Whuhbadooh?

Not much to tell in the middle of the week - well - almost the middle of the week...

There's new fun to be had out at Homestar Runner's site...would you like a CHALLENGE?!?!?! It kind of reminds me of the old MegaMan games. Which, I think, is kind of the point.

Another quick pointer on the web - check out the website for Guy Forsyth. His music is pretty fantastic. He also has one heck of a guitarist in his band by the name of Seth Walker. These guys seem to be on the forefront of Texas Blues, and rock out Austin on a regular basis. Hopefully they straggle up here to the 'Big D' a bit more often. Zen and I went and caught a show at Deep Ellum Blues last weekend and were very satisfied with our findings. We shall definitely be seeing more shows in the future.

Oh yeah - I took the same test as Zen showed on his blog - I didn't fare as badly as my poor, heretic friend...but still. I just don't like the whole idea of being down there at all...

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

March Madnesses

I've been engrossed with this show, 24, for the past few days. When the show originally aired, I loved the premise of the show. It worked out well that most shows produce 24 episodes in a season, so for an hour-long show to run in relative "real time" was a nifty concept. But, after missing the first few episodes for various reasons, I figured I would be far too lost trying to figure out what was happening. It turns out that I probably would have been just fine, but I'm glad that I caught it in the end. I'm about two-thirds the way through the first season, and thoroughly enjoying it. Turns out Kiefer Sutherland is a pretty darn decent actor. I think the show is in it's fourth season by now, so I'll have some back DVD's to watch to catch up. I am looking forward to rainy weekends, now.

St. Patrick's Day is upon us again, and I'm actually going to be the responsible adult and tend to things that need to be done as opposed to postponing them for fun on the town. So, while the hordes are out painting the town green and rocking out in bacchanalian style, I will be at home working away on my computer. And feeling smugly happy about it, in my own little way. Besides, I have very little money and it's a work night. It's probably all for the best.

Also, another very happy thing, March Madness is here! I don't know why it always turns out like this, but for whatever reason, I miss most of the NCAA basketball season until about February, and then catch the championships in the different conferences, and The Big Dance. 64 teams duke-ing it out until one is crowned champion. If you need me tomorrow, I'll be at work, trying whenever I get a free moment or so to jump on to ESPN and check the latest scores. We're doing a pool there, and since I am probably the most knowledgeable and experienced with regards to NCAA basketball, I'm almost assured to finish dead last. But, the dance is fun...

Does free entertainment exist in Dallas anymore?

"God, I hate being poor..."

That's one of the most idiotic statements I've ever heard myself utter, I admit. I mean, when one stops to think about it, when was the last time anyone ever heard someone expound on the happy wonders of being penniless? It's a small, masochistic group, if it does exist. I don't think there are any people who really enjoy being without money, so saying this was obviously pretty stupid of me. But, nonetheless, I caught myself saying it last week. And just because it's obvious doesn't make the phrase less pertinent in my life.

My recent bout of unemployment, and the subsequent acquisition of a low-paying temp-to-perm job has reminded me that I'm not past the days of having to watch my pennies. Somehow, after graduating college and getting involved in a long-term relationship that developed into a marriage, I figured I was past the days of eating Ramen and skipping the occasional dinner. Well, if you do happen to come over and join me for dinner, keep in mind that "picante shrimp" and "oriental" flavored noodles may be an option.

Regardless, I'm not very disappointed with this turn of events. It's actually been a fairly enlightening development in my life. I've found time to appreciate the things that I do have. Going out for dinner is a treat once again, not just "grabbing something to eat". I'm happy in my job, which is something I haven't been in a long time. I've spent some quality time with friends, when I've had the opportunity at least...and have remembered that I should book more time just to hang out, because there's lots to be done without spending money. Not every rendezvous needs to involve bee....ummm.....Get-togethers don't need to have liq....errrr.... Well, hey, we can be hang out without alcoh.....damn it, I just can't say it. I'm working on that thought process though. :P

So, skip this next part if you wish, but an editorial addendum follows:
I had a comment made in one of my posts the other night that hit home a bit. I'm sure it may have been meant to be more insulting to me than I actually took it, but that's okay. I really don't mind all that. I had commented on having a bout of blog envy of late, and some of my thoughts on the subject. Well, you can read it if you like. The anonymous poster mentioned that perhaps my dissatisfaction with life, etc., and dismal tone to my "posts" were the reason I wasn't enjoying the online success I craved. And then he said something that I wholeheartedly agree with and didn't realize:

"I wonder if your friends are offended by the comment about having no love in your life. I would be. Not one of the things you've mentioned has anything to do with being happy."

Very true, Mr. Anony Mous. And I do great disservice to my friends by not saying how much I treasure their support and love (pardon the sappiness if you can here, but it is heartfelt...). They've been the rock I've leaned on all my life, and over the last few months especially. And, while I don't agree with all of Mr. Mous' statements, I do agree that there's no reason why I shouldn't have something to offer people who take the time to read my blog. Try to share a bit more of the happiness, if you will. So, I am going to make a very conscious effort to provide stuff that, if not cheery, at least makes you feel like you've read something interesting, and not just moping. This blog doesn't exist to SOLELY entertain you good folks though. I hope that is the main product of it, but I do want to explore my own life a bit too. So, I can't promise it won't have a melancholy post here and there, but I'll do my best to provide compelling content. I guess I'll continue with the introspection...the slices of life...humorous events from my days when they happen...funny things I find online....I guess, basically anything I want. But, I'll try to warn you before the rants come, so you can scroll down the page if you want to miss them. Thanks for coming and thanks for reading...

Exterminating the Ghosts in the Machine

I've been slacking at posting again - trying to keep up with the ideal of posting weekly. I'm off that pace right now. But, I guess not too badly.

My laptop got an overhaul this week. Much overdo and much needed, it was. I finally gave in and upgraded Windows XP to Service Pack 2. I held off from doing it at the initial time of release after hearing horror stories of the havoc it caused in laptops. So, I prepared for the worst - backed up everything on the laptop, crossed my fingers and gave the update. Knock on wood, there's been no adverse effects and with the flushing out of garbage I proceeded to perform afterwards, the machine is running spiffy once again. Hasn't been this fast in about 6 months. So, this Monkey is happy about being Wired once again.

I'll put my all into a better update later in the week. Until then, take a look on the left at my update of what's new in my life right now and stuff....and revisit me in a few days. Thanks!

Blog Envy

Envy seems to have been a recurring theme in my life lately. I'm not sure that it's all focused centrally from me envious of others (friends, acquaintances, complete effing strangers), but there is definitely a lot of jealousy in my life lately.

So what am I jealous of? Let's make a list and be all sorts of petty.

Things TheWiredMonkey is jealous of (and probably should just get over) in everyday life:
1. (with a big CAPITAL effing bullet) people who have love in their life every day.
2. People with jobs that allow them to skate around the city all day as they wish, popping into the office when it's convenient.
3. People who have money to be "cool" and "hip" and pretty much do what they'd like at all the great restaurants and clubs in town.
4. People who have gone to college and found the job they've pursued in the following 3-5 years (The ones who get it in the first couple years I'm not jealous of - I just hate their asses).
5. People who have figured out what they want out of life in their first 30 years. Cause, well......f*ck.

I'll leave it at that, lest I pursue some tangential, Tourret's disease-inspired rant that alienates friends and random blog stumblers alike from reading future posts. Well, I guess I'm not leaving it entirely alone, because there is the hidden point #6, which is the subject of this posting - Blog Envy.

Sorta like penis envy, in a way, I suppose. Though, I have never had experience with that...not that...well hell...how did I open this can of worms? Let's just move on, shall we? My point, shuffled aside and rosey-cheek inducing as it was, is that many blogs are more desirable and enjoyable than others. I find myself in awe of other people's blogs on a regular basis. I'm relatively new to the community, and I've had VERY sketchy success at regular posts. Part of it is laziness, I'm sure, but part of it is just lack of inspiration. I've found so many amazing blogs out on the web...from folks who are able to post pictures, video, interactive texts and inspire comments sections that border on forum-like discussion. It's incredible. I would love to enjoy that sort of success on the web - have the sort of life that others want to read about and talk about with friends. And if one DOES have that kind of life, really.....seriously...how do you find the time to write about it? It seems to be a veritable "catch-22", to me. But, still, I feel the envy....

Underprepared, but Alright and Hopeful...

Trying to keep up with the blog while actually holding down a job is, I've decided, not as easy as when I didn't have to worry about the whole job thing. Don't misread that, gentle readers! I'm QUITE glad to be gainfully employed once again. Though, I'm not sure exactly how gainful it is. I had a discussion with the office manager today about my future at the company. They're able to bump my woefully inadequate pay by $1 an hour when/if I start full-time with them, but she said they had to fight for that. I was expecting at *least* a $3-4 bump, and was hoping to argue for $5 or more. So, this has come as quite a disappointment. Especially since I am quite smitten with my job. It's a fun atmosphere to work in and the people I work with are a lot of fun. I fit right in, cause they're all a little off-kilter and entertaining as well. I guess I'm taking liberties with my self-view there, but hey...I think I'm an alright guy, to steal a line from Todd Snider.

I'm kind of hoping life returns to the fantastic October form it was holding last year in the near future. That was a time when I got to see my girlfriend at least once a week for a few hours and was making a decent income, living in a place of my own. The Girlfriend will soon be freed up again to visit once a week (hopefully) and I'll be elated to spend more time with her again. It's bleak out there, and I've found a nifty chick - don't make me go back out in the cold and dark. *whimper*

I need to figure out how to do all the cool web-blog type stuff my code-savvy friends can do. I don't think I blog enough to deserve an RSS feed or anything....but then again, I'm not completely sure what that entails anyhow....so maybe I should have exactly that. *shrug* Delightfully underprepared, am I, when it comes to conversations about HTML and the like. But, I definitely want to get the picture thing figured out at the very least.

A depressing lack of boobies....

It's Mardi Gras time once again, and apparently I'll be stuck watching cam feeds. That is the way it goes though, I suppose. Being a single guy has it's benefits and a decidedly pronounced amount of drawbacks. One of those drawbacks is the Spousal Breast-al Rights. Now, yeah, yeah - before some of you get all in arms about a male claiming rights to a female's breasts...gimme a break. I'm not sayin' they're mine...just saying that as a husband, a guy gets certain viewing rights that just don't come along with anywhere NEAR the frequency they do when you are married. And, yeah, men probably are too hung up on breasts. But, hey...we don't have them. And they're really nice. You can play with them and stuff...it's fun! Not to mention the nippular enjoyment to be had. But, I'm stuck with my Massively Fabulous Man Knockers (TM) and that will have to do. UNLESS, while out at one of the local adult beverage distribution facilities here in Dallas, TX, I happen upon bead-seeking women with the disposition for exhibition. One can only hope.

So, aside from that, life is good. The Wired Monkey has been blessed with a job. Jobby job. w00+. I started work again today, and though the pay isn't desirable, it beats the living hell out of sitting on my ass all day calling around to places and surfing for jobs...even beats getting out and wasting gas driving from place to place in person to be told that no one is hiring.

I love being a techno geek too - I've decided this as a certainty at this point. I might get rolls of the eyes here and there (even from friends - you know who you are!), but there's something to be said for wi-fi technology. I'm at Humperdink's as we speak, and am able to chat, surf and muse upon life without having to get up for beer....it's so graciously brought to me by my waitress and leaves me free to rock out to the music and drink up. Oh, and think about the booby-less state of my existence.

Less is more?

I heard from one of my employment agencies on Friday night - telling me that the job I had interviewed for last week, and held out a good deal of hope for after a promising interview, had been given to another person from another agency. Apparently it had come down to the two of us and our agencies, and OfficeTeam and I ended up on the short end of the stick. So, I'm back at the start - though still in with a few good agencies. Monday I got in with 3 more agencies; I'm hopeful that it will end this unemployment streak I'm going through...

Aside from that, things are quite good. I love being back in Dallas and I think I had to leave to truly appreciate how much I love it here. Through tired eyes, I bid this blog anon again...will try and update you with other new items in life at that point.

The Hunt Continues...

My hunt for a job continued today. No word back from the various temp. agencies to which I have my resume submitted. No word back from the various companies who have called me back and asked me to re-focus my request to a different person. No word period. It's only been a week, and I really shouldn't get too down on myself, so I have avoided that. Today I went to happy hour with a few friends and then back to Cody's place for a movie and to crash. Which leads me to where I am now.

Tomorrow will be spent helping my best bud Mike get stuff organized at his old place in Addison. It's not a chore he's looking forward to at all, so I'm glad to flex my good buddy muscles, and will arrive with beer and some helping hands to get the job done that much quicker. The sooner that sort of chore is finished, the better - I know from experience.

Sunday is a day I'm really looking forward to at this piont. I'm going to Patty and Wendy's house to watch the New England Patriots play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. Hoping my Pats can make it to their 3rd Super Bowl in just 4 years. Go Pats!! There will be plenty of good company, good food and good beer at the get-together, so it's a win-win situation.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

So, I figure if I'm gonna do this, I'm going to do it right.

Overhaul the beeeyotch, as it were. So, I've made wholesale changes to this thought-holdin' machine. As you can see on your left-hand side, there's new information that will tell you all 'bout little old me. There are many out there I'm sure that are convinced I won't be able to update THAT information any more reliably than I updated the main content of my blog over the past year, and I guess I'll just have to try and prove them wrong. They very well could be quite accurate. I'll do my best, though, and that's all I can do.

I look at other blogs and stand in amazement at the faithfulness of their postings and the beauty of their formats. There are several out there worth seeing. Email me if you really want to know some...or leave comments and I'll send them to ya. I won't bother putting them in here tonight cause I'm really lazy. And it is late. Time to turn this monkey in....or out. Wow...that sounded vaguely like simmean prostitution...

It says I haven't blogged in some time...I guess that is true. Some writer, huh?

Well all of my friends seem to have gotten out their e-pens and blogged onward and upward, so I am feeling the pressure. I should be keeping track of things somewhere, after all, and other than my journal, this is about all I've got. Plus, this is actually read by people prehumously (is that a word?)...and maybe the criticisms I'll get will make me a more accurate and compelling writer. Stranger things have happened.

So, as many who will read here already know...I'm back in Texas. It's where I belong and I never should have left, but I had to go to Florida to reaffirm the suspicion in my head, I guess. So, I put over 3,000 miles on my truck in less than a month, but I got to see a very interesting and beautiful part of the country first hand. And, I reconnected with my aunt, uncle and cousins whom I hadn't seen in about 12 years. That was well-worth it too. I also discovered that my father, stepmom and I can NOT live under the same roof. It was kind of fated to end badly, but I never saw the writing on the wall and neither did they. It's a shame, but hopefully it hasn't killed our relationship completely. We're on e-mailing terms again, so that's something...still no desire to chat it up on the phone anytime soon though, and I have a feeling they feel the same.

So, I'm job hunting again - if anyone has a job to offer me in the Dallas area (I don't care what the job is), I'll take it. I've been registering with temp agencies and submitting my resume left and right. I've applied for a few other jobs in person and I've got a job fair tomorrow. So, I've been keeping busy in the search. Please send positive juju my way...whatever you believe in. More to follow....I SWEAR!

So apparently I'm a louse at writing. In an ironic twist of events, the writer is horrible at keeping up his blog. When was the last post?? November. Ugh. I disgust myself sometimes.

Well anyway...let's see...life has gone down the crapper in oh so many ways. I could spend some time depressing you with the turn of events, but it's not like I'm necessarily the hapless victim in them, so I'll skip it and save myself the embarassment. Mainly, I'm focusing on positives these days. I've always done that, really, so it's not like a new turn of events. I'm a pretty positive person and I try to spread the joy when I can. So....onward and upward.

"38 Ways I Think About Weasles," said Patrick on The Screen Savers. Wow. What a fantastic quote. He says that if I receive an email with a subject line that says this, I should think twice about opening it. That's tough. If my friend Matthew or Amanda sent me an email with that subject line, I can almost guarantee that email would be open in less than 2 seconds. How cool. I can only come up with 3 ways I think about weasles.

I'm keeping them to myself.

I will be back before June. I promise.

I did the Happy Bunny test....

These are hilarious...go check out yours. Here's my response:


congratulations. you are the kiss my ass happy
bunny. You don't care about anyone or anything.
You must be so proud


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Time Passes...
Between my jobs and sleeping, I've had very little time to come out here and update anything...but then again, with all that work, not much news to share.

The wireless card is still pretty much doing the same crappy job it was before. The holiday's are coming up and I'm working hard trying to get to see my mom up in the north east. I hate flying though...the developments over the last few years haven't helped matters out much, but I didn't like it much before then either. I always hope for alcohol on the flights! hehehe...

BACK!
Razonia and I just returned from our vacation in Key West. It was an excellent vacation and we got lots of rest and relaxation with a heavy emphasis on relaxation. We stayed with my father and stepmom, which was great because we hadn't all been together since Razonia and I's wedding. I saw dad last summer for a Jimmy Buffet concert, but Razonia hadn't seen either of them and I hadn't seen Margo since the wedding, which was two years ago next month. Anyway, while we were visiting, we went to Fantasy Fest, which was NOT an accident, by the way. Wow, was it nuts! The photographic evidence of the chaotic, rambunctious partying may be seen on my moblog page. Other than a big swollen elbow during the entire trip, it was a perfect visit. Yeah...somehow I may have gotten bursitis in my elbow, but no one can ever figure it out. But, it's mostly better now thanks to a few meds and lots of the afformentioned rest and relaxation.

Lessee....oh yeah, I got a new wireless card for my laptop tonight, finally. So far it sucks. I'm about 20 feet from the router, and it fluctuates between Very Low reception and Very Good. But, with no reliability, of course. Ugh. Avoid D-Link. I tried calling their tech support line, and it HANGS UP ON YOU. Yay D-Link. Bunch of buggery bastards.....*sigh* Okay....that's it for now.

Ouch
So I've done something to my back, and I don't know what it is. It's really annoying when you have back problems, because doing even the simplest thing, like putting on your sneakers, becomes a really painful event. After Friday night, when I covered a football game for the newspaper, I got home and my back was driving me nuts. I don't know if it was something I did earlier in the day working my other job at Nextel, or if it was something I did at the game, but all day I sat in backless chairs, and my workday was basically 8am to midnight, so it isn't unimaginable that I did it somewhere over the day. Anyway...it sucks. I'm in pain, and I don't have a comfortable office.

I leave for Fantasy Fest in Key West on Wednesday, and I'm REALLY looking forward to it! Be sure to watch my moblog for what are bound to be some very compelling pictures.

Suddenly I feel like Charlie Brown...
...When Lucy VanPelt offers to hold the football for him so he can kick it. All Charlie Brown wants to do is kick that football. Every year he wants to kick it, and every year the only person willing to hold it for him is Lucy. So every year Charlie becomes the optimist. "So she pulled it away from me last year," he thinks. "There's no way she's cruel enough to do it again this year." Sure she's pulled it away every year for the past 50 years, but there's NO way she could be mean enough to do it again."

The Cubs' fans are Charlie Brown and the Cubs (though perhaps unintentionally) are Lucy Van Pelt. EVERY year the hope springs eternal. Every year the fans think they're going to kick that football (or, make it to the World Series). And EVERY year the Cubs pull away that football at the last minute, and we're ass over teakettle in the air, cursing their name, missing it once again. But I swear to you folks, I SWEAR... this time I felt football on my toe.

I REFUSE to blame the fan in the eighth inning of Game 6, Steve what's-his-name (though, as a Cubbie, I'm sure I'll know his name all too well by the start of next season). I REFUSE to blame Alex Gonzalez for the ATROCIOUS error he committed in the same inning. I REFUSE to blame Kerry Wood for letting a 5-3 lead in Game 7 turn into a 7-5 short coming. I blame the entity as a whole. I blame the Cubs for not finding the passion when it counted. For not coming up with the extra grit it takes to make a comeback work. And I blame myself for hoping against hope yet another year. But I swear this time, I felt the football.

Hopes Are Dashed...
All hopes of the Cubs wrapping up the series against the Marlins Tuesday night were dashed with a series of bad luck. The Cubs took a 3-0 lead into the top of the 8th inning, only to see the Marlins come back and score 8 runs, and hold on to win 8-3. It all started with a fan's bad decision (yes, I know that's editorializing, but I'm not writing for the newspaper here...I'll bloody well be emotional and editorial if I choose!) to get a souvenir. It was a souvenir that would have been happily given to him, I'm sure, if he had just let Moises Alou CATCH the damn ball first! It wasn't ruled fan interference, but I'm not sure how it avoided that distinction. From all the views that cameras allotted, it seemed to me that the fan's hand was CLEARLY over the railing, even if just by a fingers-width. From there, it only went downhill. Alex Gonzalez turned a very routine play into a horrible error. That's all that the Marlins needed. They were able to jump on the demoralized Cub pitching and defense, and rack up all the runs they needed. GRRRRR....So, there's now a game 7 to be played Wednesday night. Go Cubbies!!

Drawing The Line...
Last night my wife, her uncle (who is actually only a year older than her, so it's almost more like a brother), a few of his friends from work and I went to Odessa to go see an Aerosmith tribute band called Draw The Line. We didn't get there until late because I had to cover a hockey game for the paper, which was another ordeal in itself. Many troubles sending in the story. But, all was well that ended well, and we eventually got there at about midnight and were able to see them play for about 2 hours. I was pretty blown away. I've seen Aerosmith twice, and these guys sounded so closely to them, that if you weren't looking you'd swear you were listening to Aerosmith. And, the singer looked enough like Steven Tyler that even the look was passable at most times. Definitely the best tribute band I've ever seen!

Check out some photos from the show on my moblog page.

Here we go with the sports again...
There's a big weekend ahead of me. Not to emerge myself into the sports thing again, but it's an everyday fact of life when you're a sports reporter such as myself. I have several newspaper assignments this weekend, but I have the least of the big sports headlines. The biggest of them all is the University of Texas/Oklahoma University game. My boss, being an ex-UT player, has a very vested interest in the game. I'm working this weekend and won't be able to watch the game, but I'm sure it's going to be one hell of a brew-hah-hah. Then there's the NFL games on Sunday. My Houston Texans. take on the Tennessee Titans and I'll be routing for the Philadelphia Eagles to dismantle those crappy Dallas Cowboys.

So anyhoo. That's the extent of my fun this weekend. That's a sports-filled weekend, but it'll do for now.