"Aw, Fuck..."

I've been more effort into this week that I probably have all of the first semester. I'm just tired as hell right now ... heck, I even stayed late after school a couple of nights this week just to attempt to get things done and be better prepared for the next day's lessons.

This time around, the students are seeing a new guy standing in front of the classroom. The middle school students are easier to control -- my classroom managment policies have changed since the first of the year, adjusting to the students' nuances and behaviors. As for the high school, that's another story.

I usually let them have more independence. Sometimes it just gets to the point where I say, "If they don't want to do the work and put in the effort, their grade is going to reflect it." It's a poor attitude on my part, since being the professional, I have to care in a way to see my students succeed. Sometimes I catch myself going back to a "college mentality," observing my old college professors and catching on how they teach -- they lecture, get their point across (all the while not caring what their students do, especially on a computer), and leave. Let the exams sort 'em out.

That's basically how I approach my classes now. As long as I get my point across, either through discussion or an in-class assignment, I'm satisfied. If they don't hand it in -- that's not my problem, even though I constantly remind them. As a teacher, I can only go so far.

Then, we all get the e-mail from the superintendent.

This had been rumored for some time, but as it turns out, our school district is looking to be just over a million bucks in the hole when the next school year rolls around. Significant cuts are going to be made -- where exactly, we don't know.

As far as job security goes, I might be safe. First and foremost, they are going to keep all of the teachers. For the cuts, we're looking at cuts in the administration and cutting back on other resources that the school relies on, namely energy.

It puts a slight worry in the back of my mind. I actually replaced a teacher that retired -- it wasn't an added position -- so with that, I seem safe. But it sure would suck donkey balls if I got the notice this upcoming spring that said that they were going to cut one position from the business department and I had to look elsewhere ... but tell me this: who else is going to teach computers?

So for right now, I'm not completely worried. Just go on with my routine, live and learn. Hopefully now I won't burn myself out!

My Boy!

I never really reported on the comings and goings of NASCAR all last year on the blog. I sort of alienated my boy, my driver Ryan Newman -- the stud who drives the #12 alltel/Mobil1 Dodge Charger for Penske Racing South.

As of today, there's only 24 days left 'til this year's Daytona 500. That's not even counting Speedweeks -- the running of the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade 125 duals.

Now, besides the Busch Series (in which Newman started 9 races -- and won 6 of them), he adds a new racing schedule to his series, the Crown Royal IROC Series.

This was a last minute replacment, as fellow NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Carl Edwards had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with his full-time committment to the Busch Series. This will be Newman's third year driving in the IROC, driving in '03 and '04.

The IROC consists of 4 races a year, starting at Daytona. What makes this so fun and interesting to watch is that the cars are so aero-dependent on one another, so at your typical restrictor-plate track, a car (which takes its body after the Pontiac Trans Am) can go from first to dead-last (12th place) in a matter of one lap.

Newman won the opening race at Daytona in 2004 by a gutsy, last-second pass around Kurt Busch as the cars entered the tri-oval on the last lap. He went on to finish 2nd in the total point standings, finishing behind champion and fellow NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, Matt Kenseth.

Luckily for me, the SPEED Channel will be televising these exciting races!

• February 17 -- Daytona
• April 7 -- Texas
• June 29 -- Daytona (road-course)
• October 28 -- Atlanta

An Early Pick

The Steelers will win the Super Bowl, extending the AFC's dominance in the league.

Why? Because the Steelers is only the second team in NFL playoff history to win ALL of its road games to the Super Bowl, including the wild card (first team -- the '85 New England Patriots, but lost to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX).

Wins over Cincy, Indy, and Denver. At their stadiums. I'm convinced!

Even More DVD's

The collection has now hit the unofficial figure of 385.

The new additions include:

• Wedding Crashers -- "Uncorked" Edition
• The Transporter 2
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off -- "Bueller...Bueller..." Edition

Wedding Crashers: because it has it's moments. Plus, I'm a fan of the Wilson brothers (Owen and Luke, due to "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Bottle Rocket"). Vince Vaughn is starting to get a little tiring ... and why does Will Farrell have to make another performance?

Best exchange?

John Beckwith (Wilson): Don't waste your time on girls with hats. They tend to be very proper.

Jeremy Grey (Vaughn): Yeah? Well, the proper girl in the hat just eye-fucked the shit out of me.

Laughter ensues.

As for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" ... well, that's gotta be my top movie of all time. Cannot touch it, been watchin' it for years -- and John Hughes again proves his genius with an 80's teen flick.

And "Transporter 2" ... it's all about Jason Statham. No doubt about it. If I were gay, I'd hit that up. Whether it's "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch.", "The Italian Job", or even the first "Transporter", this guy is THE MAN.

Tommy: What's wrong with that one?

Turkish: (pulls the caravan's door off its hinges) Oh, nothing, Tommy. It's tip-top. I'm just not sure about the color.

Classic.

Halfway Done

One semester down, one to go ... and I'm still climbing the hill.

My self-evaluation is this: I could do better. Right now, I'm just amazed at the pace with everything. It's taking me by storm, which leaves me with a feeling of disorganization. It's justified, especially when I have my students wondering when I'm going to grade their assignments. It's just that I'm so fucking tired at the end of the day that I could die!

The principals, both senior high and middle school, think that I'm doing a wonderful job, according to my evaluations through observation. I'm not a big fan of constructive criticsm, but I should learn to accept it. I'm not saying that they're bashing me or anything through their reports -- but I just get this feeling that I'm just not up to my own potential in the classroom.

I just need to become more organized. Sure, I've heard the stories from several educators saying, "Your first year will be the most difficult..." Well, they're right! It just seems like I'm winging it through, experimenting with what works and what doesn't -- but ultimately, it just seems like I'm losing.

It'll get better. I'm just hoping that my contract is renewed for the next school year. Like all other rural school districts, ours is in a financial crisis. Not a major one, but one that puts a small worry into the back of your head, wondering whether or not a person should start looking elsewhere. Overall, I'm pretty confident that I'll be secure. The administration likes me (through the reports and "word" in the hallways) and I have a good rapport with the students.

Again, I just need to buck up. Be a hard-ass once in a while. Be organized. Then things should be SWEET.

Funny deal-io: I've got students coming up to me left-and-right asking me if they could be my "student assistant." Everytime a person would ask, I would always think of the movie "Road Trip" where that Anthony Rapp-character "Jacob" would be just a little fucker when he was an assistant to that professor.

Nah ... not quite for me. Although I'm flattered by the attention, I'm going to turn every one of them down. I even had a sophomore ask me, which just kind of blew my mind. As it turns out, this particular sophomore just wants to leave school for the hour (it would be my 1st hour, a prep hour) and do whatever. Apparently, according to this sophomore, other teachers would let these "student assistants" go run errands to McDonald's or some shit like that ... I promptly threw the B.S. flag on that.

It's just not what I need. If I let a kid go do whatever, I'm basically responsible for that person and that's something that I don't want to deal with as a first-year teacher.

Sneaky lil' bastards. I almost forgot what it was like back in high school when we tried to play the teacher into the palms of our hands.

BMI B.S.

Sitting in class today (I gave the students the day off to prepare for the Excel final), a few students were talking about their sophomore health class. One of the topics they were talking about was body mass index, or BMI. According to a little formula that you can quickly figure out through a "BMI Calculator," you can figure out whether or not you're underweight, normal, overweight, or obsese.

I'm already dismissing this BMI thing as bullshit. More than likely, you're going to be classified as "overweight," as I am. My BMI is 28.4 -- within the range of "overweight" which is 25.0 to 29.9.

Just think about professional athletes -- they train during the off-season, eat healthy enough, and more than likely, they will be considered to be overweight. We all know that muscle weights more than fat and pro athletes have more muscle than most.

I could stand to lose a few pounds (after 10 years from graduating from high school, I've only gained 30 lbs. -- most of it is just from "filling out" and lifting in college), but it's almost ridiculous for a person like myself to get down to a "normal" range. The last time I was "normal" was when I did in fact graduate from high school. At that point in time, I'll bet that a stiff breeze could blow me over.

I consider myself to be in good health (due to a survey that I did take, I have the body of a 20 year old and being 27, that's something to say), I usually watch what I eat (I rarely eat junk -- my guilty pleasure is beer), and I do take supplements. I could exercise a little more, but I walk all day at school and during the summer, I'm hopefully going to play some softball.

The BMI really needs to be revised. Critics may say that America is full of fat people, but come on!

Kicked In The Nuts

As a fan of the cartoon series "Family Guy" on FOX, I usually collect the DVD sets that come out shortly after the season has ended. But in this case, with "Family Guy" renewed with a new season after whopping DVD sales, "Family Guy" released Volume #3, which is basically the 1st half of Season 4 (this season).

One such episode (I cannot recall the title) has Peter and Lois walking back to their house after a confrontation with Quagmire, Cleveland and his ex-wife Loretta. All of a sudden, this guy wearing a huge orange wig and a navy blue jump suit comes running into the screen and kicks Peter squarely in the junk.

Lois immediately raises a fit about why this strangely-dressed man did this, until the man in the orange wig says, "Sir, sir ... you've been kicked in the nuts..." as he points at the camera. Peter, although still in shock (and in pain), starts to laugh and is embarrassed.

At first, I was quite confused by this, but you have to understand the premise of "Family Guy." What makes the show so great is its references to movies or other news-worthy events, plus the outrageous flashbacks that the Griffins usually seem to have. Luckily for me as a viewer, a commentary track was laid down by Seth MacFarlane and other various cast members and producers.

Apparently, the reference stems from a real-life website called "Kicked in the Nuts.com", in which a man in an orange wig wearing a blue jump suit runs around and kicks men (and little boys) in the crotch. So far, there is only two "episodes" on the site, but both of them show various situations in which the orange-wigged man runs around and claims his victims.

It's also apparent that this is all thought out and set-up -- not just some random encounter on the street. Like in the "Family Guy" episode, after the ball-smashing is complete, the orange-wigged man points to the camera and tells him that he is being recorded, like it's on "Candid Camera." Also, what makes it so hilarious is that the person actually making this videos adds a laugh-track to the video, plus random scenes from celebrities or other people laughing and clapping at awards shows.

Some of my favorites are two little kids playing catch and the guy runs up and takes them both out with swift kicks. The dad appears, looking to pick a fight, but the orange-wigged man explains that the kids are on camera. Shortly after that, he takes the dad out!

The other favorite is when a man is leaving a funeral home after the death of his mother. It's obvious that he is stricken with grief, but still, he falls victim from the kick to the nuts.

Check the site out, it's quite worth a laugh. I mean, what else is funnier in this world than a swift kick to the groin?

Quick Updates -- Crash Publications and Vana'diel

Crash Publications, Inc.

• I've been devoting more time into finishing my story. I've mentioned it a few times throughout the history of TonyTimes, and it's obviously taking me quite a while to finish due to other obligations. I threw in a few more pages, around 10-15 more (remind you, it's all in 10-font size, Times New Roman), so that's quite a bit of the story. Usually I write and write until I freeze up and cannot think any more, then I tackle another part of the story. In the end, I'm going to have to find creative ways to tie all of these "parts" together, thinking of ingenious story lines to do that.
• I've got a good, solid beginning -- which introduces the main characters involved. It introduces the main plot, but it also touches on a huge sub-plot that will become more and more part of the story towards the climax.
• I've also discovered that I'm going to have to rewrite a lot of the first quarter of the story, just because it doesn't flow very well and the antogonists that I'm introducing just doesn't fit.
• The second quarter of the story is the best writing I've done in quite a while. I'm not even going to give it away, but damn, this shit is good.
• The third quarter will consist of some of the most difficult dialogue that I can come up with. Huge conflicts -- it's hopefully going to work.
• The fourth quarter -- like the second quarter, simply MONEY. I've already got the ending, but I also want to set up another storyline for the sequel.

Vana'diel

• Pissed off beyond belief. I'm having a fun ol' time in Qufim, then I get invited to a party. Penske has low leveled the warrior job to 33, so another group of players with their characters at Level 33 (jobs varying from White Mage, Thief, Ninja, Summoner, and Black Mage) wanted me to join and go to the Garlaige Citadel, a dungeon.
• Right away I'm questioned why I have subjobbed my White Mage. I didn't think it was such a big deal. I was only concerned about what I should do -- whether to pull, tank, or just whale away at the enemy. We jumped on our Chocobos and headed out from Jeuno.
• Since I've never been inside the Garlaige Citadel before, I'm completely lost -- especially when our party leader starts casting "Invisible" on everybody to avoid aggressive enemies. It was embarrassing, to say the least, as I seemed like I was a newbie.
• After 4 fights, I was gaining 300 points in experience (with my Empress Band) -- which was HUGE. But we lost our summoner due to disconnection and our Ninja died. Then it seemed like all hell broke loose. While we were waiting for our 6th member, I was questioned why I chose White Mage for my subjob. "Why didn't you choose Paladin as your main job, since you like to heal so much..." It didn't matter how much I explained to them that I've never partied with my Warrior and I've haven't attempted the job quests for such jobs like Paladin, Ninja, Samurai, Summoner, Beastmaster, Dragoon, or Dark Knight.
• In the end, the leader decided that I was a "burden" and I was released from the party. Why? All because of the subjob. "You're not going to get many invites with the combination you've got..." I DON'T GIVE A SHIT. YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED ME BEFORE YOU INVITED ME! I just wanted the experience -- and it was going fine until one person happened to die and the other disconnected.
• Looking back, it must seem all geeky and worthless getting into it over some MMORPG, but being rejected over something stupid? Now you know why I prefer soloing compared to the party system. Just a lot of untolerable bitches out there. I don't know why I put up with it.

Sucks To Be Me

What an In-Service Day -- *yawn*.

All we did today was talk about personality types this morning, plus a little coaches' refresher on splints and such. Other than that, I'm scheduled to do nothing else for the rest of the day. But, I'm required to sit here at my desk, trying to find constructive things to do.

Well, this upcoming week is the last week of the 1st Semester ... I did manage to get all caught up on my grades. In all of my classes, I have nobody failing, but I've got a couple of 'D's to dish out. As far as I'm concerned, they deserve 'em. They'd rather work on their "Piczo" web page than do the homework -- I'd better not hear any complaining this week.

I really need to give my computer application students an Excel final. We've covered everything and my students are getting REAL sick of it. Just as I had learned in college, I have to assess these kids and make sure they've AT LEAST mastered some of the crap I tried to teach them. If some of the kid hate spreadsheet programs now, wait until Access.

In the Law class that I teach ... what a joke. I've been winging all year so far. We're finally finishing up Chapter 2 in the textbook, which ended up being over 150 pages long. I wanted to test them, but instead, I gave them quizzes every week. That'll probably be all that I'm going to expect from them. With four days remaining in the quarter/semester -- I still have to give them another quiz, but what do to for the rest of the days? Hmm.

Speaking of that "personality type" thing that I've mentioned before: I guess I'm an ISTP (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving). I've taken these little psychology tests before in college, which usually all comes out the same. Here's a little description of the type of person I am:

• Cool onlookers -- quiet, reserved, observing and analyzing life with detached curiousity and unexpected flashes of original humor. Usually interested in cause and effect, how and why mechanical things work, and in organizing facts using logical principles.

Is it me? Close, but not completely. Other notable ISTP's include high-profile athletes like Ty Cobb, Wayne Gretzky, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig; other personalities like Bobby Knight, Mike Ditka, Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates and Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf fill the list out. I have to laugh if I'm in a group of personalities like these folks, but the brain works in mysterious ways.

Apparently, I'm born with this personality. It's already set the minute I'm born. I almost have trouble believing that.

Okay, I'm Tired Of Winter

Let's play softball.

I'm just fired up for softball. I've only played about 5 good organized games of softball in the past couple of years, but now, with my summers open (the perk of being a teacher) -- it's Go-Time.

I just need to get my swing back. I struggled last summer during the tournaments, but I just need a little practice to get the rust off.

Don't think ... just swing as hard as hell. It'll go somewhere.

If Only...

...John ("Nee-nee") gained some weight and got REALLY DRUNK, we'd see this.

Wasn't there a dance quite similar to this that he used to pull off back in the days of Mad-Town?

"Gaahhhh! Shaver!!"

Ooh, Ooh, Love Hurts...

Ah, the Dating Game -- especially when you're in the 5th or 6th grade.

I hear it all. I almost have to laugh at the end of the day when I compile all of these stories together in my head and think back on them.

Anyway, I guess I'm the guy to go to when the 5th or 6th graders are having relationship issues. I'm always willing to listen (you know -- since I'm such a "caring" guy), but afterwards I'm thinking to myself, these kids aren't even OLD enough to worry about "going out" with one another!

Here are some examples of what I have to listen to:

• 5th Grade -- One Boy, One Girl. Two hearts. All of a sudden, the boy dumps the girl because she is too old for him. Yes, that's right. They are in the same grade, but she is older than him by just a few months. Woofta. Currently, she is still waiting for him to "come around".
• 6th Grade -- Now this is one big soap opera. First off, these kids are really good, but why put themselves in ridiculous situations as these? Boy1 and Girl1 are "going out" for about 6 months. Girl1 likes Boy1 so much (although she is forbidden to date until she's 16) that she sneaks out of the house (saying that she is staying over at a friend's house) to go to the middle school dance. They dance, hold hands, whatever. A few weeks afterwards, word gets back to Girl1 from Boy2 that Boy1 was kissing some girl from South Dakota. Girl1 breaks up with Boy1. It's like an A-Bomb was dropped. Boy2 is going out with Girl2. Girl2 likes Boy1, but so far, nothing has come of it. Boy1 hears that Boy2 told Girl1 about the kissing episode, but Boy1 forgives Boy2. Boy2 tells me that he's scared that Girl2 is going to dump him because he thinks that Girl2 likes Boy1. Nothing yet. During this whole mix-up, Boy3, who used to "go out" with Girl2, writes Girl1 a "love letter." Boy3 tells Girl1 he "loves her." Girl1 says "thanks, but no thanks."
• 6th Grade -- Boy and Girl are "going out." Boy does not dance with Girl at the dance (as mentioned before) -- Girl promptly dumps Boy. This specific situation happened to two other "couples."

I'm sure at the 5th and 6th grade levels, these are very dramatic events. But I find it hilarious -- thinking back to my own days in elementary school when girls first took notice of the boys and the dramatics of what could possibly happen.

Ah, the life of a teacher. I cannot wait until I hear what goes down today...

Vana'diel Update -- The Good and The Bad

For a while there, I was quite confused. I really wasn't too sure what my character, Penske, was going to do.

After I leveled Penske to a Level 31 Warrior, I decided to switch main jobs to my Level 15 White Mage. In this situation, there is only one place to go to in this situation -- Valkurm Dunes. It was party time.

It took a while, but I did my best in a party situation, healing my party members (just random folks that I had met in the virtual world), and before I knew it, Penske reached Level 20. Now, it was time to switch back to being a Warrior once again.

After pimping out in the Korroloka Tunnels for a while, I had to find somewhere else that was, well, less populated. I was getting my thing done in the Tunnels for a while, but being in a cave where it is again, "Party Central", I had to find somewhere that I could successfully level while soloing.

While on my travels through Vana'diel, I decided to stop off at the The Duchy of Jeuno to FINALLY complete my Chocobo quest. This took quite a while, as I had to successfully "feed" a sickly Chocobo with some special medicinal-type grass. After a few hours, I fed him back to a healthy animal -- thus, I finally acquired my Chocobo License.

To pass some other time away, I ran some supplies quests to the regions of Aragoneu and Li'Telor, which had just come over the control of the Republic of Bastok, my home country. In doing this, I have paved the way for more areas in which I can "warp" to. All I have to do is talk to a dude named Conrad, who shacks up in the Metalworks in Bastok. For a small fee, he can warp me to the area of my choice, given the fact that I have ran supplies to the outpost in that region.

After some unsuccessful attempts at "farming", I decided to go through the task in finding my new region to level. At first, I hung out in the Buburimu Peninsula, in the region of Kolshushu. I ran around the small coastal city of Mhaura, killing everything in sight. With my Chariot Band in full-effect, I was pulling in the experience points by killing Goblins and Leeches. But I wasn't satisfied with my Chariot Band -- only lasting for about an hour -- so I decided after my 7 charges were up, I was going to drop it and purchase the ever-popular Empress Band, which can last a lot longer (although losing the experience bonus increase that the Chariot offered).

Then, it occurred to me. Why not go to the place where parties go after they've leveled to 20? After the Valkurm Dunes, people are really up in the air to help them in terms of experiencing and leveling their characters. The choice is ultimately, Qufim Island.

Qufim Island is a polar-like region with lots of snow, located just north of Jeuno. At first when I had attempted to go there, I had no map, so I had to shell out nearly 9,000 in "gil" to pay for some maps so I knew where to go in Qufim.

Although there were a few parties going on, I did not have any difficulty in finding foes to beat up on. With my newly-acquired Empress Band, I started to gain experience rapidly. After taking out Land Worms and Clippers (crab-like monsters), I soon reached the Level 32 plateau. It was soon afterward, with my character brimming with confidence, that I could take on some stronger enemies, like Giant Hunters, Dancing Weapons, and Wights.

My successes did not last long, as I have already been knocked out twice in Qufim Island. It was either due to the attempt of taking on stronger enemies, or getting "aggroed", or "linked" by numerous foes that can easily take one person down. With those losses, I lose experience points and Penske is now sitting back at Level 31, just 500 points short of Level 32.

I have no intentions of going elsewhere for a while. Qufim is where I'm going to stay to level. Hopefully after I hit Level 35 or 36, I can tackle my Mission in Beadeaux, killing Copper Quadavs -- 20 of them. Not an easy task!

That's the update for now. If anything dramatic happens to good ol' Penske, I'll let you know.

New Years' Update

Just today I was looking over the photographs that I had downloaded from my camera. I noticed that there were two movie files from my camera, so I decided to check them out.

Talk about embarrassing. The first one -- well, it should be unmentionable. I won't go there.

The second one was probably the funniest thing of all. I don't remember any of it, because of my drunken state, but I started recording when the clock hit midnight. Everybody's cheering and stuff, then in the background, people started to wonder what year it was. I guess I wasn't the only one!

Towards the end of the recording, I bellered out "Happy 2005!" Yes, I did get the year wrong. But I "attempted" to correct myself: "No, wait --'04!"

Yeesh. I'm through.

The Lost Update

Man, oh man.

Christmas, then New Year's. It's enough to make a guy go crazy.

Ever since school was let out for the holidays, I made the most of it. I lounged as much as I could, taking full advantage of the break that was given to me. I deserved it, thinking back on the fall and the hell my students put me through. It's being "on the other side" now ... but for some odd reason, I enjoy it.

To think back on my Christmas holiday, I am fulfilled. Things went rather smoothly, considering my wife and I running into a (literally) hundred people through the families. Driving all over the states of Minnesota and South Dakota wasn't really the highlight (although I got free gas at my folks), but other than that, it went well and I ATE TOO MUCH.

One of the main highlights was that I won the South Dakota ESPN.com Fantasy Football league championship, taking home $180. As of today, I still haven't seen the check, but that's not the point. The point is, I took a 7-6 regular season team and I toppled the league favorite in the championship game. Thank God for Larry Johnson.

For every good turn, there has to be a downfall. After hooking up with family members on both sides, I got my first cold since last February. I thought it would be worse, but it was your typical head-cold, just blowing a lot of snot all over the place. I developed a small cough, but it wasn't nothing major -- just a little NyQuil and that would knock me out. With New Years' approaching, I was beginning to worry. Mike and Lacey had invited us back to their place to do a little partying -- so I was praying that I would hopefully feel better. I started drinking lots of OJ and water, hoping that I would piss the sickness out. On the other hand, there was Katie, who usually gets sick right after I get over mine -- and it's 10 times worse.

Overall, it was a last minute decision, but we decided to make our appearance. But first, we had free concert tickets to a country musical group that had only 2 real good songs (that I at least recognized), so we went to that. My head was so plugged up that night that I could barely hear. But I was in good spirits, despite being sick and tired, and Katie and I made our appearance at Mike and Lacey's at around 10 p.m.

"Now, the party begins..." I said as I walked in through the door with a 12-pack of Coke and a liter of Captain Morgan.

Me being me, arriving late at a party and it being New Year's, I've gotta catch up. The rest of the group were playing a nice rousing game of Cranium, while I sat back and mixed stinky Morgans to my little heart's delight.

I really hadn't seen the whole group for a while, so I caught up with most of them -- there just was a couple of people there that I really didn't know -- but that wasn't going to stop me. Even though I was hampered by a cold, I continued on.

I think the first drink went down pretty quickly, as Shane pointed out to me, with support from Mike saying that I cannot slack off -- pour another. I asked Lacey how "early" Mike got going on his beer, she replied, "About 1 o' clock in the afternoon." Shit!


The crowd dissipated after a while from the game of Cranium and it moved into the living room, where Mike was playing DJ from his computer. I tell ya, he was playing some classic '80's shit -- the stuff that really takes you back to the days when we were back in high school and Mike had his Bronco II.

It was about this point that things started to get a little hazy for me. At first, I didn't know what it was -- was it the alcohol, or was it that I was in such a damn good mood to start with? I remember Katie advising me that I "should slow down a bit", but of course, you know how that goes.


We also decided to play a game of Scene It! movie trivia on the DVD player. I tell ya, this was right up my alley, as it's pretty famously known that I own nearly 400 DVD's and everybody jumped to my team. I remember whoopin' up, going to the bathroom, and finishing my Captain Morgan bottle -- but I cannot remember whether or not we finished the game or not.

I can also honestly say that I barely remember midnight. Somebody said that it was only a couple of minutes to go 'til the stroke of twelve, I glanced at my watch, then after that, my memory was quite spotty from that point forward. Did I bring in the New Year's with Katie? Who knows? Kind of like how I remember our own wedding dance. Whoofta.


The rest of the New Year's Story is slightly remembered by myself, the most of it comes from Katie's own account of what happened that night. Bless her heart, she didn't drink a thing that night, because she had a gut-instinct that she knew that she was going to be taking care of me later that night.

I do not know what time it was, but I remember having the feeling that I had to go to the bathroom. I set my drink down on Mike's computer desk and made my way towards the halfway-finished bathroom at their house (look at picture of me holding the drink -- bathroom right behind me). Lacey informed me that the bathroom was out-of-order, but luckily for me, there was another.

Now, all hell breaks loose.

I remember a little blip of memory -- I walking out of the bathroom, attempting to tie up my belt. Next thing I know, I'm face down in the toliet ... yep, puking my guts out.

It was God-awful. I never barfed like this before. It just kept coming and coming and coming. Apparently, I locked the door so nobody could see me in my hopeless state. Yet apparently again, I unlocked the door so Katie could come in and tend to me.

According to Katie, this continued for an hour and a half. I would pass out next to the toliet in a pool of sweat, as Katie would wrap my face in cool towels. She would advise me that we should leave but I would keep telling her "no, I've gotta puke some more..." and I would go about my business. Later on, the dry heaves had started. I was about at the end of my rope, wishing somebody could kill me. I don't really remember much of this, but Kate said that I was sweating profusely, heaving, and moaning -- all at the same time.

I don't know how I got out of the bathroom, I don't know how I got into the car, I don't know how I got my contacts out, I don't know how I got to bed. Katie said that I puked into a garbage bag in the car; Mike and Aaron helped me into the car; I took out my own contacts; I took off my own clothes and I just selected a random bed in the house and fell straight to sleep.

Ah, New Year's.

The next day -- yeah. S H I T T Y. I managed to eat a cracker at 4 o' clock that afternoon.

I promised myself that I would never drink again. Maybe a beer here and there, but never the hard stuff. Well, it's been about a week and I haven't touched a thing.

Then just last Tuesday, I had to switch gears and had to go back to teaching. I was sure getting used to sleeping in until 11 in the morning -- but man, this week has really turned me inside out. I'm still in the after-effects of my cold, but I'll get there. I'm back to normal in terms of my schedule, at least.

I do have some more pictures of the New Year's party, but I hesitating to put them on here. Some of the pictures I don't even remember -- Katie says that I took them all.

Eh...maybe later.