- The Village Chronicles -

In August of 2006, Benjamin Dean Box made the trek up I35 and moved into an unsuspecting Village apartment with Kendal Scott Haug...the city of Dallas will never be the same. All stories recounted here are intended for the purpose of documenting history, are written with journalistic integrity (they are accurate), and may be retold and/or embellished at the reader's wishes.

F@#K!

Apparently, listening to live concerts that have a high probability of shouting out certain four-letter words while working for a fine establishment such as Bible.org without the safety of headphones is a bad idea. At least that is my experience.

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posted by Kendal @ 9:34 AM, ,




Co-workers Analysis

[This is a post that I didn't keep up, because I was worried that the blog had been discovered. I am not too worried about that anymore so here it is. Also, my updates are in italics.]

We had a potluck Thanksgiving feast at work a couple weeks ago, and when we all got together in the same room I realized how strong and awesome our team is out here at the Baylor All Saints campus in Fort Worth. I then began to do a complete breakdown analysis of each character I work with, and after the party I tried to record some of my thoughts to share with you all...

--The main project isn’t exactly on schedule, and I may have been over-confident in our “team”.

(I was still a little worn out from baking the ham so for this party I decided to bring some of the cookies that Kendal’s Mom made for Erica’s wedding. She makes some of the best cookies I have ever tasted so I didn’t see this being a problem, but after struggling to fit them all in my left saddle-bag and after an hour long ride to work, they were all smushed and crumbled when I brought them in to share with everyone. This worked out better than I had planned because nobody else touched them during the feast. I ended up taking them all back to my office and am still enjoying them.)

--Since writing this, the motorcycle has sort of been sold, and the cookies are gone.

Chris (PM)- My immediate boss, Chris is the Joey LoSurdo of MEDCO. He is goofy in every sense of the word (just look at the picture). He is also the smartest guy in the room at all times. Probably has never lost an argument and loves explaining to the contractors, very politely, why they are always wrong. Chris, like Joey, is extremely skilled in the art of annoying people. He is a huge instigator that will do whatever it takes to get a reaction out of you.

--About a month after writing this, Chris took a job in Albuquerque. They tried to replace him out here with another PA, but after about a month he took a better paying job as well (thanks Nate).

Justin (PA)- Justin played baseball for TCU for a couple years after getting kicked off of the OU football team. He has had several run-ins with the law in his past including: 2 DWI’s, a breaking and entering, and a felony assault charge that he thinks has been taken care of. I don’t ask too many questions. I don’t think MEDCO knows anything about his criminal past, because Justin told me “MEDCO doesn’t know anything about my criminal past”. Last week he had to meet with his lawyers in Oklahoma, and he told our bosses that he was the best man in a shotgun wedding.

--Turns out, Justin made it on Sports Center when he was heavily involved in a brawl that lead to him getting kicked off the football team and several of the above charges. Justin has cleaned up his act and is doing well these days.

David (Senior PM)- David is similar to my friend Nick Carlson because they are both die-hard Aggies. This is good because we have this common ground to discuss every morning, but it’s also not great because of my lack of enthusiasm toward the ags, which he just doesn’t understand. Literally every time he introduces me to somebody he proudly states that I went to A&M, and then as if he is real disappointed in me he tells them “but he doesn’t have the ring”.

--David announced a couple weeks ago that he is leaving for a job in Tennessee at the end of the month.

Jeff (PM)- Jeff is another PM and probably my favorite coworker. He is from California, has about 4 regular degrees and a couple masters, is married to a doctor, loves taking me out to nice restaurants for lunch and giving me good Mav’s tickets. He seems to only show up to work an average of 4 days a week, and when he does come he is always at least an hour late.

--Jeff’s last day was Friday, and I’m not happy about it. His wife got a nice baby-delivering job out in Colorado, and so naturally he is following her out there. They just had a kid and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a house-dad.

Jerry (Safety Guy)- Jerry loves his job, which is good, because everyone else hates his job/him. His whole job description is based upon finding problems and unsafe conditions on site. This is a constant problem for everyone else because it is part of our job to make sure these “unsafe situations” don’t happen. I like him and am glad he is here because it makes for really entertaining meetings.

--This is about to be you, Farmer.

Madison (PM)- Madison is a really friendly Shane Farmer, not that Shane isn’t friendly. Madison works out with weights in the morning (from 5-6) and then does cardio in the evening (from 6-7 “or later”). He is an Iron Man and has the stickers on his truck to prove it.

--Madison’s friendliness has become annoying.

Herman (Superintendent)- Herman is absolutely nuts. He has an endless supply of ridiculous stories that I would never believe if he didn’t tell them so well. He is about 65 years old and knows more than anybody else about construction, but the very least about how to communicate with others. His way of dealing with people is simply amazing.

--I also have never seen anybody pout like Herman, ok maybe Tim Siek, or J Haug in the van on the way to Mexico.

The picture to the right is of Justin and Herman in Justin's office by the wall that I painted after UT beat OU. He wasn't real happy about this.

Donny (Superintendent)- “Go With The Flow Donny” is way too old to still be working; he has got to be about 80. Donny got his nickname because in most conversations where not everyone agrees with each other immediately, he will say “I really don’t care I’m just go with the flow Donny”, but actually he doesn’t go with the flow at all and is easily flustered. For this reason, along with being a classic slow-talker, and because of the general pace that he moves around at, I am of course reminded of Big B.

Rachel and Paulina (Receptionists)- They sit around, talk to each other, talk on the phone, and play on the internet.

Jodie (PM)- Jodie finished a job in Dallas and was moved out here a couple weeks ago to take over Jeff’s jobs. He is pretty laid back and will fit in nicely.

Jarod (PA)- Jarod was a new hire a couple months ago. He is a recent grad out of the powerhouse that is Louisiana Monroe. He loves to kayak and is real loud.

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posted by benbox @ 9:32 AM, ,




I Pissed It All Away at the Track

Big B came up to Big D this past weekend for some equine fun, and I think it fair to say he was not disappointed. After a good hearty breakfast to start the Saturday off right, we began to prepare for our outing, which is aptly described as "fun for the whole family" (what isn't these days). As with any good outing, costumes were mandatory. And after printing out some insider info on each race from "Rick's Picks," The Box, B, and I headed off to Lonestar Park to see what this whole horse racing thing was about. We arrived at the track just in time for the second race...

For whatever reason, the people we met at the track thought that we were experts in the ways of horse racing. It probably had something to do with The Box's all-access pass from the casinos that he had draped around his neck. We received such comments as, "nice look!", "now that's what I'm talking about!", "can you guys teach me how to win some money?", and "wow, did you guys lose a bet!?" I found the citizens at the track to be quite uplifting.

Big B was eager to jump in on the action and he quickly placed a bet on the first race for a horse to show (get in the top 3), a bet which we would later find out was laughable to "the regulars". However, B won that first action, a bet that netted him a quarter. "You have to start somewhere", I encouraged him, and "A sign of things to come", The Box chimed in.

Having sat out the first race to get our bearings, the Box and I were feeling ready and prepared to make a killing on the second race. It didn't work out for me...

However, The Box had apparently guessed right, actually he guessed the first 3 horses right, which as he understandably figured should reap him some serious green. He was elated...

Needless to say, he was more than a little disappointed to find out that he had actually ended up losing money from his winning ticket. It turns out that The Box had not communicated clearly enough to Glen (the clerk) what he had wanted to bet on. "That's just the way it goes at the track sometimes, " reasoned Glen. After a 20 minute calm-and-collected verbal exchange between Glen and The Box, Scott, a regular at the track, stepped in to help ease the tension. Scott and The Box quickly became friends and Scott began to impart all of his years of knowledge onto The Box. A short run-down spilled over into Scott joining us at our table with his notepad, tutoring us on the ways of the $1 Trifecta, the Quinella, and the ever-rewarding Superfecta-Box. We were now ready to take on the system.

Busted bet after busted bet led us to realize that Scott had failed to mention that we were probably going to lose anyways. I was able to place one bet that netted me $20 and helped me avoid a total collapse at the track like my fellow companions. Combined we were down a decent amount, but there was one last race, one last chance at redemption, one last opportunity to cash in on the glory. We placed our bets, gathered at the finish line, and watched on with anticipation...

As the race wore on and the horses came down the stretch we needed the number 2 horse (Upstream) to eek out a victory and all would be restored. It came down to Upstream making a late push on the number 4 horse at the wire. After a photo finish and much hand-wringing, we had come up an inch short. Oh the torture! We left a little battered...


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posted by Kendal @ 9:44 AM, ,




Death of Depew

It was a sad night in Austin a couple weekends ago when I went down for the “Death of Depew, Celebration of Life” funeral and party. The Depew house has played a vital role in the development and maturation process of many gentlemen and I am disappointed to see this era come to an end. I’d say it ended in good fashion though with a large and interesting group that came to say their goodbyes to the house. Some of us even made it over to the infamous bloody paved pool down the street for some swimming.




In other news, while I was down there Drew, Dusan and I stopped by the Arthouse which is where Meg works. For several years we have made an appearance over there for the new art openings. It is always an excellent- Austin style good time with free drinks and snacks and a good DJ running the music. The best part though is obviously getting to see the new art that has come in and how ridiculous some of it is.
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Here are a couple examples, don’t be offended:

This is from the latest show, and if you look closely you can see that this bridge doesn't lead to a very happy place.

This one is from a couple years ago, and its a little easier to see what is going on.

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posted by benbox @ 10:47 AM, ,




The Authors

Kendal Haug

Kendal is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin and most recently earned his Masters in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He works for Bible.org and likes to think he knows how to play the guitar. His man-crushes include, but are not limited to: Ryan Adams, Donald Miller, Ray LaMontagne, Neil Young, Vince Young, and of course The Box.

Ben Box

Box, is a recent graduate of Texas A&M University and currently works for Medco Construction building hospitals and being important. Ben loves paying lots of money on broken down Jeeps and has a propensity for getting Kendal into trouble.

About This Blog

This is a multi-author blog devoted to the happenings of two bachelors living it up in Big D. We will record the daily nonsense that occurs when 2 life-long friends live together in the same apartment and have no shame, sense of fashion, or chance of meeting a girl in the next 10 years.

A Word on Comments

Ben and Kendal both highly encourage your comments. They look forward to hearing your thoughts and insights. No matter how harsh the criticism or if you just want to give them a good ole pat on the back and say "Way to Go!" or "Ha! That was a funny story!" or "That Ben sure does crack me up." And if you have a request of something you would like to see Ben and Kendal do or write about, let them know.

Disclaimer

Ben and Kendal are in no way responsible for stories that may worry, upset, or lead their parents to altogether disown them.

Contact Us

Kendal can be reached here
Ben can be reached here

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