Thursday Thirteen -- 11/30/06

Hello and welcome to another Thursday Thirteen. Last week I started one, and just flat ran out of time. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend. I unfortunately came home sick from a couple days away, so here are 13 things I HATE about being sick:

1. Drained -- I hate the fact that I wake up, and I am tired. I open my eyes, and I am more tired, and I try to motivate, and I am even MORE tired.

2. Drainage -- That sniffly nose just wont stop!

3. Disconnected -- That feeling you get when you are medicated, and are just --- loopy!

4. Pity party -- I am sick, not dying! Thanks for noticing, but its not terminal :)

5. Wisconsin and their stupid laws -- Yes, I am aware that it isn't just Wisconsin, but we have a law that limits the amount of medicine you can buy (article here). I can buy Nyquil and Dayquil liquids (16 oz each) but I cant buy a 12-pack of tablets of each. Its the same dosages!

6. Can't breathe -- pretty much self explanatory there!

7. Plugged ears -- I am forEVER trying to pop my ears and unplug them - I hate it when one ear is plugged.

8. Soup - the diet of choice when you are sick - After awhile, soup sucks!

9. Sleep deprivation -- usually caused by #2, #6, and #7 :)

10. One step behind - you just cant function normally. I always feel I am one step behind where I normally am, and feel like I am behind all the time.

11. OK, who gave it to me?? Yeah, I know its mostly airborne but if you stay your sick butt home LOL the rest of us wont get sick!

12. Focusing -- I cant focus my eyesight - I feel like my vision is slightly blurry (watery eyes) and that causes me to get headaches.

13. Getting comfortable -- I feel achy all over, and cant get comfortable

I am heading to bed...I dont feel well, but I couldnt go a second week without at TT13. I know it is posted early as well, but :) Enjoy the rest of your week.

J-Dawg

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The purpose of this is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.


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Thursday Thirteen -- 11/16/06

Hello, and welcome to another thrilling edition of the Thursday Thirteen. This week I was really stumped on what to write about, and even right now, at 1115pm on Wednesday, I am still stumped. So I thought to myself .... "Self, if you were broke, what 13 things could you do that wouldnt cost you anything, or hardly anything at all?" So here they are, in no particular order:

1. Take a walk -- Winter is coming, which means you are indoors enough as it is (well, where I am you are anyway) so take a walk while you can - its free - and it does the body good.

2. Call a friend/relative -- Most everyone has a cellphone - spend some time to call someone you havent talked to in awhile just to catch up

3. Email a friend/relative -- Most everyone also has an email. I did this past week. Talked to a cousin of mine who I havent talk to in probably .... 7 years maybe? 7 years for no real reason except life happens.

4. Rent a movie -- Most video stores have a 99 cent or cheapie section. Better yet, ask a friend if they have a movie you have been wanting to see. A friend of mine has a DVD collection most video stores would be proud of. If I would like to see something -- I ask her first! :) She never asks for anything! Except maybe the occasional brownie from the bakery

5. Read a book -- If you dont have one, go to the library! They are free!

6. Write -- hmmm - now there's a thought! I do that already YAY me!

7. Bake cookies -- Most people (myself even included) have ingredients (maybe not the skills necessary) to make cookies...OK so I have ingredients but no skills...maybe I can read a book or read online!

8. Volunteer -- It doesn't cost a penny to volunteer - just your time. Find a cause and spend some time with a cause you want to help.

9. Help a friend -- Recently a friend of mine needed some help for his computer. So as a favor I took a look at it. It was something simple so I just did it. Most anyone else (computer shops) would have charged him...for me, I know someday if I need something, he will repay in kind.

10. Find yourself -- You are probably thinking "I know where I am!" But what I mean is, go do something you havent done in awhile, for whatever reason. For me, its bowling. So I went bowling the other day just for the helluvit -- $1 game special. -- best $3 I spent (since I have my own shoes) in weeks!

11.. Have a laugh - just randomly click on the internet and see where it takes you. Today, it took me to this blog and one of the posts just cracked me up. It was about how the husband talks in vague terms and the wife wants specifics...you have to go reat the part of an email she received about how to tell time by his clock. HILARIOUS!

12. Put in a CD and just listen to music -- it costs you electricity -- you use it anyway! Why not use it for something enjoyable -- OK for me, especially as a former DJ, I could turn mine on and never hear the same song twice for almost 2 months!!! So yeah, I like music :)

13. SMILE!!! It doesnt cost a dang thing! And if you just sit at your desk or in your car and smile, people will wonder what you are up to! :)

Enjoy your week. Be safe, and Happy Thanksgiving in the event you dont get to your computers next week because of the holiday.

J-Dawg

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of this is to get to know everyone who articipates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.


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Thursday Thirteen -- 11/09/06

Hello everyone! Welcome to another exciting installment of my Thursday Thirteen. Last week, I was so exhausted by the time I got home Wednesday, that I didnt even realize I forgot to do my TT13 until FRIDAY! :)

This week has been an interesting week. Sunday, I had Daddy/Daughter day with my daughter who turns 5 today (11/09/06)...so We got to spend the whole day together. Sunday night, after I dropped her off by her mother's house, I come home, and WHAMMO! All the sudden, one of my wisdom teeth feels like someone cold-cocked me right across the jaw! No sleep, and Ambesol later, it still hurt like a mother...so I call first thing Monday morning and the dentist says come on in. Get there, take an xray - the one tooth in my mouth with a filling has a 20+ year old filling (mercury) that has caused the tooth to decay from the inside...IE, emergency wisdom tooth extraction! YAY!!! They ended up having to drill the tooth into 4 sections, and then remove it one section at a time....FYI, my pain tollerance on a 1 to 5 scale is about a -3! So I have been on a mashed potato / applesauce diet for 2 days now. I am ready to eat again! But have to wait 2 more days to make sure the gaping hole in the back of my mouth is closed.

SO, with all that being said, here are 13 just ramdom thoughts about life in general this week:

1. There sometimes comes a time in life where you have to do things for yourself. This past week, I got a wakeup call from a friend of mine who basically said to me "There are other people on this earth who have problems too - you aren't the only one". It was the 120MPH reality check into a brick wall that I sometimes need to realize that sometimes, I can be a little self-absorbed. So Sharon, thank you for that.

2. Even though I am in the midst of a divorce from my wife, this does not make her a bad person. I normally pay my bills online, but I decided to pay one bill on my way to work, to make sure it was in by the 11am deadline. They just went through a computer upgrade, and still had my old checking account information (our old joint checking account) on file, so when I made my payment, it took it from what is now my ex-wife's account. I waited 3 days for this thing to clear my bank and went to see what was going on and it says cleared....FROM WHERE?? So I call up and sure enough, they took it from an account that I know was supposed to have been deleted from their system. So I called Michelle to explain the situation, and she was totally understanding of the situation. SO I immediately drove from work to her bank and put a check in the night deposit to make sure that there were no problems on her side with them taking money from her bank in error. Civility and ammicability at its finest. Thank you for that :)

3. Last night, I heard a few words that I was sure I wasnt going to hear : "You will never lose me. I am very blessed to have you in my life" I wont go into specifics, but lets just say I was never so glad as I was last night to hear these words...it took the turmoil of the last two weeks and made it as if the situation were back to where we once were...Our friendship means the world to me, and I thank you for that :)

4. Have you ever done a self-evaluation? This past weekend I did, and lets just say I learned some things about myself that I didn't even know were issues. I also realized that unless you are happy within yourself, no amount of happy outside of yourself will ever make you happy. So if you have never done a self-evaluation, I did a list of 10 things I like about myself, and 10 things I would like to change about myself...It was alot easier to find the things I would like to change.

5. I went out for the first time in a very long time on Halloween Night...it was a going away party for a friend of mine at work, who was leaving to go become a chef - a life-long dream for her. For her, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, opportunities present itself without notice. You have to take life by the horns sometimes. For her, it was the opportunity she always wanted, and with her husband's support, and those of her friends, she is fulfilling a lifelong dream. Chanda, we all wish you the best :) I can't wait to taste the fruits (or more to the point SWEETS) of your labor!

6. One of my favorite movies/series of all time is the Star Trek - The Next Generation. There is a line from the movie Generations that I heard for the first time in a long time (I think I have watched this movie a dozen times). But for some reason, this time it had some much more meaning:
Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived. -- Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Sieze the day - do something you have never done before -- and enjoy it!

7. This week, I was told how proud someone was of me for being the bigger person in a situation. That made me feel very good about myself. This has been a very tough year on my psychologically, so for someone to step up and say "Hey, I am very proud of you for the way you handled that situation" and do it with the utmost sincerity, I thank you for that. it meant alot to me.

8. Do you ever get the feeling that sometimes, you read something, and if it wasn't read that very particular moment, it wouldnt have the same meaning as if you were to read it a day or two from now? If this is just me, then OK :) I just read something from a friend of mine, and it was as if the information I was reading, was written specifically with me in mind...OK...so its just me :)

9. I found out how hard I can be on myself sometimes. This may be part of my problem this past year as well, as I find myself beating myself up over things that I should just let pass, but dont. I put so much pressure on myself to do the right thing, be the best I can be at work, be the best friend I can be to my friends, be the best parent I can be to my kids, that when it isnt perfect, I blame myself for all that is wrong. I have to give myself a break - its not always my fault :)

10. My friend, Brad Puckett, released his debut album, Asynchronous. He is currently opening for The Bret Michaels Band. If you would like to hear his music, check out his website. You wont be disappointed.

11. I was able to get some time off work to go home over Thanksgiving weekend. I cant wait to see my sister and her family. I am also going to be spending the day with a friend of mine I havent seen in quite some time, so it will be a good trip. Another friend is playing locally the night I drive in, so I am hoping to jam with his band while I am there.

12. I found out that I really am nowhere near a Chris Moneymaker or Johnny Chan. I spent a few hours playing Texas Hold'Em and by the time I was done, I had lost almost $1000 dolars. Thankfully, it was on the computer and not real money :)

13. This week, I would like to spotlight Tracie's website. I was able to find a video for her that she liked, and I just thought it was a nice gesture that she stopped back by to see it. She was also one of the very first people to visit my first TT13...so I ask that you stop by Tracie's place and say HI!

I hope you have enjoyed my little contribution to the world. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Be safe, and until next week.......

J-Dawg



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of this is to get to know everyone who articipates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

For Tracie

Ask and ye shall receive! :)

Thursday Thirteen -- 10/26/06

Hello everyone!!! Hopefully you have had a wonderful week. For mer personally, it has been a very good week. This week I thought I would give you my 13 favorite actors and actresses (definitely not in ANY particular order):

1. Sean Penn -- I think he is one of the most versatile, under-rated actors out there. Sure, we remember him from Fast Time at Ridgemont High as Spiccolli, but one of his best roles ever was in Dead Man Walking. Finally he received some recognition.

2. Jeannie Tripplehorn -- You are probably thinking "WHO?" Well, for those of you who have seen "The Firm", she was the wife of Tom Cruise...phenominal actress

3. Denzel Washington -- There isnt a movie he has ever made that I havent liked. From "Training Day" to "John Q" to "Out of Time"....such an awesome actor!

4. J.T. Walsh -- Again, you are probably thinking "WHO?" A character actor, his best role I feel was in one of my favorite movies "A Few Good Men". He was Lt Markinson, Col Jessep's right hand man. Its ashame he received his accolades after he died.

5. Alan Alda -- I first loved him in M*A*S*H, but came to enjoy seeing him in movies such as "Murder at 1600" and on TV shows such as ER and The West Wing. Such a talent. Did you know his real name is Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo? I bet you didnt

6. James Garner -- For those of you who only know him as Rockford from "Rockford Files", you REALLY have to see him in "The Notebook"...it will bring tears to your eyes. I definitely changed my view of him after seeing that movie.

7. Sandra Bullock -- From "28 Days" to "The Net" to "Miss Congeniality", she can be a very serious actress, very smart, and very KaPOW! HOT! :) OK, so I think she is pretty! SHOOT ME! LOL

8. Philip Seymour Hoffman -- From films such as "Twister" where he was a hell-raising rebel without a cause, to very serious roles such as "Capote", he has been pretty much unrecognized. However,I find his work truly amazing.

9. Lorraine Bracco - I first saw her as the wife of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) in "Goodfellas". But, I really love her character as Dr Jennifer Melfi in "The Sopranos". She brings sexy back to life!

10. Chris Noth -- Made famous by his character on "Law & Order", he has made repeat appearances on the spin-offs, and L&O movies, as well as starring as Mr. Big in "Sex & The City". Awesome actor

11. Richard Belzer - Another L&O Alum...I found this very interesting about him (from IMDB): He is the only actor to play the same character, Detective John Munch, in eight different series: "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993), "Law & Order" (1990), "The X Files" (1993), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999), "The Beat" (2000), "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005), "Arrested Development" (2003) and "Sesame Street" (1969). He appeared on the latter as a Muppet version of the character in a sketch called "Law & Order: Special Letters Unit".

12. Andre Braugher -- Another "Homicide" alum, I liked his character not only in Homicide, but also in the movie "City of Angels". I really liked his gritty (dont mess with me) character in the FX series "Thief" -- I REALLY hope they bring that back!

13. Maura Tierney -- I love her character "Abby Charmichael" on ER. I was really hoping this would propel her movie career, but unfortunatley another great, yet under-rated, actress. Such a shame! There are so many roles she could have played, and probably done a better job

Well, there ya have it - 13 of some actor/actresses I feel deserve much more than they have gotten to this point. I hope you all have a wonderful week. But before I go, I gotta give prop's to my boy Bill for his first TT13 -- WAY TO GO Bill!! :) Check our his page here -- its his first TT13

J-Dawg

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of this is to get to know everyone who articipates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things.


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen -- 10/19/06

HELLO!!!! And welcome eveyrone to another EXCITING edition of the Thursday Thirteen. This week has been a pretty busy week. Between work, everyday life, and everything else, I havent really had much time for myself this week. SO this week, I thought I would talk about 13 things I have learned this week:

1. From time to time, I am going to start off by showing you a fellow TT13er's page who I took the time to read. This week, I have chosen Southern Girl's page. I find her writing interesting, and I hope you will pay her a visit.

2. Sometimes, the littles things mean the world to me, and the people on the other end dont even know it, or if they do know it, never say anything. The other morning, I received a text, and it totally set my day off on the right foot :) With me its always been about the little things. To them this was a little thing. To me, it was a big thing because it meant to me they took time out of their busy day to spend time with me, even if it was just a quick moment to send a text, or a quick call to say hi, or a voicemail just to say I was thinking of you.

3. Acquaintances come and acquaintances go, but friendships last the test of time. Even when you do a drunk-dial. For those who are not familiar with drunk-dialing, this is when you get drunk (I was at my house) and at ungodly hours of the AM you decide to call your friends and find out how they are! And yet, the next morning, all is forgotten, except the "what did I say to you last night" call.

4. You can have fun playing internet pranks on friends. A friend of mine, Rick, keeps saying he doesnt have time to do a MySpace page, so another friend of mine, who is also friend's with Rick decided to "help" him. So Raul and myself decided to create a MySpace page for Rick, and then help him get some "friends". SOOOO we decided to have some fun, make some comments, and we are reveailing the page to him this week. Click here to view my page, Raul's page, and Rick's page designed by Raul and I. :) I should probably warn you, most of the information is on Rick's page is NOT true - more for comic writing and a good laugh than anything. Once we reveal the page to Rick, we will put up true and accurate information -- so click and have a laugh. Raul's page and my page are accurate.

5. Sometimes, people just dont get it. You can sit there and talk til your blue in the face, draw them a picture, buy them a clue, and still they will say "Can you go over that again?"....someone buy me a drink LOL (just one!)

6. I really am not the martar I make myself out to me. Yes, even I crack, and crumble, and have moments where I just break down. This week, for whatever reason, I did over some of the smallest things (See this post from earlier this week).

7. Even though at work, I am the go-to guy for alot of situations, and verification of legal procedures on border crossings into and out of Canada. I literally had to walk over to someone, tell them they didnt know what they were talking about, point out the error to them, and verbally verify not once, but twice, that they had old information.....again, some people's kids!

8. Nickelback, after almost a full year, has finally released one of the best songs off the album (not THE best song in my humble opinion, but ONE of the best) Far Away. Why so long?

9. Why do people find the need to "one-up"? Tonight, at work, I was describing a situation, and from the bellows of hell, came a comment from someone else "well you think that is bad...." I kinda let it go, then later on, I was talking to another co-worker, and here he came again! Its like, DUDE! go away! :) Its an A and B conversation - C your way out of it!

10. I never told TT13 that I did a TT13 last week (I really did! See for yourself!) I cant believe I never went over to TT13 and posted that I wrote! OY! :)

11. Stupdity is bread in Wisconsin (LOL sorry, but you guys have some of the worst drivers I have ever seen!). Two nights ago, coming home from work, I am driving on 172 (major east/west road in town) and it goes from 3 lanes to 2 lanes...all the sudden up the right shoulder comes a guy, passes on the shoulder, hits the loose gravel, shoots across 2 lanes of traffic, and came close to losing it !!!! WHY!! Because you couldnt wait the 30 seconds for the car that was passing me to pass me? I hope whatever fire you were trying to get to was worth all that!

12. I am really boring at times! Like tonight. I would much rather type this, than do laundry. Sure, I can do it in the morning, but these were my choices! A or B -- not like was down to G.

13. A huge thank you to my closest friends Elisa (my ½ Pint sister), Rick, Bill, Jodi, Sharon, Laura, Joe, Chrystal, Amy, John, Jeff, and Curt. I know I havent been the easiest to be around this week. Your friendship is second to none. Know that you are appreciated.

With that being said, I am going to crawl into bed, and call it a night. Many thanks and make it a wonderful week!

J

Emotional Distress

Ever have one of those days that the smallest of things makes you cry? Make you more emotional than normal? Make you think of things you havent thought of in ages? Yeah, well today is one of those days.

It started with a story on the Iran Hostages on ESPN...one of the hostages came home to a 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter, neither of which wanted to spend time with him, because to them, he was a stranger (he was held captive for 444 days!). Well, then I thought what if my kids dont want to be with me? Of course I got all emotional. I could never live without my kids, and I fear the thought of ever leaving them on this earth.

Then, while eating breakfast, I turned on the TV and was watching ER. I only caught the tail-end of the episode, but there was a song playing in the backgound. Of course, I had never heard the song before, but HAD to find out who it was. It was a song called "The Promise" by Tracy Chapman. Now I have never been a fan of Tracy Chapman's music....it just never really appealed to me. So when I saw the lyrics, it was the song I had heard. Reading the lyrics, my immediate thoughts were of a friend of mine.

Like I said, my emotions are in overdrive -- who knows why things like this happen. Could be the weather, the time of year, the sheer madness of my life (yeah right!) -- I know alot of times I come across as "nothing bothers me"...but somedays, this is just a facade hiding the true feelings I am having at that moment. Even this tough guy (again, yeah right) has days that just dont go well. Apparently this is going to be one of them

To add to that today, I dropped a cable, and when I backed up in my chair to find out where it had landed, I rolled over it, breaking the cable. Apparently Green Bay doesnt have a decent electronics store. I spend 5 mins bouncing between computers and wireless at Best Buy. Circuit City didnt even know what I was talking about...oy! This town frustrates me to no end somedays.

I hope you all have a great day. I am going to get my day started (yeah, its after 1230 here now already!)

J