Queen of Love and Beauty

I have been reluctant to write about some recent things going on with me but decided that I would go ahead and post them.

The most recent is that I am moving in July. I am so excited. It is going to be a huge change. I am moving to a section of Dallas that I have not lived in since I was a kid. I keep telling myself that the suburbs have spoiled me. Tons of people live in more central parts of Dallas and live to tell about it. So far, the times I have been to the place at night, it has been really quiet and nice. Supposedly the people that were there before me (in the apartment I am going into) had been there for years. Hopefully they were there that long because it is quiet and safe and not because they were 90 years old and couldn’t hear a car alarm, much less the neighbors above (not sure about that last part… just really hoping that isn’t the case). Crossing my fingers and pass the pepper spray.

The other thing is I have taken up the online dating hobby again. I have changed up the way I am doing it and while those details are not important, I will say it has caused the pool of candidates to dwindle. That, and the fact that I made it pretty obvious that I was a geek that is always looking for a higher ranking among the nerds.

Also, I am not a twenty-something any more. The candidate pool was bigger then. Tons bigger. It is partially my fault (I know, I know… stupid guys need love too) but I like a challenge. I could very well screw it up, but I like it just the same.

As for the guys that I have talked to, here is the rundown -

• There was the guy that did not have a computer. I told him what my chat id was and got the response of “I don’t really do that. I go to the library to get online.” Such a sad little person. Uhhhh….ok…no.
• The guy who would only talk about being a Christian. Faith is not a bad thing, but good grief - new subject please.
• The guy who not only made an inappropriate comment the first time I talked to him, but also revealed himself as a cheap, obnoxious tard. He was mooching of a neighbors wireless connection (which kept dropping…so annoying) and telling me about the reasons why he left his date to pay for her own dinner. The reasons were lame, and it seemed like he was using his own interpretation of things said on the date to avoid paying for her. Two sides to every story.

That brings me to the one I have been talking to on a regular basis - a computer geek, like me. So far things are good, but he hasn’t asked me out. Hinted, but not asked. Maybe it is for the best right now. With the move, and everything at work, I am a bit loaded down at the moment. Then again, I have left the door wide open a few times for some innocent, gratuitous flirting and got nada. The part of my brain that is trying to reason it away just says that all guys are stupid and clueless and how could one expect them to get something totally obvious. The truth? I am going to be nice and not go there. Nobody needs to be hurt by the facts.

What is it that is said about barrels? If you get to the end of one barrel, find another barrel? In my case I should probably try a few barrels. Find a barrel shop. Look for a variety of barrels.Not antique barrels, but not brand new ones either.

I am currently in Washington DC, staying with friends. One day of work tomorrow, and then I start my role of tourist on Friday.

I have never been here before but I got the opportunity to dive into DC traffic head first - late in the day, in a bad area, with no clue where the freeway was that I was looking for. Melissa has been telling me that the metro is the way to go around here so I will only be driving tomorrow.

I started remembering today that there was an opportunity for travel to DC when I was young. It was a summer trip that was arranged through a teacher at my school (jr. high school) but it wasn’t a school sanctioned trip. I wanted to go but never got to.

The flight here freaked me out a little at the end. I guess I don’t care for flying low over a large body of water. Makes me nervous.
I have a feeling the time change is going to make for a rude awakening in the morning.

…in the arm pit of Dallas County justice (well, they do out in east Dallas, anyway). Got caught in the white-line trap week before last. With the horrible combination of a gas station positioned just past the entrance to a major street, and the people who are least likely to know how to drive in the right hand lane, it is not wonder they run this scam in this location.

I am sure the people that work there are really nice, but good lordy, THE LINE. The whole take a number process. Spending my morning amongst common hoodlums and what not was not my idea of a fun time. My next bit of correspondence with them will be via US mail once I have taken defensive driving - not in a traditional, comedian led class (can these people even be called comedians? the ones I have seen aren’t always that funny), but ONLINE.

My lesson has been learned - I will not cross the white lines (at this location) again. Not because it is the right thing to do, but because I don’t care to go through this crap again.

I must also mention that while trying to find this place I noticed some sketchy, apparently unemployed men on street corners in the area. Not near businesses, but closer to residences. Drugs? Thieves? Who knows. What I don’t understand is why they would be working their chosen activity that close to a place of law enforcement. Maybe it is the challenge.

Little did I know the Inwood Theater had recently converted their downstairs theater to something a little more comfortable. I got to watch the midnight showing of American Psycho in a cushy chair from Lovesac. Then whole theater was decked out in couches, love seats, chairs and lovesacs. While the bottom cushion was a little firm, I was able to get comfortable, slipping off my shoes, moving the back cushion and curling up.

It was also the first time that I was able to see some of the humor in American Psycho. I got the book a long time ago but never finished it. After purchasing the dvd I watched all the extras before ever watching the movie. That helped some. It was a totally differnet experience seeing it in the theater, surrounded by other people, laughing at the parts that I had had previously dismissed as just ramblings of the lead character. Getting to watch Christian Bale on the big screen was nice too.

On Saturday I went to DSW and bought the fugliest shoes ever, but they are sooooo comfortable. Since I have acquired a small fortune in foot wear, I can’t shop like I have before (I am out of room). I also don’t want to get a pair of shoes that are similar to something that I already have… except if they are flip-flops (yeah, I got those too). I can see myself wearing the Nike ones on the weekends - while shopping for more shoes.

On a side note - when checking out, I asked the girl if everyone had the same card that I did (the DSW Premier Rewards card). Thankfully, they don’t. While I know last year’s shoe shopping bender was a little extreme, I EARNED THAT CARD. I know I have a problem, but I also like feeling special.

Can someone explain to me why someone who did not grow up with the music of the 80’s (more like, they were just making their way in this world when this music was out for the first time) would have a birthday party at a place where the entertainment is an 80’s cover band?

While the number of people there were my age (or older) I just found this to be a little odd. The German version of 99 Luftballoons is also way better than the American version but nobody asked me.

Current listening: Old school Kelly Willis.

I am home taking a much needed break after spending three hours on something that should have taken no more than one - getting mom set up with a new-to-her computer and a dial-up internet connection. I am also trying to stuff brain matter back into my head through the eye socket where I stabbed myself in an effort to distract myself from the pain of having to deal with joe-blow-generic-isp that was telling me I needed to have the phone company check the line. Everyone knows that is a 70/30 (maybe 90/10?) shot they are going to say nothing is wrong. On the off chance that this did have something to do with her phone line I don’t think it would have resolved the issue. This was all after we had exhausted the “reboot the computer” delay tactic.

This story will have a happy ending - one that involves a DSL connection. I bought mom the modem and a power strip that included surge protection. She now has the marching orders to call the phone company, get the setup process going, and to let me know when it should be working. She will also already have an email from me in her new Gmail account I created, as well as some blogs to read in her Google Reader. Once she is online I will be sending her email address to all that matter. These people will be required to send her jokes, pictures and all things that are supposed to be received by retired folk on a daily basis.

Allstate can suck it. Bastards raised rates for the state of Texas again. While I had no tickets or accidents, my rate went up $100 - the third time in a row they have done this. I had finally had enough of their “bend over” attitude so I secured new car insurance through another major carrier today, saving approximately $371.

Anyone who treats you like Allstate treats its customers should at least buy you dinner first.

Who knew getting the MCTS and MCITP Database Administrator and Developer certifications for SQL Server 2005 would have the potential to get me more responsibility than I ever dreamed. Who knew asking to be in the position of the DBA would result in me headed that direction.

It is hard to decide these days what I enjoy doing more - working on the ASP.NET applications that I have created or trying to resolve issues affecting database tasks that are not behaving as expected.

Either way, I am up late, working on something, just about every night these days. And I love it.

My new Gucci Horsebit Hobo got its first unsolicited comment today. It was from a man. Working at Sephora.

Heh. At least someone there knew what it was.

The one thing I took away from the movie Baby Mama - playing the American Idol karaoke video game looks like tons of fun. All you have to do is sing into the microphone and follow the directions on the screen. Like Guitar Hero, minus the guitar. Even I could play this game.

Now all I need is everything that is needed to play it (including one of the new fangled video game systems).