Nixon's Memoirs

,,,

2006-12-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

The rise and fall of the blog

2006-11-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

I know the blog has pretty much said this all on its own for some time now, but I'm officially declaring Nixon's Memoirs "Dead" at the moment.

It may yet return, but I have no such delusions as to being able to tell you when.

Thanks for two years of loyal readership.

2006-08-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

*Your Life: The Soundtrack*
Opening credits:	"It's Too Late"- Carol King
Waking up:	"Oh What a Beautiful Morning"-Rogers and Hammerstein
Average day:	"Beautiful Day"- U2
First date:	"Back in the Saddle Again"- Gene Autry
Falling in love:	"A Kiss to Build a Dream On" -Louis Armstrong
Love scene:	"Erotic"- Madonna
Fight scene:	Fight music from Star Trek.
Breaking up:	"Girl, Don't Go Away Mad, Just Go Away"-Motley Crue
Getting back together:	"Reunited"-Peaches and Herb
Secret love:	"Follow Me"-Uncle Kracker
Life's okay:	"Feeling Good"-Michael Buble'
Mental breakdown:	"On The Fritz"- Steve Taylor.
Driving:	"Theme from Peter Gunn"-Lake and Palmer
Learning a lesson:	"Love over Gold" -Dire Straits
Deep thought:	"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"-U2
Flashback:	"Two Shots of Happy" -Matt Dusk
Partying:	"Miami" -Will Smith
Happy dance:	"Hamster Dance"
Regreting:	"Romeo and Juliet" -Dire Straits
Long night alone:	"In The Air Tonight"- Genesis
Death scene:	"Bitter Sweet Symphony" -Verve Pipe
Closing credits:	"Where Are You Going?" -World Wide Message Tribe
Take this survey \| Find more surveys You've been totally Bzoink*d

X-Factor

2006-08-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it, I've been very lax when it comes to the blog. I've been more interested in tweaking my MySpace site. But meanwhile, I did a survey! Woohoo!

NIGHTCRAWLER!!!
Holy crap! You are:

If you had the power to teleport ANYWHERE at ANYTIME, where would YOU go? Actually, you are more rational and spiritual than the average X-Men, Night Crawler is always out to do the right thing. In real life, you're probably the "perfect" man or woman that everyone looks for, but you're too good a friend too see like that. Wow, can't ever get a break, eh?

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 33% on Mutations

Link: The Which X-Man Are You Test written by alexium on OkCupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Pink-Eyed Pirates and growing old.

2006-07-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, another 16th of July has come and gone, and I now find myself half-way to being 70.
It was not the grand event of a birthday that we had so gleefully planned earlier in the year, but per usual, money gets in the way. Truthfully, money did not get in the way, in fact, money stayed way clear of our path most of the time.

Therefore, the trip to St. Louis, the visions of Emo's Pizza and Cardinals baseball dancing in my head gave way to dinner at the Dragon Palace, and a trip to the theatre to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, where it felt I aged another year or two.

My darling wife has been in Memphis, bettering her education and learning more about teaching youngsters music. Meanwhile, I've been at home, suffering from conjunctivitus and flu-like symptoms. I saw the Doc on Friday, and felt a little better by the weekend, so when she came home, we were able at least to enjoy the above activities.

Now she's back in the Volunteer State for a second week of studies, and I find myself bored to tears. It's funny, usually all I think about is having more time to watch TV and play online, and now that I have it, I find it's just not a fulfilling as I thought it would be.

Anyway, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, I'm feeling somewhat better, and I guess in the end, that's all anyone can ask for.

Pray for the victory of Israel!

Moving along...

2006-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

So the wife says to me this evening, "Hey, you should update your blog."

Then it dawned on me that nothing of any major significance has happened since I last posted. I supposed that's a good thing. No disasters, no major gripes, no tragedies, crises, medical emergecies.

The one new member of the household is Lex. Lex is not a person, nor is Lex an animal. Lex is our new Lexmark X4270 All-In-One Scanner/Printer/Fax/Copier/Sandwich Maker which has finally brought our household into the late twentieth century, at least partially, in the realm of connectivity.

Truly, the trips to FedEx/Kinkos were getting quite annoying.

Lex was an absolute pain in the buttocks to install, but its here now, and I'm darn happy about it.

The wife goes away next week to take classes, so I'll be batching it until Saturday. I think I'll survive.

That is all for now. Hopefully, my life will remain this boring, or some really GOOD things will happen.

Bloggin' from the Super 8

2006-06-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, yes, it's been almost a month. I just haven't found the time or the desire to type my life lately. Right now, the wife and I are at a Super 8 in Oklahoma to celebrate our 5th Anniversary. The romantic place where I proposed, at which we also ate on our Wedding day, is now a "Louie's Pub and Grill." Certainly not romantic.

So much had changed out here! New places to eat, new stores, new roads. It's amazing.

We'll be back in Little Rock Saturday night.

Well, thank you loyal readers, if there are any of you left, and I'll be back soon this time.

Riverfest report

2006-05-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

The wife and I took the two girls we babysit to Riverfest. We had a wonderful time! The weather was a little warm, but not blazing hot, and for the first time in nine years, I'm told, there was NO RAIN at the event.

We saw Switchfoot and Lifehouse on the concert circuit, the girls enjoyed bungee bouncing whilst I took in the entertaining United Freestyle Team.

With the notable exception of a few smokers and drinkers, everyone was well behaved this year. Plus, I was quite pleased to see that young teen fashion as returned to a more modest level. Gone, thank goodness, are the trends of a couple of years ago of youngsters wearing headbands as shirts and underwear as pants. May they never return.

I was much more selective about the food I ate this year. I'm doing my best to eliminate sugar and white flour from my diet, but to eat anything at Riverfest, that's a near impossible task. I did OK though.

I'm guessing this photo was meant to be scary

2006-05-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

You scored as Socially Conservative Republican. Social conservatives share a belief in traditional morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. The government should use its influence in the public square to support traditional family values.

What's Your Political Philosophy?
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The worst decision the Bush administration's ever made.

2006-05-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, on National Television, George Bush and his advisors made the worst decision of the administration.

No, it's not sending the National Guard to the border, although if they'd just legalize and deputize the Minutemen, they'd save themselves a lot of trouble.

The bad decision was to announce this new policy at 8pm on a weeknight during SWEEPS WEEK!

DVR and VCR users across the country came home from their busy evenings (we were teaching Bible lessons at our church, which also meets on Monday night) to find that their intended viewing had been uncerimoniously pre-empted, and missed the last 19 minutes of their show.

I insist that the President make available On Demand every show he pre-empted with this mistake!

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

2006-05-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah, been awhile again. Sorry, loyal readers.

On May 1st, my wife and I felt the brutal impact of "a day without immigrants". It has taken us this long just to recover. It's tragic and cruel my friends I know, but they have proved a point and we are ready to cave to their every demand...

On Monday, Senor Tequila's was closed and we had to eat at Bennigan's instead!

Oh the humanity!

Bennigan's, of course, is an Irish themed eatery. You remember the Irish, right? came to the US in droves, were hated by Americans, but got jobs, fought against racial bigotry, and became the backbone of our country?

But the ones who came here illegally were horribly mistreated, abused, and exploited. Thank goodness in 21st Century America that doesn't happen any...more, oh wait. Dang.

Illegal Mexican immigrants are this very day in our great country being mistreated, abused, and exploited by greedy American capitalists, and those of us who want to end this travesty and fight for the right of the LEGAL immigrant, while simultaneously ending these abuses of the exploited illegal are called "heartless."

Funny.

Build the wall, keep out the terrorists, make it easier for those wanting to work or be a citizen to get in.

Hats off!

2006-04-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

I wear my hat as I please, indoors or out -Walt Whitman

My beloved workplace (and yes, I say that with all sincerity) has recently decided to pass a "dress code" for both administrative and 'direct care' staff (those of us who actually deal with kids).

I've applauded their efforts, including allowing for two different dress codes that take into account the different aspect of our jobs. Direct care staff are still allowed to wear jeans or "wind suits", which I assume also includes sweat pants, due to the sometimes physically demanding aspect of our job. (ie:physical containments).

The only rule on the entire page which baffles me is the new "no hats indoors" policy.

I have always worn a hat, mostly because I enjoy wearing them. I like how they feel on my head, I enjoy showing support for my favorite team, or a product or business. I have NEVER understood why people are offended by the wearing of a hat indoors, and have always looked upon those who are with morbid fascination. Growing up, if anyone asked me to remove my hat, I just assumed they were doing so in order to make fun of my "hat hair". I actually got in a serious verbal altercation with a friend in college because he refused to sit with me in the cafeteria if I continued to wear my hat.

What is the problem? Is it THAT serious? I mean, are someone's eyeballs going to explode if I don't immediately remove my hat while indoors? Am I spreading a plague by failing to remove my head covering?

I did a little research, and this is what little I came up with...

Amanda Gamble, an "ettiquitte expert" at about.com states the following:

I'll tell you the origin of the
"no hats on men indoors" rule. It began with men of
'lesser rank' removing whatever headress or coronet
(crown) they had on to show that they were not trying
to challenge or be disrespectful to the king or cheiftan
of their country."

OK, Chief, no challenge of authority here, just wearing my hat, because I'm a grown man, and this is America, where I have the right to do so. Of course, I still remove my hat during the Pledge, or the National Anthem, and during prayer. But my church is a "casual" service, and many men wear ball/cowboy hats in church, and I think God knows our hearts, and can see them through the hat. If we mean no disrespect, then there is no disrespect.

That being said, now that my "superiors" at work have asked us not to wear hats indoors, me wearing one would now constitute just that, disrespect, so I'm going to comply.

I've had bad luck with this in the past though as the kids become focused on my increasingly widened bald spot, rather than the instruction or therapy I'm giving them.

The "Chieftan or King" thing is the first semi-practical reasoning I've heard for this rule. But I'd like to hear from others as to their opinions on this, other than the tired "It's just rude".

You can run with this topic on your own blog, too, just be sure to give me a 'hat tip'!

To infinity...and beyond!

2006-04-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Which Era Do You Belong In? (11 Results w Pictures)

The FutureYou're not into the past. You're too busy looking ahead. Where's your flying car, eh? And where's the free source of energy? Hey, we're working on it, okay!
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Big dig

2006-04-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well, as I type this (and yes, I realize it's been a while) there is a giant hole in our backyard, surrounded by yellow caution tape and next to it is the little digging machine that three men have been using all day to make the hole.

Yes, at the bottom of this giant hole is our sewer line, and we've now had a lien put on the house to the tune of $10,000 to get if fixed.

I've been sleeping poorly, tempers are flaring, and I find it difficult to concentrate on anything, which is why this blog has been so spartan in its entries.

It will probably remain so until things start running normally around here again. What is normal anyway?

That's all for now, my brain is fried.

Random thoughts.(Warning, some "V for Vendetta" spoilers)

2006-03-28T05:15:00.000-08:00

I saw "V for Vendetta" yesterday in the theatre. Let's see, totalitarian Christian government outlaws art, other religions, homosexuality, and Billie Holiday records. Crispy dude in a mask raises a revolt to the tune of Tchaicovsky. Yeah, boring.

Speaking of repressive religious governments, have you gotten wind of Islamic leaders in Afghanistan? Despite their government releasing the man who converted to Christianity 16 years ago, they are still calling for his death. I take back everything I said about Islam being a religion of peace. You see, we Christians consider those who leave the flock to be "lost" and try to bring them back, through love and understanding, not under threat of death.

I think this "V for Vendetta" movie would have been far more realistic had it been an oppressive Islamic government, banning Danish cartoons and killing people who owned Bibles. (They kill a man in the movie for owning a Koran.)

***
Problems with the sewer line once more. It backed up yesterday while running a load of laundry. We've called the guy who fixed it, but no answer yet. Total bummer.
***
The girls are obviously getting more comfortable with us on the weekends, because they're starting to act out more. One of them really enjoys pouting and crying over the slightest redirection. (IE: "Please stop yelling and kicking my seat.") The older one puts on a shy, mopey routine when she wants something we've said she can't have (IE: Third helping on dinner)

Oh well, they are still wonderful children, and this is really good training for us for the future.

Someday, hopefully, Mrs. C. and I will have some of our own.

March what? Countdown to Opening day!

2006-03-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

So Oklahoma lost in the first round, and the US is out of the WBC. Opening day is soon!

Plumb funny

2006-03-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

A trusted plumber is in my back yard as I type fixing the sewer pipe, and for a LOT less than the before mentioned amounts!

I've seen other sites list and comment on interesting or odd searches that brought others to their website, and while the majority of my traffic still comes from Germans looking for pictures of LL Cool J, I've got a few that warrant a chuckle:

"casseroles at jesus birth" -Sir or Madam, I'm afraid I really don't have any recipies from this era. If you'd like to go Old Testament, you might want to look into "Manna Helper". I'd stay clear of the "Cheesy potato latka casserole" though. Who knew that the fourth wiseman actually brought Goulash?

"websudoko" -As you may have already discovered, I can't stand, and don't want to understand it. If you came looking for a fellow fan, I apologize.

"Nixon's early life as a child" -Well, we moved a lot, and my mother did most of the raising, and... oh, THAT Nixon. Uhm, try his presidential library site:
www.nixonfoundation.org

"Peter Nixon Dreams" -I'm sure he does, but I have no idea who he is. My search says there is one who is a Linux coder and another who is an artist. I am neither.

"25" -Why thank you, I'm flattered, but I'm actually 34.

Meanwhile, to all my LL Cool J fans out there, Mama said knock you out!

Update: The plumber wrapped it up about 7:30,and boy did he look tired! But, our sewage problem is now solved, and we got out for $808 and change. This wiped our our savings, but hey, that's what it's for!

Pickin', Grinnin' & Politickin'

2006-03-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Attend Concert on Thursday, March 16, 7 p.m., UALR Theatre to Support Andy!

I met Andy Mayberry at the State Fair last year, and was really impressed with his ideas and with him as a human being. I signed up to help with his campaign, so now I'm doing my part!

Central Arkansasans in District 2, come hear some great music to raise money for Andy's campaign! It will feature the Christian/Gospel music of Matt Mosler and Mike Franklin, and the Country music of Bailey Hefley and the band Riverbilly.

More info @: http://andymayberryforcongress.com

Orangeburgh?

2006-03-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have to vent somewhere, and for me, this is about the safest place to do it. I am just overwhelmed right now.

At one point this weekend it seemed like there were fifty people in the house (actually, it was about 9) and I was being pulled every which way to do one thing or another, be it play something, clean something, whatever. In and of themselves, all the houseguests would have been quite welcome. They were the two girls we babysit, their older sister, my mom and step-dad, and the neighbor child, along with my wife and I. It just seemed like I had no time to even breathe.

Then, Monday comes.

RAW SEWAGE has backed up into our showers, the washing machine drain backed up and flooded the laundry room. The toilets flush slowly. So, I call "Mr. Rooter" (No relation to Roto) and they come out lickety-split and quote me $208.51 for the job. "Git R Done!" I tell 'em.

Throughout the course of the day, I learn all about some God-forsaken substance known as Orangeburgh, and how it was all the rage in the 50's (when my house was built) but now anyone who has it has found out that it is really just glorified tar paper, and it collapses after a few decades.

My $208.51 quote kept creeping up through the day to $800...$1500...$2000...$7000...$9000...and finally, after a call to City of Little Rock... $20,000!

Please do kiss my entire backside!

Through neighbors and fellow churchmembers, we are trying to work out a cheaper solution. Mr. Rooter is going to be out in the morning once more to "Locate" the stop, but once they do that, I'm going to have them mark it, pay them, and send them on their way.

Meanwhile, no laundry, and no "solid" waste in the Casablanca household.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

The reports of my demise...

2006-02-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, just a mini-post to let you know I haven't gone away! Lots of wonderful things happening in Casablanca household! Including two new additions! OK, it's just on the weekends, as we have started babysitting two bi-racial sisters. Their mother works all day Saturday and Sunday, so we started watching them last weekend. FUN!

More later!

Iced in

2006-02-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

The glorious trip to All-State was cut short on Friday, as they moved up the concerts, and everyone went scrambling home to beat the weather. We checked out of the Embassy early, and then braved the crazed Wal-Mart to buy our groceries. If we could have gotten by at all without going, we would have, but we had run out of food before leaving for All-State, and it was our regular food-buying time. Meanwhile, people were stocking up for Armageddon.

Three hours later, we were snug in the house, and we've been stuck here ever since. The sand truck actually came down our street, but that doesn't change the fact that our driveway is still covered in a solid sheet of ice. It is supposed to warm to above freezing today, and hopefully all will be clear by the time I have to go back to work Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, I've gotten to spend LOTS of quality time with the wife!

Run!

2006-02-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Who's "Da Bomb?"

2006-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

I just want to take this opportunity to share with my readers some people who are, in my opinion, "Da Bomb!"

JESUS -He's "Da Bomb!"

Muhammad Ali - He's "Da Bomb!"

Boomer Esiason-
Hey, his name is BOOMER, you know he's "Da Bomb!"

Nixon Casablanca- Yes! I AM "DA BOMB!"

Seriously, folks, I can't tell you what the Danish cartoonist meant by his cartoon, but I'll tell you what it meant to me. Islam, a faith of peace that I respect and admire has been defiled by terrorists who kill in it's name. Thus, the teachings of the great prophet Mohammed have also been defiled. And now, those who are insulted by it defile him as well.

They claim that to depict him is to condone idolatry, then to be offended by a non-believer's mockery is idolatry too. As a Christian, I was offended when an artist put a model of Jesus in a bottle of urine and called it art, but I did not kill anyone or destroy property because of it. The reason is I don't worship an IMAGE of Christ, I worship CHRIST. His image only serves to remind me of His sacrifice, as does His Word, the Holy Bible.

Thusly, then, I feel Muslims should hold dear the words of Mohammed, The Koran, and leave the non-believers to their mockery, as I do with unbelievers who mock my faith. Stop the violence, repent, and come, let us reason together.

Super Bowl Sunday

2006-02-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

Pittsburgh.

There, now that's out of the way.

After teaching Kidz World and going to church this morning, the wife and I are off to "Podunkville". The fictional hamlet where our good friend CrazyBandDirector and her family reside. Crazy will be rooting for Pittsburgh, as will the wife and I. Her husband is rooting for Seattle, and the kids... they're going for Dallas. They just might be on to something there, I bet you could get some good odds in Vegas!

Okay, the Super Bowl officially ends the "Holiday season" right? Or is it Valentine's Day? I ask because I still need to lose my "Holiday weight gain" and I need to know when the excuses run out.

Go Steelers!

As if there was any doubt.

2006-01-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

Boomer Sooner! Perfect Score! You are a true

Oklahoma Sooner fan! You know all the great

traditions and are proud to stand behind a

great school and athletic program!

Are you a true OU Sooner Fan?
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The latest goings-on

2006-01-24T05:26:00.000-08:00

Not a lot, really.

I will start out by saying this, however. Folks, if you work in a job where your primary responsibility is the safety of others around you, it might be a really good idea to remain, oh, I don't know, AWAKE while you're on the clock.

I work nights, and I know it's not easy. I drink coffee at night and I take sleep-aids during the day, but I get through because I love my job, and I want to keep it. Not to mention the fact that falling asleep in a house full of teenagers, some of whom have homicidal/suicidal ideations, doesn't rank very high at all on my list of "Smart things to do. "

The good news here is that their are some new openings at my workplace.

Things are going well on the church front. One of the new Children's Ministry directors sat in on our Sunday school class this week, and she really enjoyed our teaching. For the most part, the kids are really good at listening and taking suggestions. I wish I could say the same for our worship team. I realize that we are not being broadcast to anyone other than the folks in the "family" worship room (screaming baby room) but since I am on the Tech Team (camera ministry) I do like for my work to look good. So, we've asked the singers, musicians, and ministers to follow one simple suggestion. "Please don't wear the same color as the background." Right now, and for the foreseeable future, our background is black. I would say "Don't wear black", but sure enough as soon as I do, they'd change it to blue, and everyone would start wearing blue.

Sunday, a singer, a guitarist, AND the pastor wore black, creating the dreaded "floating head" effect in our camera shots. Monday, the night I run camera, FOUR singers/musicians, including the opening soloist wore black. Is it that hard? I mean, I know it seems like such a silly little thing to pick at, but a good presentation, IMHO, glorifies God, and I thought that was the whole point of doing this.

I, of course, am not without my own faults. I've gotten bad shots, been out of focus, moved the camera while "on", etc. But I do take some pride in my work, and try my best to correct my mistakes when the occur. I certainly follow advice from others when it is given.

This is not something I'm mad about, it's just one of those things that baffle the soul.

On the diet front, oh my have I been struggling. I can't seem to get on that treadmill lately, and my holiday pounds still remain firmly around my waist. Last night, I had an unexplainable and intense craving for egg rolls and won tons. We ordered them, and they were quite good. I'm going to have to make sure I work out today, and at least three times this week.

It appears I have rambled on quite enough for one post. I'll endeavor to post more frequently.

New link

2006-01-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

I'm late in doing this, but I've added a new link. I met Jim Kirk just after Christmas at a party being thrown to honor both he and his sister for their graduation.

Jim is a brilliant artist and a fun guy. There is some language on the site, just to let you know. The background on his site is from one of his paintings.

I've added his link to the right, and it is titled "Who reads this crap?"

Well, I do Jim!

The Ultimate in Gender Discrimination

2006-01-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

I sat today watching the Samuel Alito confirmation hearings, waiting and watching for the inevitable question on abortion. It was never specifically mentioned in the testimony I heard, though Senator Joseph Biden did site one abortion case. The anti-Alito ads are running strong here in Little Rock, which is surprising to me, but not totally unexpected.

I tend to remain non-confrontational on a lot of issues here, simply because this is more a forum for family, friends, and curious on-lookers to learn about the goings-on in my daily life. But today, Yahoo! News ran this story that points out a disturbing and growing trend in India. I had heard rumor of this happening in China and some other countries as well where male children are prized over female children. In the case of China, the "one child" rule makes this even more horrific, with some families actually killing daughters after they are born. In India, what is taking place is selective abortion.

"We conservatively estimate that prenatal sex determination and selective abortion accounts for 0.5 million missing girls yearly," said Prabhat Jha of St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto, Canada, on Monday.

What this means is, if a couple has a son first, then a daughter, then the birth ratio of male to female is normal. But, if a daughter is born first, the birth ratio is off by 500,000 yearly. Meaning, over the past 20 years, thanks to pre-natal gender-identification, Indian parents have intentionally terminated TEN MILLION unborn simply because they are female.

I believe that even the vast majority of those who are pro-abortion would find this disturbing. Even those who think abortion for reason of genetic defect is acceptable can't say that being female is a genetic defect.

But what can be done? If both prenatal gender identification and totally unrestricted abortion remain legal in India, then nothing can be legally done to prevent this practice. Where does this end? If through some technology it can be determined how tall your son will be, will parents continue to abort male children until they have a potential NBA prospect? Will parents abort until their child has the right hair and eye color?

The solution could be quite complicated, or it could be simple. Abortion, like any other medical procedure, should be deemed medically necessary before taking place. This of course leaves it up to interpretation of the medical professional involved. The simple solution would be to recognize the unborn child as a human life, and therefore afford that life the respect and dignity he/she deserves.

Then again, this world has a long way to go in affording any human life the respect and dignity we deserve.

As for me and my house...

Another New Year!

2006-01-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

So, here it is 2006 already. Before I set forth my resolutions for the new year, I'm going to review my resolutions from last year:

1: Bite me, Coca-Cola! I've been addicted to your battery acid for too freaking long, and despite my recent purchase of a "Diet Coke" had, pledging my undying devotion to your syrupy product, I will no longer drink the vile bile you've been peddling to me since birth. That's not to say you'll be losing any revenue on me, nind you, as I plan on purchasing lots of Dasani drinking water to fill the void. Got any Dasani hats to sell me?
My soda drinking re-emerged sometime around June, after I was done with the "Arkansas' Biggest Loser" show. I will revisit this in 2006, looking at least a reduction. But now that I work ALL night shifts, my reliance on caffeine is fairly set.

2: Premiere Fitness, take "me" away! If only you folks had been open today, you would have sold a $3000 treadmill to me. But, you'll have to wait to cha-ching that one up until the 3rd now. I'm turning my Price-Is-Right addiction into a healthy one by resolving to spend the Hour of Fantastic Prizes on a new treadmill everytime I watch.
The treadmill was a vital part of my weight loss early in 2005. Sadly, over the last two months I have gained about half that weight back. The treadmill is damaged at the moment, and makes demonic noises when I try to use it. Luckily, it is still under full warranty due to its late arrival last year. I've also broken my addiction to Price is Right and am now back on a Jeopardy fix. I still plan on using the treadmill every day this year once it is fixed, no matter what I'm watching on TV.

3: Triple Word "Score!" To keep my brain healthy as well, I've recently purchased both Scrabble Online, and the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. I hope this will replace other mindless (and possibly blinding) online pursuits.

I'm burned out on Scrabble, mainly due to the fact my best friend keeps beating me everytime we play. I've moved on to crossword puzzles and online poker.

*******************************************************************
That covers 2005, now for 2006. I believe in the principle of 3's, so here we go:

1: Do things without being asked; I can see when the trashcan is full, the sink is full, or the floor is dirty. It's high time the wife and I stop playing "Hamper Jenga". The fact that I work nights does not totally absolve me from household responsibility. This also applies at work, where I work with one co-worker. We have many duties throughout the night, and my partner usually ends up doing most of it because of his personality. I'm already starting to surprise him by being more proactive at work.

2: Communicate my needs more; Both my spouse and I tend to be rather passive aggressive when seeking to get our needs met. Instead of saying "Please do this", we'll say "Would you like to...?" or "Would you mind...?" These, of course, are open-ended questions that can lend themselves to getting the answer we didn't want to hear. Also, when I'm in a situation I don't like, I need to let her know it. I tend to stifle my emotions for a while, and then explode at the wrong time, over something that seems minor.

3: Be thankful; I don't think it is wrong to want things, but I do think it is wrong to be ungrateful for the things I do have. Just because I anticipate wanting a Nintendo Revolution when it become available, doesn't mean I don't still love my Gamecube. I believe that I've already achieved maximum thankfulness for my job, which I've really grown to appreciate and love over the last year. It's not perfect, no, but I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing right now.

A blessed new year to all my readers!

Family drama/ A break for a bowl game.

2005-12-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I should have known it was too good to be true. A wonderful trip to Oklahoma, with the Brother-In-Law (BIL) in tow. We took him to see several old friends of his he hadn't seen in a while, we put him up in a nice hotel, we got him nice presents, we fed him good food. We laughed, we joked, we actually enjoyed his company for a while.

And then Tuesday night he pilfered our ATM card in the middle of the night and ran up $300 in "Psychic Hot Line" and/or Phone sex charges. He also snagged his own ATM card (we handle his money, long story there)and overdrew his own account.

I've been warding off violent fantasies ever since, and he is now ETERNALLY banned from our household.

On a much brighter note, the MIL is visiting, and has helped us with the BIL situation temporarily, will full expectation that he will pay her back. AND HE WILL.

I'm taking off work tonight so I can enjoy the Oklahoma-Oregon matchup at the Holiday Bowl in its entirety. I'm so glad my own supervisor is on-call this week, because as long as we find our own coverage, he doesn't ask any questions about why we want off. Other supervisors always act suspicious and want to know specifically why we want off, and what we're doing, and why what we're doing is so much more important. One time, while in Oklahoma for a funeral (my step-dad's mother) I called and arranged coverage with a co-worker, then called the on-call supervisor to let him know of the switch. He asked why, and I told him that I was going to help my parents sort through my grandmother's things. His response? "Why? She's dead, her stuff isn't going anywhere." I slammed the phone in his ear.

I feel that as long as I've found my own coverage, I should be able to take off with no questions asked. If that same supervisor ever asks me "Why" again, I'll most likely respond with the following:

"Well,sir, I'm taking a bus to Ecuador to pick up a three-legged goat I won on eBay that can sing Phantom of the Opera. I would have had it sent, but the shipping on that sucker was off the chain! Say, you want me to bring you back some Cubans? You want me to put you down for a reserve copy of my goat's upcoming album?"

I think he'd stop asking me after that.

Please pray for my sanity.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Here I am blogging from the lobby of the Hampton Inn of Edmond,OK. This will be short as their space bar is sticking.

The wife and I really enjoyed the family Christmas party, minus some cousins. Everyone please keep my cousin (France Journey) in your thoughts and prayers as she is undergoing some surgery this week.

The family dirty santa always has a higher caliber gift selection, and this year was no exception. My wife ended up with a Wal-Mart gift card, and I got a gourmet selection of chocolate covered nuts. One of my Aunts threatened to "steal my nuts" in one of the most hilarious and akward moments of the day, but in the end, they were saved, and I'm taking them home.

The most fun I had was playing with the children of the cousins that did make it. I'm the only cousin (save the 11 year old) without kids. *sigh* We can all hope that I beat her to it!

We're off to Tulsa tomorrow, and Middle_America/Busy Busy Mommy, we're going to be in your neck of the woods as well, so if you're going to be around, let me know via e-mail, I'll check it tomorrow before we leave.

I gave all my family the address to this blog, so hopefully my readership will increase, and you guys can read all the wonderful things my family might say about me. (Some of it could even be true!)

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Signing off from the Sooner State!

Christmas comes early!

2005-12-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

Since we're heading out to Oklahoma in the morning, the Casablanca household decided to hold Christmas a little early this year. The stockings have been raided, the tree had been evacuated of gifts, and here is how Nixon faired:

Tokyo (Yomiuri) Giants baseball cap! (Something I've wanted for five years)
CD: Celtic Woman
CD: Yaz: Upstairs at Eric's
CD: Carrie Underwood: Some Hearts
A blue Hawaiian shirt
George Foreman socks
A 2006 Batman Calendar
Grantville Gazette by Eric Flint.

Not bad at all!

Mrs. Casablanca got a collection of Narnia merchandise from her wish list.

The brother-in-law received some PS2 games and a book he's been wanting.

Thank goodness for the Amazon wish list!

We're off to Oklahoma tomorrow right about noon, and should be checked in to the hotel and at my mom's place around 7pm. I'm so excited!

Christmas day, we go to OKC to my aunt's house for the family Christmas. The day after Christmas, we head to Tulsa to see some of my wife's family and friends. Tuesday, we return to Little Rock in time to meet my mother-in-law, who'll be visiting for a week or so.

Holiday festivities

2005-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm quite aware I haven't posted in... 10 days? Dang, I think that is a record for me. My excuse is a common one, that being I've really had nothing much to talk about.

Today was the Christmas party in our Sunday school class, where we served cookies, cupcakes, candy canes, and the traditional holiday favorite: cheese dip!

We also talked to the kids about angels, and as a gag, I wore my Anaheim Angels hat pictured on this blog. The wife and I often do these Sunday school lessons in an impromptu manner, and this was no exception. We had read the material beforehand, but had discussed very little how we would present it as a team.

One hilarious moment came when my wife was reading to the kids about the angels coming to the shepherds to tell them of Jesus' birth. She said "Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news..."

And yes, I said it: "...I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!"

The kids rolled in laughter, and my wife just gave me this priceless look that was a combination of mirth, confusion, and rage.

We were invited to a friend's company Christmas party at her home a few days ago, and participated in a "Dirty Santa" exchange. This was the first of three such exchanges I will endure this Christmas season. This one was unexpected however, and our contribution was actually provided by our hostess, so anything we got was a pure bonus. My wife ended up with some Gingko Boloba and a Tony Roma's gift certificate, and I scored some golf coasters and KC and the Sunshine Band's Greatest Hits. That's the way (uh huh uh huh) I like it!

The next Dirty Santa will occur this Wednesday morning at my place of employment, and the third will be at my family's Christmas party on Christmas day.

Thankfully, the weather has held up, I made it safely after my last post (obviously) and I'm hoping for good weather throughout the season. If I end up in one more ice storm, I'm really going to push for an eventual move to Arizona, or at least look for a job that doesn't require me to come in during a blizzard.

I wish all my loyal readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Hopefully, I'll actually post before then, but that's just in case.)

Update: Did I say three? I meant FOUR Dirty Santa exchanges. The second one occured this evening at my church small group meeting. My wife brought to the exchange four of the books in the "Left Behind" Series. I contributed two books that I cherished, but had not yet got around to reading, which were the Biography of Humphrey Bogart, and the novelization of Casablanca called "As Time Goes By."

In return, through the dirty santa game, I recieved a fruit cake, and my wife got a Hemingray glass insulator with a B-B hole in it. Now, in mint condition these tend to sell for around $30. Did I mention the hole?

News on the work exchange on Wednesday!

I dislike snow, sleet, freezing drizzle et al.

2005-12-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the vagueness and unpredictability of weather forecasts, I went in to work two hours early last night to avoid was was projected to be as bad as 4 inches of snow. I had light flurries about five minutes from work. The real snow/sleet didn't even start until around 2am, and it wasn't even enough to close down Little Rock schools. (Much to the dismay of our patients.)

I had gone prepared, with blankets, pillow, C-PAP, hygiene products, emergency rations, etc.

Oh well, better overprepared that unprepared I guess.

My only fear is tonight it is supposed to get well below freezing once more (16 F) and if the roads aren't dry when it happens, it'll be Nixon on Ice going into work. There are many many things I'd rather be doing that driving on ice. Like, oh, I dunno, rolling around naked in fiberglass for instance. (Another story for another time.)

Pray for extreme dryness.

The winner and STILL Middleweight Champion...

2005-12-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

JERMAIN "BAD INTENTIONS" TAYLOR!

Another festive evening in the Casablanca household as we had most of the gang from my birthday party back last night for Taylor-Hopkins II

The undercard was quite good this time, and I predicted the correct outcome of each of the opening fights as Ike "Bazooka" Quartey easily defeated Carlos Bojorquez in a bloody encounter, and a brilliant young Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez won his fight.

The main event did not dissapoint either. I had the fight scored 116-112, and Jermain won in a unanimous decision 115-113.

Hopkins did his best after the fight to continue promoting Jermain's "Crybaby" Hopkins doll(Pre-fight leather S&M mask sold seperately!) by complaining once again that he was "robbed."

Speaking of that mask, oooooh, that was creepy. Basically, Hopkins came out to the ring in an "Executioners" mask that looks like he bought it from some kinky internet site. He wore the thing through the introduction, even though it was obvious he was having trouble breathing in it. There is nothing quite so pathetic as a 40-year-old man playing dress-up. This is boxing, Bernard, not the WWE.

We were all somewhat distracted by the fact that fellow-church members, and Governor and First Lady of Arkansas Mike and Janet Huckabee were in the second row, right in front of promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Fun!

Word of Arkansans pouring into the streets of Little Rock last night,not to mention the 4000 Arkansans in attendance in Las Vegas! Jermain is good for Arkansas, good for boxing, and good for sport!

Thank you, Champ!

Baby Penguins

2005-12-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to D. Penguin of Penguins Ponderings on the birth of her new baby boy!

Not only is she my "Blogmother" (The person who introduced me to the world of blogging) but for you OLD OLD schoolers out there, she was the first ever Sysop to give me Co-Sysop access to her BBS. (Yes, we go WAAAAAAAAY back.)

Man, I'd love to play me some Trade Wars 2002 or L.O.R.D. right now. (Ahh, memories.)

I want you to tell your friends about me...

2005-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Agreed, Senator Specter.

2005-11-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

Let me premise this by saying I think Terrell Owens is a jerk, deserved to lose his job, and I in no way condone his actions.

But Senator Arlen Specter is absolutely right.

Imagine this happening in any other workplace:

"Yeah, Peter, hi, look we're going to go ahead and send you home, and stop paying you, oh, and you can't get another job anywhere in our industry. So if you could just go away and rot, that would be great."

If another team wants to shoot themselves in the foot by going ahead and signing Owens, let them! Especially if it's the Dallas Cowboys! (Jones is now under investigation for implying on a sports talk show that he might be interested in Owens.)

Walk like a panther!

2005-11-27T03:24:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered that a large number of visitors to my site are here due to the simple fact that in a previous post, I mentioned that a waiter we had resembled LL Cool J, and linked to a little photo of the man. Now, an ethical dilema arises for me. Do I find and delete this link, and thereby eliminate a large portion of my blog traffic? Or do I leave it, knowing full well that people looking for photos of rappers aren't really honest visitors to my blog?

YOU make the call!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

I hope that you have either made it safely to your destination, or that your visiting loved ones have all arrived safely at your home. Here in the Casablanca household, it will be me, my wife, my brother-in-law, and a dear friend of ours. Mrs. C is busily cooking up a massive feast, including turkey, casseroles, sweet potato pie, chocolate cake, deviled eggs, mac n' cheese, and more.

Meanwhile, Yahoo is reporting that many of our nation's food banks are running short of food this year due to donation burn-out resulting from Hurricane relief.

My church recently collected approx. 2400 holiday meals to be distributed to the Little Rock area, but I'm sure much more is needed by area food banks across the country. Please do what you can.

I will have to sleep during the Cowboys-Broncos match-up tomorrow, something I'm sure a lot of viewers will be doing. But I am looking forward to enjoying a trouncing of the Detroit Lions by by beloved Atlanta Falcons

Sports commentators were seemingly stuck yesterday on the "tradition" of Dallas and Detroit always playing on Thanksgiving. I personally like the tradition, because with those two teams playing, you are always guaranteed one game where you can let the triptophan take over and avoid annoying relatives. Were the "best matchups" suddenly put into the mix, it could make for some ugly family conflict. Plus, with sucky games on Thanksgiving, you never feel like you're giving up much when the women-folk of the clan manage to talk you out of football and instead force you to join the annual family archival photographic research. I may be only 34, but I still remember holidays where the lights went out, the 16 MM projector went up, and reels were stacked with care for an entire afteroon of grainy memories of aunts and uncles seemingly enjoying their childhood, possibly because there were no films for THEM to watch. Don't get me wrong, I miss those holidays like heck now, and would give up a lot just to sit on grandpa's lap one more time eating pecan pie and disbelieving my mother was ever that young.

But I have new memories to make.

This Christmas we'll be going back to Oklahoma. This will be the first family Christmas since grandma died, so I expect a lot of tears, a lot of memories, and I don't expect I'll miss football at all while we pop in the VHS transfers of those 16mm films, along with Camcordered memories of more recent holidays, and look at the wonder in all the nieces and nephews' eyes disbelieving that we were ever that young.

Celebrity Look-Alike!

2005-11-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

myheritage.com is running a trial of their new facial recognition software. Right now you can submit an image and it will select which of 2400 celebrities you most resemble. As you can see above, It seems to think I closely resemble deceased French composer Olivier Messiaen. (Other more popular picks with Mrs. Casablanca were Richard Dean Anderson and Humphrey Bogart.) Oddly enough, the software stated that MRS. Casablanca most closely resembled Brad Pitt. Something is just totally WRONG with that.

I had fun with it for hours! And yes, it stated a submitted photo of Bruce Willis indeed looked like... Bruce Willis!

As expected, make it so!

2005-11-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

You scored as Enterprise D (from Star Trek). You have high ideals and know in your heart that humanity will continue to evolve into a better people. Now if only the borg would quit assimilating people.

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Shameless plug.

2005-11-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

On behalf of you, the readers, I've nominated myself for a 2005 Weblog award.

Feel free to nominate yourself for something there as well, and when voting comes around, remember your pal Nixon, won't you?

Ok, here I am

2005-11-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

My mother visited this past weekend, which took my attention away from the computer (as it should be) and set me even further behind.

Okay, it's old news now I know, but the recent report on schools that "inflate" grades has been on my mind. As the spouse of a school teacher, I have sort of an inside track as to what goes on, at least in her experience. The problem being addressed is that students are making good grades in class, and then performing below average on standardized tests such as the PSAT/NMSQT, ACT, etc. Students are graduating from high school with 4.0 GPA's (and higher for AP students) and then getting to colleges and having to take REMEDIAL classes.

Here's the problem. From what I've heard, it's not the teachers inflating the grades. Teachers want to give the grade that the child has earned, and though they are often quite lenient with time frames, legibility, etc., they still have standards to maintain! Many students are on what is known as a "504" plan, which requires teachers to develop an "Individual Educational Program" (IEP) for each student with identified learning disabilities. These IEP's can be as simple as allowing more time to complete the work, allowing the use of reference materials, calculators, etc. Or even require the teacher to not count off for things such as grammar or spelling. The result is little Timmy or Tammy turns in a torn page of monkey scrawl and the teacher has to give them an "A" for it.

In addition to the "IEP", it seems to be a growing trend, at the last two schools where my wife has taught, one of which is on the "needs improvement" list, if a parent(s)/guardian(s) of ANY student, 504 or not, comes in and complains about a grade, and the teacher refuses to change it, they then go to the administration, who asks the teacher to change it, and then changes it themselves if the teacher refuses.

How is it possible for a student in ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) classes to wind up needing remediation in college? How about if AP teachers are instructed by the administration to "dumb down" their criteria AND curriculum in order to get more minority students into and to pass AP classes? I find that to be insulting to both the teacher, and minority students!

For a reality check here, I graduated from high school with a 2.7 GPA, yes I was a lazy little Nixon. I went to OU and continued my lazy ways, but NEVER needed a remedial class! I got my degree (minus tooth skin) and consider myself to be of slightly above-average intelligence.

But now, with notable exceptions of course, I see some students who are far below their grade level and are well on their way to becoming a drain on the economy. A student on the bus at my wife's previous school was doing an assigned reading of "The Red Badge of Courage." I had also been assigned this book in school (in 8th grade) so I asked him what class it was for. "AP English III" he replied.

ZOINKS! During my sophomore year, I was reading "An American Tragedy" for crying out loud!

My overall point is that if we continue to "dumb down" our schools just to make everyone feel good about themselves, we're going to end up with some very dumb people in power! Looking around at the present leadership (in general, not specifying anyone) I don't think we can afford to lose any more IQ points, people!

I'm reminded of a story I heard where a school took twenty random students from the general school population, and told the teacher that she was getting the top 20 students in the school to teach. She was highly excited, and took extra effort to come up with the most challenging material she could for her class. At the end of the year, her 20 students were in fact the top 20 students in the school! The teacher was then given the student's ACTUAL transcripts from previous years (she had been given faked ones to start.) Imagine if every teacher (and administrator) actually respected and believed in their students enough to challenge them and make them earn a grade rather than just hand one to them?

Is it any wonder that companies are sending tutors into the classroom? Is it any wonder that the owner of the largest media outlet in Oklahoma essentially BOUGHT the College of Journalism at OU? (It is now named after the man.)

We as educators, administrators, parents, and citizens of our community must see to it that our children receive the BEST education possible!

Middle Earth

2005-11-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Elvish

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

Blogger bloopers

2005-11-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

Everytime I've had the time this week to blog, blogger hasn't been working properly. Today, I don't have the time, but it seems to be working fine. So, this will be a quickie.

OU is 5-3, one win away from a bowl, but none of the three remaining games are a sure thing. It should be exciting. We're off next week, but will gather for the game against Texas A&M on 11/12 at West End per usual.

I have some commentary on the big "Grade Inflation" story forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Thanks for checking up on me!

A better week

2005-10-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, things worked themselves out at "AHS", where it turns out only one band member was actually upset with me, and it wasn't even the one I lost my temper with. No biggie there. AHS played their opponent tough on Friday, losing by a mere 19 points, when they were expected to lose by almost 40. They played a tough game. The refs were once again questionable, and sadly the guy who does our announcing at home games complained a little too loudly, and was asked to leave.

Saturday, we went to West End for our usual OU watch party. But, we brought my brother-in-law, who didn't have his ID with him, and for some odd reason, West End has started to admit only 18 and up after 6pm. Weird, since they are supposed to be a family place. Oh well, we came home and watched the game, which is just as well, because struggling with BAYLOR is not the kind of thing you want to share with the general public. At least we won, and if we can win half of our remaining games, we go to a bowl! Yeah!

Sunday we went to Conway and had a mini-reunion with my Dad, step-mom, Uncle, Aunt, a cousin, his girlfriend and his partner (he's a police officer). That was a fun time!

This weekend is the Rock Creek men's conference "Call of the wild." I'm looking forward to it. Christian comedian Dennis Swanberg is going to be there. There will be a catfish dinner, hunting expo, door prizes, etc.

Long weekend

2005-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Friday night, for the most part, was a fun night. I got to see a cute little pug dog, witness a sixteen-year-old redneck attempt to hit on my wife, saw a guy who could put a nail all the way up his nose, and once again watched the boys of "AHS" lose at football. There was some really bad officiating at that game.

Then, the trip home. One of the guys became enraged with my wife due to her decision not to stop on the mere 90 minute trip back to the school, and began yelling and cursing her loudly, not allowing her to address the band. At one point he told her "You're not my mother."

This is when I stood up and said "I'm your mama." This meant, of course, that when he is on a band trip with us, we are responsible for his well-being, and he is responsible for obeying and respecting us. He continued to yell and curse at me, and I ended up raising my voice at him to get my attention. He calmed down after a little while, and we were able to speak like civilized people. We both apologized for our angry voices, and shook hands. I deal with angry teenage boys quite a bit, but it becomes a bit more emotional when they are directing their anger towards my wife.

Saturday we went and watched OU's pathetic victory over Kansas in a game we probably would have lost if they weren't even more pathetic.

Sunday, the wife, myself, and approx. 59,998 other Arkansans went to the state fairgrounds for the last day of the state fair. We ate some good (read "bad") stuff, but we walked enough to burn those calories off.

Monday was uneventful, except that the angry kid's mom now somehow thinks my actions towards her son were questionable because I may or may not have "taken off my watch."
What actually happened was, after I sat down next to him, I removed the sports radio I had been listening to, which was clipped to my watch, and put it back in my lunchbox. Doing what I do, I know that people see the removing of a watch as a precursor to physical violence, but I had absolutely no intention of that. This kid is actually quite a good kid, not to mention a talented musician.

So, that brings me to today, where so far my highlight has been the discovery of a fun, cheesy show called "Time Tunnel" Which stars James Darren, best known by Star Trek fans as "Vic Fontaine" from Deep Space 9.

Some Blogthings to pass the time.

2005-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Your World View

You are a fairly broadminded romantic and reasonably content.
You value kindness and try to live by your ideals.
You have strong need for security, which may be either emotional or material.

You respect truth and are flexible.
You like people, and they can readily make friends with you.
You are not very adventurous, but this does not bother you.

What Is Your World View?

Your Hair Should Be White

Classy, stylish, and eloquent.
You've got a way about you that floors everyone you meet.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

You are a Believer

You believe in God and your chosen religion.
Whether you're Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Hindu..
Your convictions are strong and unwavering.
You think your religion is the one true way, for everyone.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

How You Life Your Life

You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside.
You tend to avoid confrontation and stay away from sticky situations.
Your friends tend to be a as quirky as you are - which is saying a lot!
You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture.
From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!

What Language Should You Learn?

Rough football weekend and baseball predictions.

2005-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids from the HS played hard, especially the defensive unit, but our opponent was also sporting a tough defense, and we lost the game 14-0.

Then, the debacle in Dallas, not that it was unexpected, but it hurt to watch the goodly number of Texas fans cheering in front of us at West End. I don't expect much more out of the Sooners this season, I'm just hoping they can pick up six wins somewhere and get to a bowl game.

On to my favorite sport, Baseball. I hope my Braves can pull out the NLDS with Houston and move on. I'm also rooting for the Angels on the AL side. The Cardinals look tough again this year. I did fairly well on my predictions last year, and I know it's late, but here they are for this year:

Chicago White Sox over Boston Red Sox (duh)
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over New York Yankees.
Atlanta Braves over Houston Astros
St. Louis Cardinals over San Diego Padres (almost duh)

Angels over White Sox
Braves over Cardinals

The beloved Rally Monkey is Tomahawk chopped. BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

Update: Are you freaking kidding me? In the immortal words of Rob Schneider in "Waterboy" "Oh no! We suck again!"

18 FREAKING INNINGS, and the Braves lose. It brought back flashbacks of the July 4th-5th 1985 game I attended as a boy.

GO ANGELS!

Denied

2005-10-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

I went this morning to place a small memorial to the slain student at the nearby gas station. I was polite enough to go ahead and ask where would be an appropriate place to put it.

I was told I could not, due to it being a "corporate" property. I asked them to call a supervisor and make the request for me. I was then told that they would have to call someone else and get back to me.

I certainly hope they allow me this gesture, for they are the same "corporate" entity that is profit-driven enough and disregards employee and customer safety enough to be open at all hours in this crime-ridden neighborhood. Every other store around it has the good sense to close early.

The young girl, until recently, lived in this same neighborhood, and went to school a block away from where she was killed before moving. That is probably why they chose to go there, because they knew it would be open. Because it is the only thing open at all hours in this area, it is also where the negative elements choose to loiter and cause havoc.

Let Our Violence End.

Wrongful Death

2005-10-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

A girl was killed less than a mile from my home Sunday morning. And now I'm reading comments from other Arkansans blaming the PARENTS for her death. They claim that because the girl was 14, and the boyfriend 20, and that they were out at 4am, that somehow they were culpable in her murder. BULLCRAP!

A 14 year old girl and her 20 year old boyfriend have far more right to be at a gas station at 4 am than a COLD BLOODED KILLER.

The girl may have been "dating" this young man, but nowhere do you read they were intimate. And, even at this late hour, they were being chaperoned by two cousins.

The guilt and blame should all be resting on the person or persons who fired the gun into the car because the boyfriend wouldn't "give" the girls to them. So, in addition to murder, they should also be charged with attempted kidnapping.

KILLERS HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE ANYWHERE ON THIS PLANET, REGARDLESS OF THE TIME OF DAY OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEY ARE IN! (With the one exception of six feet underneath it.)

Shopping!

2005-10-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mrs. Casablanca recent loss of some dress sizes, we made a trip to Dillard's on Sunday and bought her some new outfits. In addition, we bought some new pants for me, and I'm proud to report I'm now in a 50/30 jean! This may seem huge still, yes, but considering I had a 60 inch waist back in February, I'm happy with it! Plus, there was some wiggle room in the 50's. Woo hoo! We bought two pairs of RL jeans. I also bought a nice red Polo to match, and even picked up a *GASP* Razorbacks t-shirt to wear to the tailgate party at War Memorial this weekend.

It was a fanstastic Sunday!

Apparent terrorism at OU

2005-10-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

Still tracking sketchy details on the explosion near OU's stadium during the game.

Update: Luckily, only the bomber was killed, and there is still no conclusion as to the young man's motivation. But, they have uncovered more materials at his apartment, in a complex where I once lived in fact.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.

2005-10-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

A mixed weekend for the Casablanca household. My wife's school, which will from now on be referenced to as "AHS" for no particular reason, went down in horrid defeat by a difference of near 30 points.

But, today, thankfully, my Oklahoma Sooners went to 2-2 for the year and 1-0 in Big 12 play by defeating Kansas State 43-21. I'm still baffled as to how we didn't score the final touchdown of the muffed fair catch, but oh well, it doesn't matter, we won the game. We were outnumbered 2-1 at West End by the KSU alumni group, but by the fourth quarter, they were all gone. Ha Ha.

Despite my best efforts to make Mrs. Casablanca's 28th birthday a special one, a combination of bad drivers, and a crowded hair salon pretty much ruined her day. The AHS kids had really tested her patience on Friday, and then today everything I did or did not do or say seemed to come back and bite me in the buttocks.

But, the day ended well as we went shopping for some Kidz World prizes. Tomorrow is the big monthly drawing from all of the returned lesson programs and we had fun shopping for fun items to go into the prize bags, like Hot Wheels, football cards, stickers and such.

I heard from a dear old friend I had lost touch with today! We went to OU together, and he happened to find me on the OU alumni page. That is totally awesome. This guy is on fire for the Lord, and is one of the smartest people I've ever had the joy of knowing. I'm hoping we will renew our friendship now.

New links

2005-09-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've added some new blogs to my "Blogs for Nixon" list. Grant's Rants, Jewelsie, and MJ Rules. The first is new to the comments and it appears as though we have a lot and common, so welcome to the Memoirs, and I'll be taking you up on that coffee!

2nd is an updated link, formerly known as "Clarinet Yogi", our friend from Eastman is now at Ball State and has a new blog to celebrate!

3rd is "MJ Rules", who is a band student and wild and crazy guy.

I hope you enjoy!

I am... Number 1.

2005-09-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Surprising, yes, humbling, yes. I found out just today that I am the NUMBER ONE BLOG IN LITTLE ROCK according to blogshares.com.

Wow. Thanks readers!

You know your team is slipping when...

2005-09-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

...you get the 6pm game on Fox Sports. I realize Arkansas fans are used to the late games, but for us, an early start is usually the standard. Hey, at least we're still ON TV. Last year, every OU game managed to get televised on some station in Central Arkansas, this year, I'm not so certain that's going to happen.

On a more positive note, Saturday evening, we went out with a friend and a new friend of hers. We rode in his '66 Mustang convertible first to a Japanese eatery, then out to Lake Maumelle to his party boat. It was a complete blast! A fun mixture of partying (for them) and relaxation (for us).

We listened to either WB 101 or the Razorback game. Speaking of which, 55-19 doesn't sound so bad now...

TC-Who? TCU!

2005-09-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Now that TCU has "upset" yet another big-time program in Utah, this should bode well for the Sooners power rankings should we manage to beat UCLA this Saturday. An SMU upset of Texas A&M would also be helpful, but it is much more doubtful.

But, as much as I want the Sooners to win, I never want it to happen at the expense of the rules, or a player's academic pursuits. So yes, Adrian, please go to class. The general student population already sees student-athletes as being coddled and given special treatment, there is no need to further the stereotype. And if you don't go to class, you shouldn't play.

Sooner Victory!

2005-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

A fantastic and lively bunch of fans were at West End today to cheer on our Sooners to Victory. As per usual, two drunken detractors tried to ruin our day by suddenly becoming the world's biggest Tulsa fans. It turned out one was a Texas fan and the other was just some idiot.

Peterson looked back in form for this game, but Bomar continues to fail in impressing anyone.

During the game, we met some folks in town for a soccer tournament, their daughter was a member of the Norman Fury ('91 White) team. So, after the game, we went to Burns Park for some soccer. We ended up having to go at half time, but when we left the Fury were up 2-1.

A great day for the Sooners, and the Casablanca family!

So true, and so sad.

2005-09-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Helping Out

2005-09-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had a far smaller turnout of evacuees than we expected, but that's OK. I'd rather we have too many volunteers and too much food, than not enough. More refugees are coming though, and there will be plenty more opportunities to help and serve as Texas has said they have enough, and other states are stepping up to help out, including Arkansas.

We had BBQ from Corky's, a rock-climbing wall, a moon-bounce, toys, games, sno-cones, face-painting, and the youth group was washing cars for donations to the relief fund. It was a fun day!

I took a break this afternoon to go play some poker with my buds at the United Poker League. This was only my second time to play with them, and out of 40 people who started, I finished 5th, getting knocked out at the final table when I missed my Flush draw after being put All-In by another player. It was fun!

If any Little Rock blogger wants to come by church tomorrow and drop off donations, or check out our service, it's at 7pm. More info here.

Day of Hope

2005-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Church at Rock Creek, of which I am a member, is doing its part this weekend. I plan on helping as much as possible. Here is what they're saying/doing:

Thousands of people have lost so much as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Now is our time to do what we do best… "Take Jesus as He is to people as they are."

We have coordinated multiple ministry efforts to help displaced families now staying in Central Arkansas due to the hurricane and we will be taking supplies and manpower to the Gulf region. We are going to you, our church family, the public and partnering with The Point 94.1 FM to solicit help bringing specific needed supplies. We are also partnering with Affiliated Foods to help us get the supplies into the hands of people in need. Mike Grober is leading this missions effort for us as we go to the Gulf region and Doug Pruitt is leading the ministry effort to displaced families in Central Arkansas. Below you will find ways to be involved and supplies to bring this weekend.

Let's make an impact!

Mark Evans
Senior Pastor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO HELP:

To help displaced families, please bring the following items to the church office this week or to church service this Sunday:

Toilet paper

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Bars of soap

Small shampoos

Deodorant

Baby wipes

Non-prescription pain relievers

Combs/brushes

Diapers

Fruit Cups

Crackers

Single-serve non-refrigerated items such as beef stew, Vienna sausages, potted meat, etc.[all with pop-tops]

Bottled Water

Baby Formula

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DAY OF HOPE
For Displaced Families due to Hurricane Katrina

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Noon at Rock Creek

Free lunch

Carwash

Medical assistance

Kid's activities

This Sunday we are serving lunch to displaced families after the third worship service at noon. There will be activities for children, washing cars and food distribution. To volunteer for Day of Hope, contact Mike Grober at 225-8684 (ext. 14) or mgrober@churchatrockcreek.org.

WAYS THAT YOU CAN BE INVOLVED:
(in Central Arkansas and the Gulf region)

Medical Team

Children's Work

Clean-Up and Construction

Minister to Displaced Families
in Central Arkansas

You will be able to sign-up for these teams this weekend at church.

Stinking price gougers!

2005-08-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

In the wake of this horrible disaster, you see the best of humanity, and the worst of humanity. Here, in our very own city of Little Rock, removed from this tragedy, some stations are choosing to reap profit from this loss.

Harvest Foods/Petro Pete, formerly one of my favorite local gas stations, has decided to charge $3.14 for gas this morning!

This is immoral!

Other stations are still charging around $2.59.

I am all for HONEST profit, but this is ridiculous, and amounts to Privateering if you ask me!

Let's stand up against this!

Update: Well, it appears my crusade is jumping the gun. The few remaining hold-outs at the lower prices won't be around long, I would imagine (and dang it, I get paid tonight.) The growing trend around the country is heading right up to and over the $3 mark. I guess Petro Pete is just ahead of the curve. Doesn't mean I like it, or them.

Rainy days and Garage Sale days...

2005-08-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

...always get me down. Especially when they are the SAME DANG DAY!

I got home from my overnight shift this morning about 8:30, parked down the street, met my wife, and we put up our Garage Sale signs. I've had the ad running in the paper for three days. I've been gathering stuff for well over a month, and today was to be the day we said goodbye to all our clutter.

We began hauling our wares out into the carport at 9:00. One person drove by and asked if we were selling our rake (the ONE item in the entire carport that WASN'T for sale.) I said no, and she drove off. Another guy came by and looked at our dressers, but they just weren't tall enough for his tastes.

And then, the skies opened up, it started pouring down rain, and our carport began to flood. We just barely got all the crap back in the house before our carport was completely covered with water.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

I advertised the sale as open from 10 am to 7pm, so if it dries out, we may actually sell some stuff today. If not, ARC of Arkansas is already scheduled for a Monday pick-up. I don't know if we're going to just give it all to them, or try again on Labor Day.

Next Saturday is not doable, of course, because it is the OU home opener against TCU.

So, we've had a stinking drought and a BURN BAN for over a month now, and the day I try to have a sale, GUSHING RAIN! Splendid. And we're butt poor until next payday too. The proceeds from the sale were going to go to buying a few nice things for the house like frames and organizing boxes, etc.

I am one unhappy Nixon.

It's ok, not like I had my leg blown off or anything serious like that.

Update: We got set back up around 1 pm and sold a total of $24 worth of stuff, which was split evenly between us and our friends who are moving to New York. Everything else? It's all back in the den, where we will either give it away, or try another sale in the near future, with more signs and better advertising (and hopefully better weather)

New Linkage

2005-08-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

A very rare and different link over to the right today. I decided to link to the WB42 Blog. The author is quite obviously left-of-center, but the blog is so well written that I felt compelled to include it. I also happen to be a HUGE fan of the new WB 101 radio station in town, dubbed as "Little Rock's Old School", which essentially sounds as if they have stolen my iPod (if I had one) and put it on the airwaves.

So, consider the link my way of thanking Little Rock's WB for playing that great music. Plus, I think my readers will enjoy a friendly and lively debate with the site's host, or maybe even agree with him on occassion.

The new furniture arrives, sort of, at last.

2005-08-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Furniture Row called us last Thursday to say that our bedroom suit was finally in, and that they could delivier it Friday or Saturday. I said Saturday, so they told me they would call Friday and confirm a delivery time.

Friday morning, I called them and confirmed a delivery time before I went to bed, which was to be Saturday from 11am-1pm.

Friday night, they call and tell us that our bed was damaged in shipping. We've waited TWO MONTHS for this furniture, and were originally told it would be 3-6 weeks. So, Saturday morning after work, we drove to Furniture Row, and I demanded that they either give us the floor model of the bed we ordered, or some other bed in stock. Turns out, they don't have ANY beds in stock, only floor models, and they're not allowed to sell the floor models. Plus, the delivery truck was actually at OUR HOUSE at this point, and it was only 10:30.

The problem was, at this point our bedroom was totally empty and waiting for this stuff. Our old bed was in the carport. Finally, they offered a temporary fix, which was to loan us a standard bed frame until they can get the rails that broke on the bed we ordered. Funny thing that, since I was pretty much sold on the frame because of its durability. I was even invited to stand on the thing, which I did, and as is well noted on this blog, I'm well over 300 lbs.

So, the delivery truck came back to the store, picked up the frame, and I talked the manager into including a coffee table with the order as a make-good.

Overall, we're VERY PLEASED with the bedroom, it looks fabulous! I just can't believe we had to wait TWO MONTHS for it to arrive.

******************************************************************
Please keep my friend CrazyBandDirector in your thoughts and prayers, she is dealing with some major issues at the moment.

A Blog Spammer?

2005-08-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

I went ahead and "hid" the comments on my last post. It was the quickest solution I could think of to rid my blog of that stupid spam post. I certainly wish you could choose to delete individual comments, but I guess Blogger didn't think of that.

What I want to know is this. What are these *BLEEP*ing spammers thinking? Neither myself, nor anyone who reads my blog is going to seriously consider running out and buying some penny stock based on some random tip in a blog comments section. Now, I suppose if I ran some sort of investment blog and that spam showed up, someone might be fooled, but I doubt it. Besides, anyone stupid enough to fall for that spam is also too stupid to actually go out and buy stock, and most likely too stupid to have any money to invest in it if they did know how. I do make allowances, however, for the semi-sentient celebrity or lottery winner.

I also feel a profound sense of being violated by this. I mean, I open up my blog to friends and strangers to offer me feedback, positive or negative, on my world view so that I might gain a better understanding of the world around me. By having this spam show up on my blog, I'm reminded of a recent commercial campaign for some sort of internet service that featured a guy getting ready for work. There was a poster advertisement on his bathroom mirror, more in his kitchen, and then when he goes to leave the house, a giant poster depicted a bald man with the phrase "Grow hair with magnets!" The guy just busts through the giant poster and leaves for work.

Having majored in journalism, I've always had an interest in advertising and its practical application. There are effective ways of advertising that don't feel invasive, and that I actually approve of:

1: Standard commercials. Well, sure, I FF3 through these now on my DVR, but I do take note of who's paying the bills to keep my favorite shows on the air.

2: Product placement. In movies or TV shows, it seems much more real to me if the characters are using real products, and not some generic or made-up brand. If Monk were obsessed with Aquafina instead of Sierra Springs, I would be more apt to buy it. I've been interested in buying a "Smart" car ever since I saw them on "The Amazing Race". And who didn't want Taco Bell after "Demolition Man", eh?

3: Infommercials/Home Shopping channels. Sure, they are the bane of every night shift worker and insomniac in America without a decent cable system, and I'm not hooked on these or anything. But if I see a product or category of products I'm interested in, these offer so much more information than a 30 second commercial. Of course, you must temper this with the knowledge that they are trying to sell you something, and not blindly believe the claims but instead get independent information as well.

4: Magazine reviews. Ads in the back of magazines or slick one and two page ads within it really do nothing for me. But if a magazine I trust (IE: Popular Mechanics, Consumer Reports) actually reviews and rates a product, I am far more interested in buying it. If I were a company and proud of my product, I would ensure that every publication related to my product or target demographic had a free sample in their office before launch date. Magazine ads reach more people than just the subscriber or newstand purchaser as well. I know I tend to share my magazines with others, and even if I don't, if I read a good review of a product, I share it with friends and family.

5: Internet sites. No, not pop-ups, pop-unders, e-mail spam, blog spam, worms, viruses, etc. All of this nonsense is USELESS to me, and will only serve to enrage me and swear not only to never buy the advertised product again, but actively seek to inflict financial damage upon the company by way of boycott, etc. BUT. If you use one of the four conventional methods above to get me interested in your product, and you either provide a website address, or at least ensure that I'll find it on Yahoo search or Google, I'm going to your site, people. And remember, things to have on your site are: A) Online ordering; B) e-mail sign up; and C)complete product information, such as nutrition information, warranty, MPG, what have you.

This now concludes Professor Nixon's advanced advertising seminar, thank you!

Joy and Sadness in New York City.

2005-08-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Nathaniel got a great job.

My friend Nathaniel got a great job...in New York City.

The wife and I have so few friends in Little Rock, and it pains us to lose ones as good as Nathaniel and his wife. I'm happy for them, of course, as I'm always encouraged when people improve their lot in life, but I'm sad at the same time, for we finally had another "friend couple" to hang out with.

They'll both be working for a major cable sports network (not ESPN, but a good one) that I watch quite often.

It's this sort of thing that makes me think I'm "dead-ending" in my own career. I'm 34, love what I do, but my job always makes me feel as though my employment there is tenative at best. My industry is so infested with turnover, that it has festered, er, fostered an atmosphere that seems to embrace transient employees. Much like minor league baseball, it seems to be home to those moving up in the world, or those in the twilight of their career trying to make due.

Nathaniel has been called up to "The Show", and I wish him all the luck in the world.

But dang I'm gonna miss him.

**********************************************
This is my first official "Weekend off" in quite sometime. I officially begin my new shift on Tuesday night. I hardly know what to do with myself, except for right now, because I'm about to throw myself in bed for a few hours in order to freshen up for the freedom of weekends being free!

Thanks again, M-A for checking to make sure I wasn't blog-dead.

Reveal day

2005-08-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

My wife returned from church camp yesterday, and I met her at the door. She spotted one thing before I could get her to set her bags down and close her eyes.

"Now I want you to think back and remember what this house looked like before you left for church camp..." I said. (Immitating the folks on Clean House)

"Now open your eyes!"

She reacted just like they do on the show! And just as she began to take it all in, I popped the cork on some champagne and poured her a glass.

I had cleaned, organized, and redesigned the living room, dining area, kitchen, office, and den. There is still some left to do, but the house is, IMHO, GORGEOUS!

She sipped on champagne as I showed her all my hard work.

After that, I went to sleep to rest up for my overnight shift.

It is freaking FIFTY FIVE DEGREES in the office area at work! They never can strike a medium there, it's either 55 or 95, and each time we complain about one, we get the other. Maintenance seems to think that despite our college educations, we're too dense to operate a complicated piece of machinery like a thermostat.

So, after a bone-chilling night at work, I returned home to a warm wife, who rightly rewarded me for all my hard work while she was away. ;)

It's a good thing.

Nothing to report.

2005-08-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't blogged in awhile, because not much is happening. We're still waiting on our bedroom set from Furniture Row, which is now several weeks late. THe wife is at church camp this week serving as a counselor, and other than that, it's been pretty boring in the Casablanca household. I guess that's a good thing, because excitement around here usually means something has gone terribly wrong.

We did have a fun visit with Crazy Band Director!

Long week/Clean House

2005-07-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, it's just been a VERY long week at work, and finally it is over. I worked one thirteen hour and four ten hour shifts this week, and slept most of the time I was home.

When I wasn't asleep, my wife and I fed our new-found addictions to Amazing Race and Clean House.

Clean House has inspired us to start going through our own clutter, which pales in comparison to the clutter on the show, and prepare for our very own yard sale. We're going to join in with our neighbors for a sale hopefully in a couple of weeks.

At work this morning, my co-worker was serving breakfast to the kids and accidentally dropped the bacon. I called the kitchen and asked the for some more. When I got there, the lunch-lady in charge told me that if this ever happened again, we weren't getting any extra.

Excuse me? Are you telling me you never drop anything in the kitchen while preparing the meal? I wanted to cuss her out, but I had patients with me and had to demonstrate proper decorum. The kids, of course, wished I had cussed her out.

That's all for now, luckily I'm off for a few days, and our previous houseguest has returned home. We get a new guest this week, namely "CrazyBandDirector" who will be here for a week-long conference. I'm looking forward to her visit! (seriously)

Birthday Bash

2005-07-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

The house was jumping last night!

I had 10 friends over for my birthday party. We served chicken strips, little smokies, turkey burgers, chicken sandwiches, and lots of Diet Pepsi. We watched, as promised, the Jermain Taylor-Bernard Hopkins fight on HBO-PPV. WHAT A FIGHT! We all agreed it was close, but "Bad Intentions" indeed won more rounds than the champ, so Arkansas has the NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! Go Jermain!

Everyone watched the main event, but during the undercard the kiddos played in my den, running on the treadmill and playing on the pilates ball. It was cool.

The presents I scored were, in addition to getting the fight were: "Idiot" by Johnny Damon and Peter Golenbock; A Christian music CD;A subscription to Car & Driver magazine; A movie pass to Rave theatres; and a set of ceramic OU coasters. All that, combined with the autographed portrait of U.S. Grant my mom and step-dad sent me, and I made out pretty well! (I also won $1 on the fight from my step-dad. Haha!)

That's all for now!

I decided.

2005-07-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

I weighed all the options and decided to go ahead and make the switch to weekday overnights. I begin in August.

A fairly mundane week. I lost 3 of the 5 lbs I somehow gained last week this week, so I'm now at 339 lbs. My wife's friend is still visiting. My wife babysat a very delightful seven-year-old this week with a rather large vocabulary and a pleasant manner. That was fun. It reminded me of the good times with and ex-fiance's seven-year-old son who called me "dad" once upon a time in '99. (I am not his father, but was interviewing for the job. His mom failed the interview.)

I am celbrating the beginning of my 35th year on earth (I turn 34 on Saturday) by having friends over to watch the Hopkins-Taylor fight. We just decided to forgo a trip this year because we just can't afford it, not even a weekend in Memphis. I was hoping the Travs would be in town for my birthday, but they are on the road. *sigh*.

We had a good visit with our friend Crazy Band Director, but sadly she had a wreck on the way home. She's OK, but dang if she didn't get the ticket, even though it doesn't seem like it was her fault from the way she describes it.

That's all for now!

How to cook and serve a terrorist.

2005-07-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Did I really hear this phrase on the CBS Morning News. "...(the bombers) whom President Bush calls 'evil people.'"

Whom President Bush calls evil people? What do you call them you sanctimonious left-wing waste of oxygen? Freedom fighters?

Now they've hit London, and most of London will probably blame Bush first, Blair second, and the terrorists last in this tragic attack on decent living. I can't help but wonder if plans were in place to strike whichever city was awarded the 2012 Olympics. Could that mean that had things gone differently today that New York might have been struck again? Or even that the Eifel Tower could be rubble today?

I still have every bit of healthy respect for the Muslim faith that I did when my step-father practiced it in my home 24 years ago. I have NO tolerance for the terrorist of any faith.

Teryaki Terrorist
-----------------
Take 1-all available terrorists, remove hearts for they are small, unused, and most likely blackened beyond edibility.

Baste in Teryaki sauce for 40 years over high heat.

Bake for eternity in the fires of Hell until golden brown.

Serve.
-----------------

Now of course, my true desire is the salvation and redemption of all God's children, and I still believe this to be possible. But those who reject Him, those who choose to murder innocent men, women and children in the name of God...

May their punishment be swift.

Shift Change

2005-07-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

A position has opened up at work. It had been available to me before, but I've turned it down. The position is the weekday overnight slot, which would be Tuesday-Friday 11p-9a. This would finally put me on a regular sleep schedule, give me weekends off, and it would be a little more money due to shift differential. Those are the positives. The negatives are I'd be sleeping days, my wife would be sleeping alone four nights out of the week, and I would miss working with my current friend and co-worker on the weekend overnight slot.

Other stressors this weeks have been an e-mail from my mother-in-law. A co-worker referred to the incident as her "Going Endora on me." But, I kept my cool, and she and I came to an understanding. Also, I found out my dear cousin France Journey has been diagnosed with Grave's Disease, and she is coping with that.

We got the brother-in-law moved in Wednesday. When we went to return the U-Haul truck, the manager-on-duty was having some anger issues, and he ended up smashing the front glass door. Scary stuff.

The wife is visiting friends this weekend, but will be back mid-day Saturday.

That's my life this week. I'm hopeful Alberto Gonzales will make it to the Supreme Court with little hassle, but I doubt it. Thank you Hon. Ms. O'Connor for your service!

New TV!

2005-06-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law bought us a new television today! As you can see it is the beautiful Sanyo 27" Tru-Flat Stereo TV! In addition, my wife surprised me by signing us up for a Comcast DVR. Both of these match the color of my Gamecube, so our living room entertainment center looks awesome! Granted, it's not HDTV, or Plasma, or LCD, or whatever, but hey, we're just middle-class Arkansans! And no, the new TV is not sitting on top of the old non-working TV.

We've been enjoying the DVR features all day, pausing and rewinding and fast forwarding episodes of the Cosby Show, etc.

My Brother-in-law (with us as co-signers) got the apartment! He'll be moving in Wednesday! My Mother-in-law, sadly, returns home Wednesday morning. We're taking her to Memphis tomorrow and plan on spending the morning and early afternoon there.

Work was rough last night, with a lot of kids acting out, and one self-harming. Grrr.

Overall though, today was a great day!

Happy 4th!

2005-06-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

No, not Independence Day, though that does come up in a bit, today is/was my 4th Wedding Anniversary!

We began the festivities with a shopping trip to Wal-Mart for groceries. We had a great time and my MIL offered to buy us a new TV. We didn't pick out one there, because we didn't see the model/type we wanted, but cool anyway.

On our way out of electronics, my wife spotted the new Carrie Underwood CD single, and she threw it in the cart without me even asking. It includes her rendition of "Independence Day."

We came home, and while my wife put up the groceries I went out and bought a new black tie to match a dress shirt I haven't been able to wear in years. (BTW, I'm down to 343 lbs. 51 lbs total so far)

We got dressed up and went out to P.F. Chang's.

I read on another blog that I frequent that they had a bad experience. Well, it was NOTHING like that for us tonight! We made reservations for 5 pm, and were seated immediately. Our appetizers came out in just a few minutes, and were delicious. I had the Mango Chicken and my wife had the Moo Goo Gai Pan, both of which came out quickly and were magnificent!

Now I know this isn't what anyone would consider "authentic" Chinese cuisine, but it was indeed delicious.

For dessert, banana spring rolls, which had a great presentation, and were also magnificent. We ordered two more appetizers to go (for a total of four) and the tab was a mere $64. That was far less than we had intended to pay, so we tipped our fantastic waiter, Robert L, $20.

After dinner, it was off for the second half of our anniversary tradition, a movie.

We saw the new Herbie movie!

This was a FUN movie! It took me back to my childhood when I always enjoyed the original Herbie films. This was an hour and half of classic family entertainment! The only slightly objectionable scene was when Herbie falls in love with a New Beetle, and in addition to his windshield fogging up, his antenna pops up and makes a "boinging" sound. It's nothing a young child would catch, but its innuendo is obvious to us adults. Oh well.

Now I'm home and blogging. We still have a full house, so I don't know if the planned "finale'" of our anniversary will take place, but oh well...

A BS Light.

2005-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

When I took my car into Midas to have it looked at, yes, I knew they said they couldn't diagnose why my "ABS" light was on. But when they diagnosed the problem with the brakes, I assumed, and assumed wrong, that once they fixed the master cylinder, that the light would go off.

"We don't know why that's on." said the repairman.

"Take it to a dealer to have them check the computer." said another.

So, $311 later, my ABS light is still on, and my birthday trip is still off, and I'm still might discouraged.

Master Cylinder

2005-06-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

That's what went wrong with my Ford Exploder this time.

As is usual, whenever I'm potentially getting a little extra money for my Birthday or Christmas, my vehicle calls dibbs on it.

My mother was awarded a $2000 settlement from United Auto Group for the chair accident. $1500 for her, and $500 for me. After having her take the rest of the repairs out of that, I was due $300 in a few days, and we had planned on spending that on my birthday trip.

That's when the brakes went out.

For my most recent few Birthdays and Christmas's I've gotten: New Brakes, a radiator, and some other major repairs I don't recall. Now, for my 34th, a MASTER CYLINDER! ($293 with labor) Oh wow, that beats the crap out of the XM Radio and Tunica Trip I was wanting!

The answer I often get to this rant is: "At least you had the money to fix it."

I'm starting to loathe that answer.

So now, the plan for my birthday is to stay here in Little Rock and order the Jermain Taylor fight on PPV, invite over some close friends, and have a party at my place.

On the "good news" front, we were approved at Furniture Row yesterday for a credit line, and they're "No payments until 2006, No interest for blah blah blah" deal, and will soon be getting a new bedroom set and "Doctor's Choice" mattress. Sweet!

The bedroom set is a dark wood and black leather combo heaboard/frame, with a dresser/mirror and two beautiful end tables.

I'm praying my brother-in-law gets into an apartment this week. Join me, won't you?

United Airlines straight SUCKS.

2005-06-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

My wife and I drove to Memphis on Wednesday to pick up my Mother-in-Law, who was flying in from Kona, HI via Chicago O'Hare.

The flight was due to arrive at 10:14 AM, and we arrived at 9:45 AM.

At 11: 15, I finally managed to get the attention of a UAL ticket agent, who quite rudely told me that flight had been cancelled. She then offered no other help as to when my MIL would be in.

The American Airlines agent finally gave me United's toll-free number to call.

Four hours after we arrived, my MIL finally got there.

And, they lost EVERYONE'S luggage from the cancelled flight.

Again, the United folks were rude, crude, and totally unprofessional.

We got the luggage this evening. (Friday)

Yep, after lying their collective butts off for three days, they finally delivered the luggage, and they had to use NORTHWEST to do it.

Oh, and when we got back Wednesday night, my brother-in-law had been finally released from jail. He'd been standing at a auto parts store for two hours wondering if he was going to have a place to sleep.

So, the MIL, the BIL, and the wife are all here.

Imagine my joy. Really, just picture it.

A scary blogthing

2005-06-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Being that I turn 34 next month, this quiz result is eerily accurate:

You Are 34 Years Old

34

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

A fun IQ test

2005-06-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

I've scored higher on other tests, but this one caught my eye on another blog, so I thought I'd try it.

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Above Average
Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional
Your General Knowledge is Genius

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Promise Keepers weekend

2005-06-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

We left out from the church parking lot at 10:30 am, and stopped in Conway for lunch at the Market Place Grill. After that, it was off to Fayettville for the Promise Keepers "Awakening" event at Razorback stadium.

Attendance was estimated at around 20,000. The first night was difficult, because we arrived just as the event was beginning, and got bad seats. It was difficult to hear the speakers. Day 2 was much better, as we made our way into the club level, and watched on closed circuit television, making it easy to hear, and very comfortable as well.

The highlight of the event for me was comedian Brad Stine. His brand of humor was right up my alley, and he was hilarious.

I'm still processing all the great things I heard and learned at this event, but in case anyone is wondering what the goal of a Promise Keeper is, here from the website are the "Seven Promises" of a Promise Keeper.

I plan on continuing to do my best to become a better man of God, and a better husband, and soon, I hope, a good father.

On the weight-loss front, I lost a pound this past week, putting me at 346 lbs. My wife also lost a pound, putting her at... (You don't think I'm going to post my wife's weight on a public website, do you? I promise you I won't!)

Recent events

2005-06-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

Friday, my dear old friend did finally come by with his new wife, and they treated my wife and I to lunch at IHOP. I swear our waiter looked like LL Cool J. It was really great to meet her (my wife already knew her through band at OU) and to see him again after almost four years of no contact. After lunch, they got back on the road, headed towards Knoxville for their next honeymoon destination.

I had some conflict with a co-worker this week, but I'm not alone, a lot of folks have clashed with this guy, including my boss. Basically this guy thinks he knows more than everyone else, and has started being openly critical of us, if not down right insulting. What's worse is that he does this in earshot of the patients, if not to the patients directly. I have this feeling that there is about to be some overtime available soon.

Speaking of overtime, my job recently put out two memos. One memo stated that we were short-staffed, and therefore would be utilizing nurses to fill-in as counselors. The second memo said that we were working way too much overtime, and that we would now be limited to 24 hours per week.

So, let me get this straight. We're understaffed, but we're working too much overtime. These two things are DIRECTLY related, people! If you don't hire more people, you can't solve both problems, you have to pick one. Well, they wen't with option C, which I don't object to, which was to bump our pay by about 6%. This, they figure, will help retain current employees and attract new ones. I figure they figure right.

My mother-in-law is visiting for two weeks this month.

The wife and I celebrate four years of marriage this month.

I turn 34 next month.

Nothing further on the "adoption", but it's not looking promising at this point, I think she's found another family that better suits her needs, which is fine.

Thanks, M-A for thinking of me!

That's all for now.

The power of walking.

2005-06-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

Just a short post to let my readers know that despite all the fabulous Riverfest food, I still lost four pounds this week, which gets me back to where I was at the end of the "Biggest Loser" competition.

I just read a disturbing post on Yahoo about "Ana", "Mia", and "Ed."

They are better known as Anorexia, Bulemia, and Eating Disorders.

I am obviously no nutrition expert, but I'm becoming more knowlegeable about good food choices as I work towards reaching a healthy weight. But I'm doing so under medical supervision, and without starving myself or doing other harmful things to my body.

The article also said that it is a popular blog topic, so I will do my best to encourage any of my fellow bloggers to avoid this risky behavior.

At the same, I've written my goodbye letter to "Opie" (I made that up) The Over Eating dude!

Riverfest!

2005-05-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

The wife and I are off to Riverfest.

I'll be wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers t-shirt and hat, in case any of my Rock-Bloggers are out and about.

And if you see a corn-dog in my hand, don't trip, it's my cheat day.

More on the festivities later, most likely going to see Hank Williams, Jr. tonight, and will be back late.

Update: (12 Noon) UALR actually has LIVE BLOGGING at Riverfest, which is where I am updating this post right now. We just passed the Bush's Baked Beans display, complete with Jay Bush himself w/Duke, and a fishing/boating display.

Awesome idea from UALR for having the laptops/WiFi up here at the Fest!

Update: (12 Midnight) We're back from Riverfest. Woah, what a day! We had a fabulous time, but as seems usual, the musical act left a lot to be desired.

Let's do the math:

Hank Williams Jr. +
Arkansas+
Copious amounts of beer (divided by)
a limited amount of seating=
_____________________
A giant crowd of drunken rednecks.

The formula just didn't add up for us, so we left about four songs into Bocephus' set.

I had a great time with my wife, Eileen, Wade, Nathaniel, and Becca!

Good news, good news!

2005-05-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to spell that sound Roscoe P. Coltrane makes after saying those words, so fill them in yourself.

The wife and I went back to Hi-Energy today, and my "week off" was not nearly as miserable as I had predicted. I only gained FOUR POUNDS this week! So, I'm at 351, and and back on the diet! Yeeeee ha!

I've just felt giddy all day. I was smiling and singing on the treadmill this morning while watching a "perfect show" on the The Price is Right, which is six winners. Then, the guy who had won a truck earlier lost to the girl who had won some lame-o prize, and she got a skiboat! It was awesome, and they were both happy!

We went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, where tonight I was the "coupon fairy". We had several coupons we weren't going to use, so as we passed by those items in the aisles, I set the coupon on each item. Fun!

Bummer that I have to miss B.B. King at Riverfest on Friday, but such is the nature of having to work.

I had really hoped to go to Oklahoma for a dear old friend's wedding Saturday, but it just wasn't in the budget. Happily, though, he and his new bride will be stopping in Little Rock on their cross-country honeymoon for breakfast next Friday morning.

Saturday, I hope to make out to Riverfest to see The Black Crows, and whoever else is playing. That will also be my "cheat day" this week. Duh!

I've added a new, exciting blog to my blogroll, check out "Crazy Band Director" . She is a friend of my wife and I, and could use some good feeback!

-30-

Congratulations to Carrie Underwood!

2005-05-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say how happy I am that Carrie Underwood, our Oklahoma gal, has done us all proud and won American Idol!

Yeah, Carrie!

Back in the saddle again.

2005-05-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

Monday turned to Tuesday, and Tuesday turned to Wednesday, but today, I am starting my diet once more, making my "week off" a complete week. All I wanted last night were some Chicken Snackers from KFC, but my wife talked me into Mexican instead. This did result in a surprise second meeting with Circa Bellum, however.

Yesterday was a complete and total wash for me, I slept most of the day for no other reason than the fact that I could. I did no housework, nothing more productive than Party Poker, and I feel really guilty about the whole week.

But it is a new day, and God's mercies are new every morning.

A miserable "Week off"

2005-05-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a week off of my diet to eat a few things I'd been craving. It has been a very painful reminder of how I used to live.

I've put on about 10 lbs this week, and I feel absolutely miserable. So miserable in fact, I've decided to cut the week short, and start back on the diet Monday.

This is now truly a lifestyle change for me, not just a contest. In fact, the contest is over, so that motivation is gone, but the motivation that remains is my personal health and well-being.

My wife and I have been pondering some other major lifestyle changes, both of which would expand our household. We've offered to adopt a 16-year-old girl at my wife's school, but she has numerous other offers as well, so no telling how that will work out.

Also, with the dropping weight, a lot of my previous health issues are improving, and it has prompted my wife and I to consider adding to the family, uhm, "naturally."

We went to the Greek Food Festival again this year, but it was too hot and too crowded to really enjoy anything. We each had a gyro, and I picked up some Pastisio for tonight.

We also had lunch at On The Border with the majority of the Biggest Loser bunch. After that, my wife and I went to J. Oliver's jewelry to cash in our gift certificate. They cleaned my wife's ring, they brushed my Titanium ring (which is now GORGEOUS) all for free! Then, with the gift certificate, we bought some "Elton Rocks" which benefit the Elton John Aids Foundation. They smell wonderful!

That's all for today!

2005-05-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Final weigh-in Front view.

2005-05-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Final weigh-in side view.

Pizza, Prizes and Padawans

2005-05-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Or however that is spelled...

Went to celebrate the end of the "Biggest Loser" contest yesterday at a new place called NYPD Pizza out in Pleasant Valley.

Oh goodness gracious, I cannot tell you how bad the service there sucked. But I'll try.

We arrived about 6:05, and took a seat next to the window. The server came out and took our drink order. So far, so good. We told we needed a few minutes to look over the menu.

We never mentioned needing 20 minutes to look over the menu.

She came up to us and said "May I take your..." MENUS!

We reminded her that we had indeed not actually ordered yet, which confused her to no end. Meanwhile, at this point, three other tables that came in after us had been served.

We put in our order, my wife ordered the veggie pie w/ sausage, I ordered the Minestrone and a Buffalo Chicken Bleu Cheese pie.

45 minutes later...

I went up to the manager and complained, to his credit, he apologized profusely, and went to check on our order.

At this point SEVEN tables who came in after us had been served, eaten, and left.

10 minutes later, my soup comes out, sans utensils, so I asked the waitress for some.

She brought me a napkin, in which were... A KNIFE AND FORK!

Did I mention I ordered Minestrone?

After getting a soup spoon from the manager, he personally brought out the pies (pizzas)

My wife's pizza was sausage-free, and I got a BBQ Chicken pizza. Did I mention I ordered the Buffalo Bleu Cheese? Did I mention my wife ordered sausage?

Looks like another free meal! They comped our whole meal, and gave us a coupon for another, decent of them.

As expected, John Schroeder is Arkansas' Biggest Loser, with a total of 68 lbs. lost, and a spiffy $6000 watch on his wrist.

Unexpectedly, the rest of us all got a $100 gift certificate to J. Oliver's (Thanks guys!)

And finally, on my way home from work, I stopped to pick up my ticket to the 12:30 am showing of Episode III tonight, but the box office wasn't open yet. There, however, were four intrepid fans already camped out at the Rave for premium seating.

I plan on showing up about 10 tonight, no costume, though I WILL be wearing my appropriate Big Dogs shirt, "Return of the Dogi"

That's all for now.

The FINAL WEIGH-IN

2005-05-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, "officially" , it's tomorrow morning on KARK from5:45am - 7:00am.

But TODAY, was my actual 'final' weigh-in. (I plan on continuing this diet and losing the weight long after the cameras are turned off!)

My weight loss this week:

NINE POUNDS!

That's a total of 47 lbs. for the competition, which I have no chance of winning, but who cares, right?

I've gone from 394 lbs on March 16th to 347 lbs on May17th.

(HAPPY 60th Birthday, Mom!)

Thank you all and God bless!

Celebrating One Year of Nixon's Memoirs

2005-05-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, I posted my first ever "blog" post, at the encouragement of a friend. It's been an up and down year, but through it all, my blogging had certainly achieved what I hoped it would.

Oh, what's that?

Just the forum I needed to express myself in a therapeutic manner to family, friends, and complete strangers, and get feedback. A lovely thing!

I've enjoyed the friends I've made along the way, used the advice I've gotten, and hopefully, I helped someone else in the process as well, or at least made you think.

Year One complete, many more ahead, The Good Lord and Blogger willing!

-Nixon.

Circa Bellum

2005-05-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

While part of the allure of blogging is certainly the ability to share one's thoughts and stories behind the wall and mask of the internet, it is also appealing for quite the opposite of events, if one so chooses.

Being that there are many Little Rock bloggers that I read, it was obvious that in my subconscious, that I truly wanted to MEET these folks, not just read them.

One of my regular readers, and a blogger I read regularly, Circa Bellum contacted me recently and invited me out to lunch. I just got back, and it was lots of fun! Van Lang is an undiscovered Little Rock treasure if you ask me, I can't believe I've never eaten there before.

Plus, Circa Bellum paid, which made it even better. (Thanks, man!)

I highly recommend those of us in "The Rock" get together at some point.

And One. :(

2005-05-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Despite over 14 miles of walking this week, following the diet, and doing my weight training, I actually put on a pound this week. Back up to 356 lbs.

I was pretty discouraged this morning, but I'm just going to do my best this next week and hopefully meet my newly set goal of 349 lbs. Again, the 349 is a big psychological mile marker, because I will be closer to300 than 400 for the first time in a long time, plus,THAT weight makes the big notch on the scale move to the left.

Thanks again for your support!

Sweatin' to the oldies.

2005-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

The workouts are well on-track this week. I did 5 1/2 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, and 4.3 miles today.

I am still amazed that I am finishing these distances. Two months ago, I was stuggling with half-miles, and gasping for air afterwards.

At 355, I am able to do so much more than I could at 394, and that will just lead to more weight loss.

Hi-Energy is a plan that I can stick with, and that works, I can't ask for anything better than that, so I plan on staying on it until I reach my goal weight of 225 lbs. After that, I will work to maintain that weight, and perhaps eventually work my way down to 195 lbs, which is what is listed as my "ideal" weight for my height.

Two months ago, those numbers seemed like so much of a pipe dream, but with the results I've been getting, I truly believe I can achieve them within the next year.

Road Rage

2005-05-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

I was headed to Baptist Hospital a little after six this evening to meet some of my fellow contestants for a brisk four mile walk.

As I turned onto Barrow Road, at the same time another car was turning left, I suddenly noticed a truck behind me, travelling at high speed and blaring its horn at me. I waved apologetically at them, even though it was obvious they had been going far too fast, as the speed limit on Barrow is 40.

They tailgated me briefly, and I tried to wave them around, as it was obvious they desired to go faster than I. The truck changed lanes, then pulled up right beside me, and the couple in the truck began gesturing at me. To my discredit, I returned the gesture, then slowed down, got over, and prepared to make my left turn onto Kanis Blvd.

This truck turned into a gas station, then came out directly in front of me on Kanis, BLOCKING MY LANE! I waved them over politely, acknowledging that he had indeed proved his point and gotten even with me by blocking me off. The truck didn't move.

Then, the guy starts to get out of his truck. I didn't stick around to see what he wanted, as I then sped around him and headed towards Baptist, where my three friends were waiting, and also contains a LRPD sub-station. The guy didn't follow me, thank goodness, and I didn't get his tag number, but he DID have some sort of business sign on the side of the truck. Some sort of printing company, but I couldn't find it in the phone book.

This is twice in the last seven days that people have been unreasonably mean to me, and I'm getting quite tired of it. In fact, I'm running out of cheeks to turn.

I will continue to try and be the better person though.