Rando Post June 08

Today for lunch I ate rice with a leftover calzone from the weekend. And it was awesome. I never thought that eating something like that (pizza tasting) with rice would be good. But it was. Maybe it was because I filled the calzone with red pepper flakes. So spicy.

Today for the entire day for the first time since I was in 6th grade, I wore whitey tighties. I decided it was time. It was a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time pretty supportive. You want to know the main reason I switched to boxers? Because in 7th grade, it was the first time we had locker rooms. We had to change for physical education instead of running around in our clothes. Yes...we had awesome PE uniforms that we ran the mile and a half in. And played volleyball. And wrestled, and square danced. PE was good times. And I'm sitting here laughing about how it took me a good 3 months at least when I was a "sevie" to figure out why girls got red shorts and why guys were only offered the grey ones. Anyway, I was so embarrassed the first few times I was taking off my jeans and whoa - there were my whitey tighties - it was like me and 4 or 5 other guys out of the 60 of us in there that had them - that I told my mom that we had to go get some for me. And within a couple weeks I was used to them.

There was an article today about how people in the Netherlands think that the world will end in 4 years. I have been to the Netherlands. I can see how they think the world might be ending for them. But to be able to say that I've been there before the world ends? That's a pretty awesome feat IMO. Well, at least for a guy that had only previously been to places in North America.

Writing about Europe reminds me that I love this word:

mi·ser –noun
1. a person who lives in wretched circumstances in order to save and hoard money.
2. a stingy, avaricious person.
3. Obsolete. A wretched or unhappy person.

I heard it on my current favorite investing show, "Fast Money" and had to throw it in here. Europe reminds me of being a miser because I was given the "talk" which I knew I would get sometime during the trip. Mainly the talk of "quit being such a cheap ass". Or "quit complaining, this is a once in a lifetime trip". It was just hard for me because I kept doing the currency conversion. While in the Netherlands I paid 4 Euro for a bottled water...which in US dollars comes out to be almost $7. I could buy a 24 pack of bottled water (good water!) here in the states for $7! Sheesh. Are the richest people you know the ones that spend the most? Or the ones that complain the most about spending? I think that's an interesting question to ask of ourselves.

The wife's golden birthday ends on the 26th of this month. Can you guess how old she is going to be? Hella old. We'll be checking out Hilton Head this coming weekend and I promised that I would go shopping with her all weekend (and not complain) and that I would also get my first pedicure (per her request). Wow. It's going to be an interesting weekend for me. And talking about her birthday, my mom just called and told me that she sent her CASH IN THE MAIL for her birthday. *slaps forehead* If all we get in the mail is a card I'm going to just shake my head and sigh...and know she loves us.

Daniel Island is almost a perfect place for me and the dog to live. There are sidewalks and trails that lead everywhere on the island. Everyone loves to ride their bike and go running around the island and the afternoon weather is perfect for it. I am getting in some of the best shape of my life because I take the dog out at least 6 times a day, and on at least 2 of those walks we go for almost 3 miles each time. I run with her until she wants to stop running. And some days she'll be the one that wants to keep running and I want to stop. In a previous life I am pretty sure she was a race horse. I read somewhere that to calculate the amount of calories you burn per mile take your weight and multiply it by .50 for walking and .75 for running. That's pretty solid - not that I need to diet or anything, just being in good shape is great for me.

And without the dog, I'm not sure what I'd do with myself here at home. Having her here with me keeps me from being too lonely. Plus it gives me something to take my mind off of work, along with something to do during my lunch break, because I never use my full amount of time eating. I'm amazed that we've already been out here for 2 months. It's going to be hard going back during the dead of winter, especially if I can't work from home when I get there.

I am currently watching the NCAA world series. This is my thing you know. Turn on the tube, watch for about 30 minutes to an hour of something that I DVR. Pay full attention to what I DVR for about 20 minutes and then go grab the laptop and have the TV on in the background. The University of Georgia and Fresno State are playing and the score is 18 to 10 in the bottom of the 8th inning. Christ. It's like watching one of my softball games. I just expect each batter to get a hit. I guess that's what happens when the guys are using metal bats...I really miss softball. My buddy was telling me how he's probably going to be in 3 different leagues this summer. I just want to be in one right now. Just one night a week on the field and I'd be happy. I have to wait for the new leagues to start up in August.

I'm going to end this post with a quote.

"The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work."
-Thomas Edison