Times, they are a changing…

For a little over 2 years, I have been employed by the same company.  I cannot divulge the the company name, because the nature of the NDA that I signed, they might come after me and cut my fingers off one by one.  Or sue me.  Or something.  But I can tell you that the company I work for has created some of the most popular personal music players and computers on the market.  Figured it out yet?  It can be a little “fruity” if you catch my drift. After life altering surgery in July, I have pretty much attempted to battle back from it and go back to work.  The doctors did not want to release me.  They knew I would be standing for hours on end, lifting heavy computers, and it would be a lot of strain.  In fact, they think part of my injury could have been caused or seriously exacerbated by my work.  I continued to think I could get past it, and make it back.About 2 weeks ago, I got a letter from the disability company reminding me that I had been on short term disability for over 7 months, and if I wanted to continue I might want to pursue social security.  At 32.  I figured it was time to heed the advice of my physical therapist and look for something else.     I began getting my resume out there and seeing what I could find. Monday, I had 2 interviews, pretty much back to back.  Today, I got 2 non official offers from both companies.  The official offers are supposed to come tomorrow morning, and it will be up to me to decide.  I am leaning heavily towards one company than the other for a variety of reasons, but I refuse to accept one or the other until I can place them side by side and really make the right decision.  When I make that decision, it will be time to say goodbye to the company that has been very good to me.  As much as I hate to leave it, I know it is the best thing for me, my family, and my career.  Wish me luck! 

Getting moved in…

So I have friends that use blogger.  I have friends that know waaay more about webhosting than I do, and they have their own stuff.   I personally decided that blogger was getting a little retarded with spam comments, log in issues, and no one knew I posted there.  So I am working on moving in here, and using this as the next phase of my life.  Check back often, the cardboard boxes will be going to the curb, and maybe I will get a plant or something.

You see my friends have this thing they do on the 12th of each month in their blog, called the 12 of 12. I had been planning on doing one all month, and then realized today that it was the 13th. Doh. I only took one photo yesterday anyway, of my new fancy walking cast for my stress-fractured foot.

Once I realized I had missed the 12 of 12 photo journal day, I decided to keep a running diary of my day. So here we go.

What is a C: drive?

7:30a.m.-Damn, it’s early. With the Dog kicking my broken foot with his puppy dream kicks last night, I barely slept.

8:00-Mikey will not eat his oatmeal, he is too busy watching cartoons, but each time I try and feed him, he yells at me that that is how babies eat. Too damn early for logic.

8:05-Doorbell. Eff. The pest control guy is here. What in the hell? He wants to spray inside the house. Mikey is still not eating, but showing off his cartoons for the guy.

8:22-barely make it to his school before they start. I get some sideways glances from one of the assistant teachers, but I think she is a bitch anyway, so I am not worried about it. Mikey gives me a thumbs up through the door, so he is good.

8:30-Back home, and meeting with a technical recruiter this morning, preparing myself for not being able to return to retail work. The back, the foot, the holidays, I just have my doubts. I have to get into the shower, but bug guy is back there. Hello????

8:47-Ok, he has sprayed back there, I may die of fumes, but I need a shower and have to be in downtown by 10, and already heard there is a traffic jam right in my way.

9:00-Done, and almost dressed. Man that has to be a record.

9:12-I think I need coffee and food. Micky D’s is on my “I have to loose weight” diet today, so I stop for a McGriddle and Coffee. So does everyone else. Crap.

9:50-Some ASSHAT in a white Toyota Camery, 1992 model, has parked in the handicapped spot in front of the building. Normally I don’t use Ali’s card, but with a cast and a cane, and recent back surgery, I use it when I can. But apparently someone who has no card, plates or anything else other than a 500 gallon orange drink has parked in that spot. I would key it or whack it with my cane, but it would only increase the resale value of the car at this point.

10:15-I am informed I have to do a tech analysis on the computer system to see how knowledgeable I am on computers. They give me 30 minutes, and its multiple choice. The first question is “What is a C: drive?”

10:21-Ok done with the test. That was kind of dumb. Ok really dumb.

10:48-Back out on the road. The recruiter had nothing for me today, other than to tell me I scored higher on her test that anyone in the past 6 months. Mentioned a job with a sanitation company, installing systems in the Southwest region, from Kansas south. Ummm no. Thanks though.

11:30-back home, make an appointment for a iPhone visit at the Apple store, since my phone has stopped ringing and going straight to voicemail, and is hot enough to keep my coffee warm.

12:20-Talk to Ali on IM, who tells me she is going to be in southlake having lunch, and maybe she will see me there. I say sounds good, and change clothes. Off and running.

12:45-arrive at Ali’s table breathing heavily from the 3 block hike on the cast. Suddenly realize it’s a work lunch, and she meant she would see me in southlake, not at lunch. Crud. Back away from table with embarrassed face, make a weird mumbled excuse and leave. Go across to Barnes and Nobles.

1:00-Go to bar across street to kill time before my 1:45 appointment, have a beer and food, with the new Mac:Life magazine I bought. Get texts from Ali apologizing, I think she knows I misunderstood, and did 80 to Southlake for what I thought was lunch. Eh, sometimes boys can be dumb.

1:45-Get phone replaced-buy new case for it while I am there.

4:00-Go to Walmart for candy for Mikey’s valentine party, and to pick up cupcakes. Have to dodge guys fighting over the two remaining V-Day cards, despite them being in Spanish and having elephants on the front.

5:30-Damn that line was long, get home, put groceries away, and decide to try and get past “Cult of Personality” on Guitar Hero 3.

6:00-Put together the “zero gravity” bike rack, which also means “zero chance this is going to stay standing upright, and will fall on your feet breaking both of them”

6:20-Dismantle “zero gravity” bike rack and vow to find something better.

7:00-the family and I go to Olive Garden for a pre valentine crowd dinner. Not romantic, but really, with a 4 year old, how romantic can you get? Especially with spilled lemonaid in your lap?

That is pretty much it up to now. Perhaps I will go play some more guitar hero, take my pain pills and go to bed. Tomorrow is the Pre-K valentine party, and I am invited. Photos soon!

Completely, Totally, Hopelessly Useless

No, that is not a shot at you. See back in the early Spring, we decided to pick up a little bike trailer for the baby munkey at Target. It looked a lot like a big boy bicycle, and since we wanted to start riding our bikes and working toward loosing some of the winter blubber, it would be a great way to get him involved and teach him the fundamentals. I think we even got him a helmet. That was probably in April or May. The best part was it was on clearance.

In July my back got so bad that we had to go in and do the whole titanium rebuild. I think I mentioned something about that.

Here we are in January, and I am still slowly recovering from that rebuild. Baby Munkey, on the other hand, has grown to the height of, well, about here on me. He is tall enough to ride the big boy bike his grandma got for him 2 years ago. Suddenly there is no need for this bike trailer, sitting in its sad little box in the garage, hoping one day to be a real toy.

So in my effort to move around everyday and try to get back to normal, I thought I would take the trailer in the box back to target, and play the “uh yeah it was a gift at Christmas” and try to get at least some of the money back, knowing full well it was on clearance and would only get back like 20 bucks or something. So I go there and am told not only will they not take it back, but I am an evil evil man for suggesting they take it back, and *gasp* I did not have a receipt. So the two of us, me and the box of uselessness, go back out to the car.

I get the bright idea of one of those resale shops for kids. Not to resale kids mind you, but their clothes and toys and whatnot. So I punch one up on the trusty iPhone, figure out where they are, and head that way. It was only like 8 miles away, so no biggie. I go inside to find a woman in her mid to late 40’s dressed like she is communicating with the Aliens. She has stars and moons all over her, in her hair, her necklace, and really looks like a left over space cadet. I tell her what I have to sell, and she points out that they don’t really buy stuff like that, scrunches her nose, and then says “our sister store usually does”

The sister store in question is Play it Again Sports. Great, great, great store if you need exercise equipment or fad gear. I bed they have at least one total gym there from people that wanted to work out, but were not quite Chuck Norris. So I ask where the closest Play… is and she has no idea. “I would think somewhere close, though.” Lady was a brilliant bulb, thousand watts.

I head back out to the car, encouraged, if not frightened a little by Mrs. David Bowie, and again ask iPhone where the nearest Play it Again is located. Not bad really, 18 miles away, 30 minutes with traffic. Well its almost noon on a Thursday afternoon and the temperature is flirting with 35 degrees, so I start driving. Sure it was an area I did not know very well, but I was sure I could find it.

About half an hour later I find the store, tucked into a small shopping mall behind a larger shopping mall. I go inside, walk among the scattered treadmills, and ask the young guy if he buys bike trailers. He said it was the wrong season to be selling bikes of any kind, or trailers, and he would have a hard time moving it. Never mind that 4 days ago I was in shorts and T-shirt and the weather was almost spring like, and had been most of the winter. He proceeds to tell me that the used bike shop on the highway would need something like what I was selling, and I should check down there.

I drive another 15 minutes away, and find the bike shop is closed. I guess it is not bike season after all. Of course now I am on the wrong side of I-35, and have to trek back home by first driving north for about 30 minutes, to go 30 minutes south.

As I take my exit finally to get home, my gas gauge informs me that I am an idiot and have been driving around the past hour and a half burning the almost 3 dollar per gallon fuel like I am Bill Gates. So I sputter to a near standstill at the closest gas pump, put in a few dollars, and go home with my tail between my legs, and a bike trailer sitting comfortably in the back of my Jeep.

Ho Ho Crack Ho

Christmas. A time for families, for togetherness, and for the spirit of giving. At least that is how I always thought it should be.

Today, we went to my parents house, or at least the orphanage where they work. It was supposed to be a time for the family to get together and celebrate Christmas. My wayward sister was going to join us for the first time in years. It was going to be a holiday to remember.

We got there around 1:30 right as lunch was coming out of the oven. Now because of all of my warnings, Ali knew that my mother cannot cook. She has a bad habit of burning the things that don’t go in the oven, and not cooking the things totally that go in the oven all the way through. So on the way, we stop at Jack in the Box and get burgers. Luckily we did not have to eat very much of it.

We had a fairly good time, watching the baby open his presents, and sitting around doing not much of anything. My sister called once to tell us she was going to be late, since they were working on their car. She called again to say the car was not getting fixed and she needed a ride. So at 5 my father set out to pick up my sister and her current live in guy.

At 6:30 apparently he told her that we were waiting for her at the house with my mom. And she lost it. She did not want to face us. She was turning in a true chicken shit moment. So instead of her returning home, my mother told us that we needed to leave. Let me repeat that. WE were tossed out on Christmas eve. My parents chose my crack head (literally), prostitute (again literally), disappearing sister over their other son and his family. So we left.

Granted my family has never really been good at holiday togetherness or really any other time of year togetherness. But this is the lowest form of, well I don’t really know what to call it.

So my family returned home. We made cookies for Santa and decorated them. We are watching Home Alone and tracking santa on NORAD while a fire burns in the fireplace. Hell with them. We are having Christmas.

I hope everyone is with the one they love this year, and may 2008 be a happy and bright one for you as well.

Now what did I do with my bottle of whiskey…Santa needs a nip.

its been a while…

So here I am, its November, starting to get a little cooler out there. I am still not working. I managed to push a little too hard in my PT sessions, and injured another section of my back. Friday I am heading back to the pain management gurus, and they are going to inject my spine with stuff to hopefully get me over this and back to my recovery stuff.

I have had lots of time to sit and work with the iPhone, and work on the new Mac OS, Leopard, and I must say, these two additions to the Apple fold will no doubt bring in a few converts. Yay for my stock!

I started out a few months ago not understanding why everyone made such a big deal out of Guitar Hero, to a few weeks ago admitting it looked interesting, to a few days ago feeling like a dork for wanting it, to 24 hours ago feeling like a complete nerd for using it, and a few hours ago from feeling like a digital rock star, all be it quite bad at the moment. What a strange game.

Still reading the Dark Tower series by Steven King. I kept thinking a book is getting sluggish, then turn a page and cannot put it down after that. IF you have a few months to kill, sit and read them, they are quite good, but will manage to hurt your head.

Well that is it for me, a panic attack tonight made this take over 3 hours to write. Time to relax for a bit. Im physically and emotionally drained and need a nap.

Its over…

Oh Blockbuster online, you have now made yourself an enemy. I have been your devoted customer for now for almost 18 months. I have put up with you sending me broken discs, super scratched media, and in some cases, the wrong thing. I have continued to pay your premium fees, even when you change the terms in the middle, or when one of the best features of your program was almost eliminated. I speak of course of the ability to exchange movies in the store for the ones I got in the mail. I have felt good about our supply/demand relationship despite the 300+ bucks you have cost me. Until this week.

First I get an email telling me that your going to cancel my account. It goes on to explain that am being cancelled because I have reported so many issues with blockbuster media. So according to the email, because of lack of quality media, or the amount of scratches on them rendering them useless, I am going to be penalized.

I call your headquarters and am told that Blockbuster has not given me good customer service and is therefore canceling me. I am told that you are canceling me and investigating my zip code to see if there are other issues in the area, and therefore might be a postal issue. I am told sorry bout that, have a great day.

Here is my question blockbuster online, how is any of this my fault? You rape your customers for a huge amount of money, but never replace old and heavily used discs with new ones. I have a Wal-Mart nearby, and know most of these older movies can be found there.

I call your headquarters again, to ask these very questions. I am amazed at your ability to use security to make sure it is me you are talking to, but am also amazed that your phone operator can hang up on me when he cannot answer my questions. That’s right, he hung up on me. So being the normal consumer I am , I call back, and am again placed on hold until someone drops the line. I assume this is my fault as well, and having reported so many issues with trying to call customer service perhaps I should cancel that option as well.

So here is how I am going to move on blockbuster online. I have already taken screen shots of my waiting list of movies, so I know what I wanted to see. I am going to watch movies that I have here in the binder. I am going to catch up on my Tivo. I might eventually join Netflix to start getting movies again, but I will be damned If I ever put any more money in your pocket.

Especially having gotten this just now.

Hello Ninjamunkey,
Due to problems with your account, we are unable to continue serving you.
Your subscription to blockbuster.com will be cancelled, effective Friday, September 14, 2007. To avoid additional charges, return all DVDs rented online by Sunday, October 14, 2007.

My August

It has been an interesting couple of weeks. I guess I have been so busy with things in general, I have not blogged. Let’s try this quick hit style, and see if I can get everything caught up.

• Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but after 3 weeks of recovery, we decided to take a day trip to Glen Rose, Texas and check out Dinosaur State Park. It’s a cool little area of Texas on the Brazos river, where there are footprints of dinosaurs that are preserved in the limestone edges of the river. What we did not know until we arrived is that the footprints are only visible after a ½ mile hike down loose rock and sand cliffs to the water. I made it all the way down to the river and back up, so I was quite proud.

• While taking my son to his grandparents for a much needed kid free weekend, my mother announced that she had “twisted my back like yours” and could not breath, could not function from the pain. WE rushed her to the ER for medical attention, and found that there was nothing on the X-Rays or MRI, but they gave her some of the strongest medication I have ever heard. I mean, a patch that is used for Cancer patients was given to her. Needless to say, the baby came home with us and the weekend was cancelled.

• Tossed the wiffle ball to the boy day before yesterday, and while I did not attempt to do full speed pitches, or really break off curves, my back has been screaming for the past 2 days. Perhaps that was a bit early. Its hard to tell him I cannot play, and watch him be sad because of it, so I gave in, but perhaps did a little too much.

• I was supposed to have a follow up appointment with my doctor this morning, but last Wednesday, his office called and told me that my doctor was having emergency surgery himself, and would be out for a while. So I guess I got a reprieve from actual PT until next week. I really am ready to get started with it though, as I would like to start getting more range of motion. Time.

• The Mrs got a IM from a man who had done a great deal of online detective work. Turns out that he is the son of her Grandfather’s half brother. Confused yet? Yeah me too. I guess they had the same father and were both walked out on very early in their lives and never really met. Thanks to the wonder of the internet, he found her.

• Friday I turn 32. I would not go back and change anything I have done to this point, except maybe take better care of my back and knees.

Military vs. Civilian Friends

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Tell you not to do something stupid when drunk
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will post 360 security so you dont get caught

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs
MILITARY FRIENDS: Call your parents Drunk as hell and tell them about the fat chick you tried to pick up

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Hope the night out drinking goes smoothly, and hope that no one is late for the ride home.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Know some wild shit will happen, and set up rally points and an E & E route.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was wrong.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will be sitting next to you saying, Damn…we fucked up…but hey, that shit was fun as fuck!”

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Laugh at you and tell you to put some vagasil on your pussy.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Steal each other’s stuff so often nobody remembers who bought it in the first place.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are happy that someone picked up a one night stand and leave them alone.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will Low Crawl naked into the room with a camera and hope for the tag team.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will listen to your relatioship problems and hope it works out for you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will listen to you over a long hard road march, and will help you straighten it out better than Dr. Phil.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Might try to hit on your girl behind your back.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Have spooned with you in the field more than your girl has, and would never even think about doing that.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that’s what the crowd is doing.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, “I’m home fuckers!”

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will try and talk to the bouncer when you get tossed out of the bar.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will man up and go after the bouncer for touching you on the way out.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will wish you had enough money to go out that night, and are sorry you couldn’t come.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will share their last dollar with you, drag you along, and try to steal free drinks all night.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you’ve had enough.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, “Bitch, you better drink the rest of that shit, you know we don’t waste.. That’s alcohol abuse!!!”

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Want the money they loaned you back next week.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Can’t begin to remember who owes who money after taking care of each other for so long.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will say “I can’t handle Tequila anymore”.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will say “okay just one more” and then 2 minutes later “okay just one more”.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will knock them the fuck out!!

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will tell you “They’d take a bullet for you.”
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will actually take a bullet for you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will repost this

10:21 PM – 3 Comments – 0 Kudos -

another week down…

And just like that, I have made it through 2 weeks with a new back. Things are getting easier. The pain can still be pretty high at times, but its not a constant. I have been attempting to walk every day. Today is my proudest achievement, 1.19 miles in a single session. Almost 2 miles from 11am-5pm. The only downfall, I am afraid I will be hurting later, as I was in serious pain last night after almost a mile. But as I have said before, Pain is weakness leaving the body. Tomorrow is my first post op doctors appointment, and I get to find out if I can reach over my head or pick up anything heavier than 10 pounds. What I really want to find out is if they will let me go swimming. With the temperature reaching 103 every day, I think a 98 degree pool will be nice.

This also marks day 15 with no smoking. So lets see. Back fixed, exercising every day, and not smoking. Holy crap I might be getting healthy before long. Who would have thought on my daily diet of powdered sugar doughnuts I could get to a point where I actually want to work out. I just put on the shuffle, rocked out, and walked. I can also tell that I am moving around a little faster.

I will post again tomorrow when I get news from the doctor. As per usual, I will be bringing sexy back.