After weeks of waiting, I finally got my new computer last week.  It’s been five or six years since my last upgrade, so I decided it was time for a new one.  It was the only plan I had for my tax refund outside of a new bedroom suit that Amy’s been craving.  We both got our big purchases, so here I am.

To say this new system is fast is a complete understatement.  It’s mind-blowingly fast.  Definitely worth the time and wait for it.  I can finally play “Star Trek Online” with the graphics fully cranked, and this thing doesn’t blink.  No matter what I’ve thrown at it so far, it laughs and yawns.  I love this thing.

That’s all I really have tonight.  I just finished a session of STO, and I need to go to bed.  Thankfully we’ve missed most of the current bad weather, so I can rest peacefully.

I took some time tonight to refresh the blog.  I’ve given it a new look, and I hope you like it.

Why the heck am I up at 2 a.m. posting this?  Because I’m off tomorrow (today).  Got big things to do today concerning Mom, so I took the entire day off from both jobs.  I won’t say just yet what the business is with Mom, but I’ll just say I hope she sincerely appreciates what we’ve done for her.

Appreciation and gratitude is something that has escaped her over the last month or so.  She’s gotten back to normal, which means she’s complaining about us and everything we do again. She can’t help it.  The neurologist diagnosed her with Intermittent Explosive Emotional Disorder.  Basically, she thinks the world and those closest to her are against her at all times.  It causes her to react in a very unpleasant manner if you even look at her the wrong way for a second.

(I promise there are some positive thoughts after the jump!)

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Our 11-year anniversary happened back in June, but I gave the missus her gift today.  I took her to the Fox Theatre in Atlanta to see “The Sound of Music.”  It’s one of her favorites, and quite frankly, it took a lot of love for me to go see it.

I’ve never liked the movie as it doesn’t hold my interest for long, and the bad part is it’s a looong movie (yeah, I know I can sit through any type of long sci-fi movie …).  Regardless, I really did enjoy the live musical.  The kids in the production really did an excellent job, as did the rest of the cast.  I survived it, and I liked it.

Back home, I’m sitting here in a quiet room.  Our kids are not making a sound, and it’s just me at this moment.  Quite relaxing.

It’s giving me some more time to think about my priorities, etc.  I’ve done that quite a lot today.  I think this past year has proven fruitful in a few areas of my life, but some have almost been utterly demolished.  It’s time to make some changes in those.

I need to completely let go of some feelings I have toward a couple of folks and situations.  All those feelings are doing is making me  cringe and have bitterness, but that’s not healthy.  God calls on us to not be bitter or resentful, but to forgive and love each other.  I’ve neglected that, and things will be much better once I let go.  I’m certainly working on that as I type.

I also need to get our family’s financial future squared away.  I’m going to have to give up some habits to make that happen.  I spend way too much, despite the fact I’ve gotten a lot better at not being so impulsive in purchasing things.

One thing that will help is when I finally finish my second proton pack and sell my first one.  That will put me at ease in a lot of ways.  I just need to get motivated.  I come home after work, and I don’t think about it.  These last three or four weeks have just about sent my stress levels to new heights, so I’ve resorted to sitting down and playing “Batman: Arkham Asylum” for quite a few hours (and I hardly play video games anymore).  It’s been a total brain dump, and it’s what I’ve needed.  However, it’s time to build the pack and get some cash.

I’m really looking forward to this next weekend at Dragon*Con.  Not many of our ALGB guys can make it, but a couple will.  I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot of the GB Fans guys from all over (not to mention Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt again!).  I haven’t seen the majority of them since D*C last year.  I think we’ll have double the amount we did a year ago.  The big event will be the P.K.E. Surge dinner (I have to plug it since I’m on the Surge staff, lol).  After D*C, I’ll have a month off from GB-related events.  Then October hits full-force since so many people think we’re simply a Halloween group.  *Ahem, no*

I guess that’s it for tonight.  Another shameless plug … if you, or anyone you know, need custom voice-over work, check out BrockParker.tv.  I’m always for hire.  :)

As most people who crawl out of their beds and work for a living, I’m happy it’s Friday.  I don’t have much planned this weekend except for a neighbor kid’s birthday party and running down to Montgomery to drop off some group supplies for Kevin.  Got a fundraiser next weekend for Project Ecto in B’ham, but I won’t be able to make due to plans for my birthday.

Speaking of Project Ecto, I’m ready to get it off my plate.  We need to raise $2,500 more, and the car will be ours.  No one is really contributing anything despite the fact this will be a charity/community event car.  It’s not for any of our personal uses, and I don’t even know if that belief is the reason we’re not getting many donations for it.  I’d like to think it’s just because the economy stinks right now.  Either way, I’m tired of asking businesses and private folks for a hand (on that note, please see the above link if you’d like to donate online).

The freelance voice gig site is in dire need of an update.  Yeah, I only launched it a couple of weeks ago, but you’ve got to maintain a site like that to draw people in.  I have one potential paying gig so far, and I hope that will open the door for more.  I’ve got a lead from a friend about a video production house nearby that could possibly use my services.  I need to call them early next week.  (Click here to “like” the BPVP Facebook page)

I’m also still taking freelance projects for websites.  The guy I’ve been working with hasn’t bothered to respond to my e-mails in almost two months, so I’m open for new jobs right now.  I really need the money to buy a new computer because my current one isn’t handling all the new CS5 software too well.  Actually, it’s not handling a lot of stuff too well right now.  The motherboard and CPU are almost six-years-old, so it’s time to upgrade.

We took lil’ man back to his cardiologist a couple of weeks ago, and he got a great report.  Doc said by the time he’s 10, all this will be an afterthought.  I’m so thankful for the doctors at UAB.  God has given them talents beyond my wildest imagination.

I’m hoping to see “Inception” some time this weekend.  I probably won’t, but I’ll try.  I’m really looking forward to it and what Chris Nolan brings to it.  After this dies down, they’ll start focusing heavily on Batman 3.  To say I’m excited about that is a huge understatement.

Speaking of sequels, we’re all hoping Ghostbusters 3 will get the green light soon.  I’ve actually been e-mailing back-and-forth with Ernie Hudson (“Winston”) about some things.  I won’t say what they are at this time, but he is an incredibly nice man.  I’m enjoying getting to know him a little, and I hope that will continue to grow as I work on some things with him.

Work has been great this week, except for the fact all my friends are gone.  A few are in Europe until this weekend, and a couple others took some time off.  I’ve been able to catch up on almost all my projects which is awesome.  This fall will be hectic as we move the university into a new website design.  I’ll be migrating possibly thousands of pages over to the new look, so any rest I can get right now is awesome.

Speaking of, we’re hiring a new multimedia specialist.  It’s a position that has been abandoned for about 1.5 years now, and I’ve been the sole keeper of the fort.  This will be a starter position, but it will allow me to toss all these small Web updates people want over to the new person.  That will give me more time to do bigger projects, as well as focus more on our social media plans.  I’m very grateful for that.  It’s so hard to work on any one project when e-mails come flying in from all over campus wanting these mundane changes.  It’s not mundane to them, but it is when I’m swamped with bigger projects.

Well, the official start time of the work day has arrived.  Need to knock out a couple of things before I get into weekend mode.

I finally have a few minutes of free time to write some thoughts down.  This year has been one of the most hectic I can remember in awhile, and it’s only April.

My guys and gals in khaki are busy, busy and busy.  That about sums it up.  We have been to one convention in Tuscaloosa, had a workshop, a school clean-up in Auburn, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Birmingham, a walk for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Montgomery and we have another Walk MS coming up in Huntsville.  So, yeah.  We’re a highly active group right now.

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