Remember to release tension before you go into your job!

Just came back from Chicago… ah, the food… the last meals… before the total body transformation self imposed challenge. But first lets recap the weekend.

Not only did we get to spend the whole weekend eating good food… we also had a good time. Even though like always I did not get to see as many people as I wanted to, I am thankful for the time that I did get to spend with friends. There are pictures… but if you are meant to see them you already know where to go. If it seems like I am a little food obsessed its because I am, I am actually going on a serious diet and exercise program. After a long time I finally feel really good about myself and I figured what better thing to house a healthy mind than a healthy body.

If you guys want to join, just let me know… I am going to keep track of it over at the weight loss challenge page. I am also going to seriously start using traino to help with motivation and accountability. Its going to be hard, but it will be totally worth it.

The most serious tool that I am going to use is self determination. While it is a good thing to have others supporting you on the quest, unless you are the one putting your mind to it is not going to work. I will not be blogging about my weightloss because it is personal and what works for me might not work for anyone else. However the challenge will be up and you can participate by leaving comments there. Back to your regular programming.

Appetizer
How fast can you type?
between 45-60 WPM depending on the day and how accurate I want to be. Programming is probably a little quicker.

Soup
What is your favorite online game?
I love playing chess online, however, my all time favorite online game is Counter Strike Source.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?
Depends on the subject… some 9’s some 8’s… I guess around 8.5.

Main Course
Name three of your best teachers from your school years.
Pilar, (5th Grade) The first teacher that made a difference in my life… she truly cared about my success.
Chalo, (Spanish Literature) Made me truly enjoy literature as a form of art.
Ms. Panagakos, (ESL) didn’t just taught me English, but was a true friend.

Dessert
What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?
I am off to Chicago!!!

This is the third state I have lived in and it was time for me to get a Kansas license. I first obtained my license in IL where I took the test when I was 18. I did not really have the need for a car until then. My Dad was actually all upset that I passed the test the first try after it took him a couple of times. I guess he was overconfident when he took the driving test since he had been driving for years in Colombia. If you have driven in Colombia, Chicago driving is a Sunday stroll.

My coworkers started to tell me how I was going to have to take the written test again, which I have not done probably since I got my license. I was thinking, oh great… study the rules of the road one more time… then I heard it was an open book test. I decided to take some time off work to get it done since some people were talking about a two hour ordeal.

The first problem I encountered was that there is no consolidated website for information. The information is all there but it is in like 3 different places and even though it is not conflicting, it is not really concise. After I figured out what I needed to take and how much money I headed out there. I knew from experience that most DMV’s did not take credit cards, so I had cash ready. I knew where the place to get new license plates was, and assumed since the address was very close that it was the same place. I was wrong, the place to get your license is a separate building and it was like going back to the 80’s.

The place did not scream high tech at all, and I started to realize how local government was really not at the same level as some of the other states I have lived in. If it was not for the great service that I was provided I would probably have had a pretty bad experience.

As I walk in, there is a lady that checks to see if you have all the document required which I thought was a very convenient way to check people in. The line was not horrible but it was a little slow. I think their computer system was back in the green screen days but I cannot confirm it. After the eye test I was informed that I had to take the written test which I already knew. I was only worried about making sure that I retain my motorcycle endorsement. Since Michigan uses the endorsement CY for motorcycle instead of M like many other states, she had to look it up. Not only that, she had to print a piece of paper with proof of what she looked up which to me screams non integrated systems.

She was pretty quick and answered all of my questions. She then sent me to the payment lady who was very friendly and gave me the test. She handed me a folded one page test and a very small pamphlet. She then told me it was open book, and I asked her where is the book. She looked at me and then my hand and I realized that the little pamphlet was “the book”. I tried to answer the test without looking at the book and I was about to answer everything but two questions. Thanks to one of my coworkers that had to “prep” me for the test with the 500 ft question, “Thanks Jordan”, which confused the heck out of me. I was able to look it up and finish up. I ended up getting one wrong, I don’t know which one. I also filled in my voter’s registration card which I had not done before. I know, I have not voted here… but I do have the excuse that I have spent most of the last 8 months traveling.

I was off to the picture station where a dude that did not seem pretty happy about taking pictures made me sign on a digital signature pad. I was excited, finally some technology. He told me to smile at Mickey Mouse which made me more uncomfortable than amused (the camera had a little toy Mickey attached to it close to the lens.) I then started to read a notice about a temporary license… that was when I felt like I was in a movie about the past.

I have always received my license right at the DMV in all the other states I have been in. I also happened to work with the MO DOT and I know that they also give you your license the same day. A lot of people in KC have the attitude that it is better to live in the KS side than the MO. I did not care either way until now… KS has one strike against it… I did not expect to have to wait for my license to arrive in the mail.

Logtar: You put your cat on Catster!!!
That is like the ultimate, “You know how I know you are gay!”
Deguia: It was peer pressure,
some co-workers put their dogs on Dogster and I was like “HA! I put my cat on Catster!”
then when I realized people were actually trying to be friends with my cat,
that I was turning into “one of those people”
Logtar: Wow, you are actually “one of those peple”
this is material for the weblog for sure
LMAO
Deguia: lol
I’ll have you know, i haven’t logged onto Catster for well over a year.
Does the fact that I’m watching “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” make up for the whole Catster thing?
I was young and immature in 2005.
Logtar: LOL
you will never live this cat thing down.
Deguia: I hate you
Logtar: its normal once one has been reduced to the level you have reduced!
I can pop in I think we are alone now by Tiffany and listen to the whole album and it will still not be as gay as the catster thing.

*Disclaimer* Post for entertainment purposes only. I am not homophobic or want to offend, just entertain!

I will be in the Windy City this weekend and I cannot wait! The only bad thing is that I do not get to see as many of my friends as I would like to. The main reason to head out there is a baby shower… I know it takes a real man to admit that I am heading there for a baby shower, but thankfully I will have someone to bring the present in for me. We are both looking forward to hanging out in the Windy City at least for the 3 days we are going to get to spend there. Besides the baby shower will be a semi-private party where my girlfriend and ex-wife(Gwen) are going to meet… I will let you guys know how that goes. If you are in Chicago, email me for the details on the party.

For those of you that are scratching their heads going… what? Here is a little cliff notes.

I was married for 4 years to Gwen, we got divorced in 2004 just as I started this blog. Gwen and I are still really good friends. She was actually one of the many friends that was there for me for what happened next. I dated someone for about a year an a half and we ended up getting married again. It ended pretty horribly after only a few months, but because of the nasty things that happened it is not something up for discussion. She truly became “She who must not be named”. Thankfully, because it was a very short marriage it was annulled and I have very much moved on.

I am now in love and very happy with someone else, however the last relationship left a black mark on my blog that I am cleaning now. So call this the exorcism of the blog. I used to blog about how great things were, but never about the bad things got. When the nasty stuff did spill over a couple of times it was more about airing out dirty laundry than really having a personal weblog. Believe it or not, even the blog was at times a source of disagreement. Even though this space was completely mine, it became somewhere where I felt I could not truly express myself anymore. I would not let that happen again, so I have decided to really not talk about that part of my life. Sometimes I am troubled by the fact that I do not feel comfortable talking about my love life here, so who knows, maybe this exorcism is what will let me post about how truly happy I am.

People and their labels are something that I wish will go away. If it was not for so many labels I believe that we would have a better world. Enter the word geek! It can mean so many things, yet it really does not mean much at all anymore. There are many kinds of geeks, and you cannot tell them apart. Some are geeks by choice, others because they have no choice. While it is unfair, it is what it is and I chose to embrace my life as a geek. In a sense I almost want to take the title back!

I am a geek, not just because I have been called one plenty of times but because I do not dislike the title. I can be a total anime geek, fish geek, video game geek, LAN going computer geek and the list goes on. Most of my hobbies are not mainstream, or at least they did not use to be. However, with the title comes the stigma… that people that have X or Y hobbie are socially inept smelly dudes that live in their Mom’s basement. I never got to live in my Mom’s basement, but I almost did get to move in with my sister because of some situation a while back.

I love going out and having a beer with friends, some of whom would probably scare some of my geek friends. My group of friends is like the rainbow, and surprisingly they all get along pretty well. With the exception of one of my friends that is truly socially inept, all of the others ones when faced with one another have gotten along. I cannot take credit for them getting along, only for people putting down the barriers they form… and well who would know that different species of geeks can get along?

I guess once you start seeing people for who they are and not for the labels that they carry things start to change. That and I seem to always get along better with people that are open minded and willing to discuss other’s points of views rather freely. Many people claim to be open minded, but in reality they never listen to what someone else has to say. Also, many people claim to be geeks and are really not.

KC is probably the first city where I have gotten so well connected with geek groups so quickly. The Lan scene is pretty healthy and I am checking out another couple of groups local geeks. I have already made some excellent friends there, and eventually get them all together for some food or something… and I expect that like in the past that they all will get along.

The ultimate geek, Bill Gates, became super rich and made it ok to be a geek; however it has not always been that way. While we all laughed at the revenge of the nerds, we know that back in high school or even earlier geeks were the ones that ended up with the most pranks played on them. I know, I lived through it. In high school it was not cool to program a TI8X or be part of the chess club. Not that because I went through that I can wear the geek badge more proudly, but it is something that unites you with other people that maybe did not fit into another crowd.

When I was in high school, a geek was considered intelligent. Now, it seems that just having a geeky hobbie makes you a geek. Liking the same things that someone else likes does not make you like that person, it just makes you have similar tastes. Maybe it is the internet and the messageboards that have made dissapointed me. There are a ton of trolls that hide behind a screen name and pretend to be geeks, but in reality they would never be proud of it outside of that little niche website.

The sad part of being a geek is that we have trained ourselves to be loners even when in groups. Even when we come together there is always that competitive edge that tends to separate us. Who cares if you can quote episode X of show Y. In the end we are all there because we share something. It is kind of silly to try to prove that you are geekier than someone else, but you would be surprised how often this happens.

One more thing to remember about geeks is that sharing a geeky hobbie with someone does not make you a geek. And please stop lumping together the, I refuse to take a shower people with geeks. Losers are losers and they just because they play video games or RPG’s it does not make them automatically geeks.

Geek LAN Anime Social Inept Culture Shower Loser.