We’re getting to that time of the year down here in the southeast where it becomes quite advantageous to have an indoor or covered parking spot during the day.  Much like it is nice to have a garage during winter in the north so you can avoid sweeping snow off and you have a better chance at not having a dead battery in the morning, it’s just as nice to not be exposed to the sun in the south during summer.

Once we get to June around here, entering your exposed-to-the-sun car after leaving it for ...

I wasn’t planning on writing about this today but a photograph totally shocked me and reminded me of our own mortality.  There is a link on the Chicago Sun-Times Columnists page to Roger Ebert’s site.  The link says “Despite setbacks, I am feeling better”.  Knowing that he’s been out of commission for a while during his recovery from cancer, I figured I’d click on the link to see what he has to say.  As the browser opened to his site I was very saddened, as the photo is not ...

Tony Soprano had a great line in this last week’s Sopranos episode where he wasn’t participating in a dinner table conversation with some gangster in Miami, Paulie Walnuts and 3 whores.  Paulie and the other guy were reminiscing about their heyday and finally they asked Tony why he was uncharacteristically silent.  Tony replied “The lowest form of conversation is ‘Remember When’” and he proceeded to walk away from the table while gesturing for his own whore to get up and follow him.

Being a cynical bastard has its advantages sometimes.  One tends to take things with a grain of salt and therefore is less disappointed when bad things happen.  It’s not a lifestyle choice I’d recommend for anyone but it works for me.  Growing up in big cities all my life also leads to a distrust of people and a lack of wanting to have human interaction with strangers.  I dare anyone to make eye contact on a public transportation train and see if you don’t wind up in some sort of verbal or physical confrontation, especially in a “Type A” sort of city like

Some thoughts from this past weekend’s Delt alumni events (apologies to the non-Bradley people who won’t know what the hell I’m talking about).

We all know that the Shelter, built in 1990 by the university and designed as a “temporary” housing building meant to last 10 years max, is really starting to show its age.  The walls reminded me of those whores, or old actresses, you see who have 1/8 inch of makeup plastered on their face to cover up the years of use and abuse.< ...

Today is a super busy day so I will leave you with some photographic evidence of the weekend.  Both pics are from my Blackberry.  The first comes courtesy of someone who reads this blog (you can identify yourself if you want to).  The picture is of his bar receipt in which his initial writing (tip + total) was so illegible that he crossed out his original numbers and tried again.  Attempt Number Two, while better than his first try, was still pretty shaky due to his blood alcohol level.  I then tried to help him out and darkened in his second attempt but it still wasn’t up t ...

It’s been at least 8 or 9 years since I’ve visited my alma mater, Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.  My fraternity chapter’s 20^th Anniversary celebration is coming up this weekend and I’m excited and scared at the same time.  There are a few absolute certainties surrounding this upcoming weekend.

Our 4-person QA group at work does not participate in the swilling of the company-provided coffee.  We have our own separate coffee maker and indulge in better brands of coffee.  Every once in a while someone will bring back something out of the norm.  This week is one of those weeks. 

It’s official.  With yesterday’s ultrasound, we now know that Demonseed Number Two will also be a girl.  Thus the Kirkpatrick surname dies with me but given my family history, it’s probably for the best.  Thankfully my rotten attitude will for sure live on through my two girls!

While most guys would be disappointed not to have a son, it really doesn’t bother ...

As I was coming back from lunch, there was a Moslem woman making a call on her cellphone.  It was the flip-phone variety and the odd thing was she wasn’t holding it.  She had tucked the open phone into her head scarf, making it look like the Largest BlueTooth Headset Ever while she was chatting away hands-free.  Chalk one up for ingenuity but take that point back for dorkiness.

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