12-23-03 Hello. This will be my last diary for 2003, where did all the time go? That's a question for the ages. I passed out my DVD project to 50 or so of my closest friends. They all seemed to enjoy the gift but due to work no one could really watch it. Last night, well after I passed out everything, I put in two different DVDs, just to see my work and the second disc only played half-way through. Then it got all digitally. That's not a good sign. I'm hoping against hope that I'm the only one to have that experience. All that time and money, I want people to have a good viewing experience. But if they got a bad disc, I will replace it. Next year, I'm going to make a VHS tape, ha ha. I don't like this high terror level thing. I have a theory that they put up the level right before a Holiday, so if something, heaven forbid, would happen, they've covered their asses. If something's going to happen, I don't really think I want to know. Life's hard enough without worrying about crap blowing up, you know? Sadly, if something's going to happen, it's just going to happen. I was thinking the other day that we can't control illegal aliens from crossing the border into our country, how are we going to stop another 9/11? I think I'm going to start a diet in 2004. That protein thing worked for me a few years ago. I may go back to that and eating less. Eating less may be the key. Man I hope the dvds aren't messed up! That's a heartbreaker -- did I mention that I slept at work to complete it! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!! I have about nine left, I'll test them all the way through today. OK, that's all I can think about right now. All my best for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! I'll be back 1/5/04. Always, Bob 10:14pm on 12/23/03 Hey, it wasn't my DVDs, it was my DVD player. I brought the DVDs into work and they played fine! Whew! OK, now I'll be back on 1/5/04 -- have a great one! I just realized something, now I need to update my DVD player, darn. 12-22-03 Well, that was a weekend, I guess. The DVD project started Friday night at 7:00. I used Walter's color printer and got to it! The printer was fickle. It'd print three, it wouldn't copy the fourth and then it would shut down. It kept getting worse and I figured at this rate, I wouldn't get home until 3am. So, I e-mailed myself the photo and moved up to my Bosses' computer. The image was a little smaller but still very good. Once I got on the other printer, I was moving like wildfire. I left the office with 91 finished DVD cases. I left at 12:15am. I have to tell you the train ride back to Hoboken was horrible! Have you ever seen those photos of the trains in, i think, India? Where all the people are so packed that they ride on the roof of the train? That's what it was like, except everyone was on the inside. So awful and I hate crowds. Saturday I woke up around 10. The plan for the day was to burn, burn, burn. 91 cases need 91 DVDs. I set up the equipment that Walter lent me and didn't know what to do. Walter and I never went over it, due to time. I was to call him and have him talk me through it. Unforuntally, Walter's cell phone wasn't ringing when I called. That happens to me too when I drive out of my service area. After 30 minutes, I started things on my own and had some burning problems. Then he called, I was never so happy to hear someone's voice. He told me a few other ways to burn it. I tried them all and all failed. AHHHHHH! My only option was to go back to work and burn it on his computer, so that's what I did. I needed the key to get into his office but with Walter out of town, that wasn't an option. So I called Jay, they share an office. Jay helped me out BIG TIME! He was nice enough to come in, on his weekend, to help me get started. THANK YOU JAY! I'm writing this at 6:12 on Saturday. I've been at work since 3:05 -- I have 21 completed. I'm not leaving until I have 91. I may not leave here tonight. As I write this, now, it's Sunday around 1:30pm. Sweet Lord I'm done! I ended up burning around 75. I would have had more but around 12am Saturday night, I decided to check what I just burned. Nothing, wouldn't play. My heart sank and I had to go back and check all 65 I had up to that point. About 10 were bad. Crap! but it really isn't that bad because I made way more than enough. It's just wasted time. I burned a few more and at 3:30am, called it a night. I decided to sleep at work because if I left at 3:30, I probably wouldn't get home until 4:30 or later. I slept on my bosses' sofa. I woke up around 10. Kind of disgusting to sleep at work on that sofa but at least I got in some good sleep time. That's the story of my Holiday DVD. What a project! I have to give a big shout out to Walter for helping me with all my nonsense. I couldn't have done it without him. THANKS WALTER! That's it for Monday. Have a great day. Stay beautiful, Bob *Bonus Holiday Moments from the big city* Bonus Holiday Moment #1 - Friday, I was riding the bus to work. Woman approaches the bus at a stop sign, not a bus stop. The driver sees her and keeps going. The woman, gives the bus driver the finger. Bonus Holiday Moment #2 - On the Path train. Man runs to the train as the doors close on him. Conductor makes an announcement over the loud speaker, "You're late, pal." Train pulls out of the station. 12-19-03 Time for Bob's Year End List: Best Film: Lost in Translation Best Album: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros -- Streetcore Best Television Show: The Andy Griffith Show Best Mom: My Mom Best Brother: George Best friends: Too Many to List Best Pets: Billy and Evelyn Best Refreshment: Root Beer Float Best False Phrase to Use When I'm Feeling Down: "My Life is S@*t!" Best Website: bobborden.com Best Night on the Town: Meeting Carl, Simon and English Weasel for drinks Best Town (Not including Steubenville, Ohio): Hoboken, New Jersey Best Town (Including Steubenville, Ohio): Steubenville, Ohio Best Anonymous Gift: $200 that was placed on my desk to help pay for an expensive transmission repair. That still gets me -- Best Highway: Route 80 Best Working Musician: Mike Watt (hootpage.com) Best Unsigned Heavy Metal Band that my brother plays drums in: Aftershok (aftershok.com) Best Actor: Tom Cruise Best Excuse for Not Writing a Real Diary: Bob's Year End List Most anticipated Film in the New Year: Motley Crue's "The Dirt" -- That's quite the list. That's it for another week. Tune in on Monday to find out how I did with my DVD project. Have a great weekend! All my best, Bob 12-18-03 Hello. Two news stories yesterday really struck me as not very good ideas. The first story from AP reads: "Rapper Trick Daddy, awaiting trial on drug possession, assault and weapons charges, was allowed to perform at a city-sponsored holiday party this week for about 5,000 children." And the other story, also from the Associated Press, reads: "John Hinckley Jr., the former Coloradan who shot President Reagan, can make unsupervised visits with his parents away from the mental hospital where he has lived for more than two decades, a federal judge said today." Aren't those two big RED FLAGS? It sounds like the rapper thing already happened and the Hinckley thing is going to happen. Have you noticed that the older you get, the stupider things have become. Am I wrong? I think people are more, how can I put this gingerly, nuts these days. Just an observation. I received all of my DVD cases in the mail yesterday. It was pretty awe inspiring. But I have a lot to do this weekend. I have 95 DVDs and I'm going to try and make them all. I don't even think I know 100 people, I just want to do it. I may give one away online, I'm not sure yet. The spirit of the season hasn't really hit me yet. But it will. It will probably hit me around Christmas Eve. Before I end today's diary I want to give a shout out to my Mom, today's her birthday! Don't spend it all on the slots, maybe try roulette this time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! OK, that's it for me. Tune in Friday for my Annual Year-End List. Stay Beautiful, Bob 12-17-03 I hate starting out the diary not knowing what to talk about. My mind is on my DVD project this week. I'm, and now Walter, are in the final stages of preproduction. I had to turn over my hard drive to Walter to make sure I was doing everything right. I think I got things about 85% correct on my own. That's pretty good if you ask me. I love this DVD technology! I wish I could sell them but I'm not in the DVD-selling business. And I don't know how much I could get for a 37-minute dvd. I have to give Walter big props for letting me use his equipment. He's a hell of a nice friend. I'm hoping that I can repay him next year by taking care of all this myself. I think I'll start making my next project in June. My Fantasy Football league is in the final weeks. I made a big jump out of tenth place to the lovely spot of #9. Or as I call it, the sweet spot. I just don't want to finish in 10th. OK, I have to cut this short. They're all going to be short this week, btw -- this is my busy time of the year, ha ha. Have a great day. Stay gold, Bob 12-16-03 The only reason I woke up yesterday morning was because I had a dream that I was choking on a shellfish. It was an awful way to start the day. Then I had to hustle to get to work on time. And I have to tell you that I like to ease into my day. I slept through 4 alarms. I think I need to change my wake-up CD. Sade just isn't cutting it anymore, Sade, ha ha ha ha ha! What a wasted Sunday. I didn't leave my apartment all day. The snow turned into rain and I wasn't going to have any part of it. Did you see the Sunday night game? A New Orleans player, Joe Horn, picked up a cellphone, that he had hidden under the goal post, after he scored a touchdown. I'm not sure what that meants but his job is to score touchdowns. Who is he calling? It was really pointless. But people are talking about him -- maybe that's all he cares about. OK, I have to cut it short today. I have two great reasons, number one, I have to shave because time wasn't on my side this morn. And two, because I have to work on my DVD a little. I have a lot to do. OK, that's it! Have a great day. Always, Bob 12-15-03 And now, Master Storyteller, Bob Borden, of bobborden.com gives you, today's dairy: If I saw one Dremel commercial this weekend, I saw a hundred. I get it, the Dremel is a handy tool for the craftsman, it can unscrew a stripped screw, Blah, Blah, Blah! I kind of want one but I don't really need it. Friday Morning I rode the bus with the girl again. We may have smiled at each other, I'm not sure. She sat opposite from me, I could have said something but this old fart split the difference and blocked my view. The bus is a hard one. I'm not ashamed to say that I was a little nervous thinking what can I/could I do. Patience Bob, patience. Later that afternoon I was looking around my site and discovered something shocking. While updating my site I accidentally deleted my diary archives. My heart sank. I called Walter and he found the problem. I cut and pasted over some important code, oops. But that was a close one. If I lost 3 years worth of solid diary gold I would be so pissed. I'd turn into that one guy in everybody's hometown that talks to himself. I only "lost" 5 days in November. I have it on a disc somewhere. Back down to defcon 4, ha ha -- War Games reference. Friday night I picked up some Mexican food and started working on my Christmas DVD. I made a pretty good version and then I noticed that I forgot something. I didn't save it right so I had to do everything over again. I really didn't mind because I love putting stuff together. Especially stuff that involves me, ha ha. Saturday I woke up around 9 and got back to it. I had to make a few more tweeks and save it a few more times. The editing part is done. Now I have to figure out, with the help of Walter, how to get it on to a DVD. I see some late nights in my future. Around 5:00 I was debating on if I should do my laundry. What a debate that was, "Should I do my laundry or continue to sit on my fat ass?" I decided to do my laundry. I went to the laundry mat on the other side of town. I put a ten-dollar bill in the change machine, the red light came on, 'please wait'. It's making noise, then the 'please wait' light changes to the 'out of change' light -- without giving me back my $10! I just put my head down and sighed. I'm like a walking Ziggy cartoon! The lady was cool and gave me my money back. After laundry I was driving by the new super market and noticed that the parking lot was pretty empty. I turned in and did some shopping. I don't think I like this new store. All of their items are in different places from the A & P. I couldn't find couscous to save my life. Saturday night I made some dinner and flipped around the tube. Sunday I woke up at 8:30. I was shaking out the cobwebs and got on AOL. Holy crap, we got Saddam! I couldn't believe it. Amazing! Good for us. Then I looked out the window and there must have been three inches of snow on the ground. I said to myself, oh hell no. Because my big plan for Sunday was to drive to Best Buy to buy some raw materials for my DVD project. I said screw it, got in the Jeep and hit the roads anyway. They were a little slick but the old girl loves the slop. I picked up what I needed and then realized that this project isn't cheap. DVDs aren't at the CD stage yet, I'm talking about price. I got back to Hoboken and then drove to the A & P to buy a steak because once I got back home, I knew I wasn't going out again. Bob's Sunday dinner I watched my Steelers lose and that was about all she wrote. Have a great day. Always, Bob 12-12-03 What's up? I woke up yesterday morning with the snot and the phlem but throughout the day I felt pretty good. I predict that I'll be back to normal by Sunday. On Wednesday morning I had a mild moment of panic. I was getting my money ready for the bus but I was about sixty cents short. And my house is now changeless because I turned in all my change to charity (patting myself on the back). I'm looking and I'm looking, nothing. Finally I come across a few dimes in an old jacket and I'm out the door, whew. Then on Thursday morning, the same thing happend. Except this time I wasn't even close. After looking feverishly for 5 minutes I knew what I had to do. I had to walk 6 blocks past my normal bus stop, in the pouring rain, to go to the store to buy a lotto ticket so I could have change for the bus. What a pain! I was all wet and pissed off. Now for the good news, at the end of Thursday I scratched off my ticket and I won $4! Then on the walk home, I got four more tickets for my winning ticket. While tearing the tickets off the giant spool, the guy accidently ripped one. He ripped the ID number and told me that I could bring it back and there'd be no problem. But I told him I'd just scratch it off in the store. I won four more dollars! Who's luckier than me right now? That's right, no one. I let it ride on the mega millions drawing tonight. Someone has to win the lottery, it might as well be me. I'm looking forward to the weekend. On Saturday all I'm going to do is edit my Christmas DVD. I'm going to use a simpler editing program because all I have are simple cuts. I hope I can get this out before the 25th. It all hinges on my finishing, again, this weekend. And I'm going to sleep in. I'm thinking about asking a girl out that I see on the bus from time to time. I haven't talked to her, so maybe that should be my first step instead of going in cold. The rejection factor is high but I need to kick myself in the ass. Dating is like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it. That's about it for today. Have a great weekend. And thanks for all the great tips on my message board about chapped lips and foggy windows. Stay beautiful, Bob 12-11-03 A lot of people wrote to me last week asking me to voice my opinion on this whole Michael Jackson thing. I've been studying the case since it broke a few weeks ago and am now prepared to present my views. In short, I say this; What's the big deal? Which one of us doesn't enjoy milk and cookies with a child every now and again. I mean, am I missing something here? I'm kidding of course. I don't know. On one hand, Michael Jackson seems like a troubled soul. On the other hand, that District Attorney was SO, I don't know -- His press confrence was really poor. And you can't factor out how people are so opportunistic these days. Some family got 20-some million back in '93. I could see someone going for that kind of payday again. I think I'm on MJ's side on this one. But he really has to stop having kids over to Neverland, you know what I'm saying? I figured out why not bringing my bookbag to work has had such an effect on me this week. I still feel like I'm on vacation. Going to work and coming home, I've just been care free. Interesting the games the old mind can play. This cold is still with me. I'm a snot factory and my lips are still chapped! That's driving me nuts. I split my lip close to the edge and every once in a while it reminds me it's there with a sharp dose of pain. But I still feel OK for the most part. This is a weird one. I don't even know how lips become chapped in the first place. Is it too dry when I sleep or too moist? Am I not drinking enough water? I have the same problem in my car on a rainy day. Do I use the defroster or crank up the heat OR turn on the cold air? It's a mystery. And I'm the only one on the road driving with their windows all fogged up. All Fogged Up, that was my favorite Fastway song. Does anyone get that last joke? If you do, let me know on my message board. If ever there was a sign from the heavens that my eating habits are out of whack it's this: I spilled some of my milkshake on my pants last night. Do adults drink milkshakes (it's winter time, mind you) or is it just me? Anyway, it was a sign for me to once and for all, change my ways. I lost the lottery again. If I hit the big one you know what I'd do? Buy a big-screen TV. That's it for me, I have to make a snot deposit. Gross but funny, right? Hello? HELLO?! Goodbye. Stay sweet, Bob 12-10-03 So, it's Wednesday, yeah, Wednesday. For the second straight day, I didn't wear my backpack to work and I have to say that I LOVE IT! I'm like a new man and it feels like I'm 5 pounds lighter. Granted, on my frame that's not a big difference but somehow, someway I feel different. On Monday night I was walking to my bus and the guy in front of me dropped his hat. Without missing a beat, I scooped it up and gave it back to him. I'm sure he thought I was one hell of a guy but that's beside the point. Flash forward to Tuesday and my friend Paula drops her hat and again, I saved the day. What do these two events have in common? I don't know but later that day I got an AMAZING fortune cookie that read something like this -- good deeds, blah, blah, blah kindness, whatever I was half reading it. The point is all theses events are intertwined. Makes you think, doesn't it? Ever hear of the punk group G.B.H.? My brother and I were into them back in the 80's. I just borrowed some mp3s from him and there were a few selections on there. It was like a musical time machine. A musical time machine that rocks hard! I need more. My lips are chapped. I hate that. Hey, did I mention that I have a cold? Yeah, a cold. I feel OK but without going into too much detail, mucus, I'm looking forward to being well again. Hey! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is on! Damn snow monster! Goodnight ladies, Bob 12-09-03 I'm happy to report that my journey back to Hoboken was uneventful. I charted my course and stuck with it. I took the old favorite, The Penn. Turnpike. If I had a dollar, blah blah blah. I prefer 80 SO much better but with storms still looming, I played it safe and stuck to the south. I loved having a radio to listen to and my ipod with the FM wireless transmitter was great! I drove for a full tank of gas without stopping. But I paid for it because I had to use the rest room the next 3 exits. I don't like the rest stops on the Pa turnpike. On 80, you get off in a town and do your business. You can give your business to the local Mom and Pop gas stations. On the pike, you're giving it all to the man and the never-ending construction projects. They did finally get EZ-Pass for all the exits. Oh well. I got back to Hoboken around 3:30 and unloaded all my stuff, including a used 21-inch monitor my brother gave me. That's one heavy TV! I was sweating after that one. I just bought my brother the best Christmas gift I've gotten him in the last 10 years. I'm a good brother. Work yesterday was the same. Always a little harder to get things started after a week off but we did OK. I usually carry in a backpack of papers and my umbrella and yesterday, I didn't bring it in. I'm not sure why but it felt great not having that think around my neck. I felt like I was floating. Does that make any sense? What's cooler than being cool? Ice Cold. Outkast I played the lottery last night. I'm hoping that I win. Excuse me for a second -- YAWN!!! -- OK, I'm back. I think that's it. Hoping to have more to say on Wednesday, Bob 12-08-03 Hello. Man, what a crazy week off. Everything just seemed a touch off. When I last wrote in the old diary it was Thanksgiving. The next day I was on the road to Steubenville, or as I call it, the jewel of the east. I'm happy to report that my Jeep drove wonderfully. The only complaint(s) was the non-stop driving rain and the fact that I didn't have a working radio. After six hours of that, I was talking to myself. Hmmmmm, what happened to me next? I really wish I would have taken notes earlier in the week because I forgot a lot of things already. Or maybe I just didn't do a lot, I think that's it. On Saturday night I installed an old, Jeep friendly, radio that I purchased off of Ebay. I don't even care about CD or cassette anymore, I just wanted a working radio. I put it in and the dial kept getting stuck. I had to take it out and unscrew the radio. I had no idea what I was doing but it seemed like a mechanical problem. I just needed to tighten the shaft a little more, easy fix. I'm so happy to have a radio! I shouldn't have messed with it from the get go but live and learn, that's what I say. I had a few days of doing nothing and then my Mom, her friend and I went to the old local casino. The casino was all a-buzz about the latest nickel slot machine: CASHsquatch. I sat down at one and hit for $300! But we over-stayed our welcome and I lost it all. It's hard to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em when your Mommy is the only ride home, ha ha. I got a haircut the next day. I also brought back my computer to edit my Christmas DVD. But then after checking some clips I layed off, I noticed that some of my stuff was out of synch. I got pissed and that was it for the editing. I instead devoted my attention to Splinter Cell for the Gamecube. I forgot how much fun that really is. I solved it over the next three days. On Wednesday my Aunt and Uncle drove into town, unfortunately for a funeral. I had to adjust to a new way of living but it all worked out OK. I'm sure my Uncle Ron would enjoy reading a lie written about him, so here it goes: I was walking downstairs and there was my Uncle routing through my wallet! I said what the hell are you doing?! He responded, "Screw you boy, I'm running low on O'Doul's!" Enjoy Uncle Ron, enjoy. Uncle Ron I spent some quality time with the nephews and niece. I took my nephew Lucas to basketball practice. That was pretty cool. Hard for me to believe that I have them in my life. I also saw Elf with my brother and Lucas. Good quality time all around. So that was about it for my vacation. Now the tricky part; getting home. The east is going through another storm as I post this (Saturday). Wish me luck as I drive home on Sunday. I'll have the full story of my journey back to Hoboken on Tuesday. Good to be back. All my best, Bob

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