May 28

Wow. I just got two shocking bits of news: Gary Coleman died, which is very sad. He seemed like a tortured soul who faced obstacles his entire life.
Also Spencer and Heidi split up which is also sad. This means they'll be making two OTHER people miserable and I can't think of anyone who deserves that. What's funny is how they are referred to "by fans" as "Speidi" I didn't know they had fans. I love trashy reality tv shows as much as anyone else, but Spencer & Heidi are definitely a side effect. Sort of like offensive rap music in the freedom of speech debate. In order to allow people the access to great books like Slaughterhouse Five or Huck Finn, we must also allow access to garbage like the 2 Live Crew or Hustler Magazine. If there are great tv shows there must also be crap shows like The Hills or Flavor of Love.

May 17

I'm sitting in front of my computer drinking a McCafe Iced Mocha, not as good as Starbucks, but not as expensive either. I had a good weekend, drove out to pick up my Uncle from his trip to Hawaii Sunday morning, he took MARTA to Lindbergh Station and I drove up to pick him up since his roommate kind of bailed on him. Kind of bailed on watering the plants too, they were all shrivelled up and dead looking. He wasn't too happy. Personally, I think plants are a waste of money, unless you grow them from seeds or something. I was thinking about buying a plastic plant from Target for my condo, since I never let any sunlight in, and it would give the place a little color. Kenny also gave me first pick of souvenirs, I got a couple of fridge magnets that look pretty cool. He also saw George Clooney while he was down there, (George went to my Alma Mater, NKU) so I was excited for him. Definitely need to hit the treadmill tonight.

April 29

I'm ready for Summer, but Summer doesn't seem ready for Atlanta. It's been warm enough for shorts & t-shirts all month, then on Tuesday night it drops to 50 degrees the same night as the Jimmy Buffett concert which of course was outside at the Amplitheater. Needless to say it wasn't much fun. I ended up coming home early. The best part of the night was probably the ride back to MARTA in the heated shuttle. I knew I should have gone to see Nickelback instead. At least I'm set up and ready to go. I've got extra shades on my windows and my portable air conditioner appears to be working. It won't kick on if the temperature is below what it's programmed for. Perhaps I'll get that dog I've been wanting after all.

April 25

I just got home from Panama City Beach, what a long drive. I ended up getting lost on my way home as usual. Florida is pretty but it seems like everything is more expensive. Gasoline is .20 more per gallon, and touristy type stuff is always overpriced. At least I didn't pay very much for souvenirs. My tax refund finally came in, I used it all to pay off debt, just like I said I would, it feels great to have that out of my hair.

April 19

I finally saw Avatar this weekend, good movie, but now I remember why I don't like movie theaters. I ended up in front of this family with obnoxious little kids being loud and disruptive the whole time. I could have waited one more week to watch it at home, which is what I'll probably do from now on, unless I can go during school hours to avoid the little kids. Looks like I'm going to Florida this weekend, I haven't been in a while, I'm looking forward to walking along the beach and getting some new pictures on my cell phone to use as wallpaper. I'm almost done listening to my "New Moon" audiobook, which is good because I've got another audiobook downloaded that I'm looking forward to listening to. I think I found a way to get a Gwinnett County library card for free, even though I live in Dekalb county, since I work across the street, I'll see today after work.

April 12

I have finally finished sending in proof to the IRS that I bought a house last year so I can receive my home buyer's credit with my tax refund in a couple of weeks! I already know how I'm going to spend it: paying off a whole bunch of debt. In fact, after I pay off this damn credit card & my graduate loans, my only debt will be my house & my undergraduate student loans. I won't be free of that before retirement, but both are pretty low compared to most people, complaining about the amount I'm paying is like complaining about my $53 electric bill in the winter time; there are people who are paying much more. I'm thinking about going to see Jimmy Buffett later this month at Lakewood Amplitheater, I've never been to see him before. Ticket prices are reasonable, I just need to see if anyone is free to come with me. Concerts are always more fun with a group.

March 31

I've never been crazy about American Idol; I always considered it to be a highly glorified karaoke contest, but last night I caught a few performances while I was playing poker, it wasn't bad. Last night was R&B night, so they actually did some pretty good songs, like "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Chain of Fools." I ended up coming in 3rd place and won $5.00 in bar cash which is always cool. No trivia tonight, since my friends are out of town, but I can use the opportunity to get an extra work out in at the gym. Let's see if I can burn off another 5 pounds before it's shorts weather.