It's the waiting....

that's driving me crazy. I know that we won't hear whether my wife got the job at K State for another couple of weeks, but I'm finding it hard to be patient. I really think it's just the idea of being here in limbo that drives me crazy. It's really hard to make any future plans when you don't know where you might be for that future.

I'm loving the myspace page I made, mostly because it's allowed me to connect with a few people that seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. It's pretty cool to catch up with them and to see where life has taken them.

I had a good time on Thursday helping out with the Special Olympics. They had put out a call looking for law enforcement people to hand out ribbons and help with the events, so I got a chance to do that. I highly recommend doing it if you get the chance, if for no other reason, because it means so much to the athletes. The joy and pride that I saw on their faces is something beautiful to behold and I'm glad that I was there to witness it. I'm looking forward to doing it again in some capacity, but never as a competitor.

Past that, really haven't been up to a whole lot. Cleaned out my shop a bit and have been getting ready to work on a couple projects hanging over my head. Thinking that I should probably get back in the gym before I gain more weight back, but am still below 240, so doing okay. Take care and I'll catch you guys later.

Quickie

Think fast survey
Finish the sentence...

1. My ex is..
completely insane.

2. I am listening to..
the Venture Brothers intro music

3. Maybe I should..
get off my ass and do something productive

4. I love..
my wife.


5. My best friend(s)...
are super cool

6. I don't understand...
most of my wife's research.

7. I lost....
my sunglasses.

8. People say...
lots of stupid shit

10. Love is...
the only thing that keeps me sane.

11. Somewhere someone is...
taking a crap

12. I will always...
be there for my friends.


13. Forever seems...
incomprehensible.

14. I never want to...
disappoint.

15. I want..
a decent job

16. When I wake up in the morning...
I try to ignore the alarm.

17. I get annoyed when...
projects don't come together like they're supposed to.

18. Parties...
there's only so muh time to go to all of them.

19. My pet is...
somewhere in my future.

20. Kisses are best when...
they're not expected.

21. Today I...
watched cartoons at work until after noon.

22. Tomorrow I will...
maybe get some real work done.

Have you kissed anyone over 16?
does it occur to the people making these surveys that there might be people over the age of 12 filling them out?!?!?!

How is your day going?
moo

Who was the last person you talked to on AIM?
don't use it

Last words you spoke?
I love you (to my wife)


Have you ever kissed anyone who's name started with an M?
Megan, Marietta, I'm sure there's more

How do you feel about gay marriage?
marry whoever makes you happy

Can you play guitar hero?
never tried

Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
meh

Do you "play" outside?
what am i, 4?

What do you currently hear right now?
the police scanner, Venture Brothers cartoon, Long, Black American Car on the radio

What do you think your best friends are doing right now?
working, bicycling, fly fishing

How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids?
my early thirties, 32 ish

Where is your number one person on your friends list?
slacking off after work

Do you feel like dancing?
no

How much money do you have on you?
none

Do you speak another language other than English?
maybe

What made you happy today?
waking up to my wife holding me


What did you do today?
woke up, came to work, filled out survey and watched cartoons

Who is the first person you think of when someone asks you who you like?
I don't get the question

Who was the last friend in your house?
Jack

Is there someone you want to fight?
the system

What color shirt were you wearing when your last kiss took place?
orange, white, and tan plaid

What is the closest black thing to you?
my shirt, my people?

What are you thinking about right now?
I'm hungry

What were you doing an hour ago?
watching cartoons and looking at fly fishing gear online

What does your last message in your inbox say?
that would require me to look, and i don't feel like it

Where were you friday night?
at home, waiting for my wife's flight to get in

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car?
yep

Has anyone ever mistaken you for someone else?
yes, but I don't know who they think I am

What's something you really want right now, be honest?
to be happy

What's the closest diamond-covered object?
probably some sorority girl's cell phone somewhere on campus

Sometimes, do you wish you were someone else?
not really

What is the weather like today?
it's supposed to snow, a lot

Have you ever had braces?
yep

Who are you currently frustrated with?
my department for not hurrying up with the raise they promised

What color looks best on you?
any color except bright orange

Do you make wishes at 11:11?
of course

Is it spring yet?

So we're expecting up to eight inches of snow in the next 36 hours and the high tomorrow is only 28 degrees. It's really irritating at this point, but it guarantees that the fire season should be pretty short, if we have one, and keeps the rivers nice and high so that the fishing will be great this year. I'm trying to stay positive about it, but I'm really wanting it to be green and not white outside.

So my wife flew down to Kansas State this week and interviewed for a post-doctoral position. We'll have to see how that went and if we're going to be Midwest bound. I know that some of you would like that, as we'd be closer to you, but you'll lose your ability to come to MT and get a guided tour of the mountains. It's kind of sad that we've been out here almost nine years and, aside from family, no one has made it out this way. We'd love to see all of you and would like to share our beautiful state with you, but our time is probably getting short, so get your reservations in soon.

I managed to get out fishing on Wednesday and while I didn't run into another moose, I did see an otter fishing and when he left the river he had a fish in his mouth. Pretty cool. I even caught about six or seven trout, which were my first for the year. It was fun and I'm pretty close to staying on track for my resolution to fish at least fifty days this year. Sy tells me that there are even trout streams near the campus in KS, so if we move, I wouldn't have to give up fly fishing.

She's gonna eat me!!!

Well, I doubt that she'd eat me, as she's a herbivore, but the moose I stumbled on sure scared the shit out of me. I should probably start at the beginning. I was fly fishing Wednesday on the Gallatin River, just outside of Gallatin Gateway, and I heard something in the brush next to the river. I looked over and not fifteen yards from me is this huge moose, just looking at me. I was extremely surprised to see a moose as I thought it'd be a deer or something, but there it was. It ws probably just as surprised to see me and we just stood there for a couple of minutes staring at each other. I decided that I should probably create some space between us as moose do not particulary like people, so I crossed the river and just sat on the bank watching her for awhile. I eventually got back to fishing, but kept a close eye on what she was up to, to make sure she didn't decide to cross the river too.

Aside from that, nothing much new has been happening in my world. My wife is heading down to Manhattan, KS on Wednesday to interview for a job at Kansas State, so we're hoping for good news on that front. I know many of you in IL/IA would love for us to move closer, but I really didn't want to move back to the Midwest. This job would only be a one or two year post, so we wouldn't have to stay there forever, but even two years away from the mountains will be hard.

On the fitness front, I didn't manage to break below 235 last week, and I doubt that I'll hit it this week. I haven't been able to work out because I messed up my knee shooting hoops and am kind of waiting for that to stop hurting before I get back into it. I did go to a doctor last week and got a complete physical and had him check out my knee. He doesn't think I did anything too terrible to it and was able to give me some good news as well. I had my cholesterol checked as well as some other blood tests and it turns out that my cholesterol is really good an that I'm in pretty good shape overall. I just need to work on my fitness some more and drop the rest of my weight and I'll be golden. Wish me luck and I hope all is well in your worlds.

The most brutal coffee commercial ever!

Lyrics

Duncan Hills Jingle

Do you folks like coffee?
Real coffee
From the Hills
Of Colombia

The Duncan Hills will wake you
From a thousand deaths
A cup of blackened blood
(Die, die)
You're dying for a cup

Guatemala blend
Ethiopian
French vanilla roast
(Die, die)
You're dying for a cup

Prepare for ultimate flavor
You're gonna get some now
And scream for your cream

Duncan Hills
Duncan Hills
Duncan Hills

BusinessTime indeed

New Year's resolutions revisited

I decided to start a new post so that the last was a stand-alone and it hopefully won't get lost in the updates.

So it's April and I thought that I'd check in on my resolutions and see where I'm at so far and to set a new time-table as needed. (the resolutions in italics, the excuses in regular)

1. Get down to 200 pounds by my anniversary (6/19/08). Well, I'm at just over 236 right now, which means that I'd have to lose just over three pounds a week from here on out. I don't think that I can hit that, but I'm thinking that I can definitely get below 220. I'll keep you posted on that as always, if for no other reason it keeps me accountable.

2. Finish the x-mas presents for my friends by the end of January. In my defense, I was scared to go into my shop for a long time after my run-in with the table saw and I still haven't spent too much time in there, partly due to fear, but also because it's been freezing cold and I don't have a heated shop. Not really an excuse, but there it is. I do need to get back on track with those or I'll be able to give them as presents for next year which wouldn't be good.

3. Finish my boat by May 1st. Now this one may still be possible, but I should probably finish the x-mas presents first.

4. Try to fly fish at least one a week for the whole year (or at least fifty times). Well, I've been out four times already this year and am looking forward to the summer when I can really get after it, so I think that this one is still on track.

5. Pass the police physical test by July 1st. (not neccessarily for employment) I think that I'm doing all right with this one, need to run more, but the yoga is helping with my core strength and I think that I'll be ready by this date, maybe once it gets nice out I'll run a test physical and post my results.

6. Put two months salary in savings by June 1st. I'm looking good on this one and I'm hoping to hit this number right on schedule.

7. Do everything in my power to help my wife graduate in May. Now this is an interesting one. My wife will not be graduating in May, more like July, but I wonder if I've accomplished what I set out to do on this one. It's so hard to gauge if I'm helping my wife or not. How do I help? Do I push her harder? Do I try to get her to relax more? Threaten her labmates? Bribe her committee? I really have no idea, but I worry that I'm not helping and can't figure out what I should be doing. They really need to write a book about this to help the spouses out on this. Maybe that's what I'll do, write an instruction manual for the spouses of graduate degree seeking students. Brilliant!

8. Throw the best graduation party ever for my wife (May 10th). As we've discussed, graduation has been pushed back a little bit, but the party will still be ridiculous whenever it happens and I promise to post an invite here for all of you.

So it looks like I haven't really hit all any of my goals really, but I'm still working on them which is more than most people can say by this time of year. Hope that you're still hitting your resolutions and if you've given up, start over now, no need to wait 'til next year.

An amazing speech

I just had the opportunity of watching one of the best, most motivational, heart-wrenching speeches I've ever seen. It was much like an Obama speech in that it moved me and inspired me, but it was in many ways more powerful. Keep in mind that the video is about eighty minutes long, so watch it when you have time to, but make the time and make sure that it's the only thing going on, even if it means locking yourself in a closet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

I'm not going to get all morbid or maudlin, but I wanted to tell all of you how much of an effect you have had on my life. I'm so very lucky to have friends like you and I want you to know that you have made me the person I am today, so really, it's all your fault.

Another brick in the wall

A hearty congrats go out to Big Mike and wife on their announcement of an upcoming baby! Traitor. Just one more in a long line of friends starting families. I know it's that time in our lives guys, but seriously, I'm scared as hell about starting a family and all of you that are doing it are just putting more pressure on me to get started. The wife will be finishing grad school in the next couple of months and once we figure out where we're going, I think that a baby will be on the way. I'm really okay with starting a family, just scared. Scared of being a bad dad, of screwing up someone else's life, of being too selfish to give up my current life for the next one. I see some of my great friends and how amazing they are as parents and worry that I won't be able to step up to that level. Maybe I'm just scared of "growing up" and I just need to put on my big boy pants and stop whining.

Anyway, I haven't really been up to too much out here, mainly because it keeps snowing! It's supposed to snow basically all next week, and while it's good for the rivers and forests, it's starting to get a little old. I'd like to start golfing and to do a bit more fly fishing without freezing my butt off. On a positive note, I lost four pounds from last week and I'm now within a pound or so of 235. I haven't weighed this little in quite some time, maybe eight years, so I'm pretty jacked about that and am hoping to get down to 220 by my anniversary. Not much more to say now, but I might post more tomorrow.