29 Photos for the 29th of April... My Birthday

As my 32nd birthday approached I realized it would be a pretty average day. I had to work and with my usual co-hort on vacation calling sick or taking the day off wasn't really an option. Also I didn't see the need seeing as I don't need to celebrate on the psychical day. However I decided that since I hadn't taken pictures in a while ( I shoot mostly video now) that I'd go old school and have a day with the camera. Above there is shot 1 of the day taken at Midnight after I had gotten home from work Thursday night. The BirthDAY had now begun. I sadly then penned the Atlanta Hawks past my Orlando Magic from earlier in the night. Pictured below.




Then after only 2 minutes of day Connie Richer scored the 1st Birthday well wish at 12:02AM!




From there I decided to have a snack to kick-off my birthday right... and I went cereal but had to choose between 3 classic favorites. I decided to go with Frosted Flakes because like me "There're Great!" and it's my birthday after all...




The cereal is enlarged to show texture... but any-who I rock the soy milk as to avoid the lactose issues... Then I decided to chase that with some pie my Dad brought me a few days earlier as sort of a birthday cake... because I love Apple pie.



It was a peach pie... but ate it anyway. I had never had it before but it was pretty tasty in in my Dad's defense the label on the side was small. While I ate I watched 'Cougar Town' on Hulu... it's a guilty pleasure show, but it makes me laugh.



Then it was time to shave off the playoff beard. The Canadiens and Magic were both upset in the 1st round of their respective playoffs and this meant the beard had to come off. Here I size it up...




Then after the shave and shower I examine the new face which looks chubby and I hate all pictures of me from now forward. I require some facial hair... this is not a good look for me. I did leave myself a small 5 o'clock shadow in hopes that in a couple of days it will be a 7 o'clock shadow.



After the shower and shave I headed downstairs to get some laundry going. and great the basement is flooded... again.





After I started laundry I got to doing what I do most evenings which is my quest with the Washington Nationals on MLB 11 The Show. I'm already in September and have played every game! Maybe I shouldn't be proud of it but hey I don't have cable so instead of watching TV I play video games. Anyway here I get set for a 4-game series with at Citi Field against the Mets.




After taking 3 of the 4 against the Mets it's time for bed. And it's 5:30AM cause that's how I roll and I had to play 4 games tonight 2 of which went into extra innings. Anyway I retired to hibernate away a large portion of the day.



12:12pm is the time I was born and my Mom always calls me then.



But of course I'm still...



Upon waking up at around 1:50pm I start my day like a champion... or at least a really good role player. I watch 'The Office' and say good-bye to Michael Scott on Hulu as I wake up. Between the Canadiens, Magic, and Scott I've lost a lot of favorites this week...



Then I figure out which hat to wear today which usually dictates the outfit. Here's a look at the hats I have spread out in the spare room which I pretty much use as a walk-in closet for accessories.



From there it was off to work but not without yelling at the freeloading cat that always hangs out in and around our neck of the woods. He ruins my day everyday, with his laziness and slothful-like ways. I usual bark at him to 'Get a Job' or 'Find your own home you don't live here.' Sometimes I'm more cruel... depends on my mood. Today he just gets a stare-down and he respectfully stares back as if he knows to not get in my way for at least 1 of the 365 days of this year.




Then I get in my car to drive to work. Only about a 2.5 mile drive and in fact I only filled my tank once in April!



Soon after my arrival I am doing some Zamboni work and actually have a fair amount on my plate today because I'm working alone for the entire shift.



Despite things heating up later to keep me busy I finally connect with my Mom after some phone tag, and later my Dad who both wish me a happy birthday and we exchange pleasantries.



For lunch I had a Taco Bell grilled stuft burrito leftover from yesterday and a UVM issue cookie.



Then I stayed busy doing a little of this and a little of that. Tomorrow the Special Olympics has things going on and there was also a dance recital set-up, and the final lacrosse games for men and women tomorrow so there were a lot of little things to do aside fro the usual. Lately I've started a painting project in my free-time to turn all the ugly light-green beams in the hockey rink to the dark green school-color they should be. Should keep me busy this summer.



Look at that Majestic Mountain Cat!



Then after finishing the last ice and locking everything up I headed for home.



Soon after coming in the door I see my birthday card my Dad has left on the table. I open it to a great surprise and the song 'The Climb' by my girl... well done Father!



From there I had to feed the hunger inside me, and sweet potato fries and chicken nuggets always do that trick.



Then a couple of friends stopped by with 2 bins of mini cupcakes... I ate several of them in typical "me" fashion which sent Rose, a relative newcomer to my feasting ways in to an amazement bout of laughter. This is the surviving tray.



At this point my technical Birth DAY had finished and eventually I got back in to some MLB 11 and eventually went to bed. There is an outing planned for Saturday night after I get out of work early. No solid plan is made yet but folks will be downtown and the celebrating that most would figure for a birthday will be in full effect. Maybe I'll take pictures of that too! All in all, it was a better birthday than the last one I spent in Vermont back in '08, long story, and therefore in it's mediocrity it was a solid day.

Milwaukee wrap-up, and revelations a-plenty!

I can't get over how far I've come. A different me at a different time would have blogged from Milwaukee, but this guy did what I had to do and waited. Most of what I've worked on in therapy is my move back from Milwaukee. Dealing with being so close to having what I'd always wanted and yet having to walk away. I needed to go to Milwaukee to enjoy it for what it was. And enjoy I did. It was all I remembered it to be.

I loved every moment of the visit. Even seeing people I thought I might never see again in places I thought I'd never see again. It was what I needed. There was AHL action. There was NBA, NHL, and MLB on consecutive days. There was drinking and good times on week nights. There was cheese soup, Sonic, and a even a trip to Woodman's. There were so many little things that made me smile. From the eating habits of Dan and Neil to the horrible lawyer commercials.

I waited to write about it all because I wanted to see my therapist first and let some time pass. I needed to process. A different me at a different time would have itemized the trip spelling out everyday. But now I simply have it all in my head. I took less pictures then I've ever taken on a trip. Instead I took video for my Milwaukee movie. I knew that I'd want to live in these moments rather than get a snapshot of it. I'm happier that I have the stories and memories from a trip that was truly a trip back in time... I couldn't help but feel weird that the time I was there marked a year from the time I decided to leave there.

That reminds me that as May 6th nears I'll have been back for a year. It seems longer.

Before that happens I'll turn 32! I often wonder where the time went now. At least I know where it's going in the future, or at least where it's not going to be.

Over the last few months I had gotten back in to dating. Myself and the ladies had gone M.I.A. since the person who eventually led me to Milwaukee back in early 2008. While I won't get specific about the young ladies I dated I will say that I learned a lot from these experiences. Probably more 'what not to do' stuff than positive stuff, but all-in-all I'm sorry for the way things have turned out and I hope to take the good stuff and use it in the future while leaving the bad stuff behind. Usually I stay friends with exes and girls I've dated, but I regrettably can't say that I'm on speaking terms with my last three now. Hopefully that changes in time.

It's actually been liberating to talk to someone else about issues and not feel like I needed to rely on this blog or the Internet to share everything going on in my head. I leaned on this crutch so hard when I was 1st in Milwaukee that it led to me getting fired... I mean something had to change at some point... I can hear my Mom clapping from here.

However my time with therapy is coming to an end with the end of the UVM Spring semester around the corner. Soon there will be different work hours, softball galore, and some moving situation at some point in late July-early August. For now I keep plugging away. Showing up for work and getting it done. Sitting my ass home more than even this homebody would like, playing video games and saving money. Prepping for my return trip to the Maryland-Delaware area for the NASCAR race at Dover and some Nationals games in DC.

I have become too overwhelmed by my visions for The Pich' Awards. I set the bar too high, and am working on scaling it down. Maybe if I had a team of editors, videographers, and actors... but then I guess that would be a movie and start losing the point of The Pich' Awards. Hopefully you smell what I'm cooking soon...

Quick Hits

- Did You Know? Quick Hits is the highest rated part of The Pich' Blog?

- Yes, I do have a bumper sticker that reads 'Everything boston Sucks'... sadly the font capitalized every letter because I don't usually reserve a capital 'b' for boston.

- Have you watched 'Raising Hope' or 'Traffic Light' on Fox yet? Not too shabby... always good for a laugh. (this Quick Hit was in no way sponsored by Fox, but for the right price I will whore out myself, my website, or my blog)

- Ed Companion and I are trying to resurrect some poker on Monday nights. The plan is to maybe plan one or two Mondays ahead of time to give people time to plan for it. So if you're interested let us know... we've already heard interest from some WPT legends and some aspiring Weav' virgins... we plan to play this Monday the 25th so maybe 8ish? I don't know stay tuned...

- Mini Tacos = Mega Heartburn

- If you don't follow me on Twitter do it. @ThePich84 I'm a good time and if you're not using Twitter, me and my tweeps should be reason enough to start... join the next century already... I mean what gaming system are you using? Atari?

- Now that I've used the best toilet ever... making waste just feels wasted (teaser for a video to come soon!)

- I love to shove obscene amounts of food in to my face. I eat for maximum taste in every bite and most times I choose to go big. Anyone who has ever seen me mow through some cake, a stack of waffles, or a bowl of cereal is probably already getting a chuckle remembering that time they almost made me spit it out. I shove in food when I'm not in a 'proper social setting' so be ready for it... either help me eat it, or just let me go... if you laugh we might have a mess on our hands... your welcome

- Burger King's new chicken nuggets are OK but not worth writing home about... wait I think I just did... shit

- Theres a path you take and a path not taken, the choice is up to you my friend.

- Yes, the last Quick Hit was a direct quote from the 'Who's The Boss" theme song.

- Both the Nationals and Brewers are out to good starts in MLB. The Canadiens and Magic are both in the playoffs but neither is expected to go far... hopefully they again outplay their expectations.

- Speaking of sports if the NFL doesn't play this season, and the NBA also does the lockout thing that's feared, that would open things up for the always popular NCAA basketball, but also make the NHL king! Hooray Hockey!

- I'd like to thank Neil Wolfe and Dan Young for hosting me on the recent trip to Milwaukee. Also a big thanks to everyone who made some time to see me while I was there and make in such a great trip. I forgot I knew so many people there, it was great to see you all!

- Food For Thought: I've always speculated that Uncle Ben is married to Aunt Jemima.

In closing I'd like to say that this me, in this time, wants everyone to know that I'm doing well, I'm comfortable with where I'm at for now, and I look forward to seeing where the future takes me. Everyday we cope with something, it's how we cope that makes us who we are.