Well, darnit...

My lappy took a dump. Updates may be sporadic until I figure a steady solution.

Humpday Haiku: I Felt Like Being a Bummer

Beautiful sunsets

They can only be enjoyed

By those with eyesight.

Sigh

I have so many things to say right now.

The problem is, I can't say them. At least not here. Big Brother is always watching, you know.

This is a very frustrating conundrum. Unrectifiable, nonnegotiable, and frankly, pretty much unfair. Well, they never said the world was fair.

Live and let die.

Weighing In: Keeping on Keeping On

In an completely unrelated note, I saw a lime green VW Beetle with the personalized tag of AREDCAR on the way to work today. Couldn't get my camera phone out in time though. Weird.

Anyway, 'nother week, 'nother decent loss. Steady as she goes, as it were.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/29/08): 193.8

Last week: 196.8

Difference from last weigh in: -3 lbs

Overall difference: 27.6 lbs

Dew

Dew2
Originally uploaded by bartraeke

Flashback Friday: Ah, Grunge.

Do you know where you were the first time you saw this?

I do. It was a buzz clip on MTV the morning before I went to school. Back then, in hallowed 1991, MTV actually played videos more often than not, and every morning I would simply turn my cable to channel 16 (yes, I remember that), and soak in the music as I got ready. This morning, a relatively brand new clip (I think it actually premiered the night before) smacked me in the face. I remember vividly seeing my friend Bosch before school and saying "did you see that Smells Like Teen Spirit video? Bosch would probably deny liking it today, but he did back then, as did I. We were both blown away for exactly the reason Nirvana caught on like a dry brushfire...it was new and a welcomed breath of fresh air.

I know it's hard now as we wind down 2008 to think about how it was in 1991, but try, because if you do, watching that video becomes that much more sweeter. I also use the same reasoning when watching Halloween.

I Don't Care What Your Politics Are..

This shirt is SUPER.

Alex Ross is the man. THE MAN.

Humpday Haiku: Beepers?

Docs still use beepers

Kind of archaic I think

New technology?

I'm sure there's some reason why but for the life of me I can't put my finger on it.

Oh, He's Really Gonna Get It Now...

So yesterday, I got some results back from a chiro. Finally had enough of the back pain in the morning, especially since it started to get worse in the sense that it would carry over in to the day longer sometimes. So, he pulls out the x-rays. Found out later that these were the wrong ones, which is nice because that guy was REALLY screwed up...but mine weren't great either. Not as bad as this guys though. Anyway, the doc tells me that there's damage near the problem area, as well as my pelvis being out of alignment which is causing a horizontal spinal compensation, and asks about any trauma in the past. I remind him about a fall I took in winter (which I did blog about...I slipped on some ice and butt bumped down about 3 stairs). He says "oh, no, I'm talking years ago." So we start thinking about it, and he reminds me that I said stuff about bike spills as a kid. Then I remember it.

It.

This.

And I realize, that the asshole from Archbishop Curley might have done more than simply completely screw my knees up. I mean, I hit hard almost completely horizontally. It definitely could have thrown my pelvis out of alignment slightly, as well as causing trauma along the spine itself from the impact. I simply never noticed because the obvious and pressing pain and problems were coming from the knee. Then the butt bump aggravated it or accelerated it, whatever you want to say.

So, if I see him now, it's on like Donkey Kong. Punched in the nuts is too good for him. Effin' jackass.

A REAL Bart's Eye View!

Seriously, that's about what it looks like when I'm driving. Okay, Maybe my eyes are a little higher and about 4 inches farther back, but that's pretty close to what it looks like to me as I drive off campus and make my way to the Baltimore Beltway for my commute home.

Weighing In: There is NO secret!

First things first...Happy Birthday to the Queen. Taking her out to a nice dinner at Sakura, a Japanese steak house. Kind of like Benihana.

Anyway, another loss this week. Stop asking what my secret is, though, because there is no secret. Here's what I'm doing:

1) Drinking at least half my weight (in ounces) of water a day.

2) Loosely following the points (Flex) system of Weight Watchers. By that I mean I'm not keeping track of every last point, but I know basically what I'm eating here and there, and know when to take it easy or when I can "splurge" a little.

That's it. No more, no less. Now, on to this weeks results.

Starting weight (8/12/08): 221.4

Weight today (9/22/08): 196.8

Last week: 199.0

Difference from last weigh in: -2.2 lbs

Overall difference: 24.6 lbs

Photo Hunt: Road

I finally took one specifically for the assignment! And I thought like good ol' David McMahon taught me too...go for the weird angle. Which TOTALLY got me a weird look from a motorist as I rolled out of the way. I'm sure he was wondering why the lunatic was laying face down in the middle of the road...

PhotoHunt

Flashback Friday: Bad Andy

Okay, so this ad campaign creeped most people out, but I thought it was hilarious. I couldn't get enough.

Tales From The Past: Music Man AGAIN?

So, I totally intended to tell the story of how I ended up pouring water on my bandmate in the middle of a gig back in 2000, but for the life of me, I can't remember exactly why I did it. Neither can anyone else that was around. We came to the basic conclusion that he said something that really insulted me to the audience, but other than that, nothing...so back to the well of The Music Man in 1997 I go...

However, I think this might be one of the last significant stories from The Music Man, so there is that. There's also the time the house set came on to stage slightly crooked and managed to screw up a curtain as a result. Of course I have other stories from other shoes. I have at least one from Cinderella, a few more from Peter Pan, a couple from All My Sons, several from The Importance of Being Earnest, and countless from The Diviners (since we took that one overseas to England as well). So the theatre well is far from dry yet. My gain, your loss!

The Music Man gang, I'm front and center. John has the long hair up and to the right, Katy right above me, she comments here sometimes, especially after these stories...Justin not pictured.

Anyway, as I've mentioned in countless other recountings of goings down during The Music Man, I was the master flyman, responsible for the curtains, legs, scrims, and any flying scenic elements. I had my nice cozy fly loft gallery above the deck, and stayed fairly busy during the show.

Well, smack dab in the middle of the run, I came down with...well, something. Maybe the flu. Definitely a reaaaaaaaaally bad cold at the very least. But I was in bad shape. I don't remember much about that night, but I do remember bits and pieces.

I remember thinking "the show must go on" a lot.

I remember intermission being out on the loading dock and everybody telling me I looked terrible.

I remember heading back to the ladder up to the fly gallery, and finding my friend, and in a few years roommate, Justin starting his way up the ladder. I asked what he was doing and he told me that he was going to take over for me. I said something along the lines of "the hell you are, you don't know the cues" and somehow forced him off the ladder. Keep in mind that Justin has me by probably 70 lbs, easy, at this stage of my growth, and that I was dog sick. Not to mention that the cues were written down meticulously by me, and that my assistant flyman would probably have taken over for me, while Justin took his cues. Also not to mention that Justin was master flyman the year before for Peter Pan so it wasn't like he couldn't figure it out.

The gang years later. Justin pictured this time, on the left. I'm on the right. John's the one getting sorta headlocked by Katy. The other Katie and Ryan (or mrnumi as he comments on this blog as) fill out the group.

And that's pretty much all I remember. Apparantely, after seeing me on the dock, everyone convinced Justin (who was on shift crew, they move the scenery) to take over for me. After I put up a fight, Justin let it go. Probably shouldn't have, I was pretty bad. I mean, kind of dementia'ed bad. Oh well, the show must go on, and it did. And I'm still here to talk about it.

Dear 3 Of My (Very Confused) Readers

Specifically David McMahon, Dan Mega, and Nichole M:

Why do you all think you recently missed my birthday? Unless you're wishing me a belated 30th from October 2007, you guys are actually a month and a half early.

My birthday is, almost infamously, on Halloween. Adjust your calenders accordingly. And please tell me why you, en masse, thought it was recently (since you all wished me the "belated" birthday)?

Edit: Jessie informed me that when I was celebrating my 10k hits with the "it's my birthday..." Yeah, sorry about that. That's a song. Back in the mid to late 90s people used it all the time to "celebrate." If you've ever seen the movie Chasing Amy, Holden does it when he thinks he's going on a date with Alyssa. In fact, Ben Affleck improvised that scene without Kevin Smith's permission, but Smith liked it...unfortunately, he had to get the rights to the actual song as a result. So there, my befuddlement has now become some trivia for you.