Hell Week, Hee-Haw and More

Alright, I've not posted in a week and I know some of you have tried to leave comments that for whatever reason didn't work. Oh well, I guess that was just a precursor to what was to be (and somewhat continues to be) Hell Week. You have no idea how much I have thought about pulling a DOR and ringing the bell. I've actually thought of ripping the bell off the stand and throwing it. But I haven't. Not that I want to go into much detail, but last week sucked. And actually, so did this weekend. I just don't get it. I mean why the hell does this stuff happen to me? Let's recap:

1. I don't even know what to call what's going on in my personal life. I mean I'm having a hard time right now with just about everything, it seems like. And why? Not Sure. I really don't want to get into it. But at least last week is over along with lots of things said, etc.
2. This weekend some crazy person starts harassing us on the phone in a whole seperate issue that just added to the Hell Week. I don't understand life, don't pretend to - and honestly am starting to not care for it much either.
3. My f***ing mower doesn't work anymore. I was out mowing the yard and it just stopped. Nothing, no turn over, no nothing. Piece of crap! I am taking it back and getting a different mower - cheap piece of crap. Oh did I already say that? And no - for you smart people - it was not out of gas.
4. I left my contacts in too long this weekend and now my left eye is messed up. i can hardly see through it and it hurts like crazy. I'm about ready to pull it out.

There's more I can put but I won't. I'm sure you're not wanting to keep reading this, so let's change subjects.

Hee-Haw was on CMT all weekend for a marathon thingy prepping up Jeff Foxworthy's new show. So, needless to say - I watched Hee-Haw this weekend. Man, they just don't make shows like that anymore. And I know why...hahahahaha - Although I guess foxworthy's new show will be like that...so i guess they do still make shows like that. heh

Went MXing yesterday and could only ride for an hour. i was getting some jumps and stuff but my hand (from the stitches) really started hurting and I had to quit. Which Sucked because i was getting into it. they reversed the track and everything and it was pretty fun.

Down to 200 lbs.! I think that's good. It seems everyone is complimenting on my new look. now if only I could start eating again. hahahaha

Let's see...more...

It has taken forever to type this - I feel like a turtle typing...Tim the typing turtle...hahahaha because I'm typing and it's 3:20 - who knows when I started...heh. OK - i guess I should stop. Not sure what else I have to say right now.

mower update

well, i should have bought the higher end model mower. i found out today (after mowing 3 yards!!! - lasted ALL day) that the mower I bought does NOT, I repeat not - cut down trees. I mean, i thought these things could do anything - this bad boy even has cruise control - I mean...my jeep doesn't even have cruise control and it can do anything. Well, I drove over a tree stump and guess what - yep - the mower stopped. Yep, the blades bent - really bad. Yep, i went to Lowe's and bought some more. Yep, they asked why I needed more blades (since I just got the mower last night) so I had to go through the story. Yep, they laughed at me (glad I know almost everyone there). So, I had a good day. hahahaha I read the manual on how to change the blades and it was pretty complicated on taking the thing apart. So what did I do? You guessed it - I didn't do it by the book. I did it my way.
[hear Frank in the background...
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way]
I backed that baby up on to my car ramps I use for changing oil etc., and reached under and changed the blades that way. Ahh yeah. Screw the manual. hahahahhaha I don't know why people have to make things out to be harder than they really are. Oh well. If the mower breaks down the next time i use it, i'll know that i should have taken it apart by the book. hahahaha - then i'll just take it back and exchange it.

former skater boy - now lawnmower boy (lmx)...out

Home...

So we got back today at 2pm after being stuck in a bad storm last night on our way here. We stayed in a hotel and made the best of it we could. I didn't get to put any pics up yesterday or the day before really of some things I really wanted to share, so here goes:

I have NEVER seen anyone metal detecting in water like this before...I was absolutely riveted!!

I took a few pics of this guy and people were watching me take pictures of him...crazy. I looked at them and simply said, "Hey, I've never seen a guy metal detecting in the water like this. It seems to me quite funny - wouldn't the tide wash out what he just thought he found?" Anyway, I think they thought I was making fun of him...but I wasn't really...really..hahahaha

And this was the coolest thing ever - a storm forming off of the gulf - you could actually make out the curvature of the storm etc. It went from neat to scary in like 5 minutes...way cool. Here's a before and after picture.

And lastly, after coming home to some yards that haven't been mowed in a while, I decided to break down and get a new lawnmower. This is the first riding mower I have ever had. I know, I know...why? Because I've never had a problem pushing the lawnmower - I'd get a $100 mower at Lowe's and it would last a few years and I'd be fine with it. But now, having to mow 2.5 yards, it just made sense and this thing is fast! I had no idea. If I knew these things were this much fun I would have gotten one years ago...hahahaha - it even has a cup holder. Way cool. It's not the top of the line or anything, but when you've never had one...anything's good! ;)

I'm not going in to work monday so I can mow, mow , mow my yards, gently down the street...hahaha - should be fun. A cupholder...this is going to be great! Of course, I am excited about going to work on Tuesday too, though - I have some stuff to do that I have been looking forward to all week!! Among the stuff is a new trade show display to design and business cards and shirts, etc. Oh how good tuesday will be...heheh.

OK - enough for now....I'm going to bed so I can get up and mow. Sweet!

Sad Day in Blog World...

OK - so not every blog is public...it's still sad that even though most people have no idea what was on this blog, there was a firing. You never know who's reading...interesting. ;) I guess this should be kept in mind in what is put down on paper...er, type. hahahaha -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072001816.html

And for some stats on how people use blogs and who uses blogs...check out this report. It's kind of interesting...(don't know why, but I like that word - interesting...hahahah)

OK - enough for now.

Tampa 2

well, i was going to wait and post in a couple of days, but i decided to go ahead and put something else up here. Today was pretty fun, there were about 12 of us playing baseball on the beach (our team won...yea!) and swimming etc. Then I took a nap and when I woke up, went down to the water and all these pelicans and seagulls were feeding. Very cool to watch, so I took some video and I even got a picture of a dolphin swimming by...I know I'm not the best photographer, but hey, it's a neat little pic. The cool thing is that all this stuff was really close to us. I know you probably can't tell by looking but it was pretty neat. I think I sat and watched all this stuff for about 30-45 minutes like it was a real life TV show or something. I kept waiting for the yellow rectangle to appear in the lower left part of my view....hahahahaha. Pretty cool.

And here's a pic of us from the other night with a cool sunset while we were starting a sand castle.

Rough boy....

Well, f1rst to let you all know we got here just fine after 12 hours of driving on Saturday. We are having a good time and the weather is pretty good too. My hand is healing up real nice...Although my feet still hurt and I messed my leg up skim boarding...but all is well. We made a little video for you guys to see the skim board and leg in action...hahahaha. So, enjoy the video - it's about 3MB and shold only take a little bit to get. ;)

It's something fun to do after you have fired someone over the phone - which sucks, but it has to be done sometimes. I was going to wait until I got back from vacation but it needed to be done sooner than later. So, i am hiring someone to work for me if you know of anyone good in sales. There will be a posting on works site soon.

skimmer boy...

Boston IV

well, this is the last post on Boston. what a great week. I don't have all the pics i want on here to show you, but as soon as i get them i will try to put them up. We learned how to play cricket and this pic is of allan learning how to bat...very funny. Especially with the undersized hat. Outside it was pouring and maybe there is something to walking while bending over to stay dry but it doesn't seem to work that well for me. And I got to meet Eddie Pope and won a soccer ball signed by him. I also won another MP3 player... ;) The only thing is, Allan wants to buy this one for the company...I know, I know, weird...but...I'm ok with it. HAHAHAHAHA


So, for the end of the conference MS had this HUGE party in the town plaza - all sectioned off, streets were closed etc. It was soooo fun. All kinds of free food (like clam rolls - which are kinda clam hot dogs things that are awesome!). Free drinks and mix all that with about 12,000 people from all over the world and this was a good time waiting to happen. We had a concert by Train which was really good. And they were also on Good Morning America this morning too. This went on for a while and they did a cover of Led Zepplin's Ramble On which was AWESOME! A group of people from England were in front of us and weren;t sure who Train was etc and they would keep looking back since I was singing some of the songs and dancing a little - plus screeming out the "ROCK ON!" with both hands in the air to the LedZep song. They found my a little entertaing and started talking to us and dancing with us etc. I was wearing a tee-shirt which siad "te amo Peru" since I've lost some weight and it fits pretty good now, and people from Peru came up to me while we were dancing and started speaking to me in Spanish and dancing etc. I just smiled and nodded and kept dancing and so did they. HAHAHAHAHA - after a little bit they left and the British people started asking me what they were saying...i told them I had no idea, I don't speak Spaish. This sent them over the edge and they invited "Big & Rich" to go "clubbin". So away we went. They paid for everything outside the MS party, which was cool and had us help them close the bar down at 2 in the morning. I have not danced that much, ever I don't think. It was sooo fun. Rich has a pic of the group and us at the club, as soon as I get it I will post it. The one guy Simon ooks like Austin Powers and was about as funny too!

Today was a good flight back, pretty easy. And I had a great afternoon catching up on some stuff I wanted to do all week which was nice too. ;)

Now, on the way to FLA - St Pete. I will try to post while there too.

~ciao

Boston the Third

I'm sure you're going to get tired of reading about this stuff, but good and fun stuff keep happening. ;) And you know me...I HAVE to keep you posted. Literally. heh

First - we wanted to take some pics of other booths and how people dressed to hopefully make our stuff more "fun". When taking pics, I was asked to give copies of those pics to be used in a marketing promo piece for green4 solutions, a British company. Beth (the girl in the pic - who is head of their marketing) asked if I could be in a pic with them to show their booth and them at work, etc. for their company and future ad stuff. So I obliged and here is the great shot of me inquiring and understanding what their company does...hahahahah. FYI, she is in England's official rugby uniform (rose and all). After that Allan decided to get some promo shots of our booth later and here you see me and Dave (notice the EXACT same pose, right legs, left arms and using pointing devices and all - no this was not planned...) standing and working, setting stuff up. We didn't realize Allan was going to take this picture, but oh well. I think he may do it again later and try to get a better pic.

After tonight's expo reception, we all 4 (Allan, Dave, Rich and me) decided to go to a VIP party downtown we were invited to. We got there and they even had cool girly dancing poles. So, that's right, I decided to get up and dance...hahahahah. We initially went for the free food and drinks, but low and behold they were also having a billiards tournament. So guess what...Allan and I entered as a team. We used to play ALL the time in college and during the CT days. So we decided what the heck...free drinks, free food and free pool. Can this get any better? Actually, Yes, it can! Out of about 20 teams (in Boston) we made it to 2nd place and each got $100! SWEEET! We were beaten by a couple of guys who were from Albany NY and were actual pool players. I say this because after I broke and didn't sink any balls, they ran the table and won the game...hahahaha. What's even funnier is that I had about 6 Jack & Cokes and Allan had himself a few Bahama Mamas - who knew...maybe this is what i should be doing for a living...hahahahaha!!!!!! And did I mention my hand still hurts a little? HAHAHAHAHA



Oh well, it was fun and now i think I'm going to bed. Just thought I'd fill you guys in on the fun night we had.

~9-ball

Boston part duex

wow. after a suck day standing on my feet for about 8 hours - this evening was really fun. F1rst, let me say that I took my stitches out myself today and fixed up my hand. I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. I didn't really re-open the wound too badly and got it taped up properly to boot. Pretty cool.





This evening Rich, Allan and I went to a party held by IBM and I must say it was fun! It was really good food, Rich won a canon powershot 450sd camera and of course all the drinks were free. As you can see by this one pic...Allan had a lot and was in heaven. His new drink is a sombrero. half kaluha, half milk. it is pretty good.




After that, Rich and I went to a party held by MS at the Roxy in downtown boston. it was awesome...i say that not only because drinks were free there too, but because The Go-Go's were there and put on a concert for us! It was so awesome! Belinda, Jane and the crew were there singing. Now if you don't know this...I used to have a HUGE, Gigantic, Enormous crush on Belinda. And wow...after tonight...I still do (s0rry). Amazing. They rocked the house like nobody's business! i got some on video, etc. But what was really cool is I got a picture with Jane Wiedlan - she was sooooo cool! I asked if I could get a picture with her and she was like - Yeah hon, sure! And grabbed me and smiled for the pic. AWESOME! Made my night.

After the Roxy, I got a call from some Canadian Amigas who wanted us to come to their party at the FELT. (All these parties in boston tonight were by country...and you were only suppossed to get into the country you were from - but I had a hook up from Canada and was "vouched" for by some really cool friends - so we go in to their exclusive party too). There was a band called The Sam Roberts Band playing. they were really good from what I heard. I got there toward the end, but they really rocked. They are pretty big in Canada and from the sound of it, they will be in the states too.

Well, another night of fun and free drinks...oh yeah...and the next time you see rich, ask him about the CEO he met...hahahaha

Boston Mass

Well we made it! I am here at the famous city of Boston and it has been a long day. I think this Microsoft thingie-ma-bob will be a good time. I got some pics for you to enjoy and feel like you are here with me. First, the basic gist of today was to get our booth ready and hang out some and meet and greet at the reception etc. So that is what we did and then we went to dinner afterwards – where I had a better time in conversation than the actual dinner (although the food was good). Now on to the pics (lots) and descrips…

This first picture is of our hotel, the Seaport. It’s pretty nice and right on the water, a good place to stay (so far). ;)















The city of Boston…





























Why we’re here…
















The booth-inspecting the booth














allan and his shirt…hahahaha














our crew [rich] at work
















The floor (this place is huge!)















Stereotype – no, I have no idea what they were taking a picture of. I was there and looking and still didn’t get it but I thought it would be great to get a picture of the Japanese people all taking a picture with their cameras. Yes, I want royalties on this one. ;) And yes, they looked at me when I took their pic...















Bold statement from Microsoft…















The famous plastic spaghetti strainer cow of Boston (no I have no idea why it’s there either…)















Big & Rich eating and drinking















Can you find us?















Me and my anchor and train






























At night…the moon was good, but the ice cream lamp post was even better…





























Final break of the evening
















Thanks…until next time…good night : p

Livin’ the La Vida Loca Lifestyle Left-handed

After 5 days of L5 (title) I decided to take a good look at my injuries and the causes of the injuries since tomorrow I leave for Boston and will be blogging about that adventure then – and after that Tampa, so now is as good a time as any to finish up about the accident.

I have taken pictures – the only one I want to warn you about is my hand…it not that bad (nothing like JT’s pics) but it does show my stitches and the fact that I really did almost lose my thumb. Oh well, I didn’t so it’s not that big of a deal. Now on to my findings:

First I am sad to say that I do not have a picture of the hill I was coming down, but I can describe it to you. It is roughly a 10 degree or so hill that is only about 4’ wide (max). It is really part of a walking path that encompasses a local high school and the part I was longboarding on was by far the hilliest part – the rest is fairly flat. After looking at the destruction of my board, the distance I flew (min 40 feet) I have calculated that I was going at least 30mph if not actually closer to 40 when I came to a dead stop. First I will show you what happened to my board…then to my personal injuries.

I will start with my wheel that is the cause of this. My right rear wheel hit a rock (either a big one or an average one but I was going so fast it stopped me) and as you can see in the pics it tore a chunk out of it and ripped it in 2 places on each side. I think the first rip hooked my board and it slipped through to the second rip and then the chunk is what stopped me – albeit it all happened within a second.

Now please note my trucks and how they are broken. Yes, the metal actually broke. It broke all around the rear truck except for one side. This wreck seems to be much worse than I even imagined initially. I have skated for almost 20 years now (off and on) and this is the first truck I have broken on a wreck like this. I have broken a couple before but it is usually kingpins (which is common) or the fact that I tried to break them. Never on accident. You can see how it should look compared to the front truck. You should not see all the black...there should be metal there...Oh well, I guess I’ll be shopping for trucks and wheels now before the beach.

On to my physical injuries. I’ll start with my feet. I’ll begin with my left foot. I can’t really get a pic of it but my arch is bruised a bit on the bottom and it still hurts a little to walk on. As you can see from the pics, my right ankle is still swollen from the sprain and it too still hurts to walk on. Oh well, it better be back to somewhat normal for the beach. It going to suck skimming with hurt feet – hahahaha.

Now my hand. As you can see the 10 stitches are pretty good and I went back esterday to get a final on them. The doc said, wow, looking good. They will need to come out Tuesday. Of course I told him I will be in Boston and then in Tampa so I won’t be back for them to take them out. This guy was so cool. He gave me everything I needed to do it myself. The bandages, medicine, stripes, paste etc. He said, you strike me as someone who can easily do this yourself and it will save you a trip from the doctor while you’re away. Of course I told him thank you very much. It’s been a while but I have done it before and I’m sure I can do it again. I will be sure and report on it for you when I do it.

My eye had also bee bothering me a little over the past few days but it is back to normal now and isn’t red or anything anymore. That’s good.

Now it is time for me to go dose up on ibuprofen and pack for my trip.



“And kids, you could learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle your safety belt.”

the helpless southpaw

yes, i am referring to myself. The past couple of days and at least the next week I am having to do everything left handed. Everything. At first I thought it could be fun but it is really pretty tough. Especially driving the Jeep...hahaha i can;t even shift w/my right hand - i reach over and change the gears. i am supposed to go get my bandages off today - i'll probably do that later this afternoon. I went and got a new driver's license yesterday with the new address and had to fill out the papework and sign my name - boy that was fun. i just stood there when she said sign and looked at the device and she said, are you going to sign? I replied, give me a second, I'm having to think it through - i'm right handed and need to do it left handed b/c i can;t use my right hand. She just looked at me - and i returned the look. Then I signed it - looks good enough. Went to get a haircut and was a mirror for my right hand and i had to reach across with me left to hold it to make sure they did a good job. i'm still typing this with my left hand. Have to eat left handed, etc. I'm not whining - so don;t take it that way - i just never realized how much i take my right hand for granted. i didn;t do much else yesterday - i was going to start on a new book I bought (Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - 1895) but holding it open and reading it was too tough so i think I'll wait and start it when I'm off to Boston next week. Oh yeah...showering with one hand and it's your weak hand....tough, especially when you can;t get your right hand wet. yesterday it took me about 45 mins to get ready to go to the DL place. Today for work it only took about 40 - the bulk of it was buttoning up my shirt hahahaha. And Lisa helped me put the jeep top on. Oh well, enough of my pity party...at least my stitches will be out for the beach...it would be really hard to surf & skim with them in. ;) Although i just thought about skimming...not sure i'll be able to throw the board...hmmmm...as of now my thumb and ring finger/pinky can;t touch...hopefully it'll work out.

~southpaw mcGraw

good times on the 4th... heh heh

first..i must let you know i am typing this all with my left hand. so if there are spelling mistakes...sorry. Why with my left hand, you ask? b/c my right one can't move...that's why. ;)

now for the update some of you have called about after reading lisa's blog. i wish i had apic although it would probably make you sick. anyway...i got 10 stitches in my right hand at approx 10:45 this morning. I'm sure that makes my total lifetime stitching over 150 if not closer to 200...50 is a big difference...i don't remember how many i had in my neck ... haha...

so how did it happen? well...we all decided to go skating this morning at the skatepark and i took both my boards, lisa had hers, luke had his board the libs had her scooter (she may never want to skate after today...hahahah). So we started at about 9a and were ripping it up...there were a couple of kids there...they were watching me and i was helping them learn how to air, etc. Well, i was kicking it on my reg board...got to a point where i ripped my vans...so i switched shoes on my feet (r on left, l on right) and that was working pretty good...the guys there were like...wow...very cool and you can still ride good like that. heh i decided to take a break and got the longboard out (which i can now kickflip, shuv-it etc btw) and went to the top of the hill for speed (wish i could get the cake distance song out of my head...) and off i went. I got toward the bottom and got a touch squirelly, hit a little rock and supermanned. I quickly got up (that means i'm ok, btw...i've had my share of concussions to know that when i don' get up...that's bad) and raised my right hand (think statue of liberty). i knew it was hurt. my arm was red andmy hand sliced wide open. Cool thing is that I have an identical matching scar (maybe a wee bit smaller) on my left hand from a vert accident 15 years ago. so we went to the hospital ER and i checked myself in and the nurse asked me...on a scale of 1-10, 1 being no pain, how do you feel? i said...ummm i guess 3. she said ok, can i see your wound? sure, i said, and i held my hand up and took off the towel and she almost fainted. a 3? she asked. yeah...it doesn't hurt too bad. if you don't know...i have a very high pain tolerance...always have. so i went bak and when the doc saw me, he saw my left arm and said...son, you ok? i said yeah...i just need stitches in my right hand. he was like, i see that, do we needto xray? anything else hurt? - i said, no, i mean, my right ankle is sprained and my back is ripped a bit, i did hit my head and you see my left arm. all i need is stitches in my hand, otherwise i wouldn't be here. ok, he said...let's get you stitched up. I was only there for an hour or so. Anyway it's all good. The doc asked me if i needed any pain meds and i said...nah, i'm good. he asked if he could write a rx and i said don't bother...i won;t fill it.

Yeah, i'm tough. ;) i've had worse...much worse. (had to throw that in-hahahaha)

there's your update. now we're heading off to JT's to cookout...and yes, skate some. hahahaha Let's just hope i don't fall on my hand...that really might hurt.

~l8r

Exercising Thai Lifesaving Skills with U2

Let me tell you about yesterday. As you are probably well aware, England and Brazil lost. England was my team and I was pretty bummed so I decided to go running after hat game. I donned the new shoes (which are awesome, btw) and set out. I wound up doing a 3.5 mile loop (according to my Jeep – I drove it after I ran). Who knew being depressed could help you run more. Anyway, after the run we dropped the kids off at mom’s and went and met JT and Beth at this authentic Thai restaurant in the foothills of the mountains…If you’ve never had real Thai food, you are missing out. And no, places like Tommy-Thai and Stir-Fry, etc. are not authentic Thai. Beth had to leave a little early to go to work so we decided to stay and take John home. It became an adventure.

We decided to go driving around a local lake in the mountains and just see what we could see. It was pretty fun, we wound up going on a razorback path in the Jeep (very high and step on both sides of the narrow trail – but Jeeps can do anything, right?) all the way up to an object of wonder…a sight very few others have ever seen. It was almost mystical. It was a power tower. Hahahahaha the only thing mystical about it was the fact that we were getting heavy doses of radiation while there. ;) We also trekked some of the Appalachian Trail while there which was nice because if anyone asks what I did this weekend, I can say “I did part of the AT.” And not be lying…hahahaha. And in case you didn’t know this, the AT is known for its proliferation of Black Bears. And since some of you may want to hike the Appy Trail, I have decided to give you some tips:

If you see a Bear in the distance:
Expect the unexpected (Clever.)
Alter your route to avoid it (not smart to walk up to the bear)
Keep children and pets close at hand (do not push people toward the bear so you can run away)
Never approach a bear – it is a dangerous wild animal. If a bear changes its natural behavior because of your presence – you are too close. (duh!)
Never feed or toss food to a bear or any wild animal (they will come for more)
Never surround or corner a bear (they fight back)

If a bear approaches you:
Don’t run, back away slowly (and DO NOT piss your pants)
Remain clam (seriously...don’t soil yourself)
Face the bear but don’t look directly into its eyes (still keeping your pants clean)
Group together and pick up small children and restrain pets (ok – maybe you could throw your pets to escape the bear)
Try to scare the bear away by shouting and acting aggressively ( do it well, this may be the last time you can… ;) and now it’s ok to mess your pants)

If the bear attacks:
Continue to act aggressively. Yell, make loud noises and wave your arms (offer your left hand first if you’re right handed...hahaha)
Fight back with anything available and using everything in your power (yes, now you seriously should be messing your pants)
Except in rare cases, playing dead is not appropriate ( you are NOT a possum…)

And now…what does U2 have to do with this you ask? Nothing really, but here is a link to a really cool video someone made where George Bush takes the vocals on “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”. You need to watch…pretty cool.

~out~