Week in Review

It's been a busy week!
Sorry about the lack of photos, I still haven't gotten my desktop set up. It has the memory card reader in it.

Last weekend I spent a bunch of time with CVS, it was his birthday, a bunch of us went out to eat. It was good times. I had met everyone but one at least once, so it was good seeing old friends again.

I went to a grocery store this week on some co-workers suggestion. Elgin Fresh Market. They said it has great prices for produce and nothing else. I must say I agree. A can of corn was a $1.37, but mangos where a dozen for four bucks and some change. I picked up the veggies I needed to make a pot-roast out of a steak Katie had bought that the cats tried to ruin. I had gone to my parents 2 weekends ago, and when I came back, the freezer door was open. The steak was defrosted, but still cool, so I figured it was safe. The Chicken, no way!

The roast turned out really well. I invited a guy from work over for dinner. Trying to make new friends. He is a pretty cool guy. Likes camping, so we have something in commmon. Before he came over (he works later then I do) I did a rushed pickup of the apartment, so it's actually kinda clean, well, at least picked up. Most all of the trash got hauled out, and you can walk around in it. He helped me move the TV tank into it's spot in the TV stand. I am going to get water in that next week so I can get fish for it in a month or two.

It's been raining out the last couple of days. I walk to work - it's only a block away. My feet got wet today. I hate wet feet. My shoes are shot - the lowers are worn so bad they look like slicks, and they evendently split at the ball of the foot during the move. The uppers where still in good shape, I actually took care of them, so I was milking the bottoms out as long as I could. Wet feet, time for new shoes.

I went to walmart tonight, and found the pair I like. They look nice, almost like dress shoes, as I wear them to work. Waterproof and steal toe, they also claim to be electrical isolators. Sweet! Right up my alley. Kinda spendy, $52.73, and I picked up a set of gel arch supports for $5.97. $60 for shoes that, judging from my last pair will last me a year and a half or so. That works out to be, what, ten cents a day? So my shoots cost me a penny an hour. I can deal with that.

I also picked up a couple of fish, most all of mine died during the trip - there went my perfect shipping record. I had forgotten to plug in the tank heater one night, and the tank got really cold. Anyway, I was down to my Pleco and a femail guppy. Too few to feed with my automatic feeder, I simply can't turn it down that low. So I picked up to quarter sized angel fish and a male guppy. Still a bit thin for the feeder, but the angels should grow fast enough that it will be ok. The guppies will probably get moved before the angles are big enough to tear the male up, so I am not worried about that.

I had hoped to be able to water-change my way into local water before I bought fish, but that isn't the case. I am going to be acclimating the fish slowly to the Florida water. Tney are getting put into a bucket tonight with just enough water to cover the heater. Most of it will be the water from the pet store. Right before I got to bed, they will be getting a few cups from the tank. When I get up, maybe a quart. Lunch, a quart or more, and into the tank they will go tomorrow night before I leave for my folk's place.

Going to the folk's this weekend. Maybe. It's supposed to snow pretty bad tomorrow I guess. I am supposed to help mom go through the house being that it's her weekend off. They are wanting to get the last of the salvageable stuff out and a list of what's still inside so they can buldoze the place.

I need to get the oil changed on the truck, it's been like 6k miles. I have been so busy with the move, and now this week, working late, that It hasn't been taken in. The smell from the fish tank spilling in the truck is gone (at least to my nose, but I don't smell very well [hrmm, that doesn't sound quite right - LOL]). I guess mom will have to stick her head in the truck and see if it still makes her eyes water.

Babys!

It seems like everybody's having babies!

I was at a 1 year old's birthday 2 Saturdays ago now.

Matt and Jessica where due yesterday, so they are going to the hospital and having the baby tomorrow I guess.

Chris and Chris are 27 weeks along! They even created a blog for the baby! http://www.chasepowell.com/

My Kittens are getting HUGE! I don't think they count as kittens anymore.

Say Goodbye to Gecko!!

Gecko (my old 97 Ford Escort) finally left. When I bought my 2007 Ford Escape, I had given it to Katie. She needed a car, as her last one died a horrible death - I can't imagine hemorrhageing fluids out of every orfice, but that is what it suffered. Her prior car had been total when an old man ran a red light at high speeds.
 The Dealership wasn't going to give me anything for it. The bluebook value of the car is about $1500 or so last I looked for the amount of icky oldness it sufferes - dirty seats, rusty fenders, etc. and it needs about $2k in repairs to be made 'right'. Katie can sink a few hundred bucks into it for new tires, and the front brakes & rotors, and the car is safe to drive. She can then decide if the transmission leak, bad struts, front end alignment, etc. etc. etc. need to be fixed. I checked the brake pads today, and they will be good for another six months by my driving, so they should last a month with the much longer drive she does to get to work.


243109   Can you believe it? And that is LOW as the tires are oversized and the car thinks it went 70 miles when it goes 75. I bought the car at 208k on the odemeter, so that means I put 35k miles by the odemeter, but actually went 37.6k miles. That will put the car just 5k short of a quarter million miles.


  I would like to say that I am going to miss the old car, and in a sense I will, I can't stand on the hood of my new
Ford Escape as it would hurt a lot more if I fell off. It treated me well, I only ever put a new engine, timing belt and fuel filter into it in the several years I drove it. I hope it holds together through the end of the year for Katie

Crazy 2 weeks!

Well, I haven't blogged in 2 weeks now. I started my new job. I love it. It is very challenging and rewarding!


 I went fishing with Eric again this Friday. We didn't catch anything, had a couple of bites, but it's just a fishing story if you can't take pictures.


 I scratched my truck. I leaned a couple of fishing poles up against the truck, and when I closed the back, they slid down. I got the paint good. Anybody have any suggestions on how to fix this? I picked up a scuff by the gas cap today when I was at Lowes too. I guess it isn't new anymore. I have over a thousand miles on it already too! Crazy!


  The air and sea show was this weekend. This is the bearest piece of beach I could find.


 I like the difference in planes as they got more advanced. I think this photo captures the progression quite nicely.

My Friends must miss me

I have spent over 3 hours on the phone with people from my recent job tonight. My former supervisor called with some questions about some options regarding the old website. A friend called with some programming homework questions, and another friend called with other programming questions as he is just starting out.

It is just kinda funny. I don't like using the phone, and it has been ringing off the hook the last couple of days between friends, and the car dealership calling to make sure I am happy with the vehicle.

I burned up half this month's minutes on my phone plan just today! Oh well, better to see them used then to be not used, right? I also seem to find it humorous that I usually spend more time using my phone as a modem with my Nokia 770 then using it for voice.

Oh well, best I be getting my tail to bed.

Last day at work

Today was my last at work today. I guess Friday the 13th is as good of a day as anything.

Two and a half years of doing the same website - well, over half a dozen of them. Of Having my website on the back of city buses. Of a 100,000 unique visits a month. Of really great people.


My friends from work had a going away party for me today. They pooled together and got me a really great going away present, but they couldn't agree on what it was going to be, so I got a gift card for a lot of money! They ordered pizza from my favorite pizza shop.


Thank you everybody!



I just about left without getting my stuff off the walls.

I will miss everybody there at RAGFL! You all have my email address and this website! Keep in touch.

Supermarket 2.0

I thought this was a pretty good parody/satire of the whole web 2.0 buzz.

 Although, it may not be all that far off if you look at this photo sent to my by a friend of a local grocery store up by Chicago.

Ten Dollar Dates

A friend of mine has started a new website. The site is all about inexpensive date ideas. http://www.tendollardates.com/

I think this may be an excellent resource for us guys to get a woman's perspective on what we can do to be sweet. Cheap.

This should be an excellent resource for me down the road - good thing Katie doesn't know about the site yet. I am going to subscribe to the RSS feed and get my daily dose of do-good ideas.

Lets all leave comments or trackbacks, and let her know we are interested so she gets into the habit of posting an idea a day. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment here with them or email them to me and I will forward them on to her.

Florida Renaissance Festival

 I went to the Florida Renaissance Festival this sunday with a bunch of friends. It was a lot of fun. One of the gals was ambushed by a groveling poet reciting the virtues of her feet. The falconer's falcon flew away. I got sunburned. All in all, a lot of fun.
 

Hawking Technologies USB 804.11G wireless adapter.

 
A friend of mine was looking for a Wireless card for her computer. I saw this at CompUSA and recomended it to her. She hasn't picked it up yet, but when she does I will report here how well it worked for her.

I think I want one of these. The USB form factor is really nice, no cracking a case and using up a PCI slot. I like how it has a removeable (and extendable) antenna. I also think that the 2 inches that the length of the USB moves the antenna away from the computer case would probably help with interference. You could also plug the USB devise into a hub or at the end of an extension cable to optimize location for reception. All in all, I like it. Now if they would only add a gig of memory to the device, and install the drivers right on the unit.

Chris's new puppy

Brother Chris got a new puppy today. Sister Chris's dog Scooby died a couple of weekends ago and she has been absolutely lost without a dog. She picked this little fella up today from the shelter.
I think the pictures say it all.
 
 
 

Chili Cookoff

It is 73 degrees here in sunny south Florida. I am at the Chili Cookoff. Bikini tops and Daisy-Dukes everywhere. Half of them even have yellow armbands.
Today's entertainment is Taylor Swift who just got off the stage, Montgomery Gentry, Trace Adkins, Sugarland, Jo Dee Messina, Darryl Worley who just got on stage, and Jernie.
Good weather, good music, good food, and good scenery. What more could a guy ask for.

Pan's Labryinth.

Katie and I went to see a movie on her birthday. Her sister-in-law came along too.

The movie we saw was Pan's Labryith.

2 things you should know about it before you see it.
1) Its graphic
2) Its in Spanish and is subtitled



I must say I rather enjoyed the movie. After a couple of threats from Katie for bringing her to a SUBTITLED movie... In the end Katie said it wasn't bad.

I won't spoil it for anybody. If you can deal with subtitled movies, it is probably worth seeing.

Snow Angel

Uhm... I think I forgot to mention a key step in making a snow angel.

Katie went out and played in the snow just about every day when we where up north. The snow was never right for a snowman when we had time to make one, so she didn't get to make a snow man. As you can see, it was dark out when we where out in the snow this time.

Photos of my Vacation

Click here for my 2006 Christmas Vacation Photo Gallery

Here are some photos of my recent Vacation back home. Katie came along, poor thing, and met most of my friends from college. If you have some photos from new years, please, send them my way.

It's Official.

I have fallen to the dark side.

I can now say, been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Creuzer's Cars: Katie's Brother's Truck

Creuzer's Cars: Katie's Brother's Truck

Katie came down this weekend. I took some pictures of her in her brother's truck, so I blogged them on my Cars blog.

Does anybody know of a good javascript RSS Feed Reader that I can put onto this blog to show my latest posts to the Cars blog?

Double Date

This is the 2nd time I am writing this, so it is much shorter then it originally was.

Katie came down this weekend. She did the surprise drop in thing. We had talked about her coming down this last weekend earlier, but she didn't have a car. She bought an old van, but isn't comfortable driving it that far yet (if ever, I guess it is really tired). She ended up deciding that she wasn't coming down at the begining of the week. Well midweek, her brother (thanks Todd) lent her his truck and she kept it a secret.

She shows up at 5:15 or so at my place and I am not home. Her cell is broke, so she goes to the CVS and calls from the pay phone. I don't answer unknown numbers (so send me your number if you want me to pick up your call - the new phone has 31 numbers in it thus far), but when it rang for the 4th time I answered it. I was at a bar. Ooohps. I go home and pick Katie up, and go back to the bar. She met some of the peeps from work. We had a workshop that day and a bunch of the office went to this new bar down the street.

I gave Keara a call, and re-scheduled the double date I cancelled earlier in the week. We went to Taverna Opa's for dinner. There was a toga party that night. Odd...

Keara and her new boyfriend Dan. She is as taken by him as I am by Katie. Funny how Keara and I both found such wonderful people at the same time! The race is on...
Katie really doesn't like this photo. I don't know why, I think she is cute! We where waiting for breakfast at the Egg & You Diner by where I live in Fort Lauderdale. She had the Steak and Eggs and Pancakes and I had Biscuits and Gravy. 

Racing to Lakeland again

I went to Lakeland again this last weekend. A bunch of us went to the movies. While we where waiting Katie's brother Todd challenged their father to a race. Todd Lost...
 

 

  

Katie's Family on Vacation

I went up to Clearwater Florida this last weekend. Katie and her family had their annual vacation. They rent a condo on the beach for a week.

I was sick most of the weekend. What a bummer! Katie went out and got a thermometor at Walgreens and I had a temp of 100.7 at one point. Katie thinks it was higher then that before she got it. How miserable! Drive all the way up there, and I couldn't even enjoy myself. I wasn't well enough to drive home Sunday night. I missed work on Monday. I managed to drag myself home Monday afternoon.

What all did we do. In no particular order... I spent half the time sleeping. We did a little shopping. You should try wandering around Walmart when you can hardly stand up. It's is a lot of fun all those people bumping and jostling. We ended up sitting outside for about 20 minutes before I could make it to the car. Katie drove us home. We got caught in road construction and sat in the heat for a full half an hour! I was watching the clock. Sunday I was feeling better in the morning so we went swimming. I tried dunking her brother Andy. I didn't do very well at that, but he had a hard time dunking me too, so I feel a little better about myself. I got sunburnt. I think I over exerted myself, because after lunch I started to get ill again. Uhm, we went to the mall. We went to John's Pass, Katie bought me a really cool wolf scene hand made candle. Uhm, Katie and I went for a walk on the beach.

That is about all I can remember at twenty to tomarrow.

<= Katie and 2 of her neices Amber and Kayla.

Katie and her Mom. =>

<= Brother Todd, Sister Angela, Neices Kayla and Brianna futzing with a photo booth after lunch at the mall.

Some of her family playing in the pool. => 

Visiting Lakeland Florida.

I went to up to Lakeland Florida this weekend. I met most of Katie's Family. Lets see, Dad Mike, Mom Ellen, I stayed with Brother Todd and wife Sarah, brother Andy and Wife Cara with child Arin stoped to visit along with Brother Matt, Brother Pat and best friend Amy also stopped in. I didn't get to meet brother Mike and Sister Angela. Fwew. I think I got all of them. Oh, wait, Kitty Buster and dogs Bear and Shelby. I think I got them all. One, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Oh oh, who did I miss? Oh, last but not least, Katie nine! YAY, I passed the test! Just don't ask me to put them in order of age!

We didn't really do all that much, met family, talked to family, ate with family. I am not used to that much family! We went to 2 different chinese buffets, Pizza, Dennys for breakfast thursday night, icecream, Wendys, and where else...

We played a cutthroat game of Cranium. That was a lot of fun! Andy and 'Dad' won. Oh, I was shown some pretty neat magic tricks. I am going to have to go out and get some new cards to practice with.

I got a tour Lakeland. Katie drove me around and showed me town. Oh, I also got a free 23 minute tour of Bartow. Katie had said 'keep left on 60', business 60 takes a left turn into downtown Bartow. Great fun! Not Really, driving around after dark somewhere you have never been before. Not my idea of a good time. Well, actually, I thought it was kinda funny. I get to tease Katie about her directions. Hopefully she doesn't get the idea to tease me about my driving. 

2nd Date

Katie came down this weekend. The Chris, Chris, Katie and I went out to dinner at a steak house in Coral Springs. Sister Chris took a photo of Katie and I with the camera on my phone. You would think they would have figured out how to make the cameras better on these phones by now. 

Saturday Date

I went on a date this Saturday. Yes, for real. I have pictures to prove it! I started talking to Katie last weekend, well, actually, she started to talk to me first. We chatted online for a little bit. Then we started to talk on the phone. A lot. A WHOLE lot. I think we spent the whole week on the phone. I am really not looking forward to this next phone bill - but more about that later...

So, anyway, we decided to meet. Not quite as simple as it sounds. She lives in Lakeland Florida. That is between Tampa and Orlando (or, for you who are too lazy to look at a map, 4 hours away). We decided to meet in the middle. What better place then scenic Vero Beach. We met at the Outlet Mall there right off the interstate. I was late. Can you imagine that? Me late? Late for a first date, what a great first impression, right? So, they have a Borders Outlet there. Bookstore! What better way to get to know somebody then to look at books. The Borders Outlet is kinda sparse on selection, so we didn't stick around very long. We wandered over to the Subway and TCBY to get something to eat. I think we where both so nervious we weren't really hungry.

So. After a lot of nervious giggles and glances (and that was just me), we decide to head to the beach. About a quarter of the way there Katie points and says "Books a Million". Huh? It's a book store, a REAL bookstore. So, I turn the car around and we go in. Airconditioning! LOTS of books! Now we start going through the books and pointing out what we have read to each other, and what is good and what isn't so good. Can you believe it? She likes the same kind of books as me! I think the bookstore really broke the ice. We got some water and sat in some cooshy chairs and talked like we where old friends.


We then went the rest of the way to the beach. It was really nice. I took a few neat photos. Many of them where while I was out, standing on a pipe leading into the ocean. Can you see where this is going? Yep. I fell off. SPLASH, into the ocean I go. How embarissing! I didn't get the camera wet, my phone got splashed though. So, now I am soaking wet! And worse yet, I tear my favorite jeans - you know, the ones with the ink stain. We wandered over to one of the boardwalks so I can dry off in the sun and we didn't have to listen to me go squish squish squish at every step. We sat down and chatted and watched the people walk by. I gave her a back massage, I think she liked it. She said she hadn't gotten one in a long time.

We get hungry - funny how that happens when your not nervious anymore. We wander back towards the car and stop at this resturuant right on the beach. Katie ordered a philly cheesesteak, I spied a rhuben on the menu. We sit and eat and talk and have a grand o'l time. Oh, the rhuben was good, I can go back there again.

After dinner we go back to her truck so she can get clothes. I don't think I will ever understand girls. She wore long pants during the day, and changed into shorts for the evening. Anybody have any insight to that one? Oh, she drinks Mt. Dew too! I got her one when she was changing.

So, we end up back at the beach and take a walk along the beach. I suggest we head north, as south hadn't been so good to me. I was finally mostly dried off by now. We wandered along, stopped and sat down on some steps. We talked and whatnot for the longest time. Counted the stars, listened to the people walk by on the beach. She gave me a backrub. 10 o'clock came up WAY to soon! And poor Katie had to work at 7:45 the next morning!

She is still talking to me! I must have done something right between showing up late and falling into the ocean. Will the wonders never cease! 

Dave Mathiews Band

I went to a Dave Mathiews concert on Saturday. A friend of a friend had an extra lawn seat ticket, so $40 later, I had something to do yesterday. We did the tailgating thing, getting up to West Palm Beach around 3 for the 7 oclock show. It was increadiably hot out, so we needed to bring a tent. One of the couples that drove down for the Saturday show (it was a 2 night show, Friday and Saturday) brought the tent so we had some shade. I guess Friday was unbearable without any shade.


John Downs drove his 100th Anneversary Harley Davidson up to the tailgate party.


There where 18 or 20 of us total driving in from all over the state as well as 1 couple who came all the way from Aruba just for the show.


We broke the party down around 6 oclock with a few people going in early to set up the blankets so we all had a space to sit together.

The concert was pretty good. I am not all that big of a Dave fan, only really likeing his hits. I am not sure that it would have been worth the money I spent if it wasn't for the tailgating. 

Haircuts and Puddles

Ok, so tonight I went over to a friend from works house to get my hair cut. She has been bothering me for MONTHS on how she could do a good job. Fine, let her put her money where her mouth is, right? How could I turn down a free haircut? She even promised dinner. Free haircut AND free dinner? No WAY I could pass that up.

She is Porto Rican, right? Her mom lives with her, and was doing the cooking. YUM, real Porto Rican food. Porkchops. Now don't get me wrong, they where good porkchops, but porkchops. No Rice, No Spice. Porkchops.

So anyway, I get my hair cut. Looks good. As a thank you, I am trying to teach her bird to mew like a cat. It already does the wolfcall wistles, so why not a catcall too... After a great deal of superb mewing on my behalf, the bird rewards my endevours. Not by mewing out a perfect melody, no, by pooping in my hand. Ok. Fine. Bird goes back in cage.

Videos need to go back to blockbuster. Lests walk. I stroll along. 5 of us. Quite the party, me and 4 women... well, girls... Her daughters are 11, 8, and maybe 3? I dunno how old the youngest one is, old enough to walk, still uses the stroller, and still shy.

We stop at the gas station on the way back to get snacks. Candybars, icecream bars, sodas and a large water.

About half way back, the girls get in a water fight. I end up ending it. No, I didn't get them wet, they got me wet, with the last of the water in the water bottle. All I have left is the Mt. Dew. I threatened, I teased, but I didn't splash back with the Mt. Dew.

I don't get even, I get ahead.

Getting back to by their house, we end up going through some big puddles. Did I mention that it had rained a lot today? No? Well, forgive my poor naration skills and pretend I had. This is my story, deal with it. So anyway. Large puddles. Me, being very much in touch with my inner child, or is that always childish, well... I like the former, makes me look more mature. Me being in touch with my inner child, I perform the PERFECT puddle jump. A nice, high kicked, square stepped, large splashed jump into some 3 inch deep water without getting a drop of water on either myself or my companions. The girls thought this was great. After watching a few pitiful attemps at making a mess, I had to teach them the finer points of puddle jumping. Technique, but more importantly, enthusiasm.

To make a long story short... well maybe just a little shorter... I got the whole family back. They all got soaking wet jumping in the puddles, and I didn't splash a drop on them!

Did I mention I got a free haircut tonight? It looks good.

Oh yeah, I didn't take this picture, it is from flickr and was taken by somebody called 'elston'. Thank's Elston! Nice photo! 

Wedding Photos

I guess I took a few photos at the Powell Wedding. Here is the stack of them. There are just a few there.... A few Hundred!  

Gone Fishing again!

Eric and a Red Snapper he caught. This is one of the fish you eat at the fancy resturaunts.

Standard procedure appears to be to not touch many of the fish as they are either poisonous or they have VERY sharp fins and will cut you up pretty badly. We have no idea what kind of fish this is, so it gets the towel treatment to get unhooked.

This one was deamed to be not-dangerious, so Eric held it for the photo.

I don't know what kind of fish this is, but it is pretty solid for it's size. A gal yesterday scaled one to bring home. She said it was tastey. I think a mess of these filleted out and fried up might be good. One of these days I guess. 

The big one!

Eric caught the big one today. Here you see him fighting the fish, crossing everybody's lines because the fish decided to go straight out to sea.

The fish ran him right down into the pillars of the peir. When I saw the fish roll and make it's run to the ocean, the flash was larger then the size of those pillars. He eventually ended up snapping the line because the fish had wrapped around or snaged the barnicles on the peir.

Eric was sitting in the yellow chair here when he hooked the fish, and ended up all the way down at the corner of the peir.

Here is a baracuda that one of the guys caught a little while before we left. 

Waterspout

We figured out why the fish started biting all of a sudden. This nasty looking storm cloud came flying in off the Atlantic. As you can see, there was a surprise in it. The guy is pointing out the beginings of a funnel cloud.

The waterspout is on the water in the lower left corner of the photo. The lighter color part of the funnel is what was moving really fast. The darker part around it wasn't spining near as fast. The spout went either right over, or very nearly went over a small boat out on the water.

When the waterspout made it to land, and became a tornado, it went between the white buildings. It's amazing how far it meanders around coming out of the sky.

Then it started to pour. This is a shot down the length of the peir.