No Girls Allowed. Unless you're cute. Then it's fine.

It's been a month since I blogged, so this one will be pretty random (not that most aren't)...until I can hopefully get back into the flow of things here soon.

Stuff and things...
- Got a job. This isn't exactly news, but I haven't told a ton of people. So it might be news to you.
- Decided to go with the pink on the layout for a few weeks--in spirit of Breast Cancer Awareness and all that jazz. Don't judge.
- At my pre-employment physical, Doc told me despite working out upwards of 10 times per week, I am 37-49 pounds overweight. Beyond depressing. Bright side: I'd bet everything I own that I could still outrun the guy, despite being twice his size.
- Today marks 7 months with no pop. And yes, I miss it

Sports stuff...
- Cubs are done. Bad, bad year to say the least. As per the Cubs motto: There's always next year.
- Pretty Prairie football is now 5-0. At Greensburg this week. I've never been, should be cool.
- Bulls PF Carlos Boozer out 6-8 weeks with broken finger. Ugh.
- Been playing a lot of touch football lately. Decent workout, kind of fun.
- Bears are 3-1. But that loss was uglier than...well, something that's really ugly.

Girl stuff...
- Took a bit of a risk the other day. Stepped out on a limb. Branch broke. Failed miserably. Metaphor.
- Talked to neighbor girl yesterday. Longest talk in ages. NG = girl ma thinks I should marry. Eye roll.
- My good buddy Bacon & I plan to start a club, build a fort, etc. "No girls allowed" signs, the whole 9. Seriously, y'all are a crazy bunch of ninnies sometimes. But I still love ya. [though sometimes I forget why]

Quote of the day:

"If you want to be loved, be lovable." - Ovid

Derrick

It's not. Ranting if. I use. Short sentences.

Front page:
Hello, world. Been awhile.

Friend's wedding today. I want one.

I think I wanna get married on a Tuesday morning. Three kids. Maybe two. What's that? Gotta get a date first? Oh.

Haven't read much recently. Boredom problem.

Haven't written much lately. Idea problem.

Haven't run much either. Knee problem.

Hope to fix all these soon. Though the latter will be tough.

Breaking News:
Um, JENNIFER NETTLES! Sorry for the outburst. There is no story here. I just like her. The idea of having her babies has been floated about.

Tuesday is important. But I'm not telling you why. Just know that it is.

Obituary:
Joel Strohl, Pretty Prairie, KS. Small town, big deal. Rest in peace, Mr. Strohl.

Sports section:
Hometown fellas won 50-nil Friday. Hooray.

Jayhawks lost 6-3 Saturday. Bah.

Cubs are still terrible.

Bulls still look promising.

Bears look...eh.

Comics:

I need to write again soon. If only for my own mental stimulation. I'll do my best.

Until then.

Cheers,
Derrick

Thankful for laughter...now where did I put it?

Every day seems to bring a new reason for sorrow. Just today, I discovered some news that would devastate at least 601 people (at the 2000 census) simultaneously if they all found out (only a few know). Perhaps best they don't. Epic panic would probably ensue.

BUT...

This is not about that.

It's time to focus on happy things. The little things.

You know what, let's take it a step farther. It's November. I'm not a big Thanksgiving guy, but why not dive in? Let's talk about things I'm thankful for (SO not the direction I planned to take this blog less than a minute ago)...why not? Everyone else seems to be.

I'm thankful for...

My dog, Pete. He may be fat and ugly (traits we probably share), but no matter how many girls get on my nerves, Pete's always around. I'm reminded of Carrie Underwood's song The More Boys I Meet...well, to paraphrase:

"The more [girls] I meet, the more I love my dog."

I figure if Pete can smile, I might as well. Seriously, look--he's smiling in the picture. How awesome is that?


I'm also thankful for...

Technology:
- My BlackBerry (the phone, not the fruit)
- Having texts waiting for me when I wake up
- Text messaging in general
- My Macbook. Macs are much better than PCs. If you disagree, we might not be friends.
- My iPod--it's purple, and I like it

People:
- My family...most the time.
- New friendships
- Old friendships that last
- Friends who are better friends than they realize
- Really beautiful women

Sports:
- The opportunity to play something I love (basketball)
- Chicago Cubs, Bulls, Bears

Possessions:
- Flip-flops
- Cubs hats...all of them
- Books, movies

I could probably go on. But I'm (finally) getting tired, and I think you get the picture. This is not exactly a productive blog, but oh well. Lastly, a little joke to go out on...

Two old men were fishing off a bridge as they had done daily for many years. Suddenly a funeral procession came down the road.

The one old man reeled in his line, lain down his pole, faced the street and bowed his head until the procession had passed. He then picked up his pole and started fishing again.

The other fisherman was amazed and stated "I didn't know you were that religious."

The other looked at him and said "Least I could do, we've been married 42 years."

Do the right thing,
Derrick