Well, since I last wrote in this thing, I had my 25th birthday. Had a relaxing vacation down in Louisiana, as well as some great food. Also got some money for my birthday. You know, when you get older, you get less gifts for your birthday, and more money instead. Not that I'm complaining, because I'd rather get money than a gift I hate. I remember that grandma would give me clothes that were out of style in the 50's. They went straight to Goodwill. At least someone who needed clothes got clothes, even if they were ridiculously out of style.

Anyway, I used most of those birthday offers I mentioned in the previous entry. Genghis Grill was great as usual. Red Robin was pretty good, although I wouldn't go unless it's the free birthday meal; they're just expensive. I love the free burrito from Moe's. Plus, you get free chips & salsa.

This week, I've been trying to get back into the swing of work. It's hard to do after you've had a real vacation. At least things are going great. I had my review today, and it was super. Plus, I get a bonus on Friday. I just have to keep working my ass off, and it will pay off big. It helps that I really like my job. Plus, the monthly birthday lunch is Friday as well.

This does bring me to a conundrum.

I want to vote for Obama, as I don't want a third term of Dubya. However, Obama and other Democrats want to kill the Medicare Advantage program, which means they'd be taking my jerb.

I guess I'll have to vote for that crazy bitch Cynthia McKinney.

It's less than a week until my 25th birthday. I know this because the free birthday crap has been coming in by the truckload. Here's the offers I have gotten so far:

* Qdoba - buy 1 burrito, get 1 free
* Genghis Grill - free bowl of Mongolian BBQ
* Buffalo Wild Wings - free dessert with $5 purchase
* Mrs. Winner's - buy 1 chicken biscuit, get 1 free
* Red Robin - free birthday burger
* McAlister's Deli - $5 gift certificate

All of those are good offers, except the ones from Buffalo Wild Wings and Mrs. Winner's. Therefore, I unsubscribed from their mailing lists. I'm also expecting more offers, like a free burrito from Moe's.

Well, since I have some free food and some time to kill today, I figure I'll go have some fun. First, I got a new watch, but I need to get the bracelet part re-sized. I'll do a little bowling, a little shopping, and eat some free food from Genghis Grill. Yep, time to go to Cool Springs.

I had a chance to go to a sushi buffet for lunch last Monday, and it was good. Ru-San's down in the Gulch had a buffet of sushi, hot Japanese dishes (like fried rice), and banana tempura for dessert. For $9.75, I would go again. However, it does put you in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon.

As I mentioned earlier, I bought a new watch. It's solar-powered and automatically sets the time from the atomic clock. Geek-riffic and easy to use. I love it so far. Just need to get it sized to my wrist.

Well, time to go party like it's my birthday. Although it's not my birthday yet, no reason to not start early.

Last weekend, I went down to Cool Springs to get my car serviced. Service went a little slow, so obviously I was able to get well-acquainted with a television that lacked cable or satellite. It made me realize how Saturday mornings back in the 80's and 90's were much more awesome than the Saturday mornings today. I guess it's because the government didn't want to force educational crap down our throats on weekends back then. See, we did all our learnin' at school; Saturday mornings were a refuge from that. You'd get up early (like you would for school, but actually wanting to get up early), get some cereal, and plop your ass down in front of the TV and be entertained.

OK, enough diatribes for now.

Since I was down in Cool Springs, I figured I'd have some fun. I rolled a few frames (99, 97, and 102 if you're curious); the 10-pin always seemed to act like it was flipping me off.

I also took a lap around the Cool Springs Galleria. I stopped in Spencer's to check out some posters, when I saw the most disturbing product on the shelf. Macaweenie & Cheese. Yes, it's exactly what you think it is. I guess it's something one would serve at bachelorette parties or something. I know I wouldn't eat it... but maybe Paris Hilton would.

I decided to hold off on the real serious searching for a house until July. Many reasons, but all good reasons. At least I have an idea of some places I want to live:

Bellevue
Nipper's Corner
Brentwood (OK, I really can't afford it, but I can dream, damn it!)
Franklin
Goodlettsville
Old Hickory
Hermitage

If you have any suggestions, leave a comment.

Oh, and I just realized it's 26 days to the silver anniversary of my birth.

Last time, I mentioned that the employee spring picnic at work was coming up at the end of the month. It's this Friday, we can wear shorts, and there's a taco bar (oh, I hope they get the catering from Qdoba). What more needs to be said?

Well, the rest of this entry, of course.

As I mentioned in my last entry, I'm trying to find a radio station crazy enough to let me develop their website. So far, no success. One turn-down, and a couple others are leaving me hanging. I sent e-mails to them a week ago, and I've heard nothing since. I will follow up and see if I can make any headway. This time, I will not be denied. (Doesn't that sound like a line from some bad movie?)

I haven't started "officially" looking for a house yet, but I plan to in the next month. My finances look good, my credit should be good (I'm going to be pulling my reports soon), and there's some houses I like in my price range. I'm debating whether to get a Realtor, or to go it on my own, armed with the MLS listings and Craigslist. Haven't made a decision on that one.

Once I buy a house, I plan to purchase some furniture and a flat-screen TV or two. At my old job, these would be nothing but pipe dreams. And the bonus in mid-July should be full of awesome.

Gotta get my car serviced on Saturday. That means a whole day of fun down in Cool Springs. I'm gonna do some bowling, some shopping, and some eating. I wonder what would be a good place for lunch. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

One of the recent changes I've made is the weather for the site. I used to pull an XML file from the Weather Channel's site. Not anymore. Now, I use the National Weather Service's XML service. Your tax dollars at work. Anyway, I programmed a little something that shows the current conditions and 5-day forecasts for Nashville and a couple of other places. Now I just need to find some free radar images, and I'll have a complete weather portal.

Speaking of which, I've kinda rekindled one of my old interests: developing a radio station's website. I've got ideas I'd like to use, but I have never gotten the chance to (for various reasons). There's a couple of stations in the Nashville area I'd like to try and see if they have interest.

Tomorrow, McDonald's is giving out free Southern Style Chicken Sandwiches with a drink purchase. Well, my lunch and dinner plans are set for tomorrow. I'm interested in seeing how much McDonald's has copied off Chick-Fil-A. They have a high standard to live up to. We'll see.

Last night, I volunteered at Bordeaux for a dinner theatre for residents. No, I did not act. They brought in a company to do that. We helped the seniors to the lobby and served cookies and punch. I was expecting a murder mystery, but that didn't happen. I guess they had their reasons, though. At least I earned some more time off, which is a plus.

This past weekend, I traveled over to Archville for a family reunion. If you don't know where that is, it's east of Cleveland. If you don't know where THAT is, it's east of Chattanooga. It was a bit shorter than I expected, but the food was good.

Coming up in a couple of weeks is the employee spring picnic. And in a couple of months, bonuses. I love my job.

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