Short Short Stories

I had another post written for today, but I came across this article about sci-fi/fantasy authors writing 6-word stories and couldn’t resist participating. Here’s my attempt at the 6-word novel:

I awoke. The animals were gone.
-or-
“I lied. You have a twin.”
-or-
The thing about spontaneous combustion is….

Read the article yourself then create and post your own stories in the comments section. Don’t limit it to just one. Enjoy the weekend!

A Long Time Ago We Used To Be Friends....

.... but I haven't thought of you lately at all.

Here are some pictures from recent events including shots from this past weekend.

A Man For All Seasons

Fall might be the most underrated season out there and quite possibly the best season. Summer gets all the hype just as winter gets all the gripe, and springtime lacks the excitement and depth of other seasons. Fall has it all with the cooling weather, fun holidays, exciting sports, etc. I can still recall what real autumns were like back in Colorado and for some reason I always have fond memories of that time, aside from the schoolwork, of course. Maybe it’s because I just really like football and Halloween, or maybe it’s because “autumnal” is fun to say. Any way you look at it, fall is a pretty cool time of year, and I’m glad it’s finally here!

Celebration of Safety Golf Scramble

Yesterday at work, we celebrated a year’s worth of safety efforts with, what else, a golf tournament! Last year we had a barbecue and raffle, which was okay, but this year they decided to get us out of the office and onto the links. Our company bought out the golf course for the day (or at least until 4pm) and gave us complete access to the entire facility. Everybody worked half a day in the morning and then headed out to the golf course where lunch and gifts awaited us. As customary in such celebrations, we each received a windbreaker and gift certificate for being good employees. After the meal, they started up a putting competition and provided balls for the driving range. These activities were just the warm up for the events to follow.

Before I continue much further I must tell you a little bit about the organization of the game itself. Participants were divided into teams of 4 with each member of the team from a specific experience category so that each team had both good players and bad players. Two teams were sent to every hole location to start from and once there Team A would golf first followed by Team B. Each team would only play 9 holes on the same side (either all front 9 or all back 9), such that you would end up at the hole adjacent to your starting hole. On every stroke, every team member plays from the best lie on the course to achieve the best possible outcome for your group. Also, among the holes were some side competitions for specific holes, such as longest drive, closest to pin on par 3’s, and straightest drive. Odd rules, but it makes for some very fun golf.

I met up with my team and we headed off to the 15th hole, which is my least favorite on that course, so I thought it would be good to get it out of the way first. I wasn’t expecting much from myself since I haven’t golfed since my brother left for school and the last time I golfed things went bad. But, I had good spirits about me and hoped that our A-player would carry the team through most of way. I surprised myself by getting off to a good start and played rather well by my standards. Our team, however, did not have the proverbial “ringer” as we were expecting, so more of the burden shifted to me to make the clutch shots. As a result, we bogeyed every hole but two, which were our only pars for the day. The second par came on a par 3 hole where I hit the ball perfectly and landed it about 10 feet from the hole. The hole had a “closest to the pin” competition designated for it and sure enough, using the supplied tape measure and placard, I was the new leader. It was the end of the day and I was certain the award would be mine; however, I watched the group behind us tee off and saw those hopes vanish as someone posted a 5-foot mark.

We weren’t expecting anything at the end of the day since our team didn’t do particularly well (we had the highest back 9 score of anybody and perhaps the highest overall score too), but we all enjoyed ourselves and stayed around for the awards ceremony. Rather than score it regularly, they handicapped all of the scores by choosing three random holes and adjusting the final scores from that handicap. Honestly, I don’t know what rocket equation they used to calculate the final scores, but somehow our team ended up in second place for the back 9 holes! I was (and still am) confused as hell, but I gladly accepted my prize (another gift certificate). After the ceremony, we all left for home after a wonderful day.

When all is said and done, this was seriously the best workday ever.

Change of Pace

As promised, this past weekend brought a much-needed change of pace to the stagnant rut I had worn for myself. The fun started Thursday night where I took my parents out to a very nice dinner to celebrate their anniversary and my dad’s birthday. I ordered a rack of lamb and was purring for hours after. On Friday morning, my mom and I went mattress shopping and I picked out a bed for my apartment, which was delivered while I was gone over the weekend. It’s a nice new addition to my place, if not surprising every time I enter the bedroom. My apartment is now almost complete.

I left mid-day on Friday bound for L.A. and for a fun evening. Jessica and I met up with Nate, as he was nearby, and we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. During the meal, Jessica suddenly panicked and quietly but firmly said, “Stop eating. I think I found a cockroach in my food.” I hungrily eyed my food and longed not to stop eating since it was tasting so good, but in the blink of an eye our waitress appeared and calmly told Jessica that it wasn’t a cockroach, but was in fact some seed they cook with that opens up and just looks like a cockroach when cooked. She was even kind enough to show us what it looked like before cooking. We gave a sigh of relief and continued to dig in (more lamb, yum).

We went to Hotel Café that night where we heard Rob Dickinson play. He’s British and used to be the lead singer for Catherine’s Wheel (?) I think. He was rather amusing, both while he sang (the weirdest facial expressions) and between songs (“I’ve got bits in my mouth”). He rather reminded Jess and I of Eddie Izzard in some ways, but I feel that most British guys remind me of him.

The next day we saw “The Science of Sleep” in theaters. I was a little disappointed with the way it ended and the character himself, but the movie was very creative and imaginative. Sometimes I too experience that blur between my dreams and reality, though not as extreme, and I often don’t remember if something actually occurred or if I dreamt about it. Occasionally I’ll get a sense of déjà vu, feeling that I might have encountered certain events before in my dreams. After the movie Jess, Natalie and I decided on barbecuing for dinner; however, Blake, who happened to be out of town, had usurped their grill. So we went on a reconnaissance mission to kidnap the grill from his place and take it to the girls’ place. After a successful mission (zero casualties), we made a delicious tri-tip dinner and enjoyed the cool autumn air (despite the serious lack of autumnal presence).

I came home Sunday evening to a new bed in my room and with lots of cleaning and washing to look forward to. I had a fun weekend and definitely needed a change of pace a bit, although the next few weeks look promising, starting with today, but more on that later.

Is This Worth Posting?

I don’t know if it’s just that I’ve been rather tired recently at work, or if my life is just that bland right now, but I feel like nothing truly unique has happened in the past week. We had our annual reliability audit on Monday and I think we passed with flying colors. Since then, I’ve deflated a bit at work trying to relax a bit more before the next onslaught of projects wraps me up. Life outside of work hasn’t been too exciting, although last night we did have a little get together which was nice, except for the headache I suffered through this morning. I will be down in LA again this weekend and I know it will be a fun time, with hopefully no more incidents. Perhaps by then I’ll have something worth posting.