I got some cool Christmas presents this year. The Girl got me Mario Cart for Wii, a new Swiss Army knife (with a saw!!), locks for my awesome rack, and the only thing I asked for, new socks! The Chili’s got us a DVD player which prompted us to subscribe to Netflix.
There was another thing I wanted. When talking to my sister about it, she wanted to know what she got out of the deal. Well, Chili, you get to tell the story. Brat.
Last night after class I went to San Fransisco with the dude from Chicago. We had a blast but this is not what this post is about. As we are walking, we are talking about one of the trainers. He is a super nice guy and a great trainer. The thing is though is that I have been racking my brain trying to figure out if I did indeed know him. Remember when I said the other day that he thought he had met me before? Well I have been talking to him on breaks and it turns out he has family back east. Maybe I did meet him somewhere? P-town perhaps?
So anyway, as we are walking, my new friend says;
” Me and the guy I sit next to have been laughing the whole time. He is Jack McFarland.”
I pretty much lost my shit right there in the street I was laughing so hard. It’s true. You put 30 pounds on Jack and he and the trainer are the same effing person.
This guy has had me laughing the whole time. I just hope I don’t accidentally call him Jack today.
Not much.
Last night after my class, I went back to my room, tried to order in, was unhappy with my options, and ventured out in search of chow. I ended up with pasta that was pretty yummy. I was sleeping by 7:30.
This morning I was up at 3:30. I talked to The Girl, who left for work at an even more ungodly hour than usual due to the snow. Then I just waited for something to open so I could get some Joe. The hotel has coffee and hot water out at 5 so I made myself a Via.
Now I am at Starbucks, hanging with the locals, giving you a play by play because I am bored. Soon when the coffee kicks in I will go back to my room and do some school work.
The following are some of my observations so far:
– People are dressed like it’s -10 out. It was 50 yesterday. Wimps.
– The locals are telling me they are sorry about the “cold” weather while I am here. When I told them about the snow back home, their mouths fall open. I tell them it’s just a dusting.
– I just realized I forgot to brush my teeth.
– Shit closes early and opens late around here. What’s up with that?
– Aside from one dude from Chicago, everyone else in my class is from the area. I’m going to ask Mr. Dude if he wants to hang out tonight.
– I asked the lovely woman sitting next to me in class what I should do while I am in town.
“Go to San Fancisco.”
I think it’s safe to assume she does not work for the Oakland welcoming center.
That’s all for now. I’m going to spend a few observing the locals before I go back to my room.
Peace.
So far my trip has been good. Aside from the worst landing I have ever experienced( I think it was the pilots first time) I made it to my hotel with no issues. On the way I had my eyes peeled for a Starbucks which happens to be about a block from my hotel.
Thanks to my iPhone, I found my training site with no problems. My trainer, Tim, took hold of my hand and wouldn’t let it go. He said he felt like he had met me before but he decided that I just must be one if those people he wanted to know. I think he picked up that I was family. I picked up that he was the second I saw him.
Before I left, The Girl and I had dinner at Jerry Remy’s sports bar!
I’m leaving town for a bit. I have to go to Oakland for a training. Not really looking forward to it. Blah. I’m sure I’ll post from there but for now here are ten thingies on a Monday. I march to my own drummer.
1. I had class this past weekend. I like the teacher. She kind of reminds me of my seester. She seems to have the magical teaching format down. Good lectures, plenty of resources, knows when we need a break ( and gives them to us!), relevent anecdotal stories, humor, never condescending (Even when people say really stupid shit. Although I don’t think I am ever condescending, I know that when someone says something dumb my facial expression shows what I am thinking. I need to work on that.), and realistic in the expectations she has for us. She is very engaging. Not once did I get bored and feel the need to check my email.
2. After class yesterday, The Girl and I went out to find a Christmas tree. I think we picked the 3rd one we looked at.
3. The Girl was rather surprised by how many sports themed decorations I own.
4. The Girl has never had a real tree! Would you please call her and remind her to water ours while I am away?
5. The Girl never turns on the heat. I once came home to find her on the couch with 5 shirts, fleece pants, 2 pairs of socks, and a knit hat on. Oh and she was wrapped in a blanket. When I asked her why she didn’t turn up the heat, she said that her mother always told her and her sisters to put on a sweater. I told her that I was not her mother and I didn’t care if she turned the heat up. In fact, I would rather she did. Not to 80 or something silly but enough to be comfy. Could you please call her and make sure she is not frozen to death?
6. I always clean the house before I go on a trip. For some reason, I just can’t leave without cleaning.
7. The high temp in Oakland while I am there is only going to be 52. Blah!
8. It’s going to snow here though so I guess I should shut my pie hole.
9. Have you tried Starbucks Via? It’s pretty good. Better than Dunks. I am bringing some with me because hotel coffee sucks.
10. I am planning on watching Monday Night Football on the plane. This will be the first time I have ever watched an entire Monday night game. At home, I fall asleep. Planes? Not so much. I have no idea who is playing.
Peace.
We got a couple of inches over night. It sure is pretty!
Did you know that today is World AIDS day? I just deleted a TTT post about HIV/AIDS statistics. It really bummed me out. I mean, my job is HIV education and prevention so it’s not like I am choosing to stick my head in the sand. What got me was the stat that says that Africa has 14 million children who are now orphans because of HIV and AIDS. So. Sad. HIV/AIDS continues to be a huge problem both here and abroad. Just keep that in mind while I try to keep it light on this space. Or at least lighter than the deleted post;
1. HIV is REALLY easy to prevent.
2. Use a condom.
3. Don’t share needles or works.
4. Since Massachusetts began needle exchange programs, new cases of HIV among intravenous drug users went from 43% to 15%. Did you hear that! That is huge! And no, giving addicts needles does not encourage them to do drugs. Don’t even go there with me.
5. Your tax money that is spent on prevention programs (like the one that pays me) is working. We still have some bugs to work out and the CDC is about to launch new programs in 2010, but it is working.
I know my readers are smart but I just gotta put it out there…
6. You can get HIV regardless of your sex or who you choose to have sex with. While it is true that new cases of HIV are highest among men who have sex with men, heterosexual people are a close second.
7. Just so you know, there is an alarming trend going on. It seems as though there is a growing number of hetero married men with children who are having sex with men. One lady on the radio caught her husband of 13 years having sex with a man. Turns out he had been having sex with different men for the past 7 years. These men identify as hetero, not bi-sexual. Just sayin.
Again, not trying to question your intelligence here but…
8. You cannot get HIV from kissing an infected person.
9. You cannot get HIV from a toilet seat. There really are people out there who still think this is true.
10. Having a good, honest, and ongoing dialogue with your kids about HIV is a good idea. Young people account for nearly half of all new HIV cases. It can happen to your kid.
Saying “Happy World AIDS day” just doesn’t sound right to me. There is really nothing happy about being infected with HIV. Just spread the word, would ya?
Who does she think she is anyway? 
Recent Comments