The Life of the Nickness

“You’ll Love this when I’m Famous”

Work, men's CORE, and playing hard to get?

Ok, so work today: definitely not fun. Very busy, and Shelly and I were the only people there for most of the day. We got alot accomplished(we're trying to do as much as we can before the visit next tuesday) but there is a never-ending supply of work, not to mention cleaning up after other employees who don't do their job. Bah. We've given them enough time, I think Shelly and I are going to start writing up people. It always seems like we're the only ones who care about the store, and most everyone else doesn't. Grrr. Yes, I'm complaining about work. Sometimes ya just need to get it out and breath, you know?

In other news, I had men's CORE tonight. It went really well. More guys than last time, and even though the subject matter probably could have caused some people to clam up, everyone was really talking back and forth, sharing stories, and listening to Daniel and I. It was a good meeting. Next week we'll be talking about guilt, and what to do with it, so Daniel and I really need to start studying for it, seeing as how as the week goes by I'm just going to get busier and busier.

A question for you all–I was talking with my friend Laura a few minutes ago(ok, not really talking, more like–IM-ing) telling her about my date and telling her about Mary, when I briefly made the comment to her that I was a little worried about seeming a wee bit too over-eager, and scaring Mary off. To which Laura replied(naturally) 'take it slow, play hard to get'. I responded 'easier said than done'.
So my question is(yes, after all this set-up) what is the best course of action? Obviously, it's different for every person but in general(as a guy) is it better for me to play a little hard to get? Does my over-eagerness come off as desperate, and generally cause girls to run from me?
And if it is better to play hard to get, how do I do this? I mean, theres no denying theres an attraction, and I don't want to suddenly start acting different and make her think I'm not as interested as I once was. I like her, and I want her to know that. I don't want to act a certain way; I want to be myself but at the same time I'm a little worried that my hyperness and over-eagerness towards starting this new relationship might be one of the few things(if not the only thing) that would cause her to pause and change her mind about me.

Ahh… so thats one huge ramble right there. Hopefully none of you fell asleep while reading it.
If so, hey! At least I was responsible for refreshing you! And if you did stay awake–what are you waiting for? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts.

LOL. Yes, I'm a dork. But dorks are cool, yo. And don't you forget it.

February 28, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

summary of date #1

It's about 10:30pm and I just got back from my date! First off, yay thats shes not a pyscho and double yay that she didn't chop me up into tiny pieces and dump my body somewhere in Warrenton! LOL

All in all I think it went really well. I picked her up at her house, made small talk with the parents(yes I froze, yes I felt like an idiot, and yes chances are high I'll get to do it all over again) and then Mary and I went to Paneras for dinner, followed by a quick walk next door for some hot chocolate and some talk-time. We have alot in common, and besides a few awkward silent moments, things went really well. So well infact, that we've both decided to go on a second date! We'll be going bowling this friday. The details of where and when still need to be worked out, but hey–I got a second date with this girl! I don't know what it is, the favor of the Lord must have rested upon me this evening or something. But I'm not complaining.

Lets see if I can go two dates in a row without screwing anything up!
:)

February 27, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Laundry, a date, and a (kinda) clean car

So this morning I get a call at about 8:30 in the morning. Was it work? No! Was it my parents? No! Was it from my imaginary friend? No! Then from whom, you may ask? From Mary! Turns out she is free tonight, and as wonders never cease, so am I! :) Yay! So I'm picking her up at her house at 7pm, and we're going to grab a quick bite to eat at Panera, before heading over to the coffee shop next door and getting to know each other better. So if you all don't hear from me in a couple of days–Look for my chopped up body somewhere near the Panera's in Warrenton. ;)
So I'm extremely excited all this has worked out. I'm at my parents' house right now doing laundry, and I just cleaned out my car so it didn't look like I had been living in it.

All thats left for me to do today is meet Daniel at my apartment at 3pm to go over stuff for men's CORE, and then head over to the flower-selling shop and pick up some roses for my date tonight.

Wish me luck!

February 27, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Eharmony, work, and other stuff

So for those of you who weren't aware, I signed up for Eharmony about a week and a half ago. And lucky for me last Sunday(the 19) I was matched with this girl from Warrenton named Mary. Shes a Christian(yay christians!) and we seem to have the same views on the important topics. We started doing the guided communication thing, and eventually got to open communication(where you can send emails to each other) Saturday marked our first IM conversation. So far it's going well, but eventually I gotta meet this girl in person. It'll probably be some time next week, since this week looks pretty booked for both of us. AND shes interested in visiting Mosaic sometime, which is really cool. So yeah, everyone cross your fingers and send up a silent prayer. I have a feeling that this has the potential to become something great.

In other news, work has been really busy! The past week has been crazy getting vendor returns out the door and March 7th we have a visit from the Vice President of Operations for the whole company! Looks like I'm going to be even busier than before–and chances are I'll be pulling a few overnighters.(I already know that on the 7th, I'm coming in at 4am)

Last night was really cool–the first time I have been to Mosaic in about a month's time. How sad is that? But Pastor Scott preached, and it was really great. So was the fellowship afterwards. Just sitting around, eating food, talking about God and the future of Mosaic. *sigh* So great.

Plus I was able to talk to my professor about the class. Turns out we're only in chapter 4, and it's not a big deal that I'm not coming, I can just show up and take the exam if I want–but I'll probably attend a few more classes, just for the lecture.

I can't wait to get my tax refund. Hehehe yay for money!

Heres a quote for the day, that my friend Justin has on his Mosaic profile:“He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart” –CS Lewis

It's about 12:40am now, so you all take care, and I'll see you next update

February 27, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

a real update coming soon but for now, some lyrics!

I keep hearing this song everywhere I go.

Theres something so very much appealing about it.

Here are the lyrics:

My life is brilliant.
My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Flying high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.

Thats by James Blunt, by the way. I have never heard of him before, but apparently, he's very popular.

February 21, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

a quick update before I go to bed

Tomorrow I'll be working 7am-9:30pm.

Then I'll be driving to Washington National Airport(Reagan National) to pick up Pamela when her flight arrives at 12:40. Sadly, no one wants to come with me on this little adventure, so I'll be all alone. I can only hope I don't get lost.

Luckily for me, I have Tuesday and Wednesday off, which means after I pick up Pamela, I'll come home, sleep for a few hours, and get ready for Men's CORE.

We're going to be talking about Sex, Love, and Purity. It's going to be cool. I even went out and got the Nooma video 'flame' just incase when Daniel and I watch it, we think it's cool enough to show the guys.

*sigh*

Me need sleepy.

February 20, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

My first big health post of 2006

Ok, this is going to be long. So if you need to use the bathroom, get a drink, or eat some food, now is the time…

*waits patiently*

Back? Ok. Good. Now I can start.

As I was driving to work today, I started listening to a song that I hadn't heard in a long time. I downloaded it to my ipod a while ago, but for some reason I just now listened to it. The song is called “Goodbye To You” by Michelle Branch.

Now, I know this song is about lost love, but it made me start thinking about death. And then I started thinking about my funeral, and started wondering what everyone would say about me. I remember back in MN right before we officially opened up Bluer to the public our Pastor Jon had to do this cool exersize. He brought in 5 chairs and placed then in a row, and then had each of us lay down on it, close our eyes, and then hold some flowers. Then everyone else got to go up to the person laying down and say all the things they would say if they had really died. It was kinda like–lets say the stuff now instead of waiting until their dead. And so I thought to myself–that was a really cool thing to do! So I'm going to do it on my LJ. Right now, before even reading the rest of this, I want everyone to pretend that I'm dead. Pretend you're at my funeral, you've just walked by my casket, and you have one final chance to say anything you want. Declare you're undying love for me, or spit on my face and tell me how much you hate me. Good or bad, I want to know. Now, log out of Livejournal, and as an Anonymous User, go ahead and comment on this entry, telling me your thoughts.

Ok…thanks for doing that. I'll continue with my entry now. Feel free to log back in and comment on the rest of this entry using your regular username. :-)
So anyways, I finally found my packet of information from FCS that has my enrollment form for health insurance. And it got me thinking–I havent been to an actual doctor in…over 3 years! Thats a long time. And I kept thinking–I'm on my own now. No going back to mom and dad. Eventually I'll have a family of my own. I need to start taking better care of myself. So I've decided. I'm going to fill out that form, send it in, and start using it. I've decided I'm going to go to the doctor at least once every year for a full checkup(including full bloodwork) go to the eye doctor at least once a year(for an eye exam and maybe a new pair of glasses) and I'm going to go to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning(and eventually when I save up enough money, a session or two of tooth whitening) Oh, and because the insurance will pay for it, I'm also going to take advantage of my 24 chiropractic sessions a year, and see what they can do for this back/neck pain. I might also manage to get a massage or two out of it.

I'm also going to stop drinking. Not that I'm a big drinker or anything, it's just not a good thing, and when I become a Pastor I won't be able to drink anyway, so why not stop now? I already poured out the banana rum into the sink and am using the bottle for water storage. The aftershock? Well, I'm not pouring it out, but I won't drink it either. I think it just looks cool sitting there in my frig. All red and sparkley looking. *sigh* This is all very exciting.

I am also going to lose weight. I figure I'll talk to my doctor about the options, and try to aim for 10 pounds a month, thorugh a combination fo diet and exersize. Thats safe, and in a year I'll have (roughly) lost 100 pounds. Yes, I'll look better, but thats not the point anymore. I really just want to be healthy. I talk to all my friends about weak points in my life, and one of the first things to come up is always my health. You'd think after my heart attack at 19 being healthy would be on the top of my to do list, but it hasn't. And I don't want to take my chances–if I have another one, who knows? It could be fatal. So I'm going to eat less, start eating more healthy food(like yummy oatmeal) and we'll see what happens. Oh, and if any of you want to buddy up with me to go walking or any other form of exersize, lemme know. It's always a good thing to have a partner with you when starting these kinds of things.

I want to live a long time. Get married, watch my kids(when I have some) grow up, and do really awesome things for Christ. I don't want to die by age 30 and have people standing over my casket saying “he had so much potential, if only he had taken better care of his health”

So. Theres my health update. I hope you all will hold me accountable for it.

February 16, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

*shrug*

Well, Jack and I survived another Valentine's day. We'll always be there for each other.

Bob…well, we decided to cut him down and let him suffer dateless on Valentine's day. Muwhahahaha.

So the two of them stayed home and chilled while I went to TGIF for Laura's b-day party. It was much fun. My gift to her was paying the tab. LOL

*sigh*

I'm glad I have friends.

February 14, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey everyone!

From Jack, myself, and the recently deceased Bob, we'd all like you to have an awesomely Happy Valentine's Day!

Give your paramor a hug and a kiss for us, will ya?

And if you see us wandering the streets tonight all by our lonesome…feel free to give us some love.
:-)

February 14, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

The Johari Map

February 13, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Monday plans changed so I'm off to work!

I gotta jump start a co-workers car and then work 5-close.

and there was another call out for Sat, so I'll probably close(once again, no mosaic)

At least my day isn't boring anymore
:(

February 13, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

My movie trailer for Monday

(errie music)

On a day like no other…
As the snow melted from his car…
Nick had the day off!

Watch in awe as he sits in his apartment and does nothing
Watch as the boredom creeps up from behind and strangles him
Watch! As the hours go by and his day off is wasted…

Or is it?

Prepare yourself America.

for…

Nick's Day off!

(dun dun dun!)

coming to life asap, rated b/s for boring content and stupid jokes.

February 13, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

a quick midweekend update

Lets see if i can do this in haiku format:

It snowed alot
Mosaic was canceled
Boredom sets in now

Ok, so it's not the best haiku I've ever done, and I think the second line still needs one more syllable. But at least the word 'snow' is in there, which is officially my 'seasonal' word for this piece. Oh well. Thats the short version. For the slightly longer version, keep reading.

It snowed about 13 inches, and last night mosaic was cancelled. I'm really bored. All I've done all day is sit outside, enjoy the snowy scenery, and sip my green tea. And I have all of tomorrow to look forward to doing the same thing. Lets just hope my green tea doesn't run out–I think aftershock would be a very bad idea right now! LOL!

I miss having a life.

February 12, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

oh yeah…. OH YEAH!!!!!!

I don’t have to go back to work until Tuesday! Yay! That means… I can stay home and be bored! LOL.

I miss hangin’ wit my crew, but at the same time I have this overwhelming urge to just stay home, watch music videos, and sip on aftershock til my body finally feels like I should go to sleep(or until the aftershock knocks me unconscience)

LOL. That was a joke everyone! Well, the aftershock part, hehehehe. I need some sherry. Hehehehe…Sherry Niles? yes please. Sorry, I’m fresh out! LOL, gosh the new season to Frasier needs to come out soon.

Tuesday is Valentines day. I’ve always hated that holiday(even when I wasn’t single) but at least now I have a reason to celebrate it–Feb 14 just happens to be one of my very good friend’s birthday, and we’re all gonna go out to celebrate it. Yay! Maybe I’ll even make it the day I finally throw the rest of my rhema-stuff away. I still have her valentines day gift to me from last year, and a few pages from a journal we were going to write together. Yeah.. I think I will throw them away. Maybe I’ll even have a mini bon fire….PAR-ty at Nick’s apartment, oh yeah….OH YEAH!!!!!!

Oh, and Shelly says I’ll probably have my own store in less than a year. Double yay!

Melissa and Eric might be coming to hang out with me tomorrow morning, if it doesn’t snow. I love snow. And the view from my terrace is going to be fabulous! If I had only saved up enough money to buy myself the digital camera I wanted…

Sorry everyone. Sinfest hasn’t updated their strip in a while, so now comic today.
I’ll end this now. Theres music videos to watch!

.END

February 10, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | FCS, Rhema | | No Comments

Sleep is calling me

Here is my schedule for tomorrow(thursday)

Be at work by 3am.
Work 3am-9am. (volunteer time)
Impress DM with a good awesome store.
Sleep in car til 1pm.
Work 1pm-9pm.

Go home and sleep(if possible, but I'll probably get online first)

Wake up and open store on Friday at 9am.
:)
Sigh.

Yes, I know I need to stop giving them my time for free. And I promise I'll stop—eventually.
:)
Just pray for me and be really nice to me for the next couple of days. At least I get Sat-Mon off (yay for a long weekend!)

February 8, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

I hate being so committed to work

It's about 6am and I'm about to leave for work. I don't have to be at work til 9, but I'll end up getting there about 7. So I'll do something very *illegal* and work for 2 hours off the clock. Why? Because theres alot to get done before the DM visits on Thursday.

Being this committed to work(so committed that I'd wake up early to go in without being paid, and will probably stay late without being paid) scares me. I don't want to be a workaholic. I want to have a life. I haven't been to Mosaic or any Mosaic events in two weeks, and I'm starting to feel as though I have no friends.

I got invited over to dinner by Matt and Abby and had to turn it down–because I was working.

I'm scared I'll make this a habit, and when I finally have someone to share my life with(read: a girlfriend) I won't be able to break it. I do not want to end up like my dad–married with three kids and not knowing any of them, and just working and sleeping for the rest of my life.

*sigh* and I'm tired. But now so wide awake theres no hope of going back to sleep. I still don't sleep at night. I stay up til 3-4am just lying awake in bed…not sleeping. It stinks. Maybe I really should look into getting some sleeping pills. LOL, maybe I just need a massage and a hot bath.

I'm gonna go. Lots of work to do(obviously) but I managed to find a (somewhat) funny comic online for you all. It's big though, so I left it behind the cut.

February 7, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

disappointed?

Life is full of disappointment. Like, I'm still really ticked off that I'm not a superhero. I thought if I waited long enough I'd develop superpowers and start going on adventures. I'm starting to suspect that it may never happen. Where is my mutant healing factor? Where is my web-slinging ability and my own private batcave? I am very very very disappointed. Now look at me, some goofy blogger doing funny posts and stuff. What the hell? How did my dreams go so terribly wrong? Then again, maybe the superheroes of the world are pissed that they're not cool pastor-wannabe bloggers like me. Maybe they're like, “How come I never developed any fantastic writing skills? Where are my preaching abilities? Where is my command of composition, my lyrical storytelling and deft comedic timing? Oh cruel world, why oh why must I wear this gay costume and fight evil in the streets day after day after day? Being a superhero sucks. Nicks got it good! Luckyyyy!”

*sigh* Typing that cheered me up. Not that I needed cheering up, but every once in a while, I just want to put stuff in my LJ thats going to bring a smile on my face when I read it.

It's Superbowl Sunday today. I'm not much of a football fan, so chances are I wont know who won until some die-hard fan posts it on the Mosaic forums. At least I have a Sunday off. Ofcourse, I wasted it by not going to church, but I'm sure I'll find something else to do. AND….I have next Saturday and next Sunday off as well! Isn't that awesome?!? Shelly says I'll start to get at least one full weekend off a month. You know, I had my doubts about her, but they're all pretty much gone. The store looks ten times better, and we've got really awesome plans before Ruth(our DM) comes for a visit on Thursday.

I now have 21 friends on Facebook. How awesome is that? It's like, ever since I got it I find more and more people I know have/use it. Granted, 21 isn't that large a number, but I started out just knowing one about two weeks again.

Oh! I gotta remember to have Eric sign up for a credit card! I don't have an application with me, but maybe we can go to the Manassas store and get one, or(so I dont have to go through them) I'll just add him to our numbers on Monday and he can fill it out next weekend.

I finally saw “A Very Mittens Christmas” today. Wow. You should definitely go click the link and check it out. Make sure your speakers are turned up though, the background music is stunning!

I should go get dressed and be… productive or something.

.END!

February 5, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Beware of the fuzz!

Chinchilla
You're a chinchilla:
Super cute and adorable, groomed to be the fuzzy

master!
You're the FUZZIEST!!!!!!!! You have so many layers

of fuzz you cant even find your own feet.

You're cute and proud of it, so fuzzy and

outgoing, no wonder people like you! And just

look at those whiskers! =^_^=

=^_^= What fuzzy animal are you? =^_^= {-With Pictures!-}
brought to you by Quizilla

February 4, 2006 Posted by the Nickness | Uncategorized | | No Comments