Johnny Rockstar

After two solid days of freezing rain the office is nearly empty today. Some people aren’t coming in because of icy roads and some aren’t coming in because they’re dealing with massive power outages. Some are using both excuses. I’m here because I’m from Michigan, which everyone points out when they see me at my desk. “It isn’t big deal for you is it?” Actually, no, not at all. Slip it into four wheel and drive a little slower than normal—piece of cake. Yesterday when an iced over tree cracked and nearly fell on my jeep when I drove by, that was sort of a big deal. It wasn’t big enough to kill me, but the branches probably would have ripped right through my soft top, which would have been a serious pain to deal with.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

So much of our weekend lives revolve around where to eat. A little while back I got one of those nifty GPS things for the car, so now we like to let "Samantha" find us fun places to eat. Today she took us to Yang's Deli, an awesome deli that served not just traditional deli sandwiches but also grilled sandwiches ala cheesestakes and more gourmet ones like muffalettas. The menu also contained fried shrimp and fish meals, and an entire Chinese food menu. It had something for everyone I guess. That is to say, something for everyone as long as they like sandwiches, fried food or Chinese food.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 07:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well, I'm back. I won't bore you with the specifics; partly because I don't really know any of them. Fortunately, not a whole lot has happened in the down time. Let me catch you up. I bought the soundtrack to the Best Little Whore House in Texas with Burt Reynolds on vinyl. Later that day Kathryn got a new kitten. Then, we got our tickets to Miami for my fun/work trip in March. It'll be extra nice this year with Kathryn joining me for the adventure. Finally, Kathryn's other cat was declawed and just came home. He's sore, super high, and won't stop trying to play even though it's against doctor's orders.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A small but super-enjoyable part of my job is creating html emails for special announcements sent to our customers. I get so much enjoyment out of it because I’m involved in the entire process. I get to write the copy in the actual message, design the graphics and create the css that holds it all together in a way that looks pretty. Plus they go out in multiple languages so I get to say I work on internationally distributed communications, which sounds impressive. I say all this because I just finished up with one such email yesterday and came in to work this morning to find the test in my inbox, all pretty and shiny and ready to go for real.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

If you haven’t heard already, Casey and his fiancé, Amelia, were in a nasty car accident last Thursday night. They’re still in the hospital being worked on and recovering, however the good news is they will both eventually be fine. Still, it’s hard to hear about your friends in pain even if you know the ultimate outcome is expected to be good.

In between phone updates from Trisha and visits to the coffee shop for internet access to check Nick’s updates, we moved Kathryn into a new apartment this weekend. Kathryn and I spent Saturday morning lugging boxes up three flights of stairs and we’re both still sore. Fortunately, she hired movers for the big stuff and they had plenty of room and time to get all the small stuff we hadn’t moved yet or we would be even achier. But her new place is great and she will never again have to see her white trash, creepy-ass, wife-beating, drug-dealing, garbage-dropping neighbor, which is worth all the sore muscles and a whole lot more.

Also, I’m really craving a chili-cheese dog with onions.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

After a recent spate of headaches, I dug out my glasses to see if eyestrain is the culprit. I like my glasses and if they hadn’t gotten mangled by the gearstick in my jeep, I probably wouldn’t have stopped wearing them. I’ve bent them back into as good of shape as I could, and if I notice fewer headaches, I might go in and get an eye exam and a newer pair of non-mangled frames.

Also, while putzing around on the internet today I took this logic test and scored 100%. I took a Logic class at Western and loved it. Here's one more argument.

Eyestrain causes headaches.
I have a headache.

Therefore, eyestrain caused my headache.
It may not be a valid argument, but I'm about to find out if it's true or not.

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I love the beginning of a new year because it gives me a chance to play my favorite game, First Blank of the New Year. Its fun and easy. Here are the rules if you want to play along at home. Every time you do something for the first time since last year, you say, “First _____ of the new year!” For example, when I fill up my gas tank later today, I’ll say, “First fill-up of the new year!” Or, tonight when we go out for Chinese, I’ll say, “First Chinese meal of the new year!” Or tomorrow when I do a bit of grocery shopping and inevitably pick up beef jerky or trail mix in the checkout line I’ll say, “First impulse buy of the new year!”

Posted by Johnny Rockstar at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)