%type::inlineImage^^linkVal::http://www.samarkand.net/Web_store/Html/Images/shinkaya2top.jpg^^altText::table-top Go board^^captionText::Store-bought Go board^^isLocal::false^^alignVal::right%) So lots of crazy stuff went on over the last few days. Friday, I'm pretty sure I did something that I don't remember doing, which is highly pathetic. Maybe I even wrote a post about it, and still don't remember what I did. I could look, but that would constitute a degree of interest that I simply don't have. I'm more interested in the hangnail on my left pinky.

So yeah, Saturday was pretty awesome (speaking of "awesome", there's a new Strong Bad e-mail -- check it out or get a kicking of the butt.). I went to Washington, IL -- the cradle of civilization, and got to do a myriad of fun things.

First I picked up Chad, and we went to the bike shop in town. We rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, and I even had my ire raised by a former customer (I worked at the bike shop for like 6 or 7 years). I forget sometimes how much I dislike hearing people very snottily try to force their superiority on me. Conversations are bi-directional (even this one, as you can post a comment, though I'll scoff and laugh at you). This blowhard hasn't changed his method of dealing with other humans in the 10 or 11 years I've known him. Not one whit. When I worked at the shop, I had to listen to him. Saturday, I didn't. I was courteous until he started into his "why I'm fabulous" drivel, at which point I simply walked away. Life's too short to waste on that windbag. =) (of course this logic would apply to self-indulgent sites like this one, so feel free to take off... go ahead, it's quite liberating...=)

I got to see my former boss, who had won the Washingtonian award, which I assume is for being a pretty useful member of the community. He deserves it, and I've always had decent amount of respect for the guy. Heck, he still has (I couldn't believe it) all the old signs I made for his store, which I might mention contain some CLASSIC nuggets of Hughes humor. I'll be photocopying those and posting them here at some future date...

After the bike shop, Chad and I headed to his house to start working on a GO board. Check out this board to see some of the specifics of what we're bulding. He picked up some 1 1/2" thick oak wood, and we cut and joined and glued an 18" x 18" board out of it. It's amazing how much good tools can make the difference.

I'll have more pictures as things progress.

Saturday night I had a date with a girl at U of I. A grad student in music studies, and a mezzo soprano opera singer. I learned a pretty good lesson. People with interesting backgrounds hold my interest pretty easily. I think it's right up there with "sense of humor" in the importance department. She definitely had plenty of things to talk about. We got along very well, and I got invited back Sunday to see a friend of hers do his doctoral piano recital. It included a guy who sings at the Met in Noo Yawk City. Unfortuately, my mastery of Germanic Opera is pretty skimpy, so my grasp was pretty weak. The guy could really belt out the songs, though, and the pianist was no slouch. All in all an interesting exposure to a very differnt side of the world for me. I took a few photos of the recital hall and stitched them together. It was a neat place. "Things" i.e. the date, didn't click as well as the night before, so there might not be a next date, but things were left amicably. It really kind of frustrates me how quickly I can go from hot to cold. I mean, it's cool to be bi-polar and all, but seriously, this gets annoying. Yesterday, (monday) was pretty busy with work, and my company is getting involved with a guy who is selling some projector-based advertising to local (Bloomington/Peoria) based companies. The cool thing is that the projector is designed to be fired at the walls of buildings, which basically become the "screen" to project against. These things are apparently used in Chicago and other big cities, as they avoid the costs associated with typical billboards, and they are much cheaper/easier to change images with. The projector itself looks like a weapon out of Terminator 3 (coming soon!). Tonight we take the behemoth to Peoria for some business opening to demonstrate it against the wall of a building. I'll be there with the camera to capture the "action". Perhaps I'll find some girls... oh wait, I'm completely burned out on dating. Strike that "girls" comment.

Speaking of girls, CPA got her wisdom teeth out yesterday, which ironically enough, seemed like a wise decision indeed. I took her around town on some errands last night and watched her drool on herself due to the various fun medications you get along with the new holes in your head. We rented "City of Lost Children" which is a pretty nutty french flick. Anyhow, it was a fun evening. I got to eat some chinese food and spend money on uneccessary items -- i.e. an awesome little waste basket for my bathroom. I can tell you're all jealous, so I'll shut up now.