So my family celebrated Christmas on Saturday. Damn crazy. Friday I spent most of my time running around getting my Christmas shopping done(3 more gifts left to ship). Friday night my sister and I made butterscotch cookies and didn't get much sleep. I did manage to pick up a package of asian food that I purchased for gifts. Pocky and ramen make good gifts to anime fans! Christmas was great, though. I received $45 in EB Games gift cards and a gift certificate for dinner at a ritzy restaurant in Batavia. Alas I don't have a girl to go with me

That aside, it was fantastic! Got to visit with the folks, play with the kids, and chow down on some delicious roast beef and cheesy hash browns. I also made my famous ambrosia fruit salad, which was quickly devoured. The cookies went over well too. All in all, it was an awesome day and I was able to take a well-deserved sleep when it finally ended.

When I returned to work, I continued decorating our cubicles. There is a contest going on at work for the decorations and I was hoping to win. However, not being able to work on them before or after work and only during breaks has been extremely difficult. I decided I'd like to try though and I've spent a lot of time decorating. We made our supervisor's cube look like a brick chimney(since it stands higher than everyone else's) with a Santa poking his head out. I also decorated our cubical wall sections like giant wrapped gifts. We were supposed to get Christmas lights going as well but my teammate forgot to bring them. Oh well. I worked very hard in a limited amount of time and when I finished, I learned that on the other side, the legacy adelphia side, they had a great deal more availability on the phone and since had more time off the phone to set things up. And they certainly took advantage of it- There's a section that has a gingerbread house, and another area that looks like a midnight winter landscape. I almost started to cry. All my effort and I don't think I could compete with that. Now I'm just frustrated and mad. I can't even say that I enjoyed it, as I had very little help. The rest of my crew just wasn't interested. Sigh.

Also today, I found out that in order for my car to pass inspection I need the catalytic converters replaced. Total cost: $1000. Unbelievable. NYS instituted new laws last year forcing motorists to clear the "Engine Light" issues or it won't pass the inspection. Supposedly there's a waiver out there if you spend more than $500 and doesn't fix the issue, and I'm also going to try having Ford clear and re-flash the memory on my car's computer, but I don't know if it'll work. I hope it does but knowing my luck with cars I'm going to be less than broke once again.

Merry Christmas to me.

You'll need the following:
1 C water 1 C sugar
4 large eggs 2 C dried fruit
1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt
1 C brown sugar lemon juice
1 C nuts 1 FULL bottle of your favorite whiskey

Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again to be sure that it is of the highest quality.
Pour 1 level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 C of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 tsp sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still OK. Cry another tup. Turn off the mixer.
Break two legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares. Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whiskey again. Go to bed. Who the HELL likes fruitcake anyway?

The past two days have been interesting at work. On Monday there was a trashcan fire in the Men's room, and we were evacuated. It lasted only 20 minutes and we were all hauled back into the building. The annoying thing was the alarms were still going off even though the fire was still contained. All of us were incredulous when our manager told us to go back on the phone and apologize for the alarm sounds and "try to use our customer service skills" to take the call. When it was apparent that neither us nor the customer could hear very well with the alarm going off, the manager rescinded the request but as he did the alarm turned off. Jeez.

This set us up for yesterday! We had a bomb threat at the building and we were all evacuated once again, this time for a whole hour while Buffalo's finest and their K-9 counterparts searched diligently for a bomb that probably wasn't there. None of us are sure where the threat came from but apparently these threats have happened before too. *shrug* I didn't mind because I managed to grab my more important stuff, like my lunch and NDS before hauling out the door.

Things are falling into place now for Christmas. I'm hoping the work needed on my car is done soon enough so I can do that last-minute shopping. So far I've got Christmas gifts for 3 people done.

Also congratulations to the Bills on their awesome victory. Also congratulations to the Patriots who have proven that even division leaders suck with their colossal failure against Miami. So if the Bills win against Miami this week, and the Patriots lost against Miami, does that mean the Bills are a much better team than the Patriots and that our two losses against the Patriots are just misunderstandings that need to be corrected? I think so.

Lots of things have happened since my last post. My sister finally has a job! In fact they like her so much, they might even consider her for a supervisor position! I'm so excited for her! It seemed so unlikely too. This company has always had a sleeping HR department(I applied once but Adelphia hired me long before they responded- and I had a friend trying to push things along too). So my sister is looking at working starting in January. God helps those who help themselves, and I know he had to have a hand in it.

I visited my Dad last Friday. We tried to talk about various things, including the "Generic Christmas" I mentioned before, but we kept getting interrupted by visiting family. In any case, I don't think things will change this year but I will definitely argue against it next year. Whil I visited my Dad he cooked up some delicious Clam Chowder. Not that fake Manhattan stuff, but the authentic Clam Chowder. My Dad wants to show me how to make it someday(I arrived too late to learn this time) and also expounded on the secret ingredient. While I agree that it does add a unique flavor, I just wish he didn't have to use the imitation variety because of his dietary restrictions.

My family also settled on a Christmas party day, since most of us cannot meet up on December 24th/25th. Christmas with the immediate family will be Saturday morning, December 16th, while the Generic Christmas with the extended family will be that evening. It all works out, and it allows me to work on Christmas Day for the extra cash(which I really need).

I have given up World of Warcraft completely, although I kinda feel a pang of regret after seeing some of the cool things added. Everquest II is a lot of fun too, when I can play it. For some reason my video card lasts about 20 minutes and then it begins to crash the game for no reason. I have not been able to pinpoint the issue, trying everything including lowering the graphic quality all the way down to installing different drivers to removing my CD player to reduce power consumption. Nothing seems to work. With that in mind, I've decided to build myself a new PC. Yeah yeah I know I've stated I hated being in the "upgrade race" but right now there is a cornecopia of choices- inexpensive choices- I can now build a decent gaming machine and not hurt my wallet. It's going to be great!

I also got a Christmas tree from my other sister. This is my first tree and it's actually not bad for a hand-me-down. My sister and I decorated it, and it turned out pretty cool. I'm quite happy for it. Picture below.

Woohoo! I had missed class last Tuesday, and much to my chagrin my teacher had a quiz that day. Thinking I would have to accept a zero, I very nearly let it go but I decided to ask him if I could make it up. He said yes! So, myself and 3 other students went up to his office and got to take the quiz. I didn't think it was too hard and because of my stellar performance so far I think I'll do well on this one too.

I found out recently that my dad changed Christmas tradition once again. My dad seems intent on de-emphasizing getting gifts for Christmas, but he seems to do random things instead of thinking it over. This time he wants everyone to get generic gifts, instead of trading names like we always did and get a personalized gift. I decided to send a letter to him(as other key members of the family) explaining that getting generic gifts takes away from us who enjoy giving. I told him that it was a shame that we wouldn't be able to fix this policy this year but next year I would do what I could to restore our tradition. I hope he listens to us who enjoy giving gifts(read: most of us).

So I ended up working Thanksgiving(they paid me a lot of money to do it). The 3 days before I was attempting to clean my apartment with my sister. That didn't turn out too well, as we didn't get much done at all. Wednesday evening my sister left for Batavia and I was afforded some alone time, for which I am very grateful. The day at work on Turkey Day it was quiet and quite relaxing, with very few calls throughout the day.

Friday I went to my cousin-sister's house and had Thanksgiving there. It was absolutely fantastic. The meal was delicious(juicy white meat For The Win!), and the company was great. I was asked if I would take my nephew for the evening so my cousin-sister and my brother-in-law could go hunting in the morning. I obliged because I planned on putting my nephew to work, and work we did.

A list of things we did:
Removed the couch and chair
Installed a new sleeper-couch(a bed folds out from underneath) which received my sister's seal-of-approval for comfort.
Moved the table to its original position
Removed the weightlifting bench but kept the dumbbells.
Cleaned my closet out(no skeletons!)
Threw out a ton of garbage and paper, mostly credit card offers.
Vacuumed everywhere.

We got a lot done in less than 24 hours and I'm quite proud of him. I did give him some money, though he refused it at first. I told him to accept it graciously and he did. I'm so happy for all the work we did. After I dropped my nephew off I spent some time at my cousin-sister's house, we talked about family while she hemmed a pair of pants for me. She also decided to give me about 20lbs of venison meat! I'm not a huge fan of venison but I learned a few tricks to make it tasty. Once I got back home my sister and I cleaned up and moved the table to make room for the Christmas tree that my cousin-sister gave me. It's gonna be awesome!

So things are pretty smooth right now. Here's hoping the holidays bring good changes.

Damn, I didn't intend to go so long without an update. What's happened? I've decided to let my World of Warcraft account wither on the vine. November 29th my account will be disabled. Why, you ask? The game has eaten a great deal of my social life up(yeah I did have one once) and I want to get out more. I've also reached a point in the game where I can only improve by getting together with 39 other unstable elements(read: players) in order to spend 4-5 hours in a dungeon for the possibility of an item I need dropping, as well the chance to roll for said object. I don't have time for that crap. That being said, my guild has moved over to Everquest II because it is far more casual-friendly. I might pick it up if I can afford it, and it seems much more economical than Blizzard's plan. Blizzard hasn't done much for the casual gamer and even with Burning Crusade coming out, it doesn't look like they plan on changing either. So I'm done.

Also, I've received no word from my insurance covering the diet pills my doctor prescribed. I simply can't afford them at $150 for a month's prescription, and since I'd rather go without than beg my friends for money, it looks like a lost chance. Oh well, at least my insurance will cover the $4,000 surgery!

My sister has come to stay with me for what started as a few weeks has turned a couple months. I really do worry about her, and while sometimes she shows spurts of energy and ambition, they sometimes get lost in times of sleep and bumming around. I'm praying for her that she finds the fire necessary to push herself off on her own. I've tried to motivate her but it is coming across as frustration and patronization. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing too much for her, with the money I've given her, but I can only hope she doesn't take advantage of me for too long. Not because I can't afford it, but because complacency on her part might not help her shine through adversity.

On the school front I'm doing fantastic, as long as I stop missing class. I've already got an A in the class so far. Work front is mediocre right now. We're in between migrations so I'm starting to improve my call time and my QA reviews, but I'm sure that will change in the coming months. Time Warner expects all of the purchased Adelphia and Comcast areas to be fully migrated by March. At the rate we're going it'll be done but it'll be a mess. At the center of it all will be us, the tech support guys, with mops and buckets.

I was a teacher at a school for talented children. And by talented I mean mutants. And by mutants I mean the kind from X-men, where most of them are human, no third arms, but very subtle in appearance. I myself was apparently a mutant, even more subtle than the kids and teachers around me. I was apparently an empath- able to sense emotions from other people. Because of that I had become adept at influencing people knowing exactly what they desire.

Today was a special day. Apparently we were supposed to have Vice President Dick Cheney visit as part of a campaign to end discrimination against mutants. He had not arrived yet, actually delayed for some reason of state. The students were nonetheless very active in the halls, milling about in between classes. It was at this time that I noticed two middle eastern folks with beards and turbans pull up in a jeep to the ground-floor window at the end of the hall. At first I thought it strange because there was no door there, and certainly no reason to park their car on the grass. It was then I recognized the RPG they pulled out of the back seat.

I immediately told the children to run to cover and I ran to one of the more powerful mutant teachers and told them what I saw. It was then we heard an explosion as one of the men fired on the school. With my new ally we approached the opening at the end of the hallway and there wasn't two men but dozens of people, all chanting "Kill Dick Cheney!" Oddly enough I used my empathy to find out just what the people wanted, and I exploited it. I'm not sure how it was done, only that I convinced the group to leave, and that the vice president wasn't here. I do know, however, that the people weren't anti-mutant, just anti-Cheney. Go figure.

With the ordeal over with, one of the other teachers offered to drive me home. She was very attractive and I accepted. She was driving me home when I woke up.

I've many things to update here, so bear with me!

Weight loss issue
The battle goes on. After talking to my insurance company, I found out my doctor needs to fill out an application for medical necessity in order for me to start the process for the surgery. So be it, I talked to my doctor on Friday and he said he would get the ball rolling. My insurance company also told me it would be good if I showed evidence of multiple attempts at trying to lose weight; i.e. doctor-advised diet(check) and diet pills(not so check). I took the time to talk with my doctor regarding diet pills and how they work, and if they would be effective. He told me of 3 pills he would consider; Meridia, Adipex, and Zenical. Meridia and Adipex are similar in that they both affect the receptors in your brain that are involved with the hunger feeling. However Adipex has a known side effect that with long-term use it can cause heart problems. While I do have a strong heart, I would have to watch it much more carefully, and the doctor would only allow me to take it for two months on/two months off to avoid the side effect. The major issue with that is during the two months off the pill, the chance to gain the weight back is greater. Because of this problem, the pill itself is much cheaper than Meridia. The third, Zenical, blocks fat absorption. Since my main problem is eating too much and not necessarily eating a lot of fat, this pill won't be very effective for me. It appears that Meridia is the choice. The other problem I have to face is that most diet pills are not covered by insurance because the vast majority of people who use it do it only for cosmetic problems. Because I am morbidly obese, I'm doing it for health reasons and I can get approved to have my insurance cover it. So once these speed bumps are cleared, I should be able to take Meridia and see how it works for me.

Adventures with Goob
This weekend Goob flew over from Rhode Island for the Bills-Patriots game. At first we didn't have anything planned for Saturday, but we came up with some ideas. First, we checked out the aquarium in Niagara Falls. We had to drive through desolate streets with abandoned storefront property to get there, so it was somewhat depressing. Eventually we reached the aquarium and it was fairly decent. It wasn't a huge affair but it did have many tanks with different kinds of marine life. They also had a seal performance too and that was rather fun. All in all it was about an hour and a half of time spent, and worth it. The other cool idea was to take in a theatre show, something I hadn't done in a long time. One of Buffalo's secrets is its performance district, and we managed to find a hilarious play at the Kavinoky Theatre entitled, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum." Thanks to my status as a student at Buffalo State, we managed to save $40 on the tickets! It was icing on the cake but I didn't realize it yet. The play itself was hilarious, fraught with slapstick as well as plenty of well-timed innuendo. I was so impressed that I'm planning on going to plays much more often.

With Saturday out of the way, Sunday was only too eager to rear its ugly head. Not only was it cold and wet, but the Bills didn't even show up to the game. The Patriots romped over some filler players that no one recognized. The Bills must have been kidnapped and replaced with inept doppelgangers.

The night wasn't a total waste, as Goob reminded me about the Chinese restaurant known as Happy Jacks. You may have read about it before on this blog, but to restate it is the finest Chinese cuisine in this area. Goob and I did have to cross the border into Canada, but some things are worth the hassle. It was a bit more hassle getting back into the USA, but I know the Customs officers are doing their job and I can't fault them for that. Once back home, Goob and I relaxed. I played some of my video games on the computer and he beat the New Mario Brothers on my Nintendo DS. Yeah we're nerds. I also managed to cook up a tasty dish too. Not sure what to call it but it's biscuit on the bottom, with New England Clam Chowder and mashed potatoes on top. Needs more clam though.

After that, rest was in order so I zonked out on my bed, Goob tried to make my couch comfortable, and in the morning I took him back to the airport. A fun time for both of us, indeed.

Games
I've decided that this will be the last month of World of Warcraft. I've already canceled my account, and it'll run out at the end of November. I have a feeling it is what is seriously hampering my attempts to be more active, as well as find my social life again. I can always go back, but do I really want to?

I wanted to mention this earlier. I weighed myself on the same scale I did back in June. I was the same weight I was when I left the hospital- 527lbs. While the blow to my self esteem was rather harsh, it did put a few things in perspective- despite my best efforts, I'm not losing weight. This does add to my frustration but it's also steeled my resolve to seek the surgery. I've read a great deal about it, and while it's not a cure it is a tool for weight loss.

I've talked to a great deal of friends and especially family and most of them are supportive. I'm glad to know that a few of my friends are not so supportive- this has given me a chance to pause a little and investigate further. I want to put their concerns at rest too so I won't be rushing into it. I want to make sure that this is the best choice for me. The traditional router hasn't worked for me, and has only increased my frustration. I hope things work out too.

Money's been real tight these past few months. The change-over from my former company to our new overlords left me short a week for money so I had to get an advance on my paycheck. Unfortunately this has messed up a bunch of other things, not to mention impacting my monthly income. However this should all be resolved by the end of this month. I hope. I did ask Goob for some help and I'm glad he obligued me. I'm very glad for his help too... I just hope he'd sound different when I asked. I couldn't tell from his tone of voice if he was eager or if he was rolling his eyes on the other end of the phone. This is why I don't borrow money often. Oish!

Speaking of work, things are going okay but they could be better. Most of our calls are email or migration(customers converting to the new standard), and we have a different philosophy. The new way we must be very concerned with customer satisfaction- this leads to us having to coddle the customer and help them with any problem. Under the old way, the focus was getting the customer off the phone, and educating them enough so they don't have to call back in. This focus helped the customer to solve their problems on their own, rather than relying on us for every small problem. While both philosophies are sound, the former is much harder to master and still make bonus.

Oh yeah! Buffalo got stormed(literally) on Thursday night. I wasn't too worried about the heavy snow, as I've survived such storms before without a problem. However at 9am our power went out, and without power I can't use my sleep apnea machine. I promptly woke up and sleep was impossible after that. I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted either. I made plans to visit my Dad for dinner that afternoon, but when Melissa and I got there they were out of power as well. Luckily the power came back on in time for the turkey to be roasted. I chatted with everyone except my Dad, whom I showed up early for in the first place. My Dad and I did get some time, albeit short, and he said he didn't have a problem with me seeking the stomach surgery. I did meet up with my Aunt Pat who I haven't seen in years, and she got me thinking about moving to Arizona, where I could get paid a great deal more for what I do right now. While I do enjoy working with computers, it's not what I truly want to do, and that's teach. We'll see how things go in 2007 before I make any grand moves.

It's the start of a brand new week and in 4 days Goob's gonna be here for the Patriots' stunning defeat at the hands of the Bills. Go Bills!

There have been several turning points in my life. Joining football in high school was one. The day I learned my mother had died was another. Yet another is coming. I've decided to seek stomach surgery to aid in my weight loss. I'm frustratd, and have been for several months. I've attempted to stick to my limited-calorie diet but too often I find myself hungry all the time, and often start eating without even realizing it. Also, my attempts at exercise and are even less fruitful, as back and joint pain have become too great for me to do as much as I need to.

This has been a long time in coming and I've thought about it a great deal. Since March, when I spent 10 days in the hospital, I vowed to never let this get out of hand again. However, it has happened before under the same conditions- I managed to escape staying at the hospital for more than a night then, but who's to say I'd escape again? I still haven't fully recovered, otherwise my legs would have turned back to normal. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, and my mind is made up. Too many things have become difficult or even impossible and I don't want to live this way anymore. I want to live a normal life again.

I'm going to be expounding more on this as I learn it. I will be calling the surgeon soon, so expect more soon. I hope everyone can support me in this decision. Thank you.

So I'm in debt right now. Not counting the student loans, mind you, but today's news wasn't so heartwarming. Because I'm only taking one class this semester, I am not eligible for any student aid at all. If I was taking two I'd be able to get $5000 in student loans, but alas it wasn't to be. Especially so with my variable work schedule- it's really tough to take more than one class. I only have a few more chemistry classes left to take and since they're upper-level, they only come around once a year at a specific time and day. So this semester I could only take one class. This left me out of the student loans AND I had to pay the tution. I honestly don't know where I'm going to get enough money to fix my car for the winter.

Maybe I'll win the lottery or something

I guess I let it go again, not updating as I should! Anyways, Last weekend I got my full taste of non-stop calls under TWC customers. It was okay, as I handled my time quite well- it was the next day that I seemed to get all the customers who were just weren't firing on all cylinders. I guess Sundays will do that to ya. During the week I also had my first quiz/exam in Astronomy and of course did quite well on it. My only worry right now is that since I'm only taking one class, my student loans might be canceled. I hope not because I could really use the money for it. Speaking of which...

I'm just about broke right now. My car is in need of repairs(one of them a NEED for the winter) and if the student loan doesn't come through, I'll be short the money for the repair, as well as the 400 dollars to pay for the class. I'm concerned right now but I'm hoping that by saving up and being careful I will pull through.

My diet seems to be working, but I'm at a point where I feel sceptical. Lately I've been waking up with bad back pain and it really stuns me for a good 2 hours after waking up. However, after waking up just now, my back seems to be much better today. I'm wondering just how I'm sleeping that's causing it.

I'm definitely looking forward to Goob's trip to Buffalo for the Bills game! Although I may have to work on Saturday, I do have Sunday off for the game and I can't wait. Win or lose I love going to the games. I hope the Bills win this time though. In all the years that Goob and I have been visiting each other the Bills have yet to win against the Patsies. Hopefully this will break their streak. GO BILLS!

Man it's been two weeks since Goob and I joined in battle to fight off the hordes in World of Warcraft. As campy as it sounds, I miss hanging out with Goob when we don't meet up for two weeks. Maybe I'm spoiled from the summer vacation, or maybe I'm just missing the college days. In any case, I can't wait to get my teaching degree and move on out of NYS.

Thursday and Friday are my weekends as you know. They are usually a time for getting things done and satisfaction in a healthy session of Warcraft. However this didn't really happen. I did visit my Dad and my grandmother, as she is currently rehabilitating after breaking both her wrists trying to be more active than she really is. Apparently one of the hands is nearly healed and the other soon after. I got to talk to her for a bit as it is always a pleasure. I also got to enjoy a 'discussion' with my Dad, seems as he's become a catholocentrist. He was pressuring me to listen to some Catholic apologist so which I replied that the Catholic Church has much to apologize for, so it's a necessary job. He didn't appreciate the joke, however.

I also offered a place to stay to my sister until she gets a job and her own apartment. I thought it would be a good idea because I am rather alone here in my apartment with no company. Hopefully it won't last too long.

Which brings me to Friday. My sister did stay the night, but when I woke up my back was in huge pain. I have no idea why, but it was terrible. I had many things to get done, like laundry and shopping. Needless to say I did the shopping and held off the laundry to Saturday morning. I was hurting so bad I was too tired to join Goob for the Goober Zone and the subsequent Warcraft afterwords. I only hope things turn out better next week.

I do hope my sister gets serious about finding a job and an apartment. I want to help her as much as I can but even I can only do so much. Here's hoping she gets her act together and picks herself up gets going!