Axe Kick

Day: Three Hundred and Forty

Photo taken on Thursday, July 7, 2011 in my office at 457pm.

This is my Dell computer. I never named it because I don't love it. It is slow, old, and has a habit of freezing up and shutting down for no reason. It is too temperamental for my liking so after a year of my complaining, bossdad has to acquiesce and a new computer finds its way onto my desk today.

Now the question remains: what to do with the old one?

If only there was a secluded, overgrown field somewhere...

I Have A Sirius Obsession

Day: Three Hundred and Twenty Nine

Photo taken on Sunday, June 26, 2011 in my bedroom, having a Spanglish-almost-noon-moment with my dog, Sirius.

Yes, there is a dog in this picture. A pug actually. And he likes to visit every now and then and have a Beer Water (so he doesn't lose his girlish figure). He is awesome, charming, and funny. When Sirius used to come to the Surge with me he would don a bow tie since a regular tie would get tangled in his short legs.

I can see you don't believe me about Sirius. Shame really. I swear you would love him.

Let me tell you the story of how Sirius becomes a part of our family in 2004:

I come home from college a different person; for some reason Colorado has mellowed me out, filled me with patience and a creativity I haven't tapped in a long time. My imagination runs wild, sometimes the results are cringe humored other times very silly. I'm in love with the person I have become but it weirds a lot of people out when I try to reconnect with them because I rarely ever curse and I can now admit when I'm wrong. I am also working full time at the Surge and have no mode for transportation unless a parental unit doesn't need their car so I have a lot of time by myself. So I ask for a dog.

That question is met with a resounding, "NO."

I take matters into my own hands and create my very own imaginary dog. I don't tell my parents about this until one night when the three of us are on the couch watching a television program and I suddenly swat the air above the cushion next to me, startling my parents. In my best authoritative voice I say, "Down! Off the couch! You know the rules!" I then point to the floor and then point to the doorway leading out of the den. I tilt my head and give the spot on the floor "the eye" and repeat the pointing. My eyes then trail the pathway out of the room. I sit back on the couch, satisfied to have won the argument.

It is then my parents learn of Sirius.

And they all accept him. Kim thinks it's funny whenever I reprimand him. My coworkers at the Surge find him wandering into their offices at random times of the workday and never seem to mind. Sirius becomes a part of our daily routine and Maeve gets to witness this one night when Kim goes to head upstairs for sleepytime and I demand she says goodnight to my open laptop, Nico.

She refuses.

"Kim, either say goodnight to Nico or you can say goodnight to Sirius." I point to the floor by Maeve.

Kim looks down at the tiled floor. "Goodnight, Sirius."

Maeve bursts out laughing. "Wait, you would rather say goodnight to something imaginary over something you can actually see?" The three of us dissolve into laughter and Sirius barks.

Though there is one evening when dad has had enough of Sirius, who is currently perched in bewteen us in his car on top of the console. I don't know if it's Sirius' snorted breathing or me talking for the dog or the imaginary dog hair all over his nice suit pants but dad has reached his breaking point. At a red light he rolls down the window and grabs for the console, hands in a cupping motion around Sirius, and turns to throw him outside.

"NOOOOOOO!" I scream, lunging across the car to wrench Sirius from his hands. My eyes well up with tears and dad laughs.

I think it is at this point I realize I have become too attached to my make believe pet and I should really invest my time in finding a boyfriend instead.

Too bad he turns out to be imaginary too.

Brother

Day: Three Hundred and Nine

Photo taken on Monday, June 6, 2011 in our parking lot at 958pm.

Happy birthday to you
You belong in a zoo
You smell like a monkey
And you look like one too!

 Happy 1st Birthday, Sai! I hope you have enjoyed shuttling my butt around this past year! Maybe as a birthday gift I will finally wash you and go against my Isn't-that-what-rain-is-for? policy.

Gob

Day: Two Hundred and Ninety Nine

Photo taken on Friday, May 27, 2011 in the Copiague train station parking lot at 1050pm.


Sai has a "smart key". He has been known to confuse a few people that are lucky enough to get behind the wheel because when they go to shut him off they realize there is no key in the ignition. It's usually sitting in one of the cup holders but sometimes it's still in my bag in the backseat or on the passenger seat or in the trunk. Tonight, they're in Steve's hands as I follow him back to our casa after retrieving Sai. I admit, it's a bit nerve-wracking to not have the keys in the car and watch the key light angrily blink at me but it feels like a thrilling adventure at the same time!

Movin' Out

Day: Two Hundred and Forty Eight

Photo taken on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 in the dining room area (or what should be the dining room area but is a hazardous waste zone at the moment instead) at 1015pm.

Upon moving from Farmingdale to Smithtown, Mike discovers this rather large bag full of smaller plastic bags taking up residence in one of our walk-in closets. He pulls it out and Steve groans about how much he hates that I save this kind of stuff and then Mike puts it over his head and shouts, "Mammoth Bag!" He also shouts it randomly during the move, holding it up high for everyone to see and we all throw up our hands and yell back, "Mammoth Bag!" (Steve groans instead.)

Though Steve isn't groaning now that Mammoth Bag is rapidly shrinking as I use these bags in lieu of bubble-wrap for our breakables. I wonder what Mike is going to call Mammoth Bag now that it's not really mammoth anymore?

Le Sai

Day: Two Hundred and Nineteen

Photo taken on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 by the Zheng Garden calendar* at 904pm.

Look what I got from Fed Ex today!

Sai's registration!

Only took 9 months and two days to get here. Way to go Massapequa Nissan!



*Funny thing about this calendar: It's for a Chinese restaurant in Midlothian, VA and dad received two of these with his order in December. He brought one to the Surge, called me into his office, and handed me a box saying, "Here, you like Chinese crap."

I liked it so much I hung it on our wall. Thanks dad!

He's evolving!

Day: Two Hundred and Four

Photo taken on Monday, February 21, 2011 in Sai while out shopping in St. James at 719pm.

This is one of our pets, Kabuto. We used to take him on trips with us all the time until we got him another Pokemon friend so now he usually just chills on one of our shelves in the Manga Loft instead.

Though today I go and fetch him before we head out to clean off the snow from our vehicles for old times' sake. I guess I'm feeling a bit nostalgic after the dream I have this morning. Because of my web thinking, I start out with an awesome dream about an anime convention and wake up thinking of Kabuto and the connection from Con to Pokemon is pretty simple but it all rests in one man's hand: the first name on our Infidelity Clause List, Travis Willingham. (He totally held Kabuto in his palm for a silly picture for me at Anime Boston 2009.)

The dream is honestly nothing special but it leaves me feeling calm but not at peace. It makes me confused and I want to figure out what it might actually mean for me and my "future". I'm in a room full of Con goers, some in cosplay, some just milling about in everyday wear when in walks a bunch of voice actors after their panel lets out. A lot of the girls around me get all giggly and start pointing but I'm just minding my own business, sitting on this small bleacher, lazily flipping through a panel schedule. I look up in time to see people parting a bit to make room for Travis as he makes a beeline for me. He plops down in my vicinity and says hello as he starts rifling through a schedule of his own. I nod and offer him a "hey Trav" and then he starts asking me about my work out for the day, making sure I hit my mileage. I feel completely at ease with him like we're buddies but instead of talking work, we're talking about his Tri's and I'm teasing him about his mileage as well.

And then I wake up. I stare at the ceiling. There is only one way I would ever be on that level of comfortability with Mr. Willingham and it would be if I was in the same line of work and judging by my total lack of a fun in medical records, we're not. As cool as it would be to become a voice actor, I have no acting background and throwing my voice around with friends doesn't count. I think about my graphic novel that I would love to create only I can't draw and even my storyboards are pitiful. I just feel so trapped inside my head and I just can't get anything out and on paper. I haven't the time and when I have time, it evaporates before I even knew it was there.

Maybe I'm reading too much into the dream. Maybe Travis is just trying to tell me that I'm slacking in my training and to stop being a lazy ass. But I just can't shake that "at ease" feeling I had in the back of that room, like I belonged there, like I deserved to be there and be happy. I know how badly I want to finish this novel, I know it is an idea that hasn't been done before, I just don't know if I have what it takes to be successful.

Schloopydoopies

Day: One Hundred and Ninety Three

Photo taken on Thursday, February 10, 2011 while dancing around the hallway with my iTouch (named Skull) at 918pm.

Kim hates my other iPod, the one Steve purchased for me back when I left Genesis in November 2006 (so my commute could be bearable with music). I think she should write a BLOG entry about all the different comments she has made towards it because they're hilarious.

The iPod is one of the first video ones released so it's as big as a VHS tape and if you watched a video on it, it would run out of batteries within five minutes. Granted it is extremely outdated therefore keeping the background light on drains it so I tend to use it only in the car when it is constantly plugged in. Since it's a video one, it holds like 20,000 songs, not that I have 20,000 songs but the possibilities are endless (I have 2,151 songs). Even though I have a replacement, I still use that clunker because when I drop it, I really don't care and it still works... until I walk two blocks out of the subway station because the cold weather makes the battery freeze.

Noogs

Day: One Hundred and Ninety One

Photo taken on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 on the LIRR at 636am. (Later train today because someone forgot to set their alarm. I won't point any fingers but I'm the only one who gets up at 435am.)

Moma is the only person I know that goes to a silent auction and only bids on stuff for other people. She is always thinking of others and their wants or needs so when she spies a Nook she immediately thinks of me and my redonkulous commute. I am really stoked to have a new toy-I have already affectionately named it Noogie-so when dad hands it off to me, I quickly go down to Barnes and "No Balls" (courtesy of Preston) and buy a casing for it since I tend to drop expensive things (don't let me hold your baby either). I just hope I stay on top of Noogie's well being and that I'm not halfway through my train ride when I'm like, "Crap! My book ran out of batteries!"

I'm totally digging this new form of entertainment and have already downloaded two *free* ebooks and finished one before hitting Hunterspoint this morning. The Smoke Dragon by Shane Jiraiya Cummings is peppered with vocabulary we haven't seen since the SATs so that is totally refreshing plus it's like Raiden from Mortal Kombat meets Gato's underlings from Naruto. Definitely a thumbs up!

Thank you, Moma, for this awesome gift! Looking forward to reading book two later!

Dueling Phones

Day: One Hundred and Seventy Eight

Photo taken on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at my desk at 326pm. (That's Valerie behind me)

I am currently on hold with the DMV on both phones. I started on the hard line 15 minutes prior to using my cell to try and reach someone on a different DMV number. Let's see who wins...

I like Nissan. I do not however, like Massapequa Nissan (with the exception of Paul's friend, Josh). Josh helped Steve and I get into very awesome leases back in 2007 and 2008. Pedey F. (my old silver Xterra) cost me only $348 a month!

Back in June I am tricked into coming in early with Pedey; then the sleazy salesmen lead me to believe that Josh no longer works there. He does, he is just off today. Once they see the mileage on a three year old truck, they are not letting me leave that lot no matter what. Pedey is in great condition and has only 27,000 miles on him! He is a fantastic vehicle and even better companion. I love him but his lease is almost up and it is time to move on.

I want a yellow Xterra this time but they no longer make them in outlandish colors and now I have boring colors to choose from. I try to leave with Pedey. They usher me into a Pathfinder and tell me to try it.

I drive around the block by myself and hop out telling them I'll try a Pathfinder this time since they told me a basic Xterra starts at $460. I am not paying that kind of money for another basic truck with no crossbars again (how the hell are you supposed to strap a surfboard to the top with no crossbars?) so I settle for a Pathfinder.

The salesmen then badger me into a Pathfinder that they can not get off the lot (Sai). Sai has great features but his biggest downfall is that he's a darker color and darker colored cars show dirt more so than lighter colors and I don't wash my trucks very often so I prefer lighter colors. I maybe wash it like once or twice a year if that. Wash my car? Isn't that what rain is for? But I digress...

So I finally accept Sai and they tell me it will just be a moment and then he's mine.

Three hours later and I'm finally losing patience. I have now been here for five hours. All I have eaten today is a granola bar and get this... I am still wearing my number from the race I participated in down the road hours ago! I am hot, sweaty, hungry, and now angry. I go up to the salesmen (one of which is stuffing his face with lunch) and ask him what the hold up is. He bullshits me and I lose it.

I stick out my hand. "I want my Xterra back. NOW."

He is up and out of that chair so fast and talking me down from storming out of there. I am fuming. He takes a few more dollars off my lease and five minutes later Sai appears.

Eight months later guess who I'm still registered to?

Pedey F.

I have been on Massapequa's case for SEVEN months to get me a registration. I can't park in certain places because I am not registered to Sai. At all. I have even called the Nissan Corporation themselves and they had an INVESTIGATION and Massepequa called me up, tried to charm me even more, promised a registration, and still has not delivered.

Guess who is about to get a pleasant phone call from Bossdad?


Oh and my cell phone won the race.

Working Hard, Hardly Workin'

Day: One Hundred and Sixty Nine

Photo taken on Monday, January 17, 2011 in the Manga Loft (which doubles as my workspace) at 1052am.

It is a rare event for me to work from home during the week but a day like today calls for it. Two years ago I attempt to go into work on MLK Day and immediately regret that decision. Not many people get off for the holiday yet the LIRR is on a holiday schedule. This means Hunterspoint Avenue is shut down and only one train an hour goes to and from the city. It is a madhouse and not worth having everybody brush up against my backside for four hours.

So today I take the floating holiday to do some extra data entry for my parents' medical billing company, Empire Management. I have been doing SPARCS since I was 15 years old and I can rival Sonic in speed as I tear through the claims.

Working from home is great because while I'm on my work computer, Sergei, I have my everyday laptop, Miles, to my right for any researching needs I may have (or watching Facebook status updates, you know, work important things) as well as Nico to my left for music (played as loud as I want!). Yeah, Nico. Surprised he's still hanging on right? He'll be 7 in June! How crazy is that?! I just don't have the heart to get rid of him so instead I prop him up on a book so he doesn't overheat and he's in charge of my iTunes selection.

And the best part of working from home besides peeing with the door open? 

Working in my pajamas!

R&R

Day: Twenty Four

Photo taken on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 in our living room at 855pm (thank you florescent green numbers on the cable box!).



Since my night happens to not be going according to plan and seriously making me edgy, I have to correct it with something good. After finding two treadmills occupied as the other two are broken in our Complex’s gym, I get extremely agitated that I cannot do my required running for the day. I slam out of the cramped fitness room and stomp back up to my apartment to write the leasing office for a second time about how much their gym disappoints me. Once through with the strongly worded letter, I grab myself an IPA, put my feet up on the pirate coffee table, and turn on our awesome TV, Asuma Awesomo. Nothing calms my nerves quite like a microbrew coupled with anime. As I polish off the IPA and move on to a Troeg, my nice buzz has me forgetting all about the gym and enjoying the rest of the night.

W/D

Day: Eighteen

Photo taken on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 726pm in the laundry room.

On my way home from the city I text Michelle to see if she is available for dinner later. Unfortunately she responds with a "no" because she's at the laundromat and hating every second of it. I remember how much Steve and I despised laundry night when we lived in Bay Shore and then in Farmingdale: the expense, it always raining or snowing that night, the out of control children running circles around the place, the dryers that were broken but you didn't know that until the forty minute cycle was over, and the list goes on. It horrifies me so much to remember those long nights that the second I come into our new apartment, I head straight through the kitchen, open the laundry room door, and show some love to my washer and dryer.

A Lover's Caress

Day: Nine

Photo taken at 712pm on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 in the Smithtown train station parking lot.

Where as most people treat their pets like they're children, I treat my electronics and technology as if they are real human beings. I think people do not realize what certain appliances actually do for us and forget to be grateful. Sure your dog is fun and all but can he get you to Great Neck in 25 minutes? Your cat totally loves you and greets you at the door but can she keep you "grounded" in an electrical storm? I didn't think so.

So this is why I name and respect major electronics that without them in my life I would be completely lost. I make sure every time I get into my Pathfinder, Sai, I greet him properly. Although I leave fingerprints all over the back door and affectionately tap the taillight compulsively, he still makes sure to bring me to any destination that I desire.

Now that's unconditional love.