Well, it's been almost a year since my last post and a number of things have happened since then. I mostly post things to Twitter or Facebook, so updates here are rare.
I'll be posting reviews on my review blog, and updating other items, so this blog will serve mainly to hold those long posts that I want to write - since Facebook doesn't save anything (for example I can't find my eulogy for Twerp after he died) and Twitter's too fucking short for long thought-out replies.
For example, I was in a long long-distance relationship with someone and that really hasn't been discussed anywhere. Yeah, there's a few oblique tweets, and a short post on facebook after the ties were cut, but no, there's no really long-winded soul-searching expiation, expurgation, or really even an explanation of what happened.
So, hey, something to look forward to. Yep, one of the long sagas in my life that can be boiled down to a few choice statements:
I have a very vivid and detailed sexual imagination;
If you trust a proven liar, it may come back to bite you;
Love is a wonderful thing - but yes, Virginia, there is madness there;
One person in love does not a couple make; and,
No matter how hard you try, you can never convince yourself to fall in love - you either do, or you don't.
Okay... I've potted my aloe plants, swept the patio, paid the rent, taken my medicine, and now for a couple of reviews. If you want to read them, go to http://a-few-movies.blogspot.com.
And maybe, just maybe, the stick-to-it-iveness that I have when I'm pursuing love may just redound to keeping my blogs active.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
911 call...
So, last night went out with James and Beth to Cliff's (after a nice little grilled chicken dinner).
On the way home, I passed what I thought was a black woman asleep in a wheelchair right next to a major road - Merrill. Thinking of the woman who had died in the NY hospital waiting room, I called 911 to report what I saw. For all I knew, she could be asleep or dead, that the wheelchair could accidentally roll into the roadway, no telling what could happen.
Then I made a u-turn, almost hitting someone, and circled back to see if she needed help or what was going on. When I got back, I noticed it was an older white guy and it looked like he was drunk. I asked him if he needed help, and he said he wanted to go to Famous Amos. I was taken aback, and told him I'd called for help for him. He didn't seem to be in distress, but I called 911 back and updated my call, again stressing that it wasn't a safe situation for him to be out in a wheelchair in the dark at 3am. I then went home.
Don't know if they ever showed up, but I hope the guy is ok.
On the way home, I passed what I thought was a black woman asleep in a wheelchair right next to a major road - Merrill. Thinking of the woman who had died in the NY hospital waiting room, I called 911 to report what I saw. For all I knew, she could be asleep or dead, that the wheelchair could accidentally roll into the roadway, no telling what could happen.
Then I made a u-turn, almost hitting someone, and circled back to see if she needed help or what was going on. When I got back, I noticed it was an older white guy and it looked like he was drunk. I asked him if he needed help, and he said he wanted to go to Famous Amos. I was taken aback, and told him I'd called for help for him. He didn't seem to be in distress, but I called 911 back and updated my call, again stressing that it wasn't a safe situation for him to be out in a wheelchair in the dark at 3am. I then went home.
Don't know if they ever showed up, but I hope the guy is ok.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Continuing...
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Well, I'm back......
Category: Travel and Places
Well, it's a Saturday evening and I'm home. Actually got home yesterday evening around 3pm.
Basic rundown of last couple of days ---
Thursday had a last lunch with Senhor Rubens and Dona Lourdes. Then we finished packing and they, Dani, I, and Maria went to the airport. Made a little loop near the Santos Dumont airport (the domestic airport - we had arrived at the international airport) and then we got there. It was raining a little all day, and Senhor Rubens said Rio was crying that Dani was leaving.
Well, the flight was delayed, so the ticket person gave us a ticket on an earlier flight (they were all delayed as the rain slowed down everything air traffic-wise). So we were supposed to take off on a 4:25 flight, but caught a 1:25 flight that had been delayed at 5:00 pm.
I wonder how pissed the people (who had been waiting for much longer apparently) got.
We got to Sao Paulo and there was a discussion over whether we'd need a taxi or find some other way to get to the other airport. The itinerary said "You will be responsible for means of travel between the two [airports]." -- which to me says "taxi". Dani assumed there would be a bus or something and got pissed when I pointed out what the itinerary said.
Needless to say, she expressed severe dissatisfaction with the fact that I paid for a cheaper means of transport.
1. She bitched about having to drive to Miami (I drove, she just complained.) Which then turned into "Let's spend a few days in Miami before we go"
2. She bitched about having the trip stop in Manaus, Belem, and Brasilia before getting to Rio. (She slept on the last two trips, I didn't sleep except for 30 minutes between Brasilia and Rio).
3. She bitched non-stop about having to make any stops, that if she'd had her way, it'd've been non-stop from Miami to Rio and back, with a flight from Jax to Rio (and back) as bookends.
4. She complained about not being in Rio longer (even though she admits she needs to get back to work to make some money).
Well, turns out the airlines have buses from one airport to the other. So we caught the TAM bus to the Sao Paulo international airport (which was pretty nice btw). Took little over an hour and was free, thank God, while a taxi would've taken much longer and probably would've run around R$300 (according to D).
Well, we spent from 8 to 11 at the airport. Ate a little pre-packaged pita sandwich, bought some souvenirs, picked up a copy of Foreign Affairs, and hit the security line.
(Dani got a lot of scrutiny since she now had a carry-on bag full of medicine. That was fun. And it's always fun carrying her crap for her. Believe me, I am not one of those put-on guys who are always happy to carry the gf/wife's bags. They got arms, they carry their shit, that's my opinion. If I carry it, it's my job to make you miserable.)
Well, we got on the plane - flight 8090, an Airbus A330 which actually had a first class section (it was business class on the earlier plane) which looked pretty sweet. Needless to say, A330s over A320/1s, although I still like Airbus. Movie was POTC:DMC, or you could watch toons (Yogi/Fred/Scooby) or Click (the crappy Sandler movie)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383574/ - Pirates
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389860/ - Click
So, the plane took off at midnight local time. After watching the movie, it was four am local, 1am EST. So I managed to take a three hour nap before we landed in Miami at 5:05 am.
Well, getting out of Miami became the trick. I thought that the rental agents would show up at 7, allowing us to rent a car. So we waited from 6 to 7 near the rental car stations. (It took an hour to get off the plane and get Dani and her gear through security and both of us through customs).
(Speaking of which… on the customs form, it tells you to enter the amount of good you purchased and are bringing through customs. So you put that amount [in my case US$50 – I had a SHOPPING BAG in my hand]. Dani said leave it $0 if it's below the amount they allow private, non-commercial purchases [US$400]. That was an argument – Honestly, I am not going to tell people I didn't buy anything when I've got a shopping bag in my hand and they've got weapons. What'll they think - either I'm lying or I stole it.)
Well, we rode to Enterprise. They didn't have any cars, and one-way trips should be reserved beforehand anyway, so they said tough titty. Then we rode to Dollar. Got another Dodge Caliber. (And they're open 24 hours, just catch the shuttle – so I felt foolish for waiting for an hour.) Have I said before that I like that car? Yeah, I do.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Caliber
Enough to get rid of the Mustang? Not really.
Drove back to Jacksonville. Dani slept. Dropped off the luggage, Dani got her car, we dropped off the Dodge at the Jacksonville Airport. Came back home.
Called Doug to let him know we're back (I'd called the family on the drive back – my Dad turned 59 on Friday, so it was a birthday call as well.) Dani called some friends and Philip so she could get Jaws back.
Ordered a pizza, Doug came over and brought the key back. And then, to my surprise, Cameron came in. I'd thought he'd gone back to his truck already (he drives for TransAm Trucking)
So I drove him to his truck in St. Augustine and dropped him off at the truck stop. Had been almost two months since I'd seen him (10/8) and it was good to do so. Of course I was tired so I ended up driving south on I-95 after I dropped him off. Was 20 miles south of St. Aug before I realized what happened.
Came home, ate a slice of pizza and fell asleep.
Home.
Well, I'm back......
Category: Travel and Places
Well, it's a Saturday evening and I'm home. Actually got home yesterday evening around 3pm.
Basic rundown of last couple of days ---
Thursday had a last lunch with Senhor Rubens and Dona Lourdes. Then we finished packing and they, Dani, I, and Maria went to the airport. Made a little loop near the Santos Dumont airport (the domestic airport - we had arrived at the international airport) and then we got there. It was raining a little all day, and Senhor Rubens said Rio was crying that Dani was leaving.
Well, the flight was delayed, so the ticket person gave us a ticket on an earlier flight (they were all delayed as the rain slowed down everything air traffic-wise). So we were supposed to take off on a 4:25 flight, but caught a 1:25 flight that had been delayed at 5:00 pm.
I wonder how pissed the people (who had been waiting for much longer apparently) got.
We got to Sao Paulo and there was a discussion over whether we'd need a taxi or find some other way to get to the other airport. The itinerary said "You will be responsible for means of travel between the two [airports]." -- which to me says "taxi". Dani assumed there would be a bus or something and got pissed when I pointed out what the itinerary said.
Needless to say, she expressed severe dissatisfaction with the fact that I paid for a cheaper means of transport.
1. She bitched about having to drive to Miami (I drove, she just complained.) Which then turned into "Let's spend a few days in Miami before we go"
2. She bitched about having the trip stop in Manaus, Belem, and Brasilia before getting to Rio. (She slept on the last two trips, I didn't sleep except for 30 minutes between Brasilia and Rio).
3. She bitched non-stop about having to make any stops, that if she'd had her way, it'd've been non-stop from Miami to Rio and back, with a flight from Jax to Rio (and back) as bookends.
4. She complained about not being in Rio longer (even though she admits she needs to get back to work to make some money).
Well, turns out the airlines have buses from one airport to the other. So we caught the TAM bus to the Sao Paulo international airport (which was pretty nice btw). Took little over an hour and was free, thank God, while a taxi would've taken much longer and probably would've run around R$300 (according to D).
Well, we spent from 8 to 11 at the airport. Ate a little pre-packaged pita sandwich, bought some souvenirs, picked up a copy of Foreign Affairs, and hit the security line.
(Dani got a lot of scrutiny since she now had a carry-on bag full of medicine. That was fun. And it's always fun carrying her crap for her. Believe me, I am not one of those put-on guys who are always happy to carry the gf/wife's bags. They got arms, they carry their shit, that's my opinion. If I carry it, it's my job to make you miserable.)
Well, we got on the plane - flight 8090, an Airbus A330 which actually had a first class section (it was business class on the earlier plane) which looked pretty sweet. Needless to say, A330s over A320/1s, although I still like Airbus. Movie was POTC:DMC, or you could watch toons (Yogi/Fred/Scooby) or Click (the crappy Sandler movie)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383574/ - Pirates
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389860/ - Click
So, the plane took off at midnight local time. After watching the movie, it was four am local, 1am EST. So I managed to take a three hour nap before we landed in Miami at 5:05 am.
Well, getting out of Miami became the trick. I thought that the rental agents would show up at 7, allowing us to rent a car. So we waited from 6 to 7 near the rental car stations. (It took an hour to get off the plane and get Dani and her gear through security and both of us through customs).
(Speaking of which… on the customs form, it tells you to enter the amount of good you purchased and are bringing through customs. So you put that amount [in my case US$50 – I had a SHOPPING BAG in my hand]. Dani said leave it $0 if it's below the amount they allow private, non-commercial purchases [US$400]. That was an argument – Honestly, I am not going to tell people I didn't buy anything when I've got a shopping bag in my hand and they've got weapons. What'll they think - either I'm lying or I stole it.)
Well, we rode to Enterprise. They didn't have any cars, and one-way trips should be reserved beforehand anyway, so they said tough titty. Then we rode to Dollar. Got another Dodge Caliber. (And they're open 24 hours, just catch the shuttle – so I felt foolish for waiting for an hour.) Have I said before that I like that car? Yeah, I do.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Caliber
Enough to get rid of the Mustang? Not really.
Drove back to Jacksonville. Dani slept. Dropped off the luggage, Dani got her car, we dropped off the Dodge at the Jacksonville Airport. Came back home.
Called Doug to let him know we're back (I'd called the family on the drive back – my Dad turned 59 on Friday, so it was a birthday call as well.) Dani called some friends and Philip so she could get Jaws back.
Ordered a pizza, Doug came over and brought the key back. And then, to my surprise, Cameron came in. I'd thought he'd gone back to his truck already (he drives for TransAm Trucking)
So I drove him to his truck in St. Augustine and dropped him off at the truck stop. Had been almost two months since I'd seen him (10/8) and it was good to do so. Of course I was tired so I ended up driving south on I-95 after I dropped him off. Was 20 miles south of St. Aug before I realized what happened.
Came home, ate a slice of pizza and fell asleep.
Home.
Continuing...
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
The last few days
Current mood: awake
Category: Travel and Places
Well,
Monday didn't do too much. Dani went to the dentist, and I worked on a few things, took a few pictures, wandered around a little.
Tuesday Senhor Rubens introduced me to Brazilian Snooker. Had fun and took a few pics. Pool cue was bad, but the game was fun to play.
Tuesday went out to eat at a place called Shenanigan's and play trivia. Met up with Flavia, Hubert, Anne, Leonardo, and Anna (Paulinho's daughter). We didn't win, but it was a lot of fun. Drank a Pint of Guinness (R$16 here, that's $7... but well worth it) and a Dos Equis and ate Chicken Tenders as an appetizer and a Brendan's Blackened Chicken sandwich.. Total R$61. But, well worth it.
Wednesday, Paulinho showed me some of Downtown, including the Candalãria, the most important Catholic church in Rio. Also saw the Sambodrome and the Maracanés (sp) Football Stadium, which is the largest in Rio, if not elsewhere. He also showed me a few buildings that had importance for the local and national government, and the beaches - how Copacabana is not as great as it used to be since the state tried to increase the beach size, and how Ipanema is much better. Almost no one was on the beach in Botafogo. (Dani had gone to the doctor in the morning.)
After that, Senhor Rubens took Dani and I to take pictures of a business he's investing in. Needed inventory and establishing shots, as well as showing what needs to be fixed. Then we had ice cream at a place called Burgão where they serve beer alongside hamburgers. Not on the scale of a restaurant, it's a burger chain like Burger King (which I haven't seen here), where they actually serve cold beer on tap.
Last night Flavia and Hubert came over and we all had pizza - Paulinho and Dona Cris weren't there, but it was still ok - and Flavia coloured Dani's hair blonde. Hubert showed me his website he created for a model plane club he's a member of in Rio. Pretty neat stuff.
I had this dream where I got a new cat. White but reminded me of Twerp. And there was a dog. And we were far away from home, Cameron and I. And the pets ran back to where we used to live (Chicago for some reason) and broke in through a window. The entire time, that Nickelback song is playing in the background.
That was followed by a dream in which I was scolded for drinking too much, as it apparently leads to sweaty sheets, which means you wash your sheets more often, which leads to people seeing you go to the laundry with bedclothes and sheets, which leads to speculation.
Colour that f'ed up.
This will be my last post before heading back on a jet plane, so...
TTFN
PS. A list of things I've misspelled:
agua com gás (sparking mineral water)
Hubert (not Roberto)
Barra da Tijuca (not 'de')
Anne (not Ani)
"Beto" (not "Berto")
Luana (not Loana)
Senhora (not Senhor, but more properly it should be Dona for older women)
Inglês (not Engles)
Cristina (not Christine)
"beach house" (not "country house" - referring to the one in Coroa Grande)
Coroa Grande (not CorraGrange)
acarajé (not akaraje)
Peace.
The last few days
Current mood: awake
Category: Travel and Places
Well,
Monday didn't do too much. Dani went to the dentist, and I worked on a few things, took a few pictures, wandered around a little.
Tuesday Senhor Rubens introduced me to Brazilian Snooker. Had fun and took a few pics. Pool cue was bad, but the game was fun to play.
Tuesday went out to eat at a place called Shenanigan's and play trivia. Met up with Flavia, Hubert, Anne, Leonardo, and Anna (Paulinho's daughter). We didn't win, but it was a lot of fun. Drank a Pint of Guinness (R$16 here, that's $7... but well worth it) and a Dos Equis and ate Chicken Tenders as an appetizer and a Brendan's Blackened Chicken sandwich.. Total R$61. But, well worth it.
Wednesday, Paulinho showed me some of Downtown, including the Candalãria, the most important Catholic church in Rio. Also saw the Sambodrome and the Maracanés (sp) Football Stadium, which is the largest in Rio, if not elsewhere. He also showed me a few buildings that had importance for the local and national government, and the beaches - how Copacabana is not as great as it used to be since the state tried to increase the beach size, and how Ipanema is much better. Almost no one was on the beach in Botafogo. (Dani had gone to the doctor in the morning.)
After that, Senhor Rubens took Dani and I to take pictures of a business he's investing in. Needed inventory and establishing shots, as well as showing what needs to be fixed. Then we had ice cream at a place called Burgão where they serve beer alongside hamburgers. Not on the scale of a restaurant, it's a burger chain like Burger King (which I haven't seen here), where they actually serve cold beer on tap.
Last night Flavia and Hubert came over and we all had pizza - Paulinho and Dona Cris weren't there, but it was still ok - and Flavia coloured Dani's hair blonde. Hubert showed me his website he created for a model plane club he's a member of in Rio. Pretty neat stuff.
I had this dream where I got a new cat. White but reminded me of Twerp. And there was a dog. And we were far away from home, Cameron and I. And the pets ran back to where we used to live (Chicago for some reason) and broke in through a window. The entire time, that Nickelback song is playing in the background.
That was followed by a dream in which I was scolded for drinking too much, as it apparently leads to sweaty sheets, which means you wash your sheets more often, which leads to people seeing you go to the laundry with bedclothes and sheets, which leads to speculation.
Colour that f'ed up.
This will be my last post before heading back on a jet plane, so...
TTFN
PS. A list of things I've misspelled:
agua com gás (sparking mineral water)
Hubert (not Roberto)
Barra da Tijuca (not 'de')
Anne (not Ani)
"Beto" (not "Berto")
Luana (not Loana)
Senhora (not Senhor, but more properly it should be Dona for older women)
Inglês (not Engles)
Cristina (not Christine)
"beach house" (not "country house" - referring to the one in Coroa Grande)
Coroa Grande (not CorraGrange)
acarajé (not akaraje)
Peace.
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