What better way is there to cool off on a hot summer night? Spontaneous 'bout of chicken fighting in some random pool in some random neighborhood, that's what.

I haven't shared what I did last weekend. Time to do so seeing that the idea of getting any sleep tonight is completely shot. (what is it now... 5 o'clock am??)

Well, my friend Brian opened his new restaurant last week. I along with a few of cronies made the 8 hour sojourn up to Pittsburg. For some reason I thought that Pittsburg was only 5 hours away. Um, I was sorely mistaken. I didn't have a chance to take all that many pictures but here are a couple for your reading pleasure.



A - The van we rented to get to Pittsburg. Dodge Caravan. Blue. Awesome.
B - If you've ever been to a Moe's then you'll understand, "WELCOME TO MOE'S!!!!"
C - A phone conversation with an ex, very random.
D - I would later get to turn this neon sign: off. I'm still recovering from the excitement.
E - The balloon holding up this flag marquee would later manage to get lodged on the roof - possibly in the A/C system...



F - The dishroom. I would later get to spend a brief stint washing pots & pans. Voluntarily of course.
G - Requisite look of confusion on new employee's face.
H - Yummy Margarita mix.



I - Um, I forgot to put a "K" in. My alphabetizing skills are, at best, poor.
J - My friend David showing his support for the restaurant opening.
K - My friend David showing his lack of ability to adhere temporary tatoos.



L - My prize for dishwashing.


Overall it was great time. It's been a long and arduous road for my friend Brian and this restaurant opening. I've got an immense amount of respect that he pulled this together. From what I've seen - he's done well, and I'm sure he'll continue to do so. I however, have met my burrito quota for the rest of 2005.


p.s. No road trip in a rental van is complete without taking a picture of the speedometer at 100mph. (-wink- @ ya Chris B.)

It's 4:22 in the bloody morning and I can't sleep. This is what it must feel like to be an insomniac. I've even resorted to listening to lethargic trance music in a vain attempt to catch a little shut-eye. No luck so far.

My bed is so comfortable... must succumb to its siren wail... please, oh please...

A random survey someone sent me, kind of gets you thinking...

- Only 30% of us can flare our nostrils.
- 21% of us don't make our bed daily. 5% of us never do.
- Men do 29% of laundry each week. Only 7% of women trust their husbands to do it correctly.
- 40% of women have hurled footwear at a man.
- 3 out of 4 of us store our dollar bills in rigid order with singles leading up to higher denominations.
- 91% lie regularly, so you can just throw away statistics like these based on their answers *grin*
- 27% admit to cheating on a test or quiz.
- 29% admit they've intentionally stolen something from a store.
- 50% admit they regularly sneak food into movie theaters to avoid the high prices of snack foods.
- 90% believe in divine retribution (but apparently not for lying)
- 10% believe in the 10 Commandments.
- 82% believe in an afterlife.
- 45% believe in ghosts.
- 13% (mostly men) have spent a night in jail.
- 29% are virgins when they marry.
- 58.4% have called into work sick when we weren't.
- 10% of us switch tags in the store to pay less for an item.
- Over 50% believe in spanking - but only a child over 2 years old.
- 35% give to charity at least once a month.
- How far would you go for $10 million? 25% would abandon their friends, family, and church. 7% would murder.
- 69% eat the cake before the frosting.
- When nobody else is around, 47% drink straight from the carton.
- Snickers is the most popular candy.
- 22% of us skip lunch daily.
- 9% of us skip breakfast daily.
- 14% of us eat the watermelon seeds.
- Only 13% brush our teeth from side to side.
- 45% use mouthwash every day.
- 22% leave the glob of toothpaste in the sink.
- The typical shower is 101 degrees F.
- Nearly 1/3 of U.S. women color their hair.
- 9% of women and 8% of men have had cosmetic surgery.
- 53% of women will not leave the house without makeup on.
- 58% of women paint their nails regularly.
- 33% of women lie about their weight.
- 10% claim to have seen a ghost.
- 57% have had deja vu.
- 49% believe in ESP.
- 4 out of 5 of us have suffered from hemorrhoids.
- 44% have broken a bone.
- 14% have attended a self-help meeting.
- 15% regularly go to a shrink.
- 78% would rather die quickly than live in a retirement home.
- 46.5% of men say they ALWAYS put the seat down after they've used the toilet, yet women claim to ALWAYS find it up. What's up?
- 30% of us refuse to sit on a public toilet seat.
- 54.2% of us always wash our hands after using the toilet.
- 28.1% pee in the pool. Think about that next time you go swimming!
- 39% of us peek in our host's bathroom cabinet. 17% have been caught by the host... whoops, "uh.. just looking for the uh..."
- 81.3% would tell an acquaintance to zip it (his pants).
- 71.6% of us eavesdrop.
- 22% are functionally illiterate. [Reminds me of the lady who said, "My son ain't illiterate. We was married two weeks before he was born!"]
- Less than 10% are trilingual.
- 37% claim to know how to use all the features on their VCR.
- 53% prefer ATM machines over tellers.
- 56% of women do the bills in a marriage.
- 2 out of 3 of us wouldn't give up our spouse even for a night for a million bucks.
- 20% of us have played in a band at one time in our life.
- 40% of us have had music lessons.
- 66% of women and 59% of men have used a mix to cook and taken credit for doing it from scratch.
- 53% read their horoscopes regularly.
- 16% of us have forgotten our own wedding anniversary, mostly men
- 59% of us say we're average-looking.
- Blacks are more than twice as likely to call themselves beautiful.
- 90% of us depend on alarm clocks to wake us.
- 53% of us would take advice from Anne Landers.
- 28% of us have skinny-dipped. 14% with the opposite sex.
- 51% of adults dress up for a Halloween festivity.
- On average, we send 38 Christmas cards every year.
- 20% of women consider their parents to be their best friends.
- 2 out of 5 have married their first love.
- The biggest cause of matrimonial fighting is money.
- Only 4% asked the parents' approval for their bride's hand.
- 1 in 5 men proposed on his knees.
- 6% propose over the phone, [but that includes only of those who were accepted over the phone, not those who were hung up on]
- 71% can drive a stick-shift car.
- 45% of us consistantly follow the speed limit.
- 2/3 of us speed up at a yellow light.
- 1/3 of us don't wear seat belts.
- 12% of men never use their car blinkers.
- 44% of men tailgate to speed up the person in front of them.
- 25% drive after they've been drinking.
- 4 out of 5 sing in the car.
- 1 in 3 have had an extramarital affair.
- 62% think there is nothing wrong with affairs

So... Gwen Stefani got me thinking (say wha??). She's obviously referring to a certain type of person in her song Ain't No Hollaback Girl, but she brings to light a point that I found noteworthy. Why is it that some people allow themselves to be victimized by being at the beck and call of those around them? Prioritizing and self-preservation just get tossed out the window at a moments notice. It's bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

All I know is that I've been smacked in the face pretty hard by this. My enthusiastic attitude doesn't jive so well with the self-centered feelings inside me (or at least the one's I'm willing to share publicly). Frankly, that always leaves me feeling sore. If there were one thing I could change about myself it would be my constant desire to please those around me. I'm not so much of a "yes" man as I am a "sure, I'll make you feel like I'm right there with you" man. Natch.

Why is this thought just now coming to fruition? It's not actually because I was listening to Ms. Stefani. But someone unkindly reminded me of this. He/she's probably reading this post so I'll refrain from any more elaboration.

Not sure if this has happened to you or not... just a thought.

By the way - I'm listening to Sunshine by Billy Miles (aka Nelly Furtado + Macy Gray - annoying raspy voice + perfect beach weather).