One to go! Christmas is over, and now all I have to do is get New Years out of the way. It's not that I'm anti-holiday or anything, I just have so much stuff happening in January I'm eager to get the ball rolling.

Had a great time in Eugene...which I realize is an oxymoron. I got into town and Casey and Nirut promptly took me to dinner, then we went and saw A Night at the Museum, which was kinda sucky but OK. Got home to a wonderful crock pot stew dinner, then we watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and ate christmas cookies. Sunday we slept late and then went to lunch, then I was off to the grove of cottages! My mom and I stayed up Christmas eve eating christmas cookies (lots of that happened this weekend) and watched It's a Wonderful Life. It had been a while since I had seen the whole thing start to finish and it's still a decent film after all this time, although I really wanted to see Mr. Potter get his comeuppance.

Hope the holidays are treating everyone well!

Wow, two blog entries in the same week, I must be on meth. Must blog, must clean, must blog, must dig imaginary insects from beneath my skin, must blog...

Thanksgiving was spent in Eugene (well, Cottage Grove more specifically) with the family, and all had a great time. Nothing like getting loaded with your family to make the holiday whizz by! We started with Bloody Mary's and then moved on to straight shots of Silver Patron. Oh, and then wine with dinner...I know, when do I call Betty Ford? But it was fun and the food was awesome and the company sublime, and don't get me started on the singing and dancing! Thanks to Mom and my Sister in law Darla for putting me in such gastric heaven. Pics are in the pictures section.

Mom and I hit the mall and assorted other shops in Eugene for Black Friday, but not at the threatened time of 5:00...more like 10:30. And of course, the two items I wanted at Best Buy were gone by the time I got there...stupid short supply of stupid lost leaders! Oh well, you live and learn. We did meet up with my Portland friends Jason and Clint at the mall, who were also there to visit family, so that was fun. Eugene is a great place to visit, but living there between the ages of graduation and AARP is just not in the cards. :)

I just discovered that I am google-able! Google "Mike's Bytes" and I'm the first and second hit. Hazah!

Well here it is, a month later, time to update the blog. Seriously, no one is reading this, and I can hardly blame them. I think I actually saw my page counter move backwards the last time I looked. Oh wait, I haven't installed a page counter yet. Hmm, maybe the google exposure will help...

My friend Forest got a job with Extensis, so he and Bryan moved up from Long Beach and are now staying at Casa de Mike. Bryan got his job back with the downtown association, so all is well. They will be here for a spell and then I'm sure at some point they will want to move on to their own place, but for however long it works out to be it's nice having them here. It's nice to be able to re-connect with them too after being gone for so long. Having roommates again is kinda strange, but they are my friends so it doesn't feel as odd as it would with a stranger for sure. And we all have DS's so the Animal Crossing gaming action is non-stop!

So things with me are good. The iMac is gone and a MacBook has replaced it. My Mac has an Intel chip in it....somewhere my evil counterpart is chuckling. But all in all I'm very pleased with it, it's so cute I just want to eat it up. I don't think I'll ever have a desktop again, I like being able to take it around the house, to work, and to coffee shops. I took it to Chit-Chat a few weeks ago, which is kind of an internet cafe that serves Bubble Tea and bagels. I felt young and hip and silly all at the same time, sitting in a big over-stuffed chair chugging bubble tea and listening to a Japanese language podcast on my iPod while I surfed the web for Transformers on eBay. I do miss my big beautiful 20" display tho, maybe somewhere down the line I'll get myself an external display but I'm not sure. I want to be careful I don't try to turn my laptop into a desktop: I've fallen into that trap before with my computers before.

Thursday and Friday I'll be in the grove of cottages for Thanksgiving with the family, that should be fun. My mom has already issued the Shopping Challenge: 5:00 AM at the mall. Do I dare? I'll let you know what happens, whatever it is, there is bound to be something Blogworthy. And I'll take pictures, natch.

Oh, and Chloe is being featured in this year's Oregon Humane Society Northwest Pets calendar! Each page has a large photo of someone's pet with a smaller inset of another, and Chloe got one of the smaller insets. I'll have a link up soon if you would like to order one...it's for a good cause, and my cat was selected for it which makes it extra cool! What's her pose? Crashed out on her back asleep as usual...someone at work who saw it jokingly asked me if she was dead. That's my girl!

I decided that's what I should call my blog when I'm feeling blah: a Blahg. I think that's also how you spell the name of the stuff you cough up first thing in the morning.

Today a bird pooped on me outside of Starbucks. Random act of wildlife, or punishment for supporting a corporate monster? I'll let you decide. I do believe that is the first time I've been pooped on by a bird. It must have been part Teradactyl too because it was no small blotch...think Cadbury creme egg dropped from 20 stories and it's like you were there.

John and Brandon sent me the booty they got for me at Botcon this year. They got me some great bling and some autographs from some of my most favorite voice actors...I get giddy just looking at all this stuff. Thanks guys!

There's an older woman on the bus every morning who I'm "hi" buddies with. I get on, we smile, nod, you know, a bus pal. This morning she was sitting in front of me when she turned and said "you're new to taking the bus, aren't you dear?" I laughed and said "why, does it show?" She said "you know how I know? Because when the bus driver makes a turn, I see you turn to check the traffic as if you were driving." We laughed...I hadn't realized I had been back seat driving the Tri-Met driver. I was just helping to cover his blind spot, that's all.

Tonight I chatted with Brandon, half of the John and Brandon brother duo that I was supposed to be with at Botcon this weekend. It sounds like they are having the time of their lives, and I really, really wish I was there with them. Next year guys!

Speaking of Transformers, when I bought the one in the previous blog entry last night on the register display it rang up as "Male Action...$9.99". Daniel and I laughed at that one. Not "Transformer", not "Action Figure", but "Male Action". Not only is that unbelievably sexist (girls can't play with Transformers?), but it's wrong on so many levels that it comes all the way around to being right again. I mean, where else can you get "Male Action" for less than ten bucks these days? I'm sure I'll be scanning it for posterity, it's too priceless to lose. The only thing that might have been better would have been "Boy Toy".

Another week down, whew, that was fun! Tonight I grabbed Daniel after work and went went to dinner at the restaurant where our friend Jen works and ate, it was fun, she's such a sweetheart. Then we went to the mall and I bought a Transformer...Astrotrain! I got him out of nostalgia and the fact that I'm really bumming because I was supposed to be at Botcon this weekend but because of the new job I couldn't be there with John and Brandon....totally sucks. Next year tho...which will be awesome because the Movie will be out about that time.

Tonight I hung out with Briana and gang in the Pearl. It was awesome, we laughed, we cried, we drank. I love that bunch, they make me feel young and slightly more hip. Or is it less lame?

Last night on TV a commercial for a kitchen cleaner came on, terrifying us with the horrors of germs that can get into our food. A toddler was holding a carrot stick and it morphed into a deadly, uncooked chicken drumstick. Underneath it said "dramatization". Well thank god! Cuz I was freaking out thinking that MY carrot sticks would do that too. Not that I eat those nasty orange nightmares, but you know, it was still scary.

I never seem to update during the week. I suppose I would more if I could do this from work. Oh, that's right, I should be working then. The photo's page is almost ready, it should be really cool, I'm having a lot of fun with the changes.

80 degrees every day this week...wahoo! Last week it was pants and raincoats and umbrellas, this week it's hawaiian shirts, shorts, and fun. Gotta love Oregon weather...thank you, Global Warming!

I met the new downstairs renters today. As usual the girl was nice but the guy was kinda distant. Why is that, is it me? The old neighbors' camaro is still sitting out there too, it's making me mad every time I see it, mocking me, so I'm calling the condo board about it. If for no other reason that to just be a jerk.

Saturday night I went to Uwajimaya with Anthony after gorging on Mexican food. It was a good way to cap off the evening.

This morning I got coffee, then connected with Anthony again (I know, when's the wedding?) for coffee and used CD/game store trolling. Then I went to Fry's with Daniel and helped him pick out a Laptop. Of course I wanted him to get a Mac, but he really needs a Piecy for his programming work. He got a Compaq for $649, man, Piecey's are cheap! I didn't buy anything at all, not one thing. I know, I'm just as surprised as you.

Right now I'm blogging while watching disc one of Azumango Daioh, and finishing laundry. If it were any more exciting here I don't think I could handle it. Chloe just caught a moth and ate it. Of course she didn't finish it off quickly and humanely, she had to torture the poor thing for a half an hour first. I'm so proud.

The people renting the condo downstairs (known to my friends as girl with the weird hair and showers too much guy) are moving. Please, please, please take your piece of shit '82 Camaro with you. You know, the one with four flats that's been parked so long it's growing algae on it. The total eyesore. Yeah, that one!

Saturday night I kicked it with my friend Pete (aka Kid Whatever from the links) and we had some awesome Thai food, then hit Best Buy and Uwajimaya, then hung out at his house and he treated me to some samples of some new stuff of his. You can watch the video for his song Less Than Three here. I can't believe his music is going to be featured in "In The Groove 3" for the PS3, it's just awesome...I love seeing my friends succeeding!

Today I grabbed coffee with Anthony, then we hit CompUSA, Toys R Us, Starbucks (coffee again) Target, then on to Cha Cha Cha for lunch and then Game Crazy. I had a lot of fun, Anthony is a good pal and shopping companion, and he doesn't mind it when I call him "Fancony".

I didn't seem to do a whole lot this weekend but drive myself arround. I miss driving to work, but I also gotta admit taking the bus kinda rules. So maybe that's why I was driving all over the place, I missed my car. Aww.

Tuesday night is Boards and Buffet at J-Lowe and Briana's, so I'm looking forward to that. Except I never know what to bring. Maybe a veggie tray? But that's so June Cleaver. Instead I brought chips and beer, how Ward Cleaver.

The photos page is coming along. I'm working on an Asian foods section, which will be photos and reviews of different wacky asian (mostly Japanese) foods that I try. The packaging is out of this world and has some of the best "Engrish" I have ever seen.

I can't believe Steve Irvin, the Crockodile Hunter, is dead...it's so sad. He did so much for conservation and awareness. Shine on you crazy diamond, you will be missed!

SInce my last entry...and a lot has changed! In that time I have left my old job and started a new one! But now things are back on track and I can devote more attention to the blog that nobody reads.

First day of the new job and my tendentious in my left foot acted up, and I started to get a cold. Stress activates both of those things, so I should have seen it coming. So the first week is a bit of a blur, I was really stressed, my foot was killing me, and I was drugged up and power loading on vitamins. As of now I feel fine and the foot is 100% better, so I guess it worked. Seriously, I was in bed asleep by 10:00 each night, and up at the 6:30. Welcome to my new schedule! But the new gig is great, and working downtown is going to be a lot of fun, tho it will be different getting used to taking the bus. Kinda irks me to be paying for my car every month while it sits unused during the week, but work pays for the bus pass and I'll be saving a ton on gas, so I guess it all works out. I can still drive to work occasionally and believe me, at $9 a day with no in and out privileges at lunch, occasionally is about all it's going to be.

I feel like I didn't do much this weekend...I slept late both days so I think that factored in. Went on a grueling hike on Saturday, hung with Briana and J-Lowe Saturday night at the Low Brow and gorged on mini corn dogs, and today I mostly just hung out at home. I did go to the Starbucks this morning (duh) and later to the Apple store at bridgeport village to pick up some stuff, but that was it. All in all a good weekend, it just went by fast.

And it was a great one! Thanks to all my family and friends that made it special. Yes, even to Briana for her pubic hair greeting card. Yeah, don't ask...

Don't you just wanna smack the snot out of people who say that when it's 105 degrees out? Some ass-hat actually said that to me at the store. Amazing to think that last weekend it was so hot I wanted to die, and this weekend it's so chilly at night I'm turning on the heater.

Last weekend I spent an excellent (but hot) weekend in Seattle, visiting my good pal Brenda. Friday night after I got up there we went out on Lake Washington in her boyfriend Scott's boat, and we had a great time (thanks Scott!) We also hit IKEA and Snoqualmie falls, which some of you out there might remember was featured in the series Twin Peaks. All in all a great visit, and I've added a few photos from the trip in the photos section. The one of me looking concerned is the exact moment that Brenda informed me that there was no bathroom on the boat, and if I had to go I had to hang it over the side. Needless to say, I crossed my legs until we made it back to port. I got some pretty shots that night, mostly of the sunset hitting the city...it was beautiful.

This Friday night Casey came up from Eugene and stayed the night, so it was fun to hang out with him. Thanks again for the Birthday presents, mister! Then I worked Saturday, and today went to Kent's company picnic and his friend Johnothan joined us. It was fun, and we made liberal use of the buffet line. Then we hit Costco and I only spent $40! Came home and have been playing on my DS Lite and doing laundry pretty much the entire the evening. I lead such an exciting life.

This coming Thursday I turn 37. Sweet Jesus on a stick! If you wanna know what to get me I'm registered here.

I like this look! I might keep it. I will continue to futz around with it a bit but this is an ongoing test, after all. I actually got an e-mail from a reader telling me that my layouts change too often and that I needed to "get serious" and pick one and stick with it or they would stop looking at my site for good. Thanks a lot, mom!