av8rmike

Sometimes I wonder why I watch the Steelers games when they're actually on here-- most of the time it seems like I end up turning off the TV in disgust before the game is even over.

Can I throttle the next person who says to me, "it's such a great time to buy [a house] now! You're in such a good position!"?
According to the Baltimore Sun, I actually make less than the "typical household" in the metro area (although they're not specific whether they're referring to single or dual incomes). $250,000 seems to be just barely affordable for me, and what is actually on the market in that price range is either "nice house, crappy neighborhood" or "needs minor work". The latter is, of course, realtor-speak for "shithole".

On the plus side, we looked at three places on Saturday we would consider living in, although the one that was the most beautiful was also a condo with some pretty hefty C/C and HOA fees. We also saw a house where the owners had literally thousands of dollars' worth of LEGO Star Wars kits, computers, movies, and a projector and screen. We didn't want to buy their house, but I wonder if we could become their friends?

This is shaping up to be a terrible week now. I almost don't want to see what happens after all the dust has cleared.

Oh, so *that* is why my home Internet connection has stopped working. It's probably also why the Verizon tech with whom I was on the phone for an hour last night was completely mystified: A firewall was the one thing she didn't say to check.

Windows update leads to ZoneAlarm web black-out

..but lately, it seems everything and everyone is annoying me. For instance:

Is it just me, or are people getting meaner/snarkier by the day? In just the last few days, several people have said things to me that makes me think they thought they were just joking around, but taken out of context, sound really hurtful. Or am I overreacting, because "throw yourself out a window" is the new catchphrase?

Here's a question for bibliocat and danceswithcats1: When the firetrucks are trying to get out of the station, why am I always that one guy who can't get out of the way because of the traffic in front of me, yet the drivers still lay on that siren?

Well, as if my adventures with birds weren't already strange enough... Last Thursday or Friday, when it was really warm, I went over to the big car wash place on Ritchie Highway near my office and paid $15 for the exterior wash, complete with Mexican guy cleaning the wheels. No less than 48 hours later, some birds in a tree under which I'd parked decided to have their egg-hatching party. I came out the next morning to find shards of eggshells stuck to the hood and passenger side, and what looks like yellow snot stains. The bits of shell I found were spotted blue, so it's not like someone egged my truck overnight. That shit doesn't come off easily either, and now it's 40° every day. So I either have to leave it on until spring, find a different (i.e. better) car wash that's still open, or stand out in the cold and do it myself.

I left my music stand at last night's rehearsal, and although I won't really need it, I can't get it until Thursday or even Saturday.

Today was one of those days I just should have stayed at the office. No, not in bed, because things weren't so bad at the office. The drive home took me well over an hour and a half, because I didn't pay attention to the signs telling me Calvert Street was closed because of the movie shoot. (Stupid Bruce Willis and his Die Hard 4: Just Die Already!) Then there was some kind of huge accident near the Beltway, and I was late enough getting to rehearsal that I even lost my seat. At least my stand partner and I seem to get along OK.

I was there once, visiting. It seemed like a cool place. I like The Blues Brothers, and a few friends of mine live there now.

But because of the airport and the weather, Chicago can officially eat my ass. There, I said it. You got a problem with that?

Don't play in the string ensemble next year. Last year you said you didn't really enjoy it, but here you are. So, don't play, unless something drastic changes or there's something you really really want to play.

Also, remember to click on this sometime next June.

You gotta love these Monday holidays... Three days in a row where I get to sit around at home and do nothing.

Friday night a bunch of us went to the BSO to see Julia Fischer perform Beethoven's violin concerto, although I was more interested in hearing Shostakovich's First symphony and comparing it to Peabody's performance a few months ago. All in all it was pretty good, probably one of the better performances of the concerto I'd seen in a while. After four curtain calls, Fischer played the fugue from the Bach G Minor Sonata for an encore. Afterwards, the group (Paul, Naomi, Zen, Melissa, Sean, and I) tried to go to City Cafe for dinner, but this was now the second time they've closed early on a Friday night that I've been there. We opted for the Owl Bar in the Belvedere Hotel, but the service was pretty terrible. It took forever to get drinks, and they were out of so many things (graduation and prom season cleaned them out, they claimed). We were in there two hours, after which I can say I won't be going back for a while.

The only thing important I can remember about Saturday was going to the running club in the morning and seeing "DaVinci Code" at the Charles in the evening. I still haven't finished the book, but I'm relieved that the movie was dumbed down so much, I could figure out where it was going after about half an hour. In the associated board thread, I made the comment that the movie was just "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" meets "Dogma", but both movies handled the subjects better and were more enjoyable.

Yesterday I went to the farmer's market for breakfast and ran into my friend Rachel, whom I hadn't seen in forever, but she was her usual aloof self. Again, I must not have done anything interesting for the rest of the day, besides practicing and going to Whole Foods in the evening. I got a nice (and expensive!) swordfish steak for dinner, so it wasn't a total loss. On the other hand, I did almost nothing today. Well, not completely nothing, I did vacuum and dust some stuff. Unfortunately, no mooching a grilled dinner off my dad this week, as I'd forgotten he was away on travel most of the weekend.

So, I'm sure if I've forgotten something important, I'll update again. In the meantime, one of the best WWII movies ever made is on.