Antibiotics Are Your Friend

So, the doctor decided that whatever I had was not getting better and that he may as well throw an antibiotic (Levaquin, a particular favorite of mine) at it. Right or not, his approach seemed to work, as I felt noticeably better yesterday and a little bit better today. I would still place myself at somewhere around 70% health, but much better than I was. However, the cost of health was still expensive, and I have insurance. I cannot imagine how much it would be for someone that didn't. I suppose, a good amount of the cost, spent in over-the-counter medications, was not even reduced by the health insurance factor. In any event, I am now medicated and on the road to what I hope is recovery. I sure hope recovery is like a kitchen with the smell of bacon, french toast, and maple syrup wafting through the air.

Fortunately, while I was sick, many bloggers were still writing and when I didn't have any of them to read, I still had my trustee book. Currently, I am reading a novel called Arthur and George. It is quite good, but it feels like I have been reading it for forever, as I so rarely get the chance to make any real progress in it. That all changed over the past couple of days and in-between my blog reading and serious napping, I was able to almost entirely finish it. I also have to select books that I want to bring to Costa Rica for the plane flight and shuttles. I figure one or two books should be sufficient. I would get a Kindle, but they are still far too expensive to be worth it. Even if I ruined the two books I brought and had to replace them, it would still be cheaper than the Kindle. Stupid technology, how you tempt me so, with your flashing lights and cool buttons.

Another Orlando Weekend

The trip began easily enough, but was quickly interrupted by a near-collision I experienced. This ended up requiring that I have all four of my tires replaced. Apparently, when you slam on your brakes, flat areas can be created on portions of the tires, which explained why my car was making funny sounds and additional vibration as I drove afterwards. I also had to locate my girlfriend when I arrived. She was at a Books-A-Million. So, the thought was she could ask the employees how I should get there, as it is located just off of I-4, which is the road I was on. As it turns out, no one at the store had the slightest clue how to get to their store. I ended up having to drive around for over an hour to find my way to the store. Absolutely insane.

I got to see several more plays while I was at the Fringe Festival this weekend. It was really cool. Some of the performances I found not so appealing but a lot of them were quite interesting. We also got to experience 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. It was really good. However, it was about 3 o'clock before I actually got to eat anything that day and that was it, so I may have been slightly biased and just overjoyed to be able to finally eat anything at all. However, I will go to another one soon and test this theory.

My girlfriend's final performance went quite well. Some of the audience members even stood when they applauded. One item I should probably clarify is my girlfriend's role in the play. I think some folks may think she is starring in it, but she is not. Instead, she wrote, produced and directed it. That probably does not make a huge difference to many of my readers, but it may make a difference to at least a few of you trying to get a clear picture of the whole setup.

While we were in Orlando, we went to the Dandelion Cafe, which was a new and exciting experience. Their menu had probably about two pages filled with different types of teas and the decor was very different - a little 70s-like or something exhibiting that laid-back and independent vibe. We got to try some hummus and some of their other culinary delights. It was probably the first healthy meal we were able to enjoy while we were there. Thank goodness for local kindness.

I also managed to get sick while I was in Orlando, which I am still trying to recover from. Hopefully, my doctor will quell everyone's fears today and say it is just a small cold with fever. I will be quite happy to be well again.

Online Presence

This morning, I remarked to my girlfriend that I was surprised no one had developed an online presence reporting agency. You may be thinking, what the hell are you talking about, and that would make a lot of sense because I do not think that title is accurate. I think I can better explain what I am talking about than give a title to it.

Every year, lots of people pay for someone to keep track of their three credit reports, which are known to often be filled with inaccuracies but that can meaningfully ruin your life. For example, I have had to remove incorrect information on my reports at least twice and it was a nightmare. If I didn't get it removed I couldn't do other important things, like get loans approved for college or something, and you had to jump through so many hoops to prove to the agencies that the data they had was wrong. Unfortunately, you usually did not learn that there was a problem with your credit report at all until you were suddenly denied for something. Now we have credit monitoring systems, some of them even marketed by the same credit reporting agencies that so often seem to be getting the information wrong. Doesn't it seem they should have to have this type of system in place (for free) before they are allowed to hold that much power? But, I digress.

Later in the morning, a news report came onto NPR discussing how many people are using MySpace and Facebook to find jobs, in this the 21st Century. However, they noted that a lot of people do not think about what they put out on the Internet before they begin applying for jobs and that most of today's employers now Google all of their applicants to see what it out there in cyberspace about them. Once again, there is this thing where your past could come back to haunt you - even if it is inaccurate or an ex-lover decided to post pictures or video of it after you two broke up, after he promised the images were destroyed. It really seems that someone with a bit of a grudge against you and a little free time could wreak some serious havoc on your life, and you may never know it before it was too late. Given all of this, I am surprised that no one has derived a method for ferreting out such derogatory details on the Net and charging folks a small fee to monitor their information and to help them get it removed.

I suppose, for all I know, someone has already derived a method for doing this. Although, I imagine it could be difficult. What if what you publish now belongs to someone else? How do you force that company to remove it? I am not really sure. In either event, at least three lessons should be taken from this: Google yourself ... often, be really careful about what you put out there because it might be out there for forever - those emails that you write back and forth can be discoverable in court, and can also easily be posted to a Website, later, and if you are crafty enough, there is probably money to be made upon other people's precarious positions.

Another Blog

I don't know how it happened, but somehow I got roped into becoming a member of the creative team for a new blog. It sounds exciting when I say "creative team" doesn't it? It sounds like I am working on some super-awesome thing doesn't it? Well, maybe I am. One never knows. In any event, the new blog is all non-fiction and wholly related to the arts and advertising (what a combination). We will have to see what develops from it.

One thing I have realized is that Blogger is the home for me, for now. Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking of switching over to Wordpress because I think their themes are snazzy - especially the three column ones that Blogger does not seem to offer. However, I learned while I was helping on this new project that Wordpress has some limitations as well. For example, embedding with iframes is so not happening there and do you see that new Creative Commons icon on my blog - in the left hand column? No? Well, trust me, it's there. It took me a half hour to figure out how to get it to appear in Wordpress.

Wordpress does have some cool stuff going for it. For example, integrating your domain name is fairly easy and you can easily create separate pages for your blog, which can make it a more multi-purpose portal, with some open ended growth potential. However, I think the restrictions were enough to keep me around on Blogger, at least for a little while longer.

In other news, American Airlines will now begin charging you to check any bags at all. No, I do not mean any bags after the first one. I mean all of your checked bags are going to cost you. Fly safely.

Weekend Review

So, as you (my loyal readers - all three of you) know, I went to Orlando this past weekend to attend the Fringe Festival and see my girlfriend's play, and maybe a couple others. Fortunately, I really liked her play. I thought it was funny and thoughtful and discussed things the way they often actually occur in relationships. Unfortunately, a 50-something year old critic with the Orlando Sentinel disagreed, but having been at her show, I think she may have also been deaf or ignoring all of the laughter from the entire audience. (Granted, the first showing had almost all younger people and maybe there is some sort of separation between what appeals to 20 and 30-something year olds and what appeals to a 50-something year old, but it was quite clear to everyone there that there was something funny happening on that stage.) See what I just did there - I just critiqued a critic. Although, it was not just her review of my girlfriend's play that I disagreed with. (So at least I am consistent.) I also tried to see other shows, but the first other show I tried was really not so good and rather disturbing. (Of course Ms. Maupin (that's the critic for those of you not following my links) seemed to almost kind of like it. I tried to comment and lend my opinion on her blog, but she would not accept it unless I gave her my full name. Perhaps I need a new pseudonym for my online presence.) I think that show turned me off from going to more, and I instead focused most of the rest of my trip on reading my book and food.

I am not well versed in theater. That's not an entirely true statement. I grew up going to lots of shows and have seen a variety of productions, but I often find that I am disappointed with the majority of them. I also feel the experience is overpriced ($40 to see a show or something), but I think that likely has to do with the production company trying to re-coupe its costs for renting out the hall and other various costs for sets and payroll. In any event, the Fringe Festival is definitely a great opportunity to get out there and see a lot of cool independent theater that you probably would not get to see elsewhere and it's amazingly inexpensive. I highly encourage everyone to go because I think art and theater are important and did I mention it is really cheap. Of course, lots of you probably do not live anywhere near Orlando and this all probably was a waste of words. However, there may be something like it in your area and I really think it can be a great experience and just because I hated something does not mean you will. (End of lecture on the importance of the arts.)

The food selection in Orlando is very impressive. It can be a little dizzying to take in all of the food options that one has in that city. When my friend and I first arrived on Saturday morning, we were pretty hungry and no one was at the venue yet. So, we happened to turn down the road and see a small eatery surrounded by people with signs proclaiming that they were now serving breakfast. Enter stage right: White Wolf Cafe, which started serving breakfast about a week and a half ago and has an awesome menu. The cinnamon roll really was delicious, but the sugar cured ham and french toast, not to mention the sweet potato home fries, were delightful. It turned out we had found a local spot completely on accident and it was good enough to bring everyone back to for lunch after the show.

Sunday was a little more difficult, as I was too busy reading and napping to make it over to the venue area of town during the day. As such, I was forced to venture out on my own closer to the hotel and stumble upon yet another local favorite, which I think was called Mulligan's Irish Pub. This place was great and completely empty, which made little sense. However, the waitress, Nicole, explained that Sundays generally had little or no turnout, unless there was a football game. So, I was forced - forced I tell you - to enjoy some delicious Guinness and watch an entire soccer game. It was horrible and I can barely bring myself to speak about it. *sniff* I will have to go back.

Of course, next week when I go up to Orlando to see my girlfriend's last show I intend to try out Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which I am told is supposed to be amazing. I am sure if it comes anywhere close to living up to the expectations I now have for it, you will all (all three of you) hear about it next week. However, they appear to be more of a chain that is springing up everywhere and less of a local dining experience, which is both good and bad.

On The Fringe

This weekend, I have to drive to Orlando. I remember when I was younger, I loved to drive and would take every opportunity to drive everywhere - as far and as much as possible. When you live at least a half-hour away from everything, it really is not too hard to find far away places to drive to. However, something happened between then and now. I do not know if it is because more people on the road scare me than ever before or the fact that I have to spend almost as much as I spend in week's worth of groceries for a tank gas, but it no longer holds the same allure it once did. I always find myself wishing I could take a train instead and read a book or something on the way. (Generally, Florida's Highway Patrol frowns on book reading while driving.) Unfortunately, Florida does not really have much of a mass transit system to speak of.

I have no choice this weekend, though. My girlfriend's play opens this weekend at the Orlando Fringe Festival and I cannot wait to see it. In a few months, I will need to go to New York (but I'll at least be flying there) to see it in the New York Fringe Festival. I am so proud of her for accomplishing all of this, all while working at her day job, writing a novel, and participating in all the other things that she does. I look forward to being able to go to the play and see at least some of the fruits of all of her labor. I also think it will be fun to be up there and check out some of the other shows that are happening.

Our trip to Costa Rica is fully planned and booked - even our airport parking. I guess we did not book activities in advance, but mostly because one cannot predict Costa Rican weather. So, it's easier to do all of that, we think, once we arrive. I am so excited, and I know my girlfriend is excited to have this to look forward to after all the stress of the Orlando show is over. This way she can de-stress and relax in-time for stressing out again over the New York show.

The Land of Blog

After being at this blogging thing for a couple of years, I have a few notes to make. First, a lot of people do not seem to keep at it for more than a year or two. I am not sure if they just run out of things to say or if they run out of time. For example, a lot of bloggers seem to be recently out of relationships or doing something similarly exciting, giving them frequent things to write about. Ahhh , drama. Others are just in college or not working or doing something that gives them a decent amount of time in which to stare into the misty haze of their brains and pluck something entertaining out and set it into words.

In either event, most of the bloggers, if not all of the bloggers, I was reading when I started are now gone (it's really easy to become old as a blogger), with the notable exceptions of Stephanie Klein and Chris Diclerico. The former being a writer, I sort of would expect her to continue blogging. Not that I have any real basis for this assumption; lots of authors do not maintain blogs, but I just sort of take it for granted that she will. Until she finally has a nervous break down and cannot take all the crap anymore and calls it quits. Chris is more a finder of stuff he finds cool and throwing it up there, which I feel, makes the blogging process somewhat easier for him, but it is still cool to see a familiar face in my rss feeds still updating.

Still, there are some cool fucking people blogging. For example, through blogging, I got to ask a former stripper tons of stupid questions I had always wanted to ask a stripper, and given that I have never even been to a strip club, I probably would have had to wait a lot longer to ask any of these questions without this thing we call Internet and these things we call blogs. Today, this was reaffirmed when I found the blog of a former circus performer. Oh, yes, you heard me correctly, a fucking circus performer, like on a flying trapeze and shit. How unbelievably cool is that? I just find that to be so awesome. Almost as cool as the day I found out (and then proceeded to forget over and over again as though I am some eighty year old suffering from Alzheimer's) Kevin Smith has a blog.

I always wonder if I am doing my blog correctly - whether I am writing blog-worthy items or things others would find interesting, or even things I find interesting. Sometimes I write serious posts about things I feel uniquely capable of speaking about or think I can offer a perspective that has not been expressed fifty-million times by other bloggers and random pundits out there, and sometimes I just write random fiction that some people seem to really enjoy but that others seem to lack any interest in whatsoever. To an extent, though, I always feel that if I am writing anything, it is probably better than not writing at all. It keeps the cobwebs from getting too thick, but some days I really wish it all would flow as well as it used to. Although, I am still not sure if it was ever *that* easy. Maybe blogging is easier when your life isn't - when things in your life are dramatic, you have a reality show to set down into words.

Recently, Janet said that I should write more about the past and the future. I am not sure if she meant I should start writing about dinosaurs and spaceships, but it sounded definitely interesting and broad.

Weddings

I hate weddings. There, I said it. Almost every wedding I have ever attended, I have done so under duress, or with significant peer pressure. "C'mon, you have to go - you are in the wedding party." As if that is some valid excuse to allow someone to make me suffer. I also learned that being in the wedding party can actually be its own form of hell because you do not just get to show up for the wedding. Oh, no. You're in it for the long haul when you are in the party. Also, the whole "party" portion of the title should be dropped because it is not a party, unless by party you mean an excruciating painful ordeal that will haunt you for years to come.

Many people approach weddings with a much rosier attitude. In fact, I know people that actually enjoy going to them. I, however, experience only dread. I, actually, maintain a mental list of my friends who are likely marital candidates, and whose weddings I would have to attend. Every time one of their weddings is over, I breathe a sigh of relief and cross that name off my invisible list. Fortunately, the list has been growing smaller. For while I know many people, most of them are married and I can probably find a good excuse for missing many of the others' blissful days.

I do not really understand the entire mindset behind the wedding. I know it is supposed to have something to do with having all the people that are important to you coming together to help celebrate the occasion and the bride and groom's new life together. However, I feel like they could easily accomplish all of that without me there. I do not really need to bear witness to the vows and endure the ceremony. Would it not be easier for the couple to go elope and then invite me to a big party at a later date so that we can celebrate then. I think it would save them a lot of money and angst that way. However, the rest of the world would probably not subscribe to my viewpoint.

I was recently invited to one of my good friend's weddings. (She is one of the few remaining people on my list.) She and I used to hang out quite a bit in college and I think her fiance is a pretty cool guy. This made receiving the invitation and deciding what to do with it a particular inner-struggle for me. (Think Superman III, but with much more mediocre special effects.) On the one hand, I am extremely happy that they are getting married to one another. I think they are a great match and I want to show my support and solidarity, but on the other, I hate weddings.

So, I asked my friend what she thought of my dilemma and she left it entirely up to me. In my heart, I am fairly sure I have to go to her wedding or I just will not feel right about it. However, I am still trying to work myself up to the requisite level of excitement that seems to be required for such a momentous day.

Another Year Older

Last week, for my birthday, my girlfriend took me to see This American Life. I know what you are all thinking, how could you see a radio show. (Alright, only the few of you that read this blog, who know what that show is, are thinking that.) Well, the show tried something experimental, which is often the case. They asked their listeners to vote online and tell them if they would be interested in attending a live performance of the This American Life radio show (and their Showtime television show) - this live performance would be held in New York but broadcast live to various movie theaters throughout the country. Evidently, demand was high, and we quickly acquired our tickets. It was really quite a lot of fun - once we located the movie theater it was at, and while the show was two hours, it really did not feel very long at all.

We also went to a restaurant/bar bar we had seen on a Food Network show. (This was after, of course, we got some of the best bagels you can get outside of New York and before we went to see Iron Man.) The restaurant is basically a sports bar that serves unexpected fare. For example, you would not expect to find brie wheels, escargot, and fresh encrusted grouper sandwiches at your everyday watering hole. I did not think the food lived up to the hype provided in the show, but none of it was bad. In fact, the garlic fries and flank steak sandwiches were, by all accounts, delightful. My girlfriend was also quite pleased to learn that morning that quality bagels are closer than New York. Granted, acquiring them requires a trip to Miami, but I think she would consider that a small price to pay.

Finally, we booked our tickets to Costa Rica and will be leaving in about a month. I am still coordinating some of the hotel details but almost all of that is finalized and with a little luck, will be completely sorted out by the end of the day. Then I just have to sort out our travelers insurance and medications and we should be good to go. It was expected that the trip would have to be delayed until November but it all came together at the last minute and the Internet helped make it all much easier to accomplish.

SP-1

As some of you might remember, I happen to have very strong opinions regarding Windows Vista, and just when I started getting used to many of its idiosyncrasies, which I had a Microsoft technical support person tell me, makes it a better operating system, I received the Service Pack 1 update from Microsoft. Oh, hooray, for me. My computer now does not seem to know if it really wants to start Windows or just sort of sit there in a listless state for a minute or two. This is an improvement, right? I am sure Microsoft would silently coo in my ear that it is all for the best and that this release makes everything better, but from where I sit, it has basically downgraded my OS.

The other day, I went to a training with a bunch of attorneys. It required everyone to have their own laptop. It was here that I saw my very first Macbook Air. I did not really realize that it was anything special at first glance, but it was being discussed by everyone else in the room and the technical support person in attendance offered his two cents of derision for all things Apple. A few minutes later, the presenter's computer had a significant error, bringing down several key features of Windows and the programs running in it. The attorney looked over to him and said, "Want to borrow my Mac?"

I still am not sold on the whole Mac concept. My girlfriend has one and whenever I want to do something on it, I feel like I have to complete extra steps to accomplish anything and I do not fully understand its architecture with the installation and removal of programs. I assume if I took the time to learn about it, I would figure it all out, but that seems time consuming. In college, I worked as technical support help desk guy. The Macs were always the worst, until they upgraded them all and then everyone wanted to use a Mac. I still, however, did not experience the same joy with them. For example, it still bothers me that when I close a program in a Mac, it does not close the program because I have to quit the program to close it.

It is little things like that that can bug me. However, the Mac OS is probably still a superior operating system. After all, they originated the entire concept of Windows. All Microsoft did was make Dos look really pretty.