Good job, Jeff. You messed this post up. Good job.

When I went to sleep that night, I had many things on my mind. Besides my physical difficulties, I was worried about Arche. From what I understood she had a long talk with Ima, her boyfriend. He was supposed to come to Chicago for the trip and it was looking like it wasn't going to happen. I felt bad for her and that Ima had gotten Arche's hopes up that he would be there, but that wasn't to be. At the time I didn't know the circumstances and I thought Ima was just being a jerk. Seeing Amanda that upset that night worried me a great deal. It's tough to watch your friend go through that much grief. I did fall asleep, and hoped things would work out in the morning.

The next morning was rather great. I was sore all over, but it was that good kind of sore. Plus the apnea machine worked perfectly that night so I had a great deal of energy stored up for the day. Goob and I enjoyed yet another delicious buffet, despite being a little late. We managed to gather up a group for the day's events, and I really wanted to get Stacee to come with us, because she spent most of her time with the Bluemaxe/Posiedon group. I also was hoping Arche would join us too, but I heard that she wasn't going to leave the hotel. I knew the night before had to have been rough so I sent her a text message letting her know how I felt when I knew she wasn't happy. I didn't receive a response, but I was hoping she would join us. Imagine my surprise when exited the elevator! However, she wasn't ready to talk to us yet and sneaked off to talk with Stacee. I was glad when she eventually came down to join us after a bit. She smiled half-heartedly at first but at least we were heading off to the train.

From the train station it was only a short walk down a couple blocks until we came to Millennium Park. This place is fantastic. Not only do you get a good view of the surrounding skyscrapers, but you also get to see some crazy artwork too. That giant structure called "Cloud Gate" looks like a huge drop of mercury. The idea is that you are supposed to see the city skyline from any angle. And underneath, there is kaleidoscopic view. After moving on from The Bean, we headed over to the Crown Fountain- two water fountain towers with giant faces on them. The water pours down the top of the towers, and the faces are actually video screens that smile and blink. The faces themselves are of people from Chicago. After a few minutes, they pucker up and water up top stops, and then a blast pours from the spot their mouths are puckered. It's really awesome to watch.

From that location we moved on to the Taste Of Chicago! It was here that I was in my forté. While I only did snap a picture of a tasty chicken wing, I tasted several other things as well. Including a rib sandwich and something called saganaki. The kind I had was Kasseri, and was quite tasty. I suppose I wasted the rest of my tickets on beverages, but I was thirsty.

By the way, I'd like to take a moment to explain that the Taste of Chicago is EXPENSIVE. You can buy 11 tickets for $7. That means each ticket is $0.64. The rib sandwich was 8 tickets. That's $5.12 for a sandwich! A "Taste" option is always 3 tickets. That's $1.92 for a taste of something! A 20oz bottle of Pepsi was 4 tickets...$2.56!! Crazy!

During the taste we as a group split up so we could all find out other tastes. It was just Goob and I after a while. And when I met up with Arche we watched as she got her palm read. I'm not a believer in that silly stuff but Amanda seemed to enjoy it. We decided to head to the Buckingham Fountain, which is a giant replica of the Latona Fountain in Versailles, France. I took a moment to catch my breath while Goob ran off to look for others. There I was sitting on a park bench in the middle of the sun, I took a few moments to ponder my current situation.

I had been walking a great deal so far. In fact I was surprised I lasted so long. I was actually quite proud of myself. Then I suddenly realized- this was the break I needed! The proverbial crack in the dam had sprung and the pressure would soon be unleashed. I finally had my momentum to keep exercising and keep active. I felt GREAT. I was sore as hell but I was lifted by this realization. Nothing could bring me down now.

Once we all met up again, I saw Arche smiling and laughing and that lifted me even more. We all decided that it was time for dinner. Again, more walking, but I didn't care. Nothing could stop me anymore. Oh yeah, I did snap this picture, an homage to the Indians of the Chicago area. This one was the Spearman and his twin, the Bowman, was across the street facing each other.

We finally made it to The Rainforest Cafe! While we waited outside, a young lad came up with a rather funny balloon hat. It turns out the kid was 14, and was a young entrepreneur, trying to save up money for college. He was quite intelligent and I wanted him to make a flower for Arche. I paid him the money and he put the balloon flower on Arche's hand. Arche was surprised and asked if he could make a bow and arrow, but she didn't realize he was asking for money for his work. I quickly paid for it, and even Elyk gave him some money too for the same work! Oops. Oh well, Arche got her flower and her bow and arrow. After that, we took advantage of a funny photo op. This was only was a taste of what was inside. This place is crazy. It's decorated like
a rainforest, with silly animatronics(that's a crocodile) all over the place. It's also dark and every now and then you get a flash of lighting(that's not a typo) and the sound of thunder rumbles through the cafe. We found our seats and we all sat down for a delicious meal. I admit, I did convince Anomaly to move to the padded seat at the end of the table, leaving an open seat for Stacee next to me. Ulterior motives? Maybe. I was just glad to have a chance to talk with Stacee and get to know her more. So yeah, I regret nothing! Occasionally, we'd hear the staff yell out, "Volcano!" whenever anyone ordered one. This became such a point of fascination for our crew that they decided to join in the screaming, even outdoing the staff. So yeah, you eat in a jungle and all the animals come out!

After the meal, I decided I was done. I wanted to join the group as they walked to the Hancock Observatory to watch the fireworks, but I was just too tired. Stacee agreed so we waited for Anomaly to bring his van around. While we waited, the gorilla at the front of the cafe got some more action. Once in the van, Stacee and I co-navigated for Anomaly, and we made it back safe and sound.

I was spent. I decided to relax and check my email, while things wound down in my head. I knew that while the adventures in Chicago were at an end, things could only get better. I was on a path for getting into shape, and I feel awesome.

The next morning with everything packed up, Goob and I once again enjoyed a tasty breakfast meal at the hotel's cafe. We needed to eat quickly because we were taking Captain Made Mike(the guy at the gorilla) to Midway Airport, which was of course on the other end of the city. We were leaving the city, and I wasn't really sad. I was excited that things were going my way. Nothing could get me down. Not even getting lost at the outskirts of Chicago got me down. Goob was acting like an insane goofball and was letting his rage get a hold of him, but that didn't bother me.

I'm on a path that can't be blocked. Life is good.

There are so many other blogs that have explained what exactly happened. SW Chris's and Archergirl's have detailed info about what they did. I saw the places they did for the most part, so if you want detailed listing of all that we saw, you can read about them there. I, on the other hand, am going to discuss the important events that occurred as they pertain to me.

First, this is the first vacation I've taken in almost two years. I was looking forward to it, and I'm so glad it worked out. I was rather surprised to see Goob sleeping on my couch. He woke half-dazed so I snapped a picture before he could complain. Soon after, I was packed up and ready to go. So I went to sleep.

The trip was more-or-less without exception. Goob got all wirey about running out of gas, but since I've had plenty of experience in running out of gas, I knew we had plenty to get us to a gas station when we were running out. Goob also got worried that I'd weird out and make corny jokes regarding AW and real life(" Oh look, texture opaque15!" or "Where's the toilet.rwx?"). I reassured him that wasn't an idiot, and it wasn't going to happen. At least not with me. Goob has an strange fear of his geekiness. We got to Chicago and then the hotel without much of a hitch. I did get some introductions from folks I've never met before. Goob and I found our room, and we chatted around a bit before heading over for the original, the great, Pizzeria Uno! Goob, SW Comit, Cactus Jack, Archergirl, SW Chris, and Captain Mad Mike posed for this picture outside the restaurant. These are pretty much the people I would hang out with for the rest of my stay in Chicago. The pizza was fantastic, and after only one and a half pieces I was stuffed. Not a bad beginning for what would be an awesome vacation.

And it was the walk back from the train station that I knew something was going to get in the way of my enjoyment of this trip. Now I am a heavy guy. I last weighed in at 515lbs, and I've been very inactive for a good 2-3 years. Walking distances is frustrating, aching, and sweaty. I'm slow, and I asked Goob to accomodate me and my sauntering pace. Well, needless to say Goob wasn't being very accomodating at all and I was getting frustrated with him. It was the long walk from the train station to the hotel(a good 2 blocks) that I knew I wasn't going to keep up. It was then that Archergirl slowed up for me and walked with me the whole way. We talked too, about many things, but what we talked about didn't matter, really. She was there to support me and walk with me. I even held her hand on the walk. It was so comforting that the walk wasn't as difficult. I was very grateful for Arche's patience and support, it warmed my heart. I confess, I did have certain feelings for her when I first met her, but I always held them back because she was 1. already taken, 2. she told me she wasn't interested. I have no doubt she knew this so I have no problem confessing. But that night, on the long stretch of pavement, she wasn't there with me and encouraging me because she was interested in me, but because I needed a friend.

We finally reached the hotel and met up with SW Chris, Cactus Jack and SW Comit, who was playing video game music on the piano. I decided to head to bed, with warm and fuzzy feelings that I did indeed have a good friend with me on the trip.

The next day was pretty awesome. I enjoyed a fantastic breakfast and even got to snap a shot of the lovely Stacee! At first I attempted to take other pics of Stacee, trying to find her good side, but then I realized that every angle covers her good side! We had some confusion about who/what/where things were going, and it turns out that most everyone was already downtown. Once we managed to gather at a pretty water fountain, we then headed down another block for the double-decker bus ride and tour. So much walking, but I kept going. Unfortunately it was here that my camera decided to die so I don't have any photos of this trip. However, there are others who do and I'll link to them when they get posted. The tour was pretty awesome, we went to every major spot in downtown Chicago, including the Sears Tower and the Naval Pier. The first tour guide was awesome and at least attempted to be funny. "And there are only two rock bands you're allowed to hate in Chicago. The first one being Chicago, and the second being Dave Matthews Band." The second tour guide didn't really sound like she wanted to be there, and often said some innaccurate things. I honestly don't think she deserved the tips she got, but oh well. Once the tour ended we stopped at the Hancock tower, and I followed my new friends to a artsy-fartsy fruit juicery place called "Jamba Juice." While pondering some of the safer concoctions, I got accosted by a survey girl. She asked me two questions that would have been pertinent to ask someone who visits Jamba Juice at least occasionally. Unfortunately they picked me, who would normally avoid this Fruity Starbucks if at all possible. But I was thirsty. So to answer the first question, "How are your experiences with Jamba Juice?" I politely replied, "I don't know yet. I've never been here." And to answer the second question, "If there was anything you could change about Jamba Juice, what would it be?" I wanted to answer "Cheaper prices and more normal fruits like cherry or grape," but instead I told her I couldn't answer because I haven't had the experience yet. She she moved on, and accosted Bluemaxe next. I did settle on a drink called "Grape Escape" which had grape, strawberry and banana. Not a fan of the Strawberry/Banana marriage, but I wanted something that tasted normal so that's what I got. And it didn't taste too bad. At least it was refreshing.

I did get to know John1018 better. The guy is goofy, and kept making nerdy AW jokes, but I welcomed them. It's good to know not all of us want to restrain our inner nerd. At that point we all headed over to a dining placed called the Market. It was designed like your everyday food court, except the food was a million times better. And instead of paying for your food normally, you got a card and it was scanned with the meal you chose and at the end you paid. I chose the salmon alfredo, and it was awesome! After the meal, I was pretty tired. I had done quite a bit of walking already, and the night before inspired me. So I kept going until we got home, and kept going even though I was aching like hell.

That night we got the Goober Zone going. It was rather hodge-podge, and somewhat boring at first, but once Goob got Silly-stringed, it picked up. After a while, Arche gave me a hug and allowed me to snap this picture. This proved to me that the night before wasn't some random act of kindness(or even pity). Arche continued to inspire in me something I never felt before. It was such a comfort to have her around.

The Goober Zone wound down and most of us in the room(SW Chris, Comit, Cactus Jack, Captain Mad Mike) Started to get sleepy. I knew it was bed time and I wanted the next day to be just as awesome.

Next stop: Day 3 and 4!

PS. I wanted to do the entire show in one blog but I've already written a great deal so I'll get this up now since it's done.

Wow, my very own website! Who'd have thought I'd make it so far. Oh wait, there's millions of losers out there with their own websites. Then again, there are millions more without their own websites too.
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I feel privileged

Anyways, this website is going to feature the great events in my life. Whether it covers my dramatic rise to the top or my dismal spiral fall to the depths, only the future knows. However, this website will chronicle it all.
For now, comments are allowed, as long as you sign in with an email address. The bar on the right features some of my favorite websites, as well as my friend's blogs. It will also feature photo galleries(eventually). Welcome! Welcome! Enjoy the spectacle!

Oh yeah, I haven't decided if I'm going to copy over my blog from Live Journal yet. It would be a daunting project if I do.

Fantastic! I'm blogging like a pro now. Anyways, the site's a little rough but with the help of the Goobery one, it'll start to take on a more sexy form. I should have the links finished soon too. Keep watching!

This is Jeff's Brand-spanking new Blog site. W00t! The first post on my own hosted website. Everything before this is backdated Live Journal posts.

Tonight I will use the apnea machine for the 3rd time. The experience I've had so far has been all but amazing. The first night I slept for roughly 7 hours and I woke up only slightly tired. I didn't doze a single time at work. The second night I slept for 6 hours and again, didn't doze at work. IN FACT, I had the energy to go on a walk during my break, and also go shopping after work was over. You never know the importance of a good night's sleep until you've regained it. My life, I can only imagine, can only get better.

In other news, when I read the article about the anti-addiction clinic for video gamers, it got me thinking about how much I play World of Warcraft. I decided I needed a bit of a break, to see if I could quit cold turkey. Amazingly enough, It's been 4 days and I haven't logged on once. I'm sure when Goob wants to I'll join in, but suffice it to say I don't think I'm addicted. Although the break will continue for a while at least.

Cheerio!

Got my sleep apnea machine! Can't wait!

Four friends were hanging out together playing poker, smoking cigars, and generally talking their days. Of course, the topic eventually turned to sex. One of them, a very tired and ragged man wearily stated, "You guys may think it's awesome but it's not. My wife demands we make love once a night." The second man, a smile on his face, "Well I suppose I'm better off. My wife and I make love once a week." The third guy, looking a little forlorn, said, "Man you are lucky. My wife and I only make love once a month!" The fourth guy looked very excited, and was literally bouncing out of his chair with excitement. His three friends look at him. "When do you and your wife make love?" the once-a-week fellow asks him. He shouts, "Once a year!" And his friends look at each other confused. "Then why are you all happy?" the once-a-month guy asks. "Because tonight's the night!"

Well I got the test results back from the sleep center. I tested positive for sleep apnea, and they also got a good pressure on me as well- 13. Apparently 4 is the lowest and 22 is the highest they've treated, and I'm right in the middle. I get to pick up my machine on Monday.

Goober Zone was awesome this week thanks to my awesome presence and contributions. I'm sure Goob appreciated it . I also came up with an awesome idea that I floated out to the crew, and most of them liked the idea. Now, I just have to figure out how to implement it.

I've discovered I can abate the effects of sleep apnea by drinking enough caffeine during the day. I don't snooze as often. Thankfully I won't have to keep that up for long. Work's doing good but I still doze off in between calls sometimes.

Diet is going along pretty well. The hardest part is getting used to eating so little. Once I've mastered that, the diet will become much easier.

I'd almost chalk this weekend up to a failure, if not for several things. I didn't get my bedroom organized as I wanted(still have blankets out from winter, and it's generally a mess) nor dealt with the pile of paperwork next to me, and also the bathroom is still a mess. However, I did manage to get the dishes done, as well as clean up my computer area. Oh well, there's always next week.

I did get to talk to Digigurl(my lil sister in Ohio, and we chatted about boys and idiot friends and high school while we both started to doze off. Alas, she fell asleep first, hehe. I never had a little sister, but if I did, I'd like to think she'd be like DG.

I'm doing quite well thanks for asking! Friday I managed to pick up a package from UPS, do a little errand running, and of course take the sleep study. The package included my new digital camera, an HP M22, 4.0pixel, SD-disk compatible, and it's just frigging awesome. I also got my new mouse. It's not a trackball alas, but it works very well and not like the old one that double-clicked all the time. I also got my DVDRW burner, which I'm glad to have as a backup because the one in my laptop isn't working(again).

I got errands done. I also helped Dave do some shopping as well. The poor guy had to use his spending money to fix his car up and make it street legal. I offered to help him out but he said he'd be fine. I wish the best for him and hope everything works out for his trip to Japan.

Finally, I took the sleep test. I wish I took pictures too. They hooked up a bunch of wires to my body, including my legs and head. They hooked up sensors to my nose as well as an air passage sensor too. Finally, they gooped my hair up with a greasy electro-gel to monitor brainwaves. The technician warned me that I'd need Palmolive to get it out, and it did. Yay. At first I was uncomfortable sleeping as I did, and I woke up a couple times. After about two hours he came in and put a mask on me. It felt like a gooey noodle around my nose, but it was neither wet nor messy- just rubbery. I slept like that the rest of the night. When I woke up at 5am, things were great. I drove home with no problems, and then mucked on my computer for several hours because I wasn't tired. After that I dozed for a bit, tested out my new burner, and then did some groceries. Feels great to accomplish stuff! Played some Warcraft with Da Gooba- I'm getting the feeling we're gonna have to do better in the plot department, but so far we're not doing too bad winging it.

I also managed a raid with my guild. I got some spiffy upgrades, even if one of them was paladin gear. I'm on the road to getting that elusive upper-level-dungeon key.

For now, I'm gonna wash up my kitchen, and prepare food for tomorrow. maintaining this diet is harder that I expected

What a long, foggy weekend. I took Thursday off to study my brains out. However, to start the day I had lunch with Kelly(that girl I mentioned before.) We talked quite a bit and I did tell her that I didn't feel the "spark" and she totally agreed with me, but I certainly felt a friendship. It was pretty cool and we talked some more. Probably the neatest thing was this time I didn't feel pressured to clean my plate(strange!) I actually took home leftovers. This is a big step for me(I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes but ask any dietitian and they'll agree).

I wish I studied more though. My brain was quite foggy by nighttime but I was cruising on caffeine. I took a WoW break with Dave and had a little fun with my paladin. Yeah they're lame, but so far it's the only class I haven't played yet.

Anywho, I stayed awake again, all night, to take the exam at noon. I thought I did pretty good, despite falling asleep twice while taking it. I was allowed to get something to drink so I grabbed a Dr. Pepper and it helped me stay awake for the rest of the exam. Once I finished I traveled back home, stayed awake for a little bit and then finally crashed.

I set my alarm clock for 10pm because I wanted to be on the Goober Zone. What was damn annoying was walking up again and again despite being dead tired. I took the hint and got on the Goober Zone, played the zombie for a bit and had quite a bit of fun

Ahhh Saturday! I went back home for the Memorial Day picnic at my aunt's house. Food, folks and fun describes how it went. We had white hots and handmade burgers. I called em meatballs because they weren't much bigger.

I got quite a workout too, playing with the youngins. Gotta get it where I can

Got the results back from my final exam. Nuclear failure.

Things have been going good. It's finally the weekend! This week has been pretty decent at work. I did get successful on all 5 QA(quality assessments). They would have been all 100s except for the one 97.5. Oh well. Also, my call time has been well under the mark, so it looks like another bonus is in the bag.

I didn't get much done in the way of cleaning and chores, I was preoccupied. Speaking of preoccupations, I've met someone through Dave(once again), only this time she's actually pretty cool. We went to Timmy H's and we chatted about a bunch of things; growing up in our areas, siblings, our mutual friend Dave, etc. It was rather interesting to just chat for hours and still feel like there's so much to cover later. I like her quite a bit and I hope she feels the same. I certainly look forward to meeting her again.

I did go to dinner with Dave and BS'd a little bit before he had to work. Apparently he's having a friend come over soon from Chicago. That ought to be interesting.

So I mentioned my fascination with Cops. I don't know what it is that I like so much about this show. Yeah, there's a bit of schadenfreude, but in truth I love seeing exactly what a cop sees and more. I find it fascinating that the cop has to see more than us, the viewer, has to see. They notice crack pipes being tossed in the darkness, or dime bags being dumped into a sewer after falling through the pant-legs of some dealer's pants. Drunk people are the funniest, and it really hits home my intentions to never get drunk. I have a lot of respect for the officers as they do push themselves each and every time.

Here's a quick guide for you perpetrators out there:

NEVER lie to the officer and always answer straight. Ambiguity always makes the officer search further.
Never try to hide something when the officer is walking up to your door. You're already gonna get busted for possession, why get busted for obstruction too?
Never run. As Chris Rock once said, if the police have to chase you, they're gonna bring an ass-kicking with them.
Don't hang around criminal scum. Chances are, they'll drag you down with them.

And you always know who's been arrested before, when the police show up and the guy immediately puts his hands behind his back.
And it makes me sad sometimes, that some of these people busted for heroin or crack were beautiful once, were normal people with a future, and they throw it all away for a high. I pray to God these people can shake off their demons and find a path to a normal life.

Let's just say I keep finding new things to motivate me to lose weight. It frustrates me to no end when I find I can't do something because of my weight. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Work was pretty smooth today, despite the contact major outages popping up. I hate navigating phone systems, and I can understand the frustrations of our customers sometimes, but I'm also very thankful we have the system because it tells people if they're having an outage and let's them hang up if they want! Phew!

I did some grocery shopping. I tell ya, the realization of just how little I am supposed to eat settled in yesterday when I weighed out my spaghetti dinner. 4oz of ground beef/turkey, 1 1/3 cups of pasta, 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce.... it was tiny. At least I had some vegetables and fruit to back up the meal.

Tomorrow morning I hope I have the energy to switch my bed and weightlifting bench. It's messy, but simple to clean up.