Good old wal-mart

So mom failed to tell me a big reason we're up here is for Booger's awards banquet. So I brough no dress clothes.

WAL-MART TO THE RESCUE. Yep, grabbed an outfit from wal-mart and damn if it doesn't look stunning, all $20 of it.


And I've crossed new boundaries. Downloaded some crack program to find out the WEP key for BVU's campus. I'm going to have to try it when I get home to see if it really cracks all WEP's that quick. Took me about 2 minutes to google a few words and download the program...and 10 seconds to find out the WEP. And I might mention that I know pretty close to zero about networks.

Time to head to the boog's banquet...

UPDATE: Booger won the big award of the evening...summer after this coming one (i believe) she'll be going to India to study as Ghandi did. Since I know basically nothing about it check out her blog http://leishajo.blogspot.com where I have no doubt she'll have to post something soon about it.

Boog - I'm proud of you

I'm off for a little walk around the lake. (Check out the link, click on the word "lake", in case you've never been to/heard about Storm Lake.) It really is a beautiful thing
Satellite picture of Storm Lake, Iowa

Favorite

Today is one of my Favorite Days....State Music Contest. And my building is one that gets used.

One of the few times I wish I was back in high school again


Glad it's friday...and I'm headed home later. Just work until noon, buzz to bike store to take back a chain cleaner and pick up something different, go home and partially pack for the weekend, go back to class to listen to last day of presentations (which is also the last day of class), meeting at work, back home to finish packing and then head to Odessa

No Go

Looks like I'll be in the Reflector about 40 hours a week this summer. No job at cycleX for me.
I would really like to be mad at them...but I can't bring myself to do it.
I'll just teach myself (with help from a couple manuals...hmmmm...I see a birthday present coming on) how to be a decent mechanic.

Other than a phone call

last night kinda sucked

Working in the Zone was alright, time went by pretty quickly since I was working on article reviews for Health Psychology. Got them done so I've officially done all the work that's required for that class.
What I didn't get much work done for is my Amish Community paper. Its coming up shortly and I'm definately behind. Guess my three hours in the Zone tonight will be spend working on it.

Basketball sucked. It is only the second time in the history of me I could tell very well that I'd eaten the wrong things during the day. (For the record yesterday I ate: 4 donuts for breakfast, 3 for lunch, and McDonalds for dinner). Got to the rec center and had nothing in me. I knew what I wanted my body to do but it wouldn't respond. The past few times I'm in there nobody could guard me even with a broom in their hand...yesterday grandma could have held me to 1 or 2 buckets (and thats without a broom).

I got frustrated...I really was playing so bad I wanted to leave...but another part of me said "damn it Andy, you put yourself in this situation so you're gonna have to get through it." So I kept on playing...and taking a beating from just about everyone there.

Overslept this morning, 20 minutes late to work, raining outside....a great day so far...

Not able to

unfortunately I was not able to test this buttered bread theory out yesterday evening.
As I'll be working in the Zone this evening I probably can't do it tonight either. And since I've got 0 of 8-10 pages written for next Tuesday it will probably have to wait until this weekend.
This weekend I'll be visiting Iowa so it looks like the experiment might take place in Booger's room (you got a toaster don't you?....don't worry if you don't...I could bring mine :)

Presentation coming up in a few hours. Definately the first time I haven't been nervous about giving one. I suppose being the State Pimp (errr...president) of SMSTA did give me a bit more confidence.....
after the presentation and writing 3 article reviews I'll be done with the class. Only a paper and an exam left (both next week) for Amish class, then my undergraduate career is finally over after 5 long years.

This just in

buttered toast always falls face down

As this was explained in a paper in 1995 I'm a mere 10 years late finding out about it. Guess I'm just good at not dropping my buttered toast.
Tonight's mission: butter a bunch of toast and drop it to see what happens...

Good Weekend

The weekend went by way too fast..but was a good one despite the lack of cycling and work on my paper.

I did however spend quality time with my XBOX and Midnight Club III: DUB. How many hours? More than you would guess.

Almost hard to believe that when my presentation is done in two days all that will be left for me as an undergrad is one class with a paper and a test.

And it looks like this weekend I might visit the wonderful state of Iowa with mom and dad. Hopefully their visit up there was not supposed to be a suprise because when Boog reads this it will no longer be one.
Hmmm....to bring my bike or not. Need the miles, don't know if Iowa people would try to run me over for wearing a Mizzou Cycling jersey or not. Guess I might find out. (I'm pretty sure I won't be taking the team jersey and shorts to Lawrence during Nationals weekend though...a cyclist has enough to worry about the way kansas people drive without them knowing you ride for MU)

different

Yesterdays ride was almost bad. Rode an Ashland loop and basically all the way into Ashland I was riding against the wind, which if you have ridden much you know that that equates to riding up a hill the whole time. So what is normally the best part of that ride for me sucked. As soon as I get the wind to my back I have to do some climbing.

And of course my first ride with only one contact in. About 10 miles in the wind got to my right eye and it started watering like a biatch. Messed with it for a little while and my contact popped out. tried to put it back in once but it burned like a mofo...so I gave up and decided as long as I've got one contact in I can see well enough to ride the next 30-something miles.

So with the wind and the lack of a contact I put in around 40 miles as apposed to the 50 or more than I had planned on.

Yesterday started off pretty well. Got to work on time, got my Amish mini-theme paper done before noon and visited with Jenny a little before class at 2. Turned my paper in right after class and went home for the ride.

Today has been alright. Amish wasn't too painful this morning, lunch (peanut butter sandwhich, some of Ted's chips, and a granola bar) was fine, and I'm getting a little bit of work done.
Don't feel too terribly bad about my big paper now since another person in the class hasn't even started thinking about it yet (never mind that she's got 2 kids to worry about too...so she's got an excuse)

Oh and I tried to post the odds Ryan and I gave the pope candidates a week or so ago but blogspot was messing up(which seems to have become normal when I'm trying to use it)...anyway the odds we gave Ratzinger were 8:1. I mean come on...the dude's 78 years old.

You might not know: (another type of post stolen from the one and only Erica Brooks)

first I'd like to congratulate myself for the longest title in blog history (don't bother sending me a link to a longer one, i'll ignore it).

NOTE: THIS IS LONG....SO RELAX...YOU'RE GONNA BE READING FOR A WHILE. I suggest taking a break every few minutes so you can really absorb what you're reading

So in honor of Miss Brooks here's some thing you probably don't know about me:


-When I was in elementary school I supposedly poked a hole in a bus seat with a paper clip. (now the hole was big and the paper clip was small so it still doesn't make sense to me, but I was indeed playing with the already made whole with my paper clip) I think this was the last strike that got me thrown off the bus for the year.

-And getting thrown off the bus gave me dish duty for a year. Something you don't want to have when your mom is an excellent cook and has a bajillion big pots and pans.

-I hid many said pots and pans in various closets and under sinks so that I would not have to wash them.

-I was what I refer to as a devil child. I got kicked out of a local grocery store for being caught stealing basketball cards. I'm lucky walmart never caught on because I'm sure they would have done more than just tell my parents (or tell my brother who told my parents). I also stole money from the jar mom used to put $1 bills in for lunch money. I don't really remember what I bought with it, I just remember reaching up there and grabbing a handfull of bills a few times.
I don't know what changed me, I guess I can think of a few events that probably helped...none of which are the spankings I used to get from dad
(I'll never forget walking out of the store and having to look at mom. The feeling: shame)

-Whats responsible for my involvement in cycling? A few years of asking for a decent bike and a nice outpour of emotion in front of mom one day (read: crying...alot) After the crying mom and I went to the bike store and I came home with what I would use a few weeks later in my first mountainbike race at Snow Creek

-I absolutely love where I came from. In fact I feel sorry for all of those people out there who say they want go somewhere because they don't like where they're at or where they're from. Many of the bike rides I go on around here remind me of some of the roads I would ride around back home. I've stopped a few times, gotten off the bike, and just enjoyed the feeling

THIS WOULD BE A GOOD SPOT TO REST YOUR EYES FOR A MINUTE.....go ahead....this page isn't going anywhere...




-When mom was sick (I was in junior high maybe?) I remember the first time I ever did the dishes just to help out. It was a big deal. I don't really know what led me to do them, it just felt like the right thing to do. And it sure suprised the heck out of mom. It was one of those points where I could really tell she was proud of me. A feeling you should be able to put in a jar and lock it up for life.

-I was a terribly shy kid growing up. I don't think I lacked confidence in anything (except how I looked), I was just not a social person. I'm still working at getting better at it now. I think some might see me as stuck up since I don't go out of my way to talk, truth is I'd love to talk to about anyone, I just didn't grow up that way and its a hard thing to change.

-I used to farm all over the house. Every Christmas I'd ask for a different piece of toy farm machinery. I had it all... combines, tractors (even a beast with the doubles in the back), plows, a hay bailer. I'd put up little fences all over my room to keep the cows and pigs from getting loose and I'd plow up a storm all down the hall. (Those toys are sitting happily in the attic at home right now)

-The first "kiss" i ever had happened at 4H camp. Imagine a funny looking little boy looking and a pudgy little girl standing by the pool. Girl just told him "shut up or I'll kiss you!". Of course little boy says something annoying and girl kisses him on the cheeck and runs off.
Yep...I'm the man.....and yes that was before college :)

-Pots and pans weren't the only things I used to hide. I got real tired of the sandwhiches mom would send with me to school (elementary) so I'd bring them home and hide them. I really have no idea why I wouldn't just throw them away at school, guess it never occurred to me.
It was always a great suprise when a couple weeks later I'd start to smell something funky and open a sock drawer or look in my closet and discover a mold filled sandwhich bag.


-I'll never forget the best football catch I ever had. It was during recess in 5th grade. Full out dive on the edge of what we made into a football field. That whole day all these cool athletic people were talking to me and telling me how awesome it was. Huge grass stains all over both knees of my jeans. I'm sure it would have ticked mom off if she hadn't already become so used to me tearing up my clothes all the time like that

-Then of course is the time cousin Danny and I stayed up all night planning a fishing trip for the next morning. We had all our fishing gear ready downstairs, just waiting for it to be light out enough for us to take off. I think dad woke up for some reason and came down to see what the heck we were doing. We did end up going to sleep that night but we also did go fishing (or at least stomping around the woods behind the house) the next morning.

-I can't even count the number of times Danny and I went back into the woods and came back with mud covering our clothes up to our knees. Shoes filled with mud and our feet. We made good use of the "mudroom". What can I say...we were good at mischief.

More entertainment to come...

Decent day after all

Yesterday turned out to be a decent day after all. Work passed by a bit slowly but passed nonetheless. Went home after work, changed into cycling stuff and sped over to Walts to meet a couple guys for a ride. Rode out North, then East, then South, and back to Walts. Around 35 miles in all...a pretty good amount for a ride that started close to 6pm.

Went home and showered and lounged around for a few minutes then had some soup for dinner. Headed to the library for the next couple hours to read an article from an Amish book thats on reserve there.
Lucky I was able to keep myself awake through it and took 3 pages of notes over the chapter. Got home close to midnight and went to bed.

Today:
Go home between work and class from 12-2 and eat something and get the bike and clothing ready for a ride after my work meeting.
Probably put in at least another 35 miles this afternoon with at least a couple guys.

Tomorrow:
Some Caring for Columbia service thing. Basically I'll be helping out at a Ronald McDonald house with a bunch of other people for a few hours in the morning.
Then putting in a good number of miles on the bike in the afternoon

Link of the day

stupid things

sometimes I do stupid things

for instance...wake up this morning a little after 7 and realize I'm gonna be late for work if I don't hurry up. Jump out of bed and start getting ready only to realize that today I have class at 9:30, not work at 8. So I lay back down wondering what the hell is wrong with me.

Fall back asleep after not very long (blame it on the way too comfortable bed and comforter) and wake up around 9:15. I don't even remember thinking about class but I managed to get back to sleep. Wake up again at 9:45 and realize I'm gonna be late to work again. (Something that judy said in an e-mail the other day "being late is the only thing you do that makes me say bad things about you, and you do it so well") So I get ready in about 8 minutes (that's from getting out of bed to walking out the door...and includes brushing my teeth) only to get to work and have Brittany say "well you're here early". Yeah, work doesn't start until 11, and its 10:02.
A great start to the day.

We'll see how the rest of it goes...

Tim, if you ever read this blog again great job with the design of that article...and that Shaq one on your site looks awesome too. You design people amaze me.

Mens Health

I love reading Men's Health, it always gives me something to think about.
A month ago I was reading to Judy and Brittany 100 ways to burn 100 calories (I think it was 100 at least...its been a while). Crowd favorites: making love for an hour, which Judy didn't seem to think was possible and the magazine said if you could do that then you don't need to worry about reading the rest of the ways.

Today we've got "Average Guy + Money", something that interests me very much now since I've got almost no money and probably won't for a while.
Average guy's annual income: $39,429
If he graduated from college: $54,069 (after years of teaching and coaching in a large district I could probably make this much)
% of men unhappy with the size of their paychecks: 49

How much the average guy is carrying in his wallet right now: less than $10 (I haven't had money in a wallet in a long time, haven't had any bills in my pocket for at least a couple weeks)

Amenities the average guy wants to add to ATMs:
1. Frequent withdrawal points (YES PLEASE)
2. Porn clips (hmmm)
3. Hot coffee (how about Red Bull?)

% of men who never balance their checkbooks: 53 (so Ronnell and I aren't alone)

Preferred way to pay:
1. Debit Card, 44% (thats me)
2. Cash, 28%

Percentage of guys who've given a stripper a $100 bill: 3
Average # of credit cards in a guy's wallet: 2.5 (3 for me)
Total amount he owes on those cards: $2742 (under 2 for me)

What half of men would pay for 5 extra years of healthy life: Nothing (what???)
What 19% would pay: $100,000


And more...but if you want to see it all you've got to get the magazine. April 2005 Men's Health

One side note: I read the other day that a man's brain isn't fully developed (or something like he isn't fully equipped to make important decisions) until the age of 25. I feel better about myself knowing this.

about time

One Tree Hill is back in action......set your alarm clocks for 8pm Central Time

tvguide.com just told me that after at least a month of no episodes the one today is a re-run...so looks like I'll be TIVOing House instead.
What's going to happen though when they both are showing new episodes at the same time??? Decisions decisions

Things to do

Lunch today: 1 peanut butter sandwhich (didn't take the time to put on the jelly this morning), 1 bag of honey wheat crackers, 1 granola bar

Feeling real slow right about now. Have a feeling when I get off work at 6 I'm going to lay down in bed, turn on a tivo'd program, and fall asleep for a long time.

My body is definately telling me it needs some rest. My right calf is sore, left thigh bruised and sore, left forearm sore, right foot a bit tender. Combining too many hard efforts riding the bike and playing basketball.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring nice weather and I can go for a slow spin after class.

I find it a bit wierd that I'm only taking 6 hours yet I've been feeling just as tired and worn out as I have in past semesters.

Once again I feel like there's about a thousand things I could be writing about, but I can't do it. Not that I physically can't push these little white keys in front of me.

Been wondering a lot lately how things would have been different if I had a "real" job now, if I would have joined the army, navy, or so on, if I would have done better in class and already graduated. Guess a lot of it is brought on by a huge lack of money and not really knowing how to fix it and not wanting others to have to fix if for you.

For now though I guess I should finish up my Amish reading for the quiz tomorrow.
'Night

"The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference."
- Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate write and Holocaust survivor

gots to have more calories

Yesterday was a perfect day for a bike ride. Rode ~40 mile with an Ashland loop from my house. Burned a little more than 2000 calories, while eating no more than 600 earlier in the day. No wonder I hardly made it up the climb beside Rock Bridge Park and felt so weak until after dinner.

It was a great feeling riding yesterday though...its been a while since I've had a good ride, definately not where I should be right now in terms of fitness for racing. I sort of wish I would have had some company out there with me, but it was so peaceful, just me and my heart rate monitor, that someone there with me would have been a distraction.


Today I woke up late again, so class was missed. Electricity was scheduled to be disconnected today but I was able to pay the bill before it actually happened. That puts me in a really bad spot until my next paycheck a week and a half away. Thanks go to mom for loaning me some money so that UMB will quit calling me at work, looking for their money.

MO, another dumb idea

why would the legislators of Missouri even think about passing a bill giving tax subsidies to those that donate money to private schools, effectively shrinking the budget and leaving less money for the public schools that are already unfunded.

Here's an idea...maybe some of those stuck up, lying, (insert of bad terms here) bastards at the capitol have kids that go/went to private schools (or they themselves did) and that's all they know. They really have no idea the condition of public schools.

dude...you got a Dell

Figurative it is...thanks for checking Brittany

Illinois lost the big game...this upsets me because if I had my way Roy Williams would continue to choke in the big games as he did at Jayhawk land (who of course did a better disappearing job in the 1st round this year)

My bank accounts are royally screwed...should have closed the old one a few days earlier. I managed to use the debit card a couple times and now its got a negative account that's mostly from NSF charges.
The new bank account is also in the red, paid a couple credit card bills online and failed to write the amounts down in plain sight here at my desk...so no money in it until my paycheck Tuesday night (which will be 1/2 as much as usual from spring break). So basically I'm screwed.

My options:
1. let mom know what I got myself into and ask for some help
2. figure out what I can ebay around here
guess thats about all I can think of right now...need to focus on reading about the Amish now

Night

lots to say...

but no voice to say it

another time it will be

Been a while

Been a while since I've posted...and its gonna be a bit longer until I get a decent post up here. Got to get a paper done.
Weekend was good, Alecia and her friend came up to visit.

It's beautiful outside right now and Iwould love to be riding now (or racing at Purdue), but this paper can't wait

Song of the second: Creed - "My Own Prison"