Wrapping Up 2018

I feel oddly-obligated to make a New Year's Eve post. Not sure why.

I've just finished (re-)watching Shaun of the Dead with some Zachary's deep-dish pizza and a bit of Campfire whiskey. That's pretty much the sum total of my New Year's Eve plans in a nutshell. I may pop another movie on. I may try a bit of writing. I expect I'll have a bit more Campfire. I'm not sure if I'm going to bother staying up 'till midnight.

2018 has been a really weird year. Can't say I'm sorry to see it go. I'm curious what 2019 will bring. I'm sure it will be interesting times.

Almost there...

As 2018 winds down, I sit nursing sore muscles. I overdid it yesterday. A life lesson: make sure your destination has what you're looking for before you walk a couple of miles to fetch something.

Got my SSD configured. Turns out I had to do things. Google pointed me to the things. I managed to do the things. I feel very empowered and technical, despite my inability to describe what I had to do to get everything working properly.

I'm set for New Year's Eve, for the most part. I couldn't get the beer I wanted (part of my fruitless trek yesterday) but I've got plenty of other stuff to make up for the lack. I've also got a deep-dish pizza waiting to be baked as my dinner tomorrow. Mmm...

I figure I'll marathon some movies, maybe all the Avengers flix in my library or the entire LotR series. If I'm still up around midnight, I'll toast the new year and go to bed.

Yeah, it's not exciting, but I'm not really looking for excitement.

2018 was a fairly ridiculous year for me. It certainly had no small bits of excitement. I changed jobs. I saw one of those "landmark" birthdays come and go. I thought I was going to lose my mind more than once. I changed Internet providers (aaah... to be websurfing at civilized speeds...). I did a lot of personal journey stuff that would mean nothing to anyone other than myself. All said, despite the worldwide shitshow that was 2018, the year itself treated me fairly well. Gonna be interesting to see where 2019 takes me.

Four Days Left

I'm kind of proud of myself today. Having no hardware skills whatsoever, I managed to clone my hard drive to a solid-state drive without issue. I even managed to expand the volume to take advantage of most of the drive!

For some really annoying reason, I can't seem to access about a quarter of the new drive, but there's got to be some way to make that happen.

Four days left in the year!

Thirteen Days Left

After today, that is.

I'm struggling with a decision: do I upgrade my current PC with a SSD and just keep going with it for a few more years or do I just bite the bullet and get a new machine? Getting a new machine means having to configure the hell out of it. That's gonna be a pain in the ass. But it would be a faster machine, if I did so.

Decisions, decisions...

Abitrary Countdown Start

Fifteen days left in 2018.

As Xmas looms and the rain pours outside, I'm finding myself thinking back on this year and wondering what the hell 2019 is going to bring.

I started 2018 changing jobs. I'd be lying if I said it was a smooth ride. More than once, I thought it was a mistake and considered walking and trying something else. All said, it's turned out okay so far. It certainly could be worse.

I've continued training in a new martial art. Haven't regretted it for a moment, though I could stand to be a bit more dutiful in attending classes.

I've managed a trip to England and seen more of the north. I got to explore York, including its myriad pubs and winding streets.

I've read a number of books. I've taken time to attend to life matters I've neglected for far too long. Hell, I've started reading philosophy.

My homeland is going nuts and it seems to be getting worse day by day. The planet isn't doing a whole lot better. The icecaps are melting. Climate change is far worse than anyone anticipated. Scientists believe we're going to hit the point of no return in less than twenty years. And the governments of the planet are not responding in time. Hell, in the US, half the country thinks climate change is a myth.

How can all that get fixed? What's the solution to all this? I honestly don't know.

I wonder if 2019 will offer any solutions? I wonder if I can come up with any?

Bolt-action pens

Another Kickstarter came in today. My ZeroHour APEX Bolt Action pen arrived, adding to my selection of "bolt action" pens.

Made me think a bit about the differences I've seen thus far of my bolt-action pens.

For the unenlightened, a "bolt action" pen is a pen with a little knob-like control that deploys the pen's ink-delivering portion akin to a bolt-action rifle's loading mechanism.

It's a new thing. Just roll with it.

Thus far, I have a growing collection of bolt action pens:

• The TiBolt by Brian Fellhoelter
• The GP1945
• The Titaner Bolt Pen
• The ZeroHour APEX Bolt action pen

Each has their pros and cons as I see them:

The TiBolt is a simple, basic, solid, titanium-frame, bolt-action pen. No fuss, no muss. Solid titanium. It's a dependable pen able to take Fisher Space Pen refills. It's with one of my notebooks at all times. In a worst-case scenario, it would serve as a reliable aid to delivering a bit of help in a close fight (as, really, would any pen). It's the first bolt-action pen I've ever obtained (or, at the time, even heard of).

The GP1945 is a clever riff on the concept, adding in a glass-breaker tip and an emergency whistle. A solid frame made of titanium makes for a delightful little writing instrument that can double as a bit of help in a close fight. The downside is that it takes very small refills that run out quickly. Kind of a bummer for an otherwise-awesome design.

The Titaner bolt pen has unique take on a bolt-action pen. Instead of having a side-knob control for the "bolt action" delivery, the tip of the pen serves as a rotating cover in a "bolt action" style. Further, it has a discrete glass breaker on the end and an hidden "pin" that's supposed to help with the little holes in cell phones that one uses for SIM cards. The pen is a solid, delightful little thing that takes Fisher Space Pen refills (a plus to me). The "pin" tool is a bit crap, in my experience. Still, it's a nice pen overall.

And that brings me to the ZeroHour APEX. ZeroHour has been one of those companies that has kept me interested in Kickstarter offerings, truth be told. I've backed their Flashlight offerings, a money belt, and their two pens. The APEX Bolt is pretty much the perfect pen. It's got a nice size to it. They offer aluminum and titanium frames that come with glass breakers and have the ability to hold screwdriver bits for those times when you need to have a pen-sized screwdriver. The Kickstarter had complications with the bits, so mine came without one but it's not like I need screwdrivers as a general rule. The glass breaker uses a ceramic nib instead of a tungsten steel point, which I'm a bit uncertain of, but it's not like I've ever needed a glass breaker, so it's unlikely to be something I'll ever notice in my life. The pen's size is bigger than their previous APEX pen. If one were forced to use a pen in a fight (cue Hollywood bullshit scenario), the bolt action APEX would be a better thing to have on-hand than their previous APEX pen.

Overall, it's kind of a wealth of awesome here. And now I have to acknowledge I'm developing a pen fetish.

Who would've thought that would be a thing? Fucking weird world.

Review: The Squid by Zombie Tools

Every year, just around Thanksgiving, the mad geniuses of Zombie Tools put out a special offering for about a day. This year, it was "the Squid". Based on an Inuit "ulu" knife, the Squid doubles as a nasty little payload for someone throwing a punch. Mine just arrived. I can't envision a situation in which I'd ever need it, but one never knows. And it's a Zombie Tools offering, so it's got a coolness factor that makes it totally worth it.

I have to admit, the Squid is a sharp little bastard and fits nicely in the hand. Doubt it would do me much good against a zombie (unless I have absolutely nothing else at hand) but it would do pretty good against a very mortal opponent in tight quarters.

God, I love these guys!

Blessed Rain

The rain has finally come to California. In the last week or so, we've gotten a nice downpour that's both cleared out the shitty, ash-laden, air and helped get the ground properly damp. I'll admit I'm damn happy to see water coming out of the sky.

I've got a crap-ton of N95 filter masks on backorder. This crappy air bullshit is going to happen again next year. I plan to be prepared. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being able to breathe properly.

Apocalyptic Air Quality

For the last week and change, the greater San Francisco Bay Area has been socked in with smoke from the "Camp Fire" (a series of fires in Northern California that destroyed the town of Paradise and has claimed dozens of lives).

The air outside is considered some of the worst in the world, beating out New Delhi and Beijing.

Fucking hell.

It feels to me like I have a small child sitting on my chest every time I go outside. The sun looks like the Eye of Sauron staring balefully down. The moon looks wrong. I can't see mountains, or in some cases, buildings from certain vantage points.

This is the new normal.

And we're lucky compared to the poor people whose homes were destroyed. Fucking hell.

Review: The Tainto (redux) by Zombie Tools

Yes, I already own a Tainto. I know.

The brilliant weapons-crafters of Zombie Tooks re-did their faux-Japanese offerings of a katana and wakizashi some time back. Recently, they upgraded their version of the tanto to match.

So I had to have one.

The revised Tainto has a shorter, more solid-feeling hilt. The blade itself is about the same length as the previous Tainto, but with a more sweeping curve to it than the more angular, tanto-like cut of the previous offering. It also has the round cross-guard that the revised Apokatana and Zakisushi blades offer. Overall, it's a solid, brutal little monster that comes with a kydex sheath and an aura of vague menace. It's a welcome addition to my little arsenal of sharp objects with which to cut myself as I behave like a fool.

Review: "Ant Man and the Wasp"

Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm late. I finally saw it.

Great caper movie. Funny. Quirky. It felt a bit rushed in parts and not as solid as the first one, but a decent sequel. I couldn't quite figure out what to make of Michelle Pfieffer's Janet Van Dyne/Pym, but Michelle Pfieffer rocks, so whatever works. Fucked ending, though. Overall, I quite enjoyed it.

Funny

A motto that will always be true. Love it.

More Traffic Musings

So now I'm really popular with the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine. That... is unexpected. I cannot fathom for the life of me why anyone from either of those countries would read my blog.

Obligatory September Post

Wow, I really let this blog go, don't I?

Let's see... what's happened in the last month?

Books!
Got and read "Bloody Rose" by Nicholas Eames. The sequel to "Kings of the Wyld", "Bloody Rose" was an intense and fun read. Darker than "Kings of the Wyld", it had a few moments where the story genuinely angered me and kinda left me in shock, but I have to say, I really enjoyed the book.
Also got and read "King of Ashes" by Raymond Feist. Feist's first non-Riftwar work in an eon was an entertaining read, though I cannot tell where he's going with this story. It was a bit rougher than I would have expected from such an experienced writer, truth be told.

Random crap!
I got a drone. I've learned not to fly said drone indoors. 'Nuff said.

It's Dreamforce in San Francisco this week. As a result, I am staying the hell away from San Francisco (save for one night in which I have a social engagement).

Zombie Tools now has a revised Tainto in their catalog. That's my early Xmas gift to myself, as it's going to take about that long for them to finish it and ship it to me.

Traffic Musings

Apparently I am no longer interesting to Russia. Most of my audience (such as I have an audience) comes from "Unknown Region" (go anonymizers!) followed by the United States. Then, weirdly enough, I have a small Ukraine audience followed by an even smaller UK audience. From there, it's clearly accidental views from Poland, Brazil, Quatar, Thailand, Austria, and Australia. Trippy.

Obligatory August Post

Where does the time go?

Let's see, what kind of nonsense shall I post for August?

Got on a kick of trashy fantasy and found myself re-watching Ladyhawke with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. I can't help but love that movie despite the rough acting. Makes me wonder how it would fare with a remake (better effects, better soundtrack, higher production values). Was chatting with a friend and we started speculating how that could go down. Peter Jackson would, of course, be the ideal director. Interestingly, Steven Amell, of "Arrow", was put forward for the hero's role and I really like that idea. Made me think Melissa Benoist (sp?) of "Supergirl" would be an interesting Isobel/Ladyhawke. Not entirely sure who to cast as Phillipe Gaston ("The Mouse"). It would have to be someone young, witty, and charming.

My alternate suggestion instead of Amell might be Chris Helmsworth. I could see him pull that off.



I'm back to a bit of a dry spell for reading material. I have a book on order, but don't have high expectations for it. All my other favorite authors are sort of between releases. Sigh.

Yeah, I guess that's it for August. Whee.

Obligatory July Post

Guess I don't have a lot of time left in July, do I?

What to say? Hm... I finally got on the Stranger Things bandwagon (a couple of years late). Damn that's a brilliant show! Both seasons were fantastic!

Read "Paradox Bound" by Peter Clines. I've grown disenchanted with time travel stories over the years, but this one was a damn fun read. Clines is easily one of my favorite authors these days.

And I think I'm ending July by catching a cold. Headache and body ache has started my Tuesday. I think I may take a sick day. Ugh.

June is almost gone? Huh

Well shit. Time sure flies!

What to say about June...

• I saw Deadpool 2. Rocked! I almost passed out laughing in parts. I'm 73% certain that alcohol had nothing to do with why some of those scenes were so funny to me.
• Read and finished Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. Brilliant fantasy novel! Takes the whole "adventuring party" trope in the best possible direction.
• Read and finished Brief Cases by Jim Butcher. God, I miss the Dresden Files books!
• Worked too much. My brain is a cooked mess. This new job is brutal in some ways.
• Probably drank to much. Meh.

Odds and Ends

• I'm about 2/3 through Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. Great stuff!
• I'm looking at an awful lot of unpainted miniatures on a table. Sigh.
• Recently visited York in north England. That was a damn fun town! They have a bit of a Harry Potter fetish thing going on that's a bit weird, though.
• Related: I think I need to cut back on the beer consumption.
• Gonna be a weird year.

Avengers: Infinity War

Just saw it.

Wow. Just... wow.

I can't review it. Honestly, saying anything spoils it. Much asskickery. Much... wow. Deeply fucked ending. Nice post-credits teaser.

Review: Titaner Bolt Pen

Remember how I said I'd never back Kickstaters again? Remember how that was an utter lie? Yeah, that hasn't changed.

So I backed another titanium bolt-action pen, this time by Titaner, a titanium product merchant. The Titaner Bolt Pen is currently fighting with the GP 1945 for my favorite pen. A sturdy, solid, well-constructed pen of titanium (duh), the Titaner Bolt Pen has a unique bolt-action deployment that can be done one-handed by just twisting the cap. On the other end of the pen is a nice, unobtrusive glass-breaker for those "God, I really want to break some glass" moments that everyone has in their lives and, interestingly-enough, there's a little spike-pin tool hidden in the pen that can be used to release SIM cards from phones (or, I suppose, poke things like you might with a tiny pin).

Best of all, the Titaner Bolt Pen can take a variety of refills, from Fisher Space Pen refills to Scheider refills or what-have-you.

I have to say, I'm kinda leaning toward the Titaner Bolt Pen as my current favorite. The GP 1945 is an awesome pen, but I really do like the option of Fisher Space Pen refills.

Oh well. I can always carry both pens!

Review: Zombie Tools Apokatana and Zakasushi

I'm not even going to bother to explain the sequence of events that let me pull off getting both an Apokatana and a Zakashushi from the glorious mad geniuses of Zombie Tools. It's not really an exciting story.

What is exciting is that I have two new swords with leather sheaths for me to swing around my apartment and risk damage to furniture and my precious self.

I regret nothing.

The Apokatana is a brutal monster with a three-foot-plus blade and a long handle to counter the weight. It comes sharp and fierce-looking with the customary acid-etch of a ZT blade. The Zakasushi, it's Wakizashi-equivalent counterpart is shorter and lighter, with a blade that's not quite three feet long but is equally as sharp. Both blades look like something badass enough to make most anyone on the wrong end shit one's self in fear. Zombie Tools advertises their blades as "burly and sharp". They don't joke.

Already I've tried experimental Musashi swings with both blades (Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary Japanese swordsman, was famed for fighting with both katana and wakizashi). I have new respect for anyone who can do that with speed.

Both the Apokatana and the Zakasushi come with kydex sheaths. I opted to go for the leather sheath upgrades, but I have to say I find the kydex sheaths might be a better "fit" overall. For one thing, the kydex sheaths look badass, giving the blades a more ominous, cyberpunkish, look when sheathed. Also, the kydex sheathes fit tighter. Unlike the other leather sheaths I've obtained from Zombie Tools, the sheathes for the Apokatana and the Zakasushi are looser. The blades can potentially slip out easier (though be drawn quickly, so there's that). The sheaths are still gorgeous craftsmanship, though. I tend to leave the blades in the leather, purely for that reason.

Yup. These and actual sword training would actually have me ready for a zombie apocalypse. Maybe.

Review: "Pacific Rim: Uprising"

Holy shit!

So it's no secret that I love giant robots and giant monsters. I loved the original Pacific Rim. It was a movie that pleased me. There might have been some attempt at plot and acting in it, but I can't remember. It was a glorious slug-fest of robots and monsters kicking the shit out of one another in cities as people scrambled to get out of the way.

In short, it was perfect.



I just saw Pacific Rim: Uprising and I gotta say, the sequel may well be better!!!!



Set ten years after the first movie, Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), the son of Stacker Pentecost of the first film, is living as a thief and hustler who deals in Jaeger salvage tech. After a job goes awry, he meets young Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), a young prodigy who is building her own tiny Jaeger.

They manage to get arrested and are drafted into the Jaeger program - Amara as a cadet and Jake as a trainer. Turns out old Jake was a Ranger in the program but walked away.

Blah-blah character development blah-blah.

Meanwhile, there's a plan by the brilliant Liwen Shao (Tian Jing), assisted by Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) to replace the piloted Jaeger mechs with drone mechs.

Then everything goes horribly, horribly wrong.

Next thing you know, there's renegade Jaeger robots killing people (someone from the first movie bites it, much to my dismay) and treachery followed by the obligatory Kaiju attack. Then it's all Jaeger vs Kaiju action in an orgy of glorious destructive violence set in Tokyo.

Because of course, Tokyo.

There's other characters in the movie and subplots and such but that's all incidental.

Pacific Rim: Uprising is everything one wants and needs from a movie containing giant robot mechs and giant monsters. It's pure awesome bliss. Let no one tell you otherwise. It's currently holding the top spot as my favorite movie in the last couple of years. Fucking genius!

Review: Black Panther

Just saw Black Panther. That was a thoroughly-enjoyable movie! It had a nice, sci-fi feel to it and felt fresh with a primarily non-white cast. The fight scenes were outstanding and the effects were damn pretty. The plot and dialog was pretty standard fare for Marvel movies, but that was not a bad thing. Overall, I came away from the film feeling there really ought to be a Wakanda in real life.

And that monarchies in comic book nations are a terrible, terrible idea.

Totally worth seeing. I will own this movie.

Revelation in 2018

My audience is in Russia and Nigeria.

I did not see that coming.