Woops

So I completely forgot to explain the picture with my lat post. It's a stop smoking sign that I saw in a local high school. I thought it is funny, that should be the age where you're ready to start smoking, not already have finished.

Ah, bovine growth hormone. :)

Woops

So it appears that I have been quite remiss in my blogging duties; is anyone really surprised?

Well now I have the time. I'm sitting at the airport, waiting for a flight that was just delayed 1.25 hours.

How's life? Things are hectic as always here. The Academy is progressing nicely. We are rapidly (next week, I believe) approaching the half-way point. What started as 39 recruits is only down to 38 (though I believe one or two weed-outs are inevitable.) However, I am currently still on track to graduate on April 10th, and hit the means streets of FFX on the 11th.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a ahappy holiday. Look for some form of get together at the Ferreira-Gotwals residence after the season or cheer has passed.

Breaking and Entering

So tonight I got to experience something brand new! When Joelle and I left for dinner tonight with her friend Diana we realized, immediately after it closed, that we had just locked ourselves out.

Unfortunately, the spare key that I keep hidden outside was not outside because Joelle's key was bent the other night.

Did panic ensue? Hell no! Luckily I had some booze in me (trend, anyone?) and I was calm as a cuke. I scaled my truck, banged my nuts on the railing, and tried the door on my balcony. Locked. Damn (and my balls hurt.)

I then went around to the back yard to see if I could pick the lock to the slider. Not happeneing. So what did I do?

Well, my aching balls and I broke down the door between the house and the garage. It took several hits with my shoulder, but I let myself back in.

And what was the first thing I did upon gaining entry? I put the outside key back in its hiding spot.

Now I'm off to dinner and possibly to ice my balls.

Oh, and because i'm not sure that I .mentioned it enough, balls.

And I get pepper sprayed tomorrow (hooray!).

Shrimp Oysters & Beer

So, Thanksgivng is at an end. Our house guests have fled and returned to their home state. We are now in DC with Joelle's sister and her husband.

We went to the newly opened American History museum (awesome) and are now at this great bar where you can get booze and oysters.

I have to sa, I love the fact that we live far enough out that we wer able to get such a gorgeous house for cheap, but I do regret that there isn't this kind of class out our way.

Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to live in DC. I enjoy driving too much and get too frustrated with crowds to live in a city like this. But to live in Olde Town and have access to things like this would be great.

However, the trade-off just wouldn't be worth it. I'm not a condo kind of person (I've lived in an apartment building before... Not my style) and the kind of single-family home that we could've afforded out here wouldn't have been what we were looking for.

The long and short of it is that I'm happy where we are, the grass is just always greener (Interesting factoid that I am making up: the grass is greener because cow shit is a great fertilizer!)

Enjoy!

From the Mouths of Babes

So, really quickly, I wanted to share something that was said today at our Thanksgiving dinner.

So Joelle started eating leftovers off oh her sister's plate. I leaned over to her 7 year old niece and said, "Aunt Joelle is what we call a vulture."

The kid sat for a moment and aptly responded, "I thought she was a lawyer." Little did she know that the two are synonymous. :)

I hope that everyone is having a great Thanksgiving!

Been Awhile

Howdy! It's been a lttle bit since I last posted. Things have been pretty crazy.

Today was a pretty good day. It was our last day at the track. Everyone in my group qualified on their first attempt. They said that that was rare. Also, today marked the end of my fifth week. Only 21 more to go. :)

Anyway, the housewarming party went well. I was a little (lot) on the tipsy side. But everyone had a good time.

I know this isn't much of an update... I'll try to think of something more interesting to post.

Obama Wins 'Pussy' Vote!

This just in. In a election day coup, Senator Obama was able to bring out the pussy vote in record numbers. When asked about his choice for President, this pussy stated, "Meow."

Anyway... I was very lucky. I managed to scoot the second that work let out and get to the polls quickly. From walking in the door to casting my vote, I only spent 16:52 on the electoral process. The lines were longer by the time that I was walking out, so I guess I got there just in time.

I hope that everyone is having a happy Election Day. I have to get up at 0400 for work, so I'll be napping on the couch/ watching results on CNN. The Academy is going well. It's stressful as Hell, but I'm learning a lot.

Anyway, have fun!

Just Call Me Bob

Bob Villa, that is. Yep I installed these curtains today. Additionally, I've built enough Ikea furniture in the last week to qualify my house as one of Sweden's trade partners.

What does this all mean? It means that our house is actually starting to look like a home. I'm really excited for our house warming / Halloween party. Everyone is invited, just let me know if you can make it.

That's it for now, I've got to get to bed so that I can get up way too early!

What a Face!

Getting bored with painting, I take a moment to amuse myself. Then I take a moment to (hopefully) amuse you.

Enjoy!

What a Face!

Getting bored with painting, I take a moment to amuse myself. Then I take a moment to (hopefully) amuse you.

Enjoy!

Taping

That's it! We're in the house! The closing went off without a hitch. I am currently taping up all of the moulding (above is our front door) so that we're ready to start painting tomorrow.

I'm also about to crack open a celebratory Killian's. ;)

TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!!!!!!

We close on the house at 2:30pm today. After that we're going over to do some preliminary cleaning, drinking, and generally enjoying the new place. Then we get to sleep in our new home!

If anyone wants to come over this evening and check the place out/have a few drinks, give me a call! There really isn't any furniture, but the carpet will have been freshly vacuumed. ;) It would be cool to share our first night there with a couple of friends.

And sorry, Adam, the house is built on a slab so there will be no night-sticking in the basement. The backyard, however...

Crushing Nature!!!!!

This is me crushing nature! Joelle took this picture. On the left, see nature. Calm and serene, the creek burbles along. On the right, see me. Yelling and with my fist rasied, I'm fording the river (you're not getting your hands on my oxen!) See the close-up below.

So this picture was taken out in Rappahanock County. Marisa's father owns a place out there, and the driveway options are the quaint little bridge (which Joelle is standing on), or the river (which I am violating.) We went out there to do some camping in White Oak Canyon. It was pretty badass and we had a great time!

Otherwise, things are going well. We close on the house on Tuesday (the 30th). I finally put some pictures up. You can view them at www.webshots.com/user/ferrgot then just click on the folder called "Home." We have tentatively scheduled the move for the weekend of October 11th. Any volunteers would be greatly appreciated, and beerly awarded!

I'm anxiously awaiting the beginning of the academy. October 14th is fast approaching and I'm ready. I've been getting my ass kciked at PT twice a week, but I'm getting better. And we've been told that the PT that we're doing now is harder than that we'll be doing in the Academy. So hopefully I can get used to these workouts and be good to go.

Anyway, I'm off. Let me know if you are willing to help with the move. And be ready for, hopefully, an end of October house warming extravaganza!

Bored

I'm bored. I'm so bored. Help me!

So I've begun the "work" phase of my pre-hire time. I was told that I would be assigned to the academy. So I, and the other pre-hire, reported to the academy on Monday. It was a good time; we helped out as role players in very realistic scenarios for officers.

At the end of the day, though, we were told that we were being transferred. The academy already has six cadets assigned to help, so we were just spare bodies.

The Sgt. Told us that we were being sent to the crime scene unit. They just moved into a new building and need help getting organized.

The problem is, now that we're here, there really isn't much to do. We spent the morning cleaning some machines, labeling drawers, and moving furniture. But now here we sit, with two hours left on our shift, with nothing to do.

The Lt. Said he had nothing for us, then left for the day. Now don't get me wrong, I'll accept a paycheck this large to do nothing. I'm just getting antsy.

We do, however, have physical training in the morning. I had physical training on Tuesday and it kicked my ass. I'm still hurting. The trainer told us, though, that he works us harder than the academy does. So hopefully I'll get used to his training, then be able to do well later.

I'm going to go wander around and try and find ANYTHING to do.

Holy Crap!

So we lost out on the last house too. It's the way it goes. Someone is always bound to grab up something when the price is too good to be true.

Well now that someone is us. We found another house, and we're locking up the contract today. We put down an offer, including $2,000 in earnest money. The damn back countered, but they changed nothing except to ask for $2,500 in earnest money. I guess they feel like they have to counter anything. So we're passing on another $500.

The house is amazing. I don't have pictures right now, but I'll post some later. It looks like the house hunt may finally be over.

More to follow...

Been awhile...

...but I've been busy!!!!!!

So here's the haps. We didn't get the house that we put an offer on. It had some mold in the basement and the bank didn't want to take a gamble because FHA (our loan program) can get very stickler-ish about mold. They took an offer that came with a conventional mortgage.

We have, however, found a MUCH better house. We put an offer on it on Monday, and it looks like we might have a better shot at this one. I really hope that we get it, it is PERFECT for us!!!!! I was actually feeling woozy while walking through it b/c it was so great. Hopefully we'll hear something on Wednesday. Keep those fingers crossed!

I'm in my second week of employment with FFX. I can't believe it finally came true! I've been doing ride alongs in some of the eight district stations. I have two left, then I report to the Academy where I will be working as a go-fer. Then our academy actually starts on October 14th. I can't freakin' wait!!!!!

Now, as much as I hate to do it, I have to tell you how I got myself locked into some ironclad irony. September 2 was my first day of work with the county. Well, on my way to work that morning, I was pulled over by a Prince William Officer for speeding as I was leaving my neighborhood.

That's right, folks. After 7 years with a clean driving record, I went and got myself a moving violation on my way to my first day of work for a police department. How much of a dumbass can I really be? So I, of course, had to report the ticket to my Lt. I'm suffering my consequences, but it's still almost funny how I manage to step on my own d*** no matter where I go. ;)

Anyway, I think it's time to go to sleep. I've been on the evening shift (1:30pm - 1:00am) the past two days, but tonight I start midnights (7:30pm - 7:00am). In an effort to prepare myself, I have been trying to stay awake so I can fall asleep closer to morning time. I think I'm finally losing that battle. :) I did spend the last two years on midnights, though, and happily so. Hopefully it won't be too hard to rotate back in. For two nights, that is. Then, on Friday, after getting off at 0700, I have to sit in on boring "Welcome to the County" orientation from 0830 - 1200. Now that's going to be a laugh!

Okay, I've reached the point of rambling, so I'm out. I'll just close by saying, Yes, Jon, there is room for you at whatever house we wind up in. Right at the foot of the bed. LOL

¡Adiós!

Holy Crap!

So we met with our realtor today. We took a look at several houses. The first one was pretty nice. The second one was hilarious!

You walk in, and the carpet is putting green green. This carpet extends throughout the house and is complimented by various colors of paint, including purple. Some people. :)

After looking at a few more houses, we went back to the first one (pictured above). It is a pretty great house for an AMAZING price. So we're putting an offer in tomorrow morning. It's pretty freaky. We should find out sometime this week if our offer is accepted.

Hopefully we'll get the house. If so, watch for a major cookout/housewarming party!

cont.

Read the below post first.

That he is giving me another full year's raise because of a foreign language proficiency. So I walked out of there with a much higher salary than I expected.

So, the important things. I start as a pre-hire on September 2. My academy starts on October 14 with a graduation date in March of '10.

I am writing this from Ruby Tuesday where I just quit. Pictured you will see the beer that I am drinking. I will continue with the dog job for another week or so. I'm going to go call my realtor!!!!

When is an interview not an interview?

When it's a job offer! Apparently today was less of an interview and more of a ''here's how much money we're going to pay you.''

I was there with 5 other people (my new classmates.) We went in and met with the Lt. He gave us some orientation info, then told us that we would be meeting with him individually to discuss salary. This is when it sank in that I had made it!

So later on i'm sitting in the Lt's office. He tells me that I'm getting one pay advance because I have a Bachelor's degree. I knew that that was coming.

Then he opens my file and notes that I rated my Spanish skills at 7 out of 10. Keep in mind that I filled this out a year ago (when I was still using my Spanish) and Joelle was telling me not to undersell my Spanish.

I tell him that I did rate it at 7, but I'm not sure how it is now because I don't use it. He tells me that he is going to call the interpreter line and have me speak with the Spanish interpreter. At this point i'm getting nervous b/c I don't want to look like an idiot. But he hands me the phone and tells me to speak with Carlos.

Carlos and I chat and it doesn't go too badly. I got nervous when he asked what color my car is and I told him Yellow. I figured he would think I just dididn't know my colors, b/c who has a yellow car?

I get off the phone and hand it back to the Lt. He speaks with Carlos for a moment and hangs up. He then told me that Carlos said that I had a very good command of the language. The Lt. Then tells me tha

Ready to Roll

Okay, so I got to my interview really early. Right now I'm hanging out in my car killing time. I will say, though, it looks like this parking garage might fill up, so at least being early got me a spot.

So I'm nervous as Hell, but I don't even know what to be nervous about. I have no idea what kind of interviee I'm walking into. I don't even know thr name of the man I'm meeting.

But, at least I look GOOD!!!! I'll post again afterward to give you the results.

Another DC Day

So today the plan was to go to Chantilly and see Dark Knight in IMAX. Unfortunately, it was sold out. A month after it came out, and it is still selling out!

Luckily it was also showing at the Natural History Museum in DC. So Joelle suggested that we go early and go to the zoo. So we hopped the Metro and went zooing. It was a great day for it!

Now we're at the Museum, waiting in line. The guy who I reserved the tickets from said to get here an hour early to get the best seats. So we got here, but found out that they only open the doors 10 minutes before the show.

So i'm standing in line to get in. But they just did this rediculous thing where the took the tickets of everyone standing in line and pushed us into this corral area. So any semblance of order has been destroyed. In stead it will be a mad rush to get seats when the doors open.

But at least the movie will kick ass!

News

So something good happened while I was mopping up dog pee today. No, I didn't find a gold coin encased in crap. That would have been awesome.

Instead, my cell phone rand and I answered it. It was my Detective from Fairfax!!! He sounded very excited and told me that his supervisor had said that they were ready to ''proceed'' with my group of applicants! I have my final interview on Wednesday.

I'm hoping that this is the interview where they offer me the job, but even if it isn't, it feels great to be making progress!

Anyway, wish me luck and I'll let you know how the interview goes.

Richmond

Hi! So Joelle and I are in Richmond right now. We drove down and are staying with Joelle's old roommate Katie and her husband.

Richmond is gorgeous! I never really spent much time here, so I didn't know much about the city.

Yesterday we went walking along the canal. It was very cool, and there'sa where I found this inspirational graffiti. It's very good advice, provided that your dream isn't getting an education. :)

Anyway, I have to run. We're going to go catch up with Jon and Marisa and head to Cary St.

Nothing New

Howdy! So we.re all moved in to the new place. For those of you that didn't know, our last landlord is selling his house so we moved to a new sublet.

This place is pretty nice. We have the basement of an incredible house. Thanks to Adam and Joelle's friend Sean who helped us to move in.

Nothing new on the job front. I found out that Fairfax's academy is in October, so I should be employed by then at the very latest. At least I hope.

Anyway, the dogs are going nuts so I have to

Been awhile...

So I know that it's been awhile, but I've been busy. I started at the dog place and my scheduke is kooky. I get up at 5 to be at work at 615. I get off at 215, go home and sleep for a little bit, then I have to be at the restaurant from 5 until close.

But at least I'm keeping busy! :)

The dog job is kind of fun. The dogs are a blast to play with. It's funny, but supervising dogs is amusing like supervising a direct supervision quad. Except the dogs are nicer. :)

Anyway, I have to split. If you're interested, you might be able to see me at work. If you go to dogdaycare.com/dulles you can look at the webcams. Another way it's like jail.

Best Plumbing Company Ever?

You decide!

Early

So I got to my interview about a half hour early, so I have some time to kill. So here I sit in my car, typing away.

It seems (thanks, Schlick) that I have been missing out on some fun at the jail. I hate to say it, but I kind of miss the place. For all of the BS we had to deal with, we got paid a lot of money to do relatively little. Good times...

So it's come time to go buy a car for Joelle. Her job starts on August 4th, and she has to drive to Roanoake on the 29th for the Bar Exam. We're looking at getting something small and fuel efficient. Joelle says that we have to offset the poor mileage of my Xterra. Go figure. :)

I'm really excited about Joelle's new job. They are already talking about sending her to two conferences. One in Portland and one in *somewhere else*. Plus it will be nice to have regular income again. ;)

Anyway, if any of you are fans of The Office, I'm going to crank the tunes and prepare for my interview Dwight Schrute style.

Job Interview

I know that the title is exciting, but simmer down, tiger. This isn't the Fairfax thing. I haven't heard from them, but I do have my Prince William physical agility test on Monday. I've got my 1.5 mile run down to 11.5 minutes!

Nope, instead I've got an interview for another part-time job. Slingin' mini turkey burgers isn't really brining in as much cash as we need, so I'm hopefully picking up a second job in the mornings.

The job is... *drumroll*... At a doggy daycare!

I know, it's kind of a ridiculous job, but it pays $9 an hour. Plus, I get to play with dogs! I miss having a dog and we can't have one until we buy a house, so...

Now I think that people who do this type of thing for their pets are spoiling the animals. However, unlike children, dogs don't know when they are being spoiled. So at least they won't be bratty. :)

Anyways, the job would be from 6:15am until 2:15pm a few times a week. That would give me about two hours before I would have to be at Ruby Tuesday, so that's not bad at all. The interview is on Thursday, so wish me luck!

Cat Trick

Joelle taught her cat a new trick. What do you think?

Bad Tippers

Well, as another week comes to a close I have no real news. I got an email from FFX saying that my file is on the commander's desk along with the rest. My physical agility test for Prince William (my old results expired) is on July 21.

What I will say, though, is that i'm getting really sick of crappy tippers. It would be one thing if I gave bad service. I don't. In fact, guests will tell me how good my service was, and then leave a crappy tip. If you can't afford a meal and a tip, go to freakin' McDonald's!

As anyone who has waited tables will tell you, we work for tips. The $2.13 an hour I make doesn't even cover my crappy health insurance. The only way to make money is to get good tips. Now I'm not saying to tip well if you're unhappy with the service, but don't compliment your server and then leave a crappy tip. It's insulting, and I can't use your compliments to pay my rent! :p

DC Trip

So today Joelle and I spent the day in DC. We went to the Museuym of Natural History and the Air & Space Museum. I love that this stuff is free! All it cost us was Metro fare (and an insanely expensive lunch at the Museum, but that was a result of poor planning).

The funny quote of the day came when Joelle was looking at the to-scale display of the planets at the A&S Museum. She looked for a moment and said, ''I didn't realize Uranus was so big!''

She immediately realized what she had said, which made it funnier. :)

Other than that the day was pretty uneventful. I'm currently on the Metro and we're heading to Adam's because he is grilling. He told me to bring a pineapple... I'm intrigued.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July, everyone. Please do your best to make this a safe holiday. The following are suggestions of things not to do to ensure that you have a happy, healthy holiday.

#1 Shooting Roman Candles at people/pets.
#2 Launching bottle rockets from any orifice, to include: nose, ear, mouth, anus, hole created by #1.
#3 Throwing explosive devices into any porcelain waste conveyance system.
#4 Strapping whistling bottle rockets to dog's tail.
#5 Drunk driving.

Bye!

hrmmm

How did I spend my evening?

woooo

So I can't get my custom plates until I get emissions tested. But, in the mean time, here is the Sexy-Terra all Virginiafied. Note the M-Dub pride!

Waiting

Here I am, waiting. This seems to be a recent trend in my life. ;)

What purgatory am I waiting in, you ask? The DMV!!! Oh horror of horrors. But I must register my vehicle and get a VA license. I put it off as long as I could out of some misguided hope that we would have a house by now.

I am getting custom plates, though. I'll show them to you when I get them.

So, on a completely separate note (but i've got nothing but time here,) my soon to be landlord is a pompous blowhard of a racist. This guy just loves the sound of his own voice. Luckily we won't have much interaction with him.

If any of you are fans of The Riches, he reminds me of Hugh- Eddie Izzard's boss. In fact, after I thought of that, all I could think of was him bellowing ''Doug! Doug!'' everytime he talks.

Oh well, that's as much tiny keyboard time as I'm willing to put into this.

Damn

So, I really thought I would get the call today. I had no real reason to think this, I guess I was being overly optimistic. It's getting discouraging.

So last night was my first night with my own tables (a whopping 2 of them). I made pretty good money for only having that, though. Hell, I got a $20 tip on a $55 check. I know I'm good at this work, I just don't want to do it. ;)

On a slightly better note, I have a really funny post to put up. It's something that actually occured a few days ago, but I can't find the business card that the story hinges on. As soon as I find it and scan it in, I'll post it.

I just didn't want to leave you on a downer. ;)

crap

So that's it. I just finished my second night of non-training work.

I was the QSS person (the food runner, table clearer).

I busted my ass for 8 hours. I didn't sit once and I rarely stopped moving. What do I have to show for this? $3 an hour and $41 in tips.

My feet hurt...
:p

Hell Yeah

I totally just rocked out a 4 mile walk down the Prince William Parkway after work.

Now i'm tired. ;)

I woke up and it was gone...

Okay, so my facial hair did not mysteriously disappear overnight. No, my BBB (big beautiful bristles for the uninitiated) were sacrificed so that I can pay rent.

I started as a server at Ruby Tuesday on Monday and this one does not allow facial hair. Joelle suggested that I shave my eyebrows as well in prostest, but Pink bled when he did that in The Wall.

So Ruby is okay. I should hopefully be hearing something from Fairfax in July. Until then I am bringing people their food then shouting ''You just got served!''

Test Drive #2

Another shot from the same fateful test drive.

What a Test Drive!

So, I know it's hard to tell from this picture, but you are beholding a hilarious sight.

Today Joelle and I saw this Mustang that was clearly out for a test drive. A cop had followed this individual, who was probably only ''putting it through its paces'' and had pulled him over in the dealership parking lot.

''I'll take the car, but I'm going to need a $150 rebate for the ticket.''

I Miss Shooting

It's been awhile since I've gone shooting. It's been awhile since I've handled a firearm. Since coming to VA, my Concealed Carry Permit is void. My poor guns sit up in the closet in boxes.

I think it's time to find a range and "bust some caps." It's been too damn long.

Almost There!

"Almost where?" you ask, quivering in excitement. Is Dana finally hired by the PD?

HA! Still waiting on that one.

However, I do have a second meeting with the manager at our local Ruby Tuesday and he said I'll be starting next week. They should be able to get me 5-6 8 hour shifts per week. I'll be makin' bank the old fashioned way.

Add that to the Starbucks job that I hope to be starting next week, and I should be good to go. 60-70 hours a week of unadulterated misery. Oh boy I can't wait. ;)

But hey, at least I know that this Fairfax thing is somewhere on the horizon. It's what's keeping me going. :)

Awesome

So, apparently the slogan of this past season's Top Chef is ''I have a culinary boner.''

I freakin' love it. I made my spicy chicken soup tonight. I don't know if it's boner worthy, but it was pretty damn good!

What did you have for dinner?

I Hate Rubberneckers!

While driving Joelle to the Metro station today around 345, I had a shock. One would think that heading eastbound at this time of day would be smooth sailing.

It was not! Our trip took probably twice the time that it should have.

''There must be an accident ahead,'' opined Joelle. The trooper going by in the breakdown lane with his lights on only seemed to lend creedence to this idea.

I'm thinking it must be bad. 3 lanes reduced to a crawl, there must be a body in the road.

As we come around the corner I see the Trooper's lights ahead. As we near the scene of the accident I see two vehicles with minor damage. It was a a freaking fender bender!

Traffic sped up as we passed. All of that traffic for some damn body damage.

I hate rubberneckers!

Should I Feel Guilty?

Is it inappropriate to use this for a bloody mary? It's all I had, so my options were limited, but still... It feels like putting premium gas in a go-cart.

Good Stuff

So, is it that it tastes good or that it kills the boredom? Who cares?

All I know is that, as another unemployed day comes to a close, it sure is good.

How the Hell are you?

First Post

So here we go again. Apparently I can do this one on the go. Will that make a difference? Probably not. :)