My room-mate is a big fan of the news. He gets the sunday paper and through the week will watch the local news, then the national news, then the local news again and occasionally Entertainment tonight. I usually avoid the living room while this is going on but I'll wander through at some point. It seems to me that the news is getting worse. Local news has always felt very fear based, but the national and even the entertainment feels like the end of the world.
So, I'll breeze through the room, stay long enough to get depressed, then go back to a computer game or a book.
This is not to say that I'm in the dark - I follow the news a lot on the web. In that case, though, I can take a little more open approach and mix up some of the good and bad and the other.
I understand keeping people informed, but I wonder how much of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy? If the news reports an economy in trouble, will people then behave in ways that make it worse? If a shortage on goods is reported, will that lead to a run on that good across the country? I'm not saying we should keep our head in the sand, but I just don't get all the bad news.
Instead of the news, I played a new game last night - God of War, Chains of Olympus. Interesting story - someone has kidnapped the sun god Helios and without him, everyone is falling asleep - including the greek gods themselves. And then the god of sleep is taking over. Good story, good controls, not always quite as clear where to go. I can only play it for so long since the PSP is little less comfortable to hold than the Playstation controller.
I'm in training this week for some new software. It's not too bad, but the timing is a little rough - so much going on.
Better get back to looking like I'm paying attention.
later...
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
lunch, dreams
I had a somewhat stressful and - in my eyes - overly long meeting yesterday just before lunch. When asked if I had somewhere I had to be at a certain time since I kept glancing at my watch, I replied, "well, I'm getting hungry". The crew waited for me and we headed over to Chipotle - I drove since there were 4 of us and I have the 4 door car. I was still stressed from the meeting and cranky at the drivers and at the long line since we were running later than usual.
But, one of my coworkers bought me lunch since I had helped him out with a lighting issue. And I got a Sprite+lemonade+lime wedge drink that was excellent. And the actual burrito was excellent. The parking situation threatened to push me over into a bad mood, but the good stuff and the bad stuff of my lunch excursion neatly balanced out and left me with a sort of null mood.
Had some messed up dreams this morning.
1. Dreamed that I was at a large picnic, waiting for a military helicopter to land to pick me up. I had a large backpack with a lot of paper and books in case I got bored. The helicopter landed, scattering the picnickers and I got on. The huge helicopter took off and one airborne I set down my bag and wandered back to the breakroom, past the kitchen. Yes, it was that big. The soldiers there were asking me about the mission and I told them I had no idea. I explained that I had gotten a letter saying that I was to report to a specific area and get picked up by a helicopter. I told them I figured it might have been a joke until I saw the actual helicopter. They were very surprised that I was a civilian and had no training or special skills. The conversation sort of stopped at that point and we sat quietly and waited.
2. The second dream was a just a fragment - I was in engineering on the starship voyager trying to help the them navigate at high speed through a region of space that was almost filled with solid mathematical representations of their ship and a borg cube. Once we got through that - and it was amazing to watch - I headed to the mess hall and watched while the cast of Angel tried to reason with the teen-aged clones of themselves. Very odd.
later...
But, one of my coworkers bought me lunch since I had helped him out with a lighting issue. And I got a Sprite+lemonade+lime wedge drink that was excellent. And the actual burrito was excellent. The parking situation threatened to push me over into a bad mood, but the good stuff and the bad stuff of my lunch excursion neatly balanced out and left me with a sort of null mood.
Had some messed up dreams this morning.
1. Dreamed that I was at a large picnic, waiting for a military helicopter to land to pick me up. I had a large backpack with a lot of paper and books in case I got bored. The helicopter landed, scattering the picnickers and I got on. The huge helicopter took off and one airborne I set down my bag and wandered back to the breakroom, past the kitchen. Yes, it was that big. The soldiers there were asking me about the mission and I told them I had no idea. I explained that I had gotten a letter saying that I was to report to a specific area and get picked up by a helicopter. I told them I figured it might have been a joke until I saw the actual helicopter. They were very surprised that I was a civilian and had no training or special skills. The conversation sort of stopped at that point and we sat quietly and waited.
2. The second dream was a just a fragment - I was in engineering on the starship voyager trying to help the them navigate at high speed through a region of space that was almost filled with solid mathematical representations of their ship and a borg cube. Once we got through that - and it was amazing to watch - I headed to the mess hall and watched while the cast of Angel tried to reason with the teen-aged clones of themselves. Very odd.
later...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
nightmare, tattoo, lights
I had a dream last night that I was behind a desk in a hotel and the lobby was filled with zombies. I was with a few other people and we were unnoticed until one of the zombies exploded and their "juices" flew everywhere. They hit some of us and a woman in my group screamed - alerting the zombies to our presence. We managed to fight them off, but it was too late - I was already infected. The group forced me to leave before I turned, so I struck out on my own. In a short amount of time, while wandering the streets, I turned into a zombie, but managed to keep my intelligence through an effort of will. I was a zombie, but I could control myself. I didn't really get much time to figure out what it meant before I woke up.
My tattoo - you know, the one I got back on march 27? - was actually starting to heal. And then last night I flexed my wrist and I felt something tear. It was a scab and I started to bleed. I got it bandaged up and put more neosporin on it, but it's still annoying.
Yesterday at lunch I put up some foam board instead of the blue transparency. Worked really well. So much so, that my co-worker wanted it set up in his cube as well. We're both prone to light-induced headaches and I'm hoping this helps. I'm also going to offer this to the rest of the crew - but I'll need to get more foam-board.
That's it for now...
My tattoo - you know, the one I got back on march 27? - was actually starting to heal. And then last night I flexed my wrist and I felt something tear. It was a scab and I started to bleed. I got it bandaged up and put more neosporin on it, but it's still annoying.
Yesterday at lunch I put up some foam board instead of the blue transparency. Worked really well. So much so, that my co-worker wanted it set up in his cube as well. We're both prone to light-induced headaches and I'm hoping this helps. I'm also going to offer this to the rest of the crew - but I'll need to get more foam-board.
That's it for now...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
game, parking lot, filter
I played more of Divine Divinity last evening, here's how it went. My character managed to get out of the endlessly wearying caves and I sent him over to the Imp Castle in search of the Heart of the Dragon. When we got there, we found that it was a gem being guarded - strangely enough - by a dragon. Every tactic I tried met with failure and death for my character.
Finally, I summoned a "Demon Knight" creature as a distraction and ran for the exit - figuring I'd come back later when the character was stronger. Unfortunately, the nearest teleporter required a scroll from that castle, so I wandered around for a bit and then decided to head back in there to get the scroll and then run away to teleport back to the town.
I tried to avoid the dragon, but he was blocking the path and I figured I'd try to run past him. When I got close, I realized that the decoy Demon Knight was still alive and still fighting. Even better, he'd worn down the dragon so that a couple of hits from me was enough to take him down. I picked up the gem and headed out of the castle, stopping only long enough to pick up the scroll. So, learned a new plan. Get some decoy warriors going and run screaming for an exit like a little girl that just saw a spider.
Not very manly, true - but, come on, it was a freaking dragon! You'd run too.
I ran an errand last night for some project supplies and saw a car haul-ass across the parking lot. Not down the "roads", but across the parking spaces. They were going way too fast and clearly weren't paying attention. Kind of a pet peeve of mine. It bothers my room-mate a great deal as well, although he does it to. He justifies to me that he "pays attention" when he does it - which I think is funny in a way that makes me glad I have good insurance when I ride with him in his car.
The supplies I picked up included some transparent blue plastic for some filters over the lights in my cubicle here at work. The lights are always giving me a headache - time to do something about that. We'll see how it goes...
That's it for now...
Finally, I summoned a "Demon Knight" creature as a distraction and ran for the exit - figuring I'd come back later when the character was stronger. Unfortunately, the nearest teleporter required a scroll from that castle, so I wandered around for a bit and then decided to head back in there to get the scroll and then run away to teleport back to the town.
I tried to avoid the dragon, but he was blocking the path and I figured I'd try to run past him. When I got close, I realized that the decoy Demon Knight was still alive and still fighting. Even better, he'd worn down the dragon so that a couple of hits from me was enough to take him down. I picked up the gem and headed out of the castle, stopping only long enough to pick up the scroll. So, learned a new plan. Get some decoy warriors going and run screaming for an exit like a little girl that just saw a spider.
Not very manly, true - but, come on, it was a freaking dragon! You'd run too.
I ran an errand last night for some project supplies and saw a car haul-ass across the parking lot. Not down the "roads", but across the parking spaces. They were going way too fast and clearly weren't paying attention. Kind of a pet peeve of mine. It bothers my room-mate a great deal as well, although he does it to. He justifies to me that he "pays attention" when he does it - which I think is funny in a way that makes me glad I have good insurance when I ride with him in his car.
The supplies I picked up included some transparent blue plastic for some filters over the lights in my cubicle here at work. The lights are always giving me a headache - time to do something about that. We'll see how it goes...
That's it for now...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
not as helpful as they could have been
My room-mate asked me to go to Lowe's to pick up some dirt for some minor lawn repair - the deal being that if I got the dirt, I wouldn't be obligated to do any actual work. Seemed like a good deal to me.
I headed over to Lowe's and grabbed a shopping cart, then headed back to the garden area. The instructions were "two large bags of cheap dirt" - which I found in the non-roofed section of the area. One of the bags had broken open and with the recent rains, all the bags were pretty much covered in mud.
I'm not a strong person. I can swim forever, but I'm just not physically strong. So, it required a great deal of effort to get the first bag up onto the cart - and I ended up covered in mud.
A sales clerk came over and offered to get me a flat cart. I said that would be great and he wandered away to find it - then brought it back. And then he - this much taller and obviously stronger guy - watched while I struggled to move the bag from one cart to another, then add a second bag. He took the first cart away and I headed to the front of the store.
I got in a short line at the checkout and waited, I think, .5 forevers as the cashier struggled with the transaction. Eventually, I gave up and moved over a lane. The cashier there was very friendly, but a little daft. She blamed it on the cold medicine when she inadvertently did a split transaction and I had to run my card twice. While the second transaction was processing, she reached down and got a tissue. I thought she was going to offer it to me since my hands - and the rest of me - was covered in dirt. Instead, she blew her nose.
I finally got out to the car and struggled again with the bags to get them in the trunk.
Plenty of opportunities for the crew there to really make my day better - but instead I got the minimum and it ended up being more work than my room-mate had when he dumped the dirt onto the lawn.
I headed over to Lowe's and grabbed a shopping cart, then headed back to the garden area. The instructions were "two large bags of cheap dirt" - which I found in the non-roofed section of the area. One of the bags had broken open and with the recent rains, all the bags were pretty much covered in mud.
I'm not a strong person. I can swim forever, but I'm just not physically strong. So, it required a great deal of effort to get the first bag up onto the cart - and I ended up covered in mud.
A sales clerk came over and offered to get me a flat cart. I said that would be great and he wandered away to find it - then brought it back. And then he - this much taller and obviously stronger guy - watched while I struggled to move the bag from one cart to another, then add a second bag. He took the first cart away and I headed to the front of the store.
I got in a short line at the checkout and waited, I think, .5 forevers as the cashier struggled with the transaction. Eventually, I gave up and moved over a lane. The cashier there was very friendly, but a little daft. She blamed it on the cold medicine when she inadvertently did a split transaction and I had to run my card twice. While the second transaction was processing, she reached down and got a tissue. I thought she was going to offer it to me since my hands - and the rest of me - was covered in dirt. Instead, she blew her nose.
I finally got out to the car and struggled again with the bags to get them in the trunk.
Plenty of opportunities for the crew there to really make my day better - but instead I got the minimum and it ended up being more work than my room-mate had when he dumped the dirt onto the lawn.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
humanity in games
This is a little psychological to start, had some thoughts about humanity in games. I used to play Diablo 2 a lot and while it was a really fun game, it was still just a game. I rarely felt drawn into it in a single player mode. In my many times through the game, I only felt really a part of it playing a lightning magic user in the Difficult mode. Even with all the might this character could create - and she was very powerful - there were still times when I would have the character wander into an area and find an ambush of highly powerful ranged attack monsters. Just as power as she was and just as fast. And sometimes, either through random placement or the AI of the game - organized. Suddenly, the game went from "vaporise the slow-moving zombies from a distance" to "run from the skeleton fire-archers". And there was excitement and a little fear. And then the game really got fun again.
Tomb Raider has a few moments like this as well. The ambush of gorillas in the arena, the lions in the temple, the 'whatever-they-are" in the final levels. Those are quickly subdued and the brief rush of excitement fades when the twin guns start blazing. TR stands out for me for another reason - vertigo. There are a few shots where Laura Croft reaches a very tall point in the landscape and will invariably look down. Even in the original version of the game, with it's low resolution, the scene would trigger my fear of heights and I would carefully back Laura away from the edge even though she would calmly stand right there for hours on her own. Fear again, but of a different flavor.
There have been other games that sparked the "jump out at you" fear and at least one that sparked the vertigo as well - but I've now found a game that makes me tired.
My character in Divine Divinity had his teleport stones stolen, but since the game must go on, I sent him into the depths of a evil undead infested cave for treasure. Well we found a lot of treasure - and a quest with a promise of adventure. The problem is that the character can only carry so much at one time. When he carries over a certain limit, he can't run. And since he can't teleport, he can't drop off the treasure and exotic weapons he finds. So, the poor dude is wandering around the increasingly deep cave, loaded down with potentially expensive shields, fighting monsters and occasionally camping down there. Since he can't run at this point, it's a slow and almost painful walk . The character has a very limited range of actions and no emotional stance, but I can still feel for the guy. Heavy burden, no light at the end of the tunnel, increasing work and danger, endless battles, no shortcuts.
Sounds like work some days. While I've been writing this, I've been working on a plan to get him out of there and then come back for the loot. He's still got a ways to travel, but I think I've restored a little hope.
Back to the game... later
Tomb Raider has a few moments like this as well. The ambush of gorillas in the arena, the lions in the temple, the 'whatever-they-are" in the final levels. Those are quickly subdued and the brief rush of excitement fades when the twin guns start blazing. TR stands out for me for another reason - vertigo. There are a few shots where Laura Croft reaches a very tall point in the landscape and will invariably look down. Even in the original version of the game, with it's low resolution, the scene would trigger my fear of heights and I would carefully back Laura away from the edge even though she would calmly stand right there for hours on her own. Fear again, but of a different flavor.
There have been other games that sparked the "jump out at you" fear and at least one that sparked the vertigo as well - but I've now found a game that makes me tired.
My character in Divine Divinity had his teleport stones stolen, but since the game must go on, I sent him into the depths of a evil undead infested cave for treasure. Well we found a lot of treasure - and a quest with a promise of adventure. The problem is that the character can only carry so much at one time. When he carries over a certain limit, he can't run. And since he can't teleport, he can't drop off the treasure and exotic weapons he finds. So, the poor dude is wandering around the increasingly deep cave, loaded down with potentially expensive shields, fighting monsters and occasionally camping down there. Since he can't run at this point, it's a slow and almost painful walk . The character has a very limited range of actions and no emotional stance, but I can still feel for the guy. Heavy burden, no light at the end of the tunnel, increasing work and danger, endless battles, no shortcuts.
Sounds like work some days. While I've been writing this, I've been working on a plan to get him out of there and then come back for the loot. He's still got a ways to travel, but I think I've restored a little hope.
Back to the game... later
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
gas, smoke, mist
My gas tank was close to "E" last evening when I came home from work, but the challenge of entering and exiting the nearest gas station at that time of the day was too much to consider after the day I had. I went on home and stopped this morning to get some gas. Not "fill up" at $3.45 a gallon, but get some and be on my way. As I pulled to a stop at the pump, the Check Gauges light came on - which is pretty good timing on my part.
The car on the other side of the pump caught my eye since the driver had gotten back in the car - which you're really not supposed to do. Even worse, on first glance it appeared she was smoking. I went back to pumping my gas and tried to puzzle that out. Was she really smoking? Should I say something? If I made an issue, would she throw the cigarette out the window of her car, making things worse?
While I was debating this internally, she finished getting her gas and drove off - still smoking. I've never seen anyone do that before and was unprepared - next time, I'm going to say something to them.
Last night, I watched The Mist on DVD. The cover of the box proclaimed it to have "one of the most shocking endings in a movie ever!" Which had me a little puzzled since the book's ending wasn't really all that shocking. But, it's a Stephen King book, so the movie is bound to screw it up somehow.
Surprisingly, it didn't - at least at the beginning. The movie was right on track with the book - scene for scene and shot for shot. Even the dialog was really close. It was well done and encouraging - I was really hoping they wouldn't tack on some cheesy Hollywood ending.
Well, the ending was different from the book. Far, far darker and very disturbing. Uncomfortably so. I was almost wishing for a cheesy happy Hollywood ending. I figured I'd have nightmares about it, but my sleep was untroubled.
that's it for now... later.
The car on the other side of the pump caught my eye since the driver had gotten back in the car - which you're really not supposed to do. Even worse, on first glance it appeared she was smoking. I went back to pumping my gas and tried to puzzle that out. Was she really smoking? Should I say something? If I made an issue, would she throw the cigarette out the window of her car, making things worse?
While I was debating this internally, she finished getting her gas and drove off - still smoking. I've never seen anyone do that before and was unprepared - next time, I'm going to say something to them.
Last night, I watched The Mist on DVD. The cover of the box proclaimed it to have "one of the most shocking endings in a movie ever!" Which had me a little puzzled since the book's ending wasn't really all that shocking. But, it's a Stephen King book, so the movie is bound to screw it up somehow.
Surprisingly, it didn't - at least at the beginning. The movie was right on track with the book - scene for scene and shot for shot. Even the dialog was really close. It was well done and encouraging - I was really hoping they wouldn't tack on some cheesy Hollywood ending.
Well, the ending was different from the book. Far, far darker and very disturbing. Uncomfortably so. I was almost wishing for a cheesy happy Hollywood ending. I figured I'd have nightmares about it, but my sleep was untroubled.
that's it for now... later.
Monday, April 14, 2008
glass, injury, game, computer
One of my favorite books - Snow Crash - has a character that gets weapons past all kinds of security by making them out of glass. His favorites are glass knives and harpoons. So, in keeping with my bad-ass image of making my own weapons, I decided to make a glass knife. I had some glass left over from a stained glass project and carefully chipped it into shape- then made a wooden holder and wrapped it with some leather code to hold it into place. Not a bit of metal in it. Now, I'm not going to try and sneak it past a metal detector, but it was an interesting exercise.
And it works too - while I was putting it together I accidentally cut my finder on the edge and got a good bleeding going. Direct pressure and a band-aid took care of it - but it was a somewhat dangerous weekend for me. The tattoo still hasn't finished healing, I got the glass cut, and I cut my self shaving last evening. No hospital trips, so I'm doing okay.
Been playing a fun game on the computer - Divine Divinity. The title has really nothing to do with the game, it's a standard hack and slash adventure RPG. Lots of fun though and the quests are interesting. I've gotten my butt kicked several times, but I'm playing a lot more methodically and working my way through the orc army. I'm also saving more frequently, which is helping with my temper when my computer crashes.
Speaking of which, I had to download another fix for Norton anti-virus. Buggiest piece of software I've seen in a long time. It kept shutting down with a cryptic error message - I finally tracked it down and got the fix installed.
A pretty quiet weekend otherwise, watched some DVD's and did some reading. Oh, and I made some soap too.
later...
And it works too - while I was putting it together I accidentally cut my finder on the edge and got a good bleeding going. Direct pressure and a band-aid took care of it - but it was a somewhat dangerous weekend for me. The tattoo still hasn't finished healing, I got the glass cut, and I cut my self shaving last evening. No hospital trips, so I'm doing okay.
Been playing a fun game on the computer - Divine Divinity. The title has really nothing to do with the game, it's a standard hack and slash adventure RPG. Lots of fun though and the quests are interesting. I've gotten my butt kicked several times, but I'm playing a lot more methodically and working my way through the orc army. I'm also saving more frequently, which is helping with my temper when my computer crashes.
Speaking of which, I had to download another fix for Norton anti-virus. Buggiest piece of software I've seen in a long time. It kept shutting down with a cryptic error message - I finally tracked it down and got the fix installed.
A pretty quiet weekend otherwise, watched some DVD's and did some reading. Oh, and I made some soap too.
later...
Monday, April 07, 2008
churches, paint, mulch, hello, tattoo, game, movies
My room-mate and I ended up lost over the weekend - not my fault and I don't want to go into it - but the main part of the story is that we ended up in an area with a very large number of churches. A disproportionally high number - must have been 12-15 within a mile radius. Not just a few one-room-here-drink-this-kool-aid places, there was a huge church and a good sized catholic church as well. My first thought - doubtlessly from years of too much Stephen King and Clive Barker - was "something terrible must have happened here". Couldn't figure why else there would be so many churches in a small area like this.
On the drive into work I saw some new graffiti - stenciled onto a support post under a bridge. Normally, I'm pretty disdainful of stenciled graffiti - if you're going to be a vandal, at least be creative about and do your own work - but this was pretty clever. It said "Waste of Paint".
Springtime around here means a weird mix of warmth and cold. The weekend was nice and I got a little sun. Spring also means mulch and the campus is covered in it. It looks great, but the entire campus smells like manure. At headache inducing levels. Still, the mulch will stay and the smell will fade, so I guess we can wait it out.
One of the grounds crew was doing a little sweeping up as I came in this morning. I said hello and she responded with a very cheery hello right back. I came inside and said hello to one of my colleagues - who completely ignored me. There are several in the building that do that. They don't make eye contact and they don't respond. I mean, I know we're geeks and all, but at least say hello or something. sheesh.
My tattoo is not healing well. I think the return to swimming was soon and it's still irritated and scabbing. I put some neosporin on it last night and wrapped it - I'm hoping it gets better today. I brought my gear, but I think I may skip my swim.
I played a new game over the weekend - divine divinity. Standard RPG, but only three classes. I started off with the "thief" - though they call it the "survivor". I did okay, but only by chugging potions every time I fought a monster. Decided to start again with the warrior and I'm kicking a lot more ass - I'm also better at solving the quests and I haven't failed any of those yet.
Watched a couple movies over the weekend - Hitman and Black Sheep. Really good stuff. Hitman was a lot of fun - pretty good, if simple, story and lots of great action and explosions. Black Sheep was scary, gross, and funny. Very funny in some parts. Genetically engineered carnivore sheep, were-sheep, mad scientists, plucky hero with a sheep-phobia - what's not to love?
Finally, I watched 30 Days of Night last week. Really good show - one of the best vampire flicks I've seen in a long time.
Guess that's it for now. I'm not really looking forward to work this week, but I'll get through it.
later...
On the drive into work I saw some new graffiti - stenciled onto a support post under a bridge. Normally, I'm pretty disdainful of stenciled graffiti - if you're going to be a vandal, at least be creative about and do your own work - but this was pretty clever. It said "Waste of Paint".
Springtime around here means a weird mix of warmth and cold. The weekend was nice and I got a little sun. Spring also means mulch and the campus is covered in it. It looks great, but the entire campus smells like manure. At headache inducing levels. Still, the mulch will stay and the smell will fade, so I guess we can wait it out.
One of the grounds crew was doing a little sweeping up as I came in this morning. I said hello and she responded with a very cheery hello right back. I came inside and said hello to one of my colleagues - who completely ignored me. There are several in the building that do that. They don't make eye contact and they don't respond. I mean, I know we're geeks and all, but at least say hello or something. sheesh.
My tattoo is not healing well. I think the return to swimming was soon and it's still irritated and scabbing. I put some neosporin on it last night and wrapped it - I'm hoping it gets better today. I brought my gear, but I think I may skip my swim.
I played a new game over the weekend - divine divinity. Standard RPG, but only three classes. I started off with the "thief" - though they call it the "survivor". I did okay, but only by chugging potions every time I fought a monster. Decided to start again with the warrior and I'm kicking a lot more ass - I'm also better at solving the quests and I haven't failed any of those yet.
Watched a couple movies over the weekend - Hitman and Black Sheep. Really good stuff. Hitman was a lot of fun - pretty good, if simple, story and lots of great action and explosions. Black Sheep was scary, gross, and funny. Very funny in some parts. Genetically engineered carnivore sheep, were-sheep, mad scientists, plucky hero with a sheep-phobia - what's not to love?
Finally, I watched 30 Days of Night last week. Really good show - one of the best vampire flicks I've seen in a long time.
Guess that's it for now. I'm not really looking forward to work this week, but I'll get through it.
later...
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
doctor, swim, idiot
I took my room-mate to the doctor this morning - he was going for a colonoscopy. He was doing fine after the procedure - but we decided to call the recovery area the "snoring and farting ward". For obvious reasons. I had taken him for an endoscopy a few weeks back - it was only fair since he had helped me when I had my weapon-grade migraine a while back.
I hit the pool today after I got in and had our weekly meeting. The pool was configured the long way again and though I did my standard equivalent of 30 laps, I was pretty tired at the end. My arm is a little sore too for some reason, but I'm still glad I could get it in.
On the way back to the office, I witnesses the following sight:
A white guy. In a light, metallic purple (let's just call it lavender, okay?) 4 door car that wasn't a Taurus, but might as well have been. He was blasting rap music out of his speakers and "singing" along with it a the top of his lungs.
I wanted to lure him out of his car with some snacks, tag him with a radio collar to track his movements, and get him into some kind of counseling program to help him figure out exactly how he got to this point in his life. It was disturbing and sad.
That's it for now... time to head on out.
I hit the pool today after I got in and had our weekly meeting. The pool was configured the long way again and though I did my standard equivalent of 30 laps, I was pretty tired at the end. My arm is a little sore too for some reason, but I'm still glad I could get it in.
On the way back to the office, I witnesses the following sight:
A white guy. In a light, metallic purple (let's just call it lavender, okay?) 4 door car that wasn't a Taurus, but might as well have been. He was blasting rap music out of his speakers and "singing" along with it a the top of his lungs.
I wanted to lure him out of his car with some snacks, tag him with a radio collar to track his movements, and get him into some kind of counseling program to help him figure out exactly how he got to this point in his life. It was disturbing and sad.
That's it for now... time to head on out.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
soccer, headache, taxes, candy
I went to my FRM's youngest son's soccer game today. It was - as I expected - a blast. The little dude scored a goal early on, then switched teams since they didn't have enough players. On his new team - he scored another goal. I was way impressed - his mom says he likes soccer a lot and is having more fun with it than basketball since he gets to wear his "fast shoes".
I also found out the my FRM's oldest son is going to have a child of his own. The little soccer player's mom was trying to convince FMR's mom to bury the hatchet when her great-grandchild is born for a 5 gen family photo - but she wasn't interested. Crazy people.
I got a headache yesterday evening - all the warning signs and the inevitable decline. I took some strong aspirin and went to bed early, but it came back this morning. It's been with me off and on today, but I think another nap might get rid of it.
I sealed up my tax envelops today and apparently just missed the mail-man. Oh well, Monday is soon enough.
Last thing, funny story... When I was waiting to get my tattoo, a woman and her small son were in there in the waiting room as well - I think she was getting her nose pierced. Anyway, I was folding some paper and he can came over and said hello to me. So, I said hello back. His mother called him back over - I guess she thought he might have been bothering me or something. She said to him, "Now you know you're not supposed to talk to strangers unless they have candy,"
Which I thought was clever and funny.
That's it for now... nap time.
I also found out the my FRM's oldest son is going to have a child of his own. The little soccer player's mom was trying to convince FMR's mom to bury the hatchet when her great-grandchild is born for a 5 gen family photo - but she wasn't interested. Crazy people.
I got a headache yesterday evening - all the warning signs and the inevitable decline. I took some strong aspirin and went to bed early, but it came back this morning. It's been with me off and on today, but I think another nap might get rid of it.
I sealed up my tax envelops today and apparently just missed the mail-man. Oh well, Monday is soon enough.
Last thing, funny story... When I was waiting to get my tattoo, a woman and her small son were in there in the waiting room as well - I think she was getting her nose pierced. Anyway, I was folding some paper and he can came over and said hello to me. So, I said hello back. His mother called him back over - I guess she thought he might have been bothering me or something. She said to him, "Now you know you're not supposed to talk to strangers unless they have candy,"
Which I thought was clever and funny.
That's it for now... nap time.
Friday, March 28, 2008
work, taxes, tattoo
I worked a little late yesterday and hung around the area since I had two evening appointments - taxes and a tattoo. I left the office a little after 6:30 and headed over to H&R block to pick up the city taxes that they couldn't do the day before since their "city program" was down. They had everything ready and explained a few things before I left.
I did notice later a flaw in what they'd done. One of the city taxes was missing the w-2 since they'd give me one the day before and only had 3 left - and needed four for the 2 cities, the fed and state. Easily fixed, but it could have been bad had I not caught it.
So, since the tattoo place was right next door to the tax place, I was seriously early. Which turned out to be a very good thing.
The tattoo artist - Sam (samantha) - told me that she had tried to call me. Which didn't mean anything to me since I'd give them my home number and hadn't been home yet. She made a quick call, then started me on the paper work while she had a cigarette and washed her hands. When we were both ready, she took me back to the studio and made the simple modifications to the wrist tattoo I have. (I'll get photos when it's healed up). I paid at the front counter and got the after-care instructions.
When I got home, my room-mate was surprised that I'd been able to get it done. Sam had called my apartment and spoken to my room-mate - telling him she had to leave right then and wouldn't be able to keep the appointment. He said he would try to contact me by work phone and email - but couldn't guarantee anything. This all happened at just after 6:00 - after I was already on my way. Everything worked out okay -but it was a much closer thing than I realized.
That's about it for now...
I did notice later a flaw in what they'd done. One of the city taxes was missing the w-2 since they'd give me one the day before and only had 3 left - and needed four for the 2 cities, the fed and state. Easily fixed, but it could have been bad had I not caught it.
So, since the tattoo place was right next door to the tax place, I was seriously early. Which turned out to be a very good thing.
The tattoo artist - Sam (samantha) - told me that she had tried to call me. Which didn't mean anything to me since I'd give them my home number and hadn't been home yet. She made a quick call, then started me on the paper work while she had a cigarette and washed her hands. When we were both ready, she took me back to the studio and made the simple modifications to the wrist tattoo I have. (I'll get photos when it's healed up). I paid at the front counter and got the after-care instructions.
When I got home, my room-mate was surprised that I'd been able to get it done. Sam had called my apartment and spoken to my room-mate - telling him she had to leave right then and wouldn't be able to keep the appointment. He said he would try to contact me by work phone and email - but couldn't guarantee anything. This all happened at just after 6:00 - after I was already on my way. Everything worked out okay -but it was a much closer thing than I realized.
That's about it for now...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
fog, sinus, sick, taxes, elliptical, tattoo
I took a 1/2 day last Friday and - after my swim - got on the road to go visit my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and my grandmother for the weekend. I got there in time to have dinner at my sister's - she makes really good soup - and we went to their church for an Easter program. Not really my cup of tea -but it was okay. The only bad parts were the fog machine - which started at the beginning and did a number on my sinuses - and the woman sitting behind us that had marinated in perfume. The fog machine also did a number on the smoke alarms - they went off during one of the songs. At first I thought the strobe lights were some kind of effect, but it was just the fog machine.
I don't know if the fog was the trigger, but I was pretty miserable on Saturday. Bad enough that I took some Alka-Seltzer plus - despite the horrible taste. We just kinda hung out for the rest of the weekend - though Mom did take me to a scrapbooking store for some cool paper.
I was sick enough on Monday to take the day off and slept most of the time. When I was awake, I did a whole lot of nothing.
This afternoon I took my tax stuff over to H&R Block. My main goal was to get the city stuff done since that was the most confusing. Their city program was down and it looks like I'll have to stop back tomorrow. I also stopped to make an appointment to get a little work done on a tattoo - just want to add a little to it. I think they were disappointed that I wasn't having a back-piece done, but that's I want. I'll do that tomorrow.
I used the elliptical last night for the first time since the latest fix. It made some weird and unsettling noises, but it held up for the 15 minutes I used it. We'll see how that goes.
That's it for now...
I don't know if the fog was the trigger, but I was pretty miserable on Saturday. Bad enough that I took some Alka-Seltzer plus - despite the horrible taste. We just kinda hung out for the rest of the weekend - though Mom did take me to a scrapbooking store for some cool paper.
I was sick enough on Monday to take the day off and slept most of the time. When I was awake, I did a whole lot of nothing.
This afternoon I took my tax stuff over to H&R Block. My main goal was to get the city stuff done since that was the most confusing. Their city program was down and it looks like I'll have to stop back tomorrow. I also stopped to make an appointment to get a little work done on a tattoo - just want to add a little to it. I think they were disappointed that I wasn't having a back-piece done, but that's I want. I'll do that tomorrow.
I used the elliptical last night for the first time since the latest fix. It made some weird and unsettling noises, but it held up for the 15 minutes I used it. We'll see how that goes.
That's it for now...
Friday, March 21, 2008
dinner
Went out to dinner last night at Macaroni Grill. Normally, one of my favorite restaurants - but this visit was less than stellar. For one, the bread. The bread at the Grill is awesome - that's the only word to describe it. Say it with me: Awesome. This time? Not so awesome. A little overbaked and bland.
Next, the Simple Salmon. I'm going to quote right from the menu on this one:
"Simple Salmon: Seasoned grilled salmon fillet served with grilled tender-crisp asparagus and broccoli."
Now, do you see the words "Covered in uncooked chunks of tomato" anywhere in that description?
Neither did I, but that was the reality I faced. I was able to scrap them off onto my bread plate (since I didn't need that, clearly) and work past them. Still "tainted" my fish, but a bunch of lemon juice squeezed from the lemon in my tea helped a bit.
The server kept breezing past us, asking if everything was okay - but leaving before we could give an answer.
Will I go back? Most likely. The asparagus and the broccoli were good and the fish was okay. But I'm going to be more particular and insist on a really Simple Salmon.
I've got a busy and hopefully short day ahead of me - better get back to it.
Next, the Simple Salmon. I'm going to quote right from the menu on this one:
"Simple Salmon: Seasoned grilled salmon fillet served with grilled tender-crisp asparagus and broccoli."
Now, do you see the words "Covered in uncooked chunks of tomato" anywhere in that description?
Neither did I, but that was the reality I faced. I was able to scrap them off onto my bread plate (since I didn't need that, clearly) and work past them. Still "tainted" my fish, but a bunch of lemon juice squeezed from the lemon in my tea helped a bit.
The server kept breezing past us, asking if everything was okay - but leaving before we could give an answer.
Will I go back? Most likely. The asparagus and the broccoli were good and the fish was okay. But I'm going to be more particular and insist on a really Simple Salmon.
I've got a busy and hopefully short day ahead of me - better get back to it.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
shoes, memory, swim, book
I bought some new shoes yesterday. There were on sale at Target. That's pretty much it for that topic
I had a memory 'brown-out' on Monday as I was getting ready for my swim. I took my hair/body wash out of my back and set it in my locker - then looked in the bag and was puzzled for a moment as to where I'd put the bottle - even going so far as to think I'd left it at home. Then I turned back to the locker and saw it. Then I started looking in the locker for my towel and wondered how I was going to dry off without a towel, already dreading having to use the air dryers. Then I turned and looked on the bench to see the towel I had set there. My memory is usually pretty good - it was disconcerting to have it display the small failures.
I swam a mile yesterday. Wasn't really planning on going that far, but I was feeling pretty good and decided to go for it.
Finished up a book last night - and was very disappointed. The storyline was charging along, really a fun read and then the book just sort of stopped with huge amounts of plot unresolved. On the last page - "Book One of The Fourth Realm". It's a series? Why didn't anyone tell me? Now I've got to wait for the next one.
That's it for now... later...
I had a memory 'brown-out' on Monday as I was getting ready for my swim. I took my hair/body wash out of my back and set it in my locker - then looked in the bag and was puzzled for a moment as to where I'd put the bottle - even going so far as to think I'd left it at home. Then I turned back to the locker and saw it. Then I started looking in the locker for my towel and wondered how I was going to dry off without a towel, already dreading having to use the air dryers. Then I turned and looked on the bench to see the towel I had set there. My memory is usually pretty good - it was disconcerting to have it display the small failures.
I swam a mile yesterday. Wasn't really planning on going that far, but I was feeling pretty good and decided to go for it.
Finished up a book last night - and was very disappointed. The storyline was charging along, really a fun read and then the book just sort of stopped with huge amounts of plot unresolved. On the last page - "Book One of The Fourth Realm". It's a series? Why didn't anyone tell me? Now I've got to wait for the next one.
That's it for now... later...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
dream fragment, idea
I had a fragment of a dream this morning where the instant a person woke up would anchor them into a particular alternate reality. For example, waking up at 6:16 every morning meant you were always in the same reality. If you woke up a little early or a little late - say 6:14 or 6:17 - you'd be in a slightly different version of the universe, but close enough to your own that most things were familiar. If you over slept until 8 or 9 o'clock, you'd be very lost and confused - same as if you woke up early. And you'd be stuck until your next sleep cycle.
Might make for a good story.
I also had an idea for a story about a coin that controlled probability. If you made a statement - like 'If heads, then the sky is green' and flipped the coin - and if it came up heads, the sky would turn green. Seems really dangerous - which is always good for a story.
back to work...
Might make for a good story.
I also had an idea for a story about a coin that controlled probability. If you made a statement - like 'If heads, then the sky is green' and flipped the coin - and if it came up heads, the sky would turn green. Seems really dangerous - which is always good for a story.
back to work...
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
vending machine
I just when to the vending machine and tried to purchase a delicious Twix bar. I must have hit the wrong numbers or the machine is hosed, but I got a Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey bar instead.
I'm going to eat it anyway since I'm hungry, but I'm still cranky about it.
I'm going to eat it anyway since I'm hungry, but I'm still cranky about it.
part, call, pool, alarm
The part for the elliptical came in yesterday - my room-mate is going to call them today to schedule an appointment to have a technician come out and get it fixed since he's off today. Fingers crossed that this really fixes it.
I was in the bathroom last night brushing my teeth when I heard a weird noise. With the fan on and the sound of my own brushing I couldn't tell it was the phone until it was too late to get to it. The caller ID indicated it was the landlord - calling at ten after ten on a Monday night and then not leaving a message. My room-mate had put a note in the most recent rent check about getting the blinds fixed, but that was weeks ago and not worth a late night call. It was pretty weird. We didn't call back since no message was left - but we may call this evening. At 11:00 pm.
The pool was quiet yesterday, only myself and one other person were in the lap lanes - but there were a few people in scuba gear. They were getting ready to cross the lanes to get to the deep end when I approached and I stopped and treaded water until they got past. This is not the first time the lappers and the scuba have crossed paths, but they usually have better timing about getting past us. It was such this time that I could yield the right of way and have a slightly surreal moment of courtesy.
Since it's spring break this week, there are activities on campus that normally wouldn't be done when the students are here. Such as testing the fire alarms in the classroom buildings. Unfortunately, I had a meeting in one of those buildings yesterday. The alarms were going off as I entered the building, which should have stopped me there - but the people I could see inside were far too casual for it to be actually on fire. I went on in, up to the second floor, and stopped in the most poorly designed restroom I've encountered.
The alarms, which had been silenced, started up just as the urinal flushed itself - which was a little disconcerting. I washed my hands and when to the office for the meeting - and had to shout at the poor office manager to get her to direct me. I found the office and we were able to shut the door to dampen the noise a bit, but it was still bad.
That's it for now... later...
I was in the bathroom last night brushing my teeth when I heard a weird noise. With the fan on and the sound of my own brushing I couldn't tell it was the phone until it was too late to get to it. The caller ID indicated it was the landlord - calling at ten after ten on a Monday night and then not leaving a message. My room-mate had put a note in the most recent rent check about getting the blinds fixed, but that was weeks ago and not worth a late night call. It was pretty weird. We didn't call back since no message was left - but we may call this evening. At 11:00 pm.
The pool was quiet yesterday, only myself and one other person were in the lap lanes - but there were a few people in scuba gear. They were getting ready to cross the lanes to get to the deep end when I approached and I stopped and treaded water until they got past. This is not the first time the lappers and the scuba have crossed paths, but they usually have better timing about getting past us. It was such this time that I could yield the right of way and have a slightly surreal moment of courtesy.
Since it's spring break this week, there are activities on campus that normally wouldn't be done when the students are here. Such as testing the fire alarms in the classroom buildings. Unfortunately, I had a meeting in one of those buildings yesterday. The alarms were going off as I entered the building, which should have stopped me there - but the people I could see inside were far too casual for it to be actually on fire. I went on in, up to the second floor, and stopped in the most poorly designed restroom I've encountered.
The alarms, which had been silenced, started up just as the urinal flushed itself - which was a little disconcerting. I washed my hands and when to the office for the meeting - and had to shout at the poor office manager to get her to direct me. I found the office and we were able to shut the door to dampen the noise a bit, but it was still bad.
That's it for now... later...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
fog, elliptical, mask, shelf, brakes, walk
It was foggy the other day - a consequence of moisture in the air and massive temp shifts. A little scary - but only because I've read too many books - and slightly interesting on the drive into work.
The elliptical is broken - again. This is the second time that it's locked up on me - nearly fell off the dang thing this time. So, I called them during their office hours and they said they had re-engineered the part and would be sending it out to me - and would have a technician come out and install it. At first I was going to insist on a new machine, but I'd had a long day and decided to go along with the story to spare myself the stress. Next time, refund. Which is kinda sad, that I'm assuming that it's going to break again. At least I got them to extend the warranty by another three months.
I got a chamois the other day when I was out and about - figured the lighter weight leather might work better for the mask. I tried the process again and it went much better. I'll let it finish drying and see if it holds the shape.
I also worked on a shelf today - trying to make the CD shelf a little more useful. My room-mate and I tried using a dremel and a circular saw - and got close to the width needed. I worked the shelf over with a metal file to try and shave off the last little bit to make it fit. Took me a while and the final result just barely fits, but I'm bored with the project and it will just have to do.
I went to get my brakes fixed yesterday - went around 10:30 to the repair shop. They drove it around and gave me a time estimate - 3 hours. So, at about 11:00, I started me walk. Headed to Lowe's, then to the plaza where the new Target has gone in. (Looks like we're getting a Chipotle!) then into Target and wandered around there a bit. About 12:30 I headed over to burger king for lunch - and they messed up one of my sandwiches. From there, past the auto dealerships and down to the bank to confirm that I wasn't going to be wiped out by the repair cost. Stopped at a gas station for a vitamin water and drank it on a bench next to a stream at the ice cream place. Despite the constant traffic noise, it was very peaceful there.
At about ten minutes to 2:00, I headed back to the repair shop in time to see my car being pulled out for another test. Encouraged, I sat outside on a picnic bench next to subway and waited. In a few minutes they came back and I went inside to pay for the repairs and get my keys. And then I saw my car being hoisted back up again. So, I sat and folded some paper until they lowered it and gave me the final bill. It was painful, but about what I expected and my brakes are in excellent condition again. Kind of a waste of a day, but at least it's done.
So, that's pretty much it for me. I've had to do a little bit of work this weekend, but at least it's been in short spurts. Back to work tomorrow - it's spring break for us, so it should be quite. And parking will be a breeze.
later...
The elliptical is broken - again. This is the second time that it's locked up on me - nearly fell off the dang thing this time. So, I called them during their office hours and they said they had re-engineered the part and would be sending it out to me - and would have a technician come out and install it. At first I was going to insist on a new machine, but I'd had a long day and decided to go along with the story to spare myself the stress. Next time, refund. Which is kinda sad, that I'm assuming that it's going to break again. At least I got them to extend the warranty by another three months.
I got a chamois the other day when I was out and about - figured the lighter weight leather might work better for the mask. I tried the process again and it went much better. I'll let it finish drying and see if it holds the shape.
I also worked on a shelf today - trying to make the CD shelf a little more useful. My room-mate and I tried using a dremel and a circular saw - and got close to the width needed. I worked the shelf over with a metal file to try and shave off the last little bit to make it fit. Took me a while and the final result just barely fits, but I'm bored with the project and it will just have to do.
I went to get my brakes fixed yesterday - went around 10:30 to the repair shop. They drove it around and gave me a time estimate - 3 hours. So, at about 11:00, I started me walk. Headed to Lowe's, then to the plaza where the new Target has gone in. (Looks like we're getting a Chipotle!) then into Target and wandered around there a bit. About 12:30 I headed over to burger king for lunch - and they messed up one of my sandwiches. From there, past the auto dealerships and down to the bank to confirm that I wasn't going to be wiped out by the repair cost. Stopped at a gas station for a vitamin water and drank it on a bench next to a stream at the ice cream place. Despite the constant traffic noise, it was very peaceful there.
At about ten minutes to 2:00, I headed back to the repair shop in time to see my car being pulled out for another test. Encouraged, I sat outside on a picnic bench next to subway and waited. In a few minutes they came back and I went inside to pay for the repairs and get my keys. And then I saw my car being hoisted back up again. So, I sat and folded some paper until they lowered it and gave me the final bill. It was painful, but about what I expected and my brakes are in excellent condition again. Kind of a waste of a day, but at least it's done.
So, that's pretty much it for me. I've had to do a little bit of work this weekend, but at least it's been in short spurts. Back to work tomorrow - it's spring break for us, so it should be quite. And parking will be a breeze.
later...
Monday, March 10, 2008
snow, walk, paper, game, tin man
Big snow recently. Really big snow. So much that the university closed early again on Friday. I stayed late beyond the closing time to get more work done - and as a result the drive wasn't too bad. It snowed a lot on Friday and then all day Saturday - and I stayed indoors as much as possible and was toasty warm.
My room-mate and I did get out on Saturday evening - we went for a walk around the neighborhood. We offered to help push a car that was stuck, but the driver declined our help. We also saw a snowmobiler hit a snowbank and fall over. He was going way too fast and far too recklessly. He wasn't hurt, so we didn't offer to help.
We also saw a snow covered car with the door open and a woman half-way in and half-way out of the car. I called out to her to see if she needed help and scared the crap out of her. Apparently, she was just getting something out of her car and hadn't heard us approach. We apologized and went on our way. Didn't know we needed to wear bells...
Did some work on the paper preparation - and it didn't go well. I don't know if the paper wasn't strong enough or what, but it tore in several places when it dried. I guess I need to upgrade before I try again. Maybe resume paper...
I wrapped up the Final Fantasy game this weekend - the last battles were pretty easy since I had all my characters at a crazy high level. Great animation, but a little anti-climactic.
Watched most of Tin Man on Sci-Fi channel on Sunday - pretty good mini-series. I think I'll pick up the DVD. I also want to get the Hitman DVD that's coming out soon.
That's it for now...
My room-mate and I did get out on Saturday evening - we went for a walk around the neighborhood. We offered to help push a car that was stuck, but the driver declined our help. We also saw a snowmobiler hit a snowbank and fall over. He was going way too fast and far too recklessly. He wasn't hurt, so we didn't offer to help.
We also saw a snow covered car with the door open and a woman half-way in and half-way out of the car. I called out to her to see if she needed help and scared the crap out of her. Apparently, she was just getting something out of her car and hadn't heard us approach. We apologized and went on our way. Didn't know we needed to wear bells...
Did some work on the paper preparation - and it didn't go well. I don't know if the paper wasn't strong enough or what, but it tore in several places when it dried. I guess I need to upgrade before I try again. Maybe resume paper...
I wrapped up the Final Fantasy game this weekend - the last battles were pretty easy since I had all my characters at a crazy high level. Great animation, but a little anti-climactic.
Watched most of Tin Man on Sci-Fi channel on Sunday - pretty good mini-series. I think I'll pick up the DVD. I also want to get the Hitman DVD that's coming out soon.
That's it for now...
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