Why do I keep watching 24?

I have cut back on the TV shows that get my heart rate up. For some reason I’m back to watching 24, even though it usually means I’m unable to get to sleep for hours after the show is over. The things we do for entertainment. And to have something to talk to the guys about at work.

Today was a bland day, better than the disaster that can come on a bad Monday. My manager at work seemed kind of confused: trying to schedule a meeting with me on my day off and looking for the guy who is in San Francisco until Wednesday. That’s not too much of a problem, though. Beats true disaster.

Megan’s right.

My ass is getting larger. I put on my wedding & funeral suit today and I noticed it was a little tight in the waist. And I’m not real sure how the collar on my shirt is so small when my neck measures out at 15 1/2″ but a 15 1/2″ collar doesn’t fit. I think it’s time to hit the treadmil.

I made it to the memorial service of a co-worker who apparently had leukemia the whole time I knew him. I had no idea. It was also the first time I was in Temple Beth Israel in NW Portland, and it’s been in my neighborhood longer than I have. I think it’s the first time I’ve been in any temple at all. I hope the next time I’m in a temple it’s for a happier reason.

I did get to have dinner with old co-workers after the memorial service and it was quite fun. We all worked for a company that was interesting but didn’t pay that much and it was an interesting group of people. Plus, I got to work downtown instead of in the ‘burbs. My first commute was 40 minutes walking instead of 40 minutes driving each day. Sure saved a lot on gas and kind of gave me some minimal exercise. Ah, well, I’m sure it  looks a lot better in retrospect.

Smelling up the gym.

Last night my heterosexual life partner Il (who I really better stop calling that) and I went to Ringside for his birthday dinner. It’s been more than a month since his birthday, but he just realized he had a discount letter from Ringside that gave us 10% off our steak dinners. He has a cold and was stuffed up the whole time, but we figured he could get something with horseradish so he could actually taste something. This is how we ended up with two very spicy Bloody Mary’s and wasabi crab cakes for appetizers.

Of course, two drinks means that I am pretty tired the next day, but I still had a glass of wine with my “bone-in” filet mignon. I also was stuffed up in the morning. It’s no surprise that I wasn’t doing all that well at the gym today. Fortunately, I get to sleep in tomorrow before I head to the memorial service for my old co-worker. Ah, sleep.

There were KIDS having SEX.

So I got home in the middle of the day and there was this SUV with steamed up windows parked across the street. Oddly enough, it was kind of jiggling, too.

Steamy car.

I was thinking I should call the authorities or something but then I thought I should just mind my own business. I’m just mad because I can’t remember the last time I had sex in the daytime. And I certainly haven’t had relations in a car. Ah, well.

I’m thinking that I should learn Korean. I’m not sure why I decided this, but SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE KOREAN. Hahaha. That sounds really funny and racist, but my heterosexual life partner Il (who I never see any more because he’s playing World of Warcraft) and my friend Sun who I’ve known, “For her entire adult life,” (her quote) are always telling me that Korean soap operas are awful and I have to find out for myself. Or not. Maybe I should learn Spanish like I’ve been meaning to for years. Unfortunately, the only new words I’m learning in Spanish aren’t always friendly.

Why am I up late?

I’m trying to debug my computer, of course. It’s not like I get enough of this at work.

I was thinking about going to the gym today, but my friend Megan called. Her grandfather was ill and she came up to see him. He just passed away a few days ago. My brother-in-law asked my sister if she was going to the funeral and she said she was going if I went. She also said, “And Sashi goes to all the funerals, so yeah, I’m going.”

I also have a funeral on Sunday for a co-worker from my old job. He was a VP and a lawyer, the kind of guy that you’d think I’d have nothing to do with, but I liked him. He was only in his early 50’s and he had leukemia.

I go to funerals to show the friends and family that I remember. I’m don’t believe the religious aspects, but if it helps people feel better then I’ll participate.

Exercise your brain.

I was tired today and was wondering about the gym when Dave the trainer called to cancel because he wanted to attend a lecture on music and the brain. He also wanted to know if I wanted to go. He was supposed to pick up the tickets, but forgot his Driver’s License and Ticketmaster wouldn’t sell to him without ID. Then he was pulled over for driving without his seatbelt plus he DIDN’T HAVE HIS LICENSE. I ended up buying the lecture tickets and they never asked me for ID. Funny how that works out.

The lecture was pretty interesting and incredibly packed. There were people taking notes, though I’m not sure why. There was some hard science from the first lecturer, but not enough for a geek like me. But it was interesting and we also hit Superdog on the way there. So, not so much ogling the women at the gym, but I do loves me some hot dogs.

The problem with large hard drives.

Five interviews and no new job. A few rejection letters to add to the pile. I suppose you just need one job, though.

I bought a new hard drive today because I thought it would make my life easier. Well, I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I’ve just been moving things back and forth and it’s all a big mess. But that’s my hobby. What fun is it if the computer works fine?

Yes, I watched the Superbowl.

The team I was rooting for won. They weren’t playing that great, but the other team was worse. I suppose they’re not used to playing in a downpour, but that’s the way football should be played, in some sort of weather that isn’t just plain sunny.

I was rooting for Peyton Manning because he seems like a nerd. A big tough quarterback nerd, but still a nerd. Plus he can make fun of himself on commercials.

I continued on my weekend of laziness and I suppose watching the game is all I really accomplished today. But that’s what a weekend of laziness is for, right? Now that I think about it, I should have finished my taxes but, eh, I still have some time.

Movie night.

I spent most of my day building and rebuilding the software on my computer. It never did turn out any better than when I started, but it’s one of those things that you have to try to see if it works. It’s utter geek foolishness, but it keeps me off the streets.

I did watch all the movies I currently had checked out from Greencine. Unfortunately, it was one of those times where I watched the movies and thought, “Now why did I put those in my queue?” First was Fear of a Black Hat, which was described as the Spinal Tap for rap. It was funny, but odd-funny like Spinal Tap. Next was Beautiful Girls which was directed by Ted Demme and was supposed to be better than Next Stop: Wonderland according to some people on IMDB. It was pretty good, but for some reason Next Stop: Wonderland is one of my favorites and this movie, while good, didn’t grab me in the same way. But still not a bad way to spend the evening.

The “L” Word

When it comes to 40-something guys living with their parents, the, “L,” word is probably, “Loser.” But I’m an Asian guy so I have to live with two crazy elderly parents because, well, it’s what Asian guys do. It made more sense back when my dad was, “taking care,” of all of the bills by putting everything into a giant pile. The pile is still growing, but at least the bills are now in MY giant pile, and I actually pay the bills before they get, well, stacked up somewhere weird.

This just leads into how I’m really tired now. Wednesday I worked until after 8PM (and I get to work before 8AM, unlike a lot of geeks) and there’s a certain amount of screwing around I have to do before I go to bed. Checking my email, checking some web sites, watching a few more episodes of Scrubs that I’ve probably seen a dozen times already. You get the picture. I get around 5-6 hours sleep on a work night. Imagine how happy I was to hear my mom running through the house yelling, “YOU’RE LATE FOR WORK!” at 5:20AM. She has a talking clock that tells you the time, in Japanese, when you push a button on the top of it. She dropped it on the floor sometime last week and it was telling her it was 14 hours later than it should have. So when it was 5:20(AM), it said 7:20(PM). So anyway, at 5:20, about 5 hours after I finally got to sleep, she woke everyone else up. I think my dad had been in bed for 2 hours at that time. (Don’t ask about his sleep patterns. I’m not real sure about them, but he’s 90, so he can have the sleep schedule of a house cat if he feels like it.)

I should probably get to sleep now since I’m sure something will wake me up tomorrow morning.

Falling off the wagon.

There sure weren’t a lot of people in the gym today. February 1 and already people have fallen off the wagon. The John McEnroe guy was there with, “My Librarian,” today. Somehow Dave the Trainer and I have our own, “Librarians,” who are women at the gym who could possibly be librarians but who knows? Here in Portland most everyone wants to be a librarian.

We have one of the best (or perhaps the best) public library system in Portland, but they sure weren’t very happy when I called the reference line and asked what their process for entering books was. Specifically, I found out that J. K. Rowling announced the final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but I was unable to place a hold on the book. The last few times, the library had the book in the system and ready to go when the announcement hit the news. Well, they have a new computer card catalog, and not only that but they were quite snarky about it being a kids book.

Honestly, I have tons of books and I quit buying them a while ago. It’s hard to get rid of them, even though we have one of the best book stores in the country here that buys used books every day. So I just check them out at the library and take them back when I’m finished with them. I also don’t feel guilty about checking out the Harry Potter books because I’m paying for the library and the books with my tax dollars (which I voted for, by the way) and I usually read them cover to cover on the first day. This is where I realize that I probably need a life.