I had a pretty good weekend. On Saturday, I got new tires put on my car and the alignment done, then went and played golf, and played pretty well, and then played basketball. Then went to my friend's house and a bunch of us watched The Bourne Identity, which was a pretty good movie. Sunday, I made it to the driving range before the rain started and then went to the mall, got a new belt for my vacuum and a new jacket that was on sale at Dillard's. Dillard's had a whole bunch of jackets for sale for ridiculously low prices....including a nice suede jacket for 25 bucks, which was originally 100 bucks. I didn't need anything that heavy since I have a leather jacket, so I got a nice windbreaker for 12 bucks. Then I walked all through the mall and came home and chilled out in front of the TV. It was a pretty busy weekend and I got a lot of exercise.

I guess I was a little harsh on my roommate last time I wrote. He was a lot better over this past weekend, or maybe I've learned to deal with him a little better. The things I said are definitely true, but he could be worse, I'm sure. Still, I don't see this lasting past 1 year.

I am also feeling better for having lost about 15 pounds over the last 3 weeks. Almost everyone I've mentioned this to asks me why I thought I needed to lose weight, and then are surprised when I tell them I'd gotten up above 175 pounds--almost as big as I've ever been. When I was on the 6-month cruise in the Navy, I'd gotten up to 180 pounds. Ideally, I should be around 155-160, which is about where I am now. I've also felt a lot better since I started working out again, at the AOL gym after work. There are a limited number of muscles you can realistically work out in the gym here, since there are like 10 treadmills, a bunch of stairmasters, and fewer machines for people looking to actually bulk up. Anyway I am satisfied with the workout I get and it helps me feel stronger, and it always makes me feel more energetic and happier after I get done.

Comcast did show up. They'd closed my account. Why they couldn't handle that over the phone, who knows.

Two and a half weeks into living with Dan, I have confirmed what I suspected: there is no way I can live with this guy for more than the year my lease commits me to. This guy has some serious issues. Here I go being analytical and judgmental again, but how can you help being that way about someone you live with?

Here's just a few of the issues:
It seems that his entire life is a recurring act to show the world, and himself, what a big, masculine man he is. I've found it almost impossible to have a real conversation with him. If I try to suggest things to him in my least condescending tone, be it his golf swing or how to keep his high-paying job he's about to lose, I get something along the lines of "guess what, I don't give a damn what you think and don't try to tell me what to do." A defining moment was one day at the driving range a few months back. I was showing him what my friends who are good at golf had showed me about my swing and their advice, and he said,"So you just let them tell you what to do? I couldn't deal with that. I can't handle anyone telling me what to do." I was like yeah, Dan, they're offering advice because I asked them, and I'm listening because I recognize they know more about this than me.

I think it's this core issue which pervades a lot of other things. To Dan, it's being less of a man to do someone a favor. He has never done anything for me that he hasn't made sure I knew he'd done over and over, and the one big favor he did for me--loaning me 500 bucks last year after my car engine blew--was the only payment I'd asked for in return for building his parents a computer and fixing his sister's computer. I even STILL hear about this "favor" (repayment?) quite often from him.

Another thing it affects is his inability/unwillingness to ever accept blame. That also implies that you are less of a man. It's always someone else's fault....no matter how ridiculous the rationalization which he tries to pass off may be.

A totally ridiculous assertion he's repeatedly made is that my having a cat implies that I am effeminate in some way. He says "any man that has a cat has got to be gay." I have no idea where this idiotic comment comes from, but he tells me this just about every day.

Surely it's these issues that have him teetering on the brink of losing his job. He, of course, says F it, tries to make it seem like it won't affect him, and says he will never kiss anyone's ass for any reason, whether it's to keep a job, move up, whatever. He won't admit (because it would make him less of a man) that he needs the job. He has no special skills nor accreditations, no college degrees, no special experience other than this sales job, yet he's making at least 36 grand a year.

Last night when he was telling me in his intentionally nonchalant way that he was going to get fired, I asked him what he would do. He said he'd move back in with his parents,who live right down San Pablo Rd, break our lease, and I'd have to find someone else to be my roommate. I told him that'd be fine but he was going to have to pay the broken lease fee...then he said he was joking. I wonder if that's true or not. With his lack of skills I can't see him stepping into a job paying much more than 25 grand a year, especially in this job market. It has me a little worried. We'll see.

I guess I knew about these problems before I moved in with him, but didn't realize the extent of them. To me, it's like living with another Jim Miller without the drugs(the guy that attacked me that day on the basketball court.) I guess I only have 49 and a half more weeks to live with him.....


Otherwise my life is going okay. Still looking for and not finding tech jobs. Life at AOL has been okay lately. My boss has treated me well since our burying of the hatchet. He hasn't given me a lot of extra things to do, but oh well. I know he respects the work I do. The company itself may be going straight down the tubes, but our positions and jobs appear to be about as solid as can be hoped in this company right now. At least, I feel solid about my own standing here.

Last weekend I went to Titusville to hang with the parents and Steve, my bro from Orlando. We went to the space center and watched a few movies. It was okay--typical time with my parents--relaxing and unexciting. I will probably meet up with them at least once more, when they are in Orlando.

I liked the space center when I went there in 1995, and I liked it again this time. It didn't hurt that my brother got me in for free, especially since the full tour costs 33 bucks now. I think the whole space program still embodies what is good about our country and even our modern world. The international space station is an example of amazing cooperation between nations, something that's nice to think about in these on-the-brink-of-war times, as well as being an example of humankind using it's energy to innovate and learn instead of fight. Of course, it was a bit sobering being only a week since the Columbia disaster, but the astronauts and workers there seemed very forthcoming and open to talk about it, which was reassuring.

I also saw Eric and Jane while I was down there. Eric was my roommate 10 years ago, a very smart guy who I got along with well, and Jane is Ralph's ex girlfriend. It was good to see them again.

I also got the gears in motion for our annual pilgrimage to spring training. I set up a nice 3 day trip to see 4 games in 3 days and Hugh has already bought the tickets for them. I am working on the hotel rooms today. The past 4 years we've gone, we never got hotel rooms in advance, and paid big bucks and for the rooms and had to drive around looking for vacancies. So this year that will be out of the way--a huge relief to all of us. It also looks like there's 6 of us going--the usual 4 of us, me, Dan, hugh, and Richard, and two other guys. Eric and Jane are also going to meet us for the game in Titusville since the stadium is five miles from their house. The spring training trip is always a nice, relaxing time and gets all of us juiced for baseball season.

That's it for now. This looks like a very long post.

Well now I am having problems with my computer at home--which can't get on the internet at all since we don't have a phone, the cable modem isn't working, and Comcast never showed up for their appointment to fix it last weekend. So I haven't posted in a wile. Anyway, after some teeth-pulling, I got Comcast to honor their agreement to credit me 20 bucks for having blown off my appointment, as shown in this online article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012903/met_11599773.shtml
I guess that makes me feel a tad better after having wasted 4 hours waiting for them on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. They better show up from 5-8 this coming Sunday.

So, the new place is okay. A LOT smaller. NO closets. But, Vern is still doing fine there, and it seems to be affecting my allergies less, probably because of the new carpeting and lack of dust that had built up over the 5 years at the old place. This has also meant I've been sleeping better than I have in a LONG time. The front office is very clueless though, and right now I'm sure there's no way this is another 5-year living arrangement. Dan is also kind of lazy and has some issues. The jury's still out on him, but right now I'm looking at 1-bedroom and studio prices around the same area, but in a different complex. The Dan situation is complicated by the fact that my friend Hugh, who is a fairly highly placed manager at the same company as Dan, tells me Dan is on the verge of being fired because of general laziness and his unwillingness to accept blame for mistakes and stuff he should be doing but isn't. He told Dan all this too. If he does get fired, what happens to me? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Tonight I am driving to Titusville to hang with my parents and my brother Steve. My parents are staying there for 2 months. What's kind of odd is that I was supposed to go down there last weekend and be touring the Space Center on Saturdayt. That would have been very bizarre if we had, considering what happened. Anyway we are going to the Space Center tomorrow. My bro got us fully comped passes for the most expensive tour. And it should be nice to see them again.