five photos

well, I guess it's about time to recap my trip to st. louis. more details can be found on shannon and nicole's blog.
slanty view of the arch:

shannon and niocle walking:

profile view of some people in front of the arch:

the results of the hockey game:

andrea staring out one of the windows inside the arch:

*ninja poof*

well, despite the best attempts of killer tornadoes and hail and lightning storms, I made it back to lawrence safely. I guess that's one of the perks of being a ninja. what'd I do this weekend? well, I learned tai kick boxing, nunchukus, bo, and kali sticks. how did I learn them? by getting kicked, whacked in the head and the nuckles, and punched in the head. I've never been so sore. well, I survived though so I think I am now qualified to teach in the new mixed martial arts style. I go relax now. being a ninja is tiring. *poof*

ninja vanish

well, today was kinda interesting. we had a surprise visit from the FDA. we've been due for an inspection for about a year now so they were kinda expected but not really. in any case, they showed up, unannounced, and so we had an impromptu inspection. they're gonna be here for about a week. funny thing is that we had two other audits scheduled during the week. apparently, the FDA has some magic powers or something because they outrank the other two audits so those'll have to be rescheduled for later. good thing I won't be around for the FDA audit this week. why? you ask? well, I'll be in washington for a tae kwon do instructor seminar/certification class or, as my co-workers have dubbed it, ninja school, which, in a way, I guess it is. I'll be learning nunchukus, bo, and escrima sticks so it should be fun. I just hope they show me how to ninja vanish. *poof*

crash

well, awhile ago, I posted about a move about racial tensions called "crash". well, apparently, other people thought it was pretty good too. it won best motion picture of the year. it also won something else. I don't remember what (maybe original screenplay?). well, anways, I actually agree with the best picture of the year vote this year. well, off to paint and study, not necessarily in that order.

spring cleaning

well, with the weather being so nice outside, I thought today'd be a good day to start spring cleaning. here's a picture of my computer table before:

and here's once after. oh yeah, I also bought a new clock radio. it was just stupid having two alarms clocks (one for andrea and one for me) so I got one with a dual alarm thingy.

what else'd I do this weekend? I started painting chaos mauraders and posted a little bit. oh yeah, I also talked to pickle a little bit. looks like he'll be coming down to kc sometime in the next couple of months so make sure you aren't busy those days (shannon/nicole/nette/chris/aaron).

warhammer

last weekend, shannon, nicole, and nette came down to lawrence for awhile so that meant an obligatory game of warhammer.
this is a picture of nicole's ghouls in a forest. now where's that animate tree spell...?

I see you...here's an aerial view of the ghouls in the forest.

shhhhhh...my dryads are sneaking up on the ghouls...

this is what it would look like if dryads really attacked ghouls. except with more flailing, I'd assume.

like that bats? here's a sharp stick in the eye.

warhammer cont.

these are shannon's knight errants:

one of these days, they're gonna have to meet these guys:

and finally, this is nurgle. ain't he cuuute?

ethanol update

well, I was listening to KPR this morning and they mentioned that they were planning on opening seven ethanol plants in kansas. yea! also, on a semi-related story, I brought my car in to get some work done. the driver side window hasn't rolled down since november sometime and with the check engine light popping up a week ago, I thought today was a great day to drop it off. the problem with the window? a motor blew or something so that had to be fixed. total price of materials alone: $300+. and then there was labor and taxes... on the bright side, the check engine light was due to the gas cap not being tight enough. I honestly think that some sprite or gremlin loosens the cap at night while I'm asleep. I tighten the cap until I hear two or three clicks everytime I fill it up. oh well. bye-bye next two paychecks. speaking of paycheck, I apperently got a raise sometime in the last two weeks because I am now a trained senior technician in reception as well as a train senior phlebotomist on the donor floor or something like that. at least that's what the manager said. she also said that she thinks I'll be getting another raise before our annual raise this june so I'll finally be making over $9/hr. on yet another semi-related note. about four months ago when I was stuck on the donor floor the whole time and was the only fully trained phlebotomist and was working an average of 50+ hours a week, I toyed around with the idea of getting a different job and submitted a couple of applications. well, I got a call back from one of the places today and they are interested in hiring me. they're locating in lenexa (farther away from manhattan than lawrence is. sorry, shannon) so I'd have to commute but after andrea and I get married next year, we were probably going to move further east anyways since she works in the kc metro area so that's not a big deal. the kicker is that they're offering me $12/hr as a starting salary for a phlebotomist with 2 years experience. well, anyways, I have an interview with them on monday. I'm not really sure what I'll do if they offer me the job but I don't think I'll worry about it unless/until they do. well, off to bed I go. I have to open in reception tomorrow.