You are in the Brett Bugle archives right now. The HOMEPAGE is much more important.

Been procrastinating on my tax calculations, so tonight I got ambitious and finished the full tax-interview process at CompleteTax.com. Guess what? All of the work I did in 2005 was invoiced as a "nonemployee," meaning no tax was withheld at all, meaning I now owe more than 9 large to the Feds.

Guess what else? I've got it completely covered, in savings, because I predicted this might happen. No worries here. Livin' a carefree life.

Also, in other money news, my 2006 Entertainment Book has arrived, so that'll definitely help me save some euros on all the restaurant food I eat. Anyone want to go to GattiTown with me? We can celebrate my oversized income-tax bill with some delicious butterscotch GattiPudding from the GattiSaladBar.

Work, work, work, that's all I ever do.

My boss called me today to let me know she needs me to work tomorrow. Dang, there goes my "kicking back until Thursday" plan.

All right, I am back from Edisto Beach now, and here are some highlights.

visited with Mom, Dad, and Grandma all week —×— played golf and bocce more than a few times —×— bought and mailed several postcards —×— saw a wild alligator up close; shot him with my camera —×— did more cable-TV watching than ocean watching, how unexpected

Hey, big news. On the long drive home, a major inspiration hit me, and now I know how to turn my original story idea into a G-rated short film or feature film. Originally (in September), I was at a loss, but then yesterday I figured it out. That's all I'm gonna say for now because I really don't want anyone to rain on my parade while I have a screenwriting high. I will tell you this, though, the Danielle character is out, as are all of the female friend characters.

More big news. My boss doesn't need me back at work until Thursday, which means I'm having a 12-day weekend. w00t!!

I am unreachable right now. If you're desperate for some Brett time, you could always try my email or my Dad's cell phone. But odds are, in the next 9 days, you're on your own! Maybe Google can help you!

Back in September (see the archives), I wrote about wishing I had a copy of the local hip-hop song called "My Kentucky Home." Well, here's an update: I finally saw the MP3 out there in BitTorrent land. Just thought I'd let you and Google know so that KD, Goodfella, Villebillies, and Nappy Roots fans will be really jealous of my mad search skillz as they pass this way looking for the song (a.k.a. "My Old Kentucky Home" or "My Ole Kentucky Home").

come on down where the bluegrass grows / and the country cold wind blows / where the city light still glows / to my old Kentucky home

The temperature should be in the high 60s today — shorts weather. Since I have the day off from work, I'm pretty stoked about the prospect of playing tennis or something.

Speaking of sports, last night I attended my first University of KY men's basketball game at Rupp Arena and watched our Wildcats beat the Georgia Bulldogs. What an uplifting experience that was. I love being part of large Lexington crowds, whether it be at Fayette Mall on the day after Thanksgiving or at the Swingin' on Main street dance downtown in late June.

Salina Ramsay gets some credit for making that basketball thing happen. She set me up on a blind date with a friend of her friend, and this date (J.B.) has had season tickets to the UK games for many years. I got invited and included and uplifted; mucho gracias, J!

Some random notes about me:
I'm 5' 8" with a shoe size of 8.5
I weigh 160 pounds and have over 160 CDs
I've been to the Disney theme parks over 160 times
Gonna attend the salsa dance at Beaumont Center Clubhouse tonight

Had a request yesterday to enable comments on this website. Sorry, it's impossible. All I can post to this "Personal Web Pages" area of Prodigy are static HTML pages, no database-driven pages, no special blogging software programs, no Active Server scripts. I reckon I could get comments here by latching onto a third-party forum, but I'd much, much rather get emails and snail mails instead.

Now, one final random note: I am currently experiencing what it's like to have no accountability to anyone except the Lexington police and the IRS

Skipped work today. After having sweet potato fries and smoked turkey for lunch at Corky's BBQ (with Bethany), I walked around Fayette Mall for several hours and bought some more solid-colored clothes. Just as some women can never buy enough shoes, I can never buy enough solid-colored tee shirts.

So anyway, I was walking around Dillard's, and then I heard the song "you're nobody 'til somebody loves you" on the overhead speakers, and I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. Thanks a whole lot, Mister Dillard.

Valentine's week begins, and I am Valentine-free. Thought I might pick up a Valentine or two at the ballroom dances I attended last night, but alas, it was not my destiny. Guess I'll sit Tuesday out.

At the Arthur Murray dance last night, I was asking Erika for her advice about snagging a girlfriend, and she gave me the following hints. She said that I should be really attentive the first time I meet her, but then I should be kinda distant the second time I meet her. In doing that, the girl will be thinking, "he was into me once, and now he's not, so what happened? How can I attract his attention again?" Supposedly, this will cause the subject to be challenged and intrigued. Now, as Erika was telling me this, I could not stop thinking about how I'd heard this all before in The Cable Guy — Jim Carrey gives Matthew Broderick very similar hints about baiting the woman into watching Sleepless in Seattle. How manipulative, right? Apparently, it's the game the woman expects to play, so I am required to play it right along with her. Argh! Dadgum!

Dating ain't no fun.

Fortunately, when I'm sick of it and hurt by it, I can turn to PostSecret for comfort. This week, there are plenty of excellent Valentine-related postcards to view. Check them out before next Sunday, when they'll all be taken offline forever! See if you can figure out which ones were probably sent in by my last girlfriend. From the looks of it, she succeeded in getting two or three posted.

I've just uploaded the travel journal that I didn't post earlier. Go find it in the Bahamas photo page collection.

Don't want to link to it here in this entry because I want only the truly dedicated fans to waste their time on it. It's too detailed and drawn out to be the kind of entertainment that my infrequent and lazy visitors would enjoy.

Yesterday my boss told me that our company is on the brink of expanding into Utah and Florida. Ain't that something? Yes, indeedy. Wow, I still can't believe that all this success just fell into my lap.

And here's some icing on this delicious cake. My former coworkers (from my jail-software days) are checking to see if I'd be available to help with new work they're getting. I really like being able to say, "no, my current two-day workweek suits me just fine."

Haven't been feeling as upbeat lately as I have been feeling in the past, so I didn't think I should post. As Ella Wheeler Wilcox says, "laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." I mean, doesn't my audience want me to skip the moaning and instead be entertaining? Yep, I thought so. Sorry for the moaning...

At the same time, I realize that y'all don't want to be left completely in the dark, so here's an explanation of my recent mood.

One, it's rough to return to cold weather when warm weather welcomed me the week before. Dang, come to think of it, I only work two days a week; I know I could go to the parents' house in Florida every week if I wanted to. How frustrating.

Two, my head is riding a strange roller coaster of internal pressure. The flight from Miami to Orlando triggered this inflated feeling in the left side of my head, but it went away and then came back a few days later, only to leave again. It's a recurring event, and boy does it drive me crazy. Yesterday morning it was full force. Tonight, as I write this, there's no evidence of it at all inside my head. WTF?

Three, upon my return to Lexington, I was popping over to the Central Kentucky Blood Center to try to donate a pint of A+ blood, but they kept deferring me (twice) for low iron. What can I say; my laziness leaves me a bit malnourished — I don't eat the right foods. Today, however, I qualified, thank goodness. And my phlebotomist Carolyn was a trip. When she heard I don't have a Valentine this year, she quickly wrote up a homemade Valentine for me.

Let me flip this all around.

One, I have the means to escape the cold weather anytime I get the urge. This custom software gig = a world of prosperity! How great.

Two, my sinuses may create some problems, but they fix their own problems. No need for doctors and hospitals and overpriced healthcare. How great.

Three, while most women in Lexington are poised to reject me, the women who work at the blood center and women I meet at ballroom dances give me lots of positive attention. How great.

Four, happiness lands on me at random times, no matter my mood. For example, I got 1000 free business cards from an OfficeMax grand-reopening promotion last week. And two nights ago, I was greeted extra enthusiastically at the Quest church SuperBowl party.

Want to help me keep up my good moods and entertain you with my upbeat blog entries? Do me this favor. Mail me a postcard and give me some feedback on my website. If I know you're reading it, and I know what parts you like and don't like, it'll cheer me up and inspire me to keep on keepin' on.

Apart from the incomplete set of pages about the Bahamas trip that I posted, I am not motivated to update this website much anymore, and I don't even email people very much these days. Been doing my custom-software job. Been reflecting on the heartbreak I experienced when I lost my last Valentine candidate. Been watching several snowfalls cover the city of Lexington.

You'll have better luck catching up with me in March, I suspect. Or, if you're one of the ones to be regularly included in my snail mailings, I'll send you a Bahamas postcard really soon.

buh-bye

make your way into my 2006 archive (January only) or my 2005 archives: December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, and January. Or just head over to my news page from 2005 and 2004

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