If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.

2:14pm: Really Important
Hey, don't think we need health care reform in this country? Read this:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rescind17-2009jun17,0,3508020,full.story

and see if you don't change your mind.

I've already written my Senator urging him to support true health care reform, in the hopes that we can put an end to this sort of practice and get back to what health insurance is supposed to be about; giving us, the hard-working American people, the peace of mind in knowing that if something should happen to us, how we're going to pay for our care will be one thing we don't have to worry about.

My mother and grandmother have been dealing with serious, life-threatening conditions over the past two years; according to the above article, they could both lose their healthy insurance coverage. We cannot let this happen; if you haven't done so already, contact your representatives in Washington and tell them you want true health care reform.

It may not be much, but we need to do something.

10:36am: Updates
--My grandmother is out of the hospital after a two-and-a-half day stay. They put her on about four medications designed to reduce the swelling in her legs and chest, as well as to slow her pulse rate. She's already lost roughly five pounds of fluid, and she says she's not short of breath nearly as much anymore. I'm glad she's home, and feeling an odd sense of deja vu, because all the medications she's taking, my mom is either taking or has taken for the past almost two years.

--T-minus 19 days ... I've been hesitant to talk about this, but Ebonee is leaving June 30 (turned in her resignation and everything ... including showing up at 10:30 on the days she bothers to show, only to leave two hours later). Maurice said he wants to give the position to me when she leaves, he just needs approval from the higher-ups. I hope they do, because I want the increased responsibility -- as well as the relatively large pay increase. Then again, even if I don't get the job, I'll just be glad to not have to deal with her anymore. If I ever leave a job, I now know how not to handle it.

--I'm not sure where my creative juices went, but I wish they'd come back. The only writing I've been able to do for the past couple weeks relates to work (press releases and the like). If I try to write something for CL or one of several other side projects I've got, I just freeze. I'm not sure what it is, and I hope it passes soon. Maybe I'm so focused on my work right now, trying to give them every reason to promote me, that I'm leaving myself empty creatively. Whatever the case, I'm annoyed.

--My friend Munchie has been accepted to the University of South Florida; he wants to study to be a history teacher. He's grown weary of being a chef in the restaurant industry, and he's trying to find a new career path. I'm happy for him, and I hope it works out. As odd as he can be, I know him well enough to know his work ethic will allow him to succeed at this. I hope it does, too, because he really deserves it.

--That is all. I think ...

11:46am: Which Do You Want First?
Good news: my grandmother's last radiation treatment was last Thursday, and she is now officially cancer-free.

Bad news: They think she might be developing congestive heart failure. Between her fatigue, shortness of breath and the swelling in her hands and legs, they think the chemo took a toll on her heart, and they're gonna put her through a battery of tests. It's the same thing my mom has to deal with, and while she's okay, it's frustrating and scary. Grandma just finished battling one life-threatening illness; does she really need another one?

As far as work's concerned, T-minus 27 days. Gawd, I can't wait.

10:32am: Overheard
Ebonee on the phone to God knows who:

"I don't care about that; you know I don't do any work here anymore. I'm just counting down the days until I get the hell up outta here."

Hey, guess what? I'm counting down the days too, you irresponsible, unprofessional child. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

On second thought, let it hit you. I think everyone around here could use the laugh.

12:50pm: Daily Press rant
I don't know who ultimately decided to move writers' deadline up from 10:45 p.m. to 10:20 p.m., but no one's happy about it. Not the writers, not the editors who work late at night in the office working on editing stories and laying them out on the pages. It makes all of our jobs harder, to be perfectly honest.

Last night was a perfect example. I drove to Yorktown to cover the semifinals of the Bay Rivers District girls soccer tournament. No big deal; I've covered soccer for a while, and I know it's usually a fairly quick game. The clock only stops for injuries and goals, so each 40-minute half passes quickly.

The first semifinal started at 5:30, with the second slated to start around 7:15. I figured I'd be out by 9, could go home and write my story with no worry of missing the new, earlier deadline.

Right?

Because of my time estimate, and the fact that there's no wireless internet at the stadium, I didn't take my laptop with me. That meant I would have to go home -- a 20-30 minute drive -- to write my story. Again, no problem.

Right?

Apparently not. The first semifinal, between Lafayette and Grafton, took forever. Tied at 0 after regulation, they went to overtime. Virginia high school soccer overtime rules are as follows: at the end of regulation, the teams will play two five-minute overtime periods. No sudden victory; even if you score in the first minute of the first overtime, you're still playing the next nine minutes.

After those two periods, if the score is still tied, they play two more five-minute overtime periods, though these are sudden-victory (or sudden death, or golden goal, or whatever you want to call it). This time, if you scored in the first minute of the first overtime, that was it. Game over.

But no. Lafayette and Grafton still couldn't score. We've played 100 minutes of soccer, it's 7:45, and there's still no winner. Moving on to penalty kicks. Each team gets five kicks, and if they're still tied after those five, the teams will keep kicking until someone misses.

The first five kicks came and went -- we're still tied! It took nine kicks for each team before Lafayette (finally!) won.

Then there was a 25-minute warm-up period before the second game between Jamestown and Tabb. That game didn't start until just after 8:30. Soccer games, with two 40-minute halves and a 10-minute halftime, usually take an hour and a half to complete.

That is, of course, assuming there aren't any time stoppages for injuries. Jamestown and Tabb had two of them, including a lengthy one after two played collided. The second game didn't end until 10:00.

Now, if I'd gone home to write the story, I would've gotten home around 10:20 or 10:30, meaning the story wouldn't be written until about 11:00. Under the old deadline, the desk would've understood and been fine with that. But with the deadline now 10:20 (for what they call "first edition"), there was no way.

No laptop, no wireless -- stuck 30 minutes from home and pushing deadline. What do I wind up doing? I dictate the story to the office. That's right, I blabbed into my cell phone while the guy on the other end tried to keep up on the keyboard. I could hear the keys tapping on the other end of the line.

This isn't the first time I've dictated a story; I've done it a few times for football games that ran late. But I usually already have the story written and just can't get online to send it. I didn't even have that this time, so I was formulating the story as I was dictating it. They wanted 500 words; they got 450.

The desk loved what I did, that I was resourceful enough to make deadline, even though I wasn't actually writing the story. They told me I "did a hell of a job getting this to us," but it was such a pain in the ass. I always prefer to actually write my story, even though by dictating, I still get my byline and the pay.

Still, without the earlier deadline, this probably isn't an issue. Whoever thought that up is a dumbass. The new deadline might not bother the news writers much -- most of their stories probably can be written during a normal business day. But sports writers? A lot of games happen at night, and they don't always end quickly. Such an early deadline does nothing but fruatrate the hell out of us.

I know they won't do this, but I would love it if the deadline went back to 10:45.

11:32am: Another Movie Review
To quote Harmony: "Ugh! Just ... ugh!"


( X-Men Origins: Wolverine review (SPOILERS WITHIN) )

10:08am: Updates
-Turns out grandma's radiation isn't to get rid of the rest of the tumor; it's to make sure the tumor doesn't come back. I was completely off on that one. She's actually cancer-free now. She's also about halfway through her radiation treatments, which means we can just about see the finish line from here.

-Still no real word on Ebonee, though she'd in D.C. today for an interview of some sort. What kind, I'm not sure, but maybe she will be gone soon, after all. Also, she's been well-behaved of late. It's weird, to be quite frank.

-Hampton University held this massive luncheon yesterday for the support staff (which is apparently everyone other than the professors). It was nice to get a free meal -- and the food was very good -- and it was cool of the President (of the school, not the D.C. big cat -- though that would've been cool) to thank everyone for their work now that the school year is over. Him letting everyone go at 3 was pretty cool, too.

-Last Friday was Isaac's birthday. He's seven now. Seven! I met the boy when he was two! That means over the past five years, Sarah and I have gone from best friends to not speaking to ... whatever the hell we are now. Five years! Not only does that make me feel old, it also kinda makes me miss being in college a little. Sure, working at one is nice, but it's not quite the same.

-I'd like to know how Shannon's first Mother's Day went. Ya know, considering she never thought she's ever have a kid, and yet not quite a year ago, she actually had a little boy. I would imagine it was a very special day for her, for which I'm glad.

-I'm heading to Princeton University in New Jersey this weekend for the ECAC and IC4A track meets. And yes, I actually made sure there was a hotel room for me this time ... no repeats of the mess we had at Penn Relays last month.

-Memorial Day weekend, I'll be in Charlotte, N.C. for the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. This will be my seventh straight year going to this race, and I get just as excited today as I did that first time back in 2002. I cannot wait!

-I'm also going to the IndyCar race in Richmond at the end of June. Not only because I like IndyCars too (they kinda sound like a swarm of angry hornets buzzing around the track), but because after the Coca-Cola 600, we won't have another race to go to until September. We need our fix.

11:57am: Work Stuffs
All this time, we thought Ebonee would be leaving on June 1 to return to school (in fact, some of the coaches were literally counting down the days -- when they weren't going around asking everyone how she was still employed). I'd made mention to Maurice (when Ebonee was nowhere around) that if she did leave, I would apply for her position. A lot more responsibility, yes, but I'd make at least 12k a year more and I wouldn't have so many days where I'm literally in the office doing nothing.

Not to mention -- not having to deal with her anymore.

Now we're not so sure. She talked to me yesterday about us getting together in June to make sure we had everything updated for the women's basketball media guide. Then, when one of the volleyball players stopped by before going back home to Canada over the summer, she asked Ebonee if she'd still be here in August, and Ebonee's response was "I don't know."

Today, I overheard her on the phone talking about packing stuff up later this month, so I have no clue what's going on. I would ask her, but she's been relatively well-behaved this month and I don't wanna potentially ruin that. It's so rare when she's calm and in a good mood and responsible that I'm just gonna sit back and let it last however long it lasts.

I've said before she's the only problem I have with this job; I like HU as a school and most of the people around here are a pleasure to be around. It's not just me who feels this way about her, either; the aforementioned coaches don't like her, and even Maurice's student workers make comments about her attitude and general disposition. When the student workers who are rarely in the office notice, something's up.

Still, if she does stay, I'll try not to let it bother me. Sure, I could use the pay increase, and I would like the opportunity for professional advancement, but it's not like I'm in horrible shape right now. I can pay all my bills, my credit's actually okay, and I still have a little extra each month for whatever. I might even looking into getting a health insurance policy on my own, since I can't afford the one HU is offering me.

Having had a day to think on it all, I've decided to keep doing what I do. Come to work every day, be on time, stay until it's time to quit and show how responsible and hard-working I am. That way, if she does leave, I look good for the promotion. And if she doesn't? If I go after a gig somewhere else, Maurice might be more willing to give me a recommendation.

I'll keep my eyes open in case something else comes up, but I won't actively search. HU is too good a place, and I like the people far too much, for one person to ruin it all for me.

On a semi-related note, I have assignments from the newspaper again. I'm covering a high school soccer match tonight, and I'll be covering the races at Langley Speedway on a semi-regular basis starting this weekend. The extra cash will be nice, and even though newspapers are kind of dying, I still love writing for them.

Maybe I'll see if there's any sports writing gigs on the Internet. Can't hurt, right?

9:46pm: Or Not ...
Yeah, that trip to Philly I was gonna take? About that ...

Despite being told last week I'd be all set (hotel room, food and all that), turns out I ... wasn't. I didn't find that out until this morning, and when I finally talked to the person in charge of that sort of thing tonight, I found out there were no more rooms to book.

So, no trip to the Penn Relays for me. I'm kinda bummed, but kinda not. Dunno, hard to explain. I'll try again next month, when they go to New Jersey for the ECAC meet on the 15-17.

2:49pm: Cue Heart Attack in 3, 2 ...
Seeing as how I've started watching what I eat a little closer (a preventative measure; my father lost his fast metabolism around the age I am now and ballooned. I'd like to not do that), I've started researching tips on healthier eating and found an article on Yahoo today outlining some of the unhealthiest fast food items out there.

This one took the cake: the Hardee's Monster Thickburger. Here's what Yahoo had to say about it:

"It's got the caloric equivalent of almost six McDonald's hamburgers, the saturated fat equivalent of 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon, and the sodium equivalent of 84 saltine crackers."

Good. Fucking. God. This thing also, apparently, has 1,420 calories, 108 g fat (43 saturated), 2,770 mg sodium and 230 mg cholesterol. My arteries are hardening just reading that.

I don't count calories or anything like that, but I am starting to be a little smarter about what I eat. More fruit and vegetables, less red meat (though I still eat some), things like that. My job doesn't always allow for planned-out, healthy meals, though; sometimes, a trip to McDonald's or Wendy's is all I have time for.

I know one thing, though ... based on that up there? No more Hardee's for me.

10:35am: Random Randomness
-Guitar Hero: Metallica = Awesome. Then again, I'm a huge Metallica junkie, so of course I love this game. The fact that there's a System of a Down song in it is only icing on the cake.

-Yes, I'm a dork. But not a dorkfish; that's something else entirely. :P

-Part of me kinda doesn't wanna go to Philly tomorrow. Not sure what that's all about.

-Wow, my arms hurt. I've started going to the driving range to work on my golf swing and get in a little exercise once a week, and I can tell I haven't done that in a while. My muscles currently hate me.

-I know I did the right thing telling the Tribune Company they didn't owe me that money, but sometimes I just wish I wasn't so damn honest, ya know?

-Memo to Kat and Munchie: whatever the fuck your problem is with each other, fix it. Either talk it out or beat the shit out of each other or spend an hour dumping a bucket of worms in each other's pants ... I don't care. Just deal with it and leave me the hell out of it.

-That is all. I think. Not sure.

10:09am: o.O
Just received an email from the Tribune Company, telling me I have $100 coming my way on April 20 ... for an invoice dated Nov. 14, 2008. Only problem is, I never submitted an invoice on that date -- the only invoice I submitted in November was on the 25th, and I received payment for that last month (along with the December and February invoices I hadn't received).

Part of me was tempted to not say anything and just accept the money when it comes in on Monday, but I don't wanna take the money, spend it, then have Tribune come back asking for the money. Fact is, I've already been paid for all the work I've done for that company to date, so ... what's with the extra $100? A clerical error?

I dunno, but something tells me a company in the middle of bankruptcy probably can't afford to be doling out extra cash to people.

UPDATE: Finally got a hold of someone over at Accounts Payable, and apparently an invoice was submitted on that date in my name ... but not by me. I informed the payroll people over at the Daily Press about it, hoping to avoid such a thing in the future. The payment has been stopped, since I've already been paid for all the work I've done for them up to this point. The extra $100 would've been nice, but why take it if it's not owed to me?

10:23am: Odds and Ends
-A month and a half and counting. Everyone who knows me, knows exactly why I'm anxiously awaiting June 1. What a glorious day that will be.

-Heading to Philly next weekend for the Penn Relays track meet. I'll be traveling with the HU teams, going to that meet since I won't be able to make the MEAC meet the following week. Everyone says I'll have a blast, and I know the Penn Relays is one of the biggest, most prestigious track meets in the country. Looking forward to it.

-May 2, NASCAR race at Richmond. You know I'm gonna be there.

-Grandma starts radiation in about two weeks. She'll go for five weeks, five days a week, getting small bursts. From what I understand, this method will effectively remove the tumor from her bone while not adversely affecting her in any way.

-I'm hoping to go to Dragon*Con, but that depends on what this Vice President-type person at HU says. I put in my leave for the dates surrounding D*C, which my boss, Maurice, approved. Send the form to Human Resources, only to find out anyone wanting time off around a holiday (like, for instance, Labor Day) needs to submit a letter to the VP in question describing why they need the time off. I suspect my letter will involve a fair amount of bullshitting, highlighting the writing workshops and professional avenues and hiding the more, umm, geeky parts of it. I hope they buy it; I wanna go and see everyone and I don't wanna be out 60 bucks.

-Note to self: next year, get the time off before buying the pass.

2:51pm: Script Frenzy
12 pages so far! All written today!

Thank you, light day at work, coupled with sudden burst of inspiration.

Now, to just get the other 88 pages written ...

10:35am: March Madness
***My grandma had her final chemotherapy treatment earlier this week; the tumor is gone from the soft tissue, but there remains a small tumor on her bone. She'll begin a radiation regimen in a little over a month (five days a week for five weeks), and if all goes well with that, she'll be in remission. She's not out of the woods just yet, but I feel like we can see the finish line; it's a good feeling.

***I just can't seem to get into the NCAA tournament this year. Maybe it's the fact that my alma mater isn't playing (in the men's or women's tourney), maybe it's the fact that my job hasn't afforded me much time to follow the sport. I didn't fill out a bracket (marking the first time in about six or so years), though I have been watching whatever games I can while not at work. It just feels weird.

***I'm going to hold off on my job search until June; if Ebonee does in fact leave in June to return to grad school then, I'm going to apply for her job. It's at least $12,000 a year more than I'm making now, and I really think it's something I can manage. The only thing that bothers me about working at HU is Ebonee, so with her gone, I should be fine again.

***That said, I noticed yesterday where ODU is seeking applicants to be the radio voice of the football team next season. I know I'd be a longshot, since I've never broadcast football before (and ODU didn't pick me for the basketball broadcasts), but I still feel like I should go for it. One of those things where I might kick myself if I don't, you know?

11:55am: Finally!
Remember all that money Tribune Company owed me from November, December and February? Well, I'm finally gonna get paid that money tomorrow. Believe me, that $300 will come in very handy. About damn time, too, stupid corporate morons.

Also, I'm one payment away from finally paying off my 2007 taxes. Even better, I only owe around $500 this year, so no need for a payment plan!

12:26am: Watchmen Movie Review
( SPOILERS WITHIN! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! )

11:25am: Major Relief
There was a chance before yesterday my mother could've lost her job. Hampton City Schools, like just about everyone else these days, was in the process of cutting staff to save money, and everyone was told a few months ago that "no one is safe."

A lost job for my mother would've meant no way to pay the mortgage, which would've meant we had no place to live. I'm currently employed, but my check doesn't even come close to being able to handle the mortgage payment and all my own bills on top of that. The only reason my mother can make it work is because, on top of her paycheck, she still received alimony from my father's estate and his military retirement pay.

Without those, we'd be fucked.

She might not be working at the same school (or even the same grade level) next year, but my mother will be working. Which, at the end of the day, is the most important thing. I'm just glad we don't have to worry about finding somewhere else to live, and I'm glad my mother gets to keep her health insurance -- with all the medications she's on and all the specialists she has to see, losing her job and the benfits that come with it could've been brutal.

Now to make sure I don't get the axe any time soon. HU says it's doing everything it can to avoid staff cuts -- so far, so good. However, there is one staff cut I'd like to see this place make, and if things keep going the way they have, it just might happen.

Seriously, the fact that she makes so much more than me, yet I'm the responsible one, really bugs the hell out of me. But I don't dare speak up about that; I'm all too aware of how it might look for the white guy to start griping about how he's paid or treated at a historically black school.

It's all about appearances, I guess.

10:13am: Updates
-Got my new mattress yesterday; fits perfectly in the bed I already have. It's a little odd getting used to an actual mattress after spending so many years sleeping on a waterbed (three beds in the house, and up until now, they were all waterbeds), but it's a nice mattress. Just glad to be sleeping in my own bed in my own room again.

-My laptop is close to normal again, thanks to reinstalling Windows and all that. I lost everything (note to self: from now on, burn CDs like nobody's business!), but at least my computer works again. Well, aside from the keyboard. It's a bit slow.

-My friend Frank and I are going to see Watchmen on Saturday at the IMAX theatre in Virginia Beach. I was originally going to the midnight showing last night, but work sort of got in the way (I kinda wish I worked with people who knew how to write -- staying up late on game nights to edit their stories is no fun).

-That'll be the first time I've gone out with a friend in weeks; lately, I just haven't wanted to. I come home from work and I just wanna sit and veg at home, and the thought of going out and doing something with someone has just ... I dunno, exhausted me, I guess. On the rare occasion I have gone somewhere after work, it's been by myself. Not sure what that's all about.

11:36pm: Watchmen
So I finished Watchmen today, not quite a week before the release of the movie. While I'm still looking forward to the movie, and certainly appreciate the literary genius of the graphic novel and its importance on the medium, there are still several things on which I'm not sure how I feel.

Thoughts are under cut-tag for those who haven't read the graphic novel and don't want to be spoiled before the movie.

( Watchmen Musings (SPOILERS WITHIN) )

All in all, a really good read, and it has me looking forward to the movie even more. I can see why everyone reveres this book, even with my questions and minor issues. It is, though, easily the heaviest and deepest comic I've ever read -- to the point where I could make the argument that high school and college literature classes need to start assigning it.

12:03am: About Time
Well, it only took about two and a half years, but I finally finished reading Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (ya know, The Da Vinci Code guy). I bought the book in the Dallas airport in July 2006 when I was stuck there overnight, read the first half of the book in about a week and then for some reason just ... stalled.

Having just breezed through three Kathy Reichs books (Devil Bones, Bones to Ashes, Break No Bones), I figured finishing Angels & Demons was in order, especially since the movie will be out soon.

Side note: The geek in me wants a crossover novel in which Dr. Temperance Brennan and Robert Langdon team up to solve a particularly vexing series of murders with religious implications.

I also now have the Witchblade Compendium, which compiles the first 50 issues of the comic book. I used to like Witchblade in its early days, so I thought that would be the perfect collection, especially since I missed some of the older issues and pretty much anything after issue 38 or so.

Rest peacefully, Michael Turner. Some of us still love your work.

That reminds me: I need to finish reading Watchmen before the movie comes out. I also need to get to the comic book store -- I think I'm behind on my Buffy and Angel stuff.

10:32pm: Huzzah! Again!
My mattress has finally been ordered. Since the company that's financing me dragged their feet on getting me the rest of the money (which pissed off the guy selling me the mattress), the price was hacked from $780 to $550 -- and the whole thing's financed.

So in two weeks, I'll have a new mattress, and I won't have to pay anything on it for a month, when my payments of about 80 a month will start. Huzzah and other such exultations of happiness!

Now, to get that damn credit card ...

11:56am: Mattress Update
The mattress guy called me last night, said he got me approved for that no credit financing thing ... but he could only get me approved for $450 (the mattress costs about $780, cause I had to have it custom-made). He said to give him until tomorrow to get me the rest of the cost financed, but that makes me wonder: why could he only get me approved for part of the price?

The mind, it doth boggle.

10:54am: Good News!
The tumor on my grandmother's arm is completely gone. They're going to give her the last two rounds of chemo anyway (a "just to be safe" measure), there's going to be a test to make sure the lymphoma didn't spread into her bones (we doubt it did, but checking is the smart thing to do) and because of her age, they're going to do a test to make sure the chemo hasn't affected her heart.

There's even a chance she'll have to undergo a little radiation once chemo's over. But given the advances in medicine (they gave her another drug with the chemo that kept all the side effects aside from losing her hair away), I'm told radiation isn't that bad anymore.

And it bears repeating: the tumor in my grandmother's arm is gone.

I knew this was going to be a good day.

10:48pm: Ugh, Credit
I need to get a credit card. But I don't want to get a credit card.

I need to buy a mattress, and I tried to finance one today. But my credit application was denied -- even though I know I have a very good credit score. I can still finance the mattress, thanks to the store's "no credit check" plan, but still ... I thought I was in the clear.

I haven't been told why I was denied yet, but some independent research tells me some bureaus will deny a credit app because the person doesn't have enough credit. Other than my Dell account and the student loans I'm repaying, I have no other open accounts in my credit report. Apparently, they want you to have at least three at a time.

Which is where credit cards -- the one thing I don't want right now -- could come in. I just have to be very careful with it.

Sometimes I think this whole being a grown up thing is horribly overrated.