Why is it that bulk granola is more expensive than boxed granola? I thought the idea behind bulk is to get a better deal. WTF. Anyhow, my granola is soggy. Apparently I needed to buy the bulk granola as the extra dollar would have clearly prevented the current state of my granola.

I got my vest! I came > < that close to buying it online at the hotel in Miami, but I said to myself, "Josh you crazy bastard just wait until you get home." I was rewarded with a 20% discount at Dick's Sporting Goods! Its great to get exactly what you want, but its even greater when you get what you want for less than you were willing to pay. The savings allowed me to purchase a new optic mouse, since I've been using the low-tech roller ball style. Thats so '90s. I also bought the afore mentioned granola and some yogurt. I like blueberry and raspberry, but I had to try the orange cream. Have you ever seen a product called "Gogurt?" When we were kids we had the popsicles that slid out of the long plastic sleeves. Now kids have yogurt instead of popsicles. There is something extremely unnatural about that, and I think its a shame that they have to bait kids into eating things that are good for them. Its like, "Oh, see? Yogurt is fun!!!" Fuck that. Yogurt in a tube is un-American. Why is it that we approach healthy eating like its a shit-filled twinkie? More Ovaltine please! Have you actually ever had Ovaltine? Its like grinding up vitamins into watered down chocolate milk. I hereby request a moratorium on Ovaltine consumption because guess what... the kids know it tastes like shit and some buck-toothed kid in a commercial isn't going to convince a 5-year old that Ovaltine tastes good. By the same token, because yogurt is in a tube doesn't mean that a kid is going to think its fun. You know what else is in a tube? Novicaine shots and crazy glue.

What was I doing in Miami?

Oh... I'll resize the picture and submit another post. Trust me guys, its worth it. I took some really nice pictures but the ones I had hoped would turn out great didn't. They were blurry. I suck at nighttime photography.

I didn't get a chance to talk about the party last weekend - I had a great time! (e:terry) is a wild man. Of course, I hope the beautiful and talented dynamic duo of (e:tina) and (e:lilho) had a good time. (e:jason) and I will surely crash the Halloween bash, but I don't think our dream of dressing up as a soldier/detainee combo is going to happen.

If my life last night was written as a narrative, and if I was in fact a conceited bastard, it would start something like this -

I smirk as I sip my Chivas Regal while the regular people take the walk of shame through first class.

My boss upgraded my ticket for me, which I thought was super cool. Did anybody see the moon last night? The view was magnificent from the air.

I started reading The Da Vinci Code this week - excellent book.

Miami is the shit, 'nuff said. Last night we went to Bayside as a group to have dinner at Bubba Gump's. Then we took a boatride around the bay - beautiful! We even went by Star Island. I saw Shaq's house. Some 42-year old single guy has a house as big as Shaq's, and a boat the length of my house. Ladies, there you go!

Tonight we go for dinner at Lario's, which is located in South Beach and owned by Gloria Estefan. I got some nice nighttime pictures of Miami from the boat - when I come home I will share.

Ciao -

Well, I went to do my shopping, as I've promised to my dear readers. I got a sweet Kenneth Cole jobby, but I'm a little unsure about it. Actually (and please don't take offense to this, gay contingent) but I was wondering to myself before I bought it, "Is this too gay for me to be wearing? I'll let you be the judge. I wasn't able to get my North Face vest because THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT IN STOCK! I asked if there was somewhere else that they knew would carry it, and they said "not anywhere around here." Fuck. I guess I'm ordering it online. So, dear readers, I'll have my new shirt but not my new vest.

Now, on to things that are more important. I got a bottle of Maker's and some sour mix. Its on like Donkey Kong tonight!

Hey, some new (e:peeps)!

Anyhow, I skipped out of work early today and went over to Globe - I had the cuban reuben and some of the chicken and leeks soup - excellent! I'm continually amazed at the quality of the food there. I've never been disappointed with any of the soups I've tried there, and I'll pretty much try anything. The "strangest" I think I've had there was a lamb meatball and israeli couscous soup. Its freaking delicious.

My plan for the next couple days is to do NOTHING. I'm officially off until I leave for Miami on Sunday. I've decided to definitely buy some new gear on Friday. I kind of have an idea of what I want, but hopefully I won't have to spend too much time at the mall. I hate the mall! I'm gonna buy a long sleeve shirt, preferably an indigo color or something very dark like midnight blue. Stripes or solid. Plus I realized that I still have the same Eddie Bauer vest that I bought in 1997. Entonces, I am going to get a black North Face vest.

I've seriously spent way too much money at Spot lately.

hey that place (e:hodown) was talking about has sausages called "the whitey" and "the guido" - I'm sold.

I really need to cut my hair, but I'm having second thoughts about shaving it down. nTo tell you the truth I like styling my hair... I think I look better when I throw the product up in there and tousle it a bit. I don't know what to do.

I think I'm going to blow some dough on a new shirt for Sarah's party. I've always wanted a black North Face vest too. Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm getting a big phat ol' paycheck on Friday? lol. I've been so spendthrifty the past few months, I think I deserve to go blow some cash irresponsibly. I love fucking the most, but spending cash is a close number two. I decided to sideline my Nano scheme and blow the money at the bar the other night. Whats another 200? To hell with it, its time to treat myself... I haven't treated myself since I bought my iPod.

My job function is changing - essentially they are going to give me more responsibility, more authority, and MORE MONEY. Plus benefits, but the downside to that is that I have to pay in to participate. Whatever. I'm going to also be splitting time between Buffalo and the rest of the world more evenly... and to be candid I like the idea. I will essentially be the President's right hand, and if our company blows up (and '06 looks REALLY good for us) then that can lead to even bigger things. I love California and my boss hates it, so my absolute favorite destination is going to remain all mine.
    Anyhow, things are looking up!

So finally, after working 6 months for my current employer, I finally yelled "uncle." I e-mailed my boss this week and told him that the travel schedule was getting me burned out and depressed.... luckily for me he didn't have to force me to go anywhere because my upcoming scheduled trip to OK/AR got cancelled. Actually had I not e-mailed him I'd be buying a ticket to New York today. I'll be in Buffalo for the whole week before my company has a conference in Miami for 3 days. We have people coming from Guetamala, DR, Pakistan, Mexico, and of course the good ol' USA. Oh yeah, I leave for Miami at 7:25AM on a Sunday :(


On the bright side of things, I got a free roundtrip after 7 weeks of flying Southwest! 8 round trips or 16 one-way trips and you get a free roundtrip to any of 60 destinations. I'm thinking about going to L.A., staying with my friend Jonas there for a couple days, then taking a car up the coast for that famous drive. Then, stay in Seattle for a couple days then come home. Novel idea, traveling on my own time!

I've finally given up on the performance of my iPod - the battery on it is performing miserably, and having tested it for a couple months I'm convinced that it has to go back to the Apple Store. I still have all of the original packaging, the receipt, even the freaking bag that it came in. I'm going to either exchange it, or even better, pay the difference for a black Nano.

I'm sleepwalking through work this week, and I wish I wasn't even here. Its nice to know that at the very least this is the last night I'll be staying here!

Wow, a place I am visiting for work actually has internet! I don't have anything to do quite yet so I'm killing time.

So, Bush made his next appointment today to the Supreme Court. He couldn't have made a worse decision - it was completely illogical, betrayed those who voted him in, and essentially is going to ensure hatred for him from both the left and the right. Don't be surprised when Republicans don't muster the votes needed for this atrocious choice for a candidate and begin lashing out at the President publicly over this.

(e:paul) is this Mac broken or did you play with the site design a tad? Whatever is different, I like it a lot.

So, Julio and I successfully worked our way through the days work in time to make it to Arthur Bryant's for lunch. The place is in a thuggish neighborhood in Kansas City proper, but it was no problem. This BBQ is freaking GOOD. I have a problem with people that don't like BBQ. If you at least like the sauce thats okay, but still.... I have nothing against vegetarians but I don't mind saying that you are missing a side of the culinary world badly and its making baby Jesus cry. Just trust me on that one.

Firstly, this place has pictures of famous people splattered all over the walls. Steven Spielberg, Jimmy Carter, John Ashcroft, Danny Glover (no, really!), Emeril, etc. The recipe is simple. You grab a plate, go up to the window, make your order, then the guys grab your plate and proceed the futile process of jamming literally a pound of smoked meat in between two slabs of Wonder bread. "You want fries?" Um... not today sir. You put the sauce on yourself, but actually trying to eat this thing like a sandwich is an impossibility.

The best part - BEER! A mug of Bud and this BBQ was absolutely divine... and trust me when I say that I don't put the words "Bud" and "divine" in the same sentence lightly. I don't think its any better or any worse than Texas or Carolina BBQ.... its all different. Still though, I liked it so much that I immediately bought a bottle of their Original Sauce and their "Rich and Spicy" sauce. Plus, I bought a tanker-sized large Coke simply because I love souvenier (sic?) cups. The trouble is packing all of this crap I buy. Still though, in my fridge I have BBQ sauce from the most famous areas for BBQ in the USA, and I'm happy. I would be happier if I had a smoker because I'd make all of 700 block stink like smoked pork... and theres nothing anybody could do about it but beg for a piece! Muahahaha!

My new Shure E2C canalphones work like a dream on the plane... growing babies and adult babies were properly drowned out by the glorious sounds of Debussy today. If you are flying Southwest on the same plane I am on, please forget about getting on the plane before I do, its just impossible. That is, of course, unless you are travelling with children and get to pre-board. The landing into Chicago tonight was the scariest since the one in Santiago, DR - there were very strong sideways gusts and we could feel the plane rocking even up until the wheels hit the runway. Our pilot was an ace - on my way out I said "A+!" to him, and he just kind of said to me "Yep" - as in, "Of course it was A+, I'm the shit and I get paid $200k a year to make that happen." You are so right, buddy.

When you go through as many airports as I do you forego certain formalities that proper society typically adheres to.

1. Airport toilets are a dream when you have 5 hours on a plane coming up... I don't care what anybody says but airport toilets beat the airplane toilets 10/10 times.

2. I wear whatevers comfortable and forget about what looks proper. I like my collared shirts but when I board I switch to the hoodie - I look descheveled but WTF do I care? I don't know anybody on the plane, I never will see them again, and I just want 2 semi-comfortable hours in peace.

3. Wallet, cell, keys, coins, belts, all packed before you get to security. I'm through that bad boy in 5 minutes almost every time, and I've got my shoes back on and heading toward my gate long while Mr. Suit and Tie is juggling his luggage and his Blackberry and holding up the line.

Anyhow Elmwood, peace!