brainwashed

I did another new employee/store opening training meeting today for best buy. It was from 8-5. I think there are human rights policies against such things. We were made to cheer as if in a pep rally and constantly being made to participate in some "game" or chant and being saturated with best buy propaganda. It was seemingly endless. There were refreshments offered, but given the level of intensity of their "training" and team building exercises, I decided to only drink from sealed soda cans that I myself opened.

All joking aside, it doesn't seem too awful bad yet. I can imagine when we actually get in there, it will be Hell. Burlington doesn't have anything else like it, everyone will come in and gawk at all the shit they don't need.

I was reminded of last year when my house & truck burned down within months of each other. I realized what I could live without and what was most important to me. I'll be working in a place that sells things to make life "fun and easy". They intend on selling you things that will beep and flash at you and keep you occupied until the next better gizmo comes along.

There are quite a few things I would like, but the only thing I'm really into is computers, and they just about sell them at cost....no discount.

I no longer even miss TV, I might like some choice stereo equipment for my vehicles. We'll see what happens.

Speaking of vehicles, I bought another '85 ford ranger for next to nothing today. It fired rigtht up, but seemed to only need a few choice parts to complete. I've already bought them, and may have it road ready in a week or so. I need a pickup so badly....

My school project, aka the new ISS room is coming along quite well. I'll be finished with the basic construction in a few days of good effort. It is going to be great. I can't wait to actually have decent resources at my disposal. I'll try to post some pics of the finished product.

Wow. So much to do & so little time.....

Best Buy N.E.T. experience

I went to the four hour new employee training meeting today. It was very interesting (sarcasm). I think I like the ideals BB tries to foster, we'll see if they actually come about in practice and application.

All the people seemed down to earth, decent folks. They tend to want personable people in the stores. I have learned to mimics that trait well. Most people who know me know I'm not really a people person, but I can be kind and friendly when needed.

The management was a pretty lively bunch, the manager of my area seemed the most laid back, so it could be a very good thing. I've noticed that most higher corporate management types look so washed out, like they put almost every ounce of heart and soul into "the company" and leave so little for themselves. Corporate zombies....sounds like a B-movie. But they made choices they look happy with, and most likely it's just something I don't get.

their was some sort of executive there that was almost comical he looked so fake. Orange dye tan, hair replacement & dye job. He seemed a nice enough guy, but just looked so phoney, ah.....Corporate America. We were led off in a pep-rally style cheer. Obviously, moving boxes all day is something to look forward to.

Five years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and probably walked out. I've never been a "believe the hype" type of person and my sour experience with Papa John's cemented this paradigms for me. Now I see it as a stepping stone. Hell, I just might like it. When the you-know-what hits the fan and that door swings open for the first time, we'll see how much of that spirit stays in tact.

I 've always known I can deal with whatever comes my way. I see their rigid corporate standards as a good thing, rigidity is rigid both ways; do the job, show up on time, and keep your mouth shut and nothing bad happens. If I don't like it, there are four other stores in that plaza I could go to.

I found out tonight they stay open until 9 mon-thurs, 10 fri-sat, and 8 on sunday. Not shabby hours, not like I'll be there all night. Hell, retail might even give me new things to write about.

The big surprise is we all work THIS Sat & Sun, and then it's a seven days a week jobsite. Kinda puts the kie-boash on my two week notice for Domino's, I didn't realize pizza would come to such an unceremonious end.... life without pizza.....

Very soon I just might write some of my pizza anecdotes on here. I've had almost ten years doing it, quite a few things happened in my day.

In a few short years, I hope to look back on all of it and know it was just means to an end. And then I can rest, at least work in a way that means more that base survival.

Comic Strip

My new hobby is going to be writing comics. My art is not so great, but I think I have some good ideas. You never know, I could do it and sombody could actually want to pay me for the honor. I've done about 10 one-pannel comics in rough form and I might start putting them online. The only thing I can do is stuff based on my life and all the siclkly ironic thing that have happened to me.

School will be starting about the same time I start best buy, It'll be life without pizza from there on out. It's such a big step that it makes me nervous. I've done the math over and over and it seems as though I'll make more money. Mosty since I'll work more hours, and the other because I won't be burning out so much gas or tearing up my cars.

If things work well, come tax time I'm going to try to get a better car. So far, I've lost 10 pounds on my diet. So far so good. I've been making a genuine effort to clear off the back porch so I'll have a workout area. Being active will be the ultimate catalyst for me not being a lard ass anymore.

Today I call GC to set up an appointment to talk to a counsellor about the college return.

2004 was the phoenix year. Everything had burst into flames around me. 2005 is the year I reinvent myself and start the slow process of becoming who I want to be.

these times are a-changin'

With Nathan being back in town, it has given me a chance to look inward. I've noticed how much I've changed. Besides being older, fatter, and going bald. I'm way more conservative now. Last night, a group of kids on bikes rode down into my area that I didn't recognize and I called the police. Now, my thing is A). I live on a dead end surrounded by a creek. B). I don't think that many kids that age live anywhere near here. C). It was 1:00 A.M.

No kids riding bikes have any buisiness being out at one in the morning, not to mention in a neighborhood thay don't belong in, not to mention you can't just be "passing through" since I live on a dead end.

I go into a job I can't stand because I know I need the money. I stay there because I know not to quit until I find better money elsewhere.

On another note, it has been hot as hell this past week 100 + several days straight. Just feels like being in an oven all day long. I've been wanting to go out and clean my yard, but not at the risk of heat stroke! So, I'll be taking it easy for the next few days. I wanted to start working out, but not in that heat. I'd kill myself.

Robyn's kids came over and they are so tired, they want to take naps....I think I'll join them.

the game of kings

I've been playing more chess with Nathan, as of right now I am one game ahead in our little rivalry. I credit my victories to him getting too tired to make good moves and me getting hella better. He actually has a basic knowledge of how to play that I never possessed. His tips and our practice have made me a much better player. After a game or two, I expect he'll start beating me again, and I'll have to learn more.

He's been my house guest for the past few days, and a welcomed one at that. Too bad my life is way too hectic to spend much quality time hanging out. Soon he'll be in Chicago for however long, and the group will have parted ways yet again. I hope we don't wait another 10-12 years.

Speaking of groups parting ways, I realized the other day that between School (job), college, and working for best buy, I'll probably have to give up my D&D game soon. I don't want to, but I can't really give up all my free time. And free time will be in short supply. As much as I love playing, I can't stop enjoying real life to play pretend. I hope the guys continue on with new games and maybe during breaks, I can sit in from time to time.

I think of all I'll have to give up to get where I need to go and I hope it's all worth it. I read "A framework for understanding poverty". It's a book written by an educator to try to help schools come to terms with "the rough kids".

It says that in order to make it from one social class to the other, a person must be willing to make sacrifices.

I've been toying with the idea of working elsewhere other than best buy. If it come to the point of it not being flexible with my school schedule, it'll have to go anyway. I just know delivering pizza ain't the way to do it anymore. With luck and hard work, in a few short years I'll have an income that will allow me to only work one job. What a dream.....

Finished book 6

I might tell too much of the book, don't read if you don't want any clues or spoilers.


After reading in my spare time since Sunday evening, I finished the Half Blood Prince. I liked the book as a whole, but hated how it ended. I waited for the "big twist" Rowling seems to enjoy adding in, but it never came. It's a grim book, not as grim as book 5. I can see how it has set up book 7 and I have a few ideas as to what will happen.

I will admit, Harry is not my favorite character. I like him, I read his exploits and enjoy his story, but I don't enjoy the books for Harry Potter.

What I wonder is, how much facination will the next book hold? It looks like many of the things I liked the most will not be present in book 7 and I don't really know how I feel about that. I guess that, in JKR's mind, after the ending of book 6, the Potter fans will be ready to see if book 7 will give them the satisfaction to make up for all the tradgedy that was in HBP.

The sad note is, bookwise, this seems like filler to me. It, unlike the other 5 books, couldn't stand on its own as a good book in itself. I liked it as a whole BECAUSE I had already read the others.

So I sit here typing, with that "punched in the gut" feeling, digesting how I feel about it all.

Higher education and hogwart's

I spent most of the day calling schools about returning for my BA degree, and calling about finacial aid. This will continue tomorrow. I discovered if I go the easiest route to get financed, I have to take a leave of absence to student-teach one school semester. I was floated several options otherwise, but more infomation will come tomorrow.

It seems funny, they WANT people to work their way up in the schools, predicting less turnaround. But I either:

A. Go the traditional route and leave my full-time job as ISS co-ordinator which is hard since I depend on that money. Or,

B. Take a BA in a related field and possibly become qualified to do a better paying job.

I have about two years to decide my fate. Nathan and I discussed education in great length, he is sick of it, I love it. I see the downside as minor, bad kids come and go, I feel an efficient class management approach could do away with alot of the "headache" that makes teaching miserable. I like guaranteed holidays off, long summer vacations, and incredible job security. Nathan sees it as another dead-end job. I don't.

Besides, honestly, I see teaching as a means to an end. I will most likely continue my education after that as well. Who really knows where I might end up

My first session with Best Buy will be in two weeks. I get to be brainwashed by the four hour in-processing/ re-education center. Means to an end, means to an end......

Re-started my low-carb diet from last year. So far, so good. When I get a slight sugary craving, I turn up a diet rootbeer/carbsmart icream float. Good stuff. Robyn had an impropteau birthday cake for her youngest daughter, and oh it looked so tasty! I was almost misty-eyed trying to reassure myself I didn't NEED cake. But oh, I wanted just a sweet little taste. The next few weeks will be Hell as I wait to get my body acclaimated to fat-burning before I can have an occasional treat. I wanted to start exersicing today, but with more college knowledge-seeking afoot, I won't likely get the area I need cleaned off.

Also, hampering progress is the new Harry Potter book. So far, I've enjoyed reading it, and I'm about halfway in. I'll be finished in a day or so if I don't pace myself. I like to read slow and savor the imagry. I took a week to read book five, limiting my self to only reading at bedtime for about an hour.

I never had a chance to read much when I was a kid. My folks would constanly be running me around to fetch their stuff. Couldn't sit in one spot long enough to read many books. Ironicly, I'm a very good reader, and not a bad writer either. Sometimes I wonder what I could do if I could nurture a few talents.

I saw a few people I graduated with this past week, and most of them looked bad, REALLY bad. Some of them seemed ashamed to be in a sorry state and avoided speaking. I know one of them was while I was delivering pizza, so he had to have felt abit better about himself, I didn't. Nate said something about feeling comfort knowing people are doing worse than you, I think he's right.

Speaking of him, our little Chess rivalry is fun. He's got a slight leg up on me in total wins, but we seem to be much more evenly matched that I originally thought. He is a much more cautious player than I, and I am a quicker thinker than he. I look forward to our next games as I've soaked up a bit of his strategy. More fun & games to come.

The north virginian trek

I went on Sunday to help Robyn get her kids from Luray, Virginia. It was in the heart of the Apalachian Mountains and it was mostly a breathtaking trip. I had not been more than 150 miles from home more than once in 8 years. We took 5 hours to get there and stayed at a KOA, which was a first, and I kinda liked the feel of the place. I could be talked into it again.

Robyn also popped for tickets into the Luray Caverns. Not too shabby a site, I was a little diappointed with the sheer number of people that went on the tour at one time. At $20 a person and a group goes down every 10-20 minutes, I estimated there was no less than $4k an hour running through there. Then the shops, then the concessions. That one place even had a full service gas station! Made me want in on the action. You know, make a hokey tourist trap out somewhere past civilization......Wilsonland! I could have the "Robert E. Lee memorial tire pile" and a walkthrough maze walled with junk cars. I could sell mosquito repellant and tetnis boosters at the concession stands. Perhaps have some piece of rotting detralus that is kinda starting to look like Jesus and the mysterious penis tree. I could open up a KOA nearby too....... Money Money Money!!!!

I do think there are some awesome things to behold with nature. I would have enjoyed hiking through the mountains we drove through for free. I would have given anything for my old motorcycle up there.

Other than that, I'm as broke as ever. I had a bill collector try to scare the bejesus out of me. Damn near worked too. Refused a payment settlement, told me they were filing a lawsuit against me if I didn't pay in full. I told him go ahead, if I see papers, I'll have to file bankruptcy. I damn sure don't have it and can't even start on it untill September. I did find out that if they threaten a lawsuit , they have to follow through or its harassment. We'll see what happens.

The day after the trip, I woke up in so much pain, I could barely get out of bed. Now that scared the Hell out of me. I thought I was dying for awhile. With advil, hot showers, and lethargy; I'm almost back to my normal 55%.

I'm kind of nervous about the whole Best Buy thing. After the whole neck pain thing on Tuesday made me realize I'm not young or in great shape. I'll have to pace myself and hope for the best, no pun intended.

School will be back soon and I must be prepared to start my return to college. I'm making the calls tomorrow. I'll also talk to Jim, a teacher friend about it. The past year was a total waste. I must not waste any more time. 33. I must be done at 33.

.....and miles to go before I sleep.....

got it

I was hired for the new best buythis past Friday. I will soon be ending the long pizza saga of my life. I probably won't be piutting in my notice at Domino's until the last minute, if at all. They'll "notice" I stopped showing up.

I'm still not too sure how to feel about it. I guess the job will speak for itself. Means to an end really, I'll eventually get to the point where I only need to work my day job with the school. Then it's an easy sail to retirement.

I played Nathan for the first time at chess yesterday. We are 1-1. I'll admit he is probably the better player, but I never get to play "real" opponents and he may very well be smarter, definitly more educated. Here comes the rivalry........just like the street fighter days. Hell, it's all in good fun and I look forward to it.

After the game we talked politics....for HOURS and never really agreed, well, I lie. I do like his viewpoint, and I think we agreed on my key issues, but I just think we see the way to get there is different. I would have love to hear Paul's views on the subject, he tried, but he was SOOOOO wasted by that late hour.

Speaking of looking forward to things, I'm going to help Robyn go get her kids tomorrow. We are going to Nothern Virginia to meet her relatives halfway. Then on Monday we are going to some caverns then back home. I hope I bring enough cash for a few lottery tickets, and then I hope I win. We'll return in a Hummer, if not it'll have to be the Maxima. At least the company will be good either way.

I guess as far as the BB job goes, I don't consider it a step up so much as preserving my car while I finish (start) my BA in education so I will only HAVE to work at one job. Who knows what the future holds. But I know I'll be glad to see it when its here. I think that's the secret to life. Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, counting your blessings, and working towards your goals.

people skills

I'm fairly confident I will get a job at best buy this Friday. I had an interview this today, I discovered it was a three-part interview process. I interviewed with a department manager, we got along great, then the assistant manager came through went well. I didn't want to work Sundays, and she told me that they work in three piles: yes, no, and maybe. I was a maybe for wanting Sundays off. If I agreed to work some, but not every, Sunday I was in the "yes" group. The yes people (which I guess means "ass-kisser") go on to interview with the GM of the store for a final decision on hiring. They were intrigued with my ISS coordinator position. They asked me what made me want that job. How did I get into it. All I could say is it was a career move and that I love it.

So, I get to go interview again, and probably get the job, starts out better than I thought, so my money will be looking good.

Now, back to the issue of college.

New Wilson's Dictonary

I found some funnies I'm going to add a few of my own.




Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.

Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

Glibido: All talk and no action.

Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Deja Poo: the act of cutting wind in you own car, getting out, coming back and the gassy smell is still there.

Dr Pibb: Robyn's favorite drink, at least she seems to order it alot at late night dive throughs when she's really tired.

Hypochristians: the "holier than thou" type that judges and criticizes you, but they are not exactly angels themselves.

Prostitots: underage girls that dress like whores.

Dubcaps: The trashy-ass hubcaps designed to look like trashy-ass rims.

Thug Lite: when privleged white kids act like they're from the ghetto.

Feel free to come up with your own.

anticipation

I'll find out in an hour or so if the junkyard carb will fix my Honda. I'm in the hole right now, financially. A car problem was the last thing I needed during this "thin summer". I'll have to "limp along" to keep up my bills.

grilling, the primal connection.........

I love charcoal grilling. Almost everyone I know loves it. It tastes better, there seems to be an almost ritualistic art to the whole process. There is no written formula to the cookout, but they all seem to go the same routethere is a decent amount of foods, great cuts of meat, salad, alcohol, music, and merry-making. I can imagine in primal times, the hunter would bring in the food and when there was luscious meat, it was a call for celebration. They would dance and rejoice while the food was being prepared, then the stories of the hunt and of the elders and great times past. All would eat their fill and be done.

The hunter is now the host/cook and everyone listens to music, tells jokes, and stories. I think it is ingrained into us. It is a throwback to what we once were; before supermarkets, and electricity, our lifestyle is new, speaking historically. We've only been away from wood fire cooking for about 100 years or less. And most parts of the civilized word only cook and heat with fire out of novelty, not necessity.

Somewhere back in the deepest recesses of who we are, there is that primal creature. The hunter, the survivor, the thing that kicks in from time to time. The one that knows what to do when everything falls apart. Ingrained within our very being, he see sees that big, raw steak and knows what to do. He knows how to make it good.........

The fire.

diet

One of the things I'm going to start this week is my diet. I'm going back on Atkins. The only thing I found difficult is it is hard to plan my meals during school & working two jobs. I had planned to go back on it halfway through last school year, but I was too busy with burning houses and such. Not to mention, my folks have a horrible concept of what food is, and I couldn't eat healthy at all. I really enjoyed Atkins-stlye eating. All the rich, flavorful food, and as much as I wanted. The down side is the loss of bread, pasta, and sweets, but the only real downfall was sweets. I have a sweet tooth from hell. The good news is that with this diet, if I maintain well, I can have an occasional treat after the first few weeks. Not to mention I'm quite fond of diet root beer floats with low carb ice cream. MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm.

I'm re-dedicating myself to housework today. By the time I go to bed tonight, my house will be very clean, it's not bad now, but I want it better. Something about people making a surprise visit and the reaction is "hot damn!", not "god damn!" makes me feel good.

I feel the same connection to my health, I want people to think "hot damn, he takes care of himself" not "god damn he looks bad". The bad part is, I don't feel terribly unhealthy, but 240lbs puts alot of strain on my knees and ankles. And I know how much better I felt, so there.

everything's gonna be alright....

Found a junker car out in the boondocks that matches my honda and the guy will sell me the carb off of it for 60 & warranty it. Now I just have to get by tail out there and remove it myself. And therein lies the real challenge.

Robyn has told me I can loan some cash to make a down payment on a "real car". My best bet is a half-dead '97 ranger a block from my house at a used car lot. I have no Idea how it runs, but it is a high-milage truck, even by my standards, but if was decently maintained, it could be a good choice. I need a pickup badly.

The rotten news is that Robyn's can needs a flywheel. She's fed up with the car and I can't say I blame her. It's an '86 maxima with 217000 miles on it. To make the thing 100% again it needs:
tune-up - 50
flywheel - 300-ish
struts - 400-ish
re-alignment - 60-100-ish
(optional) ac repair - 200-ish
In the ballpark of $1000 to keep a $500 car running.

Now, I think that with all those repairs, she could get a good bit o' that cash back by driving it untill tax-time next year and getting something new. The car has starting huffing a little smoke sporatically, but doesn't have an engine knock at all. And a fresh oil change might help a bit of that, it's come due but the oil plug has been stripped out and I haven't had the time to play with it.

I must be in for some good luck, or perhaps it's karma? Was I a despot in my previous life?

luck & karma & such

A few months ago, I was joking about how my truck burned up, my house burned up and since I'm still here and going, I figured things would be looking up soon. Now my Honda needs a new carb on it. The one on it is too far gone to be salvaged. I have gone crashing past my comfort zone and now I have to borrow money to get my car on the road. The tragic part is that it is just small enough of an amount that it is worth fixing, but much more and I should just get another car. I think there is more life left to it, I just have to get past the "used and abused" damage and get it back on track.

Even as the price is bad enough, my real problem is that no body can get the part to me untill Wendsday.

Screwed

My 85 Honda obviously has a major problem. The guy I tend to trust as a mechanic has had it for 3 days to rebuild the carbuerator on it. I have seen this guy rebuild an engine in a day or less and right now he can't get my car straight. I'm supposed to work tonight at pizza, but Hell, no car, no work. If he can't finish by today....I'm screwed. I'll most likely get fired.

irony

I want to be creative, make a web-comic, a haloween costume, a good blog entry.....SOMETHING. Alas, I have found I cannot be clever on command. I will admit to wanting to do a web comic, I just don't seem to have the ability to relate witty commentary with art. I might try to do a few and post them to see how they do. I will be posting some social commentary very soon on my other blog. Lotta crap I have a strong opinion on happening these days.

My old high school buddy Nathan is in town for a few days. With Paul living in Burlington, we've gotten together a few times. This is the first time we've all been together in about 10 years. We need to get a picture together before he heads for the rapids in WV. I covet his pickup. Wish we had more time, but I'm busy, Paul's busy,and Nate is trying to score a new job on the East coast. Time is a precious commodity.

I'm maintaining the house, finally got another washer & dryer, that seems to be going well so far.
Over the next week, I need to organize my back porch and get the yard sale ready. However, I did repair one of my phone lines. Now I have and easily accessible jack yay me.

My car is out of commission, temporarily I hope. This is going out of my expenditure comfort-zone to repair it. Not fixing it will ruin me.

I'm eager to see if I do well this summer on limited funds. This will prove to me if I can exist megerly while I finish my BA. Must finish school, teachers don't get paid much, but it's a damn sure sight better than my current income. Only working one job & having Summers off would be heaven for me.

Alright, now I must sleep.

House

My favorite topic of late. I've been lazy, but not terribly so. The house is not getting messy, I just haven't been as strongly set on accomplishing any goals the past week or so. That will change as soon as I finish writing this. I'll go work on my back porch.
I bought a new printer this past week and have yet to install it, just to give you an idea of how lax I've been.
I'm supposed to get my washer & dryer tomorrow. I'm excited. Once everthing is installed, I'll go to work on my laundy/storage room. I've been planning a yard sale for two weeks, nothing yet.

I bought some more lottery tickets Saturday I had a scratch off ticket that won me $15, too bad it was a $10 ticket. I might go back next week and try again. I'm not silly, I know the odds. It's still fun. I like to buy a ticket and drive back, usually with Robyn and talk about everything we will do when we get rich. Sometimes I think she thinks we have a better chance of winning than I actually do, maybe she's right. Only thing I know about the lottery is :
a. I like playing.
b. People do win.
c. You gotta be in it to win it.
d. I dropped more money on dumber things.

So what the hell, right? You won't roll your eyes if I win. If you still do, what will I care? I'll be rich!

It's the end of the world as I know it...I feel tired...

Well damn. The news has been facinating as of late. Paul turned me onto Fark, that makes it even better. It seems like the winds of change are a blowin'.

Michael Jackson was found not guilty. If you didn't know that, you have not not been introduced to the formula.

Rich + famous = aquittal.

Let's go over a few:
Snoop Dogg
O.J.
Charlie Chaplain
Fatty Arbuckle
Robert Blake
Kobe Bryant

The only person who didn't see thier life crash & burn after the fact was Snoop, but being actually accused of being a thug and a murderer is a good thing when you are a gangster-rapper.

Another thing was this horrible losing streak of Mike Tyson's. I remember when he was a one punch monster. A monster, not even human, a predator....or was he? When I was a pre-teen, I knew boxers were tough, I knew nothing about "past his prime". I saw Tyson crush people with impressive ring credentials. I didn't realize they were mostly all wash-ups who's haydays were 10+ years prior and looking for one last paycheck.

I remeber George Foreman making a comeback and thinking: "Wow! This old guy is showing up a lot of younger people." A very hopeful, encouraging tale. Then Tyson vs. Foreman...what if? There were to fight but Tyson backed out of the fight. I used to think Tyson would have killed Foreman quickly. Now I'm not too sure. Foreman was hard to drop. I saw Evander Holifield break Foreman down and unloaded a can of whoopass that would have and did drop Tyson years later. George didn't fall. Foreman has a slow clobbering punch vs Tyson's fast "haymaker".

The thing that decides it for me is toughness. Foreman at 45 had more in-ring stamina and a harder jaw than Tyson ever had. Tyson never stood toe to toe with a person who was able to take a good shot. And tyson has a glass jaw.

And maybe all Tyson ever had was hype. Hell, I beat Tyson a few times......on "Punch Out! ". For the 9 million he got paid, I'd fight him tonight. Yeah, Yeah, I'd get my ass handed to me, but 9 mil buys alot physical therapy.

I don't have tv at home, I waste enough time on the computer. When I look I get depressed. Who the Hell is Paris Hilton and why does anyone care?
You know, I personally don't give a damn about the personal lives of the rich and famous. I like movies, and listen to music. I really don't want to see the "reality". The reality is they are a pretty screwed up lot and it'll make you sick to know that they are usually no better than anyone else. My idea of entertainment is an escape. I wan't to see beauty, I want to be moved and inspired. I don't wan't to see Ozzy Osbourne swear at his kids for 20 minutes.