I had my District Mgr and four Buyers from NY in my Store today. My Store looked great, I have an excellent staff and everyone did a great job...
The pictures above are from the 4th Qtr/Holiday/Store Birthday Party that we had in the Store on Nov 6th...
David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Manager Type
(it's good to be the King...)
Well better late than never. I am meeting 'My EX' this Thursday to sign the Divorce papers and they will be filed this Friday (insert ominous music here)...
David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a good guy
(and I feel pretty darn good) : )
Here is a little tid bit for you Movie Buffs out there...
Run, don't walk to go see...
BORAT!
Hands down the funniest movie I have seen all year long. This film is wrong in so many ways I cannot begin to describe them. The best money you will ever spend on a comedy.
"KAZAKHSTAN GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
ALL OTHER COUNTRIES ARE RUN BY LITTLE GIRLS.
KAZAKHSTAN NUMBER ONE EXPORTER OF POTASSIUM.
OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE INFERIOR POTASSIUM.
KAZAKHSTAN HOME OF TINSHEIN SWIMMING POOL.
IT’S LENGTH THIRTY METER AND WIDTH SIX METER.
FILTRATION SYSTEM A MARVEL TO BEHOLD.
IT REMOVE 80 PERCENT OF HUMAN SOLID WASTE.
KAZAKHSTAN, KAZAKHSTAN YOU VERY NICE PLACE.
FROM PLAINS OF TARASHEK TO NORTHER FENCE OF JEWTOWN.
KAZAKHSTAN FRIEND OF ALL EXCEPT UZBEKISTAN.
THEY VERY NOSEY PEOPLE WITH BONE IN THEIR BRAIN.
KAZAKHSTAN INDUSTRY BEST IN THE WORLD.
WE INCENTED TOFFEE AND TROUSER BELT.
KAZAKHSTAN’S PROSTITUTES CLEANEST IN THE REGION.
EXCEPT OF COURSE TURKMENISTAN’S
KAZAKHSTAN, KAZAKHSTAN YOU VERY NICE PLACE.
FROM PLAINS OF TARASHEK TO NORTHER FENCE OF JEWTOWN.
COME GRASP THE MIGHT PHENIS OF OUR LEADER.
FROM JUNCTION WITH THE TESTES TO TIP OF ITS FACE!"
(the Kazakhstan National Anthem)
I saw a film the other day on IFC on cable. It was called "The Station Agent". Won three SUNDANCE Film Awards for 2003. I ran out and bought the DVD and am loaning it to my co-workers to watch. I honestly believe that this movie captures what it feels like to be me, David Austin Smith. Not one character or one certain scene, but all characters, all scenes, rolled into one. I really loved the film, you should rent it, or I'll loan it to you to watch...
David<~~~~~~~~~flims critic
(THAT IS FILM REFERENCE IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I just got off from work, the majority of my Co-Workers dressed up for the holiday. Above are the pictures of my staff that came in before I left for the evening...
(David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~waiting for Paul to call me)
Here are some pics I took of the Saturday Night Dance...gotta love competitive girls that shop at Hot Topic...::wink::
David<~~~~~~~~danced the night away!
I am packing some today for my business trip tomorrow. I am not taking my laptop with me so I will be incommunicada for a week. I will be back in STL on Friday, so I'll check my email then. Must remember to put the "Dapper Dan" pomade in my regular suitcase and not my carry-on...must remember...
David<~~~~~~~~~~traveling fool
Hello Faithful Readers (both of you),
Yesterday was by Birthday and it went pretty good. I worked at the store and they had a BD cake for me at the Manager's Meeting and Deborah got me a Spiderman ballon (lol). Later on Toni brought in some cookies she baked for me, it was a nice day. I'm off today, not sure what I'm agonna do... PABLO, EMAIL ME, I HAVE LOST YOUR PHONE NUMBER! I may go to the STL Mills Mall and hit Games Workshop (I think it's time for the new White Dwarf). Next week I'll be at my National Meeting in Orlando. Pretty good agenda, here are the people coming to speak to us, sign books, and perform:
JOHN GRISHAM
JEFFREY GITOMER
MITCH ALBOM
JAMIE LEE CURTIS
ISABEL ALLENDE
DAVE BARRY & RIDLEY PEARSON
LAURELL K. HAMILTON
ALICE HOFFMAN
EDWARD P. JONES
DENNIS LEHANE
DIANE SETTERFIELD
OBERT SKYE
ADRIANA TRIGIANI
& musical guest SHAWN COLVIN...
I am going to go to ARCHON this year (have marked myself off on the calendar) and I am looking forward to going. Geoff is also planning on going, Ray is prolly going, and if Pablo would EMAIL ME, I would know if he is coming also...
David<~~~~~~~~~~~~41 yrs old
(and steel champion!)
PAP-PA'S FAVORITE SHRIMP DIP...
ingredients:
2 12oz pkgs boiled shrimp
1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
1 cup Mayo
1 bunch of Green Onions
1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese
lots of bags of Ruffles Potato Chips
BLEND CREAM CHEESE, HEINZ CHILI SAUCE, AND 1 CUP MAYO AT ROOM TEMPERATURE IN A BOWL. DICE SHRIMP AND GREEN ONIONS AND ADD THEM TO THE BOWL. REFRIGERATE AND EAT WITH RUFFLES POTATO CHIPS THE NEXT DAY...
(Pap-pa was my Grandfather, I love you Pap-pa!)
Auspex auto record day 1: -no data--
Auspex auto record day 2: --no data—
Auspex auto record day 3: -vox recording--
I don’t know how long I have been unconscious…when they came into the cell I fought them…they overwhelmed me and I am now restrained…they rub secretions from glands on the underside of their bodies all over my exposed skin…I am an Agent of the Order of the Emperor’s Holy Inquisition…I will fight again
Auspex auto record day 4: -vox recording—
I fought them again today…I’m not sure if my Auspex is functioning or not…I do not know why they are keeping me alive
Auspex auto record day 5: -no data—
Auspex auto record day 6: -no data--
Auspex auto record day 7: -vox recording--
They are listening in to my recordings…I think they are keeping me alive to study mankind…I am studying them too…I think there is one of the little ones clinging to the top of my cell…I will attempt to use my gifts to dominate it’s will…I will record more tomorrow
Auspex auto record day 9: -error—data recovery successful—vox recording--
They have interfered in my natural bodily functioning…i will fight them again
Auspex auto record day 24: -error—system crash--
Auspex auto record day 25: -error—system crash--
Auspex auto record day 26: -error—data recovery—error—data recovery—error--
Auspex auto record day 27: -error—data recovery—error—system crash--
Auspex auto record day 28:
i have successfully commanded several of the little ones that attend to me in my cell…i am going to attempt to dominate one of their warrior caste
auspex auto record day 67: --error—data recovery successful—vox recording—
i can hear her now…i understand how they function…i will attempt to communicate with her
auspex auto record day 68: --vox recording—
i understand my place
auspex auto record day 68: -system shutdown successful--
auspex auto record day 367: -vox recording--
i
I will have pics to put on later on...
(OK, after listening to my Roomie that Archon had changed the dates of this year's Con to this weekend, I had changed my schedule around so I could attend. Worrying that my Roomie might get something incorrect I checked the website and the Hotel/Convention Center, and of course the Con had NOT changed it's dates, and I will NOT be attending a Sci/Fi Convention this weekend...)
::cussing like Sylvester the Cat::
THE LADDER
by Alejandro Escovedo
I'd climb a ladder just to see you
I have no eyes but I can feel
Two snakes entwine so I can be you
This ladder climbs from me to you
La Bufadora will explode soon
In liquid splendor sculptured trees
Amongst the oads the shapes are shifting
A shift to meld you into me
Let's sleep away the pain we suffer
The medicine is in our dreams
Fly away like Caracaras
This ladder climbs from me to you
(he is the son of the ex-precussionist from Santana and the brother to Shiela E. ::big grin::)
I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see the hand blown glass exhibit by CHIHULY. It was my first time ever to visit the Garden. While going down the stairs to the bathroom in one of the buildings I ran into my stepson. He said something weird to me, I don't remember what it was though. I think he was kind of taken aback at running into me there. I was speechless. He has grown so tall and he has lost a lot of weight, he looks great. On the way back upstairs I said "Hello" to him and his Dad before I went into the Cafe to buy some bottled water (it was a hot one that day). I didn't quite know what to do, so I tried not to make a big deal out of it and slipped past him and his sister as I continued on my walking tour of the Garden. I saw them two more times that day. I never was facing the right way when I went past my step daughter so I didn't get to say hello to her, I wish I had. They are great kids, I miss them.
DAVID<~~~~~~~Family Man (without a family)
After work today I drove to the STL Mills Mall (David<~~child of the Eighties) to see The Omen, I slept thru it. I popped into the Games Workshop (David<~~UBERnerd) and picked up the new White Dwarf and a "Fallen Giant" Template. Suffered thru the mediocre service at Tony Roma's Ribs (David<~~loves their Onion Loaf) and watched all the un supervised High School dropouts act the fool and use vulgar language at the top of their voices. On the way home it started to rain and that tends to point me toward melancholy so I jotted this down...
What will the 'Half Full Man' do,
and how can he hope for more?
When all his dreams are dashed,
and hope is poured out on the floor?
My Roomie has a keg and invited his cousins over to drink it with him. I waved at them on the back porch as I headed to my den. Now I'm pecking away on my laptop and chewing on my pen...
David<~~~~~on a Saturday Night (what a player I am...)
Family. Love. Fossils. Art. Stories. Poetry. Myself. Lemonade. Zydeco. Dancing. Autumn. Cherry dipped cones. Humankind. Comic Books. Musicals. Forests. Scary Monkey's wearing a Fez. Celtic Music. Air Conditioning. Separation of Church and State. New Wave. Photography. Sex. Work. Wargames. Travel. BBQ. Wingtip Shoes. Flat tops. Harry Ramsden's Traditional Tomato Ketchup. Calvin and Hobbes. Herpetology. Ireland. America. Bluegrass. History. Nasa. Mythology. Jazz. Tolkien. The Watchmen. Snufkin. Matching my belt and socks. Shrimp Cocktail. Candlelight. The sound of crickets. Blues. My Claddaugh ring. Butterflies. Marlin Fishing Caps. Science Fiction. Adam Ant. The Circus. Sobriety. Friendship. Vidalia Onions. Boston Terriers. Morality. How beautiful most women are when they think no one is watching them...
(David on a Monday night and I'm talking to my Dad on the phone right now)
A bubblegum update: I left the Bubblicious in my car and the heat cause some kind of chemical reaction and made the gum inert. I shoved the entire rest of the pack into my mouth but it wasn't even bubblegum any longer, it just had the shape of bubblegum and the color of bubblegum...
(David on day two of his three days off in a row...)
Why chew one piece of Bubblicious Bubble Gum when you can shove TWO pieces into your mouth! That way both pieces lose their flavor at the same time and you can make your jaw hurt from chewing way too much gum, ::points to the side of my head:: "Logical!"
I just got back from FIRESTONE (notice that I did NOT spend any money at DOBBS). I bought a new tire and now my car doesn't shimmy any more. I was kind of getting used to the Latin Highway Rhythm. I also stopped at AutoZone and bought a new set of hubcaps (they were more expensive than at Wal-Mart but I'll be damned if I spend any money in the Evil Empire). Please don't get me confused with a "Car Guy". My buddy Pablo can appreciate this, it took me three trips out to look at my car before I figured out what size of hubcaps to buy. I also bought some bubble gum there and I am still chewing the flavorless oversized lump right now...
David and I am so NOT a Gearhead...
an audience of one
the ceiling fan
skips a pattern
of shadows
across the face
of my digital clock
it flashes
the incorrect time
in an attempt
to follow the beat
all is quiet
in my room
my laptop
hums to itself
I have a song
dancing
through my head
a catchy tune
familiar lyrics
I stare blindly
at the stacks
of things
I have accumulated
they don't look
as attractive now
just stuff
gathering dust
their stories fade
lose their meaning
did I really
go there
did I really
breath that air
or is it
someone else's story
I tap out the beat
on my keyboard
and try
to put it all down
so nothing else is lost
I perform for
an audience of one
David Austin Smith May 2006
(it's 1:13am and I'm not asleep)
I took an online personality test to see which of The Watchmen characters I mostly resembled...
I tested out as The Comedian (I'm not sure if I should be flattered or if the World should be afraid)
Here are some links that deal with The Watchmen...
http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~wald/watchmen-index.html
http://www.capnwacky.com/rj/watchmen/chapter1.html
There are tattoos that I have seen that I like. But honestly most people do not think for themselves and just do what the person standing next to them is doing. If I had a dime for every chick with a tattoo on the small of her back I could retire. In my mind tattoos have traveled from "Biker" to "Punk" to "Trendy" to "White Trash". Please keep in mind that I have had my tats picked out for a long time now and I had a subscription to "SkinArt" for the first year it was published. But I don't have any tattoos on my body. It is a permanent addition. They don't come off with rubbing alcohol... We have an entire Generation that look like two year olds that have gotten a hold of a permanent marker and scribbled all over themselves. It is especially sad for the women. They now have a permanent fashion accessory that they can't take off, there will come a time when they want to wear something and they won't be able to, or want to go somewhere and they can't because of their tattoo. And just think, pretty soon we will have 60 yr old women with blue fuzzy tattoos like the WWII Vets have. ::shudder:: One of the good things about women and tattoos is that if you ask to see them they will whip out their boob or undo their jeans to show you, that's kind of nice. I haven't gotten my tattoos because I'm not convinced that they will look so good on me. I don't want to be trendy (remember I took out the earring in my left ear when all the other guys got their ears pierced). So I don't know. I dated a girl that had some plants and flowers that started on her lower back and ended up between her shoulders and it looked great, but she also had a pumpkin tattooed on her foot ::shrugs:: David<~~has been to a tattoo convention. All the female managers I work with have tattoos (except the oldest one and she is planning to get one soon), but NONE of the male managers do... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I graduated High School in 1983 and I witnessed the madness that was the fashion craze called Clogs... Ugliest shoe in existence and it makes a girl sound like a cow coming down the hallway (at least the Crocs aren't loud). So what is my opinion worth? NOTHING. Do what you like. The world needs another Tweety Bird peeking out of some woman's cleavage...
(still sick and i'm in an ugly mood)
this entry is best viewed in a box and not full screen...
Today is my day off, the only one I have this week...and I'm sick as a dog. I must have been a wicked person in my previous life...
david and i'm not feeling so hot...
I closed tonight. I stopped at Uncle Bill's for some pork chops and hashbrowns. I finished the book I was reading. My boss suggested it to me. I was the only person in the restaurant that was eating by myself. There was a huge family gathering with about 12 people gathered at the three tables they had pushed together for them. A group of 7 High School students was dressed up, they were eating an early breakfast after the dance. An oriental couple sat at the front of the restaurant. She had on a billowy black dress, and wore black strappy high heels on her feet which were attached to very shapily legs. The people in the smoking section kept the entire place smelling of smoke. I am going to make a broad statement that is none the less true, "All smokers are litterbugs." My waitress was named Jen. She used to wait on me all the time when I ate there regularily late at night. She would ask me what I was reading and she once set her foot up on the seat I was sitting at so I could see the tattoo on her ankle. When I left the restaurant I put a quarter in the gumball machine, then put another one in too. I was hoping for a pink bubblegum ball. I got a blue one and then a green one. It's ok, they were filled with "Nerd" candy, lol, how appropiate. I'm listening to Bruce Springsteen's 'WE SHALL OVERCOME The Seegar Sessions." Folk, Traditional, and Bluegrass music, I love it, his voice is perfect for folk. I hauled some of the books I had recently purchased into the house:
THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (this is a great book about a girl in Nazi Germany narrated by Death)
DOC HOLLIDAY THE LIFE AND LEGAND by Gary L. Roberts (if you liked the movie Tombstone you will love this book)
RAVENOR by Dan Abnett (Sci/fi...David<~~~~~getting his "Nerd" on)
E.E. CUMMINGS COMPLETE POEMS 1904-1962 (bought this one because the cover had a coffe stain on it and I didn't want to see it wasted)
from the song Mrs. McGrath...
"All foreign wars I do proclaim, Live on blood and a mother's pain, I'd rather have my son as he used to be, Than the King of America and his whole Navy!"
I was writing a new poem on my journal and AOL just ate it...
(grumble grumble, gonna go eat a hambuger now...)
