Here, there and everywhere...

Musical accompaniment at the start, as per M's request...

I've been bouncing all over Jacksonville like a ping pong ball lately. Nothing much particularly funny or exciting, though. It's not like I went to Sweden or anything. Though I did take someone to the airport to go to Sweden on Friday morning, so I guess that counts, right?

It's weird when you notice that the only real record of how many places you've gone over the course of a weekend is the tally on the tripometer in your vehicle and a nasty redneck sunburn (again). Well, that and a blog posting about it, but that's neither here nor there. I realized that since I filled my tank Thursday evening after work I've gone 187.8 miles. And I haven't left town and I haven't gone out to the beach (amazingly enough). Another sure sign I need to sell this place and buy a condo near everyone else? Magic 8-Ball says "It is decidedly so."

So where the hell have I been, anyway? Well, going to Tracy's, then to the airport, then straight to work from there ups the tally pretty high with that gigantic triangle of travel. And that was only Friday morning. Add a lunch field trip, then the trip home after work, then dinner with everyone on Friday night back out near Tracy's and my car doesn't like me already. Add heading to a friend's after dinner and then home and it's a good thing I change my oil regularly.

As a side note, since I've been talking about Mike & Amy lately, I'm starting to realize that them moving to Orlando was one of the best things that could have happened to me socially. Now, I don't mean that in a bad way, even though that's immediately what they'll say. I just mean that when Amy had the Social Director™™ position instead of me, I was cool with going wherever they planned and sticking with our little closed-off group and really didn't meet new people who weren't, um, married. So once they moved and PK came back, things have really picked up for me social-wise. Now they just need to move back and keep that baby away from my mom and life will be terrific.

Anyway, Saturday was much more low-key. I worked in the yard in the morning and early afternoon, contributing to the redneck look. My only driving involved meeting Matt at the gym down in San Jose and picking up some dinner before everyone showed up at my house to carpool over to the movie. Ah, yes, the movie. I have a friend who does, well, crazy, strange things. For starters, he has a giant arcade machine in his living room. He does not have a large living room. Yet it accommodates an arcade machine. Anyway, he found out a TV station was "disposing" of some of their old front projection systems since they have new high-def ones. Being who he is, he now has a giant projector the size of a desk on his glassed-in back porch. Why on the back porch, you ask? Well, since his back porch faces his all-white garage, it projects directly onto the (mostly) flat surface of the garage. Thus, instant 30-foot screen!

I rounded up a few troops and we headed over to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark (my suggestion, thank you). Still a classic which happens to be the first movie I ever watched. Did it really come out 25 years ago already? Holy crap. Raiders does gain a lot being on a large screen like that, too... Especially when that ball comes rolling down the track in the temple in the beginning and it's pretty much life-sized. After that it was Mallrats. I love Mallrats, but I realized something about it while watching it... It really is a terrible movie. Highly quotable, but still a terrible movie. Yet it's the Kevin Smith movie I've seen the most times. Go figure.

Today involved one thing -- Kickball! Heading out to UNF for an afternoon for kickball was pretty cool. We had the first game and my team kicked butt in kickball, which felt good after we got so thoroughly destroyed in dodgeball on Wednesday. After that I umpired the remaining three games, completing my oddly uneven redneck tan since I was always facing the same side of the field. So the left side of my neck is baked halfway down my shoulder while the right side on my neck is burned and cuts off barely past my neck. In other words, I look like a complete idiot when I have my shirt off now. Awesome! At least I can now put "Kickball umpire" on my resume. I figure that will be the extra push to get the big money whenever I go for my next job. Totally worth it. Totally.

I know I promised not to recap my weekends, but I've got nothing else bouncing around in my brain, so this is what you get. I'm sure you guys will find something else to talk about in the comments... And no, you're not getting pictures of my neck, so don't bother asking.

How was your weekend?

Ok, Blogger. Them's fightin' words!

Seriously! E-mail me when people leave comments or let me republish my blog or actually show that the comments number went up instead of making me think I'm being completely ignored and I'm all Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction going "I WILL NOT BE IGNORED, BLOGGER..." You'd think I get this stuff for free or something.

Oh, wait a second.

Haven't done a tag since Tag Week, so...

Stolen from Katie. I know, shocking.

Put your music player on shuffle. Press forward for each question. Use the song title as the answer to the question. It's sort of like a musical Magic 8 Ball.

Will I get far in life?
"Chinese Bombs" - Blur
Am I going to China? Am I going to bomb it? This makes no sense.

How do my friends see me?
"Alison" - Elvis Costello
I can tell I'm going to love this tag already. Seriously.

"Where will I get married?"
"Mastermind" - Deltron
Going to get married in the year 3030. In a futuristic rap battle society. This is encouraging.

What is my best friend's theme song?
"Can You Keep A Secret?" - Pilote
Hmmmmmm, one that actually has some application to the question. Interesting.

What is the story of my life?
"Parakeet" - R.E.M.
Ok, let's list the first few lines of the song to get a full understanding of why I hate this tag already:
"You wake up in the morning And fall out of your bed Mean cats eat parakeets And this one's nearly dead"
And people say Michael Stipe is a pessimist.

What was high school like?
"The Get Down" - Mickey and the Soul Generation
Actually, fairly accurate. Most of high school was party time...

How can I get ahead in life?
"See You Soon" - Coldplay
I wish more people had heard this song so the explanation I was going to make would make a lot more sense. Parts of it work quite well, others... Not so well.

What is the best thing about me?
"Solid Gold" - VHS or Beta
I guess this means I'm rich and awesome? I have too many weird songs on here for this to work.

How is today going to be?
"Hey Hey What Can I Do?" - Led Zeppelin
Considering I won't see the person this would apply to today, I guess only the title applies.

What is in store for this weekend?
"Who Feels Love?" - Oasis
Funny, this is only the second time I've ever heard this song... Weekend's almost over anyway.

What song describes my parents?
"The Sweetest Condition" - Depeche Mode
I'll admit this one made me laugh.

My grandparents?
All of my grandparents have passed away already. Next.

How is my life going?
"Obvious" - Jane's Addiction
Obviously.

What song will they play at my funeral?
"Back To The Old House" - The Smiths
Well, if people want melancholy at my funeral, I think the Smiths were a good call...

How does the world see me?
"Well That Was Easy" - Franz Ferdinand
Good thing I'm not a girl, huh?

Will I have a happy life?
"Be Your Husband" - Jeff Buckley
Guess this means I have to get married to be happy. And she has to stay away from Johnny Lee.

What do my friends really think of me?
"Raven" - Dave Matthews Band
Apparently my friends think I'm rather dysfunctional. At least that's what the lyrics say...

Do people secretly lust after me?
"Helicopter" - Bloc Party
"Are you hoping for a miracle?" I guess that line tells me more than I want to know...

How can I make myself happy?
"Just Like You Imagined" - Nine Inch Nails
Good thing this is an instrumental track or he'd be telling me to slash my wrists or something.

What should I do with my life?
"No Pun Intended" - The Hives
Henceforth, no puns.

Will I ever have children?
"Embracing The Sunshine" - BT
Read into that what you will. I guess they will be well-tanned.

What is some good advice?
"Alone Together" - The Strokes
Wow, not sure what to say there.

What is my signature dancing song?
"Strangers" - Portishead
Hmmmm, I think I dance better when I know more people around. Like Mark's wedding or something. Trying to dance to this song might give one epilepsy or something, though.

What do I think my current theme song is?
"Let It Be" - The Beatles
Actually, that's closer to the philosophy I'm trying to adopt these days than any other song I can think of. Way to go, tag I said I hated earlier!

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
"State of Love and Trust" - Pearl Jam
Again, interesting. Anyone agree?

What type of women do I like?
"Hypersonic" - Jane's Addiction
Jane's gets more representation on here than anyone else. Weird. I like loud, hyper women, I guess. Hmmmmm.....

I'd recap Friday's festivities, but most of you were there, so that feels kinda pointless. Especially when you've got Tracy's photo recap!

We live in a beautiful world... Yeah we do, yeah we do.

Ever had one of those days where the dark clouds follow you around and you forgot your umbrella and then you had to walk in the rain and you got soaked and you had a miserable day and made everyone else miserable because of it instead of just drying yourself off and have a laugh about how dumb you were for forgetting your umbrella?

Well, yesterday was one of those days for me.

Thankfully, yesterday's over. And I'm going to be smart enough to bring my umbrella or have a laugh about it next time.

Here's Melis's musical accompaniment...

The evenings are just packed.

Would you believe it? I actually accomplished quite a bit tonight! This is a very rare occurrence for modern-day Maki, especially on a Thursday night. It did help that I was paroled from work early this afternoon due to all the extra time I put in Monday through Wednesday and the fact that won't be in the office tomorrow (today?) since I'll be on a plane to DC about the time everyone else will be showing up for work. The only problem was that it meant I needed to get a LOT of stuff done before then because I won't be back until around 11pm on Monday night.

So, what did I accomplish, you ask?

Well, first of all I went straight from work and got back in the gym again. I need to get an early schedule like today's since I could actually use every piece of equipment in the gym. It was pretty amazing not to wait for some guy to finish his 20-minute conversation about hair dryers or whatever so I could grab a bench.

After a chest, tricep and ab workout with a 10-minute run afterwards, I headed home to do yardwork. Now I know I've been bitching a bit about the parents lately, but there were some things I hadn't noticed up until today since I hadn't been home before dark yet this week. It appears my dad "helped" trim some trees, bushes and other assorted plants around my house. Now, by trim, I mean "cut off huge limbs, branches and whatnot." Now, rather than piling them somewhere so they could be collected, he simply let them fall from wherever they were and that's where they stayed. So before I could even start mowing the lawn, I had to be able to find it. I spent a good 90 minutes collecting tree branches and vines and bringing them out to the curb to be picked up in the A.M. Then I finally got around to getting the mower out and I discover that he had used up all of my gasoline in the pressure washer. So I had to put my shirt back on (yes, I went shirtless to try to cure the farmer's tan that seems to be bothering some people) and go to the gas station. More time eaten up, but now the mower will actually start. 45 minutes later, lawn is edged, trimmed and mowed. Done.

At this point it's about 7:55pm and I'm debating whether or not to finish painting some of the house that we didn't quite get to this weekend. Well, we got to it, but the wood filler had to dry before any paint could be applied and that takes quite a while. So there were big yellow blotches on the front of my house where we'd filled in for the rotted wood. I decided to paint as much as I could, especially those yellow spots. I got about halfway done by the time the sun went away completely and I couldn't tell what I had painted and what I hadn't.

After a quick shower I got to work on updating my laptop, which only gets broken out when I go on trips. Thus, I had to update pretty much every program installed on the damn thing, especially the spyware and anti-virus stuff. Those programs get a little antsy when they're not updated for two months. As this is happening I've got a couple loads of laundry going in the washer and dryer since I tend to wear clothes when I go to faraway US cities with my family. Just a weird habit of mine, I guess. At the same time I'm doing this I'm trying to do my taxes. More like trying to find all my paperwork so I can do my taxes. I found it all eventually. Turns out the government owes me a big bag full of money. That's even how I requested it. I could have done direct deposit, but I wrote in that I wanted it in a gray bag with a big dollar sign on the side. We'll see if that happens. God help me if they give it all to me in pennies...

So, it was a pretty productive evening here at the Maki homestead. And with that I will go to pack my suitcase and hopefully check in with you all at some point this weekend. No guarantees, though... I'm feeling cheap and if I can't find any free wifi hotspots I guess that means you'll just have to talk amongst yourselves without me. I know that's always stopped you in the past, but don't let it! Persevere! Talk about stuff that would embarrass my parents if they ever read it!


Have a terrific weekend. Jack Bauer would want you to have a terrific weekend. IF THERE'S TIME. Yes, I'm posting this at 3:33am. No idea why I'm still up. It's like my own really boring season of 24. And you're all watching. Admit it.

Dinner of champions!

Since we're all talking about our eating habits lately, I'll note that I neglected to eat dinner last night, but I didn't miss it tonight. Not since I went to the grocery store and spent $104! I'd better be getting something for my money! And a nice big bowl of Cocoa Krispies is exactly what I got for my money. Nothing like dinner at 10:30pm -- and it's cereal. Rock.

Figure I should do my taxes some time this week before I go to DC on Friday? Wait... That means it's gotta be Wednesday or Thursday, right? ACK. You'd think I'd be more motivated, what with all the money they'll be sending back... Procrastination rules the day.

I worked late again today. This work thing is getting old, man. I know what I need! A weekend in DC for easter, with my parents! Hooray!

Yup, nothing to say. Comment away. Make fun of the picture and tell me how I need a bloatee or something.

Danger, Will Robinson!

I still have nothing funny and exciting to say. So, um talk amongst yourselves. Tell me a song you're really digging right now, since I need something new to listen to. I'm sure that'll last for about a half dozen comments and then we'll be back to jokes about my bodily functions. Which is fine.

Happy Friday!

Liquid dinner, solid lunch

In keeping with the "what did Maki eat" theme I've got going so far this week, I present to you my diet over the past day or so:

3:15pm- Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (chocolate chip)
7pm- Glass of shiraz at The Grotto
8pm- Glass of pinot noir at The Grotto
9am- NutriGrain Breakfast Bar (strawberry)
10:15am- Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (s'mores)
1pm- NutriGrain Breakfast Bar (apple cinnamon)

I am the pinnacle of health right now. The "granola bar, breakfast bar and wine" diet may rival Tracy's "ice cream, meat and chocolate" diet. We'll see.

Um, keep commenting wherever you want. You guys are doing whatever the hell you like anyway, I can see.

Food poisoning?

Holy crap, man. I think my little "no meat on Fridays" deal is going to kill me. I ordered pan-seared tuna on Friday night at Copeland's, since there really wasn't much else I wanted that wasn't chock full 'o meat. I ate half of it, it was actually quite good, and then I saved the rest to bring home.

They brought me the leftovers in the typical little restaurant take-away styrofoam tray. Pretty typical. They even took the time to write the date on the top (3/31/06)... But then they wrote "Copeland's" real big on the middle. Um, why? Do they get people who eat pan-seared tuna out so often that they need a reminder that distinguishes which place they got it from? And really, why put the year on there, too? It's not like that pan-seared tuna is going to be waiting for me in 2007. This isn't my mom's fridge, after all!

But while I'm on the subject of expired food... I never eat seafood. I'm not used to having fish in my fridge, so I really have no idea how fast it goes bad. As you know, I had a busy weekend, and I didn't eat any meals at home the entire time, so there was no instance to have had that tuna until tonight. Which probably explains why my stomach decided to tie itself in a perfect square knot when I laid down to go to bed. I am not feeling good. AT ALL. Those who know me know that I HATE throwing up, despite the fact that I've done it on the sidewalk outside of bars, and with a sense of pride, no less. But man, I am trying not to throw up right now. So I'm typing a post for you. That has nothing to do with a certain movie which shall go unnamed. Here's hoping I don't need a new keyboard in the morning.

So here's my question... Is my stomach just not used to fish and hating it or did that go bad after 3 days in my fridge? Why am I typing with the trash can near me? Dammit, I need sleep. This is not helping, especially with that time change thing...

PS: Sidebars have been updated a little bit.

No pictures to see here.

I cooked myself by Tracy's pool today. I have a total redneck tan going now because I politely decided to wear a shirt to the San Marco Art Festival on a typical Florida 90-degree 98% humidity April day. You guys won't get the requested pictures because I didn't realize how much I need to clean my tiny little bathroom mirror until I took a picture and the light in there makes me look stark white even though I'm a very pleasant pink. Sorry.

Other than the farmer's tan, I've had pretty much an absolutely fantastic weekend. Best in ages, really. How was yours?



PS: If you called or IM'd or texted me this weekend and I didn't get back to you, um, sorry about that. I was a little preoccupied. Let this be your blanket apology, since pretty much everyone that calls or texts or IM's me reads this anyway.