Fun

You know what's fun? Back spasms. Loads of fun. Turning to the side and feeling like someone just shoved a t-post between your neck and shoulder blade rocks ass. Rocks big ass.

Things

Had a pretty good weekend. On Friday night, went and bought a new TV for the new place. It was the one really big splurge purchase, but it is totally worth it. Now that everything is all hooked up, it is nice to just sit back and watch movies and stuff. After we hang up a couple shelves and some pictures, the dining room and the living room will be done.

We finished up the final touches in the kitchen (except the last few pait touch ups), so we only have the bedrooms and bathrooms left to do. The second bedroom/office is in better shape now --- it looks less like a storage locker and more like an office. Still lots of work to do there, and I have to get off my ass and pick out a desk before the wife shoots me out of frustration. The master bedroom has curtains now, but still need painted. I really am not looking forward to painting. Blah.

Otherwise, the condo is in good shape and we are getting settled in. Starting to feel like home.

Still need to find a place to put the gun rack though . . .

Just Shoot Them

(Edited for content -- astrisks are fun)

Police arrested seven ** in Miami who were plotting to blow up the Sears Tower here in Chicago, as well as federal buildings in Miami. Supposedly they were connected to al Queda. Stupid worthless ** . Those ** ** think they can come to my city and try that ** , they have another thought coming. Maybe in NY and when people weren't expecting it, but some ** ** ** ** tries to come to my ** city and pull that ** and I'll shove that ** so far up their ** they'll be spitting ** for a ** year. ** ** . You don't like my country, you get the ** out. Go back and ** up your own country. ** , take the ** whining liberals with you. Keep ** listening to them, and they'll have the whole Loop buried under ruble. ** negotiating, ** pleading and begging, ** holding their ** hand. New ** rule: get on board with the U.S. ** plan or get fucking shot. That's it. You don't like it, tough. When you are the most powerful nation in the world, you can make the ** rules. Until then, shut the ** up.

Quick Quick

Closed a deal this morning that started way back in January. Feels great to have it done, because it was the first one where I got to take a big role and not just take care of the shit work. Now, it is time to run away from the office and hit a lunch that will probably merge right into dinner. Yay.

PS Heading back to Kansas July 12th through the 16th. Anyone going to be there? Let's meet in Aggieville and tear up the town. Or, we could just drive around and drink beer.

Frank at Home Depot is a Slack-Jawed Idiot

The condo is finally starting to look like a home. The in-laws came up over the weekend and helped put up curtains, replace all of the lighting and replace lightswitches and outlets (the switches and outlets were covered in paint from before the renovation, so they sucked and were ugly). Lots of Home Depot runs. Learned how to replace electrical stuff, wire lights and all that shit, so feeling pretty do-it-yourself-ish. That is kind of cool.

Also was interesting to learn that the farm technique of "hit it with a sledge hammer and curse until it works (and if that doesn't work, heat it with a torch and then hit it)" doesn't necessarily apply to fixing up a house. Probably a good thing, because the wife wouldn't let me bring my torch to Chicago anyway.

Nice part about owning a place is that everything is yours. Shitty part about owning a place is anything that is scratched, slightly imperfect or just not quite right is yours. Learning to deal with that. Current plan is to ban any and all guests, stand only in the kitchen, eat every meal out and sleep at a hotel. That should keep everything nice.

I'll get some pictures up once everything is in place. Expect them sometime in early July. 2008.

She has a point.

About 3 years ago, Ann Coulter was just about right in terms of being just far enough right that her columns and books were interesting to read, but didn't leave me feeling dirty. Of course, her recent stuff has been consistently disgusting at worst and pure political drivel at best. Which is too bad, because she used to be interesting and if she was holding an automatic rifle she'd be pretty hot.

Anyway, Annie has 95% of the free world pissed off about her most recent book where in one chapter she criticizes a group of 4 wives of men who died in 9/11. These women consistently criticize Bush, cut a campaign commercial for Kerry (? or some other dem ?) and were some of the most outspoken critics of the 9/11 commission. They have used their tragedy as a soapbox, and they use their notoriety to pursue a political agenda. (Also, not sure whether or how it is relevant, but they are also wealthy -- not some struggling single mothers living in the Bronx here.)

Coulter's point is that if someone like these four women or Cindy Sheehan, who have clearly suffered great losses, chooses to allow those losses to be exploited by a political party and agree to campaign, etc. using the fame/notoriety of their loss as a way to get on TV, they should be subject to the same criticism as any other political speaker. Bottom line is that the fact that they have suffered a greivous loss does not insulate them from being accountable (or subject to attack) for their messages.

Thought that was an interesting point. One that I really hadn't fully considered.

That's about enough.

Excerpt from e-mail to Eeds describing my last few days:

Fifth, from the time we landed last tuesday until about Saturday afternoon, things were waaaaaayyyyy to stressful. Got back and immediately went to work to close a deal for work. That closed Thursday morning, and I switched to another deal, which is going to close early next week. Then, worked really late thursday so that I could take the day off friday for condo stuff. Did the walk through of the condo friday at 9 (went well), started closing on the condo at 12, all hell broke loose because the Bank of America people in NC are fucking idiots, I yelled, cursed, got people's bosses on the phone, threatened, and repeated the process, and we finally closed (and everything was perfectly fine) at 3:30. Movers were supposed to show up at 3, but managed to show up at 4:30 instead, and then say it was because they didn't have directions. Adding to the sixth ring of hell that I found myself in was the fact that we only had elevators reserved in our apartment building and in the new condo from 3 to 6, which left us the impossible task of moving out and back in in an hour and a half.The driver was high, the little guy was a punk and the third guy was mentally handicapped (no shit). My initial reaction was to just send them packing, call it a fucking day, and try again on monday, but went ahead and moved anyway. They were really really slow, but overall did ok. Nothing got broke or anything. Just had to keep pushing them like I was working cattle or something. We got the elevator thing worked out by pure luck because we were the last reservation of the day at the new condo, so we could keep it until 9 (which was a good thing since we didn't show up there until 6). Got moved, sent the idiot triplets home, and unpacked friday night. Saturday, made the grocery/home depot/target run to get things, unpacked and tried to get settled.

And that's why I've been so slow to respond to your last e-mail!