Shopping for a house is interesting, but exhausting. All the touring, the visiting, the sifting through listings...

And apparently there's something that I don't know. Because every time I mention to people that I'm looking for a home in the city rather than the suburbs, they look at me like I'd just admitted to spending last weekend at a Star Trek convention. And when I say I'm looking for a historic home, they look at me like I said, "I like to strangle kittens."

But despite the doubters, I've put in an offer on a house.

Word of wisdom: If you're at Target and you spot a girl you'd like to pick up, do not start the conversation with, "Do you know where I can find the cologne?" Self-respecting males should not be buying cologne at Target. But if they are, admitting it is a decidedly poor way to break the ice. Granted, it does demonstrate a certain guilelessness that can be appealing, but it mostly just reeks of poor judgment. Better to ask about linens or something a female might be knowledgeable about. Or, better yet, to go the humorous route and ask where to find the Preparation H.

Word of wisdom: If you are in a position of authority and you watch American Idol, DO NOT ADMIT IT TO ANYONE. If your underlings find out it will surely undercut their respect for you as it did my respect for one of my superiors.

Also of note: I always thought the handlebar mustache was a something merely out of fairytales, cartoons and Gene Shalit. Apparently this is not so. Multiple sightings have led me to believe that the handlebar mustache is alive and well and hiding out in Rochester, New York.

Word of wisdom: If you're ever going to MF somebody, do it to their face. To do it behind their back is not only cowardly, it's selfish. Particularly in the work environment, it makes trouble for everybody, not just you.

So just suck it up and talk to the person face to face. Say your piece and leave everybody else out of it. Please.

I'm back...for now.

Obviously, I haven't posted in, like, 8 months. But I've got my reasons. Okay, so one of them is laziness. But I was also busy studying for my PE exam in the fall (which I passed, thank you very much). After that ordeal I was just feeling plain tapped out and uninspired. So I've just let this thing lie for a while.

But now, after some chastising from people like Mikey, I've decided to give it another go. I am, after all, beginning my great Search For A Home, which should be quite interesting.

That being said, I was quite disturbed yesterday when, while out hiking in the woods, I encountered a a guy yakking on his cell phone while meandering down the trail. What's the point of going out and enjoying nature if you're going to talk on the phone? I mean, if he wanted the exercise, couldn't he just hop on the treadmill while he's talking?

Also over the weekend, there was apparently a bit of a scuttlebutt over the US Association of Rock Paper Scissors 2006 Championship held in Las Vegas over the weekend. The Canadians, who founded the World RPS Society, have become frustrated with the USARPS dumbing down what they feel is an intellectual game of strategy.