Buh-Bye Blockbuster

I'm very, very sad to hear the news about Blockbuster Video finally closing its last brick and mortar store.

I can't remember the last time I actually rented a video from them, but sad nonetheless.

I worked at Blockbuster Video during college for a few years at a few locations.  It actually was one of the most enjoyable jobs I've ever had.

At the time, I didn't fully appreciate the blue oxford and khaki pant uniform, but I cannot imagine how much time it saved me in lieu of trying to figure out what to wear to work each day.

It was there that I became addicted to Twizzlers, having an endless supply at my fingertips.

I started out at the Forest Drive location in Columbia, South Carolinas, but then moved on to the West Columbia store.  I also filled in at the Irmo and Lexington locations.

When I first started, I primarily worked evenings and weekends.  I hated the "greet every customer" policy, as it sounded robotic on a busy Friday evening.  I aspired to be the "Movie Guide" who would roam the store and make suggestions.  I moved on to the day shift, where I would open the store with Keith, the assistant manager.  We had so much fun during those less hectic hours.  Snooping into customer accounts and seeing what types of movies they viewed was a particular favorite pastime.

Inventory was a bitch, conducted during the witching hours between Saturday and Sunday once a month.  Cleaning shelves was also a chore I'd rather forget.

I'll never forget the people I worked with though and I often wonder what they're doing today.  I wonder if they're as sad as I?  It's the end of an era.  Twenty years from now, kids will read about video rentals with puzzlement, the same way I view drive-in movies and sock-hops in the 1960's.  I guess that's just a normal part of getting old.

Haircut

I think a witch just cut my hair.

Seriously.

Obviously I didn't feel like questioning someone with a straight razor held that lose to my neck.

Think I might have to switch barber shops.

Adios Dexter

Last night mark the series finale of "Dexter."

And that's about all I want to say about it.

It reeked.

9/11 Anniversary

Today marks the 12 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

12 years!  It seems like yesterday.

I was in my late 20's back then, living in Atlanta and traveling the world.

Now I'm 40, and I vow not to complain about growing a bit older.  Unlike the victims of the attacks, I've had the luxury of continuing to live, and for that, I am grateful.

I'm Published!

Does this mean I'm a paid writer now???

http://voices.yahoo.com/5-tips-successful-technical-writing-12269317.html

In the Clouds

I'm in the middle of a busy stretch....

I just returned last night from a quick weekend trip to see family in Garden City, SC.  I think I've finally learned my lesson regarding 6 am Saturday morning flights.  No sooner had I recovered than it was time to return home yesterday.  But it was good seeing my sister and niece.

Today I'm off to Nashville for a few days of work.  This was an unplanned trip, so I'm still smarting about having to go back to the airport soon.  I'll be home Friday morning.  I would have flown out Thursday night, but that's the first South Carolina football game.  More on that later this week.

All of this is just filler until this weekend.  I'm off the NYC for the U.S. Open.  Yay!!!!  My annual pilgrimage to Flushing Meadows.  I'm trying to contain my excitement but I think this is the weekend I look forward to most each year.

Halloween Costume

To the reader inquiring about my Halloween costume, sorry about the delayed response. I'm unable to respond directly to comments via BlogSpot, so please include your contact details in any messages.

 

You can purchase a similar costume at http://www.halloweencostumes.com/robin-costume.html?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=PLA-All&gclid=CMnN25P0_LYCFU6f4AodcGkA8Q

 

It's actually the costume from "Batman & Robin" television series, but it was similar enough.  I just covered up the Letter R with an E for Eminem.  And bleached my hair blonde.  Everyone loved it.

Future King

Ok, so maybe we Americans are a bit obsessed with the British royal family.  But seriously, it's fascinating, and although we spent many years and countless lives asserting our independence, you can't blame us for being a little envious and curious about some of the traditions lost during the Revolution.

The future King of England was born Monday.  While this may not have as much significance in modern society as it did three hundred years ago, it's still not an everyday occurrence.  In fact, the last time it happened was over thirty years ago.  I was still in gradeschool, yet I remember it like it was yesterday.

Cellphones and internet had not yet invaded out lives, so we still got our news the old-fashioned way---the nightly news, gossip shows such as "Entertainment Tonight" broadcast on the 3 available networks (yes, I said 3!), and trash rags like the "National Enquirer."  Back in the day, events like royal births were big events, even more so than the tabloid frenzy we see today.

Those were the days...good times...

Monarchist or not, congratulations to the happy family, and here's to holding on to the remaining bits of tradition that connect us to our past.

Florida Weather

So---

After my first full week of Florida residency, I am happy to report that I have already made numerous observations, the kind noticed by only a true local, which have led me to conclude the following.

The weather forecast here is quite possibly the least accurate of any place I've lived.

Every day, same forecast, scattered showers, chances of rain, blah, blah, blah.

Except the rain never comes.  Is it some sort of twisted mind game?

I suppose most people would be happy to avoid a summer downpour, but I honestly would like to avoid having to artificially water my lawn.  So I can't help but feel a bit deceived when the rain never come.

Can someone please explain to me if this is an intentional trick, or if perhaps the rain does hit some areas (hence the use of the word scattered)?  Maybe this has something to do with the weird peninsular geography of the state and the fact that it is surrounded by water on so many sides.

I guess I'm not that much of a local yet.  I'll report back next year, when maybe I'll have drawn more well-founded conclusions surrounding this sort of phenomena.

Finally Moved

OK, it's official.  As of last Friday night, I'm a resident of the state of Florida.  To be more specific, I'm calling Ponte Vedra Beach, located between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, home.

Moving stinks, but I'm getting settled in fairly quickly.  There are still a never-ending amount of projects to be completed, but that comes with the territory.  I'm very excited about all the new adventures.  Everything from going to the grocery store seems new.

More changes to come....

4th of July

Hot damn.  4th of July and a four-day weekend.

For my non-American readers, this is when my people celebrate our declaration of independence from England.  While I generally support freedom and such, I really do like most things British, and will probably spend a fair amount of the time off watching Wimbledon.

Before I become fully engaged in the tennis, I'm leaving for Florida today to house hunt.  Yep, a move is on the horizon.  Aside from necessitating a change in the title of this blog, moving is going to be a huge pain in my arse, and I think I'm still in denial.

But change is good, so will persevere through the tough times...

Saturday

Saturday, and time for a haircut.  Other than that, I'm finding it hard to get motivated.

Distracted by thoughts of moving to tropical locations...

Going to "Shagging on the Cooper" tonight with mates.  No, that is not the British version of shag.  I'm referring to the state dance of South Carolina.

Should still be fun though : )

What a dull week though.  Seriously.  I need to get more creative re:life instead of bitching about nothing being on television.  At least Wimbledon starts soon.  And "Dexter."

And finally, congrats to the Gamecock baseball team for another great season!  Unfortunately they fell a little short this year, ending their season to North Carolina in the Super Regional (3 games).  But still, what a great rebuilding year.  Now I guess I have to pull for my friend Carolyn's L.S.U. Tigers in the College World Series...

New York City

My birthday celebration in New York City was a blast!

Unfortunately, it's taken me nearly a week to recover.  So much activity packed into so little time = a very tired 40 year old.

I saw some awesome shows.  Bette Midler was fantastic in her one-woman play, as was Alan Cumming in "Macbeth."  How either of them can remember so much dialog is beyond my comprehension as  I can barely remember my home address.  They were both robbed of Tony nominations.  I'm just saying...

Speaking of Tony, I also saw the Tony award-winning musical "Once" for the second time.  I was a bit apprehensive as some of the original cast had departed, but that turned out to be totally unmerited.  The show is as awesome as always, and I plan on seeing it again when I am up there for Labor Day.

Sunday night I went to the Mets-Braves game at Citi Field.  That brought back really good memories of going to Turner Field when I lived in Atlanta, one of my favorites days out.  Unfortunately, the weather in NYC for most of the weekend was a little chillier than a Hotlanta summer, so I spent most of the time in jeans in sweatshirts.  Thus I only made it to the 5th inning in my wind-whipped nose-bleed seats.

The Monday I departed finally brought in some warm weather and I was finally able to make my first trip down to Coney Island.  Once was more than enough.  I'm sure Coney Island would have been enjoyable about 30 years ago, but some things are better left to my imagination.  It's similar to Myrtle Beach, except with more Snookis and Situations running around.

 

40

So this is 40.

I honestly cannot believe I arrived here so quickly, but here I am, another birthday, another decade.

I keep telling anyone who will listen that it's not the number that bothers me, it's the speed in which the time has flown by.  And I honestly believe that.

It feels like just yesterday I was stressing out over university classes, just barely out of my family home and high school.

But honestly, if I really think about all that I've done and experienced in the past twenty years, and the people I've met, I realize that I've been incredibly blessed.  And busy.

Moving to Atlanta.  Australia.  Traveling Europe.  Making friends across the United States and worldwide.

So Happy Birthday to me.  I'm looking forward to the next 20 years.  And this time I promise to slow down and appreciate the ride!

It doesn't hurt that I'm going to NYC tomorrow for the Memorial Day weekend.  That'll take the sting out of anything...

Superman

So I went to see the latest "Star Trek" flick at the theatre today.

The movie was alright, but I have to admit I checked out mentally during the previews.

The object of my obsession is the upcoming Superman movie.  I'm all for this current trend of rebooting stale franchises and giving life to stories from my childhood.  The new generation deserves to benefit from the tales of Superman, Star Trek, and Star Wars as much as I did when I was young.  (No jokes about my birthday next week.  Please!)

What I don't understand is, if you're going to update a classic tale such as Superman, why not update EVERY FREAKING DETAIL?

Case in point:

Why does Superman still wear tights?  Isn't that just a dated throwback to the action heroes of the 60's?  Does it make him more aerodynamic in flight?  He's the man of steel, I hardly think the drag and resistance created by a nice MODERN pair of fitted khaki shorts (from the Gap of course) is going to significantly impact his flight speed.  He's faster than a speeding bullet and all.

And what's with that cape?  It's a bit showy if you ask me.  I cannot believe that Superman honestly thinks that added piece of uniform is going to intimidate his foes.  Unless he's going head to head with Liberace.

And if he's really concerned with aerodynamics, as addressed above, a piece of cloth flapping in the wind is hardly helping the cause.

On the other hand, I guess Halloween wouldn't be as much fun if kids and adults alike didn't have the opportunity to ditch their everyday couture and throw on the best skintight flammable polyester superhero attire Wal-Mart has to offer.

But it still makes me cringe, and not just because my days of being able to pull of a pair of tights are long gone...


 

Damned Kids

Once again, I spent the week in Denver for work.  It was a fairly uneventful week.  The weather was nice, at least there was no snow.  I continued to awake at odd hours of the night.  I just can't seem to adjust to time zone differences like I used to.

My flight home yesterday was a little disheartening.  First of all, Denver International Airport stinks.  TSA confiscated a jar of artichoke dip (don't ask) from my carry-on luggage.  I consider dip neither liquid nor gel, but I relinquished the jar without much of a fuss.  That's the reward I get for not checking luggage.

Once on my Delta flight to Atlanta, I found myself sandwiched in between two other gentlemen.

The young man seated next to the window seemed nice enough, although I questioned whether or not he was an unaccompanied minor.  Right before take-off he asked if I wanted the window up so that we could watch the plane become airborne.

I found this a bit odd, wondering if I should expect anything spectacular, such as a close call with the Rocky Mountains.  He said that just going from zero to 400 miles an hour was a huge feat.

Having taken countless flights in my lifetime, I chose not to seem jaded and merely entertained his whimsical request.  I should have known better, because it was all downhill from there.

In a span of five minutes, the conversation suddenly went from the spectacular take-off to him questioning my age.  After replying that I had a few weeks left in my 30's, he asked "How's your health?"

How's my health?  Seriously?  I'm still not sure if he was intentionally trying to make me feel geriatric, but I couldn't help but be a tiny bit offended by the subsequent line of questioning.  As I found out, he was a mere 24, and was very interested in what it feels like to get old.  It got much worse, but I've managed to block most of it out, in hopes of avoiding weeks of therapy.

Fucker.  How I restrained myself from jamming his tween skull against the against his window is nothing short of a miracle, but it surely is owed only to the known existence of air marshals.

Needless to say, once we landed in Atlanta, I hobbled my ancient ass to my connecting flight to Atlanta, and was home by 8 pm.  Just in time for bed.  Like a true oldie.

My final thoughts before passing out in bed were apologetic in nature, sending out positive thoughts of remorse to any of my elders who I might have ever offended with youthful arrogance.  It's true what they say, every dog indeed has his day.

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo everyone....

I hope everyone is celebrating with a cold margarita.  Remember to practice moderation - nothing worse than starting the week with a margarita hangover.

Saturday!!!!!

Well, the good news is that it's Saturday!

Other than that, I have nothing exciting to report.

I woke up early to go downtown for my bi-weekly haircut, only to find that they were closed to attend a funeral. Bah!

So now I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go. I think I'll go to the Harris Teeter, and then pack for my trip to Denver tomorrow.

Exciting stuff!

I am actually excited to be going to the Dock Street Theatre tonight to see their production of "Anything Goes."  Even more excited that I won the tickets.  Now if only I could work on winning the lottery.

For non-Charlestonians, the Dock Street Theatre was the first building built in America to be used exclusively for theatrical performances. It's quite haunted.

 

Super Bowl

Today marks the greatest American holiday, non-religious and non-historical, that is...

Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Unfortunately, I couldn't give two shits about either of the teams playing.  Baltimore and San Francisco, just doesn't cut it.  If I do tune in, it'll either be for the commercials or the Beyonce halftime show.

Blah.