Saw something I thought was really cool at lunch. I went to Noodles & Co., which I go to a lot. Anyway, while I was in line, this huge (tall) soldier guy walks in with his kids. He's still in his MP (Military Police) uniform, and it's clear he's probably been in the Middle East, because it's sand gear, and there's some Arabic writing, even, on the sleeve under his title.

So, no big deal, right? Right. But I would look over to the kids and the guy, and it made me feel good. The looks on their faces were enough to brighten my day. The kids were clearly so ridiculously happy that dad was home, even if it was just a visit. And the dad, I caught him just looking at his kids walking around and smiling. It made me feel good. Just the pure happiness of the moment, I guess. So that was cool.

I have much cleaning to do today. I haven't started yet. But will soon. :) Kazak is currently getting a bath and his nails clipped at Petsmart so he isn't stinky for you guys tomorrow. Particularly you, Laz. :)

All right...off to clean.

I was gonna go to work today, but then I realized that there was no reason for it. No one else is there, really. that's it. There'd be nothing to do and no one to talk to. Plus, I have plenty of cleaning to take care of here for tomorrow's big BBQ. Anyway, I'll post more later...

I was going to post this to Laz's comments section after his dog blog, but it got way too long. Here it is:

Laz, I swear you make this shit up. Your life is such a damned storybook.

Personally, I remember when the first dog I was close to, Rusty, died. He had a colon problem and had to have surgery when he was 10. They put him under, and when we picked him up, he was able to walk to the van. But in the 10 minutes it took to get him home, he couldn't walk into the house. A couple hours later, lying on the frontroom floor, not moving at all, he finally just stopped breathing. His system couldn't handle the anesthetics, I guess. My mom and dad watched as it happened, but we kids were playing somewhere or doing homework or something. Fortunately, we got to say goodbye within an hour before he lost consciousness or whatever...he struggled to wag his tail when I gave him a hug, but he did. That was freshman year of high school, a year that (not playing top that, Laz...I promise) started with my grandpa's death, ended with my grandma's death and included their dog, a few aunts and uncles (one mugged and murdered a couple blocks from my house), and two of my neighbors (less than 24 hours apart, in a car accident and a heart attack--separate incidents too)--the ones on the other side that I didn't know that well, not Butch and Steve's family, for those who know them.

Now, Smores, the dog we got after Rusty, is really up there in age. She has trouble walking up and down stairs sometimes, as well as getting up. Her hips are bad...her back feet don't point in normal directions. My dad postulated to me once, "I wonder if she's full of tumors and crap, she's so chubby," in a very wistful way, because there's nothing they can do about it. She's not long for this world...and I'll be sad when it's time...I think she liked me more than any of the rest of my family. I used to actually take the time to play with her and pet her...and now she always gets sooooo excited when I come home. And she smiles too..it's amazing...she squints and actually smiles...

But, if I ever have to get rid of Kazak, my current dog, I will be crushed. He was there in Missouri for me. We've been through one cross-state move (back to Chicago). He's the only reason I'm living in Bolingbrook, really. And he's just the best dog ever, period. No matter some of the crap he puts me through (court, getting out of the yard, tearing up my bedsheets and covers, etc.). That will be a sad day.

Andy needs sleep, and therefore, he'll take it.

Stupid misleading duck.

I have an AFLAC account. They have this "Wellness Benefit" where if you go to the doctor or get certain tests, they pay you money. So I got a claim form in the mail yesterday. Much to my pleasant surprise, "Eye Exam" was listed. They didn't mention eye exams qualified at the meeting originally. I went for an eye exam in March. So, I decided to call AFLAC to make sure I was covered, because I wanted my $60. Of course, I was misled. The Wellness Benefit started August 1. Damn. I could have used that $60.

Also, a couple of you will definitely enjoy my recent fantasy football column (I think the link will work this afternoon, once our crack Web staff gets things rolling...if not, I'll update it later). Laz, thank you tremendously for the idea. :)

OK. Some of you may have seen or heard of this. Drunken Jedi Master. Apparently, this kid taped himself and didn't want the tape to get out. But then his high school buddies found it, posted it online. Now, he's some sort of cult hero, as this Web site shows...but, his parents are suing the parents of his friends for emotional distress. Even though the kid on the tape is getting like, half the money from all this stuff, I guess. There's even apparently a petition to get the kid a brief bit part on the next Star Wars flick, and rumors have George Lucas seriously considering it. Now, of course, this all could be rumors...who knows. Personally, I think it's pretty damned funny to watch. :) And I've only watched the Lord of the Onion Rings and the digitally enhanced version of his original tape (with light saber and photon beams). Pretty funny how being completely geeky and making a fool of yourself can get you brief stardom. :)

Well, it only took 20 tries to get that picture right and I decided to screw the link...stupid blog html bullcrap.

Today was a busy, but not really busy, day at work. I got little done, honestly. In fact, lunch was more productive, to tell you the truth, because of the restaurant trip and subsequent acknowledgement that I'd like to work there. Hopefully they'll hire me, seeing as I have no table-waiting or even restaurant experience. But I'm going to stress that I'm very outgoing and helpful and friendly and that I'm a fast learner too. Maybe that will work. Or maybe they won't even call me back once I submit my application. Maybe they won't want my limited hours. Who knows? :)

Now, I need to send out an email about the BBQ...informative and questioning. :) That's all for now though.

LATE EDITION: SWEET! I got my first Google search query on this new tracker thingie I put on here. Whoever searched for "problem gambling blogs," I hope my blog is as useless to you as it is to many of my friends! :)

In light of the Jets' recent roster losses and the injury to QB Chad Pennington, many have placed the Jets in last in the AFC East. But, in the words of a coworker of mine: "The Jets will be fine. Trust me on this one." He offers the following evidence, with which I agree. The Jets indeed will be fine.

Went to the local steakhouse that I talked about in the past for lunch. We were a bit worried that (1) it would be too expensive, which it wasn't, and (2) it would have a dress code, which would prevent a couple of us from even going in. Surprisingly, it was just fine. A nice looking place too. The service was fantastic and the food was good too. I got a great dish that was too much to eat. So now I have leftovers. And the chicken was juicy enough that it should reheat fine.

I also asked for an application while I was there. So I'll probably go through with applying for a job there--it seemed like a cool enough place to work, especially since it would simply be bonus money, really.

Yeah...now I need to call up some apartment places and I'll be in great shape. Or so I think. We'll see. I don't like the idea of moving in in less than a week, so I hope I can find something really good for Oct. 1. Unless the landlord(s) let me do a half-month thing starting in mid-September. That would be nice.

By the way, in an aside, from now on, I'm going to refer to my current place of residence as "The Brook." Just because it's cool and I can.

I gotta start focusing on one topic per post. My comments are a mishmash of different conversations, which, when strung together, make little sense. :)

Well, I got the oil changed in my car today. Finally. However, I couldn't take Kazak to Petsmart because they were all booked up. I'll have to take him to the veterinarian to get his nails clipped (that's really what he needs, more than a bath, by Saturday) on Wednesday or something...unless Petsmart's grooming section is open late. But we'll see...

Otherwise, not much interesting happened today. I did my weekly radio show in Jacksonville and that was that. Now, I'm waiting to hear from Luis, who wanted to grill out today for dinner. It's freakin' 6:30 though, and he didn't tell me if/when we were doing this, so I'm starving. I'm going to have to munch on something before he calls and before I go over there.

I wanted to call some apartments, but for whatever reason, I chickened out. I'm bad like that with the phone. I hate talking on the phone. Hate it with a passion. It makes me not such a good journalist. For whatever reason, I can think quickly in social situations face-to-face, but if it's on the phone, I just fall apart. I'm horrible. And because of that, I hate having to call people I don't know and ask them about things--be it a journalism interview or asking about an apartment or whatever.

But soon I will call the two places I want to call. Here's a really cool-looking place that I just HAD to share...boy, I hope they take dogs: WICKER PARK TWO bedroom. Hardwood floors, eat-in kitchen, large deck, free laundry, near el, yard for planting. $850. 9/1. That's awesome! And it's not far from the Kennedy Expy/Ohio Street interchange, which is pretty much perfectly centrally located. Which simply means (because of the "yard for planting") they won't take dogs. Because that would be too good to be true. Man, this could be top-notch! I could even wow them with my gardening experience and tell them I'll make everything look really nice, possibly upping the value of the property. :) I'm psyched, man. Then, without knowing where it is, I'm psyched about a lead Kim and Nick gave me. That's the same price...we'll have to see where it is though. :)

So, here I am, waiting for Luis to call. Jerk. :)

Amazingly, there was no real down time at work, and what little there was I spent watching "Karate Kid," which has been on ESPN Classic's "REEL Classics" show like 20 times in the past five months on Sunday nights. What a funny-ass movie when you look back at it. Such great lines as (though I'm probably not getting them dead-on right):

"Yeah! Put him in a body bag Johnny!"
"Didn't know it was Walk With a Worm Week."
"Ah ha ha ha! Danielson, you all wet behind ears! Ah ha ha ha!"

And of course, the fantastic (sarcasm) music. Boy, that stuff was rockin'!

So, it's kind of nice when the season starts up because there's actually stuff to do almost the entire time I'm at work on Sundays. That's good, because if I have to spend 12-15 hours there, I'd much rather be working than sitting around.

Well, Laz mentioned it, but the Ghetto Bowl draft and BBQ is this Saturday at my place. All are invited...you can email me to get times, directions, etc.

I got a nice "esteem" boost today too, when the wife of a coworker/friend of mine at work said, "Did you lose weight Andy, because you look good." I said, "No, I didn't lose weight, I don't think. Last time I checked, I'd lost maybe a pound." I said the difference is, two softball games and one volleyball game a week in the summer has toned me. Not that I'm cut or anything, but I don't have the gut too much anymore or the love handles, etc., etc. That felt good to hear, because, really, no one ever says anything like that to me ever. I have to shave or get a haircut for anyone to point out that, hey, something's different on Andy. :) Now, granted, I'm TERRIBLE at noticing changes in people's appearances unless it's blatantly obvious, and weight, especially is hard for me to tell. So I guess it serves me right...or something.

In fact, the last thing I ever heard about my weight was when I overheard an aunt of mine a couple years ago at Christmas lean over to my mom and TRY to whisper surprised, "Andy got a little fat." For the most part I found it funny...I can't hate family for saying something like that though. They're family, to whom I'm fiercely, fiercely loyal. Like many of my best friends, who may as well be family. :) Anyway, I typically never cared about my weight (I never had to, really). I don't even own a scale, but that's OK. I don't want to be like several people (guys and gals) I know who are OBSESSED with their weight, even though they look great. It just strikes me as funny sometimes, that's all.

In other news, I've come to an agreement with my friend and former neighbor growing up, Butch, that we are going to look for a 2-bedroom apartment in the city somewhere. It's amazing. It took us all of five minutes to agree to this and to hammer out where we want to live (wherever, but north side is better for me), what our budget would be ($500 apiece or less), and what we needed (2BR that allows big dogs for cheap). I like being guys. :) It's like that kick-ass Bud Light commercial with the couple in the bistro and the waiter comes up and the girl can't decide, and the two guys rattle off one-word sentences to get the guy's order through. It's awesome. :)

Waiter: "(to woman:) I can come back later...Ahem. Sir?"
Guy: "Porterhouse."
Waiter: "Medium?"
Guy: "Rare."
Waiter: "Slaw?"
Guy: "Cob."
Waiter: "Ranch?"
Guy: "Bleu"
Waiter: "Fries?"
Guy: "Baked."
Waiter: "Toppings?"
Guy: "All of them."

Just classic. Classic, classic, classic.

Anyway, on the apartment, I have a few leads, as usual, but this is far easier than past apartment searches. I just couldn't find anything that really fit my needs. Butch is a pretty easy-to-live-with guy, which will be great--I don't need the headaches of having a roommate who won't share the load or do anything for me or just be a flat-out pain in the ass. Plus, Butch is a nice guy, which means if I need a favor, such as walking the dog while I'm at work on Sunday, he'll do it. Plus, he wants to get a husky sometime, so Kazak will have a friend then too. Butch is a good friend who I've known my whole life, but he's not such a close friend that we'll drive each other nuts, as rooming with my bro or Luis might do. Besides, neither of them want to move out of their parents' house anyway, and I don't blame them. So that's a relief. I have to check my finances, but I should be able to afford this. And if not, I'm willing to make sacrafices now...it's time to get my life moving, and if that means leaving some things to drown in the wake, well, tough bananas. :)

All right...enough for now. If I think of anything else, I'll post. :)

Here's part of the reason I hate working on Sundays: it forces me to wait to get things that need to be done out of the way. I have so much to take care of in my life right now, and instead I have to wait until tomorrow to do them. Plus, I'm sure it will be a late night of work today, so it's not like I'll be able to get up early in the morning and start taking care of things then.

I just hate having to wait and keep things on my mind in terms of things to do. When I want to do something, I want to do it right away to take advantage of the freshness of the thing in my mind. Otherwise, it grows stale as I wait or I develop expectations, setting myself up for disappointment. If that makes any sense to anyone. If not, well, I'm just rambling again. :)

It wasn't a big deal, so I didn't mention it here, but my dad went to the hospital on Friday morning because his right shoulder and neck were sore, and he was worried about a heart attack or something. The doctors found nothing wrong with his heart, which is not a surprise, because we folks in my family have very good hearts (figuratively and literally... ;) ), though most people don't ever get to see that. :) It's the cancer that gets us. They didn't know what was wrong. He stayed overnight just in case, and returned home yesterday. I haven't talked to him yet, though, because I was running around yesterday so much. I guess he's gonna go for some stress tests this week or something...who knows what it is. I'm sure it's nothing at all...probably he pulled a muscle or something.

Ah well...gotta write some things before going to work, so I should get movin' on them...probably I'll write some more later during the down time at work. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone! I won't. :)