Friday, March 31, 2006

Weekdays

I've enjoyed almost three days off from work because my little man has been sick. During that time I've really started to understand how much I enjoy getting out and working or playing. I've got some wicked cabin fever going on. I've taken time off work and some days Quentin and I sit around the house and do inside stuff, sometimes we go out and do outside stuff, but we have the choice and I know we have a choice. Not having a choice makes this whole situation worse! I've done the laundry that I save for Sunday, I've done the cleaning that I usually do Saturday morning. I'll try to look at the bright side of this though, if he's better, than we can have the weekend free of household chores.

I got into a small lighthearted debate with CJ yesterday and I got to thinking, she doesn't like men, I don't like women, she leans to the left, and I lean to the right, maybe we should get our own call in radio or TV show and make us both lots of cash. It would work only if the callers and guests on the show could get either of us to shut up first!

Other than that, I have nothing to rant about.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Adam Cusack

Since the weather here was so nice this weekend, Quentin and I went to the beach Friday and Saturday. We walked around on the boardwalk and the sand, had lunch at my favorite beach restaurant, and got some ice cream, which really made my lactose intolerant stomach do some flips, but it was still fun and worth it.

Today I decided to take out the old camera and head downtown and take some city scape pictures. I ended up shooting three roles of photographs in about three hours. Quentin had a good time bouncing about the city with Dad so it was a good father-son bonding day. We stopped at a deli and had a late lunch and headed back to the truck to get home for the race. Along the way we walked by Starbucks, and I was craving a Cafe au Lait so we dipped in and ordered one for me and a water for Quentin. The wonderful, cheerful folks behind the counter said they had to make a fresh pot, which I will never complain of a fresh pot of coffee, and they would call me when it was done. We headed over to a table to sit down for a little bit and I noticed an attractive girl doing some school work. She looked up and said hello and I returned the courtesy. She went back to her book and I went to get my coffee. While I was at the counter my ever flirtatious son struck up a conversation with our mystery college student, another reason why I love taking my son places. He introduced himself and asked what she was doing, she said she was reading for class. I come to find out she's going for her M.B.A., so she's attractive and educated.

We talked for a while and then Quentin said that he wanted to go home, after walking around Norfolk for a few hours, I didn't blame him. Quentin and I headed out the door all the while her and I keept looking back at each other. We got down the block and around the corner then my mind started working. "Why didn't you get a phone number or something?" "Gee, mind, I don't know!" I looked at my little man and said "Lets go back!" Quentin said "Yeah, lets go talk to that girl again." I love my little man! So we turn around to go back and maybe invite her to grab dinner or something. When I get back to Starbucks, she was gone. Table cleaned off, not a single sign of her.

I looked up and down the street, and nothing. We walked a little bit, thinking maybe she was around the corner and again, nothing. So now I'm having images of each of us looking for each other and we're passing each other on opposite sides of the block and we both give up at the same time and head off in opposite directions. Then images of all the John Cusack movies I have ever seen start to run through my head. I then decided that this is going to be the summary of my love life from now on, The Cusack. When my family asks me how is my love life, I will answer, "It's Cusack."

So, Sarah, if you happen to come across this, hope to see you again, leave a message, give me a call, do anything so I can stop being Cusack and start being Costner.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

The DVD In Black

About six years ago I went to a pawn shop in Jacksonville, NC and bought a generic DVD player for $50.00. This year, the Little DVD Player That Could, finally decided that it couldn't anymore. After a couple months of procrastination I headed on down to Best Buy to find a new movie watchin' companion. I wandered around the store, compared bells and whistles, compared prices, and finally settled on a Toshiba DVD/VCR combo. I grabbed the box, a couple CD's, and headed to the register to pay for my new forms of entertainment. When I got home I untangled all the cords and hooked it up to the TV and stereo, so far so good. I then put a disc in to make sure all systems where go (Remote response? Check. Picture? Check. Sound? Check.) so far so good. I didn't watch the whole movie, I just watched long enough to make a function check. The new DVD player sat idle until Tuesday, the whole reason I replaced the other player this week, the shortly awaited release of Walk The Line.

I never got to see Walk The Line while it was in the theaters, and after discovering Johnny Cash's music this past summer, I wanted to check it out both for the subject matter and because of the rave reviews it has been receiving since it's release. Tuesday came around and I picked up the movie, got it home, and put the new DVD player to work, and work it did, for about 15 minutes. The picture froze, which isn't a big deal as long as it recovers and moves along. However it didn't come back. I ejected the disc and tried again, with no luck.
Mr. Toshiba says, "There is no disc in this player!"
"But there is a disc Mr Toshiba!"
"No there isn't!"
Now I'm getting angry! Now I'm starting to curse inanimate objects! I try again! Nothing! I ended up watching my new shortly awaited movie on the 11 inch screen of my portable DVD player, that I got for Quentin and our road trips, propped upon the coffee table, not on my 36 inch TV with surround sound.

Wednesday when I got home from work I packed up Mr Toshiba and headed back to Best Buy. I wasn't angry at the Best Buy folks, as some Oblivions would be, it isn't their fault. I walked to the customer service counter where the associate told me to go get myself another DVD player. This time I decided to go to Sony. While I was looking at the DVD/VCR combos again, I got to thinking, am I really going to use the VCR side? No, I won't. So, single DVD it is. The Sony was $20.00 cheaper than the combo which was put back on my card and I, of course, spent it right away on another couple of Johnny Cash CD's, it just seemed appropriate.

I'm overjoyed to report that the Sony is working like a charm and Walk The Line was a great movie, the story was great and the fact that the actors played the instruments and sang the songs themselves, not pulling a Milli Vanilli, made it all the more enjoyable and I hope it does well at the Academy Awards tonight. I'm also starting to understand why someone once said there are two types of Johnny Cash fans, those that are and those that will be one.