Day three and our legs feel like alien appendages. They're sore, stiff and generally dog tired from the foot travel. The one saving grace and likely deciding factor about the time of year we return is that the weather has been pretty mild. The warmest days and coolest nights have been in a nice comfort zone. I remember our summer a decade ago when it was so unbearably hot it made waiting for anything ten times worst.
---
Seeing a lot of bad parenting here. People not minding manners, cutting or weaving just to get ahead, and last night there was a mom in line while the kids were elsewhere, then the kids just wiggled through swarms of people to cut in. The lines are structured so tightly that there isn't much room to do that anyway. On the flip side, there's a lot of good vacationers as well, people picking up dropped toys from strollers, some ladies letting our kids stand next to the curb after I unsuccessfully attempted to place a sixty pound boy on my shoulders. Most parents are empathetic.
---
On the first morning, I saw my co-worker at the ferris wheel. I didn't know she was taking her vacation either and for as to run into each other in the midst of thousands of people is pretty cool. After an hour, we ran into each other again. I guess it is a small world after all.
C'mon you had to see it coming.
---
One thing one really has to appreciate is the amount of detail in the park design, but for me I'm really impressed at how they do crowd control. Parking itself is a thing of beauty, all the spots are escorted so the line moves smoothly in one direction, no spot hunting or hoarding required. Then everyone gathers on the tram and we're taken to the park. Very well organized. They keep the lines and crowd moving and keep people well informed so that they can micro-manage their own schedules.
The parking enters in one spot and exits in another, so you don't have that confusion as you would in a mall parking of being disoriented. Also the escalators go directly to the floor you need for the most part, so you have to take four flights to get to your floor.
---
When Heimlich, who is that German caterpillar from A Bug's Life gives riding instructions in his accent in Spanish, it amuses me.
Also, while I was pretending to eat the giant watermelon on the ride, the water that squirts on you does not taste like watermelon, just smells like it.
---
Our diet of over expensive fast food is killing my appetite. I honestly am dying for some instant noodles or something. I an tired of outside food and paying thirty plus dollars to feed a family of four. Seriously in a single day without buying any gifts or souveniors it averages about a hundred bucks just on food and parking. And we even bring our own snacks and drinks.
---
"Doinnng!"
"Ahhh!"
Soft sobbing.
That is Alex running into the spring stopper on the bathroom door, scaring himself, and then being upset about it.
---
The Ramada Limited is living up to it's name, having one of our worst hotel experiences ever. Last night after we turned in early for the night, we woke up to idiotic guests who were loud, chattering at full volume, and some even rattled and tried to open our room doors. I was pissed. But sure, that's not necessarily the hotel's fault, but let me tell you what is.
The TV that was magnetized and now shows a discolored picture on the sides, the old microwave that reeks, the fridge that doesn't work, the room that is musty and old, the garbage outside that is too small, the towels stuck under air conditioners to stop the leaks, and the toilet plunger in the front yard. That's the hotel's fault. Aside from the location, there is absolutely no redeeming factor to stay here again.
---
We've attempted to break them into rides with polarizing effect. They hate roller coasters, rides with big drops, dark or loud rides, or rides that seem ominous. They hated the Pirates of the Carribean, cringed through the kid coasters, but really enjoyed the kids rides. Alex started crying in anticipation of the Roger Rabbit ride, and we had to calm him down with Pocket God on my iPod. But afterward we went again right after with a fast pass. I was a little annoyed at first because I was sorta looking forward to the Indiana Jones ride and the Captain Eon show, as Elaine was for Splash Mountain, but that was all nixed. But I came to the resolution that all the kid rides they're on now will be unbearably boring to them when they're older, so it's just a matter of timing. They're be ready in a few years. When they retire the rides.
---
Getting a lot of blogging done waiting to meet the princesses. I think we've been here for close to 40 minutes. I'm not even positive Zoe is all all psyched to meet them. She gets shy around them and just deadpans her excitment.
---
Hahahaha. I'm in the single rider line at the Indiana Jones adventure. I just skipped about a fourty minute line. The wife and kids weren't too keen on this ride and rightfully so, so I have this opportunity to fill in an empty seat.
Finished the ride and I'm glad I went solo. The kids would've been miserable throughout and it is rather frightening. I had a big smile when I came off the ride though. Something nostalgic about it, you know, being a former adventurer and all.
---
In these seemingly alien conditions, I think the true personalities of the kids really come out. Alex is game for anything and but struggles with complex instructions, but genuinely has a good time regarding audience participation. He is still a little shy, especially when approaching princesses and being asked by his annoying father to bow to the princesses. Zoe is extremely reserved, often not even cracking a smile and avoiding eye contact. She shifts around when someone is talking to her, but is generally compliant. She would rather not participate, and hides her emotions behind a look of indifference.
Alex hasn't shown much interest in meeting characters, and Zoe only mentions it in passing, even if she's eager to meet them. Both got pulled to join a street fair and they seemed uncomfortable and slightly miserable. But I'm sure they were having fun.
---
The vacation was planned pretty well. Two days each for each park and now on the fifth day we're basically finishing up the rides we missed and repeating the ones we like. Zoe got her third Winnie the Pooh ride and it is precious because she's got this toothy smile on her face. I think Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear is Alex's favorite, because of all the shooting. I admit they might be mine too. Ride plus videogame always equal win in my book.
---
Driving back to Redding, CA as our overnight stop and we're only 150 miles in and I'm exhausted. Hopefully some coffee and Dennys will wake me up a little more. I did call in to request for Monday off so that I can rest after the vacation and two days of driving but so far, the kids will be going to school the following day. I kinda feel bad for that. I need the day off just to reorient myself back to normal life. Get geeked out again.
---
Never drive to Disneyland from Washington. Unless you have three drivers. And any children you might were were suspended somehow. The drive there was so-so, but during the drive back we had rain throughout, some sun, and snow at Mt. Shasta. Heavy, sliding snow. Your back tends to get all cramped too.
---
An interesting footnote to this trip is that Disneyland experienced a slight delay when the earthquake in Mexico rattled Disneyland. We were literally driving away from natural disaster, even though there was no damage or injuries in Disneyland.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
.JPG)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Dragon dictation app
I don't know if this is going to work or not but I'm going to give it a shot. I am trying this new app by dragon dictation for the iPod touch, and I have to enuciate my words more than I usually do. I am also saying the exclamation marks and punctuation marks in order to make sure that it's formatted correctly, otherwise I will have to go back and edit it manually.
Well, I guess that is working pretty well. I just had to go back and change a few words, and I suppose that's not too bad of a way to go.
So work has been going pretty well, despite the fact that I have to learn quite a few new things that rattle my brain quite a bit. My new job has to do with databases and queries and Microsoft Access, a lot of new concepts that I'm not familiar with. But over all, I think it's going quite well.
I'm getting quite psyched about Disneyland, especially after my coworker at work loaned me a Disney vacation planning DVD. There's really not so much new information on there, but it was the first time that my kids have seen anything about Disneyland. I think I'm the most excited about just taking some time off, and having some nice weather for change. Not that the weather in Washington has been so bad, since we had a pretty light winter.
One of the things I have been enjoying lately is the new This American Life App, that's put out by the WBEX. I enjoyed the weekly podcast quite a bit, although if you missed one of two weeks and it doesn't archive on the RSS feed. It only features the latest week's installment so this app allows me to access the archive for free basically, except it has to stream. This App also has a bunch of bonus episodes from the TV show that isn't readily available, so it's quite a bonus. If you never heard about this American life, be sure to check it out.
Well I suppose this app has to have some kind of threshold, because after a while it stops recording in order to keep the messages short. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, It's not a bad thing.
I'm just a test that out right now and see if it records my conversation in the normal speed instead of having to talk a lot slower than I usually do.
I have a strong suspicion that my dog is actually a Brazilian Terrier, which is quite a departure from the previous assessment that it is a rat terrier. This is quite a revelation considering that we were never quite sure what breed Daisy really was.
I think this will be a good time to stop, since I'm not quite sure how much editing I will have to do with this entry. I did think about starting a podcast, maybe a voice podcasts for my blog entry. However, I don't think anyone would ever listen to it so it might be a complete waste my time. So I'm a try this for now , and see how it goes.
----—
I guess when I dictate my blogs, the stories seem more random than usual. Maybe I'll learn to relax more in time.
Well, I guess that is working pretty well. I just had to go back and change a few words, and I suppose that's not too bad of a way to go.
So work has been going pretty well, despite the fact that I have to learn quite a few new things that rattle my brain quite a bit. My new job has to do with databases and queries and Microsoft Access, a lot of new concepts that I'm not familiar with. But over all, I think it's going quite well.
I'm getting quite psyched about Disneyland, especially after my coworker at work loaned me a Disney vacation planning DVD. There's really not so much new information on there, but it was the first time that my kids have seen anything about Disneyland. I think I'm the most excited about just taking some time off, and having some nice weather for change. Not that the weather in Washington has been so bad, since we had a pretty light winter.
One of the things I have been enjoying lately is the new This American Life App, that's put out by the WBEX. I enjoyed the weekly podcast quite a bit, although if you missed one of two weeks and it doesn't archive on the RSS feed. It only features the latest week's installment so this app allows me to access the archive for free basically, except it has to stream. This App also has a bunch of bonus episodes from the TV show that isn't readily available, so it's quite a bonus. If you never heard about this American life, be sure to check it out.
Well I suppose this app has to have some kind of threshold, because after a while it stops recording in order to keep the messages short. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, It's not a bad thing.
I'm just a test that out right now and see if it records my conversation in the normal speed instead of having to talk a lot slower than I usually do.
I have a strong suspicion that my dog is actually a Brazilian Terrier, which is quite a departure from the previous assessment that it is a rat terrier. This is quite a revelation considering that we were never quite sure what breed Daisy really was.
I think this will be a good time to stop, since I'm not quite sure how much editing I will have to do with this entry. I did think about starting a podcast, maybe a voice podcasts for my blog entry. However, I don't think anyone would ever listen to it so it might be a complete waste my time. So I'm a try this for now , and see how it goes.
----—
I guess when I dictate my blogs, the stories seem more random than usual. Maybe I'll learn to relax more in time.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hmm
I wouldn't call it my new job per se, I'm simply working in a different position in the company but still paid the same. In a lot of ways, I'm like an intern of sorts that's training to know all these things but there's a chance that it's all for naught. But so far, it's been a steep learning curve comprising of new programs, new concepts, just new everything. On one hand, my old boss is loaning me out on a week by week basis, while meanwhile my new boss is having my own computer installed in my own cubicle. Weird. The biggest plus in this whole adventure is that the hours are awesome. No more 10 hours days of waking up at 4:30am and going to bed by 9:30pm, instead it's a 6:00am wakeup time and a almost 11pm bedtime, which makes me very happy. Granted I did lose my Fridays off, but I do feel more like a regular human being with normal operating hours. Instead of feeling like a human am/pm. It's difficult to say much about the job since nobody has really solidified any decisions, but it's a nice progression. I could get used to this. Another upside is that I get to see the kids in the morning, which is kinda nice even if I'm not terribly talkative at the table. It at least is an attempt in normalcy.
Well, the gauntlet is thrown and the plans are made and hotels are booked. We are going to Disneyland in the spring. After some frustration and
money crunching, I decided that flying wasn't really a great option since it would've bumped up the bottom line quite a bit. About a grand, actually. So we are driving to Anaheim, with a stopover at Redding, CA, whose only distinction is being the middle of our driving route. But we are taking it fairly easy, with four full days set aside for commuting and five full days at Disneyland. The last time we were there was when Jael was 12 or so, so it was about ten years ago. California Adventure was still under construction and not even open yet. We are looking forward to it all even if we are likely to skip many of the crazier rides.
This afternoon I was shown my cubicle and I got pretty pysched. I don't know how long I'll be there, but now I have my own computer, my own extension, and a voice mail which says my name. Special!
Well, gotta get up. Elaine is making me motionsick with her shaking on the couch.
Well, the gauntlet is thrown and the plans are made and hotels are booked. We are going to Disneyland in the spring. After some frustration and
money crunching, I decided that flying wasn't really a great option since it would've bumped up the bottom line quite a bit. About a grand, actually. So we are driving to Anaheim, with a stopover at Redding, CA, whose only distinction is being the middle of our driving route. But we are taking it fairly easy, with four full days set aside for commuting and five full days at Disneyland. The last time we were there was when Jael was 12 or so, so it was about ten years ago. California Adventure was still under construction and not even open yet. We are looking forward to it all even if we are likely to skip many of the crazier rides.
This afternoon I was shown my cubicle and I got pretty pysched. I don't know how long I'll be there, but now I have my own computer, my own extension, and a voice mail which says my name. Special!
Well, gotta get up. Elaine is making me motionsick with her shaking on the couch.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Write On
I haven't sat down and cranked out any script since college - talk about quitting at the prime of my young career. Ever since there has been some writing activity here and there, but nothing overly ambitous or noteworthy. Well, after discovering the Creative Screenwriting podcast with Jeff Goldsmith, I've kinda fallen in love with the idea of writing screenplays again. Listening to their process, struggles, and their journeys have inspired me to maybe start putting something back on paper. Or in this case, thumb some words into the iPod. I purchased a screenwriting app for the iPod and it syncs with Final Draft, so now I have no excuse to not do it. Just to find the time and the inspiration to commit something to a draft. I actually have a couple solid ideas, like a kidnapping drama and also a lighter comedy with loose thematic ties to the afterlife. There's also the matter or revamping Cells, a three act play I wrote in college but most likely not. Anyway, I'm prepping my brain to take on screenwriting, so that may very well be my half assed new years resolution.
Also been catching up with movies, having just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. I have to say, I'm a semi casual fan of the series, but having watched the first film with the kids and then the latest one puts things into perspective. Seeing how a lot of the story links up, the characters grow up, and how one film ties in with the other is pretty amazing. I was even seeing things in the first film that foreshadows the later ones. That Rowling is a pretty smart one. I wouldn't venture so far as to reading the books per se, since I'm a illterate monkey with a short attention span.
Been working a whole bunch lately, but not even as much as my coworkers. I clocked in about 23 hours overtime last week but I believe my coworkers came closer to thirty. This coming week though, I might get quite a bit. That said, it's bedtime for me.
Also been catching up with movies, having just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. I have to say, I'm a semi casual fan of the series, but having watched the first film with the kids and then the latest one puts things into perspective. Seeing how a lot of the story links up, the characters grow up, and how one film ties in with the other is pretty amazing. I was even seeing things in the first film that foreshadows the later ones. That Rowling is a pretty smart one. I wouldn't venture so far as to reading the books per se, since I'm a illterate monkey with a short attention span.
Been working a whole bunch lately, but not even as much as my coworkers. I clocked in about 23 hours overtime last week but I believe my coworkers came closer to thirty. This coming week though, I might get quite a bit. That said, it's bedtime for me.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Travelogue
People pack their best when they're on vacation, and for some reason I decided that Oregon should see me as a human potato. Or a really confused Desert Storm deserter. I was rocking the beige top and pants. No one really commented on it, I just caught a reflection and was instantly appalled. Then I danced around like a hot potato for effect.
---
Travelling with a dog is somewhat challenging, especially when the hotel doesn't allow you to crate the dog by itself. She spent most of the vacation in the car, so I felt a little bad for her, but at least she got to see Oregon. Wilbur is crazy jealous, from what I gathered from his expressionless face. Daisy spent all the commuting times on Elaine's lap, kneading her thighs and shedding all over my poor wife. If she had any more fur on her, PETA would've picketed my wife. Daisy also got herself riled up over other dogs, cats, and bold red Oregon squirrels, and decided to take it out on her leash. Her retractable fifteen dollar leash. Damn dog.
---
We never visit friends and relatives in other states because we usually don't have any, but in this rare case we had an opportunity to visit Bev, who is my wife's ex mother in law. It's not as awkward as it sounds, since she's a pretty nice lady. Easy to chat with, very warm, very grandmotherly even though my kids have no blood relation to her at all. I'm glad we got to see her, even if it meant an hour of driving through hellish, rainy traffic.
I also got to see my cousin in Oregon, and meet her husband Patrick. I haven't seen her since Alex was less than a year, so yeah, it's been a while. We had dim sum and I ordered like a maniac with the full intention of picking up the bill, so when they did I felt a little bad because their palate was on par with Elaine's, which is to say they were willing to try new things, but they usually stuck with what they liked. I wished to spend more time with them since it's not often I get to spend time with peers who are related to me, but they had jobs and we had a timeline to adhere to in order to get home in time for kids bedtime. But still, it was a good visit.
---
A milestone I hoped to never reach was realized when I innocently went to the bathroom at the motel. What was to be a routine drop slowly unravelled into a horror show when my deposit failed to swirl into obilvion, instead swirling upward in a rising pool of unusual undigested byproduct. In a panick, I started bailing filth into the bathtub with Daisy's dog dish but it kept overflowing, because the stopper in the toilet bowl was also not working. I reached for the valve to shut off the water but instead cranked up the pressure, flooding the bathroom floor with some really bad soup. Finally I shut it off, and yelled for my wife to get a plunger from the front desk. The manager, who did not seem to understand that I had a reputation to uphold, sent in a housekeeper.
I avoided eye contact as she undoubtedly was emotionally scarred by cleaning up after me. We left the room promptly soon after with a tip to cover the cost of hand sanitizer.
---
The ironic thing about Science Centers are that the kids love to tinker with the physical props and ignore the actual Science. They don't care what propelled the empty soda bottle, they just want to make it go. Meanwhile, I'm trying to learn something I should already know, but because of the kids and their desire to hope from exhibit to exhibit, I find it easier to just ignore the words and play with the toys.
Perhaps the most eye catching exhibit aside of the giant submarine docked outside te Science Center is the pre-natal section, basically about childbirth and all that. In the middle of the floor is a section with an almost full circle enclosure which is black. And at eye level, there are glass displays of fetuses from early conception all the way to near full term. Surprising to me at least, was that all the fetuses, maybe thirty or more, were actual fetuses.
I suppose some people might raise a fuss about it, but i think I was rather glad that it exists. It's not like it caters to any morbid curiousity, it was done rather well.
---
The highlight of the Oregon zoo had to be one of these three things: The Zoolights, seeing the Bat exhibit, or watching a monkey pick anothers' posterior, insert residue in his mouth, and then spit it out. That was a lesson for many of us that day. The baby elephant was pretty cute too.
---
It was a claim that didn't seem true, more so when we were seeing it in person. The second tallest waterfall in the US. Didn't seem that tall. Reexamining the photo I took, it was actually the second tallest continuously running waterfall in the US. Tricky.
We tried hiking to the top of the waterfall, but it was quite a trek. Pretty cool though, even if I'm usually not the kind to enjoy nature much.
---
Irony is when your windshield wipers don't work and it's pouring down rain, and when you finally switch the left and right wipers, it stops raining for the rest of the vacation. The first Two days were like trying to wipe down windows during a downpour with a wet towel. I depended mostly on large shapes to drive.
---
When a large man approaches you at a gas stop in Oregon, he's not trying to rob you I found out. To cover my embarassment, I went inside and tried to pay for a full tank. That's when the attendant told me that he had to fill the tank first. I'm so cool.
---
It was a much needed trip really, it should hold till Disneyland in the spring.
---
Travelling with a dog is somewhat challenging, especially when the hotel doesn't allow you to crate the dog by itself. She spent most of the vacation in the car, so I felt a little bad for her, but at least she got to see Oregon. Wilbur is crazy jealous, from what I gathered from his expressionless face. Daisy spent all the commuting times on Elaine's lap, kneading her thighs and shedding all over my poor wife. If she had any more fur on her, PETA would've picketed my wife. Daisy also got herself riled up over other dogs, cats, and bold red Oregon squirrels, and decided to take it out on her leash. Her retractable fifteen dollar leash. Damn dog.
---
We never visit friends and relatives in other states because we usually don't have any, but in this rare case we had an opportunity to visit Bev, who is my wife's ex mother in law. It's not as awkward as it sounds, since she's a pretty nice lady. Easy to chat with, very warm, very grandmotherly even though my kids have no blood relation to her at all. I'm glad we got to see her, even if it meant an hour of driving through hellish, rainy traffic.
I also got to see my cousin in Oregon, and meet her husband Patrick. I haven't seen her since Alex was less than a year, so yeah, it's been a while. We had dim sum and I ordered like a maniac with the full intention of picking up the bill, so when they did I felt a little bad because their palate was on par with Elaine's, which is to say they were willing to try new things, but they usually stuck with what they liked. I wished to spend more time with them since it's not often I get to spend time with peers who are related to me, but they had jobs and we had a timeline to adhere to in order to get home in time for kids bedtime. But still, it was a good visit.
---
A milestone I hoped to never reach was realized when I innocently went to the bathroom at the motel. What was to be a routine drop slowly unravelled into a horror show when my deposit failed to swirl into obilvion, instead swirling upward in a rising pool of unusual undigested byproduct. In a panick, I started bailing filth into the bathtub with Daisy's dog dish but it kept overflowing, because the stopper in the toilet bowl was also not working. I reached for the valve to shut off the water but instead cranked up the pressure, flooding the bathroom floor with some really bad soup. Finally I shut it off, and yelled for my wife to get a plunger from the front desk. The manager, who did not seem to understand that I had a reputation to uphold, sent in a housekeeper.
I avoided eye contact as she undoubtedly was emotionally scarred by cleaning up after me. We left the room promptly soon after with a tip to cover the cost of hand sanitizer.
---
The ironic thing about Science Centers are that the kids love to tinker with the physical props and ignore the actual Science. They don't care what propelled the empty soda bottle, they just want to make it go. Meanwhile, I'm trying to learn something I should already know, but because of the kids and their desire to hope from exhibit to exhibit, I find it easier to just ignore the words and play with the toys.
Perhaps the most eye catching exhibit aside of the giant submarine docked outside te Science Center is the pre-natal section, basically about childbirth and all that. In the middle of the floor is a section with an almost full circle enclosure which is black. And at eye level, there are glass displays of fetuses from early conception all the way to near full term. Surprising to me at least, was that all the fetuses, maybe thirty or more, were actual fetuses.
I suppose some people might raise a fuss about it, but i think I was rather glad that it exists. It's not like it caters to any morbid curiousity, it was done rather well.
---
The highlight of the Oregon zoo had to be one of these three things: The Zoolights, seeing the Bat exhibit, or watching a monkey pick anothers' posterior, insert residue in his mouth, and then spit it out. That was a lesson for many of us that day. The baby elephant was pretty cute too.
---
It was a claim that didn't seem true, more so when we were seeing it in person. The second tallest waterfall in the US. Didn't seem that tall. Reexamining the photo I took, it was actually the second tallest continuously running waterfall in the US. Tricky.
We tried hiking to the top of the waterfall, but it was quite a trek. Pretty cool though, even if I'm usually not the kind to enjoy nature much.
---
Irony is when your windshield wipers don't work and it's pouring down rain, and when you finally switch the left and right wipers, it stops raining for the rest of the vacation. The first Two days were like trying to wipe down windows during a downpour with a wet towel. I depended mostly on large shapes to drive.
---
When a large man approaches you at a gas stop in Oregon, he's not trying to rob you I found out. To cover my embarassment, I went inside and tried to pay for a full tank. That's when the attendant told me that he had to fill the tank first. I'm so cool.
---
It was a much needed trip really, it should hold till Disneyland in the spring.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Post Xmas Fatigue
Yes, there is such a thing because I have it. After all the spending and visiting, I'm eager to get back to my boring ass life. The one filled with chilling out and being a complete dullard suits me just fine. I don't know, Christmas hath crossed the treshold from being a joyous holiday to being a chore of tolerance and wallet gutting. I enjoy spending my money on some people more than others - I guess that's a good way of putting that. Grinchy as it may be, I am happy that Christmas is one whole year ahead. Gives me more time to avoid it. Funny though, since my wife really enjoyed it this year round.
My glasses decided to self destruct last night, snapping on the top of the rim again. This is the third and final snap, having been welded back into place by a shop the last two times. Yes, the whole "spectacle" probably cost me about five hundred bucks, between the initial cost of the glasses and the two weld jobs. So I'm certainly sticking with contact lenses.
Because of some misinformation, I ended up keeping Metal Gear Solid for the PS3 and with a gift card and a sale, also ended up picking Ninja Gaiden and Fallout 3, which I gave up after renting it because it was becoming too much work. We will see if this time I develop more of a fondness for it. Anyway, all those should be keeping me busy for quite some time.
Well, I'm literally falling asleep in the midst of the kids bickering and yelling over Little Big Planet. Stopping here.
My glasses decided to self destruct last night, snapping on the top of the rim again. This is the third and final snap, having been welded back into place by a shop the last two times. Yes, the whole "spectacle" probably cost me about five hundred bucks, between the initial cost of the glasses and the two weld jobs. So I'm certainly sticking with contact lenses.
Because of some misinformation, I ended up keeping Metal Gear Solid for the PS3 and with a gift card and a sale, also ended up picking Ninja Gaiden and Fallout 3, which I gave up after renting it because it was becoming too much work. We will see if this time I develop more of a fondness for it. Anyway, all those should be keeping me busy for quite some time.
Well, I'm literally falling asleep in the midst of the kids bickering and yelling over Little Big Planet. Stopping here.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Waiting for Brown
As I wait for the UPS truck to arrive, I'm realizing that I haven't blogged in a while. And despite my total lack of interesting tidbits to share, I'm going to write anyway. Because I owe it to you.
Anyway, I am waiting for Hdmi cables, component cables and a HD indoor antenna to arrive from Monoprice.com. I've heard about them strictly from podcasts but they have been known chiefly for good prices and decent quality. Which pretty much sums me up, I'm decent quality. Nothing really impressive that will knock your pants off, but likely someone you wouldn't mind pointing to and refering to as "my acquaintance".
Work has been a little interesting lately, I've been requested and also assigned to help in other parts of the company, and it's been interesting. It's a mix between gratitude that I'm doing something different and slight boredom. Mostly because I'm taught enough to color by numbers, but not really knowing what picture I'm coloring or why I'm choosing those colors.
Bad analogies aside, I actually had to tell one side that I had a previous commitment with the other, and they could have me for half the day. The punchline to all of this, of course, is that I don't know what I'm doing. I'm way underqualified for the new position, but they're doing a grand thing and taking the time to explain everything to me. I wasn't offended that he mentioned that it would be two weeks before I could do anything productive - rather I saw that as a good thing. But we'll see how that goes.
I haven't had much time to enjoy the new tv, although it is noticeably more awesome than the last. Widescreen is my friend. Gaming on it is a ton of fun, though playing Burnout on it close to blew my brain apart. High speed and big screen equals mind blown. And hooking up my meager computer speakers to it just enhances the squishiness of mass chaos while playing Prototype.
Was slogging through the damp grass when I realized that this was Daisy's first winter. She was born in April, so she's still a puppy by definition.
Ok, I'm yawning from all this blogging. I'm out.
Anyway, I am waiting for Hdmi cables, component cables and a HD indoor antenna to arrive from Monoprice.com. I've heard about them strictly from podcasts but they have been known chiefly for good prices and decent quality. Which pretty much sums me up, I'm decent quality. Nothing really impressive that will knock your pants off, but likely someone you wouldn't mind pointing to and refering to as "my acquaintance".
Work has been a little interesting lately, I've been requested and also assigned to help in other parts of the company, and it's been interesting. It's a mix between gratitude that I'm doing something different and slight boredom. Mostly because I'm taught enough to color by numbers, but not really knowing what picture I'm coloring or why I'm choosing those colors.
Bad analogies aside, I actually had to tell one side that I had a previous commitment with the other, and they could have me for half the day. The punchline to all of this, of course, is that I don't know what I'm doing. I'm way underqualified for the new position, but they're doing a grand thing and taking the time to explain everything to me. I wasn't offended that he mentioned that it would be two weeks before I could do anything productive - rather I saw that as a good thing. But we'll see how that goes.
I haven't had much time to enjoy the new tv, although it is noticeably more awesome than the last. Widescreen is my friend. Gaming on it is a ton of fun, though playing Burnout on it close to blew my brain apart. High speed and big screen equals mind blown. And hooking up my meager computer speakers to it just enhances the squishiness of mass chaos while playing Prototype.
Was slogging through the damp grass when I realized that this was Daisy's first winter. She was born in April, so she's still a puppy by definition.
Ok, I'm yawning from all this blogging. I'm out.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cloudy and cold
There isn't anything terribly important to note, just spending my day off listening to intermittent Christmas songs that plays between my regular songs on the iPod. We are watching our budget so staying home seems to be a pretty good solution, although it does drive Elaine up the wall. It doesn't bother me quite as much, because from Mon to Fri all I ever do is to work, and then linger with exhaustion until bedtime so I could do it all over again. Elaine took Zoe to World Market to window shop a bit, and I'm just hanging out at home with the boy. While he's playing Legos, I'm on the iPod tapping out a blog entry.
November came and went, and now it's weeks before Christmas and it's hard to fanthom. We are maybe seventy percent complete on our shopping, and for me only one more paycheck to go. Elaine and I are both exempt from gifts, since we both got our gifts early with the TV and the couch. We are cutting down on kids presents this year, being how their toys have such a short life cycle, we decided to instead save that money for a trip to Disneyland instead. Of course, none of that money is there anymore, but I suppose sometime in March or April we will go.
It is a little tough to think of myself as a college graduate, and everyday I go to work I get reminded of that everyday. I have to swallow chunks of my pride everyday, when people with less schooling running the show. I dunno, I'm having this mid-life crisis whereby I don't know what I want in life anymore. My ambitions got smaller and now it seems that my short term goal is to make it to the weekend, and my long term goal is to look forward to the next holiday. My imagination is stifled by stress, fatigue, and constant refereeing. In a lot of ways, I am content with the life I have, with a wife who loves me and sticks by me, two good kids, and a pretty good dog whose worse moments comes when she's bored. Hey, if I could chew on walls, there's no guarantee I wouldn't do it either. But in a lot of ways, I'm sad as well. I don't know what I'm contributing to my legacy. Even my wit and smartassery isn't documented, so it's not even like I could coast off that. I don't write anymore because I'm making excuses, and indepent filmmaking slips further from me. My equipment is old and falling apart, and my willingness to work with actors was lessened with the last project. I just don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
November came and went, and now it's weeks before Christmas and it's hard to fanthom. We are maybe seventy percent complete on our shopping, and for me only one more paycheck to go. Elaine and I are both exempt from gifts, since we both got our gifts early with the TV and the couch. We are cutting down on kids presents this year, being how their toys have such a short life cycle, we decided to instead save that money for a trip to Disneyland instead. Of course, none of that money is there anymore, but I suppose sometime in March or April we will go.
It is a little tough to think of myself as a college graduate, and everyday I go to work I get reminded of that everyday. I have to swallow chunks of my pride everyday, when people with less schooling running the show. I dunno, I'm having this mid-life crisis whereby I don't know what I want in life anymore. My ambitions got smaller and now it seems that my short term goal is to make it to the weekend, and my long term goal is to look forward to the next holiday. My imagination is stifled by stress, fatigue, and constant refereeing. In a lot of ways, I am content with the life I have, with a wife who loves me and sticks by me, two good kids, and a pretty good dog whose worse moments comes when she's bored. Hey, if I could chew on walls, there's no guarantee I wouldn't do it either. But in a lot of ways, I'm sad as well. I don't know what I'm contributing to my legacy. Even my wit and smartassery isn't documented, so it's not even like I could coast off that. I don't write anymore because I'm making excuses, and indepent filmmaking slips further from me. My equipment is old and falling apart, and my willingness to work with actors was lessened with the last project. I just don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
McD reflections
Making it through this week is a bit of an accomplishment, since there's still a fair amount of modeling clay in my respiratory system. Sometimes I would exercise my child like fascination, looking at my expectorate and marvelling at its structural integrity, wondering to myself how something like that managed to come out of me. I've also been avoiding speaking in general, everytime I try to utter something resembling a sentence, my throat would itch and I'd end up coughing. I imagine most people do not find coughing appealing, especially since the flu scare has probably got everyone ingesting Purell just to keep themselves sterilized. So I just figured I wouldn't talk much, so that I couldn't cough. Somehow being anti-social sat better with me than being diseased.
So my National Novel Writing Month has bombed so far, kicking off with a week long flu and then just wallowing in general fatigue. I've been going to bed so early this week that I've qualified myself for dreams again. Usually my brain doesn't get to go into REM state, it just naps before it snaps to conciousness again like an angry bulldog, looking for something to do for the whole day.
After some thought today, I'm thinking of switching my novel to a play format, because I've been having a little trouble making my book effortlessly funny. Also, I think it'll work slightly better as a play anyway, since novel writing isn't my strength. We shall see, since we are talking about rewriting a whole two pages or something. Bah. What a terrible writing schedule. I used to write so easily and now it's a chore and an experiment on my ability to doubt myself.
Have a few hours of work tomorrow, going to a training class that someone enrolled me into. Not quite sure who decided that I should take a class called "Value stream mapping", even joked to my supe that maybe they needed a gnome to fetch coffee so they decided to sign me up. But glasses have to be half full for me, I have to look at it as an opportunity of sorts. I'm sure having taken this class is sure to bump me up somehow.
Been listening to the Creative Screenwriting podcast and it's just amazing. Listening to their work process and knowing that it's a lot of writing and rewriting, a lot of patience, and a while lotta luck that gets people where they are. But it's just work. Breaking down the story to see what works and what doesn't, and tearing away scenes that you love because they simply don't serve the story. Probably the best ones so far are from the writers of Watchmen and Walle. These guys have spent years and years, rewriting and writing. It's just humbling to know that they have to work as hard as anyone else to make the story work.
Well, fatigue and the antics of the McDonalds playground are distracting me, so that's it for me. I've counted five kids crying so far. It's like a brutal gladiatorial ring of sticky-fingered midgets trying to trounce each other.
So my National Novel Writing Month has bombed so far, kicking off with a week long flu and then just wallowing in general fatigue. I've been going to bed so early this week that I've qualified myself for dreams again. Usually my brain doesn't get to go into REM state, it just naps before it snaps to conciousness again like an angry bulldog, looking for something to do for the whole day.
After some thought today, I'm thinking of switching my novel to a play format, because I've been having a little trouble making my book effortlessly funny. Also, I think it'll work slightly better as a play anyway, since novel writing isn't my strength. We shall see, since we are talking about rewriting a whole two pages or something. Bah. What a terrible writing schedule. I used to write so easily and now it's a chore and an experiment on my ability to doubt myself.
Have a few hours of work tomorrow, going to a training class that someone enrolled me into. Not quite sure who decided that I should take a class called "Value stream mapping", even joked to my supe that maybe they needed a gnome to fetch coffee so they decided to sign me up. But glasses have to be half full for me, I have to look at it as an opportunity of sorts. I'm sure having taken this class is sure to bump me up somehow.
Been listening to the Creative Screenwriting podcast and it's just amazing. Listening to their work process and knowing that it's a lot of writing and rewriting, a lot of patience, and a while lotta luck that gets people where they are. But it's just work. Breaking down the story to see what works and what doesn't, and tearing away scenes that you love because they simply don't serve the story. Probably the best ones so far are from the writers of Watchmen and Walle. These guys have spent years and years, rewriting and writing. It's just humbling to know that they have to work as hard as anyone else to make the story work.
Well, fatigue and the antics of the McDonalds playground are distracting me, so that's it for me. I've counted five kids crying so far. It's like a brutal gladiatorial ring of sticky-fingered midgets trying to trounce each other.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)