care?
One final game before finals and Winter Break: At the Barn this (Sunday) afternoon against Robert Morris.
#-4: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). I finally went to my first Minnesota wrestling match ... er, dual. I had bad memories when I had to wrestle for gym. There was this one time when my teacher paired me up with another guy who didn't want to wrestle and made us wrestle in front of the rest of the class. Shivers.
Anyway, I learned a lot of terms, such as "riding time" and "near fall." I also saw something I didn't need to learn: The Gophers losing. Yes, it was a very good team, then-fourth-ranked Oklahoma St. (at least according to one poll; that same poll had the Goofs third, so I'll just use that). But champion teams just don't let good teams come into their house and push them around, and the Cowboys did just that, winning 22-15.
There are ten matches, representing higher weight classes, and I think they always start with the scrawniest guys and go all the way up to heavyweight. It was the third match, the one at 141 lbs., that decided the upset. Individual wrestlers are also ranked, and Nick Dardanes was ninth in his weight class. Since his opponent, Julian Feikert, was unranked, it seemed as if he would at least put the Gophers up by a 9-0 team score. (Three points are the minimum a wrestler can get for his team. The first two U. grapplers won their matches [the one before Nick Dardanes was his brother, Chris], so Minnesota was staked an early 6-0 lead.) But 52 seconds into their match, Feikert caught Nick Dardanes slipping and somehow managed to pin him. That's, like, the most decisive way to win a match, and that gives a team a maximum of six points.
That tied the match up at 6, and then the next match, at 149, went how it was supposed to go: OSU's Jordan Oliver, ranked #2, pinned unranked Gopher Seth Lange. The Cowboys went up 12-6 and collected three more wins in a row before the U. finished the dual with three decisions featuring their best players. If Nick Dardanes did what was expected of him and just won by decision over Feikert, Minnesota would have beaten Oklahoma St. 18-16.
The Timberwolves and Minnesota women's basketball teams also went 2-1 this week, but seeing that loss in-person was the (albeit selfish) reason I put the U. rasslers behind them. It does not help, by the way, that last (Saturday) night the team's final player, heavyweight Tony Nelson, had to go to double overtime to outpoint his opponent in his match and break an 18-18 tie with 15th-ranked Oregon St. (They also routed Northwestern Friday.) Maybe this team is a clear notch below Penn St. and Iowa -- which, if true, is exactly the same spot they've been the past several years.
So maybe this really long Winter Break will be good for the team. They are done till New Year's Day, when they participate in the annual Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.
#-5: Vikings (Last Week: -6). While at the wrestling dual the PA announcer gave an update on the Vikings game going on ... 14-13 Vikings in the third??? That can't be right. So after the loss I walked over to Buffalo Wild Wings with the intention of at least getting a beer if the game was close.
Alas, at this point, it was not. They were down by two scores to Green Bay, and when Blair Walsh pushed a field goal attempt wide right, I went down to the bathroom to pee and then left.
Then I saw the highlights. Oh, we could've had this one. But that Christian Ponder interception in the Green Bay red zone was inexplicable, almost Favre-like. Not to say that a field goal there would've given the ViQueens a win. But it's getting to be more and more obvious that Ponder is not playing well at all, and this may seriously damage his future as a quarterback in the NFL. He doesn't have a whole lot of parts helping him, on both sides of the ball. But he hasn't demonstrated that he can lead a team and make plays on his own when you need someone to do that.
That someone right now is Adrian Peterson. Are you kidding me? He notched his longest touchdown run in his career, and I swear he had at least two longer than that. And the most surprising thing about his lead in the rushing category this year is that, at least to me, it seems as if he has lost a step. He doesn't look as fast as I remember him, and he seems to routinely get taken down from behind. But he's leading the league in rushing yards, and he's pushing off would-be tacklers like a beast. The guy is just bleepin' good.
I will be working today's (Sunday's) game against Chicago, assuming I make it through this blizzard that is in its full fury as I type this. If Ponder keeps producing nothing but three-and-outs, it could get very ugly in the Dome. Oh, and it doesn't help this team that their best receiver, Percy Harvin, was put on Injured Reserve this week and is done for the year.
#-Infinity: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). Did a great job of quieting the partisan West Lafayette crowd and downing Purdue in their Sweet Sixteen matchup in four sets.
I was hoping and giving the team a puncher's chance in beating the overall #1 seed, Penn St. I knew that Elite Eight matchup would be the first one yesterday (Saturday), but I forgot to check before going to the roller derby bout last (Saturday) night. It was at the Minneapolis Convention Center, and while you're in one of the exhibit halls and not in the actual halls, the only way you can access the Internet is if you pay for it.
So I had to wait till I got home to check ... and they lost. At least they took a set from them. Hey, what can you expect? The Penn St. program is currently the best in women's volleyball. And the U. traded coaches mid-season. Seeing the scores, that set they took was the second, and they won it handily, keeping the Nittany Lions down at 19.
It was the third set that was the difference. It was a back-and-forth affair, but Penn St. finally own out 26-24. As often is the case in volleyball matches, an underdog that loses a close set appears to have "blown their wad" and fades in the following set, and sure enough, they only got to 18 points in their final set of the season.
Maybe things will change now that Huge McCutcheon has a whole season to set his system and recruit. I don't know if he has anybody great coming in, but at least he still has Tori Dixon, who had a fantastic year killing, and Alexandra Palmer, his main Setter. They might now win the NCAA title next year, but they won't fall off, either. For right now, I am OK with that, even if this season is ultimately a failure because they did not win a championship.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Did I Avoid A Disaster At The Library Just Now?
So I'm going to the gym, until I realized I haven't blogged here for the day. Oh fuck, I have to go to the library across the street from the parking lot before working out.
But the computers are all packed. That makes me feel good about the state of the library system here in Minnesota, that it's not being neglected, but I'm kind of in a time crunch and need to get on a computer and blog.
So I didn't know what to do. Isn't there some sort of reservation station I need to get on so I can kick one of these guys off? I didn't really do that; instead I just kind of stood there and hoped that one the computers would open up. But then a woman behind me looked at this sea of totally occupied workstations and moseyed on over to the left ... where the reservation station was. Oh, that's where it is. Right over there.
So I felt just a tad humiliated, just a tad. I kind of hoped no one else noticed, not even the woman who "cut" in front of me. So I waited, even though I now had fears that she would immediately get on and the reservation station would tell me to wait, like, half an hour because I wasn't smart enough to reserve when I had the chance.
But I had a chance. Although she put up her huge purse on the table, she had to move out of the way because apparently she couldn't find her library card. But I could. And I swooped in there, even though she immediately found the card and turned back to the reservation station.
Uh-oh. Usually something like that escalates to a confrontation between strangers. I didn't care; all I was going to do was get my reservation, and she could wait a half-hour for all I care. But then my PIN didn't work. After two times and feeling her wait behind me, I was now the one who had to move out of the way. "Go ahead," I told her, and she got printed out her reservation.
And then I realized why I couldn't get my reservation through: I punched in the wrong PIN. Well, it use the right PIN for my county, but I am in another county. I could use my library card, which is issued for my county, in other counties now; I guess it's a new thing. But when I registered this card in this county last week, I got a different PIN, which are the last four digits of my home phone number.
I realized this right after I gave up my spot to this lady. Fortunately, I did not have to wait half an hour; apparently as soon as I reserved a spot the guy who was on the computer that now was mine left. It seemed as few people took off as soon as we and the lady signed up.
I'm just glad I got a computer quickly -- and that we didn't get into a fight, which is entirely possible.
But the computers are all packed. That makes me feel good about the state of the library system here in Minnesota, that it's not being neglected, but I'm kind of in a time crunch and need to get on a computer and blog.
So I didn't know what to do. Isn't there some sort of reservation station I need to get on so I can kick one of these guys off? I didn't really do that; instead I just kind of stood there and hoped that one the computers would open up. But then a woman behind me looked at this sea of totally occupied workstations and moseyed on over to the left ... where the reservation station was. Oh, that's where it is. Right over there.
So I felt just a tad humiliated, just a tad. I kind of hoped no one else noticed, not even the woman who "cut" in front of me. So I waited, even though I now had fears that she would immediately get on and the reservation station would tell me to wait, like, half an hour because I wasn't smart enough to reserve when I had the chance.
But I had a chance. Although she put up her huge purse on the table, she had to move out of the way because apparently she couldn't find her library card. But I could. And I swooped in there, even though she immediately found the card and turned back to the reservation station.
Uh-oh. Usually something like that escalates to a confrontation between strangers. I didn't care; all I was going to do was get my reservation, and she could wait a half-hour for all I care. But then my PIN didn't work. After two times and feeling her wait behind me, I was now the one who had to move out of the way. "Go ahead," I told her, and she got printed out her reservation.
And then I realized why I couldn't get my reservation through: I punched in the wrong PIN. Well, it use the right PIN for my county, but I am in another county. I could use my library card, which is issued for my county, in other counties now; I guess it's a new thing. But when I registered this card in this county last week, I got a different PIN, which are the last four digits of my home phone number.
I realized this right after I gave up my spot to this lady. Fortunately, I did not have to wait half an hour; apparently as soon as I reserved a spot the guy who was on the computer that now was mine left. It seemed as few people took off as soon as we and the lady signed up.
I'm just glad I got a computer quickly -- and that we didn't get into a fight, which is entirely possible.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Family took advantage of Burger King's deal this weekend -- you know, the one where you can buy a Whopper at regular price and get another one for 55 cents. (Caveat: As I've been told, the Whoppers you buy at regular price are one of the two special Whoppers, the Wisconsin White Cheddar and the Angry. And the 55-cent Whoppers are the Originals and Originals only.) McDonald's has a similar, better deal: Buy either a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese and get a center for only one cent. But my folks like BK more than Mickey D's.
My health insurance correspondence goes through The Store's address -- well, not really The Store's address but the address listed to the storage space above The Store. When I applied for the first time, they said to use that address even though I was living at home. Made me look poorer, I think.
I will now join these two facts together. Today Mother and I sat down to eat (Father didn't want to, for some reason). She told me that more letters from the state came to The Store and wondered why I hadn't changed the address to the one at home -- "Because pretty soon The Store is closing."
What I wanted to do was plug my ears and go "BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, I CAN'T HEAR YOU, IT CAN'T HAPPEN! IT CAN'T CLOSE!!!" Instead I just yelled at her: "I know that, Mom, you don't have to remind me!!!" I don't know if she could tell that I was upset over The Store, if she couldn't have sensed that already. But it was the first time since I signed that onerous goddamn contract that I went off on her.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
End Of Job, End Of The Family Business
Supervisor came up to me just before I left work today. He gave me a status update on else needed to be done. From what he said, he was trying to stretch out my work, but he's struggling because there isn't a whole bunch left. It's exactly what I feared: The end date of the 14th is going to be pushed up.
I don't think we're going to make it to next week. Fuck, our last day may be today.
So then what? I hope I've done enough to convince my temp agency that I'm good for another job. But what if I don't?
My main focus now is to avoid my parents' wrath, at least until they leave for Vegas. The one big thing on my side is they understand that my assignment is temporary, so they won't be too shocked if I lose it anytime soon. But better to be on the safe side and rope-and-dope them for another week. Which means one more week of either waking up very early or telling my folks that "my hours have been modified."
Bigger problems loom. First and foremost, at least in my mind, is The Store. I knew the day had to come where they would sell it, but now that they actually have, I won't have a whole lot of time with the Old Lady before I can't go in there anymore.
I have never had a day where that building wasn't ours, you know? And now it won't be. That doesn't seem to be a big deal to my parents, but it's fucking huge one for me. Tuesday night, after I decided not to go the University of Minnesota men's basketball game because Nate Wolters, the NBA prospect that's playing for their opponent, South Dakota St., rolled his ankle in practice Monday night and, after trying to warm up on it before the game, the radio announcers (thank you, BTW, I really didn't think they would announce so early) said that he would play very sparingly, if at all. What I did instead, including going to St. Paul to pick up a ticket to Saturday night's roller derby match and going to a strip club I hadn't been in in a year, is go to the parking lot at The Store and sit. Well, it was too cold to sit, so I fished around for a gas coupon because I needed to fill up my tank before I went home, but then I sat.
And then, before I left, I went up to the door. I opened up the screen and touched the solid red door, one I had gone through hundreds, maybe a thousand times over my life. And I laid my forehead against it and said I was sorry for hating it. My parents dragged me out to The Store when all I wanted to do was stay home and play. I didn't understand then what a glorious success The Store was for us, and how important it was to our family's way of life. I did as I grew up. Now I know what it means. And, funny, it now appears that The Store is more important to me than to me parents.
I apologized for not understanding all of this when I was a kid, and I begged The Store for forgiveness and asked that it not hold my bratty defiance against me. And then I left.
I still think I have a few weeks left before they turn the property over. Seriously, I might go in and take a look around, one last time. Maybe I'll spend an afternoon nap there. Or maybe I'll sleep there over night ... or just lay right in the middle of the aisle and close my eyes. Because I can't let this thing go.
I don't think we're going to make it to next week. Fuck, our last day may be today.
So then what? I hope I've done enough to convince my temp agency that I'm good for another job. But what if I don't?
My main focus now is to avoid my parents' wrath, at least until they leave for Vegas. The one big thing on my side is they understand that my assignment is temporary, so they won't be too shocked if I lose it anytime soon. But better to be on the safe side and rope-and-dope them for another week. Which means one more week of either waking up very early or telling my folks that "my hours have been modified."
Bigger problems loom. First and foremost, at least in my mind, is The Store. I knew the day had to come where they would sell it, but now that they actually have, I won't have a whole lot of time with the Old Lady before I can't go in there anymore.
I have never had a day where that building wasn't ours, you know? And now it won't be. That doesn't seem to be a big deal to my parents, but it's fucking huge one for me. Tuesday night, after I decided not to go the University of Minnesota men's basketball game because Nate Wolters, the NBA prospect that's playing for their opponent, South Dakota St., rolled his ankle in practice Monday night and, after trying to warm up on it before the game, the radio announcers (thank you, BTW, I really didn't think they would announce so early) said that he would play very sparingly, if at all. What I did instead, including going to St. Paul to pick up a ticket to Saturday night's roller derby match and going to a strip club I hadn't been in in a year, is go to the parking lot at The Store and sit. Well, it was too cold to sit, so I fished around for a gas coupon because I needed to fill up my tank before I went home, but then I sat.
And then, before I left, I went up to the door. I opened up the screen and touched the solid red door, one I had gone through hundreds, maybe a thousand times over my life. And I laid my forehead against it and said I was sorry for hating it. My parents dragged me out to The Store when all I wanted to do was stay home and play. I didn't understand then what a glorious success The Store was for us, and how important it was to our family's way of life. I did as I grew up. Now I know what it means. And, funny, it now appears that The Store is more important to me than to me parents.
I apologized for not understanding all of this when I was a kid, and I begged The Store for forgiveness and asked that it not hold my bratty defiance against me. And then I left.
I still think I have a few weeks left before they turn the property over. Seriously, I might go in and take a look around, one last time. Maybe I'll spend an afternoon nap there. Or maybe I'll sleep there over night ... or just lay right in the middle of the aisle and close my eyes. Because I can't let this thing go.
WHY CAN'T THEY LET ME HAVE THE STORE?!?!?! WHY CAN'T THEY JUST KEEP IT?!?!?! FIRST GRANDMOTHER AND THEN THE HOUSE AND THEN THEM RETIRING AND THEN MY CARE AND NOW THIS -- EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER KNOWN IN MY LIFE IS GETTING TAKEN FROM ME!!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST KEEP THIS?!?!?! YOU WANT ME TO TAKE OVER THE STORE, I'LL TAKE IT OVER!!! LET'S KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY!!! PLEASE DON'T RIP THIS OUT OF MY LIFE -- THERE'S NO PART OF MY CHILDHOOD LEFT!!!
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