A Few of My Favorite Things - Days 14 - 17

DAYS 14 - 17: VALENTINE'S DAY

Sorry about the absence there.  I missed the last few days of posting for a few reasons.

1) The 14th was, if you're not aware, Valentine's Day.  Now, normally the lady friend and I don't actually do Valentine's Day, as we tend to lump it all in together with MegaCon and our anniversary.

This was not the case this year.  On my way home from work, I became inspired to pull off a last minute Valentine's Day.  And since I'm such a generous guy, I decided to involve Lance in this as well (I made the assumption that he didn't come up with anything for Valentine's Day and I was, off course, correct).

This set a frenzy of events into motion.  Some quick discussion determined we would hold the dinner at his place, and I set him about to the task of hunting down rose petals and finding some good mood music.

In the meantime, I set out to find the food.  And food I did find... by the time we were finished, here's what I came up with:

APPETIZERS: Proscuitto wrapped cantaloupe and 12 year-old scotch

DINNERS: Filet Mignon, Lobster Tail, Garlic whipped potatoes, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and a German Riesling

All in all, it went well.  A good Valentine's Day dinner that was shared between two couples.  And all thrown together last minute.

I rule.

2) Hotels suck.  I spent Wednesday and Thursday at the Marriot World Resort in Orlando for the company's annual meeting.  My rage was greatly stoked when I sat down Wednesday night to post and found that the Marriott, being the colossal douche-holes that they apparently are, do not offer free Wi-Fi.

Jerks

At any rate, we're back up an running and I'll be back in Orlando tomorrow for the first MegaCon I've been able to attend in several years.  So I should have some good stuff for tomorrow's post - providing I get Internet access at the hotel.

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties...back on the 16th when Internet working

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 13

DAY 13: CLOSURE

I met with an ex today.  Not just any ex, either.  The one with whom I've had a longer lasting relationship than any other (my lovely fiance notwithstanding).

And I think, all in all, it was a good experience.

It's been about 6 years since we've been together.  And in the last 6 years, I can't say I've given her much thought.  I never really do when it comes to my exes.  Relationships end, I get rid of everything the relationship brought me, and I move on.  And when I do think of my exes, I tend to only think of the bad times.

Perhaps I should re-evaluate that habit.

Having nothing but nice things to say tonight helped create some perspective for me.

You see... she's looking great, compared to the last time I saw her.  She's healthy, happy, and had a plethora of stories to tell... most of which painted me as the bad guy.

And I probably deserve that role.  I am a colossal asshole at heart.  But realizing my status as the bad guy brought me to thinking.

We were a train wreck of a couple.  Just nightmarish.  In absolutely every imaginable way.  Nothing in common with one another at all.  Which was only reinforced tonight when she commented that my hat was stupid.

You know the hat... this one...

And that's when everything started falling into place for me.

I had my closure from the relationship that I never realized I was waiting for.

It wasn't enough that my life moved on.  It wasn't enough that I hadn't seen her in years, or hadn't kept anything from the relationship.  I needed to appreciate her.  Or... at last what I carried away from the relationship.

I carried away the maturity and awareness to know what I was looking for.

Now I'm with a woman who plays the same games as me.  Reads the same books.  Watches the same shows and movies.  Laughs at the same jokes.  Likes the same foods.

I'm with someone who matches up with me in every way.

I really, genuinely, could not be happier than I am with Bree.

And more importantly, I know she feels the same way.

Thank you for the good times, Meagan.  Thank you for helping me rule out what I wasn't looking for so I could find what I was.

And thank you, Bree, for promising to spend your life with me.  I'll try to make it worth your while.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 12

DAY 12: LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

I am well acquainted with Loki, a mischievous being of pure trouble and mayhem.

No.  Not that Loki.  This one.

Yup.  That fat little bastard is my cat, Loki.  Bree and I have 2 other cats, as well... but they don't get to make the favorite things list.  But Loki does.

Because he's actually a dog.

Can't you see the resemblance?

You see, I don't much care for cats.  They're haughty, arrogant, and kind of doofy looking.  So when Bree and I rescued Loki from the shelter, I raised him like a dog - sans the walks, that is.

Something stuck with this little guy, creating the single most personable and affectionate cat I've ever met.  He has this overwhelming need to be around people, and gets incredibly excited when someone new comes into the room.  On the same vein, however, he actually gets incredibly nervous when people are in our condo... but not in the same room he is.  That practically forces him to find where the people are so he can remind everyone that he's there.

It's actually pretty damned cool.

Plus... on the sappy side... when I met Bree, she had a cat.  I'd always had dogs.  It was another "hers" versus "mine" moments... and Loki get to be another one of those "our" moments.

No matter how bad a day I'm having, that little fat-ass is always there, ready to purr his big heart (enlarged?) away for some attention.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 11

DAY 11: MY LITTLE DICK

I know what you're thinking.

Stop it.

That's not what I'm talking about.

This is.

That's Richard... a genuinely entertaining sociopath from Looking for Group, a webcomic put out by Blind Ferret Entertainment.

In fact, I enjoy the comic (and the other works from the good folks at Blind Ferret) that I jumped at the chance to meet the guys at MegaCon a few years back.  I even got a chance to have Richard signed.

And, with a small bribe of Red Bull and Cadbury Cream Eggs, I even got a little Dick I can keep in my pocket.

So why do this plush toy and little metal key chain deserve a place among the Favorite Things?

Well... I may be leaving the important part out of my story...

You see, MegaCon and Blind Ferret are both greatly enjoyed by more than just myself.  My lovely fiance, Bree, enjoys them just as much.  It was Bree who introduced me to MegaCon, and it was me who introduced her to Blind Ferret.  Until we got a chance to meet the creators, MegaCon was her thing that I went along to... just as Blind Ferret was my thing that she followed.

It may sound sappy and lame... but meeting the creators at MegaCon was one of the first times our interests genuinely merged together.

The plush toy and key chain are just what they look like... pointless trinkets.  But they remind me of one of my actual favorite things...

...One of those unspoken key moments when I realized that there was beginning to be less of "me" and more of "us."

It was nice, in one of those sappy ways.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 10

DAY 10: EVEN NUMBERS

I am not an organized person.  My organizational skills could be described as somewhere between "controlled mess" and "nuclear holocaust."

I've also always been pretty contrary, though.  Not for the sake of irony or the sake of being contrary... I just don't generally buy into things that most people buy into.

So maybe that's why, despite my lack of organizational skills, I've always been a fan of even numbers.

These are the most patriotic even numbers I've ever seen...

Think about it - even numbers are wildly consistent.

If you add an even # to an even #, you get another even #.  Add two odds, and you still get an even.

Subtract an even from an even and you get an even.  Subtract an odd from an odd, and you get another even.

Multiply two evens together, and guess what... more evens.

I think you get the idea.

Something about the consistency of evens is comforting to me, and definitely one of my favorite things.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 9

DAY 9: COOKING

I love to cook.  It's a joy of mine that I discovered somewhere in the ballpark of 15 years ago, when I used to go through the food in my parents' home and say to myself "this just isn't what I'm feeling today."

I would take whatever wacky ingredients I could find and just start throwing them together on the stovetop.

This habit followed me well into college and beyond, to such a degree that it is not uncommon now for me to spend an entire day off doing nothing but cooking.

Sure, I've had my fair share of culinary nightmares... but by and large, entire my cooking hits more than it misses... or I've got some very considerate friends who won't admit to disliking it.

Three of my recent favorites to whip up are my 'country lunch' (jalapeno corn, fried green tomatoes, and a stewed tomato/kidney bean concoction), homemade shrimp fried rice, and fish soup (cod/tilapia, shrimp, mussels, tomatoes, peppers, onion, seafood stock, lobster stock, and my own blend of spices).

I can't think of much that would make this better...

...except maybe this guy.

Who knows what I'll make next?  I guess it depends on what kind of theme I'm feeling, and what inspiration I can find around that theme!

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 8

DAY 8: GLOVE AND BOOTS

These guys below are nominated for the Shorty Award for "Best Video Blogger."

It is our solemn duty as Americans... NAY!  Citizen of the world to help a groundhog or a red guy win BEST VIDEO BLOGGER!

Otherwise, Justin Bieber's DJ might win...

And then what would happen to America?  Or the moon?

Won't you please think about the moon?!

Also... these guys are on of my favorite things.

A Few of My Favorite Things - Day 7

DAY 7: THE "I'M FEELING BETTER" DAY

You know that first day you know you're better after being sick?  Not that first day you start to recover... and not that day when everyone else realizes you're better.  No, that first day that you know that you're better.

That day where you've got the once-in-a-while sniffle and the one-time-every-5-hours cough.  That day where you feel like you could take on a bull elephant with a Q-Tip and some bikini wax.  That day everyone else tells you to "take it easy and get better" and you just want to cram a flaming spear down their gullet because you know you're again ready to take on the world.  Take it on hard.  And fast.  And without any lube.

Yeah... that day.

This photo is in no way relevant... just fun.

I'm having that day today.

And I just realized that day is actually one of my favorite things.

So screw you, world!  That day is today!  And I hope the way I took you on was consensual!

A Few of My Favorite Things: Day 6

DAY 6: CAMPBELL'S CONDENSED CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Chicken Noodle with lots of ingredients is all well and good... but no match for condensed when under the weather.

I am quite ill today.  And when that happens, there's only one thing I want: the unadulterated glory of condensed chicken noodle soup.

Go soup!

A Few of My Favorite Things: Day 5

DAY 5: DRUNK SANTA

You'd think this one speaks for itself...

I can't say a whole lot about Drunk Santa, other than he makes me happy.  Some careless individual at Target, or perhaps some inconsiderate jackass customer, make up this product in such a manner as to brighten up my Christmas spirits.  Given that I'm not a particularly religious person and that I don't celebrate Christmas anymore, but rather Zombie Christmas, it can be tough to light my Christmas fire.

I felt it was my solemn responsibility to preserve the memory of Drunk Santa via photo for 3 reasons:

1) Leaving Drunk Santa on the shelf gave hundreds of lucky children everywhere (who go to that particular store, at least) a chance to see who Santa really is... absolutely, 100%, and without question (probably).

2) Bringing Drunk Santa home and setting him up as Drunk Santa is less a Christmas miracle and more "that guy who makes Santa look drunk in his home."

3) Drunk Santa is actually pretty ugly.  I can think of better, and possibly even more drunk, Santas to spend my money on.

Drunk Santa - I raise my glass to you in the hopes that you'll continue to confuse Christmas trees with urinals and wrapped presents with toilet bowls.

A Few of my Favorite Things: Day 4

DAY 4 - STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE

I love Star Trek.  It's got certain qualities that I haven't seen in other sci-fi television or movie series.

Conversely, I used to like Star Wars.  But that was a long time ago. I grew out of that phase sometime during the Special Edition Trilogy.  I didn't realize it until the nightmare that was the Prequel Trilogy, but I think that's where Lucas lost me and Roddenberry took over.

See, from my point of view, Star Wars is purely about one story: here's what happened to these people during this war (also...bonus incest!)

Trek has always offered more than that.  The characters are deeper.  The stories often have an undertone.  And, of course, TV series format has the added advantage of giving an audience the same characters over an extended period.  It allows for emotional bonds to be built and characters to develop real personalities.

To add some specificity... Deep Space Nine has proven itself to be the deepest of the Trek series.

Now don't get me wrong... deep down, the Enterprise will always have a dear place to me.

That's our favorite lady...

And Jean-Luc Picard is still the best Starfleet captain out there (and Data is still the best science officer).

I think they can see us...

But Deep Space Nine had a stationary vantage point that made the story revolve more around how the characters responded to what proved to be their extra curricular activities.  See... Sisko and company couldn't just up and fly around the galaxy like Picard could.  The direct consequences of each episode could be felt for seasons to come.

Add in some of the more thought provoking show elements, and you've got a hell of an enjoyable and re-watchable series in the works.

Some of my favorites, in no particular order:

1) The Prophets - what if God was really a super powerful alien who actually proved to be confused with how we perceive the universe?  The Prophets understood what Bajor was, and who the Bajorans were... but they couldn't really guide Bajoran lives from point A to B to C... because to them, points A, B, and C are all already done.  No linear time to guide them.

2) The Cardassian/Bajoran relationship - just what happens when an oppressed people is practically forced to change their relationship with their bitter rivals overnight?  We still hear the horror stories of the Holocaust today... and the wounds of American slavery are still recent in the eyes of history... but we're talking 50 or 100 years removed.  How do those people who were directly involved cope only days or weeks or months after the fact?

Also, I can't forget my sweet Deep Spaceball Nine hat.

Best hat I ever got.

So, at any rate, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I salute you.  Welcome to my favorite things.

A toast to the Favorite Things from the Alpha Quadrant's greatest bromance!

A Few of My Favorite Things: Day 3

DAY 3: COFFEE MAKER IN THE BEDROOM

I keep my coffee maker in the bedroom.

Right next to the bed.

In fact, I can reach the coffee maker more easily than I can reach my phone (also my alarm clock) and my laptop.

It actually rocks.  A lot.

Borrowed without permission from ineedcoffee.com - no intrusion meant, guys!  Keep up the good work!

I made this move for a couple of reasons.

1) I love the smell of fresh coffee in the morning.

2) I love a cup of fresh coffee in the morning.

3) I'm terrible about using the kitchen in the morning.

Putting the coffee maker in the bedroom ensures that I wake up smelling coffee, and that I don't forget to actually pour myself a cup in the morning.  Seriously, this was a common problem for me.  I'd go through the trouble of setting a pot to auto brew for the morning, then completely forget to grab a cup until I was halfway to work.

Now I actually wake up in the morning to the sound of percolating coffee.  It is genuinely a peaceful way to wake up, and certainly better than the jarring blare of my phone's alarm.  I then get to relax in bed for a few minutes, absorbing the morning, before I'm up and about and on the way to work.

Thank you coffee maker in the bedroom.  You've made such an impact on my morning routine that you've made my list as item #3 of my favorite things!

A Few of My Favorite Things…DAY 2

DAY 2 : THE DRIVE HOME

I leave for work at 6 AM every morning.  Before the sun comes up.  9 days out of 10, I come home more than 12 hours later, well after the sun has set.  That means I live, quite literally, in the dark.  I occasionally see the sun on my days off (I see it at work, too… but work sun is different from non-work sun apparently).

Incidentally, that sort of scheduling means I don’t have time for normal daytime people things.  Like banking in a real bank (not that I ever really did that when I did work reasonable hours… it would just be nice to know I could if I wanted to).

Add in the fact that I spend most of my days getting yelled at by customer who don’t know what they’re even yelling about, and when they aren’t yelling at me, one of my teammates is doing something so stupid that I have to yell at them.   Cap that off with a healthy dose of my superiors yelling at me (next week, for example, will be a doozy – my personal sales suck this week because I’ve been engrossed in doing yearly performance evaluations and I just know I’m going to hear about that next week), and I often leave work more stressed out and riled up that a T-Rex dosing on meth and Surge.

Which is why the drive home is the second installment on my list of favorite things.

I live in Sarasota.

I work in Apollo Beach.

This looks nothing like either of those places.  Except the road.  I guess those look the same anywhere.

In normal traffic, I can expect that trip to take roughly 45 minutes.  And I enjoy every second of it.  A chance to drive fast, crank up the radio, and wind down.

There’s nothing quite like the piece that comes from a glorious detached limbo.  A separation from work stress and home-based chores.  A good chance to recharge my batteries so by the time I get home, I’m neither angry nor frustrated (or, at least, I can minimize those feelings instead of feeling the need to club a baby seal).

The drive home, thank you for letting me keep my home and work lives separate.  I salute you as one of my 29 favorite things.

I simply remember my favorite things...

...and then I won't rant so much.

I rant a lot.

I rant at home.  I rant at work.  Sometimes I even rant in between home and work.

I don't know why I rant.  I just do.  And I'm beginning to think all that ranting can't possibly be good for me over the long term.  So I've decided that February will be rant-free.  Indeed, February will be a POSITIVE month.

Maybe it's the impending doom that a bunch of dead Mayans foretold.  Maybe it's the novelty of the leap year. Hard to say, really.

So instead of a month's worth of rants, I will be going through 29 of my favorite things (1 a day) for the next month.

So here we go.  My first favorite thing to kick off my Fantasically Favorite February Festival... drum roll please...

1) GIRLS IN SUNDRESSES

I think it's fair to say with full confidence and without exaggeration that girls in sundresses are such a joy that the sheer level of awesomeness surpasses sliced bread, rocket-powered snow shoes, and Mountain Dew put together.  Case in point...

Thank you for being you, T Mobile Girl.  And also for providing me with acceptable cell phone services

Something about a sundress speaks of a simpler time.  A time before tedious reports, office politics, burnt dinners, wars on terrors, poorly managed governments, and obnoxious personal schedules.

Maybe it's the airy nature of the sundress itself.  Or the playfulness.  The vibrancy of color, perhaps.  Could even be the organic and peaceful flow of the design.  The way it all comes together makes the sundress one of my secret weaknesses (the other being Kryptonite).

Girls in sundresses are the only conceivable benefit I can imagine to living in Florida.  I hear all year long that Florida is one of those "paradise" states... much like Eden or Risa.  But I never really see it... until I realize that holy crap...it's January, and there's a girl in a sundress.

So to all the girls out there in sundresses (bonus points for January sundress wearers), I salute you.  Thank you for making my life just a little better, and thank you for helping me kick off 29 of my favorite things.