The Manic Mechanic

There is something joyfully minimalist and playful in this odd yet wonderful collection of samples of music and dialog from the movie Up. Hard to describe, so just give it a whirl whydontcha. Otherwise, there will be more awkward sentences in the offing.

My, my, it's been a vastly busy few days for me. Work has been a nightmare, as it usually is this time of year. Part of my big order from Amazon came in Thursday, so lots of music has been cranking around the house. Friday evening Jeff and I went to see Rent. Having seen the play (and thoroughly enjoying it) we had high expectations for the film. It did not disappoint. In fact, many parts of the movie seemed more powerful on the big screen than in person. The detailed sets, camera angles and lighting, the sequences, all seemed to add so much more impact. I consider this a must-see movie, despite whether you have seen the play or not.

Saturday had us heading up to NJ for a weekend spent with our dear friend Packy as well as a jaunt to a yearly Christmas Holiday (hah, got all secular AND fundie there) party in the evening. Got to stuff ourselves with terrific foods while catching up on all the latest from our buddies from NYC and NJ. It's great seeing these guys, I feel I don't do it nearly enough. Packy is a dear (though can come up with confusing directions), and he puts up with nearly constant harrassment from me and Jeff. It's in direct proportion to how much we adore the big lug, however. I'd seriously damage anyone who would hurt him. Tentative plans are being tossed around for a NYC trip in the beginning of February.

Sunday afternoon saw us driving home. After the trip I had noticed that my committment ring had gone missing. Searching the truck and around the yard and house came up empty. I was bumming big time. Monday morning before Jeff headed off for school and his final exams he searched the truck in the daylight and discovered the ring on the floor behind the seat. Apparently my digging around back there for the various new CDs knocked the ring off and I was totally unaware. Crisis averted, happy me once again.

Monday was more madhouse preparations for A2LA Accreditation for the calibration labs. The longish weekend and the day's stress caused me to come home and collapse in bed after dinner. I needed the rest, big time. Today was the culmination of the accreditation, which ended up being quite interesting and actually rather mentally stimulating compared to the workaday drudgery. On the way home after working overtime, I stopped at Homo Depot to pick up the remaining backordered items I needed for my door project (which might just have to wait till the spring, unless I get a couple good days between xmas and new year). Minor entertainment for me in-store as I watched a rather huge (but sadly, not very attractive) dude loading concrete bags onto a cart. 90 pound sacks, stacked two at a time, as easily as one would handle pizza boxes. Me being me, I quipped, "Looks like you need some help there." Dude laughed, said that he's barely making it, to which I said, "You'd impress me more if you were doing three at a time." To which he did, saying "Like this?". "That's more like it!" says I, as I continue on with my business, biting my hand and thinking that this dude just bent down, scooped up two-hundred and seventy pounds of concrete up in his hands, swiveled around and set them knee-high on a flat cart as if they were a stack of sofa cushions. Color me impressed, and wanting some lift-and-carry time.

I really need to get my total wreck of a body back into shape. I miss the soreness of accomplishment, which has been replaced by soreness of old age.

One a completely different and mashed-up note, it's Save Dean Gray Tuesday. Fans of Green Day should rush over here while there is still time and pick up on one hella cool CD's worth of music for slack, just to piss off The Man. You wont be disappointed.