4 days to go

Wow.

My fantasy football team is now officially 4 and 0. I won by a margin of about 40 points this week. You've got to love a year like this. Hockey season starts in 8 days, too. This is getting to be exciting.

Unfortunately, classes for the bodhran don't start until the 27th of October. I can wait, though. It's worth it. It'll be fun to learn a new instrument, after all. Self-improvement is king. I should probably figure out my regular class schedule before I start doing music lessons again, though. It just might be smart to set a priority here.

Yes, well, it's smart of me to think ahead. I can probably find some self-tutorial to get myself going. Seems like a google search is in order.

I'll report back findings.

5 days to go
Part II: Fox TV and UPS both suck.

Well, the FOX thing is from yesterday. I'm sure those of you who were enjoying the Vikings thrashing the 49ers noticed that the game never came back on after halftime. And yes, I called WLFD Chicago and got through to the newsroom, who told me to call the network in Los Angeles. Sadly, their voicemailbox was full when I called. They probably had a couple other calls from angry Vikings fans.

UPS, well they suck because they tried to deliver my package on Friday, then again today, and I guess they were waiting around the corner or something, because as my roommate went to get food at the Chinese place around the corner(literally around the corner) that's when they tried to deliver my package. So yeah, they suck, too.

Ok, on to happier things!

Ok, on to Monday Night Football! Oh. I've got to wait 3 hours before I get there, don't I. Damn.

Ok. I'll do some schoolwork first, then I'll get some football in, then get some sleep in.

All will be well.

5 days to go

It doesn't even bother me that 5 is such a small number. Kinda like Chicago weather, though, wait 5 minutes, it'll change.

I finished second overall in my fantasy baseball league. I don't think I've ever gotten higher than 4th. Good for me.

As of right now, my fantasy football team is up by almost 70 points, against the only other undefeated team. Again, good for me.

So, things seem to be lookin up for the good ol' Dave.

6 days to go
Part II: just enough time....

We got second place in the pub quiz tonight.

I found out that I made an ass of myself with a friend of a friend on Friday(tongue twister?) by making references to my age(or soon to be age) too often(she's a little older than I, and I apologize).

I did, however, receive one of my birthday presents to myself. I got my bodhran(it's an Irish drum). It has a Guinness logo on it, and it's about one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I almost cried when I got it.

Seriously.

Time for bed, though.

I'll play tomorrow.

6 days to go

I woke up with my boots on.

I think that's all that needs to be said.

7 days to go

I had a whole thing written earlier, something about, well, who cares.

The Cubs are going to the playoffs. Good for them.

I feel old, mostly because my knees are going funny again. And I biked something close to 15 miles this morning. That, and it's only a week until my birthday.

Feel for me, people!

8 days to go
Part II: Rain delay

I don't have time for a rain delay. Neither do the Cubs, but I'm more important to me than they are. Sound smug? Well, whatever.

It's presently pouring, and somewhere nearby an old man is snoring, and I am waterlogged. My solution? I'm going to take a shower. At least I'll be getting all the acid rain off my body. And it will be a warm shower. Yummy!

Ah. It's the weekend. I'm free for, well, nothing really. I've got schoolwork to do, I've got websites to program and my neighbor's computer to fix. Sometime on Sunday, I'm going to watch football and veg out. I think I've earned it.

It's only one week until my party, 8 days until the big, fat ugly 3-zero. Sympathy cards are accepted.

8 days to go

It seems I need to practice lucid dreaming. I had a doozy last night, which completely ran away from me.

I was, for some unknown reason, at the Bears-Packers game on Monday night. I, for some reason, during a play, ran onto the field and beat up the Packers' kicker, Ryan Longwell. He was pretty easy to lay out, too. I then ran back to my friends. I had gotten away with it. At least for the time being.

I'll skip the details from here on out. Let's just say that my overwhelming guilt(an emotion I don't usually feel) caused me to turn myself in. I wasn't punished at all(after all, Chicago hates the Packers, as do I), but I was told that I had opened myself up to a lot of problems, up to and including having my friend's boss' season tickets revoked because of my behaviour.

So, am I too passionate about sports lately? Nah. Hockey doesn't start for another 12 days. While I do like football, I'd rather be at a hockey game any day.

Me, I think it's all about how much I hate the Packers, but would feel guilty about helping the Bears win.

Take that, subconscious mind!

9 days to go
Part II: It's the little things

This morning, I shaved my head in a different way. Suddenly, I'm much happier.
At lunch, our waitress knew what sodas to bring us, because we've gotten predictable. I like having a "usual" even if it is Sprite.

Tomorrow, I'm going to have a beer with lunch, just to throw her off. I am sometimes evil like that.

I was asked for the millionth time last night about what I want for my birthday. I don't blame this person for asking, nor do I resent it, I just haven't taken time to think about it. So, I'll make a wish list that's far too expensive for anyone to want to spend, but still reasonable enough that someone might(sucker!):

An authentic 1980 US hockey jersey with Neal Broten's number on it.
Season 6 and 7 of Star Trek: The Next Generation(don't worry, I've got 1-5 already).
A bottle of Macallan 30-year old scotch(although I think someone already got this).
A new computer desk.
A new dresser.
An authentic Minnesota Wild jersey(road) with my number(73) and name(uh, Ahrens)*.
A plasma monitor.
A new computer, for that matter.
Season tickets to the Chicago Wolves.

Looking for something more reasonable? Good. Most of those presents are in the $100-1500 range, something I couldn't expect anyone to spend on me. I like DVD's. I like music. I like hockey. Can I be more specific? If I really thought about it. I'm not going to list out every CD and DVD I want right now. I'm sure Blogspot.com is really happy I'm not.

Anyways, a wish list is just that, a wish list.

I've got Simpsons to watch now(season 3 is out on DVD!). More blogstastic stuff later.





*I already have a Wolves authentic on the way, one of my presents to myself.

9 days to go

Oh shit. We're in single digits now. I wasn't expecting that. Quite an ironic statement for someone who knows math as well as I do. Not to mention that the countdown was my idea in the first place.

I had a sleep breakdown last night. I just couldn't stay awake. This is a good thing- I really needed some extra sleep. This did, however, lead to a bizarre dream about cross-country travels through Canada and the U.S. By train, no less. And I got lost before we got to where ever we were going in Canada. Try explaining that to a border guard.

It was a weird dream. Even the parts I tried to fix didn't make sense(hence the train trip through Canada).

I promised I was going to cut down on parenthetical notations(sorry about that).

I'm probably going to be late for work(again) unless I get my ass in gear.

10 days to go

Well, let's see.

The sleep study has begun. I don't really have the time, but sleep is important, so I should look into what's what in my head, right?

So far, it seems that dreams are what's waking me up in the middle of the night. Of course, after one night of analysis, that's hardly conclusive.

We'll see, though. We will see.

It's 9 days to the big party, 10 days to the big birthday. I'd be willing to be you that both of those might be contributing to the insomnia, tack on the last couple week's worth of bad happenings, and well, looks like we've got a reason to not sleep.

Anyways, we're not going all the way there, not this morning, especially since, by the big board, I'm late in getting to work.

Cheers, everyone.

11 days to go
Part II: The search for newer, better taquerias.

Taco Cafe by North and Ashland- very good food. I'm almost never down in that neighborhood, but I gotta tell ya, good food. Damn good food.

Wow. That could be possibly everything I have to say.

I'm sure there'll be more later.

11 days to go

Backwards morning?

It seemed like my morning was going backwards. I'm sure it's nothing, jus a little weird, though. Probably because I was in the middle of a dream when the alarm went off. This is not a good sign. I need to find a way to get some sleep. It might be time for me to start another self sleep research project.

I'm sleepy, in case you didn't pick up on that. Someone's started a rumor that there's going to be a stripper at my birthday party. For the record, I don't like strippers. I really don't. Besides, I'm turning 30, not getting married.

Oh well. I'm going to be late for work if I keep going here. Not that this would be too bad. I should be nice, though.

12 days to go
Part II: found something...

I haven't done a TTPAAS for quite some time, but I don't think I need to get into the reasons I've been distracted by it. Check out this article and tell me how you feel about getting older.

Scary, yes?

12 days to go

I knew I forgot to do something yesterday. Hope you guys didn't miss me.

I spent the day watching football, then the night doing pubquiz. We have too much fun doing that.

I know, it's not terribly exciting for all of you, but I like it.

Wow. I've got nothing else this morning. Slow news day, I guess.

14 days to go
Part II: Changing of the seasons

I know it's almost here. Wanna know how?

I woke up this morning because my cat was virtually stapled to my side. Huddling for warmth. She's like that.

Funny, yes?

14 days to go

I had a bizarre dream this morning that I had an e-mail account I didn't know about at classmates.com. People I wanted to hear from were getting pissed at me for not replying, and I didn't know that they were trying to get a hold of me.

Turns out I do have a mailbox(who knew?) but I don't have any messages. I guess that's a good sign.

I've become increasingly tired of online communities. It's nice and all that we have this message board to get in touch with each other, but I'm just not in the mood anymore. Apathy is, after all, the queen of my world.

That's all for this morning. I can't believe that it's only 2 week until my birthday. Someone pinch me.

15 days to go
Part II: The Friday Five is a bad one for me this week.

But we're going to get through it. Promise.

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

That's pretty easy. Johnny Cash is my standalone fav. His music speaks to me like nothing else.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?
I firmly believe that I would like Rush if it weren't for Geddy Lee's voice. It's too whiny. There are others, but this is the one closest to the surface right now.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?
I'd like to think so, but I never got the chance to meet him, so I'm not sure.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

I have been to more concerts than I can think of. I'd have to say that my top five are(in no real order):

Morhpine(Cure for Pain and Good tour), both at First Avenue, Minneapolis.
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, Global a Go-Go tour, Metro, Chicago, 2002.
G. Love and Special Sauce/Soul Coughing/Spearhead, Minneapolis Riverfest, circa 1995.
Smog, Supper Tour, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, 2003.
Flaming Lips, Soft Bulletin Tour, Vic Theatre, Chicago, 2000.


5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from downloading free music?

Frankly, it's complete bullshit that they are attempting to sue people for exchanging music. First of all, if album prices weren't so astronomical(I used to work in a record store, and I know how much it takes to make a CD), people wouldn't feel the need to share files as much. And even if prices weren't so high, well, there's this other thing: RADIO. I can call up any radio station and ask them to play a song, and hey presto! I've got it all to my greedy little self, to share with friends or copy endlessly. It's been going on since cassettes were invented, and it'll be going on long after CD's are gone. The only major difference is that now that we have the internet, we are able to share this music without their control. Across all borders, in all nations, everywhere. It's barely traceable, and hardly hurting the artists. Most artists are stuck in contracts that severely limit their cut from the proverbial pie already. We're actually lining the pockets of, guess who- executives who really only found the talent(in most cases, someone else did), they don't have it. Having known way too many struggling musicians, I feel absolutely no remorse that some record label bigwig won't be able to pay off his coke dealer this week because I wanted to hear something obscure from a band which I already own all the other albums of, or get a preview of the new one coming out. I buy albums. I download music. Sometimes I download something because I'm curious, then I buy the album because I like what I hear. I mean, why is it, do you think, that you can go to pretty much any music store's website and listen before you buy? C'mon world, take a side!

Ok. I'll keep ranting about this for a couple hours, if we're not careful. I'm pretty sure my connection would fry if I kept going, anyways.

Needless to day, I think it's a steaming crock of shit.

Back to my humble little life, I'm going to do some cleaning this weekend, along with some website programming, along with some planning of a funeral. I'm too tired and emotionally spent to try to do anything else, methinks.

So, go forth and download. Support your local artists, and stick it to the man.

15 days to go

Only 15. 2 weeks to the party.

How excited am I? Well, it's not important anymore.

Sure it is, I'm just too busy to pay attention right now.

Speaking of which, I need to hit the road soon. Yeech. I don't feel like working today. Not in the slightest.

16 days to go

Today was a little easier than yesterday, I can say.

I highly recommend buying the new Warren Zevon album. I've heard a few more tracks, and I gotta say I'm a fan.

I also highly recommend living life to the fullest, something I'm going to readopt.

So everyone knows, the big birthday bash is going to be:

Friday, October 3rd
8pm til hell freezes over
Sylvie's Triple D
1902 W. Irving Park Road

See you there.

17 days to go
Part III: it's finally hit me.

Nothing to say.

17 days to go
Part II: Feeling, I guess, better.

Why and how is this possible? I don't feel worse. I'm still alive. Thus, I'm feeling, I guess, better.

I just downloaded(yeah come for me, ya bastards!) Warren Zevon's version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." It's really, really, really good. There's a part towards the end where the backup singers are repeating the "knock knock knockin' on heaven's door" and in the background you hear Warren singing "open up, open up, open up..."

It's hard to listen too, really. Kinda like watching the VH1 thing on him... he's just so damn casual about his impending death. Watch it, and you'll see what I mean.

I was just looking over the past 5 posts or so. This is the most I've written lately. I seriously haven't been up to it. Fortunately, I've got friends who care about me who are helping me through all this. You guys are great. Thanks. Especially those who, like me, are dealing with the multiple whammies right now. We were on the phone for a good hour plus last night. I think we both really needed it.

Anyways, I'm going to have a drink with my roommate. We've earned it, methinks.

17 days to go

After learning how my friend died, I can tell you that doctors don't know everything. They make mistakes, and there's sometimes nothing they can do. It's sad, really, because we're going to have a hard time making arrangements, as he has no next of kin. I don't want to get into it. It's just a lot of stuff myself and several other people didn't think we'd ever have to deal with. It's a little overwhelming, to say the least.

I'm just unmotivated to do anything else right now. I spent most of last night talking about death, which kinda saps everything else.

I'm going to try to go to work now.

Be good.

18 days to go
Part II: I'm still standing.

I hate to quote Elton John in my blog, but I had to. I'm a fighter. A very tired one, but I'm still here.

Take that, world.

Sometime this week I'm planning on just coming home and sleeping. And maybe, sometime in the next week or two, I might be happy.

For now, I'm hungry. I need to eat something.

18 days to go

So tired.

I'm holding myself together this morning. Seems like all those things that were important to me a week ago are suddenly silly.

Just as a warning to everyone, I'm no longer accepting bad news this week. If you have bad news, I'll require written notice of at least 3 days.

That's all I've got this morning.

19 days to go
Part III: Contemplative

Here's a link to an article on Johnny Cash's funeral. There's a link there for pictures, too.

19 days to go
Part II: Who's next?

I got word that a friend of mine died this morning. I've said it before and I'll repeat it now, that I don't handle loss very well. I think this is a test.

I am so emotionally drained right now. I just want a nap.

19 days to go

Well, if you haven't already done your shopping, time is running out.

Sorry. I'm being cute. I'm not really one who enjoys getting presents. I do, but I'm not expecting them.

Turns out I do know where the celebration is. Turns out it's at Sylvie's. Good to know. One less thing to worry about.

Ok. I'm being lazy today, I should be working much harder on my senior project stuff. I'll go do that now.

20 days to go

I'm home. Finally. I'm here to grieve in the privacy of my own home now. Just I won't do it quite right now.

Maybe a little later.

We'll see.

Short blog, as I'm turning right back around and out the door.

21 days to go

Wow. Three weeks left of my twenties. You guys ready?

Last night's wedding was absolutely beautiful. I kinda needed the pick me up, too. The DJ did play Ring of Fire towards the end of the night. I decided I would stand outside with the smokers when that was playing. I knew I would start crying. I am, despite my rugged exterior, a softie at heart.

Today, I am at my mom's house on Lake Pokegama, just outside Pine City, MN.

It's really nice up here, a touch chilly, but nothing a guy who wears shorts year round couldn't handle. It's all good.

So, I'm going to go get lunch, but wanted to drop a quick blog in your laps.

Cheers.

22 days to go
Part III: More on Johnny, Warren and John

I never really got onto the Warren and John aspect of my week. It's been a rough week for me, losing these people who are very special to me. John was one of my dad's closest friends for years, and a friend of my family all through my formative years, although I hadn't been able to see him too often since I moved away.

I've blogged on and on before about how I don't handle loss well. My list of heroes has dwindled, at least as far as those who are still with us, but I had a friend remind me of someone who definitely should be on my list, and I'm going to add him to it. Right now.

The list:
Johnny Cash
John Lennon
Mark Sandman
Joe Strummer
Herb Brooks
Kirby Puckett
My dad(who is probably getting misty over the fact that he's on this list)
Wendell Young

The first 5 are no longer living. The last 3 are.

Ok, because there hasn't been one ounce of levity in a single post I've made today, I'm going to do the Friday five:

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed?

I go by Dave instead of David, other than that, it's the same as it was when it was printed almost 30 years go.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?

I think my name is ok, the first two are a little too common, but they're relatively balanced out by my relatively rare last name. I might consider changing my last name when and if I get married, but we're not there yet.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)

One theory is that I was named for my dad's first-year college roommate. It's really all I know about the subject.

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?

I knew a girl in grade school whose first name was Caden. I'm also rather partial to Zoe.

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com / triggur.org / astroexpert accurate? How or how isn't it?

I'll leave that judgement to my readers, but from kabalarians.com:

The name of Dave creates a quick, analytical, and clever mind; you are creative, versatile, original, and independent. You have large ambitions, and it is difficult for you to be tolerant and understanding of those who desire less in life or who are more slow and methodical by nature. Patience is not your forte. You do, however, have leadership ability and would never be happy in a subservient position. You are ambitious and aggressive by nature. You would be happiest in positions where you are free to express individually and creatively and where opportunities are not restricted; you desire freedom, and do not tolerate being possessed by others. You appreciate change and travel, and the opportunity to meet and mix with others, and to influence them with your creative ideas. You are very self-confident and feel you can accomplish anything you set out to do, and you can, although, this name does not allow proper completion of undertakings, and forced changes cause financial losses and bitter experiences. This name also creates caustic expression and moods which prevent harmony and happiness in close association.

With that, I bid you all a good day, and would like to again thank everyone who has called or written me today. I have to get ready for tonight, so I will blog again tomorrow.

Ode to Johnny in his own words:

And we'll all be equal
Under the grass
'Cuz god's got a heaven
For a country trash

22 days to go
Part II: More on Johnny, Warren, and John

I'd like to start by thanking everyone who has called or written me this morning. You are good friends, and I won't forget your kindness. I think that Wendy summed up my feelings best. Today, I lost a family member.

I haven't been able to really look at it yet, but here's the link for the Rolling Stone Tribute.

Me, I'm off for lunch. Life does have to go on, no matter what I think or feel.

Thanks again, everyone.

22 days to go

This is the saddest Friday I've seen in some time.

For those who haven't heard, my hero, Johnny Cash, died this morning. My dad told me this morning. I guess this would explain why I couldn't sleep last night. I'm not going to say too much about it at this point, as I haven't really started to feel it. I was kinda expecting it, after all I was surprised that he lived a week after June died in, ironically, June. I'm sure this will hit me tonight, sometime while I'm dancing at my friend's wedding like that proverbial ton of bricks, and I will turn into a sniveling baby. We'll have to see.

More on this later.

560 hours to go

I'm getting ready to head to St. Paul. This should be a fun weekend. I predict that I will come back a little happier.

I'm also a lot less depressing in my writings right now. I don't have time to be thoughtful. Sorry.

So, I'm off, I'll do my best to blog this weekend, but no guarantees.

23 days to go

Ok, because that number has gotten impressively depressing and small, I've decided that I'll try out a new countdown.

569 hours to go

This number is rounded off, higher, of course, to the nearest whole hour. There are certain things I don't want to deal with in fractions. This would be one of them.

Here's something I haven't talked about this week, something I rarely want to talk about, but there were 2 people who were very cool who passed away this week(I'm sure there are undoubted more than that, but I'm sharply aware of these two). Warren Zevon, of course, succombed to lung cancer. Also, a family friend of mine lost his battle to cancer this week.

As has been previously stated in this blog, I don't handle loss very well. These were great men, people I respected very much. They will be missed.

My very quick note on the September 11th thing for this morning. I remember both of the past two years the sky was crystal blue. Today, it's hazy here in Chicago. I'm not sure what that means, but it means something.

I'm off to work now. Be excellent to one another.

24 days to go
Part III: I'm a nerd, I really, really am.

If you google Logan's Dave, the first two things that come up is my cute little blog.

Just gloating! Why? I don't know!

24 days to go
Part II: What a silly day.

Ok, not really silly, but rather dull, insofaras I didn't feel challenged. This is typical. Although I'll more than make up for it tonight by having to do 3 loads of laundry, pack, and clean around the house before I go out of town tomorrow. Not to mention work on two websites.

I strive on leaving things until the last minute.

There are still no specific plans for the birthday. My roommate and I might be splitting the celebration, which will only make things more hectic, but at least I can leave the planning to him. Or, do what I expect myself to do, leave it to the last minute.

There have been 185 hits to my Boston pictures, and 122 to Kim's birthday. Either lots of people are reading this, or lots of people are somehow finding my picture page. You tell me- I'm just guessing.

Or is it really just 4 of you, repeatedly checking on my pictures? Hmmm?

Think about this, as I'm about to do it:

Is it creepy or egotistical to google yourself?

24 days to go

Two dozen days remain until the crystal flashes red for the last time. After that, it's carousel, and hopefully renewal.

Ok. I haven't watched Logan's Run in a while(since I quit Tower, actually), but the theme is kinda what's behind this little corner of the internet. In case you hadn't picked up on that.

Wow. I hadn't realized how late it was in the morning. Seems my roommate and I are vieing for the bathroom at the same time. So, gotta run!

25 days to go
Part III: Picture update

All of the pictures from the Sox/Sox game are up, and most of the Kim's b-day and party pictures are up. Epson is taking some time updating.

So, in case you've forgotten and are too lazy to go through the last couple days of blogs, here's how you get there:

Access this site and in the box labeled "view my friend's photos,"

type in:

daveahrens@lycos.com

You can get them that way.

Blog on!

25 days to go
Part II: Less philosophical.

Yeah, I was pensive this morning. Now, I'm a miserable mess of allergies and blood and dust and particleboard. Don't worry. It's not life threatening.

I leave for my friend's wedding on Thursday. I'm stuck in my usual quandry. I never know what to get people. Even if they're registered someplace, it's hard as hell for me to pick out this stuff. I usually give cash, because I know that can be used to pay expenses, get a bottle of champagne on the honeymoon, stuff like that.

This is, of course, said by the same man who only 2 months ago discovered what a sham and dustruffle are. I am, in a decorating sense, completely clueless. Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies, right?

Right?

25 days to go

Last night after watching football, I watched this amazing Ric Burns documentary on New York on WTTW 11. It started out as a history of the towers, then, of course, ended with the whole 9/11 thing. Of course, this stirred up all those memories about that day, and here we are almost two years later. I remembered everything about that day all at once.

I don't want to get into a whole philosophical thing about it- I was just feeling guilty, as I have always thought of myself as lucky, seeing as how I used to live and work in NYC, and my train used to go underneath the complex- not exactly a comforting thought.

Well, life does go on, despite all the tragedy from that day. Me, I'll be flying on Thursday even. I'm headed on a quick flight to St. Paul to go see my friend's wedding on Friday night. Take that Al-Queda.

So, let's get onto brighter things. With the Tampa Bay win yesterday, I have now gone 13-3 in picks for week 1. Not bad at all. My fantasy football team won, too, outscoring the entire league.

I decided to see if I could go without allergy medication yesterday. This was stupid. Just so y'all knew.

I'm back on it now.

Time for me to get to work, otherwise I'll be late.

26 days to go

Yeah, so I didn't have time to blog this morning. The great and really wonderful thing about Lycos mail being down all last week is that they're still delivering all the messages from those 5 days. They should finish by tomorrow, but it makes me feel so loved and important to get all these messages. I had 15 messages this morning in 2 accounts on Lycos. I could feel the love, people!

We won pub quiz last night. Schlitzkreig all the way people. Special thanks to our special guests, too.
I am currently 12-3 picking football this weekend. My fantasy football and baseball teams are doing well, too.
Sometimes the world smiles on me.

Vikings beat the Packers at Lambeau Field. I haven't been this happy this far into a football season in 5 years. Sox and Cubs are in first place for the first time since 1906. What a country!

Sorry for the excessive sports blogging. I guess I'm in that state of mind. And for some reason, I'm really craving salad. This is kinda unusual. I think a trip to the Jewel is in my future. A salad in a bag and some ranch dressing. That would really hit the spot.

Ok. Seems like this isn't going to go away, so I'm going to have to satify my salad craving. Ruffage beware! Caveat salador?

26 days to go

Drunken blogging.

I love football. Don't worry, hockey isn't threatened. My first love is always my greatest.

Those of you who are close are probably making comments to yourselves.

I don't blame you.

Me, it's time for bed. I'm 12 and 3 in my picks league right now. I'm sleepy. Let's all cope.

27 days to go

Wow. This weekend has been a weird one. I'll almost be happy to go to work on Monday. It's almost over, though, and I'll be watching football in a couple hours, so life will return to normal.

I see that there have been over 100 hits to the Boston pictures, thanks to everyone who's checked them out.

I've decided not to do the updates anymore. I got tired of them. Who am I kidding. I'll do it again, just not today. It's getting depressing to weigh myself that often. I will say that the TTPAAS is going to Orange. My roommate's girlfriend helped me feel better about turning 30. She's really good.

Ok. It's time I got my butt in gear. For what, I have no idea, but I'm going to gear up anyways.

28 days to go
Part II: Changing format(again).

I was just changing the format. I didn't like that other one.

My funniest line from last night(just as a filler, really):

The situation: I was hailing a cab on Irving Park Road, and the cabbie didn't see me until the last possible moment.

"I don't mean to pry, but how could you miss a bald guy in a kilt?"

28 days to go

4 weeks. This is scary, isn't it?

I had a rocky night last night, to put it best. No, I'm not going to blog about it. I just wanted people to know.

Big thanks to those who helped me out, too. You're the greatest.

28 is a perfect number, for those who are wondering. Today, however has not been a perfect day. Of course, the day isn't over yet. I'm going to hold on to that idea.

Pictures from the illustrious birthday party will be posted as soon as I can get around to it. Probably Tuesday.

Ok. Today's update:

I weigh 182 pounds.
I am still 5'9" tall.
I am still 29 years old, with 28 days to go.
I am about to cry over the 28 days to go.
The TTPAAS is still very, very RED. Get used to it. It's crunch time.

Ok. I think that when I actually turn thirty it's going to be strangely anticlimatic. That would suck. After all, it's been something I've dreaded for so long.

Alright. I've got a bunch of stuff to get done today, so I'm going to go and do it.

29 days to go
Part II: Friday Five

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most?

Dishes. I hate, absolutely loathe doing dishes. Ask anyone I've ever lived with. I'll avoid it until it's absolutely necessary, then I'll bitch about it for a week.

2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing?

I guess laundry, maybe sweeping/mopping. I've had several ex girlfriends who, for some absurd reason, got really turned on when I swept or mopped. Someone should really look into that.

3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed?

As needed, but sometimes I'll actually get around to doing it regularly, for about 2 weeks, until I loose interest.

4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules?

I won't do dishes after I clean the catbox. Come to think about it, I won't do anything but shower after I clean the catbox.

5. What was the last thing you cleaned?

I just started a load of laundry(either that or go commando tonight), but I'll be cleaning the catbox after I'm done blogging.

29 days to go

This is getting ugly. 4 weeks and a day. Someone should make it all go away. Please.

Here's the update for this morning:

I weigh 180.5 pounds.
I am still 5' 9" tall.
I am still 29, with 29 days to go.
It is 55 degrees in Chicago with a dewpoint of 50, humidity is at 83%. The pressure is at 30.20 inches and rising with winds from the SSW at 3 mph. Today's pollen forecast is a high 10.0.
I am 1-0 thus far this year in my football picks league. Good for me.
The TTPAAS is still at RED- and seeing as I'm going to a birthday party for someone much younger than I tonight, I'm not expecting the TTPAAS to change at all.

Ok. That's the update. Let's talk about dreams. This morning, I was dreaming about being at my old house in Lauderdale, MN- but for some reason there was a baseball stadium nearby, and there were an awful lot of balls hit into my and my neighbor's yards, but they were completely oblivious to that fact. At one point I jumped over their fence and picked up about 4 baseballs in varying states of decay, and gave them one, then gave the rest to my friends hanging out in my backyard. Then, it was time for me to wake up.

I guess that baseball has been on the mind lately, with all the games I've gone to in the last week or whatever. Not to mention the hubbub around this city regarding the Cubs and Sox. Ah well- as I look up at the big board I see that I'm going to be late for work unless I leave, well, now.

Have a good one!

30 days to go

Ok. It's just horrible to look at. 30. That's absolutely horrible.

Let's put the TTPAAS up to Red. I'm not going to feel good about this.

There are a couple other reasons for this: #1- my friend turned 21 at midnight, so, after the baseball game I took her out for a couple. By a couple, I mean we closed the bar. #2- I was late for work, due to my staying out pretending I turn 21. I don't. I turn 30.

So, there was no blogging this morning. There is also still no e-mail for your humble narrator. I'm getting, shall we call it, extremely pissed about this. You just know that this is the week that employers are offering me jobs through my e-mail account.

I'm hungry. Let's get a taco.

I'm going to put pictures from last night's game up on my epson site later on. There's some funny ones in there.

My day is looking up. I just heard my all time, hands down favorite Homer Simpson line. Here's how it goes:

Skinner: For one thing you wouldn't be getting a French student, you'd be getting an Albanian.

Homer: You mean all white with pink eyes?

The line's from season 1, which means I've been laughing about this for almost 14 years. I know. I should really find something new to laugh at, but hey. I like what I like.

I'm off. I need to get some food in me before my meeting tonight.

31 days to go
Part III: Sox versus Sox.

You might think I love baseball- I don't, really, but I'm going tonight.

Think of it: two Boston games in 5 days. That's pretty good for a guy who lives in Chicago.

Ok. I've got to run, as I have to be all the way on the south side in about 45 minutes.

31 days to go
Part II: Baseball fever!

It's all over the city. With the current situation of both teams going for the playoffs, it's getting wild around here. I'm going tonight, to the Sox vs. Sox game. I'm rooting for the Sox. It's going to be cool.

My e-mail still isn't working. This isn't a surprise. I've still got a day and change to wait for Lycos to get their quails in a queue(that's my new saying- alliteration is king).

So, I'm grumpy and well, we're at almost exactly 1 month until my big, fat, ugly birthday. Yuck.

I'm off. It's just too much to think about right now.

31 days to go

I have just found out that Lycos will be down until 1pm my time on Thursday.

Let's just say, I'm pretty damn pissed.

What does this mean to you? Well, if you're trying to get a hold of me, use the e-mail for my blog:

loganrenew@hotmail.com

It also probably means you won't hear from me for a couple days, besides here.

32 days to go
Part IV or V: something freaky happened at school

Or happened to Blogger.com. Suddenly I couldn't tell if my last post was posted or not.

Well, here's what I said:

The pictures are UP. They don't all have captions, mostly because I wasn't feeling terribly witty, but they're there.

Here's what you do if you want to see them:

Go to this website.

Enter daveahrens@lycos.com in the "view my friend's photos" submission box.

Click on the "Boston 2003" album. Enjoy.

The pictures may take a bit of time to load. I'll work on the file size when I get the chance.

32 days to go
Part III: Frustration

My computer at home is sick. My toe hurts. My allergies are killing me.

I'm feeling awfully whiny right now. Cope with it. I am presently uploading photos to the account that I hope works as far as displaying things to you, my adoring public.

Question: How's your life?

Answer: In progress.

Name the movie.

32 days to go
Part II: What a glorious day!

It was. It was cool, sunny, and one of the worst days to spend having to work. Being on vacation spoiled me. I need to live a life of luxury. I did manage to eat ice cream outside. Ok, that's not completely true- I had a strawberry shortcake ice cream pop standing at the entrance to the Home Depot on North Avenue.

I'm grasping here, people.

I just found out that my e-mail is down right now. I'm a slight bit peeved about this, but I'll get over it. Why, oh why, though, would they choose to do server maintenance in the middle of the day?

I need razors. I need to clip my nails. I'm a mess, really, hygenically speaking. I've earned a long shower, shave and clipping later on, methinks, and I shall award myself. After I go to school and get the pictures up and running online.

I've had Pictures of Matchstickmen and You stuck in my head for two days. Don't worry. I've managed to get two versions of it. I feel better. Sorry there isn't a link to the song, but I couldn't find a link. Sorry.

You know what I didn't think about all day? My impending birthday. Except for now. Now, of course, I'm in a moderate panic. I'm containing myself. Listening to comforting music. Right now the soundtrack of my life(that is to say, what I'm playing on my computer) is playing Heat of the Moment by Asia. Live with it. I'm a child of the, well, 70's and 80's after all.

There you have it. I believe it's time I got myself together to get to school. Be good.

32 days to go

Irony. It's what's life is all about.

I rolled over about 2:30 in the morning to feel something cold and/or wet on my back. Turns out it was, drumroll please, my old watch. Alive and well. I'm guessing my cat had hidden it somewhere and brought it back. Of course, that's a little far-fetched, but I wouldn't put it past her. So, the big decision is: what does a guy do with two watches? Fortunately, I have a job where it's good to have a separate watch, so one becomes the rugged, beat-up one, the other is for nice, regular activities. Seems sensible, no?

Ah well. Myself, like most of America, will be headed back to work this morning. This isn't so cool. We'll all just have to cope, though, and it's time. Man, did I ever have a good weekend, though. Too much fun.

But here we are. Time to make the world work again.

33 days to go
Part II: Sweet Home Chicago

I promised myself I wouldn't make reference to that song when I got back. Guess I lied.

Ok. Let's talk about the pictures. I'm having one hell of a time getting the system to work. I'm trying hard, though, folks. It's not something I think I should do from a dialup. I'm going to burn them on CD and take them to school tomorrow. I'll have them up on a website after that.

Maybe I'll get a few over to my geocities site. I'll try that. No guarantees.

33 days to go

Wow. 33 is a small number, and it reminds me of records.

I'm heading home in a little bit. Wendy's g key isn't working too well. It's making typing a little funny.

You know what I like about travelling? I really like watching local news. I like to see how other people see things. Not to mention that you can learn about a new city's geography by watching the weather.

Just a couple random thoughts this morning.

We saw the Magdalene Sisters yesterday. I recommend it. It's powerful and makes you mad.

Ok. I'm leaving on a jet plane soon, so I'm going to get going.