Scott's Thoughts

Hobbies, Interests, and Neurotic Behavior

2011-09-20T06:13:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to have too many hobbies or interests? I think it is, you just don't hear that much about it. Or possibly, people aren't nearly as neurotic as I am. As I am in a perpetual state of organization and removal of excess, I recently began to notice that I have acquired an excess of hobbies/interests.

CURRENT HOBBIES & INTERESTS
Brewing Beer
Collecting Designer Vinyl Toys
Reading/Audiobooks
Reading Comics/Graphic Novels
Computers/Technology
Home Theater/Audio
Electronics/Arduino
Video Games
Playing Guitar
Scaring People

I'm considering putting one of these hobbies on the chopping block.Let's explore each interest to see if I can make a decision. I'll rate each hobby using three criteria, on a 1 to 10 scale. 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. An average will be calculated for each hobby. The hobby with the highest score will likely be dropped.
The criteria:
1) Cost
2)Time spent on hobby
3)Subjective level of enjoyment (Reverse scoring)

Brewing Beer: This is a hobby that I really enjoy. I've brewed a few different types of beer, and only had one batch not turn out perfectly. It requires a lot of space, but not much in the way of time. I would estimate that a 5 gallon batch of beer consumes about 6 hours of my time in total. This hobby has the potential to become increasingly expensive in the future too.
COST: 5 (Potential 10)
TIME: 3
ENJOYMENT: 9 (Reverse score = 2)
AVERAGE: 3.33 (Potential 5)

Collecting Designer Vinyl Toys: An increasingly expensive hobby. I'm dropping $10 on a single vinyl toy. Then it just sorta sits there and collects dust. I really enjoy the thrill of opening a blind box, supporting artists, and supporting small businesses. However, I'm starting to think that the money I spend could be better used elsewhere.
COST: 7
TIME: 2
ENJOYMENT: 6 (Reverse score = 5)
AVERAGE: 4.66

Reading/Audiobooks: I listen to audiobooks nearly everday. It's part of my morning commute. They don't cost me a dime, they make better use of my driving time, and I get to learn/hear a story in the process.
COST: 1
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 2.33

Reading Comics/Graphic Novels: My most recent interest. Again, this is a hobby that costs me nothing financially, but costs me hours that could be spent doing something else. In addition to that, it's truly an exercise in escapism and making up for a less than happy childhood.
COST: 1
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 2.33

Computers/Technology: Probably one of my biggest nerd passions and easily one of my oldest interests. I've built a few computers for scratch, I love reading about new and emerging technology, and researching the best new gadgets to add to my collection. Unfortunately, I spend countless hours scouring Engadget, Gizmodo, Cnet, Amazon reviews, etc. Again, I could probably make better use of this time.
COST: 1 (Potential 10)
TIME: 9
ENJOYMENT: 7 (Reverse score = 4)
AVERAGE: 4.66 (Potential 7.66)

Home Theater/Audio: Again, this is similar to my interest in computers and technology, but focused on my home theater.
COST: 1 (Potential 10)
TIME: 7
ENJOYMENT: 7 (Reverse score = 6)
AVERAGE: 4.66 (Potential 7.66)

Electronics/Arduino: Here is a great example of an interest that never quite got off the ground. I have countless hours and dollars spent on this hobby, with very little to show for it. A part of me simply wants to finish an actual project and call it COMPLETE!
COST: 4
TIME: 5
ENJOYMENT: 3 (Reverse score = 8)
AVERAGE: 5.66

Video Games: The biggest time waster in the my life. I only play video games a few hours a month, but when I get wrapped into a new game, my entire day/evening is consumed with the game. I end up not paying any attention to my wife and I also skip out on home-related responsibilities. my only problem with giving up video games: I have so many incomplete games! I feel obligated to finish them...
COST: 1
TIME: 8
ENJOYMENT: 8 (Reverse score = 3)
AVERAGE: 4

Playing Guitar: My oldest interest. I've been "playing" the guitar since I was 14. I'm still terrible. I never took the interest seriously enough to stick with my lessons. I don't practice enough. I've been playing the same songs for years. I haven't written a new song in YEARS. Owning two guitars seems completely unnecessary. I've been considering selling my electric guitar for a while now...
COST: 1
TIME: 2
ENJOYMENT: 5 (Reverse score = 6)
AVERAGE: 3

Scaring People: You better believe that I'll never give this up.
COST: 1
TIME: 1
ENJOYMENT: 10 (Reverse score = 1)
AVERAGE: 0.33

With the results calculated, there are some obvious hobbies that should be dropped.
1) Electronics/Arduino. This hobby has the highest average score, meaning it's the most expensive, biggest waste of time, with the least amount of enjoyment. I've decided to finish a single Arduino project to make the initial investment worth while, and then sell the leftovers.

2) Designer toys, Computers/Technology, and Home Theater/Audio all tied for second place. I've decided to limit myself to 1 or 2 vinyl toys a year, only buying the figures I really want. I'm also going to try to limit my time researching gadgets that I will never buy.

Motivation, Success, and Haters

2011-09-19T20:15:00.002-05:00

A few years ago I had someone in my life tell me that "you're not going anywhere". Admittedly, that was true at the time. I was a few months away from graduating from college, I had no idea what I was going to with my life, I had no job lined up, and I was an emotional mess.

It was really hard to hear at the time, but hearing, "you're not going anywhere" was the one of the most motivating things I've ever said to me. It was unintentionally motivating, I'm sure, but look how far I've come since then.

I'm married now. To a doctor. I married the most beautiful, smart, and kind woman in whole world. That's awesome. She's awesome. WE are awesome. I love her more than I thought possible. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I've never been happier.

I oversee HR for a multi-million dollar business. My employer is sending me to Costa Rica! That's an awesome opportunity for me. I'm working toward a PHR certification too.

I'm taking night classes for two master's degrees. Okay... well, maybe I've been slacking on classes lately, but the intent is there. I'll have those degrees in two years or so...

My relationship with my friends and family has never been better. I have an amazing "urban family" here in STL. I'm closer to my Dad, Mom, and Brother than I have ever been.

I guess when it comes down to it, sometimes the hardest things to hear at one point in your life will one day make you look back and smile. I'm smiling because I have I have accomplished so much in the last few years. I'm proud of how far I've come and how far I have yet to go. And at the end of the day, you know what they say, "haters gonna hate".

Married Life, Beer, and Work

2011-07-06T06:39:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the recent things that have happened in my world...

My boss left the organization for another job. In my opinion, it was a big lose for the company, our department, and me personally. She was a great manager and mentor and will truly be missed. Luckily we live in roughly the same area, so we will surely bump into each other at some point.

Kim and I have been married for over a month now. We celebrated our first month of marriage by going out to dinner at Mosaic Bistro in Clayton. The food and drinks were wonderful. As for the first month of marriage, it has been great. Living together before getting married was definitely worth while. Some might attribute the first month of marriage to the 'honeymoon effect". While there may be some truth to that, I feel that Kim and I come from a place of mutual respect. That's what makes our relationship work at a deeper level than I see in other couples.

I brewed another batch of beer. In about 5 weeks I should have about 50 bottles of wheat beer. The brew session went fairly well. I have a new piece of equipment - an immersion chiller. The chilled made the process of cooling the wort MUCH easier. However, I should have left the chiller in the brew pot a bit longer.

Work has been pretty darn busy lately. There are lot of projects going on. It's not that fun, but at least I have some job security. The downside... working 5o+ hour weeks. Oh yeah, I'm a "manager" now. Our summer intern reports into me.

I've been considering a new laptop. I've had mine for 3 years, and it technically works fairly well. However, I would like to upgrade it. Something with an HDMI port, a bit more processing power, and other assorted features would be nice. It's just hard to justify spending over $700 to replace something that isn't broken.

That's about it I guess. More updates to come? We'll see...

Honeymoon Recap

2011-06-06T06:35:00.002-05:00

We have returned safely from the Dominican Republic. We spent 7 days and 6 nights in Punta Cana. The resort was great... probably the most relaxed I have been in a really long time.

**More details to come**

I Just Got Married!

2011-05-20T21:26:00.003-05:00

30 Days...

2011-04-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

I'll be a married man in 30 days. The reality of that sentence still hasn't hit yet... It probably wont sink in until the honeymoon is over and we've returned to our apartment in Ballwin.

Thinking about the wedding and everything that needs to happen between now and then is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to manage the stress by tackling one problem at a time. Tonight, we're taking care of the reception music. Next weekend, the marriage license. To be honest, Kim has done 99% of the planning, and I really don't know how she did it with a smile on her face.

In any case, I'm one hell of a lucky guy. I'm going to marry the woman of my dreams. They just don't get any better than Kim.

I'm Back, But For How Long?

2011-04-20T06:31:00.000-05:00

The other day I was thinking about all the wonderful things I have used the internet for, and it got me thinking about my blog. This blog was once my outlet for thoughts, creativity and emotion. It's been months since a substantial update, but that doesn't mean I have abandoned the whole idea of blogging.

I'm going to try to blog again, but I have no idea how long it will last. I'm using microblogging (Twitter) quite a bit more these days. However, there will always be longer stories to share, and that's what Blogger is her for.

Lessons From Corporate America

2011-04-19T19:41:00.000-05:00

I'm still frustrated after an encounter with my manager today. Here's how it went down...

I noticed a problem.
I determined a solution.
I shared the problem and the solution with my manager.
I was told that the solution didn't match the parent company's way of doing things.
The parent company's solution is available, but wont be implemented for months or years.
My solution could be used in the interim, at no additional cost.
The problem remains and I was basically told to ignore it.
By ignoring the problem it makes extra work for our department.

The moral of this lesson? The tallest blade of grass is the first to meet the lawnmower's blades.
Our company lacks vision, focus, and flexibility. In a global economy that demands a business to be nimble, we remain stuck in our existing patterns. And we wonder why revenue is down...?

Stuck on Vinyl

2010-09-15T06:57:00.000-05:00

I recently wrote a piece on adult children. Leave it to me to be a complete hypocrite! After writing the article, I started thinking about the childish things that I still love. For example…

I’ve been buying and collecting a number of ‘Designer Toys’. They aren’t toys by the typical definition, meaning I don’t play with them. Instead they simply sit on top of my cabinet at work as decorations. I’m not going to waste a bunch of time trying to define and describe designer toys. Please check out this article if you are interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designer_toys

Currently, my favorite designer toys are the Dunny figures (Dunnies). Check out the link for more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunny_(toy)

I have seven of these little guy currently, plus a few other non-Dunny toys. I’m not sure why or how I got into collecting these figures, but it seems to have almost happened over night. They make fun little desk decorations. Unfortunately, they aren’t exactly cheap. Each Dunny costs about $8 a piece for a three inch figure. Then, if you buy bigger vinyl toys or different styles, the cost can go up into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The most I have spent thus far is $25 for an eight inch ‘My Little Cthulhu’. http://dreamlandtoyworks.com/my_little_cthulhu.html

I know it’s really nerdy and a huge waste of money, but I love it. It’s part of my inner child that never quite grew up. Maybe it never will. Anyone else collect designer toys or something else equally nerdy and childish?

Burning Before Reading

2010-09-10T08:23:00.001-05:00

Adult Children

2010-08-31T02:57:00.000-05:00

My mother always told me that life had a specific order of events. She always said, “You go to college, you get good grades, you find a job and an apartment, you settle down with a girl, you get married, buy a house, and have some kids”. Well, to date I’m up to step 4.5 and I’d like to avoid step 7 for a while but, that’s a different story. I used to roll my eyes when mom would rattle off her “plan”, but you know what… I ended up following every step in her “plan”. It’s got me where I am today. Don’t get me wrong, following this plan isn’t going to make you rich over night, but it will make you a well rounded and ultimately more respectable person in the process.

My mother (and Father) always pushed me to succeed and to reach for my goals. I feel like I have been very fortunate to have parents from whom I have learned life lessons. They are people who experienced the world, made mistakes, and learned from those mistakes before I was even born. Even after 26 years, they still pass on lessons to me on a weekly basis. (Brush your teeth!) They have learned so much and are so willing to pass that information along in the hope that my life might be a bit better than theirs. Because, as most parents will tell you, the main wish for their children- that their children’s lives might be better than their own.

You’ll notice that in my Mom’s plan there isn’t a step that says, “Live with your family after college”. But, somehow we arrive at a time where more and more adult children are moving in with their parents after college. Admittedly, many of these adult children have little choice in the matter. Jobs are tough to find in nearly every area of the United States. Moving back in with one’s parents is likely a final effort in “just trying to get by”. I don’t have any grudge against this current trend, but it does make me worry. I feel that we are getting to a point in our society where adult children are almost expected to move back home after college. In turn, I believe this is further “spoiling” many children. Spoiling kids is another topic altogether, but I do want to note that spoiling your kids will lead to two things: Laziness and A Sense of Entitlement.

First, laziness. Quite simply, parents are aiding in the creation of lazy Americans. I mean, where is the motivation to find a job when you can mooch cable TV, internet, A/C, a fridge full of food and beer, and a warm bed to stay in. Hell, if I could get away with it, I might try it myself. But still, my point is this, It’s time to cut the cord, parents . When kids grow up having everything they ever wished for, they never learn to work hard for the things they really want. You are teaching them to be lazy. I remember working my ass off at a shitty Italian restaurant and a factory for gas money and an electric guitar. It was a terrible job, but it taught me that I needed to work for the things I wanted. I still have that guitar by the way.

Here is a great example of laziness. I have a friend who I went to college with. His parents paid for everything. I mean EVER-Y-THING! Concert tickets, food, gas, booze, car repairs, new computers, clothes, rent, fancy phones, etc. They gave him a credit card, he bought stuff, they paid for it all. After college, he went into med school. That didn’t work out, but he went back and got a Masters in Education instead. Again, his parents paid for all of that. What is he doing these days? Teaching? Of course not! He’s a lazy fuck. He works at Best Buy and doesn’t do a damn thing. He parents still help him pay bills. Now he wants to go back to school again to be a chef. I suspect he will be a life-long moocher and employee of Best Buy, but who knows. Why is he like this today? I’ll give you three guesses and a hint. BAD P _ _ _ _ _ S!

Working alongside laziness is a sense of entitlement that comes out of spoiling. Parents, you must help to stop the sense of entitlement that so many young people have today. You aren’t helping them, you are hindering their personal development. So many people today think that they should graduate from college an make $100k a year. I’m sorry, but no. You need to work in the trenches in a shitty office job for a while. You have to work your way up. Don’t give your kid a BMW for their 21^st birthday, these are the types of assholes you yell at on the highway every morning. Expect more out of your children. Pass along stronger messages of success, stronger expectations, and don’t be afraid to let your kids know when you are disappointed in them. We need more people in our society who are willing to work hard for a dollar, not ask mom for gas money. I mean, do you really want to retire someday and still have Tommy living in the basement?

Hacks!

2010-08-18T06:02:00.000-05:00

I’m very much guilty of browsing the internet while on the clock. I’m a “time stealer”, I admit it! I’d prefer a firing squad if I must be punished for such a dastardly deed. I don’t look up anything too crazy… a few gadget blogs, the occasional web comic, perhaps a geeky article. I don’t spend all day on Facebook, Youtube, or MySpace. Do people still use MySpace? Occasionally I will visit a website that provides downloads of copyrighted content (A.K.A. ebooks). I like to read ebooks on my lunch break, so every once in a while I will download a new one.

Unfortunately for me, the IT team recently rolled out some new features to our internal internet security and website filtering software. One of those changes blocked a number of websites, including my beloved MegaUpload, from which I downloaded so many lovely ebooks. When I visited the site I received a message from the server telling me that the content of the site had been blocked. Lame! (Facebook and Youtube still worked just fine though. I thought that was odd.)

As a compromise, I decided to bring in real books to read during my lunch break and abandon my love of free ebooks. That was until today. I was playing with Firefox’s settings and noticed that the proxy settings were turned on. I knew I hadn’t messed with those settings, so the fact that they were configured was pretty strange. I got to thinking about it and began to wonder if the IT team was simply using a proxy to filter the allowable web content. I decided to experiment. I turned the proxy settings off completely. I fired up MegaUpload and wouldn’t you know it, the site loaded perfectly! Huge success! I then quickly downloaded the eBook I wanted (only 1.8mb) and then turned the proxy settings on again. I tried the site again and it was blocked. I still can’t believe how easy it was to “hack” the system.

Update: I checked to see if I could do the same thing with IE, nope! Firefox, you are so full of win. I’m a Firefox user, and I hope you are too. In my opinion it’s far superior to Internet Explorer in damn near every way. I’m not really supposed to use Firefox at work, but the IT team hasn’t caught onto it yet, or they simply don’t care.

Our Kindle Story

2010-08-10T04:01:00.001-05:00

There are two things in life that I love unconditionally: my girl and my gadgets. When I moved in with my girlfriend, I had to introduce my tech. and gadgets to my girlfriend. I had to make sure we could all live in perfect harmony. She needed to learn how to use the TV, stereo, Xbox, router, etc. just to ensure that every day happenings could flow flawlessly. Luckily for me, I have a great girl in my life and she understands my love of all things tech. She catches on quickly too! Within a day, she had mastered turning on the TV, surround sound, and Xbox to watch something on Netflix.

When I decided that it was time to ‘pop the question’, I had been dating Kim for almost two years. I wanted to ask her to marry me in a non-traditional way and I also wanted to use technology somehow. After careful consideration, I bought an Amazon Kindle. The Kindle, just by itself is an awesome device and a great gift. It was something that she had mentioned she wanted, but had never actively pursued buying one. I wanted the proposal to be a surprise, so the Kindle would help in two ways. First, it's an awesome gift and receiving the Kindle was going to throw her off the trail of a possible proposal, in case she had heard any details from her friends. Second, the Kindle was going to help me pop the question.

I bought the 2nd generation Kindle after it dropped in price. It shipped to my office in one day, which is absolutely awesome. Now that I had the Kindle, I needed a plan... I began writing down ideas and memories of our relationship and all at once, it hit me. I wrote a short story about how we met and highlighted some of the things we've done over the last two years. After a few weeks of writing and editing, I had a pretty solid story. I left the story open-ended, giving me the opportunity to ask the question, instead of the Kindle. (Sorry Kindle) I saved the file as a PDF, loaded in on the Kindle, and waited until our anniversary.

On the night of our two year anniversary, she opened the Kindle’s box, her face lit up and I could immediately tell that I had bought a winning gift. She was so excited to receive the Kindle, and I was so nervous knowing that I was about to propose using said Kindle. I walked her through how to use the device and then opened up the story I had written. She read the story aloud and I waited for the end of the story. As she finished reading the story, I pulled out the engagement ring’s box, opened it, an proposed.

Obviously, since I am writing this story, she said yes! We’re now planning our wedding for 2011 and I could not be happier. Three cheers for The Kindle and true love.

I'm Engaged!

2010-08-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

Good news everyone!

I proposed to Kimberly on August 2, 2010. She said yes! I'm so happy and excited. Kim is everything that I have been looking for. I love her more than I could possibly describe. We haven't set a date or anything like that yet, but I'll hopefully have some more details in the weeks to come.

In the meantime, here are some pictures
http://www.facebook.com/kimkarcher#!/album.php?aid=2018609&id=172900752

The Show Me State

2010-06-25T14:17:00.003-05:00

As most everyone knows, I’ve been living in St. Louis for almost 2.5 years. I like it here for the most part, the traffic sucks, but it’s tolerable. Since I moved here, I kept putting off getting my Missouri license and switching my license plates. Well, at the end of June my registration for Illinois will expire. I'm happy to say that I am now in the final phases of becoming a legal and licensed Missouri driver.

The process itself isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Each step of the process is overly complicated, requiring a mile of red tape and paperwork. It sucks to be frank. I’d love to be the person to sit down and reorganize the while process, but I won’t be. In the meantime, I can bitch about it. All I have left to do is register my car and I AM DONE! Woot!

Have a great weekend folks. Keep cool and safe.

The Summer Refresh

2010-06-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

In the interest of keeping thing fresh, I made a few redesigns to my blog. It has most of the former layout with a sexy new wrapper! I really like this new layout. Posts should be easier to read, pictures should show up properly, and navigation should be a bit faster.

If you have feedback or comments, I'd like to hear them. I should have some more content to share at some point. I've really slacked off on my updates.

Like a Phone Call, From Far Away

2010-05-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the things that have happened over the last few weeks.
Kim and I have moved into our first apartment. Living together seems to suit us very well. I really enjoy being able to see her on a daily basis.
Our new place is shaping up quite nicely. We’ve been able to combine and organize most of our belongings. Kim has really done a great job in decorating the apartment. It doesn’t feel so much like a bachelor pad; it’s more like a small home. It feels like “our place” rather than “my place” or “her place”. We still have a lot to do, but we are slowly getting the place decorated.
We were given a washer and dryer for free from Kim’s parents. The dryer seems functional, but the washing machine leaked water all over the floor. I’m not really sure what to do with it now. Is it worth getting fixed, or should we just save up and buy a new one?
My brother graduated from SIUE. The whole family is very proud of his accomplishments.
Kim will graduate from STLCOP on May 15th. I’m very impressed with this amazing accomplishment. To graduate with a doctorate at 23 years old, it shows how focused and intelligent she is.
I am in the process of brewing another batch of beer. This time I am brewing a Summer Ale. It should make about 5 gallons of beer.
Here is something that I would like to forget… On the day I moved, the moving company showed up extremely late. The name of the moving company is “Father and Son Moving and Storage”. Please avoid using this company for any reason. The movers were at least four hours by my count. I was promised a $50 gift card, which I never received. Also, the movers were rough on my furniture. It’s just an all around shady company.
Some good news, I have officially received a promotion at work. I am now an HR Generalist. They moved me from a cubicle into an office, which was very nice of the company to do. I really like the day-to-day challenges that this job has. It seems a bit more rewarding than my previous jobs. Still, I feel like something is missing. Deep down I know that I am meant to do something different. In the meantime, this will pay the bills.
Kim and I attended our first St. Louis Cardinal’s game of the 2010 season. The tickets were free. The parking, soda, and cheeseburgers were not. I think I would have rather paid for the seats and received free food to be honest. Oh well, we still had a fun time. The Cards lost the game, BTW.

It's Almost Time

2010-04-14T16:50:00.003-05:00

In about 3 days I'll be moving... again. I'm very much a traveling man. It's hard to believe how many time I have moved to be honest. Let's recap...

1) Parents get divorced: I move in with Mom and Brother.
2) Mom moves us back to the country.
3) Dad sells his large farm house.
4) Mom moves us to South Jacksonville (This was a life changing event that I am so thankful for)
5) We move in with my Grandpa
6) Dad get's re-married and moves to Auburn.
7) Mom get's re-married and we move down the street.
8) Mom get's a divorce (from a douche bag) and we move to a smaller place.
9) I move to college: Dorm Room #1 (Kevin as roomie)
10) I move back home for the summer.
11) I move back to college: Dorm Room #2 (Alex as roomie)
12) I move back home for the summer.
13) I move back to college: Dorm Room #3 (Kit as roomie)
14) I move in with Damien for the summer.
15) I move into Cougar Village. (Tiler and Aaron as roomies)
16) Kit and I get our first apartment in Granite City.
17) Kit and I move to our first apartment in Manchester.
18) Kit and I move to an apartment/condo in Ballwin.
19) Upcoming: Kim and I move in together. We rent an apartment in Manchester.

That's a lot of moving over the last 25 years of my life. I've got a move coming again on Saturday and I'm just as nervous about it as I always am. I always worry about things going wrong. Here's to hoping for a good move.

This Is Just Plain Awesome

2010-04-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

via: www.comicbeats.com
http://www.comicsbeat.com/2010/04/01/chris-sims-did-this-awesome-april-fools-joke-so-i-didnt-have-to-do-one/

A Recap of the Last Few Months

2010-03-30T21:22:00.003-05:00

It's been an extremely long time since I have updated my blog. I've heard zero complaints, so I will continue to assume that I'm the only one that reads these posts. My desire to journal any thoughts has recently dwindled to nothing over the last few months. To be honest, my life is fairly mundane, especially during the winter months. I found myself writing the same posts, weekend after weekend.

I do want to keep track of the major (and some minor) events that are going on in my life though. This post will in no way cover every detail of the last few months, but I will try my best to highlight the cool stuff.

Kim and I found our apartment. We signed a lease. We get the keys on April 17th. I'm really excited about moving in with Kim. We are about to start our life together, and I couldn't be happier.
We've bought a number of pieces of new furniture: A kitchen table and chairs, a coffee table and two side tables, a chair and a 1/2 (basically a loveseat).
Kim finally told her parents that we are moving in together. It didn't go well, but we are taking that whole issue one day at a time.
My stepmom's father died. Attended the funeral and burial back in Jacksonville. It was a crazy amount of driving. Logged about 8 hours of driving back and forth. Oh yeah, I also rode a ferry across the river...
I've gained access, thanks to my brother, to an excellent website that will remain nameless. It contains direct download access to all the movies, music, and comics I could ever want. I love it.
I started reading comic books for some reason. I think it stemmed from reading "Watchmen" and "The Dark Tower" graphic novels. I'm really into right now, but it might just be a phase.
I've watched a ton of movies this winter. I mean a RIDICULOUS amount of movies.
I've read/listened to two Stephen King books: "Duma Key" and "Under the Dome". Both were very good.
I've received a promotion at work. I'm now in a hybrid job between the Senior HR Coordinator role I have had for about a year and an HR Generalist. I think my new title will be "Assistant HR Generalist" but who knows. I'm expecting an increase with this role and I'm hoping for the best. I'd like to get closer to making about $45k -$50k a year.
My new job is challenging and rewarding so far. I was ready to quit my job, but this new role has really turned things around for me.
I've started to eat healthier. I have a salad for at least one meal. I've given up soda except for soda in mixed drinks (or if I'm dying of thirst).
I'm about to go stir crazy, or at least it feels that way. It's been too long since St. Louis had nice weather.
I finally finished one of my projects: I bought a wireless-n router. Makes file access to the NAS so much better. I'm really enjoying it, even if I do have to use a usb dongle.
Got to see Sam and Whitney on the same weekend. It was really good to see both of them and nice that I didn't have to drive hours to see old friends.
I fell in love with Lost, I watched the hell out of that show. Finished seasons 1 -5 just in time for the new season.
I brewed 5 gallons of beer. Not sure if I already posted that little factoid. It's delicious by the way. :)
What did I forget? Probably a lot of things, but these are the major ones.

My Love-Hate Relationship with Valentine's Day

2010-01-30T14:23:00.003-06:00

While Groundhog's Day may be very important to some (and a kick-ass movie I might add), everyone else tends to associate February with Valentine's Day.

Most men will wait until the last minute to frantically purchase roses, chocolates, and then spend a HUGE amount of money on a meal. If you've been lucky enough to avoid Target and Wal-mart for the last few weeks, you probably haven't noticed how ridiculously commercialized this "holiday" has become. Decorations, cards, candies, and stuffed bears have been on store shelves for a while now... and it seems like these items show up earlier and earlier each year. It also keeps getting more and more expensive. For example, $75 for a dozen roses? I don't think so...

Valentine's Day poses a problem for me. I always go through a self-loathing process where I am ashamed that I am buying into another "Hallmark Holiday".Why the self-loathing you might ask? It's a conflict between my beliefs and what society deems is appropriate.

Kim is the most important thing in my life (on par with my family). I'd do anything for her. I feel like I show her how much I love her every day, not just one random day in February. I believe that if you really love someone, you shouldn't wait until Valentine's Day to show it. Take care of the people you care about.

Of course, most social norms dictate that I follow the standard operating procedure for Valentine's Day: SPEND. SPEND. SPEND. Don't get me wrong though, I don't mind spending extra money on my girlfriend. Quite the contrary actually... Even better, Kim never asks for anything and she doesn't expect anything for Valentine's Day. So, there is no pressure from her at all. That's part of what makes her so great.

I simply don't believe that Valentine's Day is a legitimate holiday. It's another way for corporate America to squeeze more money of the public. That's just my opinion on V-Day. I'd love to hear yours. Leave me a comment if you feel so inclined.

Press any key to continue

2010-01-27T20:25:00.003-06:00

One of the biggest (and unfinished) projects to date is setting up my ideal home network. The whole idea for this project started a while ago. After hearing some horror stories about hard drive failures and the associated data loss, I knew that I needed to get my data secured. First and foremost, I needed to have backups of all my data. An external hard drive took care of that for a while...

Then I learned about Network Attached Storage (NAS). At that time, NAS seemed too expensive and it was. Also, many of the products that existed for the average computer user were crap or consisted of a whole computer acting as a NASbox. I wanted neither.

The project went on hold for over 2 years. Then I got interested in the project again and I could finally afford NAS. I wanted a centralized location for my music, pictures, videos, and other data. I also didn't want to waste energy by turning on a computer every time I wanted to access that data. I use XBMC to stream videos and music to my TV and stereo and turning on my desktop computer just to get to my data was getting really annoying.

What I wanted was a simple solution. I needed something that could serve my data to my TV, my Xbox 360, my laptop, and any other device connected to the network. After months of research I finally decided on purchasing a 1 TB Western Digital My Book World Edition II. The product offered the "best bang for the buck" in my opinion. Once I set it up, I knew I had figured out the media/data serving portion of the network. One problem though...

Streaming audio and video over a wireless 802.11g router was not going to work for the best. Streaming data over a wired megabit ethernet worked flawlessly, but my primary computer is my laptop and I needed it to be wireless. (Even though it's almost plugged in due to the shit battery).

What I really want to do is future-proof my home network. I'd like to get two things set up.
1) A wired gigabit network
2) A wireless n network

The problem with this is that these two technologies are rather expensive. Also, I'd have to buy some adapters to get laptops to use wireless n properly. A gigabit network is more of a nice to have at this time. I only have one device that supports that technology in any case.

Wireless n would drastically improve audio and video streaming from my NAS to my computer. I still need to figure out if the costs justify the benefits. If you have any feedback, please let me know.

Prep Work

2010-01-27T06:56:00.002-06:00

Who would have guessed that SO MUCH work goes into moving in with your significant other? Not me, that's for damn sure. Over the last few weeks, Kim and I have really been on a roll. We've been planning out and preparing for almost everything related to our move.

I'll be the first to admit that I tend to over-plan many things. Especially things that are going to cost a lot of money. I knew that moving was going to take some planning and consideration because I've done it many times before. But DAMN! I did some intense planning for this move. It's a whole different situation when you are moving in with someone new and that person happens to be your girlfriend.

There are so many things that we've had to consider. My one saving grace is simple: Excel Spreadsheets. I can't even imagine where we would be without my use of Excel. I've documented and analyzed almost every dollar and detail I can, using Excel. Want to know what's really sad though? I enjoyed the hell out of it. I've created checklists, inventory lists, advanced future financial calculations, estimated the cost of the entire move, and even did a cost analysis on our new furniture.

Another resource that I frequently use is Amazon.com. It's a great resource for doing price comparison and checking out product reviews. Since I am very frugal, I loved both features. Plus, Amazon usually has the lowest prices on the internet. They also have what I consider to be the best Wishlist feature on the web. You can add any product, from any website to your Amazon wishlist. It's awesome.

So far, Kim and I have completed the following:

* Found two or three potential places to move into (One place that we really want)
* Bought a loveseat
* Bought nearly all of the kitchen stuff we need (That took well over a month)
* Found the kitchen table we will buy
* Found the coffee table and side tables we will buy

We still need to do the following:

* Hire movers or get a U-Haul
* Sit down with a financial adviser
* Get a joint checking account
* Sign the lease
* Buy the remaining furniture and have it delivered to the new place
* Buy the remaining kitchen stuff we STILL NEED (plates, knives, and ?)
* Other misc. tasks like get the utilities turned on, etc.

Then of course, we have to actually move. That's never any fun. I'd by lying if I said I was actually looking forward to the move. I've moved so many times already. But, I am willing to do it once more. Maybe twice.

My last big task will be setting up and purchasing items for the home network. I'll discuss my vision for the home network in my next post. It's going to be a doosy.

To Quote and Over-used Bob Dylan Song

2010-01-26T20:06:00.000-06:00

"Oh the times, they are a changing. "

For me, I will be leaving my current roommate for the first time in well over three years. He's been a great roomie and we've had some awesome adventures and experiences together. We are both taking big steps this spring. He's moving in with his fiance and getting married in the fall. I'm moving in with my girlfriend, which is something I've never tried before. As for marriage for me... well, let's take things one step at a time. Although, I've never been more sure about a relationship in my entire life.

For Kim, she is closing a chapter of her life that has lasted her entire adult life. She is moving away from the "supervision" of her family. Well, technically she doesn't live at home anymore. But, she lives with her Mom's best friend, which is pretty much like living at home in my opinion. In addition to that, she's soon to deal with working full time, bills, and everything else that comes with finishing up school. I've had 3 years to adjust to "Adult Life". And really, I've been "on my own" since I was 18 really. She's just getting started, and I know it can be scary.

Everything that is going on is both exciting and scary. I'm excited to try new things and new challenges. I'm scared because things are starting to get REALLY real. It's forcing me to stand back and look at myself. Forcing me to grow up a bit more and put childish things behind me. I have to start thinking about more than just myself and it's an adjustment for me. For so long, I have been used to doing what I want, when I want, and answering to no one. Now I'm learning to be more considerate of Kim's thoughts when I make decisions. There are a lot of "old tapes" that made up my personality that I am trying to change. I'm trying to curse less, eat healthier, act more mature, drink less, etc. These are all things that I would have never considered changing had I not met Kim. Dont get me wrong either, Kim never mentioned that I should change at all. She just makes me want to be a better person.

With that being said though, I don't want to lose the pieces of my personality that make me, ME. For example: I'm 25 and yes, I still like cartoons and comics. I don't think that will ever change, and I like that about me. I'm a nerd at heart.

This is a really exciting time for Kim and I. We are planning our future together and helping each other deal with the stress that change can bring. I'm glad we are doing this together. I'm anxious to see what the future will hold for us. Be sure to check out my next post, which goes into detail about how Kim and I planned for this big change in our lives.

Update Time

2010-01-10T22:36:00.002-06:00

There has been a lot going on lately, and I'm not sure where to start with. I'm going to write down some highlights from the last few weeks to start. Let's see how that looks first...

Got an A in my latest class at Webster. Taking a break from classes right now. I'll return for Spring classes.

Christmas was wonderful this year. One of the best Christmases on record for me. Very little drama and a lot of great time with my family and Kim.

Received some wonderful gifts this year. Lots of stuff for my new apartment with Kim. Kim got my beer brewing equipment. Andy found me an Anime DVD that I didn't think could be found.

Work has been really, really busy lately. I haven't been loving my job recently. I'd quit if I had somewhere else to go. I know I shouldn't think like that, but work has really sucked ass. Again, I will say, "At least I have a job".

New Years Eve was fun, but nothing too crazy this year. Kim wasn't feeling that well.

I got pissed at Dan for acting like an ass and I haven't talked to him since. I honestly feel like its no great loss. It was bound to happen eventually. I expect a certain level of respect and I never got it from him.

Kim and I are still shopping for stuff to fill our future apartment. It's sometimes overwhelming. We bought a loveseat this Saturday at Carol House. (Cause we like nice things) :)

I'll add some more stuff once I think about it...

Multiple Weekend Update

2009-12-06T23:26:00.001-06:00

I've missed out on updating my blog for a few weeks now. So, without further delay... here are a few things that have been going on...

Kim and I have been buying things for our future apartment. It's been a lot of fun. We almost have everything purchased for the kitchen. Now we need to start saving money for furniture.
I went to Ryan's (a friend from work) birthday party. Had a pretty fun time and enjoyed a few drinks with Kim. Before going to the party, we had dinner at Sage. Food was good and the service was TERRIBLE.
I celebrated Thanksgiving with my Mom, my Dad & Stepmother, and Kim's family. The person who is obviously missing from this list is my brother. He got mad at the family and left before I was able to celebrate the Holiday with him. The family hasn't heard from him since.
I helped Mom put up her Christmas tree and decorate her house. We had a lot of fun and listened to Christmas music as well.
I celebrated my first Thanksgiving with Kim's family this year. It was fun. Good food and family time.
I've had to write two papers for the class I am taking, Organization Behavior at Webster. The class is going well, but the papers are obvious bullshit. I got a good grade on the first one though.
My new TV was purchased and delivered from Amazon. I bought a 46" Sony Bravia. It's a fantastic TV. I'm kind of in love with it right now. It came with a Blu-Ray player too, so I have been enjoying that when I can.
I went out to dinner with Kim, Kit, and Katie on December 5th. We went to the Corner Pub and Grill. Great food and great service. After dinner we all went to the Tivoli to see "The Road". I loved the book and I was excited to see the movie. The book is fantastic. The movie is just okay. It's worth a watch, but the book is worth buying RIGHT NOW!
Kim and I did a ton of Christmas shopping on Sunday. I was able to get presents for most everyone on my list. We had fun shopping and it was good to get out of the house. Kim and I have been torturing each other by saying "I know things that you don't know!" All of the Christmas presents are going to be surprises and we like to remind each other of that. It's nerdy fun for us I guess.

The Weekend Update- November 13-15

2009-11-15T23:39:00.000-06:00

Friday

I went out to dinner with Kit, Katie, Kendal (sp?), and Kim.
We all went to a small Chinese Restaurant. The food was pretty good, but the service was fantastic. 10/10.
After dinner we decided to retire to the apartment for some drinks and a movie. It was a pretty quiet night really.
Most of my recent weekend nights have been pretty quiet actually. I definately need to add some excitement to my weekends sooner rather than later.

Saturday

I woke up Saturday and decided that it was time that I figured out what TV I was going to buy. Kim and I hit Best Buy for a little while. I was able to narrow down my selection to two TVs. It's a tough choice and I want to make sure that I will get the best bang for my buck.
We got limeades from Sonic.
We took a really quick walk through a local park. It was almost a waste of time, but at least we got a tiny bit of exercise.
After that we came back to the apartment only to realize that I was missing some crucial stuff for the dinner.
So, we drove to Wal-Mart and bought a few things.
I started dinner, which was homemade chili and grilled cheese. The grilled cheese was made with applewood smoked bacon cheddar cheese. It was excellent!
While the chili was simmering for about 90 minutes, Kim worked on homework and I found a movie that we could watch.
We ended up watching "Up". It was a really cool movie, and I highly recommend it.
I found another movie to watch on Netflix. It was called "Phoebe in Wonderland". Not my favorite movie, but Kim seemed to really like it. I think we have been watching too much TV lately. We need to get out and do something more productive.

Sunday

We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Always a good choice.
After breakfast we just hung around and did nothing for a bit.
I picked up Kim's sister Katie around 4:15.
We all went to Kim's parents for dinner, which was very good.
I played dominoes with the family. I dont think I ever won, but it was still a ton of fun.
I then dropped off Katie back at her place.
Kim and I came back to my apartment and she left soon thereafter.

Again, not a terribly exciting weekend, but still nice.

The Weekend Update - First Steps and Andy's Birthday

2009-11-08T23:34:00.001-06:00

There are only two things that I really remember from this weekend.

#1 Kim and I bought the first things for our future apartment. We bought Pyrex kitchen bowls and bake-ware, a glass measuring cup, and plastic measuring cups. We are a long way away from having everything... but we will get there. This was just the first step in our process of moving in together. We are both super excited about it. It's going to be great.

#2 My brother had his 23rd birthday. I can't believe he is already 23. Happy Birthday, brother. Kim and I went to Edwardsville that day and celebrated with my Mom and Brother. We had dinner at BWW. Later that day we all just hung out and caught up on different things while my brother worked on his computer. Not the most exciting thing to do, but it made Andy happy.

The Weekend Update- Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T23:21:00.002-06:00

Friday the 30th

For dinner, I went to 10^th Street Italian with the 3 K’s. Kim and I got a pizza and then went to Devine Wine (great store) for some beer for me.
I watched “Monsters vs. Aliens” with Kit, Katie, and Kim
Kim and I carved our first pumpkin together. It turned out really well. She drew the face on it and I did the majority of the carving. We both scooped out the guts J
Here are some pictures of the pumpkin…

Saturday the 31st

Kim worked all morning and afternoon.
I slept in and did a few things around the house. Cleaned the floors, ran the vacuum, dusted a bit, and cleaned up some files on my desktop computer. I’m hoping to eventually retire my desktop computer in favor of a faster laptop and use my current laptop as a media hub. Or something like that…
I cooked dinner for Kim and myself.
Then I started applying my Halloween makeup in stages. After about an hour of makeup, I finally looked like a pretty decent zombie.
Kim dressed up as a school girl, Kit was a cow, and Katie was a witch.
I drove everyone to the Central West End for some of the festivities.
The crowd was a bit overwhelming, but we had some great people watching and saw some friends while we were there.
We ended up staying only a few hours. I felt a bit guilty about leaving so early, but it really wasn’t my scene. Too many people.
Instead we came back to the apartment to watch a spooky movie and have a few drinks. Maybe not everyone’s idea of a fun time, but I enjoyed it.

Sunday the 1st

I went to St. Louis Bread Co. with Kim for breakfast.
Then we hit Wal-Mart for a few essentials and a way to procrastinate.
I then had to study and work on a presentation for class. Kim also had some homework to do, so that took a bit of our afternoon.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy, but not bad.
It was nice to spend time with Kim, even if we weren’t doing anything special.
We made dinner together and hung out until she needed to go home.
I studied some more that night and read before hitting the bed.
Hope you all had an excellent Halloween Weekend.

The Weekend Update- October 23 - 25

2009-10-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

This is sad. I’ve pretty much let this entire weekend slip into obscurity. I can only remember bits and pieces. If you remember what we did this weekend, please let me know.

Friday

We tried to go to Brio. The line was too long to so we left.
We went to GC instead. The food and beer was excellent.
?

Saturday

Kim and I went shopping for our Halloween costumes. After a trip to Johnny Brocks, Target, and Wal-Mart, we had what needed.
The two of us then went to the farmers market in Kirkwood and picked up a pumpkin. His name was Alexander at first, but I changed it to Mr. Jack O’Lantern.
I did something nice and watched chick flicks with Kim. We watched a bootleg copy of “The Proposal”.

Sunday

Kim and I took her sister, Katie K., out for lunch and a movie.
We had lunch at Red Robin. I got a salad for a change of pace and Kim paid for lunch. Thank you Kim!
We saw “The Vampire’s Assistant”. It was pretty terrible, but Katie K. really liked it.
After the movie, there was some time to kill.
We hit Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Best Buy.
After that, I dropped Katie K. off at her place and Kim and I chilled for the rest of the evening.

The Weekend Update- Way Late Edition

2009-10-18T23:03:00.028-05:00

Okay... I admit it, i'm lazy. I haven't posted in over two weeks. I'm back in school at Webster, working on my two masters degrees and I just dont have the time I would like to blog. I'm going to make up for it though. This time, I have information and PICTURES. Here we go...

Friday

After work I hung with the guys while Kim went out with her friends.
It was a quiet night, so I dont have too much to share.

Saturday

Kim and I took a trip back to Jacksonville.
I picked up my brother at SIUE and gave him a ride home. I thought he should save his money and gas.
We all visited with my mom and she cooked lunch for us. Thanks Mom!
Kim and I went to see my friend Whitney at work. She's working at the "Party House" right now, so we went to see here there. Kim and Whit finally got to meet, which had been a long time coming.
They happened to have a wine tasting going on, so Kim took part in the drinking and I followed like a loyal boyfriend.
Andy and I did a few chores for Mom and then we had a family-fun game of frisbee.
Kim, Mom, Andy, and I went to Springfield. Mom and Andy went to a movie and we walked around the mall and Kohls.
Kim and I found some pots and pans for our future apartment (Did I mention that we agreed to move in together?)
After the trip to Springfield, I drove everyone back to J-ville.
Kim and I went out to Don's and met up with Robert and Whit. Bailey and Manuat were there too. Always good to see old friend. We all had a few drinks, but ended up calling it a pretty early night.

Sunday
After breakfast with Mom and a few pictures, I packed up and headed to my Dad's place
Kim, Andy, and I had lunch with Dad and Brenda.
Andy and I did a few things around their place (chores) and then we just chilled out for a bit.
Around 5 or 6 we headed back to St. Louis. I dropped Andy off at school on the way back.
It was a really nice weekend and I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with my family.

The Weekend Update- October 9 - 11

2009-10-11T22:25:00.001-05:00

I’m once again becoming lazy with my updates to this blog. I’m typing up this entry on 10/15/2009. I’ll try and give a high level look at last weekend, but most of the details are pretty fuzzy now.

Friday

Kim and I went out to dinner with her family. We met her parents, grandparents, and her aunt and uncle at Cecil Whitakers. It had been a while since I had been there and the pizza was great. Kim and I recollected on our first (and only) disagreement. Please see my post about our “directions” argument for further details…
It was around 8pm when we finally got back to my place. I felt like staying in, but we went over to see Dan for a bit. He and Kit were just hanging around, so I was questioning if driving over had been such a worth-while idea.
As it would turn out, an old friend from college was coming into town. Zach Brinker and his fiancé ended up staying with Kit and I for the evening. It was good to catch up with Zach and meet his lady friend.
Since we are all officially old now, we were in bed pretty early.

Saturday

Kim had to get up early for work on Saturday. I hate it when our Saturday morning are interrupted by work, but I am thankful that she has a job, so I can’t complain too much.
I had breakfast with Kit, Katie, Zach, and Christie at St. Louis Bread Co. Zach and Christie left for Six Flags after that, so I opted to watch TV and play video games. It was a super-productive afternoon.
I can’t remember what we did after that…
I think we went to the bookstore, went to a pet store, and went to Wal-Mart. We had Chinese food for dinner and watched some movies with Katie.

Sunday

We slept in and had eggs and bacon for breakfast.
We went to Queeny Park and walked around for a little while. I quizzed Kim on potential interview questions. I took a few pictures, but I really wasn’t in the best picture taking mood. Then we went to PetSmart and got to play with the kittens. It was fun and all, but it made my allergies go crazy. Then we walked around another park in New Ballwin and I sang lewd songs to Kim as we walked. It was so romantic…
We cooked dinner together and enjoyed some terrible television until Kim had to leave.
I always hate to see Kim leave. We have such a great time together during the weekend and then Sunday evening comes around and ruins everything! Luckily, we are planning on getting a place together in a few months. I’m really looking forward to this next step in our relationship and I’m really, really looking forward to getting to spend more time with Kim.

The Weekend Update- October 2 - 4

2009-10-04T23:07:00.002-05:00

Friday

Kim and I cooked dinner together.
We went over to Dan and Amy's apartment for card games etc.
I DIDNT drink for a change. I'm taking steps to reduce the amount I drink during the weekend. I'm not in college anymore and I need to start acting like it.

Saturday

Kim had to work, so I spent the morning doing the things that I like to do when she is not around. More specifically, I watched super nerdy movies and played video games.
I also made chili for dinner. It was my first batch of the fall and it turned out really well.
We watched "The Big Lebowski" and relaxed.

Sunday

Kim scored free tickets from her uncle, so we were able to see the last Cardinals game of the season for free.
It was a pretty decent game, despite the loss. Cards are going into the post-season now and I'm hoping for the best.
After the game we cooked dinner together, watched a bit of TV, and called it a night.

It was a quiet weekend, and that's what it needed to be. I'm on financial lock-down for the next few weeks. I've spent way too much money between the vacation, our anniversary, and Kim's birthday. They are all things worthy of spending extra money on, but now it's time to be frugal. Especially with Christmas just a few months away.

The Weekend Update- Kim's Birthday

2009-09-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

Friday
• I left work early, and I left in a hurry. I had a ton of things to get done before Kim came over to my place.
• I bought new shoes and new jeans.
• I bought flowers. I had bought some awesome cupcakes from Jilly’s on my lunch break, so that task was thankfully complete.
• Once I got home I had to shower, shave, iron clothes, clean up the apartment, and get dressed. I had 50 minutes to do all of this.
• I just barely finished by the time my lovely birthday girl arrived.
• We had no time to spare, so I drove us to the restaurant of Kim’s choice- Bill Gianino's.
• The restaurant was very busy and a bit cramped, but the food was great. Huge portions too. Perhaps a bit too large? Kim enjoyed a Mangotini with dinner and I had a pale ale. Kim insisted that I use a coupon with dinner. I HATE using coupons, but she insisted and it was her birthday, so I let her win the argument. In retrospect, I guess it’s hard to argue with $10 off.
• We then went to her parents house for presents and dessert.
• I found out Kim’s family is horrified by the idea of us getting married. That was funny…
• I took Kim’s sister home.
• Kim and I took it easy for the remainder of the evening.
• Happy Birthday, Kim. I love you.

Saturday
• I strangely did not feel like sleeping in on Saturday. Not sure why, but I was awake by 9:00 am.
• I tried to grill, but the weather did not cooperate.
• I went shopping with Kim, Kit, and Katie.
• I bought a book and two toys/decorations for my cubicle at work. It’s growing into quite the collection.
• We had smoothies and then played “Settlers of Catan”, which Kit had bought at the mall. It’s a fun game.
• We all went to a show at Lemmons around 8pm. We saw my friend Ryan Pennell play in his band “Away At Sea”. He and Mark played a great set and I was impressed with their talents. I hope to hear more from the two of them and the band.
• We chilled for the rest of the night and ended up getting to bed pretty early.

Sunday
• Kim had to work, so I spent the day being lazy.
• I did a few things around the house, but nothing to brag about.
• I pretty much watched TV and movies all day while doing some laundry.
• I started watching “Harper’s Island”, which isn’t too terrible so far.

The Weekend Update- Mom's Zoo Visit

2009-09-20T23:43:00.000-05:00

Friday
• I’m writing this post on 09/28/2009, so most of the details are fuzzy at this point.
• I believe that I went over to Dan’s place with Kim and we all just relaxed.

Saturday
• Kim and I met my Mom, my Brother, and my Mom’s friend Debbie at the Wal-Mart in Collinsville.
• Mom brought Kim a birthday gift, which I thought was very nice. I’m glad my family likes Kim so much.
• I drove us all to the CityGarden in downtown St. Louis. CityGarden is a pretty neat little place full of interesting artwork installations and flowers. It’s a great project that has really spruced up the way that downtown appears to visitors.
• After CityGarden, we went to the Zoo. We had lunch at the Zoo, which was against my ideas, but it’s very important to keep the family happy. The food was okay, but nothing fantastic. I was really hoping we could have gone to a local pub, but maybe next time.
• The Zoo was Zoo-rific. I took lots of fun pictures and my family seemed to really enjoy the sights. We saw the Sea Lion show and my family saw the stingrays.
• I bought Kim “Dippin’ Dots”. She had never had them before, so I was glad to share some with her.
• We spent the better part of four hours walking around the zoo. When we had seen most everything the Zoo had to offer, I took everyone back to Collinsville.

Sunday
• We visited Kim’s sister at her new house.
• I bought this cool window cleaner thingy at Bed, Bath, and BEYOND! It works very well and I am pleased with my new window washer. I can finally get all the grim and gunk off the inside of my windshield.
• Kim and I had waffles for dinner. It was awesome!

The Story of my Death

2009-09-15T23:03:00.004-05:00

My name is Scott Allan, and I have a reoccurring dream. For most people, reoccurring dreams are fairly common, so it should come as no surprise that I experience them just like other people. On the other hand, the nature of my reoccurring dream goes far beyond what most people would consider normal. In my reoccurring dream, the conclusion is always the same, I die.

The first time I remember having this dream, I was around 16 or 17. At this time in my life, the dream essentially came out of nowhere. I couldn’t determine why I was having this reoccurring dream all of a sudden, but when you are a teenager it seems pretty cool to be dreaming about something so vividly. I never gave it much thought over the next few years, it was just sort of a novelty and something I could share with friends to get a strange look out of them. At this time in my life the dream would come and go about every six months. As I started to mature mentally, I thought that this reoccurring dream was a result of the violent media I consume on a daily basis. Between television, movies, video games, books, and comics, the amount of violent media I subject myself to everyday is quite substantial. So I thought I did myself a favor when I removed most of the violent media from my life. Regardless of my lifestyle changes, the dream continued to show up in my dreams at least once every three months. The dream never really worried me and I eventually stopped thinking of it as a reoccurring dream all together.

Four or five years passed, and “The Story of my Death” slipped into my subconscious. Then one night, while enjoying a few beers with friends, we started to talk about our dreams. My friend Dan has some of the wildest and most vivid dreams you have ever heard. While listening to Dan tell fantastic recollections of his dreams, I began to mentally piece together the one reoccurring dream that had been haunting my subconscious for almost ten years. When Dan had finished telling us about his dream, I was ready to share my most prolific reoccurring dream with my friends. Over the next few minutes I explained the back-story of this reoccurring dream and then proceeded to detail the dream. When I had finished telling my friends “The Story of my Death”, the room was silent. Dan was first to break the silence and say, “Dude, that’s creepy as hell.” After telling this story to my friends, I started to become more interested in the dream and wonder about the meaning of the dream. One day, the answer hit me.

During the last few months, I have decided that this dream goes beyond normal nightmares and into the realm of premonition. Most people will scoff at the idea that I have determined the year and manner in which I will die, but I whole heartedly believe I have predicted my own death. My family members worry that I have an over-active imagination or that I will simply be a self-fulfilling prophecy. My girlfriend refuses to believe that my dreams, my premonitions, will come true. In fact, she insists that I do not speak of it at all. Still, I can’t simply avoid these dreams or the overwhelming feeling that I have been given insight into an event that I one day may be able to prevent. I’d like to share the story with you now.

-The Story of My Death-

In the summer of 2014, I will walk into the front door of my home. I have either just purchased this home or I am in the process of moving out of it, because the first room I step into is empty. As I enter the room I notice that the floors are hardwood and the walls are painted a plain white color. To my right, there is a closed window that is letting the sun shine in. As I walk through this room, which I can only assume would be a living room, the wooden boards beneath my feet creak with each step. I walk past the window towards a closet door near the upper right corner of the room. The window is situated near the closet door and the two structures meet, making a corner of this room. I step up to the closed closet door and place my hand on a round, squeaky doorknob and open the closet door. Since the door happens to block much of the sunlight from entering the room, seeing clearly into the closet is nearly impossible. I wave my hand out in front of me, searching for the pull-string on the overhead lamp. My hand brushes the pull-string and I wrap my hand around it and pull down. The light flickers on. The closet and its shelves are empty. I peek my head into the closet and turn to my right to look for anything that might be on the shelves. I confirm that the shelves are empty and look back up at the light and the pull-string that operates it. I reach up to grab the string again, when I hear a creak on the floor behind me. Before I can turn around, I hear a gunshot. In a split second, I feel a pressure on the back of my head, I feel very cold, and then everything goes black. My body collapses and I fall face first into the wall of the back of the closet, my eyes still open. I have been shot in the back of the head and killed.

The Weekend Update - Dad's Visit to St. Louis

2009-09-13T23:26:00.001-05:00

Friday
• I left work in a great mood. The bonus that I was supposed to receive ($750) was accidentally keyed incorrectly by our payroll team and I ended up with a $1055 bonus instead. Best of all, this isn’t my end of the year bonus, this was just a bonus because I kick ass at my job. Shit… I just hurt my shoulder tying to pat myself on the back…
• I had no plans for Friday and that was fine with me. I can enjoy lazy time just as much as fun time.
• I ended up driving to the grocery store and after about 15 minutes perusing the beer aisle, I finally found my selection for the evening. “O’Fallon Smoke Porter”. More about that later…
• I also picked up a pizza from Little Caesars, which just opened near my condo. Very exciting news indeed!
• So dinner consisted of pizza and beer whilst watching “Interview with the Vampire”.
• Going back to the aforementioned brew… The O’Fallon Smoke Porter is a heck of a beer. Very complex flavor. In pours almost black. Flavor has hints of smoked meat, coffee, with a campfire aroma. I really enjoyed it. My friends hated it.
• My roommate, Kit, and I went over to my friend Dan’s place for poker night. I won. I also managed to get fairly drunk. That was not my intention, but I’ll be damned if that wasn’t the outcome.
• Kim had gone out for the night to a nightclub with some friends. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the idea of her in a nightclub without me around, but I need to get over my jealousy. It’s her life to live and I wont be the one to get in the way. As long as she has fun and gets home safe, I am happy that she is happy.

Saturday
• My Dad, Stepmom, and Brother arrived in St. Louis for a yearly visit around 10:00am. My Dad only lives about 2 hours away, but he is not one for St. Louis traffic, so he only comes to visit once a year.
• We had a quick lunch at Arby’s at Brenda’s request. The food made me nauseous, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.
• Our next stop was the Anheuser Busch Brewery Tour. Besides Kim and me, no one in the group had been before. My Dad loved it. It was cool to see how impressed he was with the facility and process at AB. I think he thanked me like five times that day for finally taking him to the tour.
• Next stop, The Botanical Gardens. This time it was just Andy and me that had not been to the gardens. I thought that this stop might be a bit lame, but I was very wrong. The Botanical Gardens in St. Louis are phenomenal. It’s something that I wouldn’t have appreciated a few years ago, so I was glad that I had waited. I took lots of macro shots of the flowers and managed to get some really nice pictures.
• Brenda really enjoyed the gardens also, seeing how she is quite the little gardener.
• We then hit, or maybe before the gardens… Ted Drewes. This was something my Dad had waited 30 years to try. I was glad that I could finally take him. Everyone really seemed to enjoy their treats.
• For dinner we stopped by The Corner Pub. Again, everyone really liked the food. And what’s not to like? That place is awesome.
• Dad, Brenda, and Andy hit the road around 8:00pm.
• Kim and I relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday
• I don’t recall Sunday now. I’m writing this on 09/21/2009.
• I imagine it was chill.

Labor Day Weekend Update

2009-09-07T23:03:00.001-05:00

Upon returning to work after a full week of vacation, I needed another vacation. Work was hectic as I attempted to catch up on all the missed duties and email. Luckily for me, Labor Day weekend provided a nice three day weekend to recover from a very busy work week. So without further delay... here's the weekend update: Labor Day Edition.

Friday
• Kim came over to my place soon after I finished work. I had to work the whole day, and it was pretty busy for a Friday.
• We decided on having dinner at Qudoba. Kim and I both got nachos, which ended up being quite a feat to finish the entire plate. Neither of us succeeded in completing our nacho mountains.
• Kit and I decided that we should make Yucca for the weekend. I hadn’t made it since college and I couldn’t remember the full recipe, so we looked up a few recipes on the internet and came up with something we thought would work.
• After buying the ingredients, we made the yucca, and made a huge mess of Amy’s kitchen. The yucca was decent, but not as good as I recall.
• Amy, Kim, Kit, Dan and I drank the Yucca and we played some card games and watched TV for the remainder of the evening. Kit, Dan, and I also played Rock Band 2 for about 90 minutes. We are all getting really good at the game. It’s kinda pathetic, kinda cool.
• By midnight, we were all pretty much ready for sleep.

Saturday
• I can’t remember what happened on Saturday morning.
• I spent a few hours with Kim and her family. We celebrated her cousin’s birthday.
• We left the party early so we could celebrate Katie’s birthday at HuHot. The food was awesome, as usual.
• We hit the grocery store after dinner and bought a few ingredients for cocktails.
• We then watched a movie or two on the projector and called it an early night again.
• I was starting to feel ill at this point and I was really drunk unfortunately. That Yucca will sneak up on you. Proceed with caution.

Sunday
• By Sunday I was feeling fairly ill. I had a fever and a head cold that I couldn’t knock out with medicine. I never get sick, so I was pissed at the bug or germ which finally brought me down.
• Kim and I took a trip to Target with Kit and Katie. We all bought a few essentials and wandered around the store for about an hour. Target has so many THINGS!
• We had lunch at Corner Pub. I finally ordered the sampler platter and it was everything I had hoped for and more. It was a bit more expensive than the other menu items, but it was completely worth it.
• The rest of the afternoon was really chill.
• Dan came over later that night and we watched “Children of Men” using the projector.
• I pretty much ate ice all night. My fever was up and I felt terrible.

Monday
• Kim and I had cinnamon rolls for breakfast/lunch.
• We watched a bit of TV and did some relaxing. I still wasn’t feeling 100%, so I needed some downtime.
• Dan and Amy came over and grilled with Kim, Kit, and me. We had burgers and brats, chips and dip, and mashed ‘taters.
• We finished up the night with a few games and a few light drinks. We all called it a pretty early night since we had work the next day.
• After Kim left, I picked up the apartment and went to bed.

Hope you all had a great three day weekend. Watch out for more updates!

Las Vegas Vacation Details

2009-08-31T22:04:00.002-05:00

Las Vegas in the summer is a hell of a thing. It’s hot. Really hot. A lot of people will tell you, “oh well, it’s dry heat.” I say f**k that! When it’s 103 degrees in the shade, it’s damn hot outside. It’s daunting too, especially if you have fair skin like I do. Every moment spent in the sweltering Las Vegas sun has the potential of turning into a sunburn situation. It’s okay though, because after a few drinks you don’t really care at all.

That’s not what I am here to talk about anyway. Sure it was hot, but I want to talk about all the fun things that I did with Kim on my vacation.

I’m not going to give a day-by-day account of my vacation like I did the last time around. There are a number of reasons for that. Number one, I don’t have the time to do that and number two, I have forgotten most of the details by now. Here they are my readers, my Las Vegas Vacation details.

• We stayed in an amazing room at The Mirage on Las Vegas Blvd. The room and hotel were beautiful. Easily the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in. The bed was huge and the accommodations were really cool. Flat screen on the wall, decent view, nice shower, etc.
• We went out to LV for three reasons. 1) My birthday. 2) To see Alex. 3) To get away from St. Louis for a while.
• Hanging out with Alex and Hannah was great. I really miss the both of them and I was really pleased that we got to see them every night we were out there. Plus, we got to see Hank the dog! Alex and Han were great about driving us around town and making sure that we had a great trip. I’m very lucky to have friends like them.
• We went to a Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand. Kim and I saw “KA”. It was such an amazing show that it is hard to describe. It was definitely the highlight of the trip.
• Kim and I took a trip to the Hoover Dam. It was really hot there that day, so we didn’t stay very long at all. The thermometer in the car read 109 degrees, and I don’t doubt it a bit.
• We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and looked at the night skyline of Las Vegas.
• We took a gondola ride through the Venetian. The boat ride was cool, but it was too short. It was a good experience, but I wont bother doing it again.
• We rode the roller coaster through New York, New York. It was awesome and I think Kim even liked it too.
• We saw the lions at the MGM.
• We went through the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and saw the fountain show and aquarium.
• We saw the fountains at the Bellagio.
• We watched the volcano show at The Mirage.
• We had huge margaritas in Eiffel Tower shaped glasses.
• We ate a ton of great food and some not so great food. The brunch buffet at our hotel was some of the best food by far.
• We did a ton of sight-seeing. The number of hotel/casinos we went into is ridiculous. The Mirage, The Venetian, The Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Luxor, Mandalay Bay, The Golden Nugget, The Stratosphere, Paris, NY NY, The Hilton, The Rio, and a few more I can’t remember.
• The both of us didn’t gamble much. That wasn’t really the point of the trip anyway. The most I won in a sitting was $33 on a slot machine called Kitty Glitter. That was on my birthday too, so that was pretty cool.
• I drank a lot on my birthday. I really don’t remember much of dinner for my birthday, but I remember that the food was good.
• We went to the Rio for a free concert. Marcy Playground and Nine Days played a show and they had free Fosters Beer on tap. We pretty much just chilled poolside and it was great.
• We had our picture taken at the Las Vegas sign.
• We ate lunch in a really old little casino out in the middle of the desert. We were the youngest people in there, but the food was pretty damn good. Sometimes you’ve just got to stop and check out the little mom and pop places too, You’ll be doing yourself a favor.
• I had more problems renting the car this time. It wasn’t so much the car, it was the GPS is had reserved. They gave my reservation away for no real reason. Word to the wise, DO NOT EVER RENT FROM ADVANTAGE RENT-A-CAR. They have terrible customer service and mindless policies. I mean, how the hell do you give away my reservation? Isn’t that the whole point of a reservation? Assholes. Best of all, they told me that I could pick up a GPS system later that day. They never called me about picking it up. WORTHLESS! I ended up just buying a GPS instead.

As with any vacation, plenty of other things occurred, but I just can’t remember them all. I’ll consult with Kim and my photographs and edit this post as necessary. I’m also planning on uploading some pictures for your viewing pleasure. That’s all for now, hope you enjoyed the read

Las Vegas Vacation

2009-08-29T22:58:00.001-05:00

I just got back from an excellent vacation to Las Vegas, NV. This year, I had the pleasure of a traveling companion. Kim Karcher joined me on my journey to the city of sin. We had a great trip and experienced much of what Las Vegas has to offer. During the next few days I will cover the highlights of the trip and share with you some of the pictures I took.

I hope you are all doing well. I apologize for the lack of updates and I hope you look forward to reading more about my trip to LV NV.

My New Camera

2009-08-26T18:14:00.001-05:00

Not only have a been blessed with such a great girlfriend in my life, but also with a girlfriend who knows exactly what I like. For our anniversary and my birthday, Kim bought me an amazing new digital camera.

She bought me a Canon PowerShot SD990 IS. It's a phenomenal 14.7 megapixels. It's definitely one of the nicest gifts that I have ever received. I love it and it takes the best pictures.

This girl is a keeper ladies and gentlemen.

Early Birthday Celebration

2009-08-16T23:39:00.002-05:00

Friday

Dinner at Pei Wei
Drank a bit.
Smoked hookah a bit.
Played Rock Band 2.

Saturday

Kim and I awoke early to get dressed and packed up for the trip to Auburn.
We stopped for a quick breakfast and drinks and then headed out.
The drive was quick and easy. Kim and I talked the entire way and didn't turn on the radio once.
The plan for the day, was to meet my Dad at his house and then go to the Illinois State Fair.
Andy and Brenda came with us. Always good to have the whole family along for the fun.
I hadn't been to the State Fair in years. It was really fun to go back. The fairgrounds were nice and clean and many updates had been made since I was last there. More notably, they now have recycling and hand sanitizer all over the place. Very cool!
We walked around for a few hours and looked at all the things and strange people.
Kim and I enjoyed a corn dog and a lemon shake-up for lunch.
We also took the Sky Lift ride around the fairgrounds. Good times were had by all.
We left the State Fair and had dinner at Dad's place.
Dad gave me some money for my birthday, which I plan to use for the purchase of a GPS.
I took Kim and Andy back to my Mom's house.
We played Jenga and Scattergories and enjoyed a few drinks. It was a great time.

Sunday

Kim and I actually slept pretty well, even though we had to share a twin size bed.
Mom bought us bagels for breakfast.
I fixed the faucet in the bathroom, even though I thought I had fixed it already. I felt bad knowing that my work didn't stand up to the test of time. Oh well, at least it was an easy fix.
We had lunch at Leo's pizza. The place was empty, the server was a bit ditzy, but the food was awesome.
During lunch a huge storm blew through Jacksonville.
After lunch Mom gave me my birthday gifts. New shisha, a new wind cover for the hookah, the amplifier for the bass shakers, a cool 'Ghostbusters' T-shirt, candy, splatter screens for the stove, a potholder, and a very nice card. What a great Mom I have. :)
We all then had Strawberry shortcake for dessert/my birthday. It was at m request and tasted awesome. Again, a great job by my Mom.
Around 5:15, Kim and I hit the road back to St. Louis. We drove through rain on most of the way home. Kim gave me a 'birthday present' on the way home too. Very awesome!
Kim cooked dinner and we watched "Obsessed".

This was a great weekend and a great early birthday. I can't wait to really celebrate my birthday out in Las Vegas. It's going to be a blast.

My New Hookah

2009-08-10T19:08:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to make post about this and I finally have found time to do so.

I bought a new hookah a few days ago, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I found it on Craig's List for $40. It just needed cleaned up and a new gasket and it was good to go. Check out these pictures and let me know what you think. I love it!

The Weekend Update: August 7-9

2009-08-09T23:48:00.002-05:00

This was a pretty great weekend. It was chill, without being too boring. I was able to make the most of the weekend with minimal time sitting around trying to figure out what to do next. Next weekend I will be taking a trip home and then I will be off to Las Vegas. Without further delay, here is the weekend update...

Friday

Friday at work tried my patience. The hours seemed at a standstill and all I could think about was getting out of the office and starting the weekend.
When I finally left the office around 4:30, I ran a few errands before heading home.
I needed a new gasket for my new hookah and I found a suitable replacement at Home Depot.
Once I got home I was eager to make sure that the new gasket would make the hookah air-tight, and it didn't disappoint.
Menke was still out of town and I had to place to myself until Kim got off work at 9:00.
I cooked dinner and parked myself in front of the laptop to watch a few episodes of DBZ.
Once Kit got home and Kim came over we had a drink or two and tested out the new hookah.

Saturday

Kim woke me up around 9:00 or so. She had a meeting with her family and another family to discuss her sister's living arrangements.
I decided to stay up and make the most of the day so after getting cleaned up and dressed, I went to St. Louis Bread Co for bagels with Kit and Katie.
Kim met us there and we had a good breakfast. I also spilled water on her. Sorry, Kim.
Then a trip to Target and Office Depot.
Then we went swimming and enjoyed the hot weather in the cool pool.
After a trip to Dierbergs for food, Kit and I grilled some burgers and we all had dinner with Dan.
Burgers were awesome and all the fixin's were a nice change of pace.
Kit and I both got drunk fairly early and convinced Dan to buy Rock Band 2.
He bought it and we played it almost all night. It's still living at our place right now, but I am not sure for how long.

Sunday

Finally, I was able to sleep in.
I had lunch at Arby's with Kim.
We went to Walmart and Kohl's for Las Vegas necessities.
I taught her (sorta) how to play Rock Band.
We went swimming again. I got a slight burn.
Kim cooked H.H. for dinner and I added in fresh tomatoes and peppers. Made it taste way better, in my opinion.
We watched a movie called "Cash Back". It was a bit strange, but enjoyable.
Kim left around 10:30 and I watched a few episodes of DBZ before going to bed.

The Weekend Update: The Anniversary

2009-08-02T21:56:00.001-05:00

Friday

I took a half-day on Friday. Working and paying the bills is important, but seeing old friends takes priority. One of my best friends, Sam Sandage was coming into Edwardsville. Seeing how Sam has been such a great friend over the past few years, taking four hours off of work seemed like the least I could do. I also wanted to introduce Sam to Kim/Kim to Sam. It's very important to make sure that friends like the girl in your life, you know...
I drove to Edwardsville with Kim and we took a small walk around campus before meeting Sam for lunch. I ran into some old friends at SIUE, Kara and Andy Doty. It was nice to catch up with them and I hope that I can see them again soon when they move into St. Louis.
After some doddling, I met up with Sam, her mom, and Will at La Fonda. Lunch wasn't that great, but it was really nice to see Sam and Will. I miss my Edwardsville friends quite a bit.
Dropped into Best Buy to see Jon Pirtle.
Later that night, I hung out with Kim, Kit, Katie, Dan, Amy, and two of Dan's friends. We had a few drinks, played a few drinking games, and smoked hookah.

Saturday

Spent pretty much the entire day with Kim's family.
I met her Mother's side of the family.
They were all very welcoming and pleasant.

Sunday

August 2nd marks my first date with Kim and our one year anniversary of exclusive dating.
Looking back on the the past year with Kim in my life, it's clear that my life has improved.
I'm a happier person in general, I have more motivation, I've found out what true love feels like, and I have experienced many things that I probably would have never done if I was still single. It's been a great year for me.
I'm looking forward to what will come in our relationship and I hope that we can continue to date and keep each other happy.
Anyhoo, I was unsure what I wanted to do/buy Kim for our first anniversary... but after a few days of thinking, I came up with a pretty good plan.
I bought her a diamond necklace at the jewelry store and I made reservations at the restaurant we had our first date at. It seemed appropriate that we would go back to Massa's a year later. Plus, it's thoughtful and 'romantic'.
Dinner was fantastic and it was so much fun to go back and relive our first date. It's funny how nervous we both were back then and how comfortable I feel around her now. It's a great feeling.
Kim, thank you for the year we have spent together so far. I love you.

Weekend Update: July 24-26

2009-07-26T23:36:00.001-05:00

Although the last few weekends have been a bit boring, it's all for a good reason. Kim and I are trying to save money for our trip to Las Vegas. By doing so, we have limited what we do during the weekend. We still have fun and do interesting things, we just don't eat out as much etc. With that being said, prepare yourself for "The Weekend Update"!

Friday

I find that it is very important to start the weekend on a high note, so I wanted to do something fun Friday night
Kit, Katie, and I went to HuHot for dinner. This was my second trip to the restaurant and I am still very impressed with the food. In fact, I am already looking forward to my next trip there.
After a quick trip to the grocery store, where I made my first formal complaint to management for terrible customer service, we picked up a few things from our place and went to Dan's apartment.
We had a few drinks, Kim joined us after her night with her friends had concluded, and we played some drinking games.
The night ended with everyone falling asleep except for Dan and I. Even Mr. Menke caught a few ZZZ's on the couch.

Saturday

Sticking with tradition, Kim and I slept in on Saturday.
We had lunch at Lions Choice with Kit and Katie.
Being so close to Target, we made a quick stop there and wandered aimlessly.
Then we took a trip to the Wild Bird Sanctuary, which is part of Lone Elk Park. At first glance, the park is obviously under-funded. Additionally, it's not very inviting as you pull in. Once you make it past the facade, it's a very cool place. The place is full of interesting birds such as owls, hawks, and eagles. I took a number of pictures of the big birds, despite my camera being junk. It was definitely worth the trip and I wouldn't mind going back in the future.
Son Cones.
Took a nice hike through Castlewood State Park again with Kim, Kit, Katie, Kit's Mom, Kit's Dad, and the Menke's foreign exchange student. It's the same trail that I have taken before and I'm ready for something new the next time I go.
We grilled out for dinner. Chicken, corn, and potatoes. Drinks for dessert.
I also gave a showing of the movie "Sphere" via projector screen on the wall.
Kim got drunk :-)

Sunday

Kim got up early for work. I was bummed to see her leave for the day. It seems like the last few weekends have been cut short by something going on. I guess that's the way it's going to be for a while though. Good thing I have video games and movies to keep me busy. Not to mention working out and hiking.
I spent most of the day on the couch. I think I watched 5 movies.
I worked out too. So it wasn't a fully wasted day.

The Weekend Update: July 17-19

2009-07-19T21:57:00.002-05:00

Friday

When I left work on Friday, I had no idea what was in store for the weekend.
Kim came over to my place, as she often does. I was a bit disappointed that between the two of us, we couldn't think of anything worth doing for the evening.
At some point, we decided on a restaurant, El Nepal. It had been months since we had last been there.
The place was busy, but we found good parking and we were seated quickly.
As expected, the food was great. Kim became manic about halfway through the meal, which really sparked some interesting conversations. (Not really manic, just hyper)
As dinner concluded, we decided that we would go to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients (booze) necessary to make a few mixed drinks.
After a few other errands, we came back to my place and started making drinks.
First, the Cran Razz. That's tequila, cranberry juice, and blackberry liquor shaken with ice.
Second, the Green Hornet. That's vodka, Midori, and sweet/sour mix shaken with ice.
Both drinks were awesome.
Kim talked me into downloading and watching "17 Again". It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, especially after a few drinks.
BTW, Kim got drunk.

Saturday

Kim had to work all day and then had plans for dinner and a movie with friends, so I had the day to myself.
Kit and I ended up hanging for most of the day. I can't really remember the last time it was just the two of us hanging out... and we live together...
Anyhoo, we had lunch at "The Corner Pub". That's pretty much my favorite restaurant in our area.
Then we went for a hike for about 90 minutes through Castlewood State Park. One of the trails has 204 stairs. I counted all of them.
After a hike/nature walk/male bonding, Kit had dinner with his family and I played video games.
We went to 'Harry Potter 6' after he got back. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but the movie was pretty good.
More video games after the movie.
Kim got back around 12:30.

Sunday

Kim and I slept in, as we had planned.
We didn't do much really. Went grocery shopping. That was about the highlight of the day.
Kim left early so she could take her sister out to dinner.
I spent the rest of the night in front of the TV and played 'Oblivion'. I beat the main quest in 'The Shivering Isles'.

The Weekend Update: July 10-12

2009-07-12T21:26:00.003-05:00

Friday

My boss let me go early on Friday, so I went ahead a took advantage of that great offer. Kim left work early also and met me at my place.
I decided that it would be a good night for a date night.
We had dinner together at HuHot. It's a Mongolian BBQ place on Olive. It's phucking phenomenal. Some of the best food that I have had in a really long time. Kim really enjoyed it too and we have already made plans to go back soon.
Our entertainment for the evening was a 9:30 showing of "Moon" at the Plaza Frontenac theater. For some reason, they sold tickets at the concession stand, which really irritated me. G-Damn pretentious cappuccino drinkers!
The movie was an excellent example of Sci-Fi done correctly. Very minimal special effects. Just a great actor (Sam Rockwell) with a voice over from Kevin Spacey. Sam Rockwell's performance was outstanding. I didn't care for his work in "Choke", but this film really showed off his talents. If you get the chance to see it before it hits video, please do so.

Saturday

Kim had to go into work at 9am. This meant that I would be getting up early also. I didn't mind though, I had plenty of things that I needed to do around the house.
I pretty much cleaned house all day in preparation for my Mother and Brother's arrival. The place was spotless by the time Kim came over after work.
During the day I ran a few errands and bought some essentials for the house.
I fired up the BBQ for dinner and Kim brought over some cookies that she had baked. (Very good ones)
We had a few drinks, smoked hookah, and enjoyed the movie 'Adventure Land". It's also a great coming-of-age comedy. Rent it or bootleg it like I did :)

Sunday

Mom got to my apartment/condo a little bit after 10:30. It was very good to see her and I was glad that she was finally able to muster the courage to battle the 270 traffic.
We sat around and caught up before we set out for lunch.
Lunch was a "The Corner Pub". One of my favorite places to go and I was glad that the whole family ended up enjoying it as well.
Then it started to rain, then storm, then pour down rain.
After sitting around my condo for a bit, I decided that we need to do something fun despite the rain.
We went to the Chesterfield Mall, got ice cream from "Silkys" and took a drive through the "Lone Elk Park".
Mom and Andy left around 6:30. It sucked that it rained all day and that we didn't get to do the fun things that I had originally planned. I was still really glad to see my family though.
Kim and I had dinner and watched "Dear Zachary". It's a heart-wrenching story about the murder of the filmmakers best friend. It was fantastic, rent it if you can find it.

Allan Origins

2009-07-10T10:34:00.004-05:00

From http://www.ancestry.com

"Allan: Scottish and northern English. Variant spelling of Allen. This is the more common spelling of the name in Scotland and northern England; in Scotland it is often found as an English form of the Gaelic name McAllen (see McAllan)."

"English and Scottish: from a Celtic personal name of great antiquity and obscurity. In England the personal name is now usually spelled Alan, the surname Allen; in Scotland the surname is more often Allan. Various suggestions have been put forward regarding its origin; the most plausible is that it originally meant ‘little rock’. Compare Gaelic ailín, diminutive of ail ‘rock’. The present-day frequency of the surname Allen in England and Ireland is partly accounted for by the popularity of the personal name among Breton followers of William the Conqueror, by whom it was imported first to Britain and then to Ireland. St. Alan(us) was a 5th-century bishop of Quimper, who was a cult figure in medieval Brittany. Another St. Al(l)an was a Cornish or Breton saint of the 6th century, to whom a church in Cornwall is dedicated."

For my entire life I have had to spell out my last name for people. This is due to the fact that in America, the most common way to spell my last name is "Allen". All I need to do is move to Scotland or Northern England and I will be good to go!

The Weekend Update- Independence Day Weekend

2009-07-05T23:18:00.005-05:00

Again, I had the good fortune of a three day weekend. Not only that, but I also was allowed to leave work early on Thursday. This weekend update will cover four days rather than three. So here we go...

Thursday, July 2nd

After I left work, I filled up my car with gas and finally cleaned the god-damn windshield. I have no idea how the car stays clean but the window is in a constant state of FILTH!
I bought myself a new pair of sneakers. I had been wanting a new pair of Pumas to replace some of my aging shoes and the style I wanted were coincidentally on sale. The new shoes kick ass. I love them. Kim seems to like them too. That's good, because I wanna look good for my lady-friend.
I bought a 12 pack of PBR to get the weekend started the right way :)
Kit and I got home at about the same time. We decided to have a grill night. We invited over Katie, Dan, and Amy. Kim was working, but she was still invited.
Once everyone arrived, I fired up the grill and got to cooking. Katie, Kit, and I had steak. Dan and Amy had brats. For dessert we went to Dairy Queen and saw some really weird people... Then we drank, smoked hookah, played poker, and chilled out. It was a great start to an extended weekend.

Friday, July 3rd

Kim and I slept in. Have I mentioned that I love to sleep in. It's on my top 10 favorite things.
We had lunch at TGI Fridays with Kit and Katie. They have cherry limeades now, but they aren't that great.
After lunch, Kim and I took a trip to the mall. I wanted a new shirt for work and also wanted to do something to kill some time. I didn't really find anything that I particularly liked, so we pretty much just wandered aimlessly.
We then came home and got ready for a wedding anniversary party.
We were fully over-dressed for the party. The gathering was 100% casual and 80% redneck. They even had a live country music band. Who knew? The food was decent and the wine was terrible. Oh, the cake was good. Besides that, I felt like the party was extremely awkward for me. Mainly because I knew no one and I was wearing clothes that I felt drew attention unintentionally. At least I looked damn good!
After the party we stopped for a fireworks show in Ballwin. It was darn good.
We had a few drinks and smoked hookah over at Dan and Amy's place that night. We also played "Phase 10". It's a really fun card game.

Saturday, July 4th

Again, more sleeping in.
After packing a bag and ranting/raving around the house Kim drove the two of us to her grandparent's lake house in Hillsboro, MO. (I was ranting/raving because Kim's family likes to give me a hard time about EVERYTHING. Tattoos, thinning hair, too tall, too thin, democrat, non-catholic, etc. ) It tends to fray my nerves; mainly because I am just not accustom to people calling me out to my face. I get picked apart for every little thing I do and it gets old. I never once heard "Hey, Scott. I just wanted to let you know that we are really glad that Kim found a 'good guy'. You have a decent job, you don't smoke crack, and you take good care of Kim."
Anyway... that rant is now complete.
The lake was fun. I had a pretty good time. Surprisingly, no one gave me a hard time. Played some poker, ate good food, got some sun, saw decent fireworks.
Kim and I got back to my place and relaxed for the night.

Sunday, July 5th

I cooked waffles for breakfast.
Kim and I finally booked our flights and hotel for the trip to Las Vegas. Super fucking excited about that. I can't wait to get back out there and see Alex/Vegas.
Kim made dinner and we had a relaxing evening.

Building Collapse in Shanghai

2009-06-30T09:33:00.003-05:00

I saw this article on Gizmodo today and was just amazed... This entire building fell over in one piece. Check out the pictures below and the full article on Gizmodo.

This past Saturday, an entire apartment building in Shanghai collapsed. To be fair, the building was under construction and thus unoccupied, but it's still a minor miracle that there was only one fatality.

Sounds like there was a problem with some nearby flood prevention walls at the Dianpu River, but there's no hard evidence as to why this huge building simply fell over. Anyway, here are some sweet pictures of the architectural carnage. [Cellar.org via Twitter]

via Gizmodo by Dan Nosowitz on 6/29/09

The Weekend Update- Belated Father's Day

2009-06-29T22:46:00.004-05:00

I am writing this post on July 8th, so many of the details are now very fuzzy. I've gotten myself into a bad habit of trying to recollect details after the facts are long gone from my memory. If I were to just make myself write these things down the Monday after they actually happen, I would be in good shape. My blog would also have more accurate information... We all know that wont happen anytime soon though. I'll do my best to fill you in, but I can promise too much. Here we go...

Friday, June 26th

I left work early so I could renew my license plates in Illinois. The drive there and back really wasn't that bad.
I met up with Kim and a few co-workers for a few drinks at Casa Gallardo. It was Shonda's last day working in HR. Kim and I had one drink a piece and some free chips. Someone accidentally paid for my drink. Doesn't get much better than that.
Kim and I bought a pizza from 10th Street Italian and a bottle of wine from DeVine Wine. Both were very good.
Kim came over and we watched "Dark City".
Details about dinner and other activities for the evening are gone. I'll see if Kim can remember anything. She's got a great memory.

Saturday, June 27th

I washed the car for the first time in months. It looks fantastic now. I need to wax the car too. Another project to add to my growing list.
I bought a wallet and a card for my Dad. We were celebrating Father's Day one weekend behind. Dad had other plans he had to attend to on Father's Day, so we pushed everything a week back. It's a pretty common practice in my family. This stems from numerous re-marriages and a numerous family members spread all over Illinois. Also, I live in STL now, which seems to scare my parents. They never come to visit me...
Kim and I then said goodbye to each other for the weekend and I drove to my Dad's house.
I listened to LOTR via audio book for the trip home. It made the drive much more enjoyable. I'm really enjoying the story and I am ready to re-watch the movies too.
I hung out with Dad and Brenda for a few hours and caught up on things.
We cooked brats for dinner on the grill and relaxed that evening. Watched some TV and such.

Sunday, June 28th

I woke up and went to church with Dad and Brenda. It had probably been at least a year since I had been to church.
We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. It was pretty darn good. A nice find by Dad.
By the time we got back from lunch and had changed our clothes, Dad and I were ready to drive back to Springfield to see "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen".
The movie was so fun. It far exceeded my expectations. It really is like having your favorite childhood toys come to life on the big-screen. So damn cool. I hope to see a third movie. Dad seemed to enjoy it also.
Dad and Brenda sent me home with a bunch of food, which is so nice of them. I don't necessarily need the food, but it's a very nice gesture. Nothing wrong with a few boxes of cereal and a few bags of chips... right?

Sinkhole...

2009-06-25T11:24:00.004-05:00

Check this out! This is a picture of a sinkhole on Schuetz Road, which is about two blocks from my office. I take this road to work almost every day. I'm sure glad this isn't my car sitting in there...

The Weekend Update- Three Day Weekend

2009-06-21T21:19:00.003-05:00

I had the good fortune of having a three day weekend. Kim was finished up with rotations and I felt like I deserved a day away from the office. We decided that we should have a fun day in St. Louis.

Friday

It may have been a "Free-day Friday", but I still awoke early.
I picked up drinks and breakfast for Kim and me.
Then I picked up Kim and we set out to the St. Louis Zoo, but not before picking up her sunglasses at the mechanics...
We arrived at the Zoo around 9:30. It was already hot and muggy and I knew that as the day progressed we would both be in for the "long haul". Luckily, the Zoo was closing at noon, so we wouldn't be out in the heat for too long.
We saw almost all the animals that we wanted to see. with the exception of the penguins. There was a line to get in, and honestly, I wasn't surprised to see the line given the temperature.
Here are some pictures that Kim took...

After the Zoo we had lunch at Lulunia in the Central West End. Pretty nice atmosphere and food. The service was good too. Two thumbs up.
Kim had a special treat for me after lunch. Her friend Tara's mom owns a small shop in St. Louis and it sells hookah stuff.
The shop was nuts. Lots of bongs and glass. It was cool though, and Tara was happy to show off all sorts of strange items that Kim and I had never seen before. In fact, we left the store with two heat-activated naked-people lighters, two boxes of shisha, and a new pair of tongs for my hookah.
Our next stop was the St. Louis Science Center. A friend from work had given me two VIP passes for everything at the STLSC, so it was obvious that we needed to make this part of our adventure.
For your information, the STLSC is becoming very dated. Most everything in the science center is at least 20 years old. How do I know that you ask? Well I am nearly 25 and I have family photos of myself playing in the STLSC as a child... And yes, I did still have hair then...
The STLSC was fun though. We got to watch "Sea Monsters" in the Omnimax. It was awesome. I love the Omnimax and I hadn't been in nearly 12 years. It made me a bit dizzy though. It was the fun type of dizzy, like being really drunk! Additionally, Kim got a huge kick out of the pharmacy section, because she's quite warped. I love her despite the quirks though. :)
I then took Kim back to the mechanic's to pick up Lucy (that's the name of her car).
After a quick change of clothes, we were off to dinner with her family. Her sister turned 21 that day, so there was cause for celebration. We went to some Mexican restaurant that I forget the name of, but the food was good.
After dinner, I went to Kim's grandparents house for cake and conversation. Let's hear three cheers for awkward family time! Hip-hip-ehhh... Fuck it... Too tired to type that out completely.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.

Saturday

I recall going to the pool, but most of the morning and afternoon are very hazy.
Kit and Katie cooked lasagna for dinner.
I joined Kim and some of her friends for drinks at Growlers that evening. Good times. Kim got to catch up with her friends and I was able to tell stories to Dan all night.
After Growlers, we smoked some hookah, had a few more drinks, and called it a night.

Sunday

I cooked cinnamon rolls for breakfast and they tasted great. Almost better than waffles and bacon, but not quite.
Kim had to leave my place a bit earlier than usual, since it was Father's Day.
I gave my Dad a call and caught up. We made plans to see eachother the following weekend.
I spent the rest of my night just relaxing.

Grilling a Pizza

2009-06-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

(Second Pizza vs First Pizza)

If you have never tried to grill a pizza before, it's something that you really ought to try. Well, only try it if you like pizza and you are familiar with your grill...

I had wanted to grill a pizza for quite some time. Not having a grill available always made the dream of a char-grilled pizza unobtainable. With the recent purchase of my first grill, all grilled foods are now within reach.

I knew that grilling a pizza would prove to be challenging, especially on a charcoal grill. Kim wanted to make the whole pizza from scratch, including the dough. I has some reservations about placing dough on a grill, but I wanted to see if it would work.

I started out by heating up the grill, no differently than usual. I spread out the coals and let the grill get to an optimal temperature. Kim prepared the dough and toppings while I did more manly things like play with the lighter fluid.

The grill was nice and hot and I was ready to get cooking. I brushed the grate with a garlic infused oil that I made on the stove and coated the dough with a thin layer of oil as well. Kim and I gingerly placed the dough of the grate and hoped for the best. Within about two minutes, it was clear that the dough was sticking to the grate. Rather than letting it cook a bit longer like I should have done, I decided to try to move the dough. This is when the whole project went downhill. The dough then started to fall between the slits in the grate and was also starting the break off into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces either fell on the coals or separated from the main crust all together. Then the dough started to scorch. When I thought the dough had finally cooked enough, Kim and I started to place the toppings on the sad little oblong crust. We let it cook for about another ten minutes and then pulled it off of the grill.

Our first attempt at cooking pizza on the grill was a huge bust. The pizza looked like someone had ran over it with a car and the dough wasn't even cooked the whole way through. We still tried a few bites... it was awful. The taste was a combination of burned bread and lighter fluid (probably my fault).

Luckily I had prepared for a potential problem such as we encountered. I had purchased a ready-made crust along with the dough mix, so we had a second chance to redeem ourselves and not have to hit up a restaurant for dinner.

The second pizza was a huge success. The crust cooked perfectly and all the toppings managed to stay on the pizza rather than falling on the charcoal. When the pizza was finished grilling, we let it cool for a few minutes. I couldn't wait to take a bite of this amazing looking grilled pizza. It was definitely worth the wait though. The first bite was so flavorful it was damn near orgasmic. The grilling process had enhanced all the flavors of the toppings and had given the crust a wonderfully smoky flavor.

In retrospect, the whole project was more than just a learning experience. It was a great way for Kim and I to spend some time together and learn to work as a couple to meet our desired outcome. I've learned that I can be much more patient than I had originally thought and I also learned that Kim is a pretty darn good cook. My one suggestion is to buy a pre-made crust though, save yourself the hassle. Or not, it's your choice. Just get out there and get grilling! Enjoy the summer, folks!

Weekend Update

2009-06-14T23:21:00.006-05:00

Today I have a real treat for any of my regular readers. In addition to the usual babble and banter that I offer once or twice a week, I have actual content to share with you! I know what you must be thinking, "how is that possible?!" Let me assure you, it is possible, and you might even enjoy it. This particular weekend update will link to a great article that I have written about grilling a pizza on a charcoal grill and all the fun associated with such an arduous task. So, enough of the hype, time to get down to business. Ladies and gents, here is my weekend update!

Friday

Despite it's connotations, Friday does not always mean "Fun Day" at work. In fact, I worked my ass off on Friday.
I left work whipped and tired. I wanted a beer, I wanted to get laid, and I wanted to something fun in addition to the old "slap and tickle".
I came home and picked up the apartment.
I poured myself a cocktail and relaxed by playing Xbox 360.
For dinner, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Kit, Amy and Dan. (You may notice that I didn't put Amy last in the series of names this time. This should serve as ample proof that I am not a sexist...)
After a quick stop at our favorite liquor store, which is sadly going out of business, we went to the movie theater to see "Hangover".
I know that as an educated adult, I shouldn't like these types of movies as much as I do. There is still a teenager with raging hormones somewhere in my psyche, that get a huge kick out of boobs and slapstick.
Kit and I decided to call it a night after the movie got over. Another part of my psyche apparently includes a 45 year old man.
Kim came over after she saw the late showing of "Hangover" with some of her friends. Thus, I completed all the goals I set for myself (See the second bullet point)

Saturday

Kim and I slept in. It was nice. Really nice.
When we finally made it out of bed we had lunch at "Provisions". Great food. Check the place out if you haven't already.
We wandered around the store for a bit too, checking out the booze, beer, and wine.
During our excursion, we decided to stop off at a furniture store to look for a kitchen table and chairs. I managed to piss off one of the sales ladies when she tried to sell Kim and I an ugly table, and we were looking for something more modern... So, I'm sorry lady... I just don't like your ugly table. And no, I don't care if it's in stock.
On the way back to my apartment, we bought two small seedless watermelons.
We hit the grocery store and bought the ingredients necessary to make a pizza. More specifically, a grilled pizza. Check out my full post and guide here about grilling a pizza.
Someone in a moving truck managed to ram into one of the parking structures around my condo. They did quite a bit of damage as you can see in the this picture.

I decided that adding tequila to one of the watermelons would be a great idea. It tasted pretty good, but I think vodka or rum would have been a better choice.

We also took a walk down a small trail and I took a few pictures of the scenery.

Kim and I then set out to grill a pizza. Check out my post here for details...
Kim and I spent the rest of the night at Amy and Dan's new apartment. We had a few drinks, smoked some a very tasty bowl of mocha tobacco, and watched a movie. Dan's mocha tobacco was phenomenal. Great flavor and a great buzz.

Sunday

Breakfast consisted of waffles and bacon and watermelon. It's important to start your day with a high quality breakfast. Kim and I hadn't made breakfast together in almost a month and I was happy to bring back the tradition.
After two hours into a "Law and Order: SVU" marathon, Kim declared her boredom. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what.
We ended up planning our vacation to Las Vegas. We will be leaving August 24th and returning to St. Louis on August 30th. I cant wait to get back to Sin City. Taking Kim with me to Vegas is like hitting the jackpot before I even step foot in the casino.
I was in the mood for Snow Cones, so I made a trip to Tropical Sno. Best. Fucking. Snow Cone. Ever. Worth every penny and I can guarantee that I will revisit the establishment.
After dinner and a few episodes of "Californication", Kim hit the road.
I watched a little bit more TV and hit the lights. The weekend had concluded.

Rainy Day Playlist

2009-06-11T23:07:00.001-05:00

With all the rain that St. Louis has had this spring, I was inspired to create this playlist. I've cleverly titled it "Rainy Day Playlist". If you have suggestions for additional songs, please let me know. (Song titles on the left - Artists on the right)

Paris In Flames - Thursday

Wash Away - Alkaline Trio

Right as Rain - Tokyo Rose
Sun In An Empty Room - The Weakerthans
Start Today Tomorrow - Youth Group
Raindrops - Armor For Sleep
Thunder - Boys Like Girls
Rain Beatin' Down - Chris Bergson
The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol
Thunder and Lightning - Phil Collins
Washed By The Water - Will Hoge
Carry On - Bayside
Burn - Alkaline Trio
Riders on the Storm - The Doors
Waiting... - City and Colour
No Sunlight - Death Cab For Cutie
High and Dry - Radiohead

Futurama is Back For 26 More Episodes

2009-06-10T09:21:00.007-05:00

"Holy crap. It looks like the rumors were true. Futurama is BACK.

After four movies (most of which we covered here), Comedy Central decides that they want more of Futurama and renewed them for TWENTY SIX new episodes starting 2010. That's twice the amount of episodes that were rumored."

via Gizmodo by Jason Chen on 6/9/09

Dinosaur Comics: June 9th, 2009

2009-06-09T09:50:00.005-05:00

Click to enlarge... From: www.qwantz.com/

Weekend Update: Paranoia Edition

2009-06-07T23:46:00.004-05:00

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was definitely something off about this weekend. Something just didn't seem right and it made me feel very apprehensive. Perhaps it was the weather or something subconscious that was eating at me. It's a terrible feeling to have. It's like you know that something is wrong or that something bad is going to happen, but you don't know what it is. Furthermore, you feel helpless to control the situation. So, without further ado, here is the Weekend Update: Paranoia Edition.

Friday

Kim arrived at my apartment around 5:45.
We left my apartment around 6:00.
The two of us headed to the Texas Roadhouse in Arnold, MO.
We met up with Kim's family for the celebration of her father's birthday.
Dinner was good and minimally stressful/awkward for me, and I considered that a good sign.
After dinner, I ate birthday cake with Kim and her family.
After being "kicked out" of Kim's parent's house, I drove back to my apartment with Kim along for the ride.
Dan and Amy were hanging out with Kit at the apartment and I finished up the night with one drink and a little hookah.

Saturday

Once Kim and I got up and got ready, I was in the mood to do a quick clean-up of the living room and kitchen. Having guests over the night before had pretty much left the apartment in shambles.
Kim helped out with the clean-up process. She is always there to lend her help, and I really appreciate that. So many times in life you meet people who are just plain lazy. Kim is not lazy at all and that's definitely one of the reasons I like her so much.
For lunch we had Lions Choice, which is always a good choice. It tasted fantastic. Plus they have awesome pink lemonade.
I bought a clock at Target.
I bought a new shirt at Kohl's.
After shopping I sat on the balcony and enjoyed the nice weather with Kim and my laptop. Caught up on my geek news.
I went out to dinner with Kim, Kit, Katie, Dan, and Amy at Fitz's down on the Loop.
Dinner made me fill ill, but I powered through it.
Bought two new flavors of shisha: Rose and Pineapple.
Bought "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". It's a new book that I had been looking to purchase for a long time.

Retired back to the apartment to try out some new shisha that Dan had bought.
We played a board game and called it a night.

Sunday

Kim had to get up for work, and that meant that I had to get up too.
Spent the morning watching the end of X-Men the Animated Series: Season One.
Did a few chores around the apartment.
I watched a few movies that I had started watching and never finished.
Did some relaxing and read a book.
Got everything ready for work and ruined the new shirt I had bought the day before with a big stain.
In bed by 11:00 pm.

Weekend Update

2009-05-31T14:36:00.002-05:00

Friday

I spent most of Friday trying to hack the Nintendo Wii.
It was a hell of a project and super frustrating. I believe that I must have worked on it for at least five hours. I didn't manage to get the project completed that night.
Kim came over around 1am and we went straight to bed.

Saturday

Kim and I got up and went out to Quiznos for lunch.
We then went to Joann fabrics to kill 20 minutes.
After the quick stop at Joann we arrived at her Uncle's hour for her Cousins' graduation parties.
7+ hours with her family. We ate, drank, played games, and told stories. Good times.
Kim and I came back and watched "Zach and Miri", which I thought was terrible.
We hit the bed fairly early that night. A day spent outside in the fresh air will knock you out.

Sunday

Kim and I woke up earlier than usual so we could go to brunch with some of my friends from work. Brunch was at G.C. and it was great. Lots of good breakfast food and none of it was good for you.
We hit up the mall after brunch and walked off a few calories. I bought two new books!
Then we hit the shoe store, because I wanted to find new street shoes. Cause im a gangster...
I decided that for dinner I wanted to grill. I didn't own a grill so Kim and I set off to Wal-Mart to buy all the necessities. I now own an awesome charcoal grill.
We had brats and chips for dinner.
Kim left around 9pm and I finally figured out how to hack the Wii.
Great ending to my weekend.

Weekend Update

2009-05-25T14:11:00.002-05:00

This was a real whirlwind of a weekend. I've been all over and back again. Here is a recap from this three day weekend...

Friday

I took Kim out to eat at Pei Wei. She had never been there. Food was awesome.
Went to Trader Joes for some snacks.
Kim and I saw the "Star Trek" movie. It was fantastic. It's a nerd's dream come true.
When the movie was over, we enjoyed a few cocktails together and relaxed in front of the TV

Saturday

I woke up at 7am. It's the earliest I have had get up on a weekend in a long time.
I drove to Springfield, IL to meet up with my Dad, Brother, and Stepmom.
We then drove to Indianapolis, IN for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 race.
I took Dad out to dinner at "Texas Roadhouse".
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel watching movies and relaxing.

Sunday

Woke up at 6am. That's 5am CST for those of you who are keeping score. THAT is definitely the earliest I have had to get up on a weekend in a VERY long time.
Had breakfast.
Made our way to the track and found our seats.
Bought a shot glass as a souvenir.
Race was a few hours long and fairly entertaining. Lots of accidents. Weather was perfect. Took some great pictures with the camera that Kim loaned me.
Made the trip back to Springfield, IL that afternoon.
Hung out with Dad for a bit and then hit the road back to St. Louis.
Talked to Kim for a good portion of my trip back, which was nice because I was super tired.
When I got back to the apartment, I enjoyed a few drinks and hookah with Kit, Katie, Dan, and Amy.

Monday

Woke up at a decent time and cleaned up the place a bit.
Kim came over and we reacquainted ourselves.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at Dan and Amy's new apartment. It's pretty nice.
Had burgers and beers and played Monopoly. Good times.

The Weekend Update

2009-05-17T00:39:00.004-05:00

It's been a very long time since I have made a post and I apologize. I don't even have a good excuse, I am just lazy... that's it. So without further ado, here is "The Weekend Update"

Friday

Kim bought tickets to a Cardinals game, so we went to the 7:15 game versus the Brewers. We met up with her classmates/friends.

The game was set to be a good one, but the weather had other plans.
At about 7:45 the bad weather started. The temperature dropped from 80 to 60 in a matter of seconds. It was some of the coolest weather I have ever experienced.

Kim and I huddled together under out ponchos for about 90 minutes.
We left the game when the rain stopped and drove home. We later found out that the game had been called.
We finished up the night with a few drinks and a frozen pizza. Very romantic, I know.

Saturday

Kim and I woke up earlier than usual so we could make the trip to Jacksonville
It was really nice to have Kim along on the ride home. I hate driving that far all alone.
Mom was happy to see us and we ate lunch together.
Then we made a trip to Home Depot and mom later put me to work installing her new mini blinds.
I took Andy, Kim, and Mom out to dinner at Tokyo of Japan in Springfield IL.
The food was really good and it was a hibachi grill, so the show was cool too.

After dinner I stopped by a Penny Lane to buy my favorite incense. It's really hard to find, so I bought two packs.
We had dessert and watched a movie later that night
Kim and I shared a twin sized bed. Not the best night of sleep I have ever had, but we managed.

Sunday

Mom bought donuts for Kim and I for breakfast.
I installed another mini blind and did some other chores for Mom
Kim and I had lunch with Robert and Bailey. I was excited to show off my trophy girlfriend. :)
We said goodbye to Mom, packed up the car, and drove back to STL.
That night we cooked dinner together and relaxed.

The Weekend Update- Forgotten Weekend Edition

2009-05-10T22:40:00.001-05:00

I'm writing this post on May 20th, trying to remember the weekend of May 8th through May 10th. This is going to be really tricky, but I am going to try to put the pieces back together.

Friday

I took the day off on Friday. I had a free day to use at my discretion, and I figured I might as well enjoy some time away from work.
It was an awful day to take off as it turned out. The water at work was shut off, so many people didn't even have to come in. It was also a rainy day, so outside activities were not going to happen.
I went outside anyway though. I needed new shoes for work and a new tie for a wedding that I was going to on Saturday.
I forget what happened after this... until Kim arrived.
Kim got off work around 5 or 6 I think.
I made backed penne for her, for dinner.
I also made Bellini's that night. They were awesome!

Saturday

I don't remember what happened this day until we went to the charity sale on Big Bend. I picked up some cool magnets for work and Kim bought a new bag.
Then we got ready for the wedding.
My co-worker, Christina, was getting married and Kim was my +1.
We arrived at the wedding, sat through that, which was really nice and really fast.
The reception was pretty cool. Good food, free drinks, cool people to talk to. The music was terrible though... yikes.
Drove Ryan back to his car and Kim and I went back to my place.

Sunday

Kim went to work early.
I watched TV and did homework.
I bought a mic stand and downloaded some recording software. Started recording some new music.
Had a relaxing night.

Well... well... well... That's not too bad. I remembered all of that stuff over the course of about 20 minutes. If I find pictures later, I will post them.

What Does @ Really Mean?

2009-05-05T09:11:00.002-05:00

"You use it every single day. In English it's called the "at sign." The Italians call it "snail." The Spaniards, "arroba." The Slavs, "monkey." But what did @ really mean 473 years ago?

On May 4, 1536, Francesco Lapi—a Florentine merchant who at the time was in Seville, Spain—used the symbol @ in a letter, the first ever known instance of a document containing it. It didn't had a domain name after it, however. Back then, he was referring to the number of "amphoras" that were shipped in three vessels which departed Spain on their way to Rome, Italy. An "amphora" was a commercial volume measure of those times. The document you can see above says:

There, an amphora of wine, which is one thirtieth of a barrel, is worth 70 or 80 ducats.

In Spanish, the word for that measure was called "arroba," which is the name the @ symbol still receives today in that language. Later, the symbol was conserved in typewriters' keyboards: People kept using the at sign through the centuries, and it was common in commercial accounting where it meant "at the price of."

It was in 1971 when Ray Tomlinson saw the symbol and thought it could be good to append the mail server host to the name of the person receiving an email:

I chose to append an at sign and the host name to the user's (login) name. I am frequently asked why I chose the at sign, but the at sign just makes sense. The purpose of the at sign (in English) was to indicate a unit price (for example, 10 items @ $1.95). I used the at sign to indicate that the user was "at" some other host rather than being local.

And the rest, as they say, it's history. I don't know about you, but from now on I would be saying jesus amphora gizmodo dot com every time I have to tell my mail address. It just sounds so much better. Or better yet, jesus monkey gizmodo dot com. Yes. Definitely this one."

via Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz on 5/5/09

New Side Project: Your Grammar Sucks

2009-04-30T15:29:00.001-05:00

Well, I've decided that balancing all of my interests is getting continuously difficult to do. I like to blog, but I have little time to provide meaningful content. Additionally, I enjoy the use of above average grammar. Therefore, I have combined these two interests into a side project for my blog.

More specifically, the lack of grammar that is plaguing our nation will be covered. I don't claim to be the grammar guru, nor am I a grammar Nazi. I do know terrible grammar when I see it though. Luckily/unfortunately, I experience at least five examples per week of terrible grammar at work. Since I have such an easy way to update my blog now, (via email) I can share these little tid-bits with you all on a daily basis! How exciting for you!

All examples which are posted will not have the originator identified. I hope you enjoy the new content and get a kick out of the terrible grammar that is soon to come.

Redbox Unboxed

2009-04-27T11:19:00.003-05:00

via Gizmodo by Jack Loftus on 4/26/09

I have always been curious about this. Gizmodo has answered all my questions. Thanks, Giz!

Gremlins Themed Sneakers- Before and After a Midnight Snack

2009-04-27T11:12:00.004-05:00

via io9 by Annalee Newitz on 4/27/09

Sneaker Freaker via mashKULTURE

The Weekend Update

2009-04-26T23:25:00.001-05:00

Friday

Friday at work seemed like an extraordinarily long day
Traffic on the way home was terrible
Kim came over
Katie came over
I went out to eat with Kit, Katie, and Kim at Chilis. Food was pretty good, my drink was weak
Met Dan at Shop 'n Save to purchase booze
Watched "Quantum of Solace" and had a few drinks
Called it an early night

Saturday

Kim had to get up early for work, but I slept in
I woke up and finished some homework
Katie, Kit and I went walking around the neighborhood. There was a neighborhood yard sale and we checked out other people's stuff
We grabbed Limeades at Sonic, because they are awesome and it was hot outside
We went to Target and I bought an awesome new hat
We went to Kohl's and I bought new shorts and two new shirts
We went to the grocery store and I bought food (surprise)
Katie cooked spaghetti for dinner (with minor help from us)
Kim came over after work and joined us for dinner
We went to DQ and I had ice cream. It was good and didn't make me sick for once
We rented at watched "The Day the Earth Stood Still". It was okay
I put on a random Netflix movie call "The Breed". It was dumb, so we smoked hookah

Sunday

Cooked breakfast with Kim
Did some laundry
Chilled out and did homework
Went to Lone Elk Park with Kit, Katie, and Kim. See pix
Had dinner with Kim's family
Watched "Doubt". It was just okay too
Kim went home, I went to bed

Beer Chips

2009-04-23T13:43:00.005-05:00

These chips are amazing. Easily the best I have ever had. You've just got to try them.

via Uncrate on 4/17/09

It's one thing to snack on chips while drinking beer, but what about snacking on chips that taste like beer? Beer Chips ($4/9 oz bag) are thick, kettle-style chips that...
Visit Uncrate for the full post.

Have A Seat

2009-04-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

1600 Stacked Chairs = Massive Public Art Installation

http://dornob.com/1600-stacked-chairs-massive-public-art-installation/

Something New

2009-04-22T16:43:00.001-05:00

I just set up blogging from email. I'm very excited about the possibility of providing additional content during the day. I use Outlook eight hours a day at work and I think that I can now easily provide smaller, quicker blog updates via email. Now, I just need to figure out Twitter from email and I will be set!

The Weekend Update- The Big Move

2009-04-19T21:28:00.004-05:00

This was a five day weekend for me. I took off Thursday and Friday for the move. I'll post the facts first and the pictures later.

Thursday

Went to the Will Hoge concert with Kim on Wednesday night. It was awesome
I had the day off and it was great
Kim and I packed up a bunch of the stuff from my house and loaded up my car
It was nice to spend a day in the middle of the week with Kim
Kim went to work
I went shopping and unpacked the kitchen stuff at the condo
I had dinner with Kit and Dan at Quiznos
Kit and I did more packing

Friday

Kit and I woke up early
The movers showed up at 8:30

The movers did a great job and finished everything in 2 hours
Kit and I unpacked stuff for the rest of the day
I set up the TV stuff and hung most of the pictures
I did dinner with Kit, Amy, and Dan at a Mexican restaurant
The food sucked and so did the service
Kim came over around 9:30, after she left work
We chilled for the rest of the night with Dan, Amy, and Kit

Saturday

More unpacking and set up
Did a bit of cleaning up at the new place too, had to get rid of a lot of boxes
Kim and I went on an awesome hike

We did a bit of shopping for the condo
Kim and I got Limeades at Sonic
I fixed a few things around the condo and Kim relaxed
That night, Kim and I cooked dinner together. I forgot the silverware at the old apartment, so Kim bought plastic wear for our fancy meal
Then we went over to Amy's place
Kim got drunk and I played games with Dan

Sunday

Kim and I slept in
We relaxed that afternoon
Kim went to dinner with friends from work
Kit and I bought groceries
I did some homework and went to bed

The Weekend Update

2009-04-12T22:12:00.005-05:00

Friday

Happy Hour with friends from work and Kim
Drinks at home with Kim
Smoked some hookah
Went to bed early

Saturday

Packed up the car
Drove home
Worked on homework
Fixed mom's bathtub
Had dinner with the family
Watched 'Changeling'. It was awful

Sunday

Easter lunch at moms. It was wonderful
Went to dad's place for a bit
Got lots of candy
Drove back to St. Louis
Watched TV
Went to bed

The Weekend Update

2009-04-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend update is going to be abridged again, I hope you don't mind. I will assume that you (my readers) do not, since I never receive comments. So here we go...

Friday

Went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Kit and Dan. Ordered a PBR and confused the server.
Went to Best Buy and almost bought this TV
Went to Dirt Cheap for beer and booze.
Played games with Kit and Dan.
Kim came over to spend the night after she finished up with work.

Saturday

Kim and I had a hodgepodge lunch. Drinks from Sonic and sandwiches from Penn Station.
Kim and I went to the Art Fair at Queeny Park and saw some great stuff. We were practically the youngest people there.
Kim and I went to the loop and I bought new coals, new shisha, and we got bubble tea. We also did some window shopping and just basically enjoyed the weather.
Then we went to target and I bought a slip cover for Kit's couch.
I had dinner with Dan, Amy, and Kim at the Corner Pub.
We finished up the night with drinks and hookah. Kim got good and drunk.

Sunday

Kim and I bought donuts at the grocery store.
We watched "Role Models" with Kit and Katie.
I did homework.
Kim and I cooked dinner together.
I finished watching "Tin Man".

Picture of the Week- New Office Assistant

2009-03-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

The Weekend Update (Abridged)

2009-03-29T23:09:00.004-05:00

This post is coming in late… again. I’m just going to make a quick post with a picture. I really don’t have the time I would like to keep this blog up to date.

Friday

Kim and I ate at Red Robin and it was delicious. The food was delicious, not Kim.
We walked around the mall for a bit and did some window shopping.
After the mall, I watched ‘Twilight” with my lovely girlfriend.

Saturday

I woke up and did my taxes.
Then I did some homework.
I drove to Target and bought a decoration for my cubicle.
I bought Limeades for Kim, Tara, and myself at Sonic.
I delivered the Limeades and visited with Kim at work.
I cooked chicken parmesan for Kim and me.
We finished up the night with a few drinks.

Sunday

I cooked bacon and Kim made waffles for brunch.
We watched a few movies (“Milk” and “Miracle at St. Anna”)
Then I wrote a paper and Kim studied.
Kim cooked dinner for us.
We watched ANOTHER movie.

Again, I apologize for the crude update. I hope that I can find the time to make better posts in the future. Thanks for reading everyone.

Late For Class

2009-03-26T22:25:00.000-05:00

So, my mom received this letter in the mail a few weeks ago. She called me one evening to tell me that I was grounded. I asked her why I was being grounded, at which time she let me know that I was late for class (High School) on Tuesday. I graduated from High School in 2003...

I guess I'll have to ask my boss if it's okay to take off from work to serve my detention...

Picture of the Week

2009-03-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

The Weekend Update

2009-03-22T23:10:00.004-05:00

This weekend, the big event was going to the winery in Hermann, MO with Kim. We both had a great time and it was so nice to finally get out of the house after being cooped up all winter. The trip to Hermann was on Saturday, so before I get to that I'll give you a quick update about what went down on Friday first.

Friday
On Friday Kim came over to my apartment as she often does. We joined Kit, Dan, Amy, and Ryan Davis (Dan's Friend) for dinner at a pizza place in Kirkwood. The pizza was really good but there were children screaming all over the place. It was enough to almost give me a panic attack. After dinner we went to a smoke-shop nearby and Dan bought some new strawberry flavored shisha. The rest of the night was smoking and drinking.

Saturday
Kim and I set out for Hermann, MO around noon on Saturday. We stopped at Quiznos for lunch before heading out. I love Quiznos... Anyway... The trip there was about 90 minutes. Not a long drive at all, when you consider that originally we were going to take the trip to Chicago to go to Ikea.

On the drive to Hermann we saw all sorts of awesome things. Funny billboard advertising sex shops, a semi with the phrase "Jesus Christ is not a swear word" written all over it, and a giant fake cow. We also passed a few small towns that amounted to a few homes and a church. It felt like be back home again!

Once we arrived in Hermann, we located our first stop for the day, Hermannhof Winery. Before making our way into the winery, we took in "downtown" Hermann. We walked through a few "antique" stores and took in some of the sights.

After we had our fill of the splendor that is Hermann, MO; we made our way into Hermannhof Winery.

We walked around for a bit, checked out the goods, took a self-guided tour of the wine cellar, and took some pictures. We then tasted a few different wines and Kim decided on a wine that is similar to a reisling, it was called "The White Lady". I actually liked it too. So I bought a bottle of wine and we went outside to sit, drink, and enjoy the warm weather. There were plenty of people outside that Kim and I could "people-watch". It was so nice, you have no idea. It was pretty much perfect.

After we finished about 3/4 of the bottle, we made our way to the brewery down the street. The Tin Mill Brewing Company was pretty fun, but there wasn't much there. The beer was really good though.

Kim and I then tried to find another winery, but we got a little lost. So, we found another winery called The George Husman Winery.

This place was down a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. It was a cool place though and I'm planning on going back. This winery had a better view for sure. See what I mean?

I bought a bottle of wine there too. They were closing by the time we got there, so we didn't get the opportunity to drink the wine. We did get to sit and enjoy more of the nice weather though. Our "mini-vacation" to Hermann was complete and I had a great time. I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to do something new. Most of all, I was really happy to spend a fun afternoon with Kim.

Sunday
Sunday really didn't amount to much. Kim and I spent most of the day just relaxing and that was the end of the weekend. I hope you had a great weekend too. Keep an eye out for new posts, i'm going to keep them coming!

Picture of the Week

2009-03-16T20:11:00.003-05:00

Copyright 2009 Scott P. Allan & Kimberly Karcher
No image may be used without the permission of Scott P. Allan or Kimberly Karcher

The Weekend Update

2009-03-15T23:11:00.001-05:00

Well, this update is pretty much lost at this point. By now I barely remember what happened and why. I have a few thoughts to share with you though and I will post them in bullet format. Sorry for the lack of content lately, I've just been really busy with school.

Friday I went to a little bar and grill with Kim, Kit, and Dan. The food there was awesome. I also picked up a 6 pack of a nice Indian Pale Ale from Devine Wine before heading home.
I have no recollection of what happened that night.
I bought Kim flowers and wine. Here is a picture of the flowers...

I think Kim worked on Saturday and I played video games most of the day.
No idea what happened that Saturday night. I think I cooked a pizza with Kim.
Kim worked on Sunday too, so I spent the day relaxing.
Sunday night, Kim and I went to dinner at Schneithorst's Kaffee Haus.
If you remember anything about a particular day of this weekend, let me know so I can update. Thanks

Movie Theater Popcorn

2009-03-13T15:26:00.003-05:00

Check out this interesting article that I found on Gizmodo.com

read more | digg story

Picture via www.gizmodo.com

Picture of the Week

2009-03-09T21:17:00.000-05:00

New Pet

2009-03-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a year since I last had a pet. I kept a Green Anole for almost 4 years and he was a pretty cool lizard. But, after Wendigo died, I didn’t feel like putting in the effort to take care of another animal.

Kim and I recently took a trip to the pet store and it was at that time that I decided it was time for a new pet. We looked at pretty much everything that PetSmart had to offer. After a few days of weighing the pros and cons, I decided to buy a hamster.

I haven’t named her yet, but she is pretty fun to watch. She is a Robo Dwarf Hamster. I think she is at full size now, which is about 2” long. Here are some pictures.

If you think up a name for her, let me know.

The Weekend Update

2009-03-08T23:17:00.001-05:00

I went home this weekend. The last time I was home, it was Christmas and I was only there for about a day. I was past due to make the trip home and spend some quality time with my family.

Friday
I drove straight home after I finished up work on Friday. I hit some traffic on 270, but that was the only real hang-up on the road home. I spent most of the two hour drive listening to music and enjoying an energy drink. I listened to some warm weather music with the windows down.

I arrived at my Mom’s house around 7pm. I saw that my brother had received the free car that my Mom’s friends had given him. It’s a ’94 Ford Thunderbird, which is in surprisingly good shape. By the time I walked in the door Mom had just ordered a pizza from Papa Johns. My brother and my mother were discussing my brother’s expenses to figure out if he could afford the iPhone. He had wanted the iPhone for a long time and Mom eventually caved to his request. They made plans to go to the ATT store on Saturday to pick up the phone.

The pizza arrived fairly quickly, but it was super greasy and not very good. I was hungry though and a few Buds helped the greasy pizza go down. We made a trip to Wal-Mart for some food and supplies around 9:00. After we got home I had a few beers and went to bed.

Saturday
I woke up around 10:00 on Saturday. I had plenty of things to do; Mom had a list of things to complete around the house. I met Robert and Bailey for lunch at the Chinese Buffet and we caught up for about an hour. It’s always good to see those two.

The rest of the day I did more things around the house and read some more of “Watchmen”. Whitney came over that night to show off her daughter Lindsey. She is a really cute baby. That means a lot coming from me; children terrify me…

Mom cooked breakfast for dinner at my request. We started watching “Pride and Glory” once we finished eating dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. I was about an hour into the movie when I left the house around 9:30 to meet Whitney at The Irish Toad. Mom was asleep when I left, so I didn’t feel too guilty about leaving.

The Irish Toad was hoppin’ (get it?) on Saturday. Whit and I had a pretty fun time. I think I paid for two beers the whole night and the rest of my drinks were on the house. Whit was pretty good friends with the bartender and got me the “hook-up”. We pretty much closed down the place and before we left the bartender insisted that we take a shot with her. I thought I was going to get a standard shot, but Beth (the bartender) insisted that it was “special”. It was special alright… It was Rumplemintz and it finished with a berry flavor. It was some new type of booze the bar received and I guess the bar was having a hard time selling it to patrons. It coincidentally ended up being the shot that got me pretty drunk. Oh, the fun you can have in Jacksonville.

Sunday
The time changed while I was sleeping. Stupid Daylight Savings Time…When my alarm went off in the morning I was an hour behind because my cell phone clock didn’t update. I had to rush to get ready and pack up the car. I had managed to wash 6 loads of laundry between Friday and Saturday, so there was a decent amount of packing to do. I was supposed to be at my dad’s place around 12:30 and I hate to be late.

It’s always hard to leave home. I miss my mom and my Jacksonville friends. Being away from home can’t be helped though. I have a life and a job in St. Louis now. Leaving home is an unavoidable part of growing up.

I had a really nice afternoon with my Dad and Brenda. Brenda cooked lunch for us and we had some awesome brownies for dessert. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to putting together my Dad’s new workbench, which he received as a gift for his anniversary or some other important date. It sat around for a few months and I suggested that we put it together as a father-son bonding experience. It was a heck of a project. I’d say it took the better part of two hours to get that thing together. It came in about 100 plus pieces and probably weighed in at close to 80 pounds.

It was actually pretty fun. I’ve always liked to put things together, so this was a fun opportunity to get my hands dirty. It really made me want to start tinkering around with computer mods again. I’m sure that I wont, for the simple fact that it’s very expensive. I’d like to though…

I hope everyone else had a great weekend. Keep an eye out for new posts coming this week.

Picture of the Week

2009-03-02T16:39:00.002-06:00

Weekend Update

2009-03-01T23:53:00.000-06:00

Friday
Like most of my Fridays, they start out with visions of grandeur. I envisioned a quick day of work followed up by a fun night out with Kim at the St. Louis Science Center. As I have said before though, “all of the most carefully laid plans, are likely to fall to waste.” It’s not like Friday at work is particularly stressful or busy, but by the time I leave at 5:00, I’m worn out. This Friday was no exception.

Kim arrived at my place around 5:45 and I had to let her know that the Science Center was not going to be showing anything at the Omnimax Theater after 4:00. I had a better idea though. We would have a quiet Friday night and then do something super fun on Saturday.

Dan and Amy showed up and we decided to order pizza, grab some beer at the grocery store and watch a movie at the apartment. Pizza was from Papa Johns and alcohol was courtesy of Shop ‘n Save. The movie selection of the evening was “My Best Friend’s Girl”. I thought it was going to be a chick-flick and I was completely wrong. It was very vulgar and had a fair amount of nudity. Neither of those things bother me by any means, but they are a little shocking when you have your mind set on the movie being a particular genre.

After a few drinks, a pizza, and the movie we moved along to playing card games. A few card games later we started playing Wii. That was the beginning of the end for Friday night. By midnight, everyone was ready to crash out.

Saturday
I was up by 10:00 on Saturday. I wanted to make the most of the day. Staying in bed until noon on the weekend is wasting daylight. Once I finally woke up fully, I had a breakfast of leftover pizza and started picking up a few things around the apartment. I changed the sheets, took out the trash, picked up magazines, etc. I watched a few episodes of “Last Exile” and then drove to see Kim at work. I like to drop in to see Kim at work every once in a while. She always gets really flustered and it’s so damn cute; I love it.

On my way back to the apartment I stopped by the mall and bought a new pair of pants, a new polo, and a new hat. I made a return of some goods to Wal-Mart as well. Once back at my apartment, I decided to finish up the “Last Exile” series. The ending episodes were a bit boring, but as a whole I enjoyed the series. Hit the link to learn more about “Last Exile”. It’s a great story and fantastic animation.

The big plans for the evening included dinner and going to the Funny Bone to see Christian Finnegan. Kim treated me to dinner at Zapata’s, which was a very nice surprise. Dan and Amy met us at my apartment around 9:00. When we arrived at the Funny Bone there was a super long line and I was happy that I had bought the tickets prior to the show starting. There were two guys performing before Christian Finnegan and they were both pretty good. Christian Finnegan was the headliner and I thought he was great. Most of his jokes were relevant to me and his stage presence was impressive. He has a Comedy Central special coming up soon, so I will be interested to see how he is in front of a huge crowd and cameras.

Sunday
Kim and I woke up on Sunday and had our usual breakfast. Then we did a little shopping at Kohl's and PetSmart. I didn’t end up buying anything, but Kim found new pants and a new shirt (Not from PetSmart). We relaxed until 4:45, when we left to go to Edwardsville. Mom was coming into town to see my brother. For dinner, mom treated us to Quiznos. It was a good chance to catch up and joke around. She brought her friend Putter with her and I was glad to know that she wouldn’t be traveling alone. With the conclusion of dinner and catching up, Kim and I headed back to St. Louis.

The rest of our Sunday evening was spent enjoying time with Kim and getting ready for work on Monday.

Currently Listening To: Flobots- Fight with Tools
Currently Reading: Cell by Stephen King

Nuclear Winter

2009-02-27T07:54:00.000-06:00

Here is something that I have always been very curious about since I was little... what would happen if a nuclear weapon was detonated in a city that I lived near? Click the image for the results...

From: http://www.carloslabs.com/node/16

Peanuts Watchmen

2009-02-26T17:49:00.003-06:00

Image Source:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/images/2009/02/25/peanuts_watchmen.jpg

The Missing Link

2009-02-26T07:38:00.001-06:00

I don't have as much time as I would like to make new blog posts. I do have time for Twitter though!

Keep track of me on Twitter between my blog posts. Find me here.

Picture of the Week

2009-02-23T18:18:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-15T11:17:00.000-06:00

My first Valentines Day with Kim was a huge success. After a week of planning, shopping, and worrying; everything came together nicely. I’ll have to admit though, I am glad it’s over… it was stressing me out.

I spent most of last week trying to figure out how to create a memorable and appropriate Valentines Day for Kim. She had two requests for me: she didn’t want to go out to restaurant and she didn’t want flowers. So, that made things easier... initially… but then I needed to figure out how to spend the $125 budget that I gave myself. Dinner out would have been at least $60 and flowers would have been around $40. With a budget and a deadline in mind, I started shopping on Monday.

I bought new plates, cloth napkins, and candles. I bought the food over the next few days. Fillet mignon, fresh green beans, wheat rolls, strawberries, chocolate, potatoes, garlic, herbs, wine, and balsamic. I also bought a card, candy, a book, and a gift bag for her Valentines Day present. I was super nervous about not buying flowers, because it sounded ludicrous to me that I should not be buying flowers. I didn’t buy them though and I am still debating whether or not that was a good idea.

I made dinner, cleaned up the house, and put on my best shirt and tie. The candles were lit and I had a playlist of songs to help set the “mood”. Kim arrived at my apartment around 7:15. Dinner was a huge success, and I was pretty proud of myself for cooking a pretty decent dinner. We had fillet mignon with a red wine/balsamic glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, rolls, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. (That’s in case you couldn’t infer from my shopping list)

When dinner concluded we exchanged gifts. Kim seemed to enjoy the things that I had picked out for her. I bought some Dove Chocolates, a nice card, and a book by Christopher Moore. Kim picked up an awesome new thermos for me. You can steep your loose tea right in the cup! It’s very cool.

She also got me one of my favorite candies: gummi-cola. These are the big gummi-cola too, not the little ones you can get at the grocery store.

They were in a nice air tight jar that I can use to store my loose tea. Three perfect and practical gifts from a perfect Valentine. Practical gifts are awesome, and it let’s me know that this girl is a keeper for sure. Don’t get me wrong, I like fun gifts too… But buy me a practical gift and you appeal to my intellect and increasingly minimalist lifestyle.

This was a great Valentines Day. I’m so happy that I had someone to spend it with. What makes me even happier is the fact that I have such a great girlfriend. I love you, Kim.

Weekend Update

2009-02-09T17:38:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm breaking this weekend update into three separate posts. So, without further delay, here is my weekend update...

(Image from http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/052707/shitty-over-the-weekend.gif)

Gobbler's Knob

2009-02-08T23:05:00.002-06:00

Sunday
True to tradition, Sunday is lazy day at my apartment. My lovely girlfriend and I enjoyed waffles and bacon for breakfast, which is also part of Lazy Sunday. I needed a few things from Wal-Mart and Kim wanted Cherry Limeades from Sonic, so we did that after brunch. I opted for a Cranberry Limeade this time. It was really good and I think I might get it next time.

That afternoon we watched Definitely, Maybe, State and Main, and “Groundhog Day”. I still cant believe we watched three movies… Definitely, Maybe was a chick-flick- plain and simple. State and Main has been on TV before. It’s a really strange movie; the acting is sub-par, but it has funny parts. Groundhog Day is on my top 25 movies, so that was just watched for the hell of it.

By the time Kim and I made dinner and finished our last movie, it was time for her to head home. Next weekend is Valentines Day weekend, and I already have surprises planned. More details on that next time around…

Slap It Clean

2009-02-08T10:46:00.001-06:00

Saturday
Kim wanted to spend some time with her family and help them out around the house on Saturday, so I had my afternoon wide-open. Kit and I had Quiznos for lunch, which we hadn’t had in a really long time. Quiznos is so damn delicious. They’ve also lowered the prices on some of their menu items, which is good when you are on a budget like I am.

Then I wanted to play video games, which is what I did for most of the afternoon. I have been playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion since Christmas. It’s such an amazing game. I knew that Kim would be coming over for dinner with the gang around 5:00 or 6:00, so I made a trip to the grocery store around 5:00. I had to buy a few essentials to avoid going to the grocery store on Sunday. I also needed bacon for Sunday morning’s breakfast.

Always one to be on time, Kim showed up a little bit before 6:00 on Saturday. I managed to get cleaned up before Dan and Amy showed up at the apartment and then we all headed out to Pasta House for dinner. Pasta House is one of Kit’s favorite restaurants. So, we get seated in about 20 minutes in the corner of the restaurant. As soon as I sit down, I notice that the table cloth is fairly gross. It had caked on spaghetti, salad dressing, and other assorted food items. I hate it when that happens, it’s just shows laziness on the part of the restaurant, not to mention how unsanitary it is. Also, those who know me well will know that I have no problem complaining about things at a restaurant. We were reseated fairly quickly and the new table was thankfully clean.

The best part of the night was when I got to see the bus-boy clean the table. Well, he really didn’t clean it- he slapped it with a washcloth and walked away. Fucking pathetic. In any case, the food was good and our server ended up being a pretty cool guy too. Besides, you can blame a server for dirty table when you have a shitty bus-boy.

Back at the apartment later that night, there were games and drinks. It really wasn’t too late of a night on Saturday either. It’s just another sign that we are getting older I guess. Or maybe it’s just a sign that all the couples would rather spend “alone time” together rather than drinking cheap beer and wine. While I am thinking of it, we also watched “Pirates 2: Stagnetti’s Revenge” that night. It was obviously very dirty and very funny.

I Fudged A Little...

2009-02-07T23:42:00.000-06:00

Friday
After work on Friday, I met Kit at the apartment and we discussed the plan for the evening. Around 5:30, Kit’s dad came knocking at our door. He was traveling from Chicago and wanted to take a break from the traffic by stopping off at our place. So, we sat around the house, discussing the economy and work. After Kit’s Dad left our apartment, Dan and Amy finally showed up and we decided on Mexican food for dinner.

I drove the group to El Nepal, which is a Mexican restaurant near our apartment and is similar to La Fonda. The wait was over 20 minutes by the time we arrived at the restaurant, so we decided to give Zapata’s a try instead. While Zapata’s is a little bit more expensive, they more than made up for the added expense with excellent service. It’s one of the few restaurants that I would give a 10/10 for perfect service. Our server was funny, quick, and all around awesome. The service at Zapata’s is the type of service that I expect from any and all restaurants. Even better, we got a pitcher of Margaritas (ritas) for $10. So, Kit and I ended up splitting a pitcher of ritas for his birthday and I was happy to pay. The ritas were good and strong too- we both had a good buzz by the time we were ready to leave.

We left Zapata’s full of delicious Mexican food and tequila. I made a quick stop at the gas station for beer and then we were back at the apartment ready to play some drinking games and hang out. The rest of the night was pretty standard. Kit was in bed before 11:30 and Kim came over when she got off of work. Dan and Amy left before 12:30, so that left Kim and I alone to enjoy the rest of the night.

The Allan Clan

2009-02-03T11:23:00.003-06:00

I found this today and thought it was a really interesting website. Here is where all people with the last name "Allan" reside.

You can visit http://www.dynastree.com/maps for more details

The Park Reunion Show

2009-02-01T13:21:00.000-06:00

I have been listening to “Park” for over 10 years now. The first time I saw Park play was when A.O.S. opened up for them at a local show in Jacksonville, IL. It was love at first note, and I have been a huge fan since then. Park broke up in the summer of 2007. They played their last show in Springfield, IL on the day that I graduated from college. I couldn’t attend their final show and I was super bummed out about it. When I read that Park would be playing a show in St Louis though, I jumped on the opportunity to see them play once more. I was fortunate enough to score a pair of tickets to the Park reunion show the day that they went on sale.

The show was Saturday night and the doors opened at 7; the music started at 8. I honestly didn’t even care to see the other bands play. The opening act was “The Highway Companion”, followed by “Mock Orange”, to be followed by “The Forecast”, with Park headlining the show.

Kim and I ended up running into Danny Ahern and Kristy Cunningham after the first band finished up. It was a nice surprise to see familiar faces. I wasn’t sure how many Jacksonville people would be at the show, but by the end of the night, it was a good number of people.

Park played a fantastic set despite some initial technical difficulties. The crowd was pretty decent too. Most everyone seemed like they were familiar with the music and it was awesome to hear the crowd sing along with some of my favorite Park songs. Park, as a band, still sounded very together. My only complaint was how hot the venue was by the end of the night. It had to have been 90 degrees in there. I got a great new Park t-shirt at the end of the show.

It was a great experience for me and brought back many feelings of nostalgia. I hope that this isn’t the last time that Park will play a show together, but if it is, I am really glad that I was there to see it this time around.

(Image of shirt via Park's Myspace page)

Turn Left

2009-01-31T12:30:00.001-06:00

Sometimes a wrong turn can change the direction of a whole evening- if you let it.

On Friday, Kim wanted to treat me to pizza at Cecil Whittaker’s. I’m never one to turn down time spent with my girlfriend, and I definitely never turn down the chance for good pizza. That night we left my apartment; I was driving and Kim was giving me directions to the restaurant. At one point she told me to take a left, which I took literally. Here is a map to better explain the rest of this story… (Click to enlarge)

I made a left into a dimly lit parking lot. It was a wrong turn, and it really pissed me off. I was wrong to get angry, and I feel bad about it now. But seriously… let’s take a look at the map. The tiny red box is my car. A left hand turn is the red path. Continuing straight is the green path. I was told to go left. Let me ask you, my readers, what would you have done?

It’s not really about being right or wrong though. It’s about how different people can see the exact same situation in a completely different way. That’s one of the things that I really like about Kim, she sometimes sees the world differently than I do, and it adds another dimension to my life. I really shouldn’t have gotten pissed off about it, but as I have been known to do, I let my temper erupt.

In any case, the pizza was really good. We had a really strange server who used words like “y’all”, “you’ins”, and “you’s”. We also got hassled by some of the local neighborhood kids on the way into the restaurant. That was like an additional slap in the face after already being a bad mood. Dinner was pretty much ruined, but I’ll be damned if the food didn’t still taste good. That’s gotta be the true test of a restaurant- whether or not the food still tastes awesome when you are in a shitty mood.