Wheels of the Bus go Round and Round

Thought I'd just post a quick update on a few things that have happened in the last couple days.

First, I'd like to point out the Google word ad at the top of the page. I've seen it doing various things, but today was the first time I've noticed that it's actually doing stuff based on content. What I saw was some stuff on engagement rings and car repair.

Pretty funny, huh?

Anyway, here's some updates.

I got some photo's mailed to me from Shrike for Christmas. Three of them are from when I was in Sweden and one if of just him wearing a christmas hat and looking rather trashed.

Speaking of trashed, there's one in particular of the two of us. It was taken from the night where I puked twice at the concert.

It looks like I was in a puking mood. I'm going to need to scan it or for him to send me the digital of it so I can post it in the blog.

Man, do I look like shit in that pic.

I LOVE it!

Next up, I talked to the Ex yesterday to find out how she's doing. Found out some interesting tidbits. Among them:

• Her mother, obviously prior to her death, cut up all the photos of Ex and her sister after the two of them cut off relations with her almost 10 years ago because of her behavior. Ex had since reconnected with her, and her sister reconnected with her the night of her passing while in the hospital.
  
• Ex is looking into getting some therapy to deal with the divorce, my engagement, her car accident and her mother's death. It's about time.

Today has been an excercise in futility and aggravation for me. I've been looking for a DVI to VGA adapter for my laptop so I can hook up a second display. This morning I drove to Radio Shack to buy one - they were supposed to be $7.50. They didn't carry them at that one, so, I went over to Staples to see if they had them. They did.

FOR $25 EACH!!!

Now, I want this adapter, but not that bad. I checked around at some other places today. several of the online vendors had them for dirt cheap, but they required a $10 minimum purchase.

Bah.

Found one which didn't. They had it for $3.77. Then, during checkout, there was a $7 handling fee on orders less than $100.

Okay, fine. What's that in the email?

"The shipping cost for one or more items you ordered is not known at this time. We will advise you of the actual cost before completing your order."

Okay...so, I wait. Ah! A new email from them.

"Your actual shipping costs are $8.97, making the order total $19.74"

Great googly moogly! Cancel, cancel, cancel!

So, I went back to searching. CompUSA was even more expensive than Staples at $35!

This adapter weighs a whole 3 oz. Over the course of the day I've seen it anywhere from $7.50 to over $60! And people wonder why I advise to not buy from the big chains.

I finally resolved myself to just searching through my house some more to figure out where the one I had has disappeared to. Again.

I live like a pig.

I also eat like a pig. That's the final update. S. and I have started a diet. Last night was stir fry. I really need to learn to judge the quantity of vegetables better. I made a LOT. Gonna be eating it for days.

Talked her into seeing The Ringer this weekend. Buwahahaaa!

I love stupid stuff.

Simple Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

Okay. Christmas.

Everything was looking good. We had off work Friday and Monday, and we both took Tuesday as well. We were going to stay Thursday night through Saturday morning at her Mom's house, then head to my parents again on Saturday night, returning on Tuesday.

Before we left for DC, my stupid check engine came on again. I have a Mazda 3 Hatchback which is constantly having problems with check engine lights coming on all the time. They always tell me it's just an emissions thing and it's fine to drive on it because they need to wait a few days for whatever part they're ordering to come in.

So, I didn't bother setting an appointment for it until Monday after Washington, at which time they told me to bring it in on Thursday. As I said, they don't seem to worry about the check engine light that much, so...

Well, I took it in on Thursday. I told them I was going away for the weekend and I was going to need a car for a while. Well, they said that the warranty may not cover that long of a hold on the car, so, they asked me to wait so they could check it out.

So, I waited for 3 hours. I forgot my cell phone at home, so, I couldn't call my boss and tell him it was going to be longer than I expected. When I got the car back, they said it was fixed, whatever it was that was wrong with it, so, I went to work.

When I left work, the damn light came back on. Too late to call them that night, so, I had to wait until Friday, my day off at S.'s house. When I called them they asked me to bring it in again, so, once more I drive 45 miles to my dealership so they can tinker again.

After another couple hours they tell me that they replaced the metered air flow sensor again. They replaced that one with a $400 bill to me a month or so ago. No charge on it for me this time.

I drove to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. When I left the mall, the damn light is back on! So, I drove it right back to the dealership, which is only a few miles away.

They finally put me into a rental for the weekend.

What does Enterprise put me in?

Another Mazda 3.

Whatever. At this point I just want this damn car to work for a couple weeks without the lights coming on so I can trade it in.

Anyway, it's Friday. I've been gone all day from S. and her mom. I stopped by my house to pick up a couple things on the way back that I had forgotten the day prior.

When I got to their place, they ordered some food out, which I ate with them while finishing my wrapping.

That's when I notice that there's a voice mail on my cell phone.

It's the Ex. Telling me that her mother is dying.

I call her back and find out that her mother (who was diagnosed with several inoperable aneurysms on her aorta a couple years ago) was bleeding into her abdomin and wasn't expected to survive the night. They flew her from Hanover, PA to Johns Hopkins Medical Center via a helicopter to attempt surgery on her.

The next morning I spoke with Ex again. While in surgery they were either removing or placing a clamp on her aorta, but the stress was too much for her. She entered into cardiac arrest and died during surgery.

The doctor came out to her, her sister and father with her glasses and wedding band, blood splattered across his legs. When they went in to see her, she was covered in blood and the hoses were still down her throat.

She was cremated without services per her wishes.

What a great way to start the Christmas holiday, huh?

Her father decided to continue with Christmas, cooking the food and exchanging gifts.

Very sad and sobering.

On Friday night, after I got the initial news, I went back to my house to get my suit. It wasn't until Saturday morning (Christmas Eve) that I discovered that there would be no service.

I thought a bit about my grandfather on that ride, remembering how he looked while he died. I was hoping Ex wouldn't have to experience anything like that, but it seemed to be much worse.

My heart goes out to her and her family.

Well, back to Christmas.

I gave S. an armoire for Christmas on Christmas Eve with her family. Unfortunately, the a-hole who loaded it at Boscov's loaded it on it's side and broke one of the glass doors on it. So, we need to return it this week.

I made out like a bandit. Lots and lots of DVD's. I'm a Moviephile. Love them.

And, the icing on the cake? S. got me tickets to see Spamalot on Broadway. Shwing!

On Tuesday I called the dealership - they were on the phone with Mazda trying to figure out what's wrong. Called on Wednesday, they think it's a wiring collar or something, so, it's on order. I'll probably pick it up this weekend.

That's about it for now. All the sorrow, chaos and fun of Christmas.

What a year...

Going to the chapel...

Times have been hectic with the holidays, vacations, etc.

Let's go over Washington DC first.

We stayed at the Carlyle Suites, and we got an amazing deal there! It's an Art Deco hotel where all the rooms have a small kitchenette in them. The rooms normally run for for $350 a night! What did we pay? $130 a night.

Not too shabby, eh?

Anyway, we got there on Saturday evening. We were pooped. We went out, walked around Dupont Circle, got a little food, then went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Sunday we went to see many of the monuments. We saw the new WWII Memorial on The Mall, then went down to see the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Veteran's Memorial. In front of that one there was a deer. In the middle of Washington, DC. Eating some shrubs.

It wasn't spooked by people or anything. Lots of people were just standing there taking pictures of it. Really odd.

Anyway, we went by the White House and the Washington Monument. The National Christmas Tree looks like crap in the day. The lights look more like a tarp completely covering it. Not very elegant at all.

We met up with my friend Rob for dinner and shot the shit with him for a while before stopping at a bookstore (where I bought a bunch of used books), then back to the hotel to go to sleep again.

Sunday - big day.

We were going to the Smithsonian's American History Museum and the National Air and Space Museum on Sunday which are both on The Mall.

To get there we took the Metro from Dupont Circle to Metro Center, then to the Smithsonian stop. When we were standing at the Dupont Circle stop, I asked S. about having kids or how long of an engagement she would like or some stuff. Can't remember exactly. The dialog then went on something like this.

Her: I can't plan anything until you make a move.
Me: Me make a move?
Her: Yes. Until I get that little round thing, nothing gets planned.
Me: Why do you want a fat cuban midget?
Her: What?
Me: Little round thing. I can only assume you mean a fat cuban midget.
Her: Oh, well. They're a lot of fun.
Me: I know you want a fat cuban midget, but I can't for the life of me figure out why he neds to be carrying a carrot.
Her: Well, he needs four legs too.
Me: Four legs!
Her: Yes. On his head, so he can carry the carrots.
Me: Carrots? More than one?
Her: Yeah!

Well, I continued this conversation with her through our stops, occasionally bringing it back up whenever it seemed to be dying off until we were walking toward the American History Museum across The Mall.

Me: So, you want a fat cuban midget, four legs with at least one carrot, right?
Her: Right.
Me: (fumbling in his pocket) Well, this isn't a fat cuban midget, but what do you think?
Her: OMG!
Me: Will you marry me?
Her: Yes!

So, her engagement ring is code named a fat cuban midget.



So, S. and I are now engaged. :) YEEEEE HAAAAAA!

We're looking at getting married in March - May 2007. First we want to buy a house together.

We enjoyed the rest of the day. Tuesday, we went to the National Holocaust Museum. Very depressing. We had dinner with her cousin and husband that night.

Wednesday we spent the day at the Natural History Museum. We went there with my friend Jason and his family. What a bummer. They used to have a bunch of stuff there on human history in the natural world, including stuff like mummies and the like. Gone. All gone. It sucked.

That night we had dinner with Ken. He looks like Silent Bob. His words. Not mine.

Thursday we went to Arlington before heading to my parents' house. We stopped at the Scottish Merchant Tobbacconist shop to buy something for my Mom (don't get me started) then we went to have lunch at Bilbo Baggins, a restaurant in Alexandria suggested by S.'s cousin's husband. We weren't too impressed with the food.

Afterward, we continued on to the 'rents. I was with them when I bought the ring back in October. (What? Me keep a secret from you, my loyal readers? Sue me.)

My Mom is still stringent about the seperate beds. What a pain in the butt. And I've gotta sleep in the stupid hide-a-bed. What a piece of shit.

Anyway, on Friday, we returned home. Saturday we had a party to go to, where she got to show off her new ring, then Sunday we finally made it back to my place.

What a week.

We worked for a few days, then it was time for Christmas Break. I'll brief you all on that tomorrow or the next day. Happy times and sad in there.

Until then, have fun.

The Times, They Are A Changing

As I'm sure you noticed, I'm not posting as fast and furious as I did before.

The reason? Not that much interesting stuff on a day to day basis. So, I'm cutting back.

I had Thanksgiving dinner with S. and her family. They all raved about the stuffing - I didn't like it too much. It was dry and it had spinach in it. Her Mom also used gravy from a can! The travesty! I scolded her for it appropriately, of course.

The next day I went to Maryland to go fishing with my Dad. It was the First Annual Elmo Bucher Memorial Fishing Trip. If you recall, Elmo Bucher is my grandfather who passed away earlier this year. Originally, my cousins Mike and Little Mike were going to go, however, bad news on that front. Mike's wife (second wife) was diagnosed with cervical cancer, so, they decided to go to Vegas to have some fun. His son (Little Mike, from his first wife) lives with his Mother who is newly remarried and their whereabouts were a bit unknown leading up to Thanksgiving since she's talking about moving to Florida and may have stayed in the Carolinas over the holiday.

So, it was me and Dad going to Shad Landing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

It wasn't as cold as we were expecting. It was quite nice, actually.

Unfortunately, the day still sucked. The fish weren't cooperating. At the end of the day (fished from 9 to 4, I think) we had each caught 1 fish. Me? A small white perch. Him? A small yellow perch.

Whee.

Christian's gone from the office now. It's a lot quieter, actually.

Bob put in his two weeks and yesterday was his last day too.

It's amazing to watch, really. Gross mismanagement coming back with a vengeance. Out of 11 technicians (7 UNIX, 4 Windows), 4 people have left. Three of them from the Windows side!

The company is not doing too well, and if our management continues to ignore the issues with it's employees, it's going to collapse from the inside.

Speaking of which, I started looking as well. Checked out a company a few miles from where I live and they gave me a call back. They were looking for a Perl Programmer and I thought I could fit the bill. I spoke with the president of the company (a small [54 employee] web catalog company) who forwarded my information on to his Director of IT. Had a conversation with him earlier this week too. He told me straight out that he didn't think I knew enough Perl for the position, particularly for the amount of money I was asking for, so, he asked me to take an online test.

So, I take the test. The stupid thing doesn't tell me how I did - it just sends off the results to the requester. So, I emailed the guy and asked him how I did.

My results? Atrocious. 19 wrong out of 40. He sent me an example of one I got wrong and I should have gotten it right. On the bright side, though, he did say I fared better on the exam than he expected and he would rate me as a lower mid-level programmer.

Great.

So, I've got that crap to deal with. I'd love to see the results of the test so I'd know where to work on with my programming skills. Oh, well. Maybe I can find another exam online I can take.

S. and I go on vacation tomorrow, then on to Washington, DC. We're going to be staying at the Carlyle Suites near Dupont Circle. Next Thursday we go to my parents' house on the way home, then Saturday is a party at S.'s friend, M.'s, house.

I wish to hell we were going to Cancun or Cozumel, but, beggars can't be choosers.

Stupid hurricanes.