All I can say is, October cannot come soon enough. I am already sick and tired of the heightened political bickering. I can't get away from it. And both sides are so thoroughly convinced that they have some sort of monopoly on "the truth" that they won't shut up for 2 minutes to listen to what the other side is saying. It's enough to make me want to take off and live as hermit in Manitoba.

A big ol' congrats to my buddy Beth for completing the bar exam today! Or should I say, Bethany A. Blood, Esquire.

So I finally took the jump and picked up my new desktop computer and man, is it a-mazing.  I won't get into it too much because, well, I'm kind of neurotic about coming off like some sort of boastful jerk.  I guess what I'm saying is that I'm psyched about my new machine.  This thing is sweet.  I plan to spend the weekend downloading my music collection onto the hard drive and burning my VHS collection to DVD.  And best of all, I'm blogging from bed right now.  Oh yeah.

The Beatles' album Revolver is pure genius and I challenge to a fistfight anyone who dares disagree with me on this.  I'm not big on choosing favorites, but I'd have to say this is my favorite Beatles album. 

I think I'm going to and pick up Rubber Soul tonight and see if this champion can be dethroned.

I just got the chance to dust off the old "I know you are, but what am I?" retort.  I felt a little guilty pulling it out because it is so old and tired, but it still works like a champ.  That is one workhorse of a comeback.

Sara's new favorite relationship song:  "You Talk Way Too Much" by the Strokes.  Haven't we all wanted to say that now and then?

I used the word impediment twice again yesterday.  I think this is getting out of control.

It's never a dull moment with that Christy around to IM with!

Sara: you signed up for the lunch tomorrow?
Christy: yes, of course! i couldn't skip a free meal. especially when they're so few and far between in the summertime.
Christy: i think it has something to do with engineering, doesn't it?
Sara: haha...yeah. so you haven't talked to the guy giving it? he's going around calling everybody on the list to find out what they want to talk about.
Christy: hey, i just got that phone call. what did you tell him to talk about?
Christy: i told him to do a demonstration with lots of loud noises and bright colors to keep me awake.
Sara: i said i was just coming for the free food. that he could talk about his last botox session for all i care.
Christy: i told him we would only spec his product if he brought little "magic cube" souvenirs to bring back to our desks with us.
Sara: ooh, good call! food just isn't enough to impress these jaded engineers!
Christy: i tried to convince him that every other company that does lunch n learns brings along lots of surprises, including, but not limited to, little presents, jewelry, extra desserts, gift certificates, toys and candy, free massages, envelopes of cash.
Christy: he was believing me until i got a little carried away and said that "every other company gives free elephant rides around the diamond out front." that's when he said "riiiiiiight" in a really sarcastic tone, and i knew i lost him.

I hate making large purchases.  I turn into a bundle of nerves.  I've decided to buy a new computer for my home and I think I know what I want, but I can't seem to bring myself to follow through with the purchase.  Now why don't I hesitate like this when I see a cute pair of shoes?

Today's word of the day is impediment.  I've already used it twice.  And I'm very proud of myself.

I was just reading yesterday's post and realized how much I like the phrase "if you know what I mean".  I'm going to start adding it into my sentences at random.  It just sounds mischievous, if you know what I mean.  Then combine it with random "finger quotes" and absolute hilarity ensues.  I can't wait to start throwing these items into my "vocabulary", if you know what I mean.

Sometimes I wish I had a tape recorder for my brain.  There are times when I get thinking on a really good tangent and I wish I had a way to hang on to it so I could post it or talk about it with someone else or just store it away to mull over further at a later date.  Or sometimes I get a really good thought, but somebody else is talking (or I'm in church) and I want to pursue it to see where it goes, but I also what to listen to what's going on.  I don't like having to make those difficult decisions.  So I'd like to be able to split my brain so while I'm in the present, it can go follow the tangent and I can catch up to it later. 
 
Speaking of tangents, this one is becoming less comprehensible by the minute!

Why is it that 75% of the bachelor pads I've been to have magazines sitting next to the toilet? Personally, I like to spend as little time as possible on the can. It's not like the bathroom is a great place to be. Why linger? Why would you want to just hang out and read? I know some say that it just takes time to get things done, but come on. Wouldn't you be able to accomplish the task more quickly if you gave it your undivided attention? But more importantly, did it ever occur to these people that maybe things just aren't ready then? I mean, why blow 20 minutes forcing the issue?

The good news is that I rarely see the magazines in the homes of married couples. So apparently women are able to cure men of the bad habit of taking half an hour to take the kids to the pool, if you know what I mean.

In the interest of continuing the tradition, I'll briefly review the Cake concert I went to on July 2nd out at Point State Park.

This concert gets the thumbs-up if for no other reason than it cost only a $1. Point State Park isn't the ideal concert venue, but then again, it's not intended to be. And for $1, who can complain. What was humorous was the $5 "VIP Section". I mean, you'd have to be some kind of VIP to flash that kind of cash.

Anyway, I thought Cake put on a very good show. They're a goofy, genre-defying band that's a lot of fun, but has enough weight to push them out of the "guilty pleasure" category. I really enjoyed the opening song "Comanche" if only for the great, classic-Cake lyrics ("You need to straighten your posture and suck in your gut/You need to pull back your shoulders and tighten your butt..."). The banter with the audience was also good, especially when lead singer John McCrea, being an "egalitarian", encouraged the cheapskate serfs to invade the VIP section. Down came the skimpy, unguarded fences and the area in front of the stage was flooded.

"Stickshifts and Safetybelts" was another crowd favorite, but I have to say I most enjoyed their cover of the Gloria Gaynor hit, "I Will Survive". A great way to close the show.

So Saturday I did my second triathlon. Since I had already completed one, I decided I needed to set my sights higher than just completion. So I looked around for somebody I thought I might be able to beat. The women were pretty much all ripped and fairly young, so I figured there was a pretty good chance I'd be the last chick to finish because, let's face it, an athlete I am not. Then I acquired my target: a rail-thin guy that looked to be in his 70s. Now before you wag your head at me, note that this guy had some nice gear. Couple that with that fact that you don't get many first-timers in the 70s age bracket, and you have to figure that this guy is a heck of a lot more experienced than me. So anyway, I plugged away at it and finished in 1 hr. 45 min., a full 7 minutes before Old Guy. I was feeling pretty good. Then I talked to Old Guy as we were packing up our gear. Turns out he'll be 80 in a few weeks. 80!! He used to do marathons (just 2 or 3 a year) but now he's stepped down to triathlons. He tries to do 3 or 4 a year. Yeah. 3 days later, I'm still feeling like a lazy putz.

I am normally a patient person who can handle suspense pretty well. Not today. I'm near burstiing with anticipation.

I have absolutely nothing to say.