24. Wednesdays are for Wizzle

It's Wizzle Wednesday up in HURR

23. Tuesdays are for Free-Movies

If you aint seeing free movies on Tuesdays than you just aint down with the Optimum Triple Play.

Tonight's feature:  127 Hours.
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston in a fight for his life after a boulder falls on his arm and traps him in a narrow canyon out in the middle of the Moab Dessert in Utah.

I wasn't sure how this movie was going to be going into it. I figured it was probably going to be something like Cast Away but Tom Hanks-less. But alas, James Franco did a good job of carrying the movie despite not being Tom Hanks. Helped that Danny Boyle directed it (he directed slumdog millionaire)

Very cool to see what it took for one guy to keep himself alive for 5 full days with limited food and water and barely escape with his life. Definitely one of the more bad-ass stories of recent times (especially since its completely true).

There's only 1 thing that REALLY got me with this movie. There's one sequence when Franco is trying to free himself and he jabs himself in the arm with a pocket knife. Right as he comes down with the jabbing motion you get a view from INSIDE his arm as the blade punctures to the bone. How in the eff did they get a camera INSIDE his arm?! The only thing I can think of is that it was literally magic. I can't think of any other explanation.

So, if for no other reason, go see 127 Hours for their brilliant use of Harry Potter-like cinematography.

22. Are you really comfortable? REALLY!?

This is how my dog, Brinkley, was sleeping when I left for work earlier today...

like ummmmm...

21. Mondays are for Mash-Ups

Here's another playlist with this week's mash-ups:

20. So many songs, only two ears

Here's something for all you Girl Talk fans out there. I just found this cool visual breakdown of the new album "All Day" that shows you every song he used and when/for how long each one is being used. It'll automatically go to the next track at the end of each song, or you can choose whatever track you want in the drop-down menu at the top left. Just check it out for yourself...

http://www.mashupbreakdown.com/

And for any of you who don't listen to Girl Talk OR have never heard of it before... GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME. You can download all of the Girl Talk albums here FOR FREE:

http://www.illegal-art.net/allday/more.html

Go to each album and choose 'add to cart' and then 'mp3' and just enter $0 for the amount (or whatever amount you want really, if you feel like paying). Then prepare to get your brain Mashed-Up. (Night Ripper, Feed the Animals, and All Day are the better albums)

19. Remembering a legend

Today is the 9th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest musicians of all time... George Harrison.

For any that may not know, George Harrison was the lead guitarist for the Beatles. He was probably one of the most creative musicians of his time and helped the Beatles become the most influential band in history.

Check out his wiki page...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison#The_Beatles:_1960.E2.80.931970.
He did a lot of great work both with the Beatles and on his own, after the group disbanded.

On the first anniversary of his death a concert was organized by some of the world's best musicians and George's closest friends/family, to honor George for everything he gave to both the world of music as well as humanity as a whole. Here are Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, George's son Dhani Harrison and more performing some of his greatest songs...

Something


While My Guitar Gently Weeps

18. Did anyone else hear that?

I just heard a really loud cracking noise that came from my bedroom ceiling/the attic of my house. I'm starting to rethink my whole theory about ghosts.

Someone hold me...

17. Sundays are for hangovers and football

Today's totals...
Hours of headache: 5
Hours of football: 10


Solid win for the G-Men. Boss is a boss.

16. The savings... THE SAVINGS!!

I don't make a big deal about Black Friday. Chances are pretty good that you won't see me in line at Walmart or Best Buy at 5am. But I WILL go online and check out some deals.

This was my one Black Friday purchase this year:

A Curtis Granderson Player's Choice Signature Series Jersey, designed by Curtis Granderson himself.


Fight Yanks!

15. Blog Shout-Out to the West-Coasters

Keep fighting the good fight gentlemen.

14. They say it's your birthday...

Happy Birthday to the SHOE-IEST Shoe in all the land...

Here is the speech Tom gave last night at his completely unplanned, non-surprise, birthday celebration:

It reads:
"Hey everyone... I just wanted to take a moment and speak to you all from the bottom of my heart. Firstly... this surprise party was too much. I mean a STRIPPER?! That's like a dream come true. Never would have expected that! Especially cause it's a dude... but thanks. This is the first real birthday party I've ever had (which is a complete lie btw) and I'm just so pumped all of you guys & girls showed up!! It's good to know I have so many friends who can come celebrate this day with me... I feel so special. So I don't want to keep you all from the bouncy castle & all the other great things here... ice luge, money booth, body shots... LET'S GET DRUNK!!!"



Thanks for living THomas.

13. Happy Thanksgggiiiiivvvvvvv.... uuuughhhhh

Why I gained 10lbs tonight...

I ate some of this...

and some of this...

and some of this...

and a little bit of this...

oh and some of these...

and a wee bit of this...

then I took a break. Then I started eating again.

I ate some of this...

and a little of this...

and how could I not eat this...

Now I am...

as a...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

12. Minions... not so evil after all

Last night Taylor Borda, Aubrey Bendix, Greg Dunbar and myself got to hang out with the minions of the movie 'Despicable Me'.

The reason we were associating with these little yellow creatures? Cuz we will all be participating in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tomorrow in NYC.... duh.

Although they appear to be quite evil and sinister on the outside... the people who are inside controlling the minions are not so at all. They are some of the nicest and most energetic people you'd ever meet and it was a pleasure hanging out with them last night.

Keep an eye out for Taylor, Me, Greg, and Bree next to the Statue of Liberty float when the minions cause all sorts of chaos during the parade.

The ch-aos should be taking place right around 10:30am EST (give or take a little).

11. Don't talk to me.... please

The other day one of the women that works in this office said hi to me as she was passing my cubicle. She commented that I always just kinda show up and disappear out of nowhere and that I never make a sound. She is completely correct. But this is in no way because I am a quiet individual. Any of you who know me know that to be far from the truth. That is the impression she gets of me because I try my absolute hardest to sneak in and out of this office without talking to ANYONE. You may be wondering why in the world I would do such a thing. "Why oh why do you have to be so anti-social, Joel? I'm sure the people at your office are all just normal people like you."

WRONG

90% of the people that work here are 20-40 years older than I am... and I know absolutely nothing about all the chemicals these people work with... so its difficult to find common ground for conversation.

I will now describe some of the people who work here and you tell me if you'd talk to them.


First and foremost there is my Mom. She is how I got this job. Don't get me wrong, she's one of the nicest women you'll ever meet and is a great mom. That being said... after spending as much time with her as I have, most of the things she does just annoy the hell out of me at this point. I see enough of her at home so I try to avoid her at all costs when at work.

I have three bosses.
Boss #1: Jason
Jason has dandruff and does not speak correctly. Sometimes it's hard to understand him. The main thing is that he pronounces his TH's like D's. "Dat is great". Lets just say it doesn't really work for a middle-aged white guy. He is also just  a creepy individual. He once mentioned to me that he has a flash drive at home specifically for his porn. There's on girl in this office who is relatively young and quite attractive, and if he happens to be walking and sees her, he'll stop in his tracks and stare and then say quietly, "hot hot hot hot...". Plus he's a Phillies fan.

Boss #2: Wayne
Wayne is somewhat eccentric. He is Chinese and rocks a comb-over. He talks VERY fast and often gets very excited when talking about something. He enjoys crunching numbers and cracks a large smile when he has to stop what he's talking about to calculate something in his head. He loves to talk about sailing and killing fish. Today he came over to my cubicle around 12 and asked, very enthusiastically, if I wanted to go 'IHOP-ing'... as in, "Would you like to come to IHOP with Jason and I for lunch during which we can sit and have an awkward conversation about god knows what where none of us knows what to say to one another?" I respectfully declined the invitation.

Boss #3: Charles
Charles is Jason and Wayne's boss. I think I can count on one hand the number of times we've actually spoken words to each other. He literally has the voice of a frog. Picture what a frog would sound like if it was talking to you... that's what Charles sounds like. 'nough said.


Now I will move on to the people who work in the vicinity of my cubicle. There are two people who's cubicles share a wall with mine: Lisa and Darren.

Lisa types like the wind. I know this because she types so loud that you can hear it from across the building. Give the keyboard a break would you?? She also has a high-pitched voice like that of a mouse.... which wouldn't be as bad if she didn't speak like a 5 year old! MY GOD it is probably the most annoying way a middle-aged woman could possible speak. There is always one or two other women that stop by her cube to talk... theyre always whispering and chuckling... CHUCKLING AND WHISPERING. AAAAHHH!!!. I kinda want to set her cubicle on fire.

Darren is one of the IT guys for the company. His voice is kinda whinny. Again this wouldn't be AS bad if he didn't talk on the phone as if there was a jackhammer being used in the cubicle next to us. Of course there is no jackhammer anywhere near here. Like lower your voice buddy. There are other people around you. Also I overheard him talking to one of the other IT guys about how the girl I guess he was seeing wasn't returning any of his calls/messages and left him a message that said he was dead to her.... sooooo I'm staying away from him.


Finally there are the randoms. The people that stop and talk to you when you pass them or talk to you in the lunch room etc. Just couldn't care less about anything these people have to say. Today I was walking back to my desk from the printer or something and a woman stopped and goes "Are you someone's son?" No woman... I was birthed when lightning struck a stem cell lab. When I explained who my mother was she said "oooh yeah, i remember her telling me that her son worked here... and I recognized you from the holiday cards she sends out." Oh really lady? Cuz that's not creepy at all.


That's what I deal with on a daily basis. I hope at this point you see why I make an effort and go out of my way to avoid any and all contact with these people as best I can.

10. Bump Some Beats!

I posted a looooong playlist of new / fairly new / not so new music over yonder on the side bar

                       ----------------------------------------->

New songs will show up on the top of the list often... so check back!

9. Get TWISTED

I'm at work playing text twist... instead of doing anything remotely productive

I just passed a Hundo Thou. YOU WON'T...

http://games.yahoo.com/console/tx

8. Oh youz gonna die bitch!

Can a brotha get some ZOMBS!!!

7. Recap of the day

Golf was frigid but fun. Played with some interesting characters.

Went to the best asian restaurant in mo-town for dinner. Had:
-4 shrimp dumplings
-1 spicy tuna sushi roll
-1 spicy salmon sushi roll
-1 spicy yellowtail sushi roll
-1 huge plate of sesame chicken
-1 bowl of white rice with all the extra sesame chicken sauce on top
-At least 5 glasses of water
...i'm still in pain.

No boken.

Got home tonight and noticed my odometer...

And my thumb itches like hell for no reason. That's about it.

6. Blog Shout-Out to my BIGGEST fan

This blog has taken many twists and turns over the course of its existence. Between blogger and reader we have shared many laughs, a few tears, and plenty of heart to hearts. There's a lot of people out there that follow this thread with constant enthusiasm.

But I'd like to take the time to salute one person in particular. This person has shown a true passion for this blog and has stood out in my eyes as this blog's BIGGEST fan.

Some of his other interests include: hour long showers (often with beer in hand), kan yam (often with beer in hand), vuvuzela'ing at sporting events (often with beer in hand), and drinking beer (often with beer in hand).

So if any or all of these attributes for mentioned above apply to you... this one's for you.

5. Blog Shout-Out to Bree Bree

<3

4. TGIF.... This Gig Is Fuhcocked

It's Friday. Only one last day of work before the WEEKEND. Since I just got into work and I don't feel like actually doing anything productive, I figured I'd give you a little glimpse into my "job".

Today is Casual Friday. For the majority of guys here I think that means a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. For me... a pair of torn/patched up jeans and my Cuttyhunk longsleeve t-shirt...

that's the one.


This is my office...

OK fine its a cubicle. No need to be a dick about it.

I work at the headquarters for a chemical manufacturing company. They basically make a lot of the chemicals that go into disinfectants and pool cleaners and other things of that ilk. I have two jobs here. My main job is to package/ship any chemicals that need to be sent out through the mail. Since most of the chemicals that come through here are hazardous (aka they will burn your eyes out if you even look at them) there's about a million different regulations and rules that must be followed in order to package and ship them properly and safely. But shipments only need to be sent out a couple of times a week, which leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. Hence why I have this cubicle.

When I'm not shipping dangerous shit, I'm working with the regulatory department updating databases upon databases with info and such on the butt-loads of chemicals that the company deals with. On the left of my desk you can see papers stacked high. I can't even count the amount of times I have had to go through those stacks of papers. Each page of that stack represents a different chemical. Every time I go through that stack I have to update one tiny piece of information pertaining to that chemical in the database on the computer. You would think they'd give me everything I have to change about each one all at once so that I wouldn't have to keep going through the giant stack... but no.

As you can see I have a desktop computer that I do all those work related things on. I also bring my laptop with me so that I can leave gmail and facebook open at all times for when I don't feel like doing work (which is about every other minute). Like right now for instance... I am talking to one friend on gchat, my brother on facebook chat and I am writing this blog. A lot of 'work' is clearly getting done.


Let me give you a little play of how a typical day goes for me here...

I only work part-time so I usually get here after everyone else gets in. I quietly walk to my desk, taking the long way around some other cubicles so that I don't have to pass my bosses' cubes. I try to avoid them as much as possible. Not because they'd give me stuff to do, but because they're both kinda weird.

I get to my desk and turn my work computer on. While I'm waiting for that to load up I set up my laptop and open up gmail and facebook (my go-to's). Once my work computer is up and running I open Microsoft Outlook to check my email. While that's opening I literally sit here PRAYING that I didn't get any emails (cuz that would mean i'd actually have to do work). Once i'm in the clear with that I usually go back to my laptop and slack off for the first 40 min or so of work.

Finally when i'm ready to actually do something I open up my work on my work computer. Right now I'm in the middle of doing all these training modules about packaging and shipping these chemicals properly (which they failed to have me do when I first started working at this company over 3 months ago). These modules are literally the MOST boring things in the world. Just pages upon pages upon pages upon pages of info followed by a 10 question test at the end. Here's a sample question for ya...

In an accident involving a truck bearing a modified poison placard containing the number 1670, which orange bordered guide page should be referenced?
a. 151
b. 157
c. 154
d. 111

like really? Why would I ever want to know the answer to that.

That's why I often resort to methods of distraction. Sometimes it comes in the form of yahoo pool...

I go back and forth between actual work and slacking off pretty much all day until it's time to leave, at which point I try to sneak out without talking to anyone again.

Basically I try to do as little work as possible and not talk to anyone while doing it. As you can see I don't really enjoy my job. I don't find it in any way interesting or likable. But I get paid... so it'll do for now. I guess I've slacked off long enough writing this post. Time to get back to it...

3. It must have been Casper...

I consider myself to be a realist. When faced with the unknown I usually side with the scientific explanation as opposed to any sort of supernatural or other-worldly explanation. I practiced religion growing up but as I've gotten older I've grown away from the ideology of it. I understand the concept of religion and can see how it can be useful and beneficial to people at times, but I don't really believe any of the things that religion claims. I honestly don't believe that there is an almighty being that is everywhere and controls everything. I don't really believe that a guy held up his hands and parted the red sea, or that another guy could walk on water and turn water into wine. But this purpose of this post is not to discuss the existence of God and to bash religion in general. It is about something way scarier...

 GHOSTS

Obviously no one knows what happens after you die. I do not actually think that there is a heaven and a hell and that you go to one of these two places and spend the rest of eternity there. Besides, if they were real they're probably pretty packed by now. But it's still hard for me to wrap my head around the concept of death and the 'afterlife'. I try to think of it as being the same as the time before I was born. But now that I am a conscious being and understand the concept of time and whatnot its hard to conceive of everything just going to nothingness. My 'logical' self finds it hard to believe that there are spirits floating around haunting places and people and just causing chaos... but I have never completely thrown out the idea.

I'm what some might call a 'night owl' (as you can tell by the hour at which I'm posting this). I have never had a problem staying up late at night, in fact I often do it for no real reason whatsoever. Anyway, every now and then when you're up late, and everyone else in the house (if any) have long since gone to bed, and all the lights are off, you'll hear a noise or two that make you question where in the eff they came from. 90% of the time I don't think of ghosts as being the source of said sounds. Most of the time I just disregard it completely. If anything I might consider that there's an intruder in the house who's either come to kill me or steal all my possessions.

But every now and then I'll watch some tv show about the paranormal and it'll spook me into believing that ghosts are real. The worst was when I watched the movie 'paranormal activity'.

Side Story...
About a year ago I got a copy of Paranormal Activity on DVD. My roommate and I decided to start the movie around 11pm and obviously decided to turn every light in the apartment off. About 20 minutes into the movie he was sound asleep on the couch and I was left all alone in the darkness. Then the scary shit started happening. Right in the middle of all the scary shit my roomate started moving and making weird sounds in his sleep as if possessed. By the time the movie ended I was sufficiently freaked out. I honestly didn't think I was going to see the light of day ever again.

Back to discussion...
I've heard enough ghosts stories and seen enough things on tv about people having experiences with the paranormal to not discount the idea completely.

Well... I had one of those experiences tonight, and can now say for myself that ghosts are REAL.

Like most nights I was the last one up in the house. As I headed to bed I turned off all the lights in the house. Once I got in bed I laid my head down on the pillow and prepared to drift away into dreamland.

Suddenly I heard a noise in the darkness of my room. My eyes shot open but I wasn't sure if I had actually heard something or if it was just my subconscious as I drifted to sleep. Then I heard it again. I shot up in bed and immediately turned my bedside light on. I didn't see the figure directly but was able to catch a glimpse of it in the mirror above my dresser. It was hard to make out what it was but I was able to snap a photo with my phone before it disappeared.

DEFINITELY a ghost.

2. If watchin tv is cool... consider me Miles Davis

Thursday night =

the best night of the week for television.

1. Suck it AO

I'm probably the only person at this point (and in this economy) who still checks Annie's blog, http://ahnutty.blogspot.com/, on a regular basis. Why would no one check her blog any more you ask? Probably because there hasn't been a new post in almost 2 months... There comes a point each day, usually when I'm slacking off at work (like right now for instance) when I look over at my computer and my gaze happens to fall upon the bookmark to her blog in the toolbar of my firefox window. I then think to myself, "What's the point of clicking it? I know there's not going to be any new posts." Yet for some reason that is incomprehensible even to me, I decide to click it anyway in the hopes that maybe, JUST MAYBE, it has been updated. Though every time I am just disappointed.


Sooooooo...

as a very loving and friendly SUCK IT YA SHOE to one of my dearest friends, AO, I am starting my own blog that will basically trump hers in almost every way. This isn't to say that if she does decide to update her blog sometime in the next century you shouldn't go check it out... but until then you can hang out here, where there will be blogging up the wazzz.

Love ya Ni!