I have to share this link

This is one of the funniest and most wrong things ever. I haven't stopped laughing about it for over a week so it simply must be shared.

AROOOOOOO!!!

THE new job

Since I promised to tell you about the new gig I guess I should. One of the larger/better recumbent shops in the country is run by a really good friend of mine, Rob. This guy is a serious businessman and also a lefty art fuck like me so we get along really well. He and I have been talking for years about working together in some fashion and have collaborated many, many times on projects for his shop. We have been toying with the idea of my coming out east and managing his shop so he could go forward with some of his larger projects for quite a while. Well when I told him that I was going to be leaving my shop (many reasons, not all good) he started calling me every few days. Eventually I broke down and told him that I didn't want to move out east right now. I have my farm and this new thing with Kate that I really want to explore. He wasn't happy but understood. A few days later I was talking with Jack and he was dressing me down for not taking the job. We eventually came up with an idea. I'm not sure who's idea it was, if anyones. The idea was that I should run Rob's internet store. Right now it is VERY small but the plan is to make it GiHugic. This would allow me a whole lot of good stuff. I can do two of the things I am really good at, computers and recumbents, at the same time. I get to stay here, it's a virtual job, and do something that will be a major challenge and just shitloads of fun. I got very excited at the idea and immediately called Rob. He liked it and took a few days to work it over then called me back and said "let's do it!" Happy dance for me! SO....this is gonna be great fun and an amazing amount of work. I can hardly wait.

later,
Sam

visitors and darth vader

Over the last few weeks we have had some company at our little farm house. My friends Jack and Joy came and stayed over with their two kids; Grace and Gavin two weeks ago. That was a really nice weekend. We told war stories and they made fun of my love life. Jack, an avid PlayStation nut, and I played Starwars Battlefront2 until the wee small hours and just talked and talked about pretty much everything. It was great fun. They are, rightly, in love with the farm and want to move here asap. We'll see how that turns out. Last weekend my friend Frogs and his wife C and their son J stayed over. For those of you who don't know FRogs he is a UUMinister (Yeah yeah Lighten up on the ordination date crap I don't wanna hear it). We all talked politics and ethics and the meanings of religion and the nature of responsibility etc. Much fun. I also showed his son J how to shoot a rifle. It was a request and as C agreed I did too. Don't go getting your shorts in a bind the kid is 17 and I didn't teach him how to do a dynamic entry on a fortified location. I just showed him how to plug a can with a .22 rifle at 30 feet. Something that every farm kid in america learns by the age of 7. I really liked having company stay over. That is a new thing for me too. I used to get really stressed out if people were at the farm. I am a slob and that always made me really tense when it came to people...it's the whole judging thing. Nowadays I really don't care....well except for Kate. I will scrub the place three or four times before she comes over.

Ok I gotta go make a living now.
Later,
Sam

The world she is funny, no?

This morning I was trying desperately to get some forward motion going but was mostly just sitting on the edge of my bed scrathcing Jackie's belly. While there in that not quite human/awake state I began to think about my life. No one thing just sort of the last several years in total. Ten years ago I was on the corporate fast track to much power. Very much alone and a bit of a skirt chaser. Nothing serious. Never anything serious. Five years ago I was trying to decide if my business partner's creative accounting was going to land us all in jail. Still alone but I had a few great dating dramas and one ex-fiance. Three years ago I was trying like hell to stay alive. Very alone and terrified. Two years ago I was trying to run a bike shop and trying to stay alive. Today? Well today is a good day. I have a new job coming in august. It is a bit my dream job. (more later) I am at peace with me and my place in the world. I am no longer at death's door. I have Kate. Kate is.... well Kate and that is just fine with me. Today is a good day. There is a big smile on my goofy mug today.



Later,
Sam

Life can be cruel all on its own

Life can be cruel all on its own.


But apparently I help make it that way for some.  I have been seeing Meghan for the last month and it has been really fun.  She is very intelligent and attractive and many, many other great things.  I care about her a great deal.  The problem comes from the realization that I wasn’t over Kate.  I really thought I was but that just wasn’t the case.  I had started to realize this just over a week ago but decided to stay and hope that it would work itself out.  Then a whole lot of garbage happened with work and some other personal bits that stressed me out pretty good.  That was all a bit much to handle for me then…Kate came back.  I had a ton of emotions that just overwhelmed me about that.  I had no idea what to think or do about it.  The whole thing was so much that it made me physically ill.  At the end of it the only decision I could make was to try again with Kate.  The connection I feel with her is something that I can’t really describe.  It is a thing that I HAVE to follow.  That means that I had to end things with Meghan.  I had to hurt a woman who cares about me and whom I care about.  I really hated doing that.  Today I feel like a complete bastard.  I should feel badly as I had to do something unkind to a good person but shit.  Yeah I know stop whining.  I am not the wronged one here.  Fate just took a really good woman and put her in a situation that sucks.  

The other side of this is Kate is back.  I am scared and terrifically happy about that.  What will happen?  Hell if I know.  Check back periodically to learn more.

Later,
Sam

Dinner last night

Dinner last night


Ok so this is one for the masses.  Last night my riding buddy Gary was to come over and we were to go for a ride after work.  At 5:30 I got my gear together and waited for 6 to come so we could go.  At quarter ‘til Gary showed up looking like death on a stick.  He said he couldn’t ride today as he had a nasty cold.  I agreed and so we just talked for a bit.  He then said that we should go get some dinner.  Off we went to Thips, my favorite Thai joint.  We get there and it is packed.  There was a table of 12 that was trying to order and there were two tables of four that hadn’t even gotten menus yet.  I figured that we were looking at an hour easy before we saw any food so we went to the great Tex-Mex place a few miles away.  We got right in and the food was fantastic.  Then when it was time to pay and go Gary realized that he had forgotten his wallet.   “No problem” I say.  “I’ll cover it.”  Then I realized that I was still wearing my cycling stuff….no pockets.  Yes boys and girls I didn’t have any money either.  SO now two guys who just ate a big meal can’t pay.  I took Gary’s keys and drove back to the shop, he was half stoned on cold meds.  30 minutes later I had my wallet.  30 minutes after that I was back at the restaurant paying the bill.  Now for those of you who argue with me when I tell you how much of an idiot I am going to point to this story.

Later,
Sam

Survivors guilt

Survivors guilt


I just watched the end of a documentary on the USS Arizona.  For those of you who don’t know, it was sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 killing 1135 men.  I don’t want to talk about WW2 or the death of military people.  I want to talk about these very old men who survived that day.  I just watched as this tiny, frail old man spoke of his shame at having survived.  Of how when he dies he wants to join his shipmates and have his ashes spread at the memorial.  Think about that for a bit.  This man has lived his whole life, loved a woman, raised a family worked through to retirement and seen his grandchildren be born.  Through all of these 65 years he has carried the guilt of surviving his friends.  It must be a bit like being a sober drunk.  While it may not always be at the front of your mind it also never leaves.  It is a hell of a thing to live through something that you know you shouldn’t.  I can only imagine how much worse it is to lose so many friends at the same time.  The human mind/emotion is a hell of a thing.

A night with the das uber baby

A night with the das uber baby.  


So last night I stopped by and visited Andrew and Teresa and my favorite baby Audrey.  We all had a talk and played with the cat, Crusty.  Then it was time for a walk.  Teresa stayed and mowed the yard while the rest of us went for a walk.  We wandered around their neighborhood for a bit and then on a back road trek.  It was a blast.  Andrew doled out advice and I babbled on in search of it.  Audrey slept.  Much fun.  Is any of this interesting to anyone?  I really don’t care.  The whole thing was just a fun time so there.

Later,
Sam

a life update for the monkeyfans

Ok here's the deal. I know I have been neglecting my posting and correspondence lately. I have been ridiculously busy with bike season and other things. First I’ll tell you about the new work thing. I have decided not to go and take a contractor job overseas. I can make more money here and there isn’t the whole roadside bomb business. There was a bit of a shakeup at the shop and I won’t be running it after this season. Instead I will be taking an IT job for a faceless behemoth corporation for a ridiculous amount of money. Yes I am a hypocrite. I can earn some serious money in just a year and then move on to the next thing. Also my buddy Jack (hey Jack) and I are looking at doing a business together. We are both ferociously focused and mission/goal oriented so it could be much fun. Other things you ask? I have been doing the internet dating thing this year. Very funny and fun by the way. I met an amazing woman. Meghan. She is just fantastic and Sam very much likes. (some 3^rd person for ya) She is far smarter than me, funny, beautiful, dorky, fun and lots more. We have almost identical politics and are both ardent atheists. (sorry frogs) What else?...she really is fantastic. She’s sane and just as happy to be in this thing as I am. We have been dating for a while now and recently decided to just see each other. I've never dated anyone who it felt this way with before.
It’s really great. So it begs the statement “Man am I glad that Kate dumped me!” Alright that’s enough of that.

I don’t know if I will be able now to go to Italy for October. I am still planning on it but it will really depend on what job I take. Grrrrrr. In terms of my sanity I really think Italy is a must but we all know how little life cares about our needs. Ok I have a lot of work to do.

Later,

Sam

this pisses me off.

I was just listening to two guys talk about the "calvary." Really? Calvary? not cavalry. Let's be clear on this. I now have a new mispronunciation to add to my list. Perhaps we can get the decider to use this one publicly?

That is all,
Sam

Happy Birthday Andy!

THat's right boys and girls Matlock himself is 80 today. My grandmother, had she lived, would be very happy about it. Does anyone really care? Well we should.

Later,
Sam