Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cleaning the Mirror

In an alternate reality:

He's driven in to work on his hover car and set up the solar collector to get the batteries recharged. He's hustled to his desk and put on the interface-helmet to author the interactive instructions that are part of his current list of projects.

Later he'll grab a couple of friends, then carpool over to a floating snack-barge to snack on whatever the group agrees on. He's thinking of introducing a Korean food meme.

Clone-chicken sandwiches are fine too.

If someone else drives, maybe he'll have a beer. Might be a good idea. There's another outbreak of some virus or another. The antiviral nutrient mix in beer helps counter that.

On the weekend he'll join a few friends for dinner, drinks, and a sensory-input entertainment offering (like a movie, but hits all the senses). He's thinking something more along the lines of a reality offering... maybe zombies?

There was that resurgence in San Jose, after all.

That reminds him to double check his kit. Yep. Shotgun is loaded. Chainsaw-sword is powered up.

Maybe he'll save up some cash, fly out to Nevada and take the beanstalk up to one of the orbital stations.

He's always wanted to see space.

It's nice to have options. Sure, life isn't perfect. They've got zombies in some parts of the world. Mutant shark-men trouble the tourist industry in Austrialia. A bioengineering mistake wiped out all limes.

Could be worse. The world could have the ice caps melting. Banks could be unregulated and screw everyone over. "Battlestar Galactica" might have ended with a stupid ending that had angels in it. Fundamentalist religious movements might actually have substantial numbers of followers. "American Idol" might have actually gone beyond a single season on the air.

What a nightmare that world would be.

bits of this, snippets of that

"Fringe" remains at the top of my favorite shows now.

I watched last night's quasi-vampire episode of "Fringe" where a person infected with a bizarre... ah... condition... had to suck the spinal cord fluid out of victims.

Freaky as hell.

That was pretty much all I was able to accomplish save a short run. My meeting ran late enough that it wasn't terribly feasible for me to try to make class, so I did some jogging, grabbed some dinner, watched "Fringe", assembled some Stikfas (*whistling*) and then passed-out about 8pm.

I'm pretty convinced I'm suffering from allergy attacks right now. When they hit me like this, I'm utterly wiped out and have to sleep.

I did briefly hit the supermarket for some groceries as well. Interesting that the Purell is completely sold out but all the knock-off brands are well-stocked.

I'm not sure the brand matters.

Supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday. This should be a hoot since I have evening plans both nights.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ilona Andrews

I'm reading "Magic Strikes", the third Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews.

For a while I was splitting it with "Bitten", but I gave up on that to focus on "Strikes".

I forgot how much I love this series.

I'm forcing myself to read it slowly.

Hypochondria

Allergies savage me horribly, especially when there's a sudden change in weather.

Last week it was record highs. Monday and Tuesday of last week was in the 90's.

This week, the highs have been in the low 60's.

So my allergies have been beating on me like a rabid ninja on speed.

And my subconscious, pesky little rat-bastard that it is, keeps whispering "swine flu... flu... swine flu..."

I do not, of course, have the flu - pig related or otherwise.

I do want to crawl back into bed and sleep off these goddamn allergies, though.

Three cups of sweet, sweet coffee later and I'm still low-energy. Bleah.

Whodunnit?

I've been an addict of "Dr. Who" since I was about 13 or so.

We had polar ice caps back then and there was a U.S.S.R. - just for historical perspective.

It's fascinated me to see the popularity of this show. I get why most people love "Star Trek" and similar franchises. You have space battles, ray guns, fighting, etc.

Oh, "Dr. Who" has fighting... it's kind of hokey, but it has it. It doesn't really have space battles and the ray guns are often just flashlights. "Dr. Who" fans don't watch the show for the effects.

I can't speak as to what the appeal is for most people. I love it purely for the concept of the eternal wanderer who outsmarts the bad guys. I love that he rarely resorts to violence personally (though people around him do).

I guess I just like the idea of a hero who doesn't feel the need to resort to packing a pistol and shooting his way through his problems. I like shows with characters like that, but I do appreciate when there are characters who deal with matters in another way.

Plus: the TARDIS? Totally cool.

That reminds me... I need to do some viewing and get caught up. Hmm...

Only Wednesday?

Why is it only Wednesday?

Why?

It feels like it should be further along.

Miscellanea

Watching all the swine flu hysteria reminds me of the SARS hysteria a few years back.

People need to calm the hell down.

---

"Reaper"... ah "Reaper". That show just keeps getting better.

The Sam and Andi thing is feeling really forced and contrived right now, but watching Sam step up to the evil plate and try to seduce the Devil's girlfriend... that was gold.

The Ben and Sock subplot with Ben's demon girlfriend was icing all the way. I enjoyed that more than the main Sam plot, to be honest.

---

Got my "Fringe" recording to look forward to after work or class tonight. Mmm... life doesn't suck.

---

Trader Joe's has supplied me with a new form of crack: Dark Chocolate Mocha Crunch Squares.

Is there no depth of depravity that is too low for these evil people? Will they not rest until I am destroyed by their tasty-treat-induced-gluttony?

Oh, the humanity.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

G.I. Joe - Resolute

On YouTube, you can pretty much see all 11 episodes of G.I. Joe - Resolute. It's an animated offering that was apparently on Adult Swim.

It's pretty hard-core.

There's bodies. There's actually blood.

At least three locations are obliterated using particle weapons.

It's written by Warren Ellis, so it's pure genius.

If you have any fond memories of the show and the toys, check it out.

spinspinspinspinspin

Sweet mother of all that is insane was yesterday a crazed day.

I found out someone I peripherally know was arrested - and pleaded guilty to - possesion of child porn.

To say "ew" doesn't begin to cover it.

I felt nauseous all day. And this isn't even someone I knew terribly well.

That really was the biggie, but it kind of set the tone for the day. I was running on low-energy for most of the afternoon. I made myself go to class and had to sit out part of it thanks to a rather piercing side cramp. When I rejoined class, I... well suffice it to say I'm doubting if I should try to do the test in a couple of weeks.

I'll probably try regardless. Can't hurt. The most I'll be out is the testing fee.

And my May got booked solid. Rock solid. I've got dinners with friends on two nights this weekend, then an early Mother's Day celebration with the 'rents. I've got a game the following weekend (and one of my friends is hosting a party the same day... whee!) followed by my test.

One of my friends is getting married the following week, but I don't have to concern myself with that. Only family are attending the civil ceremony. However, I have to free up time for any kind of... ah... "pre-marriage celebrations"... *cough*.

And my final two weekends in May have similar obligations amidst still-in-flux family obligations.

Coffee is my friend.

That reminds me. I have to buy a gift soon for another friend getting married in mid-June.

Head... hurts... spinning...

Ah well. I ordered some Stikfas last week. They were on my chair this morning. TOYS!!!

YAY!!!

Don't judge me.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Visions of Japan

In February of 2005, I took my last of four trips to Japan.

Below are a few of my favorite scenery pics of that trip. My real favorite pics are of my friends, but I haven't asked their permission to post their photographs, so I'm just putting up scenes.


Temple in Kobe


Ground Zero at Hiroshima


Itsuku-shima-jinja Shrine gate


Golden Pavilion in Kyoto

It will be mine



Oh yes... it will be...

(It can be obtained here)

Sinbad II

I'm now on the Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was incredibly hokey, but they all are so that was no shock. I still enjoyed it.

The Golden Voyage has always been my favorite, though. John Phillip Law is a semi-convincing Sinbad, I guess. Caroline Munro is hot in this movie. And Tom Baker (TOM BAKER!!!!) is the villain Prince Koura.

Seeing the Doctor as a villain kicks my ass. Per IMDB, he would be starting his stint as the Doctor about the year this flick got released. Aaaah... good times.

Taken

I dunno if I've commented on Taken yet and I'm too lazy to search my blog archives.

I finally saw it.

This flick is going in my top ten for action movies. Simple, straight-forward, and ass-kicking.

The plot is painfully simple. Liam Neeson plays this guy with a "background". His daughter gets kidnapped in Paris. Neeson's character flies out to Paris and kicks everyone's ass in order to get her back.

There was really only one moment where I thought "hey, maybe he's going a bit too far", but it only meant the character was that much of a badass.

I loved it.

criteria



This is totally the criteria I'd use for house-shopping... if I could afford a house.

From Unshelved

More WTF

The economy is in the shitter. Nations are scrambling to build nukes. Apparently our country was planning to use torture on folks way back in '01. Global climate change is melting the ice caps and hosing the weather.

And now: swine flu.

The 21st century is becoming quite the cosmic kick in the trousers.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Well this has been nice

The last of my three-day weekends for a while.

I could get used to this.

I spent part of the day with the fam and am now decompressing from a massive lunch meal. No dinner for this little buckaroo.

I got three "Sinbad the Sailor" movies at Amoeba yesterday. I'm currently The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which is beyond cheesy.

Still, three of these flicks for under twenty bucks is a reasonable deal.

Erik loaned me the first of the Kelly Armstrong "Women of the Otherworld" (or whatever) series. This one is about a female werewolf.

At this point, these books are extreme cliche. I'm noticing the worlds of Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, and Armstrong are blurring together in my mind. Armstrong and Briggs are stronger authors than Harrison, in my opinion. Still, the similarities between their protagonists makes it hard for me to stay focused on their books.

I suppose Jim Butcher's worlds for Harry Dresden are similar, but his narrative style creates something that really stands apart - at least for me. Maybe it's because he's got a male protagonist? I dunno. The gender of the protagonist shouldn't matter too much. Illona Andrews writes in a similar genre and I find her world and protagonist compelling and different.

To me, Armstrong, Briggs, and Harrison write their stuff in a way that seems like a bad romance novel... though I've never tried to read a romance novel, so I guess their stories are more what I think a romance novel would be like.

Meh.

Ramble ramble...

My final weird little snarl is that my play-by-email game with my gaming nerd buddies is hitting a snag. Two of my fellow nerds use Hotmail and for some reason, Hotmail has designated my email address that of a spammer.

Great.

So... maybe that's a sign that I'm doing too much gaming? I dunno.

Oh well. I have plenty of other things to do.

Like work tomorrow. Waaaaah!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Divine Day

It's a lovely - if windy - day today. I decided to truck into Berkeley and hit Amoeba for some music and/or movies.

While on the train, I noted a number of young women dressed in some kind of ethnic garb that looked Asian to my uneducated eyes.

I asked one of the young ladies what was up.

"We are going to see his holiness, the Dalai Lama," she replied with a smile that I can only describe as dazzling.

So the Dalai Lama was in Berkeley today. Neat.

I didn't attempt to figure out where. I guessed there would be a crazy number of people there and I wasn't seeking that.

Instead I enjoyed a gorgeous day and got junk.

Not very spiritual, but then neither am I.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Lifesavers

X number of hours later, I'm certified in CPR, AED, and First Aid through the Red Cross.

I'm reasonably confident I could actually do these things.

It's nice to get it out of the way.

Alas, the 250-anniversary Guinness brew is not in my local BevMo. I'm a trifle disappointed.

The Forbidden Island mai tais have taken the edge off of that, though.

Tired.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

crash and boom

I could easily fall asleep right now. It wouldn't take any effort.

Just let my eyelids drift shut and...

...................................................................................


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

so... tired...

The weather has cooled to a civilized temperature.

And my internal barometer is reacting. I'm dead tired. I could have easily slept through my alarm clock (if I only had one) and blown the whole day off.

Since I'm taking tomorrow off, it seemed unwise.

---

I had odd dreams, which is becoming increasingly common. I'd consider analyzing them, but it's easier to just dip into the beer supply in my 'fridge.

---

"Lost" was a "special" (essentially a giant recap of their convoluted plot) last night. I'm annoyed.

"Better Off Ted" was amusing. I still think that one's going to get axed.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Alternating Reality

In an alternate reality, my alternate self has spent the day lounging in the shade on a beach with a Mai Tai in one hand, a nice book in the other, and some pleasing music in the background. Scantily-clad and attractive young ladies frolic about in the sun and surf. It's neither too hot nor too cold.

My alternate self is smugly enjoying this and knowing damn well I'm not enjoying the same thing.

He's an dick that way. Hopefully I'm better at martial arts than he is and I'll kick his ass one day.

On the topic of alternate realities, I watched last night's "Fringe". Psychic connections, strange powers, and another piece of the puzzle regarding the war with an alternate reality.

Good times. Loved every moment.

Sy-fwa?

I also saw part of SyFy channel's "Knights of Bloodsteel" (mostly out of boredom as I waited for "Reaper" to come on).

The awfulness of the acting left me speechless and more than a little nauseous.

Might I humbly suggest that someone take the programming directors for SyFy and... oh... maybe beat them?

Perhaps a lot?

Oh, and when you're done with the beatings, do the beatings again.

And then GET SOME GODDAMN GOOD SHOWS!!!!

Hey! I have a suggestion. It's a wild thought, but since the CW apparently has trouble with the concept of "good" shows - and SyFy airs stuff that's clearly not science fiction - why not air "Reaper"?

It's a billion times better than anything that SyFy currently airs.

Everybody wins.

Plus: idiots get beaten.

Fear the...

Last night's "Reaper" was quite entertaining.

Sock continues to make the show. I'm still of the opinion that Sock is the real son of the Devil.

Ben... ah Ben... you poor, poor fool. You have no idea. None. Hell hath no fury and oh boy...

The plot with Sam and Morgan took a predictable turn, but I enjoyed the path they took to get there. Morgan is too funny.

The running subplot with Alan, the guy who beat the Devil, was the icing on the cake.

Sam got a little info... but not enough... and Alan's final fate was appropriately devious.

Just five more episodes left in the season. I am sad.

Earth Day



MythTickle says it best.

What the HELL?

It was over 75 degrees in my living room at 4:30 am this morning.

SEVENTY-FIVE DEGREES!

WHAT.

THE.

HELL???

I'm ready for the heat wave to stop.

It's much cooler outside. Small favors, I guess.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ah... milk products

On a whim, I used a Peet's coupon to get a free Mocha Freddo.

I probably shouldn't have.

I can't handle the milk.

It tasted so good though...

Oooh!

Ninja Cat!!!

Egyptian Cotton

Ah... denial.

A couple of years back, I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to make a few changes in my life or I was in the express lane for some health problems (most likely a heart attack).

So I changed my diet and I got my lazy ass outside to exercise, come rain or shine. In about six months, I lost 30 pounds (about 13.6 kg for my metric friends).

Pretty crazy.

And I've managed to keep the weight down... more or less (last week wasn't my best).

When it comes to buying garments (specifically pants), I've stuck to buying them in the size I'm used to.

And it didn't really dawn on me that it might look a little... silly.

I'm too old to have the look with the pants sliding down mid-thigh.

What an odd thing not to think of in all this time.

ATSUI!!!!!! ATSUI DESU NE!!!

This heat is not natural.

Okay, it has to be natural, since nature is delivering it.

It's not normal!

I just rode my bike to work for the first time in months. I regret opting to wear a jacket (albeit a light one).

It's that warm.

And there were cops all over the place!

While I find it somewhat comforting to see law enforcement's representatives as I ride my bike to work in the wee hours of the morning (before even the sun has risen), seeing more than a half-dozen police cruisers... um... cruising with the obvious intention of seeking someone...

Well that doesn't make me feel super-safe.

I could tell as one cruiser slowed past me that one of the officers considered stopping me.

That would have been amusing and typical. I dunno why, but I get stopped by the police a fair amount when I ride my bike. When I drive my car... not so much.

I must look threatening and thuggish on my bike. Which is really funny.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Nummy

Fuddrucker's for lunch.

Teriyaki chicken.

Mmmm.

It was worth the walk in the light of the hated dayball.

Another One Bites the Dust

My friend... I'm going to call him 'MF' for purposes of blogging... just advised me that he took the plunge and proposed to his girlfriend.

I've met the lady in question. She's all class. Sweet, lovely, and a perfect fit for him.

And, of course, MF is a rock star.

My friend, I wish you the best. Congratulations!

That song is going to go through my head for the rest of the day, now...

And the bachelor pool shrinks that much more.

Nerd Constant

I was talking to another gaming nerd yesterday. Okay, I was mostly nodding. The other gaming nerd was talking. A lot.

The segue was random, but we got on the topic of gaming.

And at that point, I realized there really isn't much in life that is more boring than listening to a gaming nerd talk about his/her game.

With that in mind, I spared him my running commentary on my own game... not that I could have gotten a word in.

It BURNS!

The dayball is blazing through the windows now. Its fierce light illuminates the shadowy recesses of my office and forces me to cower behind the beige walls of my cloth-box/veal-fattening pen/cubicle.

I am grateful for the 50 spf sunblock that covers every inch of exposed flesh upon my person.

I wonder if it will be enough.

The only thing that keeps me from vampirism is my love of garlic (and my preference for meat that's well-done instead of rare).

Goal

So this week's goal is to cut back on the junk food. In light of that, I've brought the cookies I baked for my Saturday craziness into the locust den (aka the office) to unload upon the horde.

Unfortunately, there's nobody in the office right now and the cookies call to me... they call to me...

mmm...

NOM-NOM-NOM!!!!

What was I saying?

Well... shit

Per AICN, "Reaper" isn't back for a third season.

Atsui desu ne

It's ridiculously hot for April.

I am not suited for hot weather. Global warming will ensure that my particular strain of monkey DNA doesn't make the evolutionary cut as the human race lurches on.

It's not even 5:30 am and I'm comfy in shorts and a tshirt.

Bleah.

I'm tired but I'm not sleepy. It's a strange feeling.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Wiped

Damn I'm tired.

I survived running the game (and ate food that is horribly bad for me).

As usual, things didn't go as expected. I felt a little sick when Erik's character met some... ah... unexpected... trouble.

Still, everything ended in a good place for next month. I think.

Bloody hell I'm tired.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Supplies

Got the pizza.

Got the beer.

Got non-alcoholic stuff.

I even made cookies (though they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped).

Now if I could just not have the allergies. That would be lovely. The allergies... they suck.

Friday, April 17, 2009

'Tis a lovely day

I should know. I walked a good five miles in the sun and enjoyed my iPod music and the Berkeley scenery.

I still have two or three lingering issues cropping up with respect to tomorrow. At this point, I think I'll just ride it out. If everything turns out poorly... well at least I tried.

Bonus: my iPod is working... for the most part. It crapped out yesterday and I had to reset it using Apple's wonky website instructions. And then iTunes rebooted my computer.

At least I assume it was iTunes. I didn't have this trouble until I had iTunes installed and now every once in a while, my computer freaks out and reboots when I have iTunes running and updating my iPod.

I've scanned my PC with everything I can think of. If it's a virus, my system isn't detecting it.

In a case of strange synchronicity, I'm watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I swear, Skynet doesn't need to nuke the human race. Just let current computer technology drive us nuts. After a while, we'll nuke ourselves out of sheer frustration.

Bah.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

zzzzzz*snerk*zzzzzz-- wha?

Yeah.

Bakesale Betty sandwich just hit me with a monster case of food coma. And this is after a nice long walk.

I'm pretty much done.

Stick a fork in me.

Today's been a hell of a day and quite the end to a long-seeming short week.

I'm now processing ideas a friend has introduced to my battered psyche. To consider such ideas, I have to get past a few hang-ups, neuroses, and biases.

This would be easier if I weren't digesting a fried chicken sandwich that was the length of my forearm.

Best Chicken Sandwich Ever

I went to Bakesale Betty for lunch today.

Massive sandwich of several fried chicken breasts and vinegarette coleslaw.

Delicious.

Utterly delicious.

The lines to get food from there are insane, though.

Psychic Waffles

My day is odd today. Unexpected social outings will take us to an odd place in Oakland for lunch.

I've had an opportunity to practice a skill I last used as a teen.

I received a neat package for an item shipped via USPS... it's beaten orders being sent by UPS.

My interactions with co-workers are... odd... today. Very odd.

I think I just have a case of Friday-itis.

I'm flipping back-and-forth over how to handle the weekend. I have to decide by today, one way or the other.

Mmmm...

Happiness is a warm-out-of-the-oven blueberry muffin.

An uneven feeling

Well, one way or the other, I'm settling some outstanding issues today. That's good from a closure perspective, at least.

---

I had a dream in which I had an apartment in Kobe (Japan) and I had a pet transgenic monster that was part giant snake and part lion. I named it "Cuddles".

I wish I were kidding.

---

It's my "Friday". That should have me super-giddy, but I'm really just too tired to process it this morning. This might be a three-cup day.

So true



As usual, Sheldon gets it right.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Pleasing development

What a frustrating week this has been so far - both in and out of the office. I'm glad I have Friday off to recharge a bit. Saturday's giving me a headache every time I think about it.

Still... I have a case of Newcastle in my 'fridge. While I missed class thanks to my afternoon meeting, I managed to get a nice run in that helped clear my head a little bit.

And I got paid. That always helps take the edge off.

I registered for a class I've been meaning to take. That will take care of next Friday nicely. I'll follow it up with much-deserved drinks.

But that's next week.

So after getting back from my run, I made dinner and watched my recording of "Fringe".

The gang took on a transgenic monster that was part gila monster/giant snake, part lion, and part bat.

It was AWESOME!!! I laughed. I cried. I shuddered. Oh it was good times.

That show just keeps getting better and better.

Now I'm hoping to settle the last few details of Saturday's game with a couple of players... hopefully by tomorrow so I can focus on other things.

I need a long vacation.

Seeking an Irish Blessing



I pine away in my quest for Guinness.

Specifically this brand. My local BevMo doesn't (yet) have it.

So I picked up a case of Newcastle to salve my wounds.

Soon... it can't hide from me forever. Oh yes...

Cancellations

So io9 keeps running stories claiming Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse have been cancelled.

I wouldn't shed a tear to see TSCC taken off the air to make room for something better, but knowing FOX, they'd probably replace it with reality TV or something similarly banal.

I'd have more mixed feelings about Dollhouse because the last episode was intriguing, but I won't be shocked when the show finally gets the axe.

Why is it so hard to air original and well-written science fiction shows? Really? Why? Why do so many science fiction shows have to fall back to faux-spirituality and some kind of mysticism instead of exploring an actual science fiction storyline?

And why the hell can't these shows have good writing, compelling characters, and decent plots?

BSG was on a roll for a while, then... well, I've ranted enough on that topic.

All the networks seem to be able to do these days is remakes. More Stargate the umteenth stupid spinoff or Star Trek: Even More Banal or Remake of Bad Show from Whenever.

I mean seriously. Who thought it was a good idea to remake Knight Rider?

Bleah.

Ninjas versus Pirates

One of my friends had an... interesting... observation with respect to the Somalian pirate situation.

The Internet meme is, of course, ninjas vs. pirates.

So his take: "Ninjas versus pirates? I'll take SEAL snipers, thanks."

Dunno why, but I found that entertaining.

A big "hmm"

I watched last night's "Reaper" and I'm of mixed feelings about it. Last week's was pure genius (in my humble opinion), but this week's seemed to fall short a lot. It tried to do too much and never really went the distance with any of the plot threads. Ben was neurotic over his relationship with Nina-the-Demon. No shocker there. Sock said incredibly stupid things. No shocker there. Sam... ah poor Sam. No shocker there.

The soul of the week was pretty random this time.

This one gets a "meh" from me. Still mildly-entertaining, but they can do better.

I haven't seen my recording of "Fringe" yet. Monsters and sewers are in the making, so I am expecting schlocky-goodness.

While coming in this morning, I saw something dash past my field of vision. At first I thought it was a really-misplaced fox. Then I thought it was a huge rat.

It was neither. It was someone's dog and the little thing got loose. It was skittish and wouldn't come near me. Sad, 'cause it's in danger of getting hit by cars in this area.

It's distracting me 'cause I want to head out and find the poor thing and call its owner.

Of course, it's run off by now. Alas.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Plugged in



Hee-hee-hee. In His Likeness

Found it

Funny how sometimes it just takes a laugh to shake away a foul mood.

A full stomach helps too.

Ah... happy place. I missed you.

Mood: Pissy

Yesterday seemed to be one of those days when I managed to piss off a good 60% of the people I talked to.

Today, I can't seem to find my "happy place". If my browser isn't hanging or my Internet connection isn't crapping out, I'm unable to get folks to answer email (lingering work issue) or replicate problems or whatever.

I wonder if I could get away with putting a punching bag in my cubicle? Probably not. Probably would be considered "creating a hostile environment" or somesuch.

Pity.

At least it's a short week for me.

Irony

My office "Green Team" posted some... oh... twenty? Thirty? A ridiculous number of flyers printed using a color printer all over the office to advertise Earth Day activities.

I'm pretty sure it's not recycled paper they used.

Shiver me timbers

Of all the days not to bring a coat, I pick the day when it's breezy and blowing a cold wind right off the bay.

Yeah.

Good times.

Weekend so far away

I have a game this weekend.

I've been tempted to cancel it several times over the last few weeks. The logistics of getting participation and commitment from six players with busy lives is a tad overwhelming and we've converted to new rules. I'm pushing to get conversion info from them, as I dislike surprises and there are always surprises in conversions.

Several crises have slowed things a bit and one of my players had to unexpectedly cancel for Saturday, which nudged me closer to canceling the game (his character is kind of important to the plot). I've also had to nag a few others a lot for their conversion stats... and I hate having to nag. I have one straggler left.

I often wonder why I chose the hobbies I have. It must be some kind of poorly-buried sense of masochism or something. I get a sense of accomplishment at the end, but I dunno if the headaches for the game are worth it anymore. At least I get physical exercise out of the abuses of my martial arts class. My takeaway from the games is getting to be less and less every time. It's my nature to pour a lot of energy into creative stuff like this, even if my "creativity" is really just a bunch of obsessive-compulsive, derivative crap.

It's exhausting and it does pull me away from other endeavors.

Bah.

ow

Paper cuts hurt like hell. Why?

Tolkien Humor



Courtesy of Sheldon

Monday, April 13, 2009

Batting a Thousand

Ever had one of those days when your every utterance seems to piss someone off?

I've got a good four people who are passive-aggressively expressing noticable degrees of displeasure with me. I'm not sure why two of them are irritated.

I'm ready for Monday to end.

Flipping the Collar Up

I have discovered "Ladytron".

I feel as though I'm flashing back to the 80's.

I'm enjoying that along with the warm feeling of having my state refund check safely in the bank.

Not that there's a lot of refund to be all warm-and-fuzzy over.

Bah.

Aaaah!

When I see stuff like this, I wish my hairstyle required a comb.

Times are a-changin'



Hmmm... maybe time to re-enter the dating pool?

Religiosity

Apparently I don't have it.

Despite the fact that my family reminded me multiple times that I was coming by on Sunday for "Easter dinner", I completely forgot that Sunday was, in fact, Easter.

So imagine my surprise when I hit the supermarket and found it remarkably un-crowded. Those few people I encountered were adorned in pastels. Lots of pastels.

And my comic book store was closed. CLOSED!!!!

I was not pleased with that development.

I spent Saturday doing a series of random things. I hit a Lao cultural festival thingie in S.F., then I wound up at a friend's 40th birthday and imbibed a fair amount of good beer while eating until near-bursting.

So I'm claiming that threw me off on Sunday. It's a lie, but I'm comfortable with that.

I did manage to remember to make dessert for Sunday. Very tasty cookies. I need to use up the egg stuff I have, so I made brownies for my co-workers today. They're quite tasty.

I got ahold of the score to "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", despite the fact that I find the show unworthy of airtime. The music is by the guy who did the BSG soundtrack. I like it, but every now and again I can detect the BSG elements in the composer's work and it makes me flash back.

I'm still not over the finale.

I'm sensing a theme with this guy's music. Pun intended.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Well... huh.

Out of boredom, I watched the finale for "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". Kind of a yawner.

Then out of masochism, I watched "Dollhouse".

I found myself surprised. It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all. I hope they can keep this level of writing up.

Bwuh

What a delightfully lazy day.

A nice breakfast. Finished laundry. Finished errands. Went to class and got my ass handed to me.

Good times.

Oh, and I made cookies. They're very tasty.

Pure Awesome

I finished Turn Coat, by Jim Butcher last night. The latest chapter of the Dresden Files series had me hooked from page one.

It never disappointed me. Not once.

Pure geeky joy.

Aaaah...

Thursday, April 9, 2009

I am in love

Saw this on io9.

I wonder how much a flight to Australia would cost me?

Personal Soundtrack

It's a bit after 6am. I've had my iPod on shuffle since a little after 5.

I've scrolled through my morning webcomics and read the various blogs I enjoy. I've skimmed through the news and my email.

Amidst this, I've plotted out what I'll be working on today to earn my paycheck.

I've come to a conclusion.

Peoples of the Earth, it's time for you to recognize me as the true lord and master of this world. Bow. Bow before the God-Emperor of the Earth!

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the iPod is playing the "Imperial March" right now.

What? I can't be a meglomaniac on a Thursday?

My Wednesday TV

I started to watch my recordings of "Better Off Ted" and "Lost" this morning.

I have the dread that "Better Off Ted" isn't going to find its legs anytime soon. It seems... uneven. The concept and the casting is good, but it has yet to really carry off a good episode.

I haven't watched any "Lost" yet, save to confirm I got the entire episode.

I've got plenty of time to watch it after work today. I'm glad we're getting rain. It offers me the perfect excuse to lock the doors and bunker down with some "Lost", some "Bleach" eps, and probably the balance of Turn Coat (I'm a little more than halfway done).

Glee!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

A few things

I wanted to brain-dump before passing out early.

"Fringe"... so I watched last night's episode. Hairless, psychic kids in basements. Weird serial killers. Dancing mad scientists. Mind-reading helmets.

Why don't I know anyone personally who watches this show? It's gold! GOLD!!!

Bah.
---
Turn Coat, the latest Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher is keeping me riveted to the point where I almost skipped dinner.

I begrudged my time for "Fringe".

I suspect I won't go to sleep as early as my body wants me to.

---
I have three episodes of "Bleach" to watch. See above re: Turn Coat.

AAAHH!!!!

Pondering

So... if someone has a child while staying here, does that mean the child is air born?

...

...

...

Laugh, damn you! Laugh! 'Tis FUNNY!

...

...

...

Man... nobody appreciates a good pun. Or even my puns.

Off in every which way

Physically I'm just off today. I'm sore from Monday. My allergies are kicking my ass. I can't quite seem to wake up. My head is in a fog that comes and goes irregularly.

That leads into... mentally, I'm just off today. I have moments of incredible clarity when I'm parsing data that's stumped me for weeks and moments when I can barely figure out how to type.

Emotionally, spiritually, karmically, whatever... I'm just off.

Ever had one of those days? I mean... dayum. It's a pan-whammy or something. If I were more off-key, I'd go home and crawl back into bed.

Heh



Sent to me. I couldn't resist posting.

Sequels?



For the record, there were no sequels to The Matrix.

There were no odd-numbered Star Trek movies.

There were no more Highlander movies.

Nobody made a Lost in Space movie.

De Nile is just a river in Egypt.

If all else fails



Unfortunately, most of mine are too thin and stringy to be of much nutritional value.

Hmm... time to bring in donuts, I think.

Reeling with the Reaperness

Whatever affliction is getting to me (allergies? cold? existential ennui?) was kicking my ass last night. I was ready to conk out at 4pm.

Seriously.

I had my copy of "Turn Coat" to keep me occupied amidst the various chores I had to finish and I found my second wind.

So I read a few (not enough) chapters of "Turn Coat", then set a tape for the new offering of "Fringe" at 9 and watched "Reaper" at 8.

I can't understand why the CW would ever consider canceling this show.

I mean... they air "America's Top Model", a vomited-up version of "90210" (which was crap when the original aired), and the umteen-billionth season of "Smallville" and they want to cancel "Reaper"? Seriously? WTF?

So... "Reaper". Last night's ep was an asskicker. The guys brought their respective ladies to a creepy small town to hunt down the latest soul-of-the-week.

Well, they tried in all cases.

The soul-of-the-week made me laugh. The town was just... awesome.

And then there were the dynamics.

I'm a little tired of Sam and Andi. I find their subplot terribly predictable and a bit contrived (yes, I know that sound silly given the show concept... whatever). It is interesting how Sam's power manifests.

The really good stuff was with Ben and Nina as well as Sock and Kristin.

Ah, OCD Ben and your hot-hot-hot demon lover. Never-ending funny. Nina is one of the best possible additions to the show, in my opinion.

Sock, as usual, had the best lines of the episode. His dynamic with his step-sister Kristin (I'm adding Eriko Tamura to my list of crushes now, thank you) is funny, oddly sweet, and really creepy by turns. Mainly the faux-incest overtones make me a little nauseous, which means the writers are totally on their game there.

It was easily one of the best eps I've seen for the series yet.

I've shot off an email to the CW, but I'm fully-aware of how nobody pays attention to those. I'm unconvinced that online petitions are worth spit, so I think I'll send off a letter whining about the cancellation noises. If anyone else is a fan, I've seen these as good people to write to:

Ms. Dawn Ostroff
President
The CW
3300 W. Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA 91505
Re: REAPER

Mr. Stephen McPherson
President
ABC Entertainment Group
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521
Re: REAPER

I recorded my ep of "Fringe" and started watching it as I had breakfast. I look forward to the rest of the ep tonight.

Mmmm... televisiony-goodness.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

HAPPY!



IT ARRIVED!!!

gug

I have no idea why, but my allergies are in overdrive today.

And I'm freakin' exhausted.

I'd be tempted to say I'm sick, but I don't have that achy sick feeling. I'm just really, really tired.

Bleah.

Essential

If you're a "Reaper" fan, you must check out Reaper DMV.

If anyone asks why, tell them the Devil made you do it.

Pardon my Snoring

It's mornings like this when I ponder the option of having my second cup of sweet, sweet coffee before my coffee buddy's arrival.

I could wait the hour or so for her to arrive... or I could have a cup now and then have a third cup in an hour.

Would it help?

Hmm...

Decisions, decisions.

---

There's nothing better to keep my impulse-spending habit in check than to look at my credit card balances online.

Yeah.

I see no benefit to jacking up my totals that much higher.

---

The latest Dresden Files book is apparently in the mail. I could have just gotten it at the local bookstore, but I went in on a pre-order deal with a friend. The few bucks I saved are offset by waiting.

In the words of Inigo Montoya: "I hate waiting."

And I am not left-handed.

Processing

Yesterday was just a damn weird day.

It had great parts: lunch with friends, class, getting back an office picture I wanted, managed to snag laundry time

It had not-so-great parts: allergies, bad news from a friend, minor network issues

Overall, it was a good day. I'm still full from all I ate yesterday but I'm rather achy and sore from class.

So very slow-moving...

I'll likely be distracted today 'cause I brought my chainmail dice with me. Heeeeee!!!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Wait. What?

My Monday classes tend to be the most brutal. Dunno why. Maybe it's coming from a weekend or maybe it's 'cause the instructor tends to do really intense warm-up exercises that work muscles I rarely use.

Or maybe I'm just a flabby mess.

Earlier today I had a lunch outing with various friends from work. We had a lot of Chinese food and being the picture of restraint that I'm not, I overdid it.

And a few hours later, I found myself going to class and wondering (often aloud) if I was going to survive.

Oddly enough, I welcomed the workout. It was good. Oh, it hurt (and still hurts so very, very much), but it's not unbearable. I learned new stuff and I think I'm settling into the warm-up routine fairly well.

I might survive this after all.

Maybe.

... possibly...

My preciousssessss



Ain't they purdy?

You have no idea what they are, do you?

They are chainmail dice. They are hand-crafted by a god among men whom I shall refer to only as "Guy a God Among Men".

I received them Friday night during my imbibing of sake and sushi (in that order).

They're so damn cool!

I can't stop fiddling with them.

I want to take them with me everywhere, but I'm afraid I'd lose them amidst my fiddling, which would result in a bought of epic depression on my part.

Me likey.

I knew the first die was being crafted by Guy a God Among Men's crafty hands, but the second one was a surprise.

A welcome surprise.

My precioussess....

Yes, I know that's not a word. Don't judge me.

Losing my Faith

Heh.

So I caught Friday's "Dollhouse" and still held out hope this show would actually improve. Being a Whedon fan, I'm inclined to give a lot of leeway. I like Eliza Dushku and I'm a fan of Tahmoh Penikett and Amy Acker.

I've really tried to like this show.

The latest episode just failed to make me care. I really have to wonder why I'm wasting any of my time recording this.

The premise, while interesting, is not really engaging. I can't make myself care about the characters. Hell, most of the appear to have signed themselves up to be playthings for the rich and shameless.

There was one twist with one character who was apparently "given" or "sold" to the Dollhouse for "saying no". I do want to give a shout-out for bringing Vincent Ventresca in for that scene. I do miss I-Man terribly.

Still, it's just not a gripping story.

Thanks for the effort Joss, but I'm going to have to pass on the rest of this season.

Terminator

I wasn't sold on the Terminator: Salvation movie. Seems to me that the franchise has pretty much slid after T2.

I gave "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" a brief chance. It sucked worse than I anticipated and I have not gone back.

I expected the new movie to suck as well.

Well, I did until I saw these trailers.

Now, I'm on board.

Pants on Fire

I lied yesterday. I had a rum drink made by my father.

It was delicious.

I regret nothing.

I'm pretty sure if I keeled over right now, my body might not decompose...

creepy

The moon was hidden behind a cloud this morning giving it a weird, yellow-orange glow like some kind of alien orb.

It was damn creepy.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Water...

... is all that I'll be drinking today. Oh, maybe some lemonade too.

My poor liver.

I'm freakin' exhausted too.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

the booze

last night I had dinner with my friend Vicky at Coach Sushi.

Bottomless sake. 'Nuff said.

For whatever reason, I followed that up with a Forbidden Island run for my friend Paula's birthday.

Um... yeah. Wow.

This morning was... tough.

Today: Firkin Fest at Triple Rock. As I write this, I'm quite... um... tanked.

Thank goodness for BART.

Good beers, though.

I'm going to regret this later.

Friday, April 3, 2009

It go Boom

I have the day off, so I'm slacking. I'm cooking up a batch of pasta sauce, listening to my music, doing my laundry, and playing on my PC while running an antivirus program.

I should clarify: I'm running it again.

My PC did not like doing too many things at once. While expressing my frustration, I accidentally nudged the power strip out of the wall socket.

When I powered back up, the PC was very unhappy with me.

It seems happy-ish now.

Dayum.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Through the Looking Glass

I was chatting with one of my friends today and we got on the topic of a time when I gave my friend Erik a sword for his birthday.

(I've actually participated in sword-gifting to him more than once, but I opted not to bring that up in the conversation)

Like most "normal" people, my friend found the choice of said gift a little odd.

For reasons that I can only describe as a "brain fart", I then shared a snippet of my time with the SCA.

To her credit, she didn't seem overtly terrified, but I did get a pretty good sense of how "normal" people would view some of my past interests.

Always worth a chuckle, I guess.

Reality and the fine art of sparring

In martial arts - no matter the style - you're being taught how to fight. Some of the applications are intended to restrain while others are intended to hurt, cripple, or even sometimes kill.

As with many skills, at some point you have to practice what you're taught in order to put the pieces together.

Since hurting, crippling, and killing folks is generally a bad idea, there's sparring.

That's when I've found one learns just how good or bad one is.

I'm pretty bad.

When I studied karate, I can recall a time when I sparred a young lady who was easily half my size. Being a gentlemanly-sort, I was reluctant to attempt to strike a woman, especially one I had such a size advantage over.

She was not so restrained.

After a couple of solid hits from her, I found myself encouraged to try harder to tag her.

She handed me my ass.

It was about then I realized I'm just not a very good fighter.

I got better in subsequent boughts against different opponents. I never did spar that young woman again, which is just as well.

Years later, I've gone on to my new style and this week's topic has been practical usage (essentially a type of sparring).

I'm learning humility all over again.

Oh, and pain.

Oh well. Baby steps.

'Cause at this point, a baby could totally kick my ass.

My Friday

So today is my Friday. The pain in my shoulders and neck is subsiding a bit more each morning, so I'm hopeful that I will get caught up on my sleep tomorrow morning.

That would be lovely.

I hope to finalize the crazy stuff with my gaming group over this weekend as well. Nerd arguments are silly forms of minutae, but they get heated and I'd rather just get past that and back to the gaming.

Nearly there.

suckage

Neither "Better off Ted" nor "Lost" came out on my recording last night.

I can't tell if it's the Comcast signal (which is quite possible given the frequent error message I get from that stupid box they gave me) or if it was the tape.

I confirmed it's not the VCR/DVD-R. I just recorded some "Farscape" that was playing this morning and it was no problem.

Bah. Angry.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Oh Happy Day!

Meeting canceled!

Woo-hoo!!!

April Foolishness

I had some pithy April Fool's posting idea I wanted to put up, but it just up and fled my mind.

It was probably a stupid idea anyway.

I've managed to ruin one of my favorite t-shirts with olive oil thanks to my hastily-consumed lunching and I've got a late day today with a late afternoon meeting.

Bleah.

Comcast Redux

Someone from Comcast (?) posted a comment. Huh.

Comcast reads my blog? How... interesting.

On the one hand, I certainly appreciate the recognition and the suggestion.

On the other, the solution offered isn't really helpful. I don't have trouble with the mechanics of setting up a recording (save when I forget to do so). I have trouble with the fact that my actual Comcast service is rather spotty and keeps interrupting ever since going digital.

If the service would just keep working, then I could use my lovely VCR and not have to worry about missing my shows or trolling for them later on the Internet.

Still, I do appreciate the consideration Comcast.

Please keep my signal working during tonight's offering of "Lost". I'd really appreciate that. Thanks.

So Excited

I can't wait for class after work today. We're learning cool stuff:

* how to disarm someone with a chainsaw

* how to use an icepick (something about "sicilian methodology")

* how to catch thrown weapons (shuriken, knives, etc.)

* and GUN KATA!!!!

Best martial arts class ever!

oh my

This needs to be real.

Making my Assignments Interesting

I'm going to ask my manager today if I can add a little spice to my assignments.

I'm thinking of prefacing all my articles with the simple phrase: "As foretold by prophesy..."

I can't see a downside, really.

Comcast and Suckage

Ah, Comcast... if you were not a monopoly in my area, I'd ditch you faster than unshielded radioactive material wrapped in an Anthrax-laced blankie.

In the joyous conversion to digital cable, I've noticed a decline in the quality of my service that has me wondering why I don't go pure-Internet for my entertainment needs.

My "Reaper" recording gets hosed at some point, so I'll have to wait a few days and catch the encore on YouTube.

Bah.