Damnit! I've been tagged!

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

Seeking Solace
Pink Cupcake
Queen of West Procrastination
Life & Times of a History Ph.D. Student
The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Next select five people to tag:

Here goes nothing...
Carla Jean
Sandra
Norman
Raelyn
Profgrrrrl
(seriously, I need more guys in my blogroll...)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Enjoying that lovely time known as senior year. Prom, senioritis, having a girlfriend, cheating on said girlfriend, applying to college, going to college, etc.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Starting one of the worst jobs I ever had, wherein I worked 10-hour days and getting paid nothing for it.

Five snacks you enjoy:
Chips and salsa
Chocolate-chip cookies (no walnuts, thank you)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Cheetos
Almonds (part of the Men's Health Abs Diet)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
More Than Words - Extreme
Don't Stand So Close to Me - The Police (known these words for about 25 years)
I'll Be There - Escape Club
Ordinary People - John Legend
Tequila - The Champs

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Move out of the parents' house.
Buy a Winnebago.
Set my folks' up for retirement.
Buy one of those big HDTVs.
Two chicks at the same time.

Five bad habits:
Worrying.
Obsessing about sex.
Procrastination.
Spitting.
Using verbal filler to reduce silence in conversation.

Five things you like doing:
Watching sports.
Watching game shows.
Dancing. (which I'm eager to do again)
Traveling.
Taking photographs.

Five things you would never wear again:
Guess Jeans (there's a story behind this, ask me about it)
Sweater vests
My dad's Santa/hunter hat
My bright yellow silk print Hawaiian shirt (I think my Hawaiian days are behind me)
Shirts with NKOTB on them

Favorite toys:
My PS2
My SNES
My car
My cell phone
My TV

CONSORT

Around 6:45 tonight, I called up my ex-roomie to see what he was up to. He said he was just about to call me. He told me to "put on a clean shirt and come to my house." I thought that meant that we were meeting up to head out for the evening with friends. It turned out to be a house party celebrating the Chinese New Year. I got there a bit before he did, but there were some other people I knew that were there. We ate, drank, and were merry. I even ran into a couple of gals I knew from my past: one who I hadn't seen since I left UT, the other who is a friend of Suzanne's that I'd gotten to know. I was having fun, catching up with the old friends... and then it happened.

The roomie left with his girlfriend, and the other people that I knew made their way out to other events (save for the friend of the ex), basically leaving me in a house full of strangers. And I almost lost it. I can't ever say that I've ever been the "life of the party." Usually, I'm more of a wallflower than anything. But tonight, the thought of trying to introduce myself to people I didn't know (or even to try and carry on a conversation with people I had met briefly in the past) scared the bejeezus out of me.

Short of helping myself to a few drinks from the well-stocked bar, I had no idea of how to overcome this (or at least deal with it enough so that I could be sociable). It almost feels like I've done so many meet-ups through the internets that I've almost forgotten how to meet people IRL. Maybe there's a refresher course I can sign up for at a community college somewhere. All I know is, I don't like what happened tonight, and I'm hoping it doesn't happen again anytime soon.

COMPANIONSHIP
Yeah, so I had a date that I need to tell you about.

K and I did dinner and a movie. Dinner was nice, we caught up about things that were new with the both of us (my job and the UT rally, her new job and her broken foot). At the theater, we ran into a friend of hers who was a manager-type. We had some small talk, then headed to the screen for our feature presentation. I put the armrest up so I could do the old Greg Brady move. Little did I know that it would put us in a sticky situation, literally.

Seems someone decided the underside of the armrest would make a good place to put their used wintergreen chewing gum. The stuff got on my shirt, her sweater and in her hair. We spent a little bit trying to get the stuff off us, but gave it up so we wouldn't miss the movie. (The film, btw, was great. Though I'd say there was more wardrobe than lion in the movie, but that's just me...)

After the film, we took the elevator back down to the ground level. During the ride, we kissed. (All together now... awww...) I walked her to her car, we kissed some more, and then she left. A nice night, overall.

Since then? Nothing much to report. She started a new job, we've talked a couple of times via AIM, but no other dates since then. This slow pace is driving me nuts. I want to hang out with her more, be with her more, learn more about her, etc. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to choke this thing to death, but it just seems like things are going at a snail's pace. I'll try not to over-analyze this. Besides, if recent history is any guide, I'll find some way to fuck this up...

Some party, huh?

tower shot
Originally uploaded by hipsterwannabe.

Or, How I Spent My Sunday Night.

Feel free to check out some shots from UT's national championship rally, over on my flickr set.

I just got back from a date which involved the following: crutches, fish, chewing gum, a lion, and other things.

I'll tell you all about it soon.

CURVES

Hi. I'm Greg, and I'm an emotional eater.

Today was pretty rough. Seems like I couldn't do anything right or to anyone's satisfaction. An afternoon snack of a Butterfinger didn't seem to help. (My friend Chris has a Butterfinger and canned pineapple for lunch, he looks like a cut Buster Poindexter, but I digress...)

Dinner consisted of a double-meat Whataburger, large fries and a large root beer. "After the day I've had, I deserve this," I thought to myself as I was pulling into the drive-thru. Fast food just sounded better than the Weight Watchers frozen dinners waiting here at home. (Call me crazy, but dinner from a box just doesn't sound that appealing to me.)

Any ideas on how I can fight this?

It's National De-Lurking Week! Feel free to show yourself in the comments...

RESOLUTION RAP-UP!

All the self-improvement you could want, in one little post...

CASH: Accumulate liquid assets totalling $15,000.
COMPANIONSHIP: Date at least three different women in the next three months. (One down, two to go. More details later...)
CATHOLICISM: Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church by year's end.
CURVES: Weigh 140-150 pounds by my 28th birthday.
CRUISIN': Visit the 2006 Calgary Stampede.
COMEDY: Perform at a comedy club open-mic night.
CONSORT: Make at least one social outing per week.
CAREER: Take the GMAT and enroll in an MBA program beginning Fall 2006, or go on at least one job interview this year.

Eight goals... twelve months... one man. Can I do it? Stay tuned.

FINAL CATEGORY: CAREER

What can I say? Working at an inbound call center isn't really the most enjoyable occupation in the world. I figure I have two options: learn to enjoy my job more (or at least do it better), or start looking for something else to either develop myself professionally or personally (i.e. new job, classes, et cetera).

Now, if I were to stay in the financial field, there's a few things I could do to try and move myself up the food chain. Take the GMAT and enroll in grad school for my MBA. Start reading the Wall Street Journal regularly. Watch CNBC (the shows that don't have Suze Orman or Jim Cramer, this is). If I went outside the field, the list would be different: start networking, rework my resume, start putting aside money to pay a $4000 fee if I leave my company before I've been there two years.

Seeing as how progress in this category is more like a marathon than a sprint, I doubt I can put a goal down that would dramatically change my career outlook. So I figure I'll give myself a fork in the career road...

Take the GMAT and enroll in an MBA program beginning Fall 2006.
-OR-
Go on at least one job interview this year.

NEXT CATEGORY: CONSORT

I've been a homebody for way too many nights. (My excuse tonight? Mountain cedar.) Last year, I was hanging out regularly with my ex-roomie, V,C and other friends of mine. Now, the roomie has himself a steady gal, V is in Houston, C is married and pregnant.

So I'm looking for some new peeps to hang out with. No, I don't want to leave the group I've currently collected, but I would like to find folks that have a bit more free time.

I've been hanging out with a group at my church, seems like that's working for me with getting out of the house. Currently considering any other ideas that'll help me meet new people. Again, difficult to quantify a goal in this area, but here goes...

Make at least one social outing per week.

NEXT RESOLUTION CATEGORY: COMEDY

I know I've talked about this before, this desire of mine to explore my comedic side. I've had this idea in mind for a long time. But a lot of things seem to be holding me back. Am I really funny? Can I really come up with funny lines and ideas on my own, instead of borrowing from things I've heard over the years? Would I be able to stand in front of a bunch of people and try to make them laugh without wetting myself?

Of course, a job like the one Pico's friend has looks really nice too. (Probably not one where I'd have to wear a headset all day...) I know a job like that isn't the easiest to get. I don't even have the foggiest idea on how to really get started (other than packing the car and heading west on I-10). I do figure that it's high time I actually take the first step. So, the resolution here...

Perform at a comedy club open-mic night.

A Rose by any other name...

wewin
Originally uploaded by hipsterwannabe.

This picture was taken soon after Vince Young scored the winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

Yeah, my friends and I were somewhat pleased with the result...

THINGS TO BLOG ABOUT WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME:

- A little game of football last night.
- More resolutions.
- The search for a hangover remedy.

NEXT CATEGORY: CRUISIN'

sojourn- n : a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)

So I'm looking to expand my travel horizons. I have some ideas of places I'd like to go. Return to NYC to visit the other boroughs. Return to L.A. to try once again to called to "come on down." Return to Kansas to see how old friends are doing. Sure, I'd love to go overseas. But I have neither enough money, or enough time off to really enjoy a foreign trip how I would like.

But I did get a week off in July. (Actually, a company rule requires that all employees take 5 consecutive days off. What a great rule, eh?) I see that the week comes in the middle of "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." All I need to accomplish this one is some cash and a passport, so...

Visit the 2006 Calgary Stampede.

(I get the feeling this may be another resolution Raelyn and I can do together...)

(EDIT: changed category name to keep up the alliteration. Silly, I know, but I need some way to keep these all straight...)

NEXT CATEGORY: CURVES (Or, specifically, losing the curves I have currently.)

175.4: My weight at the beginning of last year's National Boday Challenge.
172.0: My weight tonight.

Food's been somewhat of an issue for me in the past few years. Back in the beginning of 2002, one week before I started my last semester at UT, I had major oral surgery. In order to let my jaws and mouth heal properly, I was on a liquid (later "upgraded" to soft food) diet for about 3 months or so. I believe I was almost at 180 lbs. at the time my mouth was cut, I dropped to around 150 a few weeks later. When I was cleared to eat solid foods, I jumped in with both feet, soon going back to the 170's. I tried eating somewhat healthier (with moderate success) last year during the Challenge, but after May or so, the wheels came off. Fell off the wagon, thanks to the "allure" of fried chicken and other fast food. (Trying to win $1,000,000 in the McDonald's Monopoly game didn't help matters, either.) Add in the fact that I have one of the most sedentary occupations imaginable, and this won't be easy. But I do have some reasons for motivation: a reason to get out of the house, better fitting clothes, and a 10-year high school reunion on the horizon among them. Using the formula for calculating BMI, and using 23 as a target number...

Weigh 140-150 pounds by my 28th birthday.

NEXT TOPIC: CATHOLICISM

Yeah, been pretty piss-poor in this field. Skipping Mass, only giving lip service to something that's been a pretty important part of my life. Not that I'm saying I want to become one of those church folks that only does "Catholic" things like listen to K-Love and read C. S. Lewis, but I do want to become a more concerned member of this little club I belong to. Again, setting a concrete goal in a field as this is pretty hard, but here goes...

Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church by year's end.

NEXT CATEGORY: COMPANIONSHIP

"A romantic relationship is not the end-all, be-all of human existence." - Sandra

Okay, so I guess I've been obsessing a bit on this aspect of my life in the last couple of weeks months years decades. So a balance is what I'll be looking for in '06; something between this guy and this guy. But, how to quantify such an endeavor? Over the last year, I dated, hooked up with, and otherwise socialized with 6 different women. Increases in quantity and quality are what I'm looking for here. The next resolution:

Date at least three different women in the next three months.

It's resolution time!

Another January, another time to look at where and how I can improve myself. Rather than another mega-post, I'm going to break this up into a few posts. Hopefully, this way, instead of one intimidating goal, I'll have a few not-so-intimidating ones.

FIRST CATEGORY: CASH

Back in early May, I reached a low point in my finances, only having a little over a hundred dollars in my checking account. It's amazing how having a paying job changes one's account balance. But, I can't really work in the financial field and not at least try to improve my own financial picture. After watching as much CNBC as a person possibly could, I figure I can do this pretty easily by saving and investing. Currently, between two bank accounts and an investment account, I've got about $11,000 to my name. (I have Best Buy and Under Armour to thank for that, partly...) They say that 8% is an average annual return in the stock market, but resolutions aren't about being average, are they? So, my first resolution of 2006:

Accumulate liquid assets totalling $15,000.

HOW I SPENT MY NEW YEAR'S: THE ABRIDGED VERSION

It started out innocently enough. Lunch at Chili's with my friends V (in from Houston) and C. V and her sister got a room downtown where a few of us were going to stay overnight, only she had no idea where this hotel was. Fortunately, I did, only because it was right next door to a gay club that I visited once. Her and I went there, checked in, and got ready for the big party. Champagne, rum, chips, dip, grapes, bowls, board games were the supplies on hand. After coming home to get gussied up myself, I headed back downtown to enjoy the festivities. There were about 6 of us in the room; we got started by watching the ball drop in Times Square.

(Quick aside: I spent the early part of the afternoon watching a marathon of "The $100,000 Pyramid" on GSN. Seeing Dick Clark go from the ageless wonder back in the 80's to stroke victim in a few hours was, to say the least, shocking. I do hope he makes a fuller recovery so he can be back even better next year.)

After that, we headed downtown for the big party. We got there with about 30 minutes to go before the countdown. After making our way through the mass of people, baby strollers, and funny hat vendors, we found a spot to watch the big fireworks show that was scheduled for midnight. Me and about 250,000 of my closest friends counted down the seconds to 2006, then the fireworks started. Or so I've been told. Thanks to some heavy fog that came about late that night, all I really saw was illuminated condensation. After the show, our group of 6 hung around for a bit, when I saw a pair of women I met from a retreat I went on back in October. I ran them down and said hi. One of them asked if there were any single guys that I was with; I was the only one in my group that fit that description. I talked with them for about a minute or two, and when I turned to my right, I saw none other than Suzanne.

I walked over to her, hugged her, and talked with her for a little bit. She was wearing a long red gown that she'd worn when she accompanied me to fraternity formals. Next to her was some Asian guy in a decent sports coat that she referred to as her date. (For the record, I was in jeans and a lavender J. Crew shirt.) I wished her well, she did the same, and I left to rejoin my group. (I'm really hoping this is the ultimate goodbye. Else, I'm going to have to start looking for another job somewhere out of town.)

Our group headed back to out hotel room, wherein much drinking, charades playing, movie watching, stranger-chatting and conversation ensued. (My old friend Eric, the Smart-Ass AP, even made an appearance, after leaving a bar where he rang in 2006.)

Lunch at Cheesecake Factory and seeing "Fun with Dick and Jane" was how I spent the first day of the year, trying to get ready for work tomorrow. (That's right... I work tomorrow. How fun, eh?)

Hope everyone had fun. Good luck with the resolutions. I'll put mine here in the next day or two. Happy 2006.