Before I start the weekend update I want to let my family know I am taking off Thursday December 22 through Tuesday Dec 27th for Christmas. So if you want to get tickets to come down for Christmas, make it for those days.

And here's the weekend update with Brian Bass. This weekend saw Friday as a day of music. As I stepped into 1985 and saw Foreigner and Styx at the Dallas Smirnoff Music Center. Foreigner was the best show, probably because they had the most hits. They sounded very tight. I guess the reason is that they have been playing the same songs since 1985. Thats 20 years of repetition. I just don't know if I could do it. Sometimes I am glad I never became a famous musician. I can't imagine having to play the same songs over and over again. Then again, Corporate Red was basically playing the same songs for about 2 years. On Saturday I watched the TX Tech game - we beat Baylor 28-0. Then disaster struck. My computer started going super slow. Then it just stopped and couldn't even be rebooted. That was when I knew it was all over. I probably lost a hard drive. What sucks is I think I lost thousands of pictures that I've taken over the years. I won't know until I get my new computer up and running. I bought all the components on Saturday and proceeded to put the computer together. This would've been my 5th complete computer I've put together. Dude, I'm getting a Bass. Unfortunately I get the whole thing setup, turn on the power and low and behold it doesn't display on the screen, but it does show that every component has power. So today for lunch I am taking it to the pc shop, they will find the lost connection and it will hopefully work. I got a Pentium D 3.2mhz dual core chip(like having 2 processors), 2 gig of DDR2 Ram, and 2 more 250gig hard drives with an Intel motherboard and a complete tower case. I already had the Radeon 9800 graphics card, the DVD burner and couple more hard drives putting my total space to 700gig(almost a full terabyte). The screws on the tower were off kilter so I had to jam the graphics card into the motherboard and only put one or two screws from the motherboard into the case. I think my problems might have been a faulty case, but I'll find out. Anyway I spent 6 hours on Saturday putting the thing together. In other news, on Sunday I had a very full day. I went to church, Sunday school, lunch at chili's, fed the homeless and then went to a surprise birthday party for a girl in the class. I've never been to a surprise party before. To think that I've lasted 30 years without having to jump up and scream "Surprise!" Well, technically we didn't jump at all. She just walked in the door and we all just said ,"surprise." I ended up being a point man. I was talking to mom right as the truck pulled up. I then got everyone ready. Another surprise brought to you by the courtesy of Nikon. From all of us here at BrianAldenBass.com have a safe and happy Halloween.

Thought of the Day
"Anyone here a little hot? A little Hot-Blooded?" - some old guy on stage
-- Foreigner
(I often wonder how you are supposed to "check it and see")

Boo! Halloween is upon us or as corporations and churches call it, the scary "Fall Festival". This Halloween I am going to help out with the Fall Festival at the church. They are really trying to one-up trick or treating. Instead of just costumes and candy they do costumes, candy, rides, face painting, inflatable bouncy things and everything that kids love. I always think that I would've loved it when I was a kid. I remember in years past I was Frankenstein, a baby, a Storm Trooper, Spiderman, a vampire, the Terminator, a ghoul, a ghost, Freddy, Clark Kent, Darth Vader and of course a pimp. It was always fun to go out and pretend you are something else. Then to top it off you get candy. I remember always watching the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and for the first couple of years it was fun, but then the show started to get boring and I was still compelled to watch it just because it was a Halloween tradition. Does anyone else think the Charlie Brown cartoons are boring? I own them for nostalgia's sake, but it seems lacking in humor. The cartoon strips on the other hand were hilarious, so was Garfield. But whenever they made them into shows it lost some humor. I think the voices are also not the voices you picture in your head. Like Garfield, when you read them as a kid you think he has your voice, which is usually a whiny high pitched kids voice. Then when you watch the cartoon and out comes Darth Vader's voice and you're like WTF? Halloween was probably scariest for me when I first moved into my mom's house in Wichita in 6th grade. I decided to ride my bike around the neighborhood and do exploring after school. I kept on riding my bike and ended up in neighborhoods where I had no idea where I was. My thought was to be in a position where the sun was when I left. I did not think that after 2 hours the sun would have moved. So I ended up calling mom at Century City, miles away from our house. That was the beginning of me getting lost. I was scared then. When I was lost in Prague this time I had fun with it, because I always know you will eventually find a phone, a major highway, or a map. Plus I really had no one to call. I should've called Ghostbusters. Boo! As far as being scared by Halloween things the following movies scared me as a kid: Poltergeist, the Exorcist, American Werewolf in London, Poltergeist 2, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, The Shining, Pet Cemetery, The Cell, The Ring and the last one to scare me was Saw. I now want to let it scare me, because now I know it is not scary, but fun.

Thought of the Day
"You've got the body, and I've got the brain" - Freddy

You ever have those weird dreams that you are like: What in the world does that mean? Well I did last night. Some of it is fuzzy. Basically I am on board a boat heading towards Antarctica to see if the polar ice caps are melting. I get out and notice how there is land there and there is a small hole that contains a piece of paper. I reach down and touch the paper and think it might be a trap setup by a small furry animal to get me so I don't pick up the paper. I then get back on the boat and see signs of money that are in Krona and then say "hey we are not in the Antarctic we are in Finland." Then I look at a ships log and see that mom is on board as well and she is getting well fed and put compliments to the chef on her remarks section. She then convinced me to write a sermon to give to the crew so I make a sermon about how Scotty from Star Trek never caused any fires and neither did Dick Cheney. Just then the phone rings and it is Peetey calling to wake me up(that is real). I suppose I could analyse this dream and say it goes into current events and the fact that I was debating Intelligent Design last night with my Bible Study. But I think it really means that I am glad I got my car fixed(the boat). It is finally in as good as shape as when I first bought it. New tires, all dents gone and it even has that new car smell, although I still need to get it cleaned. I suppose it also means I think I could end up in Finland - the headquarters of Nokia. Just as long as no deadly furry animals get to me when I am there I'll be happy.

Thought of the Day
". . .Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes, on top of a pyramid, with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?"
- Chris Knight - Real Genius

So here I am, back at the daily grind. I was able to get a lot of work done over there, probably a little too much. What ended up happening was I received an education in all of the business processes of Nokia's Warranty System. I was a "Bob" from office space. I went around and asked the workers exactly what they were doing. One of them even asked me if they would still have a job. Like I was an HR guy or something. Really I had to learn their system so I can propose a better one. That's part of the fun part. I am right now involved in the business, even though I am a developer. I am writing an overview of what I learned and a new system proposal. I like it, as long I will get a chance to develop the system I am proposing. We shall see. Over the years it's been hard to figure out which part of Information Technology I like the best. I've been technical leads the past couple of years, but I have only really lead a couple of people. I've also been an Architect the past couple of years, but at the IRS that was all I did. I needed to develop the product as well. I guess I just like having complete control over the design and development of the systems. I am power hungry. That is shocking. Or is it electric? I guess I need more juice to get watt I want. If I could just generate 1.21 gigawatts of power I could be a bolt of lighting. Ok, I am being punny. Have a good one.

Thought of the Day
George McFly: Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out that he'd melt my brain.
-- Back to the Future

Hi all,
Peety here. Brian said he is swamped playing catch up at work, so I'll say
a few words.
I'm having "one of those days" at work. Without getting into too much
detail about my job, I'll explain what's happening. I have several accounts
were I'm waiting on a payoff to post, or to repo a car. I'm right there,
then I hear there is a problem. I won't get into all the technical parts,
but I can tell you, it's a pain. I've done everything right and the big
"payoff" is almost here, then I hear there's something beyond my control,
that's gone wrong. I know we all have days like this....I just hate when
it's my turn. Have a good one, everybody.

Well, here I am, back at home. It is great to be home. To listen to people speak English. To watch my huge TV with actual English movies. To play guitar - man I missed playing. To make a cheese sandwich. To order a pizza. To get on my fios internet connection. To sleep in my own bed. This Saturday I went on the grand city tour. I went all around Prague and inside the huge castle. A big thing about Prague is Franz Kafka. Apparently he is Prague's star. I saw his birth home, his hotel, and his shanty at the castle where he wrote. Most of the pictures I took was on one of those disposable cameras because I had forgot my digital for the tour. So I will get those developed and show people when they visit. Anyway I topped off the evening by being dropped off at "old town" into a place called Marble Hall that was an ancient Prague concert hall. It was filled with marble and gold and huge chandeliers. I watched an orchestra play Mozart and Vivaldi for over an hour. It was incredibly beautiful. That is the number one thing about Prague. It was the most beautiful city I have ever visited. The architecture, the churches, castles and the women. (Although at ground level the graffiti puts El Paso to shame) People ask me if I learned anything. Reality is it just solidified my existing views. We are all the same from one end of the world to the next. The human condition is a struggle to survive and find happiness. Anyway it was quite an experience filled with adventure and beauty. On Sunday I went home. I spent 15 hours in airplanes and airports. This time I fell asleep for maybe 3 hours of it. I watched a movie on my laptop and then the battery went dead. When I was in Canada I had to go through Canadian and US customs. Man, it was a pain. I had to carry my suitcase from one end of the airport to the next just t go through customs. It seemed like the person who designed the airport didn't like Americans. In the end I made it back to DFW. I took a cab home and am now working from home today until my car gets fixed. Well, it's good to be back.

Thought of the Day
"I hate rental cars. Nothing ever works: the window doesn't work, the radio doesn't work... and it smells like a cheap hooker."
- Jerry, in "The Airport"

So I did it again ;-) I went the wrong way on the subway. Anyway, after I got off work I decided to go exploring. I walked down the roads near my hotel and found pubs and pharmacies and McDonald's. This time I ate dinner inside of a pub. I had a chicken quesadilla appetizer, Sirloin and Fries. Speaking of chicken quesadillas, even 1400 miles away they know how to make them (nudge nudge el fenix). I also found a big museum that I will be visiting tomorrow as they kicked me out when I went in - cause it was closing. I then decided to go visit the big castle and see what they have there. Unfortunately that castle was north and I went south. I suppose it was the man bleeding to death lying on the ground at the subway that had me distracted. Everyone was looking at him but doing nothing. I got the feeling he was drunk and had fallen face first into the ground. He was shouting something and everyone was minding their own business. I guess even the police who was standing nearby was doing nothing. Anyway I figured an ambulance was called so I went on my way, the wrong way. I ended up south near the river. I noticed signs that said "casino" so I figured I would have some more fun. I was able to play for 3 hours and not lose a thing playing blackjack. This time I ended up 5,600 Krona up, or $230 up. Whenever I push almost all my money forward they always think I am cashing out. Unfortunately they don't know my system. I bet $200 on the last hand. I got a 12 and the dealer had a 3 showing. I suppose I should've stayed but I hit and busted with a 22. So I ended up walking out of there with 600 Krona profit or $30. It was fun talking to the dealer. She was a hottie like them all. She spoke English so I had someone to talk to. I am now back at the hotel and have a big day tomorrow of castles and tours and shopping. I should arrive back in DFW Sunday night, a little wiser, a little more perplexed.

Thought of the Day
"That's 2,000 pounds, do I hear 2500 pounds? Your Majesty!"
Willy Wonka

So I just thought I had the Czech transit system mastered. I just thought I had figured it all out and could go anywhere in the city. My cohorts left for Germany already so I am now going it alone. I decided to take the underground subway to my hotel. I left at 5pm and it usually takes 20 minutes to get there. Let's just say it took 2 hours. I was 4 blocks away from my hotel and I decided to take a tram to get even closer. That was a mistake. Just because a tram number goes by your hotel does not mean it is going to go by your hotel any time soon. Apparently I took the exact opposite direction. At first I just thought they were going to turn around on another street. All of a sudden I was riding across the river again. I couldn't believe it, but I knew that bus number goes by my hotel. Guess where I ended up? The exact same place I was lost on Monday, back near my company. I reached the end of the line and had to get out. This time, instead of taking the bus back to my work and then going on the underground, I hopped on another "number 10" tram that was heading the opposite direction. Finally I arrive to my hotel around 7pm. I got a good view of the suburbs of Prague. I then was supposed to be on a conference call with Dallas but it got cancelled, so I headed off to find dinner. The problem with Prague is that none of the ATMs take my bank card, and I can just forget using my American Express or Discover card. They don't even know those words here. So I stop at KFC and they say they don't take credit cards. So I start my first adventure of the evening - find a cashier that takes visa cards. I walk around my hotel area for a little while and then I hit the metro. I stop at the first stop and walk down a long hill. BTW, my feet are killing me and I now know why all the girls here are thin - its the walking. I end up getting cash from my card and then decided to find a restaurant. I duck down and alley and find a nice local restaurant, luckily they had English on their menus too. I had a full coarse meal. I thought I was getting an appetizer when I ordered the Smasky Smyr(Fried Cheese). This thing was Spanky's caliber. It was like a fried cheese pancake. Yummy. Then I had ordered this Ramp Steak - chicken thingy. It was a steak split in half with a chicken breast inside of it covered in gravy. Man, that was good. I then ordered Corn and French Fries as well. Let's just say that I could not finish the whole meal. But it was good. I then looked around and discovered a casino nearby. I walk in and they do a metal detector on me and take my coat. It was weird in that I was the only one there. I wondered why, but the place was professional. The minimum blackjack bet was 100Kc or $2.50. I stayed for an hour and lost about 80$, but it was fun. I won a couple of big hands, but lost more big hands than won. The lady dealing was nice, it was even like she was rooting for me to win. Really I knew I would lose when I was playing, but did it for fun. The game goes way too quick when you are the only one betting and you can't sit out the first hand. Anyway, I found my way back to the hotel looking like a local without having to look at any maps. Friday night and Saturday are all free time. I am going to go on one of those bus tours around Czech. That should be fun. Provided I find the right bus.

Thought of the Day
"You must go forwards to go backwards to get out. Better press on."
Willy Wonka

Ok, by now you are wondering "what happened to Brian?" as I did not post yesterday and I am in a strange city. Did Brian get arrested? Accosted? Killed? Or even mauled? Nope, my internet connection was dropped right before I hit submit and it would've cost me 10$ to buy another hour of internet usage right before bed. So there you have it. My post was about what it is like here in Prague. The things I notice are the little things. Like most of the women here are naturally hot. They don't wear makeup but wear in vogue clothes and get their hair done Hollywood style. I like it. They love American music, even though they don't understand it. I was walking on the Charles Bridge and heard a bunch of drunk Czechs singing the chorus to "Pretty Women" and then babbling the verse and talking in Czech. Then during the day at the mall they were playing Elton Johns "Can you feel the love tonight" and these kids were singing the chorus in a weird dialect "Caaa you feeel the luuuv toniii" and then babbling the verse. I also notice how the radio likes to play Guns N Roses. I've heard 2 songs, one in a restaurant and once on the street. As for my eating, I've had a Quarter Pounder with cheese a couple of times. Here in Czech they call it the "McRoyal". My group went sightseeing after work yesterday and I ended up in a Czech restaurant having Beef Stroganoff. It was no hamburger helper. On the plus side it wasn't beef but sirloin steak but on the negative side the noodles were onions. It gives me an idea to cook steak and hamburger helper at the same time. Yumm. Yesterday nothing exciting except the beautiful city. I told my German Counterparts it was like the castle at Disneyland and I expected to see Mickey Mouse walk by any minute. Today I finally was able to get a power adapter for my laptop using directions that were given to me by a Czech in another part of the city near work. I was surprised it was at the exact address and the exact floor. I guess I will be able to use it here for a couple of days anyways. Other differences - the "Water Closet" is the restroom. The number one is an upside down V. Oh yeah, and their floors start at "0" and not One. Had Marco not told me that I would've been looking all over the mall for the power adapter. I finished this evening in a bar near the old town in Prague. There were medieval torture devices hanging on the wall with swords and Shields and stuff. That was pretty cool. Anyway, I still have to work Thursday and Friday and will get on a tour on Saturday. Maybe I'll teach them a thing or two about America, nah I better not.

Thought of the Day
"What did you feed this horse?"
"Beefaroni."
"Oh my..."
A horse with gas on Seinfeld

As the cop said ,"Ticket 500 krona" I cringed knowing I only had 300 Krona with me. The day started off normal. Then I woke up. The phone was mysteriously ringing and it wasn't my wakeup call. I could only hope that it was Marco, my German counterpart who was there for the same job I was. I actually got out of bed and ran to the phone to answer it. Unfortunately when I answered it the phone got hung up. I then knew that I would have to go it alone. I would have to find the office on my own. All I had was Marco's cell phone number, which didn't work, and the vague address of where I was to be. I even tried to dial Marco's cell and it didn't work. I didn't even get a signal. Later I was to realize that to dial out required 00 and a country code. Well, I had an address. I figured that would be enough. I then went down to the front desk and had them look up the address on the map. I had full intention of taking the underground(the local subway system) because I had supposedly mastered it from the night before. Unfortunately the address was not listed on the map. The address itself was to be found outside of the limits of my little city map. So I had 2 problems: which trams to take and which direction to go. The guys at the front desk gave me a general direction to where the street it was on was and an idea of what tram to take. I then got a day pass for the subway(of which I forgot to get stamped). So I was off, knowing generally where I was to be but not exactly. I suppose I could've taken a cab but I heard they rip you off so off I went. I found the right tram and got on the tram that headed out of the city across the river. That part was easy. The part where I exited the tram was the hardest. I then realized that having a "general" idea of where to go does not mean anything. I was dropped off near a school that was littered with graffiti. I was sure I was in gangland terroritory. I quickly walked on the sidewalk thanking God it was 9am in the morning. I then saw a bunch of people walking and figured where there is people there is work. So I decided to follow them up the road I was supposed to be on. In the end the people started to go into their respective workhouses and I was left trailing one person down a dirt country road surrounded by trees. He ran off and I was left alone. Well, I figured if I went on I might end up in some desolate farmhouse with a farmer and his daughter so I decided to turn around. I stopped in at the last company, Ford Motors, and asked for directions. I walk in there all sweating and trying to find the address I had written down. The receptionist looked at me and all I could do was get out "English". Luckily they found a guy who spoke English and I went into his office. I told him I was lost and gave him the address. He took it and then called his girlfriend and got on some map site on his computer and proceeded to figure it out. After about a half an hour he printed out some bus maps and showed me that I was way off on where I was on the street. So I took the map and his bus numbers and proceeded to walk back to where I came from and get on a bus. My bus was arriving as I was walking to it so I had to run the rest of the way to get on it. I got on the bus and thought - this is all I need, I should be there in no time. Unfortunately at the last stop the bus driver looks at me and says something that I haven't a clue. I then say the name of the stop and he said,"change bus" which I then realized that the bus I wanted was right in front of us. I get off of the bus only to see my next bus leave and I couldn't do anything about it. This time I was really in the projects and had to wait 30 minutes for the right bus to come back. By now it was nearing 11:00 and I knew they would be worried but my cell didn't work. A guy standing next to me started to do karate kicks in the air as we were waiting. I was thankful to have some old ladies there to protect me. I finally get on the bus and it takes me to about 5 stops before the end of the line, which was were I got off. Luckily the map I now had showed that it was in a building across the street. I managed to find the right building on the first time, thankful to be alive. My coworkers were glad to see me and I even helped them solve some performance problems the first day. So now it was time to go home. I then learned that there was an underground subway that went directly from my hotel to that station. So my traveling companions and I get on the subway to go to dinner. I bought another subway ticket just in case. Unfortunately it wasn't enough. My coworkers did the same thing. We arrive at our destination get off the subway and a "polize" officer wanted to see our subway tickets. I guess that's what happens when you carry your suitcase with you. He said we had the wrong ticket and it would be a 500 Krona fine for each of us. I didn't have the money and had to borrow from one of my coworkers. I thought to myself, I road the subway for the past couple of days and no one said a word. Now he does. Sheesh. Anyway, we now have a co-worker story to tell. I was a little amused and actually thought about running, they were old guys. Then I realized I am old too. We finished the night having Italian that still has my stomach gurgling. Anyway, that was another adventure brought to you by Brian's stupidy. Now coming to theatres near you.

Thought of the Day
"We're like rats in some experiment."
- George, in "The Parking Garage"

I am writing this from Prague. This weekend started off normal. I woke up. Then it become a little abnormal. I was able to drop my car off before I left and was able to get everything packed - barely. I waited until 11pm on Friday night before I actually started to pack. Luckily I was able to fit everything - A laptop, a carryon and a suitcase. My neck still hurts from carrying such a heavy load. I actually did get up around 8:15 Saturday because the taxi driver was going to be there at 9. Apparently he called 5 times while I was in the shower. I then call him back and he is like "I here now". I said give me a couple of minutes and he said OK. So I figured he was outside waiting for me. Unfortunately as I put my suitcases outside I saw neither hide nor hair of him. I thought, great, he got the wrong house and I am going to miss my plane. I then call him back and he shows up about 5 minutes later after he said he was on his way. I made it to the airport on time. Airport security was a breeze. No bags searched or anything. I've had them searched before and it was painful. My first flight was from Dallas to Toronto. The big thing about that was I had no one sitting next to me on the flight. That is a rarity, especially when the plane is almost full. I then had a layover in Toronto for a few hours. I needed it because I had to go through customs there just to get my suitcase from AA and put it on Czech Airlines. Suffice it to say I was able to do all of it and sat down in the airport bar for a hamburger and a drink. I then proceeded to board the big plane headed for Prague. Lo and behold God gives me another blessing and I didn't have anyone sitting next to me on this flight either. Everyone else was cramped but I lifted the middle bar and stretched out. The flight was sooo long. They were delayed and didn't get off the ground until 6:15 when they were supposed to leave at 5:30. Anyway it was just a long trip, I tried to sleep and then when everyone else was sleeping I couldn't and had to stay awake. Their movies they played were - Little Black Book, Men In Black and Blue Streak. Anyway, I arrived and took a taxi to my hotel. He charged me 700 Krona which is equivalent to $25. Unfortunately I hadn't mastered the currency and gave him a 500 Krona note as a tip. I thought I was giving him $5.00. He looked at me like I was so generous. I now know why. Anyway, my initial plan was to go to church when I arrived at 8AM. Unfortunately that is like 2AM Texas time and I fell asleep at the hotel. I woke around 4PM their time. I am so off on this time thing. Anyway when I woke up I went exploring. I found a McDonald's and a KFC. I know what I will be eating while I am here. It is so weird here. I don't understand a single word anyone is saying. They may speak English - but only when they want to. They didn't understand the word "plain" I guess I am going to have to figure how to say that. I then found a little tourist thing to do inside one of the Church's in the old town square - a choir concert that has Bach in it. It was located about 7 miles north of my hotel. I thought,"That is my goal, to go to this concert." That was an adventure in and of itself. Really around here everyone takes the mass transit system. Unfortunately I had no idea how they did it. I first took a tram that took me in the exact opposite direction of where I wanted to go. I had the hotel guys put on the map where everything is. So I then found another tram and couldn't figure out how to do it. Finally I decided to start to walk. By now it had gotten dark. As I walk on a dark road I stupidly decided to look at the map. All of a sudden this girl goes "You American?" I say yes. She then said,"I take you to sex". I said, "No, I don't want that." She then says,"How bout blowjob?" and proceeds to stand right in front of me and grab my jeans. I screamed - "Noooo!" and had to pry her hands off of everything. I then proceed to pick up the pace. This girl in front of me gives the universal crazy sign and I agree. In the end I made it to this beautiful Cathedral and was about to walk in when I realized all I had was American money. So I proceed to the change booth, cash in the last of my Dollars and then go in. It was very beautiful and the choir was excellent. I then decide to take the subway home and after one reversal I figured out how the subway system works. Thank God I am finally getting used to it. It is 3pm in DFW right now, but its time for bed here. Wish me luck.

Thought of the Day
"All was right with the world."
-- Christmas Story

Well I am leaving on jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Ok, that was a song. I will be back by Sunday next week. Everything has fallen into place. It is kind of cool. I think I have found a golden ticket and am going into Willy Wonkas Chocalate Factory. I can see it now, everything will be the same as it is here except one by one my team will succumb to their personal habits. I will end up eating sausages too much and turn into a sausage(another cliche). It appears I will be spending 11 hours in the air, 14 hours with a layover. The key will be to sleep on the plane. Also, I finally got my laptop fixed so I will be able to watch movies. I might read or just stare into space. My biggest fear is not flying, not terrorism, not that we will crash, but that someone will schisk on the plane causing me to schisk. (I'm going to see about upgrading my seat when I get to the airport). I am looking forward to the Prague experience though. Everyone tells me they were never bombed in WWII so I guess everything is really old. I plan on going to a church when I arrive Sunday morning, make friends and get the inside scoop on the town. That's another perk of being a Christian, we are all over the place and can network really quick. Then I figure I'll check in at the hotel and I've got to do something or I will fall asleep in the middle of the day. I'll take it by ear, wherever the wind blows me. We shall see. If ya'll want to contact me while I am away I think my phone won't be working but I will be able to check my email (mrbrianbass@gmail.com). I'll post when I can... Na shledanou (farewell)

Thought of the Day
"You see? Never be late for a plane with a girl. 'Cuz a girl runs like a girl-- with the little steps and the arms flailing out... You wanna make this plane, you've gotta run like a man! Get your knees up!"
- Jerry, to Elaine, in "The Airport"

Woot, I am finally good to go! I got my passport and realized that since I have a beard in the passport that whenever I go out of the country I should probably grow a beard. I'll bring my camera and post pictures of Prague when I get back. There might not be any pictures of me, cause well, I'll be holding the camera. Unless I give my camera to someone and they have me take my shoes off and stand in a fountain. I plan on doing touristy things there like visiting castles, bridges and churches. I am now about to write two cliches that should never ever ever be used again. When in Prague, do as the Pragues do. What happens in Prague stays in Prague. Those 2 cliches have been used to death and I am now putting them in their coffin. Farewell "when in blah do as the blahs do" and "what happens in blah stays in blah". It was a long relationship. You just got too old and too overused. sniff. The next target of aging cliches are "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" and "were you born in a barn?" I kinda like "were you born in a barn". It's like, what does that have to do with anything? I think it was Abraham Lincoln who was born in a barn. Jesus was born in a barn. Was He messy? It's a funny cliche because it doesn't make much sense. I was born in a hospital. Should I be neat? I suppose when I am over there I should use the word 'Czech" in a cliche type manner. Are Czechs round? Do they bounce? Do they like rap ,"You better Czech yourself before you wreck yourself." What kind of money do they use? "Czech Marks". I hope they don't write themselves a Czech they can't cash. I guess the Czechs in the mail. Ok, now that I've got it outta my system you can continue with your day.

Thought of the Day
"It's ironic."
"What's ironic?"
"This. That we've come all this way, we made all this progress, but, you know, we lost the little things, the niceties."
"No, I mean, what does `ironic' mean?"
- Elaine and woman on subway, in "The Subway"

Hmm, what to talk about today. Yesterday it was cheese and my lack thereof. Hmm what do you want to hear me talk about? I tend to go on and on. This is a blog about nothing. But maybe I can talk about something. I remember reading a study that said 50 percent of bloggers use their blogs as kind of a psychological release of information. Should I psychologically release? Nah I don't want to drive you away. How about comedy? Unfortunately even though my blog is listed in the entertainment sections as a comedy I usually fall short of that. I suppose some of my life is a comedy. My family is wealth of comedy. I remember when my sister came home one time and flung her shoes off and they flung all the way across the living room and hit the Christmas tree. "Melinda!" we all said at the same time. Then Robbie said,"Hit the Rack" and the comedy cut to commercial. I suppose I am the main character. I figure my show was like Friends back in the day, and now that most of them are married I have become a spin-off. "Here's Brian!" Speaking of TV, do you ever notice that there are people in the world who brag about not watching Tv? They act like TV is terrible and they are great for not watching it. I suppose I could brag about not eating vegetables. Actually I guess I do. Ok, I'll shut up.

Thought of the Day
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Ah, what's there to talk about."
"Well, at least you and I are talking about how there's nothing to talk about."
"Why don't you talk with her about how there's nothing to talk about?"
"She knows there's nothing to talk about."
"At least she'll be talking."
"Oh, shut up."
- George and Jerry, in "The Stand-In"

Today is Tuesday October 11,2005. I am wearing a Hawaiian type dark blue shirt with white leaves on it. I am wearing light jeans and those slip on shoes. I am currently sitting in my cube typing away. I had V8 juice for breakfast and just ate one sunflower seed. I find it odd how I am able to eat sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, shell and all. It is odd because I hate nuts. Now that I think about it nuts are basically seeds. I think the reason I hate nuts is because as a child I never figured out that you were supposed to eat the nut inside the shell. If you have ever consumed a peanut shell you know it is like eating bark. I also think that I don't like beans because at daycare we were forced to eat those things. Franks and beans was on the menu every day. I figured out how to pick the franks outta the beans. That was probably why I was so skinny as a child. Speaking of losing weight. I am still on my No Cheese, No Desserts diet. It is working so far. My BP is 142/82. I miss cheese though. Getting plain hamburgers for lunch is a little bland. I am wondering what a meat lovers pizza will taste like without the cheese. I guess I'll find out. I will probably go off this diet on the trip. I hear fried cheese is a delicacy in Prague. Speaking of fried cheese, if anyone is in Lubbock get me a plate of the famous fried cheese from Spanky's and send them my way. Well, back to work, not much to say today.

Thought of the Day
"I was free and clear. I was living the dream. I was stripped to the waist eating a block of cheese the size of a car battery."
"Before we go any further, I'd just like to point out how disturbing it is that you equate eating a block of cheese with some sort of bachelor paradise."
- George and Jerry, in "The Foundation"

This weekend was pretty relaxing. I watched both my teams - TX Tech and the Dallas Cowboys win. That was probably the highlight. I also did the usual church/Sunday School/Homeless stuff. I won't be able to do that for 2 weekends because I'll be in Prague. I currently have a book on how to understand the Czech language. By the time I come back I should be fluent. Dobrey Den, Jak se mate? means "Good Morning, how are you." I think learning the language will be a key in getting their respect. Most do speak English over there though, so if I get something wrong they will be able to tell me. It should be an experience. I am excited, but a little nervous at the whole passport, customs, flying, taxi driving and time zone thing. Once I am in Prague in my hotel I will be able to relax. However they are 7 hours ahead in the time zone arena. I have heard of Jet Lag, but what is it exactly? Is that when your biological clock gets all messed up that you get sick? One person suggested I don't sleep until I have been there 24 hours and can fall asleep at the right time. Another person said to sleep on the plane(although I stop in Toronto before heading over there). Another one said use Red Bull to help me stay awake. I was thinking to start to train myself to go to bed earlier and earlier and eventually I will be on Prague time. Like right now I go to bed at 2am and wake up at 8:30. If I wanted to do Prague time here I would have to go to bed at 7pm and wake up at 1:30am. So I am thinking my objective would be to start to go that way to make it easier. Peety any chance of a wake-up call at 2 in the morning? LOL.

Thought of the Day
"During that period when my folks were separated, he went a little crazy."
"Not a very long trip."
- George and Jerry, about George's dad, in "The Little Kicks"

Last night was guys night. We usually go out to eat, go to a store, and come home and watch Smallville, a show about Superman as a teenager. Now I have been watching this show ever since it's first season and have seen some things that get raunchy. Lana Lang is Clark's sweetheart and they have been on and off for the last 4 years. So last night they finally decided to do the whoopee so to speak. Had this been 90210 I would've expected it. Heck, even Donna on 90210 was a virgin up until graduation(probably cause her father was the producer). But now we all know that Superman, the ideal American boy, is into premarital s3x. I was thinking if that show was on 40 years ago it would've been banned, showing the decay of western civilization. This show which caters to 15-34 year olds makes everything seem normal. Teenagers watch this and say, "You know, we've been waiting for 2 years, it must be time. If it is good enough for Superman it is good enough for me." Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, maybe there is, I don't know (I'm on both sides). I am definitely used to it by now. Heck when I was kid in the 80s all of our movies dealt with teen angst. Sixteen Candles and even Weird Science. I had no idea what "getting some" meant but it seemed like a good thing. OK I had a very good idea what it meant, but let's pretend I'm innocent. Especially since teenagers are willing to put bras on their heads and make and summon Kelly Le-Brock . I think Superman getting some was the last battle in the revolution. Now that Superman does it, it is good for us all. Then again, he also was the first to throw a punch at Lex Luthor as well, being the instigator in violence. Lex could sue Clark for assault and win. So there it is. Superman is a horny violent man. In other news, Lex Luthor is now a bad guy. Duh.

Thought of the Day
"Every day it's something else with you. I don't know anything about you any more. Who are you? What kind of life are you leading? Who knows what you're doing? Maybe you're making p0rno films."
"Yeah. I'm Buck Naked."
- George's mother and George, in "The Outing"

Things are finally out of my control. Yesterday I spent more than half of the day finalizing my expedited passport. I went to the post office with my birth certificate (thanks mom) and found out I needed a printed itiniary and an authorization form. So I had to drive back to my office and get those. Then I had to take the sealed package to Fedex and got them to overnight it. Along the way I stopped at CompUSA to finally get my laptop fixed and I stopped at the car shop and got an estimate on my car for that minor damage from the driveway incident way back in August. I am planning on getting my car fixed while I am in Prague so I don't have to have a rental car - 2 birds with one stone. Now all I have to do is wait. It'll be close with me getting my passport on Thursday or Friday before I leave on Saturday. In other news today I am going to be stuck in pointless meetings. I think we have one of those big team meetings where everyone goes around the table and introduces themselves. It's like suspenseful when the person next to you stands up and says who they are. Then you have to say something. Usually there is wit in the room and then it becomes harder to think up something funny. Maybe I'll go with "I'm Brian Bass and I am an Alcoholic." naa. "I am Brian Bass and I am a highly skilled surfer." or "I'm Brian Bass and I am a punk rocker." or "I'm Brian Bass and I will probably be gone in 3 months anyway." I've never seen a truly memorable introduction. No one ever remembers anyone's names anyways. I remember I was at this one company where all I could remember was the first letter of everyone's names. I would then say ,"Oh he's over there next to ssssssss." "Suresh?" "Yes that's it. That's the ticket." In other news. Why do short people, people near 5ft tall, use the tall urinals in the restroom when there are existing short urinals built for them. There's nothing like going into the restroom and having to stoop while a short person stands next to you at the tall ones.

Thought of the Day
"Jerry, you got any Tums?"
"Stomach ache?"
"I drank too much water in the shower."
- Kramer and Jerry, in "The Summer of George"

Hey Everybody,
Peety here. Brian said he's to busy to make a blog entry today, so I'll sub
for him. I was curious about everybody's daily grind. Here is how most of
my weekdays go.
1. Alarm goes off at 5:20. The wife gets up to do whatever chicks do in the
batroom. I stay in bed till 5:50.
2. Hit the shower, brush teeth, get dressed.
3. Wake up baby at 6:10-6:15. This length of this process can vary
depending on whether or not the baby is already awake, and whether or not
she's in a good mood.
4. Breakfast from 6:20-6:40. The length of this also depends of
cooperativeness of baby.
5. Be pulling out of driveway by 6:45, and take baby to daycare lady. Then
off to work.
6. Work from 7:30-5:00 (usually)
7. 5:00-6:00 drive home and pick up baby. This length will hopefully
shorten when 121 is finished.
8. 6:00-7:15 change clothes, get the mail, feed baby, get baby ready for
bed , and hopefully down for the night by 7:15-7:30
9. Eat dinner in here somewhere and then do whatever chores need to be done
around the house. The rest of the night is for whatever recreation I can
squeeze into it. This usually includes computer games, movies, reading,
etc......
10. We usually try to be in bed by 10:30, but watch TV till 11:00 or 11:30.
Not too exciting huh?
What does everybody else do?

Alright, I'm finally verified for the trip to Prague. Woot. Now I am a "world traveler" like my mom. There was a news article on her, back in the day, about all her adventures overseas. She went to Kenya, Germany, Japan, Cambodia and places all around the world. If you've ever been to my mom's house you'd see that it is like a museum. There are things from all around the world. Like African wooden statues, Japanese dolls, and pictures of boats in Japan. I'm gonna stay an extra day and do some sightseeing while in Prague. My hotel is in walking distance to the castle and that bridge that was in a James Bond movie. It should be fun. I am going to start to speak Czech. How hard can it be anyways, I know 26 computer languages. Then again there are only 30-100 keywords in each language. I suppose that is the difference. I hear though that most people over there speak English. It is requirement for most global businesses anyways. I wonder what the club district is like. I will probably find a rock club and hopefully find a McDonalds. I have no idea idea what the Czechs eat. I am thinking it might be like the Germans with sauerkraut and sausages. In other news I started my new diet and exercise plan yesterday. I think this is my 3rd one this year. This diet I formulated after studying my own eating habits. It is my belief that cheese and desserts are why I got bigger. So I am on the no cheese or desserts diet. I can still eat everything else. For example, today I had a hamburger with fries for lunch. I figure I've saved 200 calories by doing so. Then I top it off with 20-30 minutes of exercise daily and I've got a plan. I should be skinny by next year. Ha. Somehow I don't even believe myself. Really this diet and exercise plan is about lowering my blood pressure and not losing weight. I have a theory that my families blood pressure problems are not from genetics. I think it has to do with lifestyle. When I was on the Subway diet and exercise plan my blood pressure went back to normal. Anyway, maybe I'll run around the bridge in Prague and pretend I am some kind of world athlete. Then when I start panting and fall over after 2 minutes someone will give me a ride. "You poor, poor, American..."

Thought of the Day
"So what do you do?"
"I'm a comedian."
"Are you? Let me ask you something. Where do you get your material?"
"I hear a voice."
"What kind of voice?"
"A man's voice, but he speaks in German so I have to get a translator."
"How come you keep tapping your head?"
"It's a nervous tic. I'm on L-Dopa."
- Party guest and Jerry, in "The Stranded"

And now for the weekend update. This weekend was a guitar sandwich, with thumbsucking thrown in between. Allow me to elaborate. Friday was the Santana concert. It was kind of a weekend guitar kickoff. It started off with Robert Randolph and the family band. This is a guy who has a lap steel guitar and who can play really fast. He was very good. The only problem is that with those types of guitars it is harder to play chords, so most of the time he shredded. I don't mind at all. Next comes Santana. The concert was in a huge arena and I was 20 feet away from Santana. Most of the people who paid the high price for the tickets were old people so they sat down half of the time. I was standing up so it was like there was nothing impeding my view. I was even projected on the large screens when they would cut to the audience. Santana's sound was overpowering. He is very good, heck he played with Hendrix back at Woodstock. Although I guess his age was showing because there were times when he just sounded off. Also he didn't play "Black Magic Woman" which was one of his major hits. They did the standard blues jam thing at the end and Robert Randolph jamming with Santana. You can tell that kind of thing is never practiced. It even happened at the SRV memorial concert. On Saturday I jammed with the remnants of my band. I played pretty good. We had jams that lasted for quite a while. I could picture me jamming with Santana easily. On Saturday night I went and saw the Independent film "Thumbsucker" with Keanu Reeves and that guy who was in Old School and The Wedding Crashers. I saw it at the Angelika Theatre. This is in a secluded place in Dallas that looks like it could be in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. I got the feeling that I was a little outclassed at this place. Anyway the film was very good. I saw it because it was a Sundance Film Festival award and it was supposed to be funny. It was about a 17 year old that still sucks his thumb, gets on Ritalin and then no one likes him so he goes back to being himself. It was pretty funny, but there were some dramatic moments. I'd give it 3.5 stars, which is better than most films nowadays. On Sunday I went to church and Sunday school and then went to the Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial concert. So far this is the best concert of the year. It was amazing. Kenny Wayne Shepherd played with Double Trouble(SRV's band). When he played "Texas Flood" even the band looked on with amazement at how much KWS sounded like SRV. Sheppard played Hendrix tunes and jammed and played his hits. I definitely need to put him on my list of great guitarists. Chris Duarte was another great act. He completed the blues lick circles. For instance if a scale could go up he would take it there and bring it back all the way down and continue in a loop of variations on the blues scale without stopping his picking. I wish I could do that. They even had the remnants of Jimi Hendrix's band there playing some Hendrix tunes with another guitarist. They also had Buddy Miles play. He reminded me of B.B. King - "I can't hear you! Raise your hands in the Air!" I would raise my hand in the air quickly and then put them down. I am just too lazy to keep it up for a whole song. Same goes with clapping. I'll start clapping, and let everyone else finish. Maybe if I got on Ritalin I could continue clapping. Nah, I'd rather be lazy.

Thought of the Day
"I don't judge a man by the length of his hair or the kind of music he listens to. Rock was never my bag. But you put on a pair of shoes when you walk into the New York Public Library, fella."
- Lt. Bookman, in "The Library"