2011.09.30 Friday

Slept in. Felt great.

Not too long after waking up, I scooted on over to the parents place. Goal for today: re-paint the street numbers on the curb. Luckily the stencil I used from many years ago still exists, so all I had to do was prep the surface, then tape everything off and spray away. The downside: I picked a rather windy day to be using spray paint. I wasn't able to get the stencils perfectly placed on the curvy curb, so there was a bit of overspray on a couple numbers, but it was still legible and looked fresh. I also added a couple longhorns on the sides. And of course I got the proper approvals beforehand *cough*.

Back home, pretty uneventful day. More games and relaxing. My upper back has been feeling sore for the past few days. I need to figure out a good way to stretch that out, or get somebody to massage that.

2011.09.29 Thursday

Woke up late today. That happens when I stay up late.

The day felt like it was flying by, but then also felt uneventful until some afternoon meetings. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood, and whadayano... it might actually rain.

Home, stuffed my face with leftovers, then a quick hop over to Roxana's to move some furniture.

Torchy's has a new location that opened up at 620 and Anderson Mill Rd. Very exciting. Habs and I got a couple free meal coupons to celebrate the grand opening. I was already full, but still ate a taco and chips and queso. Probably will puke soon.

Back home, played games into the late evening. Watched some TV of HS football.

Sleep.

2011.09.28 Wednesday

Work went by quickly today. Lots of interruptions and distractions.

Then came school. I don't know what it is, but I completely dislike giving presentations over a speakerphone. My body was rejecting life.

The presentation went ok. Now I can relax and not pay attention. Instead of getting pizza, we had to opt for chinese delivery. It was alright. A ton of food.

Home, snooze.

2011.09.27 Tuesday

Difficult getting me out of bed this morning, then also had to deal with forces of nature.

Work went by quickly. After work, my school group got together electronically and worked on our homework. We are pretty good at getting off topic.

Played some games, TV, then bed.

2011.09.26 Monday

When my alarm went off this morning, I was surprisingly alert. If I had gotten up right away, I would be ready for work long before I actually needed to. Dumb.

Work went by rather quickly. Lots of running around and talking with people. Also squeezed in some volleyball.

Post-work, I worked on loading up my MP3 player with more music. Also took a quick trip over to chick-fillet to get a free sandwich.

I worked on homework some, watched some MNF with Kelc, and played a little JC2 right before bed.

2011.09.25 Sunday - Fiesta Texas

My sister's company did a really awesome thing, and kinda reserved all of Six Flags - Fiesta Texas. Pretty badass. Family and friends were invited to enjoy the event.

My parents came over pretty early, then they switched over to my car for me to drive them to the park. I guess we made good time because we actually beat my sister to the park, even though they were already in San Antonio. Therefore, we had to wait a while at Whataburger.

We parked, put on sunscreen lotion, then trekked into the park. They gave everybody a big plastic commemorative cup to get drinks with throughout the day. Pretty sweet to get free drinks...and I still chose to get water.

First up, The Poltergeist. They changed the cart on this one so it isn't so loud. It sort of used to sound like the ride was "screaming" to make it more spooky. Oh well. Next up was Rockville High show. A few actors came up to us before the show to socialize and get audience involvement. One character came up to me and asked me my name and age; too bad I was a tad too old for her.

Here's a listing of everything else we went on:

Frisbee

Scooby Doo Ghostblasters

Scrambler

Pandemonium (previously Tony Hawk's Big Spin)

(lunch break at the picnic grounds)

Bugs's White Water Rapids

Whirligig

Superman Krypton Coaster

The Rattler

Then we called it a day. It's pretty sweet not having to wait in super long lines in the middle of summer.

Drove home. Goofed around for a bit. Listened to some sweet sounds, then headed over to Kelc's to watch the Steelers game and help with moving. Then we didn't move anything.

2011.09.24 Saturday

Slept in late. It wasn't as great as it normally is. If anything, it just made me groggy for the remainder of the day.

I took care of random tasks throughout the day and played games. Not really much to talk about here. I felt rather lazy about going anywhere or doing anything outside of my zone.

2011.09.23 Friday

Really did not feel like getting up this morning.

Today is the last day of training. Although training is useful and pretty good, it's still draining since I'm sitting in a room for so many hours.

Once home, Mark came over to join us in attending a high school football game. Tonight we are going to see Cedar Park at Vandegrift. The game was pretty intense and went into overtime. CP just barely came out on top. Also interesting to note, I knew both the head band directors from each school.

Quick stop by Wendy's and Krispy Kreme, then home and sleep.

2011.09.22 Thursday

Another day where I did not feel like getting out of bed. What a shocker.

Training again today.

Home, cleaned room and bathroom. Played JC2. Just like that, another day is over.

2011.09.21 Wednesday

Training starts today. Should be exciting.

After training, class. Feeling pretty burnt out at this point. My mind just does not want to pay attention.

Ate a small dinner snack, then vacuumed and mopped the house. I think we left the house alone after that last kegger. It was one of our cleanest, and least-sick-people parties ever.

JC2, then sleep.

2011.09.20 Tuesday

Woke up around 4:30a. I guess the power came back on around 1:20a because my clock was blinking 3:10 while the Time Warner box was set to 4:30. Cool beans. That was about 2 hours without power.

I got ready this morning, then felt a rumbling in the tummy. Guess I'm going to delay my arrival to work. Oh nature.

Worked another long day. After work, I went home and started working on homework. How awesomely fun.

Finished up the homework with my group, then played some games and went to bed.

2011.09.19 Monday

Back to the grind.

I ended up working a long day to try and catch up on a few things. The day ended when I couldn't get anything to print.

Stopped by Sprouts on the way home to get some fancy soap and creamer, then by chick-fil-a for dinner, then over to target for some goods, then over to Kelc's.

Long day.

2011.09.18 Sunday - ACL

Super tired, again. Also late getting onto the road again, but it's ok because there aren't many things we wanted to see today.

Here's what we did see:

- The Head And The Heart (tail end)

- The Airborne Toxic Event

- Awolnation

- Broken Social Scene

Then Kelc wasn't feeling too well, and I didn't have any shows that I really felt like I had to see, so we called it a weekend there.

Went home, cleaned up, hydrated and ate some food. Finally able to relax my feet some.

I joined Taylor and Habs in watching a recording of the UT game, then went out for ice cream. I think the guy scooping my ice cream was into me. Flattering, but ...thanks?

2011.09.17 Saturday - ACL

So tired. Eventually got myself out of bed and ready for the day. That means pre-game bathroom time. (I do not want to sit down in those port-a-potties.)

Got things ready, and headed out a little later than yesterday. It looked rainy in the morning, then ended up raining some when we arrived. We were also fortunate enough to see some of the UT game while at the shows.

Here's what we saw:

- Sara Hickman (for a song)

- Young The Giant

- City And Colour

- Iron & Wine (for a little bit)

- Alison Krauss & Union Station

- Skrillex (awesome show, but had sound and computer issues)

- Cee-Lo (for a little bit)

- Cut Copy (fun show)

- Chromeo (awesome show)

- My Morning Jacket (for a couple songs, not feeling it)

- Stevie Wonder (for a couple songs, not feeling it)

And with that, we called it. We were able to leave early, and satisfied.

Had trouble sleeping.

2011.09.16 Friday - ACL

I'm half excited and half scared to start the day. I spent the morning trying to figure out what bands to see, load up my MP3 player in case I have downtime, and find a water bottle.

Kelc and I left to pick up my sister and her (now) fiance. The weather started to look interesting. Rain drops falling... cloudy skies everywhere. We parked in our usual spot with some magical parallel parking skills. Then we started the trek over to zilker.

Next thing I know, we are in and everything looks amazing. The grass looks fluffy and comfortable this year. First up, food and water. I grabbed some Kick-Ass Nachos from Tim Love's Love Shack.

Here's the rough order of everything we saw:

- Disciples of Christ (only because we were near the food area)

- Delta Spirit

- Electric Touch

- Ray LaMontagne

- Beardyman (one of the most entertaining shows I've seen in a while)

- Cold War Kids

- Foster The People (just enough to see the start of their annoying single)

- Nas & Damian Marley

- Pretty Lights (awesome show) (Kelc went to Sara Bareilles during this)

- Coldplay (just a saw few songs)

- Kanye West (also awesome show)

And just like that, the day is over. Crazy exhausted. My phone battery died somewhere in the middle of that because I forgot to charge it last night. Go me.

2011.09.15 Thursday

Difficult time getting out of bed, and I went to sleep earlier than normal.

Enjoyed some pancakes for breakfast.

The day felt longer than it should have. I can't believe ACL starts tomorrow. I feel so unprepared.

Came home from work, relaxed a bit and played some games, ate food. I ordered an audio interface on Tuesday, and it arrived today. Unfortunately I don't really have enough time to get anything set up and play around.

Went over to play kickball with WAKA. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I heard it was more social, but I felt like some people are too competitive still. Not really much different from Austin SSC.

Home late, exhausted.

2011.09.14 Wednesday

I'm starting to feel really tired these mornings. I wonder if I'll actually be able to attend ACL and have some energy.

Played some vball over lunch. Then stayed late at work to go to class.

After all that, swung by my parent's place to pick up a package. A NEW BATTERY!!! (for my OLD PHONE!!!) How exciting. Let's charge 'er up.

Home, sleep.

2011.09.13 Tuesday

Had to really push myself to get out of bed, but once I was out I was moving around just fine. I think I'm actually a tiny bit sore from volleyball.

Today went by quickly, but also felt long.

Worked on homework with our group, then played games for a little bit, then bed.

2011.09.12 Monday

I woke up before my alarm today. I just could not get into a deep slumber last night. I hope the adrenaline gets me through the day.

Things started to heat up a little at work. Played some vball over lunch. Stayed late.

Grabbed some free sandwiches at chik-fil-a for dinner. Watched some Monday Night Football, and played JC2.

Soon, bedtime.

2011.09.11 Sunday

Woke up with a headache. Quickly remembered why I don't enjoy beer as much anymore.

Once I turned on the TV, it became obvious what today is. Ten years ago? Doesn't feel like that long ago.

Met up with Kelc and family and friends at Plucker's to watch the Steelers game. So I had given my order to the waitress, she repeated back the order completely correct. 10 wings, all flappers, half spicy lemon pepper, half spicy ranch, side of chips -- rung up as a 5-wing combo plus 5 free wings (thanks UT). When I received my order, the ranch didn't look spicy and the wings were not all flappers, so I said something since it would be an extra charge for something I didn't get. Somehow the server though I said the lemon pepper flavor was wrong, so she brought out 5 flappers of some "new" lemon pepper flavor. So now I have a cluster-f of food.

Steelers didn't do so well. But I ended up getting my meal for free. I don't understand that still.

Met up with Mark after lunch. Gifted my leftover wings to him, then went to Costco for some goodies. I picked up 6 lbs of edamame, huge bag of pita chips, huge box of ramen bowls, and a box of chef boyardee ravioli. Sweetness.

Home. More JC2 and NFL. Good times.

2011.09.10 Saturday (UT vs BYU)

Enjoyed sleeping in today. It was actually rather difficult getting out of bed. I guess my body just knew it had to recuperate from the last few weeks of exhaustion.

Ate a healthy breakfast of yogurt, granola bar and fruit juice. Played Just Cause 2 for a good portion of the day, while listening to college football in the background.

Sometime in the afternoon, I went over to my parent's house to meet up. My brother and his lady got tickets through work, and my dad and sister had season tickets (with my sister unable to go) so I took her place.

Lucky for me, the seats faced the sun while it was setting. The game was pretty good. Some good parts, some not so good. I felt bad that the entire stadium was boo'ing Gilbert. I guess one enough mistakes are made, it's a downward spiral. Even still, it is rough seeing our own fans doing that to a player.

Anyways, we ended up pulling through with a 17-16 win. Not bad. That means free plucker's wings, and free chik-fil-a. Can't pass that up.

Went out to whataburger for a late dinner, then back home.

Back at the house, a gathering had already commenced. What is a soiree? I have no idea. People were hanging out and enjoying some Dos Equis. I played some flip cup. Overall a good ending for the day.

2011.09.09 Friday

My alarm didn't go off this morning. The little light saying it was set stayed lit. Poop on that.

Played volleyball during lunch. Good weather.

Ended up staying late at work. At home, I played some JC2 until Kelc arrived. Then, we switched over to Civ V (Demo) to see what it is like. I decided I didn't like it, not my cup'o'tea. Kelc is considering purchasing so she can play with friends.

I cooked up some filet mignons and pearled couscous for dinner. Kelc did not like the couscous.

2011.09.08 Thursday

I really did not feel like getting out of bed this morning. I'm already exhausted from this week.

After work, the start of the NFL season. Pretty exciting. The Packers smacked up The Saints pretty bad. At the beginning of the game, the announcers were talking up how Drew Brees got the players together for practices during the strike, but then they just did not perform well at all. Made me giggle. I had no real preference on which team should win, just watched for entertainment.

Played some Just Cause 2, and called it a day.

2011.09.07 Wednesday

Today was mostly normal. I spent my lunch time helping Travis move in to his new place downtown. It looks amazing and has a great view. The only thing that might get annoying is having to travel to such a high floor (and wait for people to get on / off).

I attended class after work. Nice not having to go far, but sucks when having to be at work for such long hours.

Went home, played a few games and ate some edamame, then went to sleep.

2011.09.06 Tuesday (Fire Scare)

Today started off on a weird foot. It's hard to really think about work when other coworkers are displaced from their homes whilst being destroyed.

I had a small lunch and wasn't able to play volleyball because I had forgotten to bring my gear.

After lunch I had stopped by to chat with a coworker, and I received a phone call from Justin saying there was a new fire relatively close to the house, so I may need to be ready to go at any moment. Not but 10 minutes later he called back saying that it was looking pretty bad, so I should head home.

Cool.

On the drive home we could see a big column of black smoke billowing into the sky. Roads we normally take to the house were blocked off by various emergency vehicles. Luckily we were able to use some back roads to get into the development. Things were definitely getting intense. Some neighbors were just watching from their driveways, some were leaving. I decided to pack up what I consider to be important, just in case we need to evacuate.

Once I had all the high-priority stuff packed up, the smoke was getting more grey in color, but also getting heavier. I think at this point the fire department had put a majority of the fire out, but things were still smoldering. It wasn't until about 5p when fire trucks started leaving.

As things started cooling off, I didn't really know what to do with myself. Oddly enough, part of me wanted to see everything that I left go up in flames. Obviously I was already ok with the loss. Now I'm just surrounded by stuff that I considered forever gone.

Travis came over later on. I hung out with him a bit. Cooked up a dinner of pearled couscous. Hooked my computer back up and played some Just Cause 2 to try and calm down / get my mind off everything. I also waited until late in the evening to unpack my car. The weather has been getting cool in the evenings/mornings. Feeling pretty good about that.

2011.09.05 Monday (Labor Day)

Woke up at the lake house. Actually had a pretty crazy dream about marching band and switching instruments. Oh brain, why do you do the things you do?

Sat around most of the day. Watched tv. Took a nap. Lindsey and Jon went down to the lake for a while, but Kelc and I didn't feel like doing much.

Later into the afternoon, we packed up and cleaned up lots of stuff for the trek home. I split off from the group after unloading everything to stop by my parents' place. After a chat and picking up of mail, I met up with the group at Mesa Rosa for dinner.

Home, unpacked, then bed.

2011.09.04 Sunday

Slept in pretty decently from the party. It's always weird to see who stuck around, and who snuck off early in the morning.

Then some post-party cleanup.

Spent a good chunk of the day out in the water. Unfortunately the wind was too strong to really do much as far as water sports, except for tubing. We headed over to the Pedernales river connection to see if we could get into a less windy area, but ended up seeing huge plumes of smoke billowing up into the sky. Not cool. It looks bad enough to be concerned for people's lives.

Back at home, we started picking up bits and pieces of news about fires in Steiner Ranch, Bastrop and Pedernales areas. Holy crap.

Late dinner, then bedtime.

2011.09.03 Saturday (Kelc's party)

Had a rather relaxing morning. Played quite a bit of Just Cause 2. I noticed that I just hit 40 hours of game time, meaning I've played as much of the game as I have to be at work in any given week ... and I'm only 37% done. Yikes. I shall continue plowing forward.

Somewhere around afternoon I packed up everything and headed out to the lake. The drive was nice.

Upon arriving, turns out a good handful of people were already there. Just about everybody was down in the water, playing around. I didn't feel like getting wet / dirty.

People began arriving. Games and cheers commenced. Things were rather interesting.

2011.09.02 Friday

Woke up to go to Discount Tire Co for a tire re-balance, again. Luckily everything worked out this time. I don't feel the shaking any more.

Stopped by Academy to shop for goodies. I took a gander at the running shoes they had in stock. Not bad, but it's weird how wide the price range is.

Back home; games and lunch and nap.

Later on in the evening I went to HEB for a last-minute bacon-party-mix bake session. I think it will be an interesting salty side dish to serve at Kelc's gathering tomorrow night.

2011.09.01 Thursday

Blogger decided to offer an updated interface for their site. I'm not sure if I like it or if I'll have any problems getting my posts done, but I don't expect to have much of an issue. Writing out the blog looks different, so I'll have to make sure it comes out the other end correctly.

Anywho... I had a crazy dream last night. It involved a spider that was scratching around, then I ended up chopping it in half... and later it pickedup the back half of itself to leave. No thanks.

Work day was longer than usual. I took Mark to the airport around midday so he could catch a flight out of here.

At home in the evening, I did laundry and grabbed some dinner at chik-fil-a with Habs. Later Kelc came over and we watched some high school football on tv.

2011.08.31 Wednesday

Can't say that I was very enthusiastic about today, but I marched forward.

The volleyball gang got together for a few games today.  It felt like it had been a while.  Instead of just scrounging up enough to play (4), we had a whopping 6 players playing.  This made the volleys last quite a bit longer, and for more crazy potential.  Love it.

I had to cut the work day short to attend the first of 15 weeks of class.  I am now taking a Software Architecture Concepts course with a few other employees.  It sounds like fun.  Maybe it will spawn some new ideas, and I can make some money by programming in my free time.  Probably won't...

Arrived at home on the later side of things again.  My goal for the evening is to go grocery shopping.  I expected to do that yesterday, but things changed.  I spent some time goofing around on the computer, then headed out to HEB.  While there, I made a realization: every HEB that I have shopped at for long periods of time has done some sort of remodeling.  I know that cannot possibly be cheap.  They must be making some good money.

Home, sleep.

2011.08.30 Tuesday

Woke up late today, but got ready rather quickly. Still wanted to go back to sleep though.

Work was more stressful than usual today. Glad to go home.

Originally I planned to take care of some grocery shopping this evening, but those plans got lost among the other things I did. I cleaned up my room some, dusted, vacuumed, etc. I cleaned up a computer, scrubbing it of any data. I also cleaned up my own computer from older files still dangling around.

Then I went for a run. I really need to get back into a rhythm. Waiting so long in between sessions is silly.

Ate some leftovers+corn dog for dinner. Then Kelc dropped by kind of late and went to bed.