"No thanks, I'm just looking"

I'm a pretty routine kinda guy. Don't get me wrong, I can be all crazy and spontaneous, but on a day-to-day basis, I'm not.

***as a side note: I can be all crazy and spontaneous...hrmmm...said more facetiously than anything--LOL***

Anyway, I usually stay in the office for lunch because I bring my lunch. And there is another HUGE reason why I don't leave for lunch. If I *do* go somewhere "just to look" or something, I always always ALWAYS buy something! It never fails! So, going out to lunch for me = spending money. Is there some sort of early childhood correlation that I'm not aware of???

What Would You Change?

One of my co-worker's (T) last day is tomorrow. He came in our office to talk with me and M this morning (A is on vacation). He is leaving our company to pursue his passion in life--aviation. He's going back to flight school full time. He has been taking flight lessons and had been enrolled part-time in flight school at one point. Life, money, other things got in the way, so he took time off from flight school and came to work for our company. He's one of the 2 people that is my age here at work. I've been here a little bit longer, but he's put in a good 2+ years here. We, also, went to college together--we didn't know each other then.

We started talking about how/if we would do things differently now that we know what we know. This got us thinking...

Do I regret anything I've done? No, 'cause it ultimately makes me who I am today (I know this sounds cliche-ish, but I honestly believe that).

Would I change things knowing what I know now? Yes.

~I wouldn't have finished college in 4 years. What was my rush? Why didn't I take my time?
~I woulda been more dedicated to running in high school. But...since I didn't get burned out on it in high school, I kept running for fun...which made me better...which makes me enjoy it more...
~I woulda picked a more specific major or a different one all together...
~I woulda traveled after college. When else can you do this without obligations? This goes back to my "I've gotta finish college in 4 years and start a job the last day of classes" attitude. Yeah, I started my first job after my last class...again...what was my rush?
~I wouldn't have been so naive...but is that *really* all that bad? I think more people should be naive...

These are just a few of mine that I can think of right now. What about y'all? Knowing what you know now, would you change anything that you've done in your life?

Dorkious Maximus

Hi, my name is Stephen...
(hi, Stephen)
...and I'm a...

...DORK!

Yes, I admit it, I voted last night for the American Idol. I voted 7 times (my lucky number) via text message. I have never voted before, but I felt it was my civic duty last night to vote. I don't want Bo to win! He's a good singer, but I just don't like the whole long hair, rocker, spastic thing he has going. Plus, I'm partial to Carrie 'cuase I like country and she is a great singer:)

Who knows, maybe my 7 votes will make her win...YEAH RIGHT! hahaha

Fun stuff

http://www.nmfn.com/tnetwork/longevity_game_popup.html

According to the link above, I'm gonna live to age 83. So, that is 58 more years...hrmmm...how should I spend 'em...?

Oddities

Odd...

...how something can consume your life so much. Since I've started this triathlon journey, it seems that all I do is eat, train, work, and sleep (on occasion--lol). I've become a member of several websites that I *have* to visit a gazillion times a day, most of my e-mails that I receive are triathlon-related, everything I buy is triathlon-related, everything I read is triathlon related, I'm a member of several triathlon organizations, and the list goes on. I know it sounds a little obsessive, but you really can't be totally dedicated to triathlons without being "consumed" by it. If you aren't consumed, then you aren't doing it right...

...This older guy at work ALWAYS buttons EVERY button when he wears polos. Why?!?!? Does he think he looks cool? Who told him that this looks ok? He is honestly the only person that I've ever seen that does this. He just looks like a big 'ole dork! Just odd...

...how much a person can change over a couple of months. Going along with the aforementioned "oddity" #1, I obviously don't go to bars/clubs nearly as much as I used to. With my dedication to triathlons, getting drunk, staying out late, and partying regularly don't fit any training programs. With this said, I went out with some friends last night for a drink. They still go out on a regular basis (by this, I mean a couple of nights during the week and Friday and/or Saturday nights). When I went out more often, I still didn't go out *this* much. Well, I'm just sorta over it now. When I'm gonna hang out with friends, I would much rather hang out at someone's apt/house, catch up, drink a beer or a glass of wine, etc. Is it that I'm just getting older? I'm only 25!?!?! Am I growing up/maturing? Who knows...

...how much more vocal I'm getting at work these days. I can't be rude to anyone, but I *am* more vocal now. I wouldn't say that I'm a total pushover, but on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being stern, a hard@$$, etc. and 10 being a total pushover) I would probably be about a 7 or 7.5 (maybe a 8). Does this go along with the whole "getting older/maturity" thing? Who knows...I'm just not gonna take people's crap anymore...LOL.

...how I'm commenting on "maturity." Me? NAH!

...how much I crack myself up. A & M just laugh at me laughing at myself. It's amusing...

One Chaotic Hour

Ok...I'll admit it...I watched Britney and Kevin: Chaotic last night. Let me preface this post by saying a couple of things:

~Yes, I like her music...
~Yes, I think she's a good performer...
~No, I don't think she's a great singer (definitely not live--the 2 songs she *actually* sang at her Onyx Hotel concert were awful! Bless her heart...)
~Yes, I went to her last concert when it came to Philips Arena...
~Yes, I think she USED to be sexy, have a great body, killer abs, etc. (uh...sooooo not the case now!!!)

Whew...ok, now that I have that out of the way, I can go on with my post. Let me just tell you that her reality show SUCKED A BIG FAT ONE!!! I think she is trying to do the whole Jessica Simpson thing with the ditsy, airheady, dorky bit, but it doesn't work for her. As much as I hate to say it, she comes off as a white-trash, redneck, unintelligent, immature, desperate, Girls Gone Wild girl. This might be the nail in the cofin that kills her career. I was listening to the radio this morning, and they were commenting that any sex appeal that she USED to have is ALL GONE NOW!!! Amen to that...

Will I watch again next week?...probably...

The Many Roles of 1GAR

runner
son
brother
uncle
friend
brother-in-law
co-worker
roommate
TRIATHLETE!!!

Yup, this weekend, I added another title to my name. Now, the next one is gonna be Half Ironman and Ironman (it'll be a while, tho...)

Why do I feel the need to...

...buy stuff and "hoard" it. For example, I will be half more than halfway done with a tube of toothpaste and go on and buy another...even though I will get like 2, 3 weeks more out of the existing tube...

...buy all the flavors available in a product. I bought some Gatorade Endurance and HAD to buy all 3 flavors. Why?

...get up at the same time every morning when I ALWAYS finish my workout around the same time and get to work 30-45 minutes early??? Why don't I just get up 30 minutes later and get to work on time??? (...but, I can legitimately leave work 30-45 minutes earlier:) )

...arrive early everywhere I go??? What's gonna happen if I get there right on time?

And once again, I thought there would be more, but alas...

Challenge ON

A & M extended a challenge to me yesterday. First off, I have to preface this with the fact that I love to sing. I think that it is virtually impossible for me to NOT sing when music is on. Whether I like the song or not, I just feel the need to bust out in song. So, I non-chalantly said, "I wonder if I can go a full day without singing--hahahaha." They both said, "no way!" "yeah right!" etc. So, I bet them on it.

The Challenge: They bet that I couldn't NOT sing for 1 full workday.

interesting...

Challenge accepted! What do I get if I win? hehehe (rubs hands together). If I win, A has to pat another co-worker on the butt and call him "sweetie," "honey," "babe," "sugar," etc. This is a coworker that she can't stand!!! It's SOOO worth it...

So far, so good...

Too little too late

An article from today's AJC.com:

Brazilian Town Declares Orgasm Day
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Sex rarely makes the news in Brazil's conservative Northeast — until a small town declared an official Orgasm Day on Monday. Espertantina Mayor Felipe Santolia endorsed the May 9 holiday, which he said was intended to improve relationships between married couples. "We're celebrating orgasm in all its senses. There's even a panel discussion on premature ejaculation. But from what I've seen, women have more trouble achieving orgasm than men, especially in marriage," Santolia said by telephone from Esperantina, 1,300 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. Santolia said the remote town of 38,000 people has been unofficially celebrating orgasm day for years, but that the town's former mayor had vetoed a bill making it an official municipal holiday. The city council passed a law Saturday creating the holiday. Santolia, who took office earlier this year, said he would sign the bill later Monday. "I'm 32, single and I have an open mind. Beside the theme is very much of the moment," he said. Orgasm Day celebrations include a series of panel discussions by sexologists from across Brazil and a presentation of Eve Ensler's play "The Vagina Monologues." Santolia said the idea of celebrating Orgasm Day at first created a scandal in this poor region, known for its religious fervor. But he said residents gradually residents warmed to the idea. "I've seen scientific studies that show when a woman is unloved, when her husband can bring her to orgasm, it affects all aspects of her life, her relationships with her children, at home, with the city and at work," Santolia said.

NOW they tell us--a day AFTER the blessed day! Dang Brazillians!

A friend of a friend of a friend

You learn something new everyday...

So, it seems that I have gotten somewhat intertwined in the messed up interworkings of a little click here in Atlanta. I got an IM today from one of my girl friends that is linked to my blog. It seems that I am linked to her ex's blog.

Who, oh, who could it be...???

Smells

So, I went on a ride last night after work. During the 26 miles ride, I came across some rather distinct smells:

Normal/pleasant: the sweet smell of flowers blooming, fresh cut grass
Bad: Cow manure, road kill
Odd: Wacky weed!!!

Yup, you read right! I biked past a seemingly normal looking house and got a huge waft of pot. Even though it is a conservative part of town, whodathunkit?!?!?! Nothing like a riding your bike and suddenly getting nostalgic thoughts of Dave Matthew's Band concerts...

The Colbert Report

Well, here it is folks...I've finally made it in the world:) Who knew I would have my very own show one day??? I'll invite y'all on as guests when I can fit it in;)

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=190110

You're it!

Ok, in an attempt to add a little variety to this dang blog, I will answer ANY question from the person who is the 300th one to visit. Choose wisely...

(it'll be 1 of like 5 people--LOL)

Questions

Being bored at work, my mind wandering, thinking about pointless things...I got to thinkin...some of the questions that people ask are really not questions at all. For example:

"Hi, this is ______, can you hold?" What would they say if you said "no"? They are expecting you to say "yes." The next time you're asked this, say "no" and see what happens.

"How are you?" When this is asked, it is usually assumed that the other person will say "good," then both of y'all will go about your separate ways. There are those occasions when someone will say "sleepy" or "tired" or the like, but I would go so far as to say that the "good" response is expected 95%+ of the time. Most people just ask this in passing as a "filler"...they don't want all the details...just say "good" so I can go about my day. Thanks.

Hrmmm...when I thinking about this, I thought there were more...not as good of a post as I thought...

So much laughter...

This past weekend, A went down to Valdosta for a “girl’s weekend.” They went to the Kenny Chesney concert in Jacksonville and just made a weekend out of it.

Well, one of her good friends, S, came up yesterday to pick something up in Atlanta and wanted to meet her for lunch. They talk all the time at work and she hears me in the background, so I sorta know her. I’ve talked to her several times on speakerphone, so we have a rapport. When she came up, she told A that I HAD to come to lunch, too. So, A and I went to lunch with her. Man, what a time! She is drop dead gorgeous, hilarious, full of stories about A, and just non-stop fun! When I first met her, she gave me a big ‘ole hug like we had known each other forever. I don’t think I stopped laughing at all! A is a fun gal, but put her with S and they are off the hook!

I’ve made plans to go down to Valdosta to hang out/party with them. THAT will be fun!

‘at a boy!

In preparation for the Braves game this past Sunday, my sister and mom were bound and determined to buy the kids a Braves outfit and hat. Well, after searching every store in Lenox Mall, I finally found a youth size UGA hat. Youth size is still a little too big—him being 3 and all—but it would do. No stores had a Braves hat in a youth size, so this was the only option. Upon finding this hat, my mom and sis came over to the hat section of Champs Sports and also saw a GT hat. So, they got my little nephew and asked him which one he liked. My sis had the GT hat closer to him, urging him to pick that one, but my boy came through! He picked the UGA hat:)

‘at a boy! Makes an uncle proud…

P.S. We found a youth sized Braves hat *at* the game. LOL