Do I know you?
I know, it's been a very long time since I posted an actual update. Laziness is my only excuse. So, let me see what's been happening that I can remember.
Well, for starters, I went to FL for 2 weeks at the end of July. It had been the first time I had been down there in 3 years. Not much happened there. Just an hour before I left for the airport to go down, my laptop (my only computer) crashed. I lost everything. My father tried to salvage something, but it was all gone. Most of it was okay to lose, but stupid me did not back up about 20-30 pages of my novel that I had only written on the computer (I, fortuantely, at the rest hand written). I also lost a few April related things I wrote, but she had copies, so I am just retyping them. A large number of pics were lost as well, as well as some computer programs I designed. Overall, a big disappointment. Fortunately, however, my father gave me his laptop. He said that it would be a waste of money to put another motherboard in mine. He said that he could buy himself a new one by writing it off as a business expense. Very grateful, I can't afford a new computer right now without it wiping me out.
Before I came down, I bought a cookbook. The reason for this is that I need to gain weight, and not only have I realized that I need to eat between 5 and 6 times a day, I need to eat healthier as well. I actually gain more weight with good food anyway, oddly enough. Well, while in FL I decided to try my hand at a few things. E (my father's girlfriend) said that if I cooked, she'd do the dishes. Fair trade to me. I hate dishes and she got a break from cooking. So, my very first thing to try was a huge project. I figured, I had the time so I might as well take advantage. What was the plan? Italian-American lasanga. Homemade. It took 8 HOURS!!! I made both the sauce and the meatballs by hand. The sauce is what took the longest, a good 4 or 5 maybe. The only thing that I didn't do from stratch was the noodles and the italian sausage. However, it was excellent, I impressed myself. Although I would have been pissed if it had turned out nasty, given the time I put into it. However, I will also NEVER make it from stratch again unless there is a VERY GOOD reason! It just takes to freakin long. A few days later I made alfredo. It was easier than I thought it would be, and not too bad. It wasn't as good as the restaraunts, as they use another ingredient that I haven't been able to place yet, but it was still good.
The first weekend we didn't go scuba diving because a hurricane had passed through there about 2 weeks before, and it generally stirs the ocean up to the point of not being able to see more than 5 feet. Everyone but I fished, as I refuse to kill things. I did drive the boat a bit and just relaxed in the warm sun. Funny thing is, I was the only one NOT complaining about the heat. So much for tough southerns, huh? *L* The next weekend we decided to try our hand at diving. Surprisingly, it was great! The visibility was about 100 feet, when at that time of year its usually 20 or 30. We probably could have gone diving the weekend before. We did 2 dives that day, but I was having major problems. As in, I had to fight like bloody hell to stay down. On the next dive we put more weight in my belt, but I still had the same problem. We then discovered near the end of the dive that the air valve on my BCD jacket was broke, causing the vest to fill with air, which was why I was having such a problem. Aside from that, though, it was fun. I was just enjoying the view, and on one of the dives I grabbed a hold of the sunk ship to stay down, and I played with this colorful little fish that was chasing my finger. I also picked up a large sand dollar and a starfish to get a closer look. I put them back where I found them, unharmed, before I went back up, of course.
I got to see my grandmother for a few hours, but that's it. She didn't have enough time for me to come over for a few days, but it was a treat. I couldn't see my grandfather, however, because he's a lawyer and had a court appearance that day. That's mostly it for FL, though.
When I got back home I was informed by my weekend boss Dave that he needed me to go to Denver with him for 9 days. 2 weeks after coming back, I left again. Denver was very cool. It's very flat, but the mountains make for a beautiful sight. The purpose of going over there was that he needed to purchase and be fitted for a specialized wheelchair seat to prevent pressure sores. However, we had a lot of spare time. We went up a number of mountains, saw actual fossilzed footprints of dinasaurs at this place called Dino Ridge. We went to the zoo and a wildlife museum. We even went to this place called Red Rocks, which had an ampitheature built into the stone. I went to my very first concert there. It was Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire. Neither I'd really recalled hearing about before. It was interesting. We were in the very last row, 70, but after a few songs I had to put in my ear plugs because it was still just way too loud for me. New experience. Not one I would repeat, as I don't see the point in going to concerts. I could just buy the cd or listen to the radio if I was that interested, and I could turn the volume down too. But I don't regret going.
We went to Pike's Peak, went all the way to the top, over 14,000 feet, on a cog rail. It was very interesting. At a few points on the trip, we are were on a 45% incline/decline. The tour person told us to look at the trees outside the windows. They looked mad bent over. He then informed us that those trees were actually straight up and down. I took a pic to show the angle, and I'm hoping it turns out. On top the view was awesome, you could see into another state on one side, with the flat land, and then on the other side there was nothing but miles and miles of mountains. I also learned why the Rockys are called the Rockys. Those mountains are nothing but large broken up red rocks.
While on our way down to the cog rail area (it was in a different city), we stopped at an Air Force base because Dave wanted to check it out. 1, it was boring. 2, I was very uncomfortable being on a U.S. military base given the fact that I hate the U.S. military. There was also a sign that said that they could check people and their belongings at will. That made me even more uncomfortable, since I know perfectly well that if they had tried, I would have resisted. I am not giving into some stupid ass country's soldier boys. They can kiss my ass. So, given those 2 facts, we didn't stay long. Also, another negative was while I was driving I saw a sign for Focus On The Family. Just the sign showing that it was down there pissed me off to no ends. I was very very tempted to pull over and write in big paint letters "BIGOTS" on it. Assholes. That is one of the problems with Colorado, it's a blue state.
We also went up another mountain with me driving, that went over 14,200 feet. It's the highest paved road way in the U.S. Dave was freaking out because the roads were really narrow and there was no guardrail, but I thought it was kinda cool. The biggest problem was that I had to carefully watch the road and so couldn't do as much site seeing as I would have done had I not drove. There was a lake 2,000 feet below the summit that we stopped at. No fish or anything at that altitude, but it was crystal clear mountain water. At the very top, something even cooler. A herd of wild mountain goats!! They were used to humans walking around, so let a few people get to a relatively close distance for pics. There were even little babies walking around. I wanted to see how close I could get, so very slowly moved from boulder to boulder. I'd sit for a while, take pics, and then slowly move again. When I got within 5 feet I stopped, not wanting to push it. I stayed there for a while and, get this, one of the goats came right up to me and brushed his nose against my pant leg. Way way cool.
While at the hotel Dave and I saw this beautiful little dog. It was strange, we couldn't tell what it was. It looked like a husky, but it was very small. However, it's body structure was that of an adult. We asked the owner what it was and it's called an Alaskan Klee Kai. Basically, it's a mini husky. It's a relatively new breed, 15-20 years old, with strict breeding standards. I really want one!
Overall it was fun. The issue I had was that I was on duty 24 hours a day. The only time I got to myself was after Dave went to bed and before I did. By the end of the trip I was burned out and in need of a serious break. However, I didn't get home until 2 a.m. and had to be at work by 7 the next morning.
I took that Thursday off work (I usually work for Dave for 4 hours) to take Peyton and April to Water Slide World in Lake George. It was all right, but was an overall disappointment for 2 reasons. 1, while we knew Peyton would be too small to go on most stuff by herself, we had thought she could be able to go with one of us. It turned out that she couldn't. To make matters worse, she seems absolutely terrified of water that reaches her waist. We were trying to get her to relax and just float, but she was screaming bloody murder when her feet were lifted, even though both April and I had a hold of her AND she was wearing a life vest. That was annoying. We all did one small thing called the Lazy River, and tried something called the Tidal Wave, but that was the one that was just too deep (my knee) for Peyton. April and I then did one adult slide, which was fun, but we overall spent most of the time in the kiddy pool with 6 inches of water. Peyton had fun, but it wasn't that great in that respect. The second issue, and the worst, I'm afraid, is that sometimes being near April is really hard for me emotionally. She didn't do anything wrong, but it was just too much for me. My mood wasn't that great, unfortunately. The problem within that week was that we had spent a few hours with each other almost every day, but before and after my trip, and the more time I spend with her, the more it reiforces my feelings. The next week we discussed it and agreed that for the sake of both our emotions, we need to limit our face-to-face time. We both miss each other a lot, and it hurts. But while we try to watch what we say to each other, it's good to be in contact. It makes us both feel better.
I ended up finishing up my physical therapy last week. My insurance refused to pay for any more. This was a slight problem in that all the work on the Denver trip had aggrivated my back spasm, and so it was very tight. However, I joined this thing called the Fitness Program at the therapy office, which is basically like a gym membership. I can go in to use any and all of the equipment as many times as I want per month. It's actually cheaper that way, even though my co-payment was only $5. So, after 2 or 3 months of focusing on my back, I've started more of a full body thing. A few leg things, and then more focus on my back. My goal is to be able to start lifting actual weight by November.
I'm not sure what I want to do after that. I can buy this great weight set I saw, which consists of 2 dumbbells from Bowflex that can range from 2.5 to 52 lbs each. It would give me a total of 104 lbs, but 1, I don't know if I'd be able to lift it to the required height in order to do the leg compounds I want to do, and I also don't know if that weight would be heavy enough to start with. I'm starting with 180 lbs for leg presses, and that's doing 3 sets of 15. It would be great for upper body stuff though. I don't like gyms. They're not only expensive, but I prefer to work out alone and I don't like having to wait for equipment or anything. On the other hand, if I work out alone I won't have a spotter, and might not have enough leg weight. I'm still not sure which way to go on that.
I got a friend of April's, Melissa, hired on with Dave. In the beginning she'll only be doing one shift, but she'll also be my backup in case I want to take a weekend off. Melissa is one of the few friends of April's that I actually like, so I didn't mind pulling a few strings.
Oh, while I'm thinking about it, while in FL both E and my mother talked me into taking this semester off school. I'm still recovering from the April thing, and I'm just burnt out, having been in college for 5 years. I'm going to do my best to relax this semester, and refocus myself, before going back in January.
After 2 years of discussion and observation, and very deep conversations with April, I have developed a theory on asexuality and sexuality, and all the components. I have so far identified 3 types of sexual attractions and sexual desires. Most people I've spoken to agree with me at this point. However, I posted in it on the asexual board in order to get more discussion and to figure out how to word things correctly. Unfortunately, there were 3 or 4 people that disagreed with me to the point of being incredibly vicious, even though their points were lacking. While it helped a bit, it got to the point of being tedious and childish, so it was an unfortunate matter that I had to abandon my own thread. However, I have been encouraged and approached by a number of people that are trying to help me with this further. One woman is even talking about us establishing a survey in order to get statistical data. And 2 other people, within 3 days, told me that they thought I should switch my major to sociology, and that it sounded like I was working on a Master's thesis. While I'm not going to switch, I am definately going to pursue this and believe that it may become a complete, well studied idea. I may even get it published some day if I can iron out flaws. I don't care if a few people don't like it. The evidence at this point is backing me up. One of their major problems was that they strongly disagreed with the idea of there being more than 1 type of sexual attraction. However, since the very point of asexuality is not experiencing sexual attraction, I asked them, how exactly would they know either way? All the sexuals I've spoken to have agreed wieh me after I explained myself.
I spoke to my mother a few days ago. My brother, who has been living with her for the past couple of months, needs his ass kicked. It's bad enough that he's still in the court system from stealing a large amount of money from Dan, but he then stole my mother's wedding band set. It has 6 diamonds on it. She had them in her lock box, which was hidden in her closet. He stole the key out of her purse and broke into the box. He even admits to breaking into the box, but denies stealing the rings. He's an idiot, who else would have done it? She can't find the rings or the money anywhere, but figures he's stashed it at a friend's house. She is working with the state troopers to try and get evidence that he stole it. If they can find the evidence, she WILL be pressing charges, and he will be prosecuted as an adult. He has also stolen both my mother's and my uncle's cell phones, along with the last $10 out of my mother's purse (she's working 2 jobs just to pay the bills, and he's stealing from her). She also believes he's on drugs, which would explain why he is stealing and what the money is going to. Before, he was very violent. While he's still being a total asshole, however, he's been very mellow with no violence. Hopefully after he get's put on probation, they will give him a drug test. I am going home to visit next month, and if he even touches any of my shit, I will beat his ass. I don't care that he's at least 6'2" and has a minimum of 70 lbs on me. I beat his ass last time, and I can do it again. I also told my mother that when I'm homing, I will show her out to get out of a choke hold, and how to dislocate his shoulder should his violent side surface again and he try to hit her. She said that it's a good idea.
Okay, I'm sure there is other stuff, but that's all the major points, and this thing is long enough as it is. Off to chill. Enjoy!
Well, for starters, I went to FL for 2 weeks at the end of July. It had been the first time I had been down there in 3 years. Not much happened there. Just an hour before I left for the airport to go down, my laptop (my only computer) crashed. I lost everything. My father tried to salvage something, but it was all gone. Most of it was okay to lose, but stupid me did not back up about 20-30 pages of my novel that I had only written on the computer (I, fortuantely, at the rest hand written). I also lost a few April related things I wrote, but she had copies, so I am just retyping them. A large number of pics were lost as well, as well as some computer programs I designed. Overall, a big disappointment. Fortunately, however, my father gave me his laptop. He said that it would be a waste of money to put another motherboard in mine. He said that he could buy himself a new one by writing it off as a business expense. Very grateful, I can't afford a new computer right now without it wiping me out.
Before I came down, I bought a cookbook. The reason for this is that I need to gain weight, and not only have I realized that I need to eat between 5 and 6 times a day, I need to eat healthier as well. I actually gain more weight with good food anyway, oddly enough. Well, while in FL I decided to try my hand at a few things. E (my father's girlfriend) said that if I cooked, she'd do the dishes. Fair trade to me. I hate dishes and she got a break from cooking. So, my very first thing to try was a huge project. I figured, I had the time so I might as well take advantage. What was the plan? Italian-American lasanga. Homemade. It took 8 HOURS!!! I made both the sauce and the meatballs by hand. The sauce is what took the longest, a good 4 or 5 maybe. The only thing that I didn't do from stratch was the noodles and the italian sausage. However, it was excellent, I impressed myself. Although I would have been pissed if it had turned out nasty, given the time I put into it. However, I will also NEVER make it from stratch again unless there is a VERY GOOD reason! It just takes to freakin long. A few days later I made alfredo. It was easier than I thought it would be, and not too bad. It wasn't as good as the restaraunts, as they use another ingredient that I haven't been able to place yet, but it was still good.
The first weekend we didn't go scuba diving because a hurricane had passed through there about 2 weeks before, and it generally stirs the ocean up to the point of not being able to see more than 5 feet. Everyone but I fished, as I refuse to kill things. I did drive the boat a bit and just relaxed in the warm sun. Funny thing is, I was the only one NOT complaining about the heat. So much for tough southerns, huh? *L* The next weekend we decided to try our hand at diving. Surprisingly, it was great! The visibility was about 100 feet, when at that time of year its usually 20 or 30. We probably could have gone diving the weekend before. We did 2 dives that day, but I was having major problems. As in, I had to fight like bloody hell to stay down. On the next dive we put more weight in my belt, but I still had the same problem. We then discovered near the end of the dive that the air valve on my BCD jacket was broke, causing the vest to fill with air, which was why I was having such a problem. Aside from that, though, it was fun. I was just enjoying the view, and on one of the dives I grabbed a hold of the sunk ship to stay down, and I played with this colorful little fish that was chasing my finger. I also picked up a large sand dollar and a starfish to get a closer look. I put them back where I found them, unharmed, before I went back up, of course.
I got to see my grandmother for a few hours, but that's it. She didn't have enough time for me to come over for a few days, but it was a treat. I couldn't see my grandfather, however, because he's a lawyer and had a court appearance that day. That's mostly it for FL, though.
When I got back home I was informed by my weekend boss Dave that he needed me to go to Denver with him for 9 days. 2 weeks after coming back, I left again. Denver was very cool. It's very flat, but the mountains make for a beautiful sight. The purpose of going over there was that he needed to purchase and be fitted for a specialized wheelchair seat to prevent pressure sores. However, we had a lot of spare time. We went up a number of mountains, saw actual fossilzed footprints of dinasaurs at this place called Dino Ridge. We went to the zoo and a wildlife museum. We even went to this place called Red Rocks, which had an ampitheature built into the stone. I went to my very first concert there. It was Chicago and Earth, Wind, & Fire. Neither I'd really recalled hearing about before. It was interesting. We were in the very last row, 70, but after a few songs I had to put in my ear plugs because it was still just way too loud for me. New experience. Not one I would repeat, as I don't see the point in going to concerts. I could just buy the cd or listen to the radio if I was that interested, and I could turn the volume down too. But I don't regret going.
We went to Pike's Peak, went all the way to the top, over 14,000 feet, on a cog rail. It was very interesting. At a few points on the trip, we are were on a 45% incline/decline. The tour person told us to look at the trees outside the windows. They looked mad bent over. He then informed us that those trees were actually straight up and down. I took a pic to show the angle, and I'm hoping it turns out. On top the view was awesome, you could see into another state on one side, with the flat land, and then on the other side there was nothing but miles and miles of mountains. I also learned why the Rockys are called the Rockys. Those mountains are nothing but large broken up red rocks.
While on our way down to the cog rail area (it was in a different city), we stopped at an Air Force base because Dave wanted to check it out. 1, it was boring. 2, I was very uncomfortable being on a U.S. military base given the fact that I hate the U.S. military. There was also a sign that said that they could check people and their belongings at will. That made me even more uncomfortable, since I know perfectly well that if they had tried, I would have resisted. I am not giving into some stupid ass country's soldier boys. They can kiss my ass. So, given those 2 facts, we didn't stay long. Also, another negative was while I was driving I saw a sign for Focus On The Family. Just the sign showing that it was down there pissed me off to no ends. I was very very tempted to pull over and write in big paint letters "BIGOTS" on it. Assholes. That is one of the problems with Colorado, it's a blue state.
We also went up another mountain with me driving, that went over 14,200 feet. It's the highest paved road way in the U.S. Dave was freaking out because the roads were really narrow and there was no guardrail, but I thought it was kinda cool. The biggest problem was that I had to carefully watch the road and so couldn't do as much site seeing as I would have done had I not drove. There was a lake 2,000 feet below the summit that we stopped at. No fish or anything at that altitude, but it was crystal clear mountain water. At the very top, something even cooler. A herd of wild mountain goats!! They were used to humans walking around, so let a few people get to a relatively close distance for pics. There were even little babies walking around. I wanted to see how close I could get, so very slowly moved from boulder to boulder. I'd sit for a while, take pics, and then slowly move again. When I got within 5 feet I stopped, not wanting to push it. I stayed there for a while and, get this, one of the goats came right up to me and brushed his nose against my pant leg. Way way cool.
While at the hotel Dave and I saw this beautiful little dog. It was strange, we couldn't tell what it was. It looked like a husky, but it was very small. However, it's body structure was that of an adult. We asked the owner what it was and it's called an Alaskan Klee Kai. Basically, it's a mini husky. It's a relatively new breed, 15-20 years old, with strict breeding standards. I really want one!
Overall it was fun. The issue I had was that I was on duty 24 hours a day. The only time I got to myself was after Dave went to bed and before I did. By the end of the trip I was burned out and in need of a serious break. However, I didn't get home until 2 a.m. and had to be at work by 7 the next morning.
I took that Thursday off work (I usually work for Dave for 4 hours) to take Peyton and April to Water Slide World in Lake George. It was all right, but was an overall disappointment for 2 reasons. 1, while we knew Peyton would be too small to go on most stuff by herself, we had thought she could be able to go with one of us. It turned out that she couldn't. To make matters worse, she seems absolutely terrified of water that reaches her waist. We were trying to get her to relax and just float, but she was screaming bloody murder when her feet were lifted, even though both April and I had a hold of her AND she was wearing a life vest. That was annoying. We all did one small thing called the Lazy River, and tried something called the Tidal Wave, but that was the one that was just too deep (my knee) for Peyton. April and I then did one adult slide, which was fun, but we overall spent most of the time in the kiddy pool with 6 inches of water. Peyton had fun, but it wasn't that great in that respect. The second issue, and the worst, I'm afraid, is that sometimes being near April is really hard for me emotionally. She didn't do anything wrong, but it was just too much for me. My mood wasn't that great, unfortunately. The problem within that week was that we had spent a few hours with each other almost every day, but before and after my trip, and the more time I spend with her, the more it reiforces my feelings. The next week we discussed it and agreed that for the sake of both our emotions, we need to limit our face-to-face time. We both miss each other a lot, and it hurts. But while we try to watch what we say to each other, it's good to be in contact. It makes us both feel better.
I ended up finishing up my physical therapy last week. My insurance refused to pay for any more. This was a slight problem in that all the work on the Denver trip had aggrivated my back spasm, and so it was very tight. However, I joined this thing called the Fitness Program at the therapy office, which is basically like a gym membership. I can go in to use any and all of the equipment as many times as I want per month. It's actually cheaper that way, even though my co-payment was only $5. So, after 2 or 3 months of focusing on my back, I've started more of a full body thing. A few leg things, and then more focus on my back. My goal is to be able to start lifting actual weight by November.
I'm not sure what I want to do after that. I can buy this great weight set I saw, which consists of 2 dumbbells from Bowflex that can range from 2.5 to 52 lbs each. It would give me a total of 104 lbs, but 1, I don't know if I'd be able to lift it to the required height in order to do the leg compounds I want to do, and I also don't know if that weight would be heavy enough to start with. I'm starting with 180 lbs for leg presses, and that's doing 3 sets of 15. It would be great for upper body stuff though. I don't like gyms. They're not only expensive, but I prefer to work out alone and I don't like having to wait for equipment or anything. On the other hand, if I work out alone I won't have a spotter, and might not have enough leg weight. I'm still not sure which way to go on that.
I got a friend of April's, Melissa, hired on with Dave. In the beginning she'll only be doing one shift, but she'll also be my backup in case I want to take a weekend off. Melissa is one of the few friends of April's that I actually like, so I didn't mind pulling a few strings.
Oh, while I'm thinking about it, while in FL both E and my mother talked me into taking this semester off school. I'm still recovering from the April thing, and I'm just burnt out, having been in college for 5 years. I'm going to do my best to relax this semester, and refocus myself, before going back in January.
After 2 years of discussion and observation, and very deep conversations with April, I have developed a theory on asexuality and sexuality, and all the components. I have so far identified 3 types of sexual attractions and sexual desires. Most people I've spoken to agree with me at this point. However, I posted in it on the asexual board in order to get more discussion and to figure out how to word things correctly. Unfortunately, there were 3 or 4 people that disagreed with me to the point of being incredibly vicious, even though their points were lacking. While it helped a bit, it got to the point of being tedious and childish, so it was an unfortunate matter that I had to abandon my own thread. However, I have been encouraged and approached by a number of people that are trying to help me with this further. One woman is even talking about us establishing a survey in order to get statistical data. And 2 other people, within 3 days, told me that they thought I should switch my major to sociology, and that it sounded like I was working on a Master's thesis. While I'm not going to switch, I am definately going to pursue this and believe that it may become a complete, well studied idea. I may even get it published some day if I can iron out flaws. I don't care if a few people don't like it. The evidence at this point is backing me up. One of their major problems was that they strongly disagreed with the idea of there being more than 1 type of sexual attraction. However, since the very point of asexuality is not experiencing sexual attraction, I asked them, how exactly would they know either way? All the sexuals I've spoken to have agreed wieh me after I explained myself.
I spoke to my mother a few days ago. My brother, who has been living with her for the past couple of months, needs his ass kicked. It's bad enough that he's still in the court system from stealing a large amount of money from Dan, but he then stole my mother's wedding band set. It has 6 diamonds on it. She had them in her lock box, which was hidden in her closet. He stole the key out of her purse and broke into the box. He even admits to breaking into the box, but denies stealing the rings. He's an idiot, who else would have done it? She can't find the rings or the money anywhere, but figures he's stashed it at a friend's house. She is working with the state troopers to try and get evidence that he stole it. If they can find the evidence, she WILL be pressing charges, and he will be prosecuted as an adult. He has also stolen both my mother's and my uncle's cell phones, along with the last $10 out of my mother's purse (she's working 2 jobs just to pay the bills, and he's stealing from her). She also believes he's on drugs, which would explain why he is stealing and what the money is going to. Before, he was very violent. While he's still being a total asshole, however, he's been very mellow with no violence. Hopefully after he get's put on probation, they will give him a drug test. I am going home to visit next month, and if he even touches any of my shit, I will beat his ass. I don't care that he's at least 6'2" and has a minimum of 70 lbs on me. I beat his ass last time, and I can do it again. I also told my mother that when I'm homing, I will show her out to get out of a choke hold, and how to dislocate his shoulder should his violent side surface again and he try to hit her. She said that it's a good idea.
Okay, I'm sure there is other stuff, but that's all the major points, and this thing is long enough as it is. Off to chill. Enjoy!