My Grandmother Wins.

So I went out to visit my grandmother in the hospital today (a bout with pneumonia a few weeks ago opened the door to a case of C.diff)

Anyhow, I can't decide which was the better quotation from her:

In regards to my brother and his girlfriend recently sharing their six year anniversary... "So it was six years ago that you two decided to do it?"

or

"There's a lot of men as nurses in this hospital. They must be cheaper. I don't like it when they change my diaper, it's kind of embarrassing. But I don't give a shit, if you've seen it once, you've seen it twice, right?"

She is an awesome lady.

UPDATE: Just thinking about it, and my grandmother had mentioned about how I was reading off signs when I was at the ripe old age of 1, talking about how much I had to live up to with what my brother did. I countered with "Fortunately, he set the bar nice and low." He countered with "Oh, you mean the bar that I used to knee-cap you with?" Might not have a lot of close family, but it's nice when the few of us can get together.

Ongoing Dispute #1

Due to the move, I was checking out the police blotter of the city I'm moving to, and some of this stuff is just a comedic goldmine. So under the advice of my attorney, I may have to make it a regular feature to post highlights.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

• Police arrested a suspect in the attempted robbery of Popeye's in the Pavilion Shopping Center about 11:40 p.m. Friday. The suspect may have simulated a gun with his finger during the attempted robbery at Boulevard A and B Street, police said.

• A caller said several trees were on fire near the Community Center, but it turned out the fires were part of a bonfire at the park, 3:31 a.m.

• A man was driving a golf cart and spraying chemicals into the gutter of a city street, 2:19 p.m.
  


• A white SUV struck a man, but the man continued walking, 6:24 p.m.


• A woman said "undesirables" took her mind, spirit and body inside Denny's. The reporting party though the woman may have been on drugs or had forgotten to take medication, 7:46 p.m.


• Ten youths, ages 13-16, were yelling obscenities at passersby, 8:32 p.m.


• A caller heard nine to 10 gunshots and then heard youths say, "Woo hoo," 1:46 p.m,


• A man had passed out next to a boombox playing very loud music, 2:33 p.m.


• A 91-year-old woman with an ax was trying to break down a door. Responding police said the incident was part of an ongoing issue between two parties, and each party agreed to leave one another alone for the night, 7:23 p.m.


• A resident who was sitting in his car parked in his driveway said a naked man was standing outside his front door. Then the man walked down the street and hid behind a parked vehicle. Officers were unable to locate the nude suspect, 1:26 a.m.


• Someone pushed a shopping cart through a dance studio's front window, 8:17 a.m.


• A rider fell off a horse, 3:05 p.m.


• Fire personnel responded after a man passed out on a bus after he allegedly huffed spraypaint. The suspect ran off the bus and down a service road when he saw police, 4:46 p.m.


• A resident of the 4800 block of Street Circle said a Cinco de Mayo party held by "neo-Nazi gangbangers" was too loud. An officer responded and noted the noise was coming from two people with a loud radio and there was no "neo-Nazi Cinco de Mayo party.", 7:33 p.m.


• A stuffed animal was hanging from a pole from a noose and children were looking at it, 3:49 p.m.


• Three iPods were stolen from a locked vehicle after a window was smashed for entry, 7:10 a.m.


• A transient was seen defecating in a resident's back yard, 9:46 a.m.


• A student's mother said another school mother and the woman's child had been flipping her and her child off repeatedly and wanted police to advise them, 3:08 p.m.


• A grocery store customer was hit by a "fixture" and was injured on the legs and hands, 10:23 p.m.


• A mail carrier said she went to ask a certified letter recipient in the 16300 block of Spanish Fish Drive to sign for delivery and the resident let out a dog when she opened the door. The dog ran toward the mail carrier, so she took out her "dog spray." The resident became upset and started cussing at the mail carrier and raised her hand as if she was going to hit her. The mail carrier ran to her truck and hid inside while the resident banged on the truck. An assault report was filed after the incident, 2:07 p.m.


• A box of toilet paper was on fire in a storeroom of a restaurant, 10:37 a.m.


• A caller said two men were leaning against a wall smoking, and one was holding a white stuffed animal. The caller thought the men may have been trying to lure children, 3:58 p.m. (no speculation if this is the same stuffed animal hanging from a telephone pole earlier)


• A resident of the 2800 block of 17th Street said someone had broken into her residence and ordered adult movies. She said she discovered the intrusion after she received her cable bill,7:53 p.m.


• A 22-year-old man who was being treated at a hospital for self-inflicted Airsoft gunshot wounds stole a laptop at the hospital and made suicide threats, 12:01 p.m.


• A car struck a 7-year-old boy but he was seen "sitting up and coherent" after the accident, 6:37 p.m.

Source: Orange County Register

So, uh, good week to be a pedestrian hit by a car, bad week to be a stuffed animal?

The Move.

Fulfilling my obligation to write on the subject.

Where to begin?

Several years ago, my company (who has a half dozen largish sites in the greater area) announced that they would be shutting down the location that I worked at to consolidate it with one of the other locations.

Short term, no change.

But as time went on, my division hadn't picked up many new contracts, and they were in the position of deciding whether people get laid off or get lent out to other business areas. I was in the latter group.

At first, it just meant walking to the next building for meetings, etc. No big deal.

Eventually, the wheels of progress hit, and that project moved to a further site. I can't complain too much on that, the concession/recognition is ultimately good for my career.

Either way, it meant getting swept up in the site consolidation, and my 6-7 mile commute turned into a 22-mile commute. Half hour to get home, hour to get back.

The frustration of this coincided with the end of my lease. Paid the ridiculous month to month rent for this month, gave notice in a timely fashion. Had paid rent for the 5+ years I'd lived here, never once them complaning about noise, not a bad tenant, really. But, at the beginning of april they decided to reward my paying rent on time with a 3-day pay-or-quit notice (which they later tried to explain as a courtesy (which they later tried to explain as a mistake))

I spent april spending a lot more time on the road in traffic, kept watching gas prices increase, and kinda waffled about finding a new place vs. just paying the extra hundred bones.

April 21st rolls around, the deadline for signing a new lease. Half-heartedly resolve to pay a month or so of the ridiculous rate while getting serious about looking for a new place. Come home the next night with a lease on my doorstep to sign and a deadline extension of a week. Huh.

So last week, gas hit $4/gallon here. That means it costs five or six bucks every day I have to go to work. Paid the ridiculous month-to-month rate on May 1st and gave notice to the complex of my intent to vacate. (Had to stand in line behind the other people giving notice. Curious...) The leasing agent asked why it was, and I laid out the trifecta of 1) Gas/Commute 2) Rent 3) Getting served notice due to their incompetence (for those that think "So what?", the 3-day pay-or-quit notice is the beginning of the eviction procedure.)

I know the way I am. Given an open-ended deadline, I'll find all sorts of things to work on instead. But now, I had my deadline. Be out by June 1st.

So on the second, I started a mad internet search for finding a new place. I'd poked around a bit before, but this demanded the deep Google-fu.

Let me tell you, Craigslist here sucks. Nearly all spam.

And for that matter, internet apartment reviews are also a toxic stew of useless.

May 2nd, I'd developed a short-list of places I would seriously consider. Toured on May 3rd. Deposit in on May 4th. Lease signed May 5th.

Roughly the same size as the place I've been, but with a washer/dryer in the unit. garage insted of carport. $50 more than what I've been paying in rent, but $50 less than what my rent would be to stay. A lot closer to the ocean, so it should be far less miserable this summer.

Three miles from work.

Oh, and due to a move-in special, the first two months of rent are free.

So now I have to go figure out how to get all my crap moved in the next few weeks...

Stop for a moment, would you?

Maybe you read this article, you probably didn't. Well, I didn't, anyhow. Not then.

But I've met some of the people mentioned, such as his father, Marcus.

I've met his mother. I've met his sisters and his brother.

I've met Danny twice now.

You can say whatever you want regarding your opposition to stem cell research or air your moral objections however you feel. That's the way this country operates. Freedom of speech still lives.

But there is a boy, that should be laughing, playing, having fun, charming anyone that meets him the way I heard he used to. It gave him back that, at least for a time.

There is a boy that doesn't get headlines anymore because perhaps the novelty has worn off from the public spectacle, there is a boy that deserves a better life than what we know how to offer.

Ultimately, there is a life of unfulfilled potential.

But at the very least, you've heard of him now. You can harden your heart as you see fit, but if you feel compelled towards venomous words regarding the approach, aim 'em at me, and not a family that's got more than enough troubling them.

-transiit

No New Food, Day Seven

Yup. Failed again. I blame the girl*

So I think I learned more about the true magnitude of my caffiene addiction than I did about frugality or value. Thought it was fun going through my pantry and thinking "Whenever did I buy this?"

-transiit



* no, not really.

No New Food, Day Six

Failure Day.

Spent the day with the girl. Decided buying some food made more sense than trying to conjure a gourmet meal out of purloined crackers and ketchup packets (ok, truth is, I've still got lots of food, but it seems a bit ridiculous to try bein' all romantic heating up frozen leftovers of unknown vintage)

Oh well.

Back on track tomorrow?

No New Food, Day Five.

woohoo! Frozen microwave burrito in the back of the freezer!

Sorry. Been craving junk food, and stale pringles haven't been cutting it. Yes. They go stale. Yes. I have proof.

Hardest part coming up tomorrow and sunday, I think.

No New Food, Day Four.

ugh. This week has been a chore. Not the food thing so much, but the illness, work, etc. blech.

I'd probably be more cheerful if I'd either pre-purchased a bunch of coffee, or at least made an exception for it.

gack.

No New Food, Day Three.

Ugh. Still spent most of the day feeling as if I'd been kicked in the stomach.

Had a couple handfuls of cashews for lunch around 3:00.

Gonna go scavenge for something now. Thinking that once this week ends, I should probably put in some extra effort and perhaps itemize my food purchases for a couple days afterward.

Glad other people are still sticking with it.

-transiit

No New Food, Day Two.

The Good:
Still on track. Having no appetite due to illness can do that to you, I guess. Free lunch at work due to meetings. Free sandwich made me realize that I decided to start this the day after I ran out of cheese. Bummer.

The Bad:
Maybe one day off work wasn't enough for recovery. Free sandwich left me feeling like I got punched in the gut most of the day.

The Weird:
I think in the last two days I've consumed ~500 calories. And moving some of the leftover soup to the freezer means that my freezer is now more full than when I started. Go figure.

(note: scroll down a few entries. New people are signing up to give it a shot themselves. Maybe you should too)