The worst person in the world is...

This man isn't the worst person in the world now.  However, he was when I got home from work last night.

When you rent an apartment at a complex, you get a reserved parking space.  Most people are very possessive of their space.  For the little bit of space you get when you rent a place, the parking space is part of that entitlement.  I've seen people nearly have fist fights when someone has parked in their space, leave nasty notes on windshields, and have a moment like that ruin their day.

I arrived home from work and some random car was blocking the space I normally park in.  In the grand scheme of life, its trivial.  But, I still had to park halfway across the complex and I was a bit irritated.

So, to make myself feel better, I took a photo of the guy when he was leaving.  Now, he'll live on the internet forever as a parking space blocking bastard.

That'll show him.

Not only did this guy block my parking space, he hurt my eyes.
Because he was wearing an ugly orange shirt.

Naked man chews another naked man's face off

Once in a while, there's a news story so bizarre that it seems not to be believed.

Over the weekend, a naked man was shot in Miami, Florida by police.  He was naked.  He was also eating the face off of another naked man.

I appreciate seeing naked people (some of them anyway) but even if they were good looking it would have been more than I would want to see.

Police think the incident could be related to the use of "Bath Salts", a drug being referred to as "the new LSD".  Frightening if this is what it does to people.  Because if I'm going to be eaten, I'd prefer to have my clothes on when it happens.  I'd like to have a little bit of dignity thank you very much.

Read the article from CNN by clicking here.

Potato salad in the bathroom

The potato salad I like to buy from Walmart Neighborhood Market has a problem.  Its really noisy to peel off the plastic wrap from the top.

Its not a problem when its opened in the middle of the day.  However, it is at 2 a.m. when I'm trying to have some as a late night snack.

Anthony was having trouble falling asleep tonight.  So, to keep from waking him, I just opened the potato salad in the bathroom.

This is a moment that reminds me of being a teenager when the bathroom was a secret masturbation spot.  Water running, fan going, all to mask what seemed like the noisiest thing that could possibly be done in the bathroom.

Mission accomplished.  Potato salad was opened and Anthony is still asleep.

Living with someone is usually wonderful.  Except when its 2 a.m. and desperation plus an empty stomach collide.

Another round of fun grocery store products

Anthony and I visit the grocery store each week (most of the time its the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Grant and Alvernon) and I often bring my camera in case there are odd, new, or interesting products to share.

Here's what I found during this week's trip:

I'm a big fan of potato salad.
However, I didn't know it came in a can.
I didn't have the nerve to try this kind.

They should call this "Oreo Orgasm".
Holy crap.

My parents would have hated Oreo when I was a kid if they had all of the varieties they have now.
Birthday Cake Oreo = winning.

These look AWESOME!  Hot Pockets Limited Edition Chili Cheese Dog and BBQ Bacon Burger.

I heard Ellen Degeneres talk about Pajama Jeans on her TV show.
I didn't think they were a real product until now.
Two things I noticed:  They're $39.88 at Walmart (stupidly expensive!)
and they come in size 18.
"Your skin will love the luxurious brushed interior"

Getting Lucky under the coffee table

Its been two weeks of having Lucky and he's been great.  He's still a challenge to figure out though.  Mostly because for a dog, he's a little too predictable.  He doesn't chew or eat what doesn't belong to him.  He also pretty much occupies three places in the apartment:  In front of the couch, on the big pillow I bought him next to the bed, and occasionally in the home office.  He seems almost panicked about going anywhere else even though he's never been scolded and actually is encouraged.

I'm not a dog psychologist so my opinion has no educational or scientific basis but he still seems a bit stressed.  But, he's eating, peeing, and pooping regularly (the last two outside so he was obviously housebroken before we got him) and that was the first major hurdle to overcome.

One breakthrough this week is that he has played with his toys a little.  I bought him a tug rope, some tennis balls, and Anthony bought him a colorful little twist tie thing on Saturday.  Its interesting to watch him when he gets interested in them.  He licks them, and when he chews on the tug rope he does it in the nicest, sweetest manner you could imagine.  A lot of dogs his size destroy their toys shortly after they get them and Lucky is nice to his.

Now, the newest photos.  Lucky was under the coffee table and posed for a couple of photos.  (I'm using the term 'posed' liberally).

Lucky was oddly interested in the camera.

Lucky's a ginger!

Anthony takes the cake

Anthony was cookin' up a storm in the kitchen today.

He made turkey chili.  It was delicious.  Of course, he added the his special ingredient:  love.

Anthony also made a white cake with cream cheese frosting and some berries.  That was good too.

Thank you to Anthony for feeding the Ken!

This cake is berry berry good!

Lucky's 2 week anniversary

Today is Lucky's two week anniversary at the Ken Carr World Headquarters.

He's still a bit skiddish but he seems to be doing a little better every day.  He has a regular appetite and going to the bathroom schedule and he's still great on the leash.  He has even started playing with doggie toys a little... although a little is really a proper description.

A few photos of him laying around in the living room today:

Lucky lifting his head.
We've truly got a gifted dog.

Lucky's two week anniversary gift:
That colorful bow thing that Anthony got from a clearance bin at Petsmart.

Lucky lays down a lot like this.
Its his most impressive trick (so far).

Happy anniversary Lucky!

(Irritated) Eye Of The Tiger - Update

I've successfully avoided going to the doctor over my case of pink eye.  I've avoided it because I can't afford it.  I pay $200 in monthly insurance premiums and have a $5,000 deductible.  I use the doctor so little that I have never reached a deductible in my entire life.  So I pay for most of my doctor visits in full or nearly full.  The medical insurance is a total waste but I'm told all the time I should have it so I get it.  Saying all of that, the couple hundred dollars I'd have to spend to get a five dollar bottle of eye drops is approximately $199 dollars more than my budget allows.

I'm done with my rant.

Anyway, I have had a case of pink eye and managed... thanks to some help from Anthony... to locate some eye drops to get them taken care of.  My eye still stings but a day of using the drops has my eye on the mend.

I still don't know where I got it from.  A few people have suggested Lucky the dog but he doesn't have pink eye so I'm going to chalk it up to some random unknown co-worker.

Darn you random unknown co-worker!

(Irritated) Eye of the Tiger

Its fairly common with children to get a case of pink eye.  Its not so common with adults.

I've never had it before... until now.  I'm not sure if its an allergic reaction to something or the dreaded super contagious kind.

I do know its annoying.  And, thanks to the way my medical insurance works, unaffordable to get treated.  So I'm attempting to find someone who has some leftover antibiotic drops I can score for free or cheap.

I've had a number of people want to see what it looks like... so here you go.

Its not that bad.
It just looks like I was in a minor bar fight.

Epic ChicKEN fight

I don't always find Family Guy funny, but for some reason I find this type of scene during the show mesmerizing.

And, since chicKEN has KEN in it, it becomes even more epic!



As a bonus, here's the original chicKEN fight:

Taco Bell Bold and Creamy Sauce

Taco Bell now has "Bold and Creamy Sauce" available in grocery stores in addition to their mild and hot sauces (like you'd get in the packets at the restaurant).

If they'd make a microwaveable Chalupa I'd buy that in a heartbeat.  A boy can dream.

If your sauce is bold and creamy...
you might want to seek medical attention.

ChicKENfoot

There's a billboard at Pima Street and Wilmot (a few blocks from my apartment) that is advertising the Chickenfoot concert at AVA Amphitheatre May 31.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to exploit my name and removing the 'chic' from Chickenfoot seemed like it made the sign a whole lot better.

KENfoot!
(Who needs that chic part of their name anyway?)

Solar eclipse - as seen by an idiot

Tonight's solar eclipse was an unusual event.  The sun hasn't been this obscured in quite a few years and it seems to bring out the idiots.

As in, one of my neighbors (I never saw him before today) who sat on another neighbors steps to view the eclipse in a pair of regular sunglasses.

As any semi-intelligent person knows, you can't look at an eclipse directly.  Its still staring into the sun.

Here's Mr. Wizard.
Or, after this, he'll be known as "that blind guy who watched the eclipse."

Lucky's toilet

Lucky the dog has finally decided to start going pee and poo regularly.

Buying the 16 foot leash did the trick. He's got enough separation from us that he's getting the job done. We've had one accident in the apartment... when I slept in yesterday and he couldn't wait. I'm not going to do that again.

There's a certain area of the apartment complex he seems to like for getting the deed done. I don't care really, I'm just glad he's finally going normally.

Lucky's toilet.
I still can't find the flush handle.

Freestyle Explosion Concert

I had the opportunity to go to the Freestyle Explosion concert at the Tucson Convention Center last night.  It was fun being a guest instead of working a concert.

I was there thanks to a hookup with KGUN's sister radio station 106.3 The Groove, which is the renamed station I used to work at.

The lineup for the show included Stacey Q, Connie, Debbie Deb, Shannon, Expose', Lisa Lisa, and Stevie B.  Heavy hitters from the dance music scene of the late 1980's and early 1990's.

Thanks 106.3 The Groove for a fun evening!

106.3 The Groove booth outside of the Tucson Convention Center.
That's Shaun, Richie Rich, Ann explaining that its "this big", and JP.

Rosanna, Jessica, Lauren, some guy I don't know, and JP.

Inside of the TCC before the concert.

Ann from the Morning Blend addressing the crowd.

James T. Harris from 104.1 The Truth.

Stacey Q.
(Remember her song "Two of Hearts" from 1986?)

Connie.
("Funky Little Beat")

Debbie Deb
("Lookout Weekend" and "When I Hear Music")

Shannon with six statuesque members of the military.
("Let The Music Play")

Crowd watching the concert.

Expose'
("Point Of No Return", "Come Go With Me", "Seasons Change",
"Let Me Be The One", "I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me")

Expose'

Expose'

Ann from the Morning Blend, Expose', and James T Harris from 104.1 The Truth

Lisa Lisa
("Lost In Emotion", "All Cried Out", "I Wonder If I Take You Home", "Head To Toe")

Lisa Lisa

Stevie B.
("Party Your Body", "Spring Love", "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)"

Lucky oh so Lucky

The end of day five with Lucky the dog.

We've learned more about how he works. It appears he doesn't like going to the bathroom on a leash. Tomorrow is payday so I'm going to buy one of those long extender type leashes to see if the extra length of ten plus feet will make a difference. Those stupid leashes are expensive. Like $20+ dollars. Its a racket if you ask me!

He's doing well otherwise. Slowly getting used to the apartment. He pretty much only likes three locations in the apartment: In front of the couch, next to the bed on the floor, and next to the desk in the home office. He doesn't seem interested in going anywhere else.

I have been fascinated by the great amount of interest in the dog, its welfare, and progress from my Facebook and Twitter readers. Its also been interesting to suddenly get acquainted with some of the neighbors in my complex that have barely spoken to me in the last year and a half living here. We're now interesting because we have a dog.

Lucky has had lots of activity today including a long car ride with Anthony, and multiple walks around the apartment complex. Hopefully he'll sleep well. I know how much he's tuckered me out. I'm ready to fall asleep earlier than usual and I had a nap tonight when I got home from work.

I hope Lucky likes Jimmy Kimmel. Because that's what's on the TV as I fall asleep.

Lucky - day 4

Lucky's fourth day with us was yesterday.  There are still a few challenges we're working through.

We had a huge breakthrough Sunday night when he peed, pooped and ate.  I thought we were on our way.  It turns out not so much.

He is eating but seems to want to hold in the pee and poo.  He didn't go at all yesterday or on his walk this morning before I came to work.  I'm not quite sure yet why this is happening but my guess is that is has something to do with learned behavior before we adopted him.

We'll see what today brings.  On a side note, there have been zero issues with him in the apartment.  He doesn't disturb anything.  He is so well behaved its almost bizarre.

In the meantime, here are a few new photos from yesterday:

Lucky has a very short attention span.
I asked him to look up at me and by the time the camera focused and took the photo
he was looking at something else already.

Smelling other dog's pee is sooooo wonderful.

Channeling Cujo.

Lucky dragging Anthony into the bushes to see which leaf fell off.

Lucky - Day 3

9 a.m. update:  Lucky has started to follow us around the house.  I physically (but gently of course) pulled him into my home office last night to lay near my chair.  After that, I got ready for bed and he followed me into the bedroom and slept on the floor next to the bed.  Anthony texted me about an hour after I got to work and said he's started following him around the apartment.  Its a great breakthrough!  Obviously he's gaining confidence and some trust in us and that's an important step.

He has his first vet visit (since we've adopted him) at 10:45 a.m.

1 p.m. update:  Anthony took Lucky to the vet this morning as scheduled.  I laughed when he sent me a text and said the vet described him as "not very sophisticated."  Great... we've adopted an idiot.  The vet was impressed with how well his leg wound has healed (which he got before reaching the Humane Society), we do have to give him more meds to continue the healing, he seems to like the women at the clinic which makes me wonder if he was mistreated by guys at some point.  That would explain the slow process of getting him to warm up to us.  The vet told Anthony we should feed him any people food and to keep doing what we're doing.  He also said that his breed type described by the Humane Society was incorrect... Lucky isn't a greyhound mix, he's a brown Labrador.  And they estimated his age at about two years old... which is one year old than we were told.  At least out of all of that we've got a pretty good idea what we're dealing with and he's in good shape.

11:40 p.m. update:  IT FINALLY HAPPENED!  After waiting for 50 hours... Lucky finally peed at about 10 p.m. tonight.  He had been holding a lot because he went for a long time.  And, he went outside.  Then went again a few minutes later.  (also outside)

That wasn't the end of it though.  A second trip outside at 11:15 p.m. and he pooped when I took him for another walk.  This was after he ate about half a bowl of food when we came back from the walk where he peed.  If the first few days are any indication, I think he might be housebroken.  If this holds up it would make our lives a whole lot easier.

He's had water, peed, pooped, ate, visited the vet, and is moving around the apartment a bit.  It was a good day of progress for ol' Lucky.

Lucky - Day 2

Its the end of the second day with Lucky the dog in our apartment.  Its been a fascinating look into how animals... and people function.

Lucky continues to be responsive when he's on a leash.  So, in an effort to get him to be more interested in other areas of the apartment besides the front of the couch on the floor, I hooked up the leash and took him for a walk inside this morning.  I gave him a chance to smell every corner and see that it was okay to go places.  The success level of that after unhooking him from the leash was small.  I did gently pull him into the bedroom and had him lay down next to the bed while I took a nap this afternoon and he stayed there the whole time.  But, the moment I got up he jammed back into the living room in front of the couch.  I can already tell most everything with Lucky is going to be a gradual process but I'm okay with that.

He still hasn't peed or pooed yet.  We've taken him outside 4-5 times per day yesterday and today and even took multiple walks around the entire apartment complex (its a large complex so it's quite a bit of walking).  He sniffs a lot of things but hasn't done his business.  He also prefers walking on the sidewalk so it takes gentle reminders to have him walk onto the grass to check out areas where other dogs have been.  He doesn't pull much on the leash and stays alongside for the most part.  I've appreciated not having to also deal in the beginning with the challenges that can be part of having an inexperienced dog on a leash.

Lucky didn't eat today.  We purchased the same food the Humane Society told us they feed the dogs there. I hoped it would be familiar but so far he hasn't had any interest.  I don't want to resort to people food because I know its difficult to get a dog to eat dog food if it thinks it'll get what I eat.  It'll be interesting to see if by tomorrow he gets hungry enough to dive into the bowl of food waiting for him.

We left him alone for the first time tonight for about an hour for a trip to the grocery store.  He was still in the exact spot we left him in the living room when we returned and he hadn't disturbed anything.  It makes me hopeful he'll be good in the house if he's left but its too early to tell if that's what he'll always do.

I feel sad for Anthony.  He's worried about the dog and its changed Anthony's normal routine.  He got two hours of sleep last night.  He's having a head trip about the new addition to the house, the dog is slow to get adjusted, and I'm pulling double duty trying to reassure Anthony and reassure the dog that they're both ok.  I already know its going to be a slow process with the dog.  I hope its not a slow process adjusting for Anthony, too.

There have been a few times in the last two days where I've asked myself if adopting a dog is the right thing.  I remind myself of the main reason why I thought it was important.  I believe that it'll create more of a family atmosphere in our home.  I get bored sitting on the couch watching TV so I thought it would be something that Anthony and I could take care of together.  He's not a fan of trying new things.  Adopting the dog has given him a giant shove in an unfamiliar direction.  Time will tell if it was a good idea or if I'll be searching for a new home for Lucky.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying having the dog here.  If he'll start eating, peeing and pooping, the rest will come when he's ready.

Say hello to Lucky

Yesterday, thanks to a promotion at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (weekly guests on the Morning Blend by the way) that waived adoption fees for dogs five months and older and over 25 pounds, Anthony and I adopted a dog.

His name is Lucky.

I've been wanting a dog for a while.  Anthony, who will tell you if you ask him that he's sometimes slow to warm up to change, took a while to convince that it was going to be okay to have a dog.  Hours of searching on the internet, visiting adoption events, and a previous visit to the Humane Society gave us an idea of what was out there.  I thought it was the best idea to get a rescue dog.

We ended up at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona shelter on Kelvin Blvd.  We went there today after going to an adoption event at Chapman Volkswagen.  By the time we got to the dealership they had adopted out all of the animals the Humane Society had brought there.  So, it was on to the shelter's headquarters.

One dog stuck out of the 100+ dogs they had at the shelter.  I had seen him the first time we went there a few weeks ago.  He was unaffected by the chaos of other dogs barking and seemed like he was one of those dogs that might be a good fit for us living in an apartment.  The staff at the Humane Society described him as "skiddish".  Which in my experience usually means a dog that, once it warms up to its human caretakers, has the potential to be very loyal and enjoyable.  It just requires some patience to get it settled in its new home and let its personality flourish.

We've discovered a few interesting things about him already.  He's remarkable on a leash.  He's also got a severe case of A.D.D. when he's outside -- being affected by every noise, person and thing in his vicinity.  We learned at the Humane Society he had been struck by a car and had been found as a stray.  He's very scared of cars and traffic but still manages to be responsive to the leash even though he's tempted to run some random direction when a car is near.

He's been chilling in front of the couch when we haven't been outside and unwilling so far to explore the apartment.  About six hours in we finally got him to go to the water bowl and drink.  One thing we haven't discovered yet at the shelter or at home:  His bark.  It'll probably scare the crap out of me when he finally says something.

One of the coolest moments so far came when we took him to the car to leave the Humane Society.  It was quickly obvious he's been trained by somebody how to deal with a car ride.  The moment the door was opened on Anthony's SUV, he leaped into the driver's side without prompting, crawled over to the passenger seat, and made his way to the floor where he stayed the entire time.  We went home to get a debit card to go shopping at Petsmart, and on the trip home (he came with us inside the store and did great on the leash even though he was quite overwhelmed by the environment there) the moment the back door of the car was opened he jumped in, went to the other side, and went down to the floor where he stayed until we got home.  Safest way for a dog to travel without a crate and he did it all by himself.

I'm sure I'll have more stories later... but I did take a few photos of the first day of the Lucky adventure:

Anthony actually drove today.
I knew it was going to be an unusual day and we were going home with a dog.
Because this is only the third time in the 3 years I've known him he's driven me anywhere.

I ran into my friend James at the adoption event at Chapman Volkswagen.
He's going through the paperwork process to adopt a puppy.

James and his new canine puppy companion

Lucky on the floor of the car during the ride home from the Humane Society

Anthony taking Lucky for a walk around the apartment complex

Lucky hears a flea fart and has to look in its general direction

Lucky in his festive new harness

Say hello to Lucky.
A one year old greyhound mix from the Humane Society with a new home at the Ken Carr World Headquarters.

Tucson wind storm May 9 2012

An unusual storm (for May) blew through Tucson today.

The event included gusty wind, a dust storm warning, and a little bit of rain.  Some people in parts of Tucson even lost power for a while.

Video and photo below:

I shot this outside of the KGUN building mid-afternoon today:

Today's wind storm devistation.
Hopefully the concrete wasn't damaged when this branch crashed to the ground.

Winning at Cosmic Bingo - Anthony style

Anthony and I paid a visit to Casino Del Sol for Cosmic Bingo last night.

He scored with a bingo win.  The new format of Cosmic Bingo has a bonus cash game at the end that can win you a larger prize.  The games range from dice rolling, to a wheel you spin, to singing, to choosing a box.

Anthony's win came with the box game.  He had to choose box 1, 2 or 3 for the chance at either $250, $150, or two "pillow pets" (essentially large stuffed animals).

Anthony and another woman won this game.
She chose box number 2 and won $250

Anthony decided on box 3

Box 1 had $250, box 2 had pillow pets, so Anthony's choice was a win!
He won $150.  Cha ching!