-We have new furniture! A new recliner, sofa, and love seat from La-Z-Boy! They are unbelievably comfortable.

-I took back WWE WrestleMania 21. I love the guys at EB Games at Tiger Town. They were told that game had ZERO refund value. They are not supposed to let anyone bring it back because it was so buggy. However… I guess they know me well enough because they let me trade it straight up for Guild Wars. It was a great trade because GW is like EverQuest, only FREE! No online fees! It runs a lot better on my computer, too. Not laggy at all. I have found my new addiction.

As a matter of fact… I'm going to play it now before bed. Later!

It's 8:30 Wednesday morning. I should be at work right now, but instead I'm sitting here writing. Auburn CityFest is this weekend, so I've been given a couple of hours off this morning for compensation. Not too bad. There's going to be a big industry announcement this morning for Opelika, but I'll be there in time. Apparently this announcement is huge. I can't wait to hear what it's going to be. It will supposedly be the biggest business in town when it gets here.

Every morning I get up and listen to WANI. It's the local news/talk station in Auburn. Some mornings I wake up and hear my stories almost verbatim on their newscast. Ben Taylor and Co. go onto my station's web site and use my articles. I'm actually flattered by this. Just thought I'd make a positive mention of this before I start ripping into them for another decision.

A while back they would have state news from Radio Alabama. It was very professional, and I enjoyed it. A few months ago they brought on this guy named Kim Albright from News 1 Radio. This guy is one of the worst radio news guys I've ever heard. I really question how he got syndicated. He consistently mispronounces words and names, left and right. It's really painful to hear him say the city of “Mobile.” When he pronounces the “b,” it sounds like his cheeks are puffing out. It comes off as “Mo-bUH-ile.” Actually, all of his “b's” sound like that. It also sounds like he's constantly spitting on his microphone. And the last thing… I guess he wants to feel very important because he always has his scanner and phone loudly going off while he talks. I mean they can sometimes drown him out. It's awful.

Well, that was a “holier than thou” rant, huh? Believe me, I make my fair share of mistakes. However, this guy is consistent. I really wish WANI will take him off at some time. You guys are better than that…

I guess it's been a few days since I've updated. Here's my obligatory bullet list:

-I found out yesterday my grandmother has cancer. The doctor couldn't even tell the family where it came from. It stretches from her esophagus to her shoulder. Thankfully, he said there's no time limit on her. She's 88, and he told Mom to just let her live out the rest of her days. Granny is the last living grandparent Amy and I have. She and I have always been close, so this breaks my heart. I certainly hope I can get down there to spend some time with her soon.

-We spent this past weekend in LaGrange with Amy's family. Her mom's birthday was Friday, so we all took her out to eat and shop in Warm Springs, GA. It was the first time I've seen Matt and Sara since Thanksgiving. It was good to see them, but also extremely hard to be happy around them. They're pregnant, and just found out they're having a boy. That's always been a dream of mine, especially since I'm Dad's only son and the last of my bloodline. I've discovered I'm far from being over our miscarriage. Amy had a rough time, too. We are happy for them, but it really puts an emotional strain on us to be around them. I can't even talk baby stuff. I have to escape the situation.

-On that thought, I am usually fine in most situations. Things tend not to bother me. My job requires me to stand off emotionally from a lot of things, and I think that's bled over into my personal life. That's not good. Now, if you're wondering if I'm up front with you on how I feel about you, I am very honest with my likes and dislikes. If you're reading this, chances are you've nothing to worry about. I'm talking about people who like to champion causes. You may have a certain charity you're involved with, or a group where you volunteer your time. While I think these are great things, I don't lend my time to them. People have asked me to join certain groups, and I think they have great responsibilities. I have thought about doing so, but in the end, I don't have a personal connection to them. Maybe all of this stems from me growing up without siblings, or just due to my job. I think it makes me very selfish with my feelings, and I don't like that. But when I do feel emotional about something (and that's not often), it hits me like a ton of bricks. Granny's cancer, the loss of our baby, etc. Maybe it's just me being a man, and I'm trying to analyze it too much. I've just noticed a lot of apathy has made its way into my life.

This doesn't mean I dislike people. Quite the contrary. I love being around people. That's a major perk to my job. I've made a lot of great friends. I've made friends with people in high places, and I've made friends with the average Joe. I like them all. There's hardly anything I wouldn't attempt to do for any of them. I love my family. I'd do anything for them, too. Sorry to rant on this subject. It's been on my heart for a while. If it doesn't make any sense, then just chalk it up to me working out thoughts and how they seem fine to me.

-I met Senator Richard Shelby today. He is a TALL man.

-I was supposed to go down this upcoming weekend to the River Festival in my hometown of Geneva, AL. I'm stuck working Auburn CityFest, though. I had to go down to Columbus to have head shots made so I can autograph pictures for people. C-h-e-e-s-e-y… I collect autographs… I don't give them out. That is, until now… I'm just a small-town reporter. There is no importance to my status whatsoever.

-…BUT on that note… Since I'm not going to Geneva, Justin is coming over from Tuscaloosa. We're heading to the Braves/Cardinals game Sunday. Very nice!

-I really need to be in bed, but I slept most of my evening away. I have to work day side again tomorrow, and I have to be at Auburn University bright and early for Homeland Security stuff. I can't go back to sleep.

-I bought Wrestlemania 21 for my Xbox. I highly suggest AVOIDING this game. I'm taking it back to EB Games for store credit. It caused my Xbox to freeze up a few times, and the frame rate on the transitions stinks. They should've spent more time on this before they shipped it.

-I guess I will go to bed. Rambling is complete.

Fresh from the mail today!

Here's Amy, Alabama Governor Bob Riley, and Me!

Click Here!

Friday night! I've been working day side all week, and it's not been bad at all. I've missed staying up late, though.

-This weekend is going to be a blast! We're going to Columbus tomorrow morning. We're going to look at furniture, and then we're going to Wayne Bennett's house to celebrate the charred body of a pig. If you don't know who Wayne is, you don't live in this area (half of our main anchor team that's been here for ages). Jimmy is coming up tomorrow night since it's his drill weekend. Looking forward to seeing him. And then… BRAVES VS. METS Sunday! We're heading to Turner Field (hate to miss church, but it's Pedro Martinez vs. John Smoltz) Sunday morning. It will be me, Amy, Eric, his wife, Henry, his friend, and Cory O. from work. I'm looking forward to spending time with all these guys. Henry came over this afternoon and whipped me in darts.

-I need to file taxes this weekend. Whooptie-doo.

-I'm a lot happier than I have been over the last couple of weeks. Especially since it's Friday, and my bosses approved me for vacation from Christmas to New Year's. First reporter approved for that week! That's called “get that request in early.” My news director sent out an e-mail yesterday telling us to send in the requests. I sent mine in over three weeks ago.

-That'll do it for tonight. By the way, … I made my new user pic last night. Steal it if you want.

Have a great night!