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Earthquake in IL
Apr. 18th, 2008 | 09:48 am
location: Illinois
mood: 
annoyed
Relax people!!!!
It was only a 5.2 and it was over a hundred miles away. All we felt was a minor swaying by the time it got to us. Deal with it. Don't you understand how much all the people on the West coast are laughing at y'all when they watch your reactions on the TV? They're thinking, rightfully so, "You dumbasses. It was only a 5.2. That's nothing."
The scale for measuring earthquakes is interesting. Most earthquakes are not felt at all. Somewhere around 3.9 or so is when you can start feeling them and that's when they're directly under your feet. Each full point of the scale is 100 times stronger than the previous point. So a 5.0 is 100 times stronger than a 4.0. Building damage can begin at around 4.5 or so and that's only at the epicenter. A little lower if it's a poorly built building or if it's all brick construction with no structural support beyond more bricks.
If y'all are freaked out about a 5.2, go to the West Coast and experience a 6.0 or higher.
I grew up in California myself and have learned not to worry about the ground shaking. Sure it's a queasy feeling. Sure it's strange to feel the ground moving as if you were on the deck of a sail-boat in choppy water. I understand that, but it's nothing to worry about until the bigger ones hit.
What's scary is when the bigger ones hit, like the 6.4 in SoCal 14 or 15 years ago. My wife and child were back here in IL visiting relatives. I had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV after work. I woke up that morning in the middle of the air and the first thing I noticed was the floor rushing up to hit me in the face. Now THAT'S something you can be scared of. Our apartment complex was about 40 miles from the epicenter, so we got hit pretty hard. Pictures off the wall, dishes thrown out of the cupboards, cracked glass in the windows, etc. I'm glad I wasn't sleeping in my bed, though. A bloody nose from hitting the floor face first is far better than having that big-assed heavy framed picture we had over our bed hit me when it came down. Ever since that day, I've never put anything on the wall over the head of my bed.
In short, CALM the HELL down. Just wake up and realize that nowhere in the US is safe from earthquakes and prepare for them. Then stop freaking out when every little temblor comes rumbling down the road.
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Chicken Marsala
Apr. 15th, 2008 | 06:17 pm
mood: 
content
Ingredients....
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Thyme
Parsley
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Mushrooms(button)
Chicken
Chicken Stock(real chicken stock, recipe to follow in a day or two)
Marsala
Procedure...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
I usually cook one 8oz(roughly) chicken breast per person, sometimes I'll double it so I can freeze it for a quick reheat for lunch on another day.
Chop parsley
Dice Onion
Mince Garlic
Slice Mushrooms as thinly as you can(I do about 1-2 mm thick) and set aside
Set sprig of Thyme to one side
Place flour in bowl with salt and pepper to taste.
Dredge chicken in flour and set aside on plate, do not stack the meat or let it touch each other until you learn how to do this quickly.
Heat pan over med/high heat.
Melt 1 tsp butter per breast.
Before butter browns, toss in breasts top side down. If it doesn't sizzle, the pan's not hot enough. It's ok to have a pan that's too hot when you throw the butter in. It won't brown fast enough before you throw the meat in.
Brown chicken to a deep golden brown on the one side, flip over and brown on the other side.
Throw meat onto an oven ready sheet/pan/container and place in oven to finish cooking. Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes for an overly thick piece of chicken.
Return pan to stove on High heat
Add 1 tbs butter to hot pan(Important that you don't clean the pan first)
Add Mushrooms(should be really hot pan so they can sizzle and cook before they go too limp)
Cook until brown, reduce heat to medium.
Add in onions, garlic, and sprig of Thyme(should sizzle)
Move constantly until onions are clear and garlic barely starts to brown.
Add Marsala(about 1 or 2 oz)
Tilt pan so that liquid flames(Don't worry, it won't flame up much and will burn out fast)
Move around pan with wooden spoon/spatula making sure to scrape up the fond(the bits of cooked flour left over from the chicken in the pan)
Cook until liquid all gone and mushrooms/onion/garlic mixture is moist mass
Add chicken stock, amount depending on how much sauce you want.
Cook until coats the back of a plastic spoon without coming off quickly(needs to be thick)
Remove and throw away sprig of Thyme
Smooth with another tbs of butter.
Remove chicken from oven and serve on bed of noodles or rice(I like a good brown/wild rice mix).
Ladle sauce with mushrooms over chicken
Add veggies on side of plate(With this meal, sauteed baby carrots and asparagus are good)
Sprinkle with chopped parsley
Enjoy.
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82 Questions about me.
Apr. 15th, 2008 | 05:51 pm
mood: content
1] What was the highlight of your week?
I scored a coup and made a decent amount of cash.
2] Who's car were you in last?
Tims
3] When was the last time you kissed someone?
Aside from my children, about 3 months ago.
4] What color shirt are you wearing?
Black and grey.
5] How long is your hair?
4 inches, give or take an inch
6] What time is it?
6:53 PM
7] How old are you?
39
8] Last movie you watched?
Mission to Mars
9] Last thing you ate?
Quaker Oats Chewy Chocolate Chip Bar
10.) Last thing you drank?
Glass of Grape Juice
11] Where did you sleep last night?
in my bed
13] Are you happy right now?
Not happy, but content.
14] What did you say last?
Later!
15] Where is your phone?
Which one? I have 5 plus my cell.
16] What was the last museum you went to?
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
17] What color are your eyes?
Blue.
18] Do like the person that sent this?
I yanked it from anothers live journal post.
19] Do you want to win laser eye treatment worth over £3,700?
Nope, my right eye is 20/20 and my left is 20/10. No need for it.
20] When was the last time you had your heart broken?
6 years, 4 months, 4 days, 21 hours and a few minutes ago. (yes, it wasn't pretty)
21] Who/what do you hate/dislike currently?
Umm... Obama?
22] What are you listening to?
The Modern Marvels("Deep Freeze"), History Channel
23] If you could have one thing right now what would it be?
A babysitter and a date leading to a long sexual encounter
24] What is your favorite perfume?
None
25] Who makes you happiest right now?
My daughter and son both
26] What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping
30] Are you left-handed?
No
31] Whats for dinner tonight?
Chicken Marsala because it's quick and easy.
35] When Is Your Birthday?
April 3rd
37] When was the last time you went to a swimming pool?
6 months or so ago
39] Where was the last place you went shopping?
Jewel
40] How do you feel about your hair right now?
Umm... I don't feel anything about it?
41] Do you have any expensive jewelery?
Not really. I prefer to buy it and give it away to others instead of for myself.
42] AIM or MSN?
MSN
46] Where does most of your family live?
California
47] Are you an only child or do you have siblings?
I'm the oldest of 3 boys.
48] Would you consider yourself to be spoiled?
For most of my life, no. For the last 5 years or so, yes.
49] What was the first thing you thought when you woke up?
It's too damned early.
50] Myspace or Facebook?
Huh? What? What are those?
51] Do you have T-Mobile?
No
52] What is/was your favorite subject in school?
History followed closely by Biology
53] Have you ever been IN a wedding?
Three, one was my own.
54] Do you have any children?
Two, 15 yr old boy(16 in a couple weeks) and a 10 year old girl(11 in 2 months)
55] Did you take a nap today?
I wish.
57] Do you want to be famous one day?
No!!!!!
58] Are you multitasking right now?
Yes
59] Could you handle being in the military?
No clue. I was declared 4F when I tried to join as a teenager.
67] What is your average cell phone bill?
$99
68] Do you believe in Karma?
Yes
69] Who is the last person that took a shower at your house?
My daughter and I both took our showers at the same time this morning.
70] Do you like eating bugs?
Yes, depending on the bug. Chocolate covered ants are good.
71] Do you have a life?
2 to 4 days a month, yes.
72] Ever been to Las Vegas?
Lived and worked there for a while, so yes.
73] What are you doing today?
Some minor work for cash, laundry, cooking, reading, going for a walk, thinking about organizing my woodie tokens further into the various years printed.
75] When is the last time you updated your blog?
Doing it now.
76] Ever been to New York City?
No, unless you count an hour lay-over at JFK
77] Ever been to Disneyland/world?
Disneyland countless times. Never been to Disney World.
78] Do you have a favorite cartoon character?
Mighty Mouse
79] Last thing you cooked?
Does the Chicken Marsala I'm cooking now count? If not, then it'd be the french toast I made for breakfast.
80] Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone?
Dropped it in the toilet while relieving myself(while drunk) and talking to a lady friend
81] Last time you were sick?
Umm... a couple months ago?
82] Friend that makes you laugh the hardest?
Michael
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Dirty Old Men
Apr. 12th, 2008 | 02:01 pm
mood: 
thoughtful
That image frequently evokes thoughts of "Chester the Molester" of Hustler fame or some other equally nasty thing.
However, that's not necessarily true. It is true that there are many men out there that are like that. There is another group, though, that's not like that.
We are called the Dirty Old Men.
A Dirty Old Man is different from the normal dirty old man in many important ways which I will explain.
1.Being a Dirty Old Man is a state of mind, a path chosen in life.
2.Dirty Old Men do not scare or freak out women. When a woman is eyed by a Dirty Old Man, she doesn't feel violated, scared, or dirty. She feels flattered or nothing at all. It's not that we have different thoughts or goals than the normal run of dirty old men, but we have learned that women deserve our respect and near worship.
2a. Women are objects of beauty. Even the ugliest woman in the world has at least one beautiful physical aspect about her that a Dirty Old Man can appreciate. Granted, it might be hard to find it, but it's there.
2b. Dirty Old Men, as opposed to dirty old men, have learned that it's ok to look over a woman and undress her with your eyes. The key is to look at her as a person first. Look her in the eyes first, convey with your eyes and/or your voice that she is a person worthy of being treated as such. Once that's accomplished, your eyes can roam carefully over time and she'll likely not worry or feel bad about it. If you can learn to show your appreciation of her beauty with your eyes, she will even feel flattered. Your body language in this aspect is all important.
2c. There is more to beauty than the physical. Many plain men and women will light a room and draw all eyes to them when they smile, laugh, or talk. This is the nebulous charisma aspect of personality and it can be very strong. It can alter someones beauty by quite a lot.
3. Being a Dirty Old Man is very much like a learned trade from centuries ago when young men were apprenticed to a Master for 5-20 years before they became journeymen and were let go to improve their skills to the Master level. I have met quite a few Dirty Old Men like me, but not a single one of them was a Master before the age of 33 or more.
3a. It usually starts with a relative who is a Dirty Old Man. In my case it was my Uncle Calvin. When I was 13, he started talking with me about women. That's how it starts. Just the various talks about women. How to treat them, how to work with them, how to look at them, and most especially, how to appreciate them.
3b. That phase usually takes several years. During that time, of course, you're a young man trying to get laid. More often than not, it's a series of fumbling attempts that end in disaster. The apprentice Dirty Old Man learns from this and if he's smart, he discusses his attempts with his Master. I was no different. I made one of the classic mistakes, though. I got married young. At the age of 22, I had decided that this was the woman for me and I'd spend the rest of my life with her.
3c. During this apprenticeship, the Master will teach the young man various techniques. Not sexual, mind you, but other techniques. Looking a woman in the eye. Having confidence when you speak to a woman for the first time. etc. He'll also start laying down the groundwork for the young man to realize that having sex and making love are two very different things. Sex is easy. Sex is quick. Men are easy to please. Women are not. Most women prefer to make love and that takes time. Hours. The young man needs to learn how to please women in different ways. He needs to learn how to talk with the woman during the act and find out what she likes and what she doesn't. He needs to learn how to massage the body, how to move his hands, lips, tongue, and breath. He needs to learn how to control himself so that he makes sure the woman is ready and/or satisfied. The reason being that a woman can climax many times in the space of a few hours while most men(even young men in hormone rushes) can only manage 2-4 times in a couple hours. Once the young man understands these things, even if he's not proficient, he passes into the journeyman state. This state usually starts in the early to mid 20s and generally lasts for at least a decade.
3d. A man becomes a true Dirty Old Man(a Master) when he can pass certain benchmarks. These involve different things for different men. For me it was Confidence and Time. After my divorce, I fell easily back into the teachings my uncle had been passing on even while I was married. The hardest thing for me was developing my confidence to approach women. Once I got the hang of that, things progressed well. Being able to walk up to a strange woman and start talking with her(no lines, mind you, those are hokey) is a huge part of the deal. Some men can do this easily, most can't. Now I find it relatively easy to start a conversation with a woman. Of course, you still have to hit all the basics. Eye contact first, talking about various things, paying attention to what she says, treating her as a real person with real thoughts and emotions. Then, if you hit it off, you advance to the next part. If sex happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. A Dirty Old Man learns that either way is ok, so long as you don't let it shake your confidence.
3e. The next part, assuming you're getting intimate with the woman in question, is about Time. Most men are more worried about their own satisfaction first and don't realize that a good sexual encounter is a matter of hours(2 at the minimum, preferably 4 or more). I call these guys the "Wham, Bam, thank you Ma'am" type. Dumb-asses each and every one of them. You need to spend time with the woman. Talk with her, touch her on her hands, her shoulder, her hair. There's no need to whip off your clothes and get to it(that comes in other encounters later, usually). Spend time with her. Make her feel as if there is noone else in the world for you but her. Focus your attention on her. She will let you know what feels good and what she likes, even if she doesn't verbalize it, you'll know. When the time is right, you can satisfy both of yourselves at the same time. At this point, you need to keep on going doing other things. Hold her, cuddle, talk, play, whatever it is she seems to want. Soon, you'll both be responding again and it can keep going. Above all, DO NOT fall asleep on or next to her. This is a huge no-no. When you are both tired and do not wish to do anything more, then you hold her until she falls asleep first. This lets her know how much you value your time with her and how important she is to you.
4. Once a man has learned the various things he needs to learn and he can do them without reservation, then he becomes a master of the Dirty Old Man group of men. I am grateful for my Uncle Calvin and his teaching, may he Rest in Peace. It took a long time, but I finally knew I'd reached that level a couple years ago when I was asked by the woman I was having a date with if I'd undressed her yet. I answered "Of course I have and I like what I see. Didn't you notice?" She said she hadn't noticed but was glad because she thought that maybe I was gay and just trying to hide it by going through the motions of dating. Heh. That was a definite ego booster.
Anyways... sorry about the ramble. There's more to it, of course. Many little details, but those are different for each guy.
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Women and Relationships
Apr. 12th, 2008 | 01:43 pm
mood: frustrated
So most of you know I'm divorced and while the divorce was one of the easiest on record for all parties involved, the breakup pretty much sucked balls.
10 years and a couple months after we were married my wife sat me down at the kitchen table and told me she hadn't loved me for the last 8 years or so and that she was leaving. Then she pulled the kids out and told them as well. What's worse is she did this on the 11th anniversary of our first time together as man and woman. Within the hour, too. So we separated and divorced. Custody is theoretically equal. They stay with her one week and with me the next, etc. I declare them on my taxes since I pay for all expenses except the consumables they use at her house. However, they end up spending 70% or more of their time with me. I am grateful and glad for that since my children are my first priority and they are the one thing I am truly thankful to my ex for.
Anyways, now I've been out of that relationship for 6 years. The first year was bad. I was fucked up through and through. The second year I started dating again, but I wasn't really ready, so it was a series of failed relationships and a few one-night stands. On the other hand, it gave me far more experience with women than I had previously had. Since then, I've had several relationships that just didn't work out for one reason or another.
Now I find myself looking for a woman that I can live with and grow old with, but they're hard as hell to find. Finding someone who shares some of my interests, likes many of the things I like, wants the same things out of life that I do, is sexually compatible, mentally flexible, and emotionally stable is really tough. Some days I just feel like giving up. Then something always crops up, like my friends setting me up with someone or meeting someone and meshing for a while. Then I get my hopes up only to have them dashed again later on. Whether it's me admitting it's not going to work long term or her.
That old saying about how all the good ones are either taken or gay is true, but it's not about men. It's about women.
So Mary, one of my friends who's a mother of one of the girls in my daughters' girl scout troop, has set me up with another woman. Christine seems nice enough over the phone. I called her last night to introduce myself and we got to talking. Before we knew it, 2 hours had gone by. She knows what I look like because the womens' network is vast and efficient. Before we talked, she knew what I looked like and the basic details of my life. I still don't know what she looks like, how tall she is or much of anything beyond her age and hair color. I know she probably looks attractive enough since her neice and nephew are both good looking little kids. I've met her mother, I'm sure, but I can't place the face with the name, so I have no reference point to work from.
So now what? My normal Saturday night plans are all screwed up and I'm not going gaming tonight because our DM is sick and in bed. Maybe I'll call her later on and see what happens.
Hmm... Then again, maybe not. I'll have to see how I feel in a couple or three hours.
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Sleep? What's that?
Apr. 11th, 2008 | 07:55 am
mood: 
tired
Now I'm sitting here and I'm finally ready for a nap but I can't go to sleep because I need to keep my sleep schedule on track.
*sigh*
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Comcrap
Apr. 10th, 2008 | 09:38 am
mood: aggravated
So for my internet connection I have a choice between dial-up and ComCast cable. The other high-speed stop service about 2 blocks away and according to them, there is no future date set for expanding service to my block. Oh Joy.
Now, I have to admit that ComCast has never been a problem with me when it comes to cable TV service. They've always been good to me. Whenever I have a problem with the TV service it's fixed fast and a credit is applied for the time missed plus a day or two.
For that matter, they've always been pretty good with their high-speed access as well. Even if it is a bit pricey. I can deal with the cost so long as the service is good, which it has been so far.
However, I figured I would let them do my land line phone as well since I get a package deal for it. Now all kinds of crap is happening. My phones went down the day before yesterday. No dial tone when I pick up the phone and people who call in go straight to the voice mail. When I called them to ask for a fix, I got some dumb-ass who asked me if how I was able to call him if the phones weren't working. "I'm on my freaking cell phone, what do you think? Don't you people use caller ID?" Oh, yeah, he says. Then he asks me to make sure the phone is plugged in. How stupid do these people think I am? That was one of the first things I checked. Then he asks me if my internet connection and TV service are working. They are. He asks me if I'm sure. What the hell? So I turned up the volume on the channel I was watching and put the phone next to the speaker. By this time I'm pretty sure I was pissing him off. But being a good corporate shit with 2 weeks training(probably) he followed his checklist and said he'd check the system, "Please Hold". So there I sit for 10 minutes while he does whatever it is he's doing, probably jerking off after pressing a couple buttons.
When he comes back on the phone, he tells me that my internet and cable service are not working and asks if I would like a technician to come over and diagnose the problem.
MY TV and internet aren't WORKING?!?!?!?!? WTF? Didn't you hear the TV a few minutes ago when I turned it up for you? Not to mention that I'm sitting at the computer right now, browsing some boards while I wait for you people to figure this crap out. Yes sir, but it shows here that it's not working and your internet connection isn't working either. *sigh* Dumbasses. My internet is working or I wouldn't be able to post here. My TV is working, I'm watching a show right now. It's just my freaking phone that's not working. So finally I ask him when a technician can get here to look things over. Day after tomorrow he says. Oh Joy. So I get to be without my phone for 2.5 days at a minimum.
Ah well. When this is all done with and my phone is back up, I damned well better get a credit for my frustration, pain, and suffering. The techie guy should be here soon. The window for him arriving was 10-1 and it's 11ish now.
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First Timer-Old Timer
Apr. 9th, 2008 | 11:17 am
Ok. So I'm a virgin. Go easy on me.
I have no clue how often I'll put in entries or whether I'll even like it here, but I figured it was time for me to do so. Ah well. Guess I'll figure out something to say eventually.