I wish I can summarize 2017 comprehensively and yet cleanly. Personally, there was nothing that really changed or impressed upon me this year, with one immense exception: The death of Grandmother. I still think of her from time to time. But I kind of thought I would be going about my day when I realize that she is dead. I would crumple to the ground, unable to stop sobbing, and there would go my day. That is not happening. I don't think it's acceptance, or closure upon the grieving process. No, it's something much more callous. I think that, since she started suffering from memory problems, and especially since my parents threw her out of the house, I kind of stopped thinking about her. In a way, I started to believe Grandmother was dead before she really was dead. That gives a person a lot of time to get over a loved one's passing.
I'm not proud of saying that. I am confessing something of which I'm kind of ashamed. But I have to admit the truth.
I could talk about politics, but why? I continue to resist, even though I get tired and frustrated over the continuing takeover of fascism. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say believe that the shitty, corrupt, stupid government we currently have has cast a pall over everything I've done this year. I think my mood could really lift once we get rid of all of these Republicans.
But there is one thing I want to note before I head out, buy some lottery tickets, maybe go to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Edition), visit my friends as I usually do this night, then hit up White Castle. I have to note that for the first time in a long, long time, not once have I wound up in unemployment. It is kind of strange to look back on it, but the health insurance job connected to test scoring season (with a week of going to Hong Kong to see Grandmother), which connected to a pair of short-term jobs (after a few days of going back to Hong Kong to pay respects to Grandmother), which swung over to the health insurance job again. Yes, there were a couple weeks in the fall, but there weren't the huge gaps in previous years that forced me to go on the dole.
I understand that there shouldn't be any shame in taking unemployment. After all, a portion of my paycheck goes to that. It's there in case you need to use it; it's an earned benefit, no doubt about it. But still, whenever I took what I still somewhat consider free money, it felt like a crutch, and I kind of hated the fact that I needed to rely on it because I couldn't find work. I was very lucky to be working so much in 2017 that I didn't have to go on it. I really didn't even have to think about it, because I was concentrating on working. It is ironic that I will start off 2018 with two weeks "off," but I hope that I can stand on my own and not fall back into unemployment. And then I'll hopefully be lucky and swing from assignment to assignment -- and maybe to something more permanent -- so I won't have to use it ever again.
And at the very least I can say that I could say that I didn't have to fall back on the dole for this year. So that was one very good thing that happened in 2017. Maybe the only good thing in a year full of heartache and suffering.
Happy New Year, all of you.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
Just a reminder that with this being the final WMNSS of 2017, I will reset the day the survey comes out for 2018. Per tradition, the new year will see it come out the day of January 8, which, for 2018, will be Monday. The first edition of the WMNSS not only encapsulates the events from January 1-7, but also the events of December 31, 2017.
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). A pretty blah screening week. Maybe it's the winter doldrums and the current snap of frigid weather, but I am not impressed with any of the teams this week, even the ones that went undefeated.
Take the Gopher men's hockey team, for example, which swept the Army at Mariucci this weekend by a combined score of 7-1. (I was at the Saturday game, which I blissfully was able to go to because my alma mater played Friday night and I was not called in to help the Vikings broadcast on yesterday/Saturday). Mat Robson filled in for starting Goalie Eric Schierhorn for the second time this year and notched his first career win with the U., 4-1. That victory also gave Head Coach Don Lucia his 450th win helming The Maroon & Gold.
But, while I was driving past TCF Bank Stadium (the circumstances of which escape me right now), I saw the huge sign. You see, there's a sign on the side of the huge scoreboard on the open end of the stadium. You can see this sign if you drive west on Oak Street. The sign has a rotating series of messages and ads; many of them are quick updates of the current U. teams for the season. Well, as I drove by, I saw that the men's hockey team was under .500. WAIT -- WHAT?!?!?!
I checked on a TV screen in Mariucci last (Saturday) night. They are under .500 ... in Big Ten play, at 4-7-1. They are 12-9-1 overall with the pair of wins over the Black Knights, and I can see that. But looking back, this squad suffered more than a bushel of losses so far this season. They do add up; right now they are far from the top of the conference. Saying all that, I checked the PairWise and as of right now, they sit ninth. Could be worse. But something is propping them up when the club is too talented not to be sporting a good record, conference as well as overall, of their own accord.
The New Year does bring a chance to impress: They have a home-and-home series vs. St. Cloud St., which as of right now is the #1 ranked team in the land. They play at St. Cloud Saturday evening, at 3M Sunday evening.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -2). Finished their non-con for the season pulling away from Tommy Amaker and Harvard yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, 65-55. They have been knocked out of the polls, but they currently are 12-3 heading into pure conference play. Unfortunately, Nate Mason was kept out of the win over the Crimson.
They have won four in a row. That coincides with the beginning of their six-game homestand, which comes to an end with games against Illinois Wednesday and Indiana Saturday.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -4). Well, it took a long time, and the season is far from over. But as of press time, they have climbed out of the early hole they dug themselves in to begin the season and hold down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They did it this week by doubling up The Team Stolen From Us at the X, 4-2 Wednesday (because of that I'm going to lift them up one spot), then beating Nashville by the same score Friday, also at home. Now, the Predators returned the favor in the second half of a back-to-back, blanking the Mild yesterday/Saturday, 3-0. Still, if the playoffs were to end tonight, they would be in. That is encouraging. Seeing Zach Parise starting to play for AAA Iowa is also encouraging.
They start 2018 playing three games: Home to Florida Tuesday, home to Buffalo (which, it was pointed out to me, has a lot of Minnesotans on the team, including Head Coach Phil Housley) Thursday, then visiting Colorado Saturday.
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). Started B1G play with a 90-63 trouncing of the Wildcats at Northwestern on Thursday. They currently sit at 12-2, with those losses by only five (at North Carolina) and three (at San Diego), but I haven't heard of any mocks putting these Gophers in the NCAA Tournament. Can they draw attention with a busy three-game stretch -- Nebraska at The Barn this (Sunday) afternoon, at Ohio St. Thursday, and home to Michigan St. Sunday?
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). I feel bad for not paying attention to the standings in the NBA. I think the Wolves, despite all their problems, have been in fourth place in the Western Conference for some time. That's good, and I want to recognize their consistency.
Yet I also have to recognize the still-troubling run Tom Thibodeau is making his top eight players, and in particular his Starting Five, do even though we haven't reached the halfway point yet. You can see it in this week's 2-1 record. They pulled away from The Bastard Minneapolis Lakers in Los Angeles Christmas Night, 121-104, with the help of Taj Gibson's 23 points. But they coughed up a late lead Wednesday at home to Denver before Jimmy Butler (and his 39 points) saved the Woofie Dogs' butts again, 128-125 in Overtime. But they had a back-to-back; they raced out to a 23-point lead Thursday in Milwaukee, but they ran out of gas and the Bucks stormed back to win, 102-96. With more than 40 games left to go, there's no telling if Towns or Wiggins or Gibson or Butler will have anything left when the postseason rolls around.
That durability and motivation will be sorely tested this screening week because they will be playing five times. It starts off with a back-to-back spanning two years; they play at Indiana New Year's Eve, then host The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.1.0. New Year's Night. They host Brooklyn Wednesday, then have another back-to-back, where they go to Boston Friday and then host New Orleans Saturday.
#-6: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). So these South Beach Duals aren't a tournament so much as they are an aggregation of matches between teams playing in sunny and warm South Florida. The U. had two duals (played two teams) Friday and another two yesterday/Saturday. OK, so this is legitimate enough to put the results in the survey.
So, how did they do? Well, if being at the bottom of the WMNSS is any indication, not that well. They played a pair of ranked teams on Friday, North Carolina and Cornell, and lost both. Yesterday/Saturday they played a pair of tomato cans, Columbia and Binghamton, and predictably they won both duals going away, holding both opponents to single digits. So they are demonstrably better than Columbia and Binghamton, but not quite as good as ranked teams. Seeing as this program has won NCAA titles in the past, not so good.
They start B1G play next Sunday vs. Michigan St. at Maturi Pavilion.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Two Experiences Stemming From The Irredeemably Cold Weather
Gave myself the possibility of sleeping in this morning, but my body clock was too attuned to waking up at 6, so I was still up by 8, so I figured I would drive downtown to watch some EPL. But I noticed that the roads were pretty greasy. Thought I could drive it, however ... until I saw the car in front of me, which moved over to the right lane of the two-way close to my house, swerve to the left, right in front of me. The driver overcorrected and started spinning backwards, and finally careened through the right shoulder and into the ditch. It was in a spot not too far from my house.
Stunned, I finally realized I should pull over to call 911. I then took side streets all the way into downtown. Didn't care that I was seven minutes late.
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That convinced me not to go exercise and instead sleep. And even though I woke up refreshed in the morning, I slept 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. Ah!
But the heater was on the whole time, and I may have arisen because it got too hot in my room. So I've been up ever since I turned the heater off.
Shortly after I did that, I heard some massive gurgling sounds from the heater. Checking the Internet real quick, it seems as though that could derive from sediment at the bottom of the heater, the solution to which is to drain it. None of the sites I've looked at take into account the fact that I've shut off the main water valve. I'm scared to death that the gurgling sounds are because it doesn't have enough water, and thus is heating up real bad.
If my house blows up, you'll know why.
Stunned, I finally realized I should pull over to call 911. I then took side streets all the way into downtown. Didn't care that I was seven minutes late.
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That convinced me not to go exercise and instead sleep. And even though I woke up refreshed in the morning, I slept 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. Ah!
But the heater was on the whole time, and I may have arisen because it got too hot in my room. So I've been up ever since I turned the heater off.
Shortly after I did that, I heard some massive gurgling sounds from the heater. Checking the Internet real quick, it seems as though that could derive from sediment at the bottom of the heater, the solution to which is to drain it. None of the sites I've looked at take into account the fact that I've shut off the main water valve. I'm scared to death that the gurgling sounds are because it doesn't have enough water, and thus is heating up real bad.
If my house blows up, you'll know why.
So my team lost last night and the only thing that can heal me is thinking how strippers always say I have a big dick and so I wake up with a raging hard-on and I am trying to look at porn right now. But I'm scared of getting caught, so I am using a VPN, but it doesn't work because to look at pictures and video requires a plug-in that only works if you're giving out personal information. If a VPN doesn't work for porn, shit, why have a VPN?
This is frustrating.
This is frustrating.
Friday, December 29, 2017
I Have To Control That Hose
So for the second time in a week, I just about flooded the laundry room.
I am still dealing with the water pipe leak. When I first shut off the water valves, water would still seep out of the holes. That's when I realized that if I kept the faucets open and drain the excess water from the pipes that way, eventually the water from the main will drain out and the dripping would stop. So from then on, I have opened up some of the taps, especially the ones on the basement floor.
What I failed to calculate is the strength of the water coming through the hose when I turn the main water valves back on at full force. Apparently it has a lot of kick to it. Didn't realize that the first time I flooded the room, over Christmas Break. But when I did my usual check of making sure I haven't flooded the house and reached that room, I the hose, erect as my erection, spraying water to the ceiling on the opposite corner of the room. Things got so waterlogged that I had to remove all the boxes of kitchen appliances my parents stacked in that area so I could turn them over and shake all the water out of the boxes. That was hell.
I made sure I didn't turn up the faucet in the laundry room all the way. But I still had to keep them open at least a little, otherwise there would continue to be water that's stacked up in the pipe which would slowly leak onto the basement floor. So I only opened them up a little bit.
But that still didn't work last (Thursday) night. I had to turn on the water so I could wash the dishes. I thought everything was OK, so I did not check the laundry room after I turned the main on. Only after I turned it back off that I went to the room to make sure everything was OK. It wasn't. It wasn't as bad as seeing water projected six feet across the room. But the floor was wet. There was standing water around the floor drain. And, once again, I saw water on some of the boxes in that isolated corner. So I had to take out the affected boxes and shake the water loose, again. Not many as the first time, but if I had paid any attention, I wouldn't have to shake the water out of any of them, because I wouldn't have allowed the hose to spray water all over the freakin' place.
So I took out the boxes, like I said, and I wiped down the sides of the washer and dryer. And all I could do about the flooded floor was wait for it to drain. Checked just now; it's all gone. But now I have to keep that faucet closed until I shut down the main, because I am not going through that crap again.
I am still dealing with the water pipe leak. When I first shut off the water valves, water would still seep out of the holes. That's when I realized that if I kept the faucets open and drain the excess water from the pipes that way, eventually the water from the main will drain out and the dripping would stop. So from then on, I have opened up some of the taps, especially the ones on the basement floor.
What I failed to calculate is the strength of the water coming through the hose when I turn the main water valves back on at full force. Apparently it has a lot of kick to it. Didn't realize that the first time I flooded the room, over Christmas Break. But when I did my usual check of making sure I haven't flooded the house and reached that room, I the hose, erect as my erection, spraying water to the ceiling on the opposite corner of the room. Things got so waterlogged that I had to remove all the boxes of kitchen appliances my parents stacked in that area so I could turn them over and shake all the water out of the boxes. That was hell.
I made sure I didn't turn up the faucet in the laundry room all the way. But I still had to keep them open at least a little, otherwise there would continue to be water that's stacked up in the pipe which would slowly leak onto the basement floor. So I only opened them up a little bit.
But that still didn't work last (Thursday) night. I had to turn on the water so I could wash the dishes. I thought everything was OK, so I did not check the laundry room after I turned the main on. Only after I turned it back off that I went to the room to make sure everything was OK. It wasn't. It wasn't as bad as seeing water projected six feet across the room. But the floor was wet. There was standing water around the floor drain. And, once again, I saw water on some of the boxes in that isolated corner. So I had to take out the affected boxes and shake the water loose, again. Not many as the first time, but if I had paid any attention, I wouldn't have to shake the water out of any of them, because I wouldn't have allowed the hose to spray water all over the freakin' place.
So I took out the boxes, like I said, and I wiped down the sides of the washer and dryer. And all I could do about the flooded floor was wait for it to drain. Checked just now; it's all gone. But now I have to keep that faucet closed until I shut down the main, because I am not going through that crap again.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
What The Fuck Am I Doing There?
I used to enjoy coming to work at the health insurance place. Now it feels as if I'm slouching toward Gomorrah.
The reason I am getting fired two months before my time is because there is nothing for me to do. Like I said, I understand it's a business decision and I understand the decision. I still am sour about it, but I don't want to beat my chest about now needing to look out for #1.
Nor do I want to give the impression that I am not grateful for being allowed to work an extra eight days after being told I would be let go. They could have fired me on the spot; as a temp, I get no protection if my supervisors choose to be dicks about it. Instead, with the exception of one task I do late in my day, I have not had any other thing to do since last Monday. I am getting paid regardless. But it's so weird not only to not get any assignments from my bosses since then, but to not even talk to them, in person, since then. Guess there's no need, and I don't think they're giving me the silent treatment, but shoot, nothing? Not one extra thing before I go? I come to work, which is still expected, but I sit around without much to do. And then I leave, with scant more human interaction at the end of the workday than I generated at the beginning. If I didn't show up, I'm not sure if anybody there would notice, let alone care.
Again, it could be a lot worse. I could be hounded by supervisors every minute of my day. But there is this sense of neglect I feel anyway. Does no one care? I'm getting paid $13.05 an hour to sit on my butt, yet no one in any position of authority asks me to do something. This is going on for so long that the indifference is starting to get real creepy, I have to say.
Now, this interview that I had yesterday/Wednesday went well, I think. If this department is going to pay me within the ballpark of what I am getting paid now, I think I'll transfer jobs. And I will assume that there will be people invested in my productivity at this new job. I might be working a lot harder in it, but right now, that would feel like a mighty relief. It's nice to be wanted, you know?
The reason I am getting fired two months before my time is because there is nothing for me to do. Like I said, I understand it's a business decision and I understand the decision. I still am sour about it, but I don't want to beat my chest about now needing to look out for #1.
Nor do I want to give the impression that I am not grateful for being allowed to work an extra eight days after being told I would be let go. They could have fired me on the spot; as a temp, I get no protection if my supervisors choose to be dicks about it. Instead, with the exception of one task I do late in my day, I have not had any other thing to do since last Monday. I am getting paid regardless. But it's so weird not only to not get any assignments from my bosses since then, but to not even talk to them, in person, since then. Guess there's no need, and I don't think they're giving me the silent treatment, but shoot, nothing? Not one extra thing before I go? I come to work, which is still expected, but I sit around without much to do. And then I leave, with scant more human interaction at the end of the workday than I generated at the beginning. If I didn't show up, I'm not sure if anybody there would notice, let alone care.
Again, it could be a lot worse. I could be hounded by supervisors every minute of my day. But there is this sense of neglect I feel anyway. Does no one care? I'm getting paid $13.05 an hour to sit on my butt, yet no one in any position of authority asks me to do something. This is going on for so long that the indifference is starting to get real creepy, I have to say.
Now, this interview that I had yesterday/Wednesday went well, I think. If this department is going to pay me within the ballpark of what I am getting paid now, I think I'll transfer jobs. And I will assume that there will be people invested in my productivity at this new job. I might be working a lot harder in it, but right now, that would feel like a mighty relief. It's nice to be wanted, you know?
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
OK, Today Is Decision Time
Still kind of in a panic over not being able to line up work after I lose my job Friday. (Still so fucking unfair.) But I have an interview lined up with a different department this (Wednesday) afternoon. Taking this seriously enough to wear a suit, though not a tie. Also, I'm going to wear my long underwear beneath. Plus, I will not brush my teeth, although I have already taken a shower.
I wonder about the details of this position. I have been told it's temporary, which is bad news for me. If it were a full-time job, or even temp-to-hire, I would totally pounce on it. But in the meantime one of the test scoring places has asked me back on a project that begins on the 15th and lasts into May. If this job I'm interviewing for significantly pays better and/or lasts longer than four months, I'm going to say no to the test scoring place. If not, well ...
See, I'm torn. If I turn my back on this job, I might never come back to this place ever again. The job I'm doing right now has one thing I need to do. Just one. And my boss warned me there might be not be things I need to do. That's why he's cutting me loose earlier than I'm supposed to. And who knows if there is going to be work at this new job? Another advantage to the test scoring place: It's closer. Oh, and there might be overtime. Then again, there's a chance I'll be cut loose at that job, too. There are times when there are no papers to be graded, and if that's the case, we just don't work. I think we'll stick around till May, but are we going to have solid work straight through? If I'm honest with myself, I don't know the answer to that.
Regardless, depending on what solid answers I get in the interview tomorrow, a lot of things should be cleared up, enough to allow me to make a decision on where to work next. Wish me luck.
I wonder about the details of this position. I have been told it's temporary, which is bad news for me. If it were a full-time job, or even temp-to-hire, I would totally pounce on it. But in the meantime one of the test scoring places has asked me back on a project that begins on the 15th and lasts into May. If this job I'm interviewing for significantly pays better and/or lasts longer than four months, I'm going to say no to the test scoring place. If not, well ...
See, I'm torn. If I turn my back on this job, I might never come back to this place ever again. The job I'm doing right now has one thing I need to do. Just one. And my boss warned me there might be not be things I need to do. That's why he's cutting me loose earlier than I'm supposed to. And who knows if there is going to be work at this new job? Another advantage to the test scoring place: It's closer. Oh, and there might be overtime. Then again, there's a chance I'll be cut loose at that job, too. There are times when there are no papers to be graded, and if that's the case, we just don't work. I think we'll stick around till May, but are we going to have solid work straight through? If I'm honest with myself, I don't know the answer to that.
Regardless, depending on what solid answers I get in the interview tomorrow, a lot of things should be cleared up, enough to allow me to make a decision on where to work next. Wish me luck.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
The Coldest Winter Chill
Late last (Monday) night I turned off the heat -- partially because it was really hot, partially because I had turned it on during the late afternoon, partially because I was afraid what would happen to the heater if I kept it running without access to the water, whose valve I continued to keep off for the time being.
I woke up around the 4 o'clock hour; shortly thereafter I burped up enough that I almost vomited. GERD from the Cheesecake Factory, I'm guessing. But then I noticed how cold I was. The last time I felt such cold inside while I was alone was the early days of my internship in El Paso, when it was early March and the heat hadn't taken hold of west Texas. The winds were wild a couple nights, pushing the cold air around the edges of my front door. It was so cold that I actually though putting couch cushions around the edge would stop the winds. I put on two pairs of pants and shirts to keep myself warm, and it still didn't work. I fell asleep only because my body was too tired to stay awake. It was that cold overnight.
Oh yeah; there was a heater in my apartment in El Paso, but I was making so little money that I didn't turn it on. By the way, I checked recently at the apartment complex on Google Maps. It looks as though the entire place was demolished. In its place, I don't know.
I'm scared and I'm lonely. I'll admit that.
I woke up around the 4 o'clock hour; shortly thereafter I burped up enough that I almost vomited. GERD from the Cheesecake Factory, I'm guessing. But then I noticed how cold I was. The last time I felt such cold inside while I was alone was the early days of my internship in El Paso, when it was early March and the heat hadn't taken hold of west Texas. The winds were wild a couple nights, pushing the cold air around the edges of my front door. It was so cold that I actually though putting couch cushions around the edge would stop the winds. I put on two pairs of pants and shirts to keep myself warm, and it still didn't work. I fell asleep only because my body was too tired to stay awake. It was that cold overnight.
Oh yeah; there was a heater in my apartment in El Paso, but I was making so little money that I didn't turn it on. By the way, I checked recently at the apartment complex on Google Maps. It looks as though the entire place was demolished. In its place, I don't know.
I'm scared and I'm lonely. I'll admit that.
Monday, December 25, 2017
I Need This Runner Work
Well, the guys from the Vikings game are not taking Christmas off. A coordinator for the people doing the game Sunday are looking for people, and he sent out the message today, on Christmas.
No big deal; the game is six days away, so they really can't wait. But after asking for confirms, he asked if anyone can help on Saturday as well as Sunday. Now, he sent these messages around 10. I woke up around 10:45, 11, so I didn't reply to him immediately after he sent those e-mails. So by the time I went through my e-mail, some other guy said he could do it.
I found that weird because I helped out this guy and crew when they swept through earlier in the season. And for that game, he did not put out this all-call. Instead, he e-mailed me personally and asked if I could do it. It would stand to reason that he would do that again this time, right? If so, why would he just toss out a request like this this time?
It's gotten a bit stranger still. I confirmed that I could work Sunday, but then the guy asked me if I could work Saturday as well. Told him I definitely could, but I thought that guy got dibs. He said he hadn't gotten a firm commitment from him yet. Said I could commit now.
Can't put a face to the guy who said he wanted to work both days. But golly, I could do it. Please, I could do it. I need those day's wages.
Man, I sound so desperate, don't I?
No big deal; the game is six days away, so they really can't wait. But after asking for confirms, he asked if anyone can help on Saturday as well as Sunday. Now, he sent these messages around 10. I woke up around 10:45, 11, so I didn't reply to him immediately after he sent those e-mails. So by the time I went through my e-mail, some other guy said he could do it.
I found that weird because I helped out this guy and crew when they swept through earlier in the season. And for that game, he did not put out this all-call. Instead, he e-mailed me personally and asked if I could do it. It would stand to reason that he would do that again this time, right? If so, why would he just toss out a request like this this time?
It's gotten a bit stranger still. I confirmed that I could work Sunday, but then the guy asked me if I could work Saturday as well. Told him I definitely could, but I thought that guy got dibs. He said he hadn't gotten a firm commitment from him yet. Said I could commit now.
Can't put a face to the guy who said he wanted to work both days. But golly, I could do it. Please, I could do it. I need those day's wages.
Man, I sound so desperate, don't I?
Christmas Thoughts
Didn't it seem like this holiday season is really long? That, in particular, this week felt like an extra week? Do you know what I mean?
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Anyway, I went to My Asshole Brother's place Sunday morning, and although we didn't speak to each other, he wasn't an asshole. He was trying to cajole my niece into opening the present I gave her, which I appreciate. I planned on staying there an hour and I stayed 90 minutes.
That both tired me out and altered my schedule. I wanted to stop and wish well Grandmother's best friend. She remains in good health, although her short-term memory continues to falter. With one possible exception -- I think she remembers Grandmother passed away.
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One of the personal traditions I have is going to Southdale as the malls close Christmas Eve. I usually walk all the way around Southdale, then finish up by buying a slice or two at The Cheesecake Factory. This year it's only one, since my sister-in-law packed up a lot of food for me. In fact, I have a lot of food given to me, period.
Since the health insurance place is so close to the Mall Of America, what I had done was go to the Megamall after doing my half-day for Christmas Eve, then head to Southdale. But since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, I kind of flipped the mall-visiting. I went home from Southdale to store the food given to me and the cheesecake I bought, and then I took my parents' minivan to MOA to eat at Hooters. Eating at Hooters might be one of the new Christmas traditions I do.
Another tradition I'm trying to make an annual thing: Going to Merlins Rest Pub for either scotch or whisky around midnight. I think Merlins is the only bar in town open full hours on Christmas Eve -- which, in my humble opinion, has become the most sacred hours of the holiday season. We anticipate Santa and the birth of Jesus Christ, and once those moments pass, Christmas seems old. We're done with it as soon as the holiday comes. Really, we're ready to get back to our old routine come Christmas evening. Heck, Christmas afternoon. Heck, maybe even Christmas morning.
Yeah, my thoughts are all over the place. That might be because of the strong Scotch, followed by the mulled cider, I got at Merlins. I went through all my receipts and wrote them down in my Franklin Quest while I was there. Left 15 minutes before closing time. Time well spent.
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More cars on the road coming back from Merlins in the 2 o'clock hour than I thought there would be, or should be.
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My plan is to hermetically seal myself inside all day today/Christmas because, hey, it's the holiest day in the Western calendar. That doesn't mean I don't have stuff to do. I have to do some alumni stuff, I have to cook food, and there's still that darn water leak I have to deal with.
You know, this is the time of the year where I should feel the most safe at home. It's not as if I think I'm going to lose power or anything, but there are enough things wrong with the house right now -- all because of the water pipe leak -- where I cannot feel entitled to that.
---
I am running out of Christmas tunes I really, really like. So for this year, my embedded Christmas song is a parody song, one from Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse" shingle. It is Christian privilege to assume that everyone celebrates Christmas when there are many people who do not -- Jews being one of them. That's the basis for this song, "Christmastime For The Jews." I'm guessing a lot of this is made up -- riotously so, courtesy of the great Robert Smigel -- but the singing, spearheaded by the great holiday singer Darlene Love, is pure, genuine joy. And the Motown-inflected song is a toe-tapper.
For all those who observe, Merry Christmas. And for all those who do not, best wishes to you.
---
Anyway, I went to My Asshole Brother's place Sunday morning, and although we didn't speak to each other, he wasn't an asshole. He was trying to cajole my niece into opening the present I gave her, which I appreciate. I planned on staying there an hour and I stayed 90 minutes.
That both tired me out and altered my schedule. I wanted to stop and wish well Grandmother's best friend. She remains in good health, although her short-term memory continues to falter. With one possible exception -- I think she remembers Grandmother passed away.
---
One of the personal traditions I have is going to Southdale as the malls close Christmas Eve. I usually walk all the way around Southdale, then finish up by buying a slice or two at The Cheesecake Factory. This year it's only one, since my sister-in-law packed up a lot of food for me. In fact, I have a lot of food given to me, period.
Since the health insurance place is so close to the Mall Of America, what I had done was go to the Megamall after doing my half-day for Christmas Eve, then head to Southdale. But since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, I kind of flipped the mall-visiting. I went home from Southdale to store the food given to me and the cheesecake I bought, and then I took my parents' minivan to MOA to eat at Hooters. Eating at Hooters might be one of the new Christmas traditions I do.
Another tradition I'm trying to make an annual thing: Going to Merlins Rest Pub for either scotch or whisky around midnight. I think Merlins is the only bar in town open full hours on Christmas Eve -- which, in my humble opinion, has become the most sacred hours of the holiday season. We anticipate Santa and the birth of Jesus Christ, and once those moments pass, Christmas seems old. We're done with it as soon as the holiday comes. Really, we're ready to get back to our old routine come Christmas evening. Heck, Christmas afternoon. Heck, maybe even Christmas morning.
Yeah, my thoughts are all over the place. That might be because of the strong Scotch, followed by the mulled cider, I got at Merlins. I went through all my receipts and wrote them down in my Franklin Quest while I was there. Left 15 minutes before closing time. Time well spent.
---
More cars on the road coming back from Merlins in the 2 o'clock hour than I thought there would be, or should be.
---
My plan is to hermetically seal myself inside all day today/Christmas because, hey, it's the holiest day in the Western calendar. That doesn't mean I don't have stuff to do. I have to do some alumni stuff, I have to cook food, and there's still that darn water leak I have to deal with.
You know, this is the time of the year where I should feel the most safe at home. It's not as if I think I'm going to lose power or anything, but there are enough things wrong with the house right now -- all because of the water pipe leak -- where I cannot feel entitled to that.
---
I am running out of Christmas tunes I really, really like. So for this year, my embedded Christmas song is a parody song, one from Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse" shingle. It is Christian privilege to assume that everyone celebrates Christmas when there are many people who do not -- Jews being one of them. That's the basis for this song, "Christmastime For The Jews." I'm guessing a lot of this is made up -- riotously so, courtesy of the great Robert Smigel -- but the singing, spearheaded by the great holiday singer Darlene Love, is pure, genuine joy. And the Motown-inflected song is a toe-tapper.
For all those who observe, Merry Christmas. And for all those who do not, best wishes to you.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
A blissfully short survey!
Positive Numbers: Concordia-St. Paul (Re-Entry!). A short and late shout-out to the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears, who won their ninth NCAA Division II women's volleyball championship in the last eleven years a fortnight ago in Pensacola, Fla. Moreover, they only dropped two sets in the 64-team tournament.
One thing I noticed upon looking at the bracket: As dominant as the team was (and the program has been), they were not the top-seeded team in the tourney. For Division II v-ball, apparently they do something weird: They break up the field into eight region-based, uh, "parts." They seed those eight teams 1-8. In their "part," Concordia-St. Paul was only seeded second. The top seed, Southwest Minnesota St., was upset by five-seed Minnesota-Duluth, whom the Golden Bears defeated in four Sets to reach the Elite Eight, where all teams were reseeded 1-8 and rebracketed. It's there where CSt.P was named the top seed.
Anyway, congratulations! I should make it out to a match some day.
#0: Vikings (Last Week: -2). With a pair of convincing wins this screening week over Cincinnati (at home) and Green Bay (at Lambeau), albeit two teams that have packed it in, we have to recognize that this Vikings squad may be the best since the Brett Favre-led 2009 edition. And that is a good thing.
We come to the time of the year where teams are so banged up that those who have been eliminated from the playoffs are furtively packing it in and playing youngsters or scrubs in order to save the best players on their club for next year. Still, it was impressive to be on the field to watch the Vikes pick apart a Bengals squad just hours after rumors surfaced that Cincy Head Coach Marvin Lewis would finally leave the team. And while I have some reservations for the offensive output Saturday night against a Packers squad that was there for the taking, Minnesota blanked an opponent for the first time since the 1993 season. (I'll blame the cold.) That they did it against the Cheeseheads makes it all the more satisfying. Seeing visiting Vikes fans do the Skol chant and the Viking Clap in Lambeau? I'm in heaven.
The only thing preventing these guys from reaching Positive Numbers is the revelation that I saw during the game that the Philadelphia Eagles only need to win one of their next two games to have home-field advantage on the NFC side of the playoffs. The possibility of a three-game homestand to the end the season at the Super Bowl takes a serious blow. Also, late word that Left Guard Nick Easton is done for the year with a broken right ankle flummoxes the Offensive Line once more. Nevertheless, this team is still good enough to reach Super Bowl LII, even if they have to do it on the road.
#-1: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). For all the angst generated by the lack of results a team so good on paper should have by now, they stand fourth in the West. (In an underplayed irony, after an offseason where nearly all the East All-Stars were moved westward, the Eastern Conference has gotten appreciably better this year.) Weeks like the 3-0 one they just enjoyed show how good these Woofie Dogs can be when they're not tripping over their own dicks or getting run into the ground. Now, this is a long season, so I'm sure bad weeks are going to come. But this was the kind of screening week I was kind of expecting.
For the second year in a row, the Wolves are one of the ten teams to be showcased in the NBA Christmas Games; they visit the Lakers for the league's nightcap. They also play a hard back-to-back: Home to Denver Wednesday, at Milwaukee Thursday.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -7). This blog post (by a real good blogger) says the U. is the tenth most disappointing team in top-flight men's college b-ball. They are currently unranked now and are a bubble team when it comes to RPI after losing three games (two of the non-conference, high-profile ones, the third a shoulda-been win at Nebraska), so he has a major point. All these Goofers can do is win, and they did just that this screening week with post-finals frog-stompings of Oral Roberts and Florida Atlantic.
That's all I got. They finish up their non-con Saturday afternoon with the fourth game in a six-game homestand against one final quality opponent: Harvard.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -1). Finished their non-conference sched throttling Cal-Riverside Friday afternoon, 101-75. They finish their non-con at 11-2. Don't think they're even sniffing the NCAAs; that loss at San Diego might loom large. They start conference play at Northwestern Thursday.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). Just noticed that of the five local teams to play this week, the Mild were the only ones who lost. An absolutely ugly weeklong 1-3 roadtrip ends with back-to-back defeats to the Florida teams on back-to-back nights. Only a 6-4 victory over Ottawa -- a game where they once fell behind 3-1 -- prevented a complete wipeout.
This club just doesn't have it this season. Never thought the loss of Zach Parise and the trade of Marco Scandella could do so much damage. The only saving grace is that they are in a three-way tie for ninth place in the West (along with Calgary and Chicago, the latter of which beat the Mild Sunday), just one point behind Anaheim for the final playoff spot in the West. It's there for the taking. But can the Mild take it? This week they host The Bastard North Stars before doing a direct home-and-home with the Nashville Predators.
Positive Numbers: Concordia-St. Paul (Re-Entry!). A short and late shout-out to the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears, who won their ninth NCAA Division II women's volleyball championship in the last eleven years a fortnight ago in Pensacola, Fla. Moreover, they only dropped two sets in the 64-team tournament.
One thing I noticed upon looking at the bracket: As dominant as the team was (and the program has been), they were not the top-seeded team in the tourney. For Division II v-ball, apparently they do something weird: They break up the field into eight region-based, uh, "parts." They seed those eight teams 1-8. In their "part," Concordia-St. Paul was only seeded second. The top seed, Southwest Minnesota St., was upset by five-seed Minnesota-Duluth, whom the Golden Bears defeated in four Sets to reach the Elite Eight, where all teams were reseeded 1-8 and rebracketed. It's there where CSt.P was named the top seed.
Anyway, congratulations! I should make it out to a match some day.
#0: Vikings (Last Week: -2). With a pair of convincing wins this screening week over Cincinnati (at home) and Green Bay (at Lambeau), albeit two teams that have packed it in, we have to recognize that this Vikings squad may be the best since the Brett Favre-led 2009 edition. And that is a good thing.
We come to the time of the year where teams are so banged up that those who have been eliminated from the playoffs are furtively packing it in and playing youngsters or scrubs in order to save the best players on their club for next year. Still, it was impressive to be on the field to watch the Vikes pick apart a Bengals squad just hours after rumors surfaced that Cincy Head Coach Marvin Lewis would finally leave the team. And while I have some reservations for the offensive output Saturday night against a Packers squad that was there for the taking, Minnesota blanked an opponent for the first time since the 1993 season. (I'll blame the cold.) That they did it against the Cheeseheads makes it all the more satisfying. Seeing visiting Vikes fans do the Skol chant and the Viking Clap in Lambeau? I'm in heaven.
The only thing preventing these guys from reaching Positive Numbers is the revelation that I saw during the game that the Philadelphia Eagles only need to win one of their next two games to have home-field advantage on the NFC side of the playoffs. The possibility of a three-game homestand to the end the season at the Super Bowl takes a serious blow. Also, late word that Left Guard Nick Easton is done for the year with a broken right ankle flummoxes the Offensive Line once more. Nevertheless, this team is still good enough to reach Super Bowl LII, even if they have to do it on the road.
#-1: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). For all the angst generated by the lack of results a team so good on paper should have by now, they stand fourth in the West. (In an underplayed irony, after an offseason where nearly all the East All-Stars were moved westward, the Eastern Conference has gotten appreciably better this year.) Weeks like the 3-0 one they just enjoyed show how good these Woofie Dogs can be when they're not tripping over their own dicks or getting run into the ground. Now, this is a long season, so I'm sure bad weeks are going to come. But this was the kind of screening week I was kind of expecting.
For the second year in a row, the Wolves are one of the ten teams to be showcased in the NBA Christmas Games; they visit the Lakers for the league's nightcap. They also play a hard back-to-back: Home to Denver Wednesday, at Milwaukee Thursday.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -7). This blog post (by a real good blogger) says the U. is the tenth most disappointing team in top-flight men's college b-ball. They are currently unranked now and are a bubble team when it comes to RPI after losing three games (two of the non-conference, high-profile ones, the third a shoulda-been win at Nebraska), so he has a major point. All these Goofers can do is win, and they did just that this screening week with post-finals frog-stompings of Oral Roberts and Florida Atlantic.
That's all I got. They finish up their non-con Saturday afternoon with the fourth game in a six-game homestand against one final quality opponent: Harvard.
#-3: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -1). Finished their non-conference sched throttling Cal-Riverside Friday afternoon, 101-75. They finish their non-con at 11-2. Don't think they're even sniffing the NCAAs; that loss at San Diego might loom large. They start conference play at Northwestern Thursday.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -5). Just noticed that of the five local teams to play this week, the Mild were the only ones who lost. An absolutely ugly weeklong 1-3 roadtrip ends with back-to-back defeats to the Florida teams on back-to-back nights. Only a 6-4 victory over Ottawa -- a game where they once fell behind 3-1 -- prevented a complete wipeout.
This club just doesn't have it this season. Never thought the loss of Zach Parise and the trade of Marco Scandella could do so much damage. The only saving grace is that they are in a three-way tie for ninth place in the West (along with Calgary and Chicago, the latter of which beat the Mild Sunday), just one point behind Anaheim for the final playoff spot in the West. It's there for the taking. But can the Mild take it? This week they host The Bastard North Stars before doing a direct home-and-home with the Nashville Predators.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
So I'm Going Down There
After some prodding from my sister-in-law, I'm going to see her, my niece, and My Asshole Brother tomorrow morning. I am really, really worried of how he's going to react, and frankly, I am scared about how I am going to react after seeing his bitch-ass face for the first time since he disrespected me every single goddamn minute in Hong Kong.
But all this avoiding seeing him comes at the cost of not seeing my niece. And at some point she's going to notice. I don't have to talk to him, although I asked my sister-in-law what does he think about the possibility of me coming over. So, even though I feel as though I'm walking into this situation blind, I'm going to drive for the friggin' day (it's not a day, more like 40 minutes) over to their place and spend, oh, and hour with them before heading off to see Grandmother's best friend in the nursing home. An hour I think is enough time to spend before I want to gouge My Asshole Brother's eyes out. At any rate I think I'll just ignore him while I'm there. Hey, maybe he'll just stay upstairs.
Hope this isn't a big mistake.
But all this avoiding seeing him comes at the cost of not seeing my niece. And at some point she's going to notice. I don't have to talk to him, although I asked my sister-in-law what does he think about the possibility of me coming over. So, even though I feel as though I'm walking into this situation blind, I'm going to drive for the friggin' day (it's not a day, more like 40 minutes) over to their place and spend, oh, and hour with them before heading off to see Grandmother's best friend in the nursing home. An hour I think is enough time to spend before I want to gouge My Asshole Brother's eyes out. At any rate I think I'll just ignore him while I'm there. Hey, maybe he'll just stay upstairs.
Hope this isn't a big mistake.
Expenses Without Receipts
I kind of don't believe that there have only been six times for the bulk of December where I bought something with cash and without a receipt. But that's what I have, at least for now. That makes things easier. Anyway, starting with Friday, December 22:
- Had a lot of things I had to do and wanted to do in preparation for my annual sojourn with my friends to the Arrows. One of them is shaving, necessitated this time around because I shut off the water in my house. Dude who shaved me never shaved me before, but he was quiet and thorough, two traits I like. So I gave the usual 80% tip on top of the price. Total: $9.
- On Wednesday the 20th I tried printing out copies of the tickets to the Arrows at the library, but for some damn reason Yahoo! Mail was too slow to get to my e-mail. That's what you get when you elect Republicans that end Net Neutrality. Somehow, Yahoo! was working an hour later, when I went downtown to print them out before the Bad Plus concert. Cost: 30 cents.
- Back to Sunday, December 17, where I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version) after the Vikings sewed up the division and thus a playoff spot. Got a dance from Lola. With stage tips and coffee: $40.
- On Saturday the 16th I went to the Mall Of America to watch (well, try to watch) the NCAA women's volleyball final, won by Nebraska. My favorite Hooters waitress was working, and she manned a section where the closest TVs were tuned to the NFL and Timberwolves games, so I couldn't have her change it until the Wolves game was over. But I caught the fourth and final Set. Oh ... I ran back-and-forth between the mall and my car, and of the three times I entered or re-entered the Megamall, I threw in a quarter in the Salvation Army bucket twice. So, that comes out to: 50 cents.
- So now I have to go all the way back to
ThursdayTuesday, December 5. Shoot, I know I bought a lot of stuff in these 11 days. Did I just charge all of those purchases to my credit card? It'll be a hell of a credit card bill. Anyway, this day I went to see Thor: Ragnarok, even though I missed the previous Thor sequel. Didn't lose the narrative, however. It seemed like its own movie, and it's a fun one at that. Hell if I know how Cate Blanchett got a part in a big movie, but she looks hella good. Film's good, too. Ticket, popcorn, and pop: $9.67. - On Monday the 4th I dropped by MOA. That means I went past the Salvation Army kettle, which means I dropped in: 25 cents.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Addendum To: Enemy! Enemy!
So I spent most of my working day e-mailing and calling temp agencies to rustle up some work. Yet, lo and behold, near the end of my day I get a message in my internal e-mail from a person within the company saying that they are looking for a temp in a different department to help out with stuff. And she said that she not only talked to my temp agency, but also to the person who e-mailed my firing earlier this week.
I will admit that I felt a certain burden lift off my shoulders. I don't want to get too carried away, however. For one thing, I only replied to her request for an interview; there is no way to know right now whether I'll get the job. More importantly, while I do now sort of regret my negative attitude around work, and while I don't want to be proud of what I did, I think people will understand why I reacted the way I did. It does not matter that I'm a temp, that I should know what I was getting into, and that I've been through this before. Yes, I understand this is a business decision. Moreover, I understand the decision itself. But people also have to understand that I am getting cut two months before I was told I would be. So I've been spending many of my waking hours since learning about my canning, some of them at work, finding a new job. I had no choice but to look out for myself, and I don't know about other people, but when I'm fearful about finding where my next paycheck comes from, I don't walk around with a smile on my face.
Saying that ... that was an honorable gesture on her part. When you don't talk to someone about something you did, you can interpret it a lot of different ways, many of them bad. And again, I don't know what will come out of this interview. But while I questioned her attitude about telling me about my firing in this way, she did not have to say that talk to those people about me and my impending unemployment. Regardless of what happens from here on out, in and of itself, she did a nice thing for me. So no, she is not the total bitch I thought she was.
I will admit that I felt a certain burden lift off my shoulders. I don't want to get too carried away, however. For one thing, I only replied to her request for an interview; there is no way to know right now whether I'll get the job. More importantly, while I do now sort of regret my negative attitude around work, and while I don't want to be proud of what I did, I think people will understand why I reacted the way I did. It does not matter that I'm a temp, that I should know what I was getting into, and that I've been through this before. Yes, I understand this is a business decision. Moreover, I understand the decision itself. But people also have to understand that I am getting cut two months before I was told I would be. So I've been spending many of my waking hours since learning about my canning, some of them at work, finding a new job. I had no choice but to look out for myself, and I don't know about other people, but when I'm fearful about finding where my next paycheck comes from, I don't walk around with a smile on my face.
Saying that ... that was an honorable gesture on her part. When you don't talk to someone about something you did, you can interpret it a lot of different ways, many of them bad. And again, I don't know what will come out of this interview. But while I questioned her attitude about telling me about my firing in this way, she did not have to say that talk to those people about me and my impending unemployment. Regardless of what happens from here on out, in and of itself, she did a nice thing for me. So no, she is not the total bitch I thought she was.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Enemy! Enemy!
It's funny how you think of people before and after they fire you.
So my boss, who I think is getting more and more racist, said goodbye to me on his way last (Wednesday) night, as if him okaying my shitcanning never happened. I waved hi back to him without breaking stride nor looking at him. I do that a lot, but with what he did to me, it took on a more bitter resonance -- as I intended. Seriously, does he think he can or should be all cordial to me now that he's fired me? Stupid.
And my other supervisor, AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's usually a cold bitch, but the way she told me I was cut loose two months early, through e-mail? Fucking not right. And she hasn't even looked my way since. Wouldn't matter, since I don't feel as though I need to acknowledge her now. She has to know how impersonal firing someone through e-mail is. So if she's going to do it like this -- and she's perfectly in the right; there is no "right" way of doing this without pissing me off, I'll grant her that -- she might as well avoid or ignore me the rest of my time there. When she does something as vicious as that, it stands to reason she shouldn't be nice to me anymore. Because she's my enemy.
Fuck, they're all my enemies now.
So my boss, who I think is getting more and more racist, said goodbye to me on his way last (Wednesday) night, as if him okaying my shitcanning never happened. I waved hi back to him without breaking stride nor looking at him. I do that a lot, but with what he did to me, it took on a more bitter resonance -- as I intended. Seriously, does he think he can or should be all cordial to me now that he's fired me? Stupid.
And my other supervisor, AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's usually a cold bitch, but the way she told me I was cut loose two months early, through e-mail? Fucking not right. And she hasn't even looked my way since. Wouldn't matter, since I don't feel as though I need to acknowledge her now. She has to know how impersonal firing someone through e-mail is. So if she's going to do it like this -- and she's perfectly in the right; there is no "right" way of doing this without pissing me off, I'll grant her that -- she might as well avoid or ignore me the rest of my time there. When she does something as vicious as that, it stands to reason she shouldn't be nice to me anymore. Because she's my enemy.
Fuck, they're all my enemies now.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Don't Fuckin' Call Me Bruce
So I'm riding down the elevator with my boss after a meeting all jovial, even though he okayed my shitcanning yesterday. He was jittery during the meeting, as if he'd rather not be there, but only because he had something else to go to. But in the elevator he was free from such social obligations, so he nonchalantly started bullshitting with me.
I don't remember what he said, but he called me "Bruce." Why "Bruce?" You mean ... like Bruce Lee? Is he being racist again? Yeah, what a way to joke with a guy you just cut loose two months before you said you would.
Man, I'm really getting the feeling that I shouldn't work here anymore.
I don't remember what he said, but he called me "Bruce." Why "Bruce?" You mean ... like Bruce Lee? Is he being racist again? Yeah, what a way to joke with a guy you just cut loose two months before you said you would.
Man, I'm really getting the feeling that I shouldn't work here anymore.
And The Fucking Tape Didn't Work, Either
I wrapped that goddamn thing as tight as I could, and initially I thought it was all perfect. But after I checked all the taps I went back into the basement, and I saw rivulets of water dripping down the wall, again. Goddammit!!!
I don't know what it is. I want to blame the Rescue Tape, but maybe I didn't wrap it tight enough. It's against the wall, so I couldn't do as good of a job of wrapping it as I wanted to. Maybe that's it. Oh, and it seems that here is another leak around the joint of the main water shutoff valve, too.
First I lose my job two months early and then the pipe is still leaking. This is The Worst Fucking Goddamn Day Of My Life.
I don't know what it is. I want to blame the Rescue Tape, but maybe I didn't wrap it tight enough. It's against the wall, so I couldn't do as good of a job of wrapping it as I wanted to. Maybe that's it. Oh, and it seems that here is another leak around the joint of the main water shutoff valve, too.
First I lose my job two months early and then the pipe is still leaking. This is The Worst Fucking Goddamn Day Of My Life.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
I've Just Gotten A Pink Slip For Christmas
Well, fuck me. These guys just told me I'm losing my job early. Very early. Like the end of the year.
She did it through e-mail.
I don't have any work to do, but still.
Man, I'm so fucked.
I feel so insecure here now.
And wow, I'm now broke.
She did it through e-mail.
I don't have any work to do, but still.
Man, I'm so fucked.
I feel so insecure here now.
And wow, I'm now broke.
A Grievance I Need To Air This Festivus
So I went to a Barnes & Noble to buy something for my niece. I saw they had a table for gift-wrapping, and I remember having my gifts wrapped there a previous year. So I came back another day and asked what the gift-wrapping schedule was. She said there is no schedule; there is always someone who knows how to wrap a gift there at all times. Great!
So I wake up early today and drive down there since it opens at 8 for the holiday season. I not have the gift I bought from B&N but two other things from two different places. And I kept each of those items in the original bag the cashiers put them in. Probably a big mistake. Because when I went up to the cashier to request them be wrapped, she said, "Yes, we do wrap them, but only gifts bought here." And I will admit I was a bit curt to her when she asked for someone to wrap that gift. I said no, I made a waving motion, and I got out of there. (I stayed in the mall, though, to pick up some Tim Hortons.)
You know, in retrospect, maybe I should not have assumed that B&N would wrap all of a person's gifts. But when I had gifts wrapped there before there was no issue. Besides, what's the big damn deal? She said that they don't wrap presents from other places because it's a "security issue." What the hell does that mean?
So I have to stay out late again tonight. I have to give this to my sister-in-law in the morning.
So tired. So damn tired I will not be able to perform in the Feats Of Strength on Saturday.
So I wake up early today and drive down there since it opens at 8 for the holiday season. I not have the gift I bought from B&N but two other things from two different places. And I kept each of those items in the original bag the cashiers put them in. Probably a big mistake. Because when I went up to the cashier to request them be wrapped, she said, "Yes, we do wrap them, but only gifts bought here." And I will admit I was a bit curt to her when she asked for someone to wrap that gift. I said no, I made a waving motion, and I got out of there. (I stayed in the mall, though, to pick up some Tim Hortons.)
You know, in retrospect, maybe I should not have assumed that B&N would wrap all of a person's gifts. But when I had gifts wrapped there before there was no issue. Besides, what's the big damn deal? She said that they don't wrap presents from other places because it's a "security issue." What the hell does that mean?
So I have to stay out late again tonight. I have to give this to my sister-in-law in the morning.
So tired. So damn tired I will not be able to perform in the Feats Of Strength on Saturday.
Monday, December 18, 2017
The Rescue Tape's Ridiculous, Tortured End ... Or Is It?
OK, so I promised that if I get to work and I still hadn't received any word on the delivery of the Rescue Tape, I would demand it be sent back and my money and AmEx points back. So once I went online, not only did it say it hadn't reached the Amazon box yet, but it was, in fact, lost.
Amazon apologized online, but that was it; at just before ten, I cancelled the order. Or I returned the item. See, before I tried to cancel the order but I couldn't because it was too late. Here, I tried returning it, even though I hadn't really received it yet, but I tried returning it because I already tried cancelling it and that didn't work. But they said I couldn't return it. So I went back to this page and tried cancelling it and, for some fuckin' reason, it worked. I checked back on the page and apparently I have refused the tape, and then, in another line, the order was cancelled. Fuck if I know. I chatted with someone online to make sure the cancellation or return request or whatever the hell you call it went through and that I would get my AmEx points back, and some representative from India or Bangladesh assured me that would be the case. Sure!
And then the goddamndest thing: I get an e-mail from Amazon saying the Rescue Tape is finally at the Mall Of America. I get this message (which wasn't texted to me, by the way) about 90 minutes after I filed my cancellation/return request. Now, there is a small of me that still thinks I should just pick this one up and return the used-to-be-lost Rescue Tape I bought at the store. But nah, I've been fucked over so bad by Amazon in this case that I'm just going to let my request stand and just leave the roll in the box. By Thursday they're going to pick it up. I'm going to get a refund (that's what Amazon says, at least), and I'm going to go home tonight to hopefully patch up these pipe leaks for good, and I will finally get this horrible episode behind me.
Oh Shit, The Rescue Tape Debacle Gets Better
So I decided that I was going to return the Rescue Tape I bought at the hardware store because I didn't want to go through the potential hassle of returning the Rescue Tape I ordered through Amazon with the mighty help of American Express points.
It never, never occurred to me that Amazon would be late with their delivery. But they were. I was waiting around at 8 o'clock, the time that damn company said my product would be at their secure pick-up boxes and would give me a code to open that box. That text would never come. Fearing that I had someone asked that the code be e-mailed to me instead of texted, I went down to the Microsoft Store to check my e-mail just in case. And there, after clicking on tracking my item, it said that there had been a delay.
Again, I never thought that such a thing could happen. It's fucking Amazon, for crissake. But after boxing myself in by not believing Rescue Tape was being sold at retail, I had been similar fucked over for assuming this would be delivered on time. And even worse than that? The Rescue Tape I already bought I left at work. Why? Shit, I didn't need it, that's why -- I had another roll coming through the magical world of logistics!
I could have patched up (or tried to patch up) the pinhole leaks in the pipe Saturday if I really, really wanted to. I definitely thought it would be Sunday, if I wasn't so dead tired after the Vikings game. And if I brought that tape home, I would have totally changed my mind and told Amazon, "Shove it, keep it, it's too goddamn late." Hell, if I had gotten it a day later, on Sunday, I still would have been pissed at least because I paid a premium to get it shipped within a day. Now it hasn't shipped in two. I could have brought down the price of the roll if I had known beforehand it wouldn't have gotten to the Megamall before the weekend was over anyway.
So my initial thought of demanding the difference in shipping price because it was going to arrive Sunday instead of Saturday has now made me think about returning the Rescue Tape that got here way too late. Maybe. The tape I bought is still at work, so the earliest I could try and patch up the pipe -- well, the night I would patch up the pipe, this not having water bullshit has gone on way too long -- would be tonight/Monday night. But what happens if the package arrives? I then would be back to having two rolls of Rescue Tape. I initially thought that I would get to work and check on the status of the item, and if it still hadn't arrived, then I would take steps to cancel it and raise holy hell about getting my money and my points back. But this is a case where I could, unfortunately, be very flexible. I won't know how I feel, and what I would do, until it happens. I sometimes hate that about myself, but that's what I think I would do and not do.
---
In the meantime, however, even I thought it was too long to have not taken a shower, so I was desperate enough to go to the community center where I exercise -- not to exercise, although I did do that, but to use their shower. It is a dingy, grody shower, and one of the two stalls only gives out cold water. But I really, really wanted to wash myself after getting all sweaty during the Vikings game and to finally wash my too-long hair.
But the other stall was only spewing cold water also, much to my surprise. I was already naked in there, so it was too late to back out, but I soaped up my pits and my genitals and toughed out the cold water pelting me and washing the soap away. (And I am glad I totally dried myself and got dressed before these guys from the pick-up hockey game walked all the way down the hall from the rink in order to use the shower. I really didn't think anybody would be there, but here came three guys with towels around their waists, headed to the locker room I barely escaped.) Wasn't able to wash my hair, so I've got dandruff out the wazoo.
I am determined to use the tape to fix the leaks tonight/Monday night because this shit has just gone on way too goddamn long.
It never, never occurred to me that Amazon would be late with their delivery. But they were. I was waiting around at 8 o'clock, the time that damn company said my product would be at their secure pick-up boxes and would give me a code to open that box. That text would never come. Fearing that I had someone asked that the code be e-mailed to me instead of texted, I went down to the Microsoft Store to check my e-mail just in case. And there, after clicking on tracking my item, it said that there had been a delay.
Again, I never thought that such a thing could happen. It's fucking Amazon, for crissake. But after boxing myself in by not believing Rescue Tape was being sold at retail, I had been similar fucked over for assuming this would be delivered on time. And even worse than that? The Rescue Tape I already bought I left at work. Why? Shit, I didn't need it, that's why -- I had another roll coming through the magical world of logistics!
I could have patched up (or tried to patch up) the pinhole leaks in the pipe Saturday if I really, really wanted to. I definitely thought it would be Sunday, if I wasn't so dead tired after the Vikings game. And if I brought that tape home, I would have totally changed my mind and told Amazon, "Shove it, keep it, it's too goddamn late." Hell, if I had gotten it a day later, on Sunday, I still would have been pissed at least because I paid a premium to get it shipped within a day. Now it hasn't shipped in two. I could have brought down the price of the roll if I had known beforehand it wouldn't have gotten to the Megamall before the weekend was over anyway.
So my initial thought of demanding the difference in shipping price because it was going to arrive Sunday instead of Saturday has now made me think about returning the Rescue Tape that got here way too late. Maybe. The tape I bought is still at work, so the earliest I could try and patch up the pipe -- well, the night I would patch up the pipe, this not having water bullshit has gone on way too long -- would be tonight/Monday night. But what happens if the package arrives? I then would be back to having two rolls of Rescue Tape. I initially thought that I would get to work and check on the status of the item, and if it still hadn't arrived, then I would take steps to cancel it and raise holy hell about getting my money and my points back. But this is a case where I could, unfortunately, be very flexible. I won't know how I feel, and what I would do, until it happens. I sometimes hate that about myself, but that's what I think I would do and not do.
---
In the meantime, however, even I thought it was too long to have not taken a shower, so I was desperate enough to go to the community center where I exercise -- not to exercise, although I did do that, but to use their shower. It is a dingy, grody shower, and one of the two stalls only gives out cold water. But I really, really wanted to wash myself after getting all sweaty during the Vikings game and to finally wash my too-long hair.
But the other stall was only spewing cold water also, much to my surprise. I was already naked in there, so it was too late to back out, but I soaped up my pits and my genitals and toughed out the cold water pelting me and washing the soap away. (And I am glad I totally dried myself and got dressed before these guys from the pick-up hockey game walked all the way down the hall from the rink in order to use the shower. I really didn't think anybody would be there, but here came three guys with towels around their waists, headed to the locker room I barely escaped.) Wasn't able to wash my hair, so I've got dandruff out the wazoo.
I am determined to use the tape to fix the leaks tonight/Monday night because this shit has just gone on way too goddamn long.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
I'm going to do this week's WMNSS real quick because I have to wake up at 5:30 and I can't do this at the game because people will look at me funny and Amazon said the Rescue Tape is late and I am pissed as fuck about that.
#-1: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: 0). I did not notice on their schedule that their game against Cal Poly Wednesday was an afternoon matinee designed as a field trip for gradeschoolers. I remember as a kid we went to a Twins game. Kansas City throttled the Twinks for, like ten runs in the top of the first and we all lost interest immediately. Well, the opposite happened for this club: They destroyed the Mustangs, 112-68, and since I heard the part of the game online where the Golden Gophers started pulling away, dare I say that it wasn't even that close. They finish up their non-con Friday (afternoon, again) at home versus Cal-Riverside.
#-2: Vikings (Last Week: Positive Numbers). I know that their winning streak ended at eight games Sunday after losing at Carolina. But hear me out. First of all, I'm not really putting too much thought into this survey. Second of all, they are still in command of the NFC North, and if they win today (Sunday) vs. a Cincinnati Bengals squad in contention for the playoffs in name only, they clinch the division, a playoff spot, and at least one home game. Third of all, even though they relinquished the overall #1 seed in the NFC back to Philadelphia, they are still #2, so they remain in line for a bye. And finally, the Eagles won last week, but Carson Wentz tore his ACL and he's done for the year. He was the main reason the Iggles turned into a juggernaut, and now with Nick Foles having to pilot that squad, chances are good that the Vikes reclaim the top spot and thus home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Oh, and I think a loss is good for them. Famous last words, huh?
#-3: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). Crushed Fresno St. at Maturi Sunday, 38-7. Giving them plaudits now since I doubt they'll be this high in the WMNSS again this year. No Chattanooga for New Year's this year; they will instead be in Ft. Lauderdale just before 2017 ends for this thing called South Beach Duals.
#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -Infinity). Offseason good news and bad news. The good news is that Opposite Hitter Stephanie Samedy was named First-Team All-American. (Even better, she's only a Freshman.) The bad news actually comes from my alma mater. Mick Haley, who eliminated Minnesota this year, was let go. Don't know how a Head Coach could have his contract cancelled after an Elite Eight appearance. In fact, many speculate that he was fired, and if that's the case, a lot of people are angry at Athletic Director Lynn Swann for pushing Haley out the door.
What has this got to do with the U.? Like Minnesota, my alma mater is a great and well-funded program. Let the speculation that HC Hugh McCutcheon will take his talents to South Central. Watch this space.
#-5: Wild (Last Week: -3). They actually went 3-1 this week. But it was so laborious -- they beat the Sharks in San Jose in Overtime and had to outlast Calgary in a Shootout at home before blanking Toronto in regulation 2-0 -- that it seems like they were under for the screening week. Oh, and they lost to a flailing Edmonton club at home last (Saturday) night, too. This week comprises a road trip where they play every other day: Chicago, Ottawa, Florida and Tampa Bay.
#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). These games were all at home and every other day, just like what the Mild will see this week. Beat Dallas and Sacramento, but lost to Philadelphia and Phoenix. And by the way the Woofie Dogs blew a lead and succumbed to the 76ers in Overtime and seeing how they choked on a 15-point lead (their largest blown loss yet this year) last/Saturday night on their way to a defeat by the Suns, and I am now totally convinced that Tom Thibodeau is not a savior but is in fact the obstacle to this franchise's long-term success. I might cover this topic more in-depth next week, but the fact that he overly relies on his starters shows in tired legs in the Fourth Quarter, which leads to, well, blown leads such as the two losses this week. Moreover, all this run is going to do long-term damage to the team, and in particular Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Thibs's hard-driving style is going to shorten careers; see the premature demises of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah when Thibodeau was coaching the Chicago Bulls to see a stark example. And that is unacceptable in a marathon like the NBA season.
They finish a five-game homestand vs. Portland Monday before visiting Denver and the Suns, again.
#-7: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). OK, so these guys are at the bottom of the survey even though they won their only game of the screening week. But you have to consider that they were heavy favorites Monday against Drake at Williams, and yet struggled mightily before somehow nipping the Bulldogs in the bud, 68-67. No question this feels like a loss, similar to the two actual defeats these Goofers suffered before playing Monday. And seeing how they almost lost at home to an inferior moment shows that there still is something very, very wrong with a squad that was flying so high not too long ago.
Finals apparently are over for these players, for they play two games at the Barn this week: Oral Roberts Thursday, Florida Atlantic Saturday.
#-1: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: 0). I did not notice on their schedule that their game against Cal Poly Wednesday was an afternoon matinee designed as a field trip for gradeschoolers. I remember as a kid we went to a Twins game. Kansas City throttled the Twinks for, like ten runs in the top of the first and we all lost interest immediately. Well, the opposite happened for this club: They destroyed the Mustangs, 112-68, and since I heard the part of the game online where the Golden Gophers started pulling away, dare I say that it wasn't even that close. They finish up their non-con Friday (afternoon, again) at home versus Cal-Riverside.
#-2: Vikings (Last Week: Positive Numbers). I know that their winning streak ended at eight games Sunday after losing at Carolina. But hear me out. First of all, I'm not really putting too much thought into this survey. Second of all, they are still in command of the NFC North, and if they win today (Sunday) vs. a Cincinnati Bengals squad in contention for the playoffs in name only, they clinch the division, a playoff spot, and at least one home game. Third of all, even though they relinquished the overall #1 seed in the NFC back to Philadelphia, they are still #2, so they remain in line for a bye. And finally, the Eagles won last week, but Carson Wentz tore his ACL and he's done for the year. He was the main reason the Iggles turned into a juggernaut, and now with Nick Foles having to pilot that squad, chances are good that the Vikes reclaim the top spot and thus home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Oh, and I think a loss is good for them. Famous last words, huh?
#-3: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). Crushed Fresno St. at Maturi Sunday, 38-7. Giving them plaudits now since I doubt they'll be this high in the WMNSS again this year. No Chattanooga for New Year's this year; they will instead be in Ft. Lauderdale just before 2017 ends for this thing called South Beach Duals.
#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -Infinity). Offseason good news and bad news. The good news is that Opposite Hitter Stephanie Samedy was named First-Team All-American. (Even better, she's only a Freshman.) The bad news actually comes from my alma mater. Mick Haley, who eliminated Minnesota this year, was let go. Don't know how a Head Coach could have his contract cancelled after an Elite Eight appearance. In fact, many speculate that he was fired, and if that's the case, a lot of people are angry at Athletic Director Lynn Swann for pushing Haley out the door.
What has this got to do with the U.? Like Minnesota, my alma mater is a great and well-funded program. Let the speculation that HC Hugh McCutcheon will take his talents to South Central. Watch this space.
#-5: Wild (Last Week: -3). They actually went 3-1 this week. But it was so laborious -- they beat the Sharks in San Jose in Overtime and had to outlast Calgary in a Shootout at home before blanking Toronto in regulation 2-0 -- that it seems like they were under for the screening week. Oh, and they lost to a flailing Edmonton club at home last (Saturday) night, too. This week comprises a road trip where they play every other day: Chicago, Ottawa, Florida and Tampa Bay.
#-6: Timberwolves (Last Week: -1). These games were all at home and every other day, just like what the Mild will see this week. Beat Dallas and Sacramento, but lost to Philadelphia and Phoenix. And by the way the Woofie Dogs blew a lead and succumbed to the 76ers in Overtime and seeing how they choked on a 15-point lead (their largest blown loss yet this year) last/Saturday night on their way to a defeat by the Suns, and I am now totally convinced that Tom Thibodeau is not a savior but is in fact the obstacle to this franchise's long-term success. I might cover this topic more in-depth next week, but the fact that he overly relies on his starters shows in tired legs in the Fourth Quarter, which leads to, well, blown leads such as the two losses this week. Moreover, all this run is going to do long-term damage to the team, and in particular Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Thibs's hard-driving style is going to shorten careers; see the premature demises of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah when Thibodeau was coaching the Chicago Bulls to see a stark example. And that is unacceptable in a marathon like the NBA season.
They finish a five-game homestand vs. Portland Monday before visiting Denver and the Suns, again.
#-7: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). OK, so these guys are at the bottom of the survey even though they won their only game of the screening week. But you have to consider that they were heavy favorites Monday against Drake at Williams, and yet struggled mightily before somehow nipping the Bulldogs in the bud, 68-67. No question this feels like a loss, similar to the two actual defeats these Goofers suffered before playing Monday. And seeing how they almost lost at home to an inferior moment shows that there still is something very, very wrong with a squad that was flying so high not too long ago.
Finals apparently are over for these players, for they play two games at the Barn this week: Oral Roberts Thursday, Florida Atlantic Saturday.
Saturday, December 16, 2017
I can honestly say that I'm doing nothing at work today. It's because there's a second guy here, and he seems to be doing everything, Buddha bless him. At first I thought I was being usurped for some reason. But since he pointed out to me he is above me on the organizational chart (at least for this day), I don't mind him doing all the work. That's why I'm able to blog about this right now.
It's only one day, but hey, if you can get money for doing nothing, you gotta take it, you know?
It's only one day, but hey, if you can get money for doing nothing, you gotta take it, you know?
There's Nothing Wrong With What Matt Damon Said
There isn't.
What's the problem with proportionality? Do people who are instantly being outraged on social media even know what the fuck proportionality is?
Things such as due process, common sense or not jumping to conclusions surely aren't illegal. But oftentimes they're the smartest things to use in cases like this.
It is a fact that what Al Franken did -- grope people, swoop in for a kiss -- is different from what Louis C.K. did -- masturbate in front of women -- is different from what Harvey Weinstein did -- coerce and then threaten women into sex acts, then using tactics rogue governments employ to investigate and harass those who threaten to rat on him. There is a spectrum, and lumping all acts into one big evil act of "sexual harassment" will only ensnare those who truly made a mistake and allows no room for measured punishment and the ability to forgive.
It is shocking how people on the left have jumped on Damon, a man who has walked the walk when it comes to many progressive ideas. This is the kind of piling on without any urge to step back and at least fucking think about what he is saying that, frankly, people on the right usually use to smear people they hate in order to silence them. This is what I would call friendly fire. In fact, it is a term I didn't want to use, but probably have to: This is political correctness.
My God, I just said it. I have used a term Republicans decry about liberals. But in this case, I see it. And I hate that.
You know one of my greatest fears -- well, after death, the death of my family members, and that the Rescue Tape I'm going to put on the broken water pipe won't stop the leak? That I will turn into a Republican as I grow older. I do not want to be some reactionary, fearful, hateful man who refuses to change with the times. But if the times change in a way that I abhor, well ... no, I don't want to say it.
What's the problem with proportionality? Do people who are instantly being outraged on social media even know what the fuck proportionality is?
Things such as due process, common sense or not jumping to conclusions surely aren't illegal. But oftentimes they're the smartest things to use in cases like this.
It is a fact that what Al Franken did -- grope people, swoop in for a kiss -- is different from what Louis C.K. did -- masturbate in front of women -- is different from what Harvey Weinstein did -- coerce and then threaten women into sex acts, then using tactics rogue governments employ to investigate and harass those who threaten to rat on him. There is a spectrum, and lumping all acts into one big evil act of "sexual harassment" will only ensnare those who truly made a mistake and allows no room for measured punishment and the ability to forgive.
It is shocking how people on the left have jumped on Damon, a man who has walked the walk when it comes to many progressive ideas. This is the kind of piling on without any urge to step back and at least fucking think about what he is saying that, frankly, people on the right usually use to smear people they hate in order to silence them. This is what I would call friendly fire. In fact, it is a term I didn't want to use, but probably have to: This is political correctness.
My God, I just said it. I have used a term Republicans decry about liberals. But in this case, I see it. And I hate that.
You know one of my greatest fears -- well, after death, the death of my family members, and that the Rescue Tape I'm going to put on the broken water pipe won't stop the leak? That I will turn into a Republican as I grow older. I do not want to be some reactionary, fearful, hateful man who refuses to change with the times. But if the times change in a way that I abhor, well ... no, I don't want to say it.
Friday, December 15, 2017
This Is Where I'm At My Worst
Alright, so when I last left off, I had ordered Rescue Tape from Amazon because I, in my current state of agitated desperation, believe that is the only thing that will fix the leaky pipes, which, by the way, has caused me to shut off the main water valve for what will be a third consecutive night. But I was going to wake up early today to go down to a hardware store, just in case I could buy a roll of Rescue and use it tonight.
And, by God, I could. Going everywhere last night -- Menards, Home Depot, Lowe's, Northern Tool -- I couldn't find it. But in a fairly local hardware store, I found a roll. So now I didn't have to buy it through Amazon.
But can I? I've never cancelled an order on Amazon before. So the first thing I did after I reached my cubicle was to login and try to cancel. Unfortunately, they said that they were in the middle of shipping it; they'd get back to me. And this afternoon, goddammit, they told me that it was too late. I was going to get the Rescue Tape tomorrow (Saturday) even though I no longer wanted it.
I fucking hate situations like this. I feel as though I need to make these huge, desperate moves to fix something that was dropping onto my lap, the move being ordering something online and paying a pretty penny for it. (Getting this Saturday as opposed to Saturday was so expensive, the cost of shipping costs me more than the tape itself.) I couldn't quite accept that, so I used all my American Express points to bring the total price of that down to $3+ just to salve my ego. All of that I would have gotten back -- well, honestly, I don't know; for all I know, I could have lost all my points as soon as I used them -- if I were to cancel in time. But, according to Amazon, I didn't.
So now I'm in an even worse bind. I'm not talking about figuring out how to use it; I have a hell of a lot of anxiety that I'll just fuck up applying the tape already, but I don't have time to worry about that shit now. Anyway, unless I realize that I need to use the whole damn roll to properly fix this -- and I don't quite know that yet -- I only need one. I was hoping that that one was the one I bought this morning, the one I could break open and use tonight. But since I have to get the one I bought through Amazon, and I'm freaked out as hell that the points I used won't be credited back to me if I returned that package, I'll just say fuck it and use the tape I ordered online and return the one I bought today. I feel bad because I am going to use the more expensive roll (and I am including the Am. Ex. points I'm using to buy the Amazon Rescue Tape) and have decided to do my business with the behemoth Amazon instead of True Value, which has several stores in town yet is a fly on the back of the Amazon woolly mammoth. But for fear of letting my credit card points go to a complete waste by not wanting to keep track of what will happen if I return that roll, well, I'm going with Amazon.
It'll be a third night without water. I wanted it to end at two, but shit, I didn't have the urge to pee this morning. I'm actually starting to be able to live without running water. I mean, who needs this thing called "hygiene?" I can go without washing my face! And I'll be out using public bathrooms tonight. Shit's gone sideways so bad that I'll go to a house party, then check out this curling Olympic trial close to home before going to Glam Doll to finish my night.
The weekend, however, might be a struggle. The good thing is that I am working for the Vikings game tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. That means I won't be at home, therefore I won't need anything at home. I'll just keep the water off and turn the heater off and I should be OK. The bad thing is that I am working the Vikings game tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. That means I'll be too tired to do try and apply it after coming back tomorrow night (although, to be honest, I think I'm going to watch the NCAA women's volleyball championship and shop at the Megamall after work tomorrow). And I sure as hell won't try and stay up tomorrow night with the Rescue Tape because I have to report to work Sunday morning at 6. Sure hope I can literally hold my piss (and shit?) in Saturday night.
---
That Seinfeldian bullshit with the tape is where I feel at my most embattled and defensive. Everything aggravates me right now. I was trying to sleep in my car (trying to; I'm so goddamn aggravated that I couldn't sleep) when, as I was going to step out of the car from the passenger-side seat, I see this car and it's headlights in the side mirror. It's not parked because the parking spots in that area of the ramp would not be aligned that way. So what the fuck is that car doing there? I saw a figure step out of the car, then get back in and drive away. I think he or she could tell I was in my car, albeit on the "wrong" side, and that thought pisses me the fuck off right now.
Trying to get this fixed has been such a fearful focus of mine that I've been forgetting stuff. For example, I was going to both return something addressed to my parents and deposit a check for my alumni club online, and I cannot find either the letter or the check. I think I lost them before this thing with the pipe leak, but I haven't even thought about looking for them since Tuesday night. Meanwhile, part of the reason I "tried" to fall asleep this afternoon is because I forgot my phone at my desk, and I was too afraid to fall asleep and not wake up until my day was over. I've forgotten my phone at my cube a few times during this job, but only today has it made me, really, really angry. And I only forgot because of the water leak and this BS about the tape.
I just hope I don't do anything I regret between now and when I can finally be rid of this problem.
And, by God, I could. Going everywhere last night -- Menards, Home Depot, Lowe's, Northern Tool -- I couldn't find it. But in a fairly local hardware store, I found a roll. So now I didn't have to buy it through Amazon.
But can I? I've never cancelled an order on Amazon before. So the first thing I did after I reached my cubicle was to login and try to cancel. Unfortunately, they said that they were in the middle of shipping it; they'd get back to me. And this afternoon, goddammit, they told me that it was too late. I was going to get the Rescue Tape tomorrow (Saturday) even though I no longer wanted it.
I fucking hate situations like this. I feel as though I need to make these huge, desperate moves to fix something that was dropping onto my lap, the move being ordering something online and paying a pretty penny for it. (Getting this Saturday as opposed to Saturday was so expensive, the cost of shipping costs me more than the tape itself.) I couldn't quite accept that, so I used all my American Express points to bring the total price of that down to $3+ just to salve my ego. All of that I would have gotten back -- well, honestly, I don't know; for all I know, I could have lost all my points as soon as I used them -- if I were to cancel in time. But, according to Amazon, I didn't.
So now I'm in an even worse bind. I'm not talking about figuring out how to use it; I have a hell of a lot of anxiety that I'll just fuck up applying the tape already, but I don't have time to worry about that shit now. Anyway, unless I realize that I need to use the whole damn roll to properly fix this -- and I don't quite know that yet -- I only need one. I was hoping that that one was the one I bought this morning, the one I could break open and use tonight. But since I have to get the one I bought through Amazon, and I'm freaked out as hell that the points I used won't be credited back to me if I returned that package, I'll just say fuck it and use the tape I ordered online and return the one I bought today. I feel bad because I am going to use the more expensive roll (and I am including the Am. Ex. points I'm using to buy the Amazon Rescue Tape) and have decided to do my business with the behemoth Amazon instead of True Value, which has several stores in town yet is a fly on the back of the Amazon woolly mammoth. But for fear of letting my credit card points go to a complete waste by not wanting to keep track of what will happen if I return that roll, well, I'm going with Amazon.
It'll be a third night without water. I wanted it to end at two, but shit, I didn't have the urge to pee this morning. I'm actually starting to be able to live without running water. I mean, who needs this thing called "hygiene?" I can go without washing my face! And I'll be out using public bathrooms tonight. Shit's gone sideways so bad that I'll go to a house party, then check out this curling Olympic trial close to home before going to Glam Doll to finish my night.
The weekend, however, might be a struggle. The good thing is that I am working for the Vikings game tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. That means I won't be at home, therefore I won't need anything at home. I'll just keep the water off and turn the heater off and I should be OK. The bad thing is that I am working the Vikings game tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. That means I'll be too tired to do try and apply it after coming back tomorrow night (although, to be honest, I think I'm going to watch the NCAA women's volleyball championship and shop at the Megamall after work tomorrow). And I sure as hell won't try and stay up tomorrow night with the Rescue Tape because I have to report to work Sunday morning at 6. Sure hope I can literally hold my piss (and shit?) in Saturday night.
---
That Seinfeldian bullshit with the tape is where I feel at my most embattled and defensive. Everything aggravates me right now. I was trying to sleep in my car (trying to; I'm so goddamn aggravated that I couldn't sleep) when, as I was going to step out of the car from the passenger-side seat, I see this car and it's headlights in the side mirror. It's not parked because the parking spots in that area of the ramp would not be aligned that way. So what the fuck is that car doing there? I saw a figure step out of the car, then get back in and drive away. I think he or she could tell I was in my car, albeit on the "wrong" side, and that thought pisses me the fuck off right now.
Trying to get this fixed has been such a fearful focus of mine that I've been forgetting stuff. For example, I was going to both return something addressed to my parents and deposit a check for my alumni club online, and I cannot find either the letter or the check. I think I lost them before this thing with the pipe leak, but I haven't even thought about looking for them since Tuesday night. Meanwhile, part of the reason I "tried" to fall asleep this afternoon is because I forgot my phone at my desk, and I was too afraid to fall asleep and not wake up until my day was over. I've forgotten my phone at my cube a few times during this job, but only today has it made me, really, really angry. And I only forgot because of the water leak and this BS about the tape.
I just hope I don't do anything I regret between now and when I can finally be rid of this problem.
Now Rescue Tape Is Going To Rescue Me
After work today I went all around my part of town to find things that would patch up the three leaks in the water pipe. I bought a clamp, even though I was dubious it would fix all three leaks; epoxy, even though trying to use it correctly scares me; and even Flex Tape, the adhesive that did a bang-up job selling itself in informercials, even though I hear it's not that it's cracked up to be.
In the end I couldn't use the epoxy, because I think I'll screw it up, nor the Flex Tape, because I think I would wind up only using a little piece and I didn't want to waste thirteen bucks on something I would use only once. So I tried the clamp, and sure enough, the rubber gasket that the clump was supposed to envelop couldn't get all three leaks, and so the water ran down the wall again.
Then I went online and found this product called Rescue Tape. The Internet apparently raves about it. I don't know how I stumbled upon it just now -- probably because I'm currently in a state of desperation -- but to hell with all the things I bought; I'm going to rely on Rescue Tape.
Unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere, so I just bought it through Amazon. And now I have to wait till Saturday to get it and, at the earliest, Saturday night to use it. (I would have paid more in shipping than the tape itself if it weren't for using my American Express points to pay nearly all of it.) So I will have to go through a third night without running water at the house. I swore that I wouldn't do that, but I'm so scared of the stuff I bought that I'm now banking on something I didn't know existed till just now to save me.
God, why do people own houses for?
In the end I couldn't use the epoxy, because I think I'll screw it up, nor the Flex Tape, because I think I would wind up only using a little piece and I didn't want to waste thirteen bucks on something I would use only once. So I tried the clamp, and sure enough, the rubber gasket that the clump was supposed to envelop couldn't get all three leaks, and so the water ran down the wall again.
Then I went online and found this product called Rescue Tape. The Internet apparently raves about it. I don't know how I stumbled upon it just now -- probably because I'm currently in a state of desperation -- but to hell with all the things I bought; I'm going to rely on Rescue Tape.
Unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere, so I just bought it through Amazon. And now I have to wait till Saturday to get it and, at the earliest, Saturday night to use it. (I would have paid more in shipping than the tape itself if it weren't for using my American Express points to pay nearly all of it.) So I will have to go through a third night without running water at the house. I swore that I wouldn't do that, but I'm so scared of the stuff I bought that I'm now banking on something I didn't know existed till just now to save me.
God, why do people own houses for?
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Not Under Control Not Under Control Not Under Control
So I had to get the bottom of the pipe leak problem; I had to figure out where it was leaking. So I did what I had to do; I had to undo all the "fixes" I did, then unscrew the rubber hose part that Father put it in to see what was wrong.
There are now, if I am correct (and I might not be) three pinhole leaks on this piece of pipe. I tried redoing Father's work, but when I turned the main valve back on, it apparently got worse. Water was strewing everywhere. And it didn't stop over night; there was a scary trickle I saw when I woke up this morning. And since I am super-anxious about this problem now, I woke up a bit before 6 to check it out (got about four hours of sleep) because I was afraid something happened. And something happened, sort of.
I finally got water out of the entire pipe, but I realized you really need to do what they say and open up everything and then wait a couple minutes, even if there is no water trickling out of the shower or the faucet. Finally, I undid everything I tried to do, heard the gurgling dying of the pipe, and dried everything out.
The next step? Uh, either call Uncle over or go to a hardware store and find something stronger. In the meantime, I working on anxiety-induced adrenaline, cleansing wetnaps, and literally holding my piss in so I don't have standing urine in my toilets.
There are now, if I am correct (and I might not be) three pinhole leaks on this piece of pipe. I tried redoing Father's work, but when I turned the main valve back on, it apparently got worse. Water was strewing everywhere. And it didn't stop over night; there was a scary trickle I saw when I woke up this morning. And since I am super-anxious about this problem now, I woke up a bit before 6 to check it out (got about four hours of sleep) because I was afraid something happened. And something happened, sort of.
I finally got water out of the entire pipe, but I realized you really need to do what they say and open up everything and then wait a couple minutes, even if there is no water trickling out of the shower or the faucet. Finally, I undid everything I tried to do, heard the gurgling dying of the pipe, and dried everything out.
The next step? Uh, either call Uncle over or go to a hardware store and find something stronger. In the meantime, I working on anxiety-induced adrenaline, cleansing wetnaps, and literally holding my piss in so I don't have standing urine in my toilets.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
OK, Things With The Leaky Pipe Are Under Control, I Think
So I woke up early this morning to empty the bucket of the water that was still leaking, three drops at a time, from a pipe set up right next to the wall. I was racking my brain for many a minute this morn, trying to find the right receptacle that was broad enough to collect the drops dropping down rigidly from three columns from the wall while being big enough to collect it all over the course of the twelve hours I would be away today before it starts spilling onto the floor. (I really want to get to MNUFC's offices to pick up my free, uh, clothing item.)
I couldn't find the right receptacle. The biggest bucket I found was the mop bucket, but the contour of the tub is so weird that it couldn't collect all three drops at the same time. None of them really did, plus they were too small to collect all the water through half a day, plus they had this fat lip so that the drops of water would just bounce off and hit the ground. This was beyond frustrating; this shit was pissing me off.
But then I stumbled onto an understanding. Before I went to sleep last night I looked up how to fix a leaky pipe. One of the steps was to close off the water valve, which is what Father told me to do if this pipe sprung a leak. I did close it; hell, I closed both valves on both sides of the meter. But the pipe kept dripping, and I didn't know what to do.
So I left to go to work, and I prayed the house wouldn't flood. And then I went upstairs to my bathroom to see my pee in the toilet and remembered that I didn't flush because I got tired and scared that flushing would do something to the pipe. So I flushed it, and the bowl didn't fill back up.
Oh. I then remembered that when I looked it up last night, the following step to turning off the water valve(s) was to open up the faucets and sinks to drain the pipe of the rest of the water. I kind of thought that the remaining water in the pipe when I closed the valves before I went to bed would have petered out by the time I woke up, but it didn't. Apparently, that step is very, very important.
I opened up the valves to see my toilet bowl fill up. I then closed up the valves, really tight, and before I left the house, it looked as though the pipe stopped dripping. I assume it's free of water. And unless I totally screwed it up, the house is safe.
Phew. My main fear was not being able to stop the drip-drip of water coming from the pipe. But now that I can, at least I can control what is going on down in my basement. This certainly cannot stop me from using water; I think running the faucet to wash my hands won't cause a flood; and although it will gush when I use the shower (I tested it last night), I don't shower more than twice a week anyway, so I think I can deal, especially if my showers are short.
Best of all, with the water completely cleared, I can start figuring out where exactly the leak is and what the hell I can do to stop it, at least enough until my folks get back and, potentially, replace all the pipes in the house. I've been researching here at work, and all I'm getting is that epoxy seems to be really tricky to use.
No matter. As long as I can stop the water, I at least feel like I am in control. That's the really important thing, for now.
I couldn't find the right receptacle. The biggest bucket I found was the mop bucket, but the contour of the tub is so weird that it couldn't collect all three drops at the same time. None of them really did, plus they were too small to collect all the water through half a day, plus they had this fat lip so that the drops of water would just bounce off and hit the ground. This was beyond frustrating; this shit was pissing me off.
But then I stumbled onto an understanding. Before I went to sleep last night I looked up how to fix a leaky pipe. One of the steps was to close off the water valve, which is what Father told me to do if this pipe sprung a leak. I did close it; hell, I closed both valves on both sides of the meter. But the pipe kept dripping, and I didn't know what to do.
So I left to go to work, and I prayed the house wouldn't flood. And then I went upstairs to my bathroom to see my pee in the toilet and remembered that I didn't flush because I got tired and scared that flushing would do something to the pipe. So I flushed it, and the bowl didn't fill back up.
Oh. I then remembered that when I looked it up last night, the following step to turning off the water valve(s) was to open up the faucets and sinks to drain the pipe of the rest of the water. I kind of thought that the remaining water in the pipe when I closed the valves before I went to bed would have petered out by the time I woke up, but it didn't. Apparently, that step is very, very important.
I opened up the valves to see my toilet bowl fill up. I then closed up the valves, really tight, and before I left the house, it looked as though the pipe stopped dripping. I assume it's free of water. And unless I totally screwed it up, the house is safe.
Phew. My main fear was not being able to stop the drip-drip of water coming from the pipe. But now that I can, at least I can control what is going on down in my basement. This certainly cannot stop me from using water; I think running the faucet to wash my hands won't cause a flood; and although it will gush when I use the shower (I tested it last night), I don't shower more than twice a week anyway, so I think I can deal, especially if my showers are short.
Best of all, with the water completely cleared, I can start figuring out where exactly the leak is and what the hell I can do to stop it, at least enough until my folks get back and, potentially, replace all the pipes in the house. I've been researching here at work, and all I'm getting is that epoxy seems to be really tricky to use.
No matter. As long as I can stop the water, I at least feel like I am in control. That's the really important thing, for now.
The Pains Of Homeownership
Oh, fuck me. My Father warned me about a pipe that's leaking, and it got really bad. I didn't notice it, however, till just now, when Mother wanted me to go to her office to get something for her. I have to pass by the furnace and the boiler along the way, and that's where I saw a steady rivulet of water emanating from this problem pipe.
I tried to do what Father told me to do: Stick a piece of tape in it and clamp it shut. Didn't work. In fact, I think it's gotten worse, although unclamping the first clamp that was already there may not have been the wise thing to do.
So I'm going to give it a day. Meanwhile, I have a wastebasket to collect all the water. Hopefully it won't be full by the time I wake up -- that is assuming I can fall asleep now.
Father said that if worst comes to worst, to call Uncle. I may have to do that ... assuming all hell doesn't break loose this time tomorrow.
I tried to do what Father told me to do: Stick a piece of tape in it and clamp it shut. Didn't work. In fact, I think it's gotten worse, although unclamping the first clamp that was already there may not have been the wise thing to do.
So I'm going to give it a day. Meanwhile, I have a wastebasket to collect all the water. Hopefully it won't be full by the time I wake up -- that is assuming I can fall asleep now.
Father said that if worst comes to worst, to call Uncle. I may have to do that ... assuming all hell doesn't break loose this time tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
OK. So I was at a meeting just now, and there was someone who came in late, didn't say anything during the meeting, and then just left. That's weird and, frankly, somewhat rude.
But no, I guess I shouldn't have waved goodbye to her sarcastically as she walked away. I think the other people in the group saw me. And now I'm afraid they think that my reaction to her is weirder than her actions.
If not rude, I thought it was a little strange. But I couldn't help but react to that. I always react to people when they do something that I consider rude. Maybe, however, I should stop because 1) other people don't seem to care and 2) it makes me look weird, unfortunately and weirdly.
I should look into that.
(sigh) don't know how to act socially sometimes, or many times.
But no, I guess I shouldn't have waved goodbye to her sarcastically as she walked away. I think the other people in the group saw me. And now I'm afraid they think that my reaction to her is weirder than her actions.
If not rude, I thought it was a little strange. But I couldn't help but react to that. I always react to people when they do something that I consider rude. Maybe, however, I should stop because 1) other people don't seem to care and 2) it makes me look weird, unfortunately and weirdly.
I should look into that.
(sigh) don't know how to act socially sometimes, or many times.
Monday, December 11, 2017
So there's an upper crawl at the top of the ESPN.com homepage. Usually it shows scores of the top events of the night before or the matchups of the top events of the day coming up. But if you are signed into ESPN and you have set up teams you want to follow, like me. You see those scores and matchups.
This afternoon, at work, I saw that the top events of the teams I follow (all the local teams and my alma mater). The Gopher men's basketball team, the Wild, the Timberwolves, the Gopher women's basketball team, and both of my alma mater's basketball teams are playing this week, through Friday. And they are all playing at home.
Just wanted to note that.
Current Mode: Blah
It's just every sports team in town lost (not really, but it felt like it), and my fantasy football team fucking pooped out (not even one single goddamn point, Josh McCown?!), and it's snowing out, and even though it's not a whole lot, it's enough to grind the morning commute to a standstill, which means I'll have to waste 45 fucking minutes to get to work, which means I'll have to get up early in order to drive, let alone to wipe the snow off my car.
Things are actually really good otherwise, but yeah, I'm feeling pretty shitty right now.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey
Positive Numbers: Vikings (Re-Entry!). In the beginning of yet another Winter Of Our Discontent, how nuts is it that the saving grace for the local sports scene is the goddamn Vikings?? In the middle game of a three-game road gauntlet, they traveled to Atlanta, a team desperate to stay in the playoff chase, and grinded out a 14-9 victory. The Vikes weren't the high-flying offense they have been, but Case Keenum continues to elude pass-rushers and extend plays, and the Wide Receivers -- once a liability, now a glaring strength -- continued to get open, playground-style, enough to get to the end zone twice.
Meanwhile, the Vikes' D rose triumphantly to the occasion Sunday, locking down a Falcons offense that might have found its stride in recent weeks. Their third-down defense was exceptional; the Dirty Birds were 1-of-10 on third down. (Just saw this during the Vikings' game against Carolina, which is happening as I type this: Minnesota leads the league in third-down efficiency on offense and on defense. That's amazing.) That's the type of clutch performance that will earn teams championships. But only if this team gets an advantageous spot. And despite technically being the top team in the National Football Conference over the Philadelphia Eagles, also at 10-2 (by virtue of strength of victory), they haven't won a first-round by yet. They haven't even won the NFC North yet. They will if they beat the Panthers, but as of press time, they're not doing so good.
Damn, and I thought the Vikes were going to save us.
Damn, and I thought the Vikes were going to save us.
#0: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4). Still don't know the prospects of this team. But in a horrible screening week in Dinkytown, the lady ballers were far and away the best of the U. by dint of victories over Eastern Michigan (by 24 at home) and Georgetown (by ten in D.C.). I think Carlie Wagner passed Shannon Schonrock for second place in all-time three-pointers in Gophers women's basketball history in the Hoya game.
(By the way, unlike the men's, the B1G on the women's side is not starting its conference schedule this week. They will begin that part of their schedules around New Year's, like they usually do, because the conference tournament in women's b-ball will be at the same time it's always been.)
They're winding down their non-con sched slowly. They host Cal Poly Wednesday.
(By the way, unlike the men's, the B1G on the women's side is not starting its conference schedule this week. They will begin that part of their schedules around New Year's, like they usually do, because the conference tournament in women's b-ball will be at the same time it's always been.)
They're winding down their non-con sched slowly. They host Cal Poly Wednesday.
#-1: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). A 2-1 screening week is not disguising the fact that this team may be bursting at the seams due to tension between the players and Coach/General Manager Tom Thibodeau. Sure, the Woofie Dogs sandwiched victories over The Bastard Buffalo Braves (Sunday at home, Wednesday away, both by six points) with a three-point loss to The Bastard Vancouver Grizzlies. But it was after one of the wins where, in an on-court post-gamer, Jimmy Butler, considered to be the man closest to Thibs, said he needed to talk to Thibs about the minutes some of the players are playing.
Thibodeau has already established a reputation for making his best players play massive minutes game-in and game-out through the regular season. He has shortened his bench to the point where he has benched Shabazz Muhammad and is now relying on an eight-man rotation. That means that he is making Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and the like to log 35, even 40 minutes on most nights. That, coupled with Thibs's well-known hard-driving, autocratic coaching star, may -- may -- have started wearing on the team, in particular KAT and Wiggins, the two building blocks who will take these Wolves back to impressive heights.
Moreover, his decisions seem to counter any presumed plan to hand over the keys to the future of this franchise to their two young cornerstones. In particular, Towns has been little utilized in recent weeks. His frequent double-teams have dramatically shrunk the number of Field Goal Attempts he makes. And that has made KAT very, very pouty. Now maybe Thibs is testing Towns. But at what point does The Big Meow have to grown up, and at what point does Thibs need to calm the hell down and start using his subs more? The way this news about dissension are being leaked out, the players are quickly tiring of it.
In the meantime they begin a five-game homestand; maybe some home cooking will cool heads. The first four contests come this screening week: Dallas, Process Philadelphia, Sacramento, and, once again, Phoenix.
They're done until the New Year. Maybe the break will get their heads right.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -3). Got drubbed at L.A., then scored in Overtime to beat the Anaheim Ducks. Seriously, I don't know how to analyze this team. This week they play every other day. They begin by ending their California trip Sunday in San Jose. Then they come home to the X to, somewhat weirdly, face three Canadian clubs: Calgary (Tuesday), Toronto (Thursday), and Edmonton (Saturday).
#-4: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -7). So now the bloom is off the rose. The club bounced back from their first loss of the season by pounding Rutgers Sunday at Williams by 22. But in an eminently winnable road game versus Nebraska Tuesday, they never got out of first gear and loss handily, 78-68. And in another road game, an intriguing BcS contest against Arkansas, the unranked Razorbacks beat the ranked (but not for long) Golden Goofers yesterday (Saturday), 95-79.
This is a well-recruited team. They have shown that they can play well. But this team has now lost three out of their last four games. Maybe these players aren't as good as they are. Or maybe they need to be coached up. Richard Pitino, this is on you. It's gut-check time.
One game this week means finals are coming up. That game, Monday against Drake, is the first of a six-game homestand that spans the non-con and B1G schedules.
This is a well-recruited team. They have shown that they can play well. But this team has now lost three out of their last four games. Maybe these players aren't as good as they are. Or maybe they need to be coached up. Richard Pitino, this is on you. It's gut-check time.
One game this week means finals are coming up. That game, Monday against Drake, is the first of a six-game homestand that spans the non-con and B1G schedules.
#-5: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -6). OK, it's shit weekends like this that have garnered Don Lucia haters. Ohio St. has traditionally not been a good hockey school (surprising in the sense that THE Ohio St. University doesn't have enough money to spread to its hockey program), but they are ranked 15th in last week's USCHO.com poll. Minnesota is ranked 7th -- or was, after the U. got swept in Columbus this weekend, 2-1 in OT Friday and, even worse, 4-1 on Saturday. Just like the 5-2 defeat November 25 at Notre Dame, it feels as though there are players who don't mind quitting. What the fuck, man?
Traditionally for winter break, basketball teams throttle down their schedules and hockey teams shut down. Unlike the women, the men do resume play before 2018. They have a two-game home series against Army. I bought a ticket to the Saturday night game at the State Fair.
Traditionally for winter break, basketball teams throttle down their schedules and hockey teams shut down. Unlike the women, the men do resume play before 2018. They have a two-game home series against Army. I bought a ticket to the Saturday night game at the State Fair.
#-Infinity: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). You know how I've been talking all season about how confident I was in the Goofers' ability to go to their third straight Final Four because they actually lost a few times over the course of the season? Yeah, fuck that shit. I think this year has totally fucked that theory in the ass.
I was so wrong. How could I be so stupid to think those defeats would actually toughen up this team? Instead, that four-Set loss to Penn St. at the end of their regular season was all the evidence I needed that this team was tired and unprepared, and nowhere close to the squads of 2015 and 2016. Not like I noticed that evidence. Shit, they dropped a set to Northern Iowa last Saturday and I still thought they had a good chance of surviving through the second weekend.
Instead, they were humiliated in a three-Set loss to my alma mater Friday. And it was particularly humbling to see the death of the 2017 University of Minnesota volleyball club through the scores: 23-26-16. That means they lost a close one, then regrouped and tried to win the second but fell in extra points, and that took the life out of them as they faded away to an ignominious end. Sorry to sound so bitter (that's partially because my alma mater dropped Sets 4 and 5 last [Saturday] night to Florida, a team they could have and probably should have beaten to get into the Final Four), but even though this is an enormously successful and well-supported program, I'm starting to get a little fucking tired of them not winning an NCAA championship. When? Seriously, when? Doesn't Hugh McCutcheon get all the money he needs? Hasn't he constructed his squad so that it's consisting mostly of ringers from out-of-state? What more does he need? This is getting pretty goddamn frustrating, I mean it!
Saturday, December 9, 2017
You Know, I Think Some Playmates Are Kind Of Nuts
As I've said many times before, the co-main reason I got onto Facebook (I do want to remain connected with my actual friends) is to find and befriend hot women on the Internet. I think most of those are bodybuilders, but I initially signed up to look for Playboy Playmates and college girls who showed their bodies in the magazine. It's an extension of my previous hobby of looking up those college girls on the Internet in college. Now, I wish I could have done it under an alias, but Mark Zuckerberg doesn't like that, so instead of stopping, I just decided to marry my perverted side with the real me. Russian bots are fine; me following hot women under the safety of anonymity are not.
People in social media do spill their secrets and expose their real selves. That's what I was looking for, and it was the main reason I wanted to befriend these hot babes. But while looking through pictures of their kids and their pets, I started to notice that some of them are, shall we say, human. Well, I don't think that's the right word. Some of them are quite normal. And some of them are fucking crazy bitches.
There are two of them that I got sick of last week. Well, they got sick of me, actually. Wendy Hamilton (Miss .. oh, who gives a shit) was a woman who never posted pictures of herself right now, although she uploaded pictures of herself when she modeled. She was more of a person who would post photos of her sons, and updated her status to talk about them. But some of her other status updates was just her complaining. One update I remember was a road rage incident where she and the other driver exchanged middle fingers. The other one is Fawna McLaren (also don't give a rat's ass when her centerfold was) who would sometimes rant on Facebook. Usually it had a political bent; like Hamilton, McLaren was a rank conservative. I didn't mind that because, hey, they're Playboy Playmates.
It came to a head last week when Hamilton posted another pic of her as a model. Now, I got the idea at this point that she would rather not upload a photo of her as she looks now. Nevertheless, I decided I would comment that I would like to see one.
And oh God, she fucking went nuts! "How dare you!" she cried, and then she got into this defensive crouch of, "I will post what I want! Why do you keep asking me for a photo of me now?" (this is the first time I ever asked for a current shot). And then McLaren started egging her on: "Oh, he's just rude! You should just unfriend her, girl." I had an idea from their past updates that they were dramatic, if not unstable. But when I saw their string of comments to my innocuous request, ending with Hamilton saying, "Ugh! Just delete this!" I stopped caring about being able to fantasize and masturbate to these two women. And so I defriended them.
Well, I blocked McLaren. I swear I friended her, but we weren't friends, and even if we were, her wingwoman bullshit would have convinced me to cut her loose. I then blocked Hamilton, then thought I was being Franken-level harsh, so I decided to un-block her but stay not friends. But then I thought, "Wait, I don't want to be bothered by this kook ever again," even though I watched her Playboy video, and I still remember her turning around and bending over to show off her fine ass from under her short skirt and she turned back to the camera to smile and ... anyway, I decided to make this permanent, so after Facebook's mandatory 48-hour "cooling off period," I re-blocked her.
It seemed like a very heavy decision at the time. But I think me forgetting for a whole week about what I did and just getting around to blogging about it now is testament to the fact that I really didn't care about "losing" those two as "friends." And my life, as hectic and unhappy as it is, really isn't affected by my blocking these Playmates. I'm OK. In fact, I think it's good I took steps, superficial as they may be, to removing toxic and negative people out of my life.
People in social media do spill their secrets and expose their real selves. That's what I was looking for, and it was the main reason I wanted to befriend these hot babes. But while looking through pictures of their kids and their pets, I started to notice that some of them are, shall we say, human. Well, I don't think that's the right word. Some of them are quite normal. And some of them are fucking crazy bitches.
There are two of them that I got sick of last week. Well, they got sick of me, actually. Wendy Hamilton (Miss .. oh, who gives a shit) was a woman who never posted pictures of herself right now, although she uploaded pictures of herself when she modeled. She was more of a person who would post photos of her sons, and updated her status to talk about them. But some of her other status updates was just her complaining. One update I remember was a road rage incident where she and the other driver exchanged middle fingers. The other one is Fawna McLaren (also don't give a rat's ass when her centerfold was) who would sometimes rant on Facebook. Usually it had a political bent; like Hamilton, McLaren was a rank conservative. I didn't mind that because, hey, they're Playboy Playmates.
It came to a head last week when Hamilton posted another pic of her as a model. Now, I got the idea at this point that she would rather not upload a photo of her as she looks now. Nevertheless, I decided I would comment that I would like to see one.
And oh God, she fucking went nuts! "How dare you!" she cried, and then she got into this defensive crouch of, "I will post what I want! Why do you keep asking me for a photo of me now?" (this is the first time I ever asked for a current shot). And then McLaren started egging her on: "Oh, he's just rude! You should just unfriend her, girl." I had an idea from their past updates that they were dramatic, if not unstable. But when I saw their string of comments to my innocuous request, ending with Hamilton saying, "Ugh! Just delete this!" I stopped caring about being able to fantasize and masturbate to these two women. And so I defriended them.
Well, I blocked McLaren. I swear I friended her, but we weren't friends, and even if we were, her wingwoman bullshit would have convinced me to cut her loose. I then blocked Hamilton, then thought I was being Franken-level harsh, so I decided to un-block her but stay not friends. But then I thought, "Wait, I don't want to be bothered by this kook ever again," even though I watched her Playboy video, and I still remember her turning around and bending over to show off her fine ass from under her short skirt and she turned back to the camera to smile and ... anyway, I decided to make this permanent, so after Facebook's mandatory 48-hour "cooling off period," I re-blocked her.
It seemed like a very heavy decision at the time. But I think me forgetting for a whole week about what I did and just getting around to blogging about it now is testament to the fact that I really didn't care about "losing" those two as "friends." And my life, as hectic and unhappy as it is, really isn't affected by my blocking these Playmates. I'm OK. In fact, I think it's good I took steps, superficial as they may be, to removing toxic and negative people out of my life.
Friday, December 8, 2017
So my parents are coming home tonight, and I'm still kind of pissed. I know I shouldn't. For one thing, they can do whatever they want, and it's really petty of me to feel as if my privacy is being invaded when it's their house. Well, they do invade my privacy, but sharing a house with them isn't the worse thing in the world. And for another thing, well, they are getting up there, and at some point I can see ... ah, crap, I don't want to get into that. You know what I mean.
Nevertheless, having them home for 2 1/2 weeks really cramps my style, my freedom and the ability for me to feel free. I don't want to duck them for their entire time here, but my work schedule already means I'll be coming home late for dinner, maybe so late that they'll eat before me. And then, commitments with friends means I won't be coming home for dinner several nights. Then I figure I'll go shopping one or two nights after work. The Vikings game is going to make me eat out for one weekend. And then, if they want to have Christmas Dinner and have My Asshole Brother come home, well, I'll damn well find a reason not to eat at home. And then, "hopefully," they'll be gone before I know it.
One snag: Just checked. Their flight is delayed 2 1/2 hours. I was going to stick around this part of town and then pick them up before going home. Now I think I'm going to go home, nap, then drive back down. Stay classy, Spirit.
Nevertheless, having them home for 2 1/2 weeks really cramps my style, my freedom and the ability for me to feel free. I don't want to duck them for their entire time here, but my work schedule already means I'll be coming home late for dinner, maybe so late that they'll eat before me. And then, commitments with friends means I won't be coming home for dinner several nights. Then I figure I'll go shopping one or two nights after work. The Vikings game is going to make me eat out for one weekend. And then, if they want to have Christmas Dinner and have My Asshole Brother come home, well, I'll damn well find a reason not to eat at home. And then, "hopefully," they'll be gone before I know it.
One snag: Just checked. Their flight is delayed 2 1/2 hours. I was going to stick around this part of town and then pick them up before going home. Now I think I'm going to go home, nap, then drive back down. Stay classy, Spirit.
Four Pizzas? Not A Good Idea At My Advanced Age!
In another sign that I'm not the young man I was twenty years ago, ... yesterday (Thursday) at work we had a going-away lunch for someone from the team who took another job. The head of the team brought in pizza. A local joint, had them once before, greasy and messy and therefore awesome.
I forgot, however, how big one of their large pizzas was. But hey, great -- big food and free! So I took one and then another and then a third and whoa, I feel something aw heck never mind and then wait ... I should just sit and talk to people -- OK, I'm good and then a fourth and then my hour was over and I can't get up and my stomach is going to burst through my pants and even pop a button but hey at least I think I can take a dump now. (And I did.)
When I was 18, and maybe even 25, four supersized slices of pizza was no problem. Now, big problem. And still, in my heart of hearts, I feel like I'm 25. I still feel like I can eat so much pizza and not have it affect my waistline, let alone my day. I still feel it's my obligation to eat as much pizza as I can. Those are delusions now, but I still cannot face them.
Wow, to have such a profound and morbid epiphany over a friggin' pizza party.
I forgot, however, how big one of their large pizzas was. But hey, great -- big food and free! So I took one and then another and then a third and whoa, I feel something aw heck never mind and then wait ... I should just sit and talk to people -- OK, I'm good and then a fourth and then my hour was over and I can't get up and my stomach is going to burst through my pants and even pop a button but hey at least I think I can take a dump now. (And I did.)
When I was 18, and maybe even 25, four supersized slices of pizza was no problem. Now, big problem. And still, in my heart of hearts, I feel like I'm 25. I still feel like I can eat so much pizza and not have it affect my waistline, let alone my day. I still feel it's my obligation to eat as much pizza as I can. Those are delusions now, but I still cannot face them.
Wow, to have such a profound and morbid epiphany over a friggin' pizza party.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Addendum To: So The Cleaning Stripper Is Cumming Tomorrow
So she's here now, and even though she's doing a fantastic job -- uh, she's been here for more than four hours now, and she might not be half-done. She says she's OCD, and I totally believe her. Because Jesus Christ, it's past midnight and she has two floors of dusting and mopping to do. And I'm getting tired. Oy!
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
So The Cleaning Stripper Is Cumming Tomorrow
This is a different one from ***e*, who comes and cleans all the time. I tried her because she told me she's really good at cleaning when we were both at a house party. Also, she comes cheaper than ***e*. Plus, I just wanted to try someone new. And finally, ***e* was already over here last week giving me a handjob. Thought having her over her twice in as many weeks was overkill.
Nevertheless, trying someone new is fraught with peril. For one thing, I don't know how well or not well she'll clean my house. For another, I'm not quite sure she's going to come. I've given her my address, but it's not as if she's been here before. In fact, this will be the first time I see her in a non-stripping setting. It might be weird. She might be weird. And even though beggars can't be choosers, if she does a bad job or if she gets crazy or something, I'm screwed.
Although ... a part of me wants to see if she does lapdances, or more, after she's all done. I doubt it since she's a good girl. But the situation, the complete privacy, is too much for me to pass up at least asking. Of course, I won't pay her any extra for extras because I don't have any money. Eh, I won't be a perv. It's her first time seeing me in a non-stripping setting too, so I don't want to weird her out.
Nevertheless, trying someone new is fraught with peril. For one thing, I don't know how well or not well she'll clean my house. For another, I'm not quite sure she's going to come. I've given her my address, but it's not as if she's been here before. In fact, this will be the first time I see her in a non-stripping setting. It might be weird. She might be weird. And even though beggars can't be choosers, if she does a bad job or if she gets crazy or something, I'm screwed.
Although ... a part of me wants to see if she does lapdances, or more, after she's all done. I doubt it since she's a good girl. But the situation, the complete privacy, is too much for me to pass up at least asking. Of course, I won't pay her any extra for extras because I don't have any money. Eh, I won't be a perv. It's her first time seeing me in a non-stripping setting too, so I don't want to weird her out.
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
My Folks Kind Of Fuck Me Over, Again
Friday at work I got a text from Mother: "When you get home, call me." I would be out all night to see my alma mater play a college football game, so when I told her that she told me to just call her the next morning.
As I fell asleep I thought about what she wanted to talk about, so just in case, I looked up Father's e-mail. And there I saw two confirmation messages from Spirit Airlines, the first of which was an itinerary for them to come home this Friday.
Fuck me and fuck my life.
I thought that was bad, but then I scared myself as I was falling asleep. Why does she want to speak with me? And why are they coming home so soon after leaving? I was really afraid it was a health issue, that one of them is so sick that they want to come home and get themselves checked out. And then I thought that my aunt (My Father's sister) is sick, or worse. My parents are a secretive bunch. They also are frighteningly blase when it comes to death. So I convinced myself that something really bad happened; they just told me to call in the morning because they don't think it's anything that bad to talk about immediately.
I was so scared about what the call in the morning would bring that I had trouble sleeping, although having a cup of coffee at Glam Doll may not have helped me fall asleep (even though I drink coffee late at night there all the time and I'm fine going to bed). But I eventually did, and I woke up well into the morning, and so call Mother.
And the reason they're coming home is ... the tenants in one of their remaining real estate properties here are leaving, and they need to return to prepare the house for sale. Oh, that's it. Well, that's enough for them to come home and stay for 2 1/2 weeks, until friggin' Christmas Eve.
Fuck me and fuck my life.
So now I've had to arrange some stripper to come and clean the house -- which makes me reflect on how little money I have in my account right now, which is another problem I should blog/vent about. This also forces me to pick up my clothes, wash the dishes, do as much laundry as I can and, most importantly, bag and store all the mail and magazines I want to keep. Oh yeah, and I have to eat all the leftovers from the freezer they left me, even though I haven't touched any of the stuff there because, hey, I thought I had time to eat all that.
I pretty much cannot think about anything else because I'm too busy not only preparing for my folks to come home but also to worry about my parents coming home, which consumes my time and my brain.
Oh, and this reintroduces the possibility that My Asshole Brother will swing by the house. Since my folks will be here until Christmas Eve, having them come over is now pretty much guaranteed. I know I can't continue avoiding that son-of-a-bitch, but I still feel as though I'll kill him as soon as I see him. So I am still thinking about lying my ass off to my parents about being busy on weekends, like I have to work or some shit like that. It's totally shameless and borderline pathetic, but it's better than trying to kill him, that's for sure.
And on top of this, we've got the first snowstorm of the season. It isn't bad, only a couple inches, but the wind is whipping and the temperature is dropping, so anything that is wet will freeze by morning. I'll have to take the very slow way to the south metro this morning. And I have to get out early because I'll be driving for 90 minutes on my way to work.
Like I said, fuck me and fuck my life.
As I fell asleep I thought about what she wanted to talk about, so just in case, I looked up Father's e-mail. And there I saw two confirmation messages from Spirit Airlines, the first of which was an itinerary for them to come home this Friday.
Fuck me and fuck my life.
I thought that was bad, but then I scared myself as I was falling asleep. Why does she want to speak with me? And why are they coming home so soon after leaving? I was really afraid it was a health issue, that one of them is so sick that they want to come home and get themselves checked out. And then I thought that my aunt (My Father's sister) is sick, or worse. My parents are a secretive bunch. They also are frighteningly blase when it comes to death. So I convinced myself that something really bad happened; they just told me to call in the morning because they don't think it's anything that bad to talk about immediately.
I was so scared about what the call in the morning would bring that I had trouble sleeping, although having a cup of coffee at Glam Doll may not have helped me fall asleep (even though I drink coffee late at night there all the time and I'm fine going to bed). But I eventually did, and I woke up well into the morning, and so call Mother.
And the reason they're coming home is ... the tenants in one of their remaining real estate properties here are leaving, and they need to return to prepare the house for sale. Oh, that's it. Well, that's enough for them to come home and stay for 2 1/2 weeks, until friggin' Christmas Eve.
Fuck me and fuck my life.
So now I've had to arrange some stripper to come and clean the house -- which makes me reflect on how little money I have in my account right now, which is another problem I should blog/vent about. This also forces me to pick up my clothes, wash the dishes, do as much laundry as I can and, most importantly, bag and store all the mail and magazines I want to keep. Oh yeah, and I have to eat all the leftovers from the freezer they left me, even though I haven't touched any of the stuff there because, hey, I thought I had time to eat all that.
I pretty much cannot think about anything else because I'm too busy not only preparing for my folks to come home but also to worry about my parents coming home, which consumes my time and my brain.
Oh, and this reintroduces the possibility that My Asshole Brother will swing by the house. Since my folks will be here until Christmas Eve, having them come over is now pretty much guaranteed. I know I can't continue avoiding that son-of-a-bitch, but I still feel as though I'll kill him as soon as I see him. So I am still thinking about lying my ass off to my parents about being busy on weekends, like I have to work or some shit like that. It's totally shameless and borderline pathetic, but it's better than trying to kill him, that's for sure.
And on top of this, we've got the first snowstorm of the season. It isn't bad, only a couple inches, but the wind is whipping and the temperature is dropping, so anything that is wet will freeze by morning. I'll have to take the very slow way to the south metro this morning. And I have to get out early because I'll be driving for 90 minutes on my way to work.
Like I said, fuck me and fuck my life.
Monday, December 4, 2017
Expenses Without Receipts
Starting from Sunday, December 3:
- I spent a lot of money for this period, but I seem to have receipts for many of my transactions. I just need to go back to Saturday, December 2, when I went to the University of Minnesota's volleyball team's second-round NCAA Tournament game at Maturi Pavilion. I regularly buy an NCAA tournament program even though 1) it's overpriced and 2) I go through it once at most. This program is sealed in plastic, and I haven't even opened it yet. I bought it anyway. With a hot dog and small Coke: $16.50.
- Back to Wednesday, November 29 ... went to The Barn to see the U. men's basketball team. Hot dog and small Coke (no program; I think they sold them all by the time I got there) equals: $8.50.
- To drown my sorrows over the loss, I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Division) for tips, coffee, and (in a coincidence that I would have preferred not to happen; I mean, she's great, but I felt pressure to get a lapdance and I had gotten one from her recently) a dance from Jade: $40.
- Monday, November 27: ***e* said that she was out of money for gifts for her kids, and she was wondering if she could come over to my house and, uh, make some money. I accepted. I needed that. Cost: $120.
- On Saturday the 25th, after working out, I remembered that Blue Sun Soda Shop was running one of the periodical sales for their Whistler pops, so I went before the Golden Gopher volleyball game. One bottle, minus deposit: $1.06.
- The game. Lost to Penn St. Hot dog, small Coke (again, like with the men's b-ball contest, so many people were there that they ran out of programs): $8.50.
- After the loss I drowned my sorrows at Glam Doll. The person there gave me one donut and my pour-over coffee for free. Aw!!! The other donut plus tip and it came out to steal at Glam Doll Donuts: $1.75.
- Thanksgiving ... before pigging out on turkey, I did my annual tradition of exercising at the community center, which is open for 2 1/2 hours each morning. Seems strange that it would be open on Thanksgiving only for that long. Either extend it to, like, four hours or don't open at all, you know? Anyway, I realized that my monthly pass expired, so I bought another month on this day: $15.
- Wednesday the 22nd -- stopped by the Mall Of America after work, and it's that time of year again: the Salvation Army bell ringers and their kettles. I forgot that they seem to be out in force earlier and earlier every season. On my rush to get in, I couldn't find a quarter, so I gave instead the only coin I could grab out of my back pocket: 5 cents.
- Because I had the next day off, I went out on the town in the evening. I first went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Version). Got a dance from Kelsey, which is weird because the last time I saw her there, I asked for an LD, but she blew me off and sat with someone else instead. She kind of apologized when she approached me, saying that she promised that guy a dance first. Uh, OK. It's nothing spectacular, but we haven't been getting along, so I offered a seat as a peace offering. With coffee and tips: $30.
- Sunday, November 19: As I was working the Vikings game I had to run to the hotel to get a suitcase. When the bellhop loaded the luggage I was about to take off, but then I remembered that bellhops usually get tipped for stuff like that. I'm so bad when it comes to etiquette. So before I climbed back into the SUV I went back and gave the guy: $2.
- After the game I went to My Favorite Stripclub (Non-Cover Edition) for coffee, tips and a dance with Katie, who is one of the veterans who still dances there from time to time. She said there was a party in my town that she was working. I went the house on the night she said the party was going to be held, but I didn't see anything. Total: $30.
- On Saturday the 18th I was watching my alma mater's last regular-season game downtown. With tip the meal came to: $
713.
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