BAHSTEN, BEEYA, and life.

GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT times in Boston, Mass. So much so, that I'm having one of those "what the hell am I doing with my life in Jacksonville?" days, missing Amanda and Theo.

We got to Boston on Friday around noon-time. Had our running-through-the-airport moment with Amanda n Teddy, and got ourselves a taxi. Ohhh the taxi. We walk up, and the guy is not paying attention. Mike asks if the four of us and our luggage will fit, he says "yeah." Well, his entire front seat looked like we were about to hop into a truck drivers truck after about two weeks straight on the road. There was no seat. There was wrappers, papers, garbage, snacks, and a box of Frosted Flakes. Regardless, we toss our shit in and the guy offers a towel for Mike to sit on for our trip. HA. Not only this, but he has the bullet-proof glass slider on lock between the front seat and the back seat, so the three of us are laughing and carrying on in the back, all the while inable to hear or say anything to Mike or the cabby up front. PS the guy had serious coke pinky nails... yes two..

MmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmCOKE!

Anyway. So we got checked into the hotel, not the motel, the HOL...I...DAY...INNNNNN and dropped our shit off. Then we headed off to meet Dan and Maureen. After walking in the bitter cold/wind for about 20 minutes, we found them, and ate at Whiskey's Steakhouse for some good lunch and beers. Amanda and I had a blueberry ale that was pretty delish. After this, they went to the Sam Adam's brewery tour, and Maureen and I went to Faneuil Hall. For the most part, for us, this was a bust... .so we went somewhere where everybody knows your name........CHEERS! We asked the guy if he'd never been to Boston and had two days to see some cool things, what he would do........ and he said "House of Blues." I wanted to say to go stuff himself, but I resisted. So we went on a mini walking tour of Freedom Trail - until it got to be wayyyyyyyyy too cold. We turned around and went to Houston's for another drink, until everyone else met up.

At this point, the only things I've bought myself are gloves. Damnit.

We go to Kingfish Hall for dinner... which was the furthest thing from being anything I would like, but oh well. When in Boston... man up and watch other people eat seafood til their hearts content. Jessica, a friend from college, met up after dinner and showed us over to Little Italy, where we went to a mafia/mob bar. Literally - the kind of place with low lighting, expensive wine, and dudes in suits standing everywhere just watching. This is not a joke. But regardless, it was great to see her and catch up a bit.

Saturday was pretty awesome. Like, start to finish. We got up and around, and started the day with a little muffin and bev's on the corner at Au Bon Pain. This was the day of the engagement pictures... so we started at the coffee shop! Perhaps a lil insight into how the day went, pre-Photoshop? Eh?

A typical morning with the two of them :) (click the pick to see it without the weird crop..grr)

Continued March 6th... I know, I'm behind schedule.

So the picture taking was awesome. We went up and down the streets of Beacon Hill and sat on some pretty stoops and took some shots, and some in front of pretty wrought-iron fencing. We also found out that we were literally "over the hill" from Boston Common. It was pretty in the winter... I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in warmer climates.

The beer festival? FANTASTIC. I mean where else can you pay $40 and drink 2-ounce pours of over 100 different flavors of beer?! It was definitely crowded, the line an hour before go-time was around the corner! Always good to see people loving some tasty beers. I can't wait to see some of the "new" beers in the stores... since most of the ones I was in love with are only poured draft in the bars in their respective locations nationwide.

A good italian dinner followed...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm CARBS!

That night, the BF didn't feel so hot, so he fell asleep at the hotel. Amanda, Teddy Tio, and myself decided to have ourselves a little night. We went to the "real" Cheers (to say we did it) and had a beer and good convo with the super-friendly bartender. He helped us to the next area of bars, and ended up at an irish-saloon place (a-la McFaddens... loud, bro, and bitches). We left after a beer and went to Rock-Bottom Brewery, which is a brewhouse/restaurant. It's dim-lit, some good beers for a restaurant, and pretty large. Nice decor. Quiet. We stayed here until late and had some good conversation and drinks. Amanda had a handful of martinis until she was feeling good... haha... and they both had a second dinner.

All in all, Boston was a fantastic time... I can't wait to go back again and see it in the warm months and full blooms. Until then, here's a few more engagement pics that have been completed. I'm trying my best to keep to my word of two weeks...but we are moving and have had friends in town!

Click the pic to see it without the weird crop....grrr

It's official.

I'm a Florida resident! I just got back from taking my license pic at the DMV. You just know that's always a good time waiting to happen. Luckily for me, I made an "appointment" to have this done. Unluckily for me, either Florida or Michigan's system "went down," and I STILL had to wait... though not as long as the other 150 people crammed into the 30x30' space that is the Jacksonville area Department of Motor Vehicles.

Highlight? Walking out of the place with my new license (that I look ridiculous in, as the girl snapped the picture while I wasn't paying attention) and there is a woman and her (approximately 4 year old) son, carried by his arm... "YAYYY!! This means we don't gots to be afraid of the police no mo!!!" followed by squeals from the young'n. I wanted to laugh my ass off, but I was right in front of her. So I waited til I got in my car and busted up..... until I realized my sun roof was wide open. So I called Jennifer to share in my laughter. That all happened.

Sooo.... that's ONE thing off of the gigangic list of things that I need to do for myself, including:
1) Visiting tax attorney's office to transfer my title to Florida
2) Getting plates and tags for my vehicle
3) Finding a dentist
4) Finding a doctor
5) Get 6 month teeth cleaning appointment (currently due for)
6) Get cavity filled (currently PASTTT due for)
7) Visit new doctor, establish relationship, demand answers to my dry skin predicament
8) Pay for all of the beforementioned, somehow.
9) Find new place to live before May 1... if not before April 1

IN OTHER NEWS!

Mitch and Jenn are coming to JACK TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only that, but I beat out a trip to JAMAICA! They were between coming to Jax to see us, or going to Jamaica... yeah! So they'll be here next Friday, and then we're going to DISNEY WORLD ON MONDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS!

What an outstanding weekend.

All things are good.

Friday was another good night at Kickbacks.

Saturday was doing my part to revive the economy by dropping a fat grand on hair, tires, dinner, and Matrix Trilogy box set in Blu-Ray. Yep, that all happened. So much for the budget.

Sunday was the DONNA MARATHON... which was SO fun and SO inspiring. I'm pretty sure we want to run it next year... whether it be the full or the half. There's no reason why a 79 year old man can finish 26.2 miles and I can't... that's just a slap in my fat ass to get serious. The idea of running that far makes my head explode... do you know how far that is?

For my Flint readers: it's from Applebees on Miller Road to OWOSSO.

View Larger Map

For my Grand Rapids readers? A marathon is like RUNNING, no STOPPING, from Grand Haven to WALKER:

View Larger Map

MY GOD.

Valentine's Day Eve Eve

Fun weekend ahead!

Okay week behind!

THE OFFICE PART 2 OF 2 TONIGHT :)



Laura's grandmother passed away yesterday morning, early. Rest in peace, Grandma Betty.

Dozer has started running alongside us during bike rides this week.

Work has had it's ups and downs... nothing terrible. Nothing a good lunch-vent couldn't take care of, anyway. Our director of account services is officially leaving the company as of March 13th... to move into a position that is perfect for him. He's a very artsy guy, and this will allow him a lot of artistic freedom and happiness in his new venture.

People still pee and stare at me from the bushes outside of the office.

No crazy people at work this week, thankfully.

I've almost got my tax information collected, and it appears I'm going to be leaps and BOUNDS ahead of where I am now as far as paying off a credit card. WOOT to me (and see other blog!)!

SEVEN DAYS UNTIL BOSTON! ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW MORNING WE WILL BE TOUCHING DOWN AT SNOWY LOGAN INTERNATIONAL! YAYAYAYAYAYYYY! I cannot WAIT to see Amanda, Theo, and the beautiful city and all of it's beer-drinking greatness!

Tomorrow: Work, KICKBACKS... beer me!!!
Saturday: Hiking @ Little Talbot Island with the Doze and the BF, driving around Riverside for a new home, shmancy dinner with the BF somewhere of his choosing, concert @ The Pit.
Sunday: RISE N SHINE at 3:30 a.m. or so..... get out to the beach at 4:45 a.m. to volunteer for the Donna Breast Cancer Marathon (26.2 With Donna)! WOO HOO! I'm excited, really... though it'll be rough showing it at 4 a.m. Afternoon? Grocery shopping (ick). And RELAXING.

So that's where I'll be this weekend!

OH! And I've got a new phone number as of next week... so ask for that (to my three loyal viewers, haha). Also means NO MORE PHONE BILL FOR ME! MONEY IN DA BANK, SHAWTY WHAT YA DRANK!

Kidding.

Have fun at the Lupe show tonight, B! Can't wait to see a few pics. I'm sure it'll be a blast.

Until next time...

Don't even try to challenge Dozer in his badassness.

Mini advertising, gigantic impression.

I think that advertising is pretty neat. Obviously, I studied it for four years, and have been working in it for three at this juncture. But this is the latest that has me impressed. Mini advertising is always outstanding. Always interesting, intriguing... all the things a good ad should be. Well done.

Ever get those days when you feel like everyone is annoyed with you? I'm having one of those... and I totally don't get why. But it's driving me nuts. I feel like everyone at work is ready to freak out on me for no reason.

Maybe more later? You never do know.

People like to be pissed. haha

Another successful weekend down the pipe!

Friday we visited a new place (for us) called Kickbacks. It was badass... it's totally a Michigan style bar, through and through. I can't wait for next Friday to go there again :)

Saturday was a good day. Got up and took the Doze to the doggy park to hang out with other Boxer's. After that, went and had a DEEEELISH submarine sandwich from Firehouse Subs. Mike went his separate way for his bands photo shoot. I, on the other hand, took Dozer and myself out to drive down A1A for a little road trip. We ended up in St. Augustine after a rather dramatic drive where I needed to find a bathroom STAT as did Dozer..... as evidenced by the pee on my door. Cool. So we got down there, walked around at Vilano Beach.... and watched Dozer dig himself a wild-man-style hole (where he whips himself into a frenzy, thrashing sand all over and flipping around in circles... kinda like this:)




After this little drive, we headed home to hang out at the apartment for a bit. We went to see Slumdog Millionaire last night. GREAT movie. It really is worth all the praise and accolades that people have been giving it. I was hoping that it wasn't going to be one of those feelings afterwards like "god everyone's hyped this shit up so much, now it just sucks." Nope, not at all. It really is a great movie. Great concept, great story, great execution. It's just so crazy to step outside of the little box that is your life, even if it is only in the form of seeing a movie like this. This is people's lives. And we couldn't even imagine... what they've seen... what they've lived through... how they live on a daily basis.

Today? Good day, all around. Got up early (for a Sunday).. got the Walmart trip and tax crap out of the way before 11 a.m. From there, we cleaned up the apartment for a bit. We ran around town and checked out what's new in the retail world. Circuit City is going out of business, so we checked out two of those. I have always wanted a GPS in my car... and soooo....

Ta-da! Copped 'dat for 30% off. It's a basic model, and it's the smaller one. I don't like big honkin' things hanging in my dash. I'm not particularly thrilled about having this chillin in my window, but I'll find a place, I'm sure. Now i'm just pumped for a road trip! :) :) :) :) :)

Watchin the Grammy's, now! Travis Barker as well as Mark & Tom made their appearance together.... to announce they're getting back together! We'll see how that goes. Good to see something like what happened to Travis (plane crash) not stop him from doing what he loves.

At this juncture, we have some exciting visitors coming to town in the next two months! Mitch & Jenn want to come down at the end of this month... my parents + Kaitlyn and possibly my grandma want to come the first week of April... and Katrina wants to come the weekend my family leaves! YAYYYAYAYAYYY!! I'm so excited to see familiar faces, soon!

Took Doze out on his first bike ride tonight. It was a complete SUCCESS! YES! That means the beach cruisers are coming out of retirement and back to the beach! He did great, trotting/jogging right alongside Mike's bike. The only trouble was the way back from the Gate when I was in front, where Dozer decided to do like his Siberian Husky cousins and pull Mike like he were an Iditerod Dog Sled Champion Leader. Pretty funny, regardless.

Time to wind down this Sunday... we'll see where the week takes us :) TWELVE DAYS UNTIL BOSTON, HERE WE COME!

The personalities of Jax.

Lady walks in, arm full of magazines. Long skirt. Knit cap. Jacket. Pink lipstick. No odor. I’d almost think she was normal, minus the mega-waddle she walked with.

And then she opened her mouth.

Me: Good afternoon, how can I help you? (All smiles.)
Her: I’m good! I’m good. Is this a travel agency?
Me: No, this is an advertising agency.
Her: Oh. So if I want my business to do advertising, I come to you. (Moves in closer to counter)
Me: Yes.
Her: What’s the price? (Closer still.)
Me: Well it depends on your whole package. It’ll depend on your ad campaign, your media buys, the whole thing.
Her: So give me a range. What’s the prices? Doncha have a sheet? (…….closer)
Me: It depends on what elements you need done.
Her: SO TV COMMERCIALS? WHAT BE THE PRICE? (Leaning in so close I feel like she’s going to swallow me into the GIANT, GAPING HOLE THAT IS HER NON-EXISTENT FRONT TOOTH.)
Me: It would depend on if you want local or cable TV, the channel, the time frame, the program………
Her: SO YOU DON’T HAVE NO PRICES? NO PRICE SHEET?
Me: (Looks over at Mark Berman…. Yes, I was not the only one in the lobby watching this shit go down.) You can take Jim’s card to talk to h……………..
Her: FO GET IT! (FLAILING her arm in the air, practically tossing the magazines and hitting me in the face, waddling off….. taking a full, and fully awkward, 30 seconds to make it to the door and exit, then stares through the window as she walks away and Mark laughs at her through the glass).

F my life. I should put this shit on that Web site……….. www.FMyLife.com .