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Monday, November 30th, 2009
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2:07 am - Living Vicariously 2
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It's back and way bigger than before!
http://www.living-vicariously.net
I have to go to Florida in a few hours, but I made it a goal to get this site launched by
the end of November. I'm very satisfied with it so far. Please check it out and comment
if you'd like!
I might do the picture post thing here, I might not. I'm exhausted right now and can't
think straight. Lost an additional 2-3 pounds on Wii Fit. I'm making a then-and-now
video to help keep me motivated.
But yeah, Florida for the week. I'm sorry I'm going to miss your birthday, Bry! I got your
stuff already so we'll have to hang out soon. <3
Follow me on Twitter. @livingvicarious
Adios, see you in Florida!
current mood:  sleepy
current music: Porcupine Tree - ["Rest Will Flow"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Friday, November 27th, 2009
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12:48 am - Christmas list 2009
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| Saturday, November 21st, 2009
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3:12 am - Wii Fit: Week 1
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Lost 2 pounds. Not eating past midnight anymore. Snacking less. Drinking more water. Finding
it easier to breathe. Typing like that robot from OK Computer.
current mood:  accomplished
current music: Radiohead - ["Fitter Happier"]
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, November 15th, 2009
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11:00 pm - 11.15 - "Echo"
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"Echo"
Written on November 15h, 2009
K.J
In hindsight a dim light illuminated
the grim and foreshadowing hymn
Deja vu in shades of blue
etched in what's now the nub of a crayon
Wrote the antidote in volumes
stored in shelves stowed in twelve
A dozen articles inside the dungeon
and yet not a lesson learned
These extracts are intact subsisting
in the form of a specter deprived of warmth
It still lingers within the home until
a glimpse of reflection puts it at peace.
Misunderstood context withstood in vain
A disjunction of concord and dysfunction
routinely light embers annually in November
...the end result is always the same.
current mood:  melancholy
current music: Tori Amos - "Hey Jupiter"
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, November 12th, 2009
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4:57 am - Wii Fit
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Whoops!
I currently weigh 215 pounds. I plan to use Wii Fit 5-7 times a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
By Summer 2010 (June) my goal is to be back down to 180. From there ideally I'd get down to 160
to be in good shape again, but that's not my focus. You can lose around 7-8 pounds a month to
have a healthy weight loss that (theoretically) won't come back to haunt you as long as you
keep up with a more balanced diet and exercise. The period of time between December and June is
7 months. 7x7 = 49. Round that up to 50 pounds to lose. 215-50 = 165. That gives me about 15
pound leeway to reach my goal, which realistically won't always be 7 pounds a month. I'm sure
it'll be more like 5, but even then I'd reach my goal.
It's time for a change.
current mood:  optimistic
current music: The Dear Hunter- ["In Cauda Venenum"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Saturday, November 7th, 2009
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11:26 pm - Things of Note
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1) After spending one day a week all October on Silent Hill (the original PS1 version), and 3
days in a row this past week, I beat it! Game still creeps me out. The pixelated and muddy PS1
textures actually add to the atmosphere.You haven't heard the last of it from me.
2) I got my Visa card today, finally. Wahoo!
3) Speaking of 'wahoo', New Super Mario Bros Wii leaked all over the internets earlier today.
It comes out November 15th. Hmmmm...
4) I leave for Florida in about 3 weeks.
5) Have a PS3? Download Fat Princess. The online mode is well worth the $15 price tag.
6) I want an acoustic guitar and a middle-to-higher-end microphone for Christmas.
7) Living Vicariously is returning this month. Like, for real. For real real.
That's about it. I've been keeping myself creatively busy during all my time off thus far.
current mood: accomplished
current music: The Ratconteurs - ["Steady As She Goes"]
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, October 31st, 2009
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10:39 pm - 3 Years.
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Wings for Judith
current mood: sad
current music: Tool - ["10,000 Days"]
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, October 24th, 2009
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9:45 pm - I <3 Mattel
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As most of my friends know, I've been collecting wrestling action figures for the past
12 years of my life. It's been a very fun hobby to keep up. I started out in May of 1997.
Once I got in high school I stopped playing with them and moved on to collecting/displaying
them. Jakks Pacific has been the company that has made these things for the past 13 years.
Starting on Janurary 1st, 2010, Mattel are taking over as the licensee of the WWE brand.
This entire year, Jakks has been incredibly unprofessional with the loss of the WWE license.
They've canceled sets, they've re-released the same exact figures multiple times to save on
costs, they've cheaped out in deco - sometimes going as far as to not even paint details on
these $10+ products, and have more or less destroyed the collector based line, Classic Superstars.
CS is a series that is aimed specifically at collectors like me. It's a nostalgic series of
superstars and personalities from the vivid history of professional wrestling, crossing over to
old school ECW, WCW, NWA, and old WWF. In the end, Jakks didn't want to spend the money to make
the people we were told they were going to make - the result is an incredibly uneventful and lame ending to a landmark series. It's really a shame.
Bring on Mattel. And bring on the first wave of 2-packs:
Effort - Mattel has it. Individual body sculpts? Details? Proper scaling? It's like
the exact opposite of Jakks. I can't wait to begin my Mattel collection next year!
Oh yeah, in the new Smackdown game you can record video footage and edit the camera
angles. In the PS3 version you can upload them to YouTube right from the PS3.
Here is a funny one that I made called "Cody's Bad Luck":
current mood:  excited
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Saturday, October 17th, 2009
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8:17 pm - Balloon Boy Hoax
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A concise list of why the Balloon Boy "incident" is a distasteful hoax:
1) The alleged basket/box. On YouTube there is a video of the Heene Family launching
the balloon. As it floats away there is no basket/box in sight, despite the father's
concern about Falcon (the little boy) being in a basket and the basket possibly falling
off. They launched the damn thing without the basket and released the footage of this to
the media. That's enough proof as it is.
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmUoLEH9WGY )
2) The Larry King interview. Wolf Blitzer asks the family about the incident. He asks the
father to ask Falcon why he hid in the attic. Falcon said, "You guys said that we did this for the show." The father and mother seem to have premeditated crying points.
...as I write this CNN just broke news "they expect to file criminal charges in the near future in this case."
Wow. Just wow. this is awesome.
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
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2:54 am - Virgin Megastore = dead
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I just found out that several months ago Virgin Megastore went under. My Florida vacation is
coming up in late November. When I was in Disney last year, I went to Virgin Megastore like
5 times. I absolutely fell in love with the place. They housed all my favorite band's albums,
most of which are fairly obscure. They had all kinds of cool clothing and a huge video game
section. There was an upstairs area with books and videos and world music. It was an absolute
pleasure to be in that place. I stared at all the different vinyls, and to a certain degree
it sparked my interest in collecting vinyl records.
I did half my Christmas shopping there, too. I really, really, really enjoyed being there. Even
if the prices were a little high for certain items, so what? They had the goods. I was already
getting a list together of a bunch of music I wanted to check out and buy at that store for my
upcoming trip.
I remember the first time I went to one. It was in Chicago back in I believe the summer of 2005?
It may have even been 2004, it's been so long. Anyway, I was floored with the amount of stuff
they had. Getting my first Porcupine Tree album (In Absentia) there is a sentimental thing for
me. Everything changed after that.
So now what? Well, in Florida there's a place called Park Ave CDs. It's widely known around as
a nice independent record store. "We Lost the Skyline", an acoustic performance by PT, was
performed there, even. It's in Orlando...but it's a 40 minute drive - renting a car just
for that isn't gonna happen. Shit.
This sucks.
current mood:  upset
current music: afi - ["This Time Imperfect"]
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, October 8th, 2009
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7:36 am - Secret Girlfriend
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Here's my review of the new Comedy Central tv show, Secret Girlfriend:
It sucks.
current mood:  pissed off
current music: Mew - ["Her Voice is Beyond Her Years"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 27th, 2009
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7:37 pm
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Today I overestimated the spirit of mankind for the last time.
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, September 26th, 2009
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12:38 am - Out of work
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Movie Gallery (next to Town & Country) closed down today. I am out of a job as of Monday,
September 28th. I have worked at Movie Gallery since early November of 2007, so nearly 2 years.
I go into tomorrow (today) at 9AM until about 5-6PM to finish up the store. The following day
I help get boxes on a truck and after that happens it's all over.
I first got the news around 3-4PM. Bry was working and she texted me that the store was closing.
Then she called me in 2 hours early to come help. By the time I got there the doors were locked,
a notice was on the door, and things were already being counted up. We spent all of today taking
care of concession items and booking movies in preparation for Saturday morning.
After work we went out with Amber, her boyfriend Tony, and Erick. I've never had a problem
resisting vices but tonight probably would've been nice to break 'edge' for once. I opted
for a chocolate chip sundae instead.
My manager is at her son's wedding this week. What a fabulous time to break the news that the
store she's been working at for like 15 years is closing. It seems every time Sharon needs to
relax and not worry about work something comes up. I feel so bad for her. She was a great boss
to have and really left my nervousness of the big first job at ease. Now she's out of work
and from what I know doesn't have a place to go.
Even though I wanted out of that place to pursue something better, like I'm sure we all
did, there's a stark difference between leaving on your own terms and basically being forced
out against your will. It completely came out of nowhere. It's no secret that video stores
are hurting right now. We knew that all along, but right before our boom time (the holidays)
was very unexpected. It sucks, in layman's terms.
We haven't been told exactly why we closed. Obviously it has to do with low revenue. And I'm
sure the Red Box conveniently placed outside T&C wasn't helping matters. You know, this is the
kind of stuff that scares me. I went to Meijer recently and they now have electronic cashier
units. I'm talking a moving conveyor belt and everything. As technology becomes cheaper and
easier to mass produce, we're going to be seeing it put more and more people out of work.
Even if it's just menial work, it's still work, it's still a paycheck, it's still somebody's
income. But I digress. As Bill Hicks once said many moons ago, "this is your world, isn't it?"
I was offered a position out in Hobart. I decided to take a week off to clear my mind and
decide what I want to do with myself. It's time to move on, but more importantly than that
I have to earn a paycheck, no matter what it is. So that's the crossroads I'm at.
As much as I hate thinking about my income being cut dry, there's something else that
really bugs me about all this, and that's losing the sort of bond we all had (minus 1).
Bry and I were already friends going into this job. I met Amber after that who I really,
really like. And Sharon as I already mentioned was a great boss. Now I know Sharon and I
aren't going to hang out anytime soon but it would be really nice to see her once in
awhile. At least keep in contact. Bry and I are already friends so no worries there, it just
sucks that we won't be working together anymore. I'm worried about Amber and all of us,
though. I hope we can all hang out more often. Even if it's just going out to eat and
maybe catching a movie or just chilling, you know? Life is too short and I'm getting too
old to lose even more people I've liked in my life. That's pretty much the M.O. for my
relationships with people. Partially it's my fault for being an introvert, partially
it's just due to the rapid speed time goes in and all the changes that happen in your
early 20s as we begin the adventure into adulthood.
I've been listening to The Incident all day today; got my vinyl in the mail. It's an
album with the motif of car crashes/accidents, but with many other related themes. One
of them is, as Steven put it, "after this things will never be the same again." That
could be applied to anything in life, as it does on the record. From childhood to lost
relationships to insane accidents, it all fits with that theme. And I feel that in losing
my first job and no longer working with a few really great people that helped me get over
a lot of my fears. Also, breaking the news to some of our loyal customers we got to know
over the year(s) was hard. A few of those came in tonight, and I thanked them for all their
business and told them the news.
I feel very bad for the others there. Amber busted her butt for 6 years and put up with
a lot of B.S. Sharon as I said worked since the mid-90s when it was called Box Office.
I used to go in there all the time as a kid - in my account history I have PS1 games
and WWF Summerslam '94 and stuff like that. It's just a nostalgic and sad feeling.
This could very well just be the kick in the ass I need, though. Time will tell.
I'll post more in a few days. Concert review coming before September ends.
current mood: depressed
current music: Porcupine Tree - ["Circle of Manias"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
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4:08 pm - Upcoming!
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Last night I saw Porcupine Tree in concert for the 2nd time.
I manged to get 3 songs on video - listenable quality, so that's better than last time.
I'm compiling the video into one big project and obscuring the name, changing the pitch
shift, and doing some other stuff so JewTube doesn't pull it. Big stuff coming, this is
just the start.
We waited in line for about 2 hours, got a fantastic place in the audience (no more than 3
feet from the band) and ultimately got home at 2AM. I'm sore but wouldn't have it any other
way. Concert review coming shortly.
Setlist:
-The Incident (full track, 55-minutes)
///Ten minute break (with a bomb-like timer on stage)
-The Start of Something Beautiful
-Russia on Ice (first half)
-Anesthetize (mid-section)
-Remember Me Lover (LIVE DEBUT! I'm a part of history.)
-Strip the Soul (first half)
-.3
-Way Out of Here
///Encore
-The Sound of Muzak
-Trains
current mood:  sore
current music: Porcupine Tree - ["Russia On Ice"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
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2:36 am - 9.XX.09
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| Friday, August 21st, 2009
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3:19 pm - Pitbull Pandemonium
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Our neighbors next door have been perfectly fine people since moving here in 2003. We even
had them watch the cat while on vacation a few years back. Things the past few months,
however, haven't been so wonderful.
Over the summer the daughter (I believe) moved back in with them. With her she brought a
pitbull. Now, I'm fully aware of the media's often of times unfair portrayal of the pitbull.
But there's on fact that remains: they can be vicious dogs. Deadly even, depending on
numerous things such as their upbringing and carelessness of owners. This dog has broken
free of its owner (the daughter) twice within the past month. My dad was cutting the grass
the first time and it broke the leash and charged at him. My mom thought someone was shooting
a gun because my dad was screaming at her to get inside the house. He told off my neighbors
(in a polite way for my dad's standards) and they agreed to get a better leash with more
constraints such as a muzzle. Since then I've seen them use it once or twice. Didn't take
long and now it's back to a regular leash.
This morning (8-9AM) I was woken up again with with the sounds of someone yelling and slamming
a door. At first I thought I left a sock on the floor, but nevertheless it was yet another
instance of the pitbull charging at my dad while outside. This time it didn't even have a
leash - it just escaped from what I was told. My mom called the police and animal control
this time. They eventually show up and the daughter starts walking towards the cop, even though
he told her to stay put. He let her have it for doing that. I couldn't make out all the
conversation but from my understanding animal control took a look at the dog in question
and questioned the owner. Apparently nothing can be done because the dog didn't attack
anyone and doesn't have a history of being violent.
...
So we have to wait until a little girl is mauled for riding her bike before anything is done
about this? I had no problem with a pitbull living next store because, again, I'm fully aware
of the sensationalistic media skewing our views on life. I know a pitbull itself can be a
sweet, harmless dog. But I also know a pitbull breaking free twice in one month as it barks
and lunges for you is nothing to take likely. All of my neighbor's dogs seem a bit out of
control. I can't tell you how many times I've took out the trash only to hear dogs running
my direction. Those smaller ones never got close enough to scare me. But they also never
chased me like the pitbull has for my dad.
If animal control doesn't want to mandate some changes in security such as fence, which my
neighbors don't even have, then we'll be more than ready to take matters into our own hands.
We're going to buy 9mm for that "just in case" scenario. I'll have no problem being the one
behind the trigger should the need arise. A dog isn't going to run our lives and it sure
as heck isn't going to ruin the life of another. Sometimes you have to be vigilant. We
are throwing a party tomorrow with two dozen people being outside. Being responsible
enough to use precaution, such as securing a leash before opening the door, is mandatory.
current mood: infuriated
current music: Pink Floyd - ["Dogs"]
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, August 9th, 2009
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3:53 pm - VEGAS 2009 - day 6
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Last post!
At this point I was glad to be leaving. My sunburn was (and as of this post still is) beyond
the level of annoyance and closer to the lines of "it's a pain to be living." My dad and I
caught a cab to go to the Pinball Hall of Fame. The driver was really cool. We usually wind
up with one really memorable cab driver every year and this was no exception. The actual place
was a dream for me. Every pinball machine I grew up with, all the big time classic arcade games,
the whole feel of the place...it was there. Free admission, machines ranging from 25 cents to 75,
crane games, soda machines - the works. I'll keep a lot of under wraps for the video I made
but I did take some pictures. Such a cool place. Anyway, we took pics outside our hotel after
that, ate some delicious food in the deli, and after that went to the airport. I lost probably
$60 (not including winnings) the whole trip. Our flight was delayed. I had a $20. My Uncle Matt
and I went to Wheel of Fortune slot machine game. I put the $20 in. Got low, came back to around
$17. Then I hit the Spin image. The Spin allows you to spin the wheel up on top of the slot
machine. You get however many times your quarters - it went up to 1,000. I hit 120 or something
like that. Walked away with $60.25!
( LAST DAY CLICK NOW )
current mood: sore
current music: Dredg - ["Stamp of Origin: Pessimistic"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Friday, August 7th, 2009
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3:49 am - VEGAS 2009 - day 5
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Day 5 - continuing the suckitude.
I don't know why our trips always end like this. Today began with me being woken up and
rushed to get ready within 15 minutes. Not gonna happen. We go and get the breakfast buffet
in our hotel. The food was good but I had a massive headache without a pill. Our waiter
sucked, and I never even got one single refill, so there goes dessert (and tip). That's
how my morning began. We got back to the room and I made the wise decision to catch some
rays, to get some sun, to rub some yams, etc. I usually just skip the pool but I figured
why not? Wanna know why not? Because I am red. If you have any sort of sick desire to see me partially naked, do be sure to click the picture post.
It was nice to relax out there and check out the wave pool, though. The repercussions will
haunt me for days to come. Other than that we just aimlessly walked around different hotels.
Today was so uneventful and pointless. My HD camcorder doesn't take well to motion, and I'm
not even sure if it's recording in true HD or not. So many levels of frustration are brewing
within. Walking around ALL FRIGGIN' NIGHT to nowhere; being refused pain meds and when
I finally get them, they do absolutely nothing. Why. does. vicodin. not. affect. me?
Red Rock Canyon was the highlight of this trip. That was an experience I'll not soon forget.
I'd say more but I was just informed that it's my bedtime. Gee, any clue as to why I'm an
undiagnosed nutcase?
( Wave )
current mood: guilty
current music: Steven Wilson - ["No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun"]
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, August 6th, 2009
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2:48 am - VEGAS 2009 - day 4
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I'd rather not go into Day 4.
It started out okay. My dad and I went to the fashion outlet mall like we do every year.
I got a few shirts and a new vinyl (which will be pictured). We got back to the room
and shortly after found ourselves in a taxi moving towards a casino museum store. Spent
way too much time in there. We had to walk probably a full mile in 100+ degree weather to
get to the downtown area. I hate the downtown area, there's nothing really all that great
there aside from the light show at night. We were starving so we got this gigantic hotdog.
Then I lost a good $30 in roulette. Got back to the hotel, lost more. Played rapid
roulette, lost more! I had no luck whatsoever today and my vicodin did nothing but make
me a tad woozy. I'm immune to it, which sucks when you're in pain. Luckily I'm holding out
better than ever before this year. I just said 'screw it' and now I'm back in my room while
everyone else gambles the night away. Tomorrow (well today now) should be much better. I'm
going to the shark reef, doing a breakfast buffet, visiting the Pinball Museum (gonna be like
a kid in a candy store with this one), and hopefully I'll have more luck with slots/roulette.
My last day is Friday. We have until 5 and by the time I get home it'll be around midnight.
Then I have work immediately after on Saturday. AWESOME! I'm way too depressed right now so
we'll just cut this short.
( RELIVE )
current mood:  cranky
current music: Isis - ["Ghost Key"]
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
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2:08 am - VEGAS 2009 - day 3
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Day 3 rocked. Literally! (LOLIGANS)
Red Rock Canyon is the theme of today's post. The day began with registering a rental car
and getting lost in the parking garage. We eventually hit the road and explored Las Vegas/
Nevada for the first time on our own (no taxi/tram). Red Rock is an area in the Mojave Desert
that used to reside deep at the bottom of an old ocean. The rocks are often of times red or
orange, hence the name. It was simply breathtaking. Not to mention it was a refreshing break
away from all the phony aesthetics of the grandiose Las Vegas. Straight nature.
We spent a few hours going from stop to stop. The first stop we made involved us climbing
a number of rocks. I chilled out in a cave due to not wanting to screw up my knee/foot like
usual. There were signs all over the place warning people that others have died climbing
the rocks and falling off. Eep! It was a ton of fun. We hit up a gas station on the way back
so I stocked up on various forms of Mountain Dew, raspberry tea, and an array of Flamin' Hot
products. We decided to go back to the Planet Hollywood cafe for lunch. Sushi FTW.
While walking through Paris we found $5 roulette. My uncle walked away with $100. I lost
a lot but yet again hit right on and walked out +$8 in the end. It's always fun when you
last a long time (ZING!), get served free 7up, and ultimately make a comeback.
( Rock my socks! CLICK HERE )
current mood: sore
current music: Porcupine Tree - ["Time Flies"]
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