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Skitch76
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Name: Chris
Country: United States
State: California
Metro: Orange County
Birthday: 11/8/1976
Gender: Male
Interests: Playing drums, playing Nintendo, playing Naked Twister w/my sweetie. = O ***Music: stuff with power--fav's: Type O Negative, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Led Zeppelin, Queensryche, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Linkin Park ***TV:
mostly comedies, a couple dramas, a bit of reality ***Fav Movies: That Thing You Do, A Few Good Men, Memento, Saving Silverman, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
Expertise: I'd like to think I'm good at the drums, I've been told I give good massages, I've always considered myself a good listener, and I'm excellent at procrastinating. I'll tell you all about that...some other time. = D
Occupation: Computer related
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  skitch76cd
Member Since:
1/28/2003
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| Sheesh, I go away for nearly 2 years, and they go and change it all up on me! How dare they? = P At least my awesome Liv pic and belly button gallery are still here. Good to see not everything's changed. Time to dust this old thing off? Maybe. Just dropping in to see what's going on, who's still here, etc. I may come back and play with this thing a little later. Heh, that's not the first time I've said that! = D I figure, they're still charging my card every year (I never would belly up to the unlimited service), I guess I ought to get some use out of it. --Skitch | | |
|  That's right, boys and girls, I finally got myself an MP3 player. Years and years after the MP3 craze took off, this self-proclaimed music aficionado who saw no need for one of these little things started to think they sounded pretty cool.  It all started with someone on my team who got one because it had an FM tuner on it. I didn't know they had those. Then we got a Costco coupon for $30 Sansa's e260 8GB model and that got me looking. Cuz for those that don't know me, I do carry a "purse". It's actually a CD case made for like a Discman and accessories and a zippered part with the sleeves that hold the discs. Then I started carrying my checkbook and medications and bills that needed paid and whatnot in it, plus it just looks like a purse so the name just stuck: it was my purse. = P Anyway, I only have a handful of CDs in there and there are times I need to swap them out cuz I don't listen to them for months (and of course, as soon as I do, I get in the mood for it again!). So I started to think: OK, maybe this is what the big deal is about. I still don't much care for downloading songs yet, but I can have several CD's and some other individual songs and so forth saved on here and not have to keep swapping out CDs. Then Net started to like the sound of it because it plays video so she wants to be able to watch TV shows and stuff like that on plane trips so we decided to get his and hers matching ones with some of our tax refund money. We read all the user reviews on Amazon and paid attention to the good and the bad, then we drove to a Best Buy one day and talked to the girl there who herself had an iPod cuz that's what first came out, but her friend had a Sansa that she really liked. Then a night or two later, we went to a different Best Buy and got a guy who didn't have as much good to say about them and liked either iPods or for the same price, one of the hard drive players (30 or 80G). So that had me kinda mixed up. We decided to go home and research Zune and Samsung but went to the very first Best Buy and talked to the girl there who echoed a lot of the Amazon comments that for the same price, you were getting more: video capability, FM tuner, extra memory card expansion. So that sold me back on them and we figured, hell, if nothing else, we'll buy 'em, take 'em home and play with 'em and if they're no good, we have 30 days to bring 'em back. Oh, and they were out of the 8G model, so we went with 6 figuring that should be Plenty of room. And, she matched Amazon's price which saved us like 40 bucks for each one! (40 bucks that we used on their replacement guarantee.) So far, there's a bit of a learning curve, but I think they're working out pretty good. Seems that as long as we pick either Rhapsody and download all your music -OR- go with Windows Media Player and upload them all from CD, we'll be OK. The player's made for both, but when you're in Rhapsody mode, you can't see any of the stuff you loaded on there yourself, and vice versa! So I'm going to go WMP since I mainly want to bring my own music around with me and Net's going to try Rhapsody cuz she'd rather pick and choose her songs instead of buy entire albums. Should be fun! And Kirs, guess which album was the first to go on......  I'll give you a hint...it's somewhere between "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "November Rain" hehe
Later peeps.
PS. You like how I did that...just kinda snuck on here and posted for the first time in months but am acting like nothing happened?? Slick, ain't I?  | | |
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*sigh*
I don't feel very good. I don't know if I'm getting sick, or I'm just tired (heh, or maybe I'm sick and tired…). I miss Net (see her site for why) and I have quite a lot to do before she gets back. I'll never get the house the way I wanted it, but I wanted to at least get her car into the shop for her, and go shop for her birthday. One of the clients I deal with is in town and I have a dinner with them tomorrow night, then 2 family b-day dinners back to back Wednesday and Thursday, then Net comes home Friday so tonight's my only real chance, and I'm feeling all cruddy.  I hope I'm not getting sick. Too much to do. But then again, it's usually when I push myself too far that I get sick. I just didn't think my plate was that full.
Work's alright though. Busy, but not unbearably so. No long hours and so forth. Life is generally pretty good. Things with Net are good, things with my family are so-so. Lot of drama I'm not going to get into at this point. But I'm liking my new family: Net, Suki, and I. And we really are feeling like a family. So if other people are just going to be buttholes, oh well. They can just go off and be buttholes, and see how alone their buttholiness leaves them in 20 years! Or they can try to be on-board with everything and accept it and we can all be happy. Only time will tell.
Hoping for more updates soon, although I'm afraid my interest in Xanga has declined greatly. Then I come back and I see things changing like in order to see the porn sites, I have to put in a credit card for verification. (Yeah, I went ahead and did it…I needed a porn fix yesterday. ) But anyway, I'll try to put little blurbs out here every so often so it's not such a barren wasteland.
Later gators.
--Skitch | | |
| So since someone won't stop hounding me about updating, let me take a few minutes and let you guys in on what's been going on. If you've been following her site, some of this will be a repeat, but if you wanna know the way it really happened, keep reading.... j/k
I am, as of 5:30, 51.5 hours away from flying out to see Net. She took her last final--ever!--today! Graduation is Saturday afternoon, and as she put in perspective earlier today, a week from tomorrow we start our drive out to California! Crazy huh? So the thing that's been consuming our lives the last few weeks has been finding a place to live. We really have been at this for like a month. We've been dealing with a guy named Steve from a real estate consulting team called The Red Wagon team. As a consultant, they deal with the actual agents and owners and stuff for you, and just take a commission off the final sale so we don't pay a penny. I forget all the other differences, but he's been a real nice guy. And come to find out, he's not making much off of this deal because it's a year lease instead of an actual purchase. But he's still been helping us a lot and treating us like valued clients cuz he's just a nice guy like that.
So anyway, the process has been: we find some places we like, we send them to him, he looks up the info that apparently we can't readily have, and lets us know if they accept pets and how much the deposits are and other such notes on the places. If we dig 'em, then he'll meet me at the place and we'll walk through it and if we still like it, he'll submit our application and credit report and we see if we're accepted.
Well, there have been several we like (at least 1/2 if not more) that don't allow pets so those go out the door cuz we're bringing Suki (of course) and now Max, one of her mom's. Others that I've gone to actually look at (and I'll go scout a lot of them out to see for myself before taking them to Steve) won't have any kind of backyard for the dogs. We finally landed on one on Hillsdale Street and we really liked it. Backyard with grass, and all fenced in. Fireplace in the living room. Open kitchen with a bar. 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs, 1/2 bath downstairs. We submitted and apparently it came down to us and 3 other applicants and the owner went with someone else. So it was back to square 1.
We found a house in downtown Fullerton that we liked the looks of online, and I even liked it when I walked through it. But after thinking about it for a while, I found more and more wrong with it. The bedrooms were pretty small--I don't even think big enough for a Queen bed and furniture. Just the bed itself would take up most of the room. The closets were almost non-existent--one was just big enough for me to stand in and not be able to move my arms much. The one in the other bedroom was a bit wider but was more of a cut-out in the wall that went from my chin to my knees. The 1 bathroom was cut in half and you had a separate door for the tub/shower, and one for the toilet and sink. I dunno, for some reason, I like knowing that while my bath water is running, I can pee in the same room. = P The kitchen was kinda small too. But the big thing was the yard. It had plenty of grass, and a real cool wood deck, but the boys could easily get under that deck and I worry that other things might be living under there. Besides that, they'd be able to crawl under the house and get out on the other side of the fence. Speaking of the fence, they were working on finishing it off, but no estimate as to when that would be. But it was only $1400/month. I was liking the sound of that.
And admittedly, my mom and brother have been a part of the reason I stop liking some of these places. They're trying to make sure I've thought of everything, I'm sure, and they bring up really good points. But their pessimism starts to get to the both of us. And they always go back to, "well what was wrong with this place right over here?" (Briarwood...just a few blocks from home) or "what about this house just down the street?" (literally...you can walk there from home in a minute or 2). So they really want us to go to one of those and stay super close to home. And close to home is fine, but we can't just limit ourselves to that little area. The rest of OC has some very cool neighborhoods that I kinda look forward to exploring. But the big thing that I can't tell them is that Net just doesn't want to live that close. At first it was for fear that my bro would maybe move in. This is the same guy who moved into my grandma's old house 2 doors down and has basically moved back in to his old room and has been living there for over a year...all the while, he's paying a mortgage on his own place! And that brings up Net's other point: living so close, will I be spending more time at the old home than I am at my new home? Can't blame her for that. I am a mama's boy.
So with Fullerton, I told them about the closets and they looked at me like "how could you rent there?" and reminded me how I now have 3 closets full of clothes, and what would I do with all those in this place with Annette's clothes too? So we kept looking while waiting to see if we were approved. We found another place somewhere--a condo--that didn't have any backyard and they said, "aw, the dogs need some kind of a yard." True. And we've always wanted a little grass patch or something for them to at least potty on. The next favorite place that would actually work was in downtown Anaheim, and was much bigger. For $1650, we got 3 good-sized bedrooms that we could easily fit a Queen bed in with furniture. Plenty of closet space. Parking sitch was much better. Fullerton was gonna be busy...it's right across the street from the police station, next door to a Goodwill-type store, and down the street from City Hall and a library. And, well, down the street the other direction from downtown Fullerton. It'd be cool to walk there from home, but I'd also like to be able to park in front of my house, and this had no garage.
Anaheim had a garage, but it was kinda down the street a ways, but parking in front of the house would be a lot easier. Problems: the place was filthy. There was a bad smell in the house, you could see the dirt on the walls, the bathroom floor had some kind of stain on it, the tub was dirty, the oven was rusty. It looked like someone had pissed in some of the kitchen cabinets. I don't know if it was really urine or not, but there was a yellow something or other on the shelves. At first I'm thinking, "OK, we can clean it up. A little elbow grease never hurt anybody and if we have to work to clean it up, it'll feel more like ours." That whole sense-of-accomplishment thing, y'know? Also, there was no A/C or heat in this house. That's what Mom was stuck on last night. "How can you live in a place with no heat? It gets cold in the winter." Well, we thought we'd do space heaters or something. "Yeah but you can't leave those on overnight, or during the day while you're both at work." True. And I keep thinking of the boys in the summer too when we're gone. We can't really leave windows open. Even if it is a nice neighborhood, you just don't do that these days...at least not in southern CA. But both Mom and Net weren't happy with us having to do so much cleaning. Net's thing was that if they're not going to clean the place up before renting it, what kind of landlord would he be? He's not going to keep up anything. Plus, to pay that kind of money...we could save $250/mo and go to Fullerton where we wouldn't have near the cleaning to do. Course, we wouldn't have near the room either. Oh, and Anaheim had a front and side yard but not fenced in. Which is OK. We can use a stake in the ground to hook the leashes to. We just wanted them to be able to run free.
So we had the space problem fixed, but now we had these new ones. But we were seriously out of time and we had to just pick one and go with it. Fullerton had already accepted us but because I was now worried about the space, we hadn't jumped on it yet. We were going to try to get into Anaheim and work with the owner about the cleaning and decide from there, but this morning we got an e-mail. See, you can sign up to get e-mail notices whenever new properties come up that match your criteria. 1 and only 1 came through today (a sign??). 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, it said there was a nice-sized yard and patio. And of course it will have A/C and heating. And it was 1575/mo. So the best of what the other 2 had to offer for a price right in the middle. Come to find out, it's in the same complex as the Hillsdale house we were all set for before!
I went and looked at it with Steve today, and it's the same layout. No grass in the backyard though so the pups will have to learn to potty on the concrete, and we'll have to be sure to keep it clean so the urine doesn't stain it. The bedrooms are a little cooler-looking with their vaulted ceilings, and one has a sitting area right under the window that lifts up for storage. The kitchen is closed off but hey, it's still a nice kitchen, and it's clean. The fireplace isn't as cute (brick instead of marble tile), but there again, it's a fireplace. It's a real nice place and I think we'd be real happy here. I could really see us living in the Hillsdale one...like literally be able to picture it. We'll have shared walls though so hopefully, Suk's barking won't bother them, and even moreso, hopefully Suk won't be barking all that much. And there's just one covered parking space assigned; the second is first-come-first-served. I think those are the only real downsides.
So we're submitting for that today. Meanwhile, the Fullerton lady is bugging Steve about us signing our lease so he had to get back with her today and say "thanks but no thanks". So if this condo falls through like Hillsdale did, it's down to the dirty Anaheim house. That makes Net nervous. Here we are basically homeless and we're turning down people that have already accepted us. But we couldn't make her wait any longer...she had 3 other applicants she wanted to consider. So we're keeping our fingers crossed. Heck, we're crossing anything there is to cross!
We'll keep you posted. I gotta run now and finish up work then go pick up a couple things from Target, then get packing! | | |
| I had a regular post coming about the usual stuff and about the upcoming Spring Break trip with Net, but then I heard this story on the news and it really made me sad that he died while doing such good for people.
Former Game Show Host, Wife Killed In Plane Crash
KNBC-TV
10:28 p.m. PST March 13, 2006
LOS ANGELES - A small plane crashed in the ocean about 200 yards south of the Santa Monica Pier, killing a former game show host and his wife, fire officials said.
The bodies of Peter Tomarken, 63, and wife Kathleen Abigail Tomarken, 41, were identified by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, said coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey.
Divers called off a search for a third person Monday night after authorities concluded only two people were on board.
Tomarken appeared in at least four other game shows in addition to "Press Your Luck," which was well known for contestants shouting the slogan "Big bucks, no whammies!"
Tomarken, the pilot, was a volunteer for Angel Flight West, a nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation for needy medical patients. The plane was flying to San Diego to pick up a passenger who needed to get to UCLA Medical Center for treatment.
The third person authorities initially believed was on board may have been the patient, said Coast Guard spokesman Tony Migliorini.
"We believe the third person was the person they were going to pick up," he said. "When they filed the flight plan, they said three persons were to be on board. That's why we had to presume they had three and did the search."
According to county lifeguards, the Beech A36 Bonanza airplane crashed into the ocean at about 9:30 a.m., 200 yards offshore and south of the Santa Monica Pier. Authorities said the pilot reported engine failure and was attempting to return to Santa Monica Municipal Airport.
The airport is about two miles inland from the ocean.
The plane went down just off the beach, near the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Marine Street.
"I saw it in the air," said a witness. "It landed into the water. It didn't crash. It was silent. I didn't hear any engine. It was a huge splash and then the engine started pulling it down. The wings were still floating and I was like, 'Get out, get out.' Nobody was coming out."
The witness said a surfer started swimming toward the scene and pointed to where the plane was located when lifeguards arrived.
Crews said the water depth at the crash site is about 20 feet. The plane was recovered Monday afternoon.
The single-engine plane was manufactured in 1973 and registered to Tomarken.
Tomarken -- who had a grown son and grown twin daughters from a previous marriage -- hosted "Press Your Luck" in the mid-1980s. He also hosted a series of other game shows, including "Decades," "Wipeout" and "Bargain Hunters," and he made appearances on several dramatic television series, including "The Rockford Files." He had a small role as a reporter in the 1978 Warren Beatty film "Heaven Can Wait."
He also played a reporter in a 1999 episode of "Ally McBeal." His most recent appearance was in a 2004 short film called "19 at 11."
So long Peter. I used to know you and like you for your show, "Press Your Luck" but now to me you'll be remembered for something more. I think it's great what you were doing, and I really am sorry it brought you to your end. May God keep you.
='(
--Skitch
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