Playing Catchup

I haven't updated the site in a while, so let me inform y'all on whats been going on with myself over the past few weeks. Sorry, I've been super lazy or just haven't felt like writing about anything.

I've still been in touch with my realtor. he's started to see the crush of people like me who are now too, seeing that properties are rock bottom cheap and are trying to snap places up too. At least I shouldn't have to worry about applying for a loan (which is where most buyers are failing now), as a cash sale trumps all and lets for more negotiating. He keeps sending me listings however and we have a solid scope on what price gets you what its worth. Now all we have to do is find a appropriate property and we WILL make an offer on it.

Work has seen the pinnacle of the spring season and is now easing gently into the summer downtime. Less students, slower days, average nights now. The money is still good, and the bills are paid just fine with extra to spare, save and splurge from time to time.

Speaking of summer, yes, its here. 100 degree days and permanent air conditioning. Plants in the garden have run their cycles and died, but at least my citrus and grape plants are going crazy right now. I was able to harvest some fava beans and have some left over for seed next season. I'll have to plant them in the winter as they are not tolerable of heat above 90 degrees.

I have a new addition to the household. I adopted another pup named Trooper. I was coming home after a mis-scheduled work shift where it turns out i didn't have to work, and I had a feeling that i needed to stop by the pound.

So, meet Trooper. AKA gummy-bear or Box of Rocks II. He has no grace, a little slow and is missing all but 4 teeth (don't ask...he was just born that way). What he lacks, he makes up for with character, playfulness, love and he gets along with everyone and everything. its hard to come home after a bad day and not smile when you see him sitting with his tongue hanging out (no teeth= no way to hold tongue in). He, Jenny and I are adapting well to eachother.

I started to re-start the dental treatments. Three facts...1) my dentist I had started this thing with was and is a piece of crooked rotten shit. 2) dealing with, shopping for and using insurances sucks. 3) Finally finding an honest, down to earth, gentle and great dentist isn't great...its a blessing, like winning the lottery. I finally found one. After a quick assessment and checkup, he said that I only needed 3 of the 11 fillings the other dentist said, offered crown work at $1600 less, takes payment plans if need be, and is just an awesome dude in general. I'm actually EAGER to go back next Thurs for the start of treatments.

I've started getting back on the horse and started dating again. It's been pretty good. Who, how and where is my personal business and that's all I'm going to post about that.

I'll be taking some time off and getting out of town soon, which is needed. I have next weekend off, so a 3 day trip is in order, just not nailed down as to where yet. After that, I'll be heading home for 4 days to visit my family for father's day. I know Dad would love to have me visit, Mom too, especially since he hasn't been feeling well and they couldn't get out to AZ this spring as they usually love to do.

I still have a Chicago trip tentatively scheduled for September with Bret to check out the city, see a few Cubs games, maybe a Monday nite Bears game, and generally have a good time partying and having a great trip to the windy city. It will be nice to take a break from work and to escape the desert for a few days.

I'm just finding out that I'll be having friends visiting AZ this summer, and I'm stoked for it! First, in a few weeks, my friend Nicolle will be coming to PHX to visit family of hers and we should be able to hang for a few days. She may be able to stay here at the house, but if not a hotel may be in order for her to be close to her fam. Nothing is nailed down yet. It will be good to catchup with her, reminisce about the old school days and maybe get her in touch again with my cousin, her former best friend.

Then...brace yourselves....Dirty is coming in August. Hide your kids and stock up on bleach and purell sanitizer, Dirty Ryan is slated to visit the states, hopefully AZ included, in August. He has free shelter available here and I'm sure that Doug and I will spoil him and his wife while they are here. it will be a joyous time when the trizan gets re-united for a few days! I'm thoroughly stoked.

I'm debating getting a weight bench/station set to compliment my elliptical machine (which has been awesome!), or to save up more and get a 220v switch installed out on the patio (along with finding a solid dentist, a A/C guy and a great mechanic, I've stumbled upon a electrician...all i need is a good plumber, carpenter and butcher and I'm set!) and getting a spa.

That is all for now....as you were.

We kick ass

Only a US soldier can jump out of the sack and man a SAW (squad automatic weapon) and engage the taliban in Afghanistan while wearing pink boxers with little hearts on them and flip flops for shoes...kick ass.

Holy Cool Balls Batman!

Oh man, the bain of living in a desert is that once in a while your A/C unit takes a shit. That and whatever can go wrong, will. Last night I go to the bathroom, lift up the seat and snap...the plastic bolt snaps. Ok, new toilet seat is no biggie. I do it manana. I chill out, head to bed. i notice that even though the air blower for that side of the house is on, its hot as hell in there at 11pm. Strange. So i go to adjust the A/C temp and see that its 80+ degrees in the bedroom and that the A/C unit is not turning on. Man...and Thursday is supposed to be a hot one. I get up after a sweaty, almost sleepless night and fiddle with the controls again to no avail. All I can say is thank jeezy that I have a friend that works for a A/C company.

I call Greg up and find out he's on his way home from work, so he is still in his grubbys and has his van. While I wait for him to come by in a hour, I work on the overgrown jungle that is my garden. The grape vines are producing a lot of grapes and have officially overtaken one complete side of the garden and the entire fenceline. I had to even cut back 4 foot sections of new shoots that were starting to overtake the 9 ft tall citrus trees. At least I'll have fruit, and better yet, maybe wine!

Greg cruises over, dismantles the unit and immediately finds the problem. He heads to the parts store, comes back and replaces not only the blown out ones, but other components too that should be replaced along with it. The only thing I had to pay for was $24 in parts. Sweet. I gave my thanks and let him get home and shower. Afterwards, as murphy's law would go, I got the hose out to spray off all the condenser coils that were caked with dust (that's where all my cash is going) and wouldn't you know it, water gets turned on and POW! Hose bursts.

At least I'm headed to the hardware store anyways. I head out, get a new hose, toilet seat and some batteries...(and a weird look from the checker...I told him it was a bad day in the bathroom..ha!) Came back, hosed off the coils and immediately noticed a coool difference....ahhh air!!!

Fixed the crapper, showered, finished laundry and am finally able to relax. You know what that calls for? A nice relaxing night and a good steak. Maybe a beer too. Either way, one of them is calling me.

Affirmation goals

I've thought about doing a daily chore in the past few weeks, and I am really thinking of enforcing it. By all means, there is absolutely no negative repercussions to doing it, in fact the only side effects should be making myself and possibly those around me (depending on the chore) better people.

The daily chore could be seemingly asinine and totally worthless or it could be almost insurmountable and monumental. What is it? I can't say as this randomly picked chore or action will change on a daily, if not at a moment's notice. Its the premise of the actual deed that is the true test.

That premise, that I have set for myself is this- Every day, rain or shine, sick, healthy, hungover, pissed off busy or lazy, i have to do one thing, one chore, one deed. Just one. But that deed needs to be done in the absolutely the best way I can at that time. Whether it be to make a great breakfast, a great workout, to write a great story, pour a perfect drink, have a great conversation, have a super nap, pick a perfect pepper, whatever. It has to be done to the best of my ability. That way i can avoid saying I didn't have a unproductive day, or to say one good thing happened on a bad day. It may seem a little dumb at first, but the point is driven home after you think about it for a bit.

Food for thought (literally), so far today, to the best of my ability, I cleaned out and organized my fridge. Then again, the day is young.

Lessons I learned from Ex's

Ah the lessons that one learns over the years of joys, toils, heartaches, dramas, tender moments and the oddball Rx of horsepills and drunken interludes. It all adds up to experience in the endgame. As it usually ends up being 99.9 % of the time, you never know why you were in a relationship until its over. When it finally does end, chances are pretty good too that you won't really figure it out right away either of the purpose of your time in it. It may come to you 2 days, 2 weeks or 16 years later. Don't worry, it will come by and smack you in the face.

I want to be the optimist in adding up the cumulative lessons learned by my past girlfriends and most of them are positive learning experiences. I can only count 4 real solid girlfriends in my 20 years of liking the female gender.

Amber(2 yrs) was my first girlfriend. I was 21 and in my junior year of college. She was a freshman. She was young, pretty and energetic. Unfortunately at the time she was very...very immature. So was I though, but I tried to play it off as if I wasn't. The girl liked to cut loose and not take life too serious. That was our major issue. I tried to be a regulator around the house and failed in doing so. I was however successful in playing the unfun-loving ass. My lesson was to learn to let go and enjoy life while having a balance of calm and rational security.

Heather(2 1/2-3 yrs) was my second girlfriend. It was the first time I actually felt in love with someone. If things didn't go horribly sour, we would have been married by now. I was a senior in college and working at the Vine in Tempe. She came in as my new boss (which definitely had perks). We hooked up together, soon moved in together and started a life. I loved her family very much and I was accepted as an equal. What ruined things was my lack of attention to the relationship and to her. It was the direct opposite from the relationship with Amber. I let go too often with blatant disregard to her needs and emotions. I went out to drink and party with my friends, most of the time without her. That started the general erosion of the relationship, which led to me doing a lot of really dumb things. In the end it came to a head a few days after Christmas in 2002 and having her move out and leave for good. The lesson learned was that now you have the ability to let go and enjoy life, don't forget that you need to take your significant other along with you on this journey, and not to forget that they have needs to be filled too.

Carley(9 mos.) was my third girlfriend. Oh jeez...where could I possibly begin with this one? How about what the fuck was I thinking with this?? I was working at Giligins and met her there. I'll give her some credit, she had a awesome body, of which I could never touch. The honeymoon ended real quick on this one. 2 months in and I should have already seen signs that I needed an escape route. To this day I have yet to meet someone that controlling, that temperamental, that superficial, that much of a perfect example of a Scottsdale Bitch. 9 total months of beratement, friend banishment, unsolicited nonconstructive criticism, and general malaise. In the end it ended by her having sex one last time with me to get herself off, rolling off, placing the ring I bought for her on my chest and saying we're done and to please not give the ring to another girl. Don't worry Carl...I didn't. I actually spit on them and threw them in the trash. Lesson learned, i will never, ever let someone control me, tell me who, what, where, or how I need to be. I will stay true to myself and never compromise that. Someone will love me for who I am, not what you can turn me into...oh, and never ever,unless a proposal is made, move in with a girl.

Crystal (2 1/2 yrs) was the seemingly unstoppable force with a heart of glass. A punk tattooed lifestyle who could not only scrapbook and change your oil, but look good going it. She got burned bad in her last relationship, so I think she enjoyed not being in a rough situation like that anymore. We enjoyed plenty of good times together, and even though we were off and on for 2 1/2 years, we never fought once. Where things failed was first with my lack of stronger communication, two getting too comfortable in the relationship and letting things get stale, and three not having a full commitment to a pursuit of something lifelong (marriage i.e.) which in most cases pretty much guarantees that its not gonna happen. But we kept trying to get things back on track. Quite a few times at that. In the end though, I think we both realized that enough was enough and it shouldn't be seemingly this hard to reach a goal. At least it didn't end badly in my personal opinion, then again, I don't know what sits in her heart. Lesson learned, despite what well intentioned feelings you have for the other person, if you have to work too hard at it to make it work, having your heart exposed while doing it and it just isn't working, let it go. You can't make something appear out of the blue if it just isn't there.

Sidenote-Something just occurred to me in regards to the last one, that it was the only relationship wherein I didn't have one bad thing to say about the person after it was over.

Granted there were a lot more notes, little lessons, undertones and reasons that happened in all 4 of my relationships, but I think these were the major ones.

Have I learned other smaller lessons from others that I've "dated" but not been in a relationship with, yeah, such as don't do the out of state thing, don't date someone who is a virgin, or is on Prozac, or is on the bad side of a being a single mom, or mysteriously starts showing up places where you are all the time...jeez!

How long is it going to take to get a fully rounded relationship that doesn't look like its going to end? I can't answer that. I don't even know if I'm going to be lucky in finally finding that one person. Besides, I don't think its based on what you learn from relationships (although it definitely helps), but also from your balance as a person in your own life. Then again, aren't things supposed to just possibly magically "click" too??

tonights dinner

spaghetti & meatballs for dinner, here's what i did.

1 pack semolina spaghetti

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage (chub ok)

1/2 yellow onion

1 can diced tomato

1 jar basil tomato sauce

1 handful fresh parsley

1 cup panko bread crumbs(1/2 cup separated)

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs(1/2 cup separated)

1 egg

salt

pepper

red pepper

italian seasoning

1 tbl sp worcheshire sauce

1 tbl sp minced garlic

olive oil

red wine

preheat oven to 375

fill a large pot with water on high to boil and to cook pasta

in a large bowl, combine meats, 1/2 breadcrumbs,egg, parsley, garlic, onion, spices (to taste), worcheshire. knead together with hands til mixed.

take 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment and baking racks on top (to drain fat).

By hand, form

1 1/2 inch meatballs by rolling in your hand. place remaining breadcrumbs in a large sided bowl or mug. place rolled meatballs in, and roll to cover with crumbs. place meatballs on the racks 2 inches apart. you should get 9 per sheet. You should have about 1 1/2 cups meat leftover. Place in 375 oven for 55 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile take leftover meat and place in a large, heated saucepan with a good helping of olive oil and brown meat for about 5-10 minutes.

reduce heat to low. add in diced tomato, tomato sauce, a dash of red wine. simmer for 20 or more minutes.

cook pasta accordingly in large pot.

when done to personal preference, combine sauce with pasta, add meatballs separately.

This process will go a lot smoother and quicker if you drink the remainder of the bottle of wine while doing this. ;D