Burnerblog

I’ve been busy. So busy, in fact, that I’ve neglected ol’ Burnerblog once again.

Here is the kind of post I hate to read on other people’s’s’s’s’s blogs.

I’ve been playing bass in two bands, playing Age of Conan online with friends, racing in NCNASCAR (and winning some races!), having friends over from out of town, reading neat websites with cool ideas, and many other things.

Next up for me is making a compost pile, organizing one corner of the garage, and waxing my car.

And maybe keeping this place a little more up-to-date than I have been.

I was so set on writing at least one post a day, yet I didn’t count on life getting busy. Oh well. I’ve done the cliche “I’ve been bad, I’ll post more” so I’ll spare you the pixels.

BUT… BUT… BUT…

Tomorrow is going to be a hella busy day for me. I’ve got to get my user guide (work project) out for a production review by the editors, go get my car into the shop for it’s first 5k service (yay!), take Gelli’s camera in for LCD replacement (she dropped it and broke it), go get some money back from Best Buy due to the 30 day money-back price guarantee, and then pay my car note. While I’m at it, I may take a look at a Fender Jazz Bass I’ve had my eye on for a few days since finding one at a GREAT price, but that’ll depend on how much I spend getting the car serviced and how the budget holds up. Oh yeah… I’m supposed to pick up some Monster Mats for the car tomorrow, too. I may not get that Jazz Bass just yet afterall.

Oh, I went and saw Southern Culture on the Skids with Sherry, Stevie, Anita, and Lawrence at The Continental Club on Saturday night. It was a lot of fun, but I had a stomach ache and some nausea from something I ate at The Spaghetti Warehouse. Coupled with the tall asshat who thought nothing of standing right in front of us (while he could have moved three feet to the right and blocked no-one’s view), it made for not the best evening. The band was great… music was great… but the stomach and the inconsiderate asswipes kind of made it not as awesome as it otherwise would have been. So how did I take care of my stomach? By agreeing to go to Waffle House with the crew. Eggs, hash browns, and sausage. Does the stomach good.

My stomach hurt almost the entire next day while I watched the NASCAR race, but was better by the time we went over to Stevie and Anita’s for beans and corn bread.

Well, I think I’m FINALLY starting to get over it, but Sherry is still suffering quite a bit. The flu has hit us hard this year. I can see this flu killing older people, ’cause it really took the wind out of our sails. Stevie had it earlier in the week as well, and he was off work for a few days because of it.

Brendon kicked it off, and I think Gelli is starting to come down with it, but at least Sherry and I don’t get sick at the same time. It’s nice, ’cause that way we can take care of each other when the other is sick.

Friday and Saturday were fun for Brendon and I (especially me). I got to hang out with my son as he accompanied me to a local car club meet. He had a good time there with his friend, and I got to meet some new faces (to put to names I know online).

Then, Saturday morning along with Kenny, we went to the Houston Auto Show and got to see many neat new cars including the 2009 Nissan GT-R Skyline. Kenny and I changed a tire there for an old couple stuck in the parking lot, and afterwards had a nice lunch at The Black Labrador on Montrose.

Good times… and here’s Kenny in a pair of Blue Blockers!!!

I go through my list to the right daily (or almost daily) and found that one of the blogs I followed (that hasn’t been updated in a few months) is now officially gone. It’s giving the ol’ 404 when you follow the link. Three others haven’t had updates in months.

This makes me sad.

I will put them on the reserves list: not deleted, but not displayed either. When they start posting again, I’ll put ‘em back on the list. Two of those were friends of mine, and one was my inspiration to begin blogging. I’m saddest about seeing her “go.” I hope she comes back and blogs again in the future. She and her husband are neat people, and I like reading about their lives.

I miss it dearly. I never thought I’d be a fan of left turning race cars, but I was bitten by the bug two years ago, and it’s an addiction that hasn’t let up a bit.

I love NASCAR.

Yeah, somehow, I feel dirty admitting it, especially after being a “racing snob” for so many years having grown up a fan of F1. However, recent rulings and “goings on” in the world of F1 have made me a non-fan, as the organizing committee of F1 clearly doesn’t care about the fans, the teams, or the drivers. Some would argue that NASCAR is the same, but somehow, they strive to keep the heartbeat of racing alive and they work toward sustaining traditions and legends. F1 does neither.

I’ve also been involved in online NASCAR-like racing, having joined the ASRL and raced in numerous race, racking up five wins. I really enjoyed it, and I am looking at possibly running again this year if my schedule allows it. I’ve been spending a lot more time with the wife and kids lately, and frankly, I enjoy that. Add to that the fact that I’m in two bands, managing the burgeoning music career of my daughter, and of course, the time I spend with my friends on the weekends are all very important to me.

Back to NASCAR: the biggest thing I will have to get used to this season is Dale Jr. driving a car that is not the number 8, and not Budweiser sponsored. I know that before becoming a fan of NASCAR, understanding Dale Earnhardt and Dale Sr. was something I thought I knew about, but was sorely not only mistaken, but misinformed. The more I read and watched, the more I learned about the men behind the legends/myths, and the more I understood why they were so important to the sport of racing. More importantly, I came to understand how Dale Jr. has made a name for himself, and has done much to become his own man while always respecting the memory of his father who he obviously holds in the highest of esteem and love (as a good son should). I was a Dale Jr. fan from the first time I saw him and did a little research on him, wondering what all the “hype” was about. I wondered if he was popular solely because of the name. In fact, he’s NASCAR royalty, so to speak, yet he has carved out his own identity against all odds, and has even become known as one of the most respectful and friendly drivers out there. Quite the opposite of his father, known as “The Intimidator.” Sure, there are Dale Jr. detractors, but most of those didn’t like his father and feel that Dale Jr. is famous only because he’s an Earnhardt. To be fair, being a third generation driver does bring a certain amount of notoriety and fame without having had to have driven an inch on the track, but I think Dale Jr. has shown he’s capable. If only his equipment would have held last year.

Anyway, I can’t wait for the beginning of the 2008 NASCAR season, and a return to weekend racing. I’m sure the drivers and their families are enjoying the short off-season, but for the rest of us fans, weekends without racing are just days off without a reason to watch TV.

On New Year’s Eve, Sherry and I had a great early lunch at Wunschie Brothers (probably the best hamburgers we’ve ever had there, too!) and then decided to head on over to the VW dealer before going to Lawrence’s New Year’s Party to take a look at and to possibly test drive a Passat. We didn’t think that we’d end up buying one, but buy one we did. The deals were too good, and the car was too dang cool for me to leave there. Bonus for me: this has been the only Passat sold at the dealer with the high definition body kit.

I took this photo a little while ago; I’ll try to get a better set later today in the sunlight.

As for the party, we had a great time with old friends and some new faces that came along with Kenny and Elaine! All in all, it was a good time, great food, and great fun!

I love the time between the holidays. While Sherry uses it to get things done around the house, typically things that she hasn’t had time for in previous months, I use it to hang out with the kids and play games. Brendon got a new X-Box 360, so we’ve been playing a lot of Forza Motorsports 2. Gelli got a new camera, and she’s been taking photos of just about everything (yay!). She’s even been using the time off from school to write new songs and to play guitar.

I don’t have much else planned for this break… considering it’s almost over. We are going to head over to Manz’s house for the “group’s” annual New Year’s Eve party, and then afterwards is the requisite recovery day and then it’s back to work.

I am looking forward to having a reason to wake up in the mornings, as I’ve been predominantly a night owl for the past two weeks or so. It’s been nice, and it’s been fun, but I need to have a sense of purpose every now and then, to feel like I’m doing something really productive.

So… vacation is good, and vacation has been fun, but it’s time to head back to reality and to get back to the daily grind. I kind of like my coffee/Webb Alert time… I’ve been missing that.

Tonight was Gelli’s official first show. Yeah, I posted last week about her first night on stage, but tonight, she had roughly 25-30 people watching her, ranging from her friends in school, parents, a teacher, and her family/friends (adults). She was radiant, and had a great time: almost too good of a time. She didn’t want to get off stage! Fortunately, the stage was hers for the taking, and she played two sets; an early set for everyone, and a second set (a repeat of the first) for friends who arrived later.

She played all her original songs and a few by Tegan and Sara, a song by Prince, and a few Jonas Brothers songs (for Colette and Elizabeth, her “cousins”). It was a good experience for her, and she did really well. We were both so proud of her.

I took this picture very late at night/early in the morning (depending on how you look at it) on Saturday as the girls were watching videos on YouTube. The room was illuminated only by some black lights that Gelli had put up in her room (left overs from our Halloween party) and the screen of the computer itself. When I saw them in there, I immediately grabbed my camera and got this shot of them. I thought it turned out nicely, but in B&W, it was even better. So, here it is. I present, Girls on Laptop: