TGIF

Thank G it is Friday. It has been such a long week at work. My co-worker Matt Jones (of Jackmove fame) took the week off for a little vacation action. That brilliant bastard took this week off and with the 3 day weekend he's getting an extra vacation day. He's so getting punched right in the ding-ding when he gets back to work it's not even funny.
So this week I have been doing my job plus all of Matt's shit. Plus having to deal with a certain very unpleasant "Associate" at one of the branches in Portland. So I am pumped for Labor Day weekend (read: uncle n8's getting wasted!).
I am heading outta town tomorrow morning for Hood's Canal for a little camping action. My buddy Garrett's family has a cabin right next to the water. His grandpa built the cabin a couple of years ago and he is nice enough to let us invade it for the weekend.
There will be tons of drinking, lots of gambling, some cussing and swearing, some time on the water crabbin and swimming if it's warm enough.
This may be the second consecutive weekend that I try to kill my liver. I've been thinking about it and me and my liver are now at war for the way he let me down last weekend. I mean seriously, two glasses of champagne in between a ton of beer and I end up with one of the worst hangovers ever. Quit being a pussy liver. Fuck.
If you haven't heard the Linkin Park and Jay-Z collaboration from about a year ago you should check it out. If you like either of the artists you'll dig the album. I just got it two weeks ago and have been listening to it on a pretty regular basis. Good Stuff.
Anyways, I don't really have anything else to say except that I miss you all. Really I do. I wish you could go camping with me but I just don't think our relationship is ready for that right now. Because when I get drunk I get a lil friendly if you know what I mean. And you don't want that (yes you do).
Have a great weekend my peeps.

frisbee

Playing ultimate frisbee kicks your ass when you start getting older. I think I pulled a hamstring, bruised my foot almost rolling my ankle, and bruised my elbow. And it's a no-contact sport. WTF?

Here is Gunnar and Nate warming up. There are no more pictures because I didn't have the lung power to spare to run over in between scores to grab the camera and take any more pictures. And I am pretty sure Nate felt like he was hit by a truck last week, so these pretend sports are really taking it out of us.

As for this weekend, it sounds like the plans are try to sell Stacy's tickets Friday, go to Seattle Friday or Saturday and watch the cougs and do some bumbershoot, and come back Sunday for some relaxing BBQ and working on the house. Thanks for none-of your help everyone.

Next weekend, Coug game on TV in Longview. Be there or be square.

busy weekends

So days during the week are still busier than imaginable. So lets talk about something more fun. Like having too many choices for a couple fun weekends coming up.

Labor Day Weekend. Should I:

1. Take discounted tickets to Dave in the Gorge, even though no one wants to go with me, except my sister who can't go because she has to work?
2. Go to Seattle Friday night, try to sell Stacy's Dave Mathews tickets for her, drink and help my sister move, go to Bumbershoot on Saturday, golf with Seth on Sunday, and go home and BBQ with Abby Sunday and Monday?
3. Watch the Coug game on ESPN2 in Longview or Vancouver with Ronny and Abby and stay home and drink the rest of the weekend?
4. Go camping with Nate all weekend?
5. Go to Seattle Friday and Saturday, and then Lake Chelan with Willie and Bo Sunday and Monday?
6. Go to Paulsbo with Shaun, and watch the Coug game at Dicko's or a bar in Seattle?
7. Stay home and finish the office move and fixing the bathroom from the handyman's crappy job he did on the trim in there?

Next weekend. Should I?

1. Go to Portland for Widmer Bros. Oktoberfest?
2. Go to Seattle again for fun and frivolity and race home for tournament on Sunday?
3. Watch the Coug Game vs. Idaho at home and actually make it to tourney?

The Next Weekend: Already decided. Go to Erin & Jess's wedding Friday, go to the Cougs game in Seattle Saturday, be hungover both days.

Really there is no downside. Having too many options is way better than having no options, and all of these options involve drinking, which is good. I just hate that feeling of knowing that if I don't have tons of fun, I'll feel like I am passing up tons of fun somewhere else. I'm not indecisive, it's just that my magic 8-ball said "Answer unclear, ask again later."

Cooking With Nate "Kitty Litter Cake"

I got this in my e-mail and thought it was too good (gross?) to not pass on. Thanks Dana!
CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 box spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 box of white cake mix
1 package white sandwich cookies
1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
A few drops green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls or equivalent

SERVING "DISHES AND UTENSILS"
1 NEW cat-litter box (make sure it's new)
1 NEW cat-litter box liner
1 NEW pooper scooper

Prepare and bake cake mixes, according to directions, in any size pan. Prepare pudding and chill. Crumble cookies in small batches in blender or food processor. Add a few drops of green food coloring to 1 cup of cookie crumbs. Mix with a fork or shake in a jar. Set aside.
When cakes are at room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with half of the remaining cookie crumbs and enough pudding to make the mixture moist but not soggy. Place liner in litter box and pour in mixture. Unwrap 3 Tootsie Rolls and heat in a microwave until soft and pliable. Shape the blunt ends into slightly curved points. Repeat with three more rolls. Bury the rolls decoratively in the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining white cookie crumbs over the mixture, then scatter green crumbs lightly over top. Heat 5 more Tootsie Rolls until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with crumbs from the litter box. Heat the remaining Tootsie Roll until pliable and hang it over the edge of the box. Place box on a sheet of newspaper and serve with scooper. Enjoy (or not)!

Music

I love Music. Maybe not as much as Nate and Mulgrew, but I do love it all the same. I just don't take the time to download, or spend the money to get an ipod or new cds. So I turn to Yahoo Music on Launchcast. Today I am listening to the Adult Alternative station, and if you haven't, you should. It has already played 2 or 3 of the sweet ass songs that Nate put on his very popular N8's Alternative (mix cd) that he has provided to me and a few others.

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Hate Me by Blue October
Holy shit, as I am typing this, another of N8's songs came on. My favorite one on the CD by Buckcherry. "Hey, you're a Crazy Bitch, but you fuck so good i'm on top of it. When I dream, I'm doin you all night, scratches all down my back, you keep me right on." "You're crazy but I like the way you fuck me." Great lyrics.

Also, although I hate McDonalds, I just had some Mickey D's fries today for the first time in at least a year, and they are still just as addictive and wonderful as ever. Man, I love fries.

edit: Another great couple songs. Alive by P.O.D. and Lips of an Angel by Hinder I think I will be listening to this station again tomorrow.

Inspiration

I believe in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which we live there needs to be a message of hope. Just a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace and joy. An image that suggests the universal brotherhood of man. I have found that image, and I ask that all of you take a moment to be inspired by it.
(the beer store)

drink specials

Any fraternal organization that emails out drink specials, is okay by me. Moose Lodge 530
I was in a fraternity, and even we didn't think to have weekly drink specials. Man, I love Longview.

WEEKLY DRINK SPECIALS

SEPT 5 - 9 PARROT HEAD $5.00

SEPT 11 - 16 DOS EQUIS $2.00

SEPT 18 - 23 APPLE MARTINI $3.50

SEPT 25 - 30 SHARK TOOTH $3.00

OCT 2 - 7 SCOOBY SNACK $4.50

OCT 9 - 14 TROPICAL NAVEL $3.75

OCT 16 - 21 MGD $1.75

OCT 23 - 29 BLUE BAYOU $3.25

OCT 30 - NOV 4 KAMAKAZE $2.75

Wanna trade weekends?

My weekend went like this.

Friday

• Too busy at work to play practice round for big tournament, cancel on guys I am supposed to meet at 2:15.
• Be pissed off about it, not get out of work til 6:00, skip going to have beer at the country club or at Jimmy's birthday party, go to Applebees to have a beer, go home and work on house til 1:00 AM since fucking handyman didn't finish trim Friday as promised.

Saturday

• Wake up early for handyman to show up. He is late AGAIN.
• Work on house while he is working until golf tournament at 11:00.
• Play not so good and shoot worst round of the year because I didn't go to practice round (see above) to find out that they cut the greens so short that putts roll right off the fucking green.
• 3-putt more times in one day than I did the rest of the month. Check phone to find hysterical messages from wife because handyman did a shit job and got caulk on a lot of the BRAND NEW PAINT JOBS we just did in two rooms.
• And she had to call him back to fix a bunch of nail holes he didn't fill in.
• And she had to call him back to fix the giant gouge his too-long nail left in the bathroom sliding door.
• Go home to spend rest of night painting instead of staying to drink beer after first day of tournament.

Sunday

• Wake up early for about the 15th day in a row since we started working on the house.
• Do a little more repair work (fucking handyman fucker...).
• Go to golf tournament and proceed to have an even worse day, shooting 8 strokes worse than worst round of year mentioned above.
• 3-putt an equal amount of times, now bringing the weekend total to more 3-putts than the previous 2 months combined.
• Drink beers, strain muscle in my hand hitting out of hard ground in hazard and have to play the last 4-5 holes even shittier than before.
• Dent shin running into a sand container while hitting a practice shot on the 3rd hole while returning my dad's cart (I actually hit the thing so hard with my shin that I knocked it over, and it must have weighed 50-100 lbs.), find out my KP didn't hold up, drink beer and eat BBQ, find out at least I didn't get dead fucking last, and go home.
• Work on house and hook back up electrical work and move furniture back into newly trimmed rooms while watching the Emmys.

Nate, even with that hangover, I will trade you weekends.

Wedding Weekend V (Double Wedding Edition)

So this weekend I had the honour of attending two weddings (numbers 5 & 6 on the Summer). And my liver is now paying for it. Big time.
It all started Friday after work. I decided to stop by Kesler's after work for a beer with Jenny and Jenny. And my beer was so delish that I consumed another. After two beers my buddy Gym was calling me to tell me that he was on his way to my house to pick me up for the wedding. Our buddy Cory was getting married.
And it was a beautiful ceremony. The wedding was two blocks from my house so afterwards we were able to stop back by mi casa and consume a couple more brews before the reception. And they were also delish.
After mi casa we headed over to the reception and drank some beer (see a pattern forming?). About halfway through the reception (I would guess about beer number 8) they had a champagne toast. And I had a big glass of champagne (not so delish). After the champagne I went back to the brewskis.
After another beer or two I decided to head home. On my way home I got a text message from the Jennys and they were still at Kesler's. I decided that the night was young (it was only 11) and I was feeling great so off to Kesler's it was.
I remember drinking more beer and dancing til the place closed down. Afterwards I came home and passed the fluck out.
The pounding in my skull was too much to handle. Especially at seven in the morning. I looked around to see if I could find the truck that must've run me over but it was nowhere to be found.
You know how your mouth starts watering a lot right before you throw up? Yeah, so I had that going for me along with the pounding headache as I stumbled down the hallway towards the porcelain throne in the bathroom. I made it there just in time to realize that;
A) My head hurt a lot. A lot. Bad. Seriously you have no idea.
B) I no longer had to vomit so I made the trip for nada.
I crash landed back in my bed and tried to regain unconsciousness but it was all for naught. So I laid there in misery for a while before getting up and finally losing it all. Repeat.
So my Saturday was pretty much fuckered. I drove up to the closest mini-mart and bought two 32 oz. Gatorade's and some Advil. I went home, took the advil, drank a Gatorade, chatted with the coach and passed the fuck out.
I woke up just in time to realize that I was a couple of hours late to my buddy Todd's party and needed to be at my friend Tim's house for the UFC in a matter of half a hour.
On a sidenote: That Chuck Lidell is one bad mofo. For Real.
Anyways I went to Tim's, watched some fights, and then made a stop by Todd's. I stayed there for about a half a hour before coming home a crashing.
I woke up Sunday feeling a lot better but not totally healed. I finally started feeling good again after my first beer at Reggie and Margaux's wedding. Their wedding was at a Palace that's in the hills about a half hour outta town. This place was amazing. Beautiful ceremony for some beautiful people. It was one of the better weddings that I have been to. And I'm not just saying that because they were serving beer before and during the ceremony, but it certainly did help!
The only downside was me turning into a guy and spilling his two beers all over him. And from what I hear he's a bad dude. So if your reading this Pat Bailey I really am sorry. I had no idea you were standing there.
Anyways I got a chance to talk with lots of friends that I haven't seen in a long time. It was a very nice time and I did what I do good. Drank Beer.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Cory Harren and Mr. and Mrs. Reggie Williamson.