Fresh out the Fryin Pan into the Fire

So i'm back... i've been back actually... just that, well, it's as if i'm a paratrooper and i've dropped into a hot zone and it's been just plain nuts since i've been back... not that it wasn't nuts before... and no, i didn't have a refreshing, relaxing, good, fun, worthwhile, (insert a positive adjective here) vacation... most of my conversations since i've been back have gone like this: someone: So, you have a good vacation? me: nope someone: Oh, really? Why not? me: we went to see my parents. someone: . . . (unsure if i'm serious or not) me: yep. not many people have even tried to respond to that... but when they do, i'm more than willing to explain how much stress is involved with visiting my folks... i didn't bring much luggage, but there was plenty of baggage to be unpacked... Anyway, here's the start of the entry i was working on last... of course it's unfinished... but you might as well see it... - - begin transmission - - yeah, so i forgot to mention that a few weekends ago, i took the plunge and ugraded a few electronics... since it was tax-free weekend and Best Buy, lb.k.a. "daddy's toy store," decided to participate, i went ahead and plunk down months of my personal savings (i have a personal allowance or slush fund that i can spend on whatever i want)... i walked away with one of them new-fangled black 60 gig video iPods... yeah it's sweet, that's for sure... and the battery is great when i'm listening to music only... videos seem to drain it much quicker, but hey, it's playing videos... VIDEOS... so this new black beaute (beebee - yes, i do name electronics and many other inanimate objects) is kind of replacing my almost-four-year-old 10 gig standard iPod... the catch is that they jacked with the jacks and now i'll need to get a new microphone before i can do interviews on it... (oh, you're so slick Apple - didn't i just give you enough money?)... things i like about beebee include the obvious increase in storage space, the slick look, the smooth velvety case that came with it, VIDEOS and the click wheel that doesn't register unwanted clicks as easily as its predecessor... things i don't like about beebee include the microphone hijacking, i'm afraid to touch it sometime for fear of leaving fingerprints, and the only charger it came with, charges through the laptop... but the iPod wasn't the only upgrade... no, no... i had to replace the amazing burnt-out VCR that nearly blew up my house a while ago... of course, they don't sell VCRs much these days... thanks to Steve Carell, "It's a dead technology"... Sorry Andy, er Steve, but i have these boxes of videos that i'm not about to just throw away... so how do you replace a dead technology?... well, a smart person might go around to Target and Wal*Mart until they found a regular VCR for cheap... i thought about that... or one might even consider upgrading to one of those fancy combination decks with a VCR and a DVD player... those are still around, and quite honestly, that's what i was hoping to do... but when i walked into Best Buy... oh dear... when you enter the lair... i walked out with a combo alright, but it's a DVD recorder with a VCR... a bit more money and well, i've enjoyed it thus far... anyway... - - end transmission - - yeah... so that's the deal-e-o... right now, i need to head off and catch up on my real work, transcribe an interview, turn said transcription into an article for HM (due tomorrow), get lots of other things written, and oh yeah, i've been kicking the tires of the TRu and it's gonna be completely relaunched on 1 September (hopefully)... sure that's a lot but there's always reviews and other fun stuff as well... lots to do... and it's date night! let's see what i come up with... currently listening to: Soul P - The Premiere Skillet - Comatose Hundred Year Storm - Hello from the Children of Planet Earth Last Tuesday - Become What You Believe The Cross Movement - Chronicles: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 Lecrae - After the Music Stops keeping an eye on... peace... love... bdg...