That Wry Guy

On his westward venture, former roommate and fellow blogger Wry made a pit-stop in my beloved city of Cleveland. He even brought a friend. I took them out with some lady-friends of mine to try and trick them into thinking I was cool (though Wry was well aware of my guise having lived with me for a year) and we successfully got hammered. The next day we slept until noon and then drove around Cleveland. Eventually we settled at the Great Lakes Brewery for burgers and beers (in an attempt we to get back to normal). After some chatter and laughter they took off as Wry prepared to continue his trip west.

What was nice was having not seen him for over a month, it took a simple greeting and a sly grin to get back to where we left off. I enjoy good friends.

Roll It Up Slow

The unrelenting rain has kept me indoors for the past day and a half and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. The sounds of wet tires swooshing past seem to be the momentary constant along with the patter of rain on my rooftop. I am sipping coffee and writing and feel satisfied in my coarse of action.

I basically have three weeks to pass and nothing really to do in the meantime. This time is mine and of it I can make or do anything. It seems almost overwhelming in it’s magnitude of possibility, but as I ease into this first day with a steady rain and a cool breeze to balance the warmth of my coffee cup I find myself filled with a strange sense of contentment.

Nothing is really eas-y, or at least nothing that’s worth doing, but when one finds themselves within the comfort of a situation upon which circumstance leaves no other option, there is a sense of ease that is as comforting as a warm blanket on a chilly evening. It will pass as soon as my coffee is cold, but for the time it is here I can acknowledge it.

Got A Job

Good news gang, I got a job. Long process with several bumps in the road. Lots of me waiting, waiting, waiting. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night stricken with anxiety and it would take a bowl of cereal and a few chapters of a book to get me settled back down. The good thing was that I didn't have much to do the next day.

Either way, it was a bit stressful because once I received the offer from the company I wanted to work for, I had to play a little cat and mouse to bump up my pay. I had another offer that I delicately dangled in their face and that sort of stuff (like I wasn't going to take pretty much whatever they offered me because... I needed a job).

Anyway, with a little patience (yeaaah, yeaah) it ended up being a win, win. Plus, I don't start for another 3 weeks so its more of me reading and eating cereal at night. I prefer Cheerios, but sometimes... I'll slip some into some nut'n'honey.

Enough

When is it appropriate to tell someone they are being inappropriate when they, in fact, feel they are sharing? Is there etiquette you should follow when listening to a story that you are both uncomfortable with and don't want to continue to hear, yet find yourself fearful that interrupting might shatter what you are quickly learning is a fragile psyche?

I found myself in this situation and poorly chose to make a joke about how uncomfortable I was learning private info from someone I didn't exactly consider a confidante. I used humor as my blanket on the fire. What followed?

Five second pause

They got up and left

Oh, why ya live there?

I spent almost 4 years living in Virginia and recently moved back to my home state of Ohio. So why is it that whenever I mention that I lived in/moved to which ever state I am referencing that it strikes up a chord of irrefutable unimpressiveness in whomever I am talking with from said other state. In actuality I think both states are very impressive and have many similarities.

For example, did you know both states are nicknamed "The Mother of Presidents" because they both birthed the exact same number of U.S. Presidents, which are more than any other state.

Would Texas be referred to as "The Dead Beat Dad of Presidents"?

Spicing Up The Ballpark

I recently attended a Cleveland Indians game and was observing how the sport of baseball, our "national pastime", really is a pretty slow paced and arguably boring game. Some may say this is blasphemy, but if I don't have a beer in my hand then really... why am I there?

I was trying to think of other ways to spice up the playing field so fans could enjoy different levels of excitement when play begins to drag and I came up with a rather simple solution. Starve a couple of dogs and let them fight to the death in right field.

That should bring a couple fans to the ballpark.

Nerd Alert

Alright, I have to admit that I have become that stereotypical Miller Lite commercial nerd. I am entering my 4th season in a fantasy football league and this year, for some reason, it has become all consuming. I am doing nightly research, making trades to help me build for the future (since it is a league in which you keep the same players year after year) and find myself thinking about it as I lay down to sleep.

My next big trade is giving Shaun Alexander up for my life back, but no one seems to be biting.

Go Browns