Reason, thou see'st, hath all too short a wing.

Homosaurus Rex

2009-06-20T01:27:23Z

I never would have thought, three short years ago, that a giant purple Tyrannosaur would be counted amongst my friends. But damn, put Barney on and kids just... stop moving. Toddler crack, and it's 100% legal.

So we've been eating out way too damn much, just because there's rarely time for anything else, and well... I'm the cook, and I haven't really felt like meal planning lately. So we decided that I'd try to make batches of stuff to freeze, so that we're not always lost at dinnertime. So I just made a big batch of sweet and sour pork, and some yummy chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce. Should hopefully be able to freeze that, and eat off it for a week or two. Next up: Italian Polenta Casserole and Pineapple Chicken...

Anyone else with quick easy recipes for food that isn't anathema to smooth-flowing arteries feel free to chime in.

Errr... beyond that, I think I owe a few pics, no?

Gizmo. Not his sexiest pic, but I couldn't find the one I wanted.

Idol. Like Billy. Sexy sumbitch, ain't he?

More pics to come!

Heh.

2009-06-16T22:16:59Z

I had to try like, every password in the history of Trev kind to log onto this sumbitch, it's been so long. Not even sure why I was suddenly all like "Woah, wonder what's up on LJ?"

So, what's up on LJ?

Musing

2007-09-08T03:01:10Z

Don't stop stop your dreamin'
Let yourself float upon the notion
We can work it out, we gon' work it out baby
Go ahead lose yourself inside this opportunity
That we gonna make it right, now
make it right now

These are different times but we feel the same pains
The blood of mankind runnin' through the same veins
We'd like to make it right some which it remain tame
Same crimes even though they names changed
And we like different minds workin' off the same brain
Passengers on different cars steppin' off the same train
In the end, makin' it rights the main aim
Different parts of the picture highlight the same frame

That song, and that particular part of it, have really been sticking in my mind of late. I've just felt rather reflective lately, trying (with some help from loved ones) to not only take myself down a peg or two ego-wise, but to figure out why I can be such a mean-spirited dickhead. I snap at the people close to me, get angry for stupid things that are either out of my control (traffic, customers) or just... don't deserve the energy and negativity of anger. I don't really remember being this way in the past... perhaps people just haven't pointed it out until recently; maybe it's a more recent development.

At least part of it is because I'm a coward, or at least have been. I haven't been honest with myself about how scared I've been at the twists and turns life has taken, how utterly terrified I've been (off and on) over the last year or two. I don't really know what I'm doing, what I want to do, or half the time what I should be doing --so I bitch about stagnation and do nothing to keep the waters flowing; I'm scared of change. That being said... I know there's at least that to start moving past.

Also, dorky as it may sound, I think Brian Jacques and his Redwall series has a few keys to move me beyond being the negative, mean, shut-down person I've been lately. I know most of you (probably none of you?) will get it, but the books have been with me since I started reading them in elementary school. I know, I know... they're "children's" books, but they have good lessons, promote good values. Compassion, forgiveness, love and goodwill are heavy elements, along with selfless courage and the bravery to do anything for those you care about. Good should be its own reward, right?

So lately, whenever I've felt a little angry, I've tried to look at why I was ready to snap; and usually I've called myself an idiot for it. I've been asking myself "What would Martin do?" If you haven't read the books... well you just won't know.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-08-26T11:08:00

2007-08-26T16:08:51Z

Hey,

I finally got a new, working, computer... so... well, you probably won't notice much difference in posting, but I'll be on messengers and such again, finally.

Blah

2007-07-18T19:45:07Z

Your Score: The Grizzly Bear

Here's your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 14 out of 18.

Your spirit animal is the Grizzly Bear. No other spirit animal matches it's size and strength. This creature is among the noblest and most respectable, and you are truly fortunate. It is both fearsome and awesome to behold. It will serve you well, and shows that you have a deeper understanding than most. It is quite rare indeed to have a Grizzly as a spirit animal!

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***

Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test written by FindingEros on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Tristanage!

2007-07-14T17:52:08Z

Okay, so I promised Tristan pictures. I shall deliver. I s'pose I'll put them behind a cut, so's I don't kill your page/connection/annoy you with too much cuteness you weren't ready for.

Such a sexy eater, no?

I'm not sure what that face is all about... but I like it.

It just looks like he's considering starting some trouble...

A classic YuckMan face.

Atta boy!

Can I have one?

Free Dragon Rides!

Scurred of the dark. (Going through the tunnel on the train ride at the zoo)

That's m'boy! He's walking, which is hilarious, because he looks like Jack Sparrow when he does it. Walks like a total drunk, no sense of balance whatsoever.

Remind me to get y'all pics of Gizmo sometime soon, too. You'll see...

Update Two

2007-07-13T01:50:52Z

So. Went to Canada for a weekish... and it was good. It was nice to get away from shit for a little bit, but the second we came back, it was back to run run run.

But while in Canada, we stayed in Coti's parents cabin, mere yards away from a 312 foot cliff looking out over a smudge of forest onto Lake Huron. I'll save y'all some space and give some links with some pics.

The view from the living room: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Mehmet_Pasha/Canadia/IMG_0451.jpg

The view from the cliff in the front yard:

Bridal Veil Falls, where there was swimming to be had: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Mehmet_Pasha/Canadia/IMG_0434.jpg

Me standing way way up on Manitoulin Island's highest point, on an 8 mile hike:

And a new friend I made... even the birds in Canada are friendlier than ours...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Mehmet_Pasha/Canadia/IMG_0561.jpg

Aaaand... I'll steal Coti's computer (mine still isn't fixed) to put a Tristan update up here later... more wonderful pictures of Tristan to be had soon... I think he should be a model or something sometimes.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-07-12T20:35:00

2007-07-13T01:39:18Z

So yeah. Been a while, huh? I's been a busy boy. Lots of work, lots of Tristan, lots of running. Let's go update one:

I went to school to turn in some paperwork to financial aid aaaannnnd... came back with these:

Sonofabitch. I gota a Bachelor's in History and a Certificate in International Studies. Some idjit gradjiated me!

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-05-10T11:49:00

2007-05-10T16:49:47Z

Have fun at ACen kids. Maybe I'll see y'all next year.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-05-09T13:19:00

2007-05-09T18:23:19Z

So we canceled our lease and lost our deposit, but at least they didn't charge us for breaking it (would've been over $1100 if they did). Filled out a couple apps, had one of those crappy on-the-spot interviews that probably nothing will come of (they promote and distribute products, seems like they pester businesses to me...).

I still either have to find a way for them to lower my support, which I gather is possible if Alicia is willing to go in with me and fill out new papers... I think. I talked to someone today, and her ex pays what I'm paying in support... and he makes around 4x what I do yearly. Doesn't seem right to me.

I was kinda looking for another part time job anyway, but if Alicia's not willing to sign off on me paying less, I have to figure out how to make an extra $125-150/week.

Ass raped

2007-05-08T21:38:21Z

Okay. So court was today, and I woke up sick... I'd been puking since Sunday. Went to RediMed or whatever and got a prescription to make the vomiting stop, which made me groggy. Filling out my income paperwork and signing it while this groggy and tired and sick was bad. I agreed that I made $380 a week before I knew what I was doing... so they want $82 a week for support plus at least $20 more a week for $3000 worth of arrears. I can't afford that. I make more like $250-275 a week...

I don't know what to do, because they said it has to be a year or a 20% change in pay rate to get it changed. Does the fact that I make more than $100 less than what the worksheet says per week count as a 20% pay rate change?

I won't be able to afford rent, let alone to feed myself. I can get another job, hopefully, but then I really will NEVER see Tristan.

Hey look, I'm a jackal

2007-05-01T16:49:52Z

In other news... School's out for summer. I'm happy. YAY!

My computer is dead. Again. I think I got a back stick o'RAM or something like that. Don't know when it'll be back up.

Coti and I signed the lease for an apartment yesterday, and we're moving in three weeks. Not sure if we'll have the internets, cue y'know, expenses and such. We'll see.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-04-03T00:09:00

2007-04-03T04:18:22Z

So. It turns out that despite being a total sweetheart and great for a cuddle, Blue has pretty severe anxiety/behavioral issues, and instead of improving, they kept getting worse. We can't keep cleaning shit out of the carpet and buying new drapes/blinds/shoes/etc. Nor can we punish him, because it's a form of attention, and it makes him happy.

He'd seriously just... NOT shit outside, then when we let him in, he'd sneak into another room and dump on the floor. He'd also stare dead at you and piss on the carpet if you didn't share food, or if you didn't pay him attention for two whole minutes. So we had to take him back to the shelter, and now we feel like ass... because he's just too dumb to get it...

But on a happier note, look at this sexy man:

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-03-10T01:13:00

2007-03-10T06:22:46Z

Wheeee....

So. I was all afraid of not getting enough hours... but two ten-hour days have fixed that. May go in on Sunday as well to knock out a couple more rooms worth of phone lines for the renovations. We'll see, I guess.

Saw "300" after work tonight. And I must say... It was the good. I am the like. I think they made Xerxes look a little too much like Rupaul, and them was some big ol' elephants... but all told, I really liked it.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-03-05T23:26:00

2007-03-06T04:32:04Z

So hey. Been a while, no? Machine works. Mostly. Life doesn't suck. Mostly.

Work, as usual, blows. Mostly. The bitch housekeeping manager stopped scheduling me on Fridays because she's too lazy to deal with any possibility of a conflict with the banquet schedule, so my hours have dropped, and so, if I don't find something else soon, shall my insurance. Damnit.

Personal life in general is very good. I finally got to visit Katie for her birthday, which was very nice. I'd missed seeing her. It was good til I found out that visiting a girl for her birthday means Coti's mom and aunt don't really trust me anymore... I'm told "they like you, they just don't trust you anymore." Damn women.

Aaaaand... Coti and I adopted a dog today. He's some sorta beagle/blue tickhound type thing, somewhere between 1-2 years of age... and quite adorable. His name (at least for now) is Blue.

mehmet_pasha @ 2007-02-13T22:11:00

2007-02-14T03:15:18Z

DAMN THIS VILE MACHINE!

I still don't know what the hell it's talking about with the GBTBIOS driver thing, because I've done everything it recommended. And Office won't work because it has "detected a significant change" in my computer. I do what it tells me and it still doesn't let me make new files. I demands the disc, I put the disc in, the files aren't there? I run a repair-type reinstall and it means nothing? It can't figure out that I really DO own it?

I hate computers.

GAH!

2007-02-13T19:28:52Z

Blizzarding. Kinda sucks, huh?

Anyway, I finally got my stupid computer rebuilt and working. Mostly. Apparently my thingie can't load the driver for my GBTBIOS for Gigabyte Flash Function properly. What the hell is that and how do I fix it? I uninstalled and reinstalled, ran Windows Update, nothing...

Yeah, there's still life here, after all.

2007-01-02T06:44:31Z

In the year 2007 I resolve to:
Slap stupid people in the head.

Get your resolution here.

Christmas:

Sat around the house and watched little brother drink copious amounts of beer. Got a couple REALLY nice watches. Saw Tristan for... oh... a couple hours. Not near enough; I miss getting to hang out with my son.

New Year:

Worked my ass off. Was congratulated by most of the Rum Runners staff for doing so. Kudos for me. Drank 2-3 bottle of champagne at work, followed by a massive Crown and Sprite. Had to call Coti to take me home. Been a looooong time since I really drank. Usually just have A beer and quit. I still hurt. Body's still fatigued. Saw Tristan for... oh... a couple hours. Not near enough; I miss getting to hang out with my son.

Notice the refrain?

mehmet_pasha @ 2006-12-23T13:16:00

2006-12-23T18:20:29Z

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Grand Duke Trevor the Venal of Greater Sodbury
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

If you've never been to Greater Sodbury... tis a wonderous place. Tis a very warm place, and none too sunny; somewhat stinky, but much less so than Lesser Sodbury.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
His Noble Excellency Mehmet the Capricious of Wimblish upon Frognaze
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Raaaar!

2006-12-03T23:34:11Z

I DUN'T WANNA DO THIS NO MORE!

Garrrrr I wanna winnnn

2006-12-02T05:42:10Z

COMBAT CARDS 2.1

watch mehmet_pasha fight

CREATE YOUR CARD

UGH!!!

2006-11-30T07:10:29Z

This is goddamned infuriating. I need one class for my Psych Minor and I have three choices for the slot. I can't get into any of them because they filled up right away. I have one more class for my Religious Studies Minor, and it's not being offered. WHAT THE FUCK?! Do they make it impossible on PURPOSE?!

On the bright side, I just turned in one final paper, and I've only got one (20-25 MORE pages of one) to go.

Crunch Time

2006-11-29T20:45:10Z

So. Procrastination and being busy suck. I've about 30 more pages to write by Tuesday. Not TOO terrible, but still.

It's the point in the semester where I pretty much skip sleep.

Subsisting on coffee, taquitos, and the occassional beer.

NOOOO

2006-10-29T23:25:25Z

Okay so the power in the 'hood did something weird... it flickered a whole bunch an' then went out for like a half of an hour. My computer was all ONOFFONOFFONOFFONOFFONOFF! OMGWHATDOIDO?! And now it just sounds like it's running the goddamn Daytona 500. Yay.

...

2006-10-20T15:06:14Z

He's got a 3mm hole in his heart and stenosis of two veins, which from what I read is even uglier than it sounds.