Dylan's Favorite Type of Lady Cage Match

The other day at PAJIBA we had a good talk about red haired women and the men who love them. I count myself as one of those guys but it's not only the scarlet haired beauties that catch my eye. I also enjoy other varieties of the fairer sex. Today we will list my top 3 "types" and talk about why each of them are so irresistible to this writer.

# 3- Jewish girls- They don't have to practice the faith but women folk who come from this back round have a sway over me. The dark hair, the smoldering eyes and the fact that dating one of God's chosen people might earn me some brownie points come apocalypse time all appeal to me. I have yet to date a girl from this group but I have a delicious hook up memory from my sophomore year of college.

# 2 Red Head's- These girls are just a lot of fun. Every one I have known in the biblical sense or just as friends know how to have a good time. Like I mentioned on Pajiba the other day it has been my experience that most women with red hair have also been blessed with fantastic racks which is like being gifted a new car filled with gold. The popular jokes around her are usually disparaging "fire crotches" but I could really care less the fire haired ladies of the world are more than alright in my book.

# 1 Latina's!!! - Even though my ex is one I wouldn't dream of holding against the rest of these women. What do I like about them? Well let's see, the are all hot and I mean all of them, when I traveled to South America I found that in each country people thought their women were the best. Venezuelan girls laughed at Argentine ones, Argentinian women thought they were way hotter than Chilean or Paraguayan girls and pretty much everyone was jealous of Brazil. To me though it doesn't matter- they are all gorgeous. Girls who were deemed average looking to other Latin Americans looked liked models to me and I was mocked for thinking that some of the maids I saw were pretty damn cute. They are generally alot of fun to hang out with and let's face it, Spanish is a pretty sexy language. It's because of this attraction that I am 99.9% sure I will father a little Pablito at some point in my life.

So there you have it my top 3. Keep in mind that although I prefer these groups it's been well over a month since sex so much right now I'm like Don Johnson in that the only thing I'm needing right now is a "Heartbeat - I'm looking for a heartbeat"

Bad Work Day

Well this week is not off to the greatest start. My first project is delayed and the buyer is calling and chewing my ass out. So I go to the CEO and ask where we are in the instillation because that part is separate from my office and he goes berserk and screams and rants for a good 15 minutes about the client being "pushy". Personally if I had wrote a check for 200k and hadn't seen any progress for 2 months I would be pushy as well but I can't really go tell my client that so I've spent the better half of the morning getting in on both ends so to speak.

Is it Friday yet?

Everybody is workin' for the Weekend

Including me. So far my day has consisted of a phone call to the Netherlands and trying to understand the Dutch accented English of Mr. Maurik. Then a phone call to Peru where my fragmented Spanish didn't seem to iron out the details of a turbine project and finally a email I received from a guy in Greece which read "I am 3 wind turbines" in response to my question of "Which size of turbine do you need?"

Sometimes I really wish we could all speak in binary.

But serioulsy folks...

Normally I like to keep things light and breezy if we aren't talking about the Hurricane Shitstorm that was my marriage, BUT today a real storm, Hurricane Omar is going to hit the island of St. Kitt's where my two best friends (the two pictured) who somehow decided to rub uglies together for life are currently living. So here is hoping the damage is minimal and Joe, Heather and I can get back to drinking Chicago's finest hops sometime soon. 

Mid Afternoon Data Entry Blues

After I eat my lunch today I have an afternoon chock full busy of work. For my job that means I'm going to take numbers from clients electric bills enter them into my work computer program. Then I'm going to go over wind charts for various locals around the globe and enter those as well. Then I will see which turbine matches the production needs vs budget constraints and make my recommendation. At which point the client will look at the price tag, balk and decide to wait.

Sigh.

New Decemberists

One of my favorite bands The Decemberists have released a new song as they prepare to release their first CD in 2 years. You can check out it out here.

Random Thought

We ran out of toilet paper today at work and that made me remember something very important for future travelers.  Are you ready for this shocking insight? No? Take a seat and prepare yourself.

SOUTH AMERICA HAS THE WORST TOILET PAPER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I'm serious, the tp down there isn't even half ply. It's worse than sandpaper. Admittedly, I place a strange importance on the softness of the paper I use to wipe my undercarriage with but I figure you need to pamper the parts of you that you don't want to piss off. That's why I'm more than willing to stub the shit out of my little toe but very reluctant to let things poke my eyeball. Anyways, Jujuy Argentina is a brillant beautiful place but the paper down there is an affront to backsides everywhere. And the problem isn't just limited to Argentina, both Chile and Bolivia had toilet paper so rough that it made me cry and wish for the sweet feel of freedom paper on my ass. 

So in summation- Latin America = Awesome place to visit or live

                                Toilet Paper in said local= Well, just bring your own supply, who cares if immigration gives you a weird look as you pass through customs.

Reviewing Narrow Stairs

From time to time I'm going to post stuff about shows, movies or albums I like. Today I will talk about the album that has been near the top of my iPod shuffle for awhile now. Death Cab for Cutie's Narrow Stairs is their latest record and in my opinion the most diverse and complete to date. The sound of the record is a big departure from Transatlaticism or even 2005's Plans. Up to this point the band has been more into synth as less traditional modes of delivery. Narrow Stairs sees Death Cab start to explore a more "rock" centric sound.

Right from the intro song "Bixby Canyon Bridge" we can tell this is a different approach from the band. "Bixby" is one of my favorite tracks on the record and immediately sets a tone that will be carried throughout the album. Gibbard's voice has never been overpowering but he has knack for letting it filter in between the rest of the band's sound that blends everything together. The distortion from the guitars on this while Gibbard sings about journeying to the grave of Jack Kerouac is an example of the blend I mentioned above.

The second track was the first single and was the song that let die hard fans and new converts alike know this album was a very different Death Cab. "I will Posses your Heart" clocks in at over 8 minutes long and sounds NOTHING like what they had done in the past. I really loved this song when it was out as the single and a few months later it's still a song I will skip to.

Other track's that standout include- Cath, You can do better than me and the song that best fits my relationship status "The Ice is Getting Thinner". If you have gone through a relationship of any real length, and I'm talking year(s) people that went through the inevitable periods of compromise, settling and slow decay then you can relate to that song in a big way. The way the song starts out caught my attention right away

We're not the same, dear, as we used to be The seasons have changed and so have we There was little we could say and even less that we could do To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you

Not to get too emo (that was so 5 years ago for me) but that sums up what can happen between two people who have been together for awhile pretty well.

The best song on the record for me is "Grapevine Fires" which is just another perfectly haunting love song from a band that has already produced several. Gibbard describes the wildfires in California from two years back and the band's musical arrangement behind his soft yet powerful vocals makes for a fantastic mellow song on an album featuring a more distorted sound.

The only throwaway track is "Talking Bird", usually there is 1 or 2 songs on a Death Cab album that don't do it for me and Narrow Stairs is no exception. However, this was the first CD from them where I really got into the other tracks so pressing skip 1 time isn't that big of a burden for me.



So there you have it some random guy's opinion on Narrow Stairs. I think next post will be over the Chicago trip (with pics!) and then a review of 30 Rock where I list the many reasons why I love that show to death.

Chicago Trip Awaits..

After I head out of the office today I will begin my journey to the Windy City. I'm pretty excited and looking forward to what should be a fun weekend. I absolutely love Chicago and if it wasn't so fucking cold there winter I would move there in a heartbeat. My friend Derek has been living there for a few months now and it will be nice to catch up and have a place to crash. We are planning on seeing Second City perform on Saturday and then seeing what the nightlife has to offer. When I bought the plane tickets I was banking on the Cubs being on the playoffs but alas another season and another fantastic failure. Sigh.

What is Happening to my Country?

Today we are going to talk about the state of discourse or lack thereof in America right now. It might just be me but it seems in the last 8 years people have suddenly started to view political affiliation as being equal to rooting for a sports team. The nation has divided itself into Team Republican! and Team Democrat! and its so hip right now to for both sides to view their countrymen with different political affiliations as either A- Hick, prejudiced, ignorant morons or B- Liberal, God hating elitists douchebags. Mainstream media has reflected and (in my mind) encouraged this divide by creating entire channels catering to a side rather than reporting objective truths. You have Fox News vs. MSNBC you have Malkin vs Ted Rall, Politico vs Daily Kos in almost every medium of information we have decided to retreat to our respective corners and only talk amongst people who see the world the way we do. It's common and acceptable to demonize your neighbors or anyone who doesn't see things exactly the way you do, fuck debating or having civil conversations you have to ATTACK the other "team" and debate has become a competition to see who can WIN the argument. Only in this day and age nobody wins, people just get frustrated call the other side whichever generic insult is in vogue at the moment and go back to their tribe.

Who does this serve? Certainly not the nation all of these people reside in. Nothing is getting accomplished, our politicians are more polarized than ever, nothing gets done in Congress because its suddenly not right to work with the other side. I love Obama and will vote for him in November but the guy has no substantial record of working with the Republicans and that is not anything to be proud of. I don't want a politician that half the country hates and who views them as bitter and clinging to guns and religion. I want a leader who shows respect to the other side without pandering or compromising his own values. If Obama continues to vote along the lines of party hacks like Kerry and Pelosi then the enormous potential for his presidency will be wasted. I find it very interesting that simply because John McCain is running against Obama that suddenly McCain is a terrible person who the left think is old and crazy. He wasn't thought this way before the election when he was viewed as about a good as a Republican as you could hope for. Just because the man is running against your preferred candidate that leaves nobody the right to turn him into some evil caricature or paint him as a doddering old man. John McCain served this nation both as a solider and as a civil servant for years and should be above these kinds of smears. I cringe when I read people hiding behind the anonymity just blasting the guy without base. He does have some political baggage but EVERY politician who has been in the arena of public service this long will. Obama has avoided most of this because his career is so young but even he has some questionable relationships.

I guess this is just about being frustrated with my own "team's" behavior during this election season. This is no longer a country have discourse about how to improve our nation for all of us its Us vs Them and that is really too bad.

Backround

Alright, Since I have tried and failed several times to maintain a blog this time I'm going to get it right. I'm at a time in my life where there should be plenty to write about and hopefully in the future these posts can serve as a record of this chaotic but unique time.


If anyone reads this here is the situation. Around 4 years ago I was just your ordinary college sophomore going after his degree in the manner typical to 19 year old boys. That mean I was not spending enough time in school and way too much time drinking the night away. I've always been prone to bouts of complete laziness and back then those would stretch seemingly for months on end. I was basically just drifting through school and life with no real direction looking for something to invest myself in. It was after my 2nd year in school that things would change pretty dramatically. I was working for the university grounds crew doing landscape work and saving enough $ to pay rent and buy beer on the weekends. Most of the other students working that summer were from South America and since I speak Spanish I was put on a work crew with 2 girls and 2 guys all from either Paraguay or Argentina. Well over the course of the summer one of the Argentine girls and I got close and started dating. We kept it casual for 7-8 months before two of her roommates went crazy and she moved in with me until her lease expired and she could move somewhere else. Or so we thought. By that time we had been dating for just about a year and things were really good for both of us. I had switched majors to Anthropology/Latin American studies and finding something I enjoyed studying had really changed my efforts on the academic front. Astrid and I decided to keep living together and as the summer of 2006 rolled around we were looking forward to getting used to living with each other and basically just being 21 year olds in love.

It was that August when things changed really quick. Astrid's family is middle-upper class in Argentina was paying ALOT of money to send her to school here. Once the peso went to shit and they were paying 3-1 on the dollar it got hard to send 48k pesos every year for school. I still remember one day when her mom called and I was doing my best to follow the conversation. It was one of those times where you could just tell by the tone that something important/ominous was going to happen. Astrid told me her family couldn't afford to send her to school anymore and had bought her a ticket back to Argentina, for good. Suddenly all the tentative far far down the road plans we had made were gone, we were faced with just being split apart over something neither of us could control. We spend a few days being depressed and freaking out about all of this before I kind of jokingly suggested we could just get married. Then that idea kind of gained traction. Let me issue this disclaimer- I was NEVER EVER one of those guys who wanted to get married right away, my life planner had a marriage tentatively penciled in my mid-late 20's range. That said those plans didn't really mean much at the moment and I guess the stubborn part of me wasn't about to let something like money break apart a relationship with a girl I really loved so I called my parents and told them to get ready for the fastest wedding ever planned. We had been together for just 15 months at the time. I knew I wasn't ready and neither was she but we both were in love and willing to take a chance and fail rather than just let whatever we had fade out. So we got married. At 21. Near a courthouse with as many friends and family as we could pull together on short notice.

Our first year together was spent taking college classes and going through immigration process which is exactly as un-romantic as it sounds. Astrid wasn't allowed to work legally during the paper filing process so we were pretty broke and I was busy taking class/working/borrowing money from the family. In alot of ways it was a shitty year but it other ways it was nice. My grades were up to A/B's and I was on track to graduate. We went through alot of the normal turbulence's of a young marriage- we discovered that I'm a bit more laid back, she was more outgoing, I like alternative/indie movies and music whereas she like popcorn flicks and family films (i know right??) but all in all things were ok. That summer we went to Argentina and had the official Catholic sanctioned wedding for her family. I stayed there for 3 months that summer and for another month that winter break. My Spanish got alot better and living in another country was just as exciting and awesome as I had also dreamed it would be but by then strains where apparent. Looking back on it now I can see it wasn't a series of little or big fights it was just two people growing apart. Exactly what I knew might happen when I decided to get married so young anyway. We separated this May but things had been awful for a few months before that. After two months we tried to make it work again but when you have had a really strained relationship its hard to overcome all the scars and bitterness that all the little fights and problems have caused. We were able to find some kind of numb detached middle ground that was tolerable but finally I (and I think she) realized that just getting by wasn't good enough and we could both be happier long term just ending the thing.

To further complicate matters just graduated in May, started my new job with an actual title (Director of Sales) and actual responsibility (which I'm currently neglecting to write this overly long post). The job is near where I grew up but sadly most of the friends I had from those days are at colleges or towns far away. Its like being home and finding nobody lives there anymore, its a strange thing to be single and lonely in a very familiar location.

But that's where I am right now and I think that's a good ending point for one part of this life story and a good spot to start the blog. I doubt anyone will ever read this which is fine, but for any accidental stragglers I promise other posts will be much lighter in nature and a bit shorter as well.