We went out with our good friends Mark, Julie, and Dean tonight. You may recall (or not) that Mark was my best man at our wedding, Dean was one of my groomsmen, and Julie, who may not have been an official bridesmaid, was easily one of the most helpful people throughout the course of that wild and wonderful day.

It was nice to get away from the dual competing issues of job & house, house & job. It was good to have other adults to hang out with. It was nice to see Mark and Julie's relationship progressing, and they both seemed genuinely happy, if a bit awkward. It appears she has finally shed what sounds like a worthless deadbeat of an ex-husband. She has been able to quit her second job, and seems content to let someone take care of her for a change, something Mark delights in.

Going way back, well before I had ever heard of Staz, Mark and I worked together and would exchange dating horror stories. Mine were mercifully few, but I was always willing to lend an ear to his, especially the infamous 'naked chick.' He was there during the first tumultuous year of dating Staz. In the ten or more years that I've known him, we both have matured so much, gone through a lot, and emerged on the other side, far away geographically, but still the best of friends. It feels good to be able to say that. We often joked that my luck with jobs equated his luck with women. For longer than I care to admit, I was getting canned on a somewhat regular basis, consistent with the rate of his being dumped or doing the dumping. But now it seems we have both found something that could last a while, and are much better for it.

I 'm not a big blogger. I don't even particularly like blogging. And yes, I get the irony of blogging about not liking to blog.

Here's the thing, blogs fall into one of three categories. The first I lump into current event/politics type blogs. These are usually made up of frustrated would-be journalists who, when they couldn't get someone to pay them to write about this stuff, decided to do it for free. Sometimes good for a laugh, but they tend to speak a foreign language all their own. And they also tend not to look beyond the front page of the USA Today. I don't want to be one of these.

Then there are the I-had-jello-today blogs. These blogs document their owners' life with such intensive and minuscule detail, I could tell you what they were thinking, doing, saying at any time of day for the last month. This is worthwhile information if you have an interesting life. But most people do not. In fact, when you break it down, pretty much everyone's life is made of dead-sh*& boring errands, tasks & thoughts. I suspect even the president spends a good part of his day parked on the can or watching Jerry Springer. So what makes you think I want to read all about your trip to Walgreens for itch cream?

Lastly are the genuinely intuitive, insightful, funny blogs. These people have a myriad of topics to choose to write about and a wealth of knowledge that allows them to do so. These people may not lead interesting lives, but it doesn't matter because they are genuinely interesting.

Then there's me.I'm not interested enough in the news, and there are so many others who do it so much better, for me to be a current events blogger. Besides, it's too much work. I'm also practical enough to know that people do not, in fact, care that I stopped at the Speedway on my way to work and put in $12.00 of premium gas in my truck. You see, I have to use premium or it or the engine knocks like crazy. Which reminds me, I wanted to pick up some oil and a new filter for my truck this weekend. Maybe we'll go skating down on Fountain Square this weekend. Assuming the ice hasn't melted due to all of the warm weather. ZZZZZZ Even I'm bored by now.

And the last category? Please. Would that I could craft entries that can capture your attention, delve into some great societal phenomenon, and come out with a humorous anecdote to prove a valid and thoughtful point. But alas, all I have is my own frustration with the writers' strike, and the knowledge that it's past my bedtime.

We had a plan.

We had a list.

We had an itinerary.

We were going to kick some retail a$$ and get a whole bunch of Christmas shopping done, while also getting lunch, picking up home improvement supplies, as well as groceries and some much needed toiletries.

Never happened. We were late getting up. We took a shower only to have Bogey drink half a bottle of cyclosporin while unsupervised. We then waited half an hour for our vet to return my call and assure us that, no Bogey was, in fact, not in any danger. We left the house about 3pm, ate a late lunch, then wandered through Target examining potential gifts. We left empty-handed. We left PetSmart empty-handed too, except for some much needed cat litter. We then left Dick's Sporting goods empty-handed too. All in all, our holiday shopping amounted to 0-3. We felt like the Bengals.

By now, it was 7pm. The dogs would be going ballistic. No doubt they would be starving. All of this was, in fact, true, with the added bonus that Bogey had done a number 2 in his crate. He had gotten it everywhere, all over him, his blanket, his crate. UGH.

After much cleaning and swearing, we tried going out again. This time the dogs came with us to the Sprint store and Kmart. They were hyper and anxious, and continued to vye for our attention at every opportunity. And the shopping was less than successful. We are now 0-5 on the holiday shopping. We're looking more like the dolphins at this point. So we went home. So far, our most succesfull shopping expeditions have been online. Maybe we'll just continue to shop in our PJ's. And the dogs snoozing in the corner seem to like it better too.

60 degrees in December just shouldn't happen. That's all I'm sayin'.

It feels very ominous, like there might be something to all of the hype. I know I know. Tell that to the folks still in the dark in Oklahoma. It still leaves me with a feeling of unease. Ignoring the fact of whether we're causing it or not, what if the world is getting warmer, and what if all of the chicken littles out there are right?

I actually embrace environmental causes if there is some rational thought behind it. For example, electric cars. What a completely pointless exercise. Where do you think the electricity comes from when you plug it into the wall? Pollution spewing power plants you tool. And a modern internal combustion engine spews about 1/1000th of the pollution and delivers 4 times the efficiency of a battery powered electric motor. Hybrids are a step in the right direction. But theres still the battery problem. They're full of toxic chemicals which are much more difficult and toxic to manufacture, use, and destroy at the end of their life. E85 ethanol? I can sort of see the attraction. Corn generated fuel. But what do you think that will do to food prices? And the stuff emits the same pollutants as fossil fuels, so what have you really gained?

Heres another problem I have. When did carbon dioxide become a pollutant? This stuff occurs in nature for crying out loud. Plants would die without it. If theres too much of it, why don't we just plant more trees?

My point? Is there one? Just that there is no shortage of hype, nonsense, and bullsh*t when it comes to environmentalism. I heard on the radio that I can donate money to some charity to offset my 'carbon footprint.' This has to be the most brilliant scam I've ever heard of, right up there with the thankfully forbidden practice of buying 'indulgences' in the Catholic church. If you're not familiar with it, you could donate money to your local clergyman and be forgiven for a myriad of sins. The more money, the more egregious the sin you could commit.

I guess I'm not ready to chain myself to a tree just yet. But I will recycle my water bottle.

We were ready for a house. We were SO ready. We'd planned, saved, dreamed, tried and failed so many times. We were so grateful when it finally became real.

And I still am, for the most part. I can't tell you how sick I was of obnoxious, stupid, crazy, nut job landlords. We were so good at the whole home thing. We had learned so much about renovation, maintenance, decorating. We wanted to do it to our own place.

And we did, or at least we are. But I neglected to realize just how little time is your own anymore. It's rare that we do 'fun ' stuff anymore. All free moments are spent fixing, drilling, sanding, etc. And that's IF the dogs aren't constantly in your face, which is also rare.

All of which doesn't complement a job that is really frustrating lately. I'm REALLY sick of playing peacemaker between product management and plant management. That's not my job...well, ok, maybe it is, but it shouldn't be so damn difficult to get people to agree.

In all my jobs, I've never seen a place so resistant to change. Even ginormous monoliths like General Motors looks vibrant and innovative compared to this place. The product hasn't changed in 15 years, and by God, we're going to keep it that way. Which sort of begs the question,' WHY AM I HERE?'

So that's where I;m at. Thank God for Staz or I wouldn't be much into anything at all, whether Christmas or house or anything. I've always believed that you need something to look forward to. But lately, the thing i really look forward to is going to bed every night. I'm just so tired, and no one bothers me there.

That's not good is it?

While not much of a surprise, it's still a sad day for Michigan football. Say what you want, Lloyd Carr was one of the classiest guys in the sport. He helped to continue one of the most revered football programs in the NCAA with nary a hint of scandal, or investigation, or any pretense of wrongdoing. How many successful programs can do that? Even when the University was riddled with scandals in the basketball program, with paid student athletes, revoked titles, stiff penalties, and limited post-season participation for years to come, no one looked twice at the football program.

I actually met the man, back when he was defensive coordinator. In college, I paid the bills by driving a transit bus for the University, and every once in a while we would drive various teams to the airport. On one occasion, myself and four others took the team to their chartered plane at the Ypsilanti airport. (It's good to be in Div 1-A football) While I was very familiar with taking teams to their regular domestic flights at Detroit Metro, the little Ypsi airport proved to be challenge to find for the uninitiated like myself. Trying to keep cool, I radioed my colleagues for instructions, but it eventually became obvious that I was lost. Carr looked at me quizically and asked, "Do you know where you're going?" I had to be honest, and said, "Not exactly, but someone is talking me in." Rather than rip my head off, he just shrugged and said,"Ok, I don't think they'll leave without us." Thus he endeared himself forever to a class of '96 Alum.

I'm very curious to see who will replace him. I hope whoever they are can build upon what he's left and bring the program back to it's glory days.

I was both lucky enough and blessed with sufficient smarts to attend and graduate from a prestigious Big 10 university. Ok, THE Big 10 University. Still, with regard to football saturday, I was never THAT guy. I never painted my bare chest en route to the game. Never held up a giant foam finger for the cameras. I never tailgated, never shouted obscenities at the opposing team. I never started a bar fight or even a flame war. I was the guy who went to the library during the big game because I KNEW I would have the place to myself. I was the guy who laughed at all my hard core friends, who went to games during below zero temperatures and blizzard conditions while I watched from my cozy dorm room.

So with all that said, can I tell you how much I really REALLY want to win this game? There are so many reasons, none the least of which the hopelessly overhyped Buckeyes will finish at the bottom of the BCS? All those obnoxious Buckeye fans will FINALLY shut up for at least a year. And with any luck, all of the neanderthals calling for Lloyd Carr's head will also go away for a while.

National Championship? I couldn't care less. It's still all about the Rose Bowl for me. I don't care if Albuqurque Junior College beats us, as long as we win the Big 10. And if we can't do that, at least beat Ohio State. We could have a 1-8 record for the season. But as long as that 1 win is you-know-who, I'm a happy camper.

Not to put too fine a point on it...

So there we are, innocently rummaging through our rented storage facility for our Christmas stuff, when the sounds of sirens,...that is to say SIRENS comes from outside. As it happens, our storage sits atop a hill that overlooks a major thoroughfare. And as we walk outside to investigate, we see, not 1, not 2, but 7 or 8 local police cars trying to box in a runaway driver. Like something out of the OJ drama so many years back. As they speed past, we can make out that the runaway car has at least two flat tires. As they disappear over the hill, we trade a few looks. Did we just see that?

It would seem so. On our way home, we see the cops clustered around a house just off the highway. The runaway car is sitting on the lawn. This is why I love my wife, well, one of many reasons. Not only does she rubberneck, but she pulls out her map and plots us a route to take us behind and through all of the commotion to get a better look. Which we do. The cops don't seem annoyed. They almost seem to be jovial about the sheer incompetence of the driver and the absurdity of the situation. All in all it was very surreal.

Made even more so by the pictures on the nightly news. As we were leaving the scene we saw the news van pull up, so we knew which station to watch. Alas, there was no fantastic video footage, no pictures of cop cars careening about. If only we had had a camera at the time. We could have given the viewers a show.

Just got back from Indianapolis. I could go into infinite detail about our time there, but I just want to record how really really nice it was to just have Staz to myself, no work, no family, no animals, just the two of us. We haven't done that in a while and it felt great.

The Tori show was great too. It was everything that I've learned to expect. A visual feast, more performance arrt than music concert. But the part I enjoy most about these shows is watching the fans, the ones who GET her. The way Staz's eys light up with some new twist or some unexpected set, to watch her eyes shine and her smile broaden until it engulfs her face. Those are the reasons I go to Tori's shows, and I never leave disappointed.

Back to the grind tomorrow, and I'm not even talking about work. There's animals to tend, sills to paint, cars to fix, houses to renovate. But for now, I'm still on vacation, enjoying some gaming, surfing, and sleeping. Good night.

In 1992, I had just turned 18. I voted in my first presidential election. I voted for Bush, the senior. He lost. In 1996 I voted for Dole. He lost. In 2000 I voted for Bush junior. He won. In 2004, I voted for Bush junior again. ( I know, shut up already) He won.

Can you sense a trend?

With that in mind, I issue an open challenge to you Democrats out there. For the first time EVER, I could be persuaded to vote for a Democrat president. That's right, the current incompetent-in-chief, and his corrupt brethren have all but run me out of the party. So if you agree to nominate Obama in your primary, I agree to actually vote for him.

Nominate Clinton though, and the deal's off. All things considered, I'd vote for Buchanan before I vote for another Clinton.

But that's exactly what you'll do of course, because winning a primary is all about appeasing the fruitiest fruit-loops in your party. And NO ONE can spout feel-good eco-friendly socialist BS like Clinton. The other party is no different. Right now it's a contest between who can be the MOST pro-war, the MOST anti-immigration, the nuttiest nut-job of the bunch.

My point? Did I ever have one? I think so. The primary system is stupid. Honest, intelligent candidates don't stand a chance. You always end up with one extreme or the other, neither of which will be good for the country.

and thats all I'm going to say about that.