My Christmas Date

Last night I took my Beautiful Wife on a Christmas Date.

We went to Decatur for Terrific Thursday. Santa was there. It was Terrific!

We had been planning to go all month, but one week I was sick and last week she was sick. So this was the only night we could go enjoy.

We had dinner at Sage. The food was wonderful. I had the Terrific Thursday special. A Flank Steak. It was great. They had a 9oz martini for $6 and I tried the Cosmo which didn't have very much alcohol in it at all. For a 9oz Martini, you would think it would be enough, it was so crappy I didn't even order another one. That says a lot. Amy had compassion on their service because we ended up getting the bar tender waiting on us, I think we saw her three times total. In my opinion, it was so bad that the little host was trying to help her out by waiting on us. When I go to a restaurant like that, I expect good service and I didn't get it, so I was disappointed. But the food was good. But for me to want to go back, I need the combo, good food, good service. But that's me. I must say though, I'm not a cheap hoochie, so the Bar Tender still got a good tip. But whatever, good thing my Love is so compassionate, that's all I'm sayin. - Overall - it was OK.

We proceeded through the square where we received free marshmallows to roast over a HUGE fire. My guess is that there were approximately 50 people there crowded around a massive fire. It was nice.

We then went to MoJo's Pizza and Pub. Where we go once every month or so. I would say it's one of my top 5 favorite pizza places in the ATL. They had a special, if you buy a $10 gift card, they give $5 on top. So we bought two, for ourselves. We'll spend that quickly I am sure. If you ever go, my suggestion is the White Pizza with Pepperoni. It's Fabu!

Overall, I had a wonderful date with my Lovely Wife.

Christmas Movies

Scrappy and I are onto the same topic here. Christmas Movies.

They're great. Last year Love and I watched all the same movies as Scrappy described so we decided to not watch any movies we had already seen. With the exception of Miracle on 34th Street and possibly the Polar Express. Anyway..

Thus far this year I have seen...

Single Santa meets Mrs. Claus
Meet the Santa's
Holidays in Handcuffs
All I Want for Christmas.
Silent Night
Snowglobe
Christmas in Boston

I liked the movies so much that I wanted part two for all of them.

Single Santa and Meet the Santa's are sequels and you have to watch them in that order.

I do believe they're all Romance, Drama, Comedy. But they were fabulous.

It's that time again...

It's Christmas Socks time again. It's so much fun wearing Christmas socks.

Unless I show them off, people can not see them. It's kind of like my very own Christmas secret. I wear them and purely get Christmas joy from just wearing them.

The little joys in life are wonderful. Does anyone else get into wearing Christmas socks like I do?

Secret Santa

I must say.... MY SECRET SANTA ROCKS!

1. Whoever it is knows me and knows enough about me to know my nickname.

2. They have great taste. - First I received a penguin PEZ dispenser, and it's so cute!

3. They know me well enough to get me two of something significant. The work Christmas party is coming up and we're going to Dave and Busters, and my Secret Santa got me two D&B Power Cards. The fact that Santa got me two means a lot, which means they know Amy, or know about Amy. They took the time to travel to D&B to get it. It was a well thought out and time invested gift. That's awesome!


YAY! Kudos to my Secret Santa!

YAY! Kudos to my Secret Santa!

Pick of the Week on Spot

I totally recommend the song Home for the Holidays from the Dixieland Christmas Album. I love the clarinet lead part.

Reflections of Thanksgiving

I am so very thankful for all the wonderful blessings I have been given.

Here is a list of what I am thankful for with my company.

- I have a job.
- I have a wonderful Boss.
- I have a great Team Lead.
- I have Domestic Partner Benefits.
- I have a phenomenal team who are very smart and helpful.
- I have a newly appointed General Manager who I believe can get Sales and help us become successful.
- I enjoy what I do in this company and like how I make a contribution.
- Overall, I enjoy working with every single person within my Location.

What are you thankful for?

Peanut Butter's Baby

Well, Peanut Butter is officially a parent. If she had a blog I am sure she would proudly post pics of her Guinea Pig. But for those who do blog, here is a preview of the baby.

Busy Wii

As if I am not busy enough... Love and I decided to buy a Wii for Christmas. Since Bear has informed me of how they are selling like hot cakes, Love and I decided to go ahead and get it before it's in too high of a demand.

I must say, the Wii is pretty cool. Thus far we have purchased several games but have found ourselves going back to the Hot Wheels game. It rocks! We are now on the Hot Shot level and are still working hard at it.

Wii rocks. It's the way to go.

My Inner European

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful.You show the world what culture really is.

Who's" Your Inner European?

Praying for Rain

Today Georgia is praying for Rain. Specifically our Govenor is holding a prayer time requesting God for Rain. That's pretty awesome in my opinion.

"What to do when the rain won’t come? If you’re Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, you pray."

I am grateful that my Govenor knows the source of Rain and how to get it.


Today I will be praying at 11:45 here at the office since I cannot be amongst my fellow Georgians praying for rain at the Capitol.

If anyone wants to meet up with me, come to my desk at 11:45Am and we can pray together (maybe in the foos room or somewhere).

Squeaky's Linguistic Profile

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English 20% Dixie 10% Yankee 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Sweet Potato

I have not been getting enough veggies a day, so I had to think, how can I get more veggies in a day without having to cook, without having a lot of preparation, and something that would be so simple even I could do it. Well, G.B. turned me onto Sweet Potato's recently.

Since then I have been eating one a day. I don't even put anything on it like butter or sugar. It's fabulous all by itself.

They're great. All I do is....
1. Wash it
2. Wrap it
3. Cook it in the microwave for 3 minutes
4. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes
5. Eat

They're Great! Thanks GrantBob!

Ringing the Bell

We have a Bell in our QA team which was placed by our lead for the purpose of ringing when a bug is found. Bug meaning, not a feature in our Software System, but a problem that needs to be fixed.

Why we ring the bell.

1. Because GrantBob said.

2. Because it's fun.

3. Because it gives our team mates opportunities to learn about problems in the software.

4. Increases Team Building opportunities.

5. So we can boost team relationship by cheering the ringer.

So, on that note, here's a little song, just for the QA team. Sung to the tune of" Come on Ring Those Bells"

Come on Ring That Bell

Add to the CR Tree

Everybody rings

More fun for you and me (Repeat)

Smirnoff Time

I'm ready for a drink. The flavor my wife and I compromised on this time was a bottle of Rasberry Smirnoff. I dig it. Put a little less than half a glass and half a glass of gingerale. I'm good to go.

I believe I will have one of those this evening. It's one of those days.

Thinkin Bout Pullin a Grace....

Not that I would really do this, but....

Do you remember the Will and Grace episode when Grace was too cheap to pay for a personal trainer, so she decided to follow around someone's session. Finally the Personal trainer realizes what she is doing.

So Peanut Butter Gone Mild, Scrappy, and my Boss are all starting a class with a personal trainer this week. It made me think of the Will and Grace show and I mentioned to Peanut Butter how funny it would be if I went with them and did the same things they did, but on the other side of the gym.

Of course I would never do that. But I think it would be absolutely hilarious to do it just once. I think only Grace would be able to pull it off though.

TTFN

You will be missed.

However, I do see you keeping in touch.

Good Luck in your new ventures!

Shufflin About

I would have never imagined that a good friend "Sky" would hook a sister up.

Ok ok, I was wrong in my last posting. I would totally choose to get an iPhone if I were to be given an iPhone. So yes, I am willing to convert to Apple products.

This weekend I was blessed with an iPod Shuffle. It's Hot! It even has music on it already. Which is pretty cool because music can tell you a lot about a person. heh heh

Thanks Sky, you're the bomb!

iPhone

Well, all this talk about the iPhone had me dreaming that I was making a choice whether or not to buy an iPhone. In my dream, I chose not to get an iPhone. It was crazy, all their talk has got me dreaming.

Testcase Writing

We have a new software system called Test Link. It is much more sophisticated than our last Test Management software.

This means that all test cases must be rewritten, formatted differently, and more exhaustive. It's quite exciting. I can confidently say that this process will truly enable us to test more in depth than ever in the history of this company.

As I create test cases, I am part of being instrumental in creating a better software product. Every little step in a job, even if it goes unrecognized, it truly makes an impact on my product and thus.... The World.

Here at work, making test cases makes a better, safer product, and this being a security product, thus making a safer world.

Yay Test case Creation!

Dishwasher - YAY!

I prayed and asked God to provide a new dishwasher. Whether it be via Criag's List, or some method. Any way would work.

Yesterday I was given a gift of $300 which will pay for a great dishwasher. YAY! that was a big answer to my prayer! I will be shopping this week.

Asking God Things

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

Peaches for me

My wonderful co-worker, PeanutButterGoneMild, gave me two peaches today. I already ate one, and it was so delicious and sweet.

Thanks Topsider!

By Request - My Pimp'et

If I were a Lego Person

My Wife

Squeaky

Crossing Fingers

Craig's List dishwasher

Dishwashers... eek!

My Dishwasher needs a replacement.

Last night Love and I went to Best Buy to purchase a new dishwasher. We chose to go there because we have a Best Buy credit card and I received a 10% off Birthday card from them. However, due to their current Labor Day special, I was unable to do what they call "double dip" on discounts due to my coupon and their special. I had planned on getting a dishwasher in the $300 range including all their extra fees, parts, labor, delivery, disposal of old machine, etc...

By the time we added up all the costs, it was $505ish. When we were ready to purchase, I thought, if their cheapest, crappiest dishwasher was $329.99, then I could go to Sears and get a much more affordable dishwasher while this Labor Day special is running.

Project for the week, go to Sears and get a new dishwasher.

If it's not a bug, it's a...

Here at the ranch, if we do not classify something as a bug, we classify it as a....

Fish Fact

27% of fish can change their sex which helps with the reproduction and preservation of the different species

Pre-Georgia Aquarium

As a person who likes to make the most of my visit, I was reading the Visitor Tips.

I am reading the Safety and Security portion and I came across something that should not have to be in the instructions.

"No guns, knives, lighters, matches, chewing gum or fishing poles are permitted inside Georgia Aquarium."

I can understand telling people not to bring the guns and such, but Fishing Poles? My question would be, who in their right mind would bring a fishing pole to an aquarium. But, then again, people go to these things who are not in their right mind.

It just took me by surprise.

Open Mouth Insert Foot

Well, TGIF!

I often have moments of Squeak. However, this morning was extra special. By that I mean, I say things, such as the following, that is a little off.

# 1 - This morning while I was walking into the office I stopped by Rookie's cube because there was some commotion on the other side of his cube wall. I stopped and said, Rookie, is DeszBob being nosy this morning.

#2 - Not much later while speaking with Spice, we were discussing her recent fame on TV. I mentioned how I was star struck and how I was going to bat my eyebrows at her because she is now a Big TV Star.

Now that you have a little more context to the stories, I will explain what I meant to say.
#1 - DrezBob was being noisy
#2 - Bat my eyelashes

Slight changes in the words, but overall, it was big differences.

Anywho, that's pretty typical of Squeaky. Yay me!

Favorite Drink

Vanilla and Ginger
3 parts Gingerale (or Sprite, 7up, cheerwine, coke, cherrycoke, dietcoke)
1 part Vanilla vodka
- If you're a heavy drinker, put 1/3 vodka and the rest soda

What's your all time favorite drink?

Great Clarinet Parts!

If you want to hear a great Clarinet player, check this out.

Click Here

All Fired Up

Can't wait to try this one. All Fired Up

I think my beautiful wife is taking me there for my birthday. The plan is to go grab sushi to go and take my favorite drink, Vanilla Vodka and ginger, and go make some glass art. I've done the pottery thing before. I've also made stained glass before, but now I get to go and make some different kind of glass. I'm excited. YAY!

Missed it again!

Awe Nuts! I missed it again.

I have always said that if I am able to catch the auditions, I would try out, just to see if I could make it through the first pass. - Oh well.

It has a home

Yes, this is the color of my wall. I don't know the techincal name for the color, but it's a brown-ish.

It is beautiful and my beautiful wife LOVED it as I knew she would.

YAY!

Thanks ScrapperG!!!

Joke for Today

Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer.

They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.

Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job."

So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.

They moused.
They faxed.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments.
They downloaded.
They did spreadsheets!
They wrote reports.
They created labels and cards.
They created charts and graphs.
They did some genealogy reports
They did every job known to man.

Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell.

Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off.

Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed.

Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE! "I lost everything when the power went out!"

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.

Satan observed this and became irate. "Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?"

God just shrugged and said, JESUS SAVES

Mrs. ScrappyClause

Mrs. ScrappyClaus also visited my cube.

There is a song that goes a little like this....

You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I'm telling you why. ScrappyClaus is coming to town.

She sees you when you're sleeping, she knows when you're awake. She knows if you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake.

Ya know, being the good ScrappyClaus that she is, she knows that I am a musician and a dancer. So I can really feel the love in this gift.

What she doesn't know is that my beautiful wife LOVES this statement and it means a lot to her. So, this will be taken immediately to my home and hung in a very special spot. I believe that there is a special spot in our bedroom where this would fit appropriately.

Another note, my Love has a mug that looks like this....

She uses it faithfully and this is what her mug says....

Dance as though no one is watching you.

Love as though you have never been hurt before.

Sing as though no one can hear you.

Live as though heaven is on earth.

-Sousa

Rookie

Need I say more?

By Request - Wallpaper Removal

Ok, there are several things one must understand before taking on a project like, removing wallpaper.
1. Patience is a must
2. Things do not always work out the way we think they should.
3. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
4. Understand that when someone starts a project they have never done before, it will always seem hard and it will take a little time to get it going. But once you get the hang of it, you will get faster and better at the task at hand.

Now that the ground rules are out of the way, we can move forward with

How to Remove Wallpaper

1. Get the right Supplies
a. Utility knives can be used to score wallpaper, but use great care to avoid damaging the surface of the wall underneath
b. Scrapers are available in a variety of shapes and types and include broad knives, wallboard knives and paper scrapers
c. Chemicals may be safe to work with, but it’s always a good idea to wear gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes

2. What to do
a. If you are going to score the wallpaper, do that 1st
b. Next, follow the directions for DIF
c. Start at the top of the wall and work your way down when applying chemicals
d. Use the scrapper for scrapping off the wall paper
e. Repeat as necessary

The Hive & God's Favor

Last night I was cutting my grass in my front yard. Cutting the grass, cutting the grass. Driving along, driving along. Suddenly I notice that I mowed over a brand new hole in my yard. I took a step back to inspect the hole, and a yellow jacket flies into the hole, then several jackets fly out. I immediately let go of the lawnmower and walk away slowly. It was a Yellow Jacket nest!

I am so blessed that I did not get stung. Not one jacket came at me, I think they were more confused than anything. Also, this nest is less than 10' away from the front door of my house. We have had guests over and they have walked through our yard. My pups have run around the yard. Thus far no one has been stung and all have been protected. Today I am counting my blessings. :-)

A Squirrelly Visitor

Little Squirrel Bob wandered into my cube yesterday. He saw George and visited with him for a while. Finally Squirrel left George alone because he said his nut was better than George's ball. Instead of being mean, George just played with his ball and smiled at the Squirrel.

Yeah Yeah...

Ok, so I have a serious blog, but my wacky co-workers use blogger and would be bored at my other blog. Also, I need to add a little spice to my blogging life, so here goes. Yahoo!