Yes, it’s been a while. And no, I don’t sound like Aaron Lewis from Staind.

Things have just gotten away from me the past couple weeks. It seems that, while interesting and mostly fun, my new job has been made a bit burdensome by the fact that I continually feel the need to finish everything today, right now, this second.

I’m trying to get better at pacing myself and letting things get finished as they need, prioritizing better overall. And I am definitely better than I was 10 or 15 years ago, although by saying that, it makes me seem really old. I know my friends are really old because they’re all turning like 40, almost nearly every one of them in the past month or so. And I don’t want to be lumped in with their old asses, so I’ll just say that while I have a tough time stopping in the middle of a job, I’m going to continue to try to get better at taking time away for other stuff that us young people like to do in our spare time.

Like last week. I was busy and should have made time to blog. I’m not saying I’m sorry for not blogging, but I can see why I should have since I said I would. But actually on Tuesday, I was on the road and it didn’t lend itself to having much time for a blog. Stupid me opening my mouth again at work. Oh sure, I’d probably like to go to Indianapolis for an enforcement exercise.

What the fuck was I thinking?

I mean, it wasn’t bad. The people were great and honestly, the NCAA staff, the ones you never see in the public like these guys in the enforcement area who are made out to be so bad?  They’re so freaking smart. Now, I know it’s their job and they were putting on a show for us, but still. It’s easy to do that kind of thing and have it not turn out right. But, as we say in the Park, they kicked it in the dick (and yes, this one is like being Phat, not fat).

Well, at least that’s what I say.

Anyway, I was gone Monday and Tuesday and had to write a story for Wednesday and Thursday. Normally I wouldn’t throw this shit out here for my off-suiters who read regularly and our occasional Islamist visitors because I typically 1) don’t like what I write and 2) could care less if you believe me.

But in this instance I’ll overlook my personal shortcomings for one simple reason:

It’s started to begin to work it’s way through my head that with this new job there are things that I haven’t experienced, real-world stuff that you don’t see often in the structure of college athletics or the overall big picture of higher education. One of them in particular is bonuses. Supposedly we get them and so I guess I actually do have a vested interest in pushing shit on my friends so they can read it or watch it and then we get page hits and then more money from advertisers because we get so many page hits and then I get a bigger bonus.

Yeah, it doesn’t work like that and I think I’m fucked too, but why not play along?

So, here’s the stories I wrote last week when I didn’t have time to blog and ended up getting reamed by both the vile Sheila and new Carlson (more on him in another blog tonight or Wednesday — yes there will be another simply to make up for last week and also because I’m off today and Wednesday).

The first story is about the overall event, the NCAA Enforcement Experience. Then, the following day I had one that sucked balls, er, I mean was about the structure of the NCAA enforcement process and how they want it to become more opened up for people to see and maybe understand what’s going on there.  There are videos in both for those of you who are either too consumed with what you’re doing to read (RJ) or who are illiterate (Dwin).

Well, the gratuitous self-promotion is out of the way and my weekly blog for this week is about done, now I need to get on to more pressing things. Today that means starting to think about packing.

No, I’m not going on another trip. Well, actually I am in two weeks. I leave June 2 for Oklahoma City to cover the Women’s College World Series. But that’s not what I’m packing for.

Nope, this time it’s packing for a move on May 29.

What’s that? What’d you say?

I know. I can’t believe we’ve already been here five years either. Atlanta is great and we’ve loved every minute but it doesn’t seem like it’s been five years since we moved here and we’ve been in the same place. It’s great. Five years here is be the longest we’ve ever lived in the same place together, me and sugar-mama. Actually, five years is the longest I’ve lived in one residence since — hmm. Let me think.

Well, it’s pretty unclear.

There is a strong possibility, probably about 96.7 percent actually, that I’ve never lived any time in my life in the same house/apartment/dwelling/abode for five consecutive years until now. I can verify that I have not done that since at least before I was in second grade.

We lived in Loves Park, the first house I remember, from the time we moved down from Madison when I was either 3, 4 or 5 years old. I’m not really sure when it was and no one has ever given me specifics, but it was after I was adopted.

The house was a duplex and at the time was an alright neighborhood, but really, looking back, I should have known a trailer and many address changes was in my future from an early age.

It was at 709 Wood Avenue, probably the only address I’ve ever remembered throughout my life. There was a girl named Jenny who lived in the other half, and she had a younger brother, Chad, and an older sister who’s name escapes me. Jenny and I were the same age and we played together a lot. It’s weird some of the random things you remember from so many lifetimes ago.

Following second grade, when I left Windsor Elementary (and lived on Wood Avenue), I went to Olson Park in third grade (one-bedroom white house on Huron Rd.), North Park in fourth (basement of relative’s house), Rock Cut in fifth (trailer, not a double-wide though, but fairly nice by 1980s trailer standards), Marshall in sixth and seventh (also in the trailer, although I think part of seventh was spent in another relative’s basement, but that year is kinda murky), Harlem Jr. High in eighth and ninth (back in the white house on Huron) and then Harlem Sr. High in 10th, 11th and 12th (white house for 10th and 11th, my biological mother’s piss green house on Minns Dr. and assorted couches for 12th).

Then obviously, I stayed/lived/slept in three dorms and houses along with many couches, floors, bathtubs, roofs, sidewalks, back porches — and even once on a set of concrete stairs for 6 hours passed out cold, that one hurt — during College.

Once in College it becomes a little more clear now. Not that I remember, but when I got this new job, I had to get a background check and I had them send me the info they found. It had 19 known official addresses between 1990 and 2010. So, adding where we live now and where we’re moving in a couple weeks, I’m 21 addresses in 21 years. If nothing else, I’ve consistently been unable to settle down in one spot.

But this has been nice living here in Atlanta for… the… last… five… wait.

Fuck.

Really?

It’s only been one GD year? Are you fucking kidding me?

Shit, actually, now that I look at it, it’s been a year for sugar-mama. I’ve only lived here since August, so that’s only 10 months (according to the counting I just did on my hands) and I’m back on the move again?

Fuck it. This is it. We’re going to love this place and stay there forever (for some reason I just started singing Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” as I was typing that last part, and baseball fans will enjoy this version of the video) and be happy.

It’s a nice 2-bedroom house in East Atlanta Village, about 10 minutes from the zoo and Turner Field. It’s probably 15-20 minutes from downtown and work (depending on highway traffic, will save 10 minutes off my short 30-minute commute currently) and is in a “transitional” area, meaning hopefully we won’t get broken into but it’s better than other places. And it’s near some great bars and food places, and if I wanted to, I could walk to my new tattoo shop (which I have an appointment with Malia in June and I’m excited).

Damn. So anyway, now today I have to start packing since we’re moving in less than two weeks before I hit the road again for work.

And now you can bitch about me just making excuses about not writing future blogs. That’s fine. Begin.