I love consistency.

SDJ #5/24/17
I am sick of wanting to write something and not having an outlet. I think I need to learn to make web sites. There are many things I wish I would have learned and in the years I've spent wishing, I likely could be an expert. Or maybe not. Time goes by pretty quick and accomplishing anything seems challenging.

I've contemplated posting more to social media, like a once a day to one of the outlets. I don't condone posting the same photo to all outlets. Each outlet has its own responsibility and rarely should one cross pollinate.

I was going to send a tweet, but got stuck deciding whether to use the word rode or ridden, so I gave up. Normally, I would reword the sentence but character limitations made me give up.

Free drinks ($20 value) next time I see you if you're the first person to comment on this post (value expires December 31, 2017).

Missed you.

Let's pretend you have a Top 5 favorite bands list that has remained unchanged since you first discovered the enjoyment of listening to music. Now imagine that two of those bands decide to go on tour together. That's what has just happened in my life with the recent announcement that Soul Asylum and Fountains of Wayne will be going on tour. It seems unbelievable and I am starting to suspect that my real life and dreams have finally started to overlap due to working overnights. Despite not coming anywhere near Charlotte and playing in no cities that I am all that interested in visiting, I plan to make it happen. I may have to do some sort of obsessive fan road trip and see a couple shows. We'll see.

This opportunity is definitely once in a lifetime for me (although I said the same thing when Butler was in the NCAA championship game for the first time). If Stroke 9 would replace Evan Dando as the supporting act, I would immediately quit my job, buy a creepy van and hit the road to follow the entire tour around the country.

Something bothering you? Better kill it.

In response to this article.

My letter to Gaston County...

Murder is not the answer to things that annoy us. Here's a few quick examples illustrating the ignorance of handling nuisances with murder.

1. I was at the pool last week and these kids kept splashing me. It was really annoying, but rather than asking the kids to move to the other side of the pool or accepting the fact that I was at a pool and would probably get splashed, I simply held their heads under the water and took care of the problem.

2. That same day, I saw this dog pee and leave a big present in my yard like he does every day. I took him out back and gassed him to death.

3. I work in Gaston County and there are many customers that I would consider a nuisance to myself and other customers, maybe Cathy Hart can come help me with these nuisances?

I obviously handled these situations in an appropriate non-lethal manner. Please let Cathy Hart know that there are preventative and non-lethal ways to deal with annoying situations. What should you do when you have a 'problem' with geese? Here's a place to start. Or perhaps the organization that had already offered their assistance, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue could offer alternatives to murder.

Why would kids think it's wrong to beat geese with sticks and bricks when the government says it's okay to kill them? Just a few months ago, kids were charged with animal cruelty for hurting geese. The government should set a better example in how they treat non-human animals. Perhaps, these government individuals should be held accountable and charged with animal cruelty as well.

It's also my understanding that there needs to be an attempt to deter the geese before taking these ridiculous actions. The park doesn't even have a "no feeding" rule. Please take action to ensure those responsible are held accountable and that this atrocity never happens again.

Thanks,
Sam Phillips


Email addresses for the County Commissioners:
chad.brown@carolina.rr.com, 
KINGSPINNACLE@aol.com, 
afraley@carolina.rr.com, 
tomkcom@aol.com,
mprice@co.gaston.nc.us,
RJasonWilliams01@gmail.com, 
tracy@tracyphilbeck.com

For the love of cards

Despite most all of my leftover belongings from childhood being gradually discarded over the years, i recently came across an assorted box of unopened packs of cards. Do you know how hard it is to not open a pack of cards when you're a young collector? It takes a lot of restraint. Initially, i was pretty excited thinking, "Wow, these cards are from the early 1990's and some even the late 1980's, they are probably worth something!" 

They're not. 

It's a random collection of packs including some standard baseball packs as well as several that I thought would be more rare/tougher to find/more valuable such as World Cup 1994 cards, Batman Returns, 1989 Panini baseball stickers, some minor league packs. All unopened, all for sale on Ebay for the exact amount of "not worth the effort to sell." So what do i do with them? Open them for the nostalgic fun of opening packs? I did open a pack of World Cup cards. So if you're looking for the Brad Friedel Stand Out Performer, Eric Wynalda, or Romario to round out your old soccer card collection, make me an offer.

Have a pleasant day of birth.

Happy Birthdays. While i certainly do hope that everyone has an enjoyable time on their day of birth, I just can't bring myself to wish happy birthdays. It is very rare that I send out Facebook official birthday wishes, and you most certainly are special if you get a phone call. Many family members don't even get a call. (Sorry Rousseau, i really meant to call.)

So why not give a quick happy birthday via Facebook? i contemplate doing it quite a bit. My worry is that what if i send a happy birthday to one person one day but miss someone else the next day who i actually care about. Then they think i'm a jerk for missing their birthday and end up having an unhappy birthday all thanks to my wasting a happy birthday on some random person that i may or may not have went to high school with.

Where do i draw the line for birthday wishes? Only people i have had real life interaction with in the past ten years? Absolutely anyone i happen to notice with Facebook's reminder? Only give happy birthdays when drinking? Only those who wished me a happy birthday the year before?

The sucky thing is that i actually appreciate happy birthday Facebook wishes on my birthday, yet i don't give them out. After my birthday last year, i decided that i would start giving out birthday wishes right away only to postpone it until the start of the new year to be fair to the birthdays i had already missed in the first half of the year. Then i forgot. Now i remembered again because someone i know is having a milestone birthday (21, 30, 40, 50, 65, 100) and i feel they deserve a birthday wish.

Sorry sweetie, it's the only birthday pic i could find.

Searching For Sugar Man

If you haven't seen the movie, Searching For Sugar Man, stop by Redbox and pick it up this week. It was recommended to me by my brother Matt, which sometimes means a movie for people with alternative taste (no offense), but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in quite awhile. It's a documentary about the story of a musician from the 1970's that never really took off and some distant fans search for his story. I recommend just renting the movie, don't even watch the preview. That's how I did it and it made it that much more interesting.

A little bit of Soul

Soul Asylum has consistently been in my top 5 favorite bands since the late 90's. So there was little question if i was going to take a night off of work to see them play in Charlotte. They had played a Friday night concert series show in a little outdoor venue in 2012 and the sound quality seemed a little off and overall there wasn't a huge crowd for them, so i was pretty surprised when i saw that they were returning to Charlotte.

The show last night was good, but i felt bad for the band because there just wasn't a crowd...maybe 50 people and the majority were seated, not down in the pit. The show felt a little rushed and after each song Dave Pirner would give a mockingly-sounding "You're too kind" or something similar. i don't know if my assessment is true, but in my head his comments were a reflection of his disappointment in the turnout. i was impressed that they did actually deviate from the set list to play an audience request, April Fool. With a changing in band members, it was nice to see they knew more songs than just the ones they learned to get through a show.

i never know what to expect going to a concert in Charlotte. The last show i went to at the same venue was Langhorne Slim and i didn't expect a a turnout that night, yet there was a solid crowd.

Maybe the dreary, rainy night kept some people away and my personal opinion is they priced it a tad high ($25) to get a casual fan to come out on a school night. Meanwhile, across town Flogging Molly was performing. Who knows? But it's safe to assume they won't be returning to the Queen City anytime soon. 

A few of my favorite things?

Holy shit. i hate having a terrible memory and no real opinions. 

Some banking site was asking me a few additional security questions to better protect my account in the future, but i had no idea what my answers were. The questions ranged from factual life events to preference-based options exclusive to my own personal taste buds. 

• What was the name of your boss at your first job?    No clue. It Took me a few minutes to recall what my first job was. i was a bagger at Wiseway in case i forget. 

• What is your least favorite vegetable?    i don't have one i like least and my vegetable preferences have changed drastically in the past year so how do i gauge my response? 

• What was the last name of your first girlfriend?  Define girlfriend. Is it the first peck i got on the playground, the first girl i dated more than 5 years, or the first girl that said yes when a friend asked if she would go out with me? 

It's amazing what i don't really know about myself. i'm not sure it's possible to force yourself to commit to opinions especially when it comes to small things, so for now i'll accept it.   

Quick thoughts.

Am I the only person concerned/excited about the Chiquita headquarters moving to the NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte?? 

 

NASCAR could finally be interesting...

  

Most worthless exercise ever? 

Not sure which is sadder, the single parent sticker set or someone who puts a sticker on their car for every child they've ever run over or molested...

Hot days.

My birthday present from our house last weekend was a broken air conditioning unit. For 3 days, we had to attempt sleeping while it was 100 degrees outside with nothing but a little fan inside. At one point the upstairs was 97, so Dino asked to sleep downstairs. All is fixed now, but AC fixing ain't cheap, so that sucks. Worked an extra night at work this week which was supposed to just be extra money, instead it went straight to the AC guy.

  

This picture is for all those posting pics of their car temps outside. Boo fucking hoo. This is inside the discomfort of our own home. 

Days 7 and 8: 8 days off?

If you don't sleep during the day before you start back to work you get a bonus day off and then you are ready to sleep right when you get home the next morning. Typically, without sleep, i'm only a little more tired on the first night and only slightly more easily annoyed than usual.

Day 7 was a full day for us. We picked up some satisfying vegan cuisine at Zizi's for lunch, saw Prometheus 3D IMAX (bogo tickets from fandango), walked around the mall, played some games at Dave and Busters (half price Wednesday), ate at Thai House for dinner, then met some friends for drinks and a vegan cupcake at our current addiction Common Market.
Day 8, i lounged around doing nothing until we finally made dinner and went to volleyball. Sadly, it was a pretty crappy volleyball night. With less than two hours until work starts again, i will relax and try not to think about the fun that awaits the next 7 nights.
 

iPhone apps stuck on waiting

If your iPhone ever gets stuck on waiting when attempting to download or update your apps, there is an easy fix. You just go in and make sure there is nothing stuck downloading in your iTunes (on the phone). Clear the junk out trying to download in iTunes and everything will start downloading as it should. i learned this here after turning my phone on and off, hard resetting my phone, then resetting all data from an earlier date. This problem was really annoying because the apps i wanted to use for a day were all stuck on 'waiting' mode. Worthless. But now it's fixed and i'm happy.

Day 3 and 4

Forgot to finish and post this one apparently...

After a few hours at the pool, roller derby was pretty sweet on Saturday night. Met some friends beforehand for some drinks at Hickory Tavern which i always find agreeable (drinks, not Hickory Tavern). After the bout, we had a tough time finding good vegan food since it was like 11 o'clock and our usual favorite had run out at the Diamond. Luckily their sister restaurant is on the way home because we were completely out of food at home.
Yesterday started the gloomy weather forecast until we go back to work, meaning no more sun-filled activity. We saw "Snow White and the Huntsman" yesterday after a lazy morning around the house. It was as expected. Not bad, not great. Most likely we'll see "Prometheus" today or tomorrow. i had been looking forward to a lazy day to do some things around the house sift through clothes i no longer wear, specific computer related tasks, light cleaning. Of course, nothing of value got accomplished. Thankfully, we picked up some groceries at Trader Joe's after dinner at Deejai so maybe we can finally eat at home again.
Already Monday.

Days 5 and 6: Fillers

With the weekend over, it leaves just Megan and i for the most part to do something since most people are back to work. These are the filler days where we have to scrounge to do something. Potential activities include bowling, riding the jet ski, hanging at the pool, or hitting the shooting range. We both claim to have the same problem with not being able to do anything worthwhile when the other one is home. It seems true though because as soon as she left for a run, i did the dishes and started my own workout. It's a blessing and a curse to have the same exact schedule. Fortunately, we knew what we were doing when we signed on for the whole marriage thing and don't mind being around each other.

Yesterday, we went bowling and surprisingly both did very well. Neither of us left cursing the sport of bowling, which is rare. It's nice having a local bowling alley with reasonably priced $2.50 games ($1.75 on Wednesdays this summer). After bowling, we went home and grilled out some portabella mushrooms, potato packets and corn on the cob. Delicious.

Today, i'm heading to a friend's place to watch a movie, and now i'm late...

Day 2: Out and About

So after seeing Aziz on Thursday night, we actually got to meet him at the Danadelion Market (bar/restaurant) we went to afterwards. Sure it was just a hello, but i do believe he is the biggest celebrity i've ever come in contact with. Unfortunately, the next morning i woke up ridiculously early around 5:30 am, despite going to bed around 1:30. So that sucked for Friday as i was a little tired all day. We did get out of the house by noon and went shopping. Megan finally let out her pent up shopping spree needs at the mall while i bought a pair of socks. Then on to Target where i purchased some new white t-shirts along with another clearance hoodie. Megan's newest interest that would never cross my mind to be interested in is riding a longboard. Not sure what to make of it yet. Not that i care, but i can't imagine what the neighbors think. i'm just waiting for someone to knock on the door holding Megan by the ear saying something like, "I caught her skating on my property again. I'd appreciate it if you would keep a better eye on your wife." i'd make her apologize and bring her inside telling her she couldn't ride her board for one week. Anyway, we went to pick up her longboard which just happened to be next to our favorite vegan eatery/beer joint, The Common Market. Awesome vegan soups and excellent beer selection. If we could, i would sell our house and move next door. Day 3. Started with a workout, now contemplating a pool day or going out on the lake. Tough decisions. Tonight we will be attending our first Charlotte Roller Derby bout to watch our good friend Schmidt Storm. Beautiful day out here on the porch, but time to get the day going.

7 off days: Day 1

It is common for me working the 7 nights on/7 nights off schedule to have an unfulfilled feeling at the end of my off weeks when we don't go traveling. However, looking back it usually appears that we have done a decent amount of activity that should leave me feeling Snickers satisfied. This week i decided i will document the week day-by-day to see where i go wrong or at least serve as a reminder of the good times.


Day 1: Switching back to Days
The key to a successful first day off is to have something planned on the first night. i recommend a 4-hour nap before your planned activity. If necessary, you can forgo sleep and lead a normal day with a little sluggishness until you reach your regularly scheduled bedtime. If you get stuck inside the house with no agenda for the evening, you may just decide to sleep all day or fall asleep early at like 7 pm then wake up at like 3:30 am, screwing up your sleep for the rest of the week and jumpstarting your feeling of worthlessness.

So we got off work at 8 am this morning, went to the gym, then took a 4-ish hour nap. Woke up, started laundry, Megan went to the pool while i finished the movie "The Goodtimes Kid" and started this blog. Tonight we are going to see Aziz Ansari from Parks and Rec in Uptown Charlotte, so far so good.

a new v-card.

After spending much of my life secretly and many times openly mocking or discouraging those who claimed themselves Vegetarian or Vegan, i have reconsidered. i blame my brother who recently found his v-card and my nephew who currently writes his own blog about being vegan. Check out The Seven Year Old Vegan.

i have watched Forks Over Knives and while it does make the plant-based diet sound like a no-brainer, i'm not convinced by one side of any argument. That's my problem with most things. i refuse to believe most of what i read, therefore, i hardly read anything. However, the more thought (and research) i put into what i'm actually eating, it's practically common sense to eat more like a vegan. Most people know of the recommendations of the food pyramid, but i doubt most people actively follow it. By focusing more on eating non-meats, i feel i'm getting much closer to the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. The limitations on what you can eat does wonders for actually thinking about what you are going to eat before you put it in your mouth. One important point to remember is that being vegan doesn't mean you are automatically eating healthy. Oreos are vegan. French fries are potentially vegan. Eating these alone will not improve your health. However, while there are a few areas that garner special focus to achieve recommended nutritional daily requirements, a vegan diet is full of health benefits. i never thought it could happen to me either, but for almost a month now, i've been vegan.
We didn't start this for the animals (although that From Farm to Fridge *Warning: disturbing video* makes you wonder), we did it for our own health in an attempt to lower Megan's cholesterol that has always run high despite exercise and a seemingly, relatively, healthy diet. We shall see.

Flu manchu

i made it to the Minute Clinic first thing this morning, checked in at 8:15, opened at 8:30. After covering the timeline of my symptoms, she said it sounded like the flu. She then said she wanted to rule out strep throat just to be sure since my throat was irritated. So she swabbed my throat, not holding back on the elbow grease. It came back negative. She concluded that it was most likely the flu or possibly another virus. She said she wouldn't make me do the flu test since either way the treatment would be the same and it is rougher than the strep test.
After agreeing with her, i hesitantly asked if we could do the test anyway if it was covered by the insurance. i got my flu shot and while i'm well aware it doesn't cover every flu strain, i just needed confirmation of her assessment. Satisfying my curiosity involved a rather uncomfortable swab in the nose. It wasn't just a swab near the end of the nose, it was an exploratory swab that may have actually scraped my eyeball. In the end, even with my watering eyes, the sneezing, runny nose, and overall sense of nasal violation, it was worth it. Not only for the super clean feeling in my nose, but the test confirmed it was the flu. No hard feelings to my flu shot giver, i still love her.
At the moment, the sore throat is the worst of it, just hope the fever/chills don't return by morning again.

2012 - aches and pains

i don't typically mind being sick. i enjoy going through what countless patients complain about every night in the hope that i'll develop some shred of empathy. For some reason, my instinct is to just tough it out until it goes away. i rarely think, i should go to the doctor. However, this morning after i walked out of the pharmacy after being achy and having chills all night, the cold air made me start shaking, more than just a shiver. When i got into my car, it was like i was having a seizure. It was the most unnatural response to a minor stimuli that i've ever experienced, but i had no control to stop it until the car heated up. i still didn't think to go the Urgent Care across the parking lot. Instead, i came home, threw on a sweatshirt over my work shirt and took my temperature. The thermometer gave a shout out to Q101 (formerly 101.1 on your Chicagoland radio dial) . Fortunately, i found coverage for work the next night. i decided to go to bed right away and ended up burning alive, so i stripped down to normal sleepwear and then woke up in a pool of sweat many hours later but feeling much better. After feeling bad for having someone work when i felt better, i stayed up for awhile and for the first time in my life watched part of a Nascar race. Proof i was sick? Some claimed "delirious." i attempted to sleep but couldn't. The whole night, the achy feelings crept back and my throat began hurting worse and worse. So, i guess i'll go to the Minute Clinic when they open, since it's free with our insurance anyway. Other reasons influencing my decision include:
1. We are going to be on a plane soon and i don't want to a) get every one on there sick b) i don't want my head to explode on the plane c) i don't want to be sick on vacation.
2. i regret not going to the doctor immediately to get my self-diagnosed sprained ankle checked out, since it is still tender and i have to try snowboarding soon.
3. It's good to see what the whole doctor trip thing is all about.
4. If it can be avoided, i'd rather not bring more germs to my pharmacy and patients.

Checking out the Check Ins

It gets kind of old and some considerate it rude pulling out my phone every time i go somewhere and checking in. It might not be so bad, but i am torn between my old loyalty to Yelp and my newer fondness of Foursquare. So most times i'll do both extending my face-in-phone time.
Why check in? The greatest incentive for me to check in is obviously to get something in return. Essentially that is why i have decided to join the Foursquare masses. i still check in via Yelp, but in my significantly shorter relationship with Foursquare, it has already given me more.

Just for checking in on Foursquare, Hooters gave me 10 free wings. That's pretty impressive. Then on future visits, i get free fries. A deal that actually got me to go there in the first place and actually puts them into the realm of consideration for future meals. Another place gave me 20% off my entree. If someone is going to follow me around stalking my check ins, i at least want to get something in return. One other time, i bought a few shirts at Express then got to the car and realized there was a Foursquare discount for checking in, so i went back inside and they gave me the discount which was like $30 back.

Another reason to check-in is as a competition of sorts to have the most points or become the mayor/duke of a business. Decent reason, but not really that important unless you get something for your effort. Annoyingly, people can cheat and check in without actually being places, so the competition loses its appeal.

The partnership between American Express and Foursquare gives another incentive to utilize Foursquare checking in when they have promotions and give you money back for eating local or whatnot. Overall, Foursquare does have the best check in incentives, however Yelp does occasionally have something to offer.

If you like saving money and have a smartphone it just makes sense to at least check out the check in offers available nearby, it could just save you a couple bucks for doing nothing at all.