Look around, it's free after all

Help this guy out

2008-09-28T03:44:49Z

I've been reading the webcomics of this guy for quite some time. Seems he is now in dire straits and is asking for some help. He's got two kids and one more on the way and, as we know, times are tough. I am a little concerned about him and his family.

I know I don't post all that much, but if the few friends that I have could pop over and help this fellow out by buying something from him, it would be cool. Good karma, and all that, you know?

His journal is at jeff_manley and there is a big post in there where you can buy stuff via PayPal.

Pay it forward, ok?

Of course...

2008-09-21T17:42:54Z

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		75%
The Flash		70%
Green Lantern		70%
Iron Man		65%
Superman		60%
Robin		50%
Catwoman		50%
Supergirl		45%
Wonder Woman		45%
Hulk		45%
Batman		20%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Kind of a busy day

2008-04-17T04:35:15Z

Well today was semi-eventful...

I started pretty late...sleeping until 9:30. I need to start getting up earlier or, come Monday, I am going to have a heck of a time getting up for work.

After I woke up, I stumbled to the living room and wrote up the paper proposal for my grad class. While I was working, I got a call from the handyman that we hire to do some basic repairs around the house (stuff I can't handle on my own). He was looking to get a part to fix one of our windows (we'd broken it doing the tilt-out thing) and said that he might be able to fix it today or Friday, depending on when he got the part. Good news, especially considering that he called me! For anyone who owns a house knows, getting a contractor on the phone is about as easy as it was for ET to call for a ride. They never answer and never return calls. It's a wonder they get any work at all.

Figuring that the part for the window wouldn't be available for at least a day, I figured that there would be little chance that I'd need to be home for the handyman. I finished up my work and decided that, since it was sunny and 60 degrees, I would take a ride into the city and meander about aimlessly. I showered up and headed out. About 5 minutes later, as I am nearing dowtown, I get a call from the handyman.

"I got the part. Will you be home in 20 minutes?'

I turned around, stopped for a meatball sub at a local deli, and headed home. I arrived just as the handyman was pulling up to my curb. About an hour later, he was done. Dude saved me about $200 by fixing a couple of little plastic parts rather than replacing the whole window. He also helped me take down a couple of old rusty clothesline poles that were polluting our backyard.

After the dust cleared, I headed out the door again and went into the city. By this time, it had started to cool off and I didn't pack a jacket so I was pretty chilly. I just ended up hitting the mall (Newbury Comics has too many graphic novels that I want to buy!) and then this great used bookstore around the corner.

Hopefully it will be warm again this week so I can meander more.

I got home in time to be invited over to our friends' place for dinner and drinks. It was pretty cool to hang with them since they just got back from a 10 day cruise.

When we got home, I printed out my work and readied it for tomorrow's class. I am currently sitting on the couch watching The Seeker: Dark is Rising. Pretty dull actually...

So that's a day in a nutshell. Bored yet?

I am now reviewing movies for a web site

2008-04-15T02:11:28Z

Check it out. I am writing under the name Michaelangelo.

http://popcornpreviews.blogspot.com/

No Sunday Blues

2008-04-13T22:20:52Z

Heather and I have this weekly tradition of getting depressed late in the day on Sundays. We tend to really enjoy our weekends because both of us deal with so much stress at work. When Sunday evenings roll around, we tend to get really bummed about the prospect of having to go back to work on Monday.

Well, since I don't have to go to work tomorrow, I don't feel depressed at all!

Unfortunately, Heather isn't so lucky...however, her school year ends a few weeks sooner than mine so she will have the last laugh.

Meantime, I am going to sit back and enjoy the sloth!

Vacation TODO List

2008-04-12T22:25:29Z

It's April vacation! Wooooo!

A week off from the grind of school... oh, how I need this!

I will use this time off to take care of a bunch of stuff that needs takin' care of...

1. Work on my final paper for my graduate class
2. Meet Dr. Cook for lunch on Thursday
3. See at least 2 films
4. Get the broken window in the living room fixed.
5. If I can get a ladder tall enough, get on the roof and clean out the gutters (ew)
6. Rake the front yard (we have no curbs and all the street trash blows onto our property)
7. Roll all the change in the Change Cup

It's not that bad of a list. It's totally doable...I hope I get motivated.

One week to go

2008-04-06T01:33:32Z

In one week, I start April break. That's the last big vacation of the school year. Once we get through it, it's pretty much balls to the wall until the end of the year. Things get pretty intense in May as students scramble to figure out how they can possibly pass their classes and (if they are seniors) graduate.

April break is the last respite of the weary, burned out teacher. If you've spent the bulk of your year (like I have) doing your best to get your students to understand the concepts that you have gone over and over in the most imaginative ways that your mind can conjure up. Those of us who have the reluctant learners can find ourselves pretty exhausted by the fourth quarter.

My parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew just left. We hosted a dinner here in the house. We had to do it, considering we hadn't had my sister and her family over since we moved in last August. We still have a few others to invite over before all favors are repayed...

Hosting is very tiring. I'm wiped...I need to chill a bit.

Update time

2008-03-31T01:57:43Z

I have no idea why I am updating today...maybe because it's been so damned long since I have. I still read LJ every day and have made comments on other people's blogs but I haven't done anything here since...like January or something.

I remember when I used to update daily...or even multiple times a day. That was back in the day...when I worked in the cubicle and had nothing to do all day but surf the web, pretend I was working, and collect a fat paycheck at the end of the week. It was pretty stress free for the most part until the layoffs started. After that, I remember all those sleepless nights wondering when the Sword of Damoclese was going to drop. Man, I can remember those days...and I can always cycle back over old LJ entries and read about what I was thinking.

I also remember how relieved I was when it finally happened. It was the best thing for me. It inspired me to finish school and get my teaching degree and find a job that makes me happy, provides for us, and allows me to have some sort of meaning in my life. This past week I was granted tenure by the School Committee...a milestone for me.

Over the past few months, Heather and I were able to buy a nice little house in a safe neighborhood. We are talking about starting a family this year. If things go well, there will be a lot of exciting changes in store for us in the future.

I have had this LJ since May of 2001...holy crap - Seven years. A lot can happen in that time...a whole lot. I was in a strange place back then...it's funny to think about how much can change in such a short span of time.

I am going to make a concerted effort to update this journal more often...for myself mostly...I don't know how many of my friends still even read what I write, but if you do, please comment from time to time and let me know that you're still out there.

I gotta update those userpics too...

At long last, a meme!

2008-01-31T16:39:21Z

Stolen from amhesquire

If ya wanna see it and fill it out,

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
A.
2) What was your dream growing up?
A.
3) What talent do you wish you had?
A.
4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A.
5) Favorite vegetable?
A.
6) What was the last book you read?
A.
7) What zodiac sign are you?
A.
8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A.
9) Worst Habit?
A.
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A.
11) What is your favorite sport?
A.
12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A.
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A.
16) Do you have any pets?
A.
17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A.
18) What was your first impression of me? (hmmm...careful!)
A.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A.
22) What color eyes do you have?
A.
23) Ever been arrested?
A.
24) Bottle or can soda?
A.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A.

WHERE IS #26!!??!!ONE!

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A.
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A.
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A.
30) Do you swear a lot?
A.
31) Biggest pet peeve?
A.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A.
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A.

WHERE IS #34!?ELEVEN!

35) Do you believe in God?
A.
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A.

Leftovers better than the real thing

2007-11-23T19:19:21Z

Got leftovers from Turkey Day? Try this recipe and I dare you to tell me it isn't awesome.

Take all the leftover turkey you have as well as the stuffing and gravy and grab a frying pan large enough to hold it all.

Tear the turkey into long thin strips.

Throw it all in the trying pan.

Add a little water...use your best judgement on this.

Salt to taste.

Fry it up until the sauce is thick.

Serve.

It looks like a pile of goo, and thus we have called it Turkey Goo. It looks horrible, but tastes awesome.

Enjoy!

To me, life is a great big bang up...

2007-09-03T00:48:42Z

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		70%
The Flash		65%
Green Lantern		65%
Superman		55%
Supergirl		50%
Catwoman		50%
Robin		45%
Iron Man		45%
Wonder Woman		40%
Hulk		35%
Batman		10%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

In the wake of our first cookout...

2007-08-27T00:33:00Z

Well, we had a cookout to thank the people who helped us get the house up to snuff. It included our friends who helped us move and who helped us paint the place. We also invited my parents who helped with the little things like replacing lights and fixtures, putting shelf paper down, and taping the rooms for painting.

We also invited my grandmother who made meatballs for us while we were working. It was the most she could do and I'll be damned if they didn't taste extra awesome!

So, since Heather's parents are in town staying with us (they drove down from Canada), we decided to have a party for all these folks by way of thanking them for their help. I fired up the grill and made burgers, hot dogs, and BBQ chicken. The guests brought treats like tomato salad, corn on the cob, potato salad, and chocolate cake.

I'd have to say that it was a great success! The food went over well and we all had a great time.

Too bad I gotta go back to work tomorrow or this high could last! Sigh.

Still at it

2007-08-23T06:42:52Z

The contractor has started his work on the things the seller agreed to pay to fix when we were working out the deal on the house. He has reinforced the floor joists and will be cleaning the damaaged beams tomorrow. He also has to fix the leaky faucet in the bathtub, fix the back door (it's kicked out a little from the jam) remove the tiles in the basement, and cut the trees back away from the house.

Hopefully he can get all this done by Friday.

If he does, we can submit the bill to the attorney, it will be paid out of an escrow account we established at the closing, and I we are finally all done.

Whew.

Summer winds down but the work hasn't lessened

2007-08-19T01:35:09Z

Well still puttering away at the house. We got the electrical squared although there's a couple of kinks to iron out over the next 2 weeks or so. We have Heather's mom, stepdad, and brothers coming to stay here next week to help get some stuff done, mostly outside I think.

Starting to get depressed that the summer is over. School starts on the 27th so I haven't got much time left at all.

The contractor should be calling next week to get in here and do a few things that we need done. He was gone for two weeks so he has to get in soon. These are repairs that the seller agreed to take care of and if we don't do it within 60 days of close, she won't pay for it.

Ugh.

Lists in my head.

Long day - longer day

2007-08-14T03:19:18Z

Today was a busy day. Had a physical and had to do a bunch of stuff around the house. I met my other neighbor today. Seems like a nice guy. There is one thing that's odd though - all my neighbors seem to hate each other and every time we meet a new one they point at a house and say:

"Watch out for that guy."

It's fucked up. These people are very bold about talking shit about one another. I am the kind of person who just stays neutral but there's real wars going on around here. Heather and I are in the middle of it! ACK!

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

First off I have a school "meeting" tomorow from 10 to not sure when. Meanwhile, we have a guy coming to connect the ice maker in the fridge to the water line at 10:15, the exterminator (the fleas are still there) coming between 12 and 2 and we have to stay out of the house for 4 hours after they leave, and then we have to meet the manager of our old apartment at 3:30 to talk about what needs to be done there to avoid losing our security deposit. Then, in the evening, I have a get together with the teacher from my school at a local UNO's restaurant.

I am so tired.

Spending spree!

2007-08-13T04:26:33Z

We spent an ungodly amount of money today! We got three rugs - living room, dining room, and kitchen. We also got 2 trash barrels, hoses, downspouts for the gutters, a wet-dry vac, a powerwasher, a sump pump, new blinds, and a light for the ceiling fan in the bedroom.

Yeah, lots of money. Being a homeowner means living at Home Depot. People all say it, and before I became a homeowner myself I didn't really take much stock in it, but it's true true true.

We really need to take a day this week and just go out...movies or dinner or something. I feel like I've been working on this place for days.

Got a physical tomorrow with a new doctor. Hope he's cool. Wish me luck!

Ow my back

2007-08-12T01:38:16Z

We moved all the furniture in today and everything else that was left from the old apartment. I had my uncle and friend helping me but I am so tired right now I am not sure which way is up. We moved everything on the list in the previous post with one small exception.

We actually decided not to keep the giant entertainment center since I just didn't want to carry it down into the basement where it would likely have sat for years without being used and eventually I would have had to break it down and toss it myself. We just took it out and put it by the apartment complex dumpster.

We also took the giant couch, sawed off the legs, and threw that by the dumpster as well. Good riddance. It was a great couch while it lasted but moving it was hell on wheels. Never again.

The cats are sort of adjusting...the tiger cat has come out of the bedroom and is exploring the house but the white cat has resigned herself to staying under the sheets on the bed or deep in the back of the closet. If we try to take her out of the bedroom she cries loudly and then slinks back to her safe place. I guess she needs more time.

Ok I am very tired...more later maybe.

Still not quite moved in all the way

2007-08-11T01:28:08Z

We brought all our clothes over from the apartment today and a couple more lamps. There's still quite a bit over there that we need to get. For starters, any furniture that we can't fit in either of our compact cars (a Corolla and an Elantra). Tomorrow my uncle is renting a U-Haul trailer for us and a friend of mine is going to help move the big stuff out. This includes:

Two entertainment centers
Two futons (one twin, one double)
The kitchen table
A baker's rack
A metal kitchen rack
A wooden pantry
A drawing desk
Two computer desks

We also have to break down and throw away the couch that's in the living room (we got a new one).

There's a lot of small shit that still needs to go too. We have the content of our liquor cabinet, some plates, cups, glasses, and other kitchen tools. We have our printers and a few other small electronics, and the entire contents of our storage area (all boxed stuff).

Heather and I agree that we are both sick to death of moving shit from one place to another. I feel like I have been doing it forever. I am just tired of it. I don't mind bringing new stuff home and putting it down but it seems like we will never finish getting our old shit over here.

I'm tired and there's lots more work to do...

First post from the new house

2007-08-10T00:07:52Z

Well, we're in. The cable television is installed and the Internet is connected (wireless is cool) and this is my first post from the living room.

A lot of stuff is still in boxes, much of our furniture is still over at the apartment, and we have no rugs down so it's kind of echoey in here but what can I say? It's home now.

I am really tired right now so this post will have to be brief. I don't remember if I mentioned it but I am attending a week long workshop at Rhode Island College this week and tomorrow is the last day. It was a great working session and I think we accomplished a lot. I won't bore you with the details but suffice to say it has a lot to do with literacy in our school and how to promote it.

In addition to the great experience, the contact with my colleagues, and the new strategies I am learning, I also get a pretty good stipend for it and God knows we can use the extra cash.

We also found out that we won't have to paint our old apartment. That is a HUGE weight off us because we were afraid that we'd lose our security deposit unless we did. Not having to go back there and deal with it is awesome.

Anywhoo. I will post more later. Need to rest now.

Day 7! Where are we now?

2007-08-09T03:03:39Z

Well we were at the house again today. My friend Lisa helped us move more boxes from the apartment and a few pieces of furniture. Heather brought over a box of food and she unpacked a bunch of stuff. We got the matress on the bed and Heather washed the new linens today.

We also built the last piece of assemble yourself furniture that we had left. It was another dresser and with Lisa's help, we managed to pull it together quickly. I also broke down my desktop computer and brought it over and set up the new television. Tomorrow we get cable installed as well as Internet and we are planning on spending our first night in our new home.

Lots to do still but it's starting to look like a house.

Wish us luck!

House III

2007-08-08T02:50:05Z

It's late Tuesday and I am trying to keep updating for posterity. Dunno if anyone is even reading these but I guess I can look over them years from now when I sell my house for some HUGE profit (I hope).

I assembled the new Entertainment Center. It's all metaly and cool. Looks a lot nicer than the old one. I can't wait to put our new 37" flat screen HD LCD on it!!! Cable guy comes on Thursday to hook us up. That will be awesome.

We also got our new couch and fridge delivered. My parents surprised us with the fridge and it's HUGE. It's much larger than the one that was in there and it dominates our little kitchen. I love it. The icemaker should be installed soon.

I also put together our new bed, one of our new dressers, and the coffee table. All look great. I can't wait to get totally moved in. We are hoping to sleep over there for the first time Thursday night. Super awesome.

Too bad my back hurts from building all that shit.

More later.

House fun continued

2007-08-06T01:53:17Z

So we got past that first obstacle (see my previous post) and we seem to have gotten a hold of the flea situation. The basement is also a lot cleaner and less scary looking. So we started the painting process. Heather had picked colors for every room in the house and we had to get it all painted over the weekend. We got a couple of friends to help and started on Thursday of last week.

Today is Sunday and all the walls are painted. Heather is doing all the trim and she's about half done with that. In the next couple of days we should be totally finished. Painting a room is kind of fun but painting four rooms and a hallway is not so much fun. If you ever buy a house, don't take on too much at once. Although I am glad that we got it all done and that we won't need to do any more heavy painting for a while, I can't help but think that we might be less totally exhausted right now if we just did a couple of the rooms now, moved in, and did the other rooms later.

On the other hand, there's no furniture in the rooms to move around at the moment so that makes the job a little easier than if we'd furnished the place and then did it.

Anywhoo...now I have to assemble like 5 pieces of furniture (Ikea rules) and we can actually get ready to move in. That's tomorrow.

I will try to remember to check in then.

Holy crap how things change

2007-08-06T00:33:44Z

There was a time that I updated this journal 2-3 times per week, back when I was working at Stream (a tech company) and I was sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day. Since my layoff all those years ago I haven't really spent as much time just staring at a monitor (unless you count Everquest or WoW, neither of which afford me the time to type and play).

The problem is that so much is always changing for me and there's lots to report but I go months without writing here. This blog was always meant for me to be able to look back on my life and see where I came from and where I end up. I really should spend a few minutes each week to do this just so I can look back and actually have something to reflect on.

Anyway, the big news now is that Heather and I bought a house! It's small and has a very little yard but it was extremely cheap considering its location (the same town we live in now) and is like 2 minutes from the school where I teach. It was rented prior to us buying it so the woman who was in before us didn't do a whole lot in the realm of upgrading it. The design is pretty much 1970's style and we've got a lot of work ahead of us.

The previous owner was a woman who'd inherited the house when her mother passed away. As a result, she was very easy to work with and seemed really motivated to sell. It was all pure profit for her so she took our offer quickly and agreed to all our terms. She even paid our closing costs. That was great.

The first thing we did was have all of the stuff she left behind taken out. This is one of the things that the owner agreed to do. A couple guys were hired to haule all the shit out of the basement, as well as the fridge in the kitchen (it smelled like a monkey's ass - or at least what I think a monkey's ass would smell like) since my parents got us a new one as a housewarming gift.

The night before the guys came to move the crap, Heather and a friend of ours named Lynette went over to the house to talk about wall colors. When they went down to the basement, Lynette realized that her legs were bing bit...by FLEAS!

Wonderful. Pests...

So I went over to the Home Depot and got me some serious bug spray and we headed back to the house to kill some bugs. When I got there, I started to pull all the crap that the guys were going to move to the center of the basement so I could spray along the walls. This consisted of some old furniture, beat up pallets on cinderblocks, and a couple boxes. When I started pulling stuff away, I made a disgusting discovery...

...cat crap. Tons of it behind everything I had move. Some of it was moldy. Apparently, the 2 cats the tenant had liked to poo outside their litterbox a lot and she never cleaned it - and this was the source of the bugs. It was nasty.

So we sprayed but didn't have anything to clean the shit with so we had to leave it. The next day, the guys came and cleared the cellar out and were nice enough to use a shovel to clean up the cat mess. I then got a mop and some serious cleaner and mopped up the basement.

So that was the first surprise. More later.

Spiderman 3 - what a disappointment

2007-05-09T01:07:36Z

Spiderman 3 was for me, as it was for many others (evidenced by this very message board and it's lacklustre 61% rating on Rottentomatoes) a major disappointment. I wanted so much for this film but at many points, I found myself angry and even hostile towards what I was watching.

As a lifetime fan of both Sam Raimi's films and the character of Spiderman (from the comics - old and new, - the various cartoon incarnations, and the last two films), I was hoping for something that would blow me away and usher in what I am hoping will be a summer movie season filled with exceptional sequles and some great new films.

I was let down in a major way.

Now, before you drop back to that old "it's just a movie" argument that some people seem to love to throw in the faces of anyone who dares speak against the film, consider this: as a movie, it should be entertaining and it should make some sense by following the rules it sets for itself. In other words, if the universe established within the world of the film as well as its predecessors (all directed by the same guy) doesn't line up, then expect people to be indignant. S3 barely holds a candle to its prequels and fails in every place they succeed.

First of all, Gwen Stacy. What a wasted, ridiculous character. In the comic book she meant something to Peter because she was his first real love. His high school sweetheart. This character has always been represented by Mary Jane became in the first two films. Why, then, do we need her in this third film? To create some contrived and unconvincing love triangle? And what the hell was she doing at the funeral at the end with her father? She didn't even know the deceased (trying to avoid spoilers here!).

Second, the Sandman. He would have been an awesome antagonist had they given the character and the actor the time that he needed to develop - as they did in the first two films with Goblin and Ock. His motives of a "sick child" are transparent and weak. What happened to her at the end? We don't know because the filmmakers couldn't be bothered to care enough about her to tell us. If they don't care, why should we? Also, making him Ben Parker's killer was equally pointless. Peter doesn't need a reason to fight bad guys. He does so because he is a hero. This was another lame and lazy attempt to get us to care about Sandman and again, it didn't work.

Venom. This character could EASILY and rightfully carry the film by himself. He gets ten minutes of screen time total and most of that time we have to look at a mutated Topher Grace's face with really bad teeth. Again, the filmmakers' attempts to squeeze too much into one film in hopes of appeasing the comic fans simply drives us away because we know that these villians have much more depth to them.

The rift between Peter and Mary Jane. In the comic book, the great thing about Mary Jane was the fact that she was already an established model and party girl when Peter met her. He was uncomfortable in her world but excited by it. In this film, Mary Jane lacks the confidence and talent of her comic counterpart and so we are treated to an overtly arrogant Peter who is horribly clueless and makes a mess of his life...you'd think he'd have learned from what happened to his uncle...

Some final points:

What the hell were the scientists doing in the desert in the middle of the night with the sand? They don't notice a WHOLE MAN fall into the pit? They have no cameras pointed into the test area to VISUALLY OBSERVE whatever the heck they are doing? They don't take the sand out and test it immediately afterwards? As cool as the origin of Sandman looked, the whole thing made no sense at all. There's no explanation to how his powers work or what he really is? Is he a man that can turn to sand or sand that can turn to a man?

Peter Parker as an evil emo jazz dancer? When did this film become The Mask? That whole sequence as well as the "look at me girls I am bopping down the street like a moron" scene made me clench both my teeth and my fists in real anger. Just because the "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" moment from the last film worked doesn't mean you should make it 10 minutes long and tack on some serious overacting in this film. Amplification just makes things louder, not better.

Peter just throws the costume away and forgets about it? Didn't he think it might...um... GRAFT TO SOMEONE ELSE? He's a scientist and a hero. You'd think he would have tried to contain or capture or at least track down where the suit may have gone. Instead, he just forgets about it until it kidnaps his girlfriend and starts kicking the crap out of him.

Does James Franco have only 2 expressions - goofy smile and evil grimace?

I hated this film. I really did. I guess that's what happens when too many cooks get into the soup.

Continued...

2007-02-21T22:41:35Z

The birthday party was actually a lot of fun. I won't pretend that seeing all my friends with kids running around didn't conjure up feelings of inadequacy in me...longing...wistful thoughts of my own future (hopefully). I know that my feelings of depression really aren't fair to those around me. It's not right for me to withdraw from a situation just because I am jealous. I have to learn to get over that for my sake, the sake of my friends, and for Heather's sake.

Yep.