arrested development

Las Vegas

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:45:44 GMT

I just got back from Las Vegas. What a bizarre city... for the first few days everything seemed flashy and fabulous, but soon it started to just feel shallow and empty. The main reason the city is there is just for tourism... all the tall buildings are hotels, rather than offices. People call it the city that never sleeps, more like the city without a soul. All sizzle and no steak. Still, Hoover Dam was cool, and the 550 mile drive to the Grand Canyon and back was a hoot.

Pictures:

http://homepage.mac.com/jswaddell/PhotoAlbum36.html

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 04:52:22 GMT

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The South
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The West
The Northeast
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 04:29:40 GMT

Here are some more recent pictures of the pups since the last ones I posted were all taken the day she came to my house. There were taken in July, August and September.

http://homepage.mac.com/jswaddell/PhotoAlbum32.html

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:24:46 GMT

I realized that I never posted about my new dog (in actuality she's slightly used, but new to me. Like a pre-owned car.) I got her from a rescue in olive Branch, MS and she is the sweetest dog ever. Her name is Mercy and she's a merle great dane. Here are some pics from the day she came to live with me. Please note that since these pictures were taken I've cut the grass, bought a new couch and painted the shed.

http://homepage.mac.com/jswaddell/PhotoAlbum31.html

Confession

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 04:50:13 GMT

I am totally, hopelessly addicted to Battlefield 2. (At least until Battlefield 2142 comes out next month.)

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:35:20 GMT

A dog's diary:

7 am - Oh boy! A walk! My favorite!
8 am - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 am - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
Noon - Oh boy! The yard! My favorite!
2 pm - Oh boy! A car ride! My favorite!
3 pm - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
4 pm - Oh boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Mom! My favorite!
7 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Dad! My favorite!
8 pm - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 pm - Oh boy! Tummy rubs on the couch! My favorite!
11 pm - Oh boy! Sleeping in my people's bed! My favorite!

The cat's diary:

Day 183 of my captivity... My captors continued to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from clawing the furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another house plant. Today my attempt to kill mycaptors by weaving around thei r feet while they were walking almostsucceeded - must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair - must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear in their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to plan.

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. More important, I overheard that my confinement was due to my powers of inducing "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time.

Could anything else please go wrong?

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:33:41 GMT

Ok, so I'm sick. Sick enough to go to the ER on Monday. Of course the only reason I went there was because all the Minor Medicals were closed for Labor Day, but if you understand that my fear of hospitals is only eclipsed by my fear of planes, then you know that I was pretty bad off.

So anyway, I'm still sick and even though I'm getting better I am still stuffy and snotty and coughing and so, so tired. But enough of that, I had to get up at 5:30 this morning for my 7:00 weekly meeting. Made it through that and get to work to find out that my paralegal called in sick. Now I can't really fault her because she *never* calls in sick. But the timing really sucks. Did I also mention that both Phill and Jill are out of town this week so we were already 2 people short?

So now we are 3 people short, and in my condition I'm not very helpful. Unfortunately the 2 healthy people we have here only handle post-closing matters so that means they have no clue how to fill in for our 3 missing persons. Then I spilled yogurt on my tie.

The one redeeming thing today is that our new hire, Pat, has experience in the field so she is doing a pretty good job of filling in. And it's only her second day. I think that if she wasn't here I would be hosed. Just close the doors, hang up a sign, let's go home.

OW

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 03:46:51 GMT

So the otolaryngologist had nothing for me. Blocked eustachian tubes suck. ass.

Arrrrgh! Time Warner you suck!

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 02:50:29 GMT

i had been looking forward to a night of Battlefield 2 with Justin and Kris. Unfortunately my cable modem decided to crap out this weekend, and the great and mighty cable monopoly will not deign to send someone to fix it until Wednesday.

Luckily I was able to dig up my old RM356 56K modem router. After a mere 3 hours of fiddling I was able to get it up and running. Whoever thought the old Serial to ethernet adapter was a good idea for the management interface? Especially when I haven't used it for 5+ years and have no clue where the damn thing is is. Ah well, I made it behave via ethernet.

So yes, my friends, I am living la vida loca at 56K in 2006. This would have been the bomb, like, 10 years ago.

/me starts pricing DSL packages. again.

I'm baaaaack

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 02:58:56 GMT

Well I've been back from the beach for about a week now, long enough for the stress to settle back in. Although it is much more manageable after having a week to unwind. Seven days of surf, sand, seafood and suds does a body good. Elvis and Mercy were glad for me to get home as well, they are happy to be back to the usual schedule of 10 hours of couch duty while I'm at work. I send them to a good kennel and they seem to enjoy it there -- Elvis won't even let me pet him goodbye; he's too eager to run back there when I drop him off. Still, it's nice to know they miss me and are glad to be home too.

Kudos to the Boltons for their hospitality and Amy's great cooking, now they have to come to Murmfus so I can show them some more of the same. It was awesome to see everyone, most of whom I hadn't been able to spend any time with for over 2 years. Stupid bar exams.

Mercy managed to hurt her foot within about 72 hours of being back at the house. Luckily nothing is broken so limpy is on doggy advil to keep the swelling down til it heals. She's in fine spirits and wants to play as much as ever so watching her try to keep up with Elvis is entertaining. The nice side effect is that she doesn't harass me all night anymore, she just gets comfy on the bed and goes to sleep.

In other news I found the best ear plugs ever. Being a light sleeper and having loud pets doesn't work well together so I am cherishing the quiet nights now. Elvis has even gotten used to the weekly agenda again and is patiently quiet until the alarm goes off. At that point forget the snooze, all bets are off. Dogs are great. I even set up a webcam so I can watch them during the day. No, you can't watch too. Gangstas have only so much bandwidth.

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 22:30:20 GMT

the Observer
Test finished!

you chose BZ - your Enneagram type is FIVE.

"I need to understand the world"

Observers have a need for knowledge and are introverted, curious, analytical, and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

Be independent, not clingy.
Speak in a straightforward and brief manner.
I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts.
Remember that If I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable.
Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity.
If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place.
don't come on like a bulldozer.
Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy.

What I Like About Being a Five

standing back and viewing life objectively
coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects
my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure
not being caught up in material possessions and status
being calm in a crisis

What's Hard About Being a Five

being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world
feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all
being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be
watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence or technical skill, do better professionally

Fives as Children Often

spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on
have a few special friends rather than many
are very bright and curious and do well in school
have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers
watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information
assume a poker face in order not to look afraid
are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict
feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected

Fives as Parents

are often kind, perceptive, and devoted
are sometimes authoritarian and demanding
may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate
may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele

The Enneagram Made Easy
Discover the 9 Types of People
HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages

You liked the test? so please RATE it...
but remember! it had only two questions!!! ;-)

You are not completely happy with the result?!
You chose BZ

Would you rather have chosen:

AZ (THREE)

CZ (ONE)

BX (NINE)

BY (FOUR)

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 25% on ABC
You scored higher than 0% on XYZ

Link: The Quick and Painless ENNEAGRAM Test written by felk on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:22:41 GMT

Four jobs that you have had in your life
Army Surplus Store grunt
Kmart Associate
ISP person
Attorney

Four movies you could watch over and over
Smokey & The Bandit
The Replacements
The Blues Brothers
Get Shorty
Willy Wonka (the original)

Four places you’ve lived
Covington, KY
Memphis, TN
Bristol, TN
Johnson City, TN

Four TV shows you love to watch
The Office (USA)
Scrubs
Stargate: (either SG-1 or Atlantis)
Boston Legal

Four places you’ve been on vacation
London, UK
Germany
Whitefish, Montana
Charleston, SC

Four of your favourite foods
Memphis BBQ!
Hot wings
Bratwurst
Spaghetti with meat sauce

Four sites I visit (almost) daily:
Comics.com (Get Fuzzy & Marmaduke)
The Inquirer
The Register
Drudge Report

[web]bloggers I am tagging
Frances
Buzkill

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:36:36 GMT

WHITES are motivated by PEACE, seek independence and require kindness. They resist confrontation at all costs. (Feeling good is more important than being good.) They are typically quiet by nature, they process things very deeply and objectively, and they are by far the best listeners of all the colors. They respect people who are kind, but recoil from perceived hostility or verbal battle.

WHITES need their quiet independence and refuse to be controlled by others. WHITES want to do things their own way, in their own time. They ask little of others, and resent others demanding much of them. WHITES are much stronger than people think because they dont reveal their feelings. WHITES are kind, non-discriminate, patient and can be indecisive, timid, and silently stubborn.

When you deal with a WHITE, be kind, accept (and support) their individuality, and look for nonverbal clues to their feelings.

What Color Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:29:18 GMT

Oh man, I am getting dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming. My sister is sending me an XM satellite radio. My previous post where I called myself a luddite was because I didn't see the point of these newfangled satellite radio thingamajigs and everyone I knew was buying them.

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:45:34 GMT

As I was laying in bed eating kit kat bars last night, it occurred to me that I should probably think about losing some weight. And thinking about doing it made me feel better for not doing it. Then I had 3 cupcakes for breakfast.

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 18:27:27 GMT

I am becoming such a luddite. I feel old.

THE ART OF KEEPING YOUR MOUTH SHUT

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 15:08:13 GMT

Advising his older brother , the notorious Louisiana Gov. Huey Long, Earl Long, who also served as governor, reputedly said:

“Don’t write anything you can phone.
Don’t phone anything you can talk.
Don’t talk anything you can whisper.
Don’t whisper anything you can smile.
Don’t smile anything you can nod.
Don’t nod anything you can wink.”

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 17:57:47 GMT

Hey punks.

So I actually moved this past weekend. Casa de la Fish is now located on Colonial Rd. in Memphis. It's only about 5 minutes away from my old house but is half again as big, a welcome improvement in size.

I also got a tankless hot water heater installed. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, this is a water heater that is on-demand. Instead of paying to keep 40 gallons of water hot, it just heats the water as it flows through. Result: much lower gas bills. Which is good since MLGW hiked gas prices by 70%.

So anyway, the cable modem wasn't working in the new house, so i decide to email tech support.

As advertised:
"Technical E-mail Support - Try our Technical E-mail Support where you can get answers in hours not days."

I got this response:
"Thanks for your input, James Waddell! A Time Warner Cable representative has received an Email regarding your comments, and based on current volume, you should receive a response within 3 business days. Thank you for being a Time Warner customer."

WTF? So I called and it was fixed within 5 minutes. I actually got a good tech on the first try instead of someone who just reads out of the book. I am at the office and figured they would tell me "ok, unplug it then plug it back in... etc. I figured I could just lie and say I was doing all that.

Relationships: "It's not you, it's me."
Tech support : "It's not me, it's you."

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 21:21:08 GMT

Who's got two thumbs and passed the Mississippi Bar?

This guy right here.

dammit.

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 00:36:08 GMT

BAR RESULTS

Although every effort has been made to timely post the results of the July 2005 bar exam, the Board of Bar Admissions will be unable to certify the results today. The results will be posted as soon as possible. Please continue to check this website for further notice.

Environmental Wackos

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 20:31:36 GMT

"Environmentally Friendly?

Neither the administration or its critics are saying this, but one reason anti-flooding measures failed to stop Katrina from inundating New Orleans is that some environmental groups successfully resisted new flood control projects. The Sierra Club (search) and other groups sued the Army Corps of Engineers to stop a 1996 plan to raise and fortify Mississippi River levees because the plan would jeopardize Louisiana forests.

And the New Orleans Times-Picayune has reported that "Save our Wetlands" successfully sued the corps of engineers three decades ago to stop construction on floodgates to block storm surges from the Gulf of Mexico into Lake Pontchatrain (search), saying they were too damaging to the lake's eco-system."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168846,00.html

I hate politics

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 20:30:59 GMT

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168846,00.html

"Democrats, and some former government engineers, blamed President Bush for cutting the budget for the Army Corps of Engineers, claiming the cuts left New Orleans unprepared for a major storm.

But The Washington Post reports the Bush administration has granted the corps more funding than the previous administration over a similar period and that Louisiana has received far more money for civil works projects than any other state. The paper says much of the funding has been spent not on flood control, but on lawmakers' pet construction projects, including a brand new $750 million canal lock in New Orleans unrelated to flood control."

Sat, 27 Aug 2005 00:28:45 GMT

For those of you who play Battlefield 2, this is hilarious.

So. Freakin. Wrong.

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:10:53 GMT

Brigitte Bardot calls for halt to use of puppies as shark bait

Jealous much?

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 16:16:02 GMT