tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55814740042176725302024-03-13T10:39:33.414-04:00Ghostwriter28.comGhostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-3716565743944816152019-07-01T09:17:00.000-04:002019-09-09T10:21:06.493-04:00Shot Clock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROqBSJGdpwc/XXZfyJKh12I/AAAAAAAAB10/4o1etAXoKVAJjeI9OvoPaTifBOrPo3uTQCLcBGAs/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="518" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROqBSJGdpwc/XXZfyJKh12I/AAAAAAAAB10/4o1etAXoKVAJjeI9OvoPaTifBOrPo3uTQCLcBGAs/s320/24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span data-tt="{}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Guess who's getting married? This guy right here... a couple weeks back I proposed to my live-in girlfriend of the past 5 years & she accepted! So now we'll be spending the better part of the next year planning various events to celebrate our pending nuptials. My fianc</span><span data-tt="{}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">é </span><span data-tt="{}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">& I are both water signs, so we'd really like to have a ceremony on the water... hopefully, that'll still be a reality once we begin to crunch some of the numbers. I've got a buddy who will soon jump the broom in a couple a months, so I've been bouncing a bunch of ideas off of him in recent weeks.</span></span><br />
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<span data-tt="{}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The engagement ring I selected is rose-gold, with a blue-ish aquamarine primary stone surrounded by white diamonds. I really wanted her ring to stand-out from other traditional platinum or white gold rings with that same-ol' solitary diamond setting. I'd actually been contemplating marriage since the beginning of the year & </span></span><span data-tt="{}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;">special ordered the bridal set about a month prior to popping the big question. Waiting for that perfect moment to make it happen was absolutely agonizing! I constantly asked myself things like... "</span><span data-tt="{"font":{"name":"SFUIText-LightItalic","pointSize":0},"fontHints":2}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will she like the ring? Will we have to re-size it? Hell, will she even say yes???</span><span data-tt="{}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;">" Granted, I wasn't </span><span data-tt="{"font":{"name":"SFUIText-LightItalic","pointSize":0},"fontHints":2}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">truly</span><span data-tt="{}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;"> worried about that last one, but hey - nothing in life's a sure thing, </span><span data-tt="{"font":{"name":"SFUIText-LightItalic","pointSize":0},"fontHints":2}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">right</span><span data-tt="{}" style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;">? As it turned-out, she loved my selection. My super-secret detective work paid-off too, because I sized the ring down to the perfect fit! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;">As far as the wedding... I, myself, would prefer a small, low-key ceremony (truth-be-told I would have settled for a trip to the justice of the peace just to get it all over with)... but the lady has plans far grander in scale than anything I'd ever imagined, so we'll just have to see how far down the rabbit hole I get pulled over this next year of planning. Trying to rein her in will certainly be a challenge, plus she & her planning committee are already hard at work, guess I might as well get used to the idea of some sort of a fancy-smancy affair.</span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-40956102397754580272018-04-19T11:05:00.000-04:002018-04-30T14:52:25.200-04:00#BankBlack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12px;">Over the past few years, or so, I feel like I’ve really gotten away from patronizing black-owned business... for various reasons running the gamut from sheer convenience & lower price points to extreme angst over poorly run business operations & customer service practices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12px;">But earlier this week, I decided to simply get over myself & do something about it. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12px;">I opened new accounts with 3 black-owned & operated banks in an attempt to #bankblack & <i>keep it trill</i> in whatever small way I can. Sure, there are certainly banking options outside of my community with branches on every corner, account opening bonuses, higher interest rate yields, so on & so fourth… but to me, it’s an important time for my people to circle the wagons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12px;">How could I ever successfully impress upon others, things I think they should be doing, if I myself am not an avid practitioner of those very same strategies. With that in mind - I’ve decided to move my money from <i>their</i> house to <i>our</i> house, in hopes that my people will likewise, consider the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I choose now to actively seek-out black-owned businesses offering similar services & products that I buy regularly, with a reinvigorated mindset… simply put, I help my own community </span><u style="font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace;">so</u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> much more with each & every dollar spent there instead, moving foreward I intend to do just that. </span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-2866291309993377022018-03-22T11:36:00.000-04:002019-09-04T09:29:48.327-04:00My Break-Up with FB<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w72qYVkYH5s/WrPNAqj-sgI/AAAAAAAAByA/VJEH2Jau7D8QWDnVevVfCdUx0xKxrHhHwCLcBGAs/s1600/FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="354" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w72qYVkYH5s/WrPNAqj-sgI/AAAAAAAAByA/VJEH2Jau7D8QWDnVevVfCdUx0xKxrHhHwCLcBGAs/s320/FB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Recent revelations regarding Facebook’s complicit role in unauthorized sharing (selling) of it’s users data with 3rd party companies as well as the enormous propaganda machine the social media giant turned a blind eye to during the 2016 presidential campaign have caused me to take serious issue with the social media platform. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">To be fair, Facebook & I had already been sharing an estranged, on & off again relationship over the past 10 years or so - I guess I’d long since fallen out of love with many things people chose to share & perhaps more importantly, my (admittedly) presumed reasoning for their doing so. What once seemed like an excellent way to keep in touch with (or tabs on) friends, now very much feels like a never-ending competition among co-workers, peers & family members alike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I hate having to witness the brazen insensitivity of folk when it comes to relationship issues, death announcements & other <i>handle-with-care</i> posts of the like. <u>None</u> of the rude comments, jealous reactions, or First 48 theories do anything to enhance my quality of life, so I’m simply choosing not to partake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But it was really the weaponization of Facebook in recent years, by both foreign & domestic players alike, to further sew decent, hate & bigotry into the very fabric of our democracy that pissed me off. On top of that, its just hurtful to know there are so many among us who absolutely refuse to see any issue from a perspective different than their own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It’s recently been estimated that about 50% of Americans get their news from Facebook. Yes, an unregulated, ad driven, unverified news saturated & highly politicized social media website is now responsible for how roughly half of US citizens obtain news content - <i>just think about that</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In some ways, I guess its all a <i>not so friendly</i> reminder of the work we have left to do in this country. Still, the general lack of accountability that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown before, during & since the past presidential campaign when paired with recent trends of cyber-bullying, suicide posts & racial stand-offs have all left a bad taste in my mouth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Moving forward, I anticipate using Facebook as more of an emergency telephone book of sort… if absolutely necessary, I can always reactivate my account with the sole intention of retrieving pertinent information regarding friends & deactivate immediately afterward. Otherwise, I really don’t expect to miss it much, if at all.</span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-74947892714472614542017-01-10T08:01:00.000-05:002017-01-24T08:53:25.405-05:00Headed Across the Pond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GNEonrySKBE/WIdUuwRTNVI/AAAAAAAABwo/fznjxqXKJ8geM4CAzQd2mCOQHmnAE_reQCLcB/s1600/Ravens-Jags%2BLondon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GNEonrySKBE/WIdUuwRTNVI/AAAAAAAABwo/fznjxqXKJ8geM4CAzQd2mCOQHmnAE_reQCLcB/s320/Ravens-Jags%2BLondon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a data-topotext="[{"attributes":{"tombstoned":false,"uniqueId":43,"paragraphStyle":{"writingDirection":1,"style":3}},"codePoints":[76,97,115,116,32,110,105,103,104,116,32,73,32,98,111,111,107,101,100,32,97,32,116,114,105,112,32,116,111,32,76,111,110,100,111,110,44,32,69,110,103,108,97,110,100,33,32,65,98,111,117,116,32,97,32,109,111,110,116,104,32,98,97,99,107,32,105,116,32,119,97,115,32,97,110,110,111,117,110,99,101,100,32,116,104,97,116,32,116,104,101,32,82,97,118,101,110,115,32,119,111,117,108,100,32,112,108,97,121,32,105,110,32,87,101,109,98,108,101,121,32,83,116,97,100,105,117,109,32,105,110,32,97,32,114,101,103,117,108,97,114,32,115,101,97,115,111,110,32,114,111,97,100,32,103,97,109,101,32,118,101,114,115,117,115,32,116,104,101,32,74,97,103,117,97,114,115,32,38,32,115,105,110,99,101,32,116,104,97,116,32,116,105,109,101,32,73,8217,118,101,32,109,97,100,101,32,105,116,32,109,121,32,98,117,115,105,110,101,115,115,32,116,111,32,102,117,110,100,32,116,104,105,115,32,116,114,105,112,46,32,84,105,110,107,32,119,105,108,108,32,97,99,99,111,109,112,97,110,121,32,109,101,32,97,98,114,111,97,100,32,38,32,116,104,101,32,116,114,105,112,32,119,105,108,108,32,101,110,100,32,117,112,32,99,111,115,116,105,110,103,32,109,101,32,114,111,117,103,104,108,121,32,36,54,44,51,48,48,32,105,110,32,116,111,116,97,108,46,32,10,10,66,117,116,32,116,104,101,32,109,97,106,111,114,32,101,120,112,101,110,115,101,115,32,104,97,118,101,32,98,101,101,110,32,116,97,107,101,110,32,99,97,114,101,32,111,102,46,32,73,32,117,115,101,100,32,116,119,111,32,111,102,32,109,121,32,86,73,83,65,32,99,114,101,100,105,116,32,97,99,99,111,117,110,116,115,32,116,111,32,115,101,99,117,114,101,32,116,114,97,118,101,108,32,112,97,99,107,97,103,101,115,32,102,111,114,32,115,104,101,32,38,32,73,32,116,104,97,116,32,105,110,99,108,117,100,101,115,32,97,105,114,102,97,114,101,44,32,104,111,116,101,108,32,97,99,99,111,109,109,111,100,97,116,105,111,110,115,44,32,97,32,82,105,118,101,114,32,84,104,97,109,101,115,32,99,114,117,105,115,101,44,32,97,32,76,111,110,100,111,110,32,69,121,101,32,114,105,100,101,32,38,32,111,102,32,99,111,117,114,115,101,44,32,116,105,99,107,101,116,115,32,116,111,32,116,104,101,32,98,105,103,32,103,97,109,101,32,45,32,84,105,110,107,32,105,115,32,97,108,114,101,97,100,121,32,114,101,115,101,97,114,99,104,105,110,103,32,97,100,100,105,116,105,111,110,97,108,32,116,104,105,110,103,115,32,116,111,32,100,111,32,100,117,114,105,110,103,32,111,117,114,32,32,100,97,121,115,32,116,104,101,114,101,32,97,115,32,119,101,108,108,33,10]},{"attributes":{"tombstoned":false,"uniqueId":0},"codePoints":[10]},{"attributes":{"tombstoned":false,"uniqueId":56,"paragraphStyle":{"style":3}},"codePoints":[78,111,119,32,73,32,106,117,115,116,32,110,101,101,100,32,116,111,32,115,101,116,32,97,115,105,100,101,32,115,111,109,101,32,115,112,101,110,100,105,110,103,32,109,111,110,101,121,32,38,32,98,117,121,32,101,110,111,117,103,104,32,82,97,118,101,110,115,32,103,101,97,114,32,116,111,32,119,101,97,114,32,101,118,101,114,121,32,100,97,121,32,111,102,32,116,104,101,32,116,114,105,112,33,32,32,73,39,109,32,115,111,32,118,101,114,121,32,114,101,97,100,121,46]}]" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">So yea... last
night I kinda booked a trip to London, England, lol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">About a month or so back it was
announced by the NFL that the Ravens would play their 1st international game at Wembley Stadium in a regular
season (Week 3 or Week 4) road game versus the Jaguars. At that point, I made it
my business to somehow fund the trip an entire 8 months in advance of the game & 3 months ahead of the NFL's official schedule release.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i>*<u>1/21/17 edit</u>: the NFL confirmed the game for Week 3 (Sept. 24th) prior to the official schedule release in April - now I won't have to wait until to attach specific dates to various activities & events* </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">But already, I've taken care of all of the major trip-related expenses to include a travel package that includes
airfare, hotel accommodations, a River Thames cruise, London Eye ride
& of course... tickets to the big game. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I've been here at my desk since 6:30a researching
additional things to do during the trip - I plan to make the most of it!</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> I still have my international hall pass on ice & I'm so very anxious to get my first passport stamp in September. Now I just need to set aside more spending money & make sure I have enough Ravens gear to wear every day of the trip!</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-86605487765070341392016-07-12T14:12:00.000-04:002016-08-24T10:51:43.234-04:00Well Alright...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Just passed the 6th year that this blog has been around about a week back, and though I'm not nearly as active on here as I'd like to be (for a myriad of reasons), it's still here & I'm still very blessed! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It's a bit slow in the office today, so I found myself checking out a few of my friends blogs earlier which, in-turn, reminded me to check out my own, lol. Upon doing so, I realized that July is the month that everything Ghostwriter28.com began. </span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-77107826262681340852016-05-13T17:53:00.000-04:002016-05-18T11:43:58.810-04:00It's Been a Day...<div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Caught a really bizarre flat tire today immediately after work & completely shattered my iPad screen upon arriving at home. Oh & I was completely unproductive on the job today - yea, as this post title states, <i>it’s been a day</i>! The devil has certainly been busy at work, but I’m far too blessed to be stressed so I’m not even gon’ cry about it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I was lucky enough to be in a familiar part of DC when I caught the flat tire, & though my tire began to rapidly lose air pressure upon puncture, I was able to make it safely to a nearby Exxon station on Benning Road, popped on the spare & kept my Friday afternoon rolling. Stopped by the NTB bought a new tire, it’s now mounted to the rim & ready for pick up later this evening. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I’m also blessed with the means to replace my iPad immediately - the new tablet cost $585 & change, but get this… there was exactly $586 available in my Best Buy account - so I didn’t even have to use any of my hard earned cash, how about that!?! It’ll arrive next week & I should be able to repair the current iPad to be repurposed afterward. Guess that’s just the way my God works - </span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">fuck wit him</i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">! Lol…</span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-44361437144656427532016-05-12T09:19:00.000-04:002019-09-04T09:29:58.909-04:00Commencement '16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FbE7OjPuqKQ/VzXCAHYZQOI/AAAAAAAABsQ/sybaA4SzzCIkO08DxATFb5YX6dtC5vEAACLcB/s1600/HUyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FbE7OjPuqKQ/VzXCAHYZQOI/AAAAAAAABsQ/sybaA4SzzCIkO08DxATFb5YX6dtC5vEAACLcB/s320/HUyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Last Mother's Day weekend I attended the commencement exercises of my alma mater, Howard University, here in our nation's capital. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: right;">I'd thought the faces of over 2,400 new members of the real HU's great family would highlight the day, but much to my delight, the best part of the ceremony would actually be my very own mother (<i>now the Dean of HU's School of Social Work</i>) presenting & confirming her students' graduate degrees! What a way to kick-off the holiday weekend! The weather cooperated, as it always does for an HU graduation, & everyone on the yard, including my mom, simply looked great.</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QN5m2UdcxcU/VzXUX-mB28I/AAAAAAAABtg/ZcqwPO2PTyEPq1di0QmN1XICypanTMAJwCKgB/s1600/Ma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QN5m2UdcxcU/VzXUX-mB28I/AAAAAAAABtg/ZcqwPO2PTyEPq1di0QmN1XICypanTMAJwCKgB/s320/Ma.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The camera really seemed to love her, as I'd later discover upon returning home to catch the live coverage on my DVR & she didn't flub any of her lines either, lol.</span><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0ZTjuf4nxw/VzXLOai_jbI/AAAAAAAABsw/xlCgcTWcu-ADZANdmxc1iBNzSVu0PAThgCLcB/s1600/HUcollage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0ZTjuf4nxw/VzXLOai_jbI/AAAAAAAABsw/xlCgcTWcu-ADZANdmxc1iBNzSVu0PAThgCLcB/s320/HUcollage.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Oh & by the way, the 44th president our great nation stopped by as well... “</span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">I know you’re all excited today. You might be a little
tired, as well. Some of you were up all night making sure your credits were in
order (laughter). Some of you stayed up too late, ended up at HoChi at 2am
(laughter). Got some mambo sauce on your fingers (enormous laughter)…</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Now that's the Barrack Obama I've been waiting 8 years to hear from - maybe I won't give him such a hard time moving forward, lol. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: left;">But all jokes aside, he really did deliver an empowering speech to the graduates, one that was relevant to everyone in attendance. A truly historic & monumental day on the Hilltop & I'm so very glad that I was able to take part. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: left;">Now let me break-out this checkbook, I've got money to send uptown for some much needed infrastructure improvements over at the School of C!</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzinoMHSy-8N-ooZj6hyW8cmDiCKQaS9PeS3uydgMHYj1rmIpJc9efdhnkvc6Fm4xpRYkLL8Onn9CGphLEd9Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-68170862395650429872016-05-11T10:13:00.000-04:002019-09-04T09:32:08.032-04:00Home Security<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As of late, home surveillance has become my newest
obsession, but as not to <i>completely</i> compromise the details of my top-secret security layout (lol), I'll just say that I've gone a little overboard - it's a little like baby London in here! </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Adults & children alike, should have absolutely </span><u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>NO</i></u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> expectation of privacy upon entering my home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">It's not
that I've had any issues with security, I
simply enjoy having that added peace of mind, even when I'm away. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Over the past several months, I've added quite a few enhancements to supplement the standard security system currently installed in my home, all of which have remote monitoring capabilities for the added ease of deployment of law enforcement or emergency personnel should something happen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Throughout the home, I'm now monitoring interior movement, air climate/carbon monoxide levels, lighting conditions, wireless data management, so-on & so-fourth. But in an attempt to at least preserve the sanctity of the sleeping
quarters, I've managed to minimize the camera coverage in the most upper level of my home,
but that area is indeed surveilled too, lls. Certainly, there's no way to completely prevent a
break-in, but if one does indeed occur, it damn-sure won't be a secret to anyone
& that's my primary goal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Every event captured on video
goes straight to the cloud - those days of holding your captive(s) at gun-point, all the while demanding the video surveillance tape before making the great escape are long gone, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtPOQ46pVrA/V3KMPygEX3I/AAAAAAAABvI/qwjamL9JGOweZsjzJYYvn36LI6_BYqb_QCLcB/s1600/IMG_0857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtPOQ46pVrA/V3KMPygEX3I/AAAAAAAABvI/qwjamL9JGOweZsjzJYYvn36LI6_BYqb_QCLcB/s400/IMG_0857.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">lol.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I love stuff just as much as the next man, but that's not at what motivated my efforts here... at the end of the day, the items I own aren't as important to me as the safety of those I love - their safety reigns paramount! In that regard, each of the above described upgrades were worth each & every penny spent.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-64388643434838526042015-12-31T02:41:00.000-05:002019-09-04T09:32:31.581-04:00Cheers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The year-end is now upon us & I guess I could consider
2015 to be a pretty banner year for myself. I took care of some very old debt,
purchased my first home & for the very first time in my life, successfully
maintained a fully-monogamous (adult) relationship for more than an entire calendar year. I pray the lord continues to bless me throughout the next
year of my life as well. There will be no vision boards completed this
go-round, but don't get it twisted, there are most definitely plenty of images
for 2016 swimming around in this head of mine!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Unfortunately, I did lose some connections with some really
great folk between this year & last, but that happens... people lead very
busy, separate lives in this day & age, so I've definitely learned that there's
no need to take anyone's absence personally, it's just life & business of
course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31NZIGqa18k/VoTg8MRixTI/AAAAAAAABr4/ARBFVrodfBk/s1600/Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31NZIGqa18k/VoTg8MRixTI/AAAAAAAABr4/ARBFVrodfBk/s320/Me.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Following a wonderful Christmas holiday with my family, I
plan to spend New Year's Eve at home this year. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">After briefly entertaining the
idea of attending yet another ball, dressed to the nines, I decided I'd simply
prefer a safe, quiet & CHEAP (lol) evening in my humble abode.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'll simply experience NYE
vicariously through the various Facebook & Instagram posts that I see from my friends & family this year. Yea, I'm definitely cool wit that.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-53791157684090093442015-12-18T14:27:00.000-05:002015-12-29T22:33:07.472-05:00Home Automation 101<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MMFj3UoyG1s/VnQj2v81wOI/AAAAAAAABow/M1raUYnjqSA/s1600/Smart%2BHome%2BFolder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MMFj3UoyG1s/VnQj2v81wOI/AAAAAAAABow/M1raUYnjqSA/s320/Smart%2BHome%2BFolder.jpg" width="273" /></b></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Ok, so for pretty much the entire fall, my tape measure & I were attached at the hip (& quite literally too).</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"<em>Will this fit here? How much room do I need there?</em>" - I imagine all new homeowners probably remember the drill well. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But now that the furniture buying, moving & assembly is done, I've been busy upgrading my home with all sorts of residential tech toys. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Y</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">unno, completely unnecessary sh!t like a wifi thermostat, smart controlled entertainment hub, room-to-room audio, remote home security services, security webcam network, wireless lighting system, smartphone commanded garage door controller, remotely operated deadbolt, so-on & so fourth.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Hmmm... ok, perhaps it's not <i><u>all</u></i> so unnecessary after-all. For the sake of argument in this post, let's just call 'em all pieces <em>convenience</em> <em>tech</em>, yea - we'll go with that for now, lol.</b></span><br />
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</b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOZKmpIbhN8/VnRVaGAL3JI/AAAAAAAABpo/e1J5U03p6nQ/s1600/Hue%2BLighting%2BThemes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><b><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HOZKmpIbhN8/VnRVaGAL3JI/AAAAAAAABpo/e1J5U03p6nQ/s400/Hue%2BLighting%2BThemes.jpg" width="223" /></b></span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Simply put, I've now become obsessed with controlling even the most mundane of activities even when I'm miles away from home - all in an attempt to make my new spot a smarter one. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new", "courier", monospace;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So while I no longer need to pull-out the hammer or paint brush nearly as often, I now live in front of my computer & pretty much know my 16-character wireless network WEP key by heart after performing so many initial setups to get my smart devices & components to play with one another. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But I'd say the optional upgrades have all been well worth it thus far. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Admittedly, it was a bit of a challenge, trying to limit my purchases to pieces of tech that I thought were likely to catch-on, or would soon become the standard versus those trendy fly-by-night tech ideas that simply aren't practical in real-world application.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHI8QqQUYlc/VnS9Jph_YHI/AAAAAAAABqM/68Fht7oMdTc/s1600/23201005934_c0d3f96205_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHI8QqQUYlc/VnS9Jph_YHI/AAAAAAAABqM/68Fht7oMdTc/s320/23201005934_c0d3f96205_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But I think I managed to make a lot of right choices in that regard & I've even been saving a few coins when it comes to my monthly utility payments, as a result, so I'm most definitely glad I decided to make the place a more efficient one.</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">For the spring, I've got my eye on a remote controlled window shading system for the living room (<i>who's got time to get off their ass just to open & draw-back window shades, lol</i>). </b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">But seriously, as with my previous tech investments, it's just a matter of researching my options before settling on the right manufacturer & product.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">By next winter, I'd really like to get my hands on some sexier, newer & (most importantly) more energy efficient appliances for the home. <i>H</i></span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">elp me Lord</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, I've clearly got myself a bit of a problem here.</span></b>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-63940624531024342202015-11-30T08:31:00.000-05:002015-12-31T03:28:50.143-05:00Yup, Still Here...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Just wanted to make a really quick post to let folk know I'm
still blogging, just been VERY busy this year & never imagined I'd have
such difficulty carving-out time to blog, but if I'm lucky, maybe I'll still
get 10 posts published by the year's end, fingers crossed on that, considering
it's now the start of what will be a bustling holiday season for me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But as far as what's been happening in my world lately...
I've been very poor - point-blank, period, the end. Lol, I've been pouring
every cent earned right back into my new home. Though I've very much enjoyed
watching the transition from just a new home to my home, it's been a
challenge accomplishing the many tasks, while maintaining continuity in other
areas of my life as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">All & all, I'd like to think I've managed to sustain the
quality of life I expect for myself fairly well, but boy... I'd be a liar if I
said I hadn't coasted into the past few paydays on fumes alone, lol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But it's a sacrifice I'm voluntarily making in
order to get some things accomplished ahead of schedule, plus it's
definitely a satisfying feeling to know you're managing a difficult situation.
And now that I've completed my budget for 2016, I can see the light at the end
of the credit debt tunnel & for me, that works just fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-81494499698167638642015-08-03T09:37:00.001-04:002015-08-03T09:37:40.299-04:00So Much to Do...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1__ZncKJ6k/Vb9ubMDtk0I/AAAAAAAABnQ/6Y_g1hzH3L4/s1600/stores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f1__ZncKJ6k/Vb9ubMDtk0I/AAAAAAAABnQ/6Y_g1hzH3L4/s320/stores.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier;">Over the past two weeks I’ve become a frequent visitor at Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Lowe's & also The Home Depot. As you might expect, I've been purchasing new cookware, appliances as well as furniture to make the place mine. I also got myself a taste of my very 1<sup>st</sup> home
repair bill just days after moving in, as the existing washing machine needed
immediate repair! So it didn’t take long at all for me to realize both the joys AND pit-falls
of home-ownership, lol.</span></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">I got the security, water, gas,
electric, Internet & television services all up & running rather
quickly & care packages containing many necessities from close friends
& family continue to roll-in as well - I really couldn’t be more blessed. E</span></b><b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">ach day, something new gets bought, installed or assembled - it's looking more & more like a home.</span></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">I'm hoping to throw some sort
of a Super Bowl party/housewarming in February (though I'm not at all a huge party
thrower) - that should give me the time I need to finish decorating & without
going broke to do so! Should everything continue to go according to plan, I'll
have <i>the spot</i> looking the way I want it to by year's end.</span></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier;">So far, I've very much enjoyed
coming home to my place daily, right now, it gives me a new sense of
purpose... I don't even hate going to work (so much) now, lol.</span></b></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-13854094390650815022015-07-17T19:30:00.000-04:002015-07-19T00:29:08.326-04:00Mr. Crewe's Neighborhood...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NA9T0cBtIN0/Vajry6emmRI/AAAAAAAABm0/3qe_6I967OQ/s1600/Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="205" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NA9T0cBtIN0/Vajry6emmRI/AAAAAAAABm0/3qe_6I967OQ/s320/Map.JPG" width="320" /></b></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>Let me tell you,
the devil was busy at work over the past 24 hours, but I’ve got an awesome God. It took some magic & prayer to get-around some last minute
procedural issues standing between me & settlement, but I successfully
completed the closing process earlier this evening - so I'm now a
homeowner! Some of the features I really like about the area include the many
accessible running trails, the fact that it's both a child & pet friendly
community & also the well-maintained structures & surrounding
landscapes.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>It was my
intention to find a home very close to my previous residence. But after months
of research, I realized that if I really wanted to live in a more modern
home, located in a pleasant community with lower crime rates - I'd need to
expand my search area a bit.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>Upon broadening
my search, I began to see just the types of 3-level, townhouse style condos I'd
been looking for all along. Sure, the location of my new home adds about 6
miles to my commute to & from work, but to me it's well worth it.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier; line-height: 18pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Courier; line-height: 18pt;"><b>Plus, I'm still just a
10-minute drive from my brother & parents' homes, respectively, so very few
of my daily or weekly routines will need to change as a result of my new
address. Now I can begin to get back to life as normal financially speaking,
might even be able to start eating lunch at work again next week, lol.</b></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-63808585896133890012015-07-01T10:59:00.002-04:002015-07-11T08:19:30.344-04:00Dog Days...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqdFdJiYOvg/VZp1TLP1UXI/AAAAAAAABmY/8bp4ISPABbA/s1600/sun1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqdFdJiYOvg/VZp1TLP1UXI/AAAAAAAABmY/8bp4ISPABbA/s320/sun1.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Ughhh... now that
July is here, we've officially hit those dog days of summer. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>It's the
hottest time of the year, here in the east & on top of that, there
aren't any in-season sports on television to occupy my addiction
for organized chaos, corruption & greed. <span style="line-height: 18pt;">Still, I
absolutely love summer & the illusion of freedom that often
accompanies it, lol. It's the traditional time of year for
graduations, vacations, weddings & other such celebratory events,
so folks' attitudes tend to be a 'bit' more relaxed.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Even though my
financial transactions have been HEAVILY monitored by the budget police, I've
still managed to fit-in a couple of getaways & for that, I'm quite thankful...
another roadtrip or two before the fall hits & I'll be more
than satisfied.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18pt;"><b>I can hardly
believe half the year is gone already... before you know it, we'll be making
plans for the holiday season. But I'll definitely make it my business to enjoy
what remains of summer, I'm not ready to start wrestling with heavy coats,
scarves & hats just yet.</b></span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-77517829269421956302015-06-22T14:16:00.000-04:002015-07-04T14:10:56.018-04:00Instant Equity...<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hmp4VZ7oX_A/VYwqX5EiQ2I/AAAAAAAABkE/1IaY_9f3z-I/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b></b></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2zC6LQNkcmo/VZKDK74xcZI/AAAAAAAABlU/zUPR6o2oYE8/s1600/house1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2zC6LQNkcmo/VZKDK74xcZI/AAAAAAAABlU/zUPR6o2oYE8/s320/house1.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><b>Earlier today, my agent called to inform me
that my contract offer on a recently viewed property, had been acccepted by the
seller! Now I just have to pay for it… lol. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">But seriously, my financing is
already in place & my closing costs are all lined-up as well. The sale
is now contingent upon the property passing inspection & appraising for
a specified amount. </span>It's not a done deal just yet, but the
hardest part is over - finding the right home & getting a contract
offer accepted by the seller. Now I can shift my focus toward maintaining (or
even increasing) my current credit score between now & settlement, so
that I can try & lock-in an even better interest rate at closing.</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><b>After months of preparing myself
financially & searching for homes, I'm so very excited to finally put
down the listings & start pricing home furnishings, electronic
components, so on & so fourth. I've got some great ideas for what I'd
like to do with the place - I'm SO very blessed & happy to have finally
reached this milestone. Nothing but smiles around here today...</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-5834506767092169102015-06-12T09:29:00.000-04:002015-07-04T14:07:22.467-04:00First Time Home-Buyer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-geJsAn8EhGk/VYAi_jJ5lYI/AAAAAAAABiQ/ar_1MGZkZ5k/s1600/CB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-geJsAn8EhGk/VYAi_jJ5lYI/AAAAAAAABiQ/ar_1MGZkZ5k/s320/CB.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div>
<div style="margin-right: 6px;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>I'm well into my 30s
& for years, I've simply put-off buying a home of my own for various
reasons - chiefly, I just didn't want to deal with the painstaking process of
securing financing & then of course, there's finding that perfect home.
But one day I woke-up this past February & for no reason at all,
decided this would be the year I finally put myself on-track
toward homeownership.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>Since that time, I've
taken several home buying & competitive market courses, selected a
real estate agent, secured pre-approval from a lender, set aside money for
estimated closing costs & have recently been touring
properties that have grabbed my attention. I don't have a whole lot of
amenities or features on my must-have list, but the few I've come-up with have
significantly lowered the number of viable properties available to me.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>Still, I've indeed been
seeing the types of homes I'm looking for hit the market over the spring
& summer, so I'm fairly confident I'll get an offer accepted
& be able to close by the fall or early winter, when the
market is a little less competitive. Early on, I was discouraged by what I saw
out there, but things have definitely picked-up in terms of inventory, so I'm
certainly gonna hold-out for the perfect home, not just settle for
something with an attractive list price.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>I'd be a liar if I said
this entire process hasn't been entirely consuming though... no matter
what I'm doing, home shopping never seems to be far from my mind. Quite
frequently, I find myself immersed in online home listings
at work, watching house hunting shows on HGTV at home &
driving through desirable neighborhoods while out & about.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;"><b>One thing's for
certain, I'm gonna breathe SUCH a sigh of relief once I'm done with the
forthcoming inspections, appraisals & document signings - just put
the house keys in my hand already & be done with it, lol.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-59644463454858614302015-05-26T10:38:00.000-04:002015-06-16T10:49:53.037-04:00Mem'l Day Shenanigans... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xea1Oa2a-HI/VYA2ydZU77I/AAAAAAAABik/XdZwlIBpIa8/s1600/color%2Brun.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xea1Oa2a-HI/VYA2ydZU77I/AAAAAAAABik/XdZwlIBpIa8/s320/color%2Brun.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On Saturday, I replaced what would have been my 5th annual MCVET 5k race with
the Color Run in Baltimore, MD. It was a fun event – race participants ranged
from the little ones to senior citizens… some running, some walking & some
just flat-out in the way, lol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The cluttered field indeed turned what should have been a
race into more of an obstacle course, but I wasn’t out there to break any
personal records, I simply needed to complete my annual Memorial Day weekend
race tradition & that, I accomplished! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afBvVlkCZ50/VYA25_jOLXI/AAAAAAAABis/KwmVaG7-4OI/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afBvVlkCZ50/VYA25_jOLXI/AAAAAAAABis/KwmVaG7-4OI/s320/beach.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After running through the many color stations, I definitely
finished the race in vibrant style. Even got myself a medal :-) I didn’t stay
for any of the post-race activities (& there were plenty of them), but the duration
of my holiday weekend was fun as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">On Sunday, I hit the beach in Ocean City, MD, along with my girlfriend
& others. We enjoyed the day on the beach. A tad windy & cool for our collective liking, but the drive to & from the
beach was traffic-free, scenic & relaxing. Perhaps next time I’ll stay a
night on the beach, versus driving back the same day, as I always do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-33649083799789906802015-04-17T14:37:00.000-04:002015-06-23T14:44:29.797-04:00Hello, Who's This?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iUR5oiS7IpE/VLlpPxEJSbI/AAAAAAAABg0/aXTLp21YwAs/s1600/unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iUR5oiS7IpE/VLlpPxEJSbI/AAAAAAAABg0/aXTLp21YwAs/s1600/unknown.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-right: 6px;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">It's Friday!!! But a
pretty long one for me - so I've been sitting here at
work, impatiently awaiting the start of the weekend.<br />
<br />
To help kill some time, I decided to audit my phone
contacts & weed-out all those who haven't contacted me in well over a
year & visa versa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier;">In doing so, I was
rather amazed to discover just how many people I've fallen completely out
of touch with over the past year or so. My list of contacts, once an
endless trove of email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates
& such, has been on the steady decline.<br />
<br />
After this official audit, I fear it'll soon be reduced to
a mere list of emergency contacts, lol. But I guess that's to be
expected... I've come to learn that as we grow, our circle of trust shrinks,
rather than expand, but I'm completely ok with that.<br />
<br />
Besides, I've become somewhat of a minimalist in recent years,
so the more clutter I'm able to eliminate from my life (both literally &
figuratively speaking), the better I tend to feel. But I do miss
those I'm no longer in contact with on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
I have many great memories of wonderful (& admittedly, not so
wonderful) people, so I'm happy to access archived files whenever I find
time to reflect. I may not recognize the number the next time you call, but
know you're not far from mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-77228064441274298132014-10-30T23:02:00.000-04:002015-06-16T08:28:14.497-04:00Muscle-Up...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">So… last month I went out & bought myself a new car. I went with
a Dodge Challenger & I got a pretty decent deal on it too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrKhmNGynjY/VYAQRNJpDLI/AAAAAAAABh4/7B0tOGnNq3A/s1600/red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrKhmNGynjY/VYAQRNJpDLI/AAAAAAAABh4/7B0tOGnNq3A/s320/red.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It
had been some time since I treated myself to a new toy of any sort
& I'd planned to switch-up the ride this month anyway, so I decided to make it happen a couple weeks earlier than anticipated (since
there was a little extra wiggle room in the budget last month). </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kjQ5OH7trJY/VDLp5sq3jpI/AAAAAAAABgg/9LVW_YEhAm4/s1600/dukes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kjQ5OH7trJY/VDLp5sq3jpI/AAAAAAAABgg/9LVW_YEhAm4/s1600/dukes.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It's a hemi loaded with most of the tech toys that I'll ever need - overall, it's a beautiful machine! </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">All
summer long I had been making plans to purchase some sort of crossover
SUV to accommodate my increasingly active lifestyle...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...but at the dealership, I was immediately side-tracked by what reminded me of a
childhood dream vehicle. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I've always wanted a car similar to the one in "</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dukes of Hazzard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">" (a 1969 Dodge Charger - AKA the </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"General Lee"</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">). Now I've got one - minus the orange paint & confederate
flag, of course, lol.</span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-16337047209222132392014-07-23T12:29:00.000-04:002014-07-23T12:32:00.113-04:00Cinco de Ghostwriter28...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oqf146SVmho/U8_io9GAr5I/AAAAAAAABf8/JCqBZAWqmYU/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oqf146SVmho/U8_io9GAr5I/AAAAAAAABf8/JCqBZAWqmYU/s1600/5.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Well, well, well... this month marks the 5th anniversary of Ghostwriter28.com. It's so very hard to believe I've been at it this long & even
though I've taken the occasional break from posting here & there,
this remains an active blog & for that, I'm quite proud. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This is
post #168, while the other 167 posts have covered a wide range of
subjects... 'reflection, love & sports' are my most frequently used
tags.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It'll be interesting to see which
tags will dominate the next 5 years of blogging. Since I started in
2010, I've gathered a completely new respect for others who blog. Coming
up with content even just once a month proves to be a challenge for me
at times, so I'm frequently amazed by those who blog daily & they're
really great at it too!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">As I recall, I began
this blog to help archive some of my thoughts & experiences so that I
might someday go back & relive them, Just today, I've spent
time looking at my previous posts & have had quite a few chuckles at
my own expense. But I'm glad that I bothered to capture some of my
feelings on various topics over the years. I hope to become better &
more consistent in the years to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Many
thanks to those of you who've taken the time to drop-in over the years,
whether you ended up here by accident or you're a real-life friend of
mine, you're all very much appreciated!</span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-54692461225335119812014-07-14T12:31:00.001-04:002014-07-23T11:24:36.821-04:00Family Ties...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYRXL3YkVwE/U8QDK5tFtcI/AAAAAAAABfs/IXKa1AV7dVw/s1600/Fellas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYRXL3YkVwE/U8QDK5tFtcI/AAAAAAAABfs/IXKa1AV7dVw/s1600/Fellas.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This past weekend, I got to spend some time with the other side of
my family in Newport News & Hampton, VA. I had a truly <u>awesome</u> time
& was so glad that I was able to make the trip down the interstate
for the impromptu (mini) family reunion! Over the years, I've seen much
less of my father's side of the family, <i>even though they're actually
located 2 hours closer to me than my mother's side of the family in Halifax, VA</i>, so
this was a special occasion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">We didn't do
anything super extraordinary, just pretty much had a
typical southern-style family cookout - fully stocked with near/distant
relatives, sinful food & soulful music of course! The older &
younger generations both seemed to play well with one another so we
agreed to try & make it an annual affair - hopefully we'll indeed
make that happen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Now that it's mid-July &
we're finally into the dog days of summer, I've been scrambling trying
to come-up with a last minute travel destination for some much need rest
& relaxation. It seems that everyone else is posting photos to
Instagram or Facebook from some far away beach or exotic destination but
at this point, I've still got nothing planned... it's looking more
& more like a stay-cation this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I did manage to submit my vacation dates, so at the very least I'm
guaranteed some time away from the office later this summer. I really
wanted to use my passport this year but that'll just have to wait until I have
the perfect trip lined-up. I hate the idea of traveling without every
aspect of the trip being squared-away & that requires time -
something I've simply run-out of (as far as the summer is concerned). I'll circle-back around to international leisure travel at the conclusion of the holiday season, lol. </span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-71338236221154736242014-06-30T21:17:00.000-04:002014-07-01T14:31:09.587-04:00Oops...<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">...I
almost let June get by without a blog post! I'm shooting from the hip tonight,
as I type this, I'm waiting for an idea to pop into my head. So....... how
about this 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament? Sarcasm aside, I really have
been keeping up with the USA matches & even some of the matches between
other countries as well: guess I now have the subject of today's post - see how
quickly it happens when I stop procrastinating & just put pen to paper (or
finger to keyboard, rather :-)</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UI0Tvl9uvc4/U7L4Ih_hWQI/AAAAAAAABfc/bb0Z2g-piL4/s1600/keep-calm-and-go-usa-soccer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UI0Tvl9uvc4/U7L4Ih_hWQI/AAAAAAAABfc/bb0Z2g-piL4/s1600/keep-calm-and-go-usa-soccer.png" height="320" width="274" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm
hardly a huge international soccer fan though, I only even know of a couple of
popular fútbol clubs such as the Manchester United (of England) or FC Barcelaona
(of Spain). Hell, outside of a few championship runs during the inaugural
seasons of Washington's soccer club, the DC United, I've never passionately
watched Major League Soccer (MLS) in this country either.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
this year, I actually have a true interest in the sport, so I've been paying
attention during any of the coverage I run across lately. It's definitely an
exciting sport, even by American standards (we love to see tons of scoring in
our own US pastimes like football & basketball). I'm now able to
appreciate the level of defense & coverage in those 0-0 or 1-0 games, my
favorite element of soccer are the shootouts sometimes required to break a
tie. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
shootouts feature 1-on-1 match-ups between the goal keeper & an opposing
team's player. By the way, I'm super fascinated by the goal keeper for both
teams, so I guess it makes perfect sense that I'm most excited to see the rare
shootout in soccer. I'm that way with hockey too - I always gravitate towards
the goalie!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Oh
& how cool is it that goal keepers get to wear uniform colors that completely differ from the rest of their squad??? Plus, they're the only ones
allowed to use their hands to contact the soccer ball during play - if I'd
played as a youth, I'd definitely have been 1 of the kids lined-up to tryout at
goal keeper. Tomorrow afternoon the US, having advanced to the 2nd stage of the
tournament last week, will face Belgium... I'll be watching - Go USA!</span></span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-39723643148301494932014-05-07T09:30:00.000-04:002014-05-07T09:31:57.699-04:00Reboot: Telecommuting...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W55L22pdVWM/U2owT0nP1-I/AAAAAAAABfA/oih9fQ2pTy0/s1600/Telecommute.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W55L22pdVWM/U2owT0nP1-I/AAAAAAAABfA/oih9fQ2pTy0/s1600/Telecommute.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Tomorrow, I plan to start telecommuting (one day a week) again... I initially began
the practice back in 2012, to save on my weekly commuting expenses - a day
of working in my underwear was definitely a bonus as well. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">But
I didn't telecommute at all in 2013, I had a far lighter workload last
year & quite honestly, it was easier for me to physically report to
work than come-up with fictitious activities to put on my daily
telecommute action plan, lol. I always intended to get back to telecommuting, but just got out of the habit I guess.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Now, my to-do
list here at work is once again full of bonafide assignments to
complete, so I'm comfortable documenting my efforts from home again.
The weather seems to finally have broken in the area, so along with the
warmer temps, comes the added desire to goof-off a bit more during the
work week, a telecommute day should help alot in that regard. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The last time I was telecommuting regularly, Wednesday was my scheduled telecommute day, this go-round, I'll
be tabbing Thursday as my preferred <i>stay-at-home</i> day. It's a little
closer to the weekend, plus physically returning to work each week on a
Friday sounds pretty good to me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Earlier this year, I began
driving to work (rather than take the subway) a couple days a week, so now that I'll be telecommuting on Thursdays, that
leaves just 2 days a week that I'll have to deal with extremely busy
Metrorail system (& it's <i>lovely</i> patrons) - yet another bonus & I'll take it :-D </span>Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-14953538904890369252014-04-28T20:52:00.000-04:002014-04-29T10:58:11.076-04:00Dry Run...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cq6ck9JKqbs/U1-7ldDhIHI/AAAAAAAABec/4wGIBa8j_NE/s1600/Photo+Apr+28,+4+57+44+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cq6ck9JKqbs/U1-7ldDhIHI/AAAAAAAABec/4wGIBa8j_NE/s1600/Photo+Apr+28,+4+57+44+PM.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I'm no longer spending every free moment bike riding, so I've
finally been able to work a jogging routine back into my workout
schedule. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Had no choice really though, the 1st race of the year is less
than a month away, so I've gotta start training now if I want to be at
peak performance by the final weekend in May.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I've
run at this particular event (the MCVET 5&10k Run) for the past few
years, this time I decided to challenge myself more by stepping it up
from the 5k race to the 10k event. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I can run 3 miles in my sleep, so a
6-mile run is far more appropriate at this point. I should be ok, but
I've got a ways to go before I'm fully back in-shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Earlier
this evening, I jogged for just the second time this year - the 1st
time in almost 3 months. I could really tell it had been that long too, I
struggle to keep a steady pace for the duration of my run. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I have;
however, noticed that I now share mixed used trails much better than I
did before becoming a regular cyclist. Back
then, I'd be all over the trail whenever I ran, but now I recognize the
importance of staying to the right side of the trail. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This is especially important for
trail runners like myself, who wear ear buds & are therefore unlikely to
respond to any audible warnings given by bike riders who need to pass.
In short, when it comes to running - I've vastly improved my trail etiquette, lol. Here's to a great running season!</span></div>
Ghostwriter28http://www.blogger.com/profile/08809057890810625801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5581474004217672530.post-22717652647003314252014-04-18T11:25:00.000-04:002014-04-18T19:20:40.679-04:00"Girl, I Luv That Hair!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpIceDfLATw/U1FAWwEVREI/AAAAAAAABdc/SnD3ISre51Y/s1600/Photo+Apr+18,+10+56+16+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpIceDfLATw/U1FAWwEVREI/AAAAAAAABdc/SnD3ISre51Y/s1600/Photo+Apr+18,+10+56+16+AM.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><i><span data-dobid="hdw">Nap·py </span></i>(<i>adj</i>.) - beautifully coiled, chemical free, real, unaltered, versatile, styled by Mother Nature. <i>Synonyms</i> - kinky, natural.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Though I can't place my finger on why, I've taken a
liking to various natural hair styles that many women
of color have reverted to in recent years. Not only is it fashionable, but
it seems practical too. Why spend so much on hair care products & processes designed to
make black hair look... well, "<i>un-black</i>?" </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Besides,
wouldn't it be great to keep <i>some</i> of that money in <u>our</u> community? Even a layman such as myself can see that natural hair care is a rapidly growing industry. Upstart companies have stepped-up to
handle the demand thus far, but how long before major companies like those who produce Dark & Lovely, swoop-in to buy-out such Mom & Pop companies, and then water-down the existing product lines to maximize production & profits? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span>
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<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN8JdQDouOc/U1FusnEecgI/AAAAAAAABeE/wNfi2_7KEVI/s1600/Chelle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WN8JdQDouOc/U1FusnEecgI/AAAAAAAABeE/wNfi2_7KEVI/s1600/Chelle.png" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Granted, this is a
pretty unique & foreign topic of discussion for a guy to blog about
- but yes, I too have eyes & thoughts when it comes to black hair.
To be clear, I'm definitely not knockin' any <i>sistahs</i> who prefer to
chemically relax or extend their hair for whatever reasons, but there's
an extra sassy vibe accentuated by naturally styled hair & it can't
be duplicated.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The women pictured in the collages are great friends who've allowed me to post their images here. They've both rocked the natural look for some time now. I've often heard many of
their gripes, when it comes to maintaining the style. But I've also
noticed (& <i>on numerous occasions</i>) just how proud they both seem when
everything is clicking, almost like an additional sense of self pride,
not as frequently express by those with less-ethnic styling techniques.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VorDitcN5kY/U1Futo9vjUI/AAAAAAAABeI/j8AunkjN9ZI/s1600/Nik.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VorDitcN5kY/U1Futo9vjUI/AAAAAAAABeI/j8AunkjN9ZI/s1600/Nik.png" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I
myself have sported a bald head for years now (<i>so did Shaka Zulu, so I still consider my look to be ethnic, lol</i>), but I've often wondered
how I'd be wearing my hair nowadays, if I instead chose to grow it out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I've never really had a true preference before, so the hairstyles of
women I've dated run the full gamut - but I know what I like in that
department now. Great, yet another element to incorporate when it comes to my
extensive build-a-woman project... <i>fuck</i>.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> But at any rate, I truly hope that more men & women of color continue to
embrace their natural beauty in such ways - it would be quite a boring
world if everything looked European, diversity is most certainly a wonderful thing -
<i>long live the kinky curl</i>, lol.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Join me next week as I'll be discussing my thoughts on make-up application - <i>lmao, just kidding folks</i>!</span></span><br />
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