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