The Blog-Post Slowdown
March 27, 2007
I'm sure these long lags between posts cna be a bit disappointing, but I'm realizing that all this time of being on a computer during the day at work is become draining. I don't mind coming home and leisurely browsing a few fun sites like the ones I have listed to the right in the margin, but having to do things like updating my books in Quicken, or even typing e-mail or a blog entry has become a bit of a drag. I guess you could say the juices are not flowing freely. Not to mention, my back gets so tight now when I get stressed that it's hard to sit in a chair at a desk.
The workload got jacked up suddenly in the last week, and some of the projects are time sensitive. I'm slowly falling back into the state of overwhelment. It amazes me how there's been this talk of me being moved up to a more complex configuration to work on, yet there's been no news of a hiring to take over the load I've had to deal with. Hey--it's now my department to run.
Anyway, that said, I'll try to post when there's interesting topics to touch on, but I don't think I'll ever get into the daily swing of posting like I once was able to do when I started blogging. I've tried to, but just don't have the time or energy.
Since I'm on the board now, I want to thank those who commented on my last post. I'm opting to not say anything to Politician, but the matter really does baffle me. In a surprise, Batgirl saw this whole backing out on the wedding by Politician the same way I do. We agreed that if this was us, we'd just have to go to our friends' respective weddings seperately, especially in the case where one of us was asked to be a part of the wedding party. While I don't think Batgirl is overly enthused about going to Vermont for 3-days with my friends, at least she seems to be accepting of it (so far).
I'm not the only one shocked by Politician's decision, I'm sure. A mutual friend of ours from college, who actually went through high school with Politician, mentioned it to me in an email today. FBI (named so because he is in the, well, you can figure it out) is already making plans to come with his wife, and they live way out West with a young son! Well, whatever.
Beyond the workload regrowth and the buzz over Politician's decision to miss Vegas' wedding, little else is really happening. Spring is arriving and the weather is slowly improving. The time is coming where I need to go make a run by the ocean after work at least every other day, and start getting in shape. Time to get those golf clubs shined and warmed up. I'm also getting an itch to go on a trip with Batgirl.
Because we declined on a June Mediterranean cruise with my family and a group of people from the same school system my mom and Batgirl work in, we'd like to take a shorter, cheaper trip during April vacation. I get at least an email a day about "deals," however it's becoming apparent to me that we got motivated for such an idea a little too late. I'd really love to go hit the Bahamas or Mexico or any Carribean spot for a 4-day getaway, but I just don't have the money for some of the offers I'm seeing right now. Once June hits, who the hell wants to go down there when summer is arriving in the US? Ah well. I never claimed to have the best timing.
Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, and maybe I won't. All depends how late I work, or how busy I am during lunch. Either way, I'll catch up with ya later.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 10:04 PM,
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Some Friend
March 22, 2007
Just a quick post today as I'm working, and will be doing my fantasy baseball draft tonight (anyone got any sleepers for 2007?).
I got a call late last night from my buddy Vegas. We'd been playing phone tag, until finally he got me. After a few minutes of small talk, he cut right to the chase and hit with some stunning news. As some of my 10 loyal readers may know, he is getting married this summer. It will be this coming Labor Day weekend. Well, apparently our "good" friend from college,"The Politician" (I call him that because he tries to be everyone's friend, and never takes one side of an issue), is going to bypass the wedding to go another wedding with his wife, Mo, on the same day. Needless to say, I was floored.
Politician has been a friend of ours since our freshman year of college. He lived in the same suite and townhouses as Vegas, and was my roommate my senior year. In the years since, Vegas and Politician have forged a real close relationship. Vegas has always been a shoulder for Politician to lean on, whether it was when Mo suddenly broke off their engagement shortly after college, or his mom was dying, or circumstances between he and his wife and her fmaily were putting their wedding in jeopardy. As a matter of fact, Vegas was IN Politician's wedding, even though Vegas was extremely against the ceremony happening (read on to see why).
In the last few years, the hostility toward Politician's wife, Mo, has ceased. She's changed her moods and behavior somewhat (Batgirl actually likes her). While the memory of Mo telling our close friend that his father was not welcome to be part of their special day (which lead to his dying mother boycotting the reception) will never be lost, we've all in some way forgave. The shift of displeasure, ironically, has shifted to The Politician. He rarely keeps in touch anymore. He no-shows for about 85% of the get-togethers we've had over the last 3 or 4 years. Now this.
Sorry folks, but if one of your biggest supporters and closest friends over the years is getting married the same day as your wife's friend, you make the decision to go separately. The events are hundreds of miles apart, so there is no easy compromise. Vegas sounded outraged last night, and I don't blame him one bit. He even went as far to say, "I wish noting but the best for the guy in the rest of his life." What's more alarming is this a full-week after Politician made this announcement.
There was a time where The Politician and I kept in touch once a month, sometimes more. That seems to be over, and my disgust over this development is going to be hard to forget about. I don't blame Mo for this in the least. This is on The Politician because it's been his track record lately. You step up to the plate when a friend has a big day like this in his life. You don't let something like your wife's friend's wedding get in the way. I think any sane woman would probably be understanding if you said,"Sorry, Hon, but I want to be there for my friend."
I'm not sure if I should speak up, but I certainly am hoping The Politician will come to his senses and change his mind. Unfortunately, a part me is saying to not hold my breath.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 1:09 PM,
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20 Grand!
March 19, 2007
Over 20,000 hits since this blog got online in June. Not too shabby. Too bad a quarter of it is guys looking for pictures of ESPN Radio's Amy Lawrence, and lately, "How I Met Your Mother's" Cobie Smulder.
Looks like I just picked up another 100 hits.
My weekend wasn't super eventful. St Patrick's Day wasn't the all-day drinkfest it had been in year's past. Batgirl was at my cousin's bridal shower until about 2pm, and by the time I got to her place we had to head to her folks for dinner. We finally made it out to a bar at 10pm, and that was not all it was cracked up to be as the popular downtown Irish bar were went to was jam-packed.
We did have a good Sunday, complete with some post-breakfast sex, me finding a great deal on a Ping 5-iron, followed by a margarita and Mexican food late lunch. Although it was not without the typical deep talk while intoxicated. It's funny--some days I think Batgirl forgets about that talk we had a couple of weeks ago when we realized that she's not as ready to be married to me as she thought. Then, when we get into it more, she says,"Well--maybe we shouldn't get married. Things are good as it is."
Hey, I'm in no hurry. I need to get my debt down, figure out how to get the value up on my house before my brother and I decide to put it on the market (I'm getting this impression he wants to be out of here this year, Albany job or not), and finally make the big decision on getting married. Batgirl's biggest concern is that my brother will screw me over, and there is a part of me that concurs. He rarely makes a decision with me in mind (case in point, got a dog last April even though I told him I didn't think it was a good idea), and I can see her point that what he does indirectly affects her since it affects me and my finances.
With all the spicy food and tangy margaritas I drank, my stomach wasn't reacting too kindly. Funny part was Batgirl thought my upset stomach came as a result of our conversation. Oddly, none of our discussion rattled me. Just got me to focus that I'm with a woman who loves me, and no matter how much she attempts to deny it, would like to start a family with me.
Gotta go. My Alma mater's women's basketball team is about to make history, and then I've got to cram for my fantasy baseball draft happening later this week.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 9:26 PM,
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2007 is the Year of the Unlucky Irishman
March 15, 2007
So we're approaching one of my favorite "holidays" of the year...St. Patrick's Day.
I was psyched months ago when I saw that St. Patty's was going to be on a Saturday. However, my enthusiasm has changed to depression. First, Batgirl was invited to my cousin's bridal shower, which for some un-Godly reason is on...St. Patrick's Day. Of all the days between now and the wedding in June, they had to pick March 17?
Despite my pleas to RSVP "No," Batgirl felt bad if she didn't make this event since she missed the baby shower for another of my cousins. The reason, though, was a good one: Batgirl's niece had her baptism that Sunday, and Batgirl is the godmother. In any event, Batgirl felt obligated to go the shower, even though it's coinciding with the start time of the most famous St. Patrick's Day Parade in the state.
To make matters worse, the weather has it's own ideas. There is a winter storm watch starting tomorrow that will carry into Saturday. We're looking at a mix bag of rain, sleet and snow for tomorrow, and rain into midday on...St. Patrick's Day!
Needless to say, even if I opted to make the 35-40 minute drive down to see the parade, it's going to be cold, wet, and really uncomfortable. Plus, Batgirl is going to have to miss out while she watches my cousin open gifts, and the popular belief is there will be NO ALCOHOL served. Then we're going to have to figure out how we meet up to enjoy the rest of the day together. I feel bad going out on my own for half the day while she is stuck with my family, but at the same time, why should I sit around knowing that thousands are miles away having a blast?
Ah well. Looks like I'm going to have to start trying to figure out other options to celebrate my heritage. Just sucks when you gotta change things up and don't know which way to go. Maybe for once there will be some luck o' the Irish and I'll find something fun to do that's new. Lord knows, I'm not getting too lucky with my NCAA picks so far.
As of this writing, I've lost Old Dominion and Oral Roberts as my one-round upsets, and for some unknown reason I took George Washington into my Sweet 16. My other long shot going to the field of 16 is Illinois, I have Duke (who is in a struggle with Virginia Commonwealth as I type) going a couple of rounds, and Notre Dame going to the Elite 8. My Final Four is UCLA, Florida, UNC and Texas A & M. Merging from that group to go to the finals is UCLA losing to UNC. What's funny is I haven't seen a second or a highlight of an A & M or UCLA game this season!
Let's hope my pool submissions are a lot luckier than my St. Patrick's Day will be.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 7:59 PM,
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100th Post!
March 12, 2007
I've hit a blog landmark. Well, at least for this version of my blog.
I've hit the 100th post. What, you may ask, will I do to commemorate it? Nothing but a regular post. I hit a 100th post way back in 2005 when I had my first blog, so this time around isn't a big deal. Quite frankly, I should have hit #100 months ago, but I just haven't been able to write anything with the frequency I once had. I'm either too busy to post, or just want to keep of the computer after working on one all day. It's been 5 days since I last had anything to say, so here goes. Pick and choose whichever topic title tickles your fancy.
Sudden Slowdown
No sooner after I said my job was breaking me down and driving me nuts because I was overloaded, I suddenly find myself too caught up. Projects have come to a crawl, and I actually found myself surfing the net leisurely today. It's a bad omen, because I know any day now I'm going to hit some series or crisises that will make we want to jump of the roof. Shit, the thrill of my day was making the hottest girl in my office crack up laughing over a sort about when I got pulled over by Eugene Tackleberry wannabe two years ago.
That reminds me...a few weeks ago one of my buddies in the building was telling me she took him aside and asked him if he had heard this rumor about her having an affair with a married man. We both found this amusing because the day before this happened, he mentioned to me that one of the guys in our shipping department stumbled upon her and the biggest male whore in my office getting cozy in a booth one night. Then, he saw them leave together. Guess the rumor got out the wrong way. Still, if I didn't have Batgirl, I would have pursued her.
My Mom Likes to Party All the Time, Party All the Time, Party All the Ti-ime!
My parents through a party for my sister's 21st birthday over the weekend. Sure, it was a few days after the actual event, but they wanted to do the family-party thing. My to my horror, I watched my mom get toasted to the point she passed out on the couch in the den before Batgirl and I left. That was quite the site to see on the way out the front door. Needless to say, Mother 30's Guy had a long Sunday.
As for my sister, she got pretty crocked too, however her buzz got killed by my 17 year old cousin. Apparently my sister saw my cousin's boyfriend slamming the hood of her car when she was driving around the other day. My sister, who's sort of like an older sister to my cousin, pulled over to make sure our cousin was safe. Following the incident, my sister reported what she saw to my uncle out of fear of what this jerkoff could do. My cousin wanted to discuss the matter with my sister. That was a whole scene going on late night up in the kitchen while the rest of us mingled in the game room. With alcohol flowing freely, Saturday was not the night to have such a serious talk. Not to mention, my sister was already upset that nearly all of her fairweather friends showed up (much to my parents' relief since most of the girls are under 21).
March Madness
It's that time again, kids! Bust out your brackets and see if you can pick who the Cinderella "Bracket-Buster" team will be. I was glued to the TV yesterday when I could, even though my school, a mid-major basketball program, choked in its conference tournament last weekend. We're in the NIT at least, though I'm not happy about the 1st round draw. I can assure you I am not the guy to come to since I haven't had a strong showing in a pool for several years. I would, however, like to see you commenters give us all some extra insight into who we should consider banking on to take us into the deep end of the office pool.
Tits and That
Over the last couple of weeks, a couple of actresses have really got me chubbed up: Jennifer Love Hewitt, who's always been a 30's Guy favorite, and a surprise--Hillary Swank. It's amazing to see what happens when an actress opts to get back on the market.
First she was looking smoking hot at the Oscars, and now J LoH is appearing in a new Hanes campaign, showing off her bodacious bombs in the new"All-Over Comfort Bra" commercial. I saw the ad come up while talking on the phone with Batgirl last week, and needless to say I got a bit tongue-tied. Shit, if she was looking for all over comfort for her twin beauties, all she had to do was give me a ring. Batgirl has zero complaints!
As for Miss Swank, she seems to be all over magazine covers and the subject of feature stories a lot lately. Not to mention, she is in a racy new ad for some perfume called Insolence, nearly nude. Nice. I guess the Academy Award winner is out dating again after she divorced that lush, Chad Lowe...
Speaking of pictures being everywhere, this just in (and maybe I'm a little late): Antonella Barba is a prime piece of tail. I know girls, especially at a young age, like to take tons of pictures, but my God, this is ridiculous! Is she modelling, or trying to seduce photographers into a little meet-between-the-sheets? Obviously, the girl and her friends are VERY comfortable with their bodies, and each other's bodies for that matter. In the last two weeks, I've seen more pictures of this girl BY ACCIDENT than anyone in my own family. Still, she wasn't enough to get me to tune into that joke of a show she was on. Now that she's been voted off, I'm dying to see what she'll do next. If she's smart, she'd take advantage of the big bucks offers being thrown her way to do "Girls Gone Wild"-type stuff or a topless spread in Playboy because-honestly-who is going to remember her in two years?
posted by That 30's Guy @ 8:22 PM,
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It's Official: We're Getting Old
March 07, 2007
Tuesday was a landmark day in the "That 30's Guy" Family. Little Sis is now 21. I guess she's not so little anymore. More like legal.
There is about a 10-year gap between my sister and I (our brother is 3 years my junior), so it's always been hard to really be close. When I see her boozing it up, I still see that little girl with the curls who used to run around the house. I've gotten better in recent years, but it's still an adjustment. I mean, I can still see the photo of me standing behind her, towering over her, in my senior prom tux back in the Spring of 1994. She's probably about 4 feet tall at most then, and not even at double-digits for her age.
Now, she is 21. Sis is a college junior, working towards becoming a teacher. She's just over 5 feet tall, and has turned into an attractive young woman. From the looks of her longtime friends who joined us for a surprise birthday dinner celebration at a top Italian restaurant, they have too. Not to be overlooked, it's my sister's boyfriend of over a year who organized the event. It's taken some getting used to, especially because he is a couple of years older than her, but he's a good guy who still needs to a way to start a career (he's quit two jobs in several months, one of which my brother had landed him).
Possibly feeling older than I was Batgirl. To demonstrate how small of a world this is, my sister and her friends were the first ever class Batgirl taught in my hometown's school system. When she and I first got together, my sister wasn't sure how to handle "Ms." Batgirl in a capacity as her brother's girlfriend. Now, they get along well. I can remember the Sunday night when Batgirl took the time to sit down and critique a paper my sister had to write on her observations of actual classrooms. More recently, Batgirl expressed real concern about my sister's mental state after hosting my mom and others last Friday night. She learned that my sister's been having a tough time over the last month, crying and feeling depressed, calling in sick at work and being late to class because of it. We were both surprised by this news as my sister comes off as someone very independent.
I also felt really bad when I heard this. It was a real eye-opener that I need to make more of an effort to get closer to her. The good thing is, she now can go anywhere without fear her Florida fake ID will be taken away. She can just pull out her real one. Batgirl suggested we both try to reach out to her, maybe give her a younger, fresher ear instead of leaving the burden on my parents. Invite her and/or her boyfriend to join us for different activities. This has always been in the back of my mind as something that needs to be done, but now it's got to be at the forefront.
As a gift, Batgirl and I gave her a $75 gift certificate to a spa. She loved it. In the card, I made sure I wrote that we loved her and are proud of her. I made sure I told her that again when we were going our separate ways after dinner last night (a HUUUGE bill I may add). I guess it's a start.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 7:57 PM,
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Let's Wait A While
March 06, 2007
I meant to get a post up for Monday, but I returned from my ski trip a bit late on Sunday and was pretty exhausted. New England got hit with a nasty storm that dumped over a foot of snow in the mountains on Friday. Needless to say, some thick snow on the slopes combined with a lot of skiers made it seem like grooming was not in the equation Saturday for the resort. That 30's Guy got the reality check that I'm not in my 20's anymore. I threw in the towel both Saturday and Sunday after 3 hours or so of skiing. In the old days, I probably could have hung in there.
Still, it was good to get away on a guys' weekend, even though the only person who went that I had a close relationship with was my dad. The remainder of the group was all people from my old company I worked for (they family who owns the company invited me, which was really generous of them), and a close friend of my father. There was a lot of catching up, mostly telling them about my current job and the status of the relationship with Batgirl.
The night before I left, Batgirl and I spent the night at her place. We cooked up dinner, and finished off a big bottle of Cabernet while talking afterwards. Somehow along the way the topic about what happened at the basketball game back on Feb 20 came up. That lead to more talk about her needing to understand that I value my friendships, and I'm not about to just turn my back on them. While she says she's not asking me to do that, it certainly has felt like if I did that she wouldn't lose sleep over it. Uh uh. Won't happen, and I made that plainly clear.
My approach this time was to explain that these people whom I've known for over 20 years and more are like family to me. My family looks at my longtime friends as part of the family, and it's vice verse with my friends' families. Batgirl still doesn't quite grasp the concept of that since her life has always been simple. Small family, the five of them and her grandparents, and no one else. She commended me for the ability to be able to talk to anyone, even citing how it was the reason her late aunt thought well of me. Her, however, she prefers the quiet life. This house she worked hard to get is her safe haven, and she's not willing to let strangers in it.
I continued to drill it home that everyone she's been introduced to, and my guy friends, all have had nothing but nice things to say about Batgirl. I went as far as saying I get questioned as to when I'm going to tie the knot with her by these very people. I then went on to say that quite frankly I was getting to the point I didn't care what the wives or girlfriends of my buddies thought because,"you're all a bunch of catty bitches when it comes down to it. As long as you can be civil and at least try to get along, then that's all we guys can ask for."
In any event, we came to the agreement that until she is willing to accept I have close friendships outside the relationship, and she is willing to share her home with me as if it is my own (i.e. let me invite friends over on occasion), we can't get married. I was relieved we agreed on that. I felt the pressure release. I'm not sure if it was the wine talking, but Batgirl even went as far as saying that what we have is so good the way it is. Why should we spoil it with marriage in the near future?
One on one, we do have a great thing, and I'm willing to seperate my life with my friends from the life I have with Batgirl. I talked about this with my father during the trip, and he said that while I make this out to be a real issue, it shouldn't be the deciding factor in whether or not Batgirl is wife-material. My mother likes next to none of my father's friends. He can care less. He just goes and does his thing without her. As long as I'm not making a habit of turning the home I'd share with Batgirl into a weekly boys' club, and make sure she's cool with inviting people over on occasions when I do want to have a gathering, things will work out over time.
"Batgirl is shy; you need to let her get to know everyone at her pace," he told me. He said if I give her more than equal time, she really can't complain when there are the occasions I prefer to take some time for myself. It givers her a chance to do her own thing, too. She actually got a lot accomplished while I was away this weekend and felt good about it, even though she did miss me. I just wish she had a way to cut loose on her two nights of freedom while I was gone.
Friday night, she hosted my mom, my grandmother, my aunt, and some women she works with at the school. Pretty cool of her since my family hasn't had a chance to see the house all moved into, and they all bonded with Batgirl. Saturday night, she cooked dinner for her parents, grandparents, brother and his wife. Not exactly the way That 30's Guy would go about it!
Thursday night's talk certainly helped things for me. Batgirl sounds like she is accepting the fact there will be more weddings this year, more showers, all of which will precede if/when it's our turn. She understands I would like to see us married eventually like she does, but the time is not now. I'm saving money towards a ring, and she's seeing that. In the meantime, she needs to adjust to this new chapter of owning a home, and the approaching reality of sharing living space with a mate again. The big thing I have to do is prove to her I'm not going to be like her ex even though we share the same characteristic of being in a big social circle. I don't intend on living in the infamous "Boys' Town" and hitting strip clubs, womanizing and boozing with the guys, disrespecting her like he did. She'll never admit it, but I think that is the root of this problem she has. Only with time is that fear going to disappear, and I'm willing to wait for that.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 12:11 AM,
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A Flashback Photo
March 01, 2007
My morning on Wednesday got started with the opening of an email from my old friend Mink. The subject of the email simply read "flash back." It was a copy of a scanned photo of he and I on press row just before we did radio play-by-play for one of our college's mens' basketball games. I vaguely remember his parents taking the shot as they were out for the weekend on a visit. This photo had to be at least 9-10 years old. We looked so young, so thin. I remember evenings like that one fondly. Even though our college is in a mid-major basketball conference (not quite the Big East or ACC, but maybe on a level of the A-10), the atmosphere was exciting and we treated our gigs to call the action as if we were pro's on a network.
Mink and I both were communications majors, and for our entire 4 years at our college we co-hosted a sports talk show on the student-run campus radio station, and called men's basketball action for a few games a season. The highlight of my time doing play-by-play was in the mid-90's when our team was making a run at the NCAA tournament only to fall short and get into the NIT. In fact, this season we actually have a great shot at making it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in over 20 years; we'll find out if they do it this weekend when they play in their conference tournament. But I digress...
The picture brought a smile to my face, then I felt a little bit of sadness. I miss those days. There was so much confidence and hope that I'd make it as a sportscaster on those nights at the fieldhouse. I'd study rosters and stats prior to gameday, then get to press row at courtside to read the sports information department's game notes. We'd be dressed in shirts and ties. We'd rehearse our pregame discussion, agree on the players to key on during the game, and finally it was time to just let it fly. I still have the tapes of some games I did, my best work during my senior year. Alas, almost a decade since graduating college, I'm nowhere near that guy I saw in the picture or will hear on tapes if I play them. I'm so far away from the sports media field, I may as well deny I ever had a goal to be a part of it.
It's a tough business, and I knew that going into college. I ignored the warnings from my parents that I should consider something else. No way, I said, I have the talent to make it. Reality was, I didn't have any connections in the business, and reality hit when I spent my last month or so trying to find work before I graduated. When commencement finally arrived, I was jobless and had no idea what I'd be doing. In the end, I moved to Jersey, did some part-time production work for a sports news gathering company, before finally becoming a suit who worked in NYC on the business side of TV. That road led me to come back home in 2001, and out of the industry all together.
I'm now working in my third industry since graduating college, and it has nothing to do with sports, radio, or television. It 's pretty boring actually. There aren't many days during the week when I'm excited about what the day holds. There is of course the one constant, and that is how much I read up on what's going on in the sports world, and from time to time I love to write about it on my blog...much to the chagrin of some of you. My friends who listen to the schmucks on local sports radio always insist that I would a better host than these clowns, and that opinion has been echoed more than once by the fathers of some of those friends. It's nice to hear, but at this point in my life, pursuing such a dream would not make sense: the paycut would be extreme, I'd likely move a bunch of times, and my voice isn't exactly silky-smooth as compared to the real money-makers.
I'm glad Mink sent me the picture because it captures a moment in my life when I knew what I wanted to do with it. When I look at it, I know what I was thinking. Now, when Batgirl asks me what I plan on doing with my life if I end up deciding this job isn't for me, I give an answer I never believed I would say when I was 20,21-years-old: I don't know.
That is not an answer an adult over 30 say to a potential spouse. I sure do hope I can change it.
posted by That 30's Guy @ 12:01 AM,
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