You like me, you really like me

I'm not exactly sure who it was, but the counter, which you can see by scrolling to the bottom of this page, has passed the 1000 mark. Now, I think about half of those are me, but to the rest of you, thanks for reading. It's nice to know people are interested in my mediocrity.

So it's time for the spothaniel week in review, which it appears that my blog has become. It seems that I can't get my thoughts in order until thursday, and I can't muster up the energy to blog until thursday, But yeah, here goes... so last night, I went to see the Lion King on broadway with my mommy, the last of the gifts I gave her for christmas. Granted, I did get the tickets for free from work, but I decided to make a night out of it as part of the package, plus she got the chance to spend a night out with her favorite son ;-) So since I had to work, I had to help her navigate her way to jersey city, something that is quite the feet for my mother, who I believe rode the path for the first time in her life yesterday. But with my mass transit expertise, she made it, and we made our way into the city. We decided to eat beforehand, ending up at this place I stumbled upon new years eve, after finding out carmine's had a 1 1/2 hour wait. It's amazing what happens when you walk a couple blocks away from times square. It's like a completely different world. So we saw the show, after avoiding a ticketing disaster. God bless the ticketing engineers at the new amsterdam theater. Now for the show, it was absolutely fantabulous. The story, of course, follows the story of the animated film. But what's that you say, how do they capture the magic of the film without the animals? Well, I thought you'd never ask... THat's the amazing part. Through the use of makeup and great costumes, it's almsot as if they were animals on stage. It's very easy to get caught up in the story. The sets were great too. I definitely recommend the show to anyone who has the opportunity to see it. Now, here's where my bad theater luck comes in. Now, I'm a tall man, with a giant head, so you think I wouldnt have a problem in this situation, but I always get stuck behind someone who sits perfectly upright who is just as tall, if not taller than me, and they perfectly obstruct my view. Usually, being the courteous individual that I am, despite the fact that my knees are compacted into the seats in front of me, I make every attempt to make my giant freak head as low as possible, because I know people paid to see the show, not the back of my ginormous melon. And what pissed me off about this dude, was that he didnt move AT ALL throughout the entire first act. That changed a bit when he started to doze off during the second act. I swear he didnt know where he was, or had no desire to be where he was. And in front of him was a perfectly unobstructed view. When I'm at a show or a movie, I like to take in the entire view completely, and any obstruction screws that up. Like when I went to see Mama Mia, 2 very large people were in front of me, and they were the extreme opposite of this dude last night. Not only could I not see past them, but they were obviously big ABBA fans, as they felt the need to dance (denoted by rocking back and forth in their chair) throughout the entire show. I tell ya, I cant win. So I implore you fellow theater goers... be a little courteous and increase your awareness of those around you. Thank you. But mom was nice enough to switch with me for the second act of the show, since she had actually seen the show once before, so i had a nice clear view for the finale of the show. After that, we made our way back to JC for a quick tour of the station, and then off home. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening. And I'm told that this is good material to impress the ladies, taking the mom out for the evening. I'll have to put it to the test at some point.

and of course, how can I pass up the blizzard of 2005. I love how it's already been coined the blizzard of 2005, only 22 days into 2005. I suppose we'll be adding a "part II" to the following storm, and each sequential number after that to the storms that follow. I'm hoping this is the last of the big ones for a while. Or at least my back hopes this is the last for a while. Let's just say that a majority of this past weekend was spent bundled up from head to toe, outside shoveling. Surprisingly, my brother was homebound all weekend as well. I didnt even think a storm like this could keep him down, but alas, it did. So I at least had his help. We decided to shovel on saturday, during the storm. I still have yet to figure out if our valiant efforts were in fact pointless or extremely helpful. Since it was indeed a blizzard, by the time we shoveled one area and were working on the next, the other area was covered. So there came a point on saturday when we gave up. So after being pummeled by about 18 inches of snow, perhaps less, on sunday it was time to shovel it all. Unfortunately, with so much snow, there's nowhere to put it. But I'd say we spent about 5+ hours on sunday shoveling my ENTIRE driveway. Now one thing you have to understand about my driveway. It's not your average driveway. It's definitely bigger in area than your average covenience store parking lot. It essentially wraps around my house, going to the back and connecting with the house next to me and back to the street. A "U" if you will. And seeing as my 89 year old grandmother is the occupant of the house next to me, the entire U is the responsibility of our household. SO yeah, lot's of shoveling. Oh yeah, plus the sidewalk, which picked up a lot of plowed snow, making it nice and heavy and hard. So immediately after the last shovel, I turned around and collapsed right into the snow. It was very refreshing. I still do love a great snow storm though. There's something about it. Something that evokes the child within. It's fun to play in, it's fun to watch, it's a bitch to shovel, but that's life. And Kaiser LOVES the snow. I have pictures, unfortunately taken with a disposable film camera due to my malfunctioning digital. So gotta get those developed at some point. I mean who develops pictures anymore? Oh, and my other brother got the good end of the deal. He was on a cruise the following week with my sister and some of their mutual friends, and of course due to fly back saturday. So about 20 minutes out of philly, the plane turned right back around and landed in NC. So they were stuck there until the following day. I bet ya they wish they could have stayed in florida, but oh well.

Oh, and finally, not that this is that big of a deal, well it kind of is, but since I was dressed up for the play yesterday, something I do quite infrequently for my lax work environment, I received a nice compliment from the boss man in the hallway. The boss man always intimidates me, although he's probably one of the most approachable people, it's just that authoritative position that gets to you. But yeah, it was nice to be noticed and complimented, although just the noticed part was plenty :-) Thanks TP

Ok, that should about do it.

UPDATE: (picture that dramatic yet upbeat Unsolved mysteries music that they would play after a story, usually showing a reunion or a capture) As I believe I said last week, I did get the number of the infamous girl. And as my patience got the better of me, I did call her today. Somewhere during a break of writing this post I believe. Interestingly enough, as I had to cover my ass, the issue of my coworker came up, and the fact that it wasn't that simple achieving her phone number, and in turn I found out they hadn't spoken in a while, a few weeks I believe was the time frame. Rather intriguing news. But I think I caught her a little off guard. We talked for a few minutes. She had to get back to work, but hopefully I'll receive a call sometime this weekend. She seemed interested, at least I hope she did. Well, if she does call, I guess I'll know the answer to that question. I'm such a total dork, but then you already knew that by now.

Back to drinking my fabulous homemade hot chocolate. Made with splenda, unsweetened cocoa, and skim milk. Tastes phenom, and so it can't be all that bad.

Blog unto others

Last night I had the good fortune of once again working the overnight at work. Actually, there's no sarcasm in that at all. I work 3 hours, get paid very well for the amount of work I put into it, and there's not one other person in the station, resting the entire radio station in my hands. Very empowering.... anyway, as I was sitting there, striving to keep myself asleep, I decided to flip though the old posts on my blog. It is a very rare occasion that I go back and reread the things that I've written, if you can even call it an occasion at all. And you could also say that reading my blog is not necessarily the best thing to read to keep oneself awake. But I looked back and started reading... and reading and reading. I started in June, and even though it's only a half a year away, it's interesting to see the thoughts that permeated my mind. Some still linger, some have changed, some were just plain idiotic. But I must say, I was rather entertained. Although I've always told myself, I'm the only person who understands me, so who better to entertain me than me. And I've always said that these blogs are written for noone, they're just a stream of consciousness and this is the forum to lay them upon, but I know there are others out there reading my rants, others who I appreciate, and I hope that you find me as entertaining, at least in the slightest bit, as I find myself.

Now, as I mentioned, last night I was doing the overnight, and since I had been at work since 10:30am, I decided to nap a little at work before I went on at 1. Just before one, I received a call, which was kind of a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it woke me up, and at just the right time, although niko was on call in case I didnt show. But a curse because of the crazy girl I spoke of in my previous post who was on the other end of the call. By the way, on a side note, the audio evidence of my phone call has been deleted. Bastards!! Trust me, you would have loved it. Anyway, so I wake up, for a second unsure of where I am, seeing as I was passed out on the couch in someone's office. I answer the phone, and it's the crazy girl. I'm trying to gather myself, and she's asking me these questions, including why I keep handing the phone to random people when she calls. Usually it's a product of alcohol, mostly it's for avoidance. But then I get the line, "I think I'm gonna stop calling you, you seem like you don't want to talk to me anymore." I play dumb... the jury's still out on that subject. Like I've said, this girl is crazy, but it's like watching a train wreck. You want to turn away, but can't. I'd be more than happy to let her go, but there's something intriguing and playful about continuing the encounters. I think it's my move, and the queen's exposed. Sorry, never one on chess metaphors, just seemed to work. But yeah, don't know what I'll do next. I'm in cockblock mode with this other girl I'm waiting on, perhaps which I'll explain in a minute. Maybe I'll use this opportunity to satisfy a few urges. Ok, this is getting to personal and too incrimintating... Time to move on.

So yeah, now for the other girl, the one who expressed interest in yours truly. A couple of weeks went by, and still no number. So finally, at the pressure of some friends, decided to press the issue. SO I ran into my coworker the other day, I was out the door after another overnight, and he was on his way in. So in my ill-rested stupor, I decided to ask. His response, in a nutshell, "I'll give it to ya, but I want to talk to her first. She was pretty drunk at the party and probably doesnt remember talking to you. SO let me talk to her and get back to you if she's still interested." Now this brings up a few things... first of all, major blow to my ego. I was all hyped up about getting the number, having a girl being interested, and then *pop* it was just a product of alcohol. So I asked around, including those present at the party, and she wasn't that drunk, I know I was coherent. Apparently, my coworker is just pulling a cockblock. UGH! At least I hope that's the explanation. At least after his comment, I had the sense to still get the number, and the condition that I wouldnt call until they spoke. So I do have the number, but have yet to call. I figured I wait, but after thinking it through, I dont know how much longer that wait will be. I just hope he's not on his end telling this girl I'm not interested, that's why I havent called.

I'm accepting repsonses and advice to those who have some to give...

I swear, I get no respect! No respect!

Reflections

So I have nothing particularly interesting to discuss, but yet I somehow felt the need to blog today, to web log my thoughts. The past 8 days have been rather interesting, although my mind is still taking the time to process those events. Well, as you listened to below, last wednesday was our holiday party. An interesting office event, taking place at some random bar/lounge in the city, with people I work with, and of course many I don't even recognize, and that goes for the people i do work with, and not just their significant others. So yeah, at the party was the pickup. I assure you it's not as bad as it sounds in the discussion. She was the friend of the dude who brought her, my coworker, and we were all kind of in a group talking. And I have witnesses to attest to that. Now perhaps alcohol may have eased situations with both parties, but I thought nothing of it. And receiving the call from the guy about an hour after he left was the last thing I ever expected. This kind of thing never happens to me, never. Perhaps it was a result of the weight loss and the cute outfit (complimented many times I might add) that I was wearing that both worked in my favor. Or perhaps I'm more charming than I let on. But yeah, she seemed like a great girl, the kind of girl I wouldnt mind getting to know, so we'll see where it goes from here. But I still don't have the number. I feel kind of bad pressing the issue to my coworker. This is his "hopeless childhood friend crush" as I like to call it, having experienced it first hand. But then again, spotty needs a date. It's been a long time since spotty has had a date. So cut me some friggin slack! I'll have it before the week is out. I dont want her to seem as if I'm disinterested, since I am apparently the one that has to make the first move. I just hope I'm not being set up for some nasty phone tap. Ya never know in this place.

But yeah, holiday party, nothing like being drunk by 8 on a weeknight and stumbling back home. Now, moving on, I debate mentioning the next person I've come in contact with, but I kind of have to. I was running the overnight on saturday and found this random chick on the phone. To make a long story short (too late) we got into these deep conversations of a hardcore sexual nature. Almost a bit much for me to handle. And then she was a little too naughty on the phone, and I have the audio to prove it. So ever since, she's been calling me, usually drunk, seeking some type of sexual gratification. I dont understand, why do these things happen to me? Is it that I'm too nice, indulging people because I feel bad saying no? Or do I just have the word sucker tatooed on my forehead? Perhaps it's the latter, damn this trick mirror! So I'll have to deal with this situation now. Perhaps I'll take advantage of it, although I'm not really the type of person to take advantage of that kind of situation. But we all have our evil/dirty sides. Not to mention, I think my brain is about to lose the chess match against his arch nemesis. You know, that other guy with the head.

This past tuesday was also an interesting day. As I've explained in the past, it was tuesday night movie night, and yes, we did see a movie, and an early one at that. We saw white noise at the rialto, this really tiny theater in the town next to mine, actually featured in the opening credits of Ed. Anyway, the movie was just a little freaky. It had its jumpy moments, and definitely its bizzare moments, but I don't know what to exactly think of it. Basically they take the genuine phenomenon of EVP and build on it to make it scary. I dont know, I've always been a fan of Michael Keaton, so it wasnt a total bust. I did get hopped on a starbucks white chocolate mocha to add to the jumpy effect, let my eyes dart around the screen, even during the dialogue. And I realized I'm getting old, because I was yelling at the high school kids for being to loud. Sue me for wanting an enjoyable movie experience. Of course, I could mention that the movie was too big for the screen, spilling over onto the curtain border, but I think we'll let that slide. That's what you get for $5. We then adjourned to the Magic Grill for some chinese food, of course, do it yourself, mongolian style. I felt bad because we were the only ones in there, and it was about 2 minutes before closing, but they let us in anyway. And finally, we adjourned yet again to fridays, to drink our asses off. Now we arrived at fridays at 10:30, and stayed until 2. And drank every minute of those 3 1/2 hours. Very bad. I'm surprised I made it home, but it's amazing how liberal you get with your feelings when your drunk. I'm sure many can attest to this. But Dana and I had some touching moments that night.

Oh, to go back even further, friday night was the gift exchange between the friends. I think I might have gone a little overboard, but it's not about receiving, it's about giving, and I gave what I felt. I got held up at work, so arrived a little late, and everyone had eaten and commenced drinking, among other things, so I was behind, yet this night chose not to catch up. So after the exchange, and a rousing game of SceneIt! (of which I got for dana) we parted about 4:30 in the morning. Dana and I debated over who would take katy home since she was without car (how convenient), I lost since dana had to work early the next morning (aka in a few hours) So somewhere along the highway, katy decides she's gonna not pay attention to anything her body tells her, and just out of the blue vomit. Yes, in my car. and without warning. It's not like she said something, and I made a poor, but valiant attempt to make it to the side of a two lane highway. She was asleep, and just woke up and let er rip. Now what pisses me off is that I never received a proper aplogy. She blew it off as if she only did it on herself. Not of course realizing that she was wearing a seatbelt at the time, and after getting up to throw up again on the side of the highway this time, proceeded to let it get on the seat, on the seatbelt latch, a little on the floor, and undoubtedly, in the retraction area of the belt. So, after dropping her home, and fighting every urge to spew myself from the smell, I drove right home, windows completely down in the freezing weather, and then, at 5:30, when I should have been going to sleep, proceeded to scrub my car beyond belief. My new old car. I by the way thank dana for listening to me on the way home. WIth katy I was calmly angry. Dana received the brunt of the impact, the screaming and the cursing. Lots of fucks in there I remember, before and after every word I think. So yeah, smell still never properly came out, so I had to buy a renuzit, some febreeze and lysol wipes. I think it's starting to subside, but damn her. I'm still pissed about the reaction. If I did something like that, I'd be on my knees begging for forgiveness, and that of course was after I would have helped to clean it, even if I did turn down the offer numerous times. But not even an offer was given! And harry potter uno cards dont cut it. A bottle of febreeze, and air freshener, that's a token of apology for something like that. Can you tell it still bothers me?? Oh, by the way, she did this in my other car as well. Uh huh, yup. And if it's consoling, she's only ever thrown up in my car. Yeah, don't think so katy.

And on that note, I gotta go.

Guess I had more to say than I realized.

Holiday Party

Pay close attention to the last minute or so. I'll be playing the part of spot, and yes, this did air on z100...

Bklyn

Part of the NYC weekend, not bad for a cell phone...



Smellovision required for this picture... the fulton fish market was nearby. yum!

By the way, rious audio to come ;-)

Turn Back Time

Happy 2005 everyone! I'm not quite in a reflective mood, at least quite yet, so until then, no retrospective of 2004. It's most likely soon to come, but no reason to look back just yet. I could definitely go back for a look on this weekend, but we'll just leave it at that. I dont think I have the stomach just yet. I suppose I'm still digesting the events. Not that it was unenjoyable, I had a good time, but you never know, you can't please everybody...

Essentially it was a lot of walking around the city... now I have never claimed that I am an expert on all things NYC. I know where things are, and am always willing to explore. I know general areas and directions. I'm pretty handy at navigating the important subway lines, at least during on peak hours, and of course, I know the location of every path stop. Yes, there are still things that I have yet to see in that city, a few of which I actually saw this weekend, and even though I live nearby, it's one of those things you unfortunately often take for granted. So dont ask me to be your tour guide. Dont ask me for a good place to eat or to go for a drink. Sure, I've been to numerous places, some I remember, some I forget, some I'd like to forget, and of those, very few I return to. The city is a vast place filled with many a restaurant, to single one out is possible, so your guess is as good as mine. There are interesting and cool places I could take people, but it's not always their bag. Their loss. I know there's always a bar on bleecker, but that doesnt help if we steer clear of that area. But sometimes I dont mind being a tourist, wondering aimlessly in the touristy areas. Hey, I found a pretty good italian place out of aimless wandering, one that I will most likely return to. But you know what, dont look to me for answers when you refuse to give me a question.

And a conclusion that I've come to, I'm too immature for my friends. Explanation to follow. Anyway...

Today was somewhat of an eventful day though... my sister was sworn is as deputy mayor of my town, not a bad gig. She's been on the council, and is now stepping up to the role. I am rather proud, but I wouldnt expect anything less from a family member. It just once again proves that we own our town.