Alias: If I was a Harlem Globetrotter, I would call myself Meadowlark Cherry.

Pain: I had the misfortune of overhearing a couple of my fellow co-workers reenacting their favorite scenes from Madea's Family Reunion. Damn you, Tyler Perry!

As Seen on TV (Good): I just got done watching the season premieres of Veronica Mars and Lost (Thanks again, Nick!) and it was tasty TV fun. Looking forward to next week's episodes.

October 1, 2006
Company Retreat: Well, I missed the big presidential briefing the other day at Touchy Feely, but I caught a glimpse of the prez as he and his entourage toured the plant, occasionally chuckling about something. It's always a delight to hear overpaid people laugh.

As Seen on TV (Good): The first two new episodes of The Office were very enjoyable, especially the episode concerning the unfortunate outing of Oscar. The kiss at the end was so painfully awkward and wrong on so many levels, but brilliantly funny. Definitely a show firing on all cylinders. Plus Jenna Fischer is a sweetie!

As Seen on TV (Feh): I wasn't too impressed by the second episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I enjoyed some of the dialogue and it does have a great cast, but it didn't really grab me. For some reason, I can't buy Amanda Peet as a network president and most of the scenes felt too stagy for my taste. I never got enthralled by Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and I think that's going to be true about Studio 60, too.

Credit where Credit is Due: Special thanks to Nick Grove for being my TiVo man!

September 28, 2006
Sad Images: I'm still trying to figure out which is sadder: Hugh Downs doing an infomercial or me eating mash potatoes with my fingers in the darkness of a parked car. You Decide!

Service with a Smile: I went to McDonald's for lunch (Ketchup Packets: Nine) and, after handing me my food, the girl at the drive-up said "Thank you, sir, and remember we serve our smiles for free!". Make of that what you will.

It's Personal: I just recently had to watch a sexual harassment video at work which I have seen so many damn times I could recite it verbatim. As part of our annual safety training, every employee of Touchy Feely Fotos has to endure a half hour of tedium and condescension hosted by two of the most hated people in the world, Dave and Nolan. These two former PM Magazine hosts inform us about sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace by being as smug and annoying as possible. Dave is a balding guy in a sweater and Nolan is a middle aged stick with a pageboy. Every time I think of these two I want to track them down and ruin their thriving community acting career in the Quad Cities. That said, they are the perfect spokespeople for our hollow, little company. Here's hoping their next acting gig is in a snuff film.

Company Man: So the newest president of Touchy Feely is coming to town and he's speaking to all of us minions at various times. His meeting with the second shift is at 2:30pm which is an hour before I drag myself in. However, if I attend, it will count as overtime so I'm ever so-slightly torn. I have no real need to hear this guy speak, but I can always use the overtime so what is a member of the working poor supposed to do? Tune in tomorrow for my big decision!

September 23. 2006
Nada: I really don't have anything to say. I've been plodding along at my usual pace. Nothing special. Just la dee dah.

Chicken: I perfer the dark meat. Probably the thigh the most, but a plate full of drumsticks is always appealing. The breast always seems to be too dry for my taste.

The Number of Ketchup Packets I Received at Lunch Friday: Four

Lancealot Link: Tina Majorino is one of my favorite actresses at the moment. I've enjoyed her recurring role on Big Love and her role as Mac on Veronica Mars is just one of the reasons I have recently become smitten with the series (Definitely looking forward to the season opener in a couple weeks!) so here's a link to an interview with Miss Majorino that I recently stumbled upon (Courtsey of TV Tattle).

September 19, 2006
Yesterday's Embarrassment: Stuttering while ordering breakfast at McDonald's.

Recent Big Idea: A Encyclopedia Brown-type solves mysteries in a small town that wants to keep its secrets. Potential title: That Clever Little So and So

As Seen on TV (Good): The brilliant White Stripes parody/appearance on last Sunday's Simpsons.

As Seen on TV (Bad): A cheap ass "horror" movie called Leeches! that features a community college swim team, steroids, and mutant, rubber leeches. Throughout the movie, the acting and the special effects competed to see which was worse, but I give the title to the special effects because the leeches were basically very ugly oven mitts. Though not Hairdo U bad, this thing deserves to be sent to The Satellite of Love (I miss you, Tom and Crow!).

September 17, 2006
I recently got back from seeing Lost in Yonkers at the Muncie Civic and it was a wonderful production. Of course, the highlight for me was seeing the great Wanita Spence in one of her best acting roles, playing a woman completely her opposite yet nailing the character masterfully. It was truly a treat to see her stretch her wings as an actress. Superb stuff.

The only negative thing about my night at the theatre is hearing the grumblings and complaints from some of my fellow audience members. Geesh, some people are never happy. They harp about how hot it is, how cold it is, how much they hate kids in the audience, and so on. Yet these same people make the most racket during the performance. Sometimes I think it's better to see a show from backstage than put up with such petty, little nitpicks.

September 16, 2006
Wishful Thinking: It would be nice if vaudeville was still around so I could ditch my dead end job and travel on the circuit with my highly acclaimed penguin act.

Mix Tape: Just the other day I was listening to The Flaming Lips and Jimmy Durante at my dead end job and I came to the conclusion Durante could have done a great version of "Do You Realize??" if he was still around.

Mr. Big Stuff: Just the other day at my dead end job, I had the privilege to attend a meeting with The Head Honcho. It is a custom for The HH to schedule meetings with his underlings to discuss company matters and to hear some feedback. These things happen every year and the only positive thing that usually comes out of it is that you get to kill an hour while still being on the clock (Emphasis on the word kill). Anyway, this year's pow wow basically covered the same old ground and the only thing that kept my interest was counting the times a fellow employee said "uh huh" after every statement The HH uttered. I'm afraid I did not actually write the exact total down, but, for the sake of argument, let's say 756 times.

At the end of The HH's spiel, he opened the floor for questions. In times past, this usually yields dead silence, but this year there were some actual questions from some new employees. Not interesting questions, mind you, but questions none the less. I, of course, say nothing. That doesn't mean I don't have questions though, because I have plenty. They include Why is my salary so lousy?, Why does the company treat its employees so shabbily?, Why do you put people who couldn't successfully manage a lemonade stand in charge of things?, and the list goes on. I would love to ask all of my questions, but my current need for employment stifles the urge.

Austin City Limits:

Tim sent me some photos of his new place and it looks pretty nice. From the photo above, you couldn't really tell it exists in Texas. It's the type of house you could see around Muncie if you looked hard enough. All of my former roommates seem to be settling in nicely. Tim and Brad actually got the chance to be extras in a movie this past Monday and it sounded like it was a great experience for them. They got two meals, seventy-five dollars, and a new haircut (Well, at least, Tim did). As for Eric, he was watching his Newradio dvds the last time I spoke with him. More news is sure to follow!

September 9, 2006
Currently: Trying to update my blog on my increasingly sluggish computer while eating miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins. I'm also toying around with the idea of getting a new computer. Would anybody be willing to depart with some capital in order to make this whim a reality?

Fourteen Dollars: The amount I received after selling a coffee table and an end table to a former neighbor. Said sum is currently in the bank.

Egg Noodles and Ketchup: Going from broadband to dial up is painfully noticeable. Now I understand how Henry Hill feels at the end of Goodfellas.

The Syndication Package: I really have dragged this out for too long, but I swear the end is near. The current goal is for the end of September.

Things I Recently Purchased: A three cheese omelet, a sketchbook, two Micron pens, two dips of vanilla frozen custard (My current addiction), an order of onion rings, six stamps, and a newspaper.

September 6, 2006
The moving is over! Too bad I can't say the same about the unpacking. And remember in my last post when I wrote that the big move should take "two or three hours at the most"? Boy, was I way off base on that! It took all day and I'm still recovering from it.

As for going to Texas, it didn't happen for me. There just wasn't enough room for me to go. Brad's TV set ended up taking my spot in the Hoosier caravan. Plus I had second thoughts about traveling with my former Group Homies to their new home in Austin. It would have been a lot of fun to go down, but the trip back would have been too sad for me. Leaving them in Austin with the beginnings of their new lives while I came back to Muncie to my old one is still too depressing to contemplate.

Despite some minor car trouble, everybody made it early Sunday (September 3, for those keeping track) morning to their hacienda on Meadow Creek. From all reports, their new digs are pretty nice and the neighbors seem friendly enough. Tim and Eric promised to send some photos of the place and I'll probably post one when they do.

As for me, I'm still sorting everything out, trying to figure out what goes where and where goes what. I have decided I have way too much clutter in my life and hopefully I can get rid of some the things I no longer need. Figuring out what stays and what goes may take a bit though.

I've been off work for a week and I have to go back later today. I can't really say I'm looking forward to it at the moment, but, since I have to make some cash to throw at my credit card debt, I really have no choice in the matter. I wish I had the courage to do what Tim, Brad, and Eric have done, but that just isn't in the cards for the moment. But who knows what next week will bring?

August 30, 2006
I've been a little sad the last couple of days. I guess that's pretty normal when something good ends. The Group Home has just a couple days left and then the party's over. It's funny to think back and remember my slight hesitation about moving to 3101 West Bethel. All of my stupid doubts and fears at the time seem so pointless in hindsight. Living at The Group Home has been great and I wouldn't trade the last two years here for the world. I've made a home here and it's becoming clear that it is going to be a lot harder to give up than I originally thought.

I haven't really started to pack up just yet. To be honest, most of my stuff is in boxes anyway. I took Thursday off to make the big move which should take two or three hours at the most. Of course, I may be underestimating a bit, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Friday is the day The Group Homies drive down to Austin in a Hoosier caravan to their new home on Meadow Creek. As it stands, I'll be going with them so I'll be offline for awhile. Hopefully, I'll have some news from my travels to share when I return. Until then, feel free to miss me while I'm gone.

August 26, 2006
The End is Near: I called to get the phone disconnected yesterday. Good-bye, 747-0667! I will miss you.

Things at The Group Home I Will Miss: The spiral staircase, the lazy susan cabinet in the kitchen, the dishwasher, the sun room, my bedroom closet that held my entire comic book collection, the parade of people who usually dropped by, and my roommates.

Things at The Group Home I Will Not Miss: The lobby that constantly flooded when it rained, the so-so washer and dryer that I rarely used, and the shower curtain I have dubbed "Pig Pen".

Loser of the Week: Pluto. Robbed of its status as a planet and banished from the solar system by a bunch of egghead bullies, Pluto has become the Rodney Dangerfield of the Milky Way. Who knew astronomers could be so cruel?

August 24, 2006
The Final Countdown: One more week and The Group Home will be no more! Tears have yet to form in my eyes, but I'll probably get a little misty before everything is said and done. In related news, my soon-to-be ex-roomies have secured a place in Austin so there is a house waiting for them. Lucky bastards.

Good News: Two friends of mine have just become parents! Congratulations, Marty and Jen!

More Good News: I received my check for my voiceover debut this past Monday! I don't know if this makes me a professional voiceover artist or not, but, at least, it's a step in the right direction.

The Syndication Package: Do you hear that scuffling sound? It's me dragging my feet, I'm afraid. Though I have reached my goal for 36 strips, I'm going to replace two or three with other strips and that process is moving like a glacier. I think the upcoming move has slowed my momentum to a standstill and I probably won't get back into the grove until after I've moved out. On the plus side, the strips are basically done. I just have to erase them, reinforce some lines, and such. That won't take no time at all so by the end of September they should be on their way to the syndicates. Feets don't fail me now!

For Joe: