July 31

It's only around 10:40 and I'm tired. I guess not getting to bed until 4AM will do that to you.

It's the final day of July, which means the countdown to the drive out to California begins tomorrow. Wow, that just snuck up on everyone.

I got home today and almost didn't want to leave. I could have easily laid down and actually taken a nap. Yup...me...a nap. I didn't though, and soon took off toward Brad's to hang out for a bit before we drove out to Jeremy's - which ended up being less BBQ and more basement lounging. Long story short, it was a good night spent with friends.

Tomorrow is the sosaveme CD release show. I'm looking forward to that for multiple reasons. Multiple reasons, indeed.

Oh, also, the Tigers made a trade today for Jarrod Washburn (LHP from Seattle). Hopefully this will solidify our starting rotation.

Going into extra innings,

B

July 30

Wow, Chick-Fil-A sure is swell.

I'm just getting in from the midnight showing of Funny People. I enjoyed it. This film was the truest definition of "dramady" I've seen in a LONG while. I'm a little tired...yet hungry as well. When I'm done with this I'm probably going to get some more leftovers.

One more time, I want to mention that Ryan VanLoon is currently on the road to Virginia Beach. I'm going to miss having him around, but I know he's going to have a blast.

So, I'm sitting at work trying to finish an intro when my sister IM's me. She mentions that a local gas station is celebrating their 40th anniversary and are offering 40 cents off gas until 5. At this time it was around 4:35. I need to get gas soon, so this was perfect timing. I left work a little early and filled up for $1.98. Apparently the vendors there were passing out everything including free energy drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks. I just got the gas, but still, very good start to the night.

Afterwards, I headed to Brad's to catch up, see the new dog (Sloan), hear about his new job (Best Buy...haha), and check out the new vehicle he may be looking into (Dodge Journey). He's been busy, today.

I ran home for dinner with the entire family and then to Laura's for a little Wii Sports Resort before the movie. Got in multiple rounds of basketball and a little table tennis. Such a good game...

You know the rest. Looking forward to tomorrow. I think Jeremy may be having some people over during the evening. Grilling, games, friends, etc. Should be fun.

Time to sign off,

B

July 29

Let me start off by saying Chicken Baja Gorditas are the best item on Taco Bell's menu. No contest. THERE, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW RHETT!? Hahaha.

Now, let's get to today. Nothing happened out of the ordinary to begin. Then, as soon as I got out, I drove out to Owosso to spend some time with Mr. Ryan VanLoon. You see, Ryan will be leaving tomorrow to head to Virginia Beach for grad school so this is the last night that was available to hang out. The VERY last night...unless I go to visit him or he comes home or he graduates or...you get the picture. Anyway, I drove up to his place o' business where he was working diligently to finish up a spot. Ended up staying there for a bit and met his boss, Steve Rau. Pretty nice guy. Anyway, Ryan finished up and headed out to meet up with some people at the church. Time went by, he got back, and we (along with a few other guys) went up to Applebee's for a nice going away meal. We walked in around 10:42. Guaranteed the employees there were a little pissed. Anyway, we ordered some half off appetizers and ate them (what we could) just as fast. I have a lot of leftovers...

Before I stopped home for the night I pulled into Maxies. Why Maxies? Because Ryan Bell was celebrating his 25th birthday up there with some friends and I had to make an appearance. He's a good man. So I literally walked in, gave hello's and hugs, bought Mr. Bell a drink, and walked out. Hey, I have work in the morning and am exhausted from last night. I need some rest. Yet here I am writing in this blog in the middle of the night. I make no sense.

I was thinking earlier today, "Wow, I haven't seen Limbeck yet this year." That has to change. You know...I'm going to be gone to California from Aug. 16 until around the 24th. Limbeck is playing with hellogoodbye, fun., and My Favorite Highway in California at multiple locations. OH MAN!!! This is amazing. Hahaha.

QuESt's mixtape, Broken Headphones, finally came out today. Get it.

Wii Sports Resort is amazing. Let me repeat this. Wii Sports Resort is amazing.

I better have some good dreams,

B

July 28

Wii Sports Resort = a very good time. So good, in fact, that my sister and I ended up playing until about 2 in the morning. A lot of 3 Point Shooting Contests. Haha. I'm tired now. Really quick, I will say I had an overall good day. Pretty busy throughout work and after met up with Mitch for some Red Robin. And now it's getting later and I'm still typing.

Done and done,

B

July 27

I caught up on some sleep last night. Oh man...it was a good night of rest, that's for sure. The morning started off good. Afternoon was normal. Evening was about the same.

We had enchiladas for dinner at Laura's. Afterward we finished up Entourage, Season 3. Slowly but surely they're getting caught up. I was also able to grab the pictures for their "slideshow presentation" for the wedding. I have a few ideas of something I may want to try...

Tigers lost...but so did Chicago, so all has stayed pat in the standings.

Nothing like a good yawn,

B

July 26

Finally, after conflicting schedules nearly crumbled any chance Christine and I of meeting up before she left for D.C. again, it actually happened. So, for a little under 2 hours, we sat in Barnes and Noble and chatted away. As always, it was a great talk. I'm seriously in awe of the amount of work she's put in and where she's currently at in her career/life. Talking to her and seeing how she's maintained the same attitude and outlook on everything is very humbling and, quite frankly, a bit inspirational. For those of you who don't know Christine...she's going to be doing BIG THINGS in her lifetime. BIG. THINGS. And the fact that she makes time to meet up in her already hectic schedule speaks loudly to me. It doesn't hurt that she's constantly smiling, either. Just another genuinely good person. I'm very lucky that I can call so many good people my friends. Very lucky.

That was really the highlight of the day. Had some good meals, Josh came over and we watched the Tigers lose to the Sox (oh well...you can't win 'em all). Now I'm sitting in bed thinking about catching up on missed sleep from the weekend. It's going to happen.

Oh, and one more thing. Mike arrived back in MI tonight with a new job ready to be worked. So massive kudos goes out to him. And sooner than I can imagine, Meg will be back up here too. Wow...this is crazy.

August 16,

B

July 25

Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached post number 200. No joke. 200 straight posts since January 12. Now, remember, this doesn't necessarily mean it's been 200 days. Some days I had multiple posts and then there was the introductory post at the very beginning. So, technically, it's been 19x straight DAYS of posting, but 200 straight posts. And so what. 200 is a nice, even number. You can't celebrate on an 19x post. It just doesn't sound right.

Well, let's get this thing started on a high note. The Tigers won AGAIN tonight...against the WHITE SOX!!! We now own a 3-game lead in the AL Central and could turn that to 4 with a win tomorrow night. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, and with the nice showing on FOX we had today, it's giving some doubters around the nation a nice chance to see our boys play. Even if we lose tomorrow...it won't matter. We've done a LOT better than I thought we would so far.

Today was another great one. Got up and headed out to Owosso to meet up with Ryan. We basically just met up to get a nice start on a video project of his. The hardest part is becoming motivated to start work on something that may not interest you as much, and once you get that start, you get into a flow. Unfortunately our flow was cut short by a computer that seemingly gave out. Oh well, I'm sure all will be fine and Ryan will finish up the spot in no time. Plus, in between, we headed out to lunch at Fortune House. Mmmm...sooooo good. Haha. I was there all morning and afternoon. It was good time spent with a good man, especially since he's looking to leave for grad school on Thursday. Wow...it's getting that time already. Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet up with him ONE more time before he's gone. Hit up a little...Courtside? Oh yeah.

After I had to head straight to Lo' where Brandon, Matt, and the gang were at finishing up the wedding stuff. Or so I thought...until I walked in and saw everyone just laying out and resting. Hadn't even started yet. Figures. Haha. I sat down and just as quick started licking envelopes with the invitations stuffed oh-so delicately inside. After that the guys headed out with me to get some food and desert. A little more wedding work and a quick game of Mad Gab later, I headed on out. Now I'm home and working on getting to bed for work EARLY tomorrow morning.

But, since this is post 200...here are some highlights from post 100 to now:

• FINALLY purchased a new phone - iPhone. Great decision.
  
• Rhett's been out in the DMV for a while and working on some EMMY-WORTHY stuff. I'm very much anticipating Mystery 360. Also...Jesse James Is A Deadman = highest rated show in SpikeTV history. For reals.
• Preparing to move Tori out to Redlands, CA in a couple weeks.
• Pre-ordered Beatles Rock Band for XBox 360. Still looking for a XBox 360.
• My G5 has been going weird on me again. I think it has something to do with the RAM. CAN'T WAIT TO GET AN 8-CORE!
• Still at Spencer, makin' that money.
• Tigers are in first in the AL Central still.
• Pistons are a COMPLETELY new team.
• Red Wings...lost.
• Lions are...hahaha.
• Summer has been cooler than usual (temperature-wise).
• Wedding are coming up. Everyone's has gotten or is getting hitched. Wowzah.
• Life is still beautiful.

Next up...post number 300,

B

July 24

Back to the busy basics again. After work I got ready and headed out to get work done and meet up with Chad. Changing gears for one second; The past week I've been trying to get together my friend Christine who's in town from D.C. Unfortunately, we can't seem to find a time when we're both free. So tomorrow may be the day...or may not. Haha. Hopefully something works out sooner than later. And we're baaaaaack. I called up Chadwick and picked up some Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Headed to his place to eat and enjoy a little Watchmen action. It was going good until the DVD decided to freak out and just stop working. So we made an impromptu trip to return the movie for the same thing and picked up some Sonics while we were at it. Once we got back to the house we finished the movie (with NO pauses) and that was that. I just got back to the house and am not that tired. I don't have to get up as early as I thought tomorrow, which is both a good and bad thing. Good that I won't be exhausted; Bad because it meant that the shoot Ryan and I had planned was cancelled. Time is running out as well, but that's another story.

The TIGERS not only WON today...they won TWICE!!! We swept the double-header against the WHITE SOX, no less. I almost can't believe it. We NEEDED these games bad and our boys came through. We have 2 more games tomorrow and Sunday. I hope there's some good things to come.

Speaking of tomorrow...well, I'll just leave it at that for now.

So I says to Melvin, I says,

B

July 23

First night in a while I've had to relax and do some things around the house. Those things had a lot to do with laundry...

Dinner was a fun experience. Went out to Olive Garden with my sister and a couple of her friends. All was going fairly well until the entrees came out. All but mine were accounted for, and that was due to the fact that the chef had apparently spilled something on it. The good news is the manager agreed to flip my bill. So...I waited 6 more minutes for a free meal. Not bad at all.

And that's where it ends. I talked to some friends later in the night, set up plans for tomorrow, and, as you already know, got my laundry done.

Now, for a midnight snack.

I want to pitch a perfect game,

B

July 22

Quick one for today. Ate dinner at home for the first time in a long time and then headed to Bicentennial Park in Grand Blanc to see Mike, Laura, and the gang play some kickball. It was a little rainy out, but otherwise a good time. Drove out to Lo's and hung out for a while longer. During the evening we over-heard Laura's neighbor get busted by the cops. They were playing their music too loud and someone (I'm guessing the person who lives under them) called the cops. It was pretty funny, actually. I'm tired now. G'night.

Late night or early morning,

B

July 21

Yesterday, time couldn't go fast enough in the morning. Today, I wish there were a couple more hours added on. I hit the ground running and didn't slow down. Days like that are good...except for the whole "clients being late on sending their information" thing. Haha.

Anyway, I stayed a little after work and then headed out to help the to-be-married couple stuff their envelopes. Literally. We put stamps on 'em, folded programs, cut and pasted (without a computer), etc. We did WORK, SON!!! And got the majority of the invites and what-not done. Dinner was catered by Italia Gardens and was quite good. By the time I left, however, I was pretty hungry. Ended up stopping by Taco Bell to get the meal Rhett has been raving about for a while now: Chicken Gorida Baja-style. We'll leave it at that...for now.

The Tigers finally won a game they should've won. Get it? Basically, they produced hits and got a much needed victory. Hopefully the same will happen tomorrow and the next day.

Welcome to SportsCenter,

B

July 20

Holy crap, I'm at the house and writing in my blog before midnight. This is something special here, people. Something special, indeed. Anyway, today was long and fast all at the same time. Let me explain in a little more detail. The day was dragging major from 8am to 5pm. As soon as I got out of work, I made some phone calls, stopped by Josh's house really quick to drop off a case for his Pod, then headed out to Grand Blanc to see the (POTENTIALLY) new Sturgess/Kincade household. Haha. Yup, their house hunting lead them to this one earlier today and they really liked it. Seriously, this could actually happen...and SOON! It's in a really nice, upbeat neighborhood with - from what I was told - very friendly residents. Apparently about 4 different families made their way up to Brandon and Laura and talked to them while they were there earlier. Anyway, it sounds like they're going to make an offer as soon as tomorrow morning. Here's to hoping it all works out. They both seem really nervous and excited. Hell, I know I would be.

After that we drove out to Lucky's for an AMAZING steak dinner. I got the filet...and destroyed it. It wasn't even fair. At this point it was 9:00pm and I hadn't ate since lunch (at 1:30). Oh yeah...pure domination. I finished the night hanging out at Lo's for a while and now I'm back. Just another great night. Now if I could just find a cheap XBox 360...

Day tripper,

B

July 19

Today topped off an absolutely fantastic weekend. I can't even begin to describe it. A great dinner at Lo's with Brandon, Matt, Emily, and Aubrey and I even made it home before MIDNIGHT!!! Haha. That hasn't happened too often the past few days. Whew, I am quite exhausted. I can't wait to get a nice 8 hours of sleep in.

From 5:00pm Friday to 2:35am this morning...it's been non-stop. Thanks and congrats to Chad and Tiff, again. An additional congratulations goes out to Ryan VanLoon.

Here's to another chill, summer night,

B

July 18

Another FANTASTIC day has come and gone. Funny, I actually got home earlier tonight than I did last night, but feel slightly more tired now. Oh well.

I'll say this right now, I woke up late this morning. I had to sleep in. I didn't actually go to bed until around 4am. So shortly after I finally regained consciousness my phone rang. It was Joe saying he was driving home for the weekend. He gave me an estimation of when he'd pull into his driveway and I told him I'd probably be seeing him later. I got cleaned up and sat down to watch a little bit of the Tigers/Yankees game, which our OFFENSE lost for us again. Seriously, if you have a pitcher that goes deep in the game and had not allowed a single run...don't just think he can keep doing it all game. BAT IN A RUN!!!

Haha. So, anyway, a couple innings in I ran and picked up Panera Bread for my Mom and I for lunch. I finished that up and hit the road to Joe's. Hung out there for a little bit and realized that if I wanted to meet up with anyone else before I go out to St. Charles, I needed to get going. Joe mentioned that he and Brad had talked and may be going out later tonight; To which I said I'd give them a call later.

I ran out to Chad's next (after stopping by the Valley and Barnes and Noble) and handed him his belated graduation gift(s). Talked to everyone who was still there from the night before (no way anyone was driving home) and jumped back in the car.

On my way through Owosso I noticed Jon was working at Biggby so I shot in for a quick second. He made me a great mint-freeze drink that lasted me the rest of the drive. The party was taking place at Danielle's house who is a friend of the gang. I couldn't remember if I had met her before, but she looked familiar. Anyway, it was easy to get to and easy to find. I walked in, said my hello's, ate some food, watched Mr. VanLoon open some presents, and had some nice conversations. As the night wore on a nice bonfire was lit and we all eventually made our way outside. The temperature had dropped to around 58 or 59, so huddling around the fire-pit was definitely comfortable. We stayed out there a while, too. Nick, Justin, Shannon, and Mikey showed up a little later on, followed by Jon, Hannah, and Austin. More stories and laughs were had with a smore here and there being made. Shannon took some time to explore the iPhone before she slowly started to fade away as it got later. Eventually the crowd dispersed and we all said our good nights. I hope Ryan had as good a time as I had. It was the official "Ryan VanLoon Farewell party" after-all. Haha. The man got presents. He was happy.

On my way home I tried giving Joe and Brad a call but it sounded like they were out of commission for the night. Chad had text'd me earlier on and mentioned that there were still people at his place (including Fugitt who was expected to arrive later). I figured, why not, I pass Nichols on the way back to Flint, might as well stop by. I got back to Chad's only to find a few people on the couch, and Derek and Derek sitting side by side in a couple chairs. Mr. Fugitt was telling a story about his brother as only he can. I sit down and hang out for a bit until I realize it's getting pretty late. I say my goodbyes one more time and head homeward.

I decided I needed to talk to someone during the home stretch so I gave Gina a call, where it would be 3 hours earlier for her. Luckily she picked up and we had ourselves another nice talk. It lasted from Lennon all the way back to my room; A great chance to catch up, prepare for the California visit, and pass the time.

I have an early start to my Sunday (obviously) and have no idea why I'm not sleeping yet. It just turned 3:01am. Work is going to suck. I will say this though: If tomorrow lives up to the standards that Friday and today have set...best weekend EVER.

Eyes getting heavy now,

B

July 17

I'd love to go into crazy detail about tonight, but truth be told...I'm tired. Haha. I just got back from Chad's a bit ago and finished eating a "4th meal." My day went like this:

• Get up at 9:15.
  
• Work from 10 to 5.
  
• Errands from 5 to 6.
  
• Chad's from 6 to NOW.
  

I should probably say that Chad and his sister had been planning a joint "Graduation party" for a LONG time now. It was tonight, and it was a blast. That's all I can say. Just an amazing time. A lot of pictures were snapped, too. Unfortunately, none with with my camera. I'll have to grab a few when I get the chance. More than likely...they'll show up on Facebook. Wow...that didn't take too long.

OH, and one more thing; Great to talk to Mr. Fugitt for a lengthy period of time again. He had a hell of a story to tell. If you want to know what it's about, you probably should just ask him yourself. Man...that guy...

I'm dying right now. Must...sleep. Overall, today ranked as a 12 on the 1-1o scale.

Counting sheep,

B

July 16

Nothing new today. I'm ready for the weekend...big time. Haha.

Broadripple is burning...but why,

B

July 15

How could I dance with another when I saw her standing there?

Isn't that what we ALL think every once in a while? (Girls, just trade the "her" with a "him." Or not. Either way.) I...CAN'T...WAIT...FOR 9.9.09.

Now that that's out of the way, let me say that I enjoy Sour Skittles.

Now that that's out of the way, let me say that it's going to take approx. 32 hours to drive from Flint, Michigan to Redlands, California. 32 hours. Oh yeah...

Post number 200 is approaching. It's absolutely crazy that I haven't missed a day yet (although some of the posts barely qualify).

As you can probably guess, the day was relatively slow. I came home and had dinner and am now relaxing. I got REAL tired all of a sudden around 9:30 tonight. So I figured I better get this post out of the way before I fall asleep and miss out.

Jimmy John's two days in a row = normally good. My stomach had something else to say about that. Did you know that they'll deliver from Grand Blanc to the Gateway Center? Me neither...until this afternoon.

Jet Audio's stand alone complex,

B

July 14

Visiting with friends is a good time. I'll say that. Even if it's just for a little bit, it still makes for a good time. A lot of that today.

Now I'm back home and tired. It's crazy how fast things get going on Facebook. I can assume it starts fast...and then slows to a slow crawl. Haha. Oh well. We'll see how long I keep at it.

Curtis Granderson = PIMP.

Live and love,

B

July 13

Well folks, it happened. Hell has frozen over. Pigs have sprouted wings and are now somewhere over the Eastern seaboard. I have a facebook account. Yup, you've read correctly. No need to rub your eyes or splash water over your face. I have a facebook. You can all thank Mr. Sollinger. With 5 simple words, he convinced me. I've heard them all before, but for some ungodly reason, I listened this time. I was on the phone with him and he said, "Dude, you need a facebook." Done. Game over. Why? Why even start? So, if any of you want to befriend me, feel free to shoot me a line. As I type this right now, I don't have a profile picture yet. Haha. This will certainly be interesting to say the least.

Overall a good day. Stopped by Theo and Amanda's to grab my shirt (I left it last week) and chat for a little bit. I shot home to run some errands with the sister, which included getting a new lawn-chair, searching for a GPS, and getting a car wash. We got home, had a nice dinner, and checked out the Home Run Derby (well, I did). Brandon Inge hit as many bombs as I did. Prince Fielder is just a beast. Afterward on ESPN they aired a celebrity softball game with Pam playing left field. Haha. I was a bit surprised, so I had to watch a little bit.

And that was about it. My sister invited some friends over and everyone eventually ended up in my room playing the shock-timing game. Then...facebook. Why do I feel so dirty? Hahaha.

Hold on, there's a hole in my heart,

B

July 12

When you only work at Best Buy 4 hours a week, you tend to miss things that happen throughout the week. When I was changing signs this morning, I noticed one of those things, and it got me quite excited. Apparently on a truck a few days earlier we finally received the pre-orders for...BEATLES: ROCK BAND!!! I plan on revisiting the store and picking one up for 360...which means I'm not getting a 360. Haha. Hey, it's all about extra content with this game, and so far, XBox's is the best.

I left work and got home to relax for a bit. Had some lunch, watched some baseball, then left for Laura's for Sunday dinner and some more chill time. Made it through season 2 of Entourage. I think they're addicted. BOOM!

And for those of you wondering, the Tigers won today, 10-1, over the Indians. Verlander improved to 6-0 at home this season with an ERA under 2.00. Winning your last game before All-Star break is always good, especially when one of your selections - who happens to also be in the Home Run Derby tomorrow night - connects for 2 HR's in the game. So, thanks Brandon Inge.

I'm about to dig into some 4th meal...if you know what I mean.

Is there anybody going to listen to my story,

B

July 11

Filming is fun. Today marked the first day of filming of Ryan's Grandpa at his farm. We set up inside and started rolling as Mr. VanLoon's Aunt started the interviewing process. It went really well and, from the sounds of it, we should be traveling around to some different locations in the next few weeks. Should be a good time. You know what else was a good time? Eating dinner/lunch at Fortune House afterward. OH MAN...I LOVE BULGOGI!!! Jon and Hannah ended up meeting us there and enjoyed a nice meal as well. Can't wait for my next visit to Owosso...and Fortune House. But in all seriousness, we need to get this all shot by the time Ryan leaves for Virginia. Hopefully it can be accomplished.

I got home and relaxed for about an hour and then it was off to visit with the Brandon and Laura again. I had to cut the night a little short because of work the next morning. Man...I wish I could've gotten some guys together to check out UFC 100 tonight. Oh well, I'll find out the results tomorrow. Hell, as I type this, the main event hasn't even started yet.

Tigers lost. Booooooo. Verlander tomorrow. Yay!

I will hug you for free,

B

July 10

Start of what should be a great weekend. Today was just a bunch of overall greatness. Amazing lunch with Shannon. Amazing dinner with Laura and Brandon. Amazing Entourage watching with Laura and Brandon. Amazing dessert break. Amazing continuation of Entourage. Amazing drive home and amazing time typing this blog entry. Did I mention the amazing news that MEAGEN and MIKE are headed BACK TO MICHIGAN!?!?!? If not, I should let you know that talking to Mike on the phone yesterday was pretty...amazing.

Now for the not-so-exciting news: New York may be put on hold. I thought it was a done deal, now it looks like there are second thoughts and money issues. No problem, I'll get out there sooner than later.

Joe, have fun fishing over the weekend. You better catch a few MI records...

Can't buy me love,

B

July 9

First and foremost, I want to say that it's close to official now: Meagen and Mike look to be on their way back to the great state of MIIIIIICHIGAN!!! Mike was on the phone today trying to iron out a deal that would land him a job in Grand Rapids. Everything went fantastic and it looks like, in the next couple of weeks, there may be a nice "welcome home" party to be had. Best news I've heard in a while, and the fact that they're so excited makes it that much better. Wow, that definitely made my day.

As for the rest, a lot of time spent over at Brad's hanging out, going out to eat, and coming back home a little later in the evening. Good times, indeed.

During the day a few other things went down, as well. The Pistons officially announced John Kuester as their new head coach and Brandon Inge won the last All-Star spot for the AL. Not bad, Detroit. Not bad at all.

I'll be seeing you around, Meg,

B

July 8

I am very tired. That's about all there is to it. I came home and almost (ALMOST) took a nap, but I couldn't do it. I did however just relax all night. Watched the Tigers beat the Royals, which was cool. Read about McDyess signing with San Antonio, which wasn't as cool...but good for the Spurs. I'm going to eat a midnight snack now and hit the bed.

Happy 07.08.09,

B

July 7

Another day, another dollar, and more getting together with friends. After work I headed out to meet up with Brandon and Matt to get some dinner. We ended up going to the Buffalo Wild Wings for their 2-for-1 wing night. Laura was shopping at a couple stores near-by and joined us shortly after we arrived. After we had our fill of chicken, it was over to Lo's for a little relaxing and some Euchre. Besides the beginning of the day, everything went by extremely fast. It usually does when you're with friends.

We've already met, let's meet again,

B

July 6

This was one of the better evenings I've had in a while. As I mentioned before, Meagen and Mike were making their way back to Flint today to visit the hometown peeps. They were driving all around until dinner, where they, and myself, met at Amanda and Theo's for a great cookout. I basically drove right from work, and proceeded to pig out on hot dogs, sloppy joes, chips and salsa, and corn from the grill. Amazing. Best of all, I got face time with Meg and Michael. Talking to people on the phone or chatting online is one thing, but when you finally get to see good friends in person, you can't beat it. And...there's some potential that it could become significantly easier to get said face time with said individuals in the near, near future. MIKE, YOU BETTER CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU GET DONE WITH YOUR PHONE INTERVIEW TOMORROW (later today)!!!

It was getting late and Meagen had left to see her brother before the red eye flight back to Jacksonville. Mike, Amanda, Theo, and I were relaxing in the living room and I got another call from Mr. Thibaut. Since things were winding down, I decided it was time to get going. I said my goodbyes and headed over to Brad's. A few episodes of Entourage and a Conan monologue later, we were sitting there and Ari started going crazy. Not just any crazy, it was a sort of cat-nip, late night binge type crazy. It had been full of energy since I got there, but really picked it up during the late night. I hope Colleen was able to sleep with all the noise downstairs.

I'm currently sitting in my bed and watching SportsCenter. Tigers lost today. Lame. Rasheed Wallace is sounding like he's going to be a Celtic. SUPER lame. Rhett still hasn't sent me pictures of his dinner on Saturday. ULTIMATE lame. Hahaha.

I once dreamed I pitched a perfect game,

B

July 5

I'm really tired right now so forgive the small post.  Today started early and didn't really settle down until around 8 tonight.  After work I finally was able to get together with Fred and Alex to catch up.  We met up at Red Robins for lunch and went back to their parents house to continue the conversations.  Throughout the day I had been texting Jon here and there trying to coordinate a time when he could stop by Flint.  Well, as it happened, just as I was leaving to go back home, he called and informed me now was as good a time as any.  So I took a detour and headed back to the store.  After a visit there and to the Guitar Center, everyone headed on their separate ways.  My parents were just getting back from running different errands, so it looked like we all had a busy day.

Not sure why I'm still up right now.  Maybe I'm looking forward to tomorrow, where I'm looking forward to seeing Meagen and Mike - as their tour bus finally stops into Flint.  Cookout?  Could be...

Minute Maid lemonade,

B

July 4

Happy Independence Day to everyone; And thanks for nothing, Great Britain. Normally during this week I'd be out watching the fireworks with friends or at a campsite roasting smores. This year, unfortunately, everyone was either already gone or busy, so I had to nix a lot of the usual plans. Calls were made and a few peeps were talked to, but it's alllllll good. The majority of my July 4th was spent at home helping with the LAST day of the garage sale. All in all we didn't do too bad. I didn't win our pool, but I was awfuly close. If you're wondering the exact amount we procured...well, quite frankly, it's none of your business. So stop it.

We ended up closing a few minutes early and packaged up a FEW boxes for family members to take back into storage until next year. After that we had a nice dinner via the grill and played some more cards. If you didn't know it, my family (Mother's side) loves to play cards. As do I. So a few games o' Pincole later, it was 11:50PM and everyone headed out. And now I'm here, typing about the evening. Didn't see the fireworks in person this time, but I've seen enough to get the gist of what went on. Plus...they were on TV. Haha.

Work tomorrow (LAME) early in the morning, but it is what it is. I think I'm going to fall asleep watching old Flight of the Conchords' episodes.

Bowie's in space,
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July 3

Happy day before the 4th of July! Yes, it a day filled with magic and sweet cakes and chocolate truffles with cherry filling...

Sleeping in is fantastic, especially if you get woken up at 2:15AM in the morning the night before. SOMEONE (no names being mentioned) called our house phone twice and didn't realize it. "They" were immediately talked to and dealt with.

So yeah, I woke up at a nice time and made a few calls. Unfortunately everyone was either busy or already out-and-about, so the majority went straight to voice mail. I cleaned up and started checking things off the ol' list of errands. Picked up a late lunch and came home for a quick bit. I was hoping to see my friend's Fred and Alex around this time but plans ended up falling through. I did, however, get a hold of Chad who was packing to go up north - Higgins Lake - for the weekend. After we got off the phone I drove out to his house and hung out for a couple of hours. On the way home I got a call from Brad and was about to head over that way when plans were changed again. Haha. A lot of confusion today, but it's all good.

The Tigers were leading 6-0 against the Twins at one point. It's now the bottom of the 9th and the game is tied 7-7. Figures. Freakin' Minnesota always has our number.

Rhett is currently enjoying the company of his parents and girlfriend, Whitney, in the DMV right now. Good for him. I informed him of how much I'm going to be upset if he doesn't enjoy his Ruth's Steakhouse meal tomorrow. He apparently made reservations over a week ago. That's what I call planning ahead.

Meagen and Mike ended up flying back to MI a couple nights ago. They're going to be all over the state until Monday, where their destination has them coming back to Flint. It sounds like that will be the only time I'll have to see them. So Monday's agenda is already set.

Everyone is getting married. It's a bit surreal.

The fireworks are already starting. Haha, classic.

I'm looking for a dead end song,
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July 2

Today was a nice, easy-going, calm day. Can't ask for much more.

Still looking for TOKYO!,

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July 1

Well, on the first of July we start with Pistons free agent news. Detroit has apparently come to terms on 5-year deals with Ben Gordon (formerly of the Bulls) and Charlie Villanueva (formerly of the Bucks). Now, players can't officially sign said contracts until July 8 after the salary cap is officially set. Regardless, our team has officially started it's face lift. Now it's time to get a new head coach and re-sign Antonio McDyess (hopefully).

I got home today and immediately had plans to go see Public Enemies. Josh had text'd me earlier on with times and we decided to go to a 6:30 show and get BWW's after. Good decision. The movie was OK. I'm still confused on why certain plot points were even included in the film, but I guess I'll never know. Everytime I felt Michael Mann was going one way with this film, he turned it around. I don't know. It was OK. From the sounds of it, my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt might be going to see tomorrow. I guess I'll see what they think afterward.

I had to get a box for leftovers from dinner. Probably not the best idea, given that we have a fridge full of scraps from the past few days. We've been going out to eat a lot since my Aunt has been in town. Almost every night, in-fact. I really do enjoy a nice meal out, but it's been out of control. Haha. Oh well.

My sister got a new phone the other day - the EnV Touch. For the life I me, I can't figure out how to delete ringtones she put on it from PhoneZoo. They are not showing up anywhere on the phone and when we connect it to the computer it only lets us access the "shared folders." Word to the wise, if you get the EnV Touch...don't use PhoneZoo. For all we know it could be taking over Tori's phone. We'd be none-the-wiser.

Well, it's getting to be a few minutes before midnight and Mr. Kennedy is on his way. Haha. Hey, when friends work 2nd shift, certain accommodations have to be met. In this instance, it's late night hang-outs. Ain't no thang.

Also...Meagen and Mike will be flying into Bishop around 2:00am. They have a TON of stuff to do the next few days, but when they make it back to Flint, you bet your butt I'll be seeing them. Monday...possibly? Haha. Can't wait.

TOKYO!,
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