December 31

The last few minutes of 2009. What a great year. We'll see if 2010 can live up to it.

Auld lang syne,
B

December 30

Everything went great with my Dad's surgery. That's all that matters for today.

Well, I did go see Sherlock Holmes with Brandon and the gang. Still, not the most important thing that happened.

Credit card be paid off,
B

December 29

I'm just getting in from a long night of filming, but I had a blast doing it. However, it's getting late and I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I'm going to keep this one on the short side. I met up with Mitch and we headed to Owosso around 6, where we got some food and shot a couple quick scenes. Then it was off to the gas station where we'd stay until around 3:15. Besides the occasional customer coming in, everything went very smooth.

My Dad goes into Genesys for surgery on his neck at 7:30am. They say it's a procedure that should only keep him in the hospital overnight, but anytime somebody goes under the knife it can be worrisome. Here's hoping for the best.

Hey kid, I'm a computer,
B

December 28

Today, I was finally able to meet up with some of my friends and pass out their X-Mas gifts. Everyone has been pretty busy and finding even a minute or two has been difficult. First off was lunch with Chadwick. We ate at a new buffet called Fuji and caught up for a little bit. He ended up getting me Bioshock for the 360. Looks like I have another game to play.

When I got home I started sifting through all of the stuff we had taken out of the attic. I'll be honest, the majority stuff that had my name on it, I had no idea why it was even up there. Basically, I condensed everything into 2 boxes. Now we just have to get some large, plastic tubs to store it all in an organized fashion. We'll see.

Before I left for Owosso I dropped off more gifts to Brad, Colleen, and Matt. All were quick stops, unfortunately. I would have loved to stay and chat but work needed to be done. And in this instance, the work was going to be awesome. From around 7 until 1-ish we were filming and actually got a lot accomplished. A lot of laughs were had, to be sure. Tomorrow night is the gas station location and should be an adventure. Anyway, I'm back home now and getting pretty tired. Definitely time to call it a night.

What's the deal with these ringtones,
B

December 27

I'm so exhausted tonight, I could probably sleep standing up. Seriously. This weekend has been amazing buy non-stop. Tonight is the first full night-sleep I'd have gotten since...Christmas Eve. Oh well. I can't complain. Life is beautiful. Today was spent working at the store, working at home, working on the home, and heading out to Owosso to meet up with Rhett. I'm extremely excited for tomorrow, as we're going to start shooting around 7pm. A lot of time, money, and effort (mainly Rhett's...) has gone into this project and I can't wait to get going. Now, as for some of the props...

Let me tell you a story,
B

December 26

The day after Christmas and I haven't slowed down at all. In fact, I have to get up for work in a matter of hours and am unable to sleep because of my sister and her friends inhabiting my room for the past 2 hours. Watching the Hangover. Hey, it's a good film, so it's all good. Well, I ended up working on the computer from early morning until I left this evening to go to Fred and Alex's for a little Christmas action. I got back home, had a late dinner, and now am ready for bed. Such a busy time of year.

Puppy chow,
B

December 25

Merry X-Mas to everybody! I, like a lot of you, had a day filled with family, food, and gifts. And it lasted from sun-up to sun-down. I love this time of year. Haha. Anyway, not only was it Christmas, but my Dad's birthday as well. So, as usual, we did our family breakfast and gift exchange in the morning and headed out to my Grandma's for the Sweeney family Christmas and birthday celebrations. My Dad and Uncle Dwayne share close birth-dates so there is always some dual party action going on. That just about sums it up. Just a great day.

Iron and wine,
B

December 24

It's the night before Christmas. Funny...I could've sworn there was another way to say that. Oh well. I played anorexic Santa today, passing out gifts to all of the good little boys and girls. Well, to the married ones. And the single ones. And the ones that were available. And that were technically adults. Scratch the "little" and I think we can make more sense of this sentence. Anyway, there was a lot of that going on. Then I stopped back home for a quick bit and we headed out to our Grandparents house for the patented dinner+presents+A Christmas Story night. It happens every year and this year was no different. I love it. A great dinner, looking at some cherished memories in picture form (well, my Grandpa and I did), and laughing at Family Guy spots on TBS. That one is a new tradition. I doubt it will stick. Now I'm typing in the blog before I head to bed. Tomorrow I expect more of the same as I still have presents left to give. Did I mention I love this time of year?

Rain of fire (yes, I meant rain),
B

December 23

A late entry today. Haha. Anyway, a lot of shopping was the was the story of the morning and afternoon. It was very busy, but needed tone done. In the middle there was lunch with Brandon, Laura, and Matt where a couple gifts were passed out. I love me some cookies. Later that night I was able to jump on the computer for a quick second before I headed on over to Joe's. We hung out there, watched some Detroit teams be terrible, and chilled. I gave Joe his present considering he's going to be working on Christmas. Now I just have to do the same or everybody else. I love this time of year.

Comin' to you on a dusty road,
B

December 22

People, I don't think you know how happy I am to have a phone that actually WORKS. This is going on 6 straight days I have yet to experience a crash, freeze, boot, etc. Again, the phone I had before was uncommonly faulty. I'm just glad this replacement is the complete opposite! So freakin' awesome.

Anyway, today was spent doing even more work on the computer and a late trip to the store for some Christmas shopping. This was followed by visit to Owosso to get some Fortune House and see Rhett. It ended up being a very productive visit with the majority of the shot blocking for our shoot being figured out. Now we just need to make a list of items that need to be bought/found and get some more actors and actresses in place. There is a lot to do still, but after tonight, we're both feeling better about the project. Did I mention this is a good time?

State lost. Pistons lost. Not cool.

Blitzen = Lupe,
B

December 21

What did I do today? Worked on the computer. All day long. Tomorrow I wanted to finish shopping and what-not but...I have more work to do. So I guess we'll see.

Little, fat dogs can be entertaining,
B

December 20

Sleep is callin' my name. Especially after an EARLY morning and going non-stop until now. After work I headed on home for a minute before meeting Brad, Colleen, Mike, and Eric for some breakfast at French Laundry. It was extremely filling and delicious. Mmmm...food. I ran home, worked on the computer with some football running on the TV behind me, and continued that until dinner. After dinner I cleaned up a bit, tried to get some more work done, finished a little X-Mas shopping, and then my Aunt and Cousin came and dropped off their dog. This is about the time Bailey started to lose her shit. It's always excited and full of energy when another dog comes over, but usually that's only for a couple hours and they leave. Princess (I didn't name her) will be staying for the next week or so. This first night is going to be the most difficult (in terms of the dogs getting to know each other and settling down). At this rate, I don't see this happening anytime soon. And what a night for this to happen...

Welcome to Gametime,
B

December 19

I would go into a lot more detail, but I have to get up in less than 3 hours for work. So...

Today was spent driving ALL around Flint trying to find a cheesey Christmas sweater. I finally found one thanks to Colleen's suggestion of Kohls (which I didn't even think of). Got to the party around 7 and hung out until now, when I had to leave or be forced to be a zombie at the Buy. Another great time was had. Hopefully this can continue into tomorrow.

I've just seen a face,
B

December 18

Another day, another chance to get things accomplished. In this instance, we're talking about shopping (for the second half of the day, at least). I got a little bit of work done in the morning before running errands in the afternoon. I received help from Josh taking a TV to my Uncle's house, after which I headed back out to start the madness. Best Buy to the Mall to Target to Bed, Bath & Beyond to...well, you get the idea. I got back home after picking up some Olive Garden and had a nice dinner. A little bit later I received a call from Rhett saying to get to Buffalo Wild Wings. Now, I had basically checked out for the night, but the combination of Rhett, Whitney, and Jon was hard to pass up; Thus I gave in and met them. I had a Coke. Haha. But, as always, the company was worth it. Oh, I forgot to mention, Rhett flew into Bishop tonight. Now you know.

SO much more to do,
B

December 17

I'm tired. Quick summary: Met up with Mike and Meg for lunch, said goodbye, went to Apple store and exchanged my iPhone, packed up, drove to Flint, dropped off my stuff, drove to Detroit, picked Tori up, back to Flint, got food, lent car to Tori, in bed now. Also, my "new" phone hasn't crashed on me once. Hasn't froze, booted me, or done anything bad. So THIS is what everyone who has an iPhone is supposed to experience. Haha.

Oh baby, you got what I need,
B

December 16

Today was a great day. I woke up in a wonderful house, got ready for the day, and did some work on the computer. A little bit later I received a text from Meagen asking where we should meet for lunch. It was decided that some Chinese food would suffice and so Mynt Fusion it was. They had Bulgogi on the menu, which I instantly got excited about. That excitement turned to disappointment as they clearly had no idea what real Bulgogi was. Thanks for giving me hope for humanity Fortune House. But the food didn't matter, as great friends made up for it.

Afterward the busy bees headed back to work and I drove off to Woodland mall where I was to finally get my freakin' iPhone figured out. After speaking with a couple workers and setting up an appointment (20 minutes later) diagnostics were ran and, as I figured, my machine was f'd up. Rather, it had been since I got it, I just didn't know any better; That is until I spoke with all of my other friends who have an iPhone and realized that their machines hadn't crashed on them once. Long story short, i was told to try one more thing at home, and if the problem still persisted (which it HAS) to come back and get a new one. Well, as of tomorrow, hopefully I'll be getting a new one. No, scratch that, I WILL be getting a new one. YESSIR!

When that craziness was finished I drove on back to the house, turned on some music, and continued working until M&M got home. There was a little bit of hanging out then out to dinner at FOUNDERS!!! You have no idea how long it had been since I ate there. Best sandwiches, period. So good. So good, in fact, that it was standing room only. Literally. We ate our food standing next to the merchandising display. Wouldn't trade that for anything, though. Yes, the food was that good.

Next was a movie. After going through the shows and seeing the times, The Blind Side ended up winning our money. You know, it was pretty decent. Definitely a tried-and-true "feel good" flick. And even though everybody knows what happened going into the movie, it still works.

It was about 9:30 or so when we all got back to the house. The rest of the night was some hanging out, watching DVR'd shows, and talking. Oh how I miss the late night talks. Refreshing really; Especially when you have a good friend to share with (and vise-versa). It was about 1 when things started to wind down. The crazy thing is that Mike and Meg need to be up by 5:30, so going on a full day with 4.5 hours of sleep...well, it sucks. Haha. I know some people can do it, but we all know it's terrible for you.

Tomorrow I'll probably meet up with them for lunch one last time before I head back. And maybe...just maybe...I'll get a new phone before rolling into Flint, too. I'd like to thank Mike and Meg for letting me stay and work in their home for the past couple of days. It was amazing seeing them again and catching up. Once I get my new computer, it will be so much easier to do this, too. All in one, baby.

I'm hot, you hot, we hot together,
B

December 15

I'm currently in Grand Rapids typing this night's blog entry. That's right folks, FINALLY made it over to see Meg and Mike's house...and it's amazing. Seriously, I'ma gonna take some pictures. They'll be good (I hope). Hell, maybe even a little video action?

Anyway, today was a lot of running around in the snowy Michigan weather. Owosso to capture more footage started my day, then over to the mall area to do some Christmas shopping, back home to eat, more errands, and then home again. In between there were calls made to Meagen, Brad, Josh, Chad, and others. Long story short, I got some gear (including my computer) packed up and headed for the GR around 7:30ish. A little later than I would've liked, but it's all good. I arrived around 9:30 (traffic was annoying), got the tour of the new home, and now here we are. A lovely day.

Letter,
B

December 14

Patch Perfect commercials are starting to piss me off. Don't ask why. Anyway, today was as busy as you would expect for a Monday. Just getting into the swing of things and really procrastinating on this Christmas shopping. REALLY Procrastinating. And with that, I'm going to have my midnight dinner. Haha.

Hardcore team deathmatch,
B

December 13

Who's ready for an amazing night of sleep? This guy.

22-3,
B

December 12

Another day and another (rare) early post. The reason for this is because it's Saturday night and some people have work early the next day.

First off, let me just say I got to see Brandon and Laura's soon-to-be house and it's awesome. There will be painting, there will be shampooing, and there is a gigantic basement; But all of those things are beautiful, baby. Beautiful.

I got back, talked to a few other people, and had a late lunch. After a little bit of work it was time for a little CoD and then a Pistons game. To my, and probably everyone viewing the game, Rip Hamilton was in uniform and started against the Golden State Warriors, which we won. 5 in a row and, now that we're starting to get our pieces back in place, I'm excited.

Not looking forward to the morning,
B

December 11

My meals today had very large gaps. Close to 9 hours to be specific. But hey, I'm all filled up now. So...yeah. Life is good. Basically just worked on the computer for the majority of the day and hung out with Josh in the evening. A little BWW's for dinner and now here I am. And that's that.

Thirsty,
B

December 10

Today was a great break. Finally. It started out with a tad bit of work in the morning - as always. I then got some work done at home and headed out to run some more errands. After picking up some needed equipment and supplies (not to mention presents), I ran up to see my Grandma. I thought that her and my Mom would be back from shopping, but I was wrong. Luckily Brandon and Matt were right down the street, so I got to talk to them for a little. After that it was to Brandon's to catch up some more then over to Brad's where he was working on his dish washer. Well, it ended up being a garbage disposal fix, but still...you get the idea. A meal with Colleen and Brad soon followed (Lebanese) and then it was back to the condo for some NBA Live and the Pistons game later. We ended up winning 3 games in a row online while the Pistons beat Denver for the 7th time in a row (4 game winning streak overall). A very good night o' sports and sport related video games. Now I'm back home about to dig in to some leftovers and relax for the evening. I'm a little scared at all of the shopping I still need to do. Yikes.

Zip-zap-zowey,
B

December 9

I would love to go more in depth with you on the post tonight, but truth be told, I'm hungry for some late-night Arbys. I mean I'm REALLY hungry, so I'm going to get some. Before that, though, I will say I've been working like a mad man these past few days. It's a fun time working from home, but not so much when your computer starts acting up. And given my computer is my main source of income and I have clients waiting on spots that I can't access...it can get stressful sometimes. Luckily it all worked out - albeit later than I had hoped - and everything was sent out. The bad news: It's been like this the last few days. The good news: I've decided on what computer I'm going to be getting. Might put the order in in the next couple of days. I'm excited.

Pistons beat Allen Iverson and the 76ers tonight. Shorthanded, again. I can't wait until next week. From what I'm hearing, that's when we can expect Tay and/or Rip back in uniform. Maybe even Ben Gordon too. I'm telling you, once we get healthy and get some games under our belt...we're going to surprise a LOT of people. We've been playing really good basketball so far this year. Just wait until we're healthy.

Goodbye, Curtis Granderson. I hope we can resign you during the summer of 2012/13. Freaking Yankees...

They callin' me,
B

December 8

You know what's a good time? Online table reads. It really is a lot of fun...until the microphones start going crazy. Then, not so much. Oh well.

Good times, overall on this wonderful Tuesday. Work, eat, work, eat, work. And now...I'm thinking I may eat something. Or maybe CoD. I'm done with work for the day. I do need to go out and pick up Public Enemies for my Grandma. She really enjoyed that film. Me...ehhhh.

Danny Granger is out for at least a month,
B

December 7

If you guess what I did today, I'll give you a cookie.

Damn it. OK, I don't have any cookies handy right now. Get back with me later and I'll give you one then.

Yup, it was the same ol', same ol'. Computer work in the afternoon and evening with meals in between. I'm actually done for the night, which means another last meal is cooking up in the oven right now. Well...it's about to. I need to put it in there first.

I have to get going on Christmas gifts. Only problem is I'm having a problem finding the time. This is going to be a busy holiday. A very busy holiday.

Gangsta, gangsta,
B

December 6

Wow, what a great day. It started out great, the middle was great, and the evening turned out greater.

Easy morning of work followed by some hanging out and eating lunch with some friends. Also, after scrambling, I was able to find a friend to go with me to the Pistons/Wizards game.

Long story short, they were the best seats I ever had. We were in the OFFICIAL Jerebko row where, for every point he scored, a viking hat was passed out. I accounted for point number 7. On top of that, and taking a decent amount of video and pictures, we won.

The evening ended with a conference call between myself, Rhett, and Jesse regarding a project we're going to be working on during the end of the month. It's going to be pretty ambitious, but I'm extremely excited.

A big thanks goes out to Jon Moore for being available for the game tonight. It was a great time.

Next up...Allen Iverson,
B

December 5

This will never happen again. It's not even 9 on Saturday night and I'm exhausted. I just got back from a great meal with the Mom and Grandma at Redwood and am trying to finish up a spot. Still, I'm thinking I may try to get to bed in the next hour. Yup, before or around 10. Haha. Hey, listen. I have to get up by 4-ish tomorrow and I want to have energy for the evening, so this may actually work out. Hell, I've just been in front of a computer screen all day, anyway. Then again...there's nothing new there.

We'll see how this goes,
B

December 4

Woke up. Ate. Worked. Bought Pistons tickets for Sunday. Worked. Ate. Worked. Watched Pistons. Played CoD with everybody. About ready to eat again. Watching the Heat/Lakers game.

X to the Vizzy,
B

December 3

Well, I think I need a new video card. At least before I try selling this beast, I should get a new video card for it. Man...I'm really starting to lean toward that iMac. I'd save so much money. And I'm not sure how high-demand the programs I'm going to be running will be, anyway. Hmmm...decisions.

Today was a lot of computer work and some CoD in the evening. Brandon stopped by before he had to go to class a hung out for a bit. This lead to a late lunch, but you know it's all good. It's ALL good. Tomorrow I'm thinking there will be more of the same. Well, computer work.

What does Droid do,
B

December 2

Another busy one. Worked for a bit then backed up the computer and headed to Owosso. I captured more footage and got a general outline of what the different companies wanted. After that I headed to GNF to pick up my camera and other equipment. While I was there Jon walked in, so I caught up with him for a little. I headed back home, but stopped by to see Brandon and Laura. Those two received some great news regarding their house earlier this afternoon. It's looking like they could sign the papers by January 10 at the very latest. Then...we have brand new home owners. BOOM! I'm extremely happy for those two. Hopefully all goes well.

And now for some very frustrating news. After I left from the visit, I wanted to grab some food before getting back to my house. I pulled into the Arbys drive thru and, after repeating my order 3 times, started to pull ahead to the window. Side note - it was rainy and dark and I couldn't see shit. The bottom of my car on the drivers side, including the front wheel hubcap, is now scratched, cracked, and bent to all hell. Well...the rim is a bit bendy. The scratches are noticeable, but low enough where it's not too bad. Still...I'm so pissed off at myself. I had a brain fart. Pulled up, didn't think of the curb, and proceeded to hear a horrible scraping-type sound for what seemed like forever. I parked my car after I got my food to inspect the damage. I then got back in my car and swore as loud as I could. I'm so F&*^ING pissed at myself...

On that note, I wonder how much it costs to remove scratches. Like I said, I could live with it. The marks on the bottom don't bother me as much as the rim damage does. I think I should probably get that looked at. Regardless, if I do act on it, there goes more money that didn't have to be spent in the first place.

I should go to bed before I punch a baby,
B

December 1

I started this blog in early January. A post a day, no matter how minimal. I look at my calendar today and see that it's December. Wow. That's all I can say. This coming holiday is looking to be amazing, but busy. I have a lot of work to do and need as much time as I can to finish it. On top of that there's looking for gifts, friends and family coming home, and, of course, the annual "Dress Like Lincoln and Bake A Pie" benefit I put on. Yup, this year's DLL&BAP is looking bigger than ever; Especially with celebrity guests like Bill Nye (of "Science Guy" fame) and DeShawn Stevenson (Washington Bullets). It's going to be a blast. Be there or be John Wilkes Booth. So please, don't kill the fun. Too soon?

Today was a lot of eating, working, eating, visiting with Chadwick, working, watching the State/NC game, shaking my head at our lack of size, getting excited near the end, losing, sighing, and now blogging. Tomorrow...probably more of the same. I do have to stop by Owosso, though. So, there's that.

27" iMac or Gulftown 6-Core,
B

November 30

Holy tomato. Did you all realize that it's already the last day o' November!? Which means...I'm typing this on December 1. December 1 and I have yet to see any snow on the ground. This is a damn shame. Still, the weather the past few weeks has been a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, today started out pretty good. Got up relatively early and did some stuff around the house. Got a hold of Brandon and met up for some lunch at Logans. Mini burgers = a good time. I drove back and started working on some video work. That continued until dinner time, after which it was time for a little ESPN and pre-game talk for the Patriots and Saints match-up tonight. The game ended up being pretty entertaining. Saints dominated, pulling away in the second half.

As you can guess, I finished this evening off with a few rounds of CoD. I have to admit, I'm actually getting better at this game. Crazy, I know.

I can't wait for tomorrow. Guess what comes out... BOOM!

(Joking, obviously.)

Pick up the phone and I dial the request line,
B

November 29

Early to rise, early to bed. I know, it's usually the other way around, but to me, 1:25 us pretty early. Haha. So I'm going to enjoy this sleep. I really am.

As for today, it was good. Some Panera for lunch, computerin', Thanksgiving leftovers, and CoD. I said it before...I'm addicted. Still, when you have x number of friends who play online, it's hard not to play. Plus Robin Williams enjoys a little MW now and then. Don't believe me. Look it up.

Patriots or Saints,
B

November 28

Quick one tonight as I'm heading to bed for an early morning. Hung out at home, did some work and laundry, went to visit my Aunt and Cousin at my Grandma's place, and had a second Thanksgiving dinner. Tori leaves early tomorrow and should be back in the middle of December.

Canteen boy,
B

November 27

Oh, Black Friday. People go crazy over your deals...when in reality, the truly good deals are few and far between. I did what I normally do on days after Thanksgiving - sleep in. I was contemplating going out and shopping, but after I received a call from Rhett early in the morning telling me of the lame WalMart deals, I had a sudden urge to stay in my warm, soft, comfortable bed. Mmmm. It was a good sleep. The rest of the day was spent working a tad on the computer, doing some home improvement work in the bathroom, and becoming increasingly frustrated at the Pistons. I haven't watched this team play with so many significant injuries ever. It's painful to watch, especially when you have no healthy go-to scorers available. We're struggling mighty-like now, but just wait when we get Gordon, Rip, and Tay back. Give it about a week after that, and I guarantee we'll start a few winning streaks. But for now...you can only watch and shake your head. Oh, did I mention we lost to the F*&#ING CLIPPERS!? Jebus...

Oh, also, the developers over at Infinity Ward must be having a good time at how freakin' difficult they made "Loose Ends" on Veteran. I'm not even talking about the DSM upload portion. I actually got through that relatively quick. It was the run to the LZ that took me almost 2 hours to complete. Now, I admit, there was a decent amount of "cooling off" time and basketball watching in between...but still. Ridiculous. I still don't know how I managed to complete it. Pure luck. Guaranteed.

Michigan State lost to Florida in a game that wasn't available on cable. I love our team, but I said it at the beginning of the season, size was going to give up problems. Not having that reliable post-presence offensively and defensively hurts; Especially after the past few season with Suton and Davis down-low. We have pure athleticism up to wazoo, but you can't teach size. We'll see. I still am hoping for big things with my Spartans.

BlakRoc is available NOW,
B

November 26

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! T'was a good day; A day filled with lots of food, family, friends, and sports. Lots of televised sports. Everything from the classic Lions game (which was lost), to some college football and basketball, and some NBA later on. I have to say that Michigan's basketball team is pretty fun to watch. Manny Harris is a beast. But, no matter how good Michigan is, I will always bleed Green and White. State plays tomorrow night. I'm excited. Anyway, like I said, a good day. We ended up celebrating the holiday with my Dad's side of the family - most of which I hadn't seen in a long time. It was good to catch up. I admit I didn't remember/know about 50% of the people there, but I was good to go on the other half. The night ended with some Wii with the sister, hot chocolate, and some CoD with Chadwick, Avery, Matt, and Bradley. And now it's time for some sleep before shopping.

Enemy Of the State: A Love Story is out now,
B

November 25

I just woke up about 15 minutes ago for the second time today. Now this time isn't as extreme. It was after some work on the computer and started by just resting my eyes. About a hour and a half later and here we are.

This morning I finally went to bed around 7:30 until 1-ish. I was feeling it all day. Funny how your schedule can be off thanks to one night of missed sleep. Oh well.

You know, outside of Tori coming back for a few days, nothing major happened today. I was planing on heading over to Brad's tonight but, well, you know what happened. Stupid sleep.

New Lupe comes out tomorrow,
B

November 24

I'm going to be leaving to pick my sister up from the airport in about 45 minutes. Pfffft, who needs sleep. Well...I do. I'll sleep when I get home. In the meantime: THANKS, Netflix on XBox!

Last week on Heroes,
B

November 23

Why do I insist on staying up so late? Haha. I'm not going to lie, I'm as tired as I was last night. That's pretty tired. So that's all from me tonight. Gooooooodnight.

If it don't make dollars then it don't make "cents",
B

November 22

It's been a tiring day. I'm exhausted. That is all.

Mr. Pink,
B

November 21

It's before midnight and I'm about ready to go to bed. I have no choice given the time I have to be up tomorrow.

As far as today goes, I can't complain at all. A Saturday spent doing what Saturdays are made for - recharging the batteries. A little work, a little play, and some good food. I can't ask for too much more. Well...maybe a Michigan State win, but unfortunately our defense gave out in the third quarter.

Oh, early mornings. How I don't look forward to you.

Live look-in,
B

November 20

Man, I really should've gone to bed a little earlier tonight. Everything is in preparation for Sunday morning, but...I guess a little less sleep isn't a bad thing. Basically, I doubt I'm going to be heading to bed before midnight tomorrow. Maybe I should try it, though.

Anyway, it was a good day. A little computer work, a little computer research, a little BWW's with Chad and Avery, a little CoD at night. The X-Box is taking over. Not a good thing. Not a good thing at all.

Tomorrow I hope to get the majority of my work done. At the very least, half. I finished one project earlier. That leaves...

Schedule your appointment today,
B

November 19

Another day, another dollar. I have a lot on my plate that needs finishing so, unless something crazy happens, I'll be doing a lot of work into the weekend. I did want to make it to Grand Rapids, but those plans have to be put on hold. I'll get there eventually.

Planet rock,
B

November 18

I've been looking at the ads for Black Friday. Hmmm. I wonder if it'd be worth it to get up and try getting some of these deals? I'm primarily focusing on Christmas gifts, XBox games, and Blu-Rays. Still...some pretty good deals. Thanks, internets, for making available every store's ads.

Vanilla and chocolate ice cream,
B

November 17

Oh my GOD! Almost had a heart attack watching the Michigan State/Gonzaga game tonight. Somebody explain to me how Gonzaga isn't ranked? Probably because preseason rankings are pointless. The only thing that matters is that we won. Still...cutting it pretty close there. And with MSU's schedule, I know it won't be getting any easier. Plus the Big Ten is stacked this year.

Let's see...woke up today, ran some errands, headed to Best Buy to get some stuff, met up with Chad and others for lunch, went back to Kettering to check out his working situation, got back home, played some CoD, watched the MSU game, and got hungry. And this is where I'm at now...hungry. Food time.

Jeeeeeez,
B

November 16

What happened today? No, I'm serious. I'm trying to think of everything that was done from the time I got up until now...and for some reason the morning and afternoon are very vague. I think it was a small lunch, work on computer, shower, load up equipment, head to Owosso, come back from Owosso, play a little CoD, and now I'm here. OH, wait. In-between driving back from Owosso and playing CoD I stopped by Brandon's for a little bit. Ryan is back in town this week (well, he's in Midland) and was over, so I had to make an appearance. It ended up being a quick visit and some talking, but still, good to see him. Hopefully we can get together later on in the week. Well ladies and gents, tomorrow Star Trek comes out on Blu-Ray. I'm excited. Haha. But, before I get that, I've got some more work to do. Ah, such is life.

I don't really want to stop the show,
B

November 15

What a day, what a day, what a day. Woke up at 4, jumped in the shower, and headed off to the Buy. Got out at 10, ran home to change, then drove out to Richie's where his brother and Dad were waiting for me. We all jumped in their car and headed out to Ferndale.

What were we doing in Ferndale? Well, first we stopped by a crazy vintage/old school/down-memory-lane comic/toy shop called Time Travelers. I wish I knew something about comics, because I would've been in heaven. Basically think of an amazing collection of everything "nerd". Haha. Hey, I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'. There were cases upon cases of old toys (i.e. G.I. Joe, He-Man, Street Sharks, Star Wars, Reservoir Dogs, etc.), isles of comics, DVD's, video games, etc. Everywhere. It was a sight to be seen and I feel like I could've spent a lot of time just looking at everything and not spending a dime. We probably would've stayed longer if it wasn't for my extreme hunger (and Rob's).

Next stop: Rosie O'Grady's. Think a classy BWW's or a better Bar Louis. TV's everywhere. Literally. EVERYWHERE. In every booth, such as the one we sat in, we were surrounded with flat-screens with every football game going on at that time and another TV IN our booth installed in the wall. Did I mention the food was amazing? It was. As was the chocolate shake I got for desert. If I'm ever in Ferndale again...Rosie O'Grady's is where I'm heading to eat.

And now we come to the grand finale. The reason for the trip. A while back my pal Mitch had mentioned a play he had seen that he absolutely loved. It was the Evil Dead in musical form (aka Evil Dead: The Musical). Instantly I was curious and wanted to know more. So I talked to Richie about it, he told his Dad and brother, and here we are. We reserved out tickets, got to the theater about an hour ahead of time, stood in line, and walked to the second row of a very small theater. For this performance, though, it was perfect. The play encompassed Evil Dead 1 and 2. The best part about this show, besides the whole "turning Evil Dead into a musical" thing, was the fact that the audience was subject to blood splatter. A lot of blood splatter. Excessive blood splatter. At certain points in the play (aka think the gory parts in the movies) the crowd would be "super soakered" with fake blood. Sometimes ketchup bottled, sometimes garden hosed, sometimes...well, you get the idea. It added so much to it, though. Easily one of the most vulgar plays I've seen, but it had to be, and it worked. Great. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the "blood" washed right out with no problem. Yes, I did laundry as soon as I got back to my house. Haha.

The rest of the night involved a late dinner, work on the computer, the Pistons, some NFL, and (like you can't guess) Modern Warfare 2. Hey, I always end my nights now with a couple rounds online and this blog. It's a routine. Tomorrow I'm heading back to Owosso to finish up some business and pick some more up. Looking forward to sleep right now, though.

This...is my BOOMSTICK,
B

November 14

Well, with everyone else I know seemingly getting new toys and gadgets, I had to give in. Well, I didn't have much of a choice. Sometimes the deals are TOO GOOD to pass up; As was the case today. After a meeting at the Best Buy this morning, management announced what basically turned out to be a fire-sale on all of the store's "open box" items. They're desperately trying to get rid of all of that inventory by the weekend of "Black Friday". Anything left over will probably end up on a table on high discount for anybody (public included) to buy. So, since this was the first day and the meeting ended fast, I walked around the home theater department and looked at some televisions. One of which was a Panasonic 46" plasma. Now, this TV for us, retailed at around $1300. I walked out with it for $600 even. Add in a Panasonic Blu-Ray player for $100 (retail around $300) and I am one happy man. I mean...one VERY happy man. Not only that, but I ended up selling my old TV about 2 hours after I got home. BOOM! All is well.

As for the rest of the afternoon/evening, it was spent hooking everything up, adjusting the picture, testing out some CoD:MW2 and NBA Live, checking the Blu-Ray player, doing work on the computer, and ending with some Pistons action (we beat the Wizards) and a couple more rounds of CoD:MW2. Now I'm finishing up this blog entry before I hit the bed only to wake up in around 4 hours for work at 5am. Yup, 5am. Damn holiday hours. Haha. HEY, for ONE DAY A WEEK and a discount like you read above...I'M WORKING MY DAMN SHIFT!!! You best BELIEVE THIS, SON!!!

Star Trek comes out on Blu-Ray Tuesday,
B

November 13

Really quick one today, as I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Great one. Haha. Lunch with some friends then back home to do some work on the computer. Ended with a filling dinner, some NBA, a little more work, and Modern Warfare 2. Addicted.

Sky high,
B

November 12

Happy Birthday to my Mom. It ended up being a great, relaxing, overall fun day. Well, for me. Haha. Started with a celebratory luncheon with my Grandma, Great Uncle, Mom, and I. Then headed back to my Grandma's to hook up the new digital converter box for Comcast. I ran back home, gave the standard card/gift and proceeded to get a hold of Brandon and Chad. Hung out with Brandon for a bit before he had class up at Saginaw then Chad headed over. The rest of the night we hung out, had some pizza, and played Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Not going to lie...that damn game is so freakin' addicting. I feel like I can actually compete a bit online now. CRAZY! Haha. Don't get my words twisted though. I'm nowhere NEAR good. Just...close to OK. I need to get some work done tomorrow, so I'll probably be on the computer for a little. Still, good day. Good day, indeed.

Byron Scott deserved better,
B

November 11

Well, on 11/11, I can say all was normal. Well, if normal was waiting for more footage to capture and passing the time by playing some Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. First a little co-op at the house. Then some multiplayer and co-op online. Good times, but definitely playing like I'm new to the game...which I am. Other than that, I had a quick meeting this afternoon and spent the evening burning DVD's. Fun times. Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday, so some family is going out for lunch. Should be a good day.

Wale is pronounced "wa-lay",
B

November 10

Smiles all around, people. Smiles all around. New Wale, Wu-Tang, Doom, Modern Warfare 2, and my first Blu-Ray purchase: Up. Why did I buy Blu-Ray when I don't own a Blu-Ray player yet? Because it came with 2 Blu-Ray discs, a digital copy, AND the DVD version all for the SAME PRICE as the 2-disc DVD. Why not? I probably am going to be getting a player at some time. Anyway, good stuff to start the day, a nice lunch, visiting with Brandon later in the afternoon, a quick drive out to Owosso to grab some footage, and back home for dinner and whatever the rest of this evening brings. Right now...it's looking like sleep.

I remain a Giant and you're Jeremy Shockey,
B

November 9

Today nothing really out of the ordinary or exciting happened. No need to write about it. Up, a documentary entitled Must Read After My Death, a new MF Doom CD, AND Wale's much anticipated debut album all come out tomorrow, though. Oh, and Modern Warfare 2. How much more can I really ask for?

Bigger than my body,
B

November 8

We had a little work (at the Buy), followed by a little breakfast (at Brandon's), followed by the Pistons game (at home), followed by pizza and chillin' (at Brads), followed by work (at home). I'm exhausted, but have a feeling I'll be even more tired next week. 5AM mornings on Sundays coming up soon. Laaaaaaaaaame.

If I was a rich man,
B

November 7

Another great day. First off, it was Matt's birthday today, so Happy Birthday, sir. Little back-story here: He had never been to a college football game before. So we ended up going to the MSU/Western game and had a blast. It helps that he's a Michigan State fan, too. Always does. Haha. It ended up being a blowout but the crowd was still pretty into it...until everyone started leaving midway through the 3rd quarter. Still, a decent amount of people stayed until the end. Ran over to see Chad for a second afterward and then headed on back home, where Laura had planned a nice birthday dinner. We got there, ate some great chili, played a little Wii action, did the whole cake/presents thing, and played some cards. Man, I've been playing a hell of a lot of cards lately. Still, a great game and a great time with great friends. Can't beat it. Tomorrow...well...early morning at the 'Buy then we'll see.

In sporting news, Michigan lost AT HOME to Purdue for the first time in a while, Iowa lost, and Tayshaun Prince will be out indefinitely due to a small rupture of a disc in his lower back. That will give an opportunity for Jerebko and Daye to get some playing time, but hopefully he gets back soon. Also...WE NEED RIP BACK. We can't have all of our scoring come from our back-court.

24p, baby,
B

November 6

Happy Birthday to Mr. BRADLEY THIBAUT today! This is the weekend of birthdays as far as my friends are concerned. From working on the computer, to heading to pick up a check, back to the house, to my Grandma's to grab some MSU football tickets for tomorrow, back home, out to dinner with some friends, back home one more time, and over to Brad's to hang out/celebrate - the day has been spent on the road. Tomorrow will be more of the same, too. But I can't wait.

Love, love, love,
B

November 5

Yes, I realize it's close to 5:40am. Just finished playing cards with my Grandma and Great Uncle. We'd been going since we got back from dinner...at 6:30pm. Not joking here folks. Marathon card games. You have no idea how much I love my family. Haha. Just awesome.

SportsCenter never ends,
B

November 4

In today's episode, we find our hero desperately trying to get through his mountains of tape in before nightfall. Will he succeed? Stay tuned. Spoiler alert: he doesn't. Nope. Another day long affair that consisted of putting more footage on my computer. I can't wait until it's time to start the actual editing. Well, there you have it. Another day, another dollar, and more time. I did sneak out to Brad's for an hour while I started capturing another mini-DV. Yup, exactly one hour. I checked out DJ Hero and the new Lego RockBand game that he was given ad an early birthday gift. Haha. Not too shabby. DJ Hero takes some getting used to, but the soundtrack is pretty cool. I finished the evening with a little basketball and a late dinner. Tomorrow I may actually be able to get some REAL work done!

You can tell by her smile,
B

November 3

Wow, I'm a little tired right now. I guess I'll just write really quick. Good day today. I got a lot accomplished and finished the evening watching the Pistons beat the previously undefeated Orlando Magic. Hard fought game. I have a desire to watch Oldboy again. Thanks, Rhett.

Ben Wallace,
B

November 2

It felt great getting up late this morning. Mmmm, sleep. The rest of the day was spent in front of a computer. Wow, it's just like my old job, except I'm home. Oh, and I don't have to deal with certain "annoyances". There was a good Saints/Falcons game on ESPN tonight and the Phillies won to extend the World Series one more night. Now it's time for some sleep.

Patrick Chewing,
B

November 1

Halloween down, next up is Thanksgiving. Happy November, everyone. Wow, even with that extra hour of sleep, the heavy eyes are starting to creep up on me. But hey, I suppose I could just sleep in if I felt like it. It's an option now. Haha.

A lot of not staying at home today. I made it back to my place around 1, had some lunch and watched a little bit o' football. As it got closer to the five o'clock hour I headed off to Brandon's for some dinner. I'll admit, I wasn't all that hungry given the lunch time. Still, nothing like a home cooked meal to wind down an evening. Well, there was still some evening to be had and it was in front of a TV to catch the new Curb and Board To Death. So funny. Now...I'm back home and getting hungry again. I love food.

One more thing. Brandon had a mustache today. It made him look like either a child molester or someone who drives a red pick-up truck with a lift kit and a Confederate flag painted on the rear window...or both. Slowly but surely, it disappeared. This is a very good thing. VERY good thing.

No ceiling,
B

October 31

Happy Halloween to everybody! This is not only the last day of October, but post number 300 overall for me. Unfortunately I have nothing important enough I want to say to warrant a celebratory 300 post. On top of that, I'm just pissed today. Seriously, what is going on with MI sports? The Pistons have now lost two games in a row on this young season. Both losses we had a lead at halftime and came out flat and complacent for the third quarter. Then we were fighting from behind and taking stupid shots all 4th quarter. This needs to change, NOW! Michigan got embarrassed by Illinois. Michigan State got royally screwed by the referees after they overturned an OBVIOUS fumble recovery that would've given them a HUGE chance. Instead they (refs) fucked it up, and the very next play, touchdown: Minnesota. Seriously, someone better be fired for that god-damned missed call tomorrow. No, wait, it wasn't even a MISSED CALL. They had it right the first time. Then they took 45 minutes to review it and SOMEHOW came back with the WRONG CALL!!! Sorry, I just get pissed off when stuff like this happens. Replay is supposed to be used to get calls right. It's beyond me how it can go the other way.

Other than THAT...today was spent house sitting. Haha. That is about it. Due to a snag in some paper signings, the "Grand Rapids - paint the new house" trip has been postponed indefinitely. It will happen, though. Trust me. I feel like I should head to Meijer right now and pick up some supplies. I suppose it could wait until tomorrow, though. I'm actually looking forward to gaining an hour of sleep, tonight. Much, much needed.

Well, ladies and germs, it's about that time. Have a good one and I'll sure to be talkin' to you all later.

Perfct Present(s),
B

October 30

Wow. A great night of friends and costumes. Haha. Yes, tonight was the first annual Thibaut/Kildee Halloween Bash at Brad and Colleen's place. Basically everyone got together in some form of get-up, hung out, drank (not this guy), played games, etc. It was a blast. Hell, it always seems to be with my friends. I'm pretty lucky in that regard. Pictures were taken, and I'm sure a few will end up popping up on facebook. But for now, just know that tonight was a good night. A good night, indeed.

Taco Bell time,
B

October 29

I just realized it's about that time. The time to pay off my credit card that doesn't exist anymore. Thanks again, fraud-douchebags. Anyway, another great day. A lot of running around that ended with some costume buying and a meal at Brandon and Laura's. Speaking of, they could be home owners pretty soon. Oh man, the anticipation. I finally arrived home and started watching some Bulls/Spurs, Phillies/Yankeees, and Trailblazers/Nuggets. Yup, another good day. Wow...post 300 is approaching. Crazy.

Derrick Rose isn't bad,
B

October 28

Great day today, folks. Great day. My FINAL day at Spencer, and it lasted a grand total of 1 hour. Collected my final paycheck, cleared out the computer, and I was out. Just like that. So, you can imagine, instant awesomeness to begin. I headed up to Halloween USA to look for some potential costume ideas. I may have found something, but it won't be finalized until tomorrow. Nothing special. I then got home, worked on the computer for a little bit, and headed out to meet my pal Josh at BWW's. Got there around 7:30 to catch the FIRST PISTON'S GAME OF THE SEASON, as well as the World Series and the Hornets/Spurs game. As you all may or may not know, all three games ended up being blowouts. The Pistons beat Memphis by 22 points, Spurs over the Hornets by 17, and the Yankees LOST to Philly 6-1 in a complete game effort by Cliff Lee. Oh yeah, and the Cavaliers LOST to Toronto. So awesome. Haha. On top of all of that, my fantasy team had a hell of a night. VERY good, in fact. So, in the world of sports, all things go...all things go. Tomorrow hopefully will consist of a meeting, costume buying, and more basketball/baseball in the evening.

Welcome back, Ben Wallace,
B

October 27

Hello, 2009-10 NBA season. Nice to see you again. So far, taking a gamble on Gilbert Arenas in the 4th round of our draft last night (injury-riddled past few years) has paid off. Wow...OK, I'll even admit that's a bit too early. They have played ONE game. Still...did anyone believe that the Wizards were going to beat Dallas IN Dallas tonight? This guy did. I'm telling you, watch out for the Wizards this year. They'll be in the playoffs. Easy. Rhett, you can vouch for me on this one. I've been saying it all summer.

Let's switch from basketball, shall we. I have some amazing news. Tomorrow will OFFICIALLY be my LAST day at "the Spencer Agency." And not a moment too soon. I've been very busy with side projects as of late and haven't found to time to finish them. Now...I may be able to get REAL work done. Hahaha. No, but seriously, I don't know if I was going to be able to last much longer and keep my sanity. This is a fresh start. Thank goodness I already have other jobs lined up.

Congrats to Meagen and Mike on closing on their first REAL HOUSE!!! I know, I know. Friday is when all of the paperwork gets done...but let's be real. You're already good to go. So...ROCK AND ROLL!!!

The Pistons play their first game of the season tomorrow against a young, up-and-coming Memphis team. I think Detroit will be sliding under the radar all season and could surprise some people. We'll see.

Thanks, Agent 0,
B

October 26

Honestly, today was pretty bland. The one thing that did occur was tonight, at 8:45, my fantasy basketball league's draft took place. 10 guys, head-to-head format, over the NBA season (which starts tomorrow). You have no idea how excited I am for basketball to start up. My favorite sport. As for the draft, it was a good time, as always. Thought I made it out OK...but only time will tell with that. Hell, I got Granger and Deron with my first 2 picks. Gots to love that.

Celtics/Cavs tomorrow on TNT,
B

October 25

Today was a very, very, very awesome day. The entire family was over for my Grandma's 80th birthday celebration. Now, technically, her birthday isn't until Tuesday. But who gets together in the middle of a work week? Exactly. So everything was reserved for today. Everybody was over and large portions of meatballs, sloppy joes, potato salad, Ro-Tel dip, etc. was eaten. Just great to see people who I hadn't talked to in a while. There was the classic birthday cake and singing and presents and a night that ended with some games. Overall, a great day. We'll see what happens tomorrrow.

Canon makes quality point-and-shoots,
B

October 24

Well, if anybody knows what to do when the "Door Ajar" message in your car won't go away, please tell me. Freakin' door is NOT ajar. Pretty sure I checked...15 times. Haha.

It felt great to sleep in a little bit today. Then it was time to get up and start working around the house. My Grandma's 80th birthday is tomorrow and we're having a TON of family over to celebrate. Should be a blast. Anyway, around 7 I went out to dinner with Matt, Brandon, and Laura at Logan's. Had some great wings with this tangy/spicy sauce. I drove out to see their wedding pictures and hang out for a little. I got home and immediately started trying to troubleshoot the whole "lights won't go off inside my car" issue. After a couple calls to OnStar, browsing through the owners manual, and a few Google searches, I determined I couldn't do anything about it until Monday. I walked outside and the light had turned off. Come to find out that in a lot of new cars there's a function built in to where if the interior lights are on for an extended amount of time, it will shut them off. I think it took a good 10 or 20 minutes, but they're off. And yes, I checked, and the car is still running. I have work early tomorrow...so things better work out.

Time to visit the Salvation Amry,
B

October 23

Where the Wild Things Are = excellent cinematography; excellent VFX; story...what do you expect from a children's book that largely consisted of pictures. Still, I'm happy I saw it. I loved that damn book.

Today consisted of being extremely happy it was Friday, leaving work early, helping Brandon and Laura move, going out to eat with the family, and seeing the movie mentioned above. Such a good day. OH, and no one put fraudulent charges on my now non-existent credit card. Very nice.

I miss Bill Knapps' Au-Gratin potatoes,
B

October 22

Credit card fraud is lame. I arrived home yesterday after a long, drawn out day of work, and noticed I had a package sitting in my room. It was a package from somewhere in California and contained not one, but two "Shoes Under". What is "Shoes Under"? THIS is "Shoes Under". I honestly had no idea what to think. Where did this come from? I took a gander at the receipt and noticed that it had been paid for via credit card by...ME!? What the F*&#. Needless to say it was time to get online and check a couple transaction reports. As I looked closer, I noticed a couple names/charges that I never remembered making. As looked even closer I found a few more. I proceeded to call up Chase and get this all straightened out. It was a long process, a lot of calling different numbers, companies, people, etc. but in the end (about 2.5 hours later) all was good to go. Refunds are being processed, accounts cancelled, pending charges dropped, and a whole new credit card account being activated. Oh well. It happens. One thing I don't understand...whoever was using my account for the past month had made a Netflix account. I know they weren't stupid enough to make a Queue, as the movies would've been shipped to me, but the representative from Netflix informed me that the individual didn't even stream one movie in that time. Go figure.

So that was the adventure from yesterday. After all of that I had a late dinner and worked on getting a spot uploaded and sent out to Owosso. OH, and I didn't get to bed until 5AM. HaHAAAAA.

Today was a LONG day at work. It was so freaking boring. I got out, got home (eventually), set up the new Comcast HD box in my room, and got to work on another spot. After another late dinner I'm finally able to relax for a bit. I'm about ready to set up my annual Yahoo fantasy basketball league. All-in-all, a pretty productive day. I'm thinking I'm going to leave work early tomorrow. I don't think I could take another pointless day like today.

Oh, HD channels,
B

October 21

A very interesting day today. I want to go in detail with what happened, but I think I may wait a bit until tomorrow. I have a lot to work on right now on the computer. I'll end it with this: credit card fraud is a BITCH!

Chase,
B

October 20

Abbey Road. Today Abbey Road was released for Beatles Rock Band. I thought it was supposed to be released a while ago, but it doesn't matter now. Sgt. Pepper and Rubber Soul will follow in the coming months. Should be a blast.

As for the routine today, nothing too exciting. Work then home then store then food then home to work and play. I met Brandon and Matt for lunch earlier this afternoon. Ummm...that's about it. Sorry for the boring posts as of late. I know it's been a couple weeks since an actually INTERESTING write-up. We'll see what happens in the future to spice up this lil' blog.

Fantasy basketball soon,
B

October 19

Well, I got back into the grind this week (but for how long?). Hopefully not much. But we'll see. The simple breakdown goes work, food, work, home, (insert errand), work, food, work, and blog. The life I lead...

Time for a 4th meal,
B

October 18

At this rate I'm never going to be able to sleep in again. Haha. Early morning of work (obviously). I ran out to Panera to grab some food after and enjoyed a nice Asiago Beef. Lunch then lead to more work on the computer which I tried to finish up as fast as I could. Rendering through AE was taking a while so I started another video and left to go to Amanda's dad's place where everyone was opening up the wedding gifts from the night before and visiting. Unfortunately, I got there a little late and everyone was about to leave. At least I got to see some peeps really quick. After that I drove back home to finish the videos (which I did) and then left again to have dinner for the LAST time at Laura and Brandon's apartment. The lease is up at the end of the month and they're eager to leave. In fact, they should be gone by the end of the week. It was delicious with a ton of dessert to follow. After a little mingling and baseball/football I left and got back to the house. Another full day, but it's a beautiful thing. Halloween is right around the corner. Wow.

Chocolate chip cookies are amazing,
B

October 17

Quick one today. Had Amanda and Theo's wedding and it was a great time. The ceremony went by really smooth and the reception was high energy and a lot of fun. Another great Saturday. Now I might actually have some free time in the near future!

Not a fan of Dr. Pepper,
B

October 16

Non-stop. That's been today. After work I ran home to grab some equipment and then it was off to the Amanda and Theo's wedding rehearsal. Framed everything up there and got a good idea where we're going to be standing. I then got some quick dinner, got home, and started working on some more side projects I've been trying to finish the last couple days. Tomorrow is my final scheduled wedding of the season. Should be another good one.

At some point in the next few days I will be going to see Where The Wild Things Are at IMAX. Yesterday's attempt was a failure thanks to a theater with no sound. Not cool.

Wonder if we'll be seeing some snow soon,
B

October 15

I'm sitting in the IMAX right now waiting for Where the Wild Things Are to start. I'm very excited. This was MY BOOK growing up. Now it's a Spike Jonze joint. That's all that needs to be talked about right now. Be back tomorrow.

Take 'er easy,
B

October 14

I was on the road and in front of a computer from 9 this morning until 11:30 tonight. I love it. From Flint to Owosso. Now I'm sitting in bed in front of a portable computer. I wonder what my life would be like with NO technology? Who knows, but I like it this way. Possible midnight showing tomorrow night. Oh...man...

All is love,
B

October 13

A lot of driving around, picking up tapes, capturing footage, and working on the computer. In between there was a little Panera to eat and some Heroes to continue watching via Netflix on the XBox. The movie I've been waiting for comes out this Friday. Can't...WAIT!!!

Pizza rolls,
B

October 12

I love me some chocolate fudge. Even better when it comes from Mackinac. Mmmm. Thanks Brandon and Laura! WOOO!

In other news work was...honestly, I can't wait to finish there. Can't come soon enough. I got home after visiting with the above mentioned couple, worked on the computer (again) for a bit and started watching some Heroes Season 3 on my 360 via Netflix. Good times. Watching the Miami/New York game now. It's been a good one. Tomorrow is Tuesday. I wonder what comes out?

Fire,
B

October 11

Sleep is awesome. I believe this. Haven't had a ton on a while, so tonight I'm looking forward to a nice amount of shut-eye. Not a whole lot happened. I talked to friends, saw Zombieland (which was amazing), and headed over to Brad's for a little Curb and Board To Death. In between there was time spent working on projects on the Mac. There's a possibility we could see some snow this week. Interesting.

Do people count sheep anymore,
B

October 10

Michigan State didn't have a let down after their win last week. We actually beat a team we should've beat. That's a good thing. As I type this Michigan is down to Iowa. We'll see what happens there.

Today has been a relaxing day. I worked on a few projects on the computer and watched some football. Had a good couple meals and am getting hungry again. I love days like this. I haven't had many, that's for sure.

I love me some chocolate fudge,
B

October 9

Yet another busy and tiring day. Tiring in a good way, though. I went from my home, to work, to Owosso, to my house, back to work, and then back at my house around 6:30. A lot of driving, but it was all necessary. The evening was spent getting some BWW's with Joe, picking up some cider and donuts, and heading to Brad's to relax. A very good night overall. Man, I need to find some time to learn NBA Live. Haha. Probably going to have to wait a little bit longer for that.

I love a warm bed,
B

October 8

Joe was back in town for a long weekend, so after getting some business of my own wrapped up, I headed over there for the majority of the evening. Good times, indeed. Man, I can't wait until the weekend.

The Tigers game still pisses me off,
B

October 7

Oh, how much I love getting ready for a good night's sleep. A productive day ending in visiting with some friends and a good meal. Tomorrow will probably be more of the same with Joe coming back in town. Possibly a little more on the "hanging out" end, though.

Before I go I want to wish one Ryan VanLoon a Happy Birthday! Number 24. Oh, to be young again. Haha.

Hey darlin', do you gamble,
B

October 6

Significant things that happened today include the Tigers losing in a 12-inning game, NBA Live 10 and Lucero's new CD being released, and me feeling pretty good overall.

This is not a test,
B

October 5

I'm posting very early today as I have a lot to do tonight. But, honestly, the only thing WORTH posting about is I told Josh (as in Spencer) earlier today that he should start looking for someone else to replace me. I'm over it. I was nice about it and said I'd take time to train anyone in the workings of the office, but it's about that time. I have a lot to prepare and think about for the future now, but I'm actually very excited.

It's been a long time comin',
B

October 4

Not going to lie...I am tired again. I suppose that's what 3.5 hours of sleep will do to a person. However, I need to over all the events of yesterday and today. So, may as well start off.

Yesterday began with a breakfast with Brandon, his family, and friends/groomsmen. I hadn't been to Bob Evans in a long time, so it was good to grab an early morning meal. Those pancakes...wow. I can NEVER finish them all. Hell, I had a hard time finishing half. Regardless, it was a good time with plenty of laughing (as always). It was then time to run some errands for Brandon and drop of a surprise to the bride-to-be. Myself, Ryan (who had gotten married a couple weeks ago), and Matt drove to Edible Arrangements to pick up a fruit piece Brandon had bought for the girls. We then took that and a card to the hotel they were staying and acted as his personal room service. My camera was rolling the entire time, so I definitely got the trip to the door, the surprise on the faces of the ladies inside, and the expression on Laura's face when she read the card and realized that a trip had been planned for the soon-to-be-newlyweds next week in Northern Michigan. A "fall tour" so to speak. Good way to start the morning. Matt then headed back to his place to change while Ryan and I drove to Oliver T's to pick up some "beverages" for the limo. A decent amount was purchased and, by the end of the ride later that day, only two bottles remained. Those guys are a fun time. Haha. Anyway, Ryan dropped me back off at my car and I headed home to change for the rest of the day.

I arrived to the church early. So early, in fact, that only one other groomsmen - Ryan - was there. He helped me carry my equipment inside where I started setting up and getting some extra B-roll. Donnell soon drove in and we had a quick meeting before the rest of the guys got there. As soon as more vehicles started parking, it was time for pictures before the girls got there - which happened sooner than expected. As we were walking outside to start the limo pulled and in Brandon IMMEDIATELY ran back in and headed toward his room in the back. A funny sight, but it all ended up working out. The girls ran to their room, the guys went outside and snapped some pictures, the guys gathered into the limo and drove around while the girls took their pictures, and all went by without a problem. Funny additional note, during all of this the Michigan/Michigan State game was being played. So throughout the pictures and prepping everyone was checking their phone, texting, calling friends - getting updates anyway they could. By the time the groomsmen got back it was nearing the end of the 4th quarter and Michigan was trying to send the game into O.T. I was in the limo for their final drive when they scored the TD and got reactions from everyone. As soon as I stopped recording there was a bit of swearing and a thought of, "REALLY, MSU? You're going to do this to me AGAIN!?" But I couldn't react too much given that EVERYONE (besides myself and Matt) were rooting for U of M. Flash ahead a little later: As I was walking out of the girl's room after finishing up with some prep-shots, I heard someone whisper my name. I turned to my right and it was Matt, with his fist in the air and a big smile. I asked what had happened and he said MSU had scored a touchdown in O.T. and won. I just smiled. It was a good day.

The wedding itself went by without a hitch. The sound was great, I could actually USE my camera, and the ceremony was short, sweet, and to the point. During a slide show I even had a chance to get some great reaction shots from the bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, and, of course, Brandon and Laura. Before we headed out to the reception more pictures were taken which meant more filming, including B-roll shots of the church's exterior, interior, etc. There was enough time left over to pack everything up and get in our cars to follow the wedding party, too. Everything was right on schedule.

At the reception hall (Davison Country Club) a few more pictures were taken before everyone was introduced. True to form, and despite suffering a hard-fought loss earlier in the day, the just-married couple ran in to the Michigan fight song. It was great. You could imagine all of what happened next. Thanks all around, speeches, food, etc. I will say that, instead of cake, there was wedding pie, and lots of it (about 4 different flavors in all). In fact, I really enjoyed this fall themed wedding. Carmel apples were given to every guest at their table, the decorations were as such, and, at around 10, they brought out the cider and donuts. Oh man...SOOOOO GOOD!!! You have no idea. Mmmm.

The end of the night was filled with more dancing, more pictures, and a nice final shot of Brandon and Laura walking out to their car and leaving for the night. I drove home, exhausted, and realizing that I had to get up at 5:15 the next morning for the Buy.

Speaking of the Buy, it was a long but easy day (as always). As soon as I got out I headed to Gander Mountain to pick up a present that Matt had got for the wedding. Today was the day that the newlyweds were going to be opening their gifts from the night before. I arrived with a present of my own and Matt's in each hand. I will say those two made out very well. Very well. After we loaded all of the stuff in a few cars, we headed out to their apartment (the opening took place at the parent's house) to drop everything off, then out to dinner for some Pizza. Once we got back from all of this, we watched Sunshine Cleaning and hung out for a bit. The movie was OK, but Brandon and Laura ended up passing out half-way through it. Those two do have THAT in common - the uncanny ability to fall asleep at any time. Once the film finished everyone said their goodbye's and headed out. I drove over to Brad's house for the replay of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Great episodes this season, so far. The first of the Seinfeld series. WOOO!!! After a few games of NBA Live 09 I got home and passed out myself. It was worth it. Such a great weekend. One more wedding in two weeks and that should be about it.

NBA Live 10 on Tuesday. It's as good as bought. Speaking of the NBA, first preseason game for the Pistons is on FSN tonight against the Heat. I'm the only person I know who gets excited for pre-season games, but I just want to see how our young players/rookies look. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up in a rebuilding year, but I still think Detroit can do some work in the Eastern Conference. I will say, though, that a lot of teams improved, including the Wizards. Watch out the Washington.

Tigers won on Sunday as well, which means that Tuesday our playoff hopes are on the line. It's going to be our rookie, Rick Porcello (14-9), against Scott Baker (15-9), IN Minnesota. This is going to be a tough game. I can't wait. Wow, Tuesday will be a busy day.

Where the Wild Things Are,
B

October 3

GO GREEN!!! GO WHITE!!! Hahaha. OK, sorry. I had to get that one out of my system.

Another great day because of a great wedding that involved great friends. I was thinking earlier today that I'm very lucky to have such great people in my life. Just awesome. I'm going to go into details tomorrow because I'm exhausted tonight and have work very early in the morning.

I will say that the Tigers have officially made me lose faith in humanity. No, it's not that serious. But really...we could actually BE OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS tomorrow with a loss. Really. Now I know how Cubs and Mets fans feel. We'll see what happens.

CONGRATULATIONS MR. AND MRS. BRANDON STURGESS,
B

October 2

OK, today was fantastic, but because I'm so tired I'm going to try to through everything quick.

Started with a short day of work. Then back to my place to grab my equipment. Off to Davison Country Club to help set up for my pal Brandon and Laura's reception tomorrow. I got there and everyone had already finished. Myself, Brandon, and Matt ended up staying a couple hours after so I could get some quality B-roll today and not have to worry about it on Saturday. Food at Panera bread (first meal of the day) around 3:30, then home to grab a "dress shirt" for later, and off to First Baptist in Grand Blanc. Rehearsal was great as all of my equipment was working perfectly with the church's. Drove with Matt to rehearsal dinner where plenty of pizza and breadsticks were waiting. Even got some good footage there. Off to run some late errands, then to Matt's to drop off my equipment for safe keeping, then to the movie theater for a late night showing of Zombieland. Zombieland ended up being sold out so we decided to see The Invention of Lying instead. I was having a great time in the theater, but I can't say the same for everyone else. It's a very obvious commentary on something, but you can see it for yourself. It was an original story that tackled a "sensitive" subject (to some) in a very funny, light-hearted, and - most importantly - ORIGINAL way. There's that word again. Haha. Honestly, not the greatest movie overall, but, for me, the subject matter did it. Got out of the show and headed to Matt's to pick up my equipment. Just got home, reviewing footage from the day, going to get a little snack, then to bed. Wedding awesomeness starts tomorrow at 8am. Seriously, I can't wait. When good friends get married it always amounts to a great time. WOOOO!!!

Oh...and the Tigers lost today. And Minnesota won. We now only have a 1 game lead with 2 games to play. If we win ONE of those games and the Twins lose ONE of their's...it's over. But we're playing like shit. This is sad. If we don't make the playoffs...

AHHHHH,
B

October 1

Hello, October. How are you? A year older. Yeah, I hear you. Me? Oh, I'm fine. Nothing new here. The classic work, lunch, work, leave. Did some more laundry and finally had a chance to relax tonight. I suppose that makes for a good day. Yeah, I'd say it does. Thanks for asking. I'm sure I'll have better stories over the next 31 days. For now, this will have to suffice.

2 games up with 3 to go,
B

September 30

HOW IS THE END OF SEPTEMBER ALREADY!? Someone explain this to me. I say this at the end of EVERY MONTH, but that went by way too fast. This week has been a cool one. I don't mean "cool" like the Fonz, I mean "cool" like temperature-wise. Fall is here. Today consisted of finishing up things at work, getting a good lunch, coming back home, working on projects, and watching the Tigers beat the Twins in a MUST WIN GAME! I'm not going to lie, it started out bad. Minnesota got 2 runs right away in the first inning. Luckily that was it for the entire game. That coupled with a clutch hit by Magglio equals me feeling pretty damn good tonight. Man, things are going to be crazy this weekend. Can't wait.

They say there is humor in misfortune,
B

September 29

I'm busy with a lot of stuff right now. I'm almost done with one project as of about 5 minutes ago and I've got what seems like an endless amount left. Still, I had to find time to write up a little post.

Today was more of the same. Good lunch with Matt again. Got home and got to work. Brandon came over after he got out of class and helped me sort through some pictures. Full day.

The Tigers pissed me off this afternoon and made me nervous later in the night. We HAVE to split this series. If the Twins end up taking the next 2 games, I don't know if we can make the playoffs. That's sad to say. With everything I have going on this week, it should be an exciting one.

Time in a bottle,
B

September 28

An early entry today. I have a lot to work on so I don't want to forget this later. I was at the new building today for work. Downtown Flint. Second St. and Saginaw. A couple of the guys are still working on the fine details of the building (on the inside) so work was a bit louder than usual. Like nail guns going off 4 feet from my head, hammering, sanding, etc. Still, those guys are good. And outside of the carpenters, I was basically there alone all day. No one else from the office was down there yet (Josh stopped by for a few minutes). I grabbed lunch at the Lunch Studio and went over to see Matt at his security job at the new Riverfront apartment/dorms. It's really nice in there. And they have everything you'd need/want. Not too bad.

As soon as I left work I got home and started up once again. Haha. I love it. There's a load of laundry in the washing machine right now and I just finished getting some new music that interested me. I guess you could say it's going to be a good evening.

The Tigers game was postponed due to rain. We've got a 2 game lead, but this 4-game series is against Minnesota and is MUST WIN. Literally. We only have 7 games left. Luckily they're all at home. Unforunately they're against teams we've struggled with. Either they get their act together and play like we know they can, or we're missing the playoffs. This is insane.

Lucy in the sky with diamonds,
B

September 27

It still takes me a bit to get used to waking up around 6am, but after I splash some water on my face I'm usually good to go. That's how my day started and I ended up running around ever since. The last dinner with SINGLE Laura and Brandon took place tonight and was delicious. Can't beat good Mac and CHEEEEEESE. After that I hung out while the happy couple went over more wedding stuff. Wow...less than a week and another good friend will be walking down the aisle. And on top of that, I received a call later on from my pal Eric. He has been with Andrea for a LONG time now and had plans to propose to her for a few weeks now. They were on a little vacation in Traverse City this weekend and he had told me that he was going to pop the question during a sunrise. Well, he did, she was ecstatic, and it's looking like early next year yet ANOTHER great friend will be wed. Hahaha. This is insane. I'm extremely happy for those two, though. Great couple.

I'm now at Brad's where we just got done watching a great episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. One of the best I've seen in a while. So good. I hope to get a good sleep tonight, wake up refreshed, and finish up a lot of side projects after work. At least, I hope it works out that way.

Any kind of job in the car is bad,
B

September 26

It was a Saturday and all I did was sit in front of my computer and continue working on projects. I know some of you can relate, but man, I needed to get out. So, later (much later) on that evening I headed to Brad's for a little hanging out, a little Beatles, and a little NBA Live. I ended up staying there for a couple hours and just got back. Now it's bed and an early morning at the Buy.

Thank you for playing like you want to make the playoff, Tigers. Now if the Twins would just LOSE A GAME!

I want to be a paperback writer,
B

September 25

We moved the majority of our equipment into the new building downtown today. Finally. I'm not going to lie, when the spot was first purchased we were told we'd be there by August. Then early September. Then whenever it was finished. I didn't know whether it was going to happen at all, but today it did. Still...there's a LOT to be done in the space still - including more construction, networking, electrical work, painting, cleaning, etc. Come to think of it, I'm not too sure why we moved in when we did. Maybe it would've been a good idea to actually wait a little longer until the building was business-ready. Oh well, it's not my decision to make.

I ran a few errands after work and had a late dinner. None of that really matters, but this does. I received a text around 8 tonight saying they're finally MMS ready. It took long enough, but the point is that it's up and running now. And, after sending about 10+ different messages to people tonight, I can say it's running pretty smooth. Pretty smooth indeed.

Hey bulldog,
B

September 24

I had an epiphany early on today. I called a lot of friends and came to the realization that the current spot I'm in probably isn't best. I'm going to give it another week or two and make a decision then. In the meantime, I'm completely open. But first thing is first - PROJECTS! I have a lot of stuff to get done and in a limited time. So busy. Which means I'm cutting it short tonight.

Do your ears a favor and listen to the Beatles in mono,
B

September 23

Long, but fun, day today. I got out of work and immediately ran over to Eric's house. We hung out for a bit then it was out to BWW's for some dinner. A bit o' ice cream with his girlfriend later that night would've rounded out a fun evening. Then Brad called. It was off to his place to hang out a little more, play a little Beatles action and some NHL 09. Yes, 09. Not 10. Haha. Too hard of a game to mess with 10 right now. It was a fun time regardless.

Now I'm back home and a little saddened. Shannon will be putting in her two weeks notice tomorrow. I'm not going to lie, it was going to happen sooner or later. Her hours had been cut to the point where half of her check would have been going toward gas to get to Flint and back. For selfish reasons though, I wish there was a way for her to stay. Hell, the best days of my work week were the ones she was there. She was always fun to talk to and helped make the days go by so much faster. I'm not sure if there's anything motivating me to stay there anymore. Am I excited to FINALLY be moving downtown? Yes. Still, I'm officially looking for a new position somewhere else. If any of you fellow readers hear anything, let me know.

The Tigers won BIG today. Unfortunately the Twins won as well. So...yeah. We're still only 2.5 games up. Oh, also, Detroit's WNBA team won it's first Eastern Conference Finals game against Indiana. FACE!

You say goodbye and I say hello,
B

September 22

I like starting posts out with the following: Today was a good day. And, yes, today was a good day. I headed out of work early to head to Lansing to pick my computer up. Everything seems to be working just fine. I'm on it right now and all of the sites that used to crash the machine are working fine. I can open up Word and Excel without a problem and everything seems to be running a lot smoother. Sooooo awesome. Now I can get to work on a few projects.

I picked up a couple CD's and the new season of 30 Rock today as well. I love me some 30 Rock and am excited to catch up.

Now...let's get to work.

See, I feel like time flies,
B

September 21

Back on the routine. Nothing happened today. I didn't hear back about my computer yet. I didn't do any laundry. I didn't get any extra rest. I don't know what you'd call today. Hmmmm. One thing that DID happen was I remember near the end of the work day that I had forgotten an extra battery of mine in Troy. It wasn't a good surprise. At all.

Ghirardelli chocolate is good,
B

September 20

OK, now that I have some time, I can get to the weekend that was.

First off, the wedding. Flat-out amazing. There are no other words to describe it. The best wedding I've ever been a part of, hands down. The day started out with golf at 8am. I drove out to Grand Blanc and filmed from 7:45 until about 12:30pm. Originally I was only going to follow the guys around for a the first couple holes and head out, but given everyone who was playing were good friends, I figured why not stay. Good decision. It gave me plenty of time to get different shots, interviews, and what hopefully will turn into a fun little "extra" that I can through on the DVD. After that, it was off to grab some food, change, and right to the church in Utica. I thought I was going to run into some bad traffic as soon as I hit 59, but it actually had calmed down a lot from the night before. To sum up the ceremony, there was a ton or running around, making sure cameras were in position, pressing record, and just going with it. I hope it turned out well. I haven't been able to capture any of the footage because my computer is being worked on, but as soon as I get it back, that's the first thing that's happening. As soon as the wedding was finished, it was picture time. Donnell stayed inside and filmed the the first phase while I headed outside for some B-roll. When everyone headed where I was for more pictures, I then ran back inside for more B-roll. So many photos were snapped everybody ended up arriving to the reception about an hour late. I was worried I wasn't going to make it in time, given we had to stay behind at the church for a few minutes while the party bus with the wedding party had drove off to the hotel. BUT, as it turned out, we pulled in the exact same time. Whew.

The reception took place at the Detroit Marriott in Troy. It was a beautiful hotel with the entire conference center reserved for us. We ended up having time to set up a decent amount of time before the grand entrance was made. Think...Detroit Pistons introductions. Hahaha. It was awesome. Then it was cutting of the cake, a few words from the father and the toast by the Best man, and then FOOD. After seemingly working all day, this was our chance to finally relax. We had seats at a table with all of my other friends who had made the trip, which made it that much more amazing. Throw on top of that a great steak dinner, open bar, and cake, and BOOM, you have a great evening. The dancing was next, which went by great. You had the classics, of course, and then it was time to get everybody on the floor and GET DOWN! So much fun. Seriously, it was a blast, and I just filmed. There was a time around 11:30 that myself and the photographers actually went up to Ryan and Krista's suite and filmed/shot some pretty funny stuff. Think Ferris Bueller's Day Off ending. Yeah, that's the best way to describe it. I can't wait to get working on this video. As the clock rolled on passed midnight, I ended up saying my goodbyes, hugs/kisses all around, and headed on back home.

I'm serious, folks. BEST. WEDDING. EVER.

The next day was a day of recovery. I literally just relaxed all afternoon at Brad's and watched some football. To you Michigan fans out there, it was a good day. To me...well, let's just say a whole lot didn't go right. I'm happy for the Wolverines AND the fact USC lost, but everything else pissed me off. MSU losing to Notre Dame in the waning minutes of the game pissed me off. The Tigers losing another CRUCIAL game to the Twins REALLY pissed me off. Seriously, sports are a great thing, but sometimes...

Anyway, later on I got together with Brandon and chilled for a bit. Went to Redwood for dinner where I picked up an 8 oz. Filet with garlic butter on the side. MmmmmMMMMMM!!! Oh MAN!!! That hit the spot. Afterward we drove out to Trillium to check out The Informant! around 9:50. I had a good time at that show. It was very obvious Steven Soderbergh directed it. I'm not saying that I didn't know he was the director, but when you think of how he sets up his shots, how his stories flow, and the different transitions he's accustom to using, it was a VERY Soderbergh-type film. Haha. But a good one. And pretty funny...which is good, because it was supposed to be a comedy. And that was that for last night.

Today was fairly relaxing, too. Work in the early morning then home for some lunch. Next it was over to Brad's for the rest of the Lions game, some Beatles Rock Band, snacks/dinner, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In between there was the time with the animals (Sloan and Ari) and a ton of laughs. The Lions lost, even after playing an inspiring first half. That was lame. What wasn't lame at all was the fact the Tigers ACTUALLY WON A DAMN GAME. Now we're 3 up in the Central with must win games the rest of the way. Why do I say "must win?" Because they all are, quite literally, must wins. We have 13 games left; 10 of which are against the White Sox and the Twins. Luckily (if we can WIN THEM), the last 7 are at home. And the one shinning light on our season has been our play at home. We've been great. Here's the thing...the last 10 games we've played like shit. There's no way to clean that up. We've sucked. BAD. So we need a major adjustment starting Tuesday against the Indians. We'll see, I suppose.

So, to end, it was a great weekend. One of the best I've had in a while. In two more weeks, I hope to be saying the same thing when Brandon and Laura tie the knot. Curb was hilarious and now I'm back home and ready for a little shut eye. Translation: I'm not going to go to bed until 2. Hahaha.

Maybe next week, Lions,
B

September 19

Wow. Sorry to everybody out there who's still following this blog. Yesterday and today I've been posting very small entries mainly due to how tired I've been. Hopefully tomorrow I can follow up more on the last couple of days.

My eyes are trying to close,
B

September 18

Back home after filming Ryan's wedding. I'm so tired right now. I'll give more details tomorrow.

Don't let the bed bugs bite,
B

September 17

Today went by pretty fast. I think it had a lot to do with the anticipation I was feeling to get started on my friend Ryan's wedding. I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that the golf outing in the morning, the reception, and the photos are all going to be a good time. The actual wedding on the other hand...well, I'm sure it's going to be beautiful. Know that I usually don't say anything bad related to my work on here, but I have to give this off my chest. How do you expect anyone to make a half-decent video when "certain people" at a "certain church" won't even allow "certain videographers" to operate their own camera. Basically, myself and Josh Hockin got to the church early. I was setting up upstairs when the "church wedding coordinators" walked up and proceeded to explain to me that the bottom was off-limits. Now, I remember Ryan mentioning that I can't be moving around a lot, but NOTHING was mentioned of me NOT BEING ALLOWED TO WORK MY OWN CAMERA! I honestly stood there for a good 3 minutes completely speechless. I didn't know if I was hearing these women right. Really? I literally have to put a camera on a tripod, set up for a wide shot that will get as much of the action as I can, and leave it until the wedding is over? Really? Well apparently, because I continued to ask if there was anything to get around said "rule" and I kept getting shut down. Even after I talked with Ryan about it, he told me there was nothing he could do. So, whatever. I really wanted to give him something he could be proud of, and I'm going to try hard, but it's going to be challenging to say the least to when the static camera is the one on the floor (usually reserved for mid-shots or close-ups). ALSO, you'd assume these "women" - given their position and the amount of human interaction that occurs - would be a tiny bit warm or friendly. Not the case. Apparently it's OK to be a bitch when dealing with the people who are paid to keep the memories of this day vivid. I'm speaking, of course, of myself and the photographers. Hell, even some of wedding party was getting a cold vibe from them. If coming to this church means I have to deal with these "ladies" again, I'm not doing it. I'm sorry. So lame.

I love venting. Hell, the photographers and I were doing it for a quite a bit tonight. Haha. Anyway, after the rehearsal, I headed out to dinner with everybody. It's always a good time hanging out with great friends. It's even better when you know you're going to be seeing them all day tomorrow. Man, even if the filming of the wedding is being made harder by certain soul-less individuals, being with good friends all day/night long is going to be worth it. Very much so.

Early congratulations to Ryan and Krista,
B

September 16

I can't wait for the next couple of days. And all of this excitement for a wedding? Haha. When it involves a lot of good friends, then yes, I'm excited. Today was all about getting ready for that. I ran the computer over to Capitol Macintosh in Lansing so as to have it finished by (maybe) Saturday. When I was finished there I stopped into Owosso to hand over some tapes and borrow another wireless lav (which is going to help a TON). Before I headed on back to town, I picked up some Fortune House to go and brought it back for some pals and I. To say the least...it was dominated. Oh man, sooooo good. And now I'm back at the house and planning on reading up a bit on my microphones before rehearsal tomorrow.

I would like you to dance,
B

September 15

A lot was accomplished today, personally and professionally. I will also state that something occurred later in the evening that may end up being a wonderful opportunity for me. I'm not going into details on this one, but I probably should get my computer in working order as soon as possible. Might have to leave work early to take it in tomorrow. Haha.

Cheese and crackers,
B

September 14

Things are getting pretty busy around me. After another full day of work I got together with Donnell to spend the rest of the evening going over my film equipment and preparing for Ryan's wedding on Friday. Wow...Friday. That snuck up on everybody. That was about it, too. Just going over the cameras, how to set-up and tear down, what shots we're looking for, who should focus on who, etc. It's a fun time. We got to catch the end of the Patriots/Bills game that the Bills completely choked in. I don't understand how you can lose a game when you're up by 12 points with less than 4 minutes to play. It's something you just shake your head at and say, "Wow." Either "wow" as in the the Patriots are pretty good or "wow" as in the Bills are really that bad. The Tigers won again. About time. We need as big of a cushion as we can get.

Deaf cats love vacuums,
B

September 13

An early morning bred a great afternoon and, eventually, evening. I ended up getting a few more accessories for the camera, including a much-needed 3' XLR for the shotgun microphone and my camera. The only place I had found one that ended up being small enough was Guitar Center. No surprise there. Anyway, after running a few more errands, I jumped back home to pick up my 360 and Beatles Rock Band to head over to Mitch and Alycia's. From the time I arrived to the time I left (with a BWW's trip in between) we ended up beating the game. The entire story mode, front to back. Mitch and Matt ended up switching between Guitar/Bass and Drums and I stayed on the microphone. After dinner, Alycia was back from work so she took the Bass for the last 8 songs. So, for a bit at the end, we had a full band. It was awesome. Haha. I won't lie, my voice is a tad bit horse. What? You try singing 46 songs in a day. I bet your voice may be a little sore as well. Such a good time, though. Now for the achievements...

The Lions lost big time today (crazy, huh?),
B

September 12

Today was OK. Just OK. We'll start with the good. I got to sleep in a bit and catch up on much-needed shut-eye. I went over to Brad's early and we played many songs from Beatles Rock Band. Between Rob, Bradley, and I, we have a pretty good band going. The Michigan game was pretty exciting (understatement) and I got to hang out with Brandon and the gang more tonight. On top of that, I got to see my pal Ryan and his girlfriend, Mary. Good people. Now I'm home, about to eat some leftovers, and watch a little Office action before going to bed.

Now the bad. Michigan State lost...to Central Michigan...in East Lansing. Damn it. The Tigers lost AGAIN!!! The fun. concert that I was to be attending sold out. We were halfway between Flint and Grand Rapids when I was informed. Man, that would've been a great show. My iPhone completely froze up on me. I was unavailable for about 2 hours tonight.

We're going to end this on a good note, however. Once I got home I got online and looked up a few possible explanations for my phone's sudden lack of coolness. Long story short, I ended up resetting it to the factory settings and then restoring it from a back-up that was made 2 days ago. I still have all of my photos, contacts, and applications. The music is gone, but considering I just loaded songs from my iTunes library on there for the California trip, I don't care. I can easily do that again. It would have been a lot more work getting everybody's number, address, email, etc. again. So, yeah, good times.

I need to get a small XLR cable,
B

September 11

Busy. Today was non-stop. I love days like this. Even work was busy. The last DVD I made popped out at 4:59pm. I was out the door at 5 to get to the theater to meet up with Brandon and Matt by 5:25. We went to check out the new Mike Judge film Extract. It was OK. Haha. Afterwards it was a bit o' food at BWW's. I headed on home to change really quick then out to the bowling alley to continue the night. It was really all about Brandon. Today was basically his early/mini-bachelor party. So after a few rounds (all of which I was terrible) we headed on over to Matt's to relax a bit. We ended up ordering some Jimmy John's for a late-late night dinner. It arrived at 1:57 and by the time we finished our meal, everybody was beat. So I said my goodbye's and headed out the door. Now I'm home and realize I smell like cigarettes and bowling balls. I need to get in the shower before I go to bed. I'm pretty tired right now. Sleep is going to feel real good.

fun. tomorrow,
B