Speakin' of Birthdays . . .

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, August 31st. What'd I do? I went to work. My birthdays are mine alone. I don't want anybody making a fuss. I have my reasons and if I were to explain them, you'd wish I'd kept my mouth shut.

Suffice to say, when my friends become aware of my birthday, all hell breaks loose. I don't know who told them but I really regretted it the day after. Let me tell you the story:

My birthday was on a Wednesday. Somewhere between then and Friday, my friends remembered and I paid for it. I had just got home from work that night. It had been a long day and I didn't leave work until after 6:30pm. I picked up something lite to eat and I had planned just watching a bit of tv and begin reading Neal Stephensons' Quicksliver. It's a book I've had for a while and I'd been meaning to get to.

I never had a chance.

I had just opened the door when one of my friends showed up and said we were going to get some pizza and beer at the local Round Table. It's the only RT that makes their pizza right! It sounded good at the time. When we show up, there's one of my cousins and two other friends waiting. We have our pizza and beer have a good time. Someone mentions it was my birthday and everyone feigns surprise and say we gotta do something. I tell them I just want to relax and read my damn book and get up to go to the restroom. By the time I get back, it's been decided that we are going to The Penny Farthing, a british pub. It's a great place when you want to relax. I just didn't feel like relaxing the same way my buddies wanted to.

From that point on, things get a little blurry. I remember having a couple of beers first then a Kickin' Chikin', another beer, a couple of expensive tequila shots me stumbling to the restroom and everyone finally deciding we should leave. Everyone but me, I was waaaayyyy to buzzed/drunk to voice an opinion.

My cousin receives a call on his cell and informs everyone there is a party we were just invited to. I was conscious enough to realize what that would mean. I'd be fucked. I had hit the wall ages ago and if I went to that party, the wall would be bashed and broken through. No amount of water was gonna flush all that alcohol away.

I think I remember saying, "Let's GO!!!"

My cousin informed everyone it was my birthday once we hit the party and somebody said "Happy Birthday" and handed me two warm screwdrivers. I pounded them.

That's all I remember.

I asked what happened after that. I've heard that I'd had two beers a few more screwdrivers . . . and then the stories get a little crazier. Stuff I know I would never do (fighting, manhandling and disrespecting women . . .). If any of that had occured, I wouldn't have left that part without some bodily injury.

I remember getting home, and having to toss my cookies once. When I woke up around 7am, I found a couple of under-shirts that had been used to puke in. Those went in the garbage immediately. I was feeling ok then. After throwing the shirts out, I went back to my room. Oh . . . my . . .

My room smelled of alcohol. It smelled like somebody had just sprayed alcohol everywhere and it would never dry. It was horrible. That's when the joys of metabolic alkalosis began.

When it started, I was pukin' about every fifteen minutes. I tried holding my breath to balance my bodies' pH level. It wasn't helping. I was really screwed up. The every fifteen minute thing went on for a couple of hours. It then went to every half-hour. I would get some water down and feel ok for a bit but it would all come out in the first heave. I'd be dry-heaving after that. My stomach would lock up in a heave and nothing would come out. It . . . really . . . sucked.

At some point it finally got to an hour between chunking and then it stopped. I was in my recliner at 1pm, not moving. I didn't want to risk another onslaught. I stayed that way for a couple of hours, but I was beginning to feel really hungry. By around 3pm I got some chicken soup down. By later that evening, I was eating all kinds of food.

It usually takes me days, if not weeks, to get over something like that. That was the worst I've ever had a hangover. By Sunday, it was like I hadn't done anything all weekend. I even had a couple of beers. And I enjoyed them.

I never want to do that again.

GD

Another . . . Bike update!

So . . . last week before leaving for my trip I went to visit the local big box store where I had requested some prices for chromoly metal tubing to be used for the bike I want to build. It turns out that they cannot get a hold of the tubing.

I am going to have to find a local metal shop and find out if they can get a hold of some for me. I don't need much, but chromoly is mainly used for bicycles and for airplane building. Not that many homebuilders in this part of the world apparently. But I hear that some people use the chromoly to make roll bars for cars. There are plenty of car homebuilders in the area so I still may be lucky enough to find a shop.

For now though, I will be building an original GroundHugger (look it up). It's a pretty neat lookin' bike. It's what originally got me interested in building my own recumbent! I finally got ahold of some of the original plans from the Popular Mechanics magazine (Build PM's GroundHugger, April 1969). Not a lot of info, but the dimensions are on there and so is some of the important information needed on what parts to get. Boy that was a pain to find because a lot of the local libraries don't carry magazines that far back. I had to have them photocopied from the Naval Post-Graduate School here in Monterey.

In the article it says you can build your own rear wheel stays but it also says if you have access to an old bike, use those. So I started shopping around for beat up cruiser style bikes all over the place.

No luck!

That is until yesterday! My cousin needed a computer moniter for his pc because the one he had been using up and died on him. Well I happen to have access to a bunch that will never be used again, but still work. I grabbed a couple of them and took them to his place. He lives with his fiancee and her dad. Once there I find out that her dad is an avid bicycle collector (sort of). I told him my dilemma and he said we could trade! I had already brought the moniter over so he let me have a cruiser frame he had sitting around! KICK-ASS!!!

I now have my rear wheel stays for the GroundHugger and I believe I have the main tubing sitting in my back-yard right now from one of those attach-a-tandem kid bike thingies you can get so you can take a kid around on a half-a-bike attached to yours. I think it'll be perfect. All I gotta do is bend it. I'll have access to a torch this weekend. I'll bend it then and thus, the building will begin!

GD

Sooooo . . .

Last Thursday my parents, brother, Issac (brothers friend) and I went down to Chula Vista to visit my sister who I recently wrote about having her baby. My dad didn't have a chance to go the last time so we planned the trip for this weekend.

It was a good time. Thursday, we arrived at Universal Studios and stayed there for a while. We left about 4pm and then we drove down to Chula Vista. It wasn't horribly bad, but it was trafficky. It took us a while to get there.

Friday, my parents crossed the border to TJ to visit my sister and David (my bro'), Issac and I drove around the area and found a mall. We walked around, checking out the chicas until it got a boring and went to see a movie.

The Skeleton Key is pretty good. I thought it was gonna be crap, but it was alright. We went back to the hotel and crashed for a couple of hours. The day before had been a long day. We were still tired.

At some point somebody was knocking on the door. It was my sister! And the baby! I've said it before, newborns are UUUUgly. Not this one. Somehow this baby dodged the ugly stick. My sister had brought my parents back through some short-cut that she knows about and they cleared the border in 20 minutes.

She hung out a while and then my mom and my sis' took off to do some shopping. My mom didn't get back until after 10pm.

Saturday we didn't wake up until somtime after 10am. We all got ready and decided to go check out this place called Horton Plaza. I have an uncle who won't stop harping about it, so we went to check it out.

Horton Plaza is a three story outdoor mall. Of course it works in San Diego because it hardly every rains there ( I guess). It's almost crescent shaped and it has a big movie theater there as well. As far as malls go, it's a'ight.

What we should have done is check out the Gas Lamp district. To me, that was more interesting. We left there and on the way back to Chula Vista everyone wanted to go see a movie. David, Issac and I recommended to my parents, The Skeleton Key. It's the kind of movie they like. Since my crew had already seen that one, we decided on The 40 Year Old Virgin. That one is a must-see. Go now. Skip work and go now!!!

After the movies, it was getting late. We bought a couple of pizzas and went back to the hotel and spent the night watching Cartoon Network. By-the-bye, my parent were in one room and we were in another. We went to sleep late even though we knew we had to be up at 9am at the latest.

Sunday was hellish!!! We were on the road after "breakfast" by 11:30am. From that point on, we would hit traffic all the way until after LA where all the highways and interstates merge. We weren't completely free, but it was much better than goin' 35mhp.

We didn't get home until after 8pm. I did all the driving and I went to sleep once I my bag in my room. I didn't even change.


Soooo,
See ya' tomorrow!

GD

Bike Project update

It's been a while but at least I'm posting!

I went to Home Despot last Friday to find out if they could possibly order the metal I'm going to need for the bike.

I'm still waiting on their call!

But from the sounds of things, it looks like I'll be able to get everything I need at Home Despot. Which means I can finally use their credit card for something else other than the welder I bought a year ago! Woo Hoo!!!

I'm gonna give them a call today and find out what they can tell me.

GD

Monday afternoon update!

Last Wednesday my mom got a call from my sister in the evening that the her doctor was a couple of weeks off and she was due 7/25/2005 not 8/14/2005.

I didn't find out until I got home at 7pm. I had to pack everything, call my boss and let him know I was gonna be gone for the rest of the week (privileges of management). We left Salinas at 9pm and arrived at the hospital in Chula Vista around 3:30am. Pretty good time.

I'll update more later.

GD

Yup!!

You can throw my three week plan out the window. I've gotta wait till I've learned a little more welding in the damn class!!!

GD

dammit!

Gotta do it.

This weekend I'll be heading over to the local big-box home-supply store to purchase a few items that I'll need to begin my bike project. I've got my little Lincoln MIG welder already so all I need are the parts for the bike.



Of those parts for the bike, I already have the "front" forks and the "rear forks". If you look at the picture of the bike, both of those parts are reversed. The reasoning behind this is that it'll keep from having to run a chain Aaaalllll the way back the rear wheel. If not done right, it can be a mechanical nightmare.

So like I said, big-box store for lots of metal and a couple of tools I don't have yet. Thank goodness for credit cards and no interest for a whole year (it's one of their newer promotions)! I may have to scrounge around a local metal shop to get those parts. I think I have a friend who may be able to get a hold of some of the metal I'll need.

This first bike is going to be pretty expensive. But if I play my cards right and this bike is successful, I could make a little business out of it. I've already come up with a couple of designs that could work for the local kids. And those call just for some bike frames that can be picked up at a dump for cheap, almost nothing.

This could be the start of a new career! Ok, maybe not that far . . . but in these times, a little more gas money!

GD

I can't wait!

Braaaiiiinnss!

Sorry, I'm a zombie right now. I've been up since five in the morning yesterday, with only a two-hour nap in between today and yesterday.

Let me explain . . .

I while back I had promised a cousin of mine I'd drive her to the Oakland airport today. Her plane was scheduled for a 6am flight, but she wanted to beat all the people and traffic, so we left at 1:45am!

I had let my boss know last week that I would probably not even show up today because I needed to sign up for a class, aside from the early morning trip. It was all well and good . . . until Monday.

Mondays always suck, this Monday was exceptionally sucky. We had a bunch of visitors from all over the country, all somehow tied to the company in one form or another, here at the lab. That wasn't so bad, what was bad was that I NOW had to be here early in the morning Wednesday (today) to provide a tour for some potential client interested in how we analyze . . . shit.

No, no. Don't get me wrong, that's the technical term we use to refer to compost. Ok, not really. I'm just a little upset . . . and tired . . . and mentally gone from all the questions slung at me to keep me on my toes. I tell ya, those guys knew something was up. I've had visitors before and none of them were asking such technical questions. THOSE BASTARDS WERE INTENTIONALLY . . . TRYING . . . TO TRIP ME UP!!!!!!!!

But they all suck and I shot down all their questions from the hip.

Gotta go. I still need to get to Hartnell and sign up for that welding class.

Oh! And I received that "F'Lowroller Cookbook" from Mr. Horn. Wow. He really put his love behind that instruction manual. Great instructions, excellent pictures, all bound together in a nice package! This is gonna be a fun project!

GD

Aarrrgghhh!

Have to bring it up again.

This morning was turning out to be pretty bad. All work related crap that wouldn't interest the common mushroom consumer (I work for an mushroom research facility). Suffice to say that I needed a pick me up.

A while back, I read one a blog from one of my old friends who still lives in Phoenix. He had found a blog called Stuck in Rehab with Pat O'Brien. It's one of those blogs that once you start reading, you'll be chuckling like an idiot throughout.

I decided to revisit the blog and find out if it could still pick me up.

I'll tell you what, I feel much better. And sure enough, I was still chuckling all the way through.

When you open the blog, scroll all the way to the last post and begin reading.

If you don't find it funny, you gotta see a shrink!

GD

I know I should!!!

Hmmm.

I just got an e-mail from Mr. Horn letting me know the book is on the way. I really can't wait to start building the bike. I've got registration at the local community college this Wednesday to sign up for the welding class.

I've had my welder for the last year and I haven't really used it. It's still brand new. I was Billy-Badass when I was in high school, but high school was over 13 years ago. I haven't touched a welder since then. I know better than to play with a machine capable of vaporizing metal. I remember the basics, but I wanna be safe. What's the use of building the damn bike if I can't ride it?!!

GD

can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait

Patty, I reposted in less than five.

A little boy walks into his parents' room to see his mom on top of his dad bouncing up and down. The mom sees her son and quickly dismounts, worried about what her son has seen, she dresses quickly and goes to find him.

The son sees his mom and asks, "What were you and Dad doing?"

The mother replies "Well you know your dad has a big tummy and sometimes I have to get on top of it to help flatten it."

"You're wasting your time, " said the boy.

"Why is that?" asked his mom, puzzled.

"Well when you go shopping the lady next door comes over and gets on her knees and blows it right back up."

GD

I'll have to post some of the others I've heard.

My New Bike!

Robert Horn has a bike that I fell in love with the first time I saw it. He calls it the F'Lowroller. This is the bike I'm going to build. Just give me three months!





I've already e-mailed Mr. Horn for the plans!

GD

Here are the cats!!!

A while ago, a commentor on a blog I used to read (until she got fed up with posting new stuff) mentioned something along the lines of posting something to do with cats.

So . . . I was watching G4 tonight and they showcased a website I remember them showcasing once before. But the first time they showed it, I had no interest in it . . . UNTIL NOW!!!

The website is called Stuff On My Cat. Here is an assortment of pics from the site.
















They don't realize she knows they're piglets . . . and breakfast!















This is for you OFFICE SPACE fans!






















I used to love doing this . . . until it was done to me.



















No Perplexio! This isn't that "Kitty Porn"!


















And this is for that "awwwww" part of all our hearts.



GD

G4, where would I be without you!

Twilight time.

I don't know what this means to anybody else, but I always refer to it as the time in your sleep cycle where you're between waking and sleeping.

Anyway, I always remember the most vivid dreams at this period. My favorites are the flying dreams.

This morning I was dreaming I was Superman.

Spying on the three "evil" geeks from Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Now what the hell does that say about me!

GD

Butt-Monkey

. . . . . ?

Lately at work there has been word of the possibility of shutting down the MMI-Royal Oaks facility. This is the largest mushroom farm in North America. It's huge! But because of union squabbles and quality issues, 'shut down' has been on the mind of everyone.

I'm not sure, but I think I may be safe from that. If this facility does go down, the lab will probably be moved to San Juan Bautista. The lab may be on the farm, but we're not part of the farm. The lab belongs to Amycel/Spawnmate. If the lab doesn't make it, I've got other prospects. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a job with my qualifications.

I hope.

GD

Target, here I come!

wow.

I was gonna erase that last post, but Erin posted a comment on it before I had time to reread and dump it.

Darn you Erin!!

Well, here we are the day after Independence Day. And what did I do on my extended weekend?

I went to a flea market.

I went to Los Banos and had BBQ and beer with family.

I went to antique shops all over the place and polluted the air.

I had a BBQ at my place and had a few friends over and we had a blast.

I read a book.

And finished it the next day.

Goooood boook!

It was one of the books I found at that thrift shop I mentioned a while back. It was The Cabinet of Curiosites by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. It got me curious about cabinets of curiosities or wunderkammer. They were something where amateur collectors or even scientists would display their wares.

I thought they were real cabinets. At first they were, but later the items would be so big they wouldn't fit in a cabinet. Like say an Allosaurus skull. So these collectors would make displays and call them cabinets of curiosites.

Some of these collectors would charge a fee to check out their items. These were in a sense the first museums. P.T. Barnum had a cabinet. You may have heard of it. His cabinet/museum was so popular he had to find a way to get people out. So, he had a sign made that said "This way to the Egress". All the patrons would make a beeline to the Egress and find themselves outside with no way to get back in unless they paid admission again.

Barnum was credited with saying "there a sucker born every minute". According to the Ringling Brothers website, there is no proof that he ever said that.

But you gotta admit, the Egress is pretty funny!

GD

This way to the Egress!

My views . . .

. . . on relationships.

My cousins (male- 21, female- 16) had a discussion tonight. We discussed the point of view from a male/female perspective.

I just want to say these are my views and no one elses (but I'm right).

As civilized as we think we are in this world, we are still a primitive race. Men still think with the little head and women . . . well women think with their hearts.

It's not until much later in a relationship that a man can . . . I said "can" . . . think with his heart. A man will not realize that using his heart to make a decision with his heart will be one of the most important decisions of his life.

I'm not talking about one decision. I'm talking about THE decision. Most men in my opinion (even married ones) have not made a heart-felt decision . . . ever!

I myself have made only one heart-felt decision in my life and it was THE most heart-wrenching decision in my life. The fact that I've not had another relationship in my life because of that has caused most of my family to question the fact of my sexual preferences.

I need to say it somewhere and I figure this is the best place to say it. Nobody knows who I am, and if you do . . . I don't give a fuck.

I've put up with my family thinking I was a homo (gay for you that don't know what a homo is in todays society). Even my mother thinks I may be gay.

It's been years since I've been in a relationship. I was in high school. I know that I should pursue a relationship, but I always have an excuse. Right now, my excuse it that I'm financially unfit to even consider a relationship.

I know that is not an excuse. But I use that to fortify myself from any pain that could be felt again from an emotional tear-up. I don't need that any more.

I am beginning to feel the emptiness of my emotional needs.

I've been fine all these years . . . why am I feeling these needs now?

I thought that I would be fine with having my family near me. That is not helping any more.

I see a lot of my friends with their partners and I can not hang around. I had no problem before. Is it a seasonal thing? I hope it is. I really don't need somebody in my life right now. Or maybe I do?

And the only reason I am posting this right now is that I wouldn't be doing this completely sober. I read somewhere that if I wanted to post something very personal, I should do it a little imbibed.

Yeah, I'm a little unsober. I just came home from polishing off a whole pitcher myself . . . with no food even!

GD

"I'm all fucked up"

So much for posting everyday!

Here we are.

Monday.

Vacation over.

Back at work!

Ppphhhhtt!

I didn't even get to finish the damn bike. I'm going to have to go to my local community college to take a welding course. I used to be a bad-ass at welding when I was in high school. Then again, that was about thirteen years ago. And I haven't touched a welding apparatus since that time. I burnt through three frames before throwing in the towel. It was horrible. Good thing the frames were practically free. I bought them at a last chance store for two bucks. Five frames in good condition for two bucks.

I could have put together some good bikes for the kids in the neighborhood to use.

But nooOOOoooo! I went and destroyed them all.

One of the classes available is one night a week for four and a half hours. Two credits. Not like I need them any more. But I do need a 'refresher' in welding because right now I have $500 in welding equipment that's junk until I learn how to use it.

"Classes start soon! Register Now!"

Done and done!

GD

"I am the Dog-Welder"

Vay-Kay . . . Day One

Well, guess what?

I accompanied my mom to a local thrift shop which I like to go to because they have a big selection of books that nobody buys. And I found three books which intrigued me.

Book #1 - Hominids: Volume One of the Neanderthal Parallax by Robert J. Sawyer
What's it about?
Neaderthals from a parallel universe are experimenting with quantum computers and a strange accident happens to transport a Neanderthal physicist to our universe.

Book #2 - The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
What's it about?
Scientist tell the guv'ment to sterilize all space probes before study. A satellite falls to earth and bodies are found heaped everywhere near the crash site, faces "locked in frozen surprise".

Book #3 - The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
What's it about?
A charnel pit is discovered near a famed but lost Cabinet had been hidden. 36 dismembered bodies hidden for 130 years. Who did it?


I was gonna wait to read the books but we had a little barbecue for my dad yesterday and I began reading one of the books while I 'cued.

I got so engrossed in the book that I didn't go to sleep until after 3:30am this morning.

And then I woke up again a little after 9am and finished the damn book!

I was gonna begin the prep work for the bike today. Now I'm too tired to get started!

You should pick up Hominids. It's not a simple sci-fi story. I can now understand an atheists point of view a little more. It's a good book!

I may begin Crichtons' book tomorrow.

GD

I am goin' on Vay-kay!!!

I found out today that I've maxed out my vacation accrual hours. That means I can't save up any hours any more. I'm losing them to THE MAN.

I haven't had a chance to take any time off because of the craziness of things at work. If it's not one thing, it's another!

So I've come up with a remedy! I'm taking next week OFF! And my boss said it's ok!!! That's surprising as hell!

I'll still be posting from home, though. Luv my DSL!

And it's time to build my bike. I hope to have it done by Friday. Wish me luck! I'll post pics of it when it done.

GD

WOO HOO!!!