(written jan. 22nd) (updated today)

i know it's been a while.

in case you weren't aware, i got the job, so i've been busy.

the blarf must now undergo a slight metamorphasis. note the subtle name change. things will be a bit more incognito. more ambiguous. more...MysTeRiouS!! ooooo interesting...

in the meantime, i gotta move. i'm leaving syracuse. i never thought i'd be here this long--over two and a half years. have i really been here that long?? that's longer than anywhere else except ithaca--and lafargeville, of course.

i grew roots here in syracuse. it sucks to pull them up.

i never considered syracuse to be my home--for the longest time, i could only bring myself to call it my "office" because i always expected to find a reason to go back to lafargeville. but every time i had a chance to leave, it either didn't work out or it just didn't seem right. and of course, the timing of the move now doesn't feel quite right either. moving back home will probably never feel like perfect timing, no matter how long i stay here. i simply have to find solace in leaving, cuz it's happening now whether i like it or not.



since i've been here, i've learned a lot. i've matured. i've experienced new things. got single and stayed that way, until recently. the blarf was born here--that wouldn't have happened in jefferson county--not with that dreaded DIAL UP!!!! i prospered, and then spiraled into a financial hell--i was almost out of the hole and then i fell right back into a bigger one...a much, much deeper one. lots of ups and downs, to say the least...

when i moved away from my hometown in may of 2002, i didn't have any idea how long i'd be gone. all i knew was, i had to git away from my problems. it worked, as painful as it was. i made many friends. hopefully some of them will last longer than my tenure here in onondaga county. (and hopefully some won't!) first, there was the Eltaday Onicsay* crowd. a great job with great people--unfortunately a dick of a company to work for. it was probably the coolest job i could possibly have, and it was ruined by a bunch of overgrown boys in clip-on ties that took their jobs WAAAAY to seriously. (yeah, i'm still a little bitter--can ya tell?) then came my struggle trying to get into the state police academy which ended in futility (for something beyond my control, i must remind you!) i gotta say, i'm still bitter about that one too. and of course, there was my stint as a car salesman at Pirro Bros. Ford--not a good match for me, but i met some really great people there who i still hang out with. and how could i forget my stint as a DJ at Benchwarmer's in Mattydale? that was a side job while at the dealership. it was a heck of a lot of fun. i got my feet wet as a "real" DJ, but when the owner told me one night that he did not want to hear the following: rap, country, rock, oldies, pop, or top 40, i knew the gig was up. just what the hell was i supposed to play? polka?? truth be told, he wanted techno-dance-shit music to draw in girls, which in turn would draw in men--a great plan on paper, but when your place is a seedy sports bar with 50 televisions and the bartenders wear tight shorts & cowboy hats, it's difficult to believe that switching to techno music is going to draw in the rave party girls, glow sticks, and ecstasy tablets, you MORON. then there was Midas--probably the best company i've ever worked for (other than the family business, of course!) i guess i can't complain about Midas. they've treated me well, paid me well, and trained me--but in the end, it just wasn't worth the time investment and all i could think about was a way out of that.

*pig latin



i've had three different apartments: first, the Academy Place Townhouse in Manlius with the Evil Office Bitch from Hell. she qualifies as one of the top 3 bitches i've ever met--and if you think of all the people you've ever met, that says a lot. it was a nice place, with backyard full of deer, a garage, two bathrooms to pee in, and my own washer and dryer!! but i never really moved in; i just threw shit on the floor and that was that. no pictures on the wall, no nothing. the second place--Maplewood in Dewitt--was quite swank. oak trees, quiet neighbors, a pool, balcony, nice office people. the birthplace of the Blarf and my aquarium. it was great until my jeep got busted into--apparently that place was on the downhill and i was dealt that as a result. then there was Grenadier Village here in Liverpool--the swankiest of the swank (and also the apartment pictured up on top of the blarf page.) pool, tennis, volleyball court (none of which i ever used), central AC, big rooms, and a beautiful riverside view. but, if i was already in a financial full nelson upon arriving, this place gave me the sleeper hold and down i went. so here i go.

one of the hardest things to leave behind will be volleyball! i've been playing since may of last year. in the last eight months, i've missed ONE volleyball game--either that shows dedication or lack of a life outside of volleyball. (i hope it's the former.) this thursday will be my last game--and that's gonna suck. i'm gonna miss my team. it won't feel right not playing anymore. i'm hoping to find a league in watertown, but you know... it won't be the same, dammit!!

as mixed as i feel about first coming here and now leaving, i find comfort in the one huge thing right now that brings me happiness--and she wouldn't crossed paths with me again if i had never moved here. it's one of those things that happened only because everything else happened exactly as it did. and for that, i am grateful. we'll see what the future holds--i can't wait!

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 27th, 2005

the job is going well. lots of fun stuff. the hard part starts monday.

still haven't moved out entirely--the marriage to my apartment has not yet ended. being stuck with this apartment is not unlike being the unlucky owner of a Daewoo automobile--you're stuck making payments whether you like it or not, and it's a bitch to get rid of. today is a milestone--the cable box, and more importantly, the cable modem, get returned tomorrow--so i will be on the dark side of the moon until i figure out how to get a regular internet connection again. the 55 gallons of fish and my entire jungle of plants have already made it home--the apartment already looks starkly empty without it. too bad it wasn't actually empty; on the contrary, it's overflowing with crap that i need to get the hell out of here. it's that kind of stuff that you want for your house someday, but you don't have a genuine need for right now. what a pain in the ass.

basically everything in my life has been flipped over. going to work has been the only stable thing in my life lately, which is quite the opposite of the way things normally are for me. coming back to my apartment has begun to feel a bit sentimental yet entirely familiar. i have to get moving--in more ways than one. gotta get the uhaul soon.

what did one shepherd say to the other shepherd? "let's get the flock outta here"

blarf points to anyone that can name the movie that quote came from.