longish weekend update

Wednesday: Met up with Lown's for Ramon's lovin, split up, Ellen and I landed @ Fridays' South, where much gin was drank, hung out with.. April? Some short chick, really nice. Crowd thickened severely at midnight or so, saw our neighbor, chilled more, left around 2-2:30. Wrong bartender got our tab, so we weren't comped, which kidna sucked, but whatarayagonnado. Passed out hard.

Thursday: Much ado about chilling. Slept till like 11. Ellen made some breafkast. Hung out, watched movies, had a small basic Tgiving meal (turk, stuff, greenbeancass, gravy), hung out more.

Friday: Worked, stabbed face in boredom. Drove out to St. P after work to help Rob demo his current built-in entertainment center, and plan on the fly for the new one, and start framing things out. Recipricating saws are fucking fun. Worked till about 11:30 or so. Drove home, hit a deer about 4 blocks from the house, which sucked. Broke at least 2 of its legs. Luckily (for me), I caught it in mid-air, so I just took its legs out from under it, and it kinda bounced off the hood. Called 911, and watched it flop around in front of the fire station. Before the cops could show, she'd ran off into someone's yard, and I'd lost it, so the cop sent his backup looking for the deer while he wrapped up paperwork. Went to leave the scene, and found the deer behind one of the firefighter's cars. Left at that point, since I wasn't sure I needed to stick around for the killing of the deer.

Because of the way I hit it, there was really minimal damage. Broke my grill, put a gouge in my bumper, and took a chunk out of the hood, broke a support up by the engine. Probably a grand or so worth of damage if I'd had a shop do it, so I went ahead and filed a claim. Allstate seems awesome sofar, taking it in tomorrow morning to get my check.

Saturday: Slept in late, plodded around the house for the morning. Left around 2 to go to Fview and meet my half-brother and his wife. Got to the bar about 2:30, we were supposed to be there at 3. I pounded 3 Buds and a crown and coke before they even showed up, yay anxiousness! They showed up, it was severely awkward to start, so I was drinking VERY heavily, and smoking like a chimney. Things kinda got more comfortable after a bit, but I kept drinking. My body was completely rejecting the alcohol, because I never once got drunk depite drinking 9+ drinks over the course of the meeting. Wound up parting ways around 9. Kinda cool, the second I walked out the door (assuming when my body shut off the adrenaline flow) I was plowed beyond belief.

Went to Jimmy Johns to eat, then met up with Eric/Aaron/Helen at Sharkeys for some bad pool and more booze. Then headed to LJ Ducks for bad DJing and more booze. I wound up smoking a grand total of 38 cigarettes, and drinking for 12 hours straight. Good times. Came home around 2:30 and ate two plates of leftovers.

Sunday:
Woke up around 11, of course hungover as hell. Gathered my wits, and rolled out to St. Peters again to help rob hang some drywall. Rolled back to Cville, didn't kill anything. Had a taco and a turkey sandwich, watched Ocean's 13, and passed out on the couch around 7 while ellen watched something else. Rolled into bed, exhausted at 9.

flawless

CA trip booked. 12/28-1/4. We're connecting in Minneapolis both ways (the only way we could get tickets less than $550/ea). Minneapolis in late December, what could go wrong?

Meat and meat and meat

One more. So, when I finally was on my way home from the truck debacle last night (see post below), it was about 8. I was going to just run through McD's, but at the last minute I decided I hadn't really ate all day, so I went to Hardee's to try their semi-latest (they had it last year, but I never got to try it) burger abomination: the Philly Cheesesteak Thickburger.

Picture, if you will, a burger. I'm going to just go through the layers of this bastard starting at the bottom:

Bun.
Hamburger.
Chee... NO!!! Wait. No cheese! Not yet! MORE MEAT. Yah, thin-sliced 'steak' whateverness. I need meat on my meat dammit. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Ok, now two kinds of melted-ass cheese.
Mushroom/sauteed onion/green pepper sprinklings.
Bun #2.

The press photo paints a pretty picture that's a bit extreme.
There's nowhere near that much philly meat, and the two cheeses on mine were intertwined, but completely melted, which was awesome. Seriously, I may have been really hungry or something, but this thing was fucking great.

Of course, I cam nowhere near finishing it. But it was incredible.

Hello, Lowes? Yah, it's JK. Eat a dick.

So, last night was Mission: Get Couch (see weekend update below). Commissioned Eric to help with the movering. Ran over to Home Depot in O'Fallon, IL straight from work to grab their rental truck since I knew Collinsville HD didn't have one yet. Home Depot guy informs us that corporate came in last Thursday and took their truck. "Where to?" I ask. "Collinsville." Fuck.

In a moment of clarity, I had him call over before I made the trip back to make sure it was there. They hadn't got it in their system yet, so they couldn't rent it out. Fuck. Headed to Lowe's. Walk up to the service counter. This is the part that made me kill my soul.

"Hi, I need to rent one of your trucks."
"Ok, do you need to make your purchase still?"
"No, just renting the truck."
"Sorry, our policy states the trucks are for customers only, so you need to buy something that requires a truck to move"
"Um... Is there a price minimum or size minimum?"
"Nope."
"So.... like.... what?"
"If you want, just go back to lumber and buy some wood, and then I can get it going."
"So..... what? Can I just go back there and buy one board?"
"Sure."
"So.... I'm going to go back to lumber, buy one $2 2x4 and bring it back, and we'll get the truck."
"Right. I also need a credit card, insurance, and a driver's license."
"K. But I just need to buy one 2x4."
"Yah."
"You do realize that's completely stupid, right?"
"Yeah, but they make us do it."
"Wow."

So, I walk back to lumber, get my 2x4 stud ($2.50) and come back up to the counter.

"OK, I just have to find someone to pull the truck around for you."
"Um, I have one 2x4. I can just carry it to the truck, I'm kinda in a hurry." Furniture place loading dock closed at 7. It was 6:30 at this point.
"Sorry, we have to have an employee move it up front."

So, we wait for Ray to get the truck while we stand out in front of the store with a 2x4, like comlete douchbags. Put the 2x4 in the back, drive over to Lane to get sofa. Get sofa loaded, realize the 2x4 won't fit in the truck, leave it at Lane.

Drove home, got the thing unloaded, took it back.

"Did the truck work out OK?"
"Yah, that 2x4 was very heavy and hard to get in the house, that's what took so long."

Then I killed everyone. The end.

Happy belated weekend update

Friday: Uhhhhhh..... Oh. Wait. Yah. Met up with the Lowns at 17th Street for the BBQ lovin, I loved it, Ellen didn't, sad. Went and saw American Gangster, which follows the standard Goodfellas/Scarface/Blow formula to a T: Guy comes up, guy sells drugs, guy gets shitloads of money, kills some folks, guy slips, guy gets pinned by the feds. I'll still watch it every time though. I'm sick of Collin Ferrell.

Saturday: Uhhh.... Oh. Met up with the Lowns at Friday's South for food and beer lunch. Had food (Sub-par Philly Sandwich (band name)) and way too much Scottish Ale for noon on a Saturday. Had my ass handed to me at darts. Went to Rock Hill/Glendale/Webster to go to Bryan and Kristey's post-elope party thinger. Drank a bit more, hung out with some cool peoples. Left there around 8 or 9, decided to check out the "new" Casino Queen. After getting turned around, and finding what is possibly the most seedy strip club in East St. Louis (I'm assuming strip club because it said GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS on the sign, but the building looked like a Ned Kellys, so I was very confused) and seeing hookers/hitchikers (2 of em), we made our way back to the casino, where we marveled at how much nicer it was, then we marveled at how fast I plowed through $40 on slots and video poker. Ellen did decent enough to break even and cover our (cheap) drinks, so whatever. Left there, went home, fell asleep.

Sunday: Woke up, went shopping for Ellen's family xmas shit, which we're doing on the 8th. Consumerism abounded. Had BW3 while watching the first 2 plays of the Bears/Seahawks game, which was definitely the high point of the whole debacle. After leaving Target, we saw the pretty-new Lane store was going out of business, so we stopped in to poked around. Bought a 5 piece sectional cuz we're idiots like that and it was 1/3rd price. Came home, ellen wrapped presents while I researched ottomans or something.

Woot

Tickets for Cali at the end of the year booked. Flying into Sacramende on the 28th, back on the 4th.

Impossible to find anything approaching a deal at the end of the year, and to top it all off we're connecting in Minneapolis both ways.....so that has the potential to eat all balls in late December.

Wednesday=weekned update?

Sure, why the hell not.

Friday: Took off early to wrap cleanup/construction on the garage, Chris/Cari showed up, we hung out for a bit, then headed over to Lucas Park for Ellen's bday, which was awesome because they updated their menu, and it rocked. Horseradish crusted NY Strip was in-fuggin credible. After that we took them up to the CWE to hang out at Mandarin, which was cool as always, then poked into Sub-Zero to check it out, was definitely un-impressed with it as a whole, especially the sushi (got a roll just to check it out). Headed back east, hopped into Friday's South for a bit, then I guess we went home?

Saturday: Attempted and failed at sleeping in. Ellen made food, it was good. Putzed around the house most of the day. Headed to Edwardsville to hit one of the last remaining Wendy's in IL, it was awesome. Hit Wood River for keg action (closest place that didn't have a selection of Bud/BudLight, we got Select. Der). Came back, setup shop for the party. People showed up, drank, it was fun. People left, passed out, I dragged people to LJ Ducks at 2 I guess, came back and passed out on the kitchen floor.

Sunday: Hangover. Watched Hostel II, which was suprisingly non-sucky for a sequel. Sat around most of the remainder of the day, due to Sundayness. Dont' remember what we did.

Monday: I was off for Veteran's day (yay gov job), spent a good chunk playin COD4 (which is incredible), then another part planning my layout for the remainder of the garage, and mounting the amp in the mustang after ripping apart the trunk and staring at it for an hour.

Sanding sucks.

I gave up on doing semi-daily updates because well, it's just drywall and shit.

After two coats of mud (yes, I'm lazy, it's a garage), primer and cheap-ass white Glidden paint with mix-in sand texture:



Its...a wall. Back left corner is getting covered with painted plywood so I have easy access to the electrical shit back there.

The other wall, where I decided to listen to "everyone on the Internet"'s advice:

Yes, going horizontally is worlds easier, but next to impossible to do by yourself. My advice: call in favors when hanging this shit. Got Nate to help with this wall, and it was soo flippin quick. Tonight this wall gets the final sanding, primed and painted. Then it's time to clear out shit, and partially assemble everything. The back right corner of that wall didn't get finished because I'm lazy and Figure I'll just do it at the same time as the back/front walls, which won't get touched for a couple weeks because I'm very much sick of screwing with this. :)

Of Khakis and Polos

I like shopping in my work clothes over my lunch break. Usually I just get asked if I work wear I'm at (tip: don't go shopping at Target the day you're wearing a red shirt). Today at Home Depot one of the employees asked me if I was a vendor. Which I didn't completely get, but I wasn't.

Today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you.

I can't remember where I read/heard it now, but I can't listen to Coheed & Cambria without hearing Geddy Lee singing vocals, which just really makes me want to stab my eyes out on multiple levels. Mainly the eye level, though.

Weekend?

Haven't done one of these in a while, I don't think.

Friday: Came home...uh... I think I was still sick. Ate at Houlihan's, hit Blockbuster, came home, watched 28 Weeks Later, crashed fairly early.

Saturday: Ate breakfast, hit Home Depot for drywall accountraments and new porch paint. Ellen spent the day painting the front/back porches while I worked on the garage. Got the north wall pretty much completely hung, then helped Ellen finish the porches. Met Helen/Eric @ Ramon's for the Mexican lovin. Hit the bowling alley for... bowling, I sucked arse, teenagers are annoying. Went to Hurricanes and Fridays for 2 minutes each before finally landing at LJ Ducks, which was a surreal scene. Eric & I were the only dudes in the place for an hour or so. Then the crowd switched up, and some dude named "J" who was plowed out of his gourd and we're pretty sure was on E befriended us, and touched Eric and I a lot.

With DST ending, I think the gods got confused, and the 2:30 fight took place around 12:30 or 1, can't remember. It was a doozy though, involving the DJs drunk-ass woman, then someone getting ganged-up-on in the parking lot. Upon coming back in, "J" and gravel-voice guy got into it, and there were two other fights going on. A Runts machine got broken, which really upset the 60-year-old Grandma lady at the bar, who was hilarious. Another fight broke out inside the DJ's SUV. When we closed our tab and snuck out under the cover of blood, there were 2 cruisers at the bar, and we heard at least 2 other cop cars coming from across town with full sirens going while we made our way home. I laughed the entire way home. The best part, of course, was that someone finally witnessed the 2:30 fight, and it just happened to be the most cluster-fucked one ever. So that was fun.

Sunday: Was awaken way too early and hungover to go grab some breakfast at Bob Evans. Hit Home Depot afterwards for more drywall shit. Came home, started taping and mudding the north wall. Nate came over, and we completely kicked ass on the south wall, clearing all the shit out of the garage, pulling down existing shelves and shit, insulating pretty much the whole wall, and getting the majority of the drywall up by 5pm. Considering Nate got there at 12:30 or so, we shot BB guns for a good 30 minutes and took multiple beer/smoke breaks, I thought that was amazing.

Tonight we have the top 2' of the south wall to put up, some trim pieces near the east wall, mudding and taping the south wall, knocking down the high spots on the north wall, and doing the 2nd coat of mud.

Tomorrow, Rob the Plumber comes to install our hot water heater, and I'll do the 2nd coat of mud on the south wall, and finish the north wall, maybe start spraying up texture, depending on when Rob gets done. Wednesday will be finishing the south wall, and probably start priming/painting. Hopefully Thursday I'll put shelves and shit back up and restore the garage to garage condition, in time for the party Saturday.

Hooray for starting major projects before parties! I feel like I'm on one of those house-flipper shows.