So my teeth didn't hurt in the usual spot today - seems like the pain is coming from the top right portion of my mouth, and it's smarts everytime I draw a deep breath, eat, drink, or think about it. Like right now.
And tonight, we thought we'd take the kids to a McDonald's playground, but since our usual hangout was closed for renovation, we sought another Mc D's out in Kirkland and went there. Well, the website lied about having a playland, and in addition to that, they serve criminally salty ass fries. I am not kidding. The roof of my mouth is raw and preserved now, and I'm really thirsty too. My lips feel like sunburned slugs and my tongue like leathered jerky.
And is it just me, or are you excited about the reunion of The Police at the Grammys? I'm not a hardcore fan or anything, but I do like their music.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Friday, February 2, 2007
Bond, Sleep, and Medication
I have this thing with medication. Usually I shun it, thinking that if I have a headache, I probably just need a nap. If I have a cold, I just have to drink more liquids. I don't usually veer toward any type of medication, though not because of some holistic philosophy or notion that my body is some sort of temple, because if you've seen my belly, there's no worshipping going on there. I think I just don't think I need it - that over-medicating can eventually break down your immune system, and soon all the drugs in the world wouldn't do a thing for me.
That said, when the pain really piles on, I usually over-medicate. Like the time I had two kinds of allergy medicines and a glass of wine. Boy, that was a power nap. My wife even called the doctor because I was unresponsive to words, burns, and my arm being amputated. (Don't worry, I grew it back.)
So yesterday, I had this killer headache, the second one I had this year, which just floors me. Can't think, can't do much except lie down on the bed with a pillow over my eyes. Usually I would sleep from the early afternoon until the late afternoon, when the sun dips behind the clouds and it gets slightly darker. So that threw my sleep off a lot, and I was pretty bright eyed and bushy assed at night.
I decided to take my wife to see Casino Royale last night, my first actual enjoyable James Bond venture. I usually watch Bond movies thinking, "Wow, that's a cool trick, but I still don't know what the hell is going on." Usually a Bond movie for me are just gadgets, stunts, and sometimes the girls. Not always the girls because sometimes the girls they pick are just wallpapers - they're not interesting characters that I care about. And the plot's usually about some global political technobabble designed to leave viewers impressed with odd foreign jargon which likely makes no sense to anyone else. But we all think that someone else understands what's going on.
Anyway, Daniel Craig is quite good - not quite Brosnan's look, but certainly a more functional, interesting Bond he makes. Brosnan's seems like the one who seduces the women and looks cool blowing stuff up, but Craig makes for a more believable Bond because you feel like he's out to get the job done, and he has a drive to get it done. The stunts are old school - my type of action movie whereby CG doesn't pee all over the picture. Honestly, when Brosnan was surfing and parachuting in some CG crap the last picture, I started to get really annoyed by it.
Bringing Casino Royale back to basics was the best thing they've done for the genre. If you haven't seen it, do so. Or wait for the DVD in march.
Back to the medication. So the movie got out at 1am, and when we went home my wisdom tooth was starting to hurt. And then I couldn't sleep. I'd lay down, start to drift off, and the tooth would just wake me up. This happened all night, and needless to say, I didn't get any sleep, even after various salt rinses, a Percocet, and 2 advils. This morning, everyone was concerned about my sour face and I took two Tylenol PMs my mom gave me, two Percocets, and guess what - I crashed on the couch and died.
Right now I'm feeling better - a little disoriented, but at least my tooth doesn't hurt.
That said, when the pain really piles on, I usually over-medicate. Like the time I had two kinds of allergy medicines and a glass of wine. Boy, that was a power nap. My wife even called the doctor because I was unresponsive to words, burns, and my arm being amputated. (Don't worry, I grew it back.)
So yesterday, I had this killer headache, the second one I had this year, which just floors me. Can't think, can't do much except lie down on the bed with a pillow over my eyes. Usually I would sleep from the early afternoon until the late afternoon, when the sun dips behind the clouds and it gets slightly darker. So that threw my sleep off a lot, and I was pretty bright eyed and bushy assed at night.
I decided to take my wife to see Casino Royale last night, my first actual enjoyable James Bond venture. I usually watch Bond movies thinking, "Wow, that's a cool trick, but I still don't know what the hell is going on." Usually a Bond movie for me are just gadgets, stunts, and sometimes the girls. Not always the girls because sometimes the girls they pick are just wallpapers - they're not interesting characters that I care about. And the plot's usually about some global political technobabble designed to leave viewers impressed with odd foreign jargon which likely makes no sense to anyone else. But we all think that someone else understands what's going on.
Anyway, Daniel Craig is quite good - not quite Brosnan's look, but certainly a more functional, interesting Bond he makes. Brosnan's seems like the one who seduces the women and looks cool blowing stuff up, but Craig makes for a more believable Bond because you feel like he's out to get the job done, and he has a drive to get it done. The stunts are old school - my type of action movie whereby CG doesn't pee all over the picture. Honestly, when Brosnan was surfing and parachuting in some CG crap the last picture, I started to get really annoyed by it.
Bringing Casino Royale back to basics was the best thing they've done for the genre. If you haven't seen it, do so. Or wait for the DVD in march.
Back to the medication. So the movie got out at 1am, and when we went home my wisdom tooth was starting to hurt. And then I couldn't sleep. I'd lay down, start to drift off, and the tooth would just wake me up. This happened all night, and needless to say, I didn't get any sleep, even after various salt rinses, a Percocet, and 2 advils. This morning, everyone was concerned about my sour face and I took two Tylenol PMs my mom gave me, two Percocets, and guess what - I crashed on the couch and died.
Right now I'm feeling better - a little disoriented, but at least my tooth doesn't hurt.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Hellllo Readers and Visitors!
I wish the image was bigger, but I like this little map that tells me who's visiting me for the first and only time, and who likes to drop by often! Thank you Google Analytics!
Don't worry, I don't get much more info than this. I don't know what your pet's name is.
Yet.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
MarioKart, Chipper Revived
Haven't been playing the Wii lately, not because I've grown tired of the games. In fact, there's still a lot I have to do on it, but I've been purposely avoiding it because I know there's a lot of other crap I have to get to first. If I get on the Wii, I just have problems getting off it.
However, after learning that MarioKart 64 is available to download on the Virtual Console on the Wii, I forked over 10 dollars which was to be our family's dinner Friday night, to download the game. Funny thing is, I never owned the 64 version of MarioKart (or any other version other than the DS), but I've always been a big fan of MarioKart. I actually try to like a lot of racing games, but due to one reason or another, they get too obsessed with the racing and doesn't give you much else to do. I can always pick up MarioKart and have fun - Gran Turismo never did anything for me.
----
Once again, I've taken the peed on the Chipper Report, neutralizing yet another format. It's changed format three times due to the fact that I never had time to invest into sticking to one format, but I think this one might have a chance. Basically, it's media that makes me happy. Since I spend so much time surfing, I do come across some pretty interesting stuff. I would blog it before, but it always got a little lost. So, I've got a couple posts up already, so you might want to check out The Chipper Report.
Again.
However, after learning that MarioKart 64 is available to download on the Virtual Console on the Wii, I forked over 10 dollars which was to be our family's dinner Friday night, to download the game. Funny thing is, I never owned the 64 version of MarioKart (or any other version other than the DS), but I've always been a big fan of MarioKart. I actually try to like a lot of racing games, but due to one reason or another, they get too obsessed with the racing and doesn't give you much else to do. I can always pick up MarioKart and have fun - Gran Turismo never did anything for me.
----
Once again, I've taken the peed on the Chipper Report, neutralizing yet another format. It's changed format three times due to the fact that I never had time to invest into sticking to one format, but I think this one might have a chance. Basically, it's media that makes me happy. Since I spend so much time surfing, I do come across some pretty interesting stuff. I would blog it before, but it always got a little lost. So, I've got a couple posts up already, so you might want to check out The Chipper Report.
Again.
Zoe's mouth
This morning when I woke up, I went to the bathroom but Zoe kinda jammed herself in the doorway, saying, "Wait for me, wait for me." Since she didn't have any regard of my privacy, I let her in anyway. These are some of the things she said while I was doing my morning pee.
Hi Daddy.
It's a bathtub!
What's that?
You can do it!
Where's Alex?
That's mine.
Uh oh!
Kitty fell off!
Put it back!
It's a soccer ball.
Ooop!
Are you pooping?
Are you peeing?
Bye Pee!
Dubba dubba dubba.
All those words just came at you a minute after you get up from bed.
---
One of my wife's favorite Zoe's sayings is, "READY. SAID. GO!"
---
Just now I went downstairs while I was rendering and Zoe looked at me and said, "It's dark."
I looked at Zoe.
"Your mouth is dark."
Thanks, Zoe.
---
And last night, good grief, I had to keep reminding that that we were indeed watching a movie, but she talked mostly through it. Where does she get that chatter gene from? Silly girl.
Hi Daddy.
It's a bathtub!
What's that?
You can do it!
Where's Alex?
That's mine.
Uh oh!
Kitty fell off!
Put it back!
It's a soccer ball.
Ooop!
Are you pooping?
Are you peeing?
Bye Pee!
Dubba dubba dubba.
All those words just came at you a minute after you get up from bed.
---
One of my wife's favorite Zoe's sayings is, "READY. SAID. GO!"
---
Just now I went downstairs while I was rendering and Zoe looked at me and said, "It's dark."
I looked at Zoe.
"Your mouth is dark."
Thanks, Zoe.
---
And last night, good grief, I had to keep reminding that that we were indeed watching a movie, but she talked mostly through it. Where does she get that chatter gene from? Silly girl.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Company Called
So I was typing that last post, and about to bring the kids downstairs when my Mom came in and told me that the Company called. I got a little psyched, because I had applied to the Company to be one of their cool minions of technology. I picked up the phone and this guy was trying to get me to sign up for a warranty.
Bastard tease.
Bastard tease.
5 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back
Well, my relationship with the profession of videography has reached a fever pitch. I've got 5 weddings from last year that I still have to do and two that I've done already but they cited my work as incomplete - Well, technically one didn't return any of my emails so I couldn't finish their photo montage (they did mail me cute little thumbnails that I'm supposed to use in a video montage, but anyone with video or photo experience will understand how laughable that is.), so I gave them an extra DVD in place of that, and put their clips online. The other one wanted the whole DVD re-authored because I got the date wrong, which is my fault, but goddamnit - it's a pain the ass. Reimport, rerender, and reburn... Jeez.
Anyway, putting off the job search till I get all these videos out of my life. Can't delay them any longer. So I've just been knee-deep in editing, my head in an endless loop of montages. The latest one I did was to Footloose - they were dancing to the song so I edited the footage in. It's cooler than it sounds, really.
Adjusting to my glasses a little more, though it still feels more like vanity glasses than functional ones. Every night when I go to bed, I think, well, they weren't that bad. And every morning when I put them on, I think - What the hell is on my face? Where's the rest of it? How do I keep my long, beautiful eyelashes from hitting the lenses? Why are my jammies wet again? Why are there chains attached to my wrists? Why aren't I in my cage? Why am I outdoors? Why are people throwing coins at me?
On kid duty now, so I can't do any more editing till their bedtime, but I'll attempt a little of it downstairs. After a good few months of using the Mac Mini as a media center, it's back at the desk, attached to a monitor. The Wii has replaced the internet surfing, email checking aspect of it, and my ipod and its speakers has also displaced the musical aspect of it. The slideshow in the living room is nice, but it's just running on the computer now. Oh well, at least all I spent on converting it to a media center was 19 bucks.
Anyway, putting off the job search till I get all these videos out of my life. Can't delay them any longer. So I've just been knee-deep in editing, my head in an endless loop of montages. The latest one I did was to Footloose - they were dancing to the song so I edited the footage in. It's cooler than it sounds, really.
Adjusting to my glasses a little more, though it still feels more like vanity glasses than functional ones. Every night when I go to bed, I think, well, they weren't that bad. And every morning when I put them on, I think - What the hell is on my face? Where's the rest of it? How do I keep my long, beautiful eyelashes from hitting the lenses? Why are my jammies wet again? Why are there chains attached to my wrists? Why aren't I in my cage? Why am I outdoors? Why are people throwing coins at me?
On kid duty now, so I can't do any more editing till their bedtime, but I'll attempt a little of it downstairs. After a good few months of using the Mac Mini as a media center, it's back at the desk, attached to a monitor. The Wii has replaced the internet surfing, email checking aspect of it, and my ipod and its speakers has also displaced the musical aspect of it. The slideshow in the living room is nice, but it's just running on the computer now. Oh well, at least all I spent on converting it to a media center was 19 bucks.
Friday, January 26, 2007
New Glasses, But Not New Job
Well, like a fat bridesmaid with a skin condition, the insurance company that I interviewed for yesterday sent me an email today stating that I was not insurance material. It wasn't really a surprise and at the same time, it was slightly disappointing. I think if the job was indeed going out on the field and settling claims fairly, and to the customer's favor, then I would probably do well. But the reality of it is, I would be working for the company, therefore I should be trying to save the company money, not giving it away.
I guess I'm free to talk about it now, but it's nothing new from what I mentioned yesterday, except that the insurance company was Farmers Insurance. There's even an entire website dedicated to putting the company down. And after reading some of the job descriptions, I wasn't really sure if it was something that I could do. I mean, I'm a big pansy. I like to entertain, nuture, and grope. I'm not really the cutthroat type at all. I guess it's back to the job boards.
------
So I got my new glasses today, and I feel like I'm looking through magnifying glasses. They look better than my current glasses in the sense that they don't make me look like a tard, but they feel very different. As the folks at Lenscrafters said, they're the trendy look. I'm thinking, "I'm not trendy or current. I'm reliable and boring!"
The new Ray Bans are a little odd, and everytime I look in the mirror I try to see if the rectangular shape does indeed enhance my face. Or make it stand out. It sure is giving me a heck of a headache though. I'd imagine I'll be braindead by the end of the day.
------
Speaking of dead things, my wife accidently closed the car door on her pinkie today, and it's a gorgeous shade of black now. She was hopping in pain up and down the street, and her Dance of Pain was too animated for me not to laugh insensitively. Hey man, picture Napolean (she was holding her damaged hand under her jacket, so she looked like Napolean in stance) hopping around looking like she was doing a rain dance with a full bladder on hot coals. It's all that.
Well, I have to go stare at something neutral to calm my brain now. Maybe a wall or something. That sounds good.
I guess I'm free to talk about it now, but it's nothing new from what I mentioned yesterday, except that the insurance company was Farmers Insurance. There's even an entire website dedicated to putting the company down. And after reading some of the job descriptions, I wasn't really sure if it was something that I could do. I mean, I'm a big pansy. I like to entertain, nuture, and grope. I'm not really the cutthroat type at all. I guess it's back to the job boards.
------
So I got my new glasses today, and I feel like I'm looking through magnifying glasses. They look better than my current glasses in the sense that they don't make me look like a tard, but they feel very different. As the folks at Lenscrafters said, they're the trendy look. I'm thinking, "I'm not trendy or current. I'm reliable and boring!"
The new Ray Bans are a little odd, and everytime I look in the mirror I try to see if the rectangular shape does indeed enhance my face. Or make it stand out. It sure is giving me a heck of a headache though. I'd imagine I'll be braindead by the end of the day.
------
Speaking of dead things, my wife accidently closed the car door on her pinkie today, and it's a gorgeous shade of black now. She was hopping in pain up and down the street, and her Dance of Pain was too animated for me not to laugh insensitively. Hey man, picture Napolean (she was holding her damaged hand under her jacket, so she looked like Napolean in stance) hopping around looking like she was doing a rain dance with a full bladder on hot coals. It's all that.
Well, I have to go stare at something neutral to calm my brain now. Maybe a wall or something. That sounds good.
Fun with Photo Booth
Some are older, and some taken today with my new glasses. I used an EyeToy Camera for the PS2 for this.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Interview
That's pretty much been the gist of my day. The job that I applied for two days ago has an all day on-site interview event today, so I spent most of last night slightly off because my sleep schedule was completely out of whack. Then I woke up today, kinda took my time, got into my monkey suit, and went for the interview. So I was thinking that they'd be some delay, maybe a bit of waiting time, but no. This other guy and I who went in at the same time got signed in, and whisked away to another room with computers. Introductions were passed around as I practiced my art of "instantly forgetting names as soon as I learn them." I was just born with it.
Anyway, I felt pretty manly for a second because I had already filled out an online application, and the other guy hadn't. So I got whisked away to another room with more computers, and I had to go through a profile program thingy. I didn't worry too terribly much about it, since I've taken them before. They ask you pretty basic questions to weed out the doofuses and whatnot. So I got signed in, and I'm taking the first part of the test.
It's a personality test of sorts. Do you lose your temper? Do you volunteer to help? When was the last time you volunteered to help someone else, etc. I answer the questions somewhat honestly, though I'm pushing the confidence bit a little more than I really am. No one wants to hire a mouse. Especially one who seeks constant approval. So I'm breezing through it, la la la.
The second part was when my edges of my eyes started to throb. It was to do with following policies and rules, but no, it wasn't that simple. It was deductive policing sorting. If a person has Health Plan 1, they can either have Dental 1, but not 2. Optical Plan 1 or 2. So if they had a pet monkey with rabies, what plan must they have to get their shot? That sort of thing. And they threw different situations, not just the health care bit. I struggled a bit through it, having to utilize that peanut that's been dormant in my noggin. There was also a time limit before the program kicked you out, so I couldn't use all my toes to aid with the questions.
The third part I was bleeding from my ears, and I suffered a fair amount of hair loss. It was freakin' problem math. Percentages, fractions, all in story form. I had to quickly remember how the hell to do math, and it's really tough when there's a timer and you have to keep wiping your nosebleeds and tears from your face. I even got kicked out from the last two questions because I had run out of time.
I thought I was done for, and yeah, I was damned surprised when she told me that I had passed. By then I was so happy that it was over that I didn't even care why I was even there. But they lead me to another room and three managers proceeded to mentally rape my fragile mind with THE INTERVIEW.
I stuttered, stumbled, and mumbled my way through the interview, and though they didn't seem overly impressed with me, they didn't hate me either. It's a matter of, if the rest of the day everyone sucked big ass, then I might have a chance. They said they'll keep in contact with me, which means I'm not out of the game, but I'm not in the ball park quite yet.
So I got home, being unable to really focus on anything after that experience, and later tonight, I was reading about the position online. People who have worked for and with claims adjusters. The news was downright depressing. The insurance company I applied for has the worst customer service - bottom of the barrel of insurance companies. They leave their customers unhappy. Even worse, there was even a lawsuit filed by its employees against the employer for failing to pay overtime wages in CA. The turnover rate is high, working overtime is common, and the push is to save the company money.
But you know, I'm trying to take this all in stride. I'm not working for the company as of yet, and damnit, if I had to deal with those things, then I'll deal with it then. We'll see what happens.
Anyway, I felt pretty manly for a second because I had already filled out an online application, and the other guy hadn't. So I got whisked away to another room with more computers, and I had to go through a profile program thingy. I didn't worry too terribly much about it, since I've taken them before. They ask you pretty basic questions to weed out the doofuses and whatnot. So I got signed in, and I'm taking the first part of the test.
It's a personality test of sorts. Do you lose your temper? Do you volunteer to help? When was the last time you volunteered to help someone else, etc. I answer the questions somewhat honestly, though I'm pushing the confidence bit a little more than I really am. No one wants to hire a mouse. Especially one who seeks constant approval. So I'm breezing through it, la la la.
The second part was when my edges of my eyes started to throb. It was to do with following policies and rules, but no, it wasn't that simple. It was deductive policing sorting. If a person has Health Plan 1, they can either have Dental 1, but not 2. Optical Plan 1 or 2. So if they had a pet monkey with rabies, what plan must they have to get their shot? That sort of thing. And they threw different situations, not just the health care bit. I struggled a bit through it, having to utilize that peanut that's been dormant in my noggin. There was also a time limit before the program kicked you out, so I couldn't use all my toes to aid with the questions.
The third part I was bleeding from my ears, and I suffered a fair amount of hair loss. It was freakin' problem math. Percentages, fractions, all in story form. I had to quickly remember how the hell to do math, and it's really tough when there's a timer and you have to keep wiping your nosebleeds and tears from your face. I even got kicked out from the last two questions because I had run out of time.
I thought I was done for, and yeah, I was damned surprised when she told me that I had passed. By then I was so happy that it was over that I didn't even care why I was even there. But they lead me to another room and three managers proceeded to mentally rape my fragile mind with THE INTERVIEW.
I stuttered, stumbled, and mumbled my way through the interview, and though they didn't seem overly impressed with me, they didn't hate me either. It's a matter of, if the rest of the day everyone sucked big ass, then I might have a chance. They said they'll keep in contact with me, which means I'm not out of the game, but I'm not in the ball park quite yet.
So I got home, being unable to really focus on anything after that experience, and later tonight, I was reading about the position online. People who have worked for and with claims adjusters. The news was downright depressing. The insurance company I applied for has the worst customer service - bottom of the barrel of insurance companies. They leave their customers unhappy. Even worse, there was even a lawsuit filed by its employees against the employer for failing to pay overtime wages in CA. The turnover rate is high, working overtime is common, and the push is to save the company money.
But you know, I'm trying to take this all in stride. I'm not working for the company as of yet, and damnit, if I had to deal with those things, then I'll deal with it then. We'll see what happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)