Tuesday, October 25, 2005

IS HE STILL ALIVE?!

The answer is YES - the storm has passed, and luckily for my neck of the woods, it is as if nothing ever happened. At 9am it was overcast, windy, and rainy, and by 2pm, the skies were clear blue, the sun was shining....AND FALL WAS FINALLY HERE!!!! HOORAY!!!! Today it is a nice, chilly high of 68 degrees. WOOHAA!!!!! I'm SOOO glad it's finally here!

Why haven't you been keeping up with your blog?! Honestly...I haven't had much to say or share, and I really haven't felt like it....I have a friend in town this week, so not sure when I'll be getting to that site about my vacation....?????

Soon, friends....soon.....

Monday, October 17, 2005

Better late than never....

Where have you been, you might be asking?! As I mentioned in the past, I was prepped for a fun-filled weekend with a multitude of friends. Since the schedule was so busy, and sleep was often a commodity, it was very difficult to find time to post. So...to recap my weekend (I'll go back and add photos later)

Friday night was the beginning of the adventure-weekend, with an annual trip to Halloween Horror Nights. In attendance: Me, Jess-Laney, Derek (the b-day boy!), Murph, Carlton, Jim & Clay, Scott, Wendy, Tommy, Ariel & Rucio, and Robert & his mother (whew!). Yes, it was a big group, but we managed to have a great time (we're very picky about our friends), and got to see EVERY HOUSE!!! That's right! For the first time in years, it was SOOOOO dead for a Friday night. The longest line we stood in was just over 30 minutes, and that was for Dueling Dragons, the coaster! The longest house line was 20 minutes! Even the Mummy only had a 10 min wait. We couldn't believe it....but we also weren't complaining. This year's event held up to years past - nothing really stood out, but it was still fun to attend and hang out with the group. However, this was the first year that I was VERY disappointed in their Bill & Ted show. First of all, the guy who plays Bill has been doing it for as far back as I can remember. This year's Ted was not too good. The main focus was Willy Wonka, since that was a big hit this year. Of course, they added lots of flesh, and even more four-letter words than usual (staying away from the BIG ones, of course). I have to say, though....their casting REALLY SUCKED!!!! Most of the people looked NOTHING like their characters (does Terri Hatcher REALLY have that big old fupa?!); um, yeah....Brad Pitt has blonde hair....and Fat Albert is fat ALL over...not just his waist! Come on Universal...we know you're not pushing for a Tony Award here, but at least give your audience the benefit of the doubt!

Saturday consisted of EPCOT's 10th Annual Food & Wine Festival....what can I say?! The weather was in our favor, and it was a GREAT day to hang out with friends around World Showcase. In attendance: Me, Jess-Laney, Derek, Dave-Iskra, Aaron & Melanie, Wendy, Mark & Danielle (accompanied by 5-week old baby Savyna), Phil, Al & Beau, and Corey & Terri. Again, a big group, but a fun group. There were lots of stops along the way....we all said it had been years since we took that much time to get around the entire lagoon. LOVE the weather! I really didn't see anything new that stood out on the food front this year - I kind of stuck to the old favorites. I will definitely go back before the end, however, so that I can try more food. For less than 20 bucks, I was able to have quite a nice selection of food: potato leek soup & flourless chocolate cake from Ireland; a Scandinavian meatball from...Scandinavia; lamb from Australia; and escargot (my yearly favorite), quiche lorraine, & chocolate creme brulee from France. YUMMY!!!!

That night, despite our afternoon of eating, it was back to my place for a BBQ. Nothing wild and crazy - no stories to tell. Overall, I think (hope) Derek had a good time and enjoyed himself! The chocolate strawberry ice cream cake was DELICIOUS!!!! (Thanks to our friends Kristan, Angela, Jamie, and Wendy, who work at Cold Stone for getting their discount...and the cake!!) We also had a chance to break in the firepit that night....I'm very happy to say it was a success (the neighborhood is still standing). Too bad the mosquitoes were a problem...I'll need to figure out how to resolve that for future use.

Jess-Laney and I did Sea World on Sunday (haven't been there in ages!). Saw some new shows....they are definitely trying to be more theatrical, and also very Cirque....good attempt, but still not there. It's basically a nice park to spend the day and relax...the few rides are fun, but they're not the focus.

So, I'm back to the land of blog....oh! There is a link on the right for my trip....site is still "under construction". Hopefully, I can get to it tonight or tomorrow night, following work!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!!!!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

A tribute to the fall of another bachelor....

I spoke with my best buddy Timmy (TIM-MAY!!!) today, who lives with his fiance near LA in California. Next summer, the two of them are going to be getting married here in St. Pete, FL., and I have been given the honor of being a member of their wedding party as one of the best men/groomsmen (he's got four guys who are important to him for different reasons, so we all share the title). Since the four of us aren't in the same area, and don't know each other well (or haven't kept in touch since college), a bachelor party will most likely take place once he and his birde-to-be arrive the week prior to the wedding. So...

...since Timmy and I are very close, I wanted to do something special with just him and I. We talked on the phone today, and he's all for it! The ideal trip would be a long weekend trip over to Amsterdam (believe it or not, tickets are VERY cheap during the spring, due to all of the college students). More realistically, however, I've decided to fly out west (since I LOVE CA!!!), and he and I are going to do a buddy road trip up the west coast. With the help of my friend, mapquest, I've determined that it will only take us about 20 hours to get from LA to Vancouver (aka, Amsterdam state-side). Along the way, we'll make some pit stops - San Fran, Napa (can't miss out on wine country), Portland, Seattle....if we make it as far as Vancouver, that will be great, but I'd like to at least make it to Seattle - I've always wanted to travel up the west coast and see the scenery: mountains, oceans, etc. Depending on how much time that takes, we may make a quick jaunt over to Vegas to catch a show...hey, if you're all the way out west, Vegas really isn't too far!

For those wondering "why no pics or info from your overseas trip?!" Well, since there is SO much information to share, and SOOO many pics, I've decided to create a second blog that is strictly dedicated to the trip. It's not up and running, yet, but as soon as I dedicate some time and energy to it, I'll be sure to provide the link.

Jeff #2 seems to have fun quotes to share, or "things he knows for sure" each week....maybe I'll have to enlist the concept of imitation being the highest form of flattery and snag some of his ideas for my own creative license...

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Day by day, I grow as a species....

Thanks to the assistance of Jeff #2, I have now added some enhancements to my site. Not only do I have the long-awaited picture added to my profile, but I have also learned to create hyperlinks to other friend's pages!!! (If you click on #2's name, it will take you to his blog!)

What else is new in my world....downstairs right now, I am putting last week's episode of WEEDS on DVD, so that I can watch and burn the season finale!!!! The previews make it look like a good one! Mom and Dad leave for a well-deserved, quick getaway tomorrow - they're off to the land of Tennessee....it's right up BOTH their alleys...believe me! And it doesn't hurt that there is a big craft fair going on in Gatlinburg (sp?) as well. Safe travels!!!! (Which means I have NO assistance with the "kids", Zen and Trisity, this weekend...the need pics up here, too, don't they!)


A rare moment of peace between the two critters! If only this would happen more often. And as much as you'd like to blame the cat for being the "older" and more spoiled sibling, it's the youngster that causes most of the trouble. Lately, however, the tables have turned, and it's a moment pictured to my left, beginning with an innocent bathing, that turns into a grab at the neck...ahh...animals!!!!

I believe this brings me to my close...only a mere couple of days before Jess-Laney arrives!!! (fer real doh!)

Until next time we meet.....

Sunday, October 09, 2005

No rest for the weary...

Well, it's back-to-work Monday for me! Which also means I won't be getting any "day off" rest for a couple of weekends. Yes, that's right....so begins the 30th birthday week for Derek Crabbs!!! Fortunately, I have some night shifts this week, so I'll be able to sleep a little later in the mornings. :-)

Jess-Laney arrives around noon on Friday, and it's non-stop until Monday! As I've mentioned before, Horror Nights at Universal is Friday night, followed by Food & Wine, with a birthday blowout Saturday night at my house. Sunday, Jess-Laney and I have decided to hit Sea World, since I can enjoy the perks of parental work exposure, and she hasn't been in AGES!!!! (OK, she's not that old!) ;-)

Also, this weekend, the group will be joined from the far-off land of Sarasota by Allison (YO AL!)and Beau. Al and I used to be roommates, with our buddy Tamara (T) when we all graduated from college. A funny side-note....Allison and I went to the SAME school (GO NOLES!), and graduated on the SAME day, BOTH with Theatre degrees, only sitting two seats from one another during graduation....and we didn't meet one another until she and Tamara were looking for a roommate in Orlando! Talk about a small world! Even funnier...in her graduation video, apparently her parents were sitting somewhere close to mine, and you can hear them saying "who the hell is this guy waving in our camera?!"...THAT WAS ME!!!!! T and Al met when they did the FSU London Theatre program in Fall of 99....which I had done in 98, and told Tamara she could attend as a transfer student (she's from CO)!!!! Crazy, crazy!

It's only the beginning of October, but it sure feels like the holidays are quickly approaching...lots of milestone birthdays in the near future, and I'm sure we'll find some reason to go into rehearsals....AGAIN....at work. No worries...more late nights for me!

Friday, October 07, 2005

In the end, the persistent truly come out on top...

Well, I'm happy to report that battle with SunTrust has ended today (at least the war is over). Since the back-and-forth e-mail system was getting me nowhere, I decided to go into the bank to plead my case. No branch manager was available, so I thought "Oh shit, this will be great!" Fortunately, any one of the "customer service" reps was able to handle my situation.

Before I even sat down in her office, she said that she would take care of my fees....having not said a word, I wondered if they had somehow pulled me up in the system, and giant red flag said "DO WHAT HE WANTS, OR HE MAY GO POSTAL!!!". The reality, was that she recognized the penalty slips in my hand, and was going to assist me...wow...maybe they DO have great "customer service". Next...and this is where things get kind of fuzzy and confusing....I start to tell her the situations I've been placed in, and how they show the money as pending, blah blah blah....not really caring about my story, she is very quick to answer my questions (but in a sort of, cut-you-off-I-don't-have-time-for-you manner). She then proceeds to tell me that, like my previous incident, she can only erase so much of the fee...again, I start to tell a story...either she realized that the company she works for is a total scam operation, or my barely full sentence bored her enough that she was willing to deal it. In the end, I left the bank with a $0 balance. Not wanting to rock the boat, since things ended in my favor, I pondered if I lost any money in this "service". I get home to do the calculations....if you give me back the $28 bucks I was penalized the first time, it came out that SunTrust actually lost $.40 in the deal...that's right....a mere "cents". I'll be checking my statement at a later time to make sure it says zero, but I'm happy to report all has ended well, and I'm one step closer from relinquishing my SunTrust chains.

The only reason I still have the account is for the Vodafone incident, which is still pending....hopefullly, I'll be receiving a HUGE refund from that, then I can walk away with cash-in-hand for my new, more inviting, banking adventure...

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

I WANT MY MTV!!!!

Sometimes I think it's a curse to be considered a part of "Generation Y"...despite our best efforts, we tend to lose patience in the simple things in life, and want it NOW!!!! What happened to that tiny tickle feeling you would get as the weeks approached for Christmas morning? Or that gut sensation as you anticipate a major trip? Do you remember the excitement as your 16th, 18th, and 21st Birthdays approached? [I would say 30, but 1) I'm not there, yet, and 2) it's turned into somewhat of a dread for me these past couple of years...sorry older readers!]

With such a powerful opening, one would think there's some big moral dilemma I face right now...the answer....TELEVISION!!!! Why is it that I can't seem to enjoy the suspense and un-knowingness (word?!) that each new episode of a favorite show brings? Are there aliens among us? Will they ever get off the island (and what exactly IS the island)? Is Vaughn REALLY dead? Will Faith ever grow up and leave her sister's place (OK, I threw that one in for frivolity's sake).

Tonight's case and point: one of my new-season intrigues, INVASION. A hurricane takes place in Florida (gee, there's something unique), but in actuality, it appears to be some sort of governement cover-up/alien invasion. Now, the whole part about whether or not it's aliens, that's pretty much a GO. The question that lingers is: what are they, why are they here, and how are they truly going to affect the leading characters?! It's one of those situations where the hints become SO subtle, and SO slow-moving, that it almost makes it "not worth the watch". But then, the curiosity kicks in, and I can't help but tune in next week to see what happens. And as I may have mentioned before, a silent prayer that I don't give up on something that may stick around, or end up losing something that I've come to love. (I'm sure NO ONE watch it last year, since it's still not around, but I LOVED "The Mountain") Care to share your favorite TV RIP?!

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Would you like some wood for that cross?!

Do you ever have one of those days where you just can't stand the people you work with? Well, today seemed to be that day for me. Please do me a favor, and don't waste my time about how much we "mistreat you", and take away the "perks" that you once had. If you don't like what your doing, by all means, please get the hell away from us, and we'll be more than happy to replace you with someone who would love your OT, DT, free access to the park (including your friends and family), company-sponsored events, oh yeah....AND A PAYCHECK!!!!!

I may have mentioned this before...but I have to give kudos the new Showtime show, "WEEDS"!!! What a GREAT show! Sadly, there is only one episode left in the premiere season (making it a grand total of ten), and I already long for its return at a later time. With this coming to a close, however, it should bring back past favorites life "Huff" and "The L Word"....ahhh, the joys that escape from reality can bring. (P.S. I bailed on HBO's "Rome"....just couldn't keep my attention).

The music industry has been GREAT lately. Some obscure bands I like, and some mainstream, are making returns to scene after several years away. Fiona Apple made her triumphant return today....as always, an amazing voice, and an amazing gift for creating something unique...I think her attitude may have calmed down finally, as well! Some other bands I like at the moment: H.I.M. & The Rasmus (both bands being from Finland) - kind of a modern goth theme, but with a mainstream edge (except they remain known in the underground); New Order has a new album; "got a hold of" the new Depeche Mode album, not yet released...VERY much a return to their old format - GREAT ALBUM!!

Escape becomes my reality....

Monday, October 03, 2005

There's a reason why we should keep theatre aLIVE....

Is it just me, or do you love the oddly bizarre, "good" feeling of discomfort you get from a LIVE performance? Something that just keeps you on the edge the entire time you watch it, but it's pumping adrenaline through your body, so you can't help but love it?! It's like watching people on TV getting into uncomfortable conversations, whether it be an interview, or a time where you get a sense of embarassment for the person, so it makes you just uncomfortable enough, that it feels good?!

This bizarre feeling came upon me the other night during the season premiere of "Will & Grace" - some feel this show has lost it's appeal, but the larger-than-life characters can often present such an askewed view of things, you can't help but laugh...it still finds its wit quick! To the point...the other night, in honor of their final season, they did a LIVE episode for the very first time. If by chance this blog ever comes across the screen of an exec at NBC...DO THIS EVERY WEEK!!!!! The show was great! It really made the "TV Actors" work for their art...sure there were a few bumps along the way, but there was something so fresh about it! And like a "good" episode of Saturday Night Live (few and far between, as they are), the best moments of the show were when they made each other break character....I don't know if it's just me, but I thinkk that stuff is WAY funnier sometimes than the canned responses they get take after take!

Does anyone remember the show "Roc"?! Charles S. Dutton was the star of the FOX show, who now stars in a new CBS series, "Threshold" (another new must-see this season). At one point in their second(?) season, they decided to do a special LIVE episode. It was such a success, that they continued to do them live, week after week, until the show's ending (sadly, I don't think it lasted much longer). I don't even remember if the content was that great, but the fact that it held that tension of LIVE TV for an entire 30-minutes made it worth the watch.

I guess you can take the boy out of "theatre" (sorry...theme parks don't always count), but you can't take the theatre out of the boy....

Saturday, October 01, 2005

I want to be a banker....

I think the stars are quickly aligning to tell me that it's time to switch over to the company-sponsored checking account! For years now, due to my attendance at FSU, I have been a member of SunTrust (plus, they are EVERYWHERE, so an ATM was always nearby). As a result of my recent trip, and the unique way in which the Asian industries choose to submit their receipts, I have been hit with over $200 of "insufficient funds" fees from the bank (Mind you, none of these were my fault, and the monies ARE there). I have already made one trip to the bank to speak to the manager, where I was informed that the best they could do for me, since it really wasn't my fault, was to wave $100 of the $128 from the first set of penalties (ooo....such a favor!). Now, I receive another one today in the mail for almost the same amount!!!! I log onto my account, and there appears to be NO reason was I was penalized....

To flesh out the first penalty story....while in Tokyo, I decided to rent a cell phone - yes, I can almost live without technology, but the real reason was just in case the Hong Kong team needed to get in touch with me about coming back to assist with the Grand Opening (a story I mentioned in an earlier post from overseas). Come to find out, which was not explained to me due to some language barrier, the cell phone company (who I'm calling out by name....VODAPHONE, YOU SUCK!!!), puts a hold on the card, just in case you run off with their phone....a $350 HOLD!!!!! Since this money is shown as "used", the bank charges you a penalty if you go over your amount (Yes, this all would have worked out much better had I been able to put it on my Credit Card, and not my Check Card, but the AmEx came back declined, so I had no choice....the AmEx was a problem child from time to time overseas as well...."everywhere you want to be?"....more like, "where they feel like being"...) So, that being said, I come home to find an e-mail from Vodaphone with my final bill....$186!!!!!! EXCUSE ME?! Another fine example of language barriers: I specifically asked the woman behind the counter how many minutes were included in my $5/day cell phone rental....she then pointed me to the sheet on the counter that said 200 minutes. Yeah....when the not-so-nice lady from customer service returned my e-mail of shock, she informed me that it was 200 yen per minute (which is about $2). Are you kidding me?! I would've purchased a calling card, year's worth of calls for that price!!!! I'm still in e-mail war with them, since they're based in Australia (hell if I'm making International calls anytime soon!)....they are currently in the ignorance phase of my demands....