"On one hand, there's the pastromi on rye. The other....BLT. Oye! Decisions!"

Entry: Dating strengths and weaknesses

So, because I'm such a sucker and always jump on the bandwagon when I see a good personality-evaluation site, I decided to check out this one to see what my dating strengths and weaknesses are. Here are the results....

Dating Strengths	Dating Weaknesses
1. Financial Situation - 84.6% 2. Open-Mindedness - 63.6% 3. Independence - 57.1% 4. Sense of Humor - 57.1%	1. Shyness - 70.8% 2. Appearance - 66.7% 3. Selfishness - 54.5% 4. Insecurity - 53.8% 5. Pessimism - 50%

Dating Strengths Explained
Financial Situation - You've got your financial situation under control, which is a very desirable quality. Be careful to avoid women who are only interested in your money. Open-Mindedness - You are open to trying new things and entertaining new ideas, and this widens your pool of available women. Independence - Your strong sense of independence comes in handy while dating. You are not held back or tied down; you are free to pursue your interests. Sense of Humor - Women are attracted to people with a good sense of humor. Be sure to put yours on display!
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Shyness - You know all too well the limits shyness places on you. Putting yourself out there in social situations may be difficult, but essential to your dating success. Appearance - Devoting a greater effort at making good first impressions is a must. Try to be fit and develop a style if you want to catch a woman's attention. Selfishness - You think too much of yourself and your needs. You must learn to put your partner first and tend to her needs. Insecurity - Your insecurity makes you doubt yourself, but you must learn to love and trust yourself if you want to succeed in dating. Pessimism - Too much cynicism can be a turn-off. Try to see the brighter side of things and people will be attracted to your positive outlook.
Take the Dating Strengths and Weaknesses Quiz

Hmmm....interesting. :)

Article: Why isn't Saudization working?

Only folks who have ever had ties to the Saudi kingdom should read this. And, of those, only a handful will find it interesting. It discusses the current state of Saudization and why it's not working out quite like the Saudis thought that it would.

For those who don't know, back in the early 20th century, when Saudi was mainly tribal and the initial discoveries of oil were made, the royal family made an agreement with foreign nations that they could come in and make the major contributions to the development of their country but that a planned phase-out of expatriate employment would happen decades later to allow the state to be wholey owned and operated by Saudis and for Saudis. The primary instrument for this development was the formation of a company called the "Arabian / American Oil Company" (or "Aramco" for short). Aramco later became the greatest oil producing company in the world. In the late 80s, the Saudi govt. bought the last of the remaining publically traded stock in the company and it became a completely state-owned entity. Since then, the phase-out of foreign workers (called "Saudization") has been taking place. It has not been as successful as the Saudi government had hoped.

"Why did we fail in achieving the Saudization target? Is it because we are a spoiled nation? Is it because we don’t have the required expertise? Is it because Saudis are always waiting to assume administrative positions? Is it because we’re not used to being punctual and starting work early? Is it because we can’t do overtime like the foreigners that work in the Kingdom? Perhaps these are some of the reasons why the process of Saudization is not succeeding. Some people may think I’m exaggerating — but I wonder what the truth must be?"

My interest in this is simply because I was once a beneficiary of Aramco. That was long ago though. Since then, I just kinda keep tabs here and there.

Entry: Another Wednesday in the history of Miller

I had the fortune of seeing a blood-red moon this past weekend. It was pretty cool. I know it's just an illusion, but it's still neat to see regardless.

Other than that, the weekend was smooth and uneventful. Had a friend come over Saturday night. We talked and watched a movie. Went over to another friend's house with the intention of playing some UT2004 but was ultimately foiled since we couldnt' hear the doorbell from the game room (and since we were waiting for the pizza guy, that was a big deal). We watched another movie instead. For anyone who hasn't seen 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose', it's a pretty good flick.

The house-unpacking is coming along. I get a little more done every day. I'm going easy and taking my time since I spent 6 weeks moving all the stuff over. Sloth, unfortunately, is consistently one of my reigning virtues. :)

I haven't seen ANY good movies lately. That needs to change. Do you hear me Hollywood?! Get off your cheeks and start earning that money!!!

I need to take the initiative and get a new Betta. I will miss Rex dearly. He can never be replaced. But, unfortunately, I do need to move on.

I was helping out with the Charleston Stage people last night doing the props for the upcoming production of 'Nevermore'. That sounds like a truly awesome show and I can't wait to see it!

Ok....I know....this is a boring post. I figured I was overdue for one though. ;)

Website: Find wealthy men

So, I was driving around doing some errands on Sunday when I heard this commercial for www.wealthymen.com. This is a dating site where any woman can put up a public profile for guys to see but yet, only guys who make $100,000+ a year can post a profile.

"Wealthy Men is the one and only online personals dating site dedicated to those men seeking a higher quality online dating experience. Women who visit Wealthy Men, will find that each profile is of real men who have excelled greatly in their life, but are still seeking a partner to share their experiences with. All women can set up a free profile, however, only a select few men can join Wealthy Men as each of our members are verified by a salary approval process. This is your chance to be a part of a larger than life experience in an online personals website who make their dreams a reality. Your prince awaits."

I found this kind of interesting because I have always made a point to avoid the topic of my income on such sites. Not that I could ever be eligible to make a profile on wealthymen.com, I'm still one of those "love me for my mind" kind of people. (Which probably means that I'm poor as dirt) ;)

If anyone's wondering what the graphic for this post has to do with it, he's one of the first profiles that showed up when I clicked to browse. Seriously though...who needs THAT much muscle??? The dudes trapezius (sp?) muscles are bigger than my thights!

Give us a kiss....

Article: To veil or not to veil...

I found this interesting article over at the Arab News today. It discusses the Arab view of the requirement for the women to be veiled. Of course, that view is bound to vary wildly depending on the person whom you ask. As with any other religious point, it's all up to interpretation. I also found that I was also wrong on a couple of the points that I've argued in the past. Anyway...for any who are interested....

Entry: Yet ANOTHER manic Tuesday ;)

Hello and good morning/day/evening to all! Just got done with the Labor Day weekend. Didn't really do anything spectacular. Mostly dorked around the house. Still plenty of unpacking and organizing to get done.

I regret to inform everyone that Rex, my fearless attack Betta, died last Wednesday. <:( He has been with me for a year. I think that the stress of the move was his final undoing. He had a very rough move (much to my disappointment) and, as anyone who has owned any bettas knows, stress can actually kill these fish. So, if you would, observe a moment of silence, and wish Rex a happy and fruitful afterlife. Give 'em hell, Rex!!

As just about EVERYONE knows by now, Steve Irwin, the fearless aussie "Crocodile Hunter", was fatally attacked by a Stingray. I wish that I could say that it is a huge tragedy, but the truth of the matter is that he lived his life playing with fire (figuratively speaking, of course). There are only so many times that you can handle deadly snakes, swim with man-eating sharks, wrestle crocodiles, and befriend lions before one of them decides that they don't like you. I really did enjoy his show. The silver lining here is that he truly enjoyed his work. Everyone who knew him says that he loved life as much as he seemed to on camera. The man lived more in his 45 (was he 45??) years than most people could do in 3 lifetimes. If only everyone could be so lucky.

I have a bunch of other stuff to mention here but, for some reason, I can't remember any of it. This is what I get for waiting so long to post anything. ;)

Entry: Just another manic Tuesday

It's not really a manic Tuesday. I just had that song 'Manic Monday' (The Bangles) stuck in my head while I was thinking of a title for this entry. :)

Had the big move this last weekend. I now have furniture in my new house. Yeah! I can sleep in a bed again!! The move was relatively uneventful with the exception of the death trap that I got from UHaul. I felt like a dead man walking (err....driving) when I was behind the wheel of that thing. I had the help of some friends as well. I'd like to thank Clay (with his brand new Honda CRV), Corbette, Justin, Wicke, and Tracy. I definately appreciated their taking time out of their hard-earned weekends to help with the effort. Imagine what a heart-breaker it is to finally get your washer and dryer moved in only to find out that the plug on the end of the dryer chord doesn't match the plug in the wall due to new wiring codes. Go figure. Yet ANOTHER trip to Lowes. Man...I must REALLY love debt!

I get to spend the rest of this work week scrubbing the heck out of my apartment to get it ready to be abandoned. Fun fun fun.

Oh yeah....I hate watering my lawn. Bah!!

Article: Warcraft + IPod = Terrorist

This is an interesting albeit frightening account of how playing Warcraft and owning an Ipod can lead to terrorism. Here's another link here. Man...I really feel for this guy. I really don't know which part of this story would irk me the most if it ever happened to me.

Entry: As I mature...

Many thanks to Benson for sending me the following...

• I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope that they panic and give in.
• I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just jerks.
• I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
• I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better be very well endowed.
• I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
• I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
• I've learned that we are responsible for what we do....unless we are celebrities.
• I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades, and there had better be a lot of money to take its place.
• I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.
• I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away.

Entry: Dreams

Ever have a horror dream? And no...I'm not referring to a nightmare. I'm talking about a dream that wasn't really something that scared you, but had a real horror genre about it. Kinda weird but also kinda cool at the same time. (This is about the time that everyone reading this starts to wonder about just how much of a freak I am). I had one of my first last night. Maybe that's what I get for sleeping on a hardwood floor. :)

WARNING: The following is extremely abstract and subjective content. Feel free to enjoy or ignore. :)

Seriously though...physicians and PhDs often scoff at the academics who devote their lives to the study of dreams. I'm hardly a dream expert but I can definately appreciate their dynamics by what I observe through experience. I started paying attention to things like these a few years ago when I suddenly realized how to tell when I was about to fall asleep. For most people, they lie there (in whatever state of fatigue) and wait to wake up the next morning. The next morning when they wake up, the last thing they remember was lying there in bed waiting for the sandman to take them. Suddenly...BLAM....it's morning and time to wakeup! "When the heck did I fall asleep??" There are actually ways to tell that you're about to doze off and I'm glad that I was able to notice it. It makes life simpler. For instance, if I'm at work and I am feeling a bit fatigued or drowsy, if I notice the signs, I'll immediately get up and go for a walk. However, if I'm feeling fatigued and drowsy and the signs aren't there, then I'll be fine. Weird how that works.

Being a computer nerd, I also tend to observe the dream mechanism through the eyes of a programmer. Sound weird? Of course it does! :) But seriously...have you ever woken up from a dream and remembered it quite lucidly but, as the day progressed, you could remember less and less of it until it gets to the point that you remember that you HAD a dream but really have no idea what it was about? Happens to me all the time. Have you also noticed that, even though that dream has been forgotten, that it could be repeated later in another dream? Or better yet.....when you wake up one morning and you're still in that weird delirious state, that you find that you not only are very lucid about the dream that you just had but also of some previous dreams that you've been unable to recall? Or even have the ability to remember dreams that you don't even remember ever having? Again...weird. To me, it seems like there are parts of the brain that are randomly accessible (analogy to RAM) during a dream state but, after awakening, become more and more inaccessible until they reside completely in protected memory which is completely unaccessable to the conscious mind. I think that those protective barriers are broken-down and re-created every time that we dream.

There are also those few golden minutes after you often awake that your mind is stuck between reality and the dream state. I read a study a few years ago that suggested that that particular state is analogous to substance intoxication. It's weird how you can dream of flying pink elephants and, if you wake up at just the right moment, you can spend the next minute thinking that there are flying pink elephants outside your window even though you're awake. Then again...I don't know if this applies to everybody, but I find it weird at times. I've even gone so far as to ask people weird things right after waking up only to be quite embarassed a few minutes later after I'm completely lucid.

If it weren't for mysteries like these, life would be a lot more boring....dont'cha think? :) Personally, I think that mysteries like dreams, Nessie, the origin of the universe, what's in a black hole, UFOs, and whatnot, are a healthy component of life. Without them, so much would be lost. What fun would there be if we could explain EVERYTHING? Then again...that's simply the gospel according to Miller. ;)

Entry: A beautiful day in the neighborhood

So, I met this girl at this wedding about a month ago. Nice girl. Married...mother of one...a classic profile. Being that I was having a slow morning at work yesterday, I sent her an e-mail saying "I'm bored. Feel like entertaining me?". Yeah...well...we're chatting on IM later that day and she randomly says something to the effect of "Ummm.....I'm married." Of course, I'm like "WTF...where did that come from??". Apparently, my previous e-mail gave her the impression that I was propositioning her. It never even dawned on me that that's how she would take it! Wow. Talk about embarassing. Then there's the whole thing about worrying whether or not she believes that I didn't mean it that way.

Saw 'Snakes on a Plane' this last weekend. That movie rocked! It's a completely plotless attempt at humor through slapstick comedy and scenes of horrific death. It would take a special kind of person to enjoy this movie but, if you are one such person, then this movie will have you cracking up! One spoiler though....DO NOT SIT THROUGH THE SONG AT THE END CREDITS. THE MUSIC IS HORRIBLE AND THERE IS NO EXTRA SCENE AFTERWARDS.

I am now residing at my new house in Hanahan. The big move isn't until this weekend, but I've officially transferred my flag from my apartment. By the way...sleeping on hardwood floors BITES!!! Rex seems to like his new digs though. He has a little lamp that I put by his tank and he just sits there mesmorized by it. It's kinda like that scene from 'Finding Nemo'. "It's so.....pretty!". I'm wondering if it's healthy or not.

By the way...at the ripe old age of 29, I am not scared in the slightest to publically say that my mom rocks! That woman has volunteered so much effort to the finding and situating of my new house that it boggles the mind how she has enough time for it all. She's the best!

I have kids in my new neighborhood. And by kids, I mean LOTS of kids. I never thought I'd say this, but it's actually nice to see. I haven't seen packs of little kids playing together in yards like this probably since I left Saudi back in the 80s. I put some sprinklers out in the backyard area to do some watering and, immediately, a couple of young-uns came over and started running through them. They were in a state of rapture while they did it too. If they only knew what was in store for them as adults, they'd never grow up. :)

Entry: State of the Miller

Yep....it's been almost two weeks since my last post. I'm slacking again. <:(

I just noticed a song that is playing on my computer. It's 'Time After Time' by Sarah McLachlan (featuring Cyndi Lauper). Is it just me, or is every other song that comes out these days just a cover of an 80's song?! I heard a remake of 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic' yesterday by some band that sounded like Nickelback (or, maybe it actually was them). I'm having flashbacks to Korn's cover of Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall'. Spooky, I say.

By the way...Tracy can't spell. :)

I've been preoccupied with the new digs for the last few weeks. I haven't moved in yet. That fun is reserved for next weekend. I'm spending my time now making home improvements and making sure that everything is good-to-go when it comes time to move.

I saw a couple of movies this past weekend. Of course, they're the kinds of movies that hardly anyone I know will ever want to see. I saw 'Pulse' (which was kinda hokey, but had a really well-done bathtub scene). I also saw 'The Descent' on Sunday. Not bad. It kinda wreeks of 'The Cave' though. Except, in this latest incarnation, the bad guys all look like Gollum. And I must say that the last few seconds of that movie made absolutely no sense at all.

Why does buying a house have to cost so much $$$ ???

Entry: Random Entry

For all of you enthusiasts out there, this is the one week of the year that you should tune in to the Discovery Channel. "Why?" you ask. Because, it's SHARK WEEK! I have no idea what it is about sharks. They're so fascinating and so terrifying at the same time. Of course, I know that this is an irrational fear, but then again, what isn't these days? I was watching one of the shows last night and they had a clip of a Great White shark attack that was caught on film. I wasn't repulsed by it...I just thought it looked something straight out of a movie. There was a group of people in the water...one of them shouts "SHARK" and they all scatter for the nearest boat. One woman doesn't make it. She doggy paddles as fast as she can, but she's still the odd one out. The giant shadow moves toward her slowly and she starts panicing and splashing even louder. All of a sudden, the water goes red when the shark gets to her. It was weird SEEING something like this that actually happened.

Of course, as we all know, there's a monster heat wave battering the east and mid-west. My question to you is this...if there was a camera crew driving around in a hot city taking pictures of folks, is THIS the picture that you'd want them to take of YOU? If this dude were smiling, it would have looked like a commercial for bottled water. I could imagine it now...just add the Barry White voice. "Oh yeah baby...."


So, I was reading CNN and noticed this story on how some online gambling site is taking bets as to when Fidel Castro will die. I think that that's hilarious and sad all at the same time. I don't have anything personal against Cuba. Castro took control ov the goverment 50+ years ago and has outlasted how many US presidents?? This guy's a fighter....you have to admit. I also try not to use death as an excuse to celebrate as some people have been doing recently. Granted, I'm not a Cuban refugee and can't exactly empathize with them, but still. Did any of you ever go to StromWatch.com back when Strom Thurmond was still alive? It had a graphic on the top of the page that showed Strom's face morphing into a skull and back. Laughing at it was one of those guilty pleasures. :)

Article: Babylon 5 returns??

This article mentions that JMS (and if you don't know who that is, this post probably doesn't concern you) talked of a new B-5 spinoff. Of course, I am an adoring fan of Babylon 5. The original 5-year arc (sp?), although initially plagued with cheesy grahics, turned out to be one of the richest stories ever told on the TV. The music as absolutely unparalleled as well. I haven't cared much for the spinoffs, but a couple of the movies have been awesome.

Mmmmm.....can you say "Mira Furlan"? ;)

Picture: The hands of freedom

(Picture is courtesy of CNN.com)

I love this picture. This is a shot from the G-8 summit last week when President Bush tried to give German Chancellor Merkel an inpromptu shoulder rub. Look at that woman cringe!! It's like something straight out of a sitcom. That's almost every guy's worst nightmare. I can't imagine what it'd be like for the president at an official international summit. I'm also assuming that she's married.

On another note, there's been some press regarding Bush's use of the "S" word whilst at that summit. He was talking with British Prime Minister Blair off the record and neither of them had noticed that all of the microphones were still turned on (which they shouldn't have been). Apparently, he used a naughty word somewhere in there.

This is what kills me. If you listen to the sounds that were recorded from all of the microphones, they're a bunch of different voices all blended together and they're very soft-spoken. It sounds like a bunch of people in a church. However, if you have some A/V specialists go in and professinally seperate the voices and then have them amplified a few times, that word can be (barely) heard a single time. Of course, now, there have been articles on every network regarding Bush's "questionable choice of language" and the example that it sets. Wow.

Is this Orwellian or not?? Honestly, if this were the ruler by which every person on this earth was measured, then I don't think there would be a good role model to be found anywhere. If people (anywhere) can't be free to express themselves however they want in their own personal space when they are supposedly in a position of privacy, then what's the point of liberty in the first place? (Rhretorical question)

Oh...by the way....HAPPY MONDAY! :)

Entry: Random pictures

While I was going through some junk in my apartment (trying to decide what to move to the new house and what to toss out), I ran across a CD with some pictures that were taken back in October of '04. My buddy Mike had come up with a couple of friends and we had a blast over a couple of days.

I hope Tracy doesn't get mad that I put this picture on here. I happen to think it's horribly cute. :)

Jes' hangin' out with the F-14.

You know what they say about sailors?! :)

If memory serves, this is a mock-up of an A-4 Skyhawk cockpit.

Ummm....yes. I am JUST that stupid.

A cool shot of the old downtown city jail at night.

Some random fountain.

I personally like the A-7. It's the bird that my dad flew when he was in the Navy.

The old church on church street. Again...a good night shot.

Hello. I'll be your captain today. Please return your tray tables and seats to their full upright positions.

Entry: The Wedding

Well...went to my first wedding yesterday in a long while. Congratulations to Stacia Froom and Michael Mckee for tying the knot! I'm still gonna call her "Froom" though. She'll never get rid of that nickname.

Saw quite a few people whom I haven't seen in a while. Also met some knew folks. It was nice to finally be able to put some names with some faces. It was fun. One of the things that I thought was funny that evening was that all of the single women in the crowd clawed and grabbed for the boquet (sp?) but, when the time came for the guys to do the garter catching, it pretty much just landed on the floor. The person who got it was the one who was willing to bend over and pick it up first. The girls predicted that it would happen that way. Gender bias? Perhaps. ;)

Oh yeah...one more embarassing piece of trivia - the little bottles of soap that they passed out at the end for everyone to blow while the bride/groom were getting into the carriage to be taken away...I thought it was to take home and use in a bath. I'm certainly glad that someone "enlightened" me before I did something irreperably stupid. :)

Entry: Another random day

Wow. Two weeks (minus a day) since my last post. How have you all been?!

My co-workers and I have been discussing this truly obnoxious commercial that we see on CNN and Fox News. It's for a product called HeadOn. The entire commercial is as follows.....

"Head on...Apply directly to the forehead! Head on...Apply directly to the forehead! Head on...Apply directly to the forehead!"

If you don't believe me, you can watch it here. Imagine seeing that commercial a few times a day. It'll drive you crazy. The funny thing is that it's next to impossible to tell what the product actually does! Is it headache relief? Is it zit cream? Is it an exfoliator (sp?)? Is it a roll-on perfume? I had to look it up on the Internet.

Was in Virginia all of last week. Went to get trained up on some kewl technology. While I was there, I took a little detour to the new Air and Space Museum that they have next to Dulles International. That place rocks! It had cool things like an SR-71, a Concorde, the Enola Gay (a B-29 SuperFortress), the space shuttle Enterprise, and a full-size mockup of one of the early TDRS satellites. It was QUITE a site to behold.

Oh...I also ended up waiting 11.5 hours for my flight back to Charleston last Friday. That kinda STUNK!!

Life is progressing. Can't really say much more than that. I had another house inspection today. Over half the things weren't fixed yet. Speaking of said house...the closing is next Thursday. Thank God! I'm SO ready to have this nightmare done and over with! I've been boxing things up but have yet to actually stop and think about how I'm going to do the actual moving.

Met a girl recently. Nice one too. Oddly enough, she's prone to sudden bouts of being incommunicado. I take that as a bad sign. I've only been out with her twice and, each time, I kinda get to like her a little more. Of course, it's the old Miller curse...either I will become more and more interested and she'll become less and less, or the other way around. It ALWAYS seems to work out that way. Normally, I abhore putting details like this about myself on this blog. But, just this once....what the heck. Might as well let the whole world in on it. :)

I'd also like to give kudos to my friend Tracy. She's a kick@$$ friend and deserves all the happiness in the world.

At work, I'm totally excelling at showing my new co-workers just how much I can screw up a server. Ever had one of those situations where you were sent in to make fixes and improvements only to find that you have fouled everything up beyond recognition? Yeah...well....that's me. :)

Anyhoo...stay tuned for the next action-packed installment of Miller's Blog!

Entry: The physics of Superman

The physics of Superman mostly belong in the realm of comic books, but some scientists decided to give their input on the matter. The article tells of a scientific experiment in which a researcher put several chickens in a centrifuge and raised them in twice-normal gravity for months at a time. When they emerged, the chickens were stronger and had larger bones and muscles, and greater endurance. In other words, they were superchickens.

Now why couldn't I have been raised in a centrifuge?!

Entry: My 4th of July

My fourth wasn't too terribly eventful. Went to Clay and Nan's, ate some burgers and dogs, played some board games, and watched a movie.

If you've ever been to Earthfare and wanted to buy one of their pre-made burgers with the cheese actually kneeded into the patty, don't. I couldn't taste or see any difference between one of them and a regular burger.

Also, if you've never played the Mad Magazine board game, you're missing out. I grew up on that game. Then again, good luck finding it in stores anymore. It probably hasn't actually been manufactured in the last 20 years. Clay just happened to have one (much to my delight).

Again, I was happy to miss the whole fireworks thing. I'm really not into fireworks. It's not that I'm a killjoy or anything, but once you've seen them a few times, you've seen them enough to last you a lifetime. Plus, after the fireworks display last year at the opening of the new Cooper River bridge, I think that everything else afterward would be somewhat anti-climactic.

Entry: The other half of the weekend

Let's see...what all has happened since my post on Sunday. Not much really.

Something interesting did occur on Sunday. I was laying on my couch watching the ol' brain-sucking tube and saw the shadow of a bird on my wall in my living area. Of course, this shadow was being cast by a bird that was flying around my deck outside my apartment. I lifted my head off the couch just enough to see what it was out of sheer curiosity. Lo and behold, there's a huge vulture on my deck looking at me through my window! He wasn't really looking at ME per se....I think I startled him when I stirred on the couch since he had his eye on me with his fight-or-flight mechanism kicked into high gear. About a minute of pure stillness later, the vulture jumps up onto the guard rail on my deck and starts scanning the area (presumably for prey)....one eye on its surroundings and the other on me the whole time. About five minutes later, the bird takes to flight. I haven't been THAT close to a vulture since I lived in MD and almost hit one with my windshield.

Took another stab at the climbing wall at James Island county park yesterday. Surprisingly enough, the place was deserted. Clay and I had the entire thing to ourselves. Now, granted, we were climbing in 94 degrees with 4,000% humidity, but it was fun nonetheless. It was a brief yet painful reminder of just how out-of-shape I really am. Bah! By the way....not much else sucks more than to have your shirt soaked with sweat....your eyes stinging from salt...your arms on *FIRE*...panting to catch your breath....just to go up to a Gatorade vending machine with a pocket full of $1 bills only to find that the bill thing doesn't work. Kinda reminds me of that Alannis Morisette song...."Isn't it Ironic....".

Article: Dude wakes up with lighbulb stuck in odd place

(Picture courtesy of MSNBC.com)

So, this guy wakes up one day in jail and is experiencing an odd discomfort in his abdominal region. He finally is taken to the hospital to find that there is an object in his bowels that aught not be there. He is supposedly very surprised and has no idea how it got there.

Entry: Interesting South Carolina laws

• A railroad my not remove itself from a town of more than five hundred people.
• All schools must prepare a suitable program for Francis Willard Day.
• By law, if a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place.
• Charleston: It is against the law to drive a motorized vehicle on King Street. The Fire Department may blow up your house. This law was made so that the fire department could create a fire brake.
• Dance halls may not operate on Sundays.
• Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order to ward off Indian attacks.
• Fortune tellers are required to obtain a special permit from the state.
• Fountain Inn: Horses are to wear pants at all times.
• Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.
• In South Carolina, wife beaters weren't allowed to hold public office.
• In South Carolina you can be fined for not denouncing "the evils of intemperance" on the fourth Friday of every October.
• It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.
• It is considered an offense to get a tattoo.
• It is illegal to communicate with a woman using obscene messages.
• It is illegal to display a confederate flag on a courthouse.
• It is illegal to give or receive oral sex.
• It is illegal to sell any alcoholic beverages on Sunday, unless you own a private club.
• It is legal to beat your wife on a Sunday morning on the steps of the state house.
• It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
• Lancaster County: It is illegal to dance in public.
• Merchandise may not be sold within a half mile of a church unless fruit is being sold.
• Musical instruments may not be sold on Sunday.
• No work may be done on Sunday. An exception is that light bulbs may be sold.
• On Hilton Head Island, South Carolina it is illegal to shine a flashlight on a sea turtle
• Performing a U-turn within 1,000 feet of an intersection is illegal.
• Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses.
• Spartanburg: Eating watermelons in the Magnolia Street cemetery is forbidden.
• When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft from the intersection and discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.

Entry: Halfway through the weekend

This is a random mid-weekend entry. So, I'm over at Clay's last night and we decided that it was time to do get our old-school Nintendo groove on. It had been a while so, why not. It was a blast. We played all the way through 'Super Mario Bros. 3'.

The point that I wanted to make by telling you all this isn't that I was playing a game, but that it's weird how a person's memory works. I just think it's hilarious that I can study a formula for hours for a test and have such a hard time but yet, I can so clearly remember secrets and hidden items (down to the pixel!) in games that I haven't touched in 10-15 years! What is up with that?? I would SO trade that ability in if it meant it could make my schoolwork easier!

Also in the news, I was cleaning out my fish's tank yesterday and noticed that the big fake cave that I bought for him a while ago was past its prime. So, I discarded it and went to Pet Smart to get something else. I ended up buying this fake little corel reef segment that had a big barrel with holes on top of it. Rex loves it. The problem is that he loves it TOO MUCH! He spends all of his time in the bloody barrel now! Oyvay. He just sits there and floats at the top of the inside of the barrel. I have to contort my neck to be able to see in at an angle to be able to see him. But, he's there. He's got his own little nook now. Of course, he's probably going to like it so much now that he'll become lazy and fat.

Speaking of lazy and fat, my television is ruining me. I still get my workout time in but I'm spending wayyy too much time in front of that brain-sucking device. I can almost HEAR myself getting dumber as I watch. Blast that Discovery Channel! Blast it all to heck! I'd be on a sports team if my knee didn't bother me so much. Blah.

For those who don't know already, I have a contract down on a house and will be closing at the end of this month. This nightmare is almost over (and the new nightmare of home-ownership is about to begin).

That's not asking too much...is it? ;)
(And yeah...this is probably one of the more risque pictures that I've put on my blog.)