Posted 1/31/08
Stepped on the scale this morning. Registered 307.5 lbs. That's nearly 30 pounds down from late in October. I'll probably bounce a little, given it's Super Bowl weekend and I'm stocked up for a few good days of more relaxed eating (went shopping today), but I feel confident that I'll be able to roll a little further with this in the near and hopefully distant future.
Took the Jeopardy! Online Contestant Test tonight. Seems that I failed miserably. A much harder test than previously encountered. Guess I'll just spend the next year or so feeling like a retard, then I'll try again.
Posted 1/29/08
You know I like rain as much as the next guy. Maybe more so. But at this point, I've kind of had an assful of the latest round of precipitation. Perhaps we could try a more off/on kind of plan--a day or two of rain, then some sun, back to rain, back to sun, etc.? How about it, guys? Eh?
I have been delighted in recent days to return as a listener to the Adam Carolla show, after a year of exile. Someone made the dreadful mistake of adding Danny Bonaduce to the show last January, and the results were predictable--awful shows that no one wanted to listen to. And they didn't, apparently; it seems ratings were so bad that affiliates around the country dropped the show (including here in the Bay Area, where Carolla no longer airs on FM or AM). Fortunately, there's still the podcasts. Today, Adam's show is much leaner and easier to listen to, and maybe even funnier than the good old days. Nice to see something work right in the world of media.
Posted 1/15/08
Money's tight these days, with me not back to work yet, so I try to economize any way I can. Today, for instance, I gathered up the bottles and cans and drove over to the nearest recycling shack to put a few extra dollars in my pocket.
No sooner did I approach the big box than the woman working there started squawking and waving me away, saying that she needed to go to lunch. For the record, she claimed that her lunch time was 1:00 to 1:30; this information is not posted anywhere on the recycling shack. I drove up about 1:55; I had actually waited to show up there, because past experience has taught me that midday hours at the recycling box can be, shall we say, fickle. Then the harpy loudly proclaimed that, no, sorry, she had to go to lunch, she'd been waiting an hour, ask that lady over there, blah, blah, blah--and then, looking directly at me, she stated that she had only ever gone to lunch 5 times "because of you people."
I was instantly livid.
I pointed out that I showed up at almost 2 pm, that it wasn't my problem that she didn't go to lunch when she was supposed to, that--despite her unusual belief system--it wasn't my fault that she had scheduling issues. Because, you know, I'm not you people. Didn't matter; she sneered a "bye now" at me and turned her back while I stood there.
I marched back to my car, bags in hand and visions of throwing a glass bottle at the bitch's head, and took off for the next nearest recycling shack, over in Pleasant Hill. There I was able to cash in my materials, with no gruff, got my money, then asked if there was a phone number I could call about the she-devil at the other place. (Understand that this is not the first issue to arise at that place; every time I've been over there, the hag or another person has complained about not getting lunch, or they're not taking glass, or whatever.) I got the number and drove off for my next stop: the post office to buy some stamps. Because the behavior of the idiot in Lafayette sent me over to Pleasant Hill with my recyclables, I wound up going to the Walnut Creek PO instead of the Lafayette PO. (Trust me, the geography makes this more sensible than it sounds.)
As I mentioned before, money's tight. And even with the $4.62 I pocketed at the recycling box, I hesitated about buying my stamps from the big machine (the one that sells the booklets of 20 for $8.20) and decided to just use the little machine that gives you 5 stamps for $2.05. I figured I'd just use up the 5 stamps and worry about getting more later.
I inserted three dollar bills in the slot. By some miracle, the machine accepted each one. Then I pushed the button. Down dropped the 95¢ in change. And the machine spit out...13 stamps. Not 5. Thirteen. I paid for 5; and I got $3.28 worth of first class postage FREE.
No, I did not mention it to anyone. I pocketed my 13 stamps and slipped quietly away, feeling I had been righteously compensated for the treatment I had received earlier. Of course, I would not have used the stamp machine that paid out like a slot machine if I had not gone to the Walnut Creek PO. And I would not have gone to Walnut Creek if I had not gone to Pleasant Hill. And I would not have gone to Pleasant Hill if the cooze at the Lafayette Recycling shack had done her damn job.
So thanks bitch. I'll still call that phone number and try to get you fired, but at least I got some found money out of it.
Posted 1/14/08
I don't know about you--and really, I don't want to know about you--but I wasn't as shocked as some other folks that the San Diego Chargers took out the Colts yesterday. They started the season slow, but that team has talent all over the field. And while I'm cautious about predictions this time of year, I will not be surprised either if the Chargers pull off the upset in New England this weekend. You heard it whispered here first.
I see the Packers as a lead pipe cinch in the other game. The Giants are due to fall apart and start pointing fingers any minute now.
By the way, my final record for picking games this season came to 99-68, not awe-inspiring, but snappy nevertheless.
I got my W-2 the other day, and a preliminary look at my tax sheets indicates that, for the first time in a long time, I will be getting refunds this year. Relatively small refunds, around $25 and $100 on fed and state, respectively, but returns none the less. It would seem that last year, I literally quit while I was ahead. Like I've always said, working's for saps.
Posted 1/9/08
Got sick last week. Really sick. Lying on the couch all day, not quite right in the head sick. I've just about fully recovered now. And I actually got some benefit from being ill: my diminished appetite helped me lose about 10 pounds in about a week and a half. This after close to a month of "stalled" weight loss. Not necessarily the best way to go about reducing, but the jump start was actually quite welcome. If I'm lucky, the positive trend will continue.
Posted 1/3/08
So, we're just about to finally start the horseshit that is called the presidential primaries. As you receive your voter information pamphlets and ponder your choices, here's a tidbit of information you may want to remember: Ted Bundy was a Republican.
You're welcome.
This page last updated on 2/7/08