May 31

Before I go on about today, let me say that yesterday was a blast. I finished out the night getting some good footage of Justin and Nick in the studio. I quickly packed up my things and headed out to meet up with Katrina and Justin to get some ice cream. Let me just say...Superman is the bomb. Man, I can't remember the last time I had a triple scoop of multi-colored goodness. We headed on back to their house where we turned on the end of the Tigers game, Red Wings game, and the Magic/Cavs game. Haha. Oh, I forgot to mention that Katrina's dad was with us. That man is awesome. Seriously. I had a great time talking with him. AND, on top of all of that, all of the teams we wanted to win won. That would be the Tigers over the Orioles, the Red Wings taking game one of the Stanley Cup finals over the Penguins, and the Magic dominating "the best team in the NBA" and eliminating the Cleveland from the playoffs. HAHA!!! Great night...and it wasn't over. Before I headed on back home, I got a hold of Shannon and Chelsea who happened to still be in the Grand Rapids area. They were snacking at iHop, and considering I hadn't eaten dinner up to that point (11:45 at night) I drove on over. From what I gathered, both girls were running on empty and had a pretty busy day. Shannon apparently ate the restaurant out of food, too...which is awesome. Hell, I couldn't even finish my chicken strips and fries and lil' Shannon just had a 3 course meal. Dinner was finished and I bid the girls farewell. It took me about 1.5 hours to get back to Flint, where I tried to go to bed. Didn't end up falling asleep until around 3 and had to get up for my one day at Best Buy at 6:15am.

Today started with an early, easy day at work that included an AMAZING CALL!!! It was Novi. My Mac was finally done and I could pick it up at my convenience. So, as soon as I finished at the store, I ran home, changed, and headed out to Twelve Oaks for the n'th time. When I got to the mall, I stopped in California Pizza Kitchen first to put in a to-go order. I figured by the time I get my computer the pizza should be ready. As it turned out, I was right. I went upstairs, talked to a Genius, signed some papers, and had them take my computer outside to pick it up. I drove back down, picked up my food, and headed on home. And let me tell you about this machine. It's basically brand new. I'm not joking. Everything except the video cards, hard drive, and memory had been replaced with straight-from-the-factory parts. Here's a list of said parts that were replaced:

• Power Supply, 600 W, Grommet
• Board, Logic, H
• Multiprocessor, 2.7 GHZ, w/LCS
• Enclosure
• TOTAL: $0.00

I really have to give Apple a ton of credit. Yes, they had my machine for a long time, but in return went above and beyond the original repair and gave me a "new" computer. Think of it this way:

You have a car and the battery dies. You take in it a few times and come to find out it's more than just a battery problem. You leave it in the shop and when you come to pick it up, they've replaced the battery, engine, transmission, repainted it, and cleaned the interior...all for free. You went from 150,000 miles on a 6-year old engine back to 0's. You're going to have a good day.

That's what I'm feeling. Like I said, when I go to sell this computer later this summer, you know how much more I'm going to get now? Wow. Good times, all around. And in case anyone was wondering, I am currently typing this entry on the desktop. It's all gone smooth since I plugged it back in. Word.

Before I finish up for the day, let me say that the Tigers are currently beating Balitmore 3-0 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and one man on. Hopefully we can finish this one off and take a series split. The Red Wings go for another win tonight on a back-to-back Stanley Cup finals games. Why are they playing again so soon? Because the air-waves have to be completely clear for Conan's big Tonight Show debut tomorrow night. Wow, June 1 snuck up on me. Oh, and about the NBA finals that start on Thursday; Orlando is the only team that the Lakers did not beat in the regular season. I'm just saying...

The Tigers just won,
B

May 30

WOW. You know, I've gotten used to trashy news concerning my computer. It's not the best thing, I know, but I've just come to expect the worse. Well, apparently my phone decided to lose it's signal sometime this morning. I just received a voice message from Novi. On the other end was a worker named Kevin who called to informed me they just heard back from engineering and they decided to cover all repair costs for my PowerMac G5. They're looking to get working on said repairs A.S.A.P. AWESOME!!! I'm extremely happy right now. No worries on paying for a new logic board and/or cooling system and/or power supply. On top of all of that, now when I go to resell it, I'll be able to list all of this brand new, from the factory equipment that should keep it operable with no problems for another 5+ years. WOOO!!! Seriously, good times.

I'm in Grand Rapids right now. Nick is laying down more guitar tracks and I'm just waiting for either Justin or Josh to start recording to get different coverage. I might hop in the other room to get some more of Nick while I still have a few minutes of tape left. While I'm in town, I may try to stop by and see people before heading home. I wanted to yesterday, but ended up getting too busy. We'll see what happens.

Oh, the sweet sound of guitars,
B

May 29

As expected, this day was busy. It started out early in the morning when I met the guys in Owosso. We packed all of the equipment into the van and headed to Grand Rapids to Studiotte. Come to find out, the studio is operated out of the Otte brother's home. Great set-up.

I started by getting some more shots of Jon playing drums, Nick putting together his guitar tracks, interviews, B-roll of computer work and the house, etc. Basically, anything that happened, a portion of it was filmed. Tomorrow hopefully I'll be able to get Justin and Josh on filming doing WORK. Throughout all of this I was talking to a few different friends that either reside in the G-Rap or were visiting. I originally was planning on staying the night there, so meeting up would have been a possibility. As it happened, Jon needed to leave early for the day, so I went back with him later that night. I WILL be heading back tomorrow, I'm just not sure at which time. I'm thinking it will be some point in the morning.

So Jon and I arrived back in town. We did some running around, hit up Biggby's, and I drove immediately out to NCG to meet up with Brandon and the gang. We had talked briefly about wanting to see Up, so that's what we did. I'll be honest...it was OK. Definitely not the best Disney/Pixar collabo that's ever occurred. Then again, every time they come out with a new film, they have a TON of expectation and acclaim to live up to. I still expect this one to be a box office success (the theater was packed for such a late show). When the show concluded we went out to get some late dinner and headed back to Laura's where we hung out and played a little Things. By the time we realized the time...it was quite late. After all the goodbyes and drop offs, I made it back home and got on the computer. And here I am...

Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what time I'm supposed to head up there, but I plan on getting up in the morning and driving straight out. Might even get some time to see some of the folks later. That'd be sweet.

Wings/Penguins start their championship series tomorrow. Good things could be in store...but I'm not saying anything for certain.

We got to stay positive,

B

May 28

Unless something crazy happens at work, I'm not sure it's even worth commenting about. Same ol', same ol'. When I got back, it was time to get some stuff done around the house. This stuff mainly concerned a ton of laundry and getting my equipment together for the next couple of days. Tomorrow I'll be getting up early and headed to Grand Rapids with sosaveme - a great group of friends - who are putting together their new CD. Think of it as a mini-doc. Should be some real good times. REAL good. From what Nick was saying, I'm looking to be back in town late on Saturday. Hopefully I'll be able to get to a computer for a blog entry tomorrow. Can't miss a day.

Time to check the battery life,

B

May 27

Work was typical. A few things happened during that I had no idea about, though. First off, the Tigers played and won and...wow, Porcello is pitching out of his mind right now. Around the same time, Barcelona defeated Manchester United, 2-0 in the Champions League final. It was watched by an estimated 200 million people worldwide. I wonder how much advertising cost?

As soon as I got out, I ran over to Creek to see Brandon for a few minutes. I then received a call from Josh saying that a group of peeps were meeting up at Buffalo Wild Wings for the Red Wings game. So I picked him up and we left to the restaurant where Chadwick, Adam, Nick, Tiff, and Dave were waiting. Stayed the entire game until Detroit won it in O.T. Like I said yesterday, we now have a rematch from last year. Hopefully the result will be the same. After dropping Mr. Kennedy back off at his place (after the Lakers/Nuggets game) I drove on home and started typing up this post. Good times. Good people.

Also, last night when I was writing the blog entry o' the day the Magic were in the middle of a dog fight with the Cavs. I didn't want to say anything before it happened...but I was really hoping Orlando would pull that game out. And they did. Another CLASSIC in O.T. As of right now, the Magic lead the series 3-1 against the regular season's best team. They could END IT tomorrow night in Cleveland. Wow. What a fantastic turn of events. Now...if we could just do something about those Nike MVPuppet ads...

I love a good folk tale,

B

May 26

Do you want to hear how exciting today was? Well I'll tell you. Work from morning until night. Got home and had left over Oliver T's for dinner. Currently watching the Magic/Cavs game. It's not over...it's close...and it's killing me. Tigers lost and Penguins swept. If all goes well tomorrow night, there will be a rematch in the Stanley Cup this year.

Nighty-night,

B

May 25

Happy Memorial Day to everybody. I hope you all paid tribute in your own way. I also hope you had a nice day to relax, go out with friends, sleep in, etc. Do whatever you wanted to do.

I decided to sleep in. Haha. Woke up for a little breakfast and made some phone calls. The rest of the day I re-energized the batteries. I'll be honest, I didn't do much of anything else. And here's the kicker, apparently sometime during the night my phone lost service. At around 11:30pm, it vibrated with a few new text responses and voice messages. So, sorry to Josh, Josh, and Nick. T-Mobile is trrrble.

My sister, while she was home, did the classic Meijer run with the Mother to stock up for East Lansing. She finished some laundry, took some pictures, then it was back to her summer pad at State.

As I'm finishing this post, the Nuggets are up large against the Lakers and are about to win to even their series 2-2. Sweet. Earlier, the Tigers destroyed the Royals to the tune of 13-1. We're maintaining that AL Central lead quite nicely.

Back in the routine tomorrow. It was a good break (minus the whole being sick part).

Chicka-chicka, boom-boom,

B

May 24

Feeling fully recovered is amazing. I'm going to give this last sickness credit for 1.5 days. Not bad...but the bad-to-healthy day ratio is still in my favor for the year.

Got up early for work and hurried back home to get ready for Brad's cookout later in the afternoon. Watched as the Tigers decided to not give any run support to their pitcher for the second day in a row - which resulted in their second loss in a row - and went to Meijers to get some food and drink to pass. I arrived shortly after 3 and Brad and Colleen already had the Red Wings game on. When everyone was accounted for Brad threw the chicken, hot dogs, and corn on the grill and we ate. And boy, did we eat. Fantastic; Everything. Not only that, but the Detroit blew OUT Chicago 6-1 to go up 3 games to 1 in the Western Conference Finals. While the girls chatted in the kitchen, the guys were in the living room laughing along with "funny videos" from "America's home" and random scenes from Dirty Dancing (don't ask about the latter). When I left Brad's I turned on the Magic/Cavs game and actually dozed off during a little stretch there between the 3rd and 4th quarter. When I did wake up, I didn't think I was going to make it through the rest of the game. I was wrong. I watched until the final buzzer sounded and Orlando won. Wow. I've said it before...these playoffs have been crazy.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It's not just a day off of work.

Brownies are delicious,

B

May 23

I felt better today but still stayed close to home. The one time I did venture out was later in the afternoon after I got a hankerin' for some Things. Target exclusive. Can't beat it. I'm looking forward to (hopefully) being fully recovered by tomorrow. Hopefully...

Good dreaming,

B

May 22

I woke up this morning around 7:45am and my stomach was killing me. My limbs felt heavy, joints aching, and I had trouble walking down to the kitchen on my own power. Man, after a great night last night, way to be sick. Haha. So I made myself some waffles and proceeded to drink 2 glasses of O.J., a glass of milk, and a few glasses of water. I settled in my bed until around noon when I needed to head to the store to pick up my check. When getting in your car and driving is hard, it's not a good thing. So I popped in, popped out, drove home, did my banking, and just laid in bed. As the day wore on I found myself feeling a lot better, but still relegated to my sleeping quarters. This is where I'm typing this. The Tigers are up 3-1 on the Rockies going into the bottom of the 8th. The Cavs are up on the Magic (not cool) and the Wings are down going into the second period (not cool at all). I've been a bum, I admit it. But, considering I only get sick one day out of the year, I guess it's good to get it over with. I'm hoping to be back tomorrow, where I can actually get some things accomplished - the game of Things, anyone?

Chicken noodle soup, here I come,

B

May 21

Have you ever had one of those days where the beginning sucked hard but the evening made it. Well, today was just that. Work sucked. Hard. Stressed me the hell out. I was happy to leave without blowing up on someone. Seriously, Rhett, if you're reading this, just know that talking to you helps take the edge off of that job. Same goes to you, Meg. Big time.

So, after an adventure of an afternoon, I ran home, ate some food, and drove out to pick up a few pals to head to...SHANNON'S SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! WOOO!!! I got to Owosso and picked up Ryan and Justin, and we hit the express way to Lansing where everyone was gathering (specifically at Erica's house). We parked a few houses down, so as to keep the surprise...well...a better surprise? Yeah, I'll go with that. Once everyone got word that Shannon was on her way, we all gathered in the kitchen while a couple others jumped in their places in the living room. We heard a door open, greetings all around, and with a 3 count, jumped up and screamed, "Surprise!" What? Don't act like you would've done anything different. Regardless, Shannon looked genuinely surprised and it was a really cool moment. Some cake ensued soon there-after and a rousing game of Things. I'm not going to lie, Things is amazing. I'm looking for it tomorrow. First thing.

So, given that this is the OFFICIAL May 21 post, I want to wish Shannon another Happy Birthday. HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY, SHANNON!!! You'll never have another birthday that matches the actual date of your birth...so enjoy this one.

I got back home around 2:09-ish and found out that Denver had beat the Lakers tonight. That, on top of a Tigers sweep of the Rangers, made it another good day for sports. Haha. Tomorrow is game 2 of the Magic/Cavaliers series as well as the start of interleague play with those same Detroit Tigers and the Colorado Rockies. Always a good time. Oh yeah...and some Detroit hockey team looks to go up 3 games to none on Chicago. Hmmm...

If I'm thirsty then I'm going to take a drink,

B

May 20

Wow. That's all I can say. There has been a lot of good sports on the past few months. From the Tourney, to the start of the MLB season, NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs...wow. Tonight was no different. The Tigers beat the Rangers AGAIN after another great pitching performance from Justin Verlander, who went 6 innings, allowed 1 run, and struck out 8. Both him and Porcello have been on fire this month. Absolute fire. So that's 5 wins in a row, all at home, and 7 of the last 10. We go for the sweep tomorrow at 1:00 with Jackson on the mound. And during all of this, the rest of the AL Central have been faltering. I'll take it.

The big game of the night was the Cleveland/Orlando match-up. Wow. After leading throughout the entire game - by as much as 16 in the first half - the Cavs actually slipped up in the forth quarter. The final minute of this game was clutch shot after clutch shot from both teams. In the end, Rashard Lewis hit a 3 that ended up being a dagger as the Magic beat the Cavaliers by one point. This was Cleveland's first loss in these playoffs, and it was a hell of a game. Seriously, when the "blue guys" are hitting their 3's, they're the hardest team to defend in the NBA. It also helps that they have a player named Dwight Howard manning the post. Home court now goes to the Magic. Let's see if they take advantage.

Work was typical. Nothing too exciting, besides a nice lunch trip to the Meijer. I'll probably be finishing up a spot tomorrow...so that's cool. Got home, had an amazing dinner, and saw a couple good games. Not a bad way to end a night.

Also, Ryan VanLoon ended up stopping by early this morning and borrowing my camera for a radio shoot he had. From what I heard, everything went well, so that's good too. A lot of good today.

They will see us waving from such great heights,

B

May 19

It seems like I'm always commenting on either work or sports. Today is more of the same. For some reason, I was tired all day. Long story short, I should be busy the next couple of days making some new spots. We'll see how they turn out.

It was a Tuesday, so you know some new music/movies came out. Nothing I was too interested in on the DVD side, but CD-wise I picked up the new Iron & Wine CD - a collection of rarities, B-Sides, etc. - and Method Man & Redman's new Blackout 2 album. Good times, indeed.

Lastly I headed on back home for some dinner and a ton of sports. The Tigers, behind strong pitching from Dontrelle Willis (!?!?!?), shutout an extremely hot Texas Rangers team, 4-0. How good was Willis? He pitched into the 7th inning, striking out 5, allowing only 1 hit, and, at one point, retiring 17 straight hitters. Wow. Welcome back, if only for tonight. On the hockey side of things, the Red Wings survived in O.T. after a mistake by Chicago lead to a 3 on 1 and a goal by Samuelsson. It was a fitting end, given that the play RIGHT before that, Osgood scared the hell out of me. And in the NBA, the Lakers (BOOO) beat the Nuggets after 2 bone headed plays in the final minute of the game. You'd think professional basketball players could at least inbounds a basketball without turning it over, especially at a time when you just gave up a lead you'd had the majority of the game...but no. I hate to say it, but Denver choked. I hope this doesn't continue to be a pattern for them in the playoffs. On the brightside, this was only game one and, really, the Lakers did what they were supposed to do - hold home court advantage. There's still plenty of time.

Honestly, I was hoping to get a call from the Apple store at some point, but it never came. Maybe tomorrow.

Go back baby the way you came,

B

May 18

Today was different. Work was extremely slow, most likely due to the fact that a lot of our clients are not having shows this weekend. So, I worked on finishing up a few spots for next week and dug through the archives to find a couple old commericals. And that was work.

After, I drove over to see Brandon and Matt for a few minutes, then it was over to Brad's where myself and Eric enjoyed some nice dinner and some NHL Live action. Never played the game until tonight...and it's not easy. I don't play many video games at all (outside of the occasional Mario Kart Wii), but I really do enjoy 360 sports games. Hmmm.

Let this be understood: I love my life. Seriously. However, every once in a while...I feel like something is missing. Anyone else feel the same? If not, you're very lucky.

Go go gadget flow,

B

May 17

Early to bed, early to rise. I like that saying. Too bad I don't like it enough to listen to it. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night and was running on empty throughout the day. I wasn't tired enough to watch the Tigers come back (if you can even call it that) to beat the A's 11-7, though. Then there was the Lakers domination of Houston...which was sad. Not sad was the Red Wings beating the Blackhawks in game one of the Western Conference Finals, 5-2. Unfortunately I ended up passing out and missing the last 3 goals we scored. Haha. I got up just in time to realize I was running a tad bit late to Sunday dinner at Laura's. A wake up call, indeed. So I got up and drove out there, had another great dinner, and hung out until the end of the Orlando and Boston game...which BOSTON LOST! Haha. Sorry, I'm just not a Celtic fan...at all. At. All.

Kudos to the Magic for not choking. Now you get LeBron and the Cavs. Have fun with that.

Oh, and one more thing. I received a call after dinner from the Apple store. Apparently, they think the problem may be - drum roll please... - the power supply AGAIN. They ran some tests and may have pin-pointed the problem. It could have something to do with the video card and how it's wired. So, the plan is to install a new supply, run a few more tests, and give me a call to let me know when it's all done. And since it's been less than a month since I last brought it in, it looks like all repairs and parts should be free. Should be...but I'm holding out hope for now. At this point, I won't be satisfied with any answer until my computer is back in my room and I've left it on for a couple of nights with no technical malfunctions...period.

Smile tomorrow and something good will follow,

B