You’ve got to be kidding me. I like Dollar Tree for some things, but this is ridiculous. This is an actual newspaper ad I scanned in from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Dollar Tree is now offering hot dogs and even, get this, steaks! How much? A dollar, of course. Just like everything else. Does this not scare and worry anyone else? I was already weary of buying meat at Food Lion, but this makes them look pretty good. Also, notice the top right hand corner. Dollar Tree is apparently “graduation party headquarters?” Well of course! Wow, this is like one of those headlines people send in to Jay Leno.

NOTE: This is an update to my previous post from last September, Wyndham: Get Me Out - Update 1. If you haven’t read it, check it out so you can get an idea of where I’m coming from. I’m not bitter or being negative, but merely telling it like it is. I’ve been here way too long and need to get out. You have to understand the humorous undertone and sarcasm, too.

On Saturday night, I went running down past Wyndham Lake. Now I might now be in high school anymore, but I also don’t live under a rock. I knew it was prom night and all, but little did I know that more than 200 Deep Run kids would be there, all taking pictures in front of The Dominion Club as if it were a holy temple or shrine of some sort to their pretentious ways. The road in front of the lake was more jammed with cars than during the summer concerts held at the amphitheater from the kids and their parents. Here’s what showed up later: A flood of pictures, many from the lake, on Facebook. Every album I saw on Sunday was from Deep Run’s prom. Take a look, and then continue reading below. I’m just getting started. And no, this is not directed at anyone who happens to be pictured in this image, they’re merely examples of all the prom pictures that were posted the day after.

The girls had their immaculate makeup on (in heaping amounts that would put clowns to shame, except more skin-toned colors) and the guys smiled brighter than their preppy melon and lime colored vests and bow ties as if to show off their trophy girls, most of which are as fake as the day is long (Side note: Of course I value an attractive girl, but it’s really a turnoff when girls act or look overly fake like this).

Now, let me start by making one thing clear. There were plenty of people at Deep Run I did like, and I made some friends who I will probably keep in contact with my whole life. I’m not make a big blanket statement, because everyone was not like the people I’m about to describe, but that being said, most were. Some of the most pretentious people I ever met went to Deep Run. Some got me simply because of how they acted to other people, but a few made my life a living hell around the beginning of high school. I’ll get into more of that aspect of it in a future post, but just know that I get along with pretty much everyone I meet and still I couldn’t stand some of these kids.

Where does this tie into Wyndham? Well, most of those kids live here. I live there, too, but I’ve never fit in with them, nor have I ever wanted to. I knew it in 5th grade when I moved here and saw the difference in Shady Grove kids over Springfield Park, and I still know it today. And it’s not just the kids. Their parents are the same or worse.

Why do I notice this so much? I used to live in a neighborhood about 10 miles from here called Morgan Run, with the nicest group of neighbors you could ask for. People were just friendly there. Everyone waved when you drove by, always got together for block parties and such, and the list goes on. Wyndham, on the other hand, is devoid of all those good things. Hardly anyone waves, neighbors get into weekly squabbles over stupid things such as who planted a bush too close to the other’s property line (no joke, real example) and other petty things, everyone gossips about everyone else, and hardly anyone will give you the time of day. We’ve even had neighbors that no longer talk to our family because of silly misunderstandings (usually things like the bush example above) and hold a grudge over it for all eternity. That is not the way to live.

These people are dead on the inside, cold and brutal. It’s like living in a real life episode of Desperate Housewives sometimes. And this is all before pool season. I assure you there will be some stories to come once The Dominion Club’s pool opens. Sometimes I go up there purely for entertainment value. Every five minutes someone’s squawking at someone else or complaining about anything they can think of to the poor servers up there. Everyone thinks they’re the most important thing this side of Timbuktu.

Anyway, I’ll stop for now, but I’m sure there will be plenty more updates soon. I have to get out of this place soon.

It’s the end of the semester, and you know what that means: It’s time to get screwed over by the VCU Bookstore! So I spent $400 on textbooks back in January. Today I went down to VCU and got a whopping $13.50 back in resale value. Half of my books wouldn’t be taken back because they’re proprietary, custom VCU books that have no value once used because they change every year. I have a big problem with that. That’s just ridiculous. I spent more money than that on cheese pies yesterday at the Lebanese Food Festival. I probably spent more than that getting my Xterra down there to the VCU Bookstore and back. Textbooks are a royal ripoff. Students such as myself are getting nothing short of scammed. It’s infuriating.

Whoever made this is very creative and has a lot of time on their hands. I love doing creative video stuff like this and hope I can find time to do some sort of project like that this Summer. Check it out.

I had just gotten out of the shower this morning when I heard what sounded like either a train or cruise ship horn go off in my cul-de-sac. I looked out my window and saw this monstrosity of a truck.

Upon closer examination, I found out it’s a Ford F650, and whoever drives it has a whole lot more money than sense, that’s all I’ve got to say. It pulled up to my neighbors’ house and they got in for a ride and went around the neighborhood. Then it disappeared again for a while, probably because it was time for another $400 tank of gas after going around the block once. The price of diesel is scary.

Who would want one of these? It’s just over the top. They’re made for hauling. Hummers are bad enough on gas, but whoever bought this thing oughtta be embarrassed. What a waste. Here’s a picture of it I snapped this morning:

I checked out the movie What Happens In Vegas. Starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz, this film is a winner. Joy McNally (Diaz) and Jack Fuller (Kutcher) both decide to go on a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas after being dumped and losing a job, respectively.

The two coincidentally meet after accidentally being booked for the same hotel room. After a night on the town, they find that, in their drunkenness, they spontaneously got married. When Jack hits the jackpot at a casino, the “what’s mine is yours” clause of marriage goes into effect. The plot centers around what they must do in order to divide up the money, as prescribed by the court.

Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz work wonderfully together in this film. Their chemistry is apparent and makes for a very enjoyable movie. The scripting was great and the plot is fast-paced. This is a movie full of one-liners and quirky comments. I’d highly recommend it as a good date movie.

Overall Rating:

No, I’m not using a cliché here in preparation to tell you about some negative thing that always happens to me. The title of that post would be something like “A Day Late And A Dollar Short.” But seriously, I really am writing the story of my life. Over the past few weeks, when I’ve had the chance, I’ve written a few pages at a time in reflection of my life thus far. I started at age 3, which is as far back as I can go with any sort of tangible memories, although obviously they’re vague. 50 pages later, I’m at 5th grade.

Why am I doing this? Well, several reasons. First off, I just really like to write. Secondly, I’m a very nostalgic person. I like writing and thinking (but no, not living) in the past. It’s kind of theraputic personally. Of course I realize no one would want to read it. That’s not at all the point. In fact, even though I’m pretty darn honest and open here on my blog, I held absolutely nothing back when it comes to filing through my memories, so there are very few people, if any, who I’d probably ever let read this anyway.

I know another common cliché goes something like, “If your life was a movie, would anyone want to watch it?” Honestly, probably not. And I’m okay with that. I’m doing this for me. I’m sorting out memories, dealing with past regret and conflict, and just want to remember every little detail of my life. Maybe my kids or grandkids will enjoy reading it someday. It’ll also be interesting personally to see my perspectives of things and the way I think today, decades down the road.

So just to update everyone, I finally found a job. I’m working at Attronica Computers, Inc. off of Nuckols Road. I’m in the Engineering Department as a Computer Technician. This week I’m mainly at the University of Richmond doing some help desk work (Attronica as a contract with them for their computer systems). I love what I’m doing and the experience I’m gaining, and just overall so thankful I have a job, and one I really like at that! More to come, but just wanted to update everyone on that.

I went to see Iron Man last night. Robert Downy, Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a genius inventor who’s come up with numerous revolutionary military solutions for the United States’ defense and war use. After hostile forces kidnap him from the military convoy he’s riding in, the only way for him to live is for him to build a super intelligent rocket system to be used by the enemy against the United States. He instead builds a computerized suit of armor and becomes Iron Man.

The plot in this movie was action-packed and fact-paced. Downy shines in this role and gives the movie an edgy tone. The special effects, explosions, and other CGI were well done. I’ve always gone into the superhero movies of the past few years thinking I won’t like them, but have always ended up impressed. This movie was no exception. For great action and suspense, check this one out. Oh, and stick around after the credits for a bonus scene and lead-in to Iron Man 2, scheduled for release on April 30, 2010.

Overall Rating:

One year: With certain things, it seems like an eternity, and with others, it seems the blink of an eye. A year ago this month, I was finishing out my last days of high school. It seems like forever ago. I’ve changed and grown so much in so many different ways over the past year since I left Deep Run. More than anything, I’ve gained a true sense of identity for the first time in my life. I know who I am and am on the fast track to determining my purpose in life.

One of the biggest things I’ve discovered is what defines a true friend. Looking back on my high school days, I had many people in my life who kept me around simply because I was always there and someone to use as a backup plan for everything. I was always someone who was at everyone’s beckon call. I was way too available and never too busy to give anyone some time. I guess I’ve just always been a nice guy. Too nice. I was played like a fiddle.

I was always the one who someone would call when there was nothing better to do, and I was always fun to be around until someone better came along. I was the victim of one-sided friendships in which I put in all the effort and made all the plans. Now that’s not to say I didn’t have a group of real friends, because I always have. However, there were many people in my life who completely took advantage of me.

In recent months, I’ve kind of segued into a new core group of friends. They’re some of the most caring, compassionate, genuine, and sincere group of people I’ve ever met. It seems a lot of the people I put myself around in the past, and even some who are still friends to this very day, are just complete downers, are negative, or just hold me back in general. I find more and more after being around this positive, spiritual, forward thinking group I have now that some of the other people in my life are just dragging me down.

A true friend is someone who is genuinely interested in what’s on your mind and in your heart. They’re excited for you when you’re excited. They’re there for you when you’re down. They support your endeavors and dreams and build you up. That’s what I’ve found in this amazing group.

However, this has also given me great hindsight to see all the things true friends aren’t and to see all the negative influences that I’ve had in my life. They’re not just someone who sits impatiently as you’re speaking, thinking about what they’re going to say as you talk. They’re not someone who cares only about themselves or what you can do for them when they do nothing for you (oh I could write a book of stories on this one). They don’t get mad over things that don’t make sense and then choose not to talk to you when you make a genuine effort to resolve the so-called problem and even understand what silly thing they’re upset over in the first place (that’s immaturity if I’ve ever seen it). They don’t just expect you to be around at times of their choosing and then aren’t ever available themselves when you want to hang out. They don’t belittle you, constantly mock you, or talk behind your back. These are actual examples of some of the people who have been pulling me down in recent days. This post is just the beginning, too. I have some stories, going back to fifth grade, that I’d like to share with you in the near future that will really give you some insight into what happened that year that shaped me into the person I am today. Simply put, it was moving to Wyndham that year. Oh, the stories I have to share.

I have big dreams, goals, and plans for my life that I’m actually coming to the realization of. One long-time dream of mine is already coming true. It’s amazing to see it in reality. I guess you could say I’ve just started to realize what matters (and what really doesn’t) in life. It started a few months ago and I really feel I’ve entered a new chapter in my life. I’m so happy to have found friends who fit the new productive, goal-oriented lifestyle I’ve chosen to live and who build me up, not tear me down like so many people have in the past.

I’d say it’s time to weed out the garden, so to speak, in terms of who matches up with what I want my life to be and who just drags me through the mud. Sorry, those of you who I’m speaking to have done it long enough, and I refuse to live my life that way and be such a blatant fool any longer. I’m finally truely happy with where and what I am in life, and man it feels good to be in that place for once, after being beat down and defeated so many times in the past.