Congratulations Lilie!!!

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,

Wow, it's been a few days. Well, I'd like to start off first & foremost by congratulating Lilie on her new job opportunity in sunny California. It's been a long time coming, it's exactly what she was looking for, they couldn't have hired a more qualified or pleasant person (besides myself), and SHE HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT because it's going to be awesome. Every single thing about it is positive...and it all happens for a reason, right? Congratulations Lilie...and thanks for the pumpkin cookies Friday night.

So yeah, back to me, because that IS why you're all here, right? Right. Friday night, Nikki drove me to the airport because she rocks...and I asked. I chilled at the airport for about four hours before the flight took off...but it was okay because I was at a bar watching preseason basketball and talking to two great ladies, the bartender Linda & a lady named Lucy and they were reminiscing about the good ol' days...and how they were glad that they were old enough where they could smoke pot again. I even tried flirting with another girl (more my age) at the bar...but it didn't turn out well when her boyfriend called her. Drats! Well, at least I tried to be charming...and the older ladies loved it. Oh well. Flew back to Utah, met up with Lilie to discuss our future careers (congratulations yet again) and then slept for a few hours.

Saturday was the big day for packing up stuff onto the moving van. It took all damn day. Mostly it was because it was basically me and my 50-year old parents all day...but I do want to send a special shout-out to Nate Dogg for actually showing up and helping out with some of the bigger furniture in the morning. We couldn't have done it without ya buddy. Good karma comes back around everybody. Yeah, I won't bore you with every detail...but I will tell you that towards the end, we were disconnecting the washer/dryer...and the sh*thole I've been living in for over three years just decided to crumble like a dried-out turd. One of the connections was leaking and we couldn't close it (because the handles were held together by rust & dreams) so we turned off the water main (to the whole 4-plex). Then the neighbors complained...and I told them what the situation was...and we disconnected the water heater. Then the upstairs toilet decided that it wanted to constantly fill...so we called the landlord's son Eric (who's a nice guy) and told him to get his ass down there and take care of it...because we weren't going to be blamed for the place falling apart. It was a deck of cards when I moved in...and I kept it standing with duct tape and hope. They're going to have to COMPLETELY regut that place before anybody will move in. Glad to be out of there.

Anyway, after exhausting myself, I bought some Chinese for everybody and slept at my dad's house in a bed designed for a six-year old (Cars sheets, twin size, stuffed animals, etc) and also used his jetted tub that I helped install last year. It pretty much convinced me to join the fitness club nextdoor to my apartments, so that I'll have access to a hot tub for about two bucks a day. Oh...and I can work out too if I want to. I liked working out and being in shape...but it was such a pain in the ass the last few years just to find time AND energy to do it. I'm hoping that my job and the convenience of being next door will help...along with the possibility of playing pick-up games with local celebrities. Did I mention that a retired Hall of Fame basketball player lives in my apartment complex? Did I mention that I love this place...and that it's only about ten times better than the apartment that I used to call the Cooliseum?

Sunday, my dad & I left around 9:30 AM and got to Denver around 7:30 PM...but that's only part of the story. I drove for ten hours...and was never even tired. Why you ask? Well, my dad was there to keep me company...and even when he dozed off, there was rock & roll CDs that he brought to keep up the tempo...and there was also the constant fear of driving some 600 miles with all of my earthly possession and my best friend/father in one vehicle at about 75 miles per hour. I wasn't really stressed...but I really wasn't not stressed either. It's all good. It went smoothly. There was some casualties though. During a stop in Rawlins to stretch and urinate, we opened up the back to check the payload...and one of the boxes of booze (yes, I said ONE of the BOXES of booze) fell out...but out of the dozen or so bottles, the only ones that broke were a cheap bottle of red wine, one of four vodka bottles (it's what everybody brings), and two bottles of soy sauce and spicy peanut sauce that were on top. You can imagine the concoction of smells emitting from this spill. So we picked the glass out...and continued on.

That night, I took my dad to the ESPN Zone and we watched the last few innings of a World Series game and football highlights from earlier...and enjoyed some Cheesesteaks. We would need the strength for the next day, when we moved the stuff from the van to the apartment...and by the way, I had enough sh*t to FILL a 16' moving van. I'll copy the picture one of these days to prove it...and this was AFTER I gave a lot of stuff to the DI...including a couch, loveseat and computer desk. We slept on air mattresses like babies that night.

Monday, I worked the morning then we spent the next four hours, just the two of us moving stuff up into my apartment on the 34th floor. We were amazing. Like a well-oiled machine that runs of bacon and badass. After all that, we went to Wal-Mart and my dad insisted on getting me some groceries...and you bet your ass that I wasn't about to say no. So now I have some food in my fridge. Over the next few days/weeks, I'll be setting up the furniture, connecting all the wires, emptying all the boxes, doing a bunch of laundry, dusting, all the fun stuff, then I can invited ladies back to my home to check out the view. Did I mention that I like the view? That night, we went to Rock Bottom Brewery and basically just enjoyed the food, the beer, and the scenery...provided by about a dozen hot young ladies at the tables around us for a birthday party. It was...very reassuring that I have good odds out here as a tall, hot, single guy with a good job and a nice apartment. Did I mention that I like the...yeah, I'm sure that I have.

Today, I worked most of the day but got off a little early so that I could take the moving van back (just missed out the day before because they closed about ten minutes earlier). Then we had dinner and watched the first NBA game of the season for the Celtics & Cavs at Jim & Nick's Bar-B-Q. Great food there...and I even have some leftovers for breakfast...or an Unpack Snack later tonight. We'll see. So other than that, not a whole lot to say...and I've probably said too much anyway. Filly's in New Orleans for Halloween. Bubbles may be going to Slick City (just in time to miss me) for Halloween. I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do or be for Halloween...but I'm sure that I'll find something...even if it's just go to the movies and watch "Zack & Miri Make A Porno" or something. Halloween's just a great excuse for me to get a little buzzed and see girls dress provacatively...like any day at a strip club...but the bulletwounds are usually fake at the Halloween party.

That'll do it for me for today. Have a great day everybody...and I'll keep you posted on the goings on around here...but like I said, mostly cleaning & unpacking the next few days. Oh yeah...and learning that whole job thing...and how I'm going to pay for the apartment. Probably have to sell a kidney or my seed or something. Such a pain when you're credit union won't send you checks a week after you asked for them. Rent's due, bitches! Step it up. Anyway, again, have a great day...and CONGRATULATIONS LILIE!!!