DJ Reverend Cybian: LiveJournal

I'm Alive!!!

Early this morning Priscilla passed away by my side in bed. Around 3:28AM, her leg started kicking uncontrollable and I started petting her to calm her down. Her leg started to stop kicking, she raised her head up and let out two small cries. She laid her head back down and I continued to pet her until I feel asleep. I woke up a little later and my arm was wet from her head on it. It was a little too wet for drooling and something told me she was gone. But I softly petted her throughout the rest of the morning. Although I noticed she was as cold as the outside temperature of the room, I continued to try and sleep and have one last night sleeping with her.

This wasn't a total shock since last Friday her health disintegrated extremely fast. She started to eat less and less until by Monday morning she stopped eating. She also losing weight extremely fast. By Tuesday she stopped drinking water. I made an appointment with the vet, but they could not see her until 9:00AM this morning. Throughout this time she never showed signs of pain. She was still extremely alert although she was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. Usually when she was sick or hurt, she hid like any other cat. But these days she still tried to act like nothing was wrong. All she wanted still was to hang out and either sit on my lap, lay at my feet by my desk or sleep by my side in bed.

I should be grateful since Priscilla lived a longer life than Elvis. Elvis' passing was extremely difficult because he was younger and his last six months of life was extremely hard. His last months were filled with vet visits, subcutaneous injections, and basically just slow disintegration. I couldn't ask for anything more with Priscilla. She went pretty fast, was not in pain and lived a pretty long life since she would have been sixteen in April. I was able to spend the whole day with her yesterday because I worked from home. She basically died in her sleep by my side, where she seemed to be the happiest. The girl liked her sleep especially when she could lay on me.

The rest of this post could be considered a continuation of this post. I wrote the post long after Elvis passed away. I could not write when Elvis died because it was extremely painful. I still had Priscilla by my side and wanted to remember she was still here with me. Basically I just grieved in pain... alone and in silence. I finally wrote a post thanking Elvis for what he gave me. Now that Priscilla just passed away, it closes the chapter to the best cats I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. Although Elvis and Priscilla were brother and sister and soul mates they were like night and day. Elvis always seemed to have an awareness and interest in my moods. Priscilla was a glutton for love. She was a follower of Elvis, but her love was genuine and simple. Although Priscilla was having a hard time when Elvis was suddenly gone, she was my strength to get though it. She constantly reminded me that she was there and needed my lap and my love.

Right now Homesick is playing and it really brings me back to that moment a very long time ago. Although Elvis came first tilting his head while looking at me and sitting down on my left leg; Priscilla came five minutes later to sit on my right leg. When Elvis passed away, she picked up the slack and was always around my immediate area, if not actually on me. So I play the Cure now, not as something depressing, but to remind me how much Priscilla gave to me in these almost past sixteen years. I play the Cure for her and Elvis' memory for with her passing it closes a chapter in my life. Those two felines have been through more with me that most people I currently know today. My life had drastic changes during these past sixteen years, but the constants were always Elvis and Priscilla.

The tears still come when I think of Priscilla, but I am extremely grateful for having her in my life for so very long and that her final moments were filled with peace by my side. I am lucky to have her for almost sixteen years. I am extremely grateful that she went peaceful. I remember yesterday when I went out to pick up some lunch and Priscilla was in my thoughts. I was thinking the time is near and there she was ignoring it and only wanting to hang out with me like nothing was happening. I thought she is such a dumb lovable cat. I was playing And One's Body Pop in the car and the song, ":Love You To The End" came on and the tears started coming. The title of the song was how Priscilla was acting in the past few days. Here you can tell she was shutting down, yet she acted like nothing was happening and it was business as usual. All she wanted to do was hang out with me, follow me around the house and sit on my lap.

Here I am listening to the Cure and I have no feline to comfort me. But I am happy that I had eleven and sixteen years of comfort from those two. When Elvis and Priscilla were together they had this ritual. Before coming to bed, Priscilla would make a cat call to Elvis. Elvis would run to her and both would come to bed. Since Elvis' death, every night instead of cat calls, it was long drawn out cries and Elvis never came running. I hope tonight when Priscilla cries out, Elvis is there to greet her. Thank you Priscilla and Elvis for the wonderful years. You were there though the good and bad times. You are loved and will be missed. And thank you Priscilla for spending these extra few years with me.

But I just don't get that feeling with LJ anymore...

So, I fired up my old Char-Broil gas grill for the first time this year a few weeks ago and that will be it's last time. The knobs are basically frozen and everything is in need of replacement. I've had it since 1993, so it has seen many many years of grilling. I've replaced most of the parts at least once and repainted it around three times. It finally needed replacement. Tomorrow we are having M's mom's birthday party at our house and we were supposed to grill. What a great excuse to buy a new grill!

Since it has been so long since I looked at what was out there in the grilling market, I was pretty open to suggestions. I first checked online at all the major stores to see what was out there. Home Depot had the best selection and a few gas grills caught my eye. I was especially interested in a Brinkmann because it was getting some good reviews. We decided to go to Home Depot on Sunday and we were determined to leave the store with a grill.

When I was browsing the grills, a Home Depot associate came over and talked to me and recommended a Charmglow. He mentioned that he was usually a Char-Broil man, but bought the same Charmglow model and was pleased with it. He then mentioned he would call the person who actually worked in the area to help us because he had to drop the money off and he was working overtime.

When the other Home Depot associate arrived, he asked me what I was in the market for. I told him the specs and the range we wanted to spend. His recommendation was for the entry level Char-Broil Red grill. Now the Red series is pretty intriguing because it grills by Infrared grilling and not over direct gas flame. Basically it is a porcelain U shaped trough that heats up from the burners underneath. This allows for evenly distributed heat and higher temperatures produced. Also you do not get the hot spots that are usually produced with gas grills. My old grill was horrendous with hot spots. Not only can you get it hotter than most grills, for doing things like searing, you also use less gas. We were sold and walked out of Home Depot with our new grill and cover.

Since this grill just came out, there are not many reviews on it. All the positives said that they had the best grilled foods ever on it. Two people said they had problems getting it passed 250 - 300 degrees, which did have me a little worried. I finished putting the grill together yesterday and fired it up for a test. My propane tank was almost empty, but I was able to get it past 450 degrees. I was happy for the test and now pretty damn excited about the thought of grilling on this goodness.

So, I decided to be aggressive with my first try on the grill by doing baby back pork ribs for tomorrow. I have my ribs, created a Cajun rub and rubbed it into the ribs. Now they are resting in the fridge and will be read tomorrow for grilling. I will be smoking the ribs with some Hickory chips. With the Infrared emitter trough, you can just drop the chips right onto it for smoking. I'll be finishing the ribs off with a nice BBQ sauce towards the end of cooking time. I also have some beef medallions to cook after the ribs are done.

I see nothing but good times with this grill. With the reviews I have read on it, I am going to be getting some of the juiciest steaks, hamburgers, etc from this grill. This summer there is going to be a lot of beer and burning flesh. There will be grilling. Yes, there will be a lot of grilling.

It seems sleep or more specifically beds have been a popular topic in LJ. This is a topic that is close to my heart or at least I am extremely interested in. For over 11 years I had a bed that I was not comfortable with from day one. When I had to replace my bed because it went to my ex, I decided to buy another bed. This was back in the late 90's, where it was assumed that firmer is better for a healthier night sleep. Although in the Corps, I could fall asleep on anything for a short duration, my personal preference has always been on the softer side. Yea, I know... I am an old softy at heart or my bottom! So when I went out to buy another bed, I bought a pillow-top bed that was firmer than my liking. I thought I would get used to it, but basically I never had one good night sleep on it except when I was extremely exhausted and basically passed out in it.

Besides never having a full night's sleep, every few months I would wake up with my neck extremely stiff and in pain. When this would happen, I would either have to tough it out for a week or visit a chiropractor. As years went by this would happen more frequently until the last year or so, it would happen a few times a week. This was due to the fact that my mattress reached its 10 year mark and started to break down and sag. Another reason is that I am mostly a side sleeper (since developing acid reflux) and my down pillow broke down and had zero support for my head and neck. Basically my pillow was only an inch thick and when I laid my head down on it, it became flat as a pancake. So, my neck was at an angle and resting on my shoulder. This caused me to wake up with pain everyday. I only complained when the pain in my neck was pretty unbearable. As a side note, since having surgery on my left shoulder and finding out my right shoulder is also degrading, I have started having problems with my shoulders waking up stiff and in pain also.

I hated my bed so much that I dreaded going to sleep. When it was getting late at night, sleep was like some dark cloud looming over my head. I was pretty much left with two choices. I could go to bed at a normal time, toss and turn all night and wake up tired, sore, and stiff. Or I can stay up late, do something I enjoy, and go to sleep where I would only have to suffer in bed for four or five hours. I still woke up tired, but most of the time I woke up with minimal pain that was bearable. I usually took the staying up late route and WoW came in handy for this and was extremely fun. But I always thought that I should be able to go to bed at a decent hour and wake up refreshed and rejuvenated. I know this has to be possible or at least I am lead to believe in this fantasy.

Last year, Michelle and I started the discussion on getting a new bed. There was one problem with choosing a new bed. Where I thought the bed was something that was spawned and spit out from hell, Michelle thought it was a gift from heaven and it was the most comfortable bed she had regularly slept on. It became apparent that I liked soft beds and Michelle liked firmer beds. Although it seems Michelle is now realizing that she likes beds that are supportive, but have that layer of softness also. I basically want to sleep on cotton candy. Last year we looked at the Sleep Number bed to answer this solution. We looked at a few last year, but it ended at that and we did not discuss it any further for a few months.

Since the last few months have been a living hell for me with the pain and lack of sleep and the current posts about beds, we decided to take another look at getting a new bed. Quickly from outside sources, we found out the Sleep Number bed was not a good choice. It seems that they are not manufactured well and start having problems within a year. The only thing I knew and was determined on was that I did not want an inner spring mattress anymore. After the past 11 years, I am through with them. Sleeping on metal springs is not appealing to me anymore. So, what is the solution besides inner spring mattresses? I started thinking about the Tempur-Pedic mattress and how it might be a possible solution in my quest for a better night sleep.

I finally saw Tropic Thunder last night. Although it might not have been one of Ben Stiller's best movies, it definitely had some memorable quotes and laughs. I have to admit that Robert Downey Jr stole the film. He was so damn good and funny. I was also surprised by the role Tom Cruise played. There are some quotes that are constantly going over in my head and I might have to try and sneak them at work. Let's look at some situations where I might be able to sneak a Tropic Thunder quote in.

Who does not get tired of being accosted right when you walk through the door at work. This happens to me all the time. I can also use this quote in any meeting because some coworker (usually multiple coworkers) will blurt out some brain dead comment, question or suggestion. Time for some Les Grossman and reply with this:
First, take a big step back... and literally, FUCK YOUR OWN FACE!

One thing that constantly happens throughout the workday is people coming into my office and interrupting me while I am trying to get some work done. I am sure it happens to all of you. Another Les Grossman reply might be in order.
Look, fuckstick, I'm incredibly busy. So why don't you get the hell out of here before I snap your dick off and jam it into your ass...

Most of us usually have to sell off an idea or suggestion from time to time. It's the nature of working in a team environment. Jeff Portnoy's quote should get my idea readily accepted.
I will literally suck your dick, right now. I'll cradle the balls, stroke the shaft, work the pipe, and swallow the gravy. Get it over here, buddy. Let's do this.

I don't know about you, but I receive tons of documents, power points, emails, etc. when working on projects. And let's face the facts, who has time to all read them? I'm lucky to have time to glance through all them. I think I am going to start using a Kirk Lazarus quote when I am asked if I read something.
I don't read the script. The script reads me.

I like to keep coworkers on their toes and keep them always guessing what goes on in my head. I am known to always do a great job on my projects and completing them in the highest professional manner. But I also like people to say, "Man, Chris is damn good and knows his shit, but whoaaa..." So, basically I like to have an air of mystery around me. Usually random blurts around the hallway and meetings solidifies this aura of mystery. I believe the addition of this last Kirk Lazarus' quote should do well. Just imagine walking down the hallway and looking at someone all crazy eyed and saying this Lazarus quote:
I know what dude I am. I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!

These quotes should come off pretty well at work! Can't wait to use them.

So, my boy went on his first trip to the San Diego Zoo today. I will have to admit that I was pretty anxious thinking about it this morning. The woes of parenting has to be the worrying part with your kids and the outside world. On one side you are extremely happy for them that they get to go on little adventures. You know he had to be exciting for this. I remember always being exciting when going on field trips for school. You can't beat having fun and learning at the same time. But on the other side there are dangers that come with your kids going out to public functions and not having a parent/guardian ratio of 1:1. I know the worrying will never end and all age ranges have their different dangerous.

I am always one to not dwell on the "what ifs" in life. I believe you should be aware of what goes on in the world and take reasonable precautions, but you should never dwell on it. Dwelling on the evils of the world will only get you to be overly protected in a destructive way that will not allow your child to grow into the responsible adult that they should be. Dwelling and worrying will also basically make you a zombie in life. And who wants to be a zombie except for being one at a party?

But I have to admit that it just infuriates me that there are people in the world that want to cause harm to my children. To put it bluntly, people that actually look at children as sexual objects. And the reality is it is usually not a kidnapping and the child is found alive after a long duration, it is basically a use them once and throw them away like garbage. This is the harsh reality of the world we live in and what parents need to be aware of in order to keep your children safe. To know the dangers in the world and teach your children to take necessary precautions

But in the end I am really exciting about my son going to the zoo. How cool is it to go to the zoo with your school friends during the day? It is definitely good times for a four year old. I can only hope my son is smart enough to stay with the group and not stray far. I swear I better not hear how he was not listening and he was running off in all directions. If I hear that, there will be blood. Oh yes, there will be lots of blood. Truthfully he listens to his teachers and other guardians. It's his parents he seems to have a lack of discipline with and isn't that the norm? Personally I can't wait to hear his stories and see his little t-shirt that he received today.

This is only the beginning of worrying about my children. First it is worrying about them with strangers. Tomorrow it will be about them getting injured because they are doing some outlandish stunt or sport. Next it will probably be sex, drugs, alcohol, or them becoming a total dork. After that it will be about them getting into a car that their friend is drinking and driving or worst... just them getting a license! Finally it will be if they are going to graduate high school and not become a slacker for the rest of their lives or yours. And just when you thought it was over and you can relax and not worry... You start to worry that they will invest their life savings into some bonehead scam and want to move back into your house when they are 35 yrs old. You see??? You see??? It never ends!

As some of you might have guessed, I kind of like tattoos. That's a pretty shocking revelation about myself, huh? I know... I know... I bare my soul in public forums sometimes. A little history on my fascination on tattoos in general. I've liked tattoos since my first memories. When I was around ten, I mentioned to some of my relatives that I could not wait until I get my first tattoo. I was lectured right away about the regrets of getting tattoos, etc. I wasn't planning on getting a tattoo at ten, but I guess maybe they start young in New York and my relatives felt like they should have an intervention right there and then.

My first two were from homemade guns while I was in high school. My very first was supposed to be a skinhead on my forearm. But this cholo who wanted tattoo experience with a homemade tattoo gun kept drawing him like... a cholo! So, I asked him what else can he draw and he said he can make some rad spiders. I left with a black widow on my shoulder blade minus a six pack of beer or a 40 or two, I can't remember exactly.

My second tattoo and please don't ask to see it in person since it is illegible, was "SKINS" tattooed in my lower lip with another homemade gun. If I had one tattoo that had a second function, it would be this one. Growing up in LA and around gangs, you were always asked, "Where you from, ese?" Drop the ese, if you are asked by either Bloods or Crips. When you said, "No where", or when I liked to be a smart ass, which was always, I would mention New York. They never liked those answers and would keep asking several times. Basically they were trying to punk you out and get you to say something to start a fight. Especially when it is usually five or more gang members asking you that question. Which was fine by me since I fought a couple of times a week and what is kicking the shit out of a few more gang members? But sometimes you have places to go and you can't be bothered. When I got my lip tattooed and I was asked, "Where you from, ese." I would pull down my lip and show them my tat. For some reason all gang members reactions were like, "Oh man... That's cool, ese." or "That's crazy, ese", etc. I was never asked that question again when I pulled down my lip to show off my tattoo. It was kind of like a don't stop, pass go card. Life was made so much simpler by that tattoo.

After that I finally received my first tattoos from actual tattoo shops! The first two were a skinhead on my left forearm and a boot boys emblem on my left bicep. Next was the Marine Corps emblem on my other bicep after boot camp. Finally I received my first Bob Vessels' tattoo, which was a skinhead girl. I was literally one of Bob's first customers back then. The rest is basically history on my arms. I finished getting sleeved by Bob back in 1995. All in all, I am pretty happy with my arms. I was starting off with one theme and changed it before I was thinking of actually getting sleeved. Luckily for me, Bob is really good at tying things together.

I will admit, I am happy that I did not get every tattoo I thought of getting. One particular one would be a Chinese dragon on my back. I knew this Asian artist who owned a shop on Hollywood Blvd and she was basically going to do my back for only $200 back in the 80's. Lucky for me my friends talked me out of it. Basically they gave me a guilt trip by saying it was my turn to by booze. I broke down and we were basically drunk for the whole weekend on cases of beer. Which leads me into my current tattoo, which I am still in the process of completing.

I swear it seems like it has been ten years since I first started my back piece. I would have to look at dates, but it has been at least six years. Sure it does not help when you go without tattoo work for two years straight. I think I did that at least two times so far where I haven't had any work on my back for two years. I believe it is almost two years now since the last time I had work done on my back. Thinking about it, that makes it around eight years so far. I am so ready to have this completed.

I have other ideas for chest work, etc. I told M once, that I was thinking about getting my legs done also. I started to think that if I ever completed my back and my chest, I would look kind of awkward with bare legs. I'm sure she has forgotten this by now. But first I should finish off my back piece. I was hoping to get some work done this year and maybe even complete it. I also wanted to get some work done when I reached my goal with working out. They always say you should have a goal and reward yourself if you reach it. This was going to be my reward for making my body in pristine shape by finishing my back piece. But now I am not getting any merit increases or bonuses this year, so finishing my back is out of the question. Which is kind of frustrating since I want some tattoo work so bad right now that I feel a tightness in my chest.

Besides my kids that is! I think it might be a good day to go to the San Diego Zoo. My favorite is the Minute Maid Lemonade Icee... yum! Can't get enough of that stuff. Kieran's favorite thing is the Sky Safari and Killian's favorite thing will probably be every living animal that she knows what it is like kitty, bird, etc. Time to set this shindig in motion.

Random blurp... I cannot wait until I am not wiping another human's ass. It's been a few years right now and I probably have a few more years left. The wiping is not bad, it's the stench that gets me sometimes.0_o

Wow is currently my only pastime right now and it was violated! Not even a reach around or kiss. Just totally reamed and left naked. At least my WoW toons were naked when I logged into my WoW account on Friday night. M wanted to catch up on a couple of ER episodes, so I decided to play a little WoW. I tried logging into my account and kept receiving a wrong password error. Right away I am thinking that this was not good and someone has been my account. I went to the Blizzard site, clicked the lost password link, and changed my password. When I finally logged into my account... There in my character selection was a naked Blood Elf Death Knight. I am thinking, "Oh no... Don't tell me I was hacked and I lost everything." I checked all my other toons and there they were... All standing in the character selection screen basking in their naked glory.

I contacted an online GM and after waiting for over an hour, I finally was able to speak to a GM live. I pleaded my case that my account was hacked, I lost everything on all my toons, and if I would be able to get all my equipment restored. They said they would put an investigation in and I would have to wait for the result by email. By Sunday morning I received an email that the investigation was complete and a list of all the items that were restored with each character. Many high praises for Blizzard completing this investigation in a speedy manner and on the weekend! I can't tell if I lost anything because all my higher items are there, but my DK seems to be around 1.5% lower on his hit rating, which I think might have been a neck item. For some slots, I had multiples to change my stats for different tasks. But for the most part everything was restored on all my toons. The other downside was it took a few hours on Sunday night to equip my characters and bank since I had to travel back to cities to perform these tasks.

I check all my computers for any type of malware key loggers. Three programs did not find any apparent key loggers. Although one program did say my kernel32.dll was malware, so I deleted it and copied a new one to my machine. Maybe that was some type of key logging malware. I know viruses and malware can actually change the code in the kernel. I don't think it was malware that logged my password. I rarely go on any WoW sites, which are supposed to be notorious with malware. I heard through my guild that accounts are randomly picked throughout the week, which they will try and crack the password. I have to admit, I had a very weak password and it probably could have been cracked easily with a basic program. Now I have a very strong password that should not be so easily to crack.

So there you have it... A little excitement and drama over the weekend. Last night it was game on, except for my son's bowel problems. But that is a different story. I will admit that my account being hacked and my son's bowel problems are starting to become a pain in the ass. Maybe not all mine, but a pain nevertheless.

I was outside Starbucks this morning and a lady came up to me and said, "You look like that guy from U2." I replied, "Bono?" and she said, "yes."

I know he as been sporting a beard on and off lately and so have I. I guess I was dressed casual like him, but still it is a first. I guess it is just my good looking Celtic looks! :P

So, I am going to try and make this short since I am extremely tired and in pain. After being on a hiatus from October to the beginning of January, I finally started going back to the gym four to five times a week. Strength training three times a week and cardio four to five times a week. My goal is five times a week, but I have only been able to do that once because at least once a week work goes through lunch. It was pretty easy getting back into the routine and I have been enjoying it since day one. Sure there are days that I have been tired, but it was always doable.

Today was not one of those doable days. Well, it was doable since I was able to do my strength and cardio routines, but it was extremely difficult. I was yawning throughout my workout nonstop. Actually I am still yawning at my desk. I was able to not slack and do my regular strength routine, but damn did I have to push it. Cardio was even worse. I felt like I was slacking a tad bit, but in the end it was the same I always do. So I guess I did not really slack at all.

On top of being extremely tired today, my lower back has been killing me. I did not notice it when working out, but right when I finished my cardio I was in extreme pain again. Which is strange since I never had lower back problems. And to finish things off my stomach has not been right since I woke up either. I should be starving after this workout and I have not been hungry at all. I have to force myself to eat something.

I did have a "stinky" gym story to tell, but I think I will post that later. Right now I am thinking of leaving early and getting some Icy Hot patches for my lower back.

I should post more often about work. I never mentioned that I received a promotion in November! My hard drive at work has been extremely slow for the past eight months or so. It also started getting corrupted files that had to be fixed with Scan Disk. Two weeks ago my local Oracle stopped working and that was the final straw in not getting my hard drive reimaged. But why cut myself short and just get my drive reimaged? I had only 20G left, so I decided to upgrade my hard drive and RAM. Which I just noticed that I asked for an upgrade of 1GB and received only a half GB. How lame is that. Anyway after receiving my machine on Friday and getting over a little hurdles here and there, I am finally installing my development software, etc on my desktop. This makes for a nice easy day or two for me.

Next I will see if I will get my laptop upgrade since I was due for a refresh. I decided to ruffle some feathers and ask for a MacBook. Let's see how far that goes up the chain.

I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.
I will post more in 2009.

Well it is a start! Actually I am going to try and post more often in 2009. I've had things to say, but I've been busy with other things. If you are interested in a particular subject on what has going on in my life then reply with a comment and I will try and answer it in a post. Doesn't that just sound like fun?

Now I am going to try and install this software again for my new Epson Perfection V500 Scanner that Michelle bought for me for Christmas.

Reverend Cybian for President!

Against nici13 advice! :P

PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT

OK... I wouldn't give them up since actually what I want is to have easy and accessible babysitting. If I gave them up for that, I would not need the babysitting! But it sure would be nice to be able to go to a movie on a whim and not have to plan for it weeks in advance. We're going to try and see Hellboy 2 either Thursday or Friday. Batman Returns maybe August 1st during parent's night out. The third movie we would like to see is Wanted, but I am not sure how we can pull that off and it will be out of the theaters soon.