this is what you want, this is what you get

Ok, so i've been listening to public image limited in the car, but it seems appropriate for my happenings this last weekend. on the way to stacy's parents yesterday, she realized that it was a birthday party for a nephew and needed to stop off at a game store to pick up a gift for him. well, wadda ya know, i've got two large grocery bags in the trunk full of games i pulled outta my closet that need to be traded in. we stopped at an EB somewhere in northern kansas (her parents live in lewisville) which is on the way to the festivities. i would guess that with all the games i had in the bags, it equalled to at least five hundred dollars, if not more, worth of games that i was trading in. i had a copy of the original doom as well as its brother, Hexen. Yah, you heard me right, Hexen. When was the last time you heard that name? while routing thru my closet this weekend to clean out, i decided that to start this new chapter in my life, hopefully the longest chapter in my life, it was time to rid myself of almost everything from my life as a miscreant. i'd been holding on to a small handful of games that i never wanted to rid myself of (doom, halflife, serious sam, etc) because they were such great games, but then i also realized that seeing as how i won't be playing anything, anytime soon, there was no reason to hang on to those games. so after creating a 'we'll give you a nickel for this game' pile and a 'fat chance, we won't even take these off your hands' pile, i was given a little over a hunnet bucks in credit. taking off the game needed for the party and a new copy of shrek 2, i've got about seventy bucks to spend the next time i go into an EB. this is especially handy now that i've got an 8 year old living with me. spend five hundred, get a hundred back.

on a better note, because stacy's place was broken into a few weeks ago and her son's gamecube and games were stolen, i brought over my ps2 for him to wear down until we actually moved in together. i've never seen a child's eyes light up like that before. i received the biggest hug i'd had in years. it was a great feeling and now i'm in trouble with mom, cause he won't get up off the couch and put pants on. he's always playing Kingdom Hearts. let the corruption begin!

flatware, platinum and an orange julius

spent all day yesterday with stacy registering. we spent an ungodly amount of time at pottery barn having a ball with a scanner.

stace: uh, honey, do you really think we need nine deviled egg serving dishes?

we found some really nice furniture, a fuckton of candles and some nice flatware. we also ended up at bed, bath and beyond looking for towels, bedware (why the hell do i need shams and dust ruffles?) and i got all weak in the knees in the kitchen area.

stace: un, honey, you really think we need nine colanders?

i gotta tell ya, i'm digging running around with a scanner. someone shoulda introduced me to this years ago.

headed to the in-laws today for burgers i think stace and i are gonna break out a coupla hours in and go look at rings. but most importantly, the mall we're headed to still has an orange julius stand. haven't had one of those in about 20 years and have been craving one for about 19.

life has suddenly gotten insanely busy and there never seems to be enough time in the day. my life has already started changing. but it sure is great.

facelift, cont.

ok, well, apparently, i was making everyone hurl. at least those that were using IE. I somehow fucked up the code and at a 300 pt. font, even the blind could read the blog. It looked fine in firefox, but since most of you wankers don't use firefox, you can quite emailing me and telling me that the blog is ganked. i'm using this temporary template until i can regain normalcy (for me) and get her back to the purdy blue.

facelift

something very commonplace here in dallas is the facelift. luckily, i know how to do all my own work so all it cost me was a little time and some creativity. i got bored of the black and orange on gray look of LBG, so i thought i'd give it a little color. it was between this layout and neon green with aqua font and a running rainbow border. i opted out for the calming colors of blue, which seem to be a recurring theme (see the first layout of my website). i like blue, it likes me. so hopefully, this will be as amusing as i try to be. if it makes you hurl, well, . . . tough shit.

oh, and BTW, links are now IN ALL CAPS instead of another color, so don't miss out on any of the good stuff.

Uuummmm, this is a tasty burger!

couldn't let this pass. has the world gotten so complicated that you need a helmet to eat a burger?

http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=BRHQSLA&key=LUH

dig in!

speakeasy firefox extension

for those that use Firefox; Speakeasy, the service provider, has released the first customized version of Firefox for you to download. the extension adds a link to the toolbar that has a nice "gamers/geeks" link system to the browser. it adds links like PC Gamer, Penny Arcade, The Smoking Gun, IMDB, How Stuff Works as well as a slew of tools to maximize your browsing pleasure. grab it here and install. and best of all, quoting Jim Belushi, "Don't cost nuthin".

random shit

making the world a safer place for us to carry our concealed permits
stodgy is making his way to the sandbox this coming weekend (sandbox=iraq; news to me, but i'm not hip to these young kid's terminology just yet) for a relaxing 6 month stint. well after 10 years of doing this job, stodge will finally get to do what he signed up for - killing an iraqi. we had dinner with Pops and his old lady last night to celebrate stodge's intent and had a lovely time. mrs. pops whipped us up an amazingly wonderful (as usual) dinner of turkey and stuffing with all the trimmings. she then pushed us beyond the edge of comfort with a homemade cheesecake that was so good, it made me wanna slap my mamma. after the mrs. left to take the young'uns home, pops pulled out his newest pride a joy, a rifle of some type that made stodge a bit squeamish over the amount of recoil it produced. sorely rubbing the spot on his shoulder, he proudly talked of his efforts for the next half year and a somber mood set in over the full-bellied men. discussions moved to my future with the girl of my dreams and pops couldn't quit talking about the girl that is not only intelligent, but rides and carries. he's wondering why she doesn't carry her smith on the pig with her and Any proceeded to pull some obscure fact from his ass about carring a concealed weapon over two consecutive counties and it no longer being an issue. my question was what happens if the counties weren't consecutive. we then decided that superman would have no need to carry.

i know i've said this numerous times in the last few days, but stodge, come back to us safe with all your limbs intact and make us proud to be americans. i know you will. take care buddy, our thoughts are with you always.

they said it best
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, ninteen for me
Cause I'm the tax man
Yea I'm the tax man
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
Cause I'm the tax man
Yea I'm the tax man

started doing my tax return this weekend. it seemed like a good idea until i got to best buy to pick up a copy of turbo tax. the picking up wasn't really an issue. from door to box was about 2-3 minutes from box back to door was another 25. the line around the store from the registers stretched to the back door of the store and then into virginia. to make things worse, they only had two registers open, both of which were manned by nine year olds (or two of mental equivalence). back on the road was an equally exciting adventure as every man and woman over the age of 82 and under 5 foot (think of the old lady in Ferris Beuller's Day Off in the caddy) decided it was prefferable to drive in front of me. i fired up turbo tax and discovered that this year includes a sales tax break. buy any large item (house, vehicle, 5+ indonesian hookers in one evening) and get a sales tax break that you can claim. even with bentley and hooker purchases i made this year, i'm not getting much back from the gov. kind of a disappointment.

the shortest sentence in the english language takes months of preparation
i never thought saying 'I do' would take so much effort. in previous posts, i commented on people coming out of the woodwork offering advice for how to handle certain issues for my immediate future and now that i've had a chance to figure out what needs to be done to pull all of this off, i'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed, but thankful of all the help. i can't tell you how much i now know about metals and diamonds. with printouts the length of a Dostoevsky novel and eager help from every woman who's just gone thru this procedure of having 9 months of their intended's salary surgically infused to their finger, i'm starting to understand rings. we're only doing a small ceremony with families only and things like engagement parties are starting to be discussed. what kind of cake and flowers for the ceremony and who's paying for what are big discussions. discussions that stace and i aren't even involved in. it's frightening. i'm thinking about how many cable boxes we'll need in the new place and trying to decide which room gets tivo and which gets an HD receiver.

using the whole fist there, doc?
i started physical therapy for my back last week. as it turns out, my back isn't as bad off as they originally thought which is a huge relief to me. after 15 years of pain, some of it severe, i'm glad i don't have to have surgery. as it turns out, i'm just out of shape and spend to much time at a desk. go figure. so on my first appointment, the PT figures out what half of my problem is and fixes it right there. apparently, my left pelvic bone has rolled forward and outward, making my left leg longer than my right, making me overcompensate and causing pain in my back. after jerking on my leg and doing things to my pelvis only stacy's had permission to attempt, she get's it back into place and levels out the playing field, literally, for me. lots of back and spine popping (sounds i've never heard from my back) followed up to the second apppointment. this is where the real therapy began. i'm laying on my stomach in a pair of shorts only so she has access to my back and then proceeds to inflict pain on me like i've never felt in my life. prison camps have nothing on this woman. she does what's called a skin roll on my lower back where you pinch rolls of skin between your fingers and then roll upwards like you would if you were rolling a homemade cigarette. well, the muscles in my back are like a 2x4 of solid oak. you could bounce a mack truck off my back and i wouldn't even notice it. because of this, the skin rolls was more of just a skinning. she pulls and tugs and rolls on my back for 10 minutes and by the end of it, i was signing away anything worth money to her just to make her quit. LBG doesn't cry much, but i was a 12 year old girl seeing Titanic for the first time with this woman. and the screaming that came from me . . .

i've got three more weeks of this to go and i hope and pray that there's no skin rolling involved. i don't mind crying in front of a woman, just not a woman i'm paying. all in all, my back has started doing better. the PT mixed with the drugs i've been buying from that guy in the alley has really helped me out a lot.

the loudmouth is staring to calm down
you've probably noticed that i'm not posting as frequently as i did last year. i'm not sure whether i've just run out of things to say or i'm just finding peace in my world again. maybe my life just isn't that exciting or funny any longer. who knows.

the good, the bad and the ugly

the good
this isn't so much good as it is just fucking great. i got engaged on sunday evening. i proposed, she accepted and now i've been wearing this shit-eating grin on my face ever since, making a feeble attempt at looking inconspicuous. i'm not really one to brag about good things that happen to me. for one, it's just arrogant. i can enjoy my spoils, but there's no reason to be that guy that everyone hated back in high school that brags about his new 911 and parades it around in front of the rest of us poor bastards driving our '79 caprice classics. i just don't want nor need that kind of attention. i try to do my job in this life, somewhat in the background and don't need a pat on the back or attention for it. stacy is my pat on the back. problem with this whole scenario of 'who i am' is making it difficult for me, cause i just wanna tell everyone. i'm excited and i know everyone around me is just dying to drop everything they are doing to hear my good news. hehehe, ok, maybe not, but it's a great feeling. she makes me happy.

the bad
it's such a joyous occasion, so how can it suddenly become so hard? so many things to consider when getting married. and i'm not talking so much about the physical act of getting married, i'm talking about the change in my life. it's not easy to change your whole lifestyle at 35 and the way you act and think. but it's going to happen. i'll not only have one person to consider, but two. her eight year old son. luckily, he likes video games. let the corruption begin!

i know this won't be easy, on either of us, but it's worth it. nothing worthwhile is ever easy. cliche, i know, but i believe it. i hope we're just as lucky as our parents who've both sets have stayed married, coming on almost 40 years each.

the ugly
moving

i could have left it at that and i know that everyone understands. she doesn't live in a very good neighborhood and is eager to get into better living conditions. i like where i live, but i also live in a 3 story townhome and i don't relish the idea of moving all of my shit down the stairs. and then there's the consideration of her 65" HD TV. this thing dwarfs most third world countries and it scares me. that, on top of a piano should make our coupling a time to remember.

random shit

". . . i'm Batman, i'm Batman . . ."
Batman, as the comic books portray, will hit theaters this summer, directed by Chris Nolan (Memento) and staring Christian Bale. Banning Joel Silver from ever making a batman movie again, this one should really give those unfamiliar with the comic a true insight of the dark knight and his struggles in life. there's a great interview with Bale regarding his training and quite a bit of information about the bat suit. he discusses the lead in to starting this movie, six months after finishing the Machinist and having to put on a hundred pounds to play batman from the 80 pounds he weighed for the machinist. Unlike the batman portrayed by Adam West or George Clooney or Val Kilmer, Bale intends to reveal the dark knight was he was truly meant to be seen. if you are interested in checking out the comic, pick up Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and you should get an insight to how the film will play out this summer.

Dude, they're hookers!
this quote should sound familiar. i've discussed our outings to the Liquid Company here before and as before, it was an interesting night out there last night. Not because of the oil drenched hookers or the cocktail waitresses jumping up on tables and revealing their tits to the world, but because i have an attractive girlfriend. note to self: date uglier women.

last night was the last bike night i imagine we'll have in a while with the impending weather, so a bunch of the dallas group got together at TLC for some food, a couple of beers and then headed over to Rons for the festivities. it's a real site to see when you pull up to a bar and see a dozen gorgeous, shiny skooters out front. even more so when you get to park right next to them. but i got inside and as had been discussed in posts on our boards earlier that day and the preceeding 4 days before, i was going to invite my girlfriend along to bike night. Now Stacy has taken on a somewhat iconic status on our boards after the last outing she showed up to. and i've been getting shit about it ever since.

Dude, is your girl coming?
Man, it's ok if you're busy tonight, just send Stacy in your place.
Yeah, we'll make her feel right at home.
Can i have her phone number if you guys don't work out?

Shit like that. And verbatim. And the group was equally as understanding last night about her making it to future bike nights, even if i was tied up. i got hassled by her, because you couldn't hear the pig (her bike) over the 8 or 10 sabres and their custom pipes. it was definitely a sight to be seen, watching us parade down beltline to rons. and to be heard. the only thing that concerns me is that in March, she'll be buying a new bike. she has her eye on one that has Hard Kromes (an aftermarket pipe) which will actually be louder than mine. how do i deal with a bike, still half the size of mine (hers will be a 650), but almost twice as loud? i gotta grow some balls.

oh, and Any, before you go complaining about missing out on the festivities, remember that you've been invited every single time we go. no regrets about how you shoulda been there.

word to the wise, no wait . . .

word to the stupid. don't spend an hour cutting and peeling and gutting fresh jalepenos without gloves or deal with the pain that is hellfire on your hands for the next couple of days.

i went to stacy's last night to hang out. she'd never seen Ferris Bueler's Day Off. Yeah, i know. WTF? Plus, i wanted to test out this new recipe i'd gotten on sunday on her and knowing how she's a nut over spicy food, she seemed like the best test subject.

so we're in the kitchen making this recipe, drinking beer, having a good time. it calls for 15-20 fresh jalepenos, cut length-wise, gutted of seeds and then you add a special stuffing to it and bake. the jalepenos turned out great. the problem is, when you are cutting and cleaning and gutting the japs, they tend to squirt and leak juice. which gets in the worst possible places like eyes, hands, open wounds, etc. at the time, it's no big deal, but when you wake up at 3 am because your hands are on fire, you've discovered the delayed reaction that is the jalepeno. still, to this moment, my hands feel like they were pressed on 150 degree concrete in the middle of a texas summer for 20 minutes. searing pain. it hurts to type this. i spoke to her this morning and asked if she was having issues and she said she just thought it had been her that was in severe pain, but was glad that she wasn't the only one.

and here's the recipe. it's outstanding if you like jalepenos.

1 tube of jimmy dean hot sausage
1 cup mozarella cheese, grated
1 block cream cheese
15-18 whole, fresh jalepenos

cook sausage and crumble. in a large bowl, combine sausage, mozarella and cream cheese. get your hands in and mix well. should have a wet play-dough consistency. cut japs, lengthwise, in half and gut of seeds. fill with mixture and bake on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. jalepenos should soften a bit (a bit of crunch still) and the skin should be sweating a bit. mix with beer and a good 80's flick - he makes you look like an ass, is what he does, Ed. enjoy!

again, word to the wise. use rubber gloves when cleaning, cutting and gutting the jalepnos or suffer their wrath the next day!

horror news

starting the new year off right should include some news regarding my favorite pasttime - horror movies. at the top of my list is the follow up to the most recent movie that actually scared me while i watched it in the theater - the ring. the sequel is on it's way and the second trailer is right here. here's hoping it's as good as the original. next up is halloween 9 news is forthcoming. next month, producer Malek Akkad, Moustapha’s son (moustapha, being involved in every single halloween movie ever made) has stated that big news will arive regarding the next film in the series. i'm excited about this as the halloween series is one of my all time favorite horror series. and finally, i've discovered that later this year, NECA will be releasing one of their coolest action figures ever, Patrick Bateman, from American Psycho! 18 inches of Pat, complete with the longest voice chip ever to be added to an action figure.

and on another good note, White Noise looks to suck worse than i ever hoped it would...

fear is strong, but love's forever

sweeter words could never be uttered by anyone but Chris Cornell.

i spent the evening out with friends tonight. my old roommate called me this afternoon and invited me out for drinks. we're celebrating my birthday, he said. i can't wait to see you all, said I. i hit McKinney and then Boll, found my space and nuzzled up to a hopping bar with a live band at the gingerman. it was as if we'd never quit living together. his wife was there, his brother, his brother-in-law and his wife, all of whom i'm close friends with, but don't see very often. three of us smoking cigars, all of us drinking strong, yet soothing european beers. we discussed christmas and work and games and life. i was the only single one there, in the group. i was the only one without a child. we discussed married life. we discussed parenthood. i pondered my possible life of marriage and parenthood. it was a revelation. there was a live band playing old 80s and 90s music. quite well, i might add. even if i didn't like all of it.

i felt like i was with family. it was a mature, cultured evening surrounded by soundgarden and their most bestest hits. a group, who will go down in my books as one of the all time bestest groups ever.

no joke, the bestest.

it almost brings a tear to your eye

Vanity Fair has put out their latest and has an ultra-wide, ultra-cool, ultra-retro cover that makes me tingly in the places that should be. here's hoping Lucas doesn't fuck this one up.

and doesn't Ford still look like the badass with his princess?
but where's Boba Fett and Porkins? :)

2005

as of 8:36 am on january 3rd, the year of 2005 has gone quite well. i'm hoping the remaining 362 days go as well. i'm finally back to work after a week of being off and thoroughly enjoying it. i fucked off for a week and had the time of my life. no sickness, no back problems, no 24 hour a day family time (like on family vacations), but plenty of me time. not personal me time, just me time. i played a lot of games, started Crichton's new one, watched some tv and movies (rent a copy of Gozu if you're looking for the truly bizarre and go see The Machinist if you want to just depress yourself). What's happened in the last week?
- my sister moved back from the Pit and found a great little duplex a block south of terrelli on greenville.
- i bought a brand new video card for godcomplex (my box) and he's never been happier. neither has his owner. now to start saving for a new MB, memory and processor. maybe a little more HD space too.
- brought in the new year with a sick girlfriend but had a great time drinking champagne on her back porch and smoking a nice cigar with her. sorry Justin, i hope the party was a success. plus, i get to polish off the 2 quarts of Luna hot sauce and chips i'd bought for the party.
- i got dobra fixed up with a new set of mirrors and neck wear i received as crimmus gifts. i also removed the honda labels off the bike. she's looking a lot more like a softail every day. she's shiny and pretty and anticipating her next upgrade, which is looking like a new solo seat.
- i met the in-laws, finally. stacy took me out to meet her parents the other night and i didn't get shot. dad is a former marine and DPD undercover officer. i've been told that the girls (3 of them) never saw a second date if they came around to pick them up at the residence. apparently, dad liked to answer the door with USP (no compromise) or sawed-off shotgun in hand. yap, yap, yap, yap, yap . . . . . but it went well, the family was happy to meet me and made me feel at home.
- Bulldozr made 25 last night. Bulldozr is my dwarf hunter and after a barrage of skinning and leathercrafting and lot's of dead aligators, he jumped a lvl in less than two hours. first for me. i've never lasted in a MMO long enough to get a character that high. 35 more levels to get to 60. oh, and Maggie, his ice clawed bear (his pet) is tanking at a nice lvl 24 and as happy as can be.
- put away my first hundred bucks for the 2006 trip. this is a big one. stodgy, any, i'm there!

those are just a few highlights of the already, quickly passing year. more of my mouth to come.