Taylor’s Blog

For those of you who haven’t heard the story here is a brief synopsis.. Thanksgiving night 3am..
Sheila and I are sleeping and get awoken by a screech of tires followed by a crazy crash.. We contemplate getting up, but don’t.. We do exchange a few
words like “Someone’s car just got fucked”.. About 5 minutes after the crash we hear the screech of tires.. We get up in the morning to catch the train
for Charlotte and it turns out 2 peoples cars did get fucked.. One was Sheilas volvo who only was dented not imobilized, and Sheila’s upstairs neighbors
volvo was rendered undrivable.. The asshole after hitting those 2 cars then crashed into the telephone pole across the street..

Dear Drunk Piece of Shit,

It has
been close to a week now since you ran into 2 innocent parked cars and then ended up in that telephone pole.. The cops aren’t going to come looking for
you most likely even if they have your drivers side mirror.. We have your headlight, but we have no idea where to find you..

You should understand
that if I did find you I might want to be quite violent which I typically am not.. Not because you hit 2 cars.. But because you have just proven once
again why not to drink and drive.. Sheila and I walk down that street all the time at night.. If its after midnight chances are we are not in a state to
drive and have chosen a safer alternative to driving drunk.. Walking.. If its not someplace in walking distance we take a cab.. You on the other hand
decided it was OK to endanger other peoples lives.. Not just mine, but all the other people who constantly walk in Sheila’s neighborhood..

I really
hope that you cracked your colar bone or hip or something else when you hit the telephone pole so maybe you can remember that driving drunk is a stupid
idea.. I really wish I had goten up and drug you from your car, called the cops and let you blow what clearly had to be WAY over the legal limit.. It
would have been sweet not only to have you paying to repair the 2 cars, but also to see your license taken away for a long time.. Driving drunk is
stupid.. I have friends with DUIs and they can tell you how stupid it is too..

You better not come around again,

Taylor

So I got a ticket maybe2 months ago.. I was clocked at 54 in a 45 zone.. The cop charged me
with 44 in a 35 zone.. I wasn’t sure if I could get off completely by proving the speed limit was 45 or not.. So I went to the GSO Department of
Transportation and got a map showing the speed limit was clearly 45.. I figured there was some statue or habeus corpus, something that would maybe keep
them from raising the charge back to the 54 they clocked me at..

So I went to court the first time about a month ago, plead not guilty, and got assigned a court date.. That took about an hour of my time.. I got to
sit with a bunch of people who had done everything from DUI to expired tags.. The best part was waiting in line outside the courtroom with the riff raff
asking “Yo man where I go for child support.. Dat hoe keeps tryin to say its my babay..”.. So I had my court date, and what I hoped would be my
defense..

I also got a ticket for 83 in a 60 zone in Charlotte a few weeks ago I have coming up so it became more imperative that I get this ticket handled
right..

So my court date arrives today.. I show up, plead not guilty again.. The cop is clearly there.. I have my evidence.. The DA tells me that he can
actually put in for a motion to have the chages raised to what I was clocked at 54.. It then becomes pointless what the speed limit is cause I was still
in violation of the law then.. 54 in a 35 or 54 in a 45.. (Hopefully you figured that out).. But then the (typically expected plea deal)..

“Well Sir.. You do have every right to a trial, and you can present whatever evidence you would like.. But to not waste the courts time I will let you
plead guilty to improper equipment which is 0 points on your license.. Not a moving violation”.. So I take the plea.. No points on my license.. The county
got what they wanted.. They got 135 in fines vs the 125 that was on my ticket..

So..In summary kids.. Always push for a trial.. They will always offer you something lower and lower and lower.. You don’t need a lawyer.. It just
takes maybe 3 hours of your time.. My insurance is clean.. There are still no moving violations on my record.. (Way better than a prayer for judgement
which some folks like to bargin for)..

So yeah.. $10 more now, and thousands less in insurance later..

Enough time slacking off.. I have homework to do..

is brought to you by Smoothies, Coffee, and The Flaming Lips.. Its Friday and well i’m just happy..

So with my new job I tend to have to drive to Charlotte a ton.. I think I have developed road rage..
Pretty much 6 hours a week of my time looks something along the lines of this..

Today (which is my 3rd trip to Charlotte in the last 3 business days) I was getting
really pissed at folks driving slow in the fast lane.. I thought how great it would really be to have my insult monkey.. If you aren’t familar with my
concept of an insult monkey it goes something like this..

Originally I talked about having a helper monkey much like that episode of friends.. Yeah
I just mentioned friends.. Don’t ask why I have seen that episode or show.. Anyway I figured a helper monkey could scribble notes on large pieces of paper
(sounds like Brak there eh?) and hold up signs to the drivers that I want to say something to.. This way I could be more effective than just staring
through them, or flippign them off.. I could say stuff more effective like:

“Bitch don’t flick your flithy cigarette butt litter at my
car”

or

“Just cause your on your cell phone doesn’t mean you can drive 1/2 the speed limit”

I was driving back to Greensboro this
afternoon actually thinking about this blog and if I had any other great insults for irritating drivers.. I started to realize I had been driving too
much.. In about a month I have put 1200 miles on this company car.. Thats a ton of trips to Charlotte and back.. Low and behold i whip around a curve on
I85 after being on the interstate for maybe 5 minutes and I see a trooper just sitting there.. I look at my speedometer.. 85 mph.. There is no one around
me and I am in the fast lane.. Busted.. So now I got a second ticket.. Hopefully my first one will go away since it was for 44 in a 45 mile/hour zone, but
still I am pissed.. I have to go to court in Charlotte at the end of November.. It’s mandatory.. I guess cause I was going 23 miles over the posted speed
limit (I was ticketed as 83 in a 60).. Either way I hate the car.. I wonder what my car insurance will start to cost with this doosey on my record in a
month..

My boss also called me on my way back to Greensboro and there may be some HR crap I have to deal with cause I got a ticket in a company
vehicle.. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a 2 tickets automatic termination policy anymore.. Maybe i’ll have to pee in a cup.. Who knows.. We shall
see..

P.S. I swear my next blog will be about something more positive.. Like bacon.. Everyone loves bacon..

I haven’t blogged in forever.. I have been meaning to, but the internet just hasn’t been as accessible
as normal in the last while.. I got some downtime at work and i’m inspired so i’m typing to you all from my lovely vibrating 4th floor office near the
Greensboro airport.. yes I said vibrating.. This building has this weird vibration most of the time, but its my new office so I gotta deal with it I
suppose..

First things first.. My house in Cary is finally on the market.. So far there have been two showings on the first day.. Sheila and I have
a bet going on when I will get a offer.. If its within the first week I owe Sheila a pitcher, if its in 2 weeks then I get a free pitcher.. After that I
guess we will re-wager or call it off.. Either way I have decided I will never live in the burbs again.. Ever.. I still have my “your grass is too high”
letter from the town of cary that will be framed as a reminder of my moment of weakness and insanity so that I never repeat it.. Who said that those who
forget history are doomed to repeat it?

I closed on my house here in Greensboro a week ago or so.. I already ripped out a wall, I got more walls I
want to take out but i gotta get a structural engineer to look at those first.. I ripped out all the old carpet, and the old lady smell went along with
it.. All my neighbors are relaly nice.. Well except for the one guy, Barry.. My first conversation with him went something like this..

Barry: Hey I
guess you bought this house?
Me: Yep
Barry: Well I was going to buy it for my girlfriend but the old lady was asking way too much.. I am Barry..
Good to meet you
Me: Your a fucking idiot.. (No thats what I wanted to say)..

Then he proceeded to talk to me for 45 minutes while I was trying
to get outta there..

So yeah walls are coming down.. I got a big ‘ole dumpster in the driveway.. Sly now lives with me in Greensboro and he isn’t
really too happy about it right now..

I’ll post some photos soon..

So far I have completed around 7.5% of my MBA (3 credit hours).. Thats
Masters in Business Administration for those who don’t know.. I am getting really tired of people asking me “So what are you getting your MBA in?”.. Do
they not know what it stands for? So far I have reverted to my slacker ways, but since the material is a good deal easier than say Electromagnetics,
Statics or Differential Equations my grades don’t reflect my slackerness.. I got a B in my accounting class, and an A- in my ethics class.. Yeah for those
that are wondering I somehow do have it in me to think ethicly.. School is cool even if 2/3 of the folks I go to school with are really boring people..

It has come to my attention there is no place to buy CDs in Greensboro.. The Record Exchange here is gone, and the other CD shop that was on Tate
street is gone.. I picked up the new Beck (Freakin’ great) and Outkast (Alright) at Schoolkids Monday when I was back in Raleigh.. Where do all the
college kids at UNCG, A&T, and Greensboro College get their music? Is iTunes that popular now? Do they only listen to shit that they sell at Best Buy?

The election is coming up.. I forgot to check the box “yes I am an American citizen” so I almost missed my chance to register, thankfully I got it
back in in time to fix my error.. I was really excited about getting to vote against Vernon Robinson.. Yeah the wonderful man who brought us such
wonderful quotes as
“If Brad Miller had it his way America would be one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals” represents part of Greensboro.. Just not my part..

Can you say Gerrymandering? If I lived 500 feet to the south I would be able to vote against black jesse, but
alas I do not.. His ads are so horrible and its hard to believe they are real, it seems like something SNL would make.. If you live in the 13th district
(Yeah it covers most of Raleigh too) please please vote against this bigot.. I can’t but I know some of you can..

I also got given a new job at
work.. The title is called “Traffic Engineer” meaning I am supposed to deal with properly planing the capacity of our network.. The title should actually
be something more like “Corporate Whipping Boy” or “Overlord of Counting”.. So far all I have done is play with virtually worthless Excel sheets and sit
on all day conference calls where people talk about each item on a spreadsheet line by line.. Hopefully it will get better, but so far its a bunch of
“make this report for us now and i need it yesterday”.. With my new position I also have to work in Charlotte twice a week, but I get a company car for
that so it’s not all bad.. Just the radio stations between Greensboro and Charlotte.. Well they leave a good deal to be desired.. Thank god for mp3
players..

The Accord is under the weather, and my tools are still in Raleigh so eventually I’ll get her fixed.. I think the shifter cable broke..
During Sheilas finger removal incident of a week or two ago I lost the ability to shift into 2,4 and R.. Then a few miles later I lost 1,3 and 5.. When I
am back in Raleigh this weekend I am going to get my jackstands and tools so I can see about fixing her back up instead of driving my truck all the time..

I am sure there is more stuff I am leaving out, but thats what I have been up to for the last while.. 10 Dollar pitchers Thursday nights at
M’Couls in downtown Greensboro rocks.. Nothing like 2 pitchers of Bass to get the evening started out right, then the obligitary walk to College Hill to
get more beer before going to bed at 230am only to have to be at work at 8am.. My new job is making me a lush (again)..

Until next time have fun
kids!

If I decide to go to the Barristers Ball maybe i’ll see some of you guys.. If not well.. Who knows.. Thanksgiving or Christmas maybe?

So I have been living in two places now for the last 3 weeks.. Let me tell you it sucks.. I have no
idea how much money I have spent on gas, but I am sure its a metric assload if not more.. I spent last weekend doing some final stuff on my house in
Cary.. I pretty much just have to straighten it up and what not before I can put it on the market..

I need to get a real estate lawyer so I can do
this FSBO thing.. Anyone have any suggestions for a real estate laywer in the Triangle, preferably Cary or Raleigh?

I found a house in
Greensboro that I am closing on at the end of September.. I am going to be uber poor very soon.. That is until I get my place sold in Cary.. Uggh.. Anyone
who wants to come to Greensboro to hang out and what not let me know.. I still want to have a house warming kegger (or pony kegger).. Who’s down?

I
got a ticket the other day on Benjamin Parkway in Greensboro.. The cop wrote me up for 44 in a 35 zone.. Turns out the speed limit is actually 45 mph for
2 blocks on eitehr side of the “violation”.. Anyone fought a speeding ticket when its pretty clear and cut like this? I am going to try and get some
speed zone maps or documentation from the Greensboro Department of Transportation and take some photos so I can use them as evidence.. Anyone think I need
to do anything else?

School is great, but its really hard to do school shit while I am living in two town and driving between the two..

Anyone want a Samsung 50″ DLP HDTV? I got it about a year ago, but its too big for my new place, and I don’t feel like moving it
either.. If so email me..

Yeah there is some randomness for ya.. Nothing insightful or what not.. At least labor day is coming soon and I
can have a real weekend..

Classes started Monday.. I was nervous as hell.. Nervous like I haven’t been in years.. Well I need
not be nervous anymore..

When I showed up at the office in Greensboro to find out where I was going to sit I figured I would get a cube, and that I
had just lost my squatted on office in Raleigh.. Wrong.. I got a window office again.. How the hell do I pull this shit off?

I was then
informed that I could only have that office until we move.. Move where I wondered.. How about 3 miles north of UNCG instead of 20 minutes away out by the
airport? Talk about rad.. The worst thing I thought about moving to Greensboro was going to be the commute to work.. Hell I could ride my bike
there.. Maybe get a scooter.. HBomb I know you read this shit.. How much do you love yours?

I did give up on living in the hood.. I am in love with
Seattle too much to lock myself to Greensboro for more than 4 years (how long it will take Sheila and I to get more degrees).. I found a house yesterday
from 1927.. Cool ass front porch.. All plaster.. Much like the house I loved and grew up in.. Its been owned by the same lady since the 40s.. She hasn’t
screwed it up just not done a whole lot to it.. Anyway.. As soon as I walked in my gut said “You love this place.. This rocks.. This is the kind of house
you are supposed to live in”.. Anyway this house is 50k or more below market value for the neighborhood cause it needs a buncha plaster repair, and
the kitchen and bathroom remodeled.. All stuff I can do.. Well with the exception of refinishing hardwood properly.. So I raced to the credit union today
and got pre approval for a loan and made an offer.. I am about to put my balls to the wall to sell this place in Cary.. Either way this house is 1.5
miles to UNCG, near the GTA bus, and walking distance to a few bars on Battleground.. If you are adventerous its walkable to downtown or bars by UNCG as
well.. Hopefully i’ll get the place.. Its really awesome.. I’m having a moving in kegger! Well maybe not a kegger.. I don’t know that many people in
Greensboro yet.. I could have a pony kegger at least.. Heh..

And then there is school.. I actually enjoyed classes for the first time ever.. I did
the homework.. None of the BS of undergrad.. Maybe i’m more mature now.. Maybe I care this time? Maybe the classes are smaller, maybe its
cause its not freakin’ brick-land NCSU.. Who knows.. But I love it, and I am glad to be back in school.. It will be fun, and I will be the master of
business.. I just won’t conform and get the spiky abercombie look that most of my male classmates seem to be sporting..

Could Greensboro be
working out any better?

Next stop Seattle..

I am registered for classes.. I now have a student ID from a University that actually resembles
me..Until today my most current student ID was from NC Stateback in1997..Complete with normal length hair, and a chin strap
beard.. I just spent 350 bucks on books.. I forgot how much books cost.. Thats only for 6 credit hours too.. Geezz.. So in 3 years if all goes as planned
I will have a shiny new dilpoma that I may actually put on the wall.. My one from state is still in the original envelope it was mailed to me in.. I think
diplomas look better when the aren’t alone..

All I have left to do is activate my uncg.edu internet accounts and i’ll be ready for the fall..

I did learn something very important from my advisor.. If you like Indian food the best place to get authentic Indian food in Greensboro is Cary.. Yeah
you heard me right.. Udupi is where she goes when she wants a taste of real indian food.. I did get a line on some good Thai places that aren’t 90 miles
away in Cary though.. We will see if they can stack up to Thai Villa or Sawasdee..

So Friday night I go to Greensboro to meet up with Sheila, have dinner go out, etc.. Saturday Sheila
and I are wandering around her neighborhood.. I had been wondering where in the hell I am going to live in Greensboro.. I had originally just assumed I
wouldn’t buy anything and just rent for a bit.. I had pretty much decided that I was only going to get an apartment which would mean I will end having to
take most of my tools and other stuff in Charlotte to ditch with my rents.. So walking down Mendenhall after lunch and I see a crappily xeroxed sign in
the window of College Hill.. House for rent within a mile of UNCG.. 600 a month.. I give the guy a call, and much to my surprise I get the impression that
he is around my age.. He tells me where the house is, and that he is still making repairs on it, but can have place ready by maybe the 1st.. I hop in the
truck and drive across the railroad tracks and to the south side of Lee Street.. This entire neighborhood is pretty hood, but the houses are either
boarded up, or being fixed up.. I get pretty excited drive around, etc.. I do see some scary shit.. Kids sitting on porches doing absolutely nothing but
looking like they are just waiting to get into trouble.. The boarded up houses are a bit scary, but hey no biggie.. I lived on Everett where apparently
people broke into houses (never mine), but I did have a drug related murder a block away.. Never scared me away..

So I get back home.. The fixed
upper houses are selling for around 50k! I mean damn.. Is this my time to become the slum lord I have dreamed of? Most of the houses need some
work, and I would have to get a pretty large construction loan on top of that, but I mean damn.. Take whatever I get from dumping this place in Cary
(Gonna have it ready in a week I bet kids, so please be ready to re-post bulletins and what not to help me sell this place FSBO.. I might even a decent
cash reward to the friend who gets me the resulting sale.. Hint hint..).. I figure I could end up with a monhtly mortgage payment less than what i was
thinking for rent.. Man.. Can I become the semi-overlord of Greensboro and get a few rental properties? Make those fools pay for me to enjoy my
life.. I didn’t see bars on the windows so the area can’t be that bad.. Can it? I mean it looks up and coming.. As long as there are no PCP/Meth
labs next door (especially if they blow up) I will be OK with it..

Anyone.. Anyone.. I know south of Lee is a tad scary, but is that bad? I
am talking the area bound by Aycock on the west, Freeman Mill on the east, Florida on the South and Lee on the North..

Google Map of tha’ Hood

And yeah I am listening to Camp Lo – Luchini.. Heh.. When was the last time anyone heard that..
Ha!

in going to school and moving I didn’t even realize it had been over a year since I quit smoking (July
7th, 2005).. 12 or so years of killing myself, and 1 year of being tobacco free.. I don’t miss it, not even the slightest bit.. I am glad that I no longer
am a slave to those fuckers.. I still get shit in the mail from Camel.. Who cares.. I am free!! I am proud myself.. If i set my mind to something I
will make it happen.. So what if I was incoherent for 2 weeks going through the worst withdrawl I have ever experienced in my life? I made it
happen.. Yeah for me! The rest of you smokers who haven’t quit yet.. Think about it? What good does it REALLY do for you?