Modern Warfare 2

So, I have found a new obsession Modern Warfare 2. It seems I'm playing every chance I get. That often means playing until way too late at night. Even though I go to bed bleary eyed, I could have played for hours longer.

My favorite aspect of the game is playing online challenges against real people. I'm not much into playing the part of the game that is the story. I'm sure the story is fine, but I like testing my skill against thumb quick youngsters.

I spend most of the game getting out quicked and dying often. I bought the game months after it was released. That put me behind all the other users. I know that is an excuse for all my dying, but that is my story and I'm sticking with it.

So, if you are ever playing Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live, invite me (kipkillagin1) to play. You can rack up a lot of points killing me. It's easy.

Toothache Weekend

I couldn't sleep Tuesday night because my one of my teeth was causing me discomfort. So I made an appointment to see my dentist on Wednesday. My dentist thinks that that tooth is abcessing and sent me to a specialist. Unfortunately, I had a deadline at work and could not see the Endodontist until Monday. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal. Until Friday.

Friday morning I woke up and the tooth felt fine. I had a bowl of cereal and headed for work. During my commute the tooth starting hurting. It hurt all day. The only relief I could get was swishing cold water in my mouth and that only works for a short period of time. I forgot my pain medication at home and Queentuffy was gracious enough to bring it to me. I took two vicodin because I was in severe pain. That made me sick to my stomach and went home early from work.

I could not get any comfort. I went to bed after dinner and couldn't sleep. Queentuffy and I got up around 1 am and watched DVRd American Idol episodes (don't judge us.) I took some more vivodin and tried to go to sleep. Finally at 4 am we decided to go to the emergency room.

The er doc gave me a shot to deaden the pain. That was great. We finally got some sleep after 5 am. I slept until about noon and got up because I was hungry. I had another bowl of cereal. Soon after the tooth started hurting again. I quickly showered and went and had the prescription the er doc gave me filled. I took two percosets and hoped for the best. Another hour passed and I took a third percoset.

We almost went back to the er because nothing was working. Finally the percosets made me sleepy. I went to bed at 3:30 in the afternoon. I slept until 9:30 the next morning. The good news is my tooth doesn't hurt as bad. I think it was the cold of the cereal causing the problem.

Monday I will probably have a root canal. Normally I wouldn't be this excited about having a hole drilled in my tooth, but this is going to be such a relief. I can't wait.

Pancakes

I have never made pancakes from scratch before. Queentuffy and I decided we need to eat more at home. With that decision I realized I wanted to try making pancakes from scratch. I didn't have a recipe. So, I did a search on the web. I decided to try buttermilk pancakes using this recipe. I don't know who Scott Jensen is, but he has a great pancake recipe.

I would have taken pics of the event, but I was focused on not mucking this up I forgot. You'll have to trust me. They were great. The website did a good job of explaining the whole process. A process that was much simpler than I expected. Thankfully.

Queentuffy said we have to add these to our normal dinner rotation. I have to agree. I like these a lot and look forward to having them again. Next time I will add bacon on the side.

My-Verse

According to the Obama campaign it was time for change. Though our change wasn't felt country wide, it still was big for us. That's right we kicked Time Warner Cable to the curb and got AT&T U-Verse.

After months of discussing amongst ourselves and friends who have U-Verse, we decided it was time for a change. Time Warner had been a let down as of late and Queentuffy never liked being "hijacked" by them. Though our cost will be about the same, Queentuffy likes the fact its not Time Warner getting our money.

For me it was the inconsistant internet connection. I'm quite addicted to Xbox Live. I love to play Battlefield 1943, 1 vs 100, and Modern Warfare 2 online. It was pissing me off everytime we lost connection and I got kicked out of the game.

Besides a consistent internet connection there are more things to like that we didn't get with Time Warner. We can record a show on the downstairs dvr and watch it on the upstairs tv. That comes in handy when I record Ghost Hunters. Queentuffy doesn't like the show and now I can watch it when I want to and not wait to be home alone.

We can set the dvr from our phone or work computers. This may not be that big of a deal, but you never know. I remember being out of the house and it dawning on us that we forget to set the dvr. This won't be a problem anymore.

I has the NFL network. I could never understand why Time Warner didn't offer this channel. Now I don't care. AT&T has it. It is nice. Especially during the playoffs. Next season I won't miss any of the NFL network only games. Yes. I'm stoked.

One last cool thing. It could be our imaginations, but I think the picture is much better with AT&T. I don't have a HDTV so I didn't expect too much from picture quality. I am very happy with the picture improvement.

I am happy with the decision. Hopefully we will be happy for years to come.

Christmas Non-Secular

With the holiday season upon us again, I have been nostalgic. I remember that we would be photographed surrounded by our gifts in a before and after setup. As a child, that was what Christmas was to me - a chance to get gifts and be with family.

I remember being disappointed when I found out it was a religious holiday. I have never been a religious person. Not back then. Not now. Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, et al were the major players of this holiday. Tree, lights, cartoons, singing, and decorating were the major activities. And I look back at that time with fondness.

Maybe I was just being a spoiled child. Maybe I wasn't. Life for a five year old is simple and wondrous. I didn't need anything to complicate something so wonderful. Wouldn't it be great to have that feeling back. Being a kid rocked. It rocked harder during the holidays. My toughest tasks back then was trying to figure out what was behind the wrapping paper. I became a master at working the corners and sneaking a peek inside. Sorry, Mom. I cheated and knew a good percentage of my gifts by using this technique.

But that was the fun. No midnight mass. No worrying about credit card bills or being laid off. Just the giddiness of getting gifts, singing carols, and watching the stop motion TV shows like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Who wouldn't want that?

Easy Resolutions

I usually don't do New Year's resolutions. I don't know why. I have many areas of me that I would like to improve. I think setting resolutions that change a person are very difficult to keep. So, I will set some resolutions that will be fun to keep and still improve my life. Here we go.

1. Finish my bachelor's degree. I am only 18 credit hours away. While this doesn't fit in the fun category, it will create more free time to have fun.
2. Workout more. Again, this may not sound like fun. But, I do like to lift weights. I think that is all I did in high school besides play football. Going to the gym to lift is fun. Going to the gym to run not so much.
3. Be a better husband. This will be fun. Queentuffy deserves better than the usual me. So, I will be stepping up in this area.
4. Be a better friend. I have met some great people, and some have become my friend. I am not the most attentive friend. I don't make the phone calls I should or share my true feelings. Logtar can attest to this fact. I promise to be better.
5. Go fishing more. I have a boat and all the equipment and time. I have no excuses. Queentuffy and I will be catching more fish this year.
6. Drums. I have made friends with musicians this year. And they have rekindled my desire to play the drums. It has been 5 or 6 years since I was in a band. Time to dust off the drums and get back into playing. Maybe I will find a band.
7. Find a career I love or at least tolerate. I have put a lot of effort and keeping employed in 2009. This was made significantly harder because I don't like my current career. I will continue with my soul search and item 1 of this list.

Well. That is all I can think of right now. These should be pretty easy to do with the exception of the last item on the list. Wish me luck.

Career Matched?

I recently read Career Match by Shoya Zichy. It was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. I knew it would deal with what career would work best with my personality. Of course, there would be a personality test. I have taken personality tests before. Including the Myers-Briggs when in college, but the results were less than accurate. So, I was skeptical.

The authors give you a 10 minute test called the Color Q Personality Style Self Assessment. After you finish the results are easy to garner. Your results are given to you in colors red, green, blue, and gold. You are assigned a primary color and a secondary color. I won't go into what each pairing means and just tell you that I am a Red/Green.

The test, also, determines if you are an introvert or an extrovert. I already knew before taking the test that I am an introvert, but I took the test in its entirety, and the result was the expected introvert. So, my final personality type result is Red/Green introvert.

After reading the description of the Red/Green introvert I discovered the authors were right. They nailed it. Their description of me matched my results of the personality test. I was surprised. As I mentioned before I had taken other tests and the results were iffy. Not this time. They were accurate.

Here are a few things the book mentions about Red/Green introverts that are me.

1. Like to initiate and implement change.
2. Excel in assignments that are nonrepetitious.
3. Most productive when left on my own.
4. Is relaxed and informal.
5. Unattractive surroundings will distract and irritate me.
6. Encourages rapport through a sense of humor.
7. Offers a high degree of trust.

After confiming that the description was right, I read on to see what was thought to be a good career path. The book lists many careers broken out by industry. The list is nowhere near being complete or is said to be as such, but it gives a pretty good starting point. Here are some examples for Red/Green introverts that I thought were interesting.

Arts and entertainment

• artist, photographer, entertainment agent, film editor, and art director

Business

• lawyer, product designer, public relations specialist, and business coach

Health Science

• gynecologist, speech pathologist, nurse, and primary care physician

These were just a few careers and industries. Now I have to use the information I have and brain storm on what I want to do when I grow up. I'm still clueless, but I feel I'm getting closer. It will take some hard work and some hard thinking. I will have to do some soul searching. I am confident that I will figure this out.

If you are in the situation as me or just curious about your Color Q personality, I recommend reading this book. It may surprise you.