Daves Not Here Man

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T02:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone !!!

2010-08-03T06:26:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I will be updating again soon

2010-07-19T04:36:00.001-07:00

So much kidd chris to listen to. Im just now listening to 7-1. Im missing Thomas but like Marconi a lot on the show. Amy and Benson rock too.

2010-07-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

Test

Another Update

2010-07-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the adjuster finally made it out to where the bike is and it will in fact be totaled out. I've no idea how much money they'll give me for it yet, but I just hope it's enough to get another bike. Andrew (being the tough little booger that he is) has been recovering even more. He's now able to do more and the babysitting that is taking place now is more about keeping him safe than doing for him. He's been gaming which I feel is good exercise for his broken right wrist. Thus far he's beaten Lego Harry Potter, Star Wars Force Unleashed Sith Edition and he's plodding through my personal favorite, God of War III right now. I even had Ashley rent NCAA2010 for me and hope to dive into it once I'm feeling like it.

Ashley has been riding for a few days now and I'm so glad. It's almost like I'm back out there. I cannot wait to get a new bike and jump back on it. At this point, I'm not sure how long it's going to take for my toe and foot to heal up. I still have no feeling in the broken toe and it's still swelled up good. I had the stitches removed above my eye and there's not good news there. I have a lot of scar tissue that's built up and I'm not sure what it's going to take to remove it. The road rash is healing well but I'd imagine I'll have elbow and knee scars for good to match the one on my forehead. Andrew says my scar is cool because it looks like the one Harry Potter has above his eye. It's too bad Lord Unattentive gave me the scar instead of Lord Voldemort.

I'm pretty much trying to stay ahead of the curve as far as bills go until insurance kicks in. I've sold my macbook and my iphone in the last few days to get some cash to store up. With the amount of pain and discomfort I'm still feeling, I'm not sure when I'll be able to return to work (if at all). At this point, to say I'm disgusted by the whole insurance thing would be an understatement. As I said in my last post, I'm very close to calling a lawyer. If things don't kick into high gear by Monday, I'd expect it to go that route.

Again I must say thanks to my darling and beautiful wife. She's taking such good care of us and I appreciate her so much more than she'll ever know. Thanks baby.

An Update

2010-07-11T02:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a week or so since I've posted an update on Andrew and myself. I first must thank my beautiful and wonderful wife. She's been amazing and helped both of us out so much. I may be biased, but I'm the luckiest man ever. Anytime me or Andrew need something, right there she is. Thank you honey and I love you very much.

Let's start with the good news first

Andrew has been the most amazing kid ever. He's now getting himself up, and either using the walker or using his wheelchair to go pretty much anywhere he wants. He's been out of the house a few times and is playing video games and watching lots of Netflix. He is even out of his rented hospital bed and sleeping upstairs. Ashley and I couldn't be prouder of him. He's shocking everyone with how well he's done and how far ahead of schedule he is.

As for me, well it comes and goes. I still can't move the toe that's broken or the pinkie toe below it, and it still hurts really bad most days. My road rash on my elbow is slowly clearing up (to be honest, the road rash on my right elbow hurts worse than anything else on me period). I got the stitches taken out over my eye and I think I'm going to have a big scar. The doctor kept me out two more weeks from work and at this point, I'm not sure when I'll be back.

Things are progressing really slowly with insurance and all the bills have started to come in. I'm really starting to wonder if it's time to mention the "L" word (lawyers, not what you're thinking). My bike has been sitting where Ashley works for almost a week and still no adjuster and still no estimate on what it will take to fix it. At this point, just adding up parts (New tank, new pegs, new pipes, new mirror, new shifters, etc), I'm guessing that the bike may very well be totaled out. If that's the case, then bike search 4.0 will be on.

I've also made up my mind that once my foot and toes are healed, I'll be right back on it every single day. I like it way too much to just stop and not ride any longer. I'll close this post the same way I'll close lots of them from now on.

If you see a bike, stay back, give them room, give them that few extra seconds. We can't stop as fast as you think we can. Watch for them.

Resurrect Prince Gerhardt on 30 Rock

2010-07-10T15:39:00.001-07:00

Join the Facebook group

Part 6, Day 5

2010-07-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

We awoke bright and early Friday morning because I had to be at the Day Surgery Center at 6am. Ashley pushed me downstairs, kissed me goodbye, and headed back up to Andrew while I waited for surgery.

We had a little trouble finding the surgery center so my doctor fussed at me. The anesthesiologist tried to put an IV in me 7 times and finally got it on the 8th try. The doctor explained what he was going to do and then I was asleep. When I awoke, Ashley and the nurses were around me and Ashley told me the bad news. My toe was not only dislocated, but broken as well which was the reason for the other doctors not being able to put it back in. I was in an intense amount of pain but relieved at the same time. I was pushed back up to Andrew. He was very excited to be going home and so were Ashley and I. The time came and the ambulance drivers came and loaded Andrew up, and we were off to Luttrell. Ashley and I in the car, and Andrew in the ambulance.

Once home, the bed was put together and placed downstairs, as was the walker and wheelchair. Andrew's now been home a full day and he's doing so much better than in the hospital. As badly as I hate it, Ashley is making me take it easy and not do much. She's so strong and I just hate for her to have to do stuff alone. I'm as independent as anyone and don't want anyone to help me, so this has been rough for me.

On a side note and on a final note. I still haven't had the bike towed to either here or the old house, or to be repaired. My parents went and got a copy of the accident report and it was clearly the fault of the other driver. I hope that all these bills get paid by his insurance and I hope that Andrew does as well as he's doing now. I'd imagine that it won't be long till he'll be getting fussed at for doing too much. This accident has yet again sent home just how much I love Ashley and Andrew. They are both so much stronger than me. I'm a better person for having both of them in my life.

I'm not quite sure what Ashley and I are going to do about the bike and the scooter yet. I so want to jump back on it just to prove that I can do it and continue to ride. I don't expect for Andrew to ever be comfortable on a bike again, and I'm fine with that. I do love it. I do love riding and I don't want to stop, but I will for Andrew's sake. A motorcycle or a scooter are nothing more than two wheels, an engine, and some gauges. Motorcycles aren't dangerous, the people driving around them are. The guy who hit us wasn't paying attention and his stupidity cost us more broken bones and money. He scared a little boy to the point that he doesn't want to ride ever again or think about riding again. I'm so tired of hearing about how dangerous motorcycles are. It's not the motorcycle, it's the dumbasses texting and taking dumb chances that are dangerous. Ashley and I are uber safe on the bikes. Helmets, long pants, gloves, jackets, etc. We look both ways several times. We look off in the distance to assess upcoming danger, but the one danger you can't plan on is someone just pulling out in front of you.

The guy who hit us actually wanted to come see Andrew at the hospital, but I think Ashley and I weren't about to let that happen. I don't want his sympathy or his support, just his money. I do wish I could show the SOB pictures of Andrew being happy on the bike, hopping on it and smiling in the mirrors, making vroom vroom noises on the back while sitting in the yard or while riding behind me laughing and screaming and waving at people off the back of it. This SOB has taken one of the things that we all loved doing it and has ruined it forever for all of us. Like I've said over the past 6 posts, I feel badly that it happened while Andrew was on the bike. We did everything safely, but in spite of that, someone in a hurry hurt my little boy. If you're a car driver and are reading this, please not look only for motorcycles but for other cars as well. If you see a person on a bike, give them a few feet of space. Contrary to popular belief, we can't stop faster than you because we have two brake pedals or because the bike is lighter. The stereotypical biker is not most people. I rode to work every single day and rode with my wife and son on the weekends.

Please be safe out there and keep a good thought or prayer for my Andrew. He's doing so good and I couldn't be more proud of him than I am right now.

Part 5 (Day 4)

2010-07-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Day 4 was the most amazing day yet. Andrew announced that he was stopping Morphine which made his mother and I very happy. Morphine always made me grumpy and I was glad he was not using it anymore. Ashley and I headed down to my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon after trying to schedule it for two days.

Doc told me my foot was broken in two places and he'd have to do full surgery to get the toe back into place. The surgery was scheduled for the next morning so I'd knew I'd finally find out what was going on. Ashley left after helping me find my doctor to head back up to Andrew.

The lady who pushed me back to Andrews room had a bad motorcycle accident as well and told me at length about it.

Once I got back to Andrew's room ,I saw a smile for once and it felt good. The PT came in and did some exercises with him and then the big one!!!. Andrew was going to stand up, walk in his walker to an awaiting wheel chair, and roll around outside. He did so great and he and Ashley and I got a little sun outside in one of the hospital gardens. It was nice.

Andrew was doing really well without his Morphine and we got the best news of all. Andrew might get to go home later that day. We spoke to the hospital rep and discovered that the hospital would set up Andrew at home with a bed, walker, wheelchair, and whatever else he needed. They'd let him go home if they could get all the pieces up there. Finally, we were close to leaving!!!, but Andrew didn't want to leave because he thought his mom and I couldn't take care of him as good as the nurses had.

Andrew sat up in his chair again and Ashley and I went to get him taco bell. He nom nom nommed with the best of em. We all went to sleep and reflected on the best day yet of the 4. Andrew was doing so good and we were finally heading home tomorrow

Part 4

2010-07-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Day 3 began like the other days. Ashley slept on what I'll lovingly refer to as the "horse". It's the worst chair for sleeping I've ever seen. It tried to buck you off all night. Both of us were so sore and ready for a real bed. We knew it would be a long wait.

Andrew was on his pain meds and was in a lot of pain. My foot and my face and my rashed up elbows and knees were killing me, but I couldn't say a word. My bravery was outclassed in every single way by my 12 year old little man.

The Physical Therapist came in and Andrew immediately began to cry. He'd told us earlier that he wanted to skip PT for the day. Andrew began to scream at the PT and in the calmest voice possible, she told him he'd do everything she told him and be good at it before the end of the session. She began to do exercises and he was crying and again, so were Ashley and I. Again with the helpless feeling. What happened next was nothing short of amazing.

Andrew realized that the PT wasn't going to take no for an answer. He shrugged his shoulders and did some amazing things. That little man just two short days after surgery pulled himself up into a standing position, pivoted, and sat down in the chair and cried, hell, we all cried. I was so proud of him and prouder than I'd ever been of anyone in my life. He was nothing short of amazing. Ashley and I just couldn't believe what we'd just seen. It was just like he'd been shot out of a cannon. Nothing could stop him. Me, his mom, and his "grand dude" all had hugs and kisses at the ready for him. This for me, really marked the turning point. He got his catheter removed after that and began using a beside urinal.

I must share a funny story. Andrew for some reason upon using the bedside urinal realized he needed a starter. He'd have his urinal in one hand and his water jug in the other. Somehow denying practical science, it worked. He'd drink a little then pee a little, and repeat the process. He was beginning to get stronger. Ashley and I left to run some errands (thanks GrandDude). We went home and fed pets, went to the mall to get the Shadow titled, and went and looked at the bike. Both of us were a little apprehensive about this and had lots of questions. How bad would it look? Would it be totaled? Boy were we surprised. The bike had both foot pegs (rider and passenger) broken off the right side, the mirror was cracked, and the windshield was scratched. I still have no idea where the keys were or my cell phone, but at least the bike wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. We left it there and will get it fixed later. Short of getting out crime scene tape, Ashley and I tried to piece together what happened. We tried to figure out how Andrew and I both had messed up our left legs when most of the damage was on the right side.

We got back to the hospital to a determined little boy. He was back in bed and not real happy. We tried our best to please him, but that wasn't happening.

Andrew has always been full of surprises. We thought he hated his PT but to our surprise, he wanted to sit up in the chair again. We all jumped to attention while the little general informed us where we needed to be to put him in place. He flew from the bed to the chair and was there in a few moments.

Later that night, the worst thing happened. The nurses were really busy and left Andrew without his meds for an extra hour and half. I'm not pharmacist, but even I know that's not good. He finally got his meds but it was a rough night for all of us since he couldn't get comfortable and out of pain. Again, Ashley and I both felt helpless to get him out of pain.

Day 4 up next (part 5)

Week Part 3

2010-07-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

I managed to get a wheelchair to head upstairs to see Andrew. Much like he had done on two previous occasions in the past, Dad pushed me in a wheelchair. Andrew got room 420 (which to me and Ashley was just too funny). I walked into the room and my little man was asleep. I immediately hobbled over and gave Andrew a kiss on the forehead. I was just so happy to see him and it was the first time I'd seen him since right after the accident. Seeing his leg and arm in a cast broke my heart. I still felt awful about the whole thing. We talked for a few minutes and Ashley's mom offered to stay the night with Andrew so Ashley and I could go home and sleep. I hobbled outside and did something I hadn't done in months. I bummed a cigarette from someone while waiting for Ashley to get the car. I told her I was going to. She wasn't happy but she completely understood my reasoning. The cigarette just calmed me down and helped me reflect on the day. It was truly a one time thing, but I'm not going to lie, it tasted better than any cigarette I'd ever had in my life and seemed to put me on an even keel for the remainder of the night. Ashley picked me up and we headed off in the darkness towards home. We were starving but discovered that Ashley had left her debit card at the hospital and mine was in her bosses' office. We talked and reflected on the way home. I've got to take a second to say that as strong as Andrew is, Ashley is stronger. She's been there for hugs, kisses, and whatever other decision she needs to make. Her strength amazes me.

We got home and slept a litte and made our way to the hospital in the morning. I've got to admit that I held her a little tighter that night than any in the past. Andrew and I were lucky.

We got up in the morning and headed out to the hospital. Andrew was drugged up good but managed a little smile for both of us. I broke up again and had to go out in the hall. We sat for a little while and then came the hardest thing I think I've ever had to witness. Physical Therapy. Andrew had just gotten comfortable and this lady was going to spin his little world out of control again. Seeing your wife cry is hard enough, but seeing Little man cry too and scream in pain was almost too much for me to handle. They began with some simple exercises and then came the big stuff. In came a walker and Andrew was informed that he was going to turn around and sit up and then stand up. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room, but he did it. My little man is the strongest, bravest person I've ever met. The PT informed him that tomorrow he'd not only be standing up, but turning around and sitting in a chair. The rest of the day was largely like the rest. He got his pain meds every 4 hours and got Morphine as well. The morphine was turning him into quite the little devil and Ashley and I both couldn't wait till he was done with it.

I'll begin on Part 4 in a few minutes.

Week Part 2

2010-07-03T06:22:00.001-07:00

So when I last posted, Andrew had gone up to Surgery and I was waiting to get my face stitched up, and waiting, and waiting. I was in one of the trauma rooms at UT and then there was word of a multi-car pileup with folks coming in. I finally got to use the bathroom and change out of my torn clothes (a Cubs shirt and a pair of Adidas pants. Too bad it was in a gown. I asked constantly how Andrew was and was told each time thankfully. There was a trauma nurse whose name I can't remember who was the best dude ever. He got me whatever I needed and checked on me and Andrew both every few minutes. To make room for the incoming victims, I got stuck in a holding room that apparently time forgot. Ashley had made her way back down to update me on Andrew. Two broken bones in his leg, and a broken wrist. No internal injuries thankfully and just a few scrapes and bruises on top of that. We held each other for a few minutes and then started discussing options. We waited and waited for what seemed like forever. They brought me dinner ( a nice roast beef sandwich- remember, I don't eat meat) and some chips and a coke. I drank the coke down like it was the last one on earth. Finally, the doc came in and stitched up my face in two different spots and washed away the blood. The doc then numbed up my foot and began trying to put the toe back in place. Ashley couldn't watch and neither could I. He said something was still wrong and put me back on a gurney so one of the top ortho guys could try. By this time, Ashley's mom and my parents had both arrived, so she and her mom went upstairs to be with Andrew while my parents stayed with me. Much like I had been doing all day long, I began to cry again. I felt like this was all my fault, and to be quite honest, I still feel like it is. I mean there was nothing I could do at the time of the wreck, but after all the stuff Andrew has been through in 12 years, I felt I'd broken a promise to Ashley. I'd promised to always keep him safe and never hurt him, and I felt I'd broken both of those promises in one day. This is something that will come up quite a bit, but Andrew is the toughest little boy I know. He's been through so much in 12 years and faces down every single problem he's ever had. I felt horrible about it and was still upset.

The doctor came to visit me and told me he was going to knock me out and try to put the toe back into place. I was loaded up for more anesthesia. They tried twice and failed both times. More X-rays were taken and it appeared that I'd need full surgery to put the toe back into place. I was then released and went upstairs to see Andrew along with my parents.

End Part 2. Part 3 later today

Interesting Week Part 1

2010-07-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

Before I post this, I must state that I'm angry. I'm going to try and post it without letting alot of that shine through, but we'll see how that goes. I'll break this up into several parts since it's a long story.

I hadn't posted much but last week started off really well. On Sunday, Ashley, Andrew, and myself got up and went to church, then went out for a great ride. We went to the lake for Andrew to swim, an Anime convention that was a true disappointment to Andrew, and a variety of other places, and then finished up the day at McDonalds with a big ice cream cone. I'd finally found my dream bike. A 2001 Honda Shadow Spirit that was blue and white and one of the prettiest bikes I'd ever seen. I'd sold the Vulcan a day earlier and took that money along with a bit more and bought it from a fella locally. It was 1100cc of pure awesome. It ran like it was on fire and even earned the nickname "Blue". Andrew loved it. He grinned and giggled while we were riding, loved the foot pegs and all the room he had on it. The day before, we rode up to Middlesboro through the tunnel and went to the mall up there and walked around. He was really cramped on the vulcan and finally had room to stretch out on Blue.

Monday, I got insurance on it and Andrew and I took off to Knoxville to do some "honey do" stuff and had planned on visiting the mall to register it and to let Andrew hit Hot Topic and a few of the other stores that he enjoys. We went to Dollar Tree and Ross to get some stuff. He was laughing and looking at himself in the mirrors and just being Andrew. We hopped on the bike and headed up Pleasant Ridge Road, not knowing what would happen next would be one of the single worst events of my life.

We were cruising up Pleasant Ridge when suddenly, an idiot in a car just decided to turn left in front of us. He was less than 50-60 feet ahead. I knew what was going to happen and there was nothing I could do except brace for the worst. I didn't have time to break, didn't have time to swerve, just prepare for the worst. I don't remember much, but I do remember reaching behind me to grab Andrew. We hit the car and I blacked out and I think Andrew did too. When I woke up, I was laying in a ditch, covered in blood. Andrew was screaming for me. The only thing running through my mind was "Oh my God, my little man, I've got to get to him". I stood up and started to move towards him and the world started spinning and I blacked out again. When I woke back up, he was still yelling and my right eye was so blurry I couldn't see out of it. Some woman and some man were holding me down, but at least I could see Andrew. He was in so much pain and I was crying. My baby boy was hurting and there was no way for me to get to him. There's no worse feeling in the world. Frankly, I didn't give a damn about me at that point. I was so worried about Andrew that I made myself sick and threw up off to the side. I heard voices all around me but none mattered except the voice of my little man. I'll mention the term "helpless" throughout much of this post, because that's what I felt throughout much of it.

I heard lots of voices saying lots of things, broken leg, broken foot, broken arm, broken wrist, broken eye socket but I was just concentrating on Andrew. I'm sure the paramedics were angry at me because I told them I was fine and for all of them to concentrate on Andrew. I don't remember much, but I do remember calling Ashley using someone else's phone. The paramedics arrived and put us both on back boards and loaded us up. I wanted to be in the same ambulance, but there was no way possible. We were off to UT Hospital. I was still so upset and the paramedic in my ambulance kept calling the other ambulance to check on Andrew for me. He was the greatest. I'll take a moment to mention ambulance stuff. This marks the second time I've been in an ambulance. It amazes me how quiet and eery it is. It was a never-ending struggle between the paramedic and myself. He'd ask a question to check my thought process out and for each question I'd answer, he'd check on Andrew for me in the other ambulance.

We arrived at UT Hospital and I think both me and Andrew were tired of being on a backboard. To be quite honest, I didn't really care about me. At that point, I'd have accepted whatever fate God would give me in exchange for Andrew's safety. He was still screaming and my heart was breaking. I was just laying there looking up at the ceiling with tears running down my face unable to help Andrew in any way. I laid there for what seemed like forever with doctors running around me asking how this felt and how that felt. I wanted off that gurney and to be able to get to my boy and help him as much as possible. They were updating me constantly. I then heard Ashley's voice and that seemed to quell me a bit. Ashley first went to check on Andrew and came back to give me an update. I also must thank Ashley's boss Tammy. My bosses haven't called to check on me, or anything, but Ashley's boss went well above the norm. Tammy stayed with me while Ashley was checking on Andrew and called daily and stopped by to check on Andrew. Ashley came back and told me a the news if one could call it that. Andrew had broken his wrist and his leg in two places. They were taking him to CT and to do XRays and then onto surgery to repair both of them. My news was better (which stunk at least to me). The doctors let me sit up to pee and discovered that I had face lacerations and had two broken bones in my foot as well as a dislocated toe.

Ashley left to see Andrew off to surgery and I was put in a holding room to get my face stitched up.

This concludes part 1. Part 2 will go up later today.

You're in Good Hands

2010-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

So I cancelled Progressive. The funny thing about it all is that they lost a customer because of a $100 charge. They had to refund me $175. Nice job idiots. I called All State, and while it's a little more expensive, I got roadside coverage on both my bike and Ashley's and better coverage as well. I'm in good hands with Dennis Haysbert, President David Palmer, Jonas Blaine aka Snake Doctor, and AllState.

Progresive=Crap

2010-06-22T10:58:00.001-07:00

Well had my first scrape on the Vulcan last night. I was coming off the interstate and slowed to yielding traffic, but the woman behind was too busy talking on the phone to notice traffic had slowed. Bing, Bam, Boom, Dave gets hit, plays Superman, and flies through the air. Thankfully, I was going slow enough to where I wasn't hurt, and all that was messed up on the bike was the brake lens cover and she wouldn't fire right back up. I call Progressive (who the nice young lady on TV tells me is quite efficient) and tell them about the accident. The lady I spoke with told me to have the police tow the bike back to my residence and I would be reimbursed. Fast Forward about 12 hours. My local dipshit claims rep tells me that it's now not covered and I'm out almost $100 bucks. This all begs the question, what good is fucking insurance if they won't stand behind what they promise? I was told that I'd be reimbursed, and I pay for roadside fucking assistance on my policy, so why in blue blazes am I still out $100? I don't even want to bring up the Lens Cover I replaced this morning. Geico's looking better and better.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T03:16:00.000-07:00

To all the fathers out there, happy Father's Day. Have a good Sunday

Something that cracks me up

2010-06-16T12:30:00.001-07:00

Ive never been a big fan of stickers. I have a Kidd Chris Sticker and an Apple Logo on my motorcycle helmet, but no stickers on any cars or on my bike. When I bought the Vulcan, I took at least 5 skull stickers off there. What is the fascination of bikers with skulls? Ashley and I were chatting about this very thing earlier today. I just don't get it. Are she and I in the minority? I wouldn't put a skull sticker on my bike or my helmet or anywhere else for that matter. And then there was this

Are you fucking kidding me? You paid someone to paint a fucking horse or a unicorn on your motorcycle? Wow, just WOW. You ruined (at least in my opinion) a perfectly good bike. I like my motorcycles plain. I'll stick to my Kidd Chris sticker on my helmet.

One of the Best Pictures Ever

2010-06-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

All that's missing is Vanilla Ice Yup Yup

And Word to Your Mother!!

Loving You is Easy Lyrics

2010-06-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

I love Sarah McLachlan and I love her new song. New Album is out Tuesday, and I'll buy it instantly. Here's the Lyrics

Loving you is easy, loving you is wondrous and pure
I shout it from the roof tops
How long must I wait till I see your smile

Might of been the moonlight
Caught up in the sparkle in your eyes
So we gotta know I should go slow
But its not in me to wait

Cause I'm alive I'm on fire
Shine like a star burst into the sky

Oh the fiery of desire
You burn so bright electrify
You line me up you take me higher

I've been down a long road
I've become a stranger to myself
Digging in my heals and hoping time
Might be kinder if I waited out

Nothing came from wondering
I've became so small and insecure
Didn't know the cost of all I lost
Until I finally fresh and new
(Again with you)

I'm on fire
Shine like a star burst into the sky

Oh the fiery of desire
You burn so bright electrify
You line me up you take me higher

(whooooooooo)

Loving you is easy
Loving you is wondrous and pure
I shout it from the roof tops
How long must I wait till I see your smile

Thomas Leaves the Kidd Chris Show

2010-06-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

This is old news by now, but Thomas left the Kidd Chris Show to return home. I for one will miss Thomas and feel the show has taken a huge hit. Thomas is a great dude and was the most accessible member of the staff. He was always there to answer questions via email, on facebook, or anywhere else and was a genuinely nice guy. I'm not sure Thomas will read this, but thanks for years of great radio dude. You took criticism from several cities and took it in stride. Good luck you fat Jap Bastard!!! (kidding of course)

Sorry for the lack of posts

2010-06-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've been riding most every day to work and just don't have the time to update I once had. I'm seriously considering giving it all up at this point. There's just not enough hours in the day.

Driving the Cage

2010-06-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today marks pretty much the first time in almost a week that I've driven a car. Ashley and I drove into work together since our schedules match up for once.

More Pics of the Vulcan

2010-06-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our Weekend and my new Bike

2010-06-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I rode all over the place last weekend. On Saturday, we woke up early and rode to Knoxville to hit all the 1/2 price Goodwill sales, then up Maynardville Highway back towards home. I was on the trusty Honda Rebel and she was on the Scoot. We decided we had nothing to do since Andrew was out of town, so we headed up Maynardville Highway and made stops at Norris Lake, New Tazewell, Tazewell, and made it almost to Middlesboro before heading home. We made lots of stops and had a blast. On Sunday, we got up and headed off to Pigeon Forge and went to a few places including an excellent Mexican Restaurant in Sevierville. We stopped way less and had a blast. On Monday, we rode down Tazewell Pike to get lunch stuff and Andrew doubled with Ashley on the scoot. Our weekend was about 300 miles or so give or take a few and we had a great time.

My knee was killing me though. The Rebel sits so low and for someone 6'1, it tends to take it out on your knees. I knew I had to do something, so I started looking to upgrade and found a great bike which I'm sure will last a long time. It's a 1998 Kawasaki Vulcan 500cc (pic over there <------) and I rode it into work today and my knee feels great. I traded the Rebel and some boot for it to a local fella. I love it. It handles so much better than the Rebel and is quite peppy. I haven't quite picked out a name for her yet (the purple scooter is named Barney, Ashley's Riva 125 is named Casper, and the Rebel was generically named Rebel) so I'm hoping something comes to me soon. I'm enjoying riding and driving it to work. Ashley is the family statistician, so she can give you a better idea on gas savings, but I'm sure it's pretty big. I cannot wait to get it out on the road this weekend and out of "work" mode.

Scared and Impressed at the Same Time

2010-06-02T03:34:00.000-07:00

I was riding the bike home last night from work and looked over into the left lane. I expected to see a car but instead saw a deer standing in the middle of the road. I freaked out a little and once I was sure she was running the other way, I hit the throttle and left.

Kidd Chris Podcast

2010-06-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

It's here and it's official. For $10 a month, get daily shows. Hell of a deal as far as I'm concerned. Hit the link and sign up via PayPal. Yesterday's show is already up.

Busy weekend

2010-05-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

Either myself or Ashley will be sure and post about our weekend, but
for now, we are finally settled into our home and we put about 300
miles on the scoot and the rebel this weekend. It was a great time and
one of the beat weekends of my whole life.

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

Please take a moment today to remember those who gave the ultimate
sacrifice for the freedom most all of us take for granted.

Now the motorcycle helmet is official

2010-05-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

The Honda Chronicles

2010-05-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

I went on Thursday to take my road test for my motorcycle license and passed rather easily. For details of the test, check Daves Not Here later this morning. I had a friend give me some lessons on the bike on Wednesday in a local parking lot. I've ridden the scooter quite a bit, so the only issues I had with driving the Rebel was learning to change the clutch and the weight difference (the Rebel is much heavier). The clutch stuff Yesterday (Friday), I was bound and determined to get some road experience. I went to the parking lot of an old grocery store and learned some evasive techniques and stopping quickly. To my surprise, my co-worker Mike (who's been teaching me a bit) asked if I wanted to drive it home. I was still unsure of my abilities, but I gave it a shot and to my surprise, had zero problems. The Rebel feels so much different than the scooter but it wasn't as big an adjustment as I thought it would be. I then went on a couple of solo rides around the neighborhood and such and did just fine. I then hopped on the bike and headed to Oak Ridge with a friend of mine and the trip went well (it was about a 45 mile round trip). I'm sore this morning and used muscles I'm not sure I've ever used before, but had a blast and was as safe as possible. This morning Ashley and I are going to try to ride for a good portion of the day. I'll be sure and post how that goes later.

Cheap Food?

2010-05-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here's something that bothers me. We decided to travel to a small, local grocery store, just to see what it was like. As soon as we walked in the door, several teenagers were asking if customers would like to donate to a food pantry they were collecting for. At first I thought, how great is that? But then I saw some of the stuff that was being donated: Raman noodles, Mountain Dew, chips, etc. A bunch of junk, basically.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good snack. As a matter of fact, I think we bought 12 pounds of cheese and a bag of potato chips because we're child-less this weekend, and sustaining on grilled cheese sandwiches until sometime next week. But I would never DONATE junk to people who are in need of food.

On a very similar vein, Angel Food Ministries sent me an email with the menu of the month. If you're not familiar with them, Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month.

I copied all that from their website. Here is this month's menu, also from their website:

1.5 lb. Sirloin Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)

2 lb. Mac & Beef Dinner Entrée

2 lb. IQF Chicken Breast (Boneless

Skinless)

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1 lb. Chicken Breast Fajita Strips

1 lb. Breaded Crunchy Fish Bites

(32 ct.)

1.5 lb. Smoked Chicken Sausage

2 lb. Heat & Serve Green Beans

1 lb. Fajita Blend (Onions, Red &

Green Pepper Strips)

1 lb. Rice

25 oz. Pasta Sauce

1 lb. Pasta

3 lb. Idaho Potatoes

32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk

Dozen Eggs

Dessert

Some of those things are pretty good food choices. Personally, I'd skip the meat, but some people seem to like it. What really chaps my hiney is that they have a special box "Just for me. An assortment of child-friendly snacks. Great for after school or any time." Yum, right?

4 each Stuffed Sandwiches available in a variety of flavors

1.5 lb Mini Corn Dogs

2 each Twin Mini Chicken Sandwiches

2 lb. Chicken Tenders

1 lb. String Cheese (1 oz. sticks))

2 each Peanut Butter and Jelly Jamwich (2.8 oz. each)

1 each Nacho's Lunch Snack with Chips, Cheese and Salsa (3.7 oz.)

1 each Turkey & American Cheese Lunch Snack with Turkey, American and Crackers (2.15 oz.)

1 each Ham & American Cheese Lunch Snack with Ham, American and Crackers (2.15 oz.)

These are NOT healthy foods!!!! These are foods I totally discourage my child to eat!!

So I complained. I assumed it fell on deaf ears, or blind eyes, since it was done via email, but during my research for this article, I found this:

Just 4 Me – After School Fruit & Veggie Box $16.00

An assortment healthy fruit snacks especially for kids.

3 Red Delicious Apples 3 Granny Smith Apples

3 Navel Oranges (1) 1lb. Mini Carrots

(2) 2 oz. Pack Celery Sticks (1) 3-pack Fruit Juice

(1) 6-pack Apple Sauce (1) 6 oz. Bag Banana Chips

(1) Either 2.5 oz. Bag Apple Chips or Sweet Potato Chips

(2) 1.75 oz Ranch Dressing Cups

Oh, Angel Food.. We're so close!! Too bad I can buy these same "snacks" in the produce department of any grocery store for around $10.

So what I'm wondering is this: do we (as a people) not think that "poor" people deserve decent, healthy food? Also, this Angel Food stuff is not free; it's not even really cheap. People are handing over their hard-earned money or food stamps for food that is poisoning them from the inside out! And throwing a bag of frozen green beans doesn't magically make it healthy! I got those green beans once. We use it to keep down swelling because the bag just looks so "generic".

Ok, it's going to start pouring down some awful rain and I'm wondering if I'll have to wear a trash bag home, so I'll get off my soap box now.

-ashley

Question?

2010-05-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

Who's got two thumbs and got his motorcycle license yesterday ?

This guy!!

Best Tiger Woods Picture Ever....

2010-05-27T04:52:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Lamebook

This is the Gayest thing I've ever seen

2010-05-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Great YouTube Videos

2010-05-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

What an Unfortunate Last Name

2010-05-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

Haha at the name

Even a Wookie Knows Who the Right Choice For President is

2010-05-26T06:18:00.001-07:00

Even A Wookie knows Ron Paul is the Right Choice

Tennessee Motorcycle License Written Test-What to Study?

2010-05-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this to the blog since there's very little info online about what to focus on to pass your TN Motorcycle License written exam. I won't go into specific questions, but I will say that it's 30 questions and you take it at a computer. You can miss up to 6 and still pass. Also FYI, if you fail, you don't have to pay since you pay after you've taken the test. Also, if you fail the written test, you must wait a minimum of 7 days before taking it again. When studying, make sure to focus on the following areas

1/4 of the test focuses on Alcohol, so study up on the section and make sure you know what BAC is and how alcohol affects your judgement

Make sure to study the riding with a passenger section since I had several questions about that.

Heavily study the sections about intersections and make sure you pay attention to all the diagrams and pictures inside the book.

Study lane position as well.

You can find some sample tests online and they help greatly since many of those same questions are sample test questions. There's no need to pay for a service with practice tests since the free sites do a great job. Again, make sure you study all the diagrams in the book since they will definitely show up. Hope that helps. Ashley and myself both passed on the first try. I'll be sure and post how the road test goes once I take it as well.

New Stone Temple Pilots

2010-05-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

I bought the new STP album this morning before going in and listened to most of it on my way into work. I'll be sure and post a full review later, but needless to say, it's good. It's a completely different sound than anything STP has put out in the past (at least in my opinion). When I first heard Between the Lines, I couldn't wait for the full disc to come out. I was a huge STP fan back in the day, and it's good to hear Scott Weiland singing again and clean hopefully. If STP heads anywhere near the 37779, Andrew and I are there.

Between the Lines

2010-05-25T04:31:00.001-07:00

Stone Temple Pilots – Between The Lines by Atlantic Records

Lovely disguise, read between the lines
You rock the magic plane with no abbreviation
3, 4 you sell what you bought
But there ain't no magic pen to get back what you lost

I like it when we talk about love

http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/

I like it when we talk about love
You always were my favorite drug
Even when we used to take drugs

Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take

Penguins dont fly
Crocodile sunday smile
Really like to fish but dont like superficial people
Shoe store heard it all before
From pearly whites to pearly gates
What do we have to argue about

I like it when we talk about love
I like it when we talk about love
You always were my favorite drug
Even anekatips when we used to take drugs

Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take
Even when we used to take

Leave me all alone before
(get out the way)
Never did what she was told
(get out the way)
Seems to play at time of war
(get out the way)
Less is big and listens more

guitar solo

Lovely disguise, read between the lines
You rock the magic plane with no abbreviation
3, 4 you sell what you bought
But there ain't no magic pen to get back what you lost

I like it when we talk about love
I like it when we talk about love
You always were my favorite drug
(stone temple pilots lyrics on lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com)
Even when we used to take drugs

Even when we used to take
Used to take
Even when we used to take
Ttt-take
Even when we used to take
Used to take
Even when we used to take
Ttt-take, ttt-take

Huge Congrats to the Flyers

2010-05-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Huge Congrats to the Flyers and best of luck against the Blackhawks in the SC Finals. It was a run to be proud for the Habs and here's hoping we build on the success for next season.

Make Sure You Get it in Cash

2010-05-24T06:08:00.001-07:00

Nigerian Aliko Dangote is buying stock in Arsenal. I hope the owners don't get a check for more than they're asking and have to pass on money to someone else. Get it in cash folks!!!

24 Series Finale

2010-05-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on 24 for this season, so it will more than likely be a while before I get around to watching the finale, but I must convey my sadness at the end of what has been one of the best series in television history. I've chronicled my love of 24 on the blog, from watching the first six seasons in what had to be a record amount of time, to my love for Season 7, and finally summing up the end of the series and a possible movie. I've been a huge fan of superhero movies and tv shows, and to me, there is no great super hero than Jack Bauer. From reading online, it appears that Jack won't have a happy ending. I only hope that the series doesn't end with the death of Mr. Bauer. It's not a fitting end for someone who's saved America's rear 7 times thus far. For those keeping score at home, this will leave me with only Burn Notice and Sons of Anarchy as regular viewings.

Scootin!!

2010-05-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I had a blast riding scooters and exploring Union County yesterday. I was on Barney (the 50cc) and she was on Casper (the bigger one). It was a great time just getting out riding and exploring. I really wish we'd done it much much earlier. I can't explain how much fun it was just cruising along with no destination in mind and taking every turn and bend in the road.

The E.P.A and BP

2010-05-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

Seriously, Boycott BP Products and services. Get your gas elsewhere. The EPA and BP have bungled this oil spill beyond belief. This spill will have destroyed the ecosystem in the area, as well as ruining the lives and professions of countless animals, fisheries, and humans. The E.P.A is a J-O-K-E. I heard a report this morning that the EPA is going to step in and take over the cleanup. They should have done that from the beginning and banned BP from using chemicals to clean up the oil spill that harms wildlife in the area. BP will get away with a fine and a slap on the wrist thanks to their huge campaign contributions to the president and members of congress.

Walter Payton Highlight Reel

2010-05-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ignore the God-Awful music in the background and relive the greatness of sweetness

Epic Week from Kidd Chris

2010-05-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

It was great to hear the Rev Bob Levy back. I can't wait for Portland to hear some classic Levy stuff (Press 1, giving out his hotel phone number, and others). The Snapper Interview from Pork Chop was great. I'd love to read the book "Fishing for Pocket Perch and Snapper". It sounds like a classic. The new cussing interview was brilliant as well as Diamond Dave stopping by.

More bars in more places my ass

2010-05-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I detest AT&T. I cannot wait till my contract is up. This screenshot
was taken in a place where I used to get full signal strength. Nice
job AT&T. Way to go

Large Portion of Moving=Done!!!

2010-05-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Me and a neighbor moved lots of stuff to the new house today. I'm still impressed by how big the new house is and the price we got it for. It's so much more quiet and peaceful than Knoxville. I haven't heard a single fire engine, police car, or drunken neighbor.

Here's something I don't get

2010-05-17T18:07:00.001-07:00

Maybe someone can explain this to me. When I went to title Johnny (The Honda Rebel) and Casper (Ashley's pearly white new 125cc scooter) this morning, I had to pay an ungodly amount in taxes. Here's what I don't get. Why does the state government have the right to get sales tax on a vehicle that's been bought and sold by private parties. This has to be one of the biggest rackets going. If a vehicle gets taxes paid on it when it's new, then why is that not enough for a state government? Why do they feel they have the right to collect tax on the same item multiple times? According to the title, the Rebel has been bought and sold at least 3 times. That's 3 times the state of Tennessee has received taxes on this one bike. It's the same argument artists have for used DVDs, games, and cd's, just on a larger scale.

I'm glad they have a place to sleep

2010-05-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

So much for me and Ashley

Pictures from our house

2010-05-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is what the kitchen cabinets looked like when we walked in. This is what they look like now (ok, we've actually added nice, modern knobs and finished all of them)

More orange killed. Death to the orange! That orange shelf in the corner? It's white now. So beautiful!

Here's some lovely examples of the wall paper they have chosen. And see that floor? ugh!
One of the first things we did is update that bathroom. White toilet and grey paint. Tore the shower doors down and replaced with a bright, happy shower curtain.

Update from Ashley

2010-05-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

I guess it's been a while since I've said hi. As you know from Dave, we've been awfully busy. Every weekend has been consumed with painting and spending money and painting and spending more money and moving and spending more money.

In the past 5 months we've purchased:

A *new* car

A *new" house

*New* living room suite

*New* washer and dryer

3 *new* scooters

A *new* motorcycle

New dishwasher and new fridge for the *new* house.

We cash flowed everything except the mortgage on the house. We've also dumped $1800 into the house getting it pretty.

I'll try to update with pictures, because the transformation of the house has been amazing. The house had been recently painted/wallpapered before we bought it, but in hues of burnt orange and pepto pink. There was a room that had alternating green and blue walls. And one with the darkest brown allowed by law. Ugh. And did they do a good job?! Noooo... most of it stopped 3-5 inches below the ceiling.

So many a'weekend has been wasted tearing down wallpaper and painting walls and picking out the best $5 Oops Paint and I bet we've spent more on brushes and rollers than the paint itself. But you know what? It's been worth it. Most of the house is a nice beige with white trim. Andrew's (formally poop brown) room got a few coats of a nice grey/blue and we loved it so much, we painted a bath that color.

We still need to do "something" with the floor there. I thought I wanted hardwood, but after cleaning the existing hardwood, I think I've talked myself into laminate. We put the laminate down at the lil house ourselves, so I know we could do it. But for now, we want to get moved in and enjoy our house.

Our commute is changing. 50 miles a day vs. 10 miles a day I've been enjoying. Dave's is about the same. One of our cars gets pretty good gas mileage: 30-35 mpg. The new one is about half that. And it take premium gas. Being the crunchy granola tree hugger that I am, it's killing me a little inside every time we get gas. And being the frugal bargain hunter that I am, I have to close my eyes when I pump.

I am hoping the bikes get an average of 75 mpg. Scooter should get more, bike probably gets less. But those are the numbers I'm using. If we can avoid using the car we nicknamed Harper, we are saving 16.5 cents per mile. We save 5.5 cents per mile if we ride a bike and keep Echo (the gas saver). So every time Dave rides his bike to work, it costs $8 less. If I take my scooter instead of Echo, we save $2.75. So if we can manage to ride bikes 5 days a week, we save a whopping $55 in gas. We are trying to evolve from a 2-car family to a 1-car family. Insurance is pretty expensive for 2 houses, 2 cars, 2 bikes.

Bring it Philly

2010-05-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, congrats to the Flyers for taking down the Bruins. Good luck against my Habs. The last time I saw the Habs play like this and ride a hot goaltender through the playoffs was in both 1986 and 1993, when #33 roamed the crease for the Habs. It's been a long time waiting for the 25th drink from Lord Stanley's Cup. I hope it takes place again this year. This is perhaps one of the most improbable matchups in Eastern Conference Finals history. Two teams that weren't expected to do much have taken down giants. I was surprised when the Habs took down Ovechkin and the Caps, and even more shocked when they punked Sid the Kid in Pittsburgh.

Happy Birthday Mr. Foley

2010-05-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the greatest radio personality ever. I hope you get top shelf this evening

My Adventures with the Rebel So Far

2010-05-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well my bright and shiny 1999 Honda Rebel was delivered Wednesday, and while I'm too chicken S to take it out on the road, Ashley and myself have gotten quite proficient with driving around the yard. It's good to learn the clutch and get used to balancing. Ashley and I have both ridden the scooter quite a bit and it's way different than that. It's so much heavier and has roughly 5x the power that the scoot has. I replaced the battery myself and will tear into the headlight assembly later today to replace the bulb. I'm very proud of it and cannot wait to get it out on the road.

Dave's Rants

2010-05-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

What year are we in again? 2010 right? Why is someone's sexual orientation being questioned in regard to whether they can do a job or not? Elena Kagan, Obama's next SCOTUS Nominee is facing questions about her sexuality, when she should be facing questions regarding her lack of experience on a judicial bench. This is what cracks me up about America. We are so overly concerned with sexual items, that important issues get ignored. Who gives a damn whether she's lesbian. It's all about whether she can follow the constitution or at least, the court's interpretation of the constitution.

Our good friends (and I use that term loosely) at BP are throwing everything but the Kitchen Sink at the Oil Spill in the Gulf, and one really has to wonder when the Kitchen sink will get thrown in. I tire of hearing about Obama's reaction to the oil spill. Obama and most every other politician in Washington took money from BP. President Obama received $77,051 in "donations" from BP which in case you're keeping track at home, is the largest sum any politician received from BP. It's hard to be "tough" on a company when their hand is in your pocket. I hate to stand on my soapbox again, but what the fuck is wrong with our government? When will we get reform and get our elected representatives to represent us instead of the big companies who line their pockets. It's complete and utter bullshit. This oil spill will be swept under the rug again and BP will have their hands smacked by the EPA, while countless animals, fisheries, and others will be the true sufferers due to the oil spill. It's time to go green in a big way.

My New Baby

2010-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

1999 Honda Rebel

Selling Above Retail

2010-05-12T03:34:00.000-07:00

As those who follow We're Not Here know, I'm looking for a motorcycle right now on Craigslist. One thing that cracks me up about motorcycle people is that they always want more money than KBB says the bike is worth. Like yesterday, I went to look at a beautiful Honda Shadow. The guy wanted $1400 for it, but The KBB value is $1080. I guess I just don't get it.

Doodle and Jack are helping Ashley Pack

2010-05-11T16:37:00.001-07:00

They seem to be doing a good job!!

Huge Congrats to Slim of Nerdcast

2010-05-11T05:03:00.001-07:00

Just received breaking news via the Twitter that Slim of Kidd Chris Show fame and Nerdcast fame is going to be a father. Great news man and Congrats!!!

Android outsells IPhone

2010-05-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

I don't like to try and post tech news much on here, but it appears at least according to this report. A few reasons have been given, but I feel the biggest reason is AT&T. I love my IPhone and will miss is come August, but I detest AT&T. because of too many dropped calls, shitty customer service, and exorbitant fees. I cannot wait to bid farewell to AT&T in August. Hopefully, my IPhone will function as an IPod Touch when I move to Verizon or TMobile.

Who's Driving?

2010-05-09T18:54:00.001-07:00

Twitter

2010-05-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

You can now follow The Blog here on Twitter. You can also follow Davesnothereman.net here.

Scooters, Mopeds, and Motorcycles, oh my!!!

2010-05-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ashley finally got her scooter that she's been looking for. It's a
1997 Honda Elite and she's had a blast with it so far. We got another
scooter which doesn't run, so we'll be using it for parts for hers. I
really want a motorcycle to learn on and right now I'm looking at a
Honda Rebel that's 250cc. I want something light, and not real
expensive just to be on the safe side. With a longer commute to work
coming up in a few weeks, I'm looking for ways to conserve gas, and a
motorcycle is one of the best ways. Can anyone out there on the
intertubes recommend a smallish motorcycle for a noob like me to learn
on? I'd sure appreciate the help.

Things that piss me off

2010-05-09T04:11:00.001-07:00

Why are drinks the same price in the drive thru as they are in the
store? You can get all the free refills you want inside the store,
but you don't have that option in the drive thru. Drop the prices for
drive thru customers.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

First of all a few personal well wishes to some very special moms.
Happy Mother's Day to my amazing, wonderful, beautiful wife. You've
done such an amazing job with Andrew. It's an honor to have such a
great kid in my life. Happy Mothers Day to my mom, as well as
Ashley's Mom Pam. To all the rest of the mothers out there, Happy
Mother's Day. Being a mother is the hardest job in the world, so
please, take the time today to wish your mom a Happy Mother's Day.

Wow Even the Homeless are dealing with Deadbeat Customers

2010-05-08T04:40:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Failblog

RIP Buddy

2010-05-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

Buddy, the bestest and most sweet rabbit ever went to the Bridge this morning. RIP Buddy. I hope wherever you are that you're munching on some doritos and having a good time. I hope I get to see you again sometime.

My Little Man Buddy

2010-05-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

My main man Buddy died this morning. Buddy's been the star of several pics and videos here on the blog and I'm a bit biased, but he was the best rabbit ever (with no offense to Ralph, Fred, or Thumper). Wherever he is, I hope he's munching on Doritos and having a good time. Buddy was no ordinary rabbit, he loved to just hang out on my chest and was always happy to see me, Ashley, or Andrew. Rest in Peace my good man and I'll hopefully see you again someday.

R.I.P. Ernie Harwell

2010-05-05T02:23:00.000-07:00

Ernie Harwell died at the age of 92. He was one of the best baseball announcers of all time.

New Layout

2010-05-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone likes it.

Happy Star Wars Day

2010-05-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

May the 4th be with you (bad joke I know)

Good Article catching up with Past 24 Stars

2010-05-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Where are they now?

From a Shelter Worker

2010-05-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

I simply must post this. Salina (a loyal blog reader) sent this to
me, and it's truly sad. It's written by a shelter worker.

A little Knowledge goes a long way:

I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager,
I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the
inside if you will. First off, all of you people who have ever
surrendered a pet to a shelter or humane society should be made to
work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you
saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would stop
flagging the ads on Craigslist and help these animals find homes. That
puppy you just bought will most likely end up in my shelter when it's
not a cute little puppy anymore. Just so you know, there's a 90%
chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it's dumped at,
purebred or not! About 25% of all of the dogs that are "owner
surrenders" or "strays", that come into a shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses: "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or
cat)." Really? If you have a pet, make sure the house or apartment you
move to is pet-friendly, don't just throw a life away because you like
a certain layout. Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it
would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't
have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have
time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her
a part of your family and stop ignoring her for hours while she's
outside? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress
about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good
dog".

Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being
in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find
a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little
longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay
completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined
to a small run/kennel in a room with other barking or crying animals.
It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be
depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it.
If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to
take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention
besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste
sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big,
black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it
was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those
dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well
behaved' they are.

If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is
full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is
good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of
execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective
after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the
sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over
all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper
respiratory infection and will be destroyed because the shelter gets
paid a fee to euthanize each animal and making money is better than
spending money to take this animal to the vet.

Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never
witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First,
your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look
like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails.
Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on
the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they
can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it
happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained,
held down by 1 or 2 shelter workers depending on the size and how
freaked out they are. Then a shelter worker who we call a euthanasia
tech (not a vet) find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose
of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being
restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been
covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and
screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a
while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. You see shelters are
trying to make money to pay employee pay checks and don't forget the
board of directors needs to be paid too, so we don't spend our funds
to tranquilize the animal before injecting them with the lethal drug,
we just put the burning lethal drug in the vein and let them suffer
until dead. If it were not a "making money issue" and we had to have a
licensed vet do this procedure, the animal would be sedated or
tranquilized and then euthanized, but to do this procedure correctly
would cost more money so we do not follow what is right for the
animal, we just follow what is the fastest way we can make a dollar.
Shelters do not have to have a vet perform their euthanasia's so even
if it takes our employee 50 pokes with a needle and 3 hours to get the
vein that is what we do. Making money is the issue here not loosing
money.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a
large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were
killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next?
Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? Or used for the
schools to dissect and experiment on? You'll never know and it
probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can
always buy another one, right!

I hope that those of you who still have a beating heart and have read
this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your
head, I deal with this everyday. I hate my job, I hate that it exists
& I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some
changes and start educating the public. Do research, do your homework,
and know exactly what you are getting into before getting a pet. These
shelters and humane societies exist because people just do not care
about animals anymore. Animals were not intended to be disposable but
somehow that is what they are these days. Animal shelters are an easy
way out when you get tired of your dog (or cat), and breeders are the
ones blamed for this. Animal shelters and rescue organizations are
making a hefty profit by keeping this misconception going.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only
you can stop it. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about
taking their dog to a shelter, a humane society, or buying a dog.

TXT from PKP

2010-04-30T04:28:00.001-07:00

FWD:FWD: FWD: FWD: FWD: Hey can u come get me im about 5 min.from u i
locked my keys n the car? Please hurry its starting 2 rain and my
windows are down! (DR)

GoDaddy.com

2010-04-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is GoDaddy the most annoying company in the world when it comes to spamming the ever loving fuck out of you? I get at the very least 1 email a day telling me about some domain sale they're having. I plan on moving the two domains I have through GoDaddy over to Google or someone else when it comes time for them to be renewed.

The Kidd Chris Cuss Interview

2010-04-30T03:17:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post about this since Wednesday, but Kidd Chris has hit another one out of the park with the "Cuss Interview". The object of the game is to see which host can cuss in front of a phone guest last. It's brilliant and has joined the unplugged interview, the AIM interview, and the autotune interview as some of the best bits in radio.

Habs Take down the Caps

2010-04-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

What an incredible series. #8 takes down #1. Up next for the Habs, a series against the Mighty Pens. I never figured they'd take down the Caps, but the PK Unit and Halak really stepped up.

Hahaha

2010-04-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Funny

2010-04-27T04:08:00.000-07:00

I don't use Ham Radio because I'm a vegetarian.

Excellent Desktop Pic

2010-04-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

Not sure where I found this one, but I like it. Shows how small we are compared to the world we live in.

Funny Bumper Sticker

2010-04-26T08:54:00.001-07:00

I just saw this bumper sticker in Knox Vegas on the back of a car, but couldn't snap a picture.

"Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun has"

Not a fan of Ted Kennedy or guns, but that's pretty damn funny all the way around.

Danny Ozark on Kidd Chris

2010-04-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

It was excellent to hear Danny Ozark back on the Kidd Chris Show yesterday. Danny is one of the greats on the show because of his honesty and candor. Here's hoping Chris has him on more and Portland gets to hear some of the classic Danny Ozark stories down the road

Doodle likes fritos

2010-04-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Parallels for Mac

2010-04-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Dave Randall (my co-worker and Mac expert) gave me a copy of Parallels 4 for mac which will let you run Windows in the mac environment. At first, I was a bit skeptical, but it works absolutely great. I've been playing Baseball Mogul with no slowdown and the game is running every bit as good and fast as on my Windows Laptop. It appears that I'll have to give nothing up after making the switch from Mac to PC. Thanks Dave!!

LOL PS3 Slime

2010-04-21T17:55:00.001-07:00

I've never heard of the Slime Edition

TXT from PKP

2010-04-21T12:19:00.001-07:00

To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car with Sunglasses on and point
a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars See If They Slow Down.
2. On all your check stubs, write " For Marijuana."
3. Skip down the street Rather than Walk, and see how many looks you
get.
4. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
5. Sing Along At The Opera.
6. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream" I Won! I Won!"
7. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking Lot,
Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"
8. Tell Your Children over Dinner, "Due To the Economy, We are Going
To Have To Let One of You Go."
AND THE FINAL WAY TO KEEP A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY
9. PICK UP A BOX OF CONDOMS AT THE PHARMACY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND ASK
WHERE THE FITTING ROOM IS.
Send This To Someone Else To Make Them Smile. It's Called...THERAPY!

What the what

2010-04-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

More Mac Stuff

2010-04-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

First of all, I love my MAC. I must thank my blogmate Jason for the
recommendation, as well as Dave Randall that I work with for countless
help. Also, I must thank Chris Zimmerman. That man is 4'10 and 230
lbs of awesome. I can't tell you how many questions they've all
answered for me. As of right now, I think I have things set all up
and ready to go. I'd love to buy some more RAM and a bit bigger hard
drive, but those will wait till later.

I also setup a MobileMe Account earlier today on a trial basis. I
love quite a few of the features, but I feel it's hard to justify $99
a year. Maybe something will pop out and just "wow" me, or maybe
Apple will have a sale, but for now I just don't see enough to justify
a Franklin a year for the service.

As for individual programs, I'll give a few impressions below

Tweetie-Love it on the IPhone and on the mac as well. Well written and
easy to use

Transmission- I loved UTorrent on the PC, but I think Transmission has
even it beat. So easy to use

Handbrake- Complete and total shit on the PC, but gold on the mac. I
could never get the PC version to work, but the Mac Version works like
a charm.

If anyone has any more recommendations, I'd love to hear them. I
heart my Mac. I don't think I'll ever go back. I'm totally drinking
the Kool Aid

Hawaii Pic

2010-04-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

Brian, one of our loyal readers sent me this beautiful picture from Hawaii. Thanks for the wonderful pic Brian. Hopefully someday I'll get to Hawaii as well

TXT from PKP

2010-04-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

FWD:FWD:FWD:
A man on his harley was riding along a California beach when suddenly
the sky clouded above his head and in a booming voice God said,
because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant
you one wish. The biker pulled over and said, build a bridge to Hawaii
so I can ride over any time I want. God replied, your request is
materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of
undertaking, think of the steel it would take. I can do this but it is
hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a minute
and think of something that could possibly help man kind. The biker
thought, finally he said, God I wish all men could understand women,
how she feels, what shes thinking, why she cries, what she means when
she says something is wrong, why she snaps and how to make her truly
happy. God replied, you want two lanes or four on that bridge?

8 Years Ago Today

2010-04-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Layne Staley, the lead singer of Alice in Chains was found dead of an
apparent overdose. I've always been a huge fan of Alice in Chains and
still miss Staley as the lead singer. He had an amazing, one-of-a
kind voice. RIP Layne. Yet another rocker gone too soon over drug
problems.

2 Years Ago Today

2010-04-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

April 19, 2008 started out like most other days. I woke up, lit a cigarette and pondered the day ahead. I'd just gotten done seeing a kick ass performance by the Knoxville Opera the night before and was still wowed by the performance. That day was different though. I had a date for the first time in forever. It had been years since I'd been on a date and I needed some reassurance. After talking with my good friend Jim (aka Quint) as well as Leo, I called my date. She asked if I'd mind swinging by and picking up something for her she'd bought. That began what had to be the most wonderful day of my life. I remember being so nervous, but once I met her and her wonderful son, I was put at ease almost immediately.

Well, here we are two years later. That date was Ashley, who's now my wife and Andrew, that wonderful little boy who met me at the front door, is now my stepson, and soon . Things just couldn't possibly be better than they are right now. So I say to my lovely bride, happy two year anniversary. You've made my life wonderful just by being in it. I love you so very much.

Mac=Wow

2010-04-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm plodding through my second full day of being a Mac owner and I'm definitely drinking the Kool-Aid. It's everything I hoped it would be and more. I'm struggling with some of the OS stuff, but coming from a PC background, it's a nice change.

Here's what I love so far

-Easier Installation of programs
-Easier removal of programs
-Nice clean interface
- ITunes is not the bane of existence on Mac that it is on PC

Things I'm not liking so far (and I'm sure there are fixes for these, I just haven't found them yet)
-No Right Click short of Control and Click
-The learning curve. I've been a PC user for the better part of 16 years.

I'm loving it so far and am finding lots of good programs. If anyone can recommend some free ones, I'd love to try them

Anniversary

2010-04-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Today is an anniversary of sorts for Dave and me. He's already given me a surprise of art supplies and dinner!

Thanks Honey for the best 2 years in my life so far!!

First Post from the MacBook

2010-04-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well I went and got a MacBook, but in typical cheap bastard Dave Style, I got one of the white ones from a fella on CL for $500. It's about a year and a half old. It's hard for an old Windows Codger like myself to learn something new, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Happy Birthday Jim

2010-04-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to wish Jim over at Memory Almost Full the happiest of Birthdays. I think he's 90, so stop over and wish him a great one.

No PC's for me

2010-04-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I was a kid, I don't have a PC in my house.
Ashley has a netbook, but I'm PC-less. I sold one Laptop to a fellow
at work, and Ashley (being the excellent salesperson that she is) sold
the other two at work. I'm thinking I'm going to go get one of the
new MacBook Pro's in the next couple of days. In typical Windows
fashion, the last laptop I bought effed up during the reinstall and I
had to wipe it again and start over. I'm sure not going to miss that.

At Last Football Manager on the IPhone

2010-04-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

The world's greatest Football Sim is on the IPhone for $9.99 US.

I'm resisting the urge to buy it as we speak, but I'm not sure I can
hold out for long. Now all we need is either OOTP or Baseball Mogul
to make their way to the Tiny Screen and things will be perfect.