tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63583302012-02-01T19:02:26.635-07:00A celebration of the absurd, the fanciful and the truth.phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.comBlogger9871100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-58575265197978734162012-02-01T18:18:00.004-07:002012-02-01T19:02:26.663-07:00

I'm not even supposed to be here today...I'd been up and awake for a couple hours when I received the phone call this morning. L from work called me to ask if I could come in to work. K had called in sick and C had a family emergency, so I went it to help out. No big deal, really. We're family and we look out for each other.Luckily, I had one day off on Tuesday, and I'll get tomorrow off, so

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-73125837977873753612012-01-25T14:03:00.005-07:002012-01-25T14:58:16.903-07:00

Adventures with Kohlrabi..."What is that?", my grocery store cashier asked me as the bag approached her on the conveyer belt. This is what she was asking about:Frankly, whatever it was was puzzling me, too. I knew from the paper-covered twist tie that it was something called Green Kohlrabi, but I had no idea what it was... or how to cook it... or how it would taste. I replied to the cashier

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-7084692010454727082012-01-19T17:30:00.002-07:002012-01-19T17:55:11.017-07:00

Life in the new Room...Oh, Netflix, how I wonder about you sometimes! I've been a customer of yours for years, and I wonder just how well you really know me. When you "suggest" a movie for me to watch, do you really think that I'll enjoy it? Just a random thought...Sometimes the random thoughts are the best ones. Most of the time, my random thoughts make me laugh... sometimes out loud. And

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-69062296351534395852012-01-10T09:10:00.004-07:002012-01-10T09:23:06.676-07:00

A Moving Blog Entry...After a ridiculously long day yesterday, we moved into our new Room at the Airport. Just how long is a ridiculous amount, you might ask, dear Reader? How about fifteen hours. It was not fun.In some ways, it went a lot smoother than I thought it might. But in other ways, it was tedious, hot, exhausting and hellish. These were ways that I hadn't even considered, but

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-66901738155488539862012-01-05T18:07:00.002-07:002012-01-05T19:16:49.791-07:00

Turning the Corner???Pardon me, dear Reader, as I run down my mental checklist:1. Eat Dinner. ✔2. Shower/Shave Head. ✔3. Listen to Loud Music/Write Blog Post.Yup, I'm on step three right now. The music of choice is "The Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance. Darn fine music... it is what the kids are listening to these days after all... And I am listening to a lot of loud music these days.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-21898345725295821852011-12-30T17:00:00.002-07:002011-12-30T17:15:51.721-07:00

Chicken Soup for the...What you've got there, dear Reader, is a pot of Chicken Soup, but there's something deeper going on. It's something that I like to call "culinary therapy". I get to tune out from real life, play with knives and ultimately be successful at something during the day. Normally, just feeling sick with a cold would warrant such therapy, but with the day/week/month I've been

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-69136288704239664742011-12-23T12:17:00.001-07:002011-12-23T12:17:01.002-07:00

He's got a good disguise going, but I know the truth!

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-47385697367310474802011-12-20T08:36:00.002-07:002011-12-20T08:50:46.089-07:00

Christmastime in the Cash RoomAs the end of the year nears, there is an overwhelming sense of inevitability in the air. It's not just the end of 2011, it's the end of life as we know it with the Company. Now, it's not just the random employee who is worrying about whether or not they'll have their job in the new year, it's nearly everybody I encounter. It's just become too difficult to try and

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-15723206961078137252011-12-08T17:29:00.003-07:002011-12-08T17:51:21.734-07:00

A Blue Christmas???There's about twenty minutes left before my delicious Tater Tot Casserole should come out of the oven. The dishes have been washed, with only the future ones that I'll mess up with dinner to do. Laundry has been done over my days off. All's that left is to eat dinner and do some tidying up and I'm done for the day. Sure, they'll be some web surfing and maybe some movie/TV

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-39709552606448965672011-11-27T16:09:00.003-07:002011-11-27T16:29:07.957-07:00

Cold Showers in the Winter???This just might count as half a post, dear Reader. I don't have much to say, but what I will tell you is extremely good news. It has been a harrowing couple of days here in Sinister Coffee Studios. It all started on Thanksgiving evening. I noticed that my kitchen lights were flickering a little bit, but nothing too serious, I figured. Then, when I went to take a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-22421760558823261712011-11-12T17:50:00.003-07:002011-11-12T18:21:17.381-07:00

Distractions...Usually, a nice shower and a head shaving is all I need to focus and let the creative juices flow. My perceptions of the world seem much more clear when I'm shaving my head. And so, with thoughts about what to write about coursing through my grey matter, I walk out of my bathroom to find this happening right outside my window:Wait. What? I was going to blog about what now?

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-68310282182355125732011-10-31T14:06:00.002-06:002011-10-31T14:27:01.329-06:00

Killin' Time...It's been a tough day so far, dear Reader, but I've been reminded of a valuable lesson from my youth and time spent in the Boy Scouts: Be Prepared. How have I been reminded of this? Well, after just killing a mere 110 or so zombies, my Xbox controller battery died, and now I have to wait for it to recharge before I can continue killing zombies. I really should have checked my

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-32962518657706140272011-10-28T17:33:00.002-06:002011-10-28T17:57:19.415-06:00

More Culinary Therapy...It's been a tough day today, dear Reader; one I'm glad to be at the tail end of. We had our "meeting" today, noted in the previous post, and while it was pretty much what I expected to hear, that didn't make it any easier to actually sit through. Long story short, the Cash Room will be losing two of our five existing workers sometime in April. Those two people unlucky

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-23163876393117905342011-10-27T09:33:00.003-06:002011-10-27T10:20:38.826-06:00

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlej...For the past few weeks now, my days off have been a little screwy. Don't get me wrong, I've been getting two of them, and even consecutively, but they've been happening on not the typical days I've been accustomed to. So today, being Thursday, is my second day off, and I'm trying to enjoy it to the fullest. I've done a little tidying up and have the grocery

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-64943128559629783712011-10-17T15:47:00.002-06:002011-10-17T16:55:28.292-06:00

Job Interviews?!??!?!?I've got loads of nervous energy right now, and rather than sit on it, I think I'm going to try and use it. Where is this energy coming from? It might, in part, come from the Mountain Dew I just drank, but I can't blame it all on that delicious, delicious beverage.Toward the end of the day today, C, our Supervisor told us some news that we've all been expecting, but really

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-29127977028194769222011-10-15T16:47:00.004-06:002011-10-15T18:07:04.278-06:00

Birthday Dinner...Since I'm having trouble culminating ideas for a blog post, let me just share with you, dear Reader, what my birthday dinner looked like:And since I want to leave the world a more magical place than I found it, I want to share with you the Sushezi. You too can make beautiful sushi rolls with a Sushezi. Come on, you know you want to! Just do it! Give in and buy one!!!

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-27026905608354537692011-10-05T08:10:00.004-06:002011-10-05T09:59:02.567-06:00

Chile Weather...It's a beautiful day today; it feels like Fall is finally here. According to my handy-dandy little weather app, it's about 60° outside, and is only going to get maybe five degrees warmer today. And it's breezy, too. There's a high wind warning in effect which is blowing in some rain. I saw one of my favorite things, this morning, too: fallen leaves blowing across the road

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-20618596948767471282011-09-30T18:31:00.002-06:002011-09-30T18:51:01.374-06:00

Still alive and kicking...There's good things to report to you, dear Reader! One thing is that it appears Summer is finally on it's way out, and Fall is nearing. Sure, today we had near-record heat, getting up to nearly 90°, but according to the forecast, the temperature is going to drop quickly. It's almost time for hoodies! Secondly, it is official. My upstairs neighbors have moved out.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-28249174526505760372011-09-21T16:52:00.002-06:002011-09-21T17:41:10.011-06:00

Finding some (Power) Balance...A week or so ago, while riding the employee bus into the Airport, I saw a couple of Delta employees wearing some funny black rubber bracelets. They had some round holographic discs on them, and I'd never seen anything like them before, so when I got home, I did some research on them. Turns out they are called Power Balance bracelets, and you can find them here at

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-70613631691724975152011-09-15T17:11:00.004-06:002011-09-15T17:50:32.611-06:00

A Civilized Burger...For the past twenty or so minutes, I have felt civilized. Sounds like a funny kind of confession, right? Well, for the bulk of the day, I've felt tired, grumpy and just not so nice, so this is a great change of pace. I have downloaded and have listened to more than half of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and during that, have nearly completed cooking my dinner. What am I eating

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-54125340455550769552011-09-11T17:21:00.000-06:002011-09-11T17:21:20.543-06:00

Musings... I've now spent the past three September 11's at the Airport, and each one was just a little different, it seems.  Everything is mostly the same, really, like the TSA Inspectors showing up a few days in advance just to make sure things are as they should be.  All the workers there seem to become a little more quiet and reflective, and on the day of, there are a few moments of silence

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-70713486529281920192011-09-06T06:12:00.000-06:002011-09-06T06:12:03.178-06:00

Struck Down... If I were to post here more often, dear Reader, I'd have discovered sooner that Blogger.com has changed up their website somewhat.  Nothing too difficult to navigate through, but it'll take some learning to remember where all the buttons have moved to. For the (probably) fourth time since I started working in the Room, I took a sick day yesterday.  I'd been awake and feeling

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-16707506795069639762011-08-26T17:33:00.002-06:002011-08-26T19:23:26.255-06:00

The Continuing Saga... Gah. I've only been agonizing(?) over this post for an hour or so. Time to get it done with! Over the past few days, I think I've proved myself wrong in my thinking that nothing new is happening. I've been in a little funk, thinking about the monotony of what's going on lately. I go to work, I read, I play games on the computer, I watch movies on NetFlix... that's

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-26192064950807698472011-08-14T17:19:00.003-06:002011-08-14T17:49:51.179-06:00

Civilized yet again!!! Dear Reader, this is truly a happy moment for me. Early this morning, I thought that things had gone sideways enough that I wouldn't be able to come home from work and cook a Civilized Sunday Dinner. I'm glad to report that I was wrong. For the past few weeks (or is it months? I can't remember anymore...), we've been working longer hours than usual in the Room. The

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-36911161120965077482011-08-03T11:39:00.002-06:002011-08-03T12:11:09.204-06:00

Surfacing...It's my second of my two days off, and I hope hope hope that it will be enough time to recover. Yesterday was spent doing some cleaning, organizing and TV watching. I've become addicted to several British shows (Misfits and Skins), and knocked down several episodes each yesterday. Today, I've been slightly more productive, having done some grocery shopping and a little cooking.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-77615628895927021082011-07-23T17:05:00.002-06:002011-07-23T17:25:18.760-06:00

You Know I'm No Good...Feeling a little down right now, but it's nothing serious. I'm also doing some culinary therapy, so I'm on the right track to getting myself back to normal. I got the news earlier today that Amy Winehouse had died, and while I can't say that I will miss her drunken and stoned antics, I will miss her voice. So that's what's playing on my computer as I prepare dinner for

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-18786899291861560802011-07-14T17:58:00.002-06:002011-07-14T18:13:23.913-06:00

still alive...Now that I'm here, dear Reader, I ought to write a little something to let you know that I am still alive (really!) and kicking (double really!).It's been a long day. I've only been home long enough to eat something quick for dinner and do a little research. Doing a quick look back in Sinister Coffee history, it appears that I've officially been living here, in the Sinister

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-48855328934343926312011-07-02T19:37:00.004-06:002011-07-02T19:55:47.643-06:00

Tagged at the Airport...I am still alive and breathing, dear Reader, I really am. Work has been stressful and busy lately, and not as entertaining and invigorating as it has been in the past. The Retail changeover has begun, and it really is strange to see storefronts shuttered up while renovations are underway. It has it's perks, though, as the other major Retail company has been decimated,

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-30434979696049690132011-06-21T08:45:00.002-06:002011-06-21T09:07:13.313-06:00

A sigh... of relief.So, dear Reader, today's little story has it's origins a few years back. After I moved back to Utah from Arizona/Nevada, instead of rushing and getting my car registered with the state, I waited until my Arizona registration was about to run out before dropping my cold, hard cash for my Utah registration. But when I did, somehow there was a glitch in the Matrix, and when the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-65404048021015967032011-06-14T07:33:00.003-06:002011-06-14T07:52:35.712-06:00

Don't take any wooden nickels... just the old ones!!!It's more of the same at work, which is both tedious and unnerving. Late last week, my Supervisor informed us of two more Assistant Managers who were leaving the Company for greener pastures. Then today whilst checking out Facebook, there was word of another Assistant Manager who was retiring. sigh. Again, this latest "moving on" saddens me

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-62384445938200957462011-06-08T19:34:00.002-06:002011-06-08T19:49:19.211-06:00

Ramen Breakfast Burritos???Do you ever find yourself asking... um, yourself, "How can I get more Ramen into my diet?", dear Reader? If you aren't, don't worry, you're not alone. I'm sure lots of people are satisfied with the level of Ramen consumption in their lives. Me? I'm one of the odd ones out there. So, when I saw a new recipe online (where else would I get such ideas, right???), I

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-27964310046703581382011-06-06T15:52:00.002-06:002011-06-06T16:20:58.053-06:00

"Thee lift me...""... and I'll lift thee and we'll ascend together", is an old proverb that I learned from a wise man in a time that seems very far away from now. That, coupled with the concept of building up those around you instead of tearing them down in order to make yourself look better, are what I've tried to do in my personal and professional life. Let me tell you, while it sounds like a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-893812739424808292011-05-12T13:30:00.000-06:002011-05-13T14:48:28.887-06:00

The Bacon ExplosionThe past little while has been uneventful, which in my case, has been a good thing. By now, although the story has been dying in the news, I'm sure you've heard about the security breach which led to Sony losing the customer details of at least 100 million people worldwide. I was one of those unfortunate souls, and while the likelihood of my bank account being hacked was

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-3437943278969158542011-05-02T17:04:00.003-06:002011-05-02T17:23:55.562-06:00

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead...I'm a big fan of pasta sauces, especially those which are hearty and dense, yet are quick and easy to make. Just a few veggies, a can each of tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes and maybe some meat... that's all it takes to get something fun and tasty going. While at work today, I mentally ran through the ingredients I had at home. I had some zucchini, half

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-66893991120724686902011-04-26T08:45:00.005-06:002011-04-26T09:12:09.344-06:00

(A) Sigh... (of relief...)My long, dark domestic nightmare is over, dear Reader. I've hung my freshly laundered laundry in my closet, and now I can do other productive, and maybe not-so-productive things. You see, this sad, frustrating tale started about a month ago.I came home one day to see a note tacked on my door from the Complex Management. The note stated excitedly that our laundry

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-63748646315863749972011-04-22T16:10:00.003-06:002011-04-22T16:44:18.424-06:00

The More Things Change...I guess, dear Reader, it's time to write something here. Not that much has changed... but that's the problems, I think.It is much the same situation at work, which makes writing about it and telling you what's going on feel less than productive. Every so often, some new revelation is made by our General Manager, which tends to throw everybody in a panic and then a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-40490360665766963052011-04-03T16:23:00.002-06:002011-04-03T16:44:36.717-06:00

Medicinal Bacon...Remember when I said a while back, dear Reader, when there's a new announcement at work about the new restructuring schedule and whatnot, how it throws everybody in a panic? How everybody walks around in a shell shocked kind of state for a couple days until we learn to deal with the new news? Yeah, the latest bit of news came to us on Friday. We've been given a sort of FAQ on

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-48740594842243332182011-03-30T06:03:00.002-06:002011-03-30T06:38:24.053-06:00

When The Lights Go Out...It was an eventful evening last night, in a non kind of way. I had just finished up with dinner, a delicious Beef Stroganoff over some mashed potatoes, when the electricity went out. This isn't something totally new, especially since I live in a major construction zone. Rocky Mountain Power will schedule times to cut the electricity to do their work. This time, there

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-3257780031622158712011-03-19T15:53:00.003-06:002011-03-19T16:31:28.882-06:00

Life Lessons from Charlie Sheen...The grind at the Airport still continues, and I still feel a bit of apprehension for the future of our Company and my place it it. It's kinda funny, but there's a sense of numbness that takes over for a little while, only to be shattered when some new bit of news comes out. Then for a week or so, I feel a bit of stress, only to let the numbness come back in. I

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-62292152991988238452011-03-13T14:52:00.002-06:002011-03-13T15:15:36.242-06:00

sigh...For the past couple weeks, dear Reader, you've read here that there were big changes going on at the Airport. I've been kind of silent as to exactly what was going on, other than that my Company had gone through a bidding process on leases we will hold for our businesses there and that through that process, we've lost about half of what we currently have. That's about the thick of it,

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-817784875128923182011-03-07T15:00:00.002-07:002011-03-07T15:25:49.838-07:00

Springtime rain...My favorite kind of weather is happening outside right now. I've just gotten home from work, and I've pulled my curtains back and have my window cracked open so I can hear the rainfall. Maybe rain is a little too much to call what's happening outside, but it's at least a serious drizzle. I got damp walking form my car to my front door, but nothing more than that. I'm

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-80291426013421724452011-02-24T18:46:00.002-07:002011-02-24T19:22:26.508-07:00

Inspiration through Young Adult Literature...For a couple weeks now, I've been fighting to get out of my head, even if it's just for a little while. Everyone at work is tense. They've got a right to feel the way they do. Potentially, half of them will be looking for work within a year's time. I'm one of the fortunate few who isn't as worried as the rest, but I can't shake the feeling that

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-36996076889056643402011-02-16T08:12:00.003-07:002011-02-16T08:45:32.353-07:00

(Yet another) Weekend Update...I'm all set up for a lazy "Sunday" kind of day. I've got just a few things left to do before I can zone out completely, but it's all easy stuff. I woke up around 2:30 a.m., and wasn't able to get back to sleep, but I'm sure I'll get a nap in before too long.I was able to get out to and back from my local Retail Supercenter and do some grocery shopping, which is

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-65640974633343266312011-02-10T19:01:00.004-07:002011-02-10T19:11:08.692-07:00

King of Casseroles, the sequel...I'm going to make this quick because it's been a long day and my head is still swimming because of some of the events that have happened. Nothing to stress over, but changes are coming at work. I can't get into details right now because things are still being ironed out, but my job is safe throughout this year, and into the next several. Thank goodness, because

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-57352584306983593982011-02-05T17:28:00.002-07:002011-02-05T17:51:39.873-07:00

Greens: The kind I count and the kind I eat.So, dear Reader, I had a choice of two pictures to share with you today. One was just my name on a list of people, and below is the one I ultimately chose...Why, you are asking, would I have a picture of my name on a list of other folks? It was a memo distributed around work naming the people who have their anniversaries in the month of February.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-70919668611697033822011-01-26T17:43:00.002-07:002011-01-26T18:24:37.571-07:00

Comfort foods...Call it a blessing or a curse, but having lived most of my life in Utah, I've become somewhat of a pro when it comes to cooking casseroles. What you see below is a Turkey Noodle Casserole:What you've got there are leftover turkey (duh...), noodles (double duh...), onion, celery, mushrooms, peas, corn and Cream of Chicken soup. On top is a nice layer of Colby Jack cheese. It

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-17345059070498677892011-01-20T17:27:00.003-07:002011-01-20T18:17:14.236-07:00

The Reeducation of Brian...A couple days ago, I read a news story about the very exacting science of astrology. It seems that thousands of years ago, when folks decided what astrological constellations went into the zodiac and what the signs meant, they left one out. 13 was as unlucky a number back then as it is today, so they cut out one of them: Ophiuchus. And if that wasn't enough, the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-69961762020009357772011-01-18T07:32:00.003-07:002011-01-18T07:57:21.766-07:00

Red skies at morning...Hallelujah! It's my weekend, and so far, it's been productive. I've done some tidying up, washed dishes, done some laundry and other assorted things. Still on the list of things to do is to go grocery shopping. I need to pick up some odds and ends, specifically a few ingredients to make an epic Tuna Casserole. Yes, I'm serious. I can't wait to make it!I just looked

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-57800338083301829612011-01-15T19:02:00.004-07:002011-01-15T19:18:47.929-07:00

Guilt blogging...For a couple of days now, I've had some pictures sitting on my desktop. I took these pics on my day off when I attempted making some French Onion soup. Since then, whenever I start up my computer, I see these pics and I feel a twinge of guilt for not sharing them sooner. While I'm tired and nearly ready to crash for the night, I think I'll sleep better if I get this post out.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-28997438817410924632011-01-08T18:29:00.002-07:002011-01-08T19:20:15.984-07:00

Playing In The Kitchen.On the whole, it hasn't been a bad day. Work was trying and somewhat frustrating, but the Final Audit balanced, so that's what I care about. The snow that I expected to start falling at noon hasn't come yet, so that's another plus. Right now, I'm catching up on my viewing of Lost. Yeah, I know the series ended last year, but I'm a little show. Season 3 has been pretty

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-61938792029460173902011-01-05T17:12:00.002-07:002011-01-05T17:41:50.673-07:00

... In With The New.About six months ago, I came up with a brilliant idea. I was notified by my complex's management that they'd be around, doing some walk-throughs of random apartments with the Owners of the property. I thought it would be a real kicker to buy a new shower curtain just in case they chose my place. Something snazzy, kinda reminiscent of Psycho. You know, with bloody

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-78773373895006684312010-12-31T17:41:00.002-07:002010-12-31T18:09:24.159-07:00

Out with the old...I've just settled in for the night, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, there'll be all sorts of partying and revelry happening out there, but I'm keeping it low key tonight. I've just eaten dinner, a delicious Turkey and Swiss sandwich with tomato and avocado, with some dill pickles on the side. Later, there are some apples and Cheddar cheese and a special treat, some Coke from the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-88266377254987443932010-12-26T08:20:00.002-07:002010-12-26T08:25:33.058-07:00

Silent night...A few people with whom I talked with last night already have heard this, but I can't believe how much I miss silence. As I stepped out of Grandma's house after our family party, I was stunned how quiet the surrounding area was. The sun was just about to set and a layer of dense fog was settling in around Tooele. No dogs barking, no people talking, no traffic. It was quietness that

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-60935492711806835922010-12-22T08:02:00.003-07:002010-12-22T08:17:54.954-07:00

I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas...Last night, while making out my shopping list, I realized that I'd probably be best served by going to my local super mega-mart. sigh. Yeah, I know I usually go shopping in the morning as to avoid all the annoying/crazy shoppers out there, but this time I needed... let me emphasize needed to get there early so as to avoid the rabid holiday shoppers. I'm

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-74869580504080446652010-12-16T17:33:00.002-07:002010-12-16T17:44:22.372-07:00

My Bag of Crap...Recently, I purchased a Bag of Crap from Woot.com. During the Woot-Offs there, occasionally they'll dump a bunch of stuff they have trouble selling, calling it the "Bag of Crap". As you'll see from the video, yes, it is crap. But it's my crap, and I love it. By the way, if you listen close, you'll hear a cow mooing in the background. Yes, you did actually hear it. No, I

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-11982397058536342312010-12-15T08:09:00.002-07:002010-12-15T08:35:32.480-07:00

The Weather Outside is Frightful...In hindsight, I think I made the right choice on Monday. I wasn't feeling really tip-top, as I suspected that I might be coming down with a cold. There was some grocery shopping to be done, and I reasoned that the sooner I did it, I could spend the rest of my "weekend" hiding out and resting.It had been a couple weeks since I'd been to the local supercenter

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-27480622074833117912010-12-07T06:58:00.003-07:002010-12-08T04:54:09.478-07:00

Something a little serious...One of my literary favorites, Mark Twain, is credited with saying "Those that respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made." I can't help but think of how this kinda correlates with the unfolding WikiLeaks saga. As with sausage making and lawmaking, everyone is seeing what ugly business war and diplomacy really is. Now Julian Assange has been

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-51024604972115728912010-12-03T15:54:00.002-07:002010-12-03T16:15:57.006-07:00

Wants Vs. Needs"Sir, could you spare a couple dollars? My wife and I have run out of gas and we need to get our daughter to the Doctor."I've heard variations of that plea dozens of times, more so now given on the neighborhood that I live in. What set this one different in my mind was that it was asked me by a clean cut, young man, no more than 25 years old. It's easy to dismiss the "out of gas

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-65981886043410988252010-12-01T11:20:00.003-07:002010-12-01T11:49:28.614-07:00

Can't go wrong with the Cap'nWhile at work earlier this week, an odd thought popped into my head. I don't know how the connection got made, but I heard an ad on the radio for Stephen's Gourmet Cocoa, and I suddenly realized that it had been years since I'd eaten a bowl of breakfast cereal. Yeah, getting from point A to point B is still a mystery to me, but somehow it was forged in my synapses.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-91007226776749637322010-11-24T16:07:00.004-07:002010-11-24T16:32:07.486-07:00

Trying new things...Well, if truth be told, last night's blizzard was more of a bliZZZZZard. The wind blew, up to the point of the snow coming in, and then things let up. It was a fairly quiet evening. The only thing out of the ordinary was the sound of the snowplows scraping the several inches of snow off of the ground.Since last night was uneventful, maybe I should share some other stories.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-73258605129470718532010-11-23T11:58:00.003-07:002010-11-23T12:10:49.774-07:00

"Mr. Plow, that's my name..."It's a treasured day off, and I'm somewhat letting the fear take hold of me. The weather is turning bad in a horrible way, and I'm (kinda) preparing for the worst. For the first time in I don't know how long, we're expecting a blizzard. There's an arctic storm blowing in as I type, sending in winds of 25 m.p.h. with gusts up to 60 m.p.h. When the storm actually

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-85184030839389875132010-11-15T17:08:00.002-07:002010-11-15T19:33:32.088-07:00

Stormy weather ahead?The past couple days, the weather has been a little unsettled. We've seen stuff ranging from sprinkles to snow, although nothing has stuck around for long. It feels doubly pressing, though, because of things happening on the inside as well. It's taken me hours to get the energy to write this post, too. Without trying to sound too dramatic, within the last week, every

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-91047940016880568762010-11-03T19:25:00.002-06:002010-11-03T19:44:15.178-06:00

Persimmons...Before I get too deep into this blog post, let me say this one thing. There had been only one other food on this planet, when I tried eating, that I immediately had to brush my teeth afterward. That one food was the "century egg". To this day, I still have unpleasant memories of that experiment. Today, I tried another food, and while I had the same ultimate end, the flavor wasn't

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-53256156718240883512010-10-31T16:52:00.002-06:002010-10-31T17:29:30.125-06:00

Happy(?) HalloweenAfter failing miserably at a couple attempts to make progress in one of my new obsessions, I've decided I need to blog a little bit. I haven't written here but one other time this month, I realize, and I feel bad about letting things slide. Where writing has always been an important part of my life, the ebb and flow of what I've created has varied over the years. This month

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-12365689840269593732010-10-15T19:42:00.004-06:002010-10-15T20:03:34.165-06:00

Battle of the cheeses...Ahhh, nothing like a quiet evening home. Recently, I purchased a Blu-Ray DVD player, because I was dissatisfied with the performance of my XBox 360. See, it could play DVDs, as specified in the owner's manual, but would it? As of lately, the answer was "no". Don't get me wrong, as far as game performance, it's still the tops. But especially with the sometimes

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-11828028355001223952010-09-30T19:20:00.004-06:002010-09-30T19:37:02.555-06:00

Sinister Coffee Studios update...For the past couple weeks, I've been making very slow, yet real progress on a couple projects of mine. It feels like I'm making my way upstream, just a few steps at a time, but I'm trudging on. One project has been my continual reading of Atlas Shrugged. I'm not quite half-way through it, but I think I can finish it off now. I've come to the realization that I

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-92038492175198187982010-09-22T09:05:00.003-06:002010-09-22T13:05:43.318-06:00

Brain poisoning...There are a couple reasons why I'm taking a couple extra days off this week. Why?", you might ask, dear Reader, would I take the time off? Well, I've accumulated the six Harry Potter movies on DVD and need to watch them. And there might be a chunk of reading that I want to get caught up on, too. But the real push behind this is plainly this: Because I can. I've accumulated

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-90555502204381828092010-09-16T15:38:00.003-06:002010-09-16T15:55:22.391-06:00

Follow your bliss...It never fails dear Reader, it never fails. Going shopping is never as easy as I'd like it to be. I usually save my shopping for one of my days off, write up a list of things that are needed, go shopping, and then realize that one vital item is missing. This "weekend" was just the same as always. So, after work, I found myself driving to the grocery store. sigh...But not

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-81344965663707863412010-09-12T15:30:00.004-06:002010-09-12T16:17:05.772-06:00

Sunday Night DinnerI'm not too proud to admit it, dear Reader, I'm a little spooked. This whole contract/lease renewal thing at the Airport has left me feeling edgy for days now. Some of the details are starting to trickle down, and I think I might have an idea or two of how things will turn out. I've heard some pretty solid details of retail concepts that will be moving around within the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-13184219802676269222010-09-09T10:27:00.002-06:002010-09-09T10:55:20.699-06:00

Hang In There, Baby!!!Before we get into the meat of today's post, can I interest you with a little starter? Maybe a little bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper perhaps?Man, let me tell you, it's taking a lot of self-control to keep from wolfing down what's on that plate, and also what's still on the baking sheet. These are tasty. Here's the recipe from Instructables.com. Let me tell you, they're a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-90227818891509262212010-09-05T16:42:00.002-06:002010-09-05T17:08:24.432-06:00

On Being Strong...I have a lot of fun at work. I think I've told you this once or maybe two dozen times, dear Reader. There is a lot of laughter and joking around with my co-workers, and I wouldn't trade that time for the world. Something that I think is more valuable and telling, though, are the times that we've cried together. I've been with the Company and in the Room for about two and a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-42743738280505943782010-09-01T13:57:00.005-06:002010-09-01T14:33:53.100-06:00

Another day, another veggie...I wasn't looking for anything new whilst shopping today, dear Reader, really. I decided that soft-shelled tacos would be the meal of choice for the next week, and made my shopping list accordingly. When I got to the grocery store, everything was going well until I hit the produce department. Isn't that how it always goes, though? That's when I found a small pile

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-46203715795575491542010-08-25T10:37:00.003-06:002010-08-25T11:11:15.397-06:00

Mustard greens and Controversy...Weekly, for the past little while, I've been grabbing a different bunch of greens when I've gone grocery shopping. This week has me at the last variety that one particular store I shop at has that I haven't tried yet: Mustard greens. So, I've got them cooking down with a little olive oil and garlic right now. I'll rate the greens from best to least liked for

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-4919984634613609882010-08-16T18:12:00.002-06:002010-08-16T18:19:25.073-06:00

Sigh...One of the things I liked most about my apartment was the tree that was outside my window. Birds would hang out in it and it would shade my place from the morning sun. But several weeks ago, I noticed an ominous orange "x" spray-painted on my tree. I'd seen this phenomenon late last year, and knew that my tree would meet the same fate as those trees I'd seen earlier. My tree would be

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-30627741024333204942010-08-11T07:23:00.005-06:002010-08-20T05:27:46.347-06:00

It IS easy eating greens...So, dear Reader, I've been on a greens kick for the past little while. Last week, I picked up a bunch of beets while shopping. When I picked out my prized bunch, I not only looked at the condition of the root, but the leaves, also. I had big plans for the whole deal. But first, a little back story.Conversation in The Room varies from serious to silly, and it can

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-30371511734395625092010-08-04T05:02:00.002-06:002010-08-04T05:19:41.106-06:00

Early morning observations...It was the third dream that drove me from my bed early this morning. The kind of dream that left me frustrated and angry upon waking. In each dream, the situation was different, but I wanted to inflict bodily harm upon somebody and I kept using "words I never heard in the Bible", thank you very much Messrs. Simon And Garfunkel. It's time to get moving.So, I decided

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-35939398777765591772010-07-25T16:57:00.002-06:002010-07-25T17:22:18.069-06:00

"You going home, huh?"I kinda knew I was going to raise some attention. Going through a grocery checkout line with what I was carrying is a dead giveaway. Celery, V8 and some hot sauce; you do the math, dear Reader. So as the clerk rang me up, she surveyed my goods and as we made small talk, she offered up, "You going home, huh?" I replied to the affirmative, and she told me that she wasn't

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-47883072227421573512010-07-20T18:15:00.003-06:002010-07-20T18:31:13.468-06:00

Meat Loaf vs. Blahhh...Gahhh. Yeah, it's been that long since I've written here. Sorry, dear Reader! For the past week, all I've done is worked and slept. Oh, there's been some reading and cooking mixed in the gaps somewhere, oh yeah! And I was able to squeeze in a hilarious movie viewing, too. Don't let the title fool you... Drag Me To Hell is a pretty funny movie. And bloody and gross.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-44984459190229704722010-07-06T14:46:00.003-06:002010-07-06T15:14:26.241-06:00

One out of three ain't bad...It's been a day of near hits for me. Well, there was one pretty great high point, but the rest of my activities have been wanting for more.The one unexpectedly good thing I've experienced today was when I tried out a new type of Ramen that I got in my variety box of goodies from Ramenbox.com.For a change, there were rice noodles to cook up instead of the regular

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-32302408181460273182010-06-29T06:35:00.002-06:002010-06-29T07:00:15.138-06:00

Did you want fries with that?Yawwwn. It's early-ish on my "Saturday" morning, and I'm formulating a plan on tasks for the day. One thing that should get done is grocery shopping. I'm making a little change in my habits and going to a different store that usual. Why? Customer service. Unfortunately for this store in particular, their service has not been great, so I'm taking my game

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-14472358341584531462010-06-26T18:12:00.005-06:002010-06-26T18:31:01.015-06:00

"Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood!"Yeah, that's a little throwback to the great classic movie, Psycho. Why am I thinking this right now? You'd have to look at my kitchen sink to realize the full horror.It all started with these:While at work, I got it in my head that I needed beets for dinner. Nothing really more fancy than that, just beets. I've never cooked beets before, I've just

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-71218263517116036732010-06-15T12:40:00.005-06:002010-06-15T13:03:40.098-06:00

Step By Step RamenRamen, as I've discovered, is pretty much the same. It's noodles and flavoring. That's about all there is to it in the end. But I've found some new beauty in these noodles. Sometimes it's not about the destination, it's about the journey getting there. Simply put, sometimes it pays to follow the directions. Today, I'll give you, dear Reader, a little tutorial in my latest

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-69270055348768530202010-06-09T11:03:00.002-06:002010-06-09T11:29:47.359-06:00

Tragedy! In The Kitchen...In my experience, I've had some pretty grand victories in the kitchen. Like my Chicken Marsala. That's some incredible stuff. I think that's the pinnacle of my works. Things just meshed just right, and the sauce turned out well, and... Yeah...For the most part, I think I'm fairly capable in the kitchen. Right now, I've got a whole chicken cooking in my Crock Pot.

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-84179719138868452432010-06-04T16:11:00.002-06:002010-06-04T16:34:34.626-06:00

Another noisy night...When I arrived home today, I saw the complex's handymen standing around on the sidewalk by my place, looking at a box. As I walked closer, I noticed that the cardboard box held a toilet. Oh, joy. More noise for me to look forward to as I relax. You see, the place above me is being renovated and it's not been a quiet process.It was about two months ago when I noticed that

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-4318300294733408152010-05-26T08:38:00.004-06:002010-05-26T09:30:09.185-06:00

Mmmm, Ramen...So, dear Reader, have you been wondering just what happened with all that gourmet Ramen I ordered from www.ramenbox.com? I've been slowly but surely working my way through it. I've only eaten a little bit of it as too much Ramen messes with my gut. But if I take things slowly, I'll be just fine. So, here are pics and descriptions of packages I've tried:This guy is one that I've

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-10395074933150271762010-05-21T16:59:00.006-06:002010-05-21T17:35:55.614-06:00

Getting Smashed...One of the highlights of working at the Airport for the company that I do is the "free lunch" aspect. Each day, I'm allotted $9.50 worth of food from the eateries for lunch or snacks. On the outside, nearly ten bucks sounds great, right? But inside the Airport, I am charged the same obscene prices as anybody else is. This means that my Hamilton's worth of food really isn't

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-21837529003337357772010-05-13T18:07:00.003-06:002010-05-13T18:36:55.695-06:00

Surviving the weekend...Oh, goodness. It has been nine days since I've written. I feel a bit bad, but then the past couple days have been a struggle.On Tuesday, my first day off for my weekend, I felt soooo blah. I'd done my laundry the night before, so I didn't feel obligated to do too much, and decided that I could put off grocery shopping until Wednesday. I think I napped a little bit, and

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-3571389324608727532010-05-04T15:56:00.002-06:002010-05-04T16:02:52.980-06:00

Got Ramen?A little less than a week ago, I stumbled upon a rather unique website. The Ramenbox offers a variety of different ramen that most of us haven't seen before. Yeah, I can hear you saying that $20 dollars of ramen should last somebody a lifetime. I should be able to build a ramen house with that much money, but these are some different kinds that I've never seen before. I can't wait to

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-8323151957202681792010-04-29T15:38:00.004-06:002010-04-29T16:00:15.741-06:00

Brian vs. the Mini Muffin PanIt's been a laid back kind of day here at Sinister Coffee Studios. It's been hard to get excited to do things outside, because of the, well... the snow. Seriously, dear Reader, it's been snowing out there. I'm a little dismayed by this, but what can you really do? It's not snowing right now, but it's clouding up again, so I expect it to start up again soon. And

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-10776647160809965512010-04-27T07:59:00.004-06:002010-04-27T18:08:46.259-06:00

"Your street is a mess..."That's what what L told me about a week ago while we were working in the Room. She'd had opportunity to go downtown via the street I live on, and was dismayed as to the amount of roadwork that was happening. Yeah, she was right, but the sad thing is that I wasn't quite sure just which part of my street she was talking about. Between the points of downtown S.L.C. and

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-16387368399776724812010-04-22T16:12:00.004-06:002010-04-22T16:44:38.979-06:00

The Love of Money...Quite often, when I'm talking to someone new and explaining what I do in the Room, I'm asked what it's like to work with so much money. My pat answer is that I hardly think about it anymore; that it's just little pieces of paper. Just as long as whatever my task, as long as I balance at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much money I deal with. And for 99% of the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-76968301849100474632010-04-20T14:54:00.004-06:002010-04-20T15:42:20.658-06:00

My Homer Simpson MomentSometimes talk isn't enough. There are those times when you've got to do something a little wacky just to prove your point. That's what I did today.At the Airport, there's a Krispy Kreme donut shop. Every once in a while, one of us will pick up a box to share in the Room. Every time, I thank the donor (hee hee hee... the donut donor...), but I get reminiscent of the

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-74696232936304842802010-04-17T15:49:00.002-06:002010-04-17T16:52:33.488-06:00

Tired HospitalAlthough my request has been posted in the Room for about a month now, L just caught on to what I was planning."So, you've got some time off coming up, huh?", she asked today. "Are you going somewhere or are you doing something?"That's when I told her that I was going to visit the Tired Hospital. The look she gave me was one of confusion and concern, so I had to quickly explain

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-64726298820226564752010-04-15T20:06:00.004-06:002010-04-16T15:42:49.415-06:00

Passive/Aggressive Tendencies...This is what I've seen, dear Reader, for about three days, every time I've opened my door. That would be the neighbor's umbrella and a box for some sound system that he's got in his place.The right thing for me to do would be to knock on his door and politely ask him to gather his belongings so as to get them out of the way.What I really want to do is wait until

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-72856667865468921172010-04-07T13:07:00.000-06:002010-04-07T13:21:56.532-06:00

Fun with food!

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-25179852733004741922010-03-30T12:29:00.003-06:002010-03-30T19:13:52.885-06:00

H4x0r3d!!!!Yeah, I know. The technical term is something along the lines of "bank fraud", but when so much of my attention and free time is spent online, that's the terminology that I gravitate toward.It was nearly a week ago that I got a troubling voicemail from a credit union that I have an account at, but haven't used in quite a while. Seems that the account was nearly $300 overdrawn,

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-62752526318967467282010-03-24T12:08:00.002-06:002010-03-24T12:44:26.295-06:00

The saddest convenience store ever...I guess it's better to feel lousy on my days off rather than feeling crappy at work, but I'm not feeling fortunate right now. I just want this headache to go away. I mustered the energy and determination to go shopping earlier this morning at the local superstore, and thought I'd gotten everything I needed. I was just settling down, ready to watch some "

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-82921881496014798342010-03-14T17:41:00.002-06:002010-03-14T18:07:40.566-06:00

Taking inventory...It's days like this that I thank my good luck that I have my Generation X tendencies and my short-term memory. As I stepped into the shower after my day at work, I wondered to myself why I was so sore. What had I done over the course of the day that would warrant me feeling so tired and worn down? Then, bit by bit, it started coming to me.The day started early on, after a

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-75460196277006903042010-03-12T17:18:00.003-07:002010-03-12T17:36:21.985-07:00

What the hippies eat...I'm sorry, dear Reader, but this post probably won't have much substance. If this were a bowl of delicious popcorn, it would be lightly salted and buttered, but not much else. Hopefully, the next time you will find a bowl of popcorn, heavily coated in caramel and maybe some M&M's thrown in, too. Why the food comparisons? I've been kinda focused on food the past couple

phrainckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05285158333144894526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358330.post-49410906436081843672010-03-09T05:38:00.002-07:002010-03-09T05:55:19.412-07:00

"It's Brian's Fault..."Yesterday started off awfully. This was a bad day of my own making, though. It was "Friday", and the very last place I wanted to be, especially at 7:00 a.m. was at work. For the sake of the story, I'll fastforward to about 2:00 p.m. in the day. I'd just walked into the Executive Offices to fax off our daily paperwork to Corporate, when I heard this:"It's all Brian's

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