May is a good month for birthdays. This week Kamille and Maci had birthdays. Had a sword class and practiced cutting swimming noodles. Noticed right before I left house for work I was wearing black shoes when I needed to wear brown shoes. Female survey person came to my door. Told her I wasn't interested. When she started to talk again, I more forcefully, yet gently, told her no. Friend I communicate with had LASIK surgery. I have to sit down and write about my experience. Even though it's been 5 years still strange not to wear glasses/contact lens. Went to Wal-Marts and got California Rolls. Had neck pains on my left side over the weekend. Happy Mother's Day.
This week went by too fast. Went to a local restaurant within walking distance from home. They have frozen margaritas for 99¢. I was the youngest (by 10 years) and thinnest (by 50 pounds) person there, including females! Bought some t-shirts with Brian 4.com on them from Brand X custom store. Got a new hummingbird feeder. Normal birds don't like it because they can't get sugar water but I don't think the hummingbirds like it either so I might have to take it out. Took a trip to the laundromat. 2 kids, one barefoot the other in a diaper, running around screaming. Went to Phoenix Fish Market and ate raw Canadian Miyagi oysters! I can't describe how much I love eating raw oysters. You can't just go to the corner Piggly Wiggly and get oysters; Fish Market gets their seafood fresh everyday. Monday we didn't have running water at work. Bought and planted a wilting Fox Glove in my backyard. Hollyhocks finally started blooming in my front yard. Went to a friend's college graduation. Nice ceremony. Didn't start on time. Afterwards waited to talk to my friend and take some pictures. Of course by the time I got to the food line everything was gone! Got a phone call from a rep of WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury. She wanted to know if I needed season tickets. I told her I only went to the games when the Detroit Shock were in town! Sticking with Detroit sports, Pistons and Red wings had impressive wins, while Tigers swept the Yankees in New York then proceeded to get ran out Minnesota. Went to see Iron Man movie. I enjoyed it. Stay until after the credits roll for a surprise. I'm a fan of Iron Man: he was in my top 15 characters though I didn't buy his comic book. I thought Robert Downey Jr. did a great job. What civilians don't understand is that any dope or CGI can be the super-character but it's the regular identity that makes the movie. Tobey Maguire is an excellent Peter Parker. Christopher Reeves (R.I.P.) was a phenomenal Clark Kent. Conversely, Brandon Routh wasn't a good Clark Kent and Halle Berry was horrible in Catwoman. Halle, I know you read this, I told you should not have taken that part.
Inside the psyche of Brian: realized after leaving house I was wearing the 'wrong shoes' so I turned around and switched them. Co-Worker's birthday was on Monday and we went to eat lunch at Red Robin. There were four mysterious lights floating in the Phoenix nighttime sky. About 11 years ago there were a series of objects dubbed the Phoenix Lights and supposed were alien space craft. Nothing brings out the crazies/conspiracy theorists like these type of things. This time it was a guy who sent up flares attached to helium balloons. Tuesday again went off base to go out to lunch at Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill. TV show Lost is back on! A great episode with a death that I didn't think they were going to do. Dropped off my vacuum cleaner and air purifier at the Oreck store. I went to Play it Again Sports in the same parking lot. They had an Urban Rebounder and Ab Scissors for $25 each. I was very tempted but didn't buy them. Saturday went to watch Karate school's demonstration team perform at Peoria Safety Fair. Besides going to three Karate classes I performed 4 weight training sessions. This is the first time I've worked out 7 days a week in a long time. Mixed bag for Detroit sports teams. Red Wings and Pistons won; Tigers lost twice. Speaking of Tigers, got my Detroit t-shirts and hat in the mail that I'm wearing to Tigers-Diamondbacks games in May.
My stiff neck continued to Monday. My Karate instructor Master Thompson is also a licensed massage therapist. Monday night he gave my neck an adjustment and it felt much better. Normal stuff during the week. Air Force pushed Office 2007 to my work computer. I like it so far. Went to eat lunch at Ono Hawaiian BBQ and the food was good. We were going to eat at a new restaurant: Taste of Louisiana (no website in 2008?) but it was closed. Well, not closed, but the owner wasn't there and owner told staff not to let anyone come in. This was at 11:15, it opens at 11:00, and the staff said he probably would be there in an hour! Also in the last two weeks this place has ran out of food! Thursday afternoon moved back to my office. Watched Speed Racer trailer and I have zero interest in seeing it. Finally cleaned my house windows, window screens, and hung sun screens back on windows. Sunday was a mixed bag for Detroit sports teams: Redwings won their playoff series against the Predators. Tigers lost to the Blue Jays. Pistons lost to the 76ers. Didn't do much over the weekend.
Two days in a row I loaded the coffee maker but forgot to turn on the timer. I was wearing a Fantastic Four t-shirt. It has the number 4 on it. Someone mentioned Mr. Fantastic. Another person asked is that where Brian 4 came from. While I was a huge Fantastic Four fan growing up (my first two comic books were F.F.) and I used to 'play' Reed Richards when us kids played superheroes, that's not where the 4 comes from. Had to switch work offices while my office is getting painted. In the 8 years of working at the 607 ACS I've sat in 7 different rooms. Watched the new Iron Man trailer. Either this movie is going to be 4 hours long or jammed packed going from one concept to another. Also watched Prom Night trailer. I saw the first version with Jamie Lee Curtis back in 1980 and that was enough. We lost power at work when a transformer blew up. We normally would have rolling blackouts every summer but last year we didn't lose electricity. Detroit Tigers finally won a game. Went to an Energy Healing seminar at the Karate school. There were three different instructors going over three different techniques. For some reason, as I'm typing this I have a stiff neck. Sorry Mederma Girl: I still notice your scar and not you.
Monday morning I ran with my Air Force co-workers. We ran 2.2 miles. My time was good and I didn't push myself too hard. Even with stretching, my tights always hurt after big runs. Funny how I can open Google Earth and can spend an hour looking up stuff around the world. Ate lunch at my desk three days this week. I don't like eating at my desk but I had a lot of work to do. Wednesday in Karate class I was sparing and almost torn off my left thumb nail. Still hurts. Went to ATM. No money popped out. The machine clicked then some money came out. As I tried to grab it the funds got sucked back in. I went right into the bank with the receipt. Bank didn't bother to help, just said 'call your bank.' Did I mention I have an account at that bank? Went to the mall and finally got two watches repaired. Now that I'm wearing a watch again my left arm feels normal. Friday night couldn't go to sleep because I had a massive left leg cramp. Saturday afternoon went to a pizza party with the Karate school. Saturday night went to my neighborhood's movie night in the park. They had an information session then served hot dogs & drinks. The movie was Transformers. I didn't stay to watch. What's going on with my Detroit Tigers? Lost their first 6 games and are the only team in Major League Baseball that hasn't won this season? Sunday finally got caught up on several tasks. Friday night between the 3rd and 4th Karate classes I was standing outside getting some air. As I was looking the other way, I heard car brakes screech and a crunch. Couldn't initially tell but found out a motorcycle ran into a car in the middle of the street. I helped wave oncoming cars out of the way. I briefly talked to the driver. Later found out that motorcyclist died.
Tossed and turned in bed all Sunday night/Monday morning. Monday my Detroit Pistons whipped Phoenix Suns in Motown. Typical Phoenix fans claimed the referees cost Suns the game. Whatever. Got the call saying my computer is fixed. I had a bad RAM strip that had to be removed. Ordering a new one but since my desktop is a 2002 Gateway it might be hard to find. Also went back to the car dealer to get a small oil leak fixed. It took 10 minutes to fix but it took 20 minutes to go 10 miles to the dealer. Let's don't mention how much gas prices are. Made one of those Bertolli dinners: Orecchiette and brocolli in a white wine sauce. Orecchiette is firm noodle that look likes little frisbees. I first had it when I lived in Italy. Designed a modified strength program that I can effectively do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Made a mistake and left my sunglasses on a hot seat and almost fried my face off. Went to a going away party and had greasy pizza and cheap cola. Worked late on Friday so I missed 3 of 4 Karate classes. Saturday morning ate breakfast at McDonald's. Helped judge two Karate tests. Went to Applebees for dinner and had Riblets. Sunday went to R.T. ÒSullivans to watch Wrestlemania 24. Since I arrived late I had to sit on the patio. There was a 20-year old kid who kept coming up to me wanting to talk about the matches. A guy sitting near me said Raven-Symoné is getting fat. I said always has been, always will be. Drank a couple of pints of Black & Tan (BTW they make their B&T with Smithwicks instead of Bass). Ate meatloaf sliders. Overall, I had a good time.
Sorry this was late. My desktop started up on Wednesday with the dreaded Blue Screen. I turned it into a local computer repair shop. They had it over the weekend. I couldn't get onto the website from my laptop to make updates. So if you checked it said "Happy St. Patrick's Day" for a week! Monday during the Black Belt portion of Karate class we practiced using our swords. Tuesday we had members of the Canadian Air Force visit my job. I gave two briefings and it went well. Went to lunch at Manuel's. Thursday went to Olive Garden for lunch with people who work in the Training office with me. Had to reset my cellphone twice. Dropped my key chain and broke it. It was a Murano key chain given to me by the Nissan dealer. Added more stuff including banana peels to my compost pile. Watched Oprah's For Men Only show. It was interesting. Friday morning I woke up. I was just about to put in eye drops and get out of bed when I looked at the clock. I woke up two hours early! Of course I went back to sleep! That morning watched the last episode of Lost for 6 weeks. I liked it. Got the car oil changed. Saturday morning a garden guy, my neighbor and I pulled up one of my dead palm trees. I haven't decided what to put there. Afterwards I was doing some light yard work and found two baby birds hopping around. Too young to fly. Their mother was hanging around to make sure nothing happened to them. Talked to my father on Easter. He got the birthday card that I sent him. Took a picture with the Easter Bunny.
Nightmare of the Week wasn't that exciting, just being chased by some unknown enemy. Two different McDonald's ran out of Shamrock shakes. Monday went to lunch at Manuel's Mexican Restaurant. Supposed to meet co-workers there. I arrived first. They never showed. When I was leaving I checked the bar side and they were sitting over there! Funny how they didn't see my car: Pewter Muruno with Brian 4 license plates on front and back. Talked to Jay Monday night. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer got caught up in a sex scandal and quit. I say the Spitzers will quietly divorce in 18 months. I predicted (not in this blog but another one) that Arizona's favorite son, a nude dancer for 'mostly male clientele, American Idol contestant David Hernandez would be voted off during a week where there would be a big news story. I guess the AI producers decided to strike early and kick him off. Wednesday night I was grilling some garlic toast and while I went to check e-mail I left it on the stove and burned it. I normally get up early Friday morning so I can watch TV show Lost instead of Thursday nights. I woke up before midnight on Thursday and couldn't get back to sleep. Started watching the Twilight Zone (two very good episodes: the Fugitive and Little Girl Lost). Finally fell asleep. I decided not to shave my head and face so I could get an extra hour of sleep. Built a small compost pile in my backyard to kill a dead palm tree stump. Tragedy: found two cracked hummingbird eggs, one with a very small bird. Got kicked in the front thigh in Karate class on Friday and it still hurts Sunday night.
Starting a new feature: Nightmare of the Week. I was surrounding by five guys and they were going to give me a heart transplant; my heart for some old guys heart. I couldn't fight five so I gave up. The battery that came with my cellphone is worthless. I do anything on it and it suddenly is down to 30%. There's a contest at work called Mustache March where guys (and females) grow a mustache for the month and whoever has the (best/worst) wins a prize. I always have a mustache so I decided to keep it shaved for the entire month. Monday I left my ID card at work so Tuesday morning a friend had to bring it to the gate so I could get in. Also on Tuesday I created a new strength training program that's about 40 minutes so I will start doing that on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Needed to get some pants hemmed and it costs $12! I thought that was expensive then I found out that's the going rate. As I was going through some bank statements noticed that in March 2006 gas was $2.52 and $2.55 March 2007. Went to the laundromat to wash the heavyweight Tang Soo Do uniform. Got a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's. Besides normal tasks, didn't do much over the weekend. Daylight Savings Time. Arizona doesn't do the switch so now I'm on Pacific time or 3 hours behind the East Coast.
Very busy week, yet kind of bland. I reached my eighth year of working at my civilian job/living in Phoenix on 29 February. My great-aunt was born on 29 February. Went to our monthly work luncheon, this time at Shane's Rib Shack. I had the "Big Dad" pork sandwich. I thought it was okay so I can't recommend it or Shane's. I had a very frustrating Karate class on Friday. I saw two movie trailers that I'm excited about: Indiana Jones and Iron Man. We had really good weather. Best of all, the sky was clear. Did junk around the house over the weekend.
Tuesday night I'm on the computer and someone knocks on the door. I open it and there is a crazy female, who looked like Buckwheat on crack! She said she was sorry and that she was looking for 'a little white girl.' I would swear it was a dream. I went to see the movie Jumper at Arizona Mills mall. At first I was going to wait until it was on DVD but as I saw the previews, I decided to go to the show. I liked it, but they set it up to have a sequel. Before the movie I went to Arizona Falls. This is a restored hydroelectric plant in the middle of Phoenix. After movies went to Game Works and played the original Donkey Kong and Dig Dug. Two females told me I was lucky that I have good genes: tall and thin. I couldn't see the Lunar eclipse because it was cloudy. We had clear nights the days before and after the eclipse. Cancelled home delivery water service. I'm now going to a store that sells water refills. Hard to believe I started that service in 2003. The phone rep tried to get me to change my mind. My delivery driver also called wanting to know why I stopped. Bought Trefoils from one Girl Scout troop and Thin Mints from another set of Girl Scouts. Sunday watched Detroit Pistons destroy Phoenix Suns in NBA basketball by 30 points. Like I told someone: my body may be in Phoenix but my heart will always be in Motown!
Talked to my Dad. While driving to work, thought I left my ID card at home. I turned around as I was feeling inside the center console. About 2 minutes later I found it. Had several good sword practice sessions. I bought new weight lifting gloves. I've been using my old ones for 10 years. Got some rain on Friday. Weekend weather was nice. I went to the coffee house Saturday and I saw varying modes of dress. My nose was runny starting Saturday afternoon. I went to the drug store and got Claritin-D. I took 3 hours before I noticed a real difference. While I was in the super market, a guy asked if I was a basketball player. He thought I was A.C. Green! I haven't heard that in years. 60 Minutes had a good report questioning does the U.S. need the Penny.
Worked another late night but it was worth it because I continue to make progress on my project. We had hail Monday afternoon. Hail was small and melted when it hit the ground but still made noise when it hit my window. I might have helped kill my plants because we had a frost warning Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and I didn't cover them. Practiced with my sword Thursday evening. Mr. Denslow presented me with another sword on Friday. Saturday morning I went to a book sale put on by VNSA It's a big event here and there was a line outside of the door. Most of the books are $1. I bought some computer and exercise books. It was held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds and parking was supposed to be $5, they charged $7 and I parked across the street and walked in for $3. I went by Encanto Park in central Phoenix.
Back to a normal work week. Worked late a couple of days but I made progress on a major task. Went to a Homeowners Association meeting. This time it went by in a timely manner. Went to Wildflower Bread Company for a breakfast meeting. Had french toast which wasn't that good. Had a weird dream, more like three separate dreams starring my Mom, sister, and brother in Detroit. My Dad didn't make an appearance. Planted Gladiolus bulbs in my yard. Got California Rolls on Saturday. Recycled aluminum cans and I got $1.23 plus there was 69¢ in the machine. Went to the gas station and a fat female was talking on the phone while pumping gas. I parked away from her car just in case she blew up. Phoenix was crazy during the week because of the Superbowl. My house is only 3 miles away from University of Phoenix stadium. There were sky writers flying over my house. The last 4 minutes of the game were exciting. TV show Lost is back on!!!
Spent some time reflecting on Dr. King's message during MLK Day. Seemed like a normal five-day work week even though I had Monday off. Just like everyone else, I was surprised to hear about Heath Ledger dying. It's going to be creepy watching the Dark Knight when it comes out in July. Finally finished watching all episodes of TV show Lost season 3. Weather was great on Saturday, rained on Sunday. Went to a bar/restaurant to watch WWE Royal Rumble. Of course I had 2 Black & Tans. I had a great time.
A co-worker, Shelicia Greer, had her retirement ceremony on Friday. Very nice. Went into Phoenix for an ASIS luncheon. Between the drive and actual lunch my work day was gone. Went to four Karate classes this week. The sword I commissioned finally arrived. I bought a Fusion razor months ago and finally used it. I like it. Went to lunch at Jimmy Buffett's Maragaritaville restaurant. Food was okay but we waited almost 40 minutes to get our receipts. I almost walked out and didn't pay. Speaking of paying, twice on Friday I left work and house without my wallet. I think Eddie Murphy and Tracy Edmunds had the shortest marriage since Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley. Went to see movie Cloverfield. I had mixed feelings about it. Did some light shopping over the weekend.
Went back to the Dentist. I should be good for a while. Afterwards I had tomato soup and goldfish crackers for dinner. I never ate tomato soup as a kid so I thought I wouldn't like it but its good. Went to a meeting in Phoenix on Saturday so I ran a lot of errands including taking pictures at Arizona state capital memorial park. I went to 3 comic book stores looking for two books. I bought an Egg Nog cake. I warm it up then top it with french vanilla ice cream. I love cake just like a fat kid
A new year gives us a chance to reflex on the past year and look forward to accomplishing new things. Went to a wedding. One of my Karate instructors, Ryan Rodgers married Melissa. It was an outdoor wedding in the afternoon and the weather was great. Reception was held at the same place. Food was good. Danced for a while. I had a great time. Watched a lot of TV show DVD Lost season 3. Watched several episodes of Twilight Zone marathon on Sci-Fi Network. I don't like to look at the TV on screen guide because I'll see an episode that I want to watch. Rained during the weekend. Got some sushi. What I haven't had in a long time are raw oysters. I love oysters-on-the-half-shell. The two things I miss about living in Florida is fresh year around seafood and sweet tea. Sent a letter to local paper regarding how Phoenix is changing to a Detroit sports town and it was published.
Christmas Eve I ran some errands including going to the laundromat to wash my heavyweight Tang Soo Do uniform. I brought the notebook and was watching a Qi-Gong DVD. Qi-Gong is a Chinese form of exercise and self-healing. I watched all 24 hours of TV show 24 on DVD. Wednesday went to gas-up the car. My latch to my gas cap wouldn't open! I drove to the closest Nissan dealer on gas flumes. The locking mechanism was stuck. My neighbors gave me some delicious tamales. They also gave me oranges and grapefruit from the trees in their backyard. Thursday went back to Dentist. He gave me so much Novocain that the left side of my face was frozen and I could barely speak. Friday night went to American Legion. After doing some shopping, Saturday I watched Detroit Red Wings beat Phoenix Coyotes hockey. Of course I supported Detroit by wearing a 2003 Stanley Cup hat and 1997/1998 Stanley Cup sweater, both bought by my Dad. The arena (Jobbing.com Arena) is very close to my house. It took longer to find a parking spot (9 minutes) than it did to drive from my house to the arena (7 minutes). Red Wing tickets costs $8 more than any other team/game. There were just as many Wings fans as Coyote fans. I talked to an older couple, guy wearing Detroit and wife wearing Phoenix. He told me that they are Coyote fans except when Red Wings come to town. I got one of the greatest Christmas gifts ever: Guitar Hero for PC!
Overslept Monday. Not sure how since I looked at the alarm clock before I went to sleep. Had a weird nightmare about a neighbor in Detroit that committed suicide. Yuk. We've had horrible air quality during the week. We had our annual Christmas work party. It's usually a dinner but changed this year to a lunch. We did a White Elephant gift swap. I picked a dart board and decided to keep it and no one stole it from me. Went to my Butcher Dentist appointment. I was a member of a three-person team that judged holiday lights in my neighborhood. I'm happy to serve my community. Friday morning drive it rained for ¼ of a mile. Saturday I finally went to see Blade Runner. I've never seen it (it came out in 1982), only bits and pieces. This was the director's final cut. I knew it was being re-released in theaters but I didn't think it was playing in Phoenix. I just happened to look at the movie guide and looked at a small movie art house on the other side of town and realized it was there. I thought Blade Runner was alright.
Both Lea Smith and Mariah Smith had birthdays this week. My office sponsored a family for Christmas. I bought clothes for a 2-year old (Isaac). I also bought small toys for the two other kids. We delivered the gifts. Here is our picture with Mom and Isaac. Tuesday morning I was so tired that I accidentally used a mug to break a glass on my countertop. Didn't realize that Montgomery Wards lives on as an Internet website. Had the air conditioner/handler serviced. I read an article then watched Cartoon Network's Robot Chicken Christmas Special. Gross humor but some parts were funny. I have to refill hummingbird feeders only once a week instead of twice. I guess some of the birds have left for the winter. The weather is getting better. Morning are cold but warms up by afternoon.
Week was okay. School's over. Called Jay at the end of the Ravens/Patriots NFL game. Watched Victoria Secret program on Tuesday. Interesting that it was on late so no kids would be up to watch it. I'm glad I recorded it because I could fast-forward pass the fluff. I got an arm off of a Saguaro cactus. If done right, I can replant it and it will grow into a full cactus. Planted some wildfire seeds in my backyard. Got TV show 24 season 6 DVDs. My least favorite season. It started off incredible but slowed down at the end. Found out that TV show Lost has mini episodes on the Internet. Lost season 3 DVDs come out on Tuesday. I'll watch Lost and 24 during Christmas break. Went to Wal-Marts and played X-Box 360 Guitar Hero. Someone broke the guitar and it was harder to play. There is a computer version of Guitar Hero which sounds appealing. Went to Best Buy and played the demo for the drums on Rock Star. The drums are MUCH harder than the guitar! Went by Karate school for a Christmas party and saw Santa Claus. Cold and rainy over the weekend.
On Friday and Saturday we got some real rain. Funny how there was a small river right in front of my house. I always talk about doing yard work. I trimmed the Desert Spoon in my front yard. Here is the before and after. Switched to flannel sheets. My squadron commander, Todd Scott, got promoted to Colonel, which is a very big deal. Here we are. I had huge pieces of cake on Friday and Saturday. Went to eat at Wendy's because they brought back Jalapeño Cheddar Double Melt hamburgers. I remember when I first went to Wendy's. I was in the 7th grade (12 years old) and went during a school trip. McDonalds and Burger King were big in my neighborhood and we drove a long way just to go to Wendys. My condolences to Sean Taylor's family. Definitely a tragedy.
Good Thanksgiving Day. Went over two different friends house. Talked to my Mom, Pop, Karen and Michael. I did stuff around the house on Black Friday but went shopping on Saturday. Started a new weight training program: Version 4. The weather changed. It's now jacket weather at night. Saturday I turned on the heat in my house. I went back to Wal-Marts and got some California Rolls. Very good. One of my most anticipated events happened: Oprah's "My Favorite Things" show. I love it! The long weekend went by way too fast.
My original Tang Soo Do Karate instructor, Rich Denslow, came back and taught some classes. It finally rained after 41 days, but only a trace or enough to get your car dirty. I went to the new Wal-Marts in my neighbourhood twice. First was to check it out and get some canned vegetables for food drive. I was disappointed because Guitar Demo wasn't there. I went back to buy gravy for work Thanksgiving lunch and was happy because they put Guitar Hero back up. There were samples so I had the sushi chef make me a fresh California Roll. I forgot how much I like them. Next week I'm going back to buy some. On Friday I forgot to pick up a local newspaper. Instead of driving, I decided to ride my bicycle! I haven't rode in a long time. The Phoenix area has a lot of bicycle/running trails and there is one being built right outside of my subdivision. Once its connected, I could ride my bike all across the Valley.
Great Veteran's Day. Funny moment: I was helping out teaching Karate. I looked at the wall clock and it said 7:25. We didn't realize it was actually 7:50 and class ends at 7:30. Went to a Homeowners Association meeting on Tuesday. It usually lasts an hour. When I see 'new' people there, especially neighbours that I know, that means they're here to complain. So I was there for two hours. We've had record heat over the week with 90° days. Watched Oprah when she had the Osmond family on. As kids we use to watch Donny & Marie show. Worked the NASCAR race on Saturday. I always enjoy that. When the race starts our business slows down and that's when it's boring. Went to the Lions/Cardinals game. Of course I wore my Detroit gear that my Dad bought for me. Just like last year, there were a lot of Lions fans. Met up with tail-gating friends. Sat surrounded by Cards fans. Guy next to me wanted to sing 'Rapper's Delight.' As I was leaving, I told every Lions fan "at least we still have a winning record."
Went to the Get Motivated seminar. Featured speakers were Suze Orman, Zig Ziglar, and Colin Powell. I had a good time. Halloween was okay. I dressed up with a dreadlock wig and tattoo arm sleeves. I became one of those 'middle-aged uncool guys' when I saw a teen who goes to my Karate school and told his friends that he was a Karate Master. I apologized to Seth right after I said it. I gave out ¾ of my candy. We got new at-home recycling bins so I don't have to drive to take my stuff to the usual containers. I lost electricity for four minutes Friday morning. I had soap on my hands and face. By the time I could check to see if it was just my house or the entire neighbourhood, the lights were back on.
Practiced with a live sword in Karate class. Makes me a little nervous but I need to get used to holding/swinging a sharp blade. Got new tires for the car. I found out that I get 5¢ per bag every time I used my grocery bags. Speaking of being green, I made 74¢ in soda pop cans. I dropped my electric razor. I only use it to trim my mustache and beard. Latest You Tube videos have been of the Benny Hill show. Benny used to come on at 11:30 on UHF channel 50 in Detroit when I was a kid. I would stay up in the summer and watch it. Very sorry to see those devastating California wildfires.
It must be fall because I picked up my first gallon of apple cider. I like cider either cold or hot. My weight training has been reduced, due to going to Investing class and parts of my weekend doing other things. I've averaged only two days a week and sometimes one day a week over the past three months. I have been doing Karate but my weight training supplements that. Speaking of Tang Soo Do, on Saturday I watched three of our young students test for their Black Belts. It was very similar to my test. I'm still on track to test for my second degree Belt in May but I'm going to need to get my endurance up. Ate breakfast at McDonald's. I love those McGriddles. Had dinner at El Pollo Loco . Watched a little bit of Idaho Senator Larry Craig and his wife Suzanne lie to Matt Lauer on NBC. Went shopping and got Halloween costume and candy and some comfortable house shoes. Does the 'good old boy' network still exist? Of course.
Helped out with a Karate tournament. Went to see Transformers and Live Free or Die Hard. I was a little too old when Transformers was a cartoon but I thought the idea and toys were cool. Movie was okay. I loved the first Die Hard and have seen it several times. Live Free was good. Between movies drank a Black&Tan. Bought some recyclable grocery bags. I used to get paper bags instead of plastic bags. Drank one of those Odwalla Superfood concoctions.
Spent more time on You Tube this week, looking at Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 videos. Jell-O has three new flavors which has either mint, caramel, or chocolate chips in it. The Marion Jones story is unbelievable. Believe it or not, I took the city bus to the mall. I didn't feel like driving and I read an article about riding the bus. It's a five-minute walk to the bus stop from my house and it takes you directly to the mall. The price was $1.50 and I didn't have any problems.
I made a mistake when I thought I sealed my Cheetos (Puffy not Crunchy) bag. When I made my lunch I realized that it didn't close well and turned stale. I bring basically the same lunch everyday for the last 18 years: sandwich, potato chips, pasta like Spaghetti-Os, and desert like pudding. On Saturday went to Black Belt class and afterwards helped out with belt testing at my school. Watched X-Men 3 on DVD. I was a Wolverine fan before it was cool to be a Wolverine fan, but it was too much Wolvie for me. I bought some new plants for my backyard. Also the Cuban Lily which I thought was dead started growing and now has purple flowers.
Why was this late? I have some normal-sized birds that try to get the sugar water out of my feeders. I found a new add-on to Google Earth: a flight simulator. I've played it a couple of times but couldn't get the hang of maneuvering. Took the car in to get an oil change. I have a few ring tones on my cell phone. I refuse to pay for them and I found some free ones. I set up Master Thompson's phone number as the sound of a Whooping Crane. On Wednesday I heard the Cranes but I didn't realize it was my phone ringing. Very lazy weekend. Another police officer died, killed after stopping someone who had a warrant and was jay-walking. Nick Erfle was 33 years old, two-time cancer survivor, married with two young sons.
I went to watch WNBA's Detroit Shock play Phoenix Mercury. I wore my championship 2003 shirt and 2006 hat. I cheered (loudly) for Detroit through most of the game. About 2 minutes left, I turned around and saw a female crying. I told her it's just one game. Then a father who was sitting a few seats away asked for me to stop cheering because I was upsetting his young son attending his first game. I apologized and informed the father that if he would have spoke to me earlier I would have toned it down. Sweet revenge: Mercury win the WNBA title. Thursday I had a car problem. I was stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. It ended up being a hose that wasn't connected properly when I got my belts changed last month. I switched back to the original small hummingbird feeder. Running errands on Sunday. I was about to make a left turn into Walgreens parking lot when something falls out of a car coming the opposite way. As it starts walking away, I realize it's a dog! The car quickly pulls over and grabs its leash. I guess the dog jumped/fell out of a window.
I watched Britney Spears on MTV Video Music Awards. While she is bigger than normal, I bet 95% of females would still love to have a body like hers. Every morning, I can see Venus from my bathroom window. Even though its been a year, I still miss ESPN's NFL Primetime on Sundays. The NBC show that took its place is horrible. I stopped to buy gas and found out that a pack of Newport cigarettes are $5.42. After coming home from grocery shopping, I realized I bought regular oatmeal instead of the mixed variety. I drove back to the store and exchanged it!
For some reason, two days in a row, I left sunglasses at home. I usually have an emergency pair in my car. The first day I wasn't that far so I turned around and went back home. I bought a different hummingbird feeder and replaced the smaller one on my patio. I don't think they like the new one. I bought 'regular flavor' oatmeal so I could mix it with flavored packs. I will never do that again because it tasted horrible. I'm not sure why they sell plain oatmeal. I went to Wal-Mart and played Guitar Hero. If I was into video games I definitely would buy it. Karate during the week. Stuff around the house over the weekend.
I started a college class on Thursday: Introduction into Investing. Even though I have two business degrees, I still don't know a lot about investing and the class sounded interesting. Textbook costs $160 at the school bookstore but I went to Barnes and Noble.com and found it for $111. On Friday I went to get the belts changed in my car. There was this lady sitting near me who talked virtually the entire time! She had a comment about everything. Luckily I blocked her out. Went to work and 3 Karate classes. Tried to make some life decisions over the weekend.
Excessive heat all this week. No rain, which is terrible. I watched Comedy Central's Roast of Flavor Flav. It was very funny. Work all week, three Karate classes, and three weight training sessions. Did stuff around the house over the weekend. My sister Karen's birthday was on Saturday. For someone as old as she is, she gets really excited about her birthday.
Only went to two Karate classes. I had to go to the doctor on the other side of town. While it was all freeway driving, it still was very inconvenient. My strength training has been suffering lately because I haven't had the time to do it. I bought NFL tickets so I will attend when the Detroit Lions come to Arizona. I worked in my backyard and did various household tasks over the weekend.
Action-packed week. Very busy with work all week. Tuesday went to see WWE wrestling. Only one Karate class because on Wednesday I went to a meeting. Worked late on Thursday so I only completed a short cardio/stretching routine. Friday attended a sword seminar. Saturday went to Thompson's 3rd annual Karate tournament. I didn't compete this year. I got my official instructor certification. Grandmaster Khalid presented it to me. On Sunday I ran a lot of errands and went to play bowling with my Karate school.
Work and Karate. Ran a few errands. Did some housework. Dropped off stuff at the recycle bin. I made 89¢ in soda pop cans. Went to see the Simpsons Movie. I remember back in 1989 when I was living in Detroit. I was going out on a date and the female wanted to watch the first Simpsons episode before we left. I didn't get it, but after watching the Simpsons for a while, I started to like it. Today it's still funny. Tragedy times two in Phoenix when on Friday two news helicopters hit each other and crashed into Indian School Park, which is in the middle of Phoenix. Four people inside the copters died. Miraculously, no one on the ground was injured. Also a Phoenix police officer was killed in the line of duty, leaving a wife and two young sons.
Regular work week including working late two nights. Four Karate classes including a Saturday board/brick seminar. Had to drive into downtown Phoenix twice. I had to go to the laundromat to wash a new Karate heavyweight uniform I bought. It didn't fit well in my machine. Had a discussion at work regarding salt. I never put salt on my food. That led to talking about butter. When I grew up, we always had margarine. I didn't like the taste of butter because I was used to margarine. Now I only buy butter. I love watching infomercials. I watched a new show on ABC called Just for Laughs. JFL had two infomerials selling videos of their jokes. A sign that I'm getting old: I saw a picture of 18-year-old Zoë Kravitz. I can remember when Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz got married and she was born.
Back to five-day work week. Karate class every night, so I could help out with pre-testing. Testing Saturday afternoon. Saturday night went to In-N-Out Burger. Sunday catching up on errands. Ran out of shaving cream so I had to use shaving gel. I like gel for my face but like cream when shaving my head. Watched Prince William and Prince Harry on Today.com. Very good interview. The battery in my notebook died so I had to buy a new one. One of my new obsessions is to hang out on You Tube. I'm surprised the amount of stuff that people saved over the years. There are wrestling matches/angles that I haven't seen since it was live. Some of the better videos are the cigarette commercials from the 50s and 60s, including a 'doctor' who said smoking is good for you!
Great week. Celebrated the Fourth of July. Short work week. Couple of Karate classes. Finally went to see Fantastic Four: the Rise of the Silver Surfer. Overall I liked it but it could have been better. Went to the mall. Got the car washed. Finally went to visit my old Karate instructor Richard Denslow. I haven't seen him in almost two years. I know I should have reached out sooner to contact him but for some reason I didn't. It was great to see Rich and his family again. We had a good conversation.
Crazy week with the Chris Benoit story. As you well know, I'm a wrestling fan. I thought Chris was a great wrestler. Still can't believe he murdered his family then committed suicide. His wife Nancy was a manager named Woman. I remember my mother thought that was the funniest thing. Normal junk at work. Three Karate classes. I'm starting to work with a sword. My new workout program is going well. The legs/shoulders/triceps routine is taking too long so I'm going to have to cut a set. I bought a new iron. The Oreck cordless just can't put in creases the way I like. I cleaned my yard on Saturday and went to a meeting on Sunday.