Sunday, July 30, 2006

When the Wife's Away

Well Saturday started out like any other Saturday. The wife and I did some chores that had to be done. Around 3:00 The Wife wanted a nap, so she's asleep and I am bored watching TV. Little did I know things were about to change. The phone rings a half hour later.

It's old man Wilson! The thing is he is not that old, but I like to tease him. He was suppose to take a motorcycle tour up through Columbus, but rain had stopped the trip. "Hey, it's stopped raining I'm thinkin' about comin' on up." F-ing A! There happened to be a party tonight and The Wife had to work. I hate going solo to these things, and Wilson is the kind of guy you never know what's going to happen. We might end up in a machete fight in Belize or something!

He finally arrive on his motorcycle around 7:30. He's a little sore in the posterior from all the riding so we just chill and watch Billy Madison on Comedy Central. After a bit of sitting and finding out the glories of Google Earth and Picasa we head on out to the Winking Lizardd for some tasty wings and the nectar of the gods known as a "Black and raspberry" which is made from half Guinness and half Lindeman. I have never had a drink that does down that easy! It does not taste sour, bitter, or have that "beer taste" to it. It feels like a non-alcoholic drink that cost $7.10 each. We polished of most of the wings and two "black and raspberries" and head over to Phiester-palooza 2: The electric boogalo.

Last year when I attended it was held in an apartment that was a little too small for the amount of people there. On a party level it was OK but nothing great. This year though it was a house and truthfully the house was almost too small for this raging party! We weave our way to the back deck and I hear the sound of "WINKY!" Nicole from promotions knows of the nickname given to be from my internship at a previous station and occasionally calls me that. She is already a couple sheets to the wind, but you know a party is going to be good when you get people screaming nicknames out.

I am married, but all I have to say is DAMN! The scenery at this party was great! I saw people in a whole new light. It was as if everyone with a double X chromosome decided to go completely out of there way to look extra good. Wilson was amassed and just liked looking around. He also enjoyed talking to all of them with his low voice. I think he actually tries to drop it even more when the ladies are around and for some strange reason the ladies like it.

We go down to the basement where we here there is a game being played a game I had never heard of call "Flip Cup" or as M. Taylor called it "Flippy Cup." It seemed very simple to play. You get 4 or 5 people on a team, line-up, you chug a half a cup of beer, place the cup on the edge of the table and try to "Flip" the cup upside down so that the mouth is now on the table. Once the cup has been "flipped" the next person drinks and repeats the previous steps. Once one team is declared the winner by having all cups "flipped" first the loosing team has to do a shot of some form. It ranged from Rum to tequila.

We did not participate in such games. I was driving and Wilson hates domestic beer. We mostly watched the hot red head drink and grind on the bar. For some reason we both love red heads and she was very nice. It's not like I would have ever had a chance in my life, nor Wilson for that fact. It's just nice to admire what God can make.

After a while we started to notice that "Flip Cup" started to get a little serious. Hartong's team had been killing everyone, but a turn of events (One of the team mates starting to get sick) the other team of Red Head, A guy from I see in the hall ways, Fes, and M Taylor started to take Hartong out behind the wood shed. She started to get "agitated" and wanted revenge. They played this game all night. One team would win three or four then the other would win the same.

The game lasted so long that I became the beer runner and made three trips with the pitcher to the keg. The game was at a stand still and the keg was empty. I improvised and found a 24 pack of Miller Lite and the game continued. All cheered "Hoozah! Hoozah to the beer man! Hoozah Jeremy!" Well they didn't do that, but I could tell they were thinking it. Finally the game ended and no real consensus on who the winner was. I believe everyone was the winner because everyone got to drink and do shots.



I believe it was a good night for all. Many work people came out and enjoyed the evening. Who knows maybe the birthday boy got a present at the end of the night.


Thursday, July 27, 2006

Look a monkey



This post is basically so I can make a picture for the bio. This is Dashboard Monkey. He travels the state with me. If you are wondering about the bandages, we were rear ended in Toledo and we both got a little injured. I hurt my back and he went flying off the dashboard. It's been a year now, but he is milking everything he can get from workers compensation so he refuses to take off the eye bandage.

Right place wrong time

Yesterday I was in Defiance, Ohio for Sam Hornish Jr Day. Sam won the Indianapolis 500 back in May and since the IRL is only a few hours away at Michigan International Speedway. The town, IRL and Indy 500 thought it would be a good time for a parade. It was a nice and easy story except for my one flaw. I always have something stupid happen.

I was finished shooting Sam at a local hospital for a greet and meet when I took my camera off my shoulder I hit something. Well, that something was someone and that someone was Crystal Hornish AKA Sam's wife. I hit her in the shoulder with 36lbs camera. She was ok, luckily it was only a grazing hit, but every time I go to a big sporting event I do something stupid or have a misunderstanding of sorts:
  1. Almost ran over Ozzie Guillen at the All-Star game
  2. In advertantly blocked Mike Wilban from the drink station in the media room at a Cleveland Cav's game
  3. Yelled KOO!!!! in the Reds press box when said player was pitching
  4. Was accused of making an anti-Semitic comment when all I said was I was out of "juice" That what happens when I'm dehydrated and on a sugar low. I slur my words, pick up my southern accent and talk faster.

Overall I'm a good shooter, but stupid things just happen to me.


At least I'm not this guy.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Vesuvius Times Entry

*WARNING*
This post is mostly for my friends "down home." We like to make fake newspaper stories about each other. If you EVER see the title Vesuvius Times Entry... RUN!
Man things Orlando Bloom wants to be him.
COLUMBUS, OH
In an article in the Columbus Dispatch it was quoted in the life section that if Orlando Bloom was not an actor he would be a wartime photojournalist. Jeremy Baker a 30 year old photojournalist for "The Network" believed that Orlando Bloom wanted to be him. "You see I am a photojournalist right? So we are in a time of war correct? So that makes me a wartime photojournalist and YOU KNOW IT!" Friends are not shocked that Baker would jump to that conclusion. "You see he's always try to make his job bigger than it is." Claims Gypsy moth catcher Adam Wilson (1,001 years old). "You take the word of Wilson?" Yells Baker. "He runs around a field with a giant net, a tutu and wings catching gypsy moths!." Even though Wilson does appear to be look silly in leggings and a tutu others claim Baker is just a little misguided. "After he won that award for a story he did we had to call him award winning photojournalist for a month! Can you believe that a month, now that whole Orlando Bloom this is making work hell." States fellow photojournalist Micah Riffle.
Jeremy Baker has been seen around the state wearing sunglasses and trying to hid from "fans" and "popuratzzi." He signs autographs to people who wonder why he is in their neighborhood shooting a story. "It was the oddest thing, I just wanted to know what all the hubbub was and that guy over there hands me a photographer with his signature on it... Just wired."
Even his wife thinks its a little much. "I really like Orlando Bloom and Jeremy is no Orlando. Oh yeah he keeps making me call him the pirate of my Caribbean, I have no idea what that means."
We tried to get a comment from recluse Joe Bowman but all we heard was "Damn videographer!"
Next Time Brokeback Wilson, Gypsy Moth love not allowed under Ohio Law or Man doesn't Leave trailer for 7 months

Saturday, July 22, 2006

So you had a bad day... Well, make that 2 months


It's been a while since I posted. Not because I've not had anything to say, it's that I have been exhausted and not feeling "up to the task." After what The Wife and I have been through since our marriage, once things settle down we should be able to handle anything.

It all started with The Wife being fired from her job a few weeks before the wedding. We handled that well. She found a Nanny gig three days a week for a set of triplets. Well all things there were going fine till they decided to move to Texas. She's now been out of work for the better part of a month. She's been trying to supplement some work with a "sitter" service, but they have not been helping that much. She's now working one day a week at our church. We went from her making almost $300 a week to $80 (before taxes). Well that caused a problem when her parents decided to enforce a rent increase of $250. We knew about this before hand, but we are so far streched for money this is not what we needed. We have struggled financial which has caused many an argument. Luckily, we have some how gotten most of our bills paid. A few are not full payments, but most are. I hate money.

Then there's my job. I am completely unhappy. I just found out that I have used all my sick day. In my near seven years of TV I have only used all my sick days ONCE! That was because I needed knee surgery. I actually think I'm getting sick more often, because I really do not want to be at work. I've been in trouble for my "attitude." We moved the only decent reporter to a new shift so I have to work with Reporter A (see the ranting post a couple down.) almost three times a week. Even sports shoots are no longer fun. I get to sleep in and go to work late, but I won't get off work till 10, 11 or later and then be back in at 9:30 and have to work with Reporter A because I had a good day the day before. Then this past Thursday my tripod decided that it wanted a nap so it fell over. Oh, did I mention my $30,000 CAMERA was on the tripod at the time. Oh, and the former GM who now is in charge of sales at the the local sister station to the Network was standing there. Oh, and it may cost $7,000 to fix. Oh yeah, and will take 2 or 3 months to fix. It's to the point that I am looking around, but I have ZERO confidence in myself, which makes it hard to look. Also the fact that we have no money makes the moving process a hell of a lot harder.

Also this week I get a phone call with The Wife balling her eyes out. She had a bad e-mail from one of her sister-in-laws and called her mom about it and the mom make The Wife feel even worse. The Wife grew up with a lot of strange circumstances. She was pretty much in foster homes most of her formative years. At age six she was placed in with her adoptive family. At age 9 I believe went back to her biological father then went BACK to her adoptive family. Well this has caused some issues. The e-mail from the sister-in-law basically said we where in grateful for what the adoptive parents have done for us and that we were bad people because we have not finished our thank you letters for the wedding. Also complained that Mikki and her biological sister were late to the church on the day of her wedding making her hair dresser (the sister-in-laws mother) wait 30 minutes. The mother then complained about The Wife's biological sister and they took some comments she made wrong and it "ruined" the reception. Well all of this was news to us. My family had a blast and never knew anything was wrong. If anyone knows the sister know that 30 minutes late to anything is a miracle! She's usually 45 to an hour late. I think that her family doesn't realize that they make comments that makes The Wife feel less of a person which makes it harder for me, because I have to build her back up.

You know what? I am gratefully that they bought a condo for her to rent and it is nice. I know they have helped her with finances. I know that she did not like school and it was a struggle to get her to graduate, but don't bring it up every time we talk or every time she calls to vent about our struggles.

I hope things start getting better. If not, I'm either going to become an alcoholic or start wearing The Wife's dresses smear make-up on my face and go on a rampage.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Fire made it better


The 4th of July is good for three things:
  1. America's independence
  2. Blowin' "stuff" up
  3. cook outs

With that said I will attempt to blog today's wonderful events, So previously on the 4th

9:00Am Wake up and shower

10:00Am The Wife makes breakfast and we soon realize that the USA network is running a Law & Order marathon. Those bastards! How can we clean if they do this to us every holiday.

11:00AM-4:00Pm we finally start cleaning the house and it looks great!

4:00 PM I get to run chores including dropping off parking passes to family and friends. Final stop is Krogers, I needed to pick up marshmallows, chocolate, and gram crackers for Smores. Mind you we don't have an open flame, just a grill

5:00- 7:00PM Prep the food and get ready for family.

From this point on I will be trying to live blog the night.

7:00PM FIRE! I HAVE MADE FIRE!

7:10 Everyone shows up and I'm not ready to start the food... oops! Wait a second! Why is everyone on time... what about being fashionably late.

8:00PM Food is almost done!

OK I suck at this live blogging thing. What happened the rest of the night was fireworks that rocked! Westerville did a really good job with this years show.

Monday, July 03, 2006

4th of July Trivia info


During the Civil War the city of Vicksburg, Ms. was a vital port for the south. By May of 1863 all of the Mississippi River was controlled by the Union, except for Vicksburg. On the 18th of May the Union forces under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant set a siege around the port town. Finally on July 4th Vicksburg General Joseph E. Johnson surrendered Vicksburg to Grant.

The trivia part of the post is, Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4th of July for 81 years until 1944! Hey Vicksburg, hold a grudge much?