Fuck the Deposit

I just moved. Well, I'm still moving. One apartment is empty and all that remains is the various stains, nail holes, and carpet marks to show that I was there (just like your mom, oh!) while another is filled to the brim with boxes waiting to be unpacked. And bikes. And three pets. And furniture.

I took a four-day weekend to get myself and my lovely lady moved. It was so not enough. I thought there would be a good amount of time to allow for constant yet leisurely moving activities. I was wrong, so hard. I just got done. And I started Saturday morning. Last night we went to bed at 12:30pm and I actually purchased something from Walmart. That's how bad it was.

And it's not even over! Now comes the unpacking part, which is worse than the packing part in it's own way. You actually have to put shit away instead of being able to throw it all in a box and tape it shut. I just spent twenty minutes stomping around my new place with a knife looking for my work clothes and bike shoes. Luckily I found them.

The new place is cool though. I'm glad we're there but I'm pretty sad about leaving the old place. It had a beautiful view, and it's the first place I lived after moving out here from the desert. I started a new life there. I got sad walking out the door for the last time, that's for sure.

We're so not getting the deposit back. Hell, they might even charge us. I wouldn't be surprised. I don't even care. I'm so tired and sick of moving. My everything hurts, from eyes to feet and all the muscles in between. And I have to be to work in... 8.5 hours. Blah.

House party once the chaos has been tamed. Woot woot.

- David

See? See?!

Not so long ago I was raving/geeking out over Lucy Lou and how awesome her comic is. I submit to you, dear reader, further proof of how hilarious she is:


Apparently she was bored one day during a couple of flights and picked up Twilight as sort of a joke and ended up reading all of the books in one weekend. Then she summarized each book in quick, comical, quartuplet (I don't think that's a word) panels! Now I don't even have to Wikipedia them to see how ridiculous the story line is. And let me just say, it's even more ridiculous than I thought.

It's Friday, it's casual-dress day at work, and it's 60 degrees outside. Here's to a good Friday.

- David

It Begins...

Hopefully. I haven't used Illustrator in like three years so I'm re-learning the pitiful amount I knew before. I have no artistic talent to speak of, so I have to use photographs and computers. But I want to make a webcomic, and have for years, so I need to start somewhere. Original photograph here.

If you've been here in the past couple of days you read me complain about not having any friends to confide in, etc. Well my friend and comrade Chis from Phoenix sent me a message with kind words and this pic, and now my heart feels as full as Ron Jeremy's tighty-whities:


A little back story: Before I moved from AZ to VA I worked at a place called GoDaddy.com. That place treated me good, and the people I worked with were even better. The inhabitants of the SOC were like a family made up entirely of those fun uncles that tell you really dirty jokes and lets you drink beer when you're too young for either. When I left I gave them a stuffed rabbit (the reason escapes me now) which I later learned was named The Dave Buchta Bunny. Two years later, apparently it's still there, along with my name plate. To me, this is a sign of fondness and friendship truer than a donated kidney or a sympathy handy. Which are both awesome and something I'd be more than willing to give to my amigos out in the desert and points beyond. <3 you guys, fer real. You know who you are.

My weekend started six hours ago, and so far I have a ferry ride, free coffee, three baguettes(!), and the company of some cool baristas under my belt. Hopefully in the next two days I can get some tipsy riding and a bit of moving done too. Maybe even a handy or better. Here's hopin'!

Have a safe one.

- David

Coupla Easy Things

Who's ready for a grab bag of random David Thoughts?

I'm not a very competitive or envious person. If someone can do stuff good, I can honestly enjoy their skill without any jealousy. They're good at stuff, I'm good at stuff, I seriously don't have to be the best at everything. Or anything for that matter. But this girl's art makes me wish I could steal her soul. Look at this stuff!

I picked this one out of her nuuuuumerous awesome comics just for the faces she pulls at the beginning. She also did a a bunch of adorable, random portraits that I really enjoy. If I could choose the way I draw/paint, it would be exactly like this. Exactly. I actually feel pain at how bad I wish I could do what she's doing. Kasey even said something like I reminded her of this lady's art style, and that is a huge compliment to me.

At the time of this writing we have about eleven days to be moved out the magical apartment I've called home for two years. It's going to be strange not living thirteen floors up, looking out across the river, seeing my beloved cranes, and being able to hear the river ferry sound at all three of it's stops. The new place is awesome though. Cheaper, older, in Olde Towne proper, and with plenty of room and windows. I'm trying to get a four day weekend at the end of the month to get us moved in. We've been horrendously lazy of late. I blame pregnancy and couches.

Speaking of, I'm extremely anxious to have Jonas here already. Two months is too long! The other morning he had moved all the way over to the side of Kasey's belly and it was freaking us the fug out. It made the little guy super real. Even more so than the ultrasound. I mean, he moved over! Where once there was a bulge in the middle, it was now on the side. Trippy man, hella trippy.

I want a new bicycle frame. I have a couple in mind. I've pretty much replaced the entire bike but the frame. And the handlebars. It may sound weird, but I'm actually quite attached to my handlebars. Maybe more than the entire bike itself. If I do get a new frame, I want to hang the old one up on the wall. I think that'd be cool.


Crappy video of my ride home sometime this week.

The past two weeks have me realizing I don't have any friends I can confide in. I have friends that I love and cherish, and would step in front of a bus and get a piece of watch embedded in my artery for, but not really any I can go to with my private stuff. Don't people normally have friends like that? There's a couple online I can tell secrets too, but they're in Arizona or Cali. What if I need a comforting hug? Or at least a distracting reach-around? Maybe I should start being really upfront about my personal stuff with my friends at work. Either we'll become even closer, or I'll have less people to send Christmas cards to.

It's bath time I think. My muscles are complaining on one side. First it was my hip/ass area, now it's my calf. Tomorrow, my foot?

Damn, it's still raining. Maybe I'll wait...

- David

QwikStop

Real fast:

New words over at A Year of Bike Commuting.com. Complete with purdy picture I took.

Shaky-ass video of my homeward commute down Hampton Blvd, through Ghent, Downtown, and to Waterside. I'm at work so I can't embed it. Sue me.

OT is back in affect, I need to be moved out by the end of the month, and the weather is finally getting nice. Now if Lil' Jonas would only hurry up... I'm getting impatient.

Have a good one!

- David

And We're Back

Apparently something is up with my card. I can get money out of the ATM, I can buy pizza online, but I can't get Starbucks and I can't pay for my web hosting. It's fixed now, and PayPal is my new best friend. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I like the path of least resistance. Hopefully all three of my faithful readers didn't take this opportunity to jump ship.

Mandatory overtime is back in effect for this week and next. Wee. I'm tired. For those of you paying super close attention to my moods and the resultant writing styles, this will mean more periods and less commas. I like my new position still. Even though this week two people made me want to insult them and their mothers. Why can't people follow directions? I have this theory that it's because I'm so young looking. And my voice isn't baritone. Wait until this Fu Manchu is in full effect. People will take my most casual remarks as spiritual truths. It will rule.

Last night I had a dream I lived in D.C. I met Rosaria Dawson and we sorta started dating. She let me join this group she was in where people dressed in colonial period clothing and raided random bars in D.C. and yelled things like, "Down with the tea tax!" and "Smoking Virginia tobacco is smoking freedom!" or something like that. It was a lot of fun. Then she gave me a cool bracelet made out of random old stuff.

Three years passed and we were walking down the street when this scruffy hungover looking guy was asking around for bars where people gambled. Apparently he had gambled his wedding ring away some years ago and was looking for it. Then he noticed my bracelet, which had the ring in it. Rosaria Dawson and I looked at each other and cried, "Soul mates!" as it was our three year anniversary to the day and she had this weird custom in her family of discovering soul mates by strange coincidences.

Then the guy got all rowdy and started shoving Rosaria around. This activated my latent Buddhist super powers. The ring on the bracelet dislodged itself from the strand (without breaking) and slipped on my finger. My hair started to ruffle as if by an invisible wind. Everything become perfectly clear and in beautiful slow motion. I stopped a passing semi truck with my mind and disassembled the engine, with all of the pieces floating nearby as if in a technical drawing of how to put an engine together. I put Mr. Rowdy in the middle of the floating parts and put the engine back together around him, trapping him inside. Then I let the truck go on it's way like nothing had happened.

Later, having coffee on an outside patio with Rosaria and Prince I told him how much I liked his classic stuff. I tried to move a glass of water but my super powers were based in my heart, not my head, and only worked when love was involved. I really didn't want to wake up. I love super power dreams.

I'm outie, I need to get home and get to bed. Have a good Friday y'all.

- David

Baby Registry *Fixed!*

I should have posted the link to this ages ago, but it slipped my mind.

Here is the link to all the stuff we zapped with the barcode gun at Babies R Us a while back. The baby shower is in a week and a day at Kasey's mom's house and it seems like a ton of people will be there. Even though technically none of this stuff is for Kasey and I it will still be fun to see what people got us.

Lil' Jonas is going to be here soon; this pregnancy is just flying by. It seems like only yesterday Kasey was coming out of the bathroom with tears and a little stick with two lines on it. I'm sure the next time I post he'll be talking or something.

Man, I'm getting old. For real this time. I realized yesterday my younger brother is 23. And I'll be a dad soon. And we have flying cars and retirement colonies on the moon. Where does the time go?

-

*Edit* Registry link is fixed!

Getting Chased, Apartments, and Spring

I just put a new post up at A Year of Bike Commuting.com about an angry driver yelling at me and chasing me. For a bit. Also, here is the first entry I did for them.

In other news, we've (and by "we" I mean Kasey) have officially started the moving process as we have about 25 days before our lease is up. I'm excited to start throwing shit away.

The weather is supposed to be getting warmer, and I'm ready for spring: Ladies is revealing clothing, only having to wear a single layer of clothing in my way to work, sunshine and flowers and bees, and ladies in revealing clothing. Wait, did I say that already?

Peace!

- David