Have you seen Over The Hedge?

No?

The what the fuck are you doing sitting here reading my blog?

Go and buy/rent/borrow it and watch it.

NOW!!!

Also, Michael is here and he and I are spending time.

Expect lame posts (some of the time like now pretty much) and of course pictures.

See ya on Flickr.....

Buenos con queso,

T.

It's not my fault, really.....updated

See, a while ago....Oh, I don't know sometime around 6 or 7, our power went out.

Right in the middle of a run of GTA IV, I might add.

Well, as you might imagine, the lights were out for some time.

I have to admit that I felt a bit crippled without electricity. All my 1st thoughts....check email, watch a movie, play a video game...

Yeah, not gonna happen without electromoticity (my made up word for it today). So, we endured. I read a book, and txted Michael for a bit. I even got a bit creative with my tripod and tried my hand at some more light painting.

Since I'm using Flickr now, I'm just going to post a link, and not the photos. If you go over there, please leave me a comment.....

But, I digress....

As I'm talking with Michael (he decided to just call) and taking some pix, Dave, fed up with the boredom of no power offers gambling and drinking. Michael and I end our call, and it's off to the boozearium, aka the casino. As I walk out to the cab, I see that not only are the parking lot lights on, but everyone seems to have power.

Everyone but us that is. Needless to say, I was a bit miffed.

Sitting at the machine, and facilitated by the cockail waitress (who got us the number), I call SPPC, and after hitting a few buttons, I'm told by the lady on the phone that I need to reset 'the outside breaker,' and that that is not their responsibility. She does tell me it's near the electric meter though.

So, I get home, can't find the fucking thing, so I call the number again...After some walking around, find the fucking meter, and sure enough, there's a breaker switch there, right near a meter and a panel painted with our unit number....

I flip the fucking switch (whose existence i was totally unaware of until tonight) and the power comes back on.....

Yeah, I'm still kinda pissed.

Ok, so go check out my pix.

Buenos con queso,

T.

UPDATE there was a problem with my new photos not showing up, but i fixed it...

Come in here dear boy, have a cigar....

Ok, so I've been a bad blogger lately.

It's not that I haven't wanted to blog, I just have felt up to it, haven't felt like I had anything earth-shattering to say.

In point of fact, I still don't, so by the above justification, I shouldn't be posting now, either. I just know that if I don't put something up here, I'll be flooded with 'are you alright' comments and emails, and I'm not up to dealing with all that.....

Michael should be here sometime tomorrow (monday) and will be here for an extended stay, as I've mentioned.

Also, in observance of Memorial Day, we'll be closing at 2pm tomorrow, so I get a nice, short day at work...

Hold on a sec, have to starte the 'que...

Ok, I'm back. Did you miss me?

This should make for an interesting bbq night, as it's starting to rain....I hope the coals prove stronger than the water.....

There's not really much else going on, but look how long I've managed to talk about nothing at all....Quite a talent, aren't I?

Yeah, I think so too....

Buenos con queso,

T.

Tight pants and lipstick, she's ridin' on the razor's edge

How about a little Sammy to start the day?

Whew, made it though another week.

You know, I thought I had something to say this morning, but it appears I don't.

Gah, this is lame....

Buenos con queso,

T.

When the wind blows really hard, the water in my toilet moves.....

I can hear you collective skepticism, but I swear to you it's true.

It's a subtle thing, and I'm not sure when I first noticed it, but now I notice it everytime we have big wind.

I know you all think I'm crazy, but you can ask Michael.

When he was living up here, I showed him.

He'll back me up.

Ok, I've decided to actually start putting pictures on my flickr account, so I'm outta here...

Buenos con queso,

T.

Are you talkin to meme?

So, this girl I know, well, internet know anyhow, felt the urge to prod me into a little self-summarization. It goes something like this:


This is a six word epitaph meme. The rules: Write your own six word memoir or epitaph. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want. Link to the person who tagged you in your post. Tag at least five more blogs. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

I think mine would have to be:





Ok, now for my final duty, the tagging.....

1. Well, PSP, of course.

2. Kelwhy.

3. Sue, even tho she's busy as hell.....

4. Sandra

5. GreyGoose, even tho she never posts anymore.....

---

Ok, that helped fill in a kinda slow post day, so I'm off to notify the lucky winners.

Buenos con queso,

T.

One of the T.J.-vuest things to happen in a loooong time.....

So, ok.

I come home from work, and decide to relax with a little GTA IV. Now, with the two mission options I have available, I either have to be in a certain place at a certain time (like 8 or 9 hrs game time) or I need a cop car to finish the mission.

I've tried both missions before, and died trying each. One (the timing one) has tons of folks to kill, and mucho running around that has to be done....and then you get to the place where you're supposed to steal a car...(this is after like 5 or 10 mins of a running gunfight) and *BLAM* some asshole cop caps me in like one shot. This has happend several times...

The other involves using the computer in the cop car (yeah you can cool or what) to find a subjects known hangouts. The begining, where you get the mission, get a picture message on your cel phone, and actually begin the mission is simplicity itself (a good portion of it is cutscene anyhow). It all starts to fall apart for me at the 'find a cop car' stage of the mission. Now, don't get me wrong, there are cop cars all over the city, but like 99% of the time, they've got not 1, but 2 cops in them. I have found it virtually impossible to jack a coppermobile without caping at least one of the poor sods.

This results in an automatic '3 star wanted level' which those of you that play the games will recognize as pretty high. For those of you abstainers, imagine 2 different types of police vehicles, numerous foot patrolmen, and a chopper overhead with a spotlight.

Needless to say, this is not good. Well, I've got the car, now all I have to do is lose my wanted level, but even with the new, mostly easier system (quite different from the older ones) a level this high, while losable was destined to leave my car in unusable condition.

Usually on it's roof.....

So, I decided to get a cop car first, go get the mission, hop in my very own cruiser, and look the bastard up. 'Wait,' I can hear you say 'isn't stealing the cop car the problem?' Well, to answer your rather rude, interrupting question, yes, that's where my problems usually start. If you had let me finish, I would have said this: There are several Police stations around Liberty City, and each one usually has at least 2 cars sitting around unattended.

No problem, right? Yeah, except that using the game map that came with the disc (which has stations marked) and the in-game map (identical by the way though without cop shops marked) I was unable to find the fucker I was looking for. It just wasn't there.

Ok, so last night found me shutting the game off in frustration.

Whew, that's a lot of set up.

Tonight, I decided to try the "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out' mission 1st, because I was sure I could get to a car and get the fuck out of Dodge.

Only not so much.

I ended up dead.

Again.

'Fuck this,' I say, and go ahead and do a side mission. This one involves a boat trip. It's not much of a side mission, and it's over in like 10 minutes. I disembark at the docks, and decide to check it out around there for pick ups and the like. I wander around for a bit, and don't find anything interesting.

Almost at random, I turn and look at the skyline. To my left, I see a skyscraper rising out of the ground, and think 'I wonder if I can just run in a straight line, climbing obstacles and the like, and make a beeline for the tower.'

So I do. I'm surprised that it's as easy as it is, but I continue nonetheless. I come to a wall, jump up and climb it, dropping to the other side. Across the street from me is my tower. Ranged around me are three fucking police cars.

I was standing in the parking lot of a fucking cop shop.

I actually had to get up and walk away from the game for a moment. As you might imagine, I took a car. I took it to my safehouse, because sometimes the game gets rid of the car you arrive in, saved and got the mission.

A quick cab ride back to my safehouse, and I was on my way to the killzone. After all that build up, it saddens me to say it took me less than 5 minutes to finish off the mission.

Yeah, I know.

Buenos con queso,

T.

Saturday at the movies.....

I prolly should have warned you that I was going to leave that then/than post up for a couple days. It is after all, my biggest pet peeve.

Ok, so to continue with the movie reviews (which i seem to have fucked up doing) I got Balls of Fury in my Netflix the other day.

I remember seeing ads for this when it came out, and I was joanzin to see it in the theater, but like most movies I want to see in the theater, I forgot.

I put it in last night, and I'm watching/listening to it as I blog. It doesn't really have any names in it. There's George Lopez, and if you're into martial arts chicks, Maggie Q (who is smokin hot btw consider her officially on my list).

Oh, and Christoper Walken.

Now, I expected this movie to be funny. Just the premise is pretty good, I mean it's like Mortal Kombat for ping pong. That sounds kinda wierd, but take it from me, this fucker's hilarious.

I mean it. There were a couple times last night when I had to pause the movie cause I was laughing so hard, and I didn't want to miss anything. The jokes are funny, and the timing is spot on. Even now, watching a second time, I find myself laughing out loud.

This shit is funny. It's a parody of course. It's the FBI-secret-mission-comedy-kung-fu-revenge movie, and it's got it all: Hot chicks, car chases, gun fights, and a doughy white boy getting his ass kicked.

Take it from me, this one's a watcher.

---

In other news, I found out that Michael (my son for those of you living in a cave) is coming to visit this month. He's getting here on like the 26th (or thereabouts) and staying til like Jun 13, which is way cool.

Pops and I have already decided that the three of us are going to go camping at Davis Creek.

The coolest part about it is it's only like 20 mins away. That's right, it's that close.

Buenos con queso,

T.

Perhaps my BIGGEST pet peeve.....

It might come as a shock to many of you that I fancy myself a writer. Then again, as you're actually here reading something that I wrote, maybe not.

I wish I could make a living doing this, and I still have aspirations to do so, but I lack the business acumen to actually send out prospecti...prospectuses letters of intent, so my (soon to be) award-winning writing career will have to wait on the as-yet named agent/manager that is even now moving towards our fated meeting some time in the future....

Something that may not be immediately clear is that I'm also a reader. I mean, like voracious. I read just about anything and everything. If I'm not actively engaged in something else (blogging for instance or playing a vid) I'm usually reading. I read when I eat, in the crapper, I even usually read with the t.v. on as I lay in bed readying myself for sleep.

That prolly doesn't surprise any of you. Most writers are readers as well. It kinda goes with the territory. I also have the heart of a proofreader. I've tried not to be to anal about it on here, but sometimes, I'll read my preview 6 or 7 times before hitting that 'publish' button. I also find typos/grammatical errors in books, magazines, newspapers...you name it, I've found an error in it.

I also read a lot on the internet (another shocker i know) and I find errors there too. I know, right? Who would have thought that the unnamed masses of anonymous bloggers/message board surfers/whatevers out there (some im convinced without any formal education whatsoever) don't take the time/trouble to read what they've typed before commiting it to the 'net.

I'm guilty of it, I know. I often read one of my posts (sometimes after the preview process above) and find a dropped letter, or a missed word. Transpositions? Yeah, guilty. There is one thing I've never done though, and never will. It's the thing I hate the most.

No, it's not a wall of text (find your return key you ass) nor is it the internet equivilent of SHOUTING (its not cool it makes you look like an idiot), no, what I'm talking about is Then v. Than.

It's pretty simple, really. Then denotes time, Than denotes degree.

I'll be crusing along, reading a post, perhaps even thinking 'Wow, someone that has a coherent thought,' and then it happens...'I love it more then.....'

No, you fucktard, it's than. Then is not a typo for than, it's an entirely different fucking word!! For the love of Mike, learn the fucking difference before I come to your house and beat the life out of you.....

'I was so much older than, I'm younger then that now.'

Yeah, that just doesn't do it for me. I swear, everytime I see it I usually just stop reading, no matter how lucid or provocative the material is, because as soon as I read the wrong word, I automatically question the intelligence of the author.

It really gives me the red ass.

Buenos con queso,

T.

The voices I hear in my head are songs.....

I had planned on making this a GTA IV evening, but something I read over at PSP's got me all tied up at the keyboard.

I really got into it, and while not all of these are punk/new wave songs, they are some songs that I think everyone should know and enjoy. In case you're wondering, I used the iTunes store to get some of my information (mostly what year which im not putting in anyway) and it was cool to listen, albeit briefly, to some of these songs again.

I don't know about the rest of you, but music is a pretty important part of my life. It would be an even bigger one if I could actually play an instrument. I keep telling myself that I'm going to learn guitar, but I never do. I also think I could do piano/keyboards (my hands can cover a full octave without stretching)....

But I digress.

Here, for your enjoyment, are my 'must hear songs of the 80's."

1. The Ramones: I Want To Be Sedated
2. The Clash: Should I Stay Or Should I Go
3. Romeo Void: Never Say Never
4. Adam Ant: Goodie Two Shoes
5. Depeche Mode: People Are People
6. Devo: Whip It
7. The Vapors: Turning Japanese
8. M: Pop Muzik
9. Peter Gabriel: Games Without Frontiers
10. Billy Squier: Lonely Is The Night
11. Stray Cats: Stray Cat Strut

Also, the albums Paradise Theater and Kilroy Was Here, from Styx, all the Rush albums from the debut to Grace Under Pressure, and any and all Cure singles from the era.

What about the rest of you? What songs are in the soundtrack of your life?

Buenos con queso,

T.

Champagne in a can is sexy.....

Just when you think she couln't be any dumber, she pulls
this on Letterman.....

Sometimes I feel sorry for that poor little girl....

Until I remember that she's not poor....nor is she little.

She's easily old enough to have gotten educated somewhere (not to mention being able to afford virtually any school anywhere i mean cmon) and yet sometimes, she's baffling as raw cotton.

---

Something else I just recently (like 30 mins ago) noticed: Somehow, I managed to overlook one of the episodes of the Sopranos.

From the 1st season.

I know, right? So, after the break to blog, I'm back at it.

I also talked to my friend Tammy today.

She's the one that works for Disney, remember? Her hubby works for The Simpsons (i think) and when I was telling her about my 'bargain' purchases at work for $15 USD a season, she said, and I quote 'we can get them a lot cheaper than that.'

A lot cheaper? Really?

'Cause from where I'm sitting, 15 bux isn't a lot of anything.

Except pennies.

It's a lot of pennies.

Sorry, just trying to make 'cents' of the world.....

Buenos con queso,

T.

That's right, I'm the last one standin', another one bites the dust

I would have posted earlier, but I was out with mom, gran, sis & niece for Mother's Day dinner (happy m day to yall and you again mom). I played 'real' keno for the first time in quite a while, and I could have stopped $18.00+, but I opted to play a little more, and only finished a buck and a half up.

Oh, well, at least I got to play a lot of keno, and I didn't lose any money.

Until the Gold Dust that is.

I had mom drop me off there. I'm wondering now if that was the best idea.

I mean, I only lost $15.00 (thirteen fifty if you count my earlier winnings)but I mean, I prolly could have bought a gallon of gas for that 15 bux.

---

Ok, remember the coyote story?

Ok, leave me alone now.....

On another note, have any of you noticed the 'specialized' health magazines out there?

I mean, you've got 'Women's Fitness,' 'Men's Fitness,' 'Health,' 'Shape,' 'Exercise.'

I'm sure you could find a magazine out there dedicated to almost any muscle group/exercise regimen that you could think of.

I ask you though, are we ready for this:




Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of ladie's butts, but do we really need a magazine that will tell people how to 'make an ass of themselves' when so many seem to do it so well without instruction?

Heh...sorry, that was a long way around, but I've been trying to work that photo into my blog since I took it.

Ok, time to get my kill on.

Buenos con queso,

T.

ps name the song.....

Ok, so the links went to the same page.....

I'm not sure if it's blogger's fault or mine, so I guess it's just one of those things.

The second link was supposed to be to a story of a coyote attack in CA, the third in like 2 or 3 weeks or something.

In any event, I couldn't find the story to re-link to, so....well there you have it.

I loved Dilbert yesterday:



Here's a bit of trivia for you:

Scott Adams, the guy who does this strip lives in Danville, CA, where I used to live.

Use that information wisely.

Buenos con queso,

T.

Crapizoids....

I had a post all done, well mostly, and I was adding a link when blogger did something I didn't want it to and ate my post.

If I put my mind to it, I could prolly remember it all, but fuck it.

The salient points:

1. It's my Friday, and I have NO plans for a change.

2. I'm more up on the news lately because of CNN and Foxnews's websites.

Now, to the news stories I was trying to link:

Is this what they mean by 'higher education'?

Also, it seem that California is going to the dogs.

Ok, time for my final work day this week to begin.

Buenos con queso,

T.

ps good call on yesterdays quote psp

I can't keep running people over, I'm not famous enough to get away with it.....

That's a quote, but it's not from a movie.

I'll give you a buck if you can peg it.

I'm just minutes from leaving for work, and you can't believe how excited I am about it.

No, really.

Ok, you got me, I'm not excited. I'm not really bummed either, I just wish (and who doesnt) that I didn't have to work. I wish I'd get the call soon about my book/movie deal.

I need to retire, stat.

Buenos con queso,

T.

I'm so sure, I'm practically deodorant...

Happy Tuesday, all.

It was a worker for me, as I'm sure for most of you. It wasn't a bad day at work, but it was still a day at work. I mean, the crappiest day fishing is better than the best day ever at work.

Well, if you fish.

If you don't, well, you get my point.....

I'm still smiling from the Rush show.

I'll be rolling down my playlist, see a Rush tune, and think 'Oh, yeah, they played that, huh?' What can I say, it was prolly the best day of the year, so far.

My award for dumbasses of the week?!? Yeah, it's a tie between the kid that reported it, the adult he reported it to that took it seriously, and ffs a supervisor being called...and he's as fucking dumb as the rest...

I mean really, wtf?

'Oooohhhh, my teacher is a spooooky wiiiiizard.'

Was is Professor Dumbledore, you little dumbass?

I weep for society.

Buenos con queso,

T.

I hate coming up with titles.....

I know, I missed a couple days, but that's not really my fault.

Well, actually, it is, but I'm not taking the blame for it.

I shouldn't need to tell you this, but the Rush show fucking rocked. Rush was a big thing between Greg and I, so I missed him a lot. Bittersweet? Yes, but more sweet than bitter.

They played a lot of my older faves, including, but not limited to: Limelight, Freewill, Spirit of Radio, and my all time fave, Red Barchetta.

I was also surprised to hear Natural Science, one of their more obscure (and longer at nine minutes plus) songs, and as always, Neil's drum solo was worth the price of admission. My seat (like i sat down at all once the music started) was right by the sound mixing equipment, so the music was fucking perfect.

I had a couple beers, but stayed mostly sober for the show. I've never understood the practice of paying good $$ for a ticket, and then being so smashed you can't remember a damn thing about the show.

In other news, GTA IV is my new best friend. It's always like that when I get a new vid, but then y'all know that. I've made some progress, but mostly I'm just fucking around and taking my time with the storyline missions. I don't want it to end yet.....

Ok, Dave just offered to fund me for a little gambling, so I'm going to close this.

Buenos con queso,

T.

What ?!? Don't look at me like that!!!

I told you this was going to happen.

GTA IV is fucking sick.

Andie, tell MrAP to go get it NOW!!

Also: Rush tonight, 8pm!!!

Ok, we now return to your regulary schedlued gaming experience.

Buenos con queso,

T.