Play on Jimi

Some of my earliest childhood memories involve music. Before I was even a teen, I remember listening to the oldies station on a little radio in my room. The 50's crooners, the Motown Sound of the 60's, the guitar rock of the 70's...I can almost hear my little crackly voice singing along to "Signs" by the Five Man Electrical Band.

"You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be herrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee
The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside
Ugh!"

Then, one day, I ventured into my dad's record collection. Mom and dad had a turntable (still have it) but for some reason one of the speakers didn't work, and for some reason, if you had the headphones on, one ear didn't produce sound. Didn't matter though, you could hear everything you needed to in one ear, right?

Well, for the first album I chose, that was true. Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits. The Big O recorded a lot of his earlier stuff in mono, so having one speaker didn't matter. During this oh so impressionable phase in my musical life, I had a four album rotation...Orbison's Greatest Hits, The Doors - Stange Days, The Beatles - White Album, and an album called Smash Hits by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Those of you who know me, know I am a big Bealtes guy. Some say you're either a Beatles fan or a Stones fan...well, my friends, I am a Beatles fan. Still love Orbison, too...but my all-time favorite has and always will be James Marshall Hendrix.

You want to know why?

Cause the first time I listened to a Hendrix album in stereo, the dude nearly blew my mind! You cannot, I repeat CANNOT listen to Hendrix out of one earphone. This guy had the mix flying from one ear to the other in the headphone, and musically, he did things that actually made guitar gods like Clapton and Pete Townshend (of The Who) declare "this is the guy that's going to put us out of a job."

Today, November the twenty-seventh, would have been Jimi's 65th birthday. He was born in 1942, but died an untimely death in 1970, 2 months short of his 28th birthday. The man did more for music in that short life, than many can accomplish in a lifetime...think of the songs...

Purple Haze...Foxey Lady...Hey Joe...Fire...The Wind Cries Mary...Stone Free...

And all of those are off of his first album! So, I decided at lunch today to pay tribute to my all-time fav, by putting on his first studio album, 1967's Are You Experienced (ranked #15 on the Rolling Stones all time greatest albums) and enjoying the ride.


(Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix Experience - released in August of 1967 - original tri-colored Reprise labeled lp, catalog number RS 6261 (for you record geeks out there, like me.)

Here's a few other pictures I snapped today for everyone to enjoy.


(Here is my display of Hendrix album re-issues...all factory sealed, along with all 3 of his 45 rpm box sets (45 rpm picture sleeves on top shelf, boxes on the ground next to case).


(Closer view of the 45 rpm picture sleeves.)


(Closer view of the sealed albums (except the purple box set at the top right...it is unsealed.) 17 great lp's...hard to believe that Jimi only released 3 while he was alive! You can see them on the top shelf, left side...Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland...I recommend you ALL go seek out these three albums, CD's, or downloads.)

Ah, play on Jimi...

Sign O' The Times

Apparently, at this church, "When it pours, God REIGNS." Unfortunately, whoever put up the sign doesn't have spell check...

Multi-Party Tipping

Awhile back, I blogged about service in restaurants, and the practice of tipping, even when it may not have been warranted. If you haven't read it, check it out here:The Perfect $5

Saturday introduced a new wrinkle in the tipping game, a little thing I like to call, Multi-party Tipping.


Saturday, Becky and I accompanied a group of 4 other friends to the Grand Victoria Casino. Before we entered the gaming arena, we decided to eat at the fabulous buffet. Twenty bucks a person is a little steep, but oh well, the food was pretty good...maybe not 20 bucks a person good, but still.

It's always been a pet peeve of mine when you have a "large party" of people with separate bills, all parties seem content to leave their own tips for the meal. If each person drops a Lincoln on the waiter, then he scores $15 for that hour on top of his wage. Let's do some math and see if this is really just me being a pain, or if I may be right on this one.

Exhibit 1: NUMBER OF TABLES

The way I see it, we were a party of 6, HOWEVER, we were only there for one hour and I know we were not this guy's only table. As a rule, I like to double the sales tax for the tip (more if the service was good, less if it was not good), so on a $40 bill, 6% sales tax is $2.40...doubled and rounded up, $5. If each each of the three groups leave $5, then he gets $15 for that hour, plus his wage, which, if we assume for the sake of argument it's half the minimum wage (because most waiters work on tips) then he's up to (approximately) $18 an hour. Throw in the 3 other tables he's waiting at $8 per table ($3 wage plus $5 tip per table) and he's making a staggering $42 per hour!!

Do you make that much? I do not.

Exhibit 2: THE SETTING

I will only touch on this because it shouldn't matter that much, however, we were in a buffet, and this guy only had to refill our drinks and take plates away. I should really be a waiter, cause that's not too hard to do for $40 an hour.

Exhibit 3: ONE TABLE, ONE TIP

I figure between the 6 of us, averaging 2 plates per person, you get about 12 plates for the waiter to clear. Well, what if Current World Hot Dog Eating Champion Joey Chestnut, and former Champ Kobyashi sat down together and cleaned, oh 30 plates each a piece? That would be 5 times more dishes than my party consumed, but they would leave the $5, double the tax tip. Is that fair? I believe one table, one tip. Maybe the tip calculation per table would be reflected in the number of plates, the number of visits the waiter made, or something like cost of one meal divided 5 (or something like that.)

The prosecution rests.

Now, defenders of the waiters may fire back with the following.

Exhibit 1 Defense.

If you like to pay double the sales tax, and were paying for the entire party, the bill would have been $120...sales tax on that is $7.20, making double the tax $14.40!! So, leaving $15, technically would have been double the total tax on the table.

Exhibit 2 Defense.

Do you really believe the only thing this guy does is fill drinks and bus your table? (Honestly, I've never worked in food service, how the heck do I know??)

Defense rests.

In my closing argument, I would like to say it's preposterous to think that for an hour clearing my table and filling my drinks, this guy deserves a wage higher than what I make doing my job...ok, my job's easy, so that's not a good argument, but that's a moot point. What I wanted to say is, I believe a simple group tip would have been more appropriate, instead of dropping $15 on this guy for his normal hours work. What about the girl who doesn't get a party of 6 table in her nightly rotation?? She only makes $30 an hour!! And that, my friends, is an injustice...

What do you think? Help me justify my position, or change my ways. Please leave me your verdict. Thank you.

(Please let me know your verdict on the BUFFET restaurant, and if the verdict would change for a regular sit down place...oh, say Outback Steakhouse for example.)

False Negative

Popular Science magazines in the '50's would have you believe that by the year 2000, we would have flying cars and people landing on the moon. Well, we didn't quite accomplish those things...what, we did land on the moon?? When did that happen??...anyway, my point is, we did have some other technological advances, namely a little website called Ebay.

Yes, Ebay was around before 2000, but my introduction to the site was slightly after we partied like it was 1999 for the very last time, and in February of 2000, I signed up and made my first purchase (I believe it was a sweet lot of Beatles LP's that I picked up for super cheap.) After that fateful transaction, I became hooked.

I currently buy and sell, and have a relatively modest 561 positive feedbacks from unique users (over 700 feedbacks total). In the nearly 8 years since I began, I have had ZERO negative feedbacks to muddy my reputation, and I have only received one Neutral feedback from this joker that only gave me a Neutral cause I gave him one...but that's a story for another time. Recently, I've been making some fat cash on some Beatles items I had multiple copies of, and everything was going fine...that was until "Canada"* came into the picture.

*name changed to protect the innocent, the guilty, or in this case, the Ass Hat Canadian buyer who gave me Negative feedback...wait, I'm getting ahead of myself...

The item was an original 1960's Beatles Yesterday and Today LP (mono version, if that kinda thing is important to you.) When the dust settled, "Canada" was the high bidder at $9.99 with $12.00 shipping.

I'll do the math for you...total cost 21.99.

He paid via Paypal immediately on the 29th of September. Since the 29th was a Saturday, I waited and shipped his LP out the following week. I went to Ebay and left positive feedback for him, as he fulfilled his part by paying me. All was well in Ebay land until the 17th of October, when I received an email from "Canada" saying the following:

I need to take action with PayPal and eBay I have not received my item . I have not heard from you .

Since this was the first I had heard from him, I thought it was odd he would jump straight to taking action. I searched my "Junk Folder" and discovered that a few days before he sent me another email asking:

Can you tell me when my LP was shipped ? It usually does not take this long .

I quickly shot him an email, explaining that I missed his first email, and I also explained to him when it was shipped, that is went through the USPS (Post Office), and I told him it could take up to 14 days. I said if it wasn't there by the 22nd, to email me back, and we could arrange for a refund of some sorts.

I guess he didn't want to wait. Soon after I sent the email, I received a few emails from Paypal and a company called Square Trade. Paypal's said:

Dear Sir,

"Canada" has opened a dispute for the payment made to you on Sep 29,2007 indicating that they never received the item.

Your Transaction ID:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's Transaction ID:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There are many reasons why this might have happened. It could be that the item is still in transit or was accidentally delivered to the wrong address. Sometimes buyers open a non receipt dispute too soon because they underestimate how long it can take for shipping and delivery. By opening this dispute, "Canada" is asking for your help to resolve this issue. This is your best opportunity to resolve this problem before the buyer escalates it to a PayPal claim or files a chargeback with their card issuer.

Square Trade's email tried to get me to pay them $30 to get the negative feedback erased. NEGATIVE FEEDBACK?!? I opened up my Ebay and sure enough, "Canada" left me my first negative feedback in nearly 8 years...it said...

Have not received the item or refund lost my $12.00 shipping also scam!!!!!!

SCAM?!? Why in the world would I risk my entire Ebay reputation to scam this joker out of 20 bucks?? I fired back a reply to his feedback, saying:

560 unique + feedbacks, over 700 total. Why would I scam for $20? Lost in mail?

I then emailed "Canada" and basically asked him what the heck he was trying to pull? After all, I emailed him, told him all the information he wanted AND offered to work with him on a refund and he completely ignores that and files a claim AND tries to slander my name?

This meant war. The refund was officially off the table now. I was going to just give him his 20 back and call it a day, but now, the principle of the matter had taken over. I had done nothing wrong, and I would fight this dispute.

I clicked on Paypal to see that "Canada" had struck first:

I paid in good faith Sept 29/07 and I still have not received my LP or heard of any delay from you . Please give me my refund .Or ship my item and let me know when you have shipped it . After all I paid $12.00 for shipping it should have been here a long time ago .

He quickly fired again, this time cutting a bit deeper:

This seller continues to not communicate I think hes long gone and if not should be investigated and taken off eBay

Ouch!! I did communicate with him, but he wouldn't email me back! I frantically searched for the button on Paypal to log in my side of the story, but a button was not to be found. After 20 minutes, I found a phone number and called Paypal.

The Dispute Resolution guy said that since "Canada" had upgraded the Dispute to a Claim, the lines of communication were effectively closed for "Canada" and I to resolve the matter on our own. I explained to the Paypal guy that I didn't have an opportunity to respond, and he said to just email the resolution department with my side of the story, and it would be noted.

So, I did. I wrote my side, and I wrote it hard. This was my response, and every word is the complete truth...

I recently had a Dispute filed against me which escalated to a claim before I was able to enter any information in my defense. I am concerned I will loose this claim because of this, and I would like to take this opportunity to give my side of the story before my good reputation as an Ebay seller and a Paypal user are any more slandered.

On Sept. 29, an item of mine was purchased by Mr. "Canada". He paid promptly using Paypal. On October 2nd, I left a positive feedback for him, and on Oct 3rd, I shipped his item via USPS (United States Postal Service). As per my norm, I let the positive feedback act as my communication that the payment was received, and therefore, his item would be shipped immediately. Although I didn't mention in that feedback that I was shipping the item, I am a reputable seller who has over 700 positive feedback (from 560 unique buyers/sellers) and have never had a negative feedback against me. With that being said, I also work in "good faith" with my buyers that if I leave you positive feedback, I will be sending your item.

On October 3rd, I shipped the item to his Non-US Verified address in Canada via USPS. The buyer did not request it be shipped via a traceable method, nor did he purchase any kind of insurance protecting him from a lost package. This is unfortunate, because now the package is lost. There is nothing further I can do.

An email was received by me from the buyer which unfortunately went into my "Junk" filter, and I did not respond. Soon after, I received notification that a dispute had been filed. At that time I EMAILED MR. "CANADA" and apologized for not responding. I also gave him exactly when I shipped his item, and an expected time he could expect to receive the package. Instead of communicating with me, he ignored my email and left a negative, scathing feedback on my ebay saying that I had scammed him, and followed that up by posting a slanderous note on the Paypal Resolution Center claiming that I was not communicating with him, I was long gone, and I should be investigated and kicked off ebay.

I have done what I can, and I feel I do not owe Mr. "Canada" a refund due to this unfortunate Postal Service mishap that he neglected to account for. He held up his end by paying, I held up mine by shipping...the post office dropped the ball by losing the package, and without insurance, I'm afraid there is nothing else that can be done.

Please add this to my Resolution Dispute, so that I have a fair shake in this matter.

Thank you

I felt confident that I would win my claim when it came before the Paypal Board of Dispute Resolvers. All I had to do now was wait.

I didn't have to wait long. The next day, I received an email from Paypal saying that they received my version of events, and they passed that information on to Mr. "Canada". Shortly thereafter, I received an email from Paypal:

PayPal has concluded our investigation of the following

Buyer Complaint: Transaction Date: Sep 29, 2007
Transaction Amount: -$21.99 USD
Your Transaction ID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's Transaction ID: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Case Number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Because the buyer has reported that the claim has been amicably resolved,this case has been closed. Thank you for your cooperation with our investigation.
Sincerely, Protection Services Department

I also received an email from Ebay:

"Canada" has filed a request to mutually withdraw feedback for the transaction shown below. eBay allows members to withdraw feedback for a transaction if they both agree it is no longer appropriate.

REDEMPTION!!!

The only reason "Canada" put as to why he withdrew the complaint and feedback??

"Package arrived today, OCT 24...Post Dated Oct 1."

Hmmm, interesting that the package arrived the same day Paypal sent him my rebuttal...a rebuttal that would have effectively killed his case, as I was obviously not in the wrong in any way.

Whatever. The case is closed, I'm updated to 562 positive feedbacks with ZERO negative, and all is once again right in the Ebay World.

Haunted Halloween

(click on any picture to enlarge)

Welcome, guys and ghouls, to the great Halloween party known as the Gillespie House of Horror!! In collaboration with my mom and dad, Becky and I set up a party for our many nieces and nephews.



It was a great turn out with 10 adults and 13 kids...even some celebrities showed up!!


(Becky's brother Albert as Joe Dirt)


(Me as Napoleon Dynamite...take a good look, this may be the only time you see me in jeans or a white shirt!! Becky was Deb...I don't have a picture of her, but I'll get one.)

We started with a Kid's Fear Factor.


(Ralph, the Fear Factor Mascot)

After breaking the kids into teams, we began our first event where the teams would have to pick one member to eat each of three foods we deemed gross...Prunes, Plain Vanilla yogurt, and Spinach Lasagna Baby Food.


(Me and a cast of thousands begin the first competetion.)


(Natasha's face says it all, as she downs some delicious Spinach Lasagna Baby food...which I tried, and it's disgusting!)

Since each of the teams had one contestant finish first, we went to the tie breaker...Sardines!! Luckily for the contestants, it was California Girl Sardines, cause we all know the Boy Sardines are nasty!!

The next event had the contestants one by one stick their arms into a container and pull out objects...the highest team total after each kid got their 30 second turn was the winner. Oh, yeah, and the container contained 50 LIVE CRICKETS!!


(Xander arm deep in crickets.)

The third event was the egg relay. The teams lined up and the first kid would crack an egg into their hand, and would have to pass it to the next teammate, who would pass it to the last teammate, who would place it in a cup. Each team had to crack and relay 10 eggs, the most eggs won.


(Kelsi - pink hair - and Natasha race to fill their cups.)

The last event was the most disgusting. Each team would roll the dice once to get one liquid (either water, milk, or fruit punch) and roll the dice two more times to get two foods (candy bar, grapes, green beans, or hot dog). The teammates would each drink a cup full of the blended drink. What we didn't tell them was the fastest on each team would have to drink again to determine a team winner!


(Chandler, Xander, Paige and Logan drinking a very un-tasty Milk, candy bar and Green Bean mixture. "It's just like chocolate milk...with green beans in it" someone remarked.)


(The final face off pitted Kelsi, Aaron and Logan...Kelsi took one drink of the water, green bean hot dog mix before it came back up on her Panda purse...Logan spit a bit helping on the table. Aaron masterfully chugged the whole mix down, to win the event. I drank a cup of this, and it was straight nasty!!)

In the end, the team of Aaron, Natasha and Shelly won the Fear Factor, and Aaron won the Top individual performer.


(Aaron, obviously Fear is not a factor for you!)

After we ate, we took vote for the Best Costume Adult and Kid. The winners were...


(My dad as a Leather Face inspired monster. Or, "the Bloody Chef" as Chandler called him. Big ups to my mom for the execution of Dad's costume plan...dad had the idea, mom made it. Love that Leather mask, which mom actually made. He also had light up red eyes that were triggered by a switch in his glove that he actually made, and raised shoes that made him 3 inches taller...it was really cool.)


(Hailee...Becky's younger brother's daughter...isn't she so cute!!)

Next, Becky and I set up for the Haunted House. The kids split into smaller groups, and began in the first room, the Haunted Parlour.


(Haunted Parlour...at night, with the lights out and candles all around, it was more scary. Note the hanging goblet to the scary man's left.


(The Haunted Parlour also had a hanging vase of black roses.)

I think all the groups made it through this room fairly well, and Becky and I expected the first three rooms would be fairly tame...even maybe lame to the kids, with the basement providing the "action" because we were hiding downstairs...well, when the first group stepped into the next room, the ER Gone Wrong, all bets were off. Immediately, Paige (my brother's oldest, 10) began crying hysterically, and her brother Xander soon followed suit. I guess Dr Hack-Em-Up was too much for their young brains to handle.


(ER Gone Wrong. We had the lights out and a blue revolving light flashing on the scene. Little candle lights lined the bed, and for the Haunted House, the plastic container had chicken liver in it. Creepy laughs filled the room.)


(Close up of Dr Hack-Em-Up)


(Patient X's headless body.)

After much calming from my brother and my dad (and some pushing to get Chandler...my brother's 5 year old...to actually even enter the room) the kids composed themselves and entered the Graveyard of Terror.


(Graveyard of Terror. The pumpkins on the left were lit up, and the coffin in the middle had blue lights illuminating the skeletal remains of a killer. It was pretty creepy. Note the excellent tree, made by my dad with a cat stand, brown craft paper and some vines. Graveyard sounds, screaming, chainsaw noises, etc, filled the room.)

At this point, Becky and I feared the kids wouldn't even come to the basement, as we had scared them half to death with the upstairs stuff. But my brother managed to get them down, where immediately they had to crawl through a pitch black tunnel. It took coaching with every kid, but they all (except for a few) went through...some with an adult in tow to protect them. Once they exited the tunnel, a row of streamers lined a path to a few other site scares...


(Scary baby...lit only by a candle. It was creepy, trust me.)

We also had a caged guy that shook and rattled for them to look at before seeing what appeared to be the HEAD OF PATIENT X!! When the kids got closer, Becky (who was completely covered to look like it was just a head) would scream and scare them. At that point it was my turn. I was lying on the floor behind some chairs, and I had this fellow rigged to fall from the ceiling with the pull of a string.


(Yes, it's Chucky from the Rugrats...yes, the kids commented on that.)

Upon passing "Chucky," the kids entered a dark room where we had one of those static balls set up, where you can touch it and it'll send a beam of light to your finger...anyway, after a second in this dark room, I turned the "Fire Ghost" on...


(Fire Ghost)

After a 3 count, I killed all the lights in that room and Becky hit the tape recorded message telling the kids to get out, something went wrong...When they made their way to the exit, I would reach out and grab at their feet as the scurried away.

Surprisingly, after the tunnel, it was smooth sailing for the kids...remember that first group who cried in the ER? When I reached out for their feet, they actually laughed and said "Hi, Uncle Tony!!" Can't scare em all I guess.

After all the groups went through, I turned the lights on and took the kids through to show them nothing was scary in the light. A few of the kids were terrified and would only go through with the lights on if I held them! I guess the Haunted House was scarier than I thought!! We talked about their favorite parts while they played in the tunnel, and dropped Chucky from the ceiling with my pull rope. At the end of the day, it was a great success, everyone had a few laughs, a few screams, and a great time!!

Anniversary Like No Other

What do you give the woman who has everything they want? Year after year, the process becomes harder, especially considering you have to find a gift for her birthday, for christmas, for National Give Becky a Gift Day (seems made up to me, but Becky claims it's a real holiday), and also for our anniversary. This year was no exception as our 6th year anniversary rolled around. Struggling for something to purchase, I decided to go for the one gift that hadn't, to this point, been given...

Tickets to a Megadeth concert!!


(Megadeth's 2007 line-up...from left: some guy,
Dave Mustaine, some guy and some other guy.)

Let's face it, nothing says "I love you" like a Thrash Metal concert!! (Except maybe the White Castle reservations: http://getoutoflifealive.blogspot.com/2007/02/valentines-day.html).

Becky, always willing to give things the ole college try, agreed to the concert before I purchased the tickets. I didn't want to just spring it on her, you know! When the concert day arrived, I told Becky it would be best if she wore something "hard core" and/or "Metal". the best we could come up with was a black "The Who" concert shirt. I threw on my Devil's Rejects shirt, also black, and we headed towards the Murat Theatre.

Every concert I'd been to at the Murat was in a room that had the lower seating and the balcony seating, which was good because I planned on sitting in the balcony, towards the back somewhere, out of the range of the wild crowd. Unfortunately, we were in the Egyptian room which consisted of a large open area with no seats and a bar right in the middle, because nothing is more safe than crowding a few thousand people into one small area and having booze right in the middle of it all!!

Becky was worried we would get crushed under the weight of a giant black shirted mosh pit, but I assured her we wouldn't...even though I was prepping myself to go to war if the need arose. We settled into the corner in front of the VIP area, which was basically an area with 5 tables and chairs surrounded my those metal guard rails like you see on the wrestling programs to keep rowdy folks from storming the ring.

The crowd was rather tame when the first band, The Confession took the stage. They were pretty good, but Becky and I laughed at the stage antics of the singer more than we listened to the music. He would bob his head like he was Berserking (if you don't know what that is, watch Clerks by Kevin Smith.) After their set was over, we waited around as the roadies tore down the set and prepped for the second opening act, In This Moment. The PA began playing various Metal songs, and then, out of nowhere, they played Barracuda by Heart. I found this to be very odd until In This Moment took the stage and the lead singer was a chick!!



(In This Moment)

Don't be fooled by her schoolgirl looks, this chick was hard core...she had a deep growling yell that would rival the hardest rock bands. I looked at Becky and commented that she "must have a sore throat ALL THE TIME after yelling like that." I'm serious, it was like Gwar or another really heavy growling band (ok, i'm not hip on my heavy metal bands, sue me!!)

They left the stage and the crowd started to build. We still had quite a bit of real estate over in our little corner, but people started to mill around a bit. First, a guy in a wheelchair set up in front of us, then a guy with his 12 year old, headbanging son. Then it got interesting.

A guy basically carrying his drunken friend made their way over to our corner, yelling at him to sit down or he was going to go to jail. The guy, who was probably pushing 300 pounds, refused at first, but finally his friend pushed him against the wall and he sat down after almost falling on me in the process.

He didn't stay down for long.

After his friend took off back into the mosh pit, Drunkie Drunkard decided to get up and lean against the VIP guard railing...then he proceeded to pull out a cigarette. Well, the guards come over pretty quickly to take the cigarette away, as the venue is non-smoking, but they let him continue to lean, which soon became a bigger problem. Without the cigarette to occupy his mind, Drunkie began to lean heavier on the guard rail causing it to begin swaying inwards towards the VIP's.

One VIP in particular, a very tall and muscular dude that looked like he could be a wrestler, took offense to this and preceded to give Drunkie a double handed shove right in the back. Somehow, Drunkie stayed on his feet and held onto the railing, which caused it to sway the other way. He composed himself only moments before the VIP shoved him a second time, which sent DD sprawling across the floor. Unfazed by this, DD got up and made his way back over to the railing!! The VIP was livid and had to be held back by three people while security made their way over to escort Drunkie Drunkard away.

The show began.

It was loud...really loud. I didn't really know the first two songs besides from watching the videos a few times on You Tube. The third song was Skin O' My Teeth, which proved to be the only song I actually knew. Around this time, a new problem came in the form of a drunk chick who decided to lift up her shirt, and leave it there. With boobs flying, Chesty McBoobs made her way over to the wheelchair guy and plopped them right in his face. He was not amused, and quickly rolled to a new spot. McBoobs then proceeded to make her way over to some guys who enjoyed getting their feel. I looked to my right, and noticed that the guy and his 12 year old son were making there way from the area, and then to my left, where Becky had the "If you come over here Chesty McBoobs, I'm gonna beat your ass" look on her face.

Luckily for McBoobs, she kept her distance.

It was 6 or 7 songs into the set when everything started to run together sound wise, and I couldn't discern one song from the next. I waited for Mustaine to make his way over to the side of the stage closest to us so I could see him play up close (we were only about 40 or 50 feet away), and then I grabbed Becky and made for the exit. My ears were burning, and I really wasn't wanting to fight the drunken crowd to get away from this show.

Overall, it was a very interesting night...one that I can honestly say I was glad we did, but I wouldn't attempt it again!!

(I would like to add, I also got Becky some candles and The Office Season 3 DVD, so it wasn't just the concert!!)

Blue Car Blues: Part III - The Conclusion

When I finally received a call, it had been a full week...and it seemed the car STILL wasn't finished. They figured out the problem went a little deeper than just a "blown amp." It seems that:

The amp was blown.

They replaced it.

The amp blew again.

They replaced it again.

The amp blew AGAIN.

They realized something was blowing the amp (wow, you think?)

It was the main board, and of course, they had to order a new one (and a new amp.) Because we needed the car for our Lake Cumberland trip, I told them I was coming to get it, and they would have to fix it at another time. When I arrived the next day, it appeared they had attempted to fix the dent (it's still kinda there), and the floor mats had arrived! (But the back floor mats didn't fit for the second row of seats, so we had to put it in front of the third row seating, oh well.)

I asked for the keys, and the receptionist asked for my name. I told her and she proceeded to pull out a file and asked me for $823 to cover the repairs.

Me: "What?"

Her: "Your total comes to $823.17."

Me: "No."

Her: *stunned look

Me: "Hell no, there isn't a charge on this, I'm not paying."

She looked at the paperwork again, and realized it wasn't my paperwork. Turns out they didn't even write any paperwork up for me, they didn't need to. You see, my bill was zero.

I drove the car off and it worked great on our trip (they even rigged the stereo to work, albeit only from a few speakers, for the trip.)

Fast forward one week.

I took the car back in for the last time, and after a few days of driving the crappy Grand Prix again, they called and my car was finished. I popped in Sgt Pepper's by the Beatles and enjoyed the crisp surround sound of the car's speakers. I was a little disappointed they didn't hook up the stereo controls on the steering wheel (on the back of the wheel there are little buttons to adjust the volume, change stations, etc so you don't have to take your hands off the wheel) but I'm not going to take it back to that place again. I don't think I can handle another week driving that Grand Prix!!

Lake Cumberland

It was time to break my very unfortunate streak. In the past two summers, I had caught zero fish...zero. It was time to change that. Becky got on the 'net, and secured us a lovely cabin near Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, we packed up the car, grabbed my mom and dad, and headed out.


(Front of our cabin)


(Spacious back deck)

For some reason, the folks of Kentucky decided to lower the Lake, so it was nearly impossible to find shoreline fishing. 1300 miles of lake, and we managed to find about 30 feet of shoreline. But it was our spot, and we liked it.


(View of Dad, Mom and Becky fishing in "Our Spot.")


(Scenic view from the rocks above "Our Spot.")


("Our Spot", sunset.)

Becky snagged the first fish, a small bluegill. Dad and mom quickly followed suit. Then I caught one, breaking my streak!! We all caught a handful of small fish. Becky caught a small bass, and dad reeled in this "whopper" catfish.


(I don't know how he managed to reel in this monster!)

On the last day, we rented a small fishing boat and Becky, dad and I went out. We only caught a few small fish, but we enjoyed the lake.

(Becky on the boat.)

(Proof that the streak is OVER!!)

Over all, we enjoyed the little weekend getaway at the Lake.

Victory Field - August 4, 2007

Date: Saturday, August 4, 2007

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Victory Field, Indianapolis, IN

Collective Soul, Live, and Counting Crows

It was hot out Saturday the 4th, and rain lurked, but we weren't about to miss a triple dip of 90's bands. So, Becky, our friend Jean and I made our way to Victory Field for the show.

The gates had yet to open when we arrived, so we had to stand in line for what seemed like forever. This is the part of the concert going experience that I just don't understand. Why aren't the doors opened after sound check? Why do you have to wait an hour before the show?? As we waited, we noticed a large bus parked to the right of us. A few long-haired guys bounced out and started talking to a small crowd of people. I knew right away they had to be important people, but I didn't know them.






Kinda hard to see in this photo, but it's the guys with the faded black tee shirts and jeans on. They were getting their picture taken, signing autographs and the like. The guy in front of us in line boldly went over and joined the crowd. When he returned, we found out it was a Meet and Greet with Collective Soul, and it cost $100 per person...(somehow, the guy was able to get in line, shake hands with the band and get their autographs without paying the 100 bucks)...I felt stupid for not knowing that was Collective Soul, but I never really listened to them anyway, so, whatever.


We finally were let into the area and found a seat. Being General Admission, coupled with the fact that we arrived fairly early, we were able to grab 4th row seats. Well, 4th row behind the "floor" section, which was right on the field. We...well, I know at least I didn't want to stand, so we sat.


Collective Soul took the stage first, and I was surprised by how tight their music was. I knew more of their stuff than I thought, too. I always pegged them as a one or two hit wonder, but they had at least 6 or 7 songs that I clearly remember being overplayed on the radio. Towards the end, the lead singer had to break up an audience fight, which was kinda funny.

"No, we don't do that shit here!"

I also enjoyed how they threw some AC/DC into the solo of their new song...guess you had to be there.



(Collective Soul in action...click photo to enlarge)


Next to hit the stage was Live.







Live ...LIVE!!
(Again, click on photo to enlarge...sorry, Jean, I guess I didn't take any pictures of Ole Eddie Boy without his shirt!!)

Sorry, it wsa too dark to get Counting Crows pictures...BOO!!!

After a 20 minute intermission, Adam Duritz took the stage (lead singer of Counting Crows.) He started their set by talking about the upcoming album, which I thought was a strange way to start a set. Then, they broke into a new song...one no one knew...that was slow. It was kinda a downer, but then they perked up. If you've never been to a Crows show, I highly recommend it. They are always good shows, and Adam puts SO much into the live show, that it really makes it worth it.

About 3 or 4 songs into the set, the rain started. We got soaked, but we were still having fun.
Overall, it was a pretty good show. I was impressed by all three bands, especially playing in an open aired, make-shift place like Victory Field. The rain kinda sucked, but I didn't care cause I-E-I ammmmm...the Raiiiiiiin Kiiiiing....YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!!

(I was all excited with the prospect of hearing Rain King as we sat getting soaked...but for some reason, they didn't play it. Oh well...)

The Most Physically Painful Two Days I Have Ever Had In My Entire Life, EVER

This year I decided to take control of my mouth. I decided to visit the dentist. My original goal was to have a long overdue chipped tooth fixed, but I also decided to get my cavities filled while I was there. Over the next several weeks, my mouth was perfect.

So, I thought.

On my last visit, I set up an appointment for a "cleaning" so I could get into the habit of going twice a year as recommended. A few days prior to the cleaning, one of my molars started to bother me. It was never very bad, and I would take a few ibuprofen and the pain would subside. However, since I was doing this three times a day, I knew it had to be dealt with.

After the cleaning, I mentioned the tooth pain, and the doctor told me he probably didn't get all the cavity out, and he would re-drill, and re-fill. He did, for no charge, and my tooth felt better. For a couple of days.

Soon, the tooth began hurting with a pain that ibuprofen wouldn't kill. I called to see the dentist, and was told I could get in Thursday at 8 am...it was currently Tuesday. I've been through some pain before, so I thought, no big deal. Quickly, the pain intensified, and it became a big deal...A VERY BIG DEAL.

Wednesday was like no other day I've ever had. There was nothing I could do to stop the pain, except (as strange as this sounds), taking a drink and holding the cold water on the tooth. I would hold the water there until it started to get warm, and then, less than a minute later, the pain would take hold again, and I'd have to do the water treatment over again. The pain was so insurmountable, I finally broke down and went to the Health Services at my work, where they prescribed me Vicodin.

I've never taken pain medication. When I had my knee surgery, I took one because they made me, but I really didn't want to, or need to, but this time, I willingly swallowed one.

It was 1 o'clock.

By 3:30, nothing had changed, so I took a second one. By 6pm, the pain was gone enough for me to eat dinner. I knew I needed to take one before bed, and I had planned to take one before the pain came back, as it is always harder to manage pain if it is present, rather than being proactive. Unfortunately, the pain came back before I took another pill. At 9 pm, I took the third pill. Between 9 and 11, I had consumed 2 bottles of water while performing "water treatments" because the pain wasn't going away. At 11, I took a fourth pill.

That proved to be a big mistake.

I managed to sleep, but at 3:30, I awoke in a cold sweat, nauseous, and disoriented. I went downstairs and began eating crackers so I wouldn't throw up, and drinking a little water. I was sitting on the couch, and I literally couldn't feel my arms. I could see I was holding the water, but you couldn't have proved it by me. I got up and read, and re-read the signs of an overdose, which freaked me out even more because, even if I didn't have the symptoms, in the moment I felt like I did!!

"Yellow eyes and skin, holy crap!! My eyes ARE yellow!!" (They probably weren't.)

I finally put a cold wash cloth on my head and fell back asleep. The next day I awoke with a terrible pounding headache, and a throbbing tooth. Afraid of putting more drugs in my system, I drove the 30 minutes to Greenwood to see my dentist without any additional meds.

I checked in and sat down, holding my head, squirming, and trying not to cry. Finally, they called me back. After a few x-rays, the dentist came in and told me he was trying to prevent the root canal, but it looked like it had to be done. I was fine with that...anything to ease the pain. He asked me which tooth hurt, and I told him, but that didn't stop him from tapping on my teeth with some torture device. I could feel him tapping around the sore tooth, but I really didn't think he would hit the one that had me nearly in tears, would he??

He would.

I'm sure I lept up from the chair and screamed. He apologized, before pushing around in my mouth some more. He said I had a terrible infection. (I could tell, the roof of my mouth was swollen.)

"Here's a prescription for antibiotics." he said. Then, he asked the dumbest question ever.

"How does your Monday look for that root canal?"

Are you serious?!? I'm about ready to either:

1. Pull my tooth out myself.
or
2. Cut my own head off to stop the pain.

and you are going to have me wait Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then Monday to take care of this?? Ah, hell no!! I told him Monday didn't look good at all, and pleaded with him to take care of it right there and then. He said, go get this prescription, and come back at 11.

I left. I filled the prescription. My blood pressure was 158 over 118...usually, I am a perfect 120/80 or lower. I almost broke down and bought some ibuprofen, but I was still scared to. I bought a Mountain Dew instead, in an attempt to caffeine away the headache. It didn't work.

Finally, at 10:30, I went back to the doctor and basically curled in a ball in the corner until they called me. Finally, the dentist gave me the tooth numbing shot, and I could feel the pain slip away for the last time. The nurse saw me holding my head and gave me some ibuprofen, promising me I wouldn't OD on it. The doc did his thing, and I left with only the root canal pain...which was a million times better than the other pain.

I felt like I had the flu that night (probably from the infection), and I awoke Friday with some medicine head, but by Friday afternoon, I was as good as new. I have never been in such severe pain before, and I hope I never will again!!

Blue Car Blues: Part II

Is there anything worse than the car dealership's waiting room? Wait, there is...sitting there for 3 hours, only to be turned away without having your car fixed. Not once, but TWICE!!

That's right, I went back to attempt to have the amp in my new car installed and right as Ellen was going off, the service guy was handing me keys to a crappy Grand Prix that is a few years older than my new car, and a whole lot crappier!

I was not happy.

When the service guy told me to take the loaner, I asked him when my car would be finished. His response:

"Probably not today."

Great.

I went to my car and grabbed my work bag and took off, totally forgetting to grab my house key off the key chain. Luckily, my mom had a spare she let me borrow. I figured the car would be finished Saturday, and I could swap them out then.

By 3:00pm Saturday, I was beginning to fear my car wasn't going to be ready. I called, and was informed that my car wasn't ready because the service department wasn't even open on Saturday's!!

Me: "Are you kidding?"

Them: "No, sir."

Me: " I was told my car would be finished today, what the heck?"

Them: "I don't know who told you that, but the service department isn't open today."

It's now Monday...still no call, still no car...STILL NO FLOOR MATS! I'll keep you posted.

Blue Car Blues

Purchasing a new car can be exciting, but it can also be very trying. You look for hours, days, weeks, whatever, and when you finally get what you think you want, there is inevitably something.

Something you overlooked. Something that looked better on the lot than when you got it home. Something that you though would be a quick fix, that turned into a headache.

Headache describes my new car. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's awesome inside and out except for three small things, all of which the dealer agreed to correct.

1. No floormats. That sucks, but a new set is on order.

2. A small dent on the driver side back panel. "We will pop that out for you."

3. The amp on the stereo is blown. But it's in the shop, and will be ready in a week or so.

Do you know how much it sucks not having a radio? Well, let's just say a lot. But, true to their promise, the amp was repaired and I took a day off work to go get it installed. I arrived at 9:00, which was my appointment time. They said it would only take an hour.

Why do people estimate times? They are never right. After I dropped the car off, I took off on foot, because, as I have failed to mention, we bought the car in Shelbyville, so I was 30 miles from home (which is Columbus, for those of you not in the know.) I walked to the Goodwill store, as it was fairly close and spent about 40 minutes in there. My thought was, when I get back, the car will be close to being finished.

It was 9:45.

I sat in the waiting room and looked at a Sports Illustrated. Then another. Ellen came on the tv. I watched for a little while, cause she's damn funny!! Then I read another SI...then a Spin Magazine...then the first SI again...then the little pamphlets the car dealers have sitting on the table...then a Highlights magazine...then a Modern Bride magazine...I was out of alternatives, ok?!?

Then Ellen went off.

I was getting impatient, so I was pacing around the waiting room, then out to look at the cars, then the waiting room...at 11:45, the news came back that the amp wouldn't work, and they were going to have to order a new one for me...

"It'll be about a week."

I did my best to remain calm, but the guy could tell by the ever increasing redness in my face that I was pretty pissed. To make matters worse, the "Dent Guy" wasn't in yet, and couldn't fix that (is there only one guy who can pop a small dent???) AND the mats were never ordered. I got a promise that all three would be done on my next visit.

They called back after a week and the new part is in. I set up the amp repair, and inquired about the dent.

"Well, the "Dent Guy" is on vacation, and won't be back til the 4th."

I didn't even ask about the mats. I figured I will just be "surprised" when I get there tomorrow. For my blood pressure's sake, I hope they are.

Something Smells Fishy

I am not a great outdoorsman.

I accept this.

But every year, Becky and I get our fishing license and swear that this is gonna be the year we catch and eat fish all summer. We tried last year. We went out a handful of times to different locales. Do you know how many fish I caught?

Zero. None. Nadda. Bupkis.

Becky would always catch a few, but never enough for us to take them home. It's very frustrating. We hoped this year would be better, so a few weeks back, we bought our licenses, got some worms, and trekked over to the Greensburg Reservoir for some hard core fishing. "This time," I said, "we aren't leaving without enough to eat!!"

I figured that 6 or 7 good sized bluegill would fill us up nicely with some fries, so we set our goal at 6. What I didn't realize at the time was 6 would be the number of hours we would sit on the bank trying to catch some fish!! I spent more time un-mossing my line than I did actually fishing! I wasn't even getting any action...and to make matters worse, this older guy at one point came walking down the bank. He would throw his line out, and reel a fish in.

Every time.

I would hear him pulling one in, so I would stop and watch. He'd take it off the hook, and toss it back in the water. Cast, hook, release. At one point, he caught one, looked straight at me and tossed the fish back into the water without releasing his stare at me.

I was pissed.

You can catch fish you old turd, but don't mock me while doing it!! He came right next to us and started fishing only a few steps away.

Him: "Having any luck?"

Me: "No."

Him: "I catch 75 to 100 fish a day in here."

Me: "Well, that's 75 to 100 more than we've caught."

I got up and left. I didn't like his smugness. Becky was having a little luck, pulling in one fish an hour. If you do the math, 1 fish an hour for 6 hours = 6 fish!! We did it, we reached our goal.

Ok, Becky reached our goal. I caught nothing.

We went to my mom and dad's house to get some cleaning tips, since we've never cleaned or cooked fish before. (Quit snickering, I said I am not a great outdoorsman, ok?!?) When I asked them if they knew how to clean a fish, they both quickly turned their heads and pretended they didn't have a clue.

"Uh, no...cleaning fish, um...I'm not really sure...ahhh."

After I assured them I was going to do it myself, and I just needed pointers, they came clean with some info. Becky and I took them home, and began the cleaning process. Remove head, scale, remove fins, remove innards (that's a technical term for guts). This process would have been easier with a sharp knife. It's not as easy to cut a fish head off when you have to saw it, just take my word for it.

We managed to clean all 6 of our...I mean, Becky's...fish, and we took them inside for cooking. We dipped them in milk (to kill the fishy smell while cooking. Thanks for the tip, mom!!) and put some batter on them. I wasn't sure exactly how to cook them, so I put the oil in the pan, turned it on, and went to the internet for help. After a few minutes, I returned to the kitchen to find it engulfed in smoke!! I guess letting oil cook on the stove without anything in it isn't the best move.

We put the fish in whole, and cooked them for awhile. After they were nearly finished, we pulled the fish apart and removed the backbones. Then, we ate. Surprisingly, six fish did fill us up!! I don't know if it was worth six hours of fishing and another hour of cleaning and cooking, but it was rather tasty.

Anyone have a good method of getting that fish smell off my hands??

Shed-volution

For the past couple of weeks, Becky and I decided to overhaul our shed, with the excellent help of my mom and dad. Before, it was a run down, dirty, beast of a shed, but we dedicated ourselves to making it beautiful once more.

Now that we are very nearly finished (we still have some painting to do), I thought I would share the results.

DAY ONE:

We started on the back yard side of the shed.

(Before - backyard side of shed)

I had to brace the inside walls, as the people who put the shed up put the studs every 32 inches instead of every 16. After that, I began demolition. I tore our the entire front and re-sheeted it. Big D (my dad, for those of you not in the know) then cut out the opening for a window, we swapped out the door for a new one and we began some siding.

(Backyard Side Shed - Day one.)

DAY TWO:

On day two I was flying solo, so I only finished the siding on the backyard side. I wanted to pace myself, and it was, like, 100 degrees out.

(Finished Backyard Side Shed...still
needs some paint on the trim.)

DAY THREE:

Day three was a Monday, so Becky and I had to get what we could finish done after we got home from work. I decided to do the outside side of the shed.

(Before: Outside Side of Shed)

Mom had pulled all the vines and crap off the wall when she was over, so that was out of the way. I then removed the window (as this window faces a business, and I don't need people looking in my shed window from the alley or the business). This task was fairly straight forward. Remove the window, board up the hole, and, well, that's it. I didn't take the sides off here, because they were in good shape. We just sided over them.

(After: Outside Side of Shed)

DAY FOUR/FIVE:

We had to wait for Friday to roll around before we started day four. Why? We needed to call in the big guns. Dad actually took a day off (isn't he the best?!?) to come and prep the back side of the shed.

(Before: Back Side of Shed.)

This was the biggest part of all. Big D began the process while I was at work. He took the old garage door off, and began making a casing for the new doors to sit on (you can see the excellent work in the After photo below!) After that set (overnight), I removed the old wood, while Big D framed in the new doors. The new doors went in on the first try, because my dad is super-awesome with that kinda stuff! We re-sheeted the back, and called it a night.

(First day of Back Side of Shed renovation.)

DAY SIX:

Becky and I attacked the back side of the shed after work, and make some good progress the first day. We put up trim, painted, and did some prep for the siding.

(Second Day of Back of Shed Renovation.)

DAY SEVEN:

On day seven, we finished the back of the shed, and wow, what a difference!!

(Finished back of shed.)

DAY EIGHT:

We now began to work on the carport side of the shed.

(Before: Carport Side of Shed.)

Big D had cut a window in the carport side earlier in the festivities, so Becky and I once again began to attack the siding. When we got to the top, we stopped so Dad could add a 1 x 6 trim at the top.

(After: Finished Carport Side of Shed.)