February 2006 Archives

Last night, Mick Foley reminded me why he's my personal hero. Cuz he's fucking hardcore.

I will now offer two versions of what went down. One for fans, one for non-wrestling people.

Edge: OOOOH, I'm a Transitional Champion? Yeah, takes one to know one.

Foley: Yeah, well need I remind you that I held the WWE Title on THREE SEPARATE OCCASSIONS! That makes me the GREATEST Transitional Champion of all time.

OK, now the translation...

Bad Guy: I suck? Fuck you buddy, you suck more than I do, so I don't know where you get off telling me I suck.

Good Guy: You know what? You're right. I do suck. BUT. Looking at my resume of sucktitude I've come to the conclusion that NO ONE has sucked as well as I've sucked. As a matter of fact, I'm relatively convinced that I'm the BEST at SUCKING, EVER!

Seriously, the ability to go out there and make that kind of statement about yourself is amazing. Yes, it's all "fake" but this was a "fake" argument based on some very real, very personal truths. It was one of those moments that makes me watch professional wrestling, one of those moments where the line between truth and fiction was incredibly blurry and one individual was able to put himself so out there that he sold the audience on his performance.

Self-deprication as art, people.

In other news. This has been a really good media weekend. Three new CDs in in as many days. This never happens anymore.

Quick rundown.

Arctic Monkeys-
Overhyped? Yes.
Still really freakin' good? Yes.
Great name? Yes.
Catchy as all hell? Yes.

Antigone Rising-
Have you heard this before? Yes.
Do you care? No.
Worth picking up if you liked them better when they were called the Indigo Girls? Yes.

Weezer, Make Believe-
Best album they've put out in a while? Yes.
The album you've been waiting for from them for since high school? Yes.
Really catchy? Yes.
Better choice than your other options? Yes.
Best of the three you picked up this weekend? Yes.

right, cuz the Weezer album came as a gift from Nena for my FINALLY having lost 40 lbs. That's right. In one year, I lost 40lbs. Go me. To celebrate, Nena took me to Target and said I could have anything I wanted...for under $20.

Big fun, yo.

26- The Year in Review.

As my 27th year dawns, I thought I’d take a minute to revisit the year that was and reflect on it.

Bottom line- 26 was the roughest year since 18.

I might even go so far as to say that 26 was actually rougher than 18 because really a lot of the bullshit that made 18 so miserable was fallout from the all-out worst year ever, 17. In the end, 18 will probably hold on to its title as worse than 26 for two reasons.

1) 18 was the culmination of a shitty 17, whereas 25 fucking ruled.
2) The craptacularness of 18 had repercussions that I didn’t fully shake until 25. The sucktitude of 26 will, if anything, make 27-on fundamentally better years.

What am I talking about?

When 26 started I was in grad school. I thought I was a happy MA student who’d just ended the roughest semester of school I’d ever had. I thought this was a small blip on the road to my degree and that everything was still going according to THE PLAN. 26 was the year when I realized that this wasn’t what I was born to do. 26 is the year when I quit school because the cost of my degree was my education, the cost of my degree was my soul, the cost of my degree was me.

When 26 started I didn’t really know who I was because I wasn’t aware of what I’d become. I was living a lie, telling myself that in this department, in this version of my life I could have the family I wanted, I could be the man I dreamed of. As 26 wore on I realized that sometimes the dream you have and the dream you had aren’t always compatible- so I gave up the old dream for a new one.

When 26 started I weighed 39 more lbs than I did when it ended. As 26 went on I redefined my relationship with my body, my relationship with food. I am on a journey that will take me beyond 27, 30, 50…I’m eager to see what lies ahead of me in this regard. I know that the discoveries of 26 are but the tip of the iceberg, and I’m dying to know what’s below the surface.

26 was fun, for all of its soul-searching and moments of misery.

At 26 I returned to my father’s homeland.

At 26 I introduced myself and my wife to a family I always knew I had, yet didn’t ever know.

At 26 I celebrated a year of marriage.

At 26 I realized that nothing makes God laugh like a plan.

At 26 I rediscovered my faith.

At 25 I became a homeowner

At 27 I will sell my first house.

At 26 I lived in between.

At 26 I fell in love with my work.

At 26 I found my calling.

At 26 I became a cat owner.

At 26 I made new friends.

At 26 I said goodbye to my Uncle Sal.

At 26 I decided it was time to say goodbye to Lawrence.

At 27 I will say hello to Santa Fe.

A good year, a hard year, a year I’m glad is over. I hope I always remember what I went through this year, because it will remind me of how far I’ve come and how far I have yet to go.

The rumours are true. It's my birthday.

27 people, RECOGNIZE!

The day's already been a lot of fun. I woke up and opened Nena's presents for me.

For the record, I have the greatest wife ever.

The haul:

One Official Sodium Chloride Containment Unit
a copy of the new Arctic Monkeys album
a copy of All the President's Men
a copy of Scrubs: Season One

Yeah, Nena rules.

Then, after a breakfast of REAL Wheaties (Nena insisted I dine on my favorite cereal EVAR today as breakfast these days has consisted of eitehr Generic Wannabe Hyvee-brand Wheaties or oatmeal.)
I headed off to work, where I hoped to have my birthday slip by, unnoticed.

Why?

Cuz, I'm one of the younger people at work and I really, really didn't want to deal with an entire day's worth of

Coworker: How old are you?

Me: 27

Coworker: YOU'RE SUCH A BAAAAABY!!!

But, well, Nena showed up around 9ish with balloons and candy. She went to the front desk, signed in, told the front desk ladies it was my birthday and then went back to my office where she busted in on my meeting and embarassed me in front of, yknow, everyone and made everyone sing to me.

It ruled.

The front desk ladies, armed with their new intel sent out an all-building email telling EVERYONE it was my birthday.

This, also rules.

See, birthdays are always rough for me. One the one hand, I totally want to party. On the other hand, I'm a bit embarrassed by all the attention. Yknow? My inner attention whore is locked in mortal opposition with my inner introvert. I know this may be hard for people who were there for the Great Tunnel Party of 2000 to fathom. But it probably totally makes sense for those who were there for my 20th birthday- a Ruth mandated trip to my room for cava.

So yeah, this day is ruling. Definitely, one of the better birthdays I've had in a while. And really, I have Nena to thank for it all.

This post really isn't as eloquent as I'd wanted it to be, but well, I think jittery and jumbly is really how I feel right now. 26 was the setup for a great change. 27 is the execution of the plan so, yeah. Liminality baby. Love it....

So, how many of these is too many Al?

Just trying to get my Xmas shopping done early.

So I've got all these books Nena and I are trying to get rid of. The folks over on Caucus asked me for a list of books I'm selling so they could peruse and decide if they wanted any of them.

Then, Mr.Lee suggested that I offer up NenieGrabBags. So you tell me how much you want to send me, and I send you that amount in books. Random stuff that I think you may or may not like.

So, I'll put that to the few of you who read here who don't read Caucus. Anyone interested in a GrabBag? All prices for the grab bag are determined by charging you 75% of what you'd pay for the same title used on Amazon.

In case you hadn't heard, I have a cold.

One of those big sinusy jobbers.

So Nena and I bought some Sudafed, only, I bought some of that new-fangled Meth-less Sudafed.

Later in the evening upon realizing that my nose was running a marathon and my sinus headache had gone away I turned to Nena and said "wow, that new fake Sudafed works really well."

Just now, as I was getting ready for bed I went to take two more of these miracle pills...only to find I hadn't taken any. I'd opened the box when we got home, but I hadn't bothered to actually take any of the pills.

Yup, the brain's a helluva drug.

Tonight, watching hs basketball I had an epiphany.

Sometimes in life, you're going to do everything right, follow all the rules and work really hard. And you're still going to lose. Not because you didn't work hard or do the right things, but because it's not your day.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep trying hard and doing all the right things. It just means that sometimes you have to wait a while for it all to pay off.

Seriously?

WTF?

The past few days have been so amazingly random. The hormone situation has calmed down a bit, but it's still an everpresent thing kicking around, making my life more interesting.

Work's been worky as a result of all the hormones and I'm starting to get sick again. Right now, I have that painful tickling in the back of my throat. I'm working on it but I don't think I'm really going to be 100% for a few more days.

Ugh, just when I start to get out...

So last night I came home from a decent session at ye olde seconde jobbe. Poor, sick Nena was already passed out so I decided to decompress by ripping a few old Modest Mouse CDs to Han so I could have them on Artoo (when I'm horomonal nothing helps like "Building Something..."). I get the CD put in, Lobo jumps on the desk to hang out with me and then she BITES THROUGH THE MOUSE CORD.

I wish I were kidding. She just took that shit apart, it was AMAZING and I was infuriated. I didn't lash out at her, cuz, really, taking it out on a cat? I slammed a few doors and made it generally annoying for Nena to try and continue to sleep before settling in to watch some Chapelle's Show (Did I mention Nena gave me Season two for VD?)

Today's been much better at work, but I'm starting to feel the fatigue that comes with being sick. Grrrr, so annoyed.

At least I "get" to go buy a new mouse after work. I'm thinking of getting myself a wireless model. Thoughts? Kensington? Logitech? Wacom? I'm also thinking of getting a tablet, but that's like $60 more than just getting a wireless mouse. So...yeah

I dunno what's wrong with me but for the past like 15 hours I've been moody and irritable and feeling generally lonely and unloved. I have NO idea what's going on. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's my ManHormones being all fucked up cuz it's that time of the month (yes, men have a cycle. DEAL WITH IT).

Take work today. Not a bad day by any means. But, like, I'm just feeling unappreciated, like I don't really matter here. It's just...shitty.

Man, what's wrong with me? I'm listless and...yeah. No desire to finish this post. So yeah

Apparently Smack!Down is the third most watch english-language program amongst U.S. Latinos. Yup, 1.4 million Latinos tune in.

What's number two?

Grey's Anatomy
yeah, I was surprised too. Then I realized that, yknow, SOMEONE had to be watching it, right?

Number one?

American Idol
Ay, mi gente.

But, yknow. No one will ever believe Rey Mysterio headlining Wrestlemania.
Fucking Whitey McNoneckeypants.

Seriously...I haven't felt this good in a really, really long time.

I'm rested, energetic, just freaking AMAZING. Like today? I put on a CLINIC at work. I was SO fucking on my game. If you didn't know, you wouldn't think I was seriously near death (none of you who weren't there will ever have any idea how bad this was) 36 hours ago.

But now, having completely forgotten the other reason I wanted to post right now, I think I'll get something, yknow, out there.

Since announcing our impending move I've had an alarming number of people ask me how I'm doing or if I'm OK with this move. And while I'm really touched by the concern, I'm also a bit bothered by it. Whenever someone asks me this I want to stop them and ask "would you be as bothered by this move if it were Nena moving for my career?"

Maybe I'm imagining things, but I can't help but notice the subtle gendered implications here. When people ask me this question(s) I can't help but hear "do you feel like less of a man for following your wife across the country?"

Cuz I don't.

I'm so excited about this move that I don't think there are words to describe it. Santa Fe is an enormous adventure to me and in case you haven't noticed, it's the unknown, this amazing spirit of adventure that propels me through life. Like when I moved from HE to Aurora to Northfield, to Maryville, to Lawrence, to Santa Fe...

Yknow, as much as I love the midwest, as much as I love Chicago, I've done those things and I'm ready to try something new and different. Yeah, I haven't done Chicago as an adult, but, well, it's been done and it's being done by so many people I know that doing it now would make me feel kinda cheap. I don't mean this to any of my friends that are recent transplants to my hometown, but, well, watching y'all live the dream life I had planned out for myself at 16 has made me want it less.

Nena once told me she'd only go home as a conquering heroine. At the time, I thought that was recockulous, but now...I get it. When I go home, I want to go for a dream job, I want to go home with Cubs season tickets (or at the very least Bulls, OK Rush season tix). I don't want to go home for adventure, I want to go home for something more.

This move feels so amazingly right to me. I know nothing about what I'm getting into, I have to trust my wife and my instincts here and that's an amazing feeling for me. In a lot of ways, this all hasn't sunk in yet, it hasn't become real to me. But, that's part of the adventure that is The Nenie Experience.

Yeah, bring it on, baby. And get me some boots...

Best quote about the Olympics I've heard in a long time, courtesy of Cath
and removed from context to drive it home

"Women's halfpipe is like getting a Hello Kitty tattoo on your neck."

Reports of my death have been exaggerrated...but not by much.

Holy mother of SHIT! I hope never to be sick like I was sick last night. Convulsions, sweating, fighting for consciousness...needless to say I'm at work today feeling pretty beat up and my stomach is really, really not too happy with me.

Yeah, as Nena said earlier, I'm feeling better- but I'm so not at 100%. 60% is probably a more realistic estimate...

Seriously, I long for sick days. I've never had sick days, like, ever. No job of mine has ever come with them. That's pretty sad, yo. This is why I'll never undersatnd people who have them and don't take them. I've lost count of the number of days in my professional life when I've been too sick to work, but too broke to call in.

Ugh, today totally qualifies.

Don't worry, I'm not spreading my illness by being here, I'm just being miserable and trying to set myself up for a productive week. Yup, I can rock out, I really, really can. I just have to buckle down, get some planning done and I'll be all good.

:)

Did that make any sense? Cuz I still think my ability to focus is a bit compromised.

ok oh brilliant internet friends
moving issue #1

we have books
lots of books
lots of books we love
and lots of books that we really don't need to be lugging around
we've separated them out
now
we want CASH FOR BOOKS!

suggestions?
where should we go?
there's the KU Book Weasel
and a few used places in town
but, other options?
internet?
something else entirely?

And now for a musical interlude that will explain all the tension/silence of the past few weeks...

NENIE
Lawrence Kansas
Center of nowhere
Times are shitty
But I'm pretty sure they could get worse

NENA
I hear that

NENIE
It's a comfort to know
When you're singing the "Hit the Road" blues
That anywhere else you could possibly go
After KAAAANSAAAAS
Would be-heee...
An improvement

NENA
Now you're talking

Well, I'm thwarted by an em-ploy-ment puzzle
And I'm sick of working at Ottawa
That I know
And I'm shouting in my sleep
I need a muzzle
All this misery pays no salary so...
Let's move our whole familia down to Santa Fe
Oh sunny Santa Fe'd be so NICE
Let's move our whole familia down to Santa Fe
And leave this to the Fundies and mice

BOTH
OH OOOOH

We'll move our whole familia down to SANTA FE
And save from devastation our brains

We'll pack up all our junk and fly so far away
Devote ourselves to projects that sell
We'll move our whole familia down to Santa Fe
Forget this cold Mid-west-ern Hell

That's right folks. We're outta here. How outta here? So out of here it really pains me to even think about it. We're moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

How did this happen? Let me tell you a little story.

You know how Nena hates her job? You know how graduate school at KU ended up being a wrong fit for me? Well, last fall on a plane ride to Chicago for a friend's wedding, Nena turns to me and says "I'm tired of flying here. Let's just be here for good. Let's move to Chicago."

"Are you serious?" I asked

I had no idea how serious she was.

As the plane made its descent into Chicago we started to think through the move and by the time we were at baggage claim we'd come up with a list of three things that were keeping us in Lawrence:

1) Our house
OK, we love this place. Any of you who've visited it (if you haven't NOW'S the time!) know how hard we've worked to make it our own, and how much we really, really like living in it. But, it's just a house. Houses can be sold because home is wherever the three of us are. In all of this misery, it's as if we'd forgotten that part. It was time we started to remember.

2) Our friends
Who here in Lawrence are mostly graduate students who are planning on leaving when they finish school. Corn, La Madre and Das Nibblet's hasty retreats from L-Town have really driven this home. Looking down the road and seeing the next batch of departures coming up made us understand that we have great friends EVERYWHERE and that no matter where we are, we're going to continue to know and meet even more amazing people. So really, staying someplace just because of the friends we have, well, it's less silly than staying for a house, but...yeah

3) Our love of this great town.
I know I just tore into this place up above, but we really, really love living here. There's just something about Lawrence that makes it an incredibly special place, perhaps it's that it truthfully is what Northfield wants to be when it grows up. Thing is, it's this third thing that brings the problem with the first two into specific relief. As much as we love Lawrence, our friends and our house- we really don't love the things we have to do to continue to live here. Lawrence is an Edenic mirage. Everything is so much more expensive here than anywhere else in the area, yet no one feels compelled to pay you enough to make it here. Yes, Lawrence believes in a living wage, but the longer we live here, the more we realize that the Living Wage movement in town is really a way of distracting the masses of underemployed individuals who came here for a degree and ended up staying for a lifetime. The massive overeducation of the populous here means disastrous things for our employment futures.

The past year has consisted of Nena applying for secretarial job after secretarial job in this town, because she doesn't have the Master's everything else requires. Oh, and she hasn't been getting any of these secretarial jobs because she's overqualified. That's her issue, let's not even get into what it's like for me to try and find a job here. Yes, I have one now, but it's contract work that ends in June. And as much as everyone says that they're going to renew my contract, I don't think my boss is as in love with me as others are. So really, when we look down the road we're staring at me being wickedly unemployed again and Nena continuing to hate her dead-end job with no chance of getting out if we stay.

So last fall she said "Chicago, this summer. We're there."

We began to explore the idea of moving to Chicago, sending out feelers, getting a few nibbles, when out of nowhere her dream job opened up. Dream job?

Yes. A few years ago, before we were even engaged, we had that talk every couple that's thinking about marriage and isn't from remotely the same geographic location needs to have. It's the "under what conditions would you move home" talk. In that talk it came out that I'd move to Chicago to flip burgers and Nena would only return to New Mexico as a conquering heroine. Translation: there was only one job she'd go back for, but that people never leave that place so there's no way she's going to even get a crack at it.

This December, it opened up.

Wanting to stick to her original Chicago Pronouncement, and believing she'd never get the job, Nena decided not to apply for her dream job. Realizing this was an enormous mistake I tried talking her into at least applying for the job and when it looked like I might be barely not enough to convince her, I called out the big guns. MaModz, my othamotha and one time holder of Nena's dream job.

Fast forward a few months and guess what. Nena got the job, because that's how she rolls.

Now, we're packing up our junk and moving back home. Nena's home, and a place that I've always felt amazingly at home in. There's a lot more to say here, but I've already rambled on enough for one post. Over the next few days/weeks/months I'll continue to process what's going on and I'll spit it out in drips and drops. But for now...yeah.

NENA
Do you know the way?

NENIE
To Santa Fe?

NENA
Yeah. Green chile, prairie dogs....

Man, I've been in the strangest music mood lately.

Today I just wanna listen to "More Than a Feeling" on repeat.
The other day, the only thing that could get me in the zone was KRLX streamed through my work computer.

Seriously, KRLX.

Thing is, it was oddly comforting to listen to. Not that I missed DJing, not that I knew the DJs, just that it sounded like something familiar. Yeah, the bands had changed, but the sound...am I making any sense?

Yeah.

d00d
Tony Kornheiser's gonna be in the booth for MNF next season!
that's AWESOME!

and PTI is gonna be live from the stadium on Monday nights. That's SO freakin' great. MAN, do I love this news.

Wow, call freakin’ Canton. Al has to take half of the crown. Even if Redsox picks the Seahawks AND they win. Al gets half the crown. Unbefreakinlievable. This may be harder to take than Gunder v2.0 being released (that’s Red’s joke, yo).

The championship games didn’t get much love from me. I was flying back from Chicago during the Stillers game and was at the airport with my Great Smaritan wife during the Seahawks game. But, considering I feel I know these teams, I think I can make my picks. But first…the standings

Almejor: 8-2
Redsox: 7-3
Nenie: 6-4
Nearsider: 5-5
Jackflaps: 2-6
Dakotareese: 3-3

SuperBowl XL
Seahawks v. Steelers
Stillers

Boomer Esiason said it best last night. “The Steelers are on the greatest run in the history of the NFL postseason.” When a Cincinnati Hall of Famer says that, you know it’s true. The Stillers are a team of destiny, they’re a six seed that’s won three road playoff games. That’s never happened. And now, in the SuperBowl the definitive Stiller of this generation is playing what is perhaps his final game at home. This is the freakin’ Disney sequel to Glory Road people. (which was the sequel to Miracle, which was begat by Remember Denzel’s Titans, which was begat by The Rookie, which is surprisingly not a bad little movie.)

I’m a bit sketched out by Polamalu being banged up, but I think he’s hardcore enough to make life difficult for Hasselbeck, and that’s all it’s going to take. The Seahawks are good, the only team good enough to stop the Stillers’ run towards destiny. But I don’t think the Seahawks have an answer for the Stillers’ D. Yes, Joey Porter is going to get the holy HELL kicked out of him on Sunday. But he’s going to take the brunt of the punishment, leaving the rest of the D (which is more than just Troy’s hair) to really, really mess things up Matty.

Ruthless Burger is calm, cool and collected. He was born for this stage and I’m not really expecting a Manning-esque choke here. (does it matter which one?) And then, Da Bus. Seriously, going to mess some things up. He’s not going to get a ridiculous number of yards here, but he’s going to be clutch and hard to stop in the right spots, kinda like the Crane Kick in The Karate Kid.

Yeah, that’s the pick.

Got the update. Man is he a cute kid.

Totally looks like Gunder.

IE- His eyes are closed and his hair is all over the place.
Hopefully he has Belle's brains.

Length: 21.5 inches
Weight: 8 pounds 4 ounces

Ground Control to Major Tom.

The Eagle Has Landed.

Repeat.

The Cows Have Come Home.

BabyGunder arrived into this world at 3:09aCDT

Mother, Baby and Father are all doing well.

May God have mercy on us all.

Further details as they become availible.

Yesterday was Lobo's birthday (or, at least the date the we told the Vet to list on his chart so that there'd be some kind of idea of how old Lobo is. We just subtracted her age from the date we adopted her and VIOLA! Feb 1.)

For her bday I hooked her up with an LJ.

The concept of Lobo blogging was put in my head by some coworkers who are pretty entertained by my Lobo stories, to the point one of them said "man, Lobo's blog would be kinda cool to read."

Really, it's not as bizarre as it sounds.

Think of it as an exercise in creative writing.

Anyway, if you're at all interested go ahead and friend lobokitty.

BELLE IS IN LABOR!!!

That is all.

AHHHHHH. PAPAGUNDER!
WHOO!