GM's thread about nothing (16 Viewers)

[Tremendous Upside]

Salonpas pain patches are amazing. I slept on my neck wrong and was in discomfort all day. Pharmacist recommended these, and they are awesome.

Could one, say, cover his whole body in these?

Theoretically? YesPractically? No

But it wouldn't kill me or anything? Do they numb the pain or what?

Yeah, it's like Ben Gay I guess, though it seems more potent and doesn't smell much and isn;t greasy...It's from Japan

Looked them up on AMazon. There are at least 4-5 types. What do you recommend? Hot? Capesium? Arhtitis? Plain? Extra Ribbed?

http://www.amazon.com/Salonpas-Pain-Relieving-Patch-Patches/dp/B000GF38F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358832188&sr=8-1&keywords=salonpasThese are the ones I tried...Definitely worked and are highly rated on Amazon...Just bought an order from here

 

[proninja]

Man, this T Bell dot shtick is pretty terrible.

Thank you for saying what needed to be said.

I'm a fan of his work and all, but even Babe Ruth struck out. This needs to die.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Man, this T Bell dot shtick is pretty terrible.

Thank you for saying what needed to be said.

I'm a fan of his work and all, but even Babe Ruth struck out. This needs to die.

In a fire.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

My favorite Nicaraguan experiences from this trip (in no particular order):

1. Granada and Managua, arch rivals on the level of Red Sox v. Yankees, Duke v. North Carolina, or GM v. the sun, played in the deciding game 5 of the playoffs last night. We wanted to go--if you remember my account of the other Nicaraguan beisbol game we attended, you'll understand why--but Julio warned against it as he said last year there was violence involving broken bottles and cars set on fire. So instead we ended up at a bar last night watching it on TV with a bunch of very exuberant Nicaraguans. Bottom of the 9th, Granada down 3-2. They scored a run to send it into extra innings, and then won in the bottom of the 10th. The excitement, joy, and noise was incredible. Uruk will appreciate...fireworks inexplicably started at the stadium in the middle of the 9th and continued throughout the game and then throughout the night.

2. Julio has a son, Santi, who is about 15 months old. He has taught Santi the important stuff, like how to high-five everyone or to kiss his Aunt Krista on the cheek, but most importantly, he has taught Santi that Mr. krista is loco and the little circles one makes on the side of the head to indicate "crazy", so that when Santi hears Mr. krista's name, he just touches the side of his head to indicate "loco".

3. Julio told us of a homeless guy that lives in Granada who doesn't own a watch or any other timepiece but always know, with absolute precision, what time it is. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy or sunny, day or night, but he can tell you the time. Everyone calls him Bruce Lee. We asked Julio why he is known as Bruce Lee. "I don't know; that's just what we call him."

I'm shocked - SHOCKED - that fireworks were going off. They probably haven't stopped yet.

Half the time I spent at Julio's house was high-fiving Santi. Adorable kid.

 

[Kal El]

haven't been to the Shark Pool in a couple years.. but if someone wants to chum the water i was thinking a "Defense is the reason the Pats won those SB's, not Brady" thread might be fun

Those Pats fans would scream for your head on a pike.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=675423

Just read it. Less reaction than I expected so far, but still worthy of

 

[Abraham]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

 

[Joe T]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

Is there a bright side?

 

[Abraham]

Not yet.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Where can I get some of these idiot partners? I like free money.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

What's the business?

 

[Bogart]

haven't been to the Shark Pool in a couple years.. but if someone wants to chum the water i was thinking a "Defense is the reason the Pats won those SB's, not Brady" thread might be fun

Those Pats fans would scream for your head on a pike.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=675423

Just read it. Less reaction than I expected so far, but still worthy of

I love that thread. Spelling and grammar are an afterthought. And my favorite part is the guy who swallowed the worm the hardest came back with, "I picked up on the sarcasm."

 

[Kal El]

haven't been to the Shark Pool in a couple years.. but if someone wants to chum the water i was thinking a "Defense is the reason the Pats won those SB's, not Brady" thread might be fun

Those Pats fans would scream for your head on a pike.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=675423

Just read it. Less reaction than I expected so far, but still worthy of

I love that thread. Spelling and grammar are an afterthought. And my favorite part is the guy who swallowed the worm the hardest came back with, "I picked up on the sarcasm."

I could almost hear them thinking, "Uh oh, now I look stupid. Damage control! Damage control!"

 

[Abraham]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

What's the business?

We distribute semiconductors and manage electronic manufacturing. It's been a good business but the last 6 months have been very slow. We are changing the budget (including getting me off the payroll) so that we can be profitable on a lower sales volume.

 

[Abraham]

Where can I get some of these idiot partners? I like free money.

Not free money. We have a healthy A/R. It's our cash flow that is problematic which is how i got in this position. We buy most material on COD or credit card but sell it on Net 30. When things slowed down last year, a lot of our available cash got sucked up in to operations. Things picked up again in the last month so I put money in to fund the new sales.

 

[Kal El]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

What's the business?

We distribute semiconductors and manage electronic manufacturing. It's been a good business but the last 6 months have been very slow. We are changing the budget (including getting me off the payroll) so that we can be profitable on a lower sales volume.

Now, who do you do business with, and is there any way to expand your market through new applications of semiconductors? Because if that happens, that will obviously be a boon and perhaps get you out of the financial doghouse.

 

[Frostillicus]

Pitt -6 tonight, brohans.

 

[Abraham]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

What's the business?

We distribute semiconductors and manage electronic manufacturing. It's been a good business but the last 6 months have been very slow. We are changing the budget (including getting me off the payroll) so that we can be profitable on a lower sales volume.

Now, who do you do business with, and is there any way to expand your market through new applications of semiconductors? Because if that happens, that will obviously be a boon and perhaps get you out of the financial doghouse.

I wish it were that "easy." We don't do any engineering work. We simply provide the semiconductors people need to build things. Our customers are companies like Motorola and APple and Tesla (for example). They say, "I need 1,000pcs of this resistor and my target price is fifty cents." I go find the parts for a quarter and sell it for .48 and everyone is happy. In 2010 we had six orders that grossed over $50k each including three that were over $150k. In 2012, our largest order was $18k.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Pitt -6 tonight, brohans.

Got -6.5.Love you.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Pitt -6 tonight, brohans.

Let's get it.

 

[Tecumseh]

Where can I get some of these idiot partners? I like free money.

Not free money. We have a healthy A/R. It's our cash flow that is problematic which is how i got in this position. We buy most material on COD or credit card but sell it on Net 30. When things slowed down last year, a lot of our available cash got sucked up in to operations. Things picked up again in the last month so I put money in to fund the new sales.

I've heard ads for companies that will fund your A/R, and if the customer doesn't pay, it's on the lender, rather than you. Have you looked into that at all?

 

[Kal El]

Didn't drink last night. Things were thawing a bit. We even spent some of the evening talking about how and when to have another child, which has been on her mind a lot lately. Then I made the mistake of falling asleep which led to a tirade about how I've almost ruined her life and how I don't realize how bad things are. Followed by her saying she's in the verge of a breakdown, we should sell the house and she's not sur she wants me to come with them. Finally let it at a "first step" is me paying her credit cards by the end of the week. One partner has said he will loan me about half against our accounts receivable so I have to pray more money comes in in the next couple days. I slept in the guest room.

What's the business?

We distribute semiconductors and manage electronic manufacturing. It's been a good business but the last 6 months have been very slow. We are changing the budget (including getting me off the payroll) so that we can be profitable on a lower sales volume.

Now, who do you do business with, and is there any way to expand your market through new applications of semiconductors? Because if that happens, that will obviously be a boon and perhaps get you out of the financial doghouse.

I wish it were that "easy." We don't do any engineering work. We simply provide the semiconductors people need to build things. Our customers are companies like Motorola and APple and Tesla (for example). They say, "I need 1,000pcs of this resistor and my target price is fifty cents." I go find the parts for a quarter and sell it for .48 and everyone is happy. In 2010 we had six orders that grossed over $50k each including three that were over $150k. In 2012, our largest order was $18k.

I see. That does complicate things quite a bit.

 

[Joe T]

Where can I get some of these idiot partners? I like free money.

Not free money. We have a healthy A/R. It's our cash flow that is problematic which is how i got in this position. We buy most material on COD or credit card but sell it on Net 30. When things slowed down last year, a lot of our available cash got sucked up in to operations. Things picked up again in the last month so I put money in to fund the new sales.

I've heard ads for companies that will fund your A/R, and if the customer doesn't pay, it's on the lender, rather than you. Have you looked into that at all?

I know some guys that sell this.

 

[Mr.Pack]

I really should go to coshole. I'm a complete ####### for not going.

It's even worse than you think. At first I wasn't going because I didn't know what was going on with my life/job/schedule, but now I see I could make it for a day at least. Reason I'm not going: because I'm ####### fat. Seriously. Something awful has happened particularly in the last year and I've gained an enormous amount of weight--and am not pregnant despite GMTAN reports to the contrary--and am now fat and disgusted with myself and don't want to hold myself out that way to my iFriends. So I'm not going to see people I care about, including Uruk who might be dying, because of vanity. So now I'm disgusted with myself not only for being fat but for being a vain jerk, too. :(ETA: And also whining about myself when CD has actual problems.

I'm fat too.

Yeah I gained 6 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I must not be masturbating enough. Or too much. So when are the adoptions going to go through?

I've also somehow managed to shrink a whole inch since HS. Is this even possible? All I know is, according to the nurse at my doctor's office, I'm barely 5' 11 now.

Apparently you've had a bout of amnesia as well.

 

[Mr.Pack]

I've also somehow managed to shrink a whole inch since HS. Is this even possible?

Weird. Have you had any traumatic injuries involving head/neck compression?

Damn, should have read ahead.

 

[Mr.Pack]

It's even worse than you think. At first I wasn't going because I didn't know what was going on with my life/job/schedule, but now I see I could make it for a day at least. Reason I'm not going: because I'm ####### fat. Seriously. Something awful has happened particularly in the last year and I've gained an enormous amount of weight--and am not pregnant despite GMTAN reports to the contrary--and am now fat and disgusted with myself and don't want to hold myself out that way to my iFriends. So I'm not going to see people I care about, including Uruk who might be dying, because of vanity. So now I'm disgusted with myself not only for being fat but for being a vain jerk, too. :(ETA: And also whining about myself when CD has actual problems.

Everyone packed on some pounds over the past few months. Don't sweat it.

You're kind, but I'm talking like 30 pounds. Wait, was "don't sweat it" a fat chick joke?

It's even worse than you think. At first I wasn't going because I didn't know what was going on with my life/job/schedule, but now I see I could make it for a day at least. Reason I'm not going: because I'm ####### fat. Seriously. Something awful has happened particularly in the last year and I've gained an enormous amount of weight--and am not pregnant despite GMTAN reports to the contrary--and am now fat and disgusted with myself and don't want to hold myself out that way to my iFriends. So I'm not going to see people I care about, including Uruk who might be dying, because of vanity. So now I'm disgusted with myself not only for being fat but for being a vain jerk, too. :(ETA: And also whining about myself when CD has actual problems.

I might be the only one in here who can understand where you're coming from. I'm sitting at about 15 pounds heavier than I have ever been, and have been ever since my life/our lives took a significant downhill turn (and even crept up to about 20 pounds at times). If I weren't pregnant, I can guarantee you that I would have some misgivings about going to coshole. Not that I have ever been overly vain, and not that I picture myself as some kind of Ashley York to anyone in here, but I would still be embarrassed by my current physique. So I am probably not going to be the best one to convince you to come to Austin, but I sure hope you will. I think that most people in this thread have shown some vulnerabilities/not-best sides of themselves, especially those who will be in attendance. I am not sure anyone in here has any right to judge anyone else on appearances. Except GM - he's one sexy Aryan.

Thanks, GB. I'm 35 pounds higher than I thought my highest fighting weight would ever be. It's like I didn't even notice and the BAM! WTF.

Krista, all I am looking for in an iFriend at this point, is one that showers on a regular basis. I completely understand what you are saying. Hell, I'm back to as heavy as I was right before I lost my weight last year. Gained it all back in about 2 months. Not going to let that keep me from Coshole. I think you will find most everyone here are pretty normal people, not the supermodels that hang out in the FFA Wagering Thread.

Define "regular basis"?(Kidding. At least I can still fit in the shower.)(Because it's a really big shower.)This is my twin

 

[Mr.Pack]

I had a chest x-ray done Friday as well as blood work done Saturday. I remarked to Mrs. SLB an hour ago that I couldn't believe I haven't heard anything since I always get an e-mail no longer than 24 hours after stuff like this. My doctor just called me, I have to admit my heart sunk into my into my stomach. (Why is he calling me directly? Why not just send an e-mail or have a nurse call? Oh ####.) I'm fine, my cholesterol was way up but as I told him, I'm sure it is because I haven't been exercising for the most part in almost a month this chest infection has been so bad. Still pretty relieved, freaked out to hear his voice.

Good to hear GB.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Gusher has a very exciting announcement/unveiling coming soon.

not sure how exciting it is, but here is a new GMTAN Coshole shirt design in 1 color for lower cost.

In black, so it's slimming (I'll take a large, GB).

Now featuring the official coshole mascot, for those that didn't appreciate my efforts to reproduce GM's face as a cartoon on a shirt

my link

ETA - tough to tell with the quality of the preview, but the dog tag says:

cos

hole

'13

Other one was way better.

No disrespect to GB Guster, but I agree.

HINT: he made both of them.

HINT: I know.

 

[Bogart]

Live posting from the famly car again as we leave the funeral home to the grave. I have the family car to myself as the rest of my mom's closest family couldn't make a 45 min drive without smoking. It's really pretty awesome right now. If you plan on dying, I say the following;Make friends. Real friends. Friends that will take off work on a Tuesday to go to your funeral. Or I guess die where you can have your funeral on a Saturday where more casual friends can make it. Calls of condolences versus people there were 2 to 1. Plan your funeral ahead of time. Otherwise you can't guarantee what music will be played, what flowers will be seen. Make friends with a public speaker and task them with speaking at your funeral. I think I'm going to start pimping myself out to friends as their "final storyteller". If you are religious and have a church home, this is easy for you. But for the rest of us, this means getting a guy with 24 hours notice who has to get up there and act like he knows so much about the deceased, that he got from crib notes just hours ago. Awkward. The DVD video made from photos and put into a presentation is so money. Worth every penny.

 

[Drifter]

I'll put this stuff in spoilers so no one thinks I'm junking up the GMTAN.

Spoiler

Had a long talk with the wife tonight. Mostly she talked and I listened. She is overwelmed with the struggle that I brought in to our life not long after we got married. I started one business and it blew up in the worst way possible (lost money, lost friends, lawsuits). ANd then I jumped right back in and started another. She wonders if I don't have a conscience about the money people have invested in me that either was lost (first go round) or is at risk (second go round). She says she wakes up every morning wondering if that's the day I tell her we've lost everything. She says that she thinks I may be one of those people who goes looking for a struggle in life instead of just being normal (probably true). She says I spend so much time on a computer or iPad or phone that I'm missing out on the world around me and she feels ignored (probably true). She says I'm not spontaneous and don't do anything with her our or daughter and I'd rather come home and sit on the couch after work (true). She says that taking them out to eat a couple times a week isn't the same as living a life with them. (I've tried to get better at this; I took her to a concert in November and have tickets for another in February. But most of the time when we do things like going to the zoo or something it is her idea and, in her words, I just "tag along.") She says some days she thinks I just married her to show off that I could have her (not at all true) and that I don't respect or care about her as a person (not true, but I see how she can feel this way). She remembers back when we were poor and rented a house and had a dog but no internet and no business ideas and I wasn't a walking ball of stressful energy. She says I've changed from the man she married and she's finally to the point after all these years of wondering if that guy is gone for good. SHe thinks I drink too much (true) and smoke too much (true) for anyone, much less a guy on blood-pressure medicine. She's sickened by the fact that she has been telling me that for years and I have a daughter to think about but I selfishly do it anyway. It makes her thinks that I don't care about anyone but myself. She wonders how a person who is supposed to be so smart and educated has made so many bad decisions. Her theory is that I come from an environment of showy, phony, high-achievers (true) and whether its conscious or not, I can't be happy living a normal life. And she wonders if it can be salvaged because she has watched for years as I've stopped one obsession/habit/vice and simply replaced it with another. Internet poker, learning to program computers, golf, etc.She's angry about the money but that was mostly a tipping point. I've exhausted her for so long with everything else and she has put on a happy face and can't do it anymore.I told myself last night I'd try to quit drinking for a week. To see if I could do it, to see if I felt better, to see if she noticed. And, honestly, I'm already trying to justify to myself that that isn't the problem and it won't hurt for me to have a drink tonight.I have already started submitting resumes and was feeling pretty good about that until I remembered that many companies (including the one I'd most be inclined to work for) have background checks that may or may not include credit reports. My credit is in the mid-500's and while I've never committed a felony, I did spend the afternoon in October in jail because of an unpaid traffic ticket. So I was excited about the prospects of that until I realized it may not matter after all depending on what the background check includes.So that's where we are on this.

Spoiler

First off...you're not junking up. That's what we're here for. It seems like at a minimum, you did the right thing by just listening. Let me ask you, the things you say are "true" in parenthesis...did you admit that to your wife as well? If not, that sounds like a solid next step. You need to be 100% honest with her, as she was with you...on your faults, on why you continue to drink/smoke, but mostly for how much you care about her and your daughter....and the steps on what you're prepared to do. Now of course it's not going to be easy, AND you have to follow through on everything as you say you will. GL GB

This is a great posting.Abe, in my opinion the fact that your wife is talking to you and expressing what she needs from you means there is still a lot of hope for the relationship. If she's laying out exactly where she stands, it means she's still putting effort into this and actually wants it to work. She's looking for some reassurance that you will take steps on the matters she's expressed concern about. You can show an immediate effort on some (drinking, smoking too much), which will go a long way to repairing the relationship. And on the others, you can also take steps that will show you are listening and addressing the issues, even if it might take longer for those to come to fruition.You've always given a lot of advice on the forum to people who want to start their own businesses, but I've never felt like that was going great for you. My impression, which might be way off base, is that you're a very smart guy who's felt he should be able to do something extraordinary rather than just being in a "regular" job. And while you might be extraordinary, at this point I think you realize you might need to "settle" for a regular job to be able to take care of what matters to you most--your daughter and wife. That doesn't make you in any sense a failure. In fact, you have taken risks and made leaps that most of us don't have the guts for at all. Realizing what you want and what is important to you, and taking steps to preserve those things, is likewise going to be a ballsy thing for you to do, and I'm absolutely sure you can be successful in this. Don't worry about the credit score, etc.--you ARE going to be able to find a great job that will take some stress off not only your wife but you as well!Lots of people around here will have fantastic advice to help you along as you do this.Completely agree with the smoking. Sorry to you smokers but when you smoke, you are telling your wife and kids that you don't care enough about being there for them in the long run to not give in to a needless habit. Drinking is a more nuanced thing and is going to differ wildly from person to person and really only you can recognize (and admit) if you have a problem or not.As for the rest, it's pretty typical of just about every entrepreneur I've ever met who has had little to average success and not "hit it big". Between the uncertainty it creates for a spouse who is desperately driven to nest and fin stability and the personality type that entrepreneurs tend to, it's not healthy for relationships. As for the other stuff, I've read a lot on Asperger's since my son was diagnosed with Autism and I recognize several traits of it in my father, myself and my brother to varying degree. One of the things I've read is that people with Asperger's have to train themselves to be compassionate or at least to say compassionate things. They might not feel the empathy but the can consciously make an effort to at least appear empathetic for the sake of the things most humans cherish in relationships. This is true of me when it comes to affection and "saying nice things" to my wife. I need to make conscious decisions to respond in the way she wants or to say something nice. Not because I don't lover her, but because my mind just doesn't naturally reach the same relationship conclusions that other people do.My point is this is that you need to recognize and be aware of whatever deficiency you have that your wife needs and make calculated decisions to fill those needs. You can't just say "I'm going to change" and then expect it to happen because it's not who you fundamentally are. Be aware of it and make an effort to do what you need to do.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Live posting from the famly car again as we leave the funeral home to the grave. I have the family car to myself as the rest of my mom's closest family couldn't make a 45 min drive without smoking. It's really pretty awesome right now. If you plan on dying, I say the following;Make friends. Real friends. Friends that will take off work on a Tuesday to go to your funeral. Or I guess die where you can have your funeral on a Saturday where more casual friends can make it. Calls of condolences versus people there were 2 to 1. Plan your funeral ahead of time. Otherwise you can't guarantee what music will be played, what flowers will be seen. Make friends with a public speaker and task them with speaking at your funeral. I think I'm going to start pimping myself out to friends as their "final storyteller". If you are religious and have a church home, this is easy for you. But for the rest of us, this means getting a guy with 24 hours notice who has to get up there and act like he knows so much about the deceased, that he got from crib notes just hours ago. Awkward. The DVD video made from photos and put into a presentation is so money. Worth every penny.

1 year exactly to the day my mom died.uggghh :( Hang in there my friend.

 

[Abraham]

I'm sorry for your loss and hope that the fresh air is of some comfort.

Make friends. Real friends.

This is harder than most people realize. The people in your life that care about you the way you care about them is much smaller than most people realize. We've all had "friends" at work and as soon as you change jobs, you almost never see them. We've all had "friends" that are one-way relationships. My mom thinks of a particular person as her "best" friend. But my mom is the one who has to call, who has to drive over for a visit, who has to make plans. The best friend gives nothing to the relationship. Strangely, that woman's husband was the exact opposite. When he passed his funeral had 1300 people including the Governor, at least a dozen state legislators, sports personalities, a whose who of central Texas's most well-known people. It was something. Sanctuary and fellowship hall were full. Closed circuit TVs in all the church classrooms and in GD PARKING LOT for how many people were there. But he was just a regular guy who had an amazing ability to keep up with and be a friend to what seemed like everyone he ever met. He was an attorney who made everyone feel like the most important person in the room, and he was genuine about it. He would go to work dinners and be the life of the party and then go home and spend hours writing cards to old friends far away who were in the hospital or making calls to people he'd worked with years before to see how they were doing. He had a weekend every summer with a dozen guys from his camp cabin 50 years prior. No facebook or anything like that - he "collected" people not because he wanted something in return but because he genuinely found everyone's story to be interesting. It's not a competition, but every time I think about how funerals can be a celebration of life, I think about Larry and how fortunate he must have been to have so many people who cared deeply about him in his life.

The DVD video made from photos and put into a presentation is so money. Worth every penny.

This is what usually depressed me. Not to be a downer, but I watch these things and when they are over I am always left with the feeling of, "Well....that's it...an entire lifetime condensed in to photographs and a Lee Ann Womack song." The last service I went to was for my SIL's mother. They finished the picture montage with her in a video with a bunch of other elementary school teachers dancing in front of an assembly while the kids went nuts. I wondered, "Where the #### are all those people?" I mean it when I say I don't want one of those things at my funeral. Instead, I want someone to stand up and say, "time will make us all forget how much HERD meant to us, but try to remember - right now, in this moment - how much each of you meant to him. The rest of it doesn't really matter."And then I hope they go have a BBQ and tell exaggerated stories about me like the guys at Shawshank after Andy escapes.

 

[T Bell]

Funerals are for the living, not the dead. Not to say they're unimportant, but they're for the survivor's goodbye process; the ship has already sailed, however. That's why wakes are the way to go. I'd rather establish a trust in a small interest bearing account to cover alcohol expenses for my wake when I go. Otherwise, cremate me, shoot my ashes out of a cannon to help the next sunset a little, and pour out a little scotch for me (not the best scotch - you'd better drink that you bastards).

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I'm sorry for your loss and hope that the fresh air is of some comfort.

Make friends. Real friends.

This is harder than most people realize.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I've always been fond of the idea that life is about collecting stories. Or if you want to bastardize it into a bumper sticker, he who dies with the most stories wins.

I've lived in 5 different areas during my life, and I've collected friends in each of them. Some were friends of convenience, who I'll likely never see again. Some were drinking buddies, and when the opportunity presents itself to grab a drink with them, I still do so. Some were one-way relationships, as Herd mentions. A few flowed more from me to them. A few were more in the opposite direction. Some are ongoing and TBD as to the result. A very few will last a lifetime.

And if I died tomorrow, I'm guessing the majority of those who would attend my funeral would be the ones closest to wherever I happened to be laid to rest. But I'd hope a great many more of them would tell somebody in their current life that a friend of theirs died, and I'd hope somehwere in that story would be the phrase, "I remember one time..." To me that would be much more gratifying than having them show up to look at my dead body, lying to my family that I looked good, and holding up traffic for 5 minutes. I'm not going to know or care who showed up to mourn me anyway. Might as well live on in a story or two.

 

[Abraham]

I'm sorry for your loss and hope that the fresh air is of some comfort.

Make friends. Real friends.

This is harder than most people realize.

Maybe it's just hard for me.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

I've always been fond of the idea that life is about collecting stories. Or if you want to bastardize it into a bumper sticker, he who dies with the most stories wins.

I've lived in 5 different areas during my life, and I've collected friends in each of them. Some were friends of convenience, who I'll likely never see again. Some were drinking buddies, and when the opportunity presents itself to grab a drink with them, I still do so. Some were one-way relationships, as Herd mentions. A few flowed more from me to them. A few were more in the opposite direction. Some are ongoing and TBD as to the result. A very few will last a lifetime.

And if I died tomorrow, I'm guessing the majority of those who would attend my funeral would be the ones closest to wherever I happened to be laid to rest. But I'd hope a great many more of them would tell somebody in their current life that a friend of theirs died, and I'd hope somehwere in that story would be the phrase, "I remember one time..." To me that would be much more gratifying than having them show up to look at my dead body, lying to my family that I looked good, and holding up traffic for 5 minutes. I'm not going to know or care who showed up to mourn me anyway. Might as well live on in a story or two.

I'd lick the back of your cold dead head and steal your salmon shorts.PS. Dibs on the Missus.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I've always been fond of the idea that life is about collecting stories. Or if you want to bastardize it into a bumper sticker, he who dies with the most stories wins.

I've lived in 5 different areas during my life, and I've collected friends in each of them. Some were friends of convenience, who I'll likely never see again. Some were drinking buddies, and when the opportunity presents itself to grab a drink with them, I still do so. Some were one-way relationships, as Herd mentions. A few flowed more from me to them. A few were more in the opposite direction. Some are ongoing and TBD as to the result. A very few will last a lifetime.

And if I died tomorrow, I'm guessing the majority of those who would attend my funeral would be the ones closest to wherever I happened to be laid to rest. But I'd hope a great many more of them would tell somebody in their current life that a friend of theirs died, and I'd hope somehwere in that story would be the phrase, "I remember one time..." To me that would be much more gratifying than having them show up to look at my dead body, lying to my family that I looked good, and holding up traffic for 5 minutes. I'm not going to know or care who showed up to mourn me anyway. Might as well live on in a story or two.

I'd lick the back of your cold dead head and steal your salmon shorts.PS. Dibs on the Missus.

Oh, sure, wait 'til I'm dead.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I'm sorry for your loss and hope that the fresh air is of some comfort.

Make friends. Real friends.

This is harder than most people realize.

Maybe it's just hard for me.

Nope, but you'd be surprised at what just engaging people in your circles can do. Left to my own devices, I'm a classic introvert; It's much more complicated but my part of the burden in my 2nd marriage failing is my "loner" tendencies. One of the things I've concentrated on doing recently (last 5 or 6 years) is asking questions of people I'm meeting and making eye contact. Hell, saying "how are you?" was a big step for me and meaning it was even bigger. Not because I was mean-spirited, but because I was so tunnel-visioned into my next "chore". My epiphany came during therapy when Marriage #2 fell apart. My therapist was a Betty White Doppelganger and she tore me a new one, calling me out on 40-some years of ossified excuses.I still struggle in groups with folks I don't know and I've never liked being the center of attention, but I am 1000% better than I was. One-on-one? 70 bazillion, gazillion % better.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

I've always been fond of the idea that life is about collecting stories. Or if you want to bastardize it into a bumper sticker, he who dies with the most stories wins.

I've lived in 5 different areas during my life, and I've collected friends in each of them. Some were friends of convenience, who I'll likely never see again. Some were drinking buddies, and when the opportunity presents itself to grab a drink with them, I still do so. Some were one-way relationships, as Herd mentions. A few flowed more from me to them. A few were more in the opposite direction. Some are ongoing and TBD as to the result. A very few will last a lifetime.

And if I died tomorrow, I'm guessing the majority of those who would attend my funeral would be the ones closest to wherever I happened to be laid to rest. But I'd hope a great many more of them would tell somebody in their current life that a friend of theirs died, and I'd hope somehwere in that story would be the phrase, "I remember one time..." To me that would be much more gratifying than having them show up to look at my dead body, lying to my family that I looked good, and holding up traffic for 5 minutes. I'm not going to know or care who showed up to mourn me anyway. Might as well live on in a story or two.

I'd lick the back of your cold dead head and steal your salmon shorts.PS. Dibs on the Missus.

Oh, sure, wait 'til I'm dead.

I'll be right over.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

cos, menu-per-day update?

 

[mr. furley]

K4 - We are all going to be fatter, uglier, or weirder in person than we appear online. Don't let that hold you back.

speak for yourself, rocky

 

[mr. furley]

And I've had a diet coke tonight. There may be time to joke later, but I do wonder what people do at night if they don't drink....

:(

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

cos, menu-per-day update?

Bars have food...wa la.

 

[cosjobs]

cos, menu-per-day update?

tentative, I am always changing my mind..Friday - Shrimp gumbo, potato saladSat brunch - Monkey bread, breakfast tacos, fresh OjSat eve - Dinner at Matt's El RanchoSun Brunch - Biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, fresh OjSun Afternon / Dinner / Superbowl - BBQ beef & sausage, Queso, Guacamole, chips, beans, slaw, potato salad, any requestsMonday breakfast - Bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, fresh Oj

 

[Guster]

cos, menu-per-day update?

Bars have food...wa la.

I read something about BBQ one night and gumbo or something Friday night

 

[mr. furley]

these Hopper commercials hit me just right

 

[Guster]

cos, menu-per-day update?

tentative, I am always changing my mind..Friday - Shrimp gumbo, potato saladSat brunch - Monkey bread, breakfast tacos, fresh OjSat eve - Dinner at Matt's El RanchoSun Brunch - Biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, fresh OjSun Afternon / Dinner / Superbowl - BBQ beef & sausage, Queso, Guacamole, chips, beans, slaw, potato salad, any requestsMonday breakfast - Bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, fresh Oj

 

[Uruk-Hai]

cos, menu-per-day update?

tentative, I am always changing my mind..Friday - Shrimp gumbo, potato saladSat brunch - Monkey bread, breakfast tacos, fresh OjSat eve - Dinner at Matt's El RanchoSun Brunch - Biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, fresh OjSun Afternon / Dinner / Superbowl - BBQ beef & sausage, Queso, Guacamole, chips, beans, slaw, potato salad, any requestsMonday breakfast - Bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, fresh Oj

Agreed. This sounds fantastic.Am I the only Ravens an who will be there? I'm far from a smack-talker, but I can make an exception for a Stillers Yinzer

 

[proninja]

Just an FYI for you remarried guys, saying you are reminded of the previous marriage in the heat of the moment in an argument with your wife is really, really, really not something you want to do. Pretty sure I deserve this nice spot in the doghouse right now

 

[General Malaise]

cos, menu-per-day update?

tentative, I am always changing my mind..Friday - Shrimp gumbo, potato saladSat brunch - Monkey bread, breakfast tacos, fresh OjSat eve - Dinner at Matt's El RanchoSun Brunch - Biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, fresh OjSun Afternon / Dinner / Superbowl - BBQ beef & sausage, Queso, Guacamole, chips, beans, slaw, potato salad, any requestsMonday breakfast - Bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, fresh Oj

Agreed. This sounds fantastic.Am I the only Ravens an who will be there? I'm far from a smack-talker, but I can make an exception for a Stillers Yinzer

I, uh....I'll be rooting for the Ravens.