I think I have to put her down....

Like all good things, eventually some pass on after heroic service. I think my Playstation 2 has died. It's having a lot of trouble reading the game discs, and I look at it as one would look upon their 16 year old dog struggling to get up the stairs. The sad thing about it is that I just bought Bully, which is an excellent game. So, I have a few options.....

• Buy another PS2, probably from Ebay
• Buy a brand new PS3.
• Buy a brand new Xbox 360
• Buy a brand new Nintendo Wii

I realize that the first option is the cheapest. However, maybe I should look upon this as an opportunity to upgrade. I'm open to suggestions. Anybody have a vote as to what I should do?

Secondly, does anyone use Skype? I think this would be more useful if I had friends/family outside the U.S. However, I'm kind of digging it, so I'm curious to see if anyone has an account. It's free to talk between Skype users.

Mas importante!

So, it's the Tuesday between Christmas and New Year's. So you're probably not working. And if you are working, you're really just sitting at your desk/cube/bathroom stall. So please take about 30 minutes out of your day and comply with the following.

I have posted Chapter 1 of Trapped in the Closet, R. Kelly's hip-hopera, below. You need to watch this episode and then continue on. They keep getting better and better. Promise me you will watch them all. It was easily 30 minutes of my life that I was glad to give up. This is my Christmas gift to you all.



Thanks Waks....

Rest easy, big fella

1933 - 2006

I'm sure no one up in Heaven will understand what you're saying either.

Merry Merry...

So I'm not going to blog much this weekend. I did want to share my holiday wishes to you all. And I've got some pimp photos of me in a tuxedo with my brother.

And to share my grades from grad school. For this last semester, I pulled a cumulative 3.85

This may not be a huge deal to most people, but for my academic record this is like finding Jimmy Hoffa and he's holding the cure for cancer, while the Cubs are winning the World Series. I'm going to put it up on my fridge.

More on Tuesday....

Not feeling the Jingle Bells

So I'm not all down with the Xmas so much this year. Maybe its that it has arrived so suddenly. Or perhaps its the blatant commercialization of the whole thing. But as I stood at the mall this evening, eating a spicy tuna roll from the mall food court (probably not a good idea), I realized that the holidays are all about stress.

As a child of divorce, the holidays are a time where your scheduler is tighter than the President during election week. It's dinner with this family, a play with this one. Barely time to squeeze in friends, and it leaves you exhausted by the time you leave. Now I know that this isn't germane to kids of divorce, and I bet it's pretty tiring for big families also. But I'm tired and I haven't even left yet.

However, I did find something that made me quite happy this holiday season. I found the way I'm going to wrap all my gifts this Christmas season.



Reynold's Wrap. Or tinfoil, if you prefer the generic stuff. It comes with it's own cutter. No tape needed and it molds to any shape. Plus, you can see your own excitement as you open your gifts. Tinfoil from now on. Done deal. Defense rests.

Alright, fess up

So I received one of those "I couldn't deliver your package, because apparently you have a job like I do" - grams from FedEX. I signed for it and left it back on my door this morning, and I was pleased to see a package from Apple that had been overnighted to me.

Inside the box was a refurnished* 30GB Video Ipod. Black. Hotness. And an invoice.

No note. No card. Nada.

So I think it could be Will. Or perhaps Mikie. I have no idea. Anybody want to come forward. And this isn't like when someone finds twenty bucks and everyone claims it. I need Scout's Honor here people. We need some honor. A trait that some of my friends are bankrupt in.


* I realize that the correct word is refurbished. However, a cop I used to work with confused the two all the time, with a thick Domincan accent. Merry Christmas Jose Tejada. May the underside of your tree be filled with refurnished electronics and your house be spic and shine.

I really should do this more often

Here is my high school pal, Waka, doing what he does best....

Wow....all I can say is Wow!

So last night my brother and Chuck and Sara threw a surprise party for me at The Greatest Bar on Earth. He said that were were going to have a beer or two before we went to Ruth's Chris for dinner. I thought there might be a little gathering after the dinner....but was not expecting that.

I have no camera, but Ross has some amazing photos. So this morning I tallied up the scorecard...

Singing Chicken Grams: 1 (This was quite the highlight and I was mortified.)
Cellphones Lost: 1
Luggage ruined: 1 bag (This was the unfortunate victim of a body that had drank 15 beers and had one chicken wing. )
Friends that came the farthest: My brother Broxton and his girlfriend Malkah from Pittsburgh, PA. Narrowly edging out Sam and Lizzie from D.C.

It was tremendous to see all my friends and I never got the chance to thank them all, and a blog is a crappy way to do it. But I am a very lucky man. And Ross, Chuck and Sara are really, really good people.

Stay tuned for the Chicken photos.....

College pays...

So I found three letters from my alma mater, Vassar College, in my mail today. Apparently, they wrote me three checks that I never cashed, for the following amounts:

• $29.00
• $5.55
• $44.10

Grand Total: $78.65

They were asking if I wanted the money, or if they should transfer the money to the NY State Office of Unclaimed Funds. I am getting that money.

So thanks Vassar for great friends, analytical thought, and enough money to get drunk with this evening. Stay in school, kids....

One down...Bagels are next

So tonight, I was sitting at home alone. pondering my empty fridge. I was about to eat some soup, when I decided to try a neighborhood place.

My favorite food site, the Chow, told of a neighborhood pizza place in Cambridge called Armando's. It was supposed to be like New York. I've heard it all before.

So I went to this place, and there it was. An honest to God New York pizza place, like it was picked up from a street corner in Bensonhurst and dropped in the People's Republic of Cambridge. The two cheese slices I had were delicious. A crisp bottom crust, that crackled when I folded it. And gooey cheese...oh it was marvelous.

I told the guy at the counter that I was originally from New York, and I'd been here for over 2.5 years and those were the first two slices of real pizza I'd had here. He seemed happy and thanked me for the compliment. No, sir, thank you.

I am happy. My stomach is happy. God Bless the United States of America

Improved motivation in the workplace.

Check out how the Turks celebrate the accomplishment of a job well done.....

When the article starts "Camel Sacrifice..." you know it's going to be good.

Off to kill an emu, as I've read all my work e-mails today.

My special day

So 30 years ago today, I was born. A birthday is a funny thing. It's really not a big deal for me. Turning 30 is a lot less traumatic than Hollywood would lead you to believe. Oh, and I spilled coffee on my pants. I think that was my subconscious telling me that I'm still a doofus, even if I've left my 20's.

The last 30 were a good time. I'm looking forward to the next 30. I feel like the first 30 years are pretty much scripted until you get to your mid-20s. School, College, and a job....

But the next chapter has yet to be written, and I feel that there's not a script in sight. Does the book become a romance, a drama, or a comedy? I think it will always be a comedy.

I wanted to take this small perch on the internet to thank my friends for being my friends. My family really doesn't have a choice, given the whole bloodline thing. But I'm so thankful for all of you in my life and I think that is the most positive thing about this day. So thanks to everyone. I love you all very, very much. And I'm still the doofus you know and love.

Uh oh...

In Paraguay, the maximum sentence you can get for a crime by law is 25 years. Period. There is no death penalty, nor is there life in prison. This might be a commentary on the harshness of Paraguayan correctional facilities.

The verdict for the Supermarket Fire of 2004 came down today. The owners were on trial and faced up to 25 years in jail. They ordered the doors locked, so that people couldn't steal items and take advantage of the confusion.

They got 5 years. I'm watching TV from the hotel room, and riot police look the same in every country. People are not happy today....judging from the people destroying the court building. I'm always in the right place at the right time.

Good Evening

Today we spent the day at the home and ranch of the Minister of Emergency Management for Paraguay. He's a wonderful man with a really nice family. It was a really long day, but it was worth it. Yesterday, we got to see some of the areas of common flooding in the capital city and then went to the Cuebellanos Supermarket, where over 400 people lost their lives in a fire in 2004.

Then today, we spent time touring the countryside. It's really beautiful. The top photo is the sign outside the burned supermarket. And the second photo I like because I appear to be deep in thought. I'm safe and well. We're off to the Chaco tomorrow. That's the desert area...

Finally, me near the Minister's waterfall.....

Flickr

So I posted some photos on Flickr which is on the sidebar to the right, and I'll put some more on the blog tonight perhaps. It seems like I never get free time, between the mandatory socializing and the work day. We saw some really incredible stuff today. I'll post about it soon.