Where I'm At part II

(standard issue apology for lame blogging inconsistencies)

It's been a long quarter. I'm tired. The last thing I want to do is take more classes, but the raw deal of it is, I get a week off, then get a normal quarter length class (10 weeks) in six. Not too thrilled about that, but I'm sure I'll live.

It'll be a nice summer though, once the class is over. I'm looking forward to working a few days a week, catching up on some computer games, grilling, and hanging out with Nik.


Speaking of Grills... (Ah, the drama)

So, at the beginning of the quarter, a couple of my buddies (Friends A & B for anonymity and simplicity) wanted to borrow our weber mini smokey joe. No problem, right? WRONG. Friend A has a brain fart and forgets where I live and grabs my neighbors grill, and brings it to friend B's house. They proceed to grill. Around 9pm, friend A sent an email to another, non-involved friend, asking what type of grill I had, thinking that maybe they'd snagged the wrong one (I only know this because I happened to see the email, I didn't go looking for it). The next morning, I get a text from Friend B, asking if my grill was still in my patio, which it obviously was.

So, that day we all got a good laugh out of it in class. Once the laughter died down, I asked Friend B, "Hey, you're gonna take it back and apologize, right?". He replied "Nah, I've been wanting a grill, so I think I'm just gonna keep it."

I'm not entirely sure what exactly went through my mind at that moment, but if I had to guess, it'd be some odd cross between "What the Fuck?!?!" and "Like Hell you are!" (Feel free to play magnetic poetry with those seven words) I think I was rather diplomatic about it, saying something in a non commanding tone, not being a jerk about it and trying to let it go.

But "Friend" B had to mess with me.

So, we're out in the vineyard like we always were on Tuesdays this quarter, and it's hot. I brought my own Nalgene and filled it with ice water, and left it near everyone else's stuff. Fuckface (aka Friend B) has the nerve to drink my water, smile at me while I do, and respond to my clearly angry "Dude! Do you mind????" with, "Nope." I didn't do anything that day, but I was kinda frosted by that.

The next day, I didn't say anything in class, but that evening I emailed him this:

(Friend B): Please take the grill back tomorrow, if you haven't already.

I waited until Thursday afternoon to call and check. Naturally he hadn't taken it back. In a short amount of time the conversation elevated to an argument. My problem was that they stole it. He argued that because they didn't mean to steal it, it wasn't stealing, just borrowing. Last I checked, when you go to the bank and "borrow" ten grand and don't give it back, or "borrow" someones car and do whatever the hell you want with it, they call it stealing, and toss your sorry ass in jail. Once I shot his first defense down, he argued that he was too busy to do it. Again, more BS; at most his house is 7 or 8 minutes away, and probably more like 5 door to door. Then he hung up on me (which is one of my major pet peeves).

I called him back and when he ignored my call, let his voicemail have it. I said it like I saw it: He was a coward refusing to do the right thing, that I always felt like I chose the people I call friends to be of good character and perhaps I had misjudged him, and that I loved him.

The next day, he asked for all the stuff he had loaned me back, and that he'd come get it when he brought the grill back. What a bitch move.

When he got his crap, we didn't say anything to each other. I almost wanted to just throw down and kick his ass, but he probably wouldn't have had the balls to fight, since he didn't have enough steel to knock on my neighbors door and explain the situation (which I did after I got off the phone with his voicemail, three days after the grill was "borrowed"). But my father always taught me to be the bigger person and not to stoop to anyone's level, so nothing went down.

The real gem of the situation came about when ex-Friend B, myself, and another non involved friend (but not the one from earlier) were sitting at a table studying for an exam. I was quiet, and the other two were chatting it up. The other dude told some story about his job where someone had stolen something from the company of semi-decent value. Ex-Friend B said in an astonished and completely serious tone:

"Wow. That's really fucked up."

Amen.

Where I'm At....

I realize posting has been sporadic, I will try and improve. Why I continue to write as if I have a substantial audience, I'm not sure. Anyhow...

Finals went very well, as did the winter quarter. Ended up with a 3.55 GPA, which if it isn't my highest, has to be damn close, so way to go me. Spring Break was rather abrupt, and we're back to the grind. I have to concede that I'm already a little burnt for this quarter. Maybe it's just leftover from last quarter - hopefully it will go well, and my stamina will return.

It's been a weird first week though...

It's Here... Part II

The other day that I spend all winter waiting for is the arrival of my Baseball-Prospectus. It's an awesome book, but for those who aren't into baseball, you'll just think it's stupid... It's mostly translated statistics, meaning they're put into complex formulas to try and level the playing field. Example: Player A hits .300 playing for the Rockies - 81 games at Coors Field (notorious hitter's park). Player B hits.290 for the Padres at PETCO park (strong pitcher's park). Who's the better hitter? Well, if these batting averages were put into the translation formulas, you'd get an EqA (Equivalent Average), and would know what they did in a neutral hitting environment. For the record, Player B would have a higher EqA. Again, for most of you, you don't care...

Ooooooo, I'm PISSED

While taking a study break from Biochemistry, good ol' wikipedia informed me that "24" won't be back on TV until 2009. In an article I found here, we're told that:

"Even though eight episodes for this season had already been filmed before the beginning of the writers strike, producers would have had to ramp up production soon to complete the season. So "24" represents this television season's most prominent casualty due to the writers strike. "

And that

"A January 2009 start seemed the best way to comply with viewers' wishes that a season's episodes run without interruption to conclusion, Fox said on Thursday."

Delay it a whole year? Comply with viewers' wishes? Yeah, I was totally wishing for that. Just because I'm a FAN of the show, doesn't mean I actually have a desire to watch it, or that I anticipate the start of a new season. No, no, no, no, that's crazy talk (just want to point out that hint of sarcasm there, in case you missed it).

I always looked forward to the start of the "24" season, just as I looked for other ways to make it through the winter until Spring Training started. So, the real reason they're delaying the season premiere (from that same article):

"If [FOX] had started airing new episodes soon, the season finale would not have taken place until the summer, when TV networks rarely show their high-profile programs."

I mean, honestly, does everything always have to be about money? I know it's FOX, so I shouldn't really be that surprised, but it still irks me. I have no problem with the writers strike itself; everybody is entitled to as much as they can get, and I think it's the networks fault for prolonging it. But what irks me more is that I know I'm gonna end up watching it next year, not because I have any sort of loyalty to the network or give a crap about their advertising revenues (which I certainly don't) or care for their political views (which I certainly despise), but simply because I'm a huge fan of the show, and I'd rather be entertained than miss out on something I enjoy simply to prove a point, especially when TV ratings are in millions of viewers.

It's Here...

Oh yes boys and girls, it's that time of the year again. The long cold nights are over, and we finally have that magical something to look forward to. In two weeks, we'll get to hear the voices of Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper filling the airwaves. My Baseball-Prospectus is in the mail, the local batting cages open this weekend, and I can't wait to get my glove out and see what kind of shape my Sinker is in, and if my Slider still has that nasty break.

Thank God for Baseball: Pitchers and Catchers have reported.

And remember, TINSTAAPP, but there is Timmy.