Don't tease me bro!

Man, talk about a bummer. I was scouring the net last night, trying to find those Eddie figures and came across a site of a store in Cleburne, close to Dallas. And they were cheap too! So, I emailed them today to see if they still had them and wouldn't you know it - they didn't! Argh!! Why, don't these stores update their sites?! I have found so many online stores that haven't updated their inventory or still list things that they are out of stock - what the fuck is up with that? If you don't have it - don't list it - isn't that simple?

So now I'm back on the hunt for the figures again - I really don't like it when they discontinue items - if they are so popular, why stop making them? Hello? More money! Duh!

What really ticks me off are these guys who are selling these $15 and $30 figures for $100-$150! Now that is just whacked. Take advantage of people much?

I did put a bid in on the 18" Eddie figure from The Number Of The Beast album cover - it's pretty cool, but the ones I really want are the Somewhere In Time 7" and 18" and The Live After Death figure. Those seem to be the most valuable and rare and of course the most expensive. Fuckers.

On to a brighter side - only a few more days and I'll be the proud owner of a Ninja 250R! Oh man, I can just feel it now! I'm so excited! I'll be even more excited once the graphics wrap gets put on - that is going to be so kick ass! Just in case you missed it before (like anyone reads this shit), here is what the wrap is going to look like -

Is that not tight or what?! It's definitely going to be one of the sweetest looking rides around if not the sweetest!

I'm also going to put blue neon accents lights throughout the bike, within the chassis, so it will look like it's glowing at night and the blinker will look like Eddie's eye! So yeah, it's going to be tight!

Here we go, another week, another dollar...

It's the start of another week and its paycheck week! Woot! And you know what that means? A motorcycle! Yes, that's right, I'm getting a motorcycle when I get paid. Unfortunately, I haven't taken my riders class yet, so I won't be able to drive the damn thing home, but I will take my class next weekend and get my license asap! So needless to say, I'm extremely excited, even though there are so many depressing things on my mind.

I did get back in touch with my best friend from Junior High and High School - Benjie Butler. He has always been an inspiration to me, because he followed his heart and did whatever the fuck he wanted, no matter what his parents or anyone else said. Of course, he did have some very supportive parents, unlike me, so it was probably easier for him to have the confidence to follow his dreams. My mom constantly crushed my dreams, calling them stupid or unrealistic, so I didn't grow up with a great sense of self-worth or self-confidence, which is why I spent so many years drowning myself in drugs and bad relationships that only increased my self-loathing.

Even today, it's the same with her. Just about everything I want to do is shot down with some negative response or lecture about how wrong it is or why I shouldn't do it. Getting the motorcycle is a prime example. She won't even talk to me about it. She doesn't even want to hear about it. It's a shame we can't pick our parents. It's a shame when some parents can't get over themselves to support their children. I always swore that I would never be like her towards my own kids, sometimes I catch myself slipping, but for the most part I've done pretty good.

Monday, Monday

Well, I begin my new job tomorrow! I'm excited and also scared. Even though they thought I was the best interviewee and wanted to make me an offer immediately after my interview, it's not a permanent position - only contract until December - so I don't have the security of a permanent job and they could decide at any moment to cancel the contract. While I will do everything in my power to not let that happen, sometimes there are forces beyond our control at work.

On the flip-side, I am glad it's not a permanent position, as I plan to go back to school next year to get my Bachelor's Degree in 3D animation and pursue the dream job I set out to get when I went to college the first time - creating special effects for movies and hopefully the creme de la creme of all jobs, working for ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). I know I have the imagination to work for such a place, now I just need to see if I have the skills.

I know all it will take is a killer demo filled with lots of imagination and unique effects, so I'm going to research every school in the nation and even Canada and choose the best one. Until then, I'll be saving as much as I can from this job - after I purchase all my transportation needs, of course. First will come the motorcycle, a 2010 Ninja 250R and then will come the Lexus IS300 - notice a (colour) pattern? Both of these vehicles I've wanted ever since I laid eyes upon them and now is the perfect time to get them, since I have no major bills to pay - thanks to living at home with mom. Yeah, I know it sounds pathetic, especially at my age, but considering human beings have been living with their parents, often for all their lives and usually in the same house or hut (made of sticks and dung), I don't really feel so bad. Just because we've decided in our "modern age" that living with your parents after a certain age is pitiful, doesn't mean that it is.

Shit, why not take advantage of the situation as long as possible? If you have a good relationship with your parents - mine is 50/50 - then milk the possibility for as long as you can! Seriously, why pay a huge mortgage or rent payment and all the utilities, car payment, property taxes and so on, when you can give your folks a little bit of your money each month to hold onto most of your paycheck each week or in my case, each month. I still can't get over that I'm getting paid once a month - it's a very new concept for me, as I've never been paid that way and have not heard of getting paid that way other than the military.

Back to the parents; because I'll be getting paid once a month, my checks will be pretty big, much larger than I'm used too, even when I was getting paid $40/hour. I sure do miss those paychecks. But even at $26/hour, my checks will be enough each month that I can pay the rent and personal loan money out and still look like I just cashed my check. So within 2 months time I'll be able to pay cash for my motorcycle and still have a considerable amount left to live on for the rest of the month. The only thing that blows is that after one month, I'll have 90% of the cost of the bike, and have to wait a whole 30 days more just for the remaining 10%, so that's a little annoying. SO during that time, I'll just take the motorcycle training course and splurge a little bit for the Iron Maiden show.

That is going to be a great show - especially with the VIP box seats. That's going to be the most money I've ever spent on a night out, but it will be so worth it. Sharing one of my favorite bands since I was a teenager with my teenage daughter - it's cool that Iron Maiden is still touring so that could happen. I really wish there was a way that I could let them know that and be recognized at the show.

Well, I'm off to get some work done.

Peace

Alex @ Prom 2010

Well Alex had her junior prom tonight, little bugger didn't tell me until after the fact and her senior prom is next year but I still wish she would have told me ahead of time. With her living in California, it's hard to get involved as much as I would like too, but next year I will try to go out there for the senior prom and get her a limo and all the cool things I didn't get to do. Even better, rent her a Ferrari and let her drive it to prom - that would definitely get the other bitches climbing up the envy tree for a peak!

Here is a pic of her in her dress:

Isn't she gorgeous? I really wish I had been able to go to prom, as stupid as it is sometimes, high school is supposed to be the best years of a young person's life and well mine just plain sucked!
So I want to make her years in "hell school" way better.

She told me today that she's met a new guy - well not exactly, new - but they just started dating and while they didn't hookup prior to prom she thinks he is a winner and will hopefully be around for senior prom. I hope so for her sake.

We are in the final preparations for Alex to come out to Texas for a summer visit. Unfortunately Cole decided he wanted to stay home with his mom - why he only knows. but anyway, I'm glad Alex is coming out - I haven't seen her in so long - if we didn't have cell phones, computers and internet, we would be such strangers to each other by now. But we text everyday, all day, so I feel as close to her as when she lived here.

She will be staying a whole 2 months, splitting the time up with her mom's mom and me. Of course, I don't care for my ex-mother-in-law, but hey - who does?! Alex told me that her grandmother is going to drive Alex back to California, so she can visit her daughter - my ex-wife - so i kinda feel sorry for Alex to have to deal with her all that way. Eesh! I couldn't do it - even when she was my mother-in-law, I couldn't do it.

Alex and I are already planning to go to the Iron Maiden show June 9. It will be our first concert together and to be able to share one of my all time favorite bands with her and her actually wanting to go - is just an awesome feeling. Unfortunately tickets are hella-expensive, like $250 for center stage and $300 and up for VIP!! I figure what the hell and I'm going to get the VIP tickets, though we won't be as close to the stage as I would like, we won't have to deal with the moshpit or drunk idiots. They always ruin a show.

The only crappy part about Alex coming out is that I will be working. Though I'm thrilled I got a job, it will suck that she will be at home alone most of the day with only the animals and PS3 to keep her company. But she says she will be okay, so I will trust her on that.

The Job

Well....I GOT A JOB!!!

YAY!!!

It's been a grueling year these past 12 months without a steady income. The freelance jobs dried up, the job offers a distance memory of a time when my talents were vigorously sought after.

I knew I had to do something different in my life and do something different I did. I changed my name! Aside from not liking my name since the first day I remember my mom screaming it at me, the name Christopher had been flooding the job boards and recruiter's lists for years and it was probably as well known more than I care to admit or even like to think about. So I began using my middle name, Michael and within days, the job offers - real job offers - came flowing in. Quite reminiscent of the good old days when Christopher was a wanted man.

Within a few weeks, I had a bonafide offer - not just some baited hook thrown out into the unemployment pool to see what kind of bottom feeder could be caught.

I know I interview well. I know I have the skills. I know I can do anything they throw at me, with ease and efficiency.

Long story short - I got the job and start Monday, May 3. The only thing that threw a wrench into my beautiful inner workings, was the once a month paycheck! Do what?! Once a month?!

I have never been paid like that before, so it's going to be interesting. While the fat check at the end of the month is going to be nice, the 30 days leading up to that glorious check-cashing celebration will be tough. But I'll manage. I won't complain and I'll see it through to the very end, doing my best all the way there.

The Iron Maiden Ninja

After 20 some odd years of waiting and waiting and hoping and wishing and praying and trying - I finally, finally get to buy a motorcycle!! I've wanted one ever since I could remember, but something always got in the way. Not anymore, brothers and sisters, the time has finally come! But as they say, good things come to those who wait - right? Riiiight. Now since I've never really ridden a motorcycle before, I'm going to be starting out small with a 2010 Ninja 250R. It will be blue and will have the raddest graphics ever on it! Thankfully, I have a good friend who has a print shop that does vinyl vehicle wraps - so I've been up all night designing those graphics for the wrap. Now I didn't exactly "design" the images, since they are of Eddie from the Iron Maiden album covers, I simply just chose from the numerous images I have of Eddie that I got from this awesome website: Iron Maiden Wallpapers. They have the most extensive and exclusive collection of Iron Maiden imagery I've ever seen! And being an a devout Maiden fan for over 20 years, I've seen my fair share.

So anyway, this is what I came up with:
Isn't it beautiful?! This bike is going to be the sickest thing around town! I can't freaking wait!! I can't stop staring at it, it's so gorgeous! It's going to be really cool to wear my Iron Maiden Vans while riding this gorgeous machine.

Now the rear will be modded with the hidden fender aftermarket parts, and the mirrors will be blue LEDs. I will have the wheels painted to match the body color as well. It's hard to believe that this bike brand new is only $4,000! It looks a lot more expensive - Kawasaki really knows how to deliver the goods for very little coin.

I should have the bike in a month or two - hopefully not two :) but I will be sure to post the pics of the final wrap when it's done.