Memory Foam Shoes? Cult Wear Part 2!

People are truly idiots, and will buy just about anything. I've already had a nice little rant about the snuggie, and just exactly what I think of that. It's strange how a "freakin' bathrobe" has been such a huge success. And now... the perfect shoes to wear with your snuggie! May I present, Memory Foam Slippers.

"Just imagine how good it would feel if you could have custom slippers. These memory foam slippers let you experience that level of comfort because they conform to the shape of your feet from heel to toe. And since they don't constrict, they offer relief from painful heel spurs, bunions, arthritis, gout, swollen feet or other foot problems. Faux suede uppers, nylon tricot lining and flexible, skid-resistant indoor/outdoor soles."

Just what everyone needs for their feet! Faux suede, faux fur, and skid resistant indoor/OUTDOOR soles! This means that they actually expect people to wear these things out of the house. Certain clothing items have a limited purpose, but society clearly has lost sight of setting real limits. This should be clear by the sheer number of people that leave the house looking like they just rolled out of bed. Slippers, by definition, are house shoes... for the house... not the grocery store! And do we really need memory foam in shoes?

I could go on about other shoes that anger me, like Crocs.... but that would take far to long. Screw it, put on your cult shoes, and start chanting the mantra of the masses... What was it again?

LIfe Update

Well, it's been way too long, so a quick update on me. I have started a new job with a company called Texas Custom Audio Video, as the Austin branch manager. This should be a goo thing from what I have learned about them in the last couple of weeks. Most of the homes that they are doing seem to be in the $2.5 - $3 Million price range, so just your basic starter home (right?).

In other news, The Shadow Box has closed, and I had a lot of fun doing it. As the reputation of the show supports, this is pretty much an "actor's show", with some really good dialog and a chance to explore you emotions. To me, it was a chance to explore, not the death aspect, but the life messages. Embrace every minute, and enjoy life, because you only get to go through this roller coaster once. So that is my message to you. Go do something silly... walk barefoot through the mud, play in the sandbox, take an afternoon drive to a small town to watch the sunset, kiss a few pigs, get a little chicken shit between your toes... Life is to be lived, not endured!

100 Truths About Me

Alright... This is one of those things going around Facebook, but I don't really feel like posting it there, so... here it is:

001. Real name → David Allen Dunlap
002. Nickname(s)→ Dave, Frank
003. Zodiac sign → Libra
004. Male or female → Male
005. Elementary → Lee Britain
006. Middle School → Bowie
007. High School → Nimitz
008. Hair color → Brown
009. Long or short → Short
010. Loud or Quiet → Depends... Typically Quiet
011. Sweats or Jeans → Jeans
012. Phone or Camera → Phone
013. Health freak → Sometimes
014. Drink or Smoke?→Yes
015. Do you have a crush on someone?→ Not Currently
016. Eat or Drink → ? Yes, Please
017. Piercings → None
018. Tattoos → Back and Left Arm

HAVE YOU EVER?
019. Been in an airplane→ Yes
020. Been in a relationship → Yes
021. Been in a car accident → Yes
022. Been in a fist fight → Yes

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → Never
024. First best friend → Christopher
025. First award → Public Library Summer Reading
026. First crush → Elaine White
027. First sport → Soccer
028. First big vacation → New Mexico/Colorado Camping Trip

LASTS:
029. Last person you talked to → Donna
030. Last person you texted → CiCi
031. Last person you watched a movie with → Nip
032. Last food you ate → Soup
033. Last movie you watched → Hancock
035. Last thing you bought → Coffee
036. Last person you hugged → Amy

FAVES:
037. Food → Italian
038. Drinks → Guinness
039. Clothing → Jeans & Button Down Shirt
040. Flower → English Lavender
041. Animal → Basset Hound

042. Colors → Green, Blue, Orange, Red
043. Movies → Monty Python & The Holy Grail
044. Subjects → Theatre & Ancient History

IN 2008..... I

045. [X] kissed someone
046. [X] celebrated Halloween
047. [X] had your heart broken
048. []went over the minutes on your cell phone
049. [X] questioned someone's sexual orientation
050. [] came out of the closet
051. [] started a new relationship
052. [X] ended a relationship
053. [X] done something you've regretted
054. [X] broke a promise
055. [X] hid a secret
056. [X] pretended to be happy
057. [X] met someone who changed your life
058. [] pretended to be sick
059. [] left the country
060. [X] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it
061. [X] cried over the silliest thing
062. [] ran a mile
063. [] went to the beach with your best friend(s)
064. [X] got into an argument with your friends
065. [X] hated someone
066. [] gone to disneyworld

CURRENTLY:
067. Eating → Nothing
068. Drinking → Coffee
069. I'm about to → Work
070. Listening to → Food Network on TV
071. Plans for today → Pub Quiz at Fado
072. Waiting for → Godot

YOUR FUTURE:
073. Want kids? → No
074. Want to get married? → Maybe some day, but not in the near future
075. Careers in mind → AV Consultant

WHICH IS BETTER WITH GIRL/BOY?
076. Lips or eyes → eyes
077. Shorter or taller? → Shorter
078. Romantic or spontaneous → Romantic
079. Nice stomach or nice arms → Stomach
080. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive
081. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship
082. Trouble-maker or hesitant → Trouble-Maker

HAVE YOU EVER:
083. Lost glasses/contacts → Yes
084. Ran away from home → Once
085. Hold a gun/knife for self defense → Yes
086. Killed somebody → No
087. Broken someone's heart → Yes
088. Slapped someone → Yes
089. Cried when someone died → Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
090. Yourself → Yes
091. Miracles → Yes
092. Love at first sight → No
093. Heaven → Yes - In some form
094. Santa Claus → No
095. Sex on the first date → Typically, No
096. Kiss on the first date → Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → No
098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? → Getting There
099. Do you believe in God → Yes
100. Did you lie on any of your answers above → No

Blasé

Frankly, I have been feeling a bit indifferent for the past week or so. I have many things to do, and need to focus, but I just can't seem to do it. I have projects for work to price out and get started on. I have lines to learn for Shadow Box. I have shows to prep for My Bugatti Story. On top of it all, I have the day to day minutiae to consider... cooking, cleaning, taking care of the dog, laundry, etc... I know that this is not exciting news, but it is just where I am this week.

I started a new diet a little over a week ago, and as of this morning, I am down 10 lbs from my start weight of 232. I am shooting for a target below the 200 lbs mark, which would be the first time since high school that I have been there. In other news, my court date to finalize the divorce is set for next Wednesday at 1:30 pm, so... by Wednesday night, I should officially be single. Not that I feel ready to date right now anyway, but I can close this chapter of my life and put it up on the shelf. Anyway... that's all I've got for now... sorry to be so boring, but... that's real life sometimes.

Theatre Stuff

Well the Frontera Fest piece for which I am running tech, My Bugatti Story, opens tonight at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. It is a decent play, directed by a really good director, and presented by a very talented cast... with one weak spot. Since this is a public blog, I won't go into details, but there is a weak link that has everyone in the cast worried to death. We are all hoping that we will be pleasantly surprised this evening, and for the remainder of the run. I have gone over tech in my head as many times as I can stand, and will give it my all this evening within the limits of the technology given to me. With only one 2.5 hr slot in the theatre to practice on Saturday, we are as prepared as I think we can get, and that other part of me is really looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

On another note, rehearsals for The Shadow Box are going well, and I am amazed by the talent that I am surrounded by each rehearsal. I feel like I am just not progressing in the role like I should be. However, once I get the script out of my hand, I think it will free me up to play with it a bit more. That one opens at City Theatre on the 6th of February, so I hope to see as many of my friends there as can make it.

Josephine Dunlap (1996-2009)

My female basset hound, Josephine, finally lost her battle with heart and lung problems today. She has had a "leaky valve" in her heart for most, if not all, of her life. This causes the blood to back-flow into the heart, and has been slowly stretching the heart for years. Just like stretching a piece of clay, it finally reached a point where it is too weak to handle the pressure, and breaks.

Something told me to stay home, and wok from the home office today... probably the same something that told me to stay home last night instead of going out drinking with friends. Thus, I was able to be with her at the end. She ate her breakfast this morning, albeit slower than normal, and went outside to do her business. Anyone that knows her, knows that she would never miss a meal or any opportunity for food. She had lost some weight recently, but not for lack of eating... she just seemed to not be absorbing it as well. Around 1 pm, I went outside to change the water, and she was laying on the patio sunning herself. She stood up to come to me, and stopped about one step in and collapsed. I got down to her, and within about a minute, it was over. Without getting into too many details, it was clear that the heart had given way, and she probably died almost instantly. While it is hard to lose her, I am glad that she did not suffer with her passing.

Josephine came to live with me and (then wife) Alexi in the spring of 2006, so she was already a senior citizen when we got her. She cam with a full list of medical issues, such as the heart murmer, skin conditions that required bathing 3 times a week, allergies, a thyroid condition, and probably a few others that I can't remember right now. Through diet, and a lot of care, we got her off of all of the medications, with the exception of the heart pills, and she lived a pretty happy and vibrant couple of years. In the last couple of months, she has been struggling more and more with her breathing (a result of the heart crowding out the bronchial passages and lungs), and has had to start taking medications to help her at least take in a bit more oxygen with shallower breaths. She then started losing weight, and the last couple of weeks has been very slow and in obvious discomfort. Today, she finally let go, and I know that she is no longer suffering.

10 Things About Me

A good friend emailed her version of this list to me, so... it seems a good way to spread some useless knowledge about myself...

1. I cannot sleep unless everything in my bed is just right. Sheets pulled tight at the feet, pillows not too thick or too thin, on the correct side of the bed (on the right if you're in the bed), sheet and blanket over me.

2. I can play oboe, English horn, saxophone, trombone, and percussion.

3. I secretly like and listen to British "feel good" pop music. (ie - Lily Allen)

4. While I believe that mankind can and does have an impact on the environment, and a responsibility to treat it with respect, I do not believe that "global climate change" is man-made. There have been far too many climate cycles throughout history without our help, and the evidence is just not convincing.

5. I love to cook... I hate washing dishes, especially pots and pans.

6. I find the experience of being tattoed to be more relaxing than painful. It's my own form of therapeutic catharsis for life changing tension.

7. In my professional life I have been all of the following: high school teacher, security guard, delivery truck driver, pyro-technician, animal wrangler (snakes, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas, etc), pharmacy technician, camera clerk, grocer, audio engineer, camera operator, lighting operator, AV designer, and church youth pastor (Baptist).

8. I wear a size 8 hat.

9. I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I tend to use a paper towel for anything I might need to touch in a public restroom, and clean things in a hotel room before I will sleep there.

10. I pluck my eyebrows and/or have them waxed.

80s Night

Well, I had my housewarming party last night, and the friendship shown by those that came really did help to warm up the place. Of course I made way too much food, and I think I was actually left with more beer in my fridge than I started with. I also drank far more than I should have, but that's fine, as I was able to sleep in this morning.

Since it was 80s theme, many people showed up in their best memory of that decade's fashion. You can see my attempt to the left (photo courtesy of Veronica Prior). We saw everything from Dynasty to Goth, and quite a few things in between. The entertainment consisted of a DVD of music videos from the 80s, a Michael Jackson DVD (Thriller), and a random workout VHS tape that I remembered toward the end of the night (Bubba Until it Hurts). All-in-all I had fun opening my home up to my friends, and hope that they enjoyed their visit... even if the neighborhood was a bit scary for some.

Reflections on 2008

I'm not even sure where to begin with my reflections of 2008, other than to say that it's over and I am SO glad. 2008 began with my wife and I hosting an exchange student from Korea for three months. Frankly, a 10 year old has no business going to school abroad, and especially not one that has no self control. January, February, and March were a complete bust due to him, and we had a really crappy Valentines day and her birthday.

April, May, and June were a bit less strenuous in that regard, but still not that enjoyable. We were each living our own lives, and just sharing an apartment for the most part. In July we took a trip to Michigan for her family reunion, and each of us had fun, but we didn't really do much together while we were up there.

After we got back, Alexi began making her plans to go to Korea to work for a year, and we pretty much agreed that it would be a separation for us. She left in Spetember, while I was working on Romeo and Juliet at SBCT. In November, we decided to just go ahead with the divorce. We had lived together and apart with very little change in the feelings that were there. In all truth, we have been nothing but friends for probably the last couple of years. It's best to get out of it now, while we are still friends, and before we start to hate each other.

Thanksgiving was the first holiday with my family since the divorce had begun, and was very bizarre to say the least. My parents seem to be trying to purge every last vestige of Alexi from their house. Every picture, every scrap, etc...

December was Christmas, and I went to a few parties and then home to see the family for the actual holiday. I've also moved from the apartment that I had been sharing to a duplex in Round Rock with an extra bedroom and a yard. Last night rang in the new year with new friends... none of whom I knew a year ago... Maybe this is the fresh start that I need to move on. I'm at a very awkward, difficult place in life, but it's a crossroads that I must make my way through. I can only hope that I come out the other side a better person for it.

To my new friends from 2008... You mean more to me than you know. To my old friends... you have been there for me through good times and bad. To all of you... I am truly thankful to have you in my life.