The one where I feel a kinship with Cody

On a business/training trip to Milwaukee.. you know it’s not like I haven’t been here before but my god man couldn’t I go someplace different for a change?

Traveling is always a endurance race for me… I don’t really like flying, actually the term I would use is I loathe flying. And in my book loathing is one step above sheer contempt. My biggest problem with flying is my lack of control over the situation. You know I’m driving in my truck if I choose to run in into the median and cut over 6 lanes of traffic that is my thing. If the pilot decides to take us to the scene of the crash before the paramedics show up that’s not cool. And as always when I fly I have to ask the following question. If the seats turn into flotation devices how come the plane doesn’t turn into a boat!

Other random observations from my travels… BSOD on a pay phone (that’s a first for me) and people literally kicking their luggage down the aisle at security. I dislike my luggage but I don’t kick it through security dislike it. I only check my bags in at the counter dislike my luggage. And the only reason I did that was because I don’t have a printer at home to print out my boarding pass.

Anyway flying from Phoenix to Milwaukee is much like flying from Las Vegas to Milwaukee. Not eventful at all, however the two hour time difference is kind of screwing with me… I had a cup of coffee and a bagel for breakfast at the airport. That was at 7am Arizona time… the next thing I had to eat was a brownie that Kristina made at 3pm (5pm WI time) (thanks again Kristina).

So on the hunt for sustanance I decided to check out the mall that is across the street from the hotel. I don’t remember if it was Cody or someone else but I’m going to chalk this on up to Cody. “When I’m in someplace new I always try to eat at someplace local and avoid the big national restaurant’s” I’m in WI I’m going to do like the locals at the mall…. well if the mall is like a mall in Phoenix that is what I got. Ok the mall was a no go. Well there is a bar in the hotel that has a full dinner menu I will check it out. Really all I want is a beer and a burger. So I belly up to the bar order my dinner and have one of the better fruity ales that I’ve had in a long while (it’s called “Spotted Cow” look to the beer blog for additional information).

I’m sitting there drinking my beer eating my burger watching ESPN on the bar TV thinking to myself how many nights has Cody done something like this. I start thinking about it more and more and decide. Cody has a much better go at it now.

Other things I have learned… I now understand why Cody likes his Marriott so much. And HBO on the road is a nice perk since I’m to cheap to pay for it at home.

Putting in my time Tom style.

Getting mytruck serviced is always an adventure for me. Most of this stems from the fact that I am car idiot and I know it. I’m fine with this, the part that gives me heart burn is getting the service estimate.

Do I really need the super-dura tess synthetic tire oil?

Going to get my car serviced reminds me that computer geeks aren’t the only people with their own freaking language.

On the bright side the dealership I go to has a REALLY NICE LOUNGE so the wait isn’t as bad as it used to be. I mean it has a wifi connection for you to use if you have a laptop with you. And well since I do travel with a Treo these days a laptop isn’t that far fetched of a concept. Now if only my laptop could play supreme commander

Pegasus Rising……

So in the course of the last two weeks I have gone from seriously considering a MAC Book Pro back to building a new Desktop PC.

The reason… a fucking game

Yes the one reason I had against the MAC has reared it’s ugly head and bitten me.

Though I’ve finally landed on a configuration that I’m pretty sure that will hit all of the right notes with “Vista” (I don’t know why they call it “Vista” we’ve seen this before it was called MAC OS X in 2002 and we were in shock and awe then… I guess when you’ve seen one “Vista” you need to see them all)

So anyway I’ve landed on a configuration pending approval from the lending department.

Oh look at that the lending department just got back to me… WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M DENIED!!!!

Inconsiderate bastards. Since I am the lending department!

OK I need to go sell my body to some lonely sorority girls at ASU….. This is going to take a while.

Are you there Beer? It’s me Tom…

Inspiration level… still not there…. But I’ve had two things pop up in the last 24 hours that have spiked my built in inspiration level. So come with me if you will down that deep and dark path that is my head and I’m sure along the way we will find a couple pounds poo or so.

Nine Inch Nails has a new album coming out….

Yes I know I checked the calender too it’s not 2010 it’s 2007. I don’t know what’s up with Trent but he must have become inspired or something like that. Normally it’s 5 years (give or take) between NIN albums…

1989 Pretty Little Hate Machine…

1994 Downward Spiral….

1999 The Fragile (Great Album can’t tell you how many times I listened to it)

2005 With Teeth.

Now this is just the new material this is not including the live stuff or reissues anything like that. So with that list you can see why I’m a bit concerned…. This new album is coming much to soon. I have great hope and great fear for it.

The second thing that I came to my attention was actually posted by Brandi… and well since Brandi keeps her blog password protected, locked, DNA sampled, and Voiced ID’ed behind serveral layers of barbed wire and a helliacious mine field I will just give you a link and you can read it your self.

Recruiting the self centered

I saw a blurb on CNN earlier this week about the college students of today being more self centered then previous generations but I hadn’t read it… I read this article. You know I got to say that I’m just about offended that I’m apart of this generation after reading this article.

Not because there is anything wrong with the article, but because it is so dead on and it pisses me off that people who have no reason think that they are the greatest thing since Moses or at the very least Joan of Arc (you know the first woman to get a job outside of the home). I really see it in people my own age and it pisses me off. Of the people in my age group I know some that are work workaholics… some that are students (still)….. some that skate by…. and still others that are so wrapped up in their own lives they can’t see past themselves.

Where did this come from? I’m going to pick on the one cultural touchstone that everyone has been through… School… school taught you that you were a unique snowflake… just like everyone else. When schools started coddling children instead of teaching them that is where the trouble began. Yes I know there are things like no child left behind and insufficient funding for school and lord forbid we use corporal punishment to discipline children.. hell teenagers even. Because giving them a couple of good swift kicks to the ass might hurt their feelings and we can’t do that now can we?

While we are at it… I need take down my parents generation a notch or two also… but I need to work on that one… those old people are wily.