DrKmc's 2 Cents Worth

I'm Still Alive!

2005-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wow... I haven't signed on to this effin thing since May.

I've had two new jobs since I last wrote, and I think that this one's a keeper. I've also been in school since January non-stop, so I'm anxiously awaiting January's winter break. Nearly a month of lazy bliss.

I've also been watching the World Series, even though my Cardinals are out. Ah, well. There's always next year.

Hope all is well in the world out there...

College Life- Where's the Party?

2005-05-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been doing most of my updates on my other site- my apologies for not keeping this one more up-to-date. I've posted quite a few pictures, and look out for more, now that summer fun is fast approaching. If you want to link up to my site, check this out:

Drkmc's Spare Room

Feel free to leave me a message! In the meantime...

Well, time to cram this week- two finals to go! English and Philosophy. This is the most writing I have done in a single semester to boot- but I know it will only get better when I have to start all of my research papers in Biology, Chemistry, Physics... looking forward to it, you bet.
Finals, of course, mean that it is nearly the end of the semester. No break for me- I plan to take a full load of classes this summer after a few weeks break, have another few weeks break in August, and start right back into it. My goal is to make it to the University of California San Diego by next fall, but if I end up near death by working full-time and going to school full-time, I might have to postpone those plans for a few extra months.

First things first, I have to decide what two classes to take over the summer. I've got it narrowed down to Political Science, Anthropology, English (Critical Thinking), Psychology(Human Sexuality- oooh lala! I hear it's interesting), Geography, History (US), and Sociology. Now I just have to pick two, and I'm all set! This fall, I'll start in again with Linear Algebra and some of the sciences... My head is swimming just thinking of it all.
On the upside, we bought a grill and some patio furniture this weekend, had some steak on Saturday night, last night the biggest hamburgers, tonight hamburgers again... I love California- you can conceivably grill all year long out here.

Speaking of school and finals, I need to get to it again. Hoping this finds you well and in good spirits!

km

Birthday Blues

2005-05-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. Today is another year closer to 30, which I optimistically hear is the best decade of a young person's life. Being 26 is so far a little more comfortable than being 25 for some reason- you're on the cusp of being a senior citizen (in a teenager's eyes) yet still close enough to emulate the youth of being 21...Whatever. Philosophy has me reading a little too deep into everyday stuff.

The day started off crappy enough, with patients not showing up when they should have, being pricks when they did show up, wanting to pop heavier pills than what the doctor will allow and then ripping my head off because they don't understand that me- a front desk girl- does not carry a license to prescribe drugs to a pill-obsessed society. The afternoon, however, was much better.

I'd kept the secret of my 26th birthday a secret from my coworkers because I get so embarrassed when they sing Happy Birthday. It's just much too long to stand there with a grin on your face when you know everyone else just wants to get on with thier lunch hour. But they did get me a cake, and a homemade card (since my secret left them little time to go out and get one), and it seems from what they wrote that even though I have only been at the office for a little over three months, they like my quirky sense of humor.

Then I got to come home to a puppy and a smiling face, not to mention the beach. Who can complain at a time like this?

Peace,
km

2005-05-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight finds me at peace... Jess is back home after a weekend trip to Vegas, all my homework is done- well, except for Philosophy; Sachi is sleeping like a baby in her kennel, and now it's time to just relax before hitting the hay and getting up for work tomorrow morning.

It's funny how these little things make you so comfortable and peaceful.

Not so the case this morning. I went surfing because conditions were perfect- 3-5 feet, bright sunshine, uncrowded. I went out and the sets were three or four, few seconds gap in between to recover, and I was finding my groove (not so much like riding a bike- no two waves are everthe same). All of the sudden, a huge mother f-er breaks right over my head. I tried to get my board under me and turn, but it was too little too late. The wave rolled me over in a quasi cartwheel. My shoulder bottom and I chugged a lot of water, but I got up, laughed, and paddled out again. I love surfing.

Hope this all finds you well~

Peace
km

New Site!!

2005-05-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I put up a new site on MSN- it's a little easier to post pictures and has some better options as far as layouts and such. I'll still be posting on this one also, but I wanted to give you a heads up.

Peace and chicken Grease,

km

http://spaces.msn.com/members/kimbot1979/

2005-04-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Another weekend gone in the blink of an eye, and I don't even really know where all the time went. Don't you hate that?

My new puppy is asleep on my lap as I type this. She's got a horrible case of gas, so I'm pretty excited about getting her off of puppy chow and onto some big kid food. Doesn't even phase her, but it's enough to put the rest of us in a chokehold until the room clears.

Not much else to report, except I saw your kids, Envoy-ette, and they are as cute as a button. I can only hope that whatever comes out of my uterus is half as cute!

Hope all is well with you, Ken, and that you're not too exhausted from all of your oraling excursions this past week! Naughty boy.

drkmc

A Relaxing Weekend... Sort of

2005-04-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Over all, it was nice. Friday night, Boz and I went to Pirate's Cove, which is just north of Avila Beach, and watched the sunset from the cave. Pirates Cove, mind you, is a nude beach (clothes optional, my friends. Guess who kept her stuff on?), but from the safety of the cave, you won't see any swinging or sagging body parts.

Saturday was spent doing homework in Philosophy and English- about eight chapters collectively. It's funny how much more subdied I am when I'm in school. I think most of it has to do with the fact that I have to concentrate- hey, whatever helps me get into a good UC school!

Today we were going to go to the beach to surf, but it was foggy and dreary all day until about 3- but by then it was too late as we were already shopping. We stopped at Mr. Wong's on Pomeroy for a bit to eat, then a stroll on the beach, then back here for some homework. ALL DONE!! I don't think I have ever read so much in my life.

Check it out- I may be posting for PreMed Diaries. If they think I'm interesting enough, they'll hit me up!

Hope all is well with you all, no matter where you are in the world...

km

She Speaks from the Grave

2005-04-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Geez... so much has happened since I last wrote. I'd like to thank my three fans out there for being patient with me and sending me emails to make sure that I was still alive and bitching.

Current events...

1.) The Pope died. I'm not a practicing Catholic, but I do appreciate what he did to spread goodwill over the last thousand years that he's been the Pope.

2.) I'm got a new job! I'm working as an administrative assistant in a surgery office and only doing my Kinko's gig two nights a week. Thus, I have ended my vampire hours.

3.) School started for me again, and I am waist-deep in reading- Philosophy and English. Good thing I don't mind writing papers.

4.) Camilla and Charles got married. Ew... old people sex... shudder...

5.) I got nominated for the National Deans List for the third year in a row! Such a nerd.

6.) Ken Kaniff disappeared. No trace...

7.) J got us a puppy!

8.) My older sister had her third baby- a boy, named Aaron James. AJ for short.

Enough to keep a girl busy, not to mention that I am turning 26 next month. Dammit.

Mullets ARE That Bad

2005-02-03T05:01:00.000-08:00

I should tell you about Chris Cusick. He's a piece of work. You need to be forewarned in case this sketchy asshole makes his way into your town, your lives, your bank accounts!

He's an Iraqi war veteran. I commend that, I really do. But he approaches his war experiences in a different way. Here's how:

1.) He took pictures of dead Iraqis and put them into a photo album. He showed it to a WWII veteran, an older gentleman who saw many of his friends die, and laughed when the older man began to cry over the pictures that reminded him of war atrocities.

2.) He is in possesion of stolen firearms that he swanked from the US Army. Just wait- I'm contacting authorities on this one.

3.) He is AWOL from Army duty. Oh yes, I am blowing him in on this one, too.

4.) He claims to speak Arabic, when really it's only broken pieces of insults ('Hey, suck my dick!' is one of his favorites. It's handy to have Serbian and Kuwaiti friends and acquaintances who translate for us.)

As if this wasn't bad enough...

He has a story for everything.

You just know when someone is blowing smoke up your ass to make themselves look good, and Chris does this constantly. Whether it's his numerous stories about how many women he's bent over car hoods and pool tables, to his heroic efforts in Iraq (riiiiight...), to giving a homeless hooker a ride home one night- it gets tiring listening to this idiot try to impress Boz and I.

When someone tries to impress you or turn everything into a pissing contest, I like to say they're trying to 'one-up' you. He does this ALL... THE... TIME.

He has taken advantage of our good will.

We weren't hip to it at first. He'd ask for five bucks here and there, which we lent him. Said it was for food. Turns out, he was buying booze with it. All together, he scammed about $200 worth of cash and merchandise from Boz and I- stuff he was supposed to sell for profit, he kept all of the items AND the money.

He stole medication from Boz- ever heard of Methadone? For chronic pain? He took about five pills.

He lies. I CAN'T STAND LIARS.

And to the lesser of all evils. He has bad fashion sense.

1.) Tapered pants were a no-no by 1995.

2.) Mullets were cool for about ten minutes in June of 1982.

3.) No one likes to see what you're chewing.

I don't think I need to go on. Someone like Chris- druggie, jail bait, teenage girl predator, scamming the government, lazy, 30-year old washed up idiot. Tell me I'm wrong.

On that note- Peace!

The Beautiful Letdown

2005-02-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

I didn't get the job with Orbital. Two and a half months of a rollercoaster ride, only to be let down while I'm on a vacation in Santa Barbara.

I'll keep you posted on my new adventures- I have another interview today at 130 that should hopefully yield some lucrative offers.

Peace.

Braving the Freezing Water

2005-01-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

While the northeast and parts of the midwest are being pummelled yet again by snow, Boz and I are thinking of braving the near-freezing Pacific Ocean to test out some new surf gear- boots, gloves, a new wetsuit. Hey, when you see a killer deal, you have to take it. Sales like that only come every so often, and it's pretty nice when someone wants to buy you something for all the hard work you do around the house. :-)

Still no word from Brian, but I am pretty calm about it. The only things that are bothering me right now is that I know I have to clean this stupid f*cking store in a few hours and my face feels a little oily. But it's getting closer to quitting time, and the sooner the better. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to curling up into a wee little ball and falling asleep.

The new apartment is working out grandly, also. I don't think I elaborated on it much, or on our old place, but our old apartment was once a motel. You could certainly tell by the size. To give you an idea, we had to sit side-saddle on the toilet- or our knees would knock on the wall. This new place has an actual bathtub. I can't get over it. And the noise level is practically non-existant. Now the only thing I have to work on is getting Boz to cut evil Tweaker Chris out of our lives. I just couldn't give someone like that a second chance.

Enough of that douchebag. And his 80's hair.

Back to the salt mines! Lord knows that if I don't get this work done, no one else will do it and they will all complain and act like pre-teens.

Peace!

Weekends are Too Short

2005-01-24T02:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that. I fall asleep on Friday night, wake up, and it's time to go to work on Sunday. The thing is, I really don't sleep that much. There's just too much crap that I have to do now that I'm a grown-up that I realize why adults sleep so much and don't want to play Barbies. Something about obligations and bill paying and this evil entity called work. I don't know.

The last few days have been pretty nice. Went out to dinner on Friday night, again tonight, relaxed in a nice, quiet apartment that isn't a stone's throw away from the freeway and next door to a tweaker. This weekend we're going to spend a few days in Santa Barbara and just eat a lot and relax... it's time to get out of town.

And hopefully by that time, I will have heard back from Brian about the job!

Back to work. Dammit.

Peace!

In the Bag? Maybe...

2005-01-19T04:05:00.000-08:00

So I went to talk to the folks at Orbital again, only this time was subject to a barrage of questions from employees who could potentially be my coworkers and the Big Man himself, Eric... Eric De... Dur... nice. I can't remember his last name.

Anyway, it was nice being able to talk to everyone and see them in thier elements. The way everyone made it sound, I could have this job. Brian said he was going to call me at the end of this week, so until then, I will be chewing on my fingernails.

At the moment, I am going on three hours sleep in two and a half days... I'm seeing shadows dart around corners, colorful auras, a bright light here and there... I am a princess... no wait, I am a balloon. Or a mermaid!

Delerious is what I feel, but it's been a productive few days, and to top it all off, most of our crap is now in the new apartment courtesy of *me* and sitting in huge piles in the middle of every room, also courtesy of *me*. Once this crap is all done, I'm going to fall asleep f or thirty years.

Did I tell you all that I got pulled over for expired registration by a fat bitch cop today? While people are whizzing by me at 80+ miles per hour. Whore.

Do you guys remember CeCe Peniston from like ten years ago? For the longest time I thought she was dead but apparently she's still alive. I had all of her singles on tape when I was thirteen.

ZZZ..zzz...zzz...

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, I Guess...

2005-01-18T02:57:00.000-08:00

We've been moving allllllll weekend. F*cking hate it. I am about ten pounds lighter and buff as a motha f*ck. Almost done. Tomorrow, the cable and power guys are coming out to hook everything up, so hopefully I won't have to deal with the shithole apartment anymore that we're currently in.

Tomorrow- er, actually today in about 7 hours- I have a second interview with Orbital Sciences. At this point, I have had about eight hours sleep total in four days, so I'm going to look like a cracked-out retard, but I don't care. I'm thinking that my chances are good, but I don't want to jump ahead of myself, so I'll keep you all posted.

I HATE KINKO'S!!

Whew! Sorry- don't know where Bim came from. (Bim is Bad Kim, of course. She's been feeling mighty mischievous these last few days. Watch out for any details on Bim's plans for leaving this joint in disarray).

Weekend Update

2005-01-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Hoping that you all had a good weekend and had more rest than I did! It was a busy few days, that's for sure.

To start, our pilot light went out on our wall-mounted heater about a week and a half ago. Come to find out, the heaters are installed incorrectly, and our landlord hired ill-qualified people to do the job to save a few bucks, so we've been getting carbon monoxide poisoning for who know how long. Obviously, not in lethal doses, but enough to make us sick.

So Thursday we get a call from the leasing office, and they tell us that we have another apartment available to move into on Friday- so guess what I was doing all weekend! I'm exhausted.

My interview went really well, and before I left, Brian asked me to come back for a second interview so that I could have a chance to talk with other employees of the company- so my hopes are high that he liked what he heard and saw from my resume and also us chatting one-on-one. My goal of being away from Kinko's before February just might come true... At any rate, I go back sometime this week to meet up with him again. There's a launch at the end of March that I'm hoping to be able to work on. I'm so excited at the prospect that for the first time in a long while, I do feel completely at ease, even though I have a shitload of stuff to move once I leave Kinko's this morning.

But it's a good start to the week, right?

2005-01-13T02:35:00.000-08:00

So it's finally Thursday... by some stroke of goodwill, they have given me tomorrow (or rather, tonight) off from work so that I can be well-rested for my interview tomorrow. I'm looking forward to sleeping a lot... as I write this, it's about 235 am and I am already tired, with about five hours to go... I don't think I'll be able to survive this night without a fresh cup of tar-coffee from the Shell station around the corner.

Last night while I was sleeping, I heard some really freaky shit in the other room. I guess a few nights ago, our neighbor was freaked out because - supposedly- his trashcan slid across the kitchen floor. I personally think that this individual is a jackass tweaker, but I suppose I am biased to think negatively of anyone who steals from and takes advantage of us.

I do believe in entities, though I've never seen a ghost. While I was living in Ohio, we rented old farmhouses and I experienced some wierd stuff, but I'm not quite sure if I should attribute the events to ghosts or my overactive imagination. I am always thinking of the scariest stuff while I'm in the shower and I have shampoo running into my eyes, helpless, not able to peer out and see that nothing is staring at me... I've been reading Stephen King gore since I was eight, anyway.

On that note, I am here alone at the store, so hopefully the ghosts are playful and won't turn me into a wretched mess.

Peace!

T-Minus 2 Days

2005-01-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

Til the interview.

I got a lot more sleep last night, which has done wonders for my mood. Normally when I get up, I'm a cranky little bitch. But today- not so- I may even venture to say that I feel good about everything and at peace!

It probably helps that it has finally stopped raining for the first time in four or five days. Last night we were able to see beyond the cloud coverage after what seems like an eternity, but made it colder than a **witch's tit** outside when I left for work.

I also tweaked the rest of my resume and got the go-ahead from my old squadron commander to use him as a reference, so I was thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't a fucking retard while I was in the Air Force.

So I'm thinking that all this interview and job hunting crap is only going to help me when I am applying to med school in a few years. Hopefully, it will be cake compared to all of this- and I do have a lot of experience now at 25 that I wouldn't have had at 21.

Hope you all are doing swell!

Peace~

**Witch's tit comment courtesy of mom, Catherine Bouillon**

Percolating Belly

2005-01-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

That's what I call it when my belly is upset. It started as a joke in New Mexico- long story short, I used to crew for a hot air balloon pilot in Colorado Springs when I was stationed there. Every year, there is a big festival in Albuquerque called the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, which is 10 days of straight up work. But it was fun. One of these days, I'm going to post my narrative on the whole event- I had a blast.

Anyway, my belly is percolating because I am extremely nervous about my interview on Friday. I am going over the most-asked interview questions in my head repeatedly and I think I have all of my answers down- but I'm willing to bet that that sneaky son of a bitch is going to throw a curveball in there somewhere. I shouldn't call him a son of a bitch if I want the job... I'm just nervous... and percolating.

ENVOY-ETTE IS BACK!!

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw her post on this blog.

109 am here. Sucks. I hate living like a vampire.

Random Acts of Violence at Kinko's

2005-01-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I'm losing my temper in this place tonight, right in front of all the security cameras. The stupid professional printer (so-called) keeps jamming, every two minutes, choking on paper that I have to keep pulling out of it's rotten printer guts. I'd hate to tell you how much this corporation spent on this printer.

So it's Friday, finally! Why is it that short weeks seem to go by so much slower than regular weeks?

LA experienced a small earthquake yesterday- a 3.6- nothing compared to the quake that started in Paso Robles in December 2003. My first- scariest thing ever. I've never seen the ground roll like that. So now I've been though hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards, and ice-outs. That's what I get for moving all over this country.

No plans for the weekend except to hang out and save money (just like always, as of late), but I think tomorrow we are going to treat ourselves to a movie. We're thinking of seeing 'White Noise' with Michael Keaton. If the movie isn't creepy enough, he is, so it should be good.

Oh, and also trying to get rid of this Kinkoid Virus that I caught from Shane. I'm going to kick his ass later.

Peace!

Is it F*cking Friday Yet?

2005-01-06T04:40:00.000-08:00

Holy geez- I feel like I have been working for sixteen years straight with no vacation. Tonight (Thursday) is my Friday, thankfully.

We're moving! Again! I am super excited about packing up all my sh*t for the fourth time in two years to move about two miles up the road on the other side of the freeway. We found an apartment in a little secluded part of Pismo Beach that we're snatching up before some other jackasses take it, so we may be moving next week. Joyyyy...

I think these dirty little bastards here at the store got me sick yet again. Twice in two weeks- sore throat, headache, fatigue. Either it's a virus, or it's the effect of breathing in toner for eight hours at a time, five days a week.

I better get back to work, or something like it. I always like to look productive when wierdos walk past the giant front windows at all hours of the night.

Peace!

Small Steps Forward

2005-01-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally talked to Brian from Orbital Sciences today. I had passed out this morning after my shift, so I likely sounded like a groggy ass when he called me at 830 am. At any rate, I have an interview next Friday, which gives me time to tidy up my resume, pick out something nice to wear, and go over the five most popular questions that every company asks in every interview.

Wish me luck! I'm already sweating.

The weather as of late has left me feeling depressed and out of sorts, but I hear that it's going to clear up soon. We are thinking of camping again once it stops raining (most likely March...) and planning a trip up to San Francisco to get away from this beach town for a minute.

New Years was spent as an old lady- dinner, bubbly at midnight, lights out at 1 am, up for work at 6 am. What a life I lead- aren't you all just dying to hear what comes next!

Bandwagon Mania!!!

2004-12-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can't resist. I think it's neat-o.

Ask away, you nosey freaks!

(A) First, recommend to me:

1. a movie
2. a book
3. a musical artist, song, or album

(B) Ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want.

(C) Then go back to your blog, copy and paste this allowing your friends to ask you anything; say that you stole it from me.

Dear Envoy-Ette and D-Nice,

2004-12-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

We miss you. We miss your posts. I miss hearing about your kids and sharts and dinners with your husband and your quirky jokes and your little pictures and drinking stories. I hope that someday, cyberspace coughs you back up from wherever you've been in one piece and you come back to posting again.

Ah, well.

Today, the rain has started again, which only reaffirms my plans to go see a movie and then come home and jump right back into my pajamas. I hate the way some of these morons drive on the freeway when it rains, too- like the roads are completely dry and they're reenacting scenes from Project Gotham Racing or something. In mini-vans.

So far, no plans for New Year's celebrating except to be on the beach at midnight, bundled in our coats and scarves, to ring in 2005. It seems that this year went by much faster than last, and that every year goes quicker than the one before, which sort of worries me. I have waaaaaay too much partying to do before I'm in my thirties.

So, enlighten me- what are your plans for New Year's Eve?

drkmc

One Reason to Like FedEx

2004-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

First day off of two, spent doing laundry and eating lunch at Mo's BBQ here in Pismo Beach, then going for coffee at Papa Joe's. I can't complain.

The rain has let up for the moment, which is nice, while I read that the death toll in the Asia Pacific is now somewhere near 77,000.

There is a flipside to working for FedEx Kinko's, and it's how they're lending a hand to help aid those whose lives have been torn apart. FedEx is working with the Red Cross to ship boxes for free to those in need- so any old stuff you have that you want to get rid of, any canned goods or dry goods that you can't figure out why you bought them in the grocery store, just throw them into a box and give it to your local Red Cross chapter. It will get to people who really need it.

Anyway, I also have tomorrow off, so I plan to spend most of it being a bum. I would do some housework, but that would get in the way of my laying around time. I can't think of any mischief to get into, so chances are, tomorrow will be a pretty calm day.

PS- Keep those suggestions coming for my last day at Kinko's!

peace

...From Stormy Pismo Beach

2004-12-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

So things on the west coast are very interesting, due to that monstrous tsunami that decided to be a bitch and claim way too many lives in the Asia Pacific. Depressing- all these people dead, parents burying their kids. I can't look at the pictures anymore. Times like this, I wish I was already a doctor so I could do something over there instead of watching from here and feeling helpless.

Anyway, hoping that you all aren't feeling the effects too badly. Who knows what this weather system will do the east coast, which has already suffered tons of snow and ice. I just hope you're all careful today, no matter where you are.

Strange... I am out of words for the moment.

peace

Everyone, Meet Bim

2004-12-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

Well, now that the Christmas holidays are officially over, another one begins- the After Christmas Holiday Shopping. I remember when I worked at American Eagle part-time a few years ago, all these really old ladies and idiotic teenagers in the store trying to heckle down the price even more than what they were. Felt like Marrakesh and I was selling fruit and dyes or something.

This week, I'm working days at F*ckEx Kinko's, so my vampire hours are over temporarily. They have me in a position that I really don't understand for tomorrow, so the evil side of me, Bad Kim, (or Bim) is laughing, thinking about how easily it could be to screw things up. Don't worry, Mr. Kinko's, if you're reading this. I have excellent work ethics. But you haven't heard the last of me... *sinister laugh*

We all have our lists of things we'd like to do on our last day at Kinko's, since this job for most is considered a 'Do-fer' (Do For Now). Some, for the crazy employees, include fires and random acts of street violence, and others, like mine, include laminating 500 booklets together, putting invisible ink on business cards that say 'Fuckhead' or something like that, telling people that Kinko's doesn't make copies and never has, stealing all the dry ink... oh what fun it could be.

... what fun, what fun...

Hoping you all had a very nice Christmas, and rest up for the New Year! I'll be drinking, so watch out for any inebriated posts. If any appear, I'll blame it on Bim.

Drkmc

2004-12-24T03:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Friday (finally! ) and I have the next THREE GLORIOUS DAYS OFF to lounge around and watch movies and eat a lot of cookies and turkey. Ah... I love the holidays.

Being in California, there's no snow here on the beach, though I do find it cold enough to put on a sweater and brave the 5 mph winds for a trek to Starbucks. Actually, it's 3 am here in San Luis Obispo, where I work, and about ten minutes ago I stepped outside and I could feel my insides shrivel with the cold- I'm a wuss. Not used to this cold crap anymore and I was born and bred on the east coast.

My family is spread all over the place- Ohio, Belgium, Washington, North Carolina, Indiana. It's been about three years since I have been home with my family to celebrate Christmas, which is a little tough. That's why I am so thankful so have my network of friends, who, for all intents and purposes, are my family.

*** Job Hunt Update ***

There's nothing more irratating then when someone says they will call and they don't. It leaves a lot up to the imagination as to why they didn't call. This happened a point of contact at Orbital Sciences. After I seethed for a bit over it, I remembered that he had told me that he was going to have a busy week, and the company wasn't looking to hire until after the new year anyway. My blood pressure and stress levels have since gone down, but I'm still anxious. When you have a nice job, I guess it's easy to forget all the people trying to get in.

Fingers are still crossed.

***

Well, I have just about four hours to go before I start my THREE GLORIOUS DAYS OFF. I suppose I should get my work done.

Peace to everyone this Christmas. Easy on the eggnog and call me if you need a ride.

2004-12-08T02:52:00.000-08:00

Hello y'all...

Well, still slaving away here at Kinko's. This store is eating the life right out of me, draining away all of my energy night after night. I don't know how people can work this shift years on end. I'm struggling after only a few months, what with school and all.

** Job Hunt Update **

I got a phone call from a company called Orbital Sciences, which has divisions all over the States including one oh-so-conveniently located at Vandenberg AFB, my old military haunt. The day after I submitted my resume online, they called me to ask a few questions about my space background and whatnot. He's supposed to call me again this week to schedule an interview for next, so now's the time for me to get cracking on my hard copy resume! Almost done.

**

Anyway, the stress is getting to me, and I've always prided myself on being the strong sort. I know it could be a lot worse, but it's hard when you look at your bank account which was sitting comfortably in the big digit arena, and now has no more than to pay necessary bills. I know some of you out there know what I'm talking about. It's hard. So I think I'm taking the right steps.

Besides, there's a few douchebags here that I could stand to do without in my life.

So the holidays will be spent here decorating our Charlie Brown Christmas tree, since that's all we can afford. We've also discussed a bonsai tree (we are in California, after all), a nice breakfast, and braving the chilly 50 degree temps outside to watch Christmas Day movie releases. I'm hoping to make it back east to see my family in January.

School's almost done! One more class tomorrow night, then my finals next week. Wish me luck!

Hoping this finds you all well- til next time, then...

Drkmc

2004-11-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

Ken, you've been wondering where I've been, and I'm here to tell you that I am slowly going grey because I barely have enough money to pay bills at FedEx Slave-os.

At nine giant smackers an hour, I feel like a mule being whipped into making 20,000 copies nightly, only to see a third of my pay go to some mysterious entity called The Federal Government and the other to FICA. At any rate, I spent the better part of my Thanksgiving morning submitting my resume to Lockheed Martin, where I think I could better extend myself to something space-based. Lord knows I have the qualifications, so fingers crossed that I will someday soon be working for the LM team and can tell Mr. Kinko's to shove this low-paying job up his crusty ass.

Anyway, I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was grand, as was mine. My buddy Scott cooked a dinner for us and then we watched 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', which was good. Harry's voice has finally cracked and the young girl who plays the young girl now has boobs and an ass. Only the redhead seems like he never ages out of permanent dork, which is a lot like me.

Oh before I forget, I discovered (about six years late) that Mike Doughty, former lead singer of Soul Coughing, has released three solo acoustic albums that I just recently listened to, and they didn't disappoint. I suggest everyone check them out.

Hoping this finds you all enjoying your weekends!

Drkmc

2004-11-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

One of those days, I guess. I'm sitting here looking at my bank balance and contemplating if the Xbox was really worth it...

Yes, it was.

This weekend we're heading up to the Big Sur area for a weekend of camping and getting away from the every day crap that we find ourselves immersed in here. We're definitely roughing it- money is a little tight after paying for school and bills, so nothing fancy- though I am going to surprise Jess with a french press because some of us can't go without our morning coffee, even in the middle of a bunch of sequoias.

Besides, you really don't need much when you've got an ocean view and you're not boxed in by four walls.

And those pics I promised a few weeks ago-? Yeah, I'm wondering where they are myself. Seems like I'm friends with a couple of lazy slugs who are too exhausted to plug in the USB cable from thier camera to thier computer...

I'll keep on 'em. Rest assured that I'm going to be the photographer this weekend so the pictures will be up promptly.

peace!

drkmc

2004-11-01T02:15:00.000-08:00

Where the hell do the weekends go? It seems like yesterday that I got up after just a few hours sleep and began my weekend, and now all of the sudden it's Sunday, which is my Monday, wishing that it was Thursday night, which is my Friday.

215 am...

Halloween, which means that creepy college kids are out and about, prowling the streets of San Luis Obispo, which is precisely why I brought my Apache knife with me to work. Hey, a girl has to be ready just in case she's ambushed while taking out the recycleables.

220 am...

I had thought about skipping school tomorrow and going to see a movie instead, but Jess has talked me into being a responsible adult and going because I have to take her to the doctor next Wednesday for epiderals (for her nerve damage) and I won't be in class. Sometimes I wish I could be a teen again- well, not really. I really wish that I was good enough at math to just show up for tests and be able to pass the class!

We got a couple of good pictures from last weekend's drunken fun in Santa Barbara and tonight's dinner at Guiseppe's that I'll post here. I have to admit, I do clean up nice.

Hope you all are doing well!

peace~

drkmc

Weekend Trickery

2004-10-29T03:02:00.000-07:00

There are a few good things about working the overnight shift, and starting my weekend at 7am on a Friday is one of them. Of course, my week starts at 11 on Sunday night, but oh well. It feels like I have almost three days off.

First off, I'm hoping that Cindy-Lou is feeling better and returns to posting soon!

All right, so I got a few suggestions about how to celebrate my one year anniversary with my better half, and I think I'm going with the 'Naked as a Newborn' approach. Just sounds like fun.

So here I am, alone on a Thursday night. It's after three and in about an hour I have to start cleaning up the store in time for my lazy coworkers who work throughout the day. Last night I took the trash out and I SWEAR TO GOD there was something dead in one of the trash bags. I've smelled rotten milk before, along with rotten chicken (which, before this assault last night, was pegged as my least favorite smell in the world), and it was neither. Either someone took a fiery dump in the trash or something unwittingly died in there.

I don't have a weak stomach (unless watching someone getting their face sawed on one of tv's 'popular at the moment' reality makeover shows), but I almost lost it. It just smelled like hell.

So the Cards lost the World Series- I'm pretty bummed, even though I watched zero minutes of it. Just had a feeling that it would not go St. Louis' way. It's my adopted home, as it's the city I lived in when I joined the Air Force, and I love it. It's blue collar to the core, and they take hockey and baseball as serious as a heart attack. I was there when Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris' home run record in a race with Sammy Sosa and I'm here to tell you that I've never seen anything get fever-pitch like that (except at raves, but people on drugs don't count!)- you couldn't buy tickets for the next season a day after that season ended!

Hockey is huge, too- I'm a big ol' fat St. Louis Blues fan. I love guys with chipped teeth from Canada- something so friendly about it. Haha... Maybe one of these days, one of my teams will win a major title. I've got no hope for the NBA since in my opinion it's ghetto now- but I may have to watch since the NHL is on strike. Fuck.

Well, I've successfully killed twenty minutes. I wish I had an In-N-Out burger.

Peace to you all on this frigid 53 degree night! Oh how California has spoiled me...

drkmc

2004-10-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Another night gone by here in California. It's funny how much different your thinking is when you're all alone working the night shift. The fog has been my ever-present companion the entire night along with some incredibly horrible music pumping through the store radio station.

Tonight I found out how I did on my math test. There's nothing more horrible than studying for hours and then getting the test, only to realize that half of it you can't remember ever going over in class. I took the entire 2 hours and 50 minutes to answer 32 out of 34 questions, and who knows how many of those I e-ffed up.

Ah, well.

Yesterday morning was my first day of marathon training. I haven't gone running since I separated from the Air Force and, even though I've lost weight, I couldn't run for more than five minutes without losing my breath. There was also a decomposing seal carcass that washed up on the beach due to the storms that have been kicking our ass as of late. It's honestly the first decomposing thing I've ever seen aside from a bird or roadkill. It was pretty gross, but I couldn't stop watching the seagulls pecking at it.

All right- the real reason behind this post. This Saturday we are celebrating our one year anniversary and I need a little help figuring out something unique to do besides the traditional dinner and blah blah blah. Normally I'm pretty good at this thing but I've been preoccupied lately, so my creative resevoirs have run dry.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Just tell me who to make the checks out to.

peace!

drkmc

Hump Day!

2004-10-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

Not literally. But this means that you and I are one step closer to the lucrative prize of Weekend!

Hoping this finds you all well. Me, well, much better frame of mind since I last talked to you. Sleeping a little more soundly, looking forward to weekend fun, and a little bit of R & R time with my better half.

Tonight I have school and my inner child (or teen) is trying to talk me into skipping class. I would, but I have a test on Monday and there's this ass in my class who has a 102% average at the moment, beating my own measly average of 99.5%. Who said I was competitive?

Ever walk into a Port-a-Potty and find remnants of the last visitor on the toilet seat? Yeah... I'm pretty upset about it. Hope I didn't spoil your dinners.

peace!
drkmc

PS Ken, of course I will be your doctor. Being in Poland might hamper our visits, though.

Let the Bitching Begin

2004-10-18T01:56:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

First things first- my sister is pregnant with her third and it's a boy! I told her to keep on going so that it's easy to name my fleet of boats.

Next up- marathon training starts tomorrow! Five mile run tomorrow, two and three mile runs for the rest of the week. I also started taking vitamins since my diet as of late has consisted of one meal a day and too much wine (let me know if you're interested in some kick-ass Reislings and Pinot Noirs), plus I've just been exhausted lately. I've come to realize that I'm probably going to be tired for the rest of my life and that I'm only 25- I need to get my head out of this state of mind. And eat better.

Oh- and the Terror Trio known as Wilson-Phillips has remade a Fleetwood Mac song. I'm a huge Fleetwood Mac fan- Lindsey Buckingham is the reason that I picked up a guitar at 15- and I believe that some songs just shouldn't ever be redone by retards. Case-in-point, 'Landslide' by the Dixie Chicks, otherwise known as The Fuckers. Pardon all you The Fuckers fans out there.

If you couldn't tell, tonight (Sunday) is my Monday, and I'm just in a mood. I work with lazy people who leave all the hard work for me, only to be chewed out in the morning when I haven't got everything done. They sympathize to my face (Oh, you're still learning!), but behind my back it's the same old shit as high school. They'd rather badmouth someone to ten other people than sit down and hammer things out. Sad part is, I work with college students near my age and a couple of older ladies.

It's a rare occasion that I actually have the time to sit and make a post, such as tonight. When I get home, I sleep until one and the rest of the day am so tired that I walk around in a zombie state... I've missed three classes since I started mids two weeks ago- I've got no excuse.

But, not willing to give up. Even though every time I sleep, I dream of work- that's a bad sign. Still trying to find my niche, I suppose. It's also difficult because I work completely alone until seven in the morning, where part of the fun of work to me is all of the interaction you have with coworkers. Here, everyone comes in like they've got a stick up thier asses.

Ah... feel better. It's only a little after two am and I've got some homework to get caught up on.

Thanks for listening! I promise next time to be in my usual jackass state of mind.

peace, y'all. Have a good Monday.

drkmc

Supersize Me... Dare You...

2004-10-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

You guys seen this movie yet? 'Supersize Me'? This guy, Morgan Spurlock, goes on this McDonald's eating binge three times a day for thirty days. I won't spoil it for you, in case you want to Netflix it or something, but let's just day that he did more damage to his insides in a month than most alcoholics and druggies do in a much longer timeframe.

Very informative, creative, funny, and scary at times. Wait til you see where the old school chicken nuggets came from before they started doing the all white meat ones... shudder...

Anyway, it's my weekend and today we're going to check out 'Team America', even though sometimes puppets creep me out. First up is the thrill of grocery shopping, where I'll have to start buying healthy stuff and no more chili cheese fritos, though I may try to sneak some in.

Tomorrow I start running again, and I'll tell you that I don't think it will be as hard as I am anticipating (5 miles) because I've already lost four pounds while working at FedEx Kinko's on graves. I haven't ever had a job that has been that physical, ever! It's not just standing at the copy machine making copies- try like 12,000 copies of a booklet, having to lift all of those copies, process them, then move on to another job. I'm going to be a ripped bitch if I don't slow it down.

Time to check on y'all and see how you're doing- peace out!

drkmc

Fun With Tools

2004-10-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Before I start, I realized that the Kerry daughters look, unfotunately, like their father.

Last night, I had a little run-in with the drilling machine at work and am missing several layers of skin from the tip of my right index finger. That son of a bitch is in for it tonight.

Interestingly, Jenny Thompson is kicking ass all over the pool in Indiannapolis as we speak, winning the 50 meter butterflyand anchoring her team to relay gold. She's beating all the swimmers who ran her over (by hundreths of a second) in Athens- I'm placing bets for another record-breaking comeback in 2008 for Beijing.

Last weekend, a surfer was attacked by a shark off Pismo pier- right where I surf. The shark came up, got a jawful of surfboard, and took off. No one realizes that it's not people that the sharks want, it's seals... The surfer was fine but they restricted fun in the water to nil for a few days.

After a Friday from hell last week, to a weekend that went by way too fast, to today... Hope you all are having a happy Monday!

peace
Drkmc

The Witching Hour

2004-09-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It's three a-m on the dot here in California. No, I'm not up getting drunk or dealing with drunk friends or neighbors... nor am I battling insomnia. I'm actually on my break at work- mids from here on out.

I forgot how badly mids sucked big giant goat balls. The perks are that I am the only one here, I am my own boss, and I can do things how I want as long as I get it done right. The downside is that I am here by myself dealing with wierd assholes walking past the big front windows all night and that I have no interaction with coworkers. And another perk is that Ken and I are probably on the same schedule, albeit from all the way around the world.

So I've managed not to f*ck up any customer's pictures or done too much extensive damage with the various machines/ toys here in the store. Later on I'm going to have some late-night fun with the drill machine.

Anway, T-20 days or so until I start training for the LA Marathon. Which means, Cindy-Lou Who, that it's almost time for me to purchase my new Nike watch.

Peace out, y'all.

Drkmc

My First Post- Air Force Commitment

2004-09-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I apologize for my absence- I took last week as a week to get all of my running around done and set up appointments for next week... transitioning to civilian life isn't as scrape-free as I thought it would be!

However, I don't want Ken to beat me up, so I thought I should post and say that I have decided to run the LA Marathon next March! I'm really excited. You have to understand that I HATE running, never once liked it when I had to do PT and run oh-so-many miles, but here I am training to run 26! This is all a good reason for me to purchase a new Nike watch that I've been eyeballing for the past few weeks- I actually do need it now!

You can be sure that I will give updates on my training regimen. The week before the race, I am supposed to be able to run 20 miles. As a warmup for the rest of the week. What have I gotten myself into?

Anyway, I'm off to give random comments and wisecracks to all of your sites, so feel free to chew my ass here. Missed y'all!

Drkmc

Officially a Veteran

2004-09-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well, today was it. My last day of active duty service.

For all the times I bitched and complained, I have to say that my emotions were running rampant when I least expected it. People in my squadron came out of the woodwork to say thanks for my hard work, good luck, med school is an awesome career choice... all I could think of was how nice it felt... Where were they when I was down?

Ah well. It's bittersweet. It was harder than what I thought it would be. The Air Force is pretty much all I have known for my young adult life. I just hope I don't flounder in my new quest to be a doctor.

The cool thing about being a veteran is all the benefits we get- school loans, home loans, medical care. But the most important is the title of veteran- I'll always be an Air Force member.

Sentimental. Maybe I should go to bed and see how I feel in the morning.

peace

drkmc

Feelin' Lazy

2004-09-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ah yes. Today I have a day to myself- well, until five tonight when I have to work at FedEx. But it's been nice all day to just be lazy (except for my trip to Wal-Mart, Albertsons, The Sea Barn, Trader Joe's, and Baja Fresh for lunch). I plan on going back to sleep for a while and getting up at four to get ready for work.

Tomorrow I finish up my outprocessing, get my Montgomery GI Bill started, and start my terminal leave. I'm still kind of in a daze with all of this- the Air Force is all I have known pretty much all of my young adult years, so it's going to be a change to get out. I don't regret my decision to separate, but I will definitely miss it- even the bull. Well, some of the bull.

I have a test in math on Monday, so let's hope that I can keep up my streak of nerdiness and get a high score again!

Hoping that those of you in the path of yet another hurricane are safe and sound and not suffering from any sort of major loss.

peace!

I'm Baaaack!

2004-09-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

I'm back after a few days absence. Let's just say that working two full time jobs and school leaves me time to eat a quick snack and pee and that's about it.

This Friday, however, I start my terminal leave, which means that I have to use my leftover vacation time. Come 1 October, I lose my rank of Staff Sergeant and join the ranks of civilians again. Am I sad? Sure, I have mixed emotions. But I'm really excited to start this new chapter in my life.

I got 108% on my math test the other night (missed 2 points, but got a 10 point bonus). I'm such a nerd- highest score in my class. But hey I'm feeling jovial enough that that beers are on me!

Hoping this finds you all well and not mad at me for losing touch for a few days.

peace

drkmc

September 11

2004-09-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

I was in Washington D.C.

Please take a second to remember those who died in New York City, the Pentagon, and a desolate field in Pennsylvania, and the thousands who have died ensuring that those attacks never happen again.

PEACE.

Kim

Due to Surmounting Pressure...

2004-09-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

I, too, have joined the ten things movement

1.) I am delightfully sunburnt at the moment

2.) I have been playing guitar for 10 years

3.) I finally have found my other half

4.) I want to be a doctor

5.) I love to laugh and make strangers laugh- it's a good way to make friends

6.) I talk to myself a lot

7.) I have a lot of grey hair

8.) When I have naughty dreams about people, I can't look at them in the face ever again

9.) I am opinionated and stubborn, but willing to compromise. Sometimes.

10.) I don't cuss in front of my parents

So much more, but only ten may go down here.

peace

Drkmc

Not if You're Charles Manson

2004-09-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all.

First off, I've had about six hours sleep in three days between work and school and more work, but everything is going great. It's a continual learning process.

So a few weeks ago, A&E and The History Channel tag-teamed all night crap with the Manson Family. Manson himself is still a dork- preaching, playing the blame game. The Manson women, however, are now religious, repentant, they have BAs, clean prison records.

Would you trust them in society? I don't know if I would. But I suppose it's all about second chances.

Now normally, I think anyone who plays guitar is swell. But not if you're Charles Manson. Their crimes are horrible, they took lives, and I don't think that any of them who wielded a knife or ran with the family should have a place among nice people. Drugs, alcohol, no excuse. I had a friend who cheated on her husband and blamed her actions on alcohol.

Now folks, I've been pretty ripped before, and I've never done anything as idiotic as cheating or murder. There's always a sober voice in the back of my head that tells me I need to stop drinking, drink some water, gobble some Tylenol. Blaming things on meth or mary jane or Jaegermeister (which is certainly the devil in liquid form) is showing how weak you are and unwilling to admit that you're a shitbag.

These are the things I think about when I can't think of anything funny.

Hoping this finds y'all well!

peace

Drkmc

Miss Me?

2004-09-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I wouldn't either!

I did miss you all, though, and all of your wise-ass comments. They always make me smile.

Yesterday I took the day off from blogging and cleaning and homework and two jobs to just sit and relax... it's a word almost lost from my vocabulary... I did get the chance to catch 'Hero' in all of it's brilliance. It's one of the most vibrant and colorful movies I have seen in a while- definitely a must-see.

FedEx Kinko's training is going grand. It's all computerized, which can become monotonous. I'm like a drone when I get out of there, all wigged out with dilated pupils and pale-faced. I DO NOT want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer, and thank God I won't have to. Everyone is so kick-back and chill that it's taking me some getting used to after being around hardasses for the last six years and doing my best not to become one myself.

I also drove around the Cal Poly campus after work and got a good vibe from it. It's more of an agricultural and industrial school (as evident from the livestock and sample fields as you drive on campus), but it does have a good pre-medical program so in a year I plan to transfer. My goal, as silly as it may sound to some, is to pay for as much school as I can on my own as medical school is upwards of $250,000. Call me crazy, but I just don't gybe with debt.

Tonight I hung out with two of my good friends (Danny and Scott, whose pics I plan to post in the near future, when I catch them off guard). Feeling a bit steak-y, we went to Roadhouse Grill and then caught 'Napoleon Dynamite' afterwards. Awesome, hilarious movie. Reminded me of my awkward teenage years in Ohio.

Well, my dear stranger friends, off to bed. I'm beat. Tomorrow I have to clean the tiny apartment palace as Jess is coming home in less than a week.

Hope you all enjoy your Labor Day in the sun!

peace

Drkmc

WOW!!! Didn't See THIS Coming...

2004-09-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello y'all,

Thanks to everyone for responding to that blog and comment. I've received a lot of 'thank-yous' and emails from people, sharing sentiment and also their own opinions.

Part of me being an adult (and I'm stubborn so trust me it's hard) is learning how to agree to disagree. I don't know who you are, Anonymous, but I appreciate you being an adult too and listening to all sides. It means a lot to me.

In a few weeks when my blood pressure goes down, I'll think of something else to debate. ;-)

In the meantime, I started my job at FedEx, and it's pretty cool. I haven't worked with people that chill since before I entered the service- it's a big change! I'm also working on some pics to post here to break the monotony of my long blogs, so be patient with me. I've been working 18 hour days with 2 jobs and school. I barely have time to pee.

Speaking of, have to pee now and get ready for work. Happy Friday!

peace

drkmc

I'm About to Piss Some People Off- But Here's My Point:

2004-09-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all. First off, please read this response I got from an anonymous visitor:

Your comment about "fighting war with peace" buggs me a bit. What do you exaclty mean by that? For example, Ghandi brought the United Kingdom to its knees using non-violence. The Civil Rights movement also utilized this method and it worked. Warmongering isn't always the best idea, in fact I don't think it ever is. In the end, only civilians pay the price.

Let me say that I value everyone's opinions and the last thing I want to do is to piss anyone off. That's not what I'm here for. I'm an ass, I love to laugh, I love to make other people laugh. But every once in a while, I get fired up about something, and this debate on war is one of them.

You're all intelligent, so let me tell you this- Civil Rights are about racial and gender equality, among other 'civil' movements. It's Title IX. It's Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. It's about love, it's about acceptance. It's not about having nukes pointed at your country. You think we're the world's super power because we're retards?

First, I don't know you, Anonymous, so this can't be a personal attack. But what you said has pissed me off not only for it's ignorance, but it's narrowness.

Secondly, I am not here to judge anyone who hasn't served their country. It's a personal choice that only a small percentage make. In return, you have to realize that you, as civilians, are only privy to certain informational excerpts that are on the news. You are only getting a fraction of the story. Trust me. When I separate from the military, I will only hear what you do. But during my time in service, I have read and been briefed things that make my blood run cold. These are things that you will never know- you cannot know- but they are the reasons that we occupy, that we attack, that we protect.

I myself will honestly say that I DO NOT agree with all principles of war. But when I signed up for the Air Force, I made a promise to YOU- millions of you that I will never meet face to face- that I will die defending your right to live in a free country.

Understand what that means. Soldiers you will never get to meet would give up our lives for yours.

And your comment about only civilians paying the price? You need to send a letter of thanks to every wife, husband, child, grandparent, mother, father, friend, and significant other who has lost a loved one to war in the last 50 years so that you will never know what it feels like to live in a war-torn country. Pick up a weapon, defend your country, give up simple liberties, and TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL THEN.

In a strange twist of irony, I sign off by saying peace. Peace because even though I don't know you, any of you, I care that you stop by to read what I've written. I say peace because I care about my fellow human beings. I say peace because I mean it. But sometimes, you have to wage war to secure peace.

Think about it. Tell me what you think.

peace.

Ever Had This Happen to You?

2004-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the chow hall this morning with my friend Lou, getting my morning fuel, when out of my superhuman peripheral vision I see one of the chow hall employees giving me the eye. This went on for a minute or so, and I did my best to ignore it, but as we made our way over to where she was standing, she took a step towards me and said, "You look a lot like my sister." Now, I had just been complimented about my hair (which was flattering because today it was giving me attitude), so I wasn't expecting what came next.
"Thanks!" I said.
"Yeah," Chow Hall lady said. "Her name was Margaret. She died of brain cancer."
"Oh," I said, stunned a little. Think of something polite, my inner voice screamed. Anything. "I'm sorry," I offered, not really sure what to say in reply.
"That's all right," Chow Hall lady said. "I see a little of her in everybody."

What the f*ck do you say to that? She could have said, "You look like my pet rattlesnake" or "You look a lot like my Grandpa Fester" and I don't think I would have been more at a loss for words.

Ah well. A strange, stumbling start to Wednesday morning.

I have a test tonight in Math... ew... wish me luck. I hate math, and due to my chosen educational path, I have to go all the way to some Einstein-ian math.

On the upside, check this out:

Mighty Centurions!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, Sept. 9th--Come join DOE (that E for Exodus) as we say farewell to Capt Brewington, SSgt McAuliffe, and SSgt Tsitsilianos at Mi Amore in Lompoc from 1100-1200. Hope to see you there!

This from an email announcing our departures... super stoked. 'Centurions' is in reference to our squadron mascot.

peace

drkmc

Better Late than Never, Right?

2004-08-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hello my new blogging friends from various stations across the globe,

Sorry this one is late. Ken in Poland is already asleep I'm sure, as should everyone else be. I'm headed there after another exhausting day in the salt mines.

Tonight was to be my first night at FedEx Kinkos, but my urinalysis hasn't gone through the system yet, so alas I am waiting for a lab tech to handle my pee only to be disappointed by the boring results (I don't do drugs), so hopefully Thursday I will begin my training. I'm actually looking forward to it, though I won't have any weekends for three weeks. The extra money in the bank will go towards next semester's books as my rear end is feeling this semester's math books costs.

You'd think I had loads of time to fart around after work, but I didn't. I tried out a new chinese place that delivers (I was feeling uber lazy), and half the time I was on the phone, she was speaking chinese to her compatriots in the background, which at first I didn't realize and gave polite chuckles here and there. Then I worked out (have to keep the physique since I eat like a small pony), showered, got cleaned up, and here it is the- The End of the Day. Where does the time go...

I am posting this half-asleep. I promise tomorrow morning I will be back in the ring with both dukes up. Bon nuit, y'all.

Peace

Kim

Call Me Lazy, But...

2004-08-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you are in the military, or ever been associated somehow with the military, but in case neither applies to you, let me key you in on a little secret.

They love, absolutely love acronyms.

I can't tell someone where I've worked without speaking in what sounds like some sort of code. Take, for instance, my technical school training: 1 SOPS GSO IQT, which translates into 1st Space Operations Ground Systems Operator Initial Qualification Training. Or perhaps my job with the 50th OSS (Operations Support Squadron) or 1 SOPS DOUP/DOUS.

We study PFEs and CDCs, take WAPS tests, and if we're fat we get put onto the SIP program; if we're bad we have PIFs or SIFs opened on us, which will most definitely be annotated on our EPRs if we're NCOs or Airmen or OPRs if we're o-1s and above; we take MRT to stay proficient which is given to us by OSS and also evals given to us by OGV; here at AETC we have FAC folders but first we must go through BIC to become T1C671s; our squadron leadership is hopefully comprised of sharp CCs and DOs, followed by FLT CCs, NCOICs, and OICs. For fledgling students who are having problems with EOCs and PCs, we have FAC boards... the list goes on.

We as an Air Force are also madly in love with forms. AF Forms, to be exact. But don't get mixed up- you can't use an AETC form when you're supposed to use an AF Form, so you'd better make sure that your 2583 is AF Form 2583 and your 988s, 156s, 471s, 341s, and numerous other piddly shit forms are all correct, or the CC will send that shit right back to the front office and you'll report in full service dress uniform to explain why you couldn't keep the millions of regulations and forms and acronyms straight, on top of doing your job and staying fit for PT.

So call me lazy, but I have gotten used to shortening long drawn out names into neat, compact acronyms.

This, however, could be a problem with my chosen career of medicine. It seems that founding fathers and mothers of our great medical knowledge database so enjoy throwing as many consonants as possible together to name body parts and diseases.

You may be wondering where this ranting and raving is coming from... Well, I overheard someone say something about going into the CTE before PT and CC Call.

PTYA (Peace to you all)

DRKMC (Dr K Mc)

hahaha... haha..ha... Ahem. Back to work.

The Pee-Pee Incident

2004-08-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

For as much as I have bragged about my ability to pee on command, my super powers failed me last Thursday. It took me nearly two hours to provide a urine sample for FedEx's drug testing center. I may have to go again, seeing that Manager Bob sent me to the center with the wrong paperwork.

So the Olympics are over. Humbug. Last night's closing ceremonies were pretty cool, especially the Beijing preview. Who didn't melt when that little chinese girl sang her song about jasmine or whatever? I've always been fascinated with asian culture and the bright display of colors and music just fueled the fire. So if any of you want to come to Beijing with me in 2008, just say the word. We still have time to plan!

Hm. It's 0735 and I am the only person here in my office. Dirtbags. I live forty minutes away and my coworkers live on base. What does that tell you?

peace.

Daily Musings

2004-08-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Morning! Happy Saturday to you all!

Being the Olympic nerd that I am, I'm a little sad that they end on Sunday, even though I honestly haven't watched anything since Thursday night. I suppose subconciously that I have been weaning myself off of them so that I can make a smooth transition back to normal life when they are over.

Summer, too, is almost over. I live in a touristy town on the central coast of California, so you can bet that from late April to the end of September, it takes me ten minutes to drive five feet because of all the 'yielding to pedestrians' rules. It's fun to meet people from all over, but I'm honestly tired of the drunken rants and ravings every weekend. Now see, if they invited me, that would be different.

I have fifteen working active duty days left in the Air Force. I was supposed to start with FedEx on Tuesday, but the lab did the wrong paperwork for my urinalysis, so I may have to go in and do it again. No big deal. I've been tested so many times in the military that I could honestly pee on command.

I'm a little nervous to be out of the military, because it's all I've known since I was 19. But I'm excited too- this is me about to start inking the new chapter in my life. I can honestly look back and be proud of what I have done in the Air Force. It definitely taught me about discipline, responsibility, intergrity... I look around at some of the people my age and they don't possess that. I know when to be thankful.

I read something the other day on a Vietnam vet's website. It said this:

"Freedom has a taste that the protected will never know."

Wow. It makes me think of all the protesters at the front gate of the base who want to fight war with peace. It's almost that they'd rather be nuked than watch thier kids grow up.

Anyway, I could go on all day. But I won't. I have my opinions on the subject, being a soon-to-be vet. But I don't want to offend anyone.

I'm going to see a movie at 1110- anyone want to come with?

Hope this finds you all well on this gorgeous Saturday.

Peace!

2004-08-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, I can't help it. It makes me laugh.

Friday's Closing Thought

2004-08-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

If my humor offends you, I'm sorry.

I'm pre-apologizing for the pic I'm about to post up top... every once in a while I see something that makes me chortle- yes, I said chortle.

Happy Friday! I'll be asleep in three hours.

Peace

KiMbOt

On a High Note

2004-08-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got home just in time to see the USA women's soccer team running around the field with flags, so I assumed that they won their gold medal match against Brazil. The game-winning goal replay showed a beautiful header from Abby Wambaugh, and I'm not sure, but the ball looked like it may have bounced off the head of a Brazilian player. I wonder what's going to happen to her when she gets home.

Five of the players from the USA women's soccer team are officially retiring after the Olympics- Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Tiffany Milbrett, and Joy Faucett- ending what has been a beautiful career for these women. You can't deny that they've done a lot for women's sports.

You also can't deny that Mia Hamm has scored 153 career goals- the most of any US soccer player, male or female.

What a beautiful way to end your career, yeah? Gold medal. That's why I think Jenny Thompson should come back to Beijing. She absolutely has the capacity to win gold. I think too much was going on in the last few months for her to throw herself 100% into swimming- what with the loss of her mother, third year med school, life in general. Did you see her face when she stepped off of the podium after winning the silver medal? She didn't look too happy. Jenny Thompson and athletes like her don't train to come in second; they train to win. I think she still has a fire inside that propells her to win, and she wants that individual gold. I hope I see her in Beijing to satiate that hunger because I know that she can- absolutely. Age should never be a factor. Since when is 31 old?

Friday- love it. Sleeping all weekend because the next few weeks will be 18 hour days for me, plus school. In prep for being a doctor, right? Yeah, that's what I tell myself. Quentin Tarantino's movie 'Hero' comes out this weekend, so I'll be checking that out. Any of you seen 'Open Water'? Talk about intense! It made my breath cold! As if my qualms about the ocean weren't prominent enough.

Tell me something interesting! Tell me about yourselves! I do enjoy hearing from strangers. Oh! And I'll be posting some pics this weekend, never fear.

Love y'all.

peace.

Random Thought Thursday

2004-08-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

1.) The Catholic church refuses to recognize a 12-year old's communion as valid because she is allergic to wheat and did not eat the wafer. This from the same church that preaches equality, brotherly love, no discrimination, and has a horrible child molestation track record.

2.) NBC's Olympic coverage featured a gymnastics gala that was... anything but. We're starting to choke on gymnastics, and I love the sport- enough is enough. I want to see some equestrian! Watching swimming repeats would be cool, too.

3.) There was ONE Dream Team. Recall Barcelona- Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone... You can't call it a Dream Team when they're scraping by in Athens. You also don't have the right to call any basketball team anything 'dream'-like when they lack star-power, argueably.

Three for Thursday.

I feel my age when I am taking classes with squirts who are eight years younger. One thing I have on them is discipline- I'm expecting half of them to drop after the first test. You can't pass a class when you're flicking spit wads all night long. Speaking from experience- 10th grade, Mr Reynolds geometry- but I guess we'll see.

Hope you're all behaving yourselves!

Peace.

Happy Hump Day!

2004-08-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

I sit here trying to hide as I feel the inevitable coming- the work monsters coming to give me things to do when all I want to do is sit in front of my computer and sleep with my eyes open, much like a fish.

My enthusiastic Olympic viewing has tapered down as the Games draw to a close, much as I always do. I respect track athletes, but I suppose I am enthusiasm-worn-down after the first nine days. My eyes all red and bugged out, leaves in my hair, zoned in front of the tv. Now is the time that I start disattaching myself to the boob tube and flexing my ability in other facets of life- like school. I shouldn't call my site Doctor anything until I get past that, eh?

We're being inspected today here at work. I am just as happy about that as I am watching a friend eat a booger when he thinks no one's looking (oh yes, it has happened).

Peace.

Tuesday Drudgery

2004-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Mornin, y'all.

Interesting bits in the news this morning. First off, over 750 fell sick while visiting South Bass Island in Lake Erie this summer. They're not sure what to blame it on... hm... could it be partly because the Great Lakes are some of the most polluted waters in the nation? You stick your hand in the cesspool, you ain't getting it back. It's almost as bad just to breathe in the sea spray. Or- it could be a dirty restaurant worker who failed to wash their hands after a potty break... You see why I don't like to eat at restaurants so much anymore? A pube in the food is enough to turn any stomach.

In other news, the porn industry may require their participants to wear protection. And it only took how many outbreaks of the clap and AIDS to spark this course of action?

Well, another interesting night in the Olympic arena. A white man can run, and fast. Hats off to Jeremy Wariner for disproving all sports analysts and 99% of spectators who thought a white athlete would never beat a sprinter of any other color.

And- would you believe it- a raucous night in gymnastics?

It seems that the crowds have gotten tired of the scores that the judges are giving. After a practically perfect vault from Romania's Marian Dragulescu, the judges almost begrudgingly gave him a 9.9- I can't remember the last time I've seen a 10 in this sport. No one in the world can vault like Dragulescu. No one can stick a landing after a front triple like Dragulescu. A 10 wasn't in the cards, but he's supposed to be happy with a 9.9?

At that point, he was sitting pretty ranked #1. After his score flashed, he hid the disappointment, but fell on his landing on a vault that should have been a walk in the park. You tell me that he wasn't affected by his score.

Move to the parallel bars- same story. A flawless performance by Hiroyuki Tomita was surpassed by a gymnast who was far less powerful and daring. On high bar, Alexei Nemov completed an unheard of six- count 'em, folks, six- release moves and stuck his landing. What was his score? 9.7 . It was enough to rile up the crowd and boo the judges. It lasted for ten minutes, postponing Paul Hamm's routine, until Nemov stood up and urged the crowd to stop. Hamm's performance was nearly void of any discrepancy, but in my opinion, not good enough to surpass Nemov, which he did. Unsurprisingly. Hamm won the silver, Nemov's score was enough to send him home in 5th place.

It was a Malaysian judge who didn't think Nemov was good enough for a medal. Didn't you all know? Malaysia is the world's leading producer of first-rate gymansts! Sure are- they keep 'em all in a box underground and they're planning a release in time for the 2012 games.

In other news... I haven't suffered a wedgie yet today.

Peace.

Ofoto Albums- Coming Soon

2004-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting a link to my Ofoto albums (courtesy of Kodak) soon. Once I post them, I'll pass along the user name and password via email.

Sore Sport? True Diva? YOU Decide!

2004-08-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hello again, y'all.

I can't resist making a comment or two about Svetlana Khorkina, the russian prima donna of gymnastics.

It seems that Svetlana is pretty sore about losing the all-around competition to America's Carly Patterson last week, and has taken to vocalizing her opinions to a russian newspaper. See, she feels that the judges had predetermined Patterson as the winner, and in her words, 'fleeced' her for the entire competition.

Let me take a step back. Khorkina is a product of the russian sports machine. They've churned out numerous gymnasts, divers, volleyball players, and wrestlers, among others. In a country that is too poor to support its once to be reckoned with space program, they invest everything they can into their athletes, and it has been paying off- until recently.

Alexei Nemov is the last man to my knowledge to win the men's all-round in gymnastics for Russia. Alexander Popov was 'The Russian Rocket' in Barcelona, Atlanta, and Sydney, but resolved to slink out of the pool after failing to qualify for events in which he'd previously been so feared in Athens. Rulon Garder defeated the russian wrestling favorite (can't think of his name, but this man was a BEAR) to win the gold medal. Now, don't get me wrong- these are all awesome athletes. They once dominated thier respective sports, but knew enough when they were defeated. I can't think of anyone who has acted as unprofessoinal and unclassy as Khorkina.

In Sydney, it was discovered that the vault had been set five centimeters too low and consequently sent Khorkina crashing to her knees. My heart went out to her. She fell off the asymmetrical bars. Again, my heart went out to her. In Athens, she fell off the bars again. Guess what? My heart went out to her. When Patterson defeated her in the all-around competition, I felt a sense of sadness as I knew that it would be Khorkina's last Olympics. She paraded around the appartus, toting her flag, draping it over the parallel bars, acting like she has for the past ten years or so- the russian darling slash prima donna- a very fitting role.

She commented that the silver medal was grand, in so many words, and that it was the best day of her life. Yet, four days later, she's changing her tune and crying foul. Give me a break! Khorkina should wait to talk smack after the Olympics are over and stop falling off apparatus- then maybe she'd win the gold medal.

Anyone watching the competition can clearly see that Patterson was the most mechanically correct out of the entire field. She didn't fall, she didn't stumble. She deserved the gold and got it.

Khorkina has to realize that even though she is a sentimental favorite in the sport, it's not going to earn her medals. Near-perfect routines sometimes aren't even enough. It's a different scenario than Paul Hamm and the korean controversy- there, it was the judges screw-up. Here, it is Khorkina's screw up. Get over it, Svetlana. You're not the top dog anymore. The top dog won the gold, and even if she doesn't travel to Beijing to defend her title, she is still the Olympic champion.

However, feel free to come up with your own opinion.

If you're going to award gold medals to sentimental favorites because you feel they should get it, call Popov back to the pool and give him a couple. Give Jenny Thompson three. Hell, I have a lot of friends- give ME one.

Oh, wait- that's not how you're supposed to do it? Somebody had better tell Khorkina.

Peace.

I Hate Mondays

2004-08-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

Mornin', Y'all.

Six a.m. and I am tired. Just woke up a half hour ago and I'm ready to crawl back under the covers and snuggle with my pillows. Anyone else feel the drudgery of life like a vicious, neverending cycle? Eat, sleep, poop, something like that?

I'm too old at 25 to live on the edge anymore, and on the edge I mean spending all my money at clubs and staying out til dawn, only to stumble into work still smelling like smoke and alcohol. I did that for a while. Some of my friends still do that. Number one, I don't know where they get the money because we all make the same amount, and number two, it should be old to them by now. It's like those 35 year olds who still try to pick up girls at the club, all spiffy in thier silk shirts and tapered pants. Just old.

I start a new job with FedEx soon, and I'll be working creature of the night hours- seriously. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Hey, I'm not complaining. It means that I'll miss all the lovely traffic down the 101 every evil morning and all the little shits coming back from nights of crazy partying. I am no so much concerned with hours as I am with making enough money to feed my belly and Jess'. And maybe get that guitar I've been eyeing on Musicians Friend for a while- a Squier Strat, all black and shiny. But that's not important.

Wonder what shift I'll work when I become a doctor. I watched a show where this ER surgeon had worked mids for three years. Now that's just too much. I'm hoping that if I specialize, I can sort of make my own hours. Someone tell me I'm dreaming- I don't know how this stuff works!

Anyway, anyway, anyway... Off to the place where I stare at a computer all day. Hope this finds y'all well and behaving yourself.

Peace.

2004-08-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

Me. A doggy bed. Need I say more?

My Olympic Commentary... Sort Of

2004-08-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the summer Olympics are now halfway over. I've settled into the familiar routine of watching absolutely nothing but sports for days on end until three in the morning. In about a week, I'll be at a loss as of what to watch for a while and then I'll settle into another routine- the same one that I had before the Olympics.

There's always stories that come out of the Olympics that inspire, anger, satiate even. Already I can think of three.

I enjoy Michael Phelps. Not only does he have bragging rights, he refuses to use them. He loves to be part of a team. He credits everyone around him for helping him succeed in a sport where it's all touch and go, literally. He's one of the most composed and humble athletes I have ever watched, and it's absolutely refreshing. He swims all year-round to give credit to everyone, himself last.

Paul Hamm is said to have won the gold medal in the men's gymnastics all-around on a judging error, and that the medal should have gone to a korean gymnast. First of all, shut up. Paul fell onto his ass during a vault, sunk all the way down to 12th place, and was able to pull it together enough to medal. The fact that he did that should be enough. It's always the fat assholes who like to judge our elite athletes behind a microphone as if it's easy to compete at world class competition level against the best of the best. Who the hell is Al Trautwig? Has he ever competed a day in his life in gymnastics?

And Jenny Thompson. I've followed her swimming career for as long as I can remember. Everyone makes such a huge song and dance about how she's the world's best teammate, helping her team members to the top of the podium, but has never won and individual gold medal. Do they notice how fast swimmers are at this level? How close the races are? They speak of a second as if it's an hour. Give me a break. Jenny has balls the size of Manhattan to swim competitively while she's immersed in medical school. She's also suffered heartbreak this year after losing her mother. Again, fat bastards behind a microphone make it so easy to judge and point out flaws rather than significance of strength and courage.

I'd like to start a pestering squad to urge Jenny to come back just one more time for Beijing. Then, her critics will have to shut up. How many of them can swim 50 meters in under 25 seconds? Assholes.

I love them all, all shapes and colors and religions. They are beautiful, talented, hard working, and they deserve every accolade we can give them. They also help to encourage me to work out pretty hard for two weeks out of every four years.

One more question- who is this chick who calls commentary during diving? I have literally seen ten competitors dive into the water, produce absolutely no splash, and this Cynthia Potter girl will say something like 'Oh, no, she was short of vertical...' , 'Nope, there were three drops of splash that landed on the forehead of the chinese judge...' Anyone give me some insight?

You gotta love sport.

Peace.