babies, swimming, another loss, more crazy people

Two posts on the same day? Well, I've got time and a lot to say - and this one is a bit more like my usual posts. Random stuff and my thoughts on the world around me. Here we go...

We got pictures of the new babies that our friends had though their surrogate - they look, as most babies do, adorable. I'm thinking about making an origami mobile for them - maybe something with fish since their new dad likes fish and aquariums quite a bit.

On Friday, I hit the still very cold and surprisingly busy pool for a swim - and made it to a 1/2 mile. I've done this once before - but not during my regular lunch time. I was pretty tired when I finished up, but I made it through. And then I had to face a cold shower since the facility was, once again, without hot water. Irksome - and itchy since I couldn't get the chlorine off of me during my brief rinse off.

One of my co-workers got some bad news this past week - one of his his good friends died suddenly. The service, and tribute concert for the former musician, was yesterday. My co-worker and I talked about this a bit - he hasn't experienced much death and I don't know if anything I said did any good. I'm hoping the service and the concert helps him deal with things a bit.

I've found myself dealing with more crazy people recently - and for a while I almost started to get used to them. I was, for a short while, finding myself on their wavelength - i.e. they almost started to make sense. Thankfully, I'm back on track and I'm annoyed by them again. So much so that I wanted to have a rubber stamp made with the word "CRAZY" on it. I could then walk around and label people on their foreheads as a warning to others. Sort of like a mission - though I suspect I would quickly run out of ink.

I guess that's it for now... I'll try to update more frequently...

life, death, and atoms

I haven't blogged in a while. There, I said it. A lot has been happening, but it was too much to try and put into text. It always ends up as a summary and some essential element gets lost.

So, this wave of things began a few weeks ago, when my room-mate found out that his dad had taken some bad falls and was in the hospital. He got checked out and they found that he had cancer in his lungs and it had spread to his brain. The prognosis wasn't good and he started to fade fast.

At the same time, two of our friends told from Columbus were expected twins though a surrogate that lived near us. As it got closer to the time for the delivery, we invited them to stay with us so they wouldn't have to make the long drive.

My room-mate is still recovering from his nose surgery at this point and I'm pretty much doing just what I do - stay out of the way and try to help everyone. It works, mostly.

The babies came first - a few false alarms and then the new parents went to the hospital for the c-section. With the four of them headed back to Columbus, we could focus on my room-mate's dad.

The poor guy was hurting, he stopped eating, and then swiftly faded mentally. His family decided to take him home and just before Memorial day weekend, he finally stopped fighting and let go. It was swift, as these things go, but it also took forever.

My room-mate was there when his dad passed away and I headed there as well not long after, with my new suit and some origami flowers, for the funeral.

The visitation hit me the hardest - just couldn't seem to wrap my head around the idea that his great story-teller had no more stories to tell. At least, none that we could hear.

One of my last projects at work before I left for that weekend was to work on a commencement speech for the university president. My small task it to take the word doc format and turn it into a web page. Most of these don't mean much to me - but this time the speech really struck me and I ended up buying the book it referenced that evening and reading it over the weekend.

The speech is here - but the section that really hit me (and it hit my room-mate as well when I shared it with him) is as follows:

"The bad news is that atoms are fickle and their time of devotion is fleeting – fleeting indeed. Even a long human life adds up to only about 650,000 hours. And when that modest milestone flashes past, or at some other point thereabouts, for reasons unknown your atoms will shut you down, silently disassemble, and go off to be other things. And that's it for you."
(Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, 2003)

My room-mate wanted me to read this at the service - but due to some massive internal strife among his siblings, I didn't get the chance.

And that part, the conflicts they are having, is the saddest bit of all. So much anger, resentment, and petty squabbling - it was terrible to watch. At a time when the family should be pulling together in their grief, they are tearing themselves apart.

I tried to stay out of it - quietly reciting the mantra of my #1 rule - "Don't (mess) with crazy people,". And I relegated myself to the "reaching of things high up" and "lifting of things that are heavy" rolls - the real problems were not things that I could fix.

So, we wrapping things up with a service on a beautiful sun-shining day. And I went back to my life - wondering about my own atoms and what they'll be when I'm gone.

...

flowers, visit, 17.28, wal-mart. movie

I'm sitting at home here on a Sunday afternoon - indoors. I was outside for a while, but after some massive sunburns in the past, I've learned my lesson and get my sunshine in small doses. And even though I'm inside, I can still smell the flowers through my open window. Better than any air freshener.

I visited my parents for Mother's day recently - had a nice time. Pretty low-key, sometimes that's the best way. We did a little yard work and took a trip to Walmart - otherwise, we just kinda hung out. My mom had a book on getting rid of clutter - after reading a few chapters I went and cleaned out my car.

Worked on a new origami project this weekend. Took apart some old diskettes and glued them to some paper. 12 sheets later and I had an origami model done. I'm not as pleased at the connections, but it is the most potentially intelligent model I've done. At 1.44 mb each (I didn't un-format them), the total memory for this project is about 17.28 mb.

I took a trip of my own to the local wal-mart - and suffered the consequence. First up, the lines were long enough that I was prompted to go to the self check-out. And the first item I tried to ring up scanned twice. So, I tried to void it out and had to wait for the clerk to clear it. Which she eventually did once she got back to her post. Not that she came over to check on things, mind you. I had a little trouble getting the DVD security to deactivate, but thought I got it. A quick debit card swipe and I was bagged and out of there - only to set off the alarm at the exit. I stopped and the guy at the door glanced in my bag, saw the CD storage case and asked if it was a camera. I replied that it was a cd storage case and he asked if I had a CD in there - i.e. was I shoplifting? I put a little tone in my voice and told him it was empty. Instead of checking my store or the rest of my bag or even looking at the receipt in my hand - he sent me on my way. Once again, the crack security at Wal-mart prevails. Now, I'd sooner gnaw off my own arm rather than shop-lift, but apparently I know how to do it now.

I watched a time travel movie with Denzel Washington last night called Deja Vu - which I think I may have seen before. (kidding!) It was a good flick - almost too intense. I had to stop watching a few times and let my brain cool down.

Guess that's about it for now. later...

the car

The wookie and the monkey have a new ride:




Get your children off the streets - they've been watching "The Transporter"

zombies, swimming

I had a dream the other night that I was being over-run by zombies. Which is, unfortunately, nothing new in my dreaming world. This time, I had a solution. I had found a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in which the monster is brought to life with lightning AND a Latin incantation. So, I theorized that applying this "life-giving" combination to the already undead would make them human again. I woke up before I had a chance to try it out, but I was so excited that I lay there until I fell back asleep so I could try it out. It worked like a charm. We sprayed the zombies with water, then one of the other survivors hit the with electricity while I said the incantation. The zombies, normally unaffected by the electricity, fell over and became human again. Those that were too far gone died all the way at that moment, a few had to be put down to end their suffering, but a large number were still "fresh" enough to survive. I woke up again feeling quite chipper - which is a change from the after-effects of most of my zombie dreams.

I went swimming recently and got a surprise, they had re-configured the lanes. Instead of 25 yards, it was now 50 meters. Needless to say, I was freaking tired when I got done. Turns out I was actually close to 1/2 mile - only one long lap away.

So, I resolved that the next time I swam, I was going to go a full 1/2 mile. The pool was still configured the long way and I knew I needed to go 8 laps. About a 1/4 of the way through my last lap, I noticed some people standing by the side of the pool. I swam over to them and told them that when I came back through past them, I would have a 1/2 mile. I asked if they wouldn't mind cheering a bit for me. They laughed and agreed to cheer me on.

As I came past them again, heading for the finish line, they started clapping and cheering. I gave them a wave of thanks and same to the end of the pool. I got out and thanked them as I walked past - they congradulated me. So, I recruited my own little cheering section and it worked out well.

The lanes have been put back and I've gone back to swimming less than a 1/2 mile - mainly because I'm not fast enough yet to get the laps done in the time I have. I'm getting faster and I should be able to that distance during my regular lunch hour.

That's about it for now... later...

sushi update, hospital, fable, origami

The sushi was, as I expected, excellent. The whole webteam ended up doing and we had a good time. One of my co-workers and I tried to "out-wasabi" each other. It was very intense, but fun.

I took a couple of days off last week to help out my room-mate with some surgery he was having. He was in a minor car accident last December (almost hit some deer on Christmas Eve and hit a telephone pole instead) - so he was having surgery to fix his damaged nose. I did the driving and the waiting around, which was fair since he helped me out during the Great Migraine of 2007 (tm).

I waited around with my container of paper and did a bunch of folding for most of the time I was there. And I had some snacks. A few people commented on the origami, but I was mostly by myself when I finished things up so I didn't give any away - though I did leave them behind when I went to the recovery area.

My room-mate was in bad shape and still pretty well drugged up. He kept falling asleep, then snoring and waking himself back up. This in the span of a few seconds - over and over again.

The doctor released him a bit later and I took him back the next day to get the packing out. Apparently that was a difficult experience as well. I got a call at home, work related - but I was able to get it sorted out without having to go in, so that worked out okay.

The rest of the weekend has mostly just been about hanging around and picking things for my room-mate since he's not allowed to do anything intensive or bend over.

I've spent a lot of time playing fable on the computer and it's increasingly odd. I got the hero all pumped up and fierce with a sword - and so beat the game without too much difficulty. Since it's an expansion, there was more to do after that, but not too challenging. Even destroying the dragon wasn't too tough.

Once throughly beaten, I restarted the game with the intention of creating an evil character. It's strangely unsatisfying. I'm not skillful or strong enough to get away with things so my Evil is pretty minor at this point. But no one likes me, no one at all. And since most of the quests are about saving people or doing good deeds it feels a little false to rescue someone and then slaughter a village. I'm going to try and see if I can get my characters appearance to change in response to being evil (he's supposed to grow horns), but I'm not sure I'll even last that long.

I guess that's reassuring, that I'm not good at or enjoy being evil. Even in a game, I'm having a real difficult time not following the rules.

In the real world, I acquired some cool origami paper and I'm going to do some more work with the PHiZZ unit - and you can make some really huge objects with that.


Guess that's about it for now... I've got more on my mind, but it's beyond the scope of today's entry. later...

blood, jacket, fable, sushi

I went and gave blood yesterday and though I had an appointment, things still didn't really go smoothly. No one really wanted to jump in front of someone else that had walked in just because they had an appointment. It was a little awkward. Also, I had a trainee taking my blood. She was a little nervous, but did okay. The idiot in the chair next to me kept asking stupid questions and had a trainee that did not do a great job. Karma, I guess.

Anyway, I thought it was weird that a known "busy" location would have two trainees, a supervisor, and only one regular person taking the blood. Slowed things down quite a bit. The actual process was pretty easy, I usually don't have much trouble.

And I got a nifty cool jacket out of the deal - I wore it to work today.

Played fable last night, beat the arena and spared by rival (thus earning a pile of respect) and then overthrew the mayor of Bowertown after talking to her sister's ghost and learning the Terrible Truth. It was exhausting. :)

I'm headed for Sushi today with the rest of the webteam. Should be fun.

Well, got a bit of work to do before we leave, better crank up the Britney Spears and get back to it. :) later...

walmart, fable, party

There's a walmart near where I live. And I've been in walmarts that one might, if one were so inclined, consider slightly upscale. This is not one of them. I'm not going to talk about the cleanliness of the store, nor the various insanities and domestic issues that the patrons had. In fact, my concern this time isn't really for walmat at all - it's merely a vehicle for the behavior that places me in the crushing grip of rage that knows no bounds.

And that is: PEOPLE WILL NOT GET OUT OF MY F*#&ING WAY!


Every single aisle, filled to overflowing with mindless zombies wielding shopping carts designed to block the way at every turn. All I want are some snacks and a DVD - and just navigating through the store nearly did me in.

So, what to do about?

1. Change the traffic patterns so people don't have to cross a high traffic parking area to get to the store. Either make it more dangerous so that the clueless people get killed off before they can get in the store, or safer so that everyone is more relaxed and in a better mood upon entering. As it is now, it's just annoying.

2. Put some arrows on the floor. People will follow directions if they are given. A simple set of arrows in an aisle will help split up the flow of traffic in the store and create order.

3. The self-checkout can be helpful if you are only getting a few items, unless you get stuck behind a moron buying 20 pieces of crap, including items that have to be verified by a clerk, and then they insisted on paying for their purchases with crumpled bills that the scanner can't read! My solution is to have a simple IQ test before entering the self checkout area - something along the lines of a rat and a food pellet. If you fail the test, you get sent over to the regular checkout where a highly trained CSR will be happy to help you.

4. A computer controlled, voice activated, death ray. If someone near you says excuse me and you do not immediately say, "Oh, I'm sorry" and move out of the way, a laser mounted on the ceiling will fire a warning shot at you, just enough to give you a bad sun-burn. A second offense, and you're incinerated.

I don't know if that will solve all the problems, but we have to start somewhere.

In other news...

I played a kick-ass game this weekend called "Fable". You start as a generic hero who's actions influence his visual look, how townspeople react and how abilities advance. It's visually impressive with some cool RPG elements. And it's really well written as well. My character was walking along when a villager ran up and told me his wife was in danger and trapped by a Balverine. (think badger and were-wolf, and then piss it off). So, I ran after him and then got ambushed by about 20 bandits who were really pissed off that I had humiliated their leader a while back. I dispatched them, then caught up with the guy that had set me up. He apoligised and gave me a sack of gold as thanks for not kicking his sorry ass. It was really clever - I got duped just as a "real" hero might have.

Also over the weekend, I went to a party with some friends. We hung out for a bit and then played a round of Scene It - the music edition. I'm not as good with music trivia and it took most of the game to get out of the starting gate. However, I'm really good at the visual puzzles and that - along with some good rolls of the dice, catapulted me around the board and into the winner's circle. I was congradulated, but I don't think there was a lot of emotion behind it. Well, there were emotions- just not good ones. It didn't help that I gloated a bit.

So, that's it for now. Time to get back to work...

AT&T, nightmare, church, weekend

So, I got a bill from AT&T last night. A Final Bill Revised. That alone was enough to annoy me. I've had some issues with AT&T in the past - once they delayed connecting my long distance call to give me a brief commercial - and they got an angry email from me about that. This time, though, was after I'd already canceled my service. I got a Final Bill, paid it, then got a collection notice a few days later. I called and they said the notice went out before they got my check - and that I now has a zero balance. So, the Final Bill Revised - with a charge of $.32 - was really annoying. I called and found out they had a "billing error" and that the charge would be removed. I asked that they send me a paid in full notice for my records and they said they would.

What I don't get is why I'm still in the system. I canceled my service, paid my final bill, and had a zero balance. Should be case, and account, closed. So, I'll wait for my letter and see what happens.

I had a bad dream last night - actually several, but only one really sticks out. Or in, as the case may be. In the dream, I discovered that I'd - at some point - laid down on a bunch of upholstery tacks. These are like thumb tacks, except longer and with a spiral screw-type shape. I didn't just get poked, they were screwed into my back by my own weight when I lay on them. I didn't notice them until I looked in a mirror and saw what they were and noticed the infection. So, I spent the rest of the dream trying to find someone to help me unscrew them and pull them out. Each person I would find would pull one out, but then get freaked and refuse to do any more. And I had dozens of them in my back - some so deep the infected skin was starting to cover them. Not much pain as I remember, but scary - especially since I couldn't reach them.

Which is actually a little odd since I'm limber enough to reach all of my back. I still had a lot of tacks in my back when I woke up - it was damn odd.

Over the past weekend, I went to visit my folks, my sister and my brother-in-law for Easter. We hung out, watched some movies, and went to a couple of church services. Not really my cup of tea (normally, green tea with mango) - but it was okay.

One of the movies we watched was I, Robot - which I've seen and I enjoyed - but one bit really stuck with me. The head engineering says this about robot evolution:

"When does a perceptual schematic become consciousness? When does a difference engine become the search for truth? When does a personality simulation become the bitter mote... of a soul? "


Heavy stuff. Well, that's about it for now, time to get back to work...

haircut, windchime

I did some running around yesterday - first to the DMV for an address change. I went the "Fill out the form and send it in for free" rather than the pay $19.50 to do it there. I missed my turn pulling into the place and ended up in some fairly not good parts of Akron. Had to use the "fundamental interconnectedness of things" method of navigation - find someone who looks like they know where they are going and follow them. As before, worked like a charm and I was back on track in no time.

I also went and bought a windchime stand which might end up annoying the neighbors. The windchime, not the stand - although it's a contributing factor.

Then, time for a haircut. And considering how indecisive I was, it's a wonder I didn't come out of there with a frosted tipped mohawk. Really unlike me, but luckily the stylist was indecisive as well and we muddled about until I just ended up with shorter hair.

That's about it for now... back to work...

work, sunshine, books, pecos bill

Work has been really busy recently - mostly surveys and survey software demos. I think I'm keeping up with it all, but seems like we keep getting wave after wave of small changes. Hey, job security.

We've also got to sign the same conflict of interest form we sign every year. Last time, I tried to get it turned into an electronic document - with no success. I'd really like to just check a box somewhere that says, "it's still the same as last year" - but we can't do that either. It's such a waste of time and paper.

The weather has been excellent recently and I've spent some time outside enjoying it after work. Did some reading - including a couple of zombie novels and the really excellent Daywatch book - sequel to Nightwatch, naturally. I'm looking forward to some backyard soccer and Frisbee.

A couple weeks ago, my sister and brother in law called me as I was headed off to bed. They were trying to remember lyrics/storylines to Pecos Bill and Big Bad John, respectively. So, I fired up my high-speed internet and looked them up. And then, read/sang them aloud.
That was pretty much the conversation, so we all said good-night and went to sleep.

Not too much else going on - except that I'm swimming 12 laps now without too much trouble. I think I need to stick with that for a while until I increase my speed.

That's it for now... back to work...

random updates

The doctor visit went fine... some highlights:

The preliminary checks were done by a young woman who turned out to be pre-med. She asked where I worked and I told her "The University of Akron, webteam." Then I paused and continued, "I'm a geek". She responded cheerfully that, "I'm a geek too - I'm pre-med at UA"

I was a little puzzled by her jumping of the logic tracks, but I went along with it.

The doctor didn't recognize from my last trip there - "That was you?" he exclaimed. He verified that my symptoms were consistent with a bad migraine and gave me a prescription. He said his nurse would help me with a referral for an oral surgeon for my TMJ - though I haven't heard back from them yet.

I couldn't find my insurance card, but it was okay at the doctor's office. However, when I went to get the prescription filled, they insisted on having it. Which is dumb - they could have looked me up based on my last name - there's only three of us in the state. Nope - so, I had to waste a trip back there to get the over priced drugs. Which I'm only supposed to take if my head starts to get really bad.

I've had a couple migraines since then, including one that ran and hid in the presence of motrin, then came back later on the other side of my head. And my jaw is still not quite right.

But, on the positive side of things - I'm swimming even better than before. The boss was gone for the day recently and I took a little longer lunch and did 12 laps. Felt pretty good afterward.

Read some kick-ass zombie books that didn't give me nightmares - then read the book DayWatch - which did mess up my sleep. And it wasn't even as scary.

I beat the game "God of War2" - and was a little disappointed in the ending. It was too much of a set up for GoW3. Sort of like the ending to Pirates of the Caribbean (sp?) - 2. The movie was totally a set up for 3.

Working on a project at home for a big box for my cranes - plexiglass is the name of the game.

Work is busy - but I'm getting a lot accomplished.

I guess there's more stuff to talk about, but I need to get back to it. I'm going to try and get back into the habit of blogging. I think it's good for me.

back to work...

notes and a trip to the doctor

I asked my room-mate to write up some notes on the migraine day, which I've then added to so that I have a better picture of what happened. I've got a doctor's appointment this morning - I'm hoping to get a bit more clarity on what happened to me. Also got some TMJ issues going on and I think I've got a wisdom tooth coming in. Yeah, I'm a mess.

Got a bit for work to do before the appointment - better get back to it...

the purple dude photos

Got some photos of the purple dude:

http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/purple2.html

Busy day today, better get back to it....

music, jaw, work

Heard a cool song this morning on the radio and I found it again on youtube - been listening to it most of the day. The singer is Regina Spektor and the song is "Fidelity". Great little song, the video is pretty nice too.

My Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder (or TMJ) has flared up again today. I yawned this morning and I felt things shift - and not shift back. Which is troubling and not a little painful. I've tried to force it back into place without much luck - I'll try and ice it up later and give it another go later. Until then, minimize talking and eating.

Work has been very busy recently, not sure what's up with that. I think we've finally got enough people that we can do more than just damage control - except that we still have to do the damage control too.

Anyway, that's it for now, back to work...

giant paper, bills, deposit, desk, games

I was in a meeting a while back with the Student Life office and, as I'm known to do, I folded a small person out of paper during the meeting. Though I try to be subtle and do it mainly because I'm a little bored, they were still impressed. They made mention of some banner paper they have and offered to give me some. On Friday, I decided to take them up on it. I got three sheets of about 9 ft by 3 ft of bright purple banner paper.

After work, I took over the conference room and taped the paper together. That, along with measuring and cutting down to an 8 ft by 8 inch square took me about an hour. Another 2 hours later and I'd folded it into about a 6 foot all purple person.

Why would I do it? Because I could. He won't stand up on his own - unlike his more reasonably sized bretheren - and I think I folded the waist wrong, but I'm still pleased at the result. No idea what to do with him - I guess I'll figure that out soon enough. I'll try and get pictures one of these days.

Finally got some bills for the "great migraine of 2007". The bill - which was labeled "not a bill" from the doctor's office came to $15.00 Sort of. The math was way funky on it and the final total of the co-pay is anyone's guess.

The hospital bill was quite clear. And insane. A person could take the amount I was charged for my one night stay in "hotel del wake-you-up-every-two-hours" and purchase a car. Not my car, mind you - a nicer car. With power everything and cruise control. And perhaps, a sun roof.

I'm not going to dwell on what the number actually was since this was billed to insurance and I'm not sure how much the final bill will be - but it was still insane.

Two things that do stand out:

1. Speech Pathology. This lady came into my room on Friday morning to check to see if I could swallow and speak. Valid concerns, to be sure. She fed me a variety of cold substances and placed her hand on my throat (which I despise) to check the swallowing function. She then had me read from a card - which I also did without a problem. All fine and/or dandy. Except...

The night before, they also had me read from the same card and gave me a swallow test before I had some of the most completely horrible food on the planet. I also ate again the next morning before the speech pathology lady showed up. And her final diagnosis was that I didn't need her help. I was still charged over $400 for her services.

2. The MRI. It's a really big and noisy machine. Wildly uncomfortable. And, apparently, really expensive to run. I think it was around $1200 for that session. I get that it's expensive for the hospital and they need to re-coop the costs. But, holy crap, I didn't want to buy the damn thing all by myself! I mean, if I'd known it was like that, I would have gone home and used the really strong magnets off of my fridge.

And, incidentally, I was asked what kind of music I would want to hear. I requested "Contemporary. Top 40's. No country." What do I get? It starts off with country since that was what the last wanker was listening to. Then it switches over to top 40's - from the 1940's. For that kind of money, you get Brittany Spears to come over and sing live for me. It's not like she's doing anything now except waiting for her hair to grow back out.

So, I'm cranky about the bills and waiting for the final total.

In "money coming in news" - I got the deposit back from my previous apartment. And for the full amount - which surprised me a bit since my former room-mate had done some serious damage that was beyond my capacity to fix. So, that will go in the bank and wait quietly to be blown away by my hospital bills.

My room-mate and I bought a desk over the week-end and I put it together on Saturday. It was one of those sauder ones that usually go together like legos, but this one was a bit more complicated. Still, it wasn't too bad and it looks nice, so I think it was worth the money and effort.

I also played some games this weekend - but did not really enjoy them. Kingdom Hearts 2 - a timed boss battle. Those are freaking evil. Took me 4 tries to wipe out his minions in the time allotted, then nearly had him destroyed before he threw out more minions and this time I didn't finish them in time. So sorry, start over. So, I leveled up a bit and tried it again. And did worse. So, I switched to the computer and played Fate for a bit. Then I died and was teleported up three levels, but had to leave my gold behind. Then I fought my way back down and couldn't get past a box on the floor that was blocking the path to where I'd left the money. So, I skipped it and went down another level, where the game promptly crashed. Nice...

Switched over to a Myst-style puzzle game - wandered around a freakin cave writing down numbers for the puzzles. Except, I can't seem to pick up any items for my inventory and I had to go online and look at a walk-thru to find that I could even flip over the blurry photos to see they had fragments of words written on them.

So, I turned off the computer and went to go read a book.

And now it's time to get back to work...

bananas

Last night, I dreamed I was working as a volunteer at a zoo. My job was to patrol the monkey enclosure and in this case to try and a coax a little girl out of the fenced in area, where she had snuck in - after convincing herself that she was a monkey. I was hunkered down near the opening, eating a banana, trying to lure her out - since monkeys like bananas, it seemed like a good plan. I also had to keep the other monkeys distracted so they didn't come after my bananas or attack the girl.

I woke up before I got her out of the monkey pen, but I'm pretty sure I was making progress. I got up to go to the bathroom and realized that I was still tasting bananas. Now, it's slightly possible that I sleepwalked downstairs and ate a real banana in the grip of my monkey dream - but the taste faded out far too quickly to have been real bananas.

It was pretty freaky.

Not much else going on this morning - so, back to work...

headache, swim counter, sister, movie

Had a minor blip on the migraine radar last evening - not sure if it was the real deal, but I took some motrin and slept for a couple hours. It's mostly gone, but there are still shadows of a headache lurking behind my eye. I'm a little reluctant to go back to the doctor - short of drilling a hole in my head I'm not sure what other kinds of tests they could do to tell me that, "no, it really wasn't a stroke and yes, it was a migraine,"

My swim counter worked great on Monday, I'm looking forward to hitting the water again today. I'm getting faster and stronger and I'm feeling a little less obliterated after my workouts each time - which is a good thing. I had half-way planned on lifting weights last night as well, but the blip put a damper on that one.

I traded a couple of emails with my aunt recently, she was asking me about the Great Migraine of 2007. Got me thinking back over that time period and one thing kind of jumped out at me...

I think I wrote before that my sister somehow knew something was wrong way before anyone else did - and that she's done that with other people and difficult events as well. But in addition to some Extra-sensory perception she's also got some pretty impressive standard perception. After the big headache hit - while I was recovering, but before the next one hit - my family was visiting. I was still having some speech issues at that point and though I was fighting hard to keep those under control, each time I'd have a glitch my sister noticed it. The rest of the room would be oblivious to that, but I would catch her eye and realize she'd picked up on it.

I've always known she was sharp, but I guess I hadn't given her credit for being as perceptive as she is. And for someone who prides himself on being aware of the world around him, I'm feeling a bit clueless that I hadn't really noticed it, much less commented on it. So, there we go.

In one last bit of news, I watched a 1970's remake of Dracula last night. It was fairly true to the Bram Stoker story, but the "effects" (and I use the term loosely) were really funny. Especially the paper mache bat on a string that kept banging into the windows. :)

Well, that's about it for now... got a busy, meeting filled day ahead of me. Later...

back in the swim, the Prestige, dryer, othello

So, a week since "the migraine of 2007" and I've got my trunks and goggles ready - time to get back in the pool and put another 1/4 mile under my belt - or drawstrings, as it were. Looking forward to it and I'll report again later if I should happen to drown or something.

I had planned on watching The Number 23 over the weekend, but instead watched the DVD of the Prestige instead. Damn good movie - I figured it out partway through and had the cold chills as the rest of the story unfolded. It was crazy good and creepy.

The dryer went out on Sunday - in the middle of a laundry cycle. So, I took it apart and found that the starter switch was loose and burned. I guessed that the switch got stuck in the on position and then burned out. So, we did a little driving around trying to find a place that sold replacement switches - with no luck. So, one last stop at home depot to find a switch that - while not an "official dryer switch" would function the same way. Got it home, installed it - and no luck. Then it occurred to us to check the breaker - which had also been thrown. A quick reset and a button push and the dryer fired right up.

I did a little happy dance. We've still got a switch sticking out the top of the back of the dryer, but it's not a big deal.

I also picked up the game Othello and tried to teach my room-mate. He'd never played before, but was willing to give it a try. I beat him soundly the two games we played - which is understandable since he'd never played before - but on the second game, he didn't have any pieces left and we hadn't filled the board. I'd never seen that happen before and my sister and I used to play this game all the time. Even the rules were a little vague on that point.

Incidentally, the new Othello board is inferior to the old version. The grid is raised and the tiles - which are not as substantial as the old ones - either sort of float awkwardly on the edges or get lodged in the grid. Neither of which is conducive to a high speed title flipped event.

Well, looks like a busy day here - time to get back to work...

the worst headache of my entire life - yeah, it's a fun post

On Thursday morning, I woke up with a headache - or rather, a headache woke me up. It felt like another cluster headache, but since I'd just had one recently, I was worried it was the start of a cycle. Time to get to the doctor. First, though, I had to throw up. A couple of times. It was loud enough to wake my room-mate - who graciously volunteered to take me to the doctor if I could get an appointment in the morning. I called into work and left a message, then called the doctor's office and made an appointment for about 1/2 hour later.

Then began the longest car ride of my life. Instead of getting better after throwing up, I got worse. Much, much worse. I was weeping by the time we finally got to the doctor's office and went downhill from there.

My motor skills shut down and I had no balance or strength. In a few minutes the sensitivity to light had overwhelmed me and I nearly collapsed.

The next time period is... vague. I remember trying to answer questions and follow commands, but even though I thought I understood things, my responses were coming up as gibberish. I apparently got a couple shots in the butt, had a hospital gown put on me, and had a cat scan taken. No memories of those things. I do remember them trying to take my temperature, but I couldn't even follow those simple commands. Apparently, about the only things I said that made sense were the swearing - which I feel really bad about.

Finally, whatever it was, passed. The initial results of the cat scan indicated a stroke - but they gave me some cognition tests that I managed to reboot myself into working through. My head still hurt so bad to lift it up that on one of the tests I leaned forward just enough to see the board, then leaned back and described it from memory.

I had since been transfered from the doctor's office to the hospital in the same building - but they didn't have the facilities to really help me out. So, I got transfered again to another hospital and got stuck in the emergency room for several hours. I wasn't allowed water or food and they took a lot of blood for tests. There were several waves of cognition tests and finally I was taken up to a room. More blood - some really wretched "safe food" after a swallow test - and finally lights out. My room-mate had been on the phone to get everyone in the loop and my co-workers, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law were planning on coming up on Friday. I was awakened every couple of hours for more tests - then in the morning I had an MRI, an EEG, and a vascular ultrasound. I had a surprisingly good late breakfast, then my family arrived along with one of my co-workers. Found out that my sister had awakened not long before I did on Thursday morning and knew something was wrong, but not what. She stayed up and played playstation till she got the news.

The neurologist stopped by in the early afternoon and said that he thought that the initial dianosis of a stroke was wrong since they couldn't find anything. He said it was most likely, "just a migraine". The rest of my co-workers arrived and we talked for a bit. I still had a bit of a headache, but I was in good spirits.

So, with a suggestion that I carry a mega-dose of Motrin with me at all times, I was discharged. My co-workers headed out and my parents followed my room-mate and I back to our place. I got cleaned up and we went out to lunch. We did a little shopping while I tried to gauge my recovery. We had dinner with them before they headed home and I went to bed.

At 4:30 Saturday morning, I woke up again with a headache. I took a couple Motrin and went back to sleep for 6 hours. Then woke up, took 4 more, then slept until evening. Even still, the headache lingered until late in the evening. It was gone this morning, but a coughing spell brought back a trace.

So, not a stroke. Which is good news, especially since I'm only 34. And yet, I find it a little difficult to believe it was just a migraine. I was gone, and I scared a lot of people with my behavior. Looking back, I had all the symptoms of a stroke and chalking up the "mis-read" of the cat scan to improper positioning on the scanner seems a little off.

I'm still a little off - still a little not back in gear with the world. I'm going to try and go to work tomorrow and see how it goes. And I'm going to have flowers sent to the nurse I swore at when the bottom fell out.

It may be the single weirdest time of my life so far. Thanks to everyone who helped me through it and who visited me in the hospital. And especially to my room-mate, who got way more than he bargained for when he volunteered to take me to the doctor's office.

And that's about it for now... later.

1/4 mile, headache, move

I swam a 1/4 mile today at the pool. I think it helped that the rest of the lanes were taken over by a high school swim meet - I was motivated by the people racing past me in the other lanes as well as the screaming crowd. They weren't screaming for me, obviously, but it was still nice. I feel pretty good and I think it was more than a fluke. My next goal will be to do the 1/4 mile non-stop.

I said "headache" in the subject area - but this was a cluster headache. It started out as sun glare, which I later discovered was a trigger, then it turned into that visual incident when you glance at the sun and see spots. Then another, more funky visual distortion, and then the headache kicked in. Wikipedia describes these as the "suicide headaches" - and I can believe it. I thought I was going to be okay, but then the nausea kicked in. So, I left work early and went home to rest. I was better after awhile and was able to fight my way past the pain and finished up the move out from my old apartment. I left the keys there and shut off the lights. Just a tiny bit sad - I'd lived there since 98 after all, but it was a good decision.

So, that's about it for now - time for me to get back to work and save the day. later...

catching up, moving, swimming, work, candid, Kathy Griffin, weekend

It's been a while since I blogged, though it's not for lack of news. Nope, I've just been very busy with work and with home as well.

The biggest news is that I'm moving - or rather, nearly done moving. Got a new place with a garage, and a new room-mate. So, I've been working on moving all my stuff to the new place day by day - though we've made a few trips in a borrowed van as well. It's been tiring and I feel like I've been moving forever, but I think I'm in the home stretch. Just a few more items, then some clean-up and I'll be done. And then I have to start on sorting out the cardboard disaster in the basement - it's been the dumping ground for all the boxes that we don't know what to do with.

I've been keeping up with my swimming, bumping up to 7 laps a couple of times. The other day, the hot water was out in the pool building - which made for a very cold shower. My stamina is improving and I think I'm getting a stronger so once things are settled in my new place I think I may start using the bowflex again.

Work has been busy, doing a lot more with graphics and some programming. Trying to learn more about CSS - I think I may end up redoing my site again in that format.

Along those lines, one of my colleagues looked though my site and said that he was surprised at how candid I was and that I must be pretty secure here. Which struck me as a little odd since I thought I tended to be circumspect and not use names + keeping things a little vague. I think my boss has seen this and since he hasn't said anything about it, I guess I'm in the clear.

Also in work news...I conducted a really good training session yesterday for a student group. Seemed like they understood what I was talking about and they laughed at my jokes - so, it was cool, though my voice started to fade out. I also trained some folks with the board of trustees and got some really nice compliments.

Went and saw Kathy Griffin last night - freaking hillarious. She was on fire from the moment she walked on the stage and didn't let up. Great stories, a lot of swearing, totally funny.

This weekend I'm heading down to visit my folks for my sister's birthday. Should be a fun trip and I'm really looking forward to cake and some time in the hot-tub. Though not at the same time. I've been tired and sore from the cold and the move - and I've already got my suit packed.

Well, that's about it for now - time to get back to work...

deeply cranky, swimming, games, Descent

I'm not sure entirely what triggered it this morning - but I've been cranky since I got to work. Wait, I think I just figured out what started it...

Anyway, I've been cranky all morning. Snarky, even. Biting comments, grumbling, and occasionally growling. It's been a lot of "People insisting on doing things wrong" and "People making things more difficult than they need to be"

So, I figured I should go get a swim and I'd feel better. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work? Well? No, apparently, it isn't. Or I did something wrong 'cause I'm still cranky.

I'll get over it, eventually, but for now I'm thinking of putting up the orange cones in front of my cube as a warning.

So, swam again today - 6 laps. Tired when I got done, but no longer feeling like I might die. Which is a step in the right direction.

Played a game over the weekend called Dungeon Siege. Pretty good, though it's got some quirks. For starters, no teleport option. So, no gathering a bunch of loot and teleporting home to sell it. Nope, you gotta carry all that shit to the next town - however far away that might be. The answer to this is to buy a mule to carry the loot around. So I did. And then poor Midnight got scared during a fight and ran the wrong way. He promptly got beaten unconscious by a pack of trolls. I was really pissed off and set all the trolls on fire. They hate that. So, it was on. Later on I shot an arrow at a box that turned out to be filled with explosives. Mistake. It killed three of my characters instantly. And all their stuff fell on the ground. I revived them and spent the next 20 minutes trying to sort everything out. It was like going to Burger King and getting custom orders for a bunch of people.

"Okay, who had the Granite Great Sword of Bashing? Come on, one of you had to have it,"

"These aren't my gloves! I'm an archer, not a magician,"

"I wanted 2 rings of health and I'm not sharing,"

It was annoying. But, otherwise, a good game. I also beat Onimusha 3 on easy mode. Pretty cool swords and a whole lotta ass kicking.

I also watched Descent this weekend. There were a few "pants-wetting" moments, but once you got used to the pacing of the movie you could tell when they were coming. The ending was a little weak and the characters were a little one-dimensional, but not a bad flick.

So, that's it for now... time to get back to work...

atm, onimushu 3, work

Generally speaking, I like ATMs. Given the frequently unhelpful bank hours, an ATM is a pretty handy thing. Lately, however, they've begun to annoy me.

1. My bank's ATM now prompts for language as the first selection. English or Espanol. Which, considering how I'm never leasurely at an ATM, seems like a wasted step. A better plan would be to have the transaction prompt first, with an extra button at the bottom that refreshes the screen in Spanish should the user choose that prompt.

2. There's an ATM on campus that, even though no one is using it, sits there and quietly talks to itself in a woman's crisp british accent. It's damned creepy.

3. Finally, I was at an ATM yesterday that:

a). prompted me for a language.
b). then asked me if I wanted an account balance. Which, though this isn't my bank and they would charge me a fee, I thought it would be helpful and said yes. It promptly spit out my account balance and then asked if I wanted another transaction.

Wait, what? No, I wanted an account balance WITH my transaction. Why ask that first and make it a separate transaction? Do people just wander around and think, "Hey, I wonder how much money I've got in the bank?" Does that transaction ever just happen on it's own?

So, cranky now, I proceeded to initiate another transaction and withdraw some money for lunch - which it was I was trying to do all along. This time, it gave me the money and spit out even more paper - but without an updated account balance. Wasted a lot of paper on that one. I got my money and left - cash in hand, but still cranky.

I've been playing Onimushu 3 - good game. Ran into some trouble for a while, got better at dodging and blocking - and now I'm kicking some serious ass.

Work... ugh... saving the day - again. Getting tired of this last nano-second crap. Our new programmer is starting on the 29th - still trying to hire a graphics person. Hope they can hit the ground running and help us out.

Well, gotta get back to it...

34, driving, work

I went to visit my parents and my sister last weekend for my birthday. I turned 34 on Saturday - and people keep asking me if I feel older. And I don't - but apparently I look older.

The student assistant working with our group and I were talking on Friday and I mentioned I had shaved off my goatee because it was so gray. He said, "I don't even know how old you are - 40?"

When I reacted with shock, he quickly back-peddled and came up with 32. I told him I'd be 34 on Saturday. Then I said, "40!?!? You're fired!"

I didn't really fire him and we had a good laugh about it. He's only 19, so I can't really fault him for guessing poorly on ages.

I did a lot of driving this past weekend and encountered some of the longest patches of fog I've ever seen. Pretty intense and rather surreal.

Classes started here yesterday and other than more people being around in the student center for lunch, things done feel too different for our group. I guess parking is even more of an issue this semester, but I get here real early in the morning so it's not too bad.

That's about it for now, back to work...

barry, swim, birthday, games, good deed

After I posted my "copacabanna" lyrical incident, my sister called me when I wasn't home and - with no preamble or closing comment - sang what she knew of the song to get it restuck in my head. While I was planning a rebuttle, she emailed me the complete lyrics and again got it stuck in my head.

Problem being is that she uses her cell phone as her primary phone, so it's tough to catch her at a time when she "wouldn't" answer her phone - since I wanted to leave a message. She had class last night and I called and left her my own message. I sang the entire "Mandy" song all the way through and then hung up. Which is an extra funny selection if you know my sister.

She called me later that evening and was impressed that I sang it all the way through. We had a good laugh.

Swimming - I'm up to 6 laps in my thrice weekly swim - but I'm having trouble keeping track of the numbers. I was using varied strokes to help me keep track, but I only know so many strokes and I loose track easily. I need to get one of those lap counter watches.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I turn 34. Heading down to visit my folks for the day - should be a quiet, but fun, time.

Games - I got a number of gifts cards for christmas and have put them all to good use. Managed to score several "new to me" video games and I've been enjoyed them. Also picked up season 1 of Justice League - good stuff. I'm a big fan of the Flash, but when the Green Lantern says his oath I do get the chills a bit - it's really well done.

Got a call from my ex-roommate's mom. She's been in the hospital and asked if I would take her mother to the store for a few things. So, I hopped in the car and helped out with the errands. While we were out, the following items were purchased:

1. a bag of ice
2. stamps
3. scratch off lotto tickets
4. lotto numbers
5. newspaper

So, there's my good deed for the week. Did you see that one, God? Write that one down somewhere. "Helped little old lady buy lotto tickets,"

Granted, not as good as picking her up from Bingo during a driving snowstorm a few years ago - but still worth some good karma points.

Anyway, I was glad to help out. They're both a little crazy, but in a fun and non-scary way.

Well, I've got a slew of meetings coming up now, time to get back to work...

song, grandma, gift cards

I woke up this morning, after a series of dreams about work, with the song - "Copacabana" running through my head. I've been trying to scrub it out with some help from iTunes and YouTube, but even the most bubble-gum-ish top 40's pop isn't enough to purge it from my head.

In other, less disturbing news, I got a call from Dad with an update on Grandma. She's home and doing better. I called her last night and we chatted a bit. Seems like she was in good spirits and we had a nice conversation.

I got a pile of gift cards for christmas this year - looks like I get a second wave of christmas this year while I do some shopping for myself. Which is always quite nice.

So, that's about it for now - except that it appears that I'm the only one in my group here today. Could be a really quiet - or a really busy - day.

later...

recap of the holidays

I had a sort of pre-christmas with some friends, then headed south to visit the folks. My sister and her husband came over early for dinner, presents, and a trip to see the Zoo Lights in Columbus. The lights were really impressive, but after a while - when pretty much everything was covered in lights - it started to all look the same. So we headed out and called it a night.

Christmas eve - very late - I got a call that one of my friends had been in a car accident. A relatively minor one, but still worrying.

Christmas morning was just my folks and me - though my sister came back for lunch. We had all been planning on heading to Illinois - but my sister wanted to spend time with her husband and I wanted to head back to see if I could help my friend out - since his car was in bad shape.

So, we all headed out the day after christmas. I was able to help out my friend with some driving around and watched a bit of Dick Clark for the new year's eve ball drop.

Might be my increasing cynicism, but the New Year's eve show was kinda pointless. Dick Clark was not looking good and the rest of the crew seemed like they were having an almost enforced excitement. When you get down to it - it's really just another tick of the clock. One funny thing - I called my folks at 12:07 to wish them a happy new year - they'd been asleep since 10:30. I felt bad, but it was funny.

What wasn't funny was my happy new year call to my grandmother yesterday evening. I asked how she was doing and found she was headed to the hospital. She'd been hurting much of the day and the medicine wasn't helping her. I cut the call short as my uncle was arriving to take her in. Not so much a happy new year for her - I hope she's okay.

So, I'm back to work - got a meeting in a few that I'm not looking forward to, but those are the breaks. That's it for now...

there and back again, interview, shopping

Last night I got a call at home from the boss. Seems like the changes we'd made to the home page weren't working properly in IE. So, I had to go in and either fix (and it was code that I wasn't familiar with and/or it was unfixable) - or restore from backup. The backup was the easier route and I had things back in a few minutes. Still, I was cranky about it.

We've got an interview today with a web developer - we'll see how it goes. As a consequence, I'm wearing a tie. Well, not really wearing yet - it's draped around my neck like a scarf until I'm done with my swim today. No way I'm tying this thing more than once in a day.

In other news... apparently, I've got a bit more shopping to do. Small things, but still needs to be done.

Watched the remake of "The Wicker Man" last night before my little trip back to work. Good movie.

I guess that's about it for now. back to work...

Holiday party, no swim, hand-made, tires

Yesterday was the division wide holiday party. We had pizza, chicken, pasta, and lots of desserts. There was a visit from the school mascot - Zippy - and classical music performed by students here at UA. We also had a game show and prizes.

I was on the committee and it was a great honking pile of work. But, I think everyone had fun so it was worth it.

I didn't go swimming yesterday - too tired, though I felt bad about skipping it. I'll be going again on Friday and I may even try to go today as well - depends on how I feel and how screwed up my morning becomes.

Finished up a couple of Origami presents that I'd made for people and got them wrapped last night. Nothing real complicated, but I think they turned out well.

And finally, I've some new tires and wheels to put on my car this evening. Or rather, to have put on my car since I'm not going to be doing it myself.

That's it for now... back to work...

sore, ennui, holidays

I swam again today - and sort of felt bad about it. I was the only one in the pool and the lifeguards had to climb up in the little chair and watch that I didn't drown. Got to be one of the most boring jobs on the planet. Couldn't have been interesting to watch - swim to end, stop and pant, swim back. I did try to mix up my strokes a bit so that might have made it more interesting, but that was only because I'm not very good and I get tired.

And sore. This is the first time I've gone swimming in a while and actually been sore afterwards. Which is not a bad thing, just kinda odd since it didn't feel like I worked any harder.

In other news... I got hit by a massive wave of ennui yesterday. Wikipedia says: "ennui describes weariness or annoyance over a long period of time"

I don't know if a day constitutes a long period of time, but I was more weary and annoyed than those words can really cover.

I think part of it is the holidays - which haven't really been a heck of a lot of fun for me in a while. They are so endlessly stressful and even the simple task of going to the mall - or anywhere near the mall - becomes a grueling experience. I'm essentially done with my shopping at this point and everything is wrapped - so at least that part is done.

Shopping for other people (not nearly as fun as shopping for ones self), trying to spend "just the right amount" and get "just the right gift" for everyone who ended up on my list, and then the travel - which I dread.

I'm trying to be festive and not bring the people around me down - but I don't think I'm doing a great job of that. And hey! More guilt.

And I know I shouldn't feel like this. It's supposed to be a happy time. I'd try and chalk it up to some kind of SAD, but the nice weather refutes that.

So, apply Happy Face (tm) and soldier on through. And I know that I'll enjoy parts of if and will wonder why I was so cranky earlier. Still, it all feels a little empty to me. The Christmas spirit seems to have passed me by.

Enough of this rambling - nearly time to go home and do a bit of cleaning. Yep - I'm a party animal. Later...

watching time

I've got, as it may be abundently clear, a few issues. Not any real bad ones, just a few small ones that don't have much of an impact on my life. One of those is a strong dislike for unfinished timers. Particullary on microwaves - where someone has had a timer going or had been cooking some food and stopped it before it went off - thus obscuring the clock that we would otherwise see there. Though I can resist it, I'd really rather hit that clear button and go back to the clock. I also enjoy setting clocks that have lost their way due to power outage or daylight savings time.

And I think I've finally figured out why these hidden or disrupted clocks bother me. On more than one occasion - and more frequently with the clock in the bathroom - I've glanced at an analog clock just after it ticks over to the next second. It may not have even come to a full halt, but I've caught it at the critical time and have watched the whole second from start to finish.

And, I've got to tell you - that's a long freaking time if you're paying attention. It feels like more than a second passes before the next tick of the clock.

At the quantum level, observation changes things. That's one of the reasons a quantum computer - as super cool and powerful as it would be - is tough to build. If you look at it, things change.

And I guess a fear - or strong concern - is that if I hadn't been watching the clock at that instant, would it have gone on forward? Maybe time only exists in a linear fashion because we're watching it.

There are, fortuanatly, a lot of people here on planet earth and many of them are more obsessed with time than I am. Maybe that was my second to watch, to keep track of thing and keep them moving forward.

And if I can't see the foward progression of time - like on a stopped timer on a microwave - what if I miss the next instant that I'm supposed to observe?

Would everything... stop?

It doesn't keep me up at night - but it does give me pause. And whenever I see a stopped clock, I try to make it right. Just in case I need it...

back to work...

dangers of safety

I recently walked past some construction and went to step over the Caution tape that had broken and was on the ground. The wind caught it and nearly got tangled up around my foot.

Then, I was in a restaurant and almost ran into a "caution: wet floor" sign.

And then, I almost slid on the partially melted salt that was supposed to protect me from the ice that had long since melted.

I'm totally going to be killed by my seat-belt before I can even get my car started some morning.

later...

good, but also stupid

I went to Eat and Park last evening for dinner - or rather, tried to. See, the new smoke free Ohio went into effect last night - prompting the short-term closure of the normally 24 hour restaurant. Eat and Park closed last night at 8:00 PM - and I had arrived at 8:06. They were closed in order to clean the smoking section of the restaurant - but why that necessitated closing the whole thing remains a mystery. Sandblasting of the walls? Sub-Sonic pulses to remove trace particles from the carpet? Concentrated mists of Lye in the air? I don't know - and I ended up going to Steak and Shake since they have been smoke free for a while and weren't affected by the change over.

Incidentally, the smokers in my building are already looking for loop-holes.

So, ultimately good - but also kinda stupid.

In the same catagory is the Loyalty Oath that's come up recently. This essentially says that "I'm not a terrorist and I don't help terrorists". And you have to sign it before you can work here.

Which is great. I'd rather not work with terrorists - but it's also worthless. Are they going to say, "Oh, sorry. I totally forgot I was a terrorist, I can't sign this,"

Nope. They're going to lie. I mean, if they really are a terrorist then a little lie on some paperwork is the least of their worries.

So, we get more paperwork, a little bit more fear that "they're potentially everywhere" and then a little false sense of security that we've got some paperwork to protect us.

And on that note - I've got some forms to fill out. So, back to work...

1/8 mile, soy sauce, courtesy

I swam again today. Still only getting 1/8 of a mile, but I'm not as close to death as I had been - so, progress.

At the student union today I got sushi again, along with fried rice and some juice. It used to be that soy sauce was distributed in little packets - which were easy to stow in a pocket for transport. They've done away with those and switched to the following system:

An old-fashioned squeeze bottle (like for ketchup or mustard - except clear) filled with soy sauce, along with little plastic containers and appropriately sized lids.

You dispense sauce into said contain, acquire and affix the lid - and then hope to God that you've got the lid on there securely or you'll be wearing the sauce in no time.

I managed, with some difficulty, to get back to my desk without spilling anything - but it was a windy and harrowing experience. I was annoyed by this.

And speaking of annoying - what is it with chicks and doors? I was entering a covered walkway and held the door for the woman behind me. She thanked me - then took off in a full-on powerwalking moded. And as such, she managed to get ahead of me - even with my height/long legs and impressive stride that I usually command. Still, I was only a little behind her when she exited the walk-way - and she let the door slam in my face with nary a backward glance.


grumble, grumble.

Well, that's it for me now... time to get back to work...

chewie, headache, slick roads

Okay, this is going to be a silly post, but I'm in the middle of Grade A cluster headache and I need a little happy to get me through the morning. The t-shirt I found yesterday fits the wookie perfectly - so, we're going to add some photos...





1. Chewie in his new UA shirt.
2. " I am Cornholie! I need TP for my bung-hole!"
3. Chewie in J Crew. Note the cargo pants and sweater - with backpack
4. Side view
5. What's in the backpack? Chewie's small wookie friend - Tarfull! I don't know why he has vampire fangs.

So, I've got a headache - and it sucks big time. Wasn't sure why my eye was hurting this morning - thought maybe I'd thrashed around in my sleep and hit myself, which has happened before. Nope, it's a cluster headache and I can't believe I forgot the symptoms. Should have just stayed home...

And as a bonus, the roads were slick as hell this morning - nearly ended up running into a big-ass truck. Hello? It's Ohio? We kind of expect you to plow all the roads - not just the side streets that no one uses, but that actual busy and frequently used roads too. Wankers.

I had a really wacked out dream the night before last, but I think I need to draw a map of the location before I try to write it up.

Well, time to put up the orange cones around my desk and get back to work...

1/8 mile, deoderant, student assistant, hat

Well, I went swimming today again - and it didn't f*ck me up nearly as badly as it did last time. On the downside, I got the whole "lengths vs. laps" confused - I really only swam 1/8 of a mile instead of 1/4. And I swam that again today. I was a little dizzy when I got out of the pool - but I recovered quickly. And hey, I'm still getting used to it.

I bought a small travel sided deoderant for use the locker room. It is vastly more potent than any I've used before and I don't think I've ever been so fresh. In fact, I might be too fresh. Time will tell.

Our student assistant started today - got him trained in the editor system and I've already put him to work. I think he'll do fine.

And it's freaking cold out there! I had to buy a new hat at the student union since I can't find mine. I also bought a tiny UA sweatshirt for everyone's favorite wookie. I'll bring Chewie in tomorrow so he can show off.

That's it for now - time to get back to work...

post #300, swim update

I just noticed that this will be post number 300 for this particular blog - which is kinda cool in a fairly geeky way.

I headed over to the natatorium for my swim this morning - had a bit of an adventure.

First up, I had to scan my ID card myself at the desk. Then, because it was my first time there, I had to have my picture taken with a web cam and then sign a electronic reader stating that I'd read the policies. Very strangely hi-tech. And kinda dumb cause I'd just scanned in my ID card that has my picture on it.

So, I got directions down the hall to the locker rooms. I find an unoccupied locket and get changed, then go to put in my nickel as it indicated on the website for locker rental. Ah, oops - it's not a nickel. It's $.50! For what amounted to a 25 minute rental. I had some extra change with me, but that's not the point. Anyway, I quick rinse down and on into the pool area.

I asked the lifeguard which lane I could use for swimming, since it appeared they were doing some kind of work on one side of the pool. I also asked how the lanes were set up so I could figure a distance. She vaguely pointed to the far side of the pool and ignored the rest. I would think that given there were only two people in the pool to be watched, she would have appreciated a little conversation, but she was too busy being bored.

So, I swam my 9 laps, which, I think, equals about a 1/4 mile. I had to stop ever so often and the last lap was a little weak, but I finished. Since the 9th lap put me at the far end of the pool, I got out and walked my tired and sorry ass back around the pool to the locker room.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the student union for lunch. I was tired, but I thought I was doing okay. But, while I stood there waiting for the server to dish up my fried rice and hand me my pre-packaged sushi - I suddenly got very tired. Like, almost falling over, tired. I paid for my food and found a somewhat quiet spot to sit and recover before I headed back to the office. I had some juice and I think that helped.

So, I'm back in the office and still alive, though I could really use a nap.

later...

bamboo, Castlevania, oatmeal, swim, weekend

Well, the bamboo plant is still alive - which was a bit of a surprise to me. I'm down to one stalk - if it buys the farm, then I'm switching to artificial plants only.

Got a new game in the Castlevania series - pretty cool. The only downside was when I used a magic item to teleport back to a safe area - but had neglected to set a return point. So, I had to go through three areas again just to get caught up.

I'm having some oatmeal this morning while I work - or rather, while I blog and look like I'm working. I'm planning on going swimming in a bit and I'll need the energy.

And I've decided to try and do a bit of swimming at lunchtime through the week. We'll see how it goes and if I enjoy it at all. I need to get more exercise and I'm hoping this is a form that's actually fun.

Getting caught up on the past week. I spent the thanksgiving time with my folks and helped a little with yardwork and the like. Mom put up her 5 christmas trees, I finished making my ornaments for my one 8 inch tree, and we ate fried turkey - which wasn't too bad but could have used some kind of marinade.

On Saturday, we went to the airport to pick up my sister and brother-in-law - just back from their honeymoon. I made up a very small sign with their names on it, then stood in plain view as a bit of a joke. They took about 500 pictures and a few hours of video - so, I'm waiting on the powerpoint.

After that, I headed out to visit a friend in W. Va who was doing some dog sitting. I helped with the dog walking late one evening and decided that, with the warm weather and the dark, quiet secluded woods, that a bit of streaking was in order. Hey, the dog was doing it too, so I figured, why not? It was a little chilly, but still fun.

I took Monday off to stretch the holiday a bit and came back to work yesterday for a day long meeting. It was... well, let's just say I was glad I took plenty of folding paper.

This afternoon is a trip to the comic book store and then to the BMV to get a new driver's license and update my plates/registration. Yep, I'm a wild man.

So, that's about it for now - time to get back to actually working instead of just pretending.

later...

bamboo, student loans, cold, light, work

Last night I tried to save my (un)lucky bamboo plant. My sister had gotten it for me for Christmas last year(?) - maybe two years ago. In any case, the three stalks has done pretty well for a while, then one sickened and died. So, I had pulled that one out during a transplant procedure that brought the two healthy stalks to a new container. But, then one of the healthy ones eventually died and I decided to make one last attempt before giving up and resorting to plastic plants.

I began the surgery late last evening and removed the dead stalk from the tangles of roots and rocks. I rinsed out the container, rinsed the rocks, then carefully put the remaining stalk back in. I wondered about the tap water, so I got out a bottle of water. But it was from the fridge and I worried that it might be too cold. So, I poured the water into a sauce pan and gently heated it to room temp, then poured it in. Some careful rock re-arrangement and I put it back in front of the window. We'll see how it goes.


Also last evening, I wrote a check for the final payment on my student loans. It was the last item in my payment book, but a quick check on-line showed there was an extra charge of $2.07 - which I added on before filling out the check. It's a relief to be done with those, though it won't really kick in until I get the "nothing is screwed up, you're done" letter.

I've been cold for the past few days. Which shouldn't be that odd since - hey, it's winter - but even while drinking hot tea or eating hot soup, I'm still slightly chilly. Normally that sort of temperature variance doesn't bother me, but it has been for a bit now. Strange...

I updated my site with a couple of new photos of a modified origami project.

Light

A little glass-paint and it's like a whole new model.

Work: well, the next set of applications came in for our full time position. None of the candidates really jumped out at us, but we'll see how it goes in the interviews. The student assistant I've been trying to hire hasn't gotten back to me - so, we're still pretty much where we've been for a while.

And on that note - time for me to get back to work...

wedding (not mine), back to work - no student assistant

My sister's wedding was last weekend and it was good - but a lot of work. I went down and stayed with my folks from Tuesday evening on to help out and stayed for the duration.

Tuesday was pretty quiet, but on Wednesday we really got to work. A good chunk of the afternoon was spent putting the hot air balloons that I had made together. Then Mom and I helped set up the tables and got a ton of stuff done. We were in the zone. But, we also discovered that we didn't have enough boxes for candy - and we were out of tuel (sp?). So, on Thursday we made more boxes and got more tuel - then headed to the chuch to finish up.

We got home in time for Mom to go to her body wrap - and Dad and I were going to pick up our tuxes. Unfortuntatly, there were at differnt locations and we didn't have time to get to the store where mine was located. For a store called "after hours" - they aren't open very late.

Or very early, as we discovered the next morning when we got there at 9 and found they were still closed until 10 am. So, we went to Barnes and Noble.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet until the rehersal dinner. Things went pretty smoothly there and we all got our assignments.

On Saturday, the day of the wedding, we had some relatives come into town early and had a light breakfast for them. Then it was off to the church.

We got there early and got into our respective penguin suits. I also realized that I'd never worn cufflinks before - and thought they were pretty cool, though they didn't shoot darts like James Bond's would have.

My sister looked really amazing in her dress - but she was also looking really nervous as she walked down the aisle. She settled down a bit during the actual wedding and looked a bit more happy/relaxed.

I thought the minister laid it on a little think and I don't know that I would have gone along with the vows, but it was a really beautiful ceremony and I got a little weepy - which was to be expected. Mom held up pretty well - we expected she would be a gusher.

Then it was time for the endless photos until my teeth started to hurt and then dinner. Which was pretty good and filling. Then the slideshow - which pretty much ripped me up. All these photos of my sister and I as we were growing up - then it transitioned to photos of her and her new husband. My "partner in crime" had grown somewhere along the way and things weren't going to be the same again. I was having a rough go of that - but got a little better as time went on and I was able to issue my threat to her new husband. I won't go into details, but it involves a ninja sword.

There wasn't much dancing and the reception wrapped up pretty quickly. Mom and I helped with some of the clean-up, then took a bunch of stuff back to the couple's place.

Then back to the folk's place for more visiting and then some time in the hot tub.

Mom and Dad picked up the new couple at their hotel and got them to the airport for the honeymoon. I stayed with my folks for the rest of the day before heading back north.

It was a good time, beutiful, happy, and sad all at once.

Then, on Monday, back to work. I got a call from the student assitant I wanted to hire - only to discover that he isn't actually a student this semester - but he will be in the spring. Ummm...that's a problem. So, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do - except stay really busy.

So, on that note - time to get back to work...

blood donation, voting

Yesterday, after work, I went to give blood. Started off pretty standard, read the paperwork and sit quietly. When I was called up to give the history, I realized quickly that the technical was a trainer. His trainer had to keep logging in and reminding him of things. Still, not bad. When it came to the fingerstick to check the iron, things went a little south. The actual stick was fine, but when he squeezed my finger a small spray of blood shot out and hit his gloves. It didn't hurt, but we were both a little taken aback. I was headed towards some kind of apology, but realized that it really wasn't my fault.

He finished up that test and then wrapped up the rest of them - sending me on my way to the collection area.

The needle didn't hurt much going in, but partway through it started to slow down and the tech (not a trainee) had to adjust the needle. That hurt a little, but it did speed up the process. The rest went fine.

Later that evening, the site bled a bit when I took off the gauze, but a band-aid took care of that.

I was up early this morning to do my civic duty and cast my ballot in the election. I was third in line, expected to be in and out of there pretty quickly. What I didn't factor in was that the process was new and the site was short on staff. Things went okay with the scantron sheet - but when I tried to load it into the scanner - it was rejected. I had already let go of the sheet when the lady at the table insisted that I tear off the "stub". Which I would have been happy to do had there been even one sign indicating that I was supposed to do that. The first page of the ballot got spit back out, giving me a chance to tear off the stub. That page got accepted when I tried again and so did the next one - but the instructions were a little vague on if buttons were then meant to be pressed.

So, I think my vote got counted this morning - but I don't say that with the utmost confidence. It's almost too bad that no one challenged my right to vote - I was sort of looking forward to a fist-fight after the whole "tear off the stub" fiasco.

Lots to do today - include hiring a student assistant - so, time to get back to work...

busy and tiring weekend

I went to visit my family this past weekend for my Mom's birthday. Friday was pretty quiet, we ate pizza and watched a movie, but on Saturday we were up at the crack of 7:30 to help my sister and fiance with her move. Mattress, box springs, microwave, tv, etc. Pretty much all made out of solid lead - and with a steep set of stairs. Then unloading, but no stairs at that location.

The evening was spent at a benefit concert, then a birthday celebration for mom. She like the sweater. On Sunday, after they got back from church, we finished the move and clean up. Dad and I had some issues with the couch, we ended up taking it back up the stairs, rotating it, and then bringing it back down - at which point it went out the door as though it had been coated with butter.

Since my sister didn't want the couch and loveseat anymore, Dad asked a passing kid if he knew anyone that would like them. The kid said he would ask and in a few minutes his dad had come by with a truck and picked them up. Which saved us the trouble of moving them any further and also put them to good use.

A quick dinner and then on the road home. I'll be heading back later in the week to help with the final prep for the wedding and the wedding itself.

Work has been pretty quiet here today, but I'd best get back to it.

later...

church signs, doughnut game, costume debris

On the drive into work I go past two differnet churches, who seem to be in competition with putting clever messages on their signs. Today, one of the churches reads:

"Gambling is stealing by mutal consent"

Which I agree with and it's fairly clever.

The other reads:

"Winter is coming and so is the Lord, are you prepared?"

Now, that just strikes me as weird. Why would you match those two things up? For me, getting ready for winter means getting my heavy coat into a higher rotation in my closet and putting plastic on my ex-roommate's mother's windows. Sort of preventative measures.

I had an image of the Lord going door to door at some point and saying,

"Great. Another one with plastic on their windows. Well, I'm not getting in there, that's for sure. Too bad. Hope the plastic helps keep them warm - they're going to need to get used to a hot climate when they burn in hell,"

And then he goes to Starbucks for a moca - since winter, and the Lord, are coming.

Weird.

In other news, some of my friends had a block party over the summer and I was invited to attend and participate. One of the games was a doughtnut eating contest.

Photos here

Third row - that's me in the red shirt.

Notes: my method of attack was a somewhat zen-like - "Let the doughtnut come to me," - which worked really well. I also tried to use my sense of smell, but the rag around my eyes had been used for cleaning and smelled like windex. In the forth photo, my friend Mike is messing with me by bumping the side of my head with another doughtnut.

There's some debate on the winner of this contest. I was pretty sure I was leading the way during round one - but the local firehouse was invited and those guys are used to navigating in the dark. I think they ended up winning that contest, but the photos alone are prize enough.

Since Halloween is officially over, I've been debating on what, if anything, I need to save from my costume. I think this year it's just going to be trashed. I may try to get some photos of the inner workings of the head and maybe the joints, since I was pleased with how those turned out.

I'm already starting to plan for next year and unforturnatly, the front runner idea is bigger and more complicated than this one. Doom, doom doomie, doom DOOM!

That's about it for now - back to work...

the Pedestrian (photos)

Finally got my photos ready for the web. Thanks to Jamie, Sue, and Susan for the great photos - and Matt for helping get me assembled, with Kris helping with emergency repairs. And thanks again to Jeff for helping put the dang thing together in the first place.

Costume details and more photos here.

later...

costume walk-around, party, folding, weekend

Well, the weather broke for a bit and I decided to go ahead and do my walk-around on Friday. Thanks to Matt for some technical assistance on getting the costume in place - he did a great job on the tape and the head of the costume held together great. I went as a pedestrian - like from the crosswalk signs. I'll try to get some picutures in place on Monday.

I didn't get to see as many people as I normally would have - the rain started up and I had a "wardrobe malfunction". Kris helped out with some short term repairs, but ultimatly the legs of the costume were detroyed by the weather.

Still, saw a few people and had some fun. I had a few people worried when they saw me - but most people "got" the costume and enjoyed it.

I took off the costume in the early afternoon and worked the rest of the day - then home for a short break before heading out again to a costume party. The party was packed and I couldn't really move around much, so not as much fun as it could have been. And I didn't win any prizes, but I had helped a friend design a "shower" costume like from the karate kid and that won first prize - so, that was cool.

The costume is still in my living room should I choose to reprise the walk around for Tuesday, but I think it's going to be trashed before too long - wearing it around really wore me out.

Did a bit more folding and assembly this weekend - the final pieces for my sister's wedding reception are nearly done and ready for transport. I'll still need to do some final work once I'm there, but it's as done as it can be for now.

The rest of the weekend has been pretty quiet. Watched the new and disappointing version of the Omen and pretty much just hung out.

Guess that's it for now - I'll have more pictures on Monday.

later...

Costume and rain, bathroom conversation

My costume is as ready to go as it can be and I've got it here today - but it's raining outside and I'm not sure it will hold up. I'd planned to do my walk-around today, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. I've got a costume party to go to this evening so I'll at least be able to give it a run then - but it's sort of looking like Tuesday will be the walk around day.

A couple of days ago I was having a conversation with a co-worker at my desk. When we were done talking he went back to his desk and a few minutes later I went to the restroom.

So, I'm standing there peeing and hear the door open. Instead of the person using the other stall, I hear my co-worker start talking to me - as though we're back at my desk instead of in the bathroom. During the time between when we first talked and when I went to the restroom he had apparently gotten an update on the topic and had to share it with me - so, he followed me into the restroom.

Normally, I'm not one for chit-chat in the restroom. I'm there for a purpose and pretty well focused on that. As a side effect, it's usually the one place you can go and not be bothered - at least for a few minutes.

unfortunately, this is not the first time I've had to split my attention and carry on a work-related conversation in the restroom - my boss has done it to me before too.

So, I finished what I was doing, zipped up, washed my hands and dried them - all while trying to talk shop and help determine policy about a new process. We finished the discussion in the hallway and I went back to my desk.

Where I do draw the line is a restroom trip that requires a seated experience and occasionally some reading material. I refuse to talk to anyone when taking care of this particular business - and have used some pretty harsh language when someone tries to engage me in conversation.

Some things simply must be done alone.

So, I'm going to go try and find a window in this cave of a building and see if the weather has cleared.

later...

weekend, folding, art gallery, car, costume, work

This weekend I took a bit of a road trip and went to an art gallery show. On Friday, I had dinner with some friends at BW3's - and attracted a small crowd of kids that were there with their parents to watch the game. Spent a couple of hours folding and teaching them until they had to leave - which was just as well since I had nearly run out of new things to show them.

On Saturday we went to the art gallery show in Columbus. The show was for Linda Oldham - mother of the famous designer Todd - and she had all sorts of stuff. Most of it I liked and at least 1 of the pieces I wanted to try to make myself. There were some odd pieces as well, but it was still pretty cool. I got to talk with her after the show and gave her a small origami piece I'd made while walking around. She liked it and we talked paper for a bit -which was cool too.

On Sunday I visited my folks for dinner. Had a nice time before heading back up home. I took Monday off of work to get some more done on my cosutume. Tonight I'll get it ready for painting - that is, after I get done putting plastic on my ex-roommate's mother's windows.

I got the title for my car from the bank - so, that's cool. And when I called for the payoff amount on a student loan I knew I was getting close to finishing - I found that it was done as well. Quite a relief.

Getting back to work hasn't been a relief - it's been busy, mostly with meetings. I also found that the person we wanted to hire has accepted another job and we're back to square one. No students have applied yet either - so we continue to be short handed.

And speaking of which - time for me to get back to work...

car loan, video game, costume, work, cornfield, the unobservant

I got a check from the bank that has my car loan for a "loan overpayment" - which surprised me since I thought I still had several payments to go. I'm going to give them a call and verify - and see about getting the title for the car. It was a nice surprise and a nicely sized check - Happy Meals for everyone!

Reminds me of an old Pinky and The Brain cartoon:

Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but if they called them 'Sad Meals', the kids wouldn't buy them,"

In other news, I've been playing a new video game called, Beyond Good and Evil. One of the elements of the game involves taking pictures of all the animals on the planet. Which is pretty cool and you get paid pretty well for them - but you're also supposed to take photos of animals that are attacking you. So, as one approaches you, you have to hurry up and take a quick photo and then pound the crap out of it.

I've been working on my costume and after a major setback I think I'm back on track. My kitchen/work area will never be the same, but that's the way it goes.

Work has been extra busy, but I'm not nearly as cranky as usual. I've made some progress on a few projects despite the major impediments that keep getting dumped in my lap. We're supposed to be hiring a new full time person soon and there's talk about a student assistant - but neither have materialized.

I think I may have mentioned a while ago about my favorite Twilight Zone episode - "It's a Good Life" - about a delightful little boy named Anthony who lives in Ohio. And when I say "delightful", I really mean "god-like psychopathic monster who causes his family and the town to live in constant fear with his ability to make any horrible wish come true" His thing is "wishing people away to the cornfield" when they piss him off. So, in honor of little Anthony - I have decided to deem events that piss me off as - "Cornfield Worthy Events" or just "Cornfield Events". Those that missed reading this particular blog entry will be lost - and only you, Faithful Reader, will be in the loop.

My first Cornfield Event will happened yesterday while trying to get some lunch. There were people standing in the middle of main hallway, talking and not moving. There were three people sitting on the steps of the building, blocking the doors. There was a girl talking on her cell phone while standing in line to get food. If I had the powers of my counter-part, they all would have ended up in the "cornfield".

One final thing that I saw, someone else not paying attention. He's not cornfield worthy since he pretty much punished himself. There's a section of the Student Union with a wide open area connecting several hallways. Right in the exact center of this wide round area, someone had put up a side on a tripod. It's right in the way and pretty stupid, but not at all difficult to see.

However, I saw a guy - preoccupied with the music in his headphones - walk right into it. He tried to catch it, but the whole thing fell and he nearly went down on top of it. A couple people laughed, I told him "Don't worry, no one saw that," as I walked past, but I don't think he heard me over his music. It was pretty funny.

That's it for now - time to get back to work...

weekend, xmen3, folding

My parents and their dog came up for the weekend - they stayed over Friday night and then left on Saturday evening. We went to border's and best buy, then took a nice long hike in the Gorge Metropark. We took a trail I'd never been on before and saw some cool rock formations. The dog enjoyed the woods quite a bit too.

It was homecoming weekend, so the resturants were packed with guys in tuxes and girls in "fancy" dresses. I've determined that teen-aged girls are facinating and someone - not me - should be studying them in a lab. I think there may be military applications for them.

Otherwise, a good meal and good evening.

On Sunday I watched xmen3 on DVD and did a little work on my costume - which involved a bit of paper folding. Xmen3 was a little disappointing - too many people bought the farm. The effects were pretty cool and some of the characters really came into their own - but even the alternative endings couldn't resolved the varaition from the classic stories. Eh, it was a good run, I guess.

While the weekend was good - by Sunday evening I was in a bit of a funk. Restless and irratible. I've always been one to hold things in and I think it's really starting to take it's toll. Maybe I need to take up karate again or something.

Anyway, got a full day ahead of me so I should wrap this up and get back to work...

driving, interviews, family visit, lego star wars 2

This morning, on my nicely short drive to work - I was cut off 5 times by various vechicles. I'm a pretty safe driver, so I was able to slow down further to let these morons in - but by the time I got into the parking lot, I was swearing pretty good.

It's been another stressful week - lots going on and the general feeling of falling behind. We're doing some interviewing to try and get some additional programming help. Today is our third candidate - we'll see how it goes.

My parents, and their dog, will be visiting this weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice, so I'm guessing we'll do a little hiking and such. Should be a fun time.

I'm just about to totally crush Lego Star Wars 2 - just got a few more things to unlock.

Well, that's about it for now...back to work...

comics, car, art, minions

Well, my local comics retailer had the Flash in stock. And it was a good issue, but I'm not sure it was worth the hassle.

A friend of mine took my car into the shop while I was at work last week. Turns out that they had to use a blow-torch to heat up the manifold to remove the old oxygen sensor. Which is awesome - since I can safely call that, at least for me, totally impossible. Since I had no shot at doing this myself, I feel better about giving up on it. The repair, since I already had an O2 sensor, only cost about $20. The check engine light is off and I'm good to go.

I saw an example of some artwork recently and I've decided to try and replicate it on a smaller scale. This will be my first foray in canvas - and I'm going to be working with liquid sillicon as well. Should be really interesting, or utter crap.

More folding this weekend, more minions for my army. I'll try to get a photo for my site soon.

We've got an interview today for a new programmer - it's not until 4:00, when I usually leave for the day. I'm kinda ticked about that, but nothing that can be done at this point.

Well, I've got to go get some food and pay my rent - since I won't be able to do it after work.

later...