In the last 2 days, I have learned the following lessons:
1) What you learned in driver's ED when you were 15 is true, you can hydroplane even when the ground barely looks damp. I am ok, was only going 40mph....I did not panic and remembered to pump the brakes.
2) The nice police officer who stopped to see if I needed help when I blew my tire on the 202 told me that he often receives calls stating that people are "driving crazy and trying to kill themselves" on this freeway (after I told him I work for ValueOptions). I told them that doesn't suprise me after the things I've seen and stories I've heard about.
3) Do not mess with Toby's car's seatbelts! They will make you punch yourself in the face and split your own lip.
4) When you are hungry, everything looks like food. There is a collage at work and I thought the word "friendship" said "fried shrimp." I'm glad no one was around when I was standing there saying "mmmm, fried shrimp."
5) Buying the Bushisms calendar was a bad idea. I feel more dumb everyday reading it and knowing that logical human beings actually voted for this man. Oh and I mean voted, not just voted him into office. He is a monkey! And not even an articulate speaking one at that. Jan 31st quote: "Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat." Didn't past presidents have people to write their speeches for them? I could write better crap in 4th grade. He reminds me of Biff from Back to the Future. America, what a country!

I have a "Bushisms" desk calendar at work and this past weekend's quote was good enough to put up for all you to see. Bushisms are stupid things our leader says and boy are there a lot of them.

Here is the one for January 13/14:
"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."

So sitting here with no pressing obligations on a Saturday afternoon. What should I do? I know! I'll write the post I've been meaning to post about.

GenCon SoCal in November:
Was super fun! There weren't as many board and card game choices but I kept busy the whole time and did have quite a lack of sleep. I'm sure it annoyed Toby that I was jumping on him at 8am everyday so we could get breakfast and start a 15 hour gaming day. There was this awesome booth were you could have a miniature and paint it. They gave us tips and stuff and was a great social atmosphere. My mini (link in the previous post) took 2 hours to complete and I see mistakes I made, but for my first one I think it's super. I'd like to get a bunch of ppl together to paint the 100 Zombies!! I have. I plan to pay helpers a Fudruckers 1lb burger challenge, my treat. Gotta buy paints though, I got brushes and trays. There was a dance that Saturday night at GenCon and while sitting with a friend talking a few hours prior, 2 guys walked up to us and asked us to it. I have never had someone randomly ask me out before and they weren't even 300lb smelly gamer boys. Finally get to check something off my list of things I want before I die. Seeing as how we both had bfs that were pooping at the time, we politely declined but ended up going anyway (not with them, I don't even remember what they looked like). I cut up a rug after my 2 drink minimum....they played pretty fun songs to dance to for the 45 minutes Toby let me be there.

My Job:
I interviewed and transferred to the 2nd closest ValueOptions site to my house. I have a bigger desk that I have to stretch to reach the phone (no short person jokes!), we have an office suite that is about 4 times the size of both pink team rooms from my last clinic, and a good supervisor. She yells a lot, but she's funny too. She laughed when it was 5:55p on Friday (I go home at 6), she tells me she can't accept the service plan it took 3 hours to write and revise because the consumer signed it before the date that the computer put on it and would need to get resigned, and I yelled "son of a bitch." I'm in a good place, it's not a bad team, but its not the Pink Team. Gosh I miss those people and how much fun we used to have. It pisses me off to no end that at the very last minute they kept the person who was hired most recently of all case managers....and she isn't even good at the job. Roberto did most of her work cause they had a thing even though she's engaged to someone else. Prolly should forget that last part....I couldn't avoid the gossip train entirely there, much as I try. Also, they had Gary stay at the last last minute. He had secured a position at Thomas Rd much like me at the Alma School clinic. He is a great guy from what I can tell, and I am glad he's going to a better team (green). But if they were firing people left and right all over the Valley, and claimed it was all by hire date, then I should have been the first person to be asked to stay. So I do take it quite personal that my caseload of great people was ripped apart and the best desk in the place was overtaken (though I am glad by who took it), I am also the person who lives closest to that building. As for my caseload, I am slowly meeting the people. It's sad that since my new place is a priority for State Audits, they focus on paperwork more then helping people in the field. It also decreases my mileage reimbursement check every month.

My Car:
I have my precious back! In some ways, it drives better then before....I knew there was a problem with the alignment before but alignment places said there wasn't. Had to pay for it myself because nobody was doing anything about it and my back was killing me not having a car that I could sit upright in. Went to physical therapy for nearly 2 months. Not only did that leave me with no lunch break many times but was very unpleasant (the process not the place). The insurance company took nearly 2 fucking months to make an offer, it was just rediculously fucked up. I've submitted all the paperwork I believe I need to and am waiting for them to reimburse me. It's just been an awful experience and I know that this isn't the way it's suppose to happen as I have been hit by people making retarded decisions several times in the past. It's like Elliot got away with ruining me for a time and there aren't AZ laws to protect the victim, it protects insurance companies thus encouraging bad driving. My accident was 100% avoidable if the other guy hadn't made a fucking obvious mistake. Things are getting better, stress level is lower and my asthma isn't so bad anymore - had an asthma attack for about 5 days after the accident.

Non-Denominational Winter Holiday:
Was great! I made a huge Non-Denominational Winter Holiday (Christmas) Dinner feast for Toby and I. It included my very first try at a turkey - which turned out very well, only a tiny bit dry in the white meat. I'm still making turkey & stuffing burritos and sandwiches, heh. Presents were great too, mostly got Heroscape stuff. I am so excited to play my first game with the Castle set and new units. Dibs on the Massachusetts Minute Men. Ang got me an amazing 6 foot long puzzle of the most advanced map of the world in 1375, 4000 pieces. I'm hoping to start a puzzle night weekly. I don't own a puzzle surface big enough for the whole thing...will have to do it half and half.

Lastly:
Let's end with a picture:
http://members.cox.net/mgaza/blogpics/frigamegroup.jpg
It is a large chunk of the Friday gaming group at Seth and Kirstin's wedding. From left to right: Toby, Me, Jo, Ben, Katie, and Chris.

Yeah yeah yeah, been meaning to post, so much has happened in the last couple of months. This one will be quick and then when I have time, a much more in depth one to follow.

First: It is the new year, and with that comes tallying up how many trivia questions I got right and wrong on the 2006 Simpsons trivia desk calendar that Matt gave me for Christmas '05. I win, but not by much. 166 correct, 147 wrong....I'll need to watch more Simpsons to get a better score in the future. (Yes that doesn't add up to 365....a bunch of the weekends were combined on a page with just 1 question.)

Last but not least: Check out my first ever painted miniature that I did at GenCon SoCal:
http://members.cox.net/mgaza/blogpics/myfirstpaintedmini.jpg