June 30

The last day of June. What a month it has been. You know what's crazy? It's only about 60 out right now, and is supposed to get as low as 53 tonight. Nothing like this warm, summer weather, huh?

Anyway, during the middle of work today, I was sent a text saying that Michael Curry was fired. I responded and talked to a few more people and, come to find out, it was so. Wow. I kept saying the timing is pretty crazy. The day before free agency begins and the Pistons can their coach. Now I'm hearing a lot of noise about a potential interest in Avery Johnson and Doug Collins. Bill Laimbeer, anyone? Who knows. All I can tell you is this is the beginning of a very interesting year for Detroit basketball. At 12:01 AM tonight, calls will be made and I expect, when I wake up, to hear about someone who has signed a new deal or is being pursued. Good times.

I went out to Laura's for pizza with her and Brandon before they head up-north for the next few days. Everyone's getting ready for some sort of camping. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for them. It's been pretty lame here as of late.

When I got back I hung out with the family for a bit and now am watching the Tigers game. West coast visits always mean longer nights for me. I love it.

I keep trying to hold off on making some big purchases, but I'm going to have to buckle down sooner or later. This includes a microphone I've had my eye on for a bit.

Short little bursts of updates are a good time,
B

June 29

So, apparently this New York trip is really coming to fruition. I'm a bit surprised. When my sister mentioned that she and a friend wanted to go, I thought, "Cool, but it probably is just the girls talking." Well, now Tori is looking to get tickets in the coming week. I told her I'm down, I just need to make sure one Josh Fordham will be free near the end of July. He better be...

In strange news not related to the recent thunderstorms in Michigan, my car has been recalled. Haha. Wow. Great timing. I need to make an appointment and the whole fix should only take around an hour, but finding the time to do that is the problem.

The Tigers game is just about to start up here and I intend on watching it in it's entirety before I go to bed.

This has been mentioned before, but I enjoy making ringtones for my iPhone via iTunes. A good time. And so easy. Right now I only have 5, but that will change as I keep matching songs to persons. Yes, I just typed "persons." Do something about it. Haha.

Pinochle is the best 3-player card game ever invented,
B

June 28

I love my family. They're a good time. The fact that I say this and mean this is pretty special to me. I know what you're thinking, "Who would say such a thing and not mean it?" Unfortunately, a lot of people. So, to set the record straight, my family is ballin'. 'Nough said.

Breaking News: Rhett wears shorts!!! LOOK!!!

Breaking News, Part Deux: Billy Mays died this morning. WHAT is going ON THIS WEEK!?

Today was more garage saling, more family over, more computer tutorials, and more cards. In-between said events, the Tigers came back in the 9th to beat the Astros and the big USA vs. Brazil match took place. Unforunately, after leading 2-o, the US lost 3-2. Hey, we still upset Spain to get to the finals, and we dominated for an entire half of this game. Oh well, it's all practice for the World Cup next summer anyway.

Sister is supposed to be coming home tonight. The clock is still ticking...

Time to eat some left-overs.

See you tomorrow at work, Shannon,
B

June 27

I've been on the phone a lot recently. I probably had 5 different conversations that lasted over 30 minutes. Think about that. 2.5 hours on the phone. Not too bad.

Other than that, there was just a lot of garage sale management going on. Day 2 definitely wasn't as profitable as day 1, but it never is. Tomorrow may be postponed due to rain, but we'll see what the weather is actually like.

The family was over again tonight and some nice card games were played. Always a good time. Now, I'm actually tired and may hit the bed soon. Wow, and it's only 10:40-ish.

Can it be I stayed away too long,

B

June 26

You know what, the majority of this week so far has been pretty easy going. This includes earlier this afternoon and later in the evening. Our garage sale had it's first day of business and did fairly well. After, I went out to dinner with the Grandma, Aunt, and Great-Uncle to Logans. Mmmm...steak. Now I'm just back at the house working on a few things on the computer. Hung out with Brandon for a bit and have been on the phone a lot with different people. In fact, I need to give Fordham a call A.S.A.P. Well, that's it for tonight folks.

Maybe tomorrow,
B

June 25

I guess you could say it was an eventful day. Let's see. Michael Jackson died today. WHAT!? Talk about news coming out of left field. Where did this even come from? I got a ton of texts telling me that he had died, then that he was in a coma, then that he was confirmed dead. It was a confusing hour. Regardless, we did lose an icon this afternoon. Wow. AND Farrah Fawcett passed away.

Work was short and sweet and I actually left a bit early. Having extra time to run errands really does make the day go a little more smooth.

My family got together tonight to celebrate my Uncle Steve's birthday. Around 15 of us went out to eat for dinner. The plan was then for everybody to come back to our house, but I had to jet after the meal. I met up with Brandon, Laura, and Aubrey to see Transformers 2 in IMAX. It is what I thought it would be, which is mindless action with superb special effects. Haha. Every once in a while, those are good movies to watch. The IMAX certainly added to the experience.

Oh, and as far as the sports for today...wow. The Tigers finished the sweep of the Cubs today and won their 7th game in a row. Next up, a reunion with Pudge in Houston. The NBA draft was tonight and there were a few big trades that occurred. If you read the blog yesterday, you would know that Shaq went to Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. That one was announced as I was typing. This afternoon, however, Jamal Crawford was sent to the Hawks AND (the big one of the day) Vince Carter went to Orlando for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, and Tony Battie. Then there was the actual draft that took place around 8 where Minnesota grabbed 83 point guards and the Pistons somehow had 4 picks (one of which was traded to Houston). I like who we picked up, though.

Again, it was a crazy day. Michael Jackson. Really?

P.Y.T.,

B

June 24

Today was DeVona's last day at work. She's moving on to bigger and better things. We went out to Redwood for lunch and enjoyed a nice meal.

I paid off the credit card today, did some stuff in the yard, and basically helped get the house ready for the start of the annual garage sale. Add-in throwing the ball around with the dog and it makes for running inside to cool off that much better. Even in our ghetto-rigged air conditioning, it was a heck of a lot better than nothing.

The Tigers won their 6th game in a row today. Good times. Also, USA soccer defeated the number one team in the world (Spain) 2-0 to advance to the Confed finals. Amazing. Oh, and Shaq was just traded to the Cavaliers. Damn it.

Not too eventful, but still a good day.

Come up in the spot looking extra fly,

B

June 23

And you thought that yesterday's post was bad. Haha. Here's what today consisted of:

• 9:15 AM - I woke up.
• 10:00 AM - Went to work.
• 2:00 PM - Ate lunch.
• 9:00 PM - Got out of work.
• 9:05 PM - Ate dinner.
• 10:00 PM - Got home.
  

I know, I know, I need to settle down. Livin' life in the fast lane. I will admit that dinner was delicious. Now I can sleep on a full stomach. Well...until I go to the freezer and have a nice, cool, creamy Drumstick. Mmmm.

Hey, did you know the Pistons traded Amir Johnson tonight? It's true. We got Oberto from Milwaukee, who we're probably just going to buy out. Also, the Tigers came back and beat the Cubs 5 to 4 tonight thanks to a walk off home run by Ryan Raburn. Wow, we finally got our bats going.

I could spend all day making ring tones. WOOO!!!

I got to testify,
B

June 22

Work.

Visit with friends.

Dinner.

Visit with friends.

iPhone.

Sleep.

To make this a not-so-bland post, if any of you fellow readers have any requests for what your ringtone should be on my phone...you should let me know. No, Rhett, you cannot have "Accidental Babies" by Damien Rice. Or Teddy Pendergrass' "Turn Off the Lights." Or "Thug Love" by 2Pac.

Scene,
B

June 21

Happy Father's day to you all (even those of you who aren't fathers - a.k.a. everyone who reads this...besides Rhett). This was a good weekend. The festivities began with an early morning wake up and work then it was back to the house. I changed, got some stuff together, and headed to my Grandma and Grandma's house to visit for a bit. I showed them how to use their new Garmin the had purchased and caught up. I could've walked down the road...but I didn't. Haha.

Back at the house I ate some lunch and waited for Tori to get back so we could give Dad our presents. We had a nice dinner and relaxed the rest of the night. Well...as relaxed as you could be without air conditioning. At least it wasn't humid today. The night isn't over, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to end with me taking a shower late at night and sleeping like a baby. If I'm right, remember that I called it.

Game, set, match,
B

June 20

Open houses are fun. This is common fact in MI, and a lot of that has to do with the food. I've been to a couple this weekend, and each had good food. Can't ask for more than that.

My cousin's "High School graduation party" took place in Perry later in the afternoon. I had a few errands to run before that so I ended up meeting my family out that way. It ended up being a long night as I didn't get home and in bed until...about 2:00am. Haha.

Busy day and busier night. And...I have work tomorrow morning at 7. Laaaaaame.

A little bit in love with you,
B

June 19

What a day, what a day. It started very early thanks to some very loud and drawn-out thunder. Most of the time I welcome a thunderstorm. It's calming to me. Not this time...not even close. But, like I said, I was basically wide awake around 6AM so I thought, "Why not try and get a new phone?" I washed up, brushed the teeth, got dressed, and made it to the Miller Rd. AT&T store around 6:58. There were only about 12 other people in line and the doors opened pretty quick. The way this went down was anyone with a pre-order got to skip ahead to the front of the line and everyone else had to wait. Luckily, only myself and another guy didn't have pre-orders and there were about 10 employees working at the same time to roll through everyone. When it finally got to me, I walked over to the desk, gave some information, and that was it. I walked out with a new iPhone 3GS. Unfortunately, I didn't have all of my paperwork to get my old number switched today, but I hope to take care of that tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

First thing I did when I got home was register everything (the phone, the Apple Care plan, etc.) and play around with all of the features this phone has. It really is incredible. I didn't know how much this thing could actually do until I realized I could spend the entire day browsing the Apps. Crazy.

When everything was finalized, I headed to work. Another slow day. Actually got some spots done for next week, so that was cool.

I headed straight to an open house after work where I met up with my sister and mom. We chatted with everyone for a bit then I headed up to see Matt at the Cage. He's been a little sick and we hadn't had much time to chat the past week, so sometimes work is the only place it can be done at. After that, I went to my Grandma's house and then it was back to my house (with the family) for a big spaghetti dinner my dad had prepared. One stuffed family later, we got a rousing game o' Apples To Apples going on, which Tori ended up winning by one green card (14 to 13 and 13 - myself and my Aunt).

Randomly throughout the night the iPhone was used to chat, text, email, take pictures...everything. I'm still putting in all of the names and numbers (and addresses and birthdays and emails and...). A long process, indeed.

Also, did you all know that Rhett is fat? It's true. He says he lays with his laptop on his chest and that the angle at which the picture is taken makes him look hefty...but I know the truth.

In one last bit of amazing news from an overall amazing day, Wale DID release his Back to the Feature mixtape tonight. So, if you like hip-hop, go get that. It's been a LONG time coming. Long time.

Reflection eternal,
B

June 18

"Well, well. Is that our little author coming back? Humming his hymns a little altered. Your attention: put back on the flow like the department of water. Take it off of the door little Walter. Chess? Yes. Baby, I'm Jerry Lawler. Rebel with a cause; Outlaw with a lawyer."

Today was fun. Work was pretty laid back and mostly spent showing Pablo how to use the camera and set up the rest of the equipment. Probably will have some more stuff to go over tomorrow, including how to hook up an external to the camera to drop the footage from the P2 card. Good conversations with everyone (Meagen, Shannon, Rhett, etc.) throughout the day. Thanks for that.

I changed when I got home and headed to Owosso to meet up with Ryan VanLoon. I hadn't had much time to just hang out with him in the past few months, so that's what the night was for. We stopped by Biggby's to see Jon right quick, got some Fortune House, and headed back to his place o' business to eat and talk. Afterward we got on his computer and showed me some nice microphones to keep an eye on. I'm looking to purchase a wireless lav sometime soon, so this was very helpful. I also got to check out the work he'd been doing for a half-year now. Not bad at all, if I do say so.

You know...all AT&T and Apple stores nationwide are opening their doors at 7:00am tomorrow morning for the launch of the new iPhone 3GS. I'm actually considering getting up to try to get one. We'll see how tired I am in the morning. I may just wait until they become plentiful enough where I can walk in at anytime and get a phone. Then again...I have been waiting since the new year to get a new phone and iPod and service...so...

Only a few more hours and we'll know the answer to that.

One more thing. Tomorrow, FINALLY, Wale will be releasing his mixtape, Back to the Feature. It's been a LONG time coming. In fact, I thought it may have been out close to 9 or 10 months ago. Either way, I'm happy it's finally here. Or is it? Honestly, only time will tell with this one, too. I shouldn't say anything is for sure before it actually happens. Right, Red Wings...

Look up in the sky,
B

June 17

I forgot to mention this a couple days ago, but it probably only concerns a few of you. On Monday, for literally only a couple of hours, a track entitled "Shining Down" was leaked to the internet before getting taken down per request of Lupe Fiasco and FnF. It was the CD quality version and I was lucky enough to catch it. There are rumors that the song isn't in its finished form either, but if you ask me, it sounds pretty good. If it's not a mastered track...I can't wait to hear it finished. "Shining Down" is slated to be the first single off of Lasers, which is scheduled to be released sometime this summer. I've listened to it too many times to count now...and I'm very excited for this album.

Now that that's been said, let me say that today was pretty easy going. A last minute spot was made at work and Pablo started his internship. Fun.

I got my bi-annual haircut and drove home for dinner. I messed around on some Illustrator tutorials and a little After Effects. I can't put my finger on it, but something seems a little off on the version I have. Hmmm.

You look up and you see us shining down on you,
B

June 16

38 years ago today, Tupac Amaru Shakur was born. Anyone who knows me knows how much I have always admired his music (especially the PRE-Death Row days). Of all the different artists I could have listened to when I was younger. Haha. I wonder what the state of hip-hop would be like if he were still around? Rest in peace.

The past couple of days I've had the chance to watch 2 fantastic films - Gran Torino and Revolutionary Road. If any of you get a chance I'd recommend you do the same. Wow.

Shannon leaves for Texas/Florida tonight. For a week, work just became a little more depressing. Haha. HAVE FUN ON YOUR VACATION.

Nothing exciting today. My Aunt got in from California and will be staying with us for a couple weeks. I had a great lunch and dinner. Now it's time for a great midnight snack.

Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis,
B

June 15

After a fun-filled weekend, I was back at work this morning. The only thing of real importance happened at the end of the day when I had already left. Shannon will be staying on at work which is some of the best news to come out of that place since I started. Good times.

Got home and felt completely drained (might have something to do with the late night last night). Did a few things on the computer, threw the ball around with the dog, and now I'm contemplating putting in Revolutionary Road. I don't get much time to watch movies, obviously. But hey, I'm kind of feeling like watching something new until I fall asleep. We'll see what happens.

OH, WAIT! I forgot to post something this weekend, and I feel bad about it. A really good friend of mine graduated from Kettering on Saturday. Here's to Chad Ortiz. Congrats, sir. Even though you're going back to get your Masters degree, finishing up Kettering is an accomplishment in itself. And to everyone else who walked the walk last weekend, same goes to you.

And now for something completely different,
B

June 14

WHY am I still up!? This is making no sense. I'm pretty sure I was feeling tired all day and, of course, when I arrived home I got my second wind. Wow. This is just STOOPID.

On the other hand, I just got done watching Gran Turino. The film is amazing. Watch it.

Let's rewind for a bit. I got up and bummed around for a bit, had lunch, did the laundry (so much laundry) and had dinner. By this point it was time for me to get to Owosso for a sosaveme show. Nothing like filming for a night, especially with good friends. I got there in time to hear Jesse's set and an amazing band from Nashville (who's name I forgot at the moment). Think mellow Limbeck. Haha. I had to jump out really quick to pick up another camera but got back in plenty of time to set up. I was gearing for a long set, but it turned out to only be around 30 minutes. Not bad. Even better, got to see everyone again, including Mr. VanLoon, Whitney, and the usuals. Can't forget about Shannon. Also, there were some people who knew me, but I had no idea who they were. Word of mouth through Mr. Blankenship. It seemed like it was all good, but Rhett, if you don't start making me sound like a badass, I swear...

The drive back home was basically spent on the phone talking and catching up with Gina. She told me the Lakers had won Championship (sad trombone) and I was pissed. Kind of. Whatever. The Magic had their chances. Then we transitioned into the job talk, then the family talk, then the credits talk, then whatever was left. Got off the phone, got my food, and turned on the movie. It just finished up a bit ago.

I'm now in bed getting tired. Finally. I'm so excited to sleep. Although...part of me wants to throw in some Mos Def and shadow rap battle myself. What? Don't tell me you've never done the same.

Supermagic,

B

June 13

Amazingly fun day and I can't wait to hit the bed.

I woke up early for a morning meeting that got done around 9:30ish. I ran home, changed, packed my equipment and headed to Owosso to meet up with the peeps and head to Grand Rapids. More studio filming today. I drove there with Nick and Shannon while Jon, Justin, and Josh drove separate. Fun drive, to be sure. Got to Studiotte and started off with Nick's vocals (which he ended up finishing up). Then was the "choir" session. It was pretty cool as all the guys - including myself - and girls who made the trip, walked into the mic'd room and got to sing for a couple songs that will be on sosaveme's CD. There were 10 people in all and it was yet another fun experience. Also, filming and singing simultaneously, is not that hard. After that, it was Jon's turn to record some more vocals.

As the clock struck 7, I had to get going to meet up with Katrina and Justin. They were at Buffalo Wild Wings with a few others for a surprise birthday celebration for their friend Dan. We had some good food and good talks with a ton o' laughs. Overall it was a good time. Hell, anytime hanging out with Trina and Justin is a good time. Unfortunately I had to bust out early and head home...where I am right now.

Tomorrow, sosaveme is playing a show that I need to try to film. Not sure how much of the show will get recorded, but the more stuff I have to work with the better. Should be a good time.

Positively 4th street,
B

June 12

At least the Tigers won...

AY-DVM63PQ,
B

June 11

I had high hopes for the Magic. I really did. Oh well...there's always next year. Listen, I know you're not supposed to count your chickens before they hatch, but this series is over. There's no way Orlando can come back against the Lakers down 1-3 in a best of 7 series. Oh well...

In other news, I like food. Especially food with family. Went out to dinner with the mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin today. Had a nice meal with decent left overs. Mmmm.

You know what else is tasty? The day after I deleted Adobe CS3 Master Collection (16 GB) from my computer, I got After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator back. A huge sigh of relief washed over me. You have no idea how bad it would've been if I didn't have access to those programs.

Tomorrow is Friday. Last work day of the week. Stanley Cup FINALS FINAL GAME. I'm not saying a thing...

Jay stay paid,
B

June 10

I came home today and found all my worries had been warranted. Adobe Master Collection CS3 had officially died on me. That's 16+ GB of software: DEAD. Sooo lame. On the bright-side, I only really used After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop. So I'm going to try my hardest to track down those 3 programs and save myself a lot of time. In fact...I may know a couple people who have them already. Hmmm...

In other news, I had a great lunch today. Ryan VanLoon stopped on by and we got to talking while I was at work. By the time we knew it, it was off to lunch and a few amazing sandwiches from Oliver T's. Mmmm...smart turkey. Highlight of the afternoon, to be sure.

I can't wait until next week when the new iPhone 3G S comes out. It's about time I got a new phone. Sorry T-Mobile, I'm gone. I would like to keep my number, though. It would save a ton of time and calling/texting. Who knows.

Rhett...I await your script/storyboards. Haha. Have a fun few days off, my friend.

Next movement,
B

June 9

Stopped by the store today and picked up Gran Torino and the new Mos Def CD, The Ecstatic. This is the Mos Def album I've been waiting for since Black On Both Sides. Awesome. I stopped back home and got some stuff together before Joe came and picked me up. We headed to Meijer for some snacks and then to Brad's for the game...which we lost. And we had no reason to lose. We had SO MANY opportunities to score and just couldn't. Game 7 in Detroit on Friday night.

It wasn't all bad. The Tigers ended up beating the White Sox in extra inning after giving up a 3-run lead in the bottom of the 9th. Crazy. AND the Magic beat the Lakers. Still...freakin' Penguins.

Guess what just came on the iTunes? Yup. Beatles - All You Need Is Love. Haha.

Love is all you need,
B

June 8

It's MONDAY. You know what that means. It's not Friday. No, but seriously, what a gloomy day. It was dark and moist and stormy here in Mid-Michigan. When I got out of work all I felt like doing way laying down and sinking into my couch. I did for a little bit while the Tigers game was on. I got a few calls but told everyone I was feeling pretty tired and wanted to lay low. Josh stopped by and dropped off my camera. We had a short discussion and he was off. In the middle of the day I was talking to Joe. He's back in town so we're getting together tomorrow to hang out and probably grab some food. And that was the day. Exciting.

MEAGEN AND RHETT, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING ME GOING ON DAYS LIKE THIS!!! SHANNON, THANK YOU FOR BEING AT WORK ON DAYS LIKE THIS!!! And to anyone who I talk to in the middle of random days (i.e. Brandon, Joe, Josh (all of them), Brad, etc.)...THANK YOU!!!

Machine guns,
B

June 7

I love Sunday's for the sole purpose of being able to relax and recharge. Outside of an easy work day, I usually come home, eat, and try to catch up on personal time. Then again...recently it's been pretty busy. Still, to have that kind of time once in a while is awesome.

Today was simple. Got home from work, ate some Panera Bread for lunch, watched the Tigers beat the Angels (thanks to a grand slam by Clete Thomas), and found out sometime between there my sister had came home. Haha. We had dinner and she was off to see The Hangover. Awesome. I talked to a few peeps but I just was felt like hanging close to the house. May still be seeing Mr. Kennedy later to get my camera back and chill for a bit. Who knows.

Since this is a blog, I'll let you in on something I've been thinking about the past few days. I can't put my finger on it, but I've been getting a strange feeling about my job. Something just doesn't seem right. We'll see where this goes - or what I do about it.

Subterranean homesick Alien has the blues,
B

June 6

Another busy yet fantastic day has been had. Seeing as I didn't go to bed until 4am last night I slept in until around 11:30. Mr. Kennedy headed on over around 1 to pick up my camera as he needed it for a wedding he was taping. After he left I hurried up and changed to go to Nic Gordon's wedding which took place at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Flint. I hate to admit this, but I ended up getting there a few minutes late. Luckily, it didn't start right away, so all was fine. But man, a wedding is not something to be late to. I apologize for this. The ceremony may not have even lasted 20 minutes. It was quick and to the point and very refreshing. Some pictures were taken and everyone headed back to Nic's parent's house for the reception. I headed on back home (it was on the way) and grabbed another change of clothing as I was going to Ryan's bachelor party afterward.

The reception itself was another refreshing site. Simple and small enough that everyone could interact and not feel left out by the bride or groom. I had some food and cake and some great conversation. Nic is a genuinely good person and Nikki matches him to a "T." At around 7 I got a text from the guys saying they finished golfing and were leaving to go to Aaron's (designated party destination). I said my goodbyes at Nic's and drove about 4 minutes to the next spot.

Apparently there was a lot more drinking going on than seriously golfing (for some). In particular, the groom to be was already out of it. Aaron was on the grill cooking up a ton of burgers and hot dogs and everyone was outside hanging out. I ran into the bathroom to change and came back out for some food. Time passed and some people had ran inside to watch the Tigers and Red Wings game. All of a sudden, Aaron ran in, turned the TV off, and told everyone that it was time for some Wiffleball - per request of Mr. Ryan Trevithick. So we all headed out, split into teams of 6 and 5, and started a late game. We said we'd play until it was dark and we got 3 good innings in. I'm happy to report I ended up going 3-3 with 2 RBI's. Haha. I love me a friendly game o' Wiffleball. In fact, I think we ended up coming out ahead, 7-5. There was also a SportsCenter Top 10 play that took place between myself and Bradley Thibaut. I was playing shortstop and paying more attention to the dog than the batter. All of a sudden I heard Ryan yell, "BJ," and looked up to find a ball heading straight for me. I put my hands up to catch, but it was too close to grab cleanly. I popped it up in the air, went for it again and deflected it up a second time. I turned my head and Brad had ran from third base to grab the ball and get the out. FACE!!! Next time though...I probably should just watch the batter and ball from beginning to end instead of in the middle of the play. Oh, by the way, the reason Ryan was playing is because he got his 3rd wind out of nowhere. Seriously, when I got there he was sitting on the back porch steps with his hands on his forehead and periodically laying down. He was gone. Then...wiffleball. Then...gone again. At this point the Red Wings were up 4-0 in the middle of the second period. We were listening to the game via radio while we were outside. Rhett text me with more pro-Wings comments and I had to call to find out exactly what happened. In case anyone was wondering the Wings ended up dominating 5-0. ALSO, the Tigers beat the Angels 2-1 behind a complete game performance from Edwin Jackson. It's a shame we haven't been getting runs lately, because our starters have been playing out of their minds. Anyway, after our little ball game we finished watching the Wings and Ryan's energy dropped to E. He was gone...again. Aaron found his poker chips and 6 of us got a game going in the kitchen. Brad and Eric were eliminated at the same time (by Brandon) and Hosh was next to go (by Brandon). The final 3 were myself, Brandon (duh), and Aaron. I went all in, you-know-who called, and you-know-who ended up winning. Here's the kicker...I had just got a full house on the turn. He beat me with a full house that he got from the river. Literally on the last card. He had only one out...and got it. Wow. Then again, that's how he took out everyone else that night. Last card. In the end, Brandon won and took home some money that he'll probably be using in Grand Rapids tomorrow.

I just got home and have work early in the morning. No biggie.

Rapp snitch knishes,
B

June 5

It's been a busy day and long night. But all good things, people. All good things. In fact, I even have some surprising news that I'm excited to share (complete with pictures).

The day started like any other. Got up for work, went to work, worked, and got out of work. Then the fun began. I rushed home to change and headed out to the Buy to pick up my 8-hours-of-work check.

Now for a little back-story. For those of you who have been reading this blog from the beginning, you may remember me mentioning that a band called As I Lay Dying had decided to use some footage that we shot last summer in their next DVD. To what extent and how much, we really had no idea. All I knew is that Kyle had apparently sent out our names to whomever it concerned to attain credit for said shoot. Well that was a while ago and I didn't hear anything since. Last weekend when I was in Grand Rapids at Studiotte I was paroosing an old Alternative Press that was laying around and an advertisement caught my eye. It was for the new As I Lay Dying DVD entitled "This Is Who We Are." Near the bottom of the ad was a release date for April 14. I immediately text'd Kyle letting him know of this to which he replied that he didn't even know it was out and he would try to get a copy sent to him; However, if I were going to get it, to let him know if our names showed up. Skip a head to today. Kyle text'd me wondering if I'd picked up the DVD. I said no, and that truth be told, I was waiting to see if he had got it. He let me know that he was waiting on me. Fun times. I told him I'd try picking it up today when I went to the store.

And now we're back to me picking up the check. I said some quick hello's and headed to the music aisle. I had remembered seeing something about the DVD online where it layed out what was on each disc. Cornerstone's name was on there, so regardless, I thought, I'd get to see our footage even if we weren't credited. So I bought it and headed over to Brandon's where he, Aubrey, Laura, and I were meeting to head to (guess...) the Mac store in Novi. His sister was thinking about getting a MacBook and wanted to see what the store had to offer. I guess it was good because I had questions concerning a couple hard drives I needed to get information off of. So with hard drives and plastic sealed DVD in hand, I got in the backseat and was off. When we stopped to get gas in town I decided now was as good a time as any to see if anything was mentioned about Cornerstone. I opened up the package wrap and saw this:

I recommend you click on the above picture.

I'll be honest with you all, I'm pretty damn stoked. First nationally released credit. Wow. Thanks and kudos goes out to Mr. Kyle Farthing as well as Rhett and Mike. It definitely was a good time, guys.

So yeah, I opened that up in the car and showed the peeps. Good times all around. When we got to Novi we headed straight to the Mac store where I stepped up to the Genius bar and was given directions on how to easily transfer everything. Basically...I'm a moron and forgot to use common sense. Can you say 2 SATA enclosures. And I thought that the fact they were RAID 0 was going to be a problem. Haha. Next was a little more shopping (including me finding a nice, formal outfit) and a hearty meal at California Pizza Kitchen. The Tigers game was on near the bar so I was watching that. Unfortunately we lost after Justin Verlander pitched 8 full innings and allowed no runs. How'd we lose, you ask? Well because Rodney came in and got hit up (literally) in one inning of play. No one's perfect, but come ON. Those are the games we have to win. At least Verlander didn't get the L. Brandon ended up driving back for what turned out to be a fantastic evening.

But it wasn't over yet. On the way back I got to talking to Ben and Nic who were headed home (along with others) from the Tigers game. We decided we were going to see The Hangover at 11:55 tonight. Nic, if anyone was wondering, is getting married tomorrow so he decided to take some of the guys out tonight. Anyway, Brandon was a little tired so he passed but I called Josh after we got back and he was down. I picked Hockin up and we headed to NCG for the final showing of the night. And man...I wasn't expecting what we saw. The 11:55 show was a legitiment sellout. Literally every seat, once we finally got into the theater, was filled. Everyone was sitting next to someone. We even ended up having to plant ourselves in one of the first rows. That was a little upsetting, but man, it was all worth it. The crowd helped, but that movie was hilarious. I'm still wondering how they got away with something at the very end (as in ratings-wise) but since I hate the MPAA, I won't fret about it. The lights came on, I said goodbye's and see-you-tomorrow's and headed on home (after dropping of Hosh).

I'm now in front of a computer growing all the more tired with each passing minute. Man, a busy day, but one of the best I've had in a while. I'm still a little giddy about the whole As I Lay Dying DVD thing. Sweet.

When the sun goes down,
B

June 4

Well folks, it looks like at the very least there is going to be a Game 6. As I type this up there is a little over 2 minutes to play with the Wings down 2-4 in the 3rd period. Very sad trombone. Hopefully we'll turn this thing around in Detroit.

The Magic aren't fairing any better right now, either. And with the Tigers losing earlier today (swept by the Red Sox) it's just turning into a sad sports day all around.

Outside of the sports though, it was a pretty good, easy going day. Got a few things done when I got back home and that's all that really matters. For some reason I didn't feel like going out, so I made it a person day/night. Those are good every once in a while. I think that just about does it. I'm looking forward to possibly getting my hard drive situation resolved tomorrow...

Mos Def and Talib Kweli ARE Black Star,
B

June 3

Calm work days are a rare thing, but I welcome them. After work I ran to the Buy to pick up a couple CD's - including Dilla Stay Paid - and the DVD Revolutionary Road. I also picked up a FreeAgent Desk Drive formatted for a Mac. I need space, SON.

I got home and proceeded to install yet another hard drive into my machine. So now I have 1 TB of external space freed up and 750 GB of internal space freed up. That's the good part. The problem comes with the other 2 hard drives that were taken out of my machine. They were basically connected via a RAID and I am unable to get my footage off them by installing them individually in the G5, which is my only option at this point. I'm either going to look for some help online or head to the Mac store again. I don't want to chance losing anything, so we'll see what happens. For the time being, however, I have more free space than I know what to do with. WOOO!!! For the record, partitioning your hard drive is the only way to go.

Tigers lost again tonight against the Red Sox. It always seems like we struggle against that team. Wings tomorrow, as well as Tigers, as well as the NBA Finals game 1. I'm excited.

OH, one more thing. Tonight, from 8pm to midnight, Sonic had their "free root beer float" promotion going on. My sister and I decided to head up and it was packed. We pulled up to a stall and asked for 2 of the previously mentioned drinks. I guess we didn't even have to do that because the person on the other side of the microphone told us someone would be coming around shortly. He wished us a super Sonic day and we played the waiting game. A young lady on roller blades soon came up to the car with a tray full o' floats and handed us some. From the time we left Sonics to the drive back home my float was already gone. For some reason, the fact that it was free made it taste great.

Good way to end the night.

Man, I promise, I'm so self-conscious,
B

June 2

Worked all day until around 9:15. When I finally got out I headed home, switched foot-wear, and headed out to Matt's to watch the rest of the Red Wings game. I just got back and am posting (obviously). Exciting...I know.

Though the majority of my day was spent at the office, I did get to talk to Meg a bit via GMail chat. And Meg, if you're reading this, just know that it's about time some good things started coming your way. I mean, damn...for the past few weeks I can understand why the silver lining may have been dimmed. Hopefully things are turning around now. A kudos and congrats goes out to both you and Mike.

Wings won't be sweeping. Sad trombone.

Holy cow,
B

June 1

Wow. June. Almost half the year has already passed us by. Crazy, ain't it? You know what's not crazy...the Red Wings taking a 2-0 series lead last night. That's just awesome.

Today I got back to the grind. Nothing too exciting or special. I did feel tired all day. Maybe I was recovering from the weekend. Who knows. I headed to my friend Josh's for a little bit after work and then it was back to my place. As I ate dinner I heard someone coming up the stairs and just assumed it was my Dad. My Mom was passed out in her room due to summer sickness. I walked out and it was Tori. Apparently she has a doctors appointment scheduled for tomorrow to get her knees looked at. If you want to know the details, ask her. I'll only say this...if you go overseas to study, wear knee-pads. Haha.

At 11:30 tonight a Mr. Conan O'Brien will be debuting on the Tonight Show. I'm looking very forward to seeing the show, to say the least. Max Weinberg better be there, too...

Having a computer is fun,
B