So last night I had a series of dreams, and it had to do with schooling. I had somehow signed on for eight classes, most of which had to do with literature, writing, and a Muggles class. I'm not even all that into Harry Potter, never read any of the books but have watched the movies with a meh reaction to each of them, but it somehow smuggled itself into my dreams. I was in line trying to withdraw from one of the classes at 5pm, which was a little much for me. I explained to the registrar that I had a 2 and 3 year old, so I couldn't do it all.
Anyhow, I always have this anxiety about not being able to find my classes on the first day, looking around the huge campus and trying to remember which floor, which door, which teach I'm supposed to go to. Anyway, this was no exception in my dream, except the campus was even bigger since the mall had acquired a huge chunk of it. So it was like a multi-story mall with a campus attached to it. Sweet and scary at the same time.
But ultimately, I did wake up with a pretty good feeling because despite the social chaos that was schooling for me, it was a time of hope, dreams, learning, and inspirations. Everyone was going to be someone, whereas my current situation, everyone already is who they're going to be, which is a bit stifling for me.
---
So the Mac event was yesterday, and it was a bit blah. I mean, even the presentation was held in a smallish room where the audience was subdued and really up close. I chose to not watch the stream like I usually do, since the facts are all pretty much there. New iMacs look nice, and thinking about upgrading to iLife '08, although iPhoto would be the only real reason why I'd do it. The iMovie improvement is cool too, though it's more in line with a move toward more pro control, nothing I can't already do on some level or another.
---
One of the games that I do with the kids is I'll ask them, "Hey, where do Woka Woka come from?" And they'll say, "Woka Woka comes from you!" And I'll go Woka Woka on them, doing some kind of tickling/nuzzling craziness on them. Writing this in case I've forgotten in the future.
---
Noted on the Guitar Hero endorsement there, Atom. Though I don't know what I would do with the flippin' guitar when I'm not playing with it. By the way, I found you on MySpace because I'm watching you. From inside your house. Dah Dah Dahhhhh!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Money Buys More Stuff. Now if only Stuff meant Happiness.
This is certainly not news to anyone with common sense, but we tend to fill our lives with material things that we hardly need in order to feel better about ourselves, and I am most certainly not an exception. In fact, I'm in this permanent full acquisition mode whenever there's a little room in the budget. I know that I really should save the money and do something useful with it, but there are just so many times when I make myself believe that if I have something - it will somehow magically make my life so much better.
This weekend was no exception - since I've been working, our budget has doubled, which is a good thing because we are getting the medical bills taken care of finally. I can write full checks to take care of it instead of weird partial ones. And also we can get necessities like jeans for our growing boy and whatnot. But along with that, I got myself a few things this weekend, just to console myself that even though my job is ultimately meaningless and my contributions are nothing unique in nature, I still have cool shit that makes me happy - at least for a little bit.
I got Cooking Mama for the DS, which is a fun little game that allows me to cook these dishes using my stylus - a fun little activity type game with no storyline whatsoever, but a great way to unwind and it gives me a false sense of accomplishment, cooking these virtual meals that I can only look at. I also got a wireless gamecube controller for the Wii, which allows me to play with my Wii untethered. The Wiimote's got me spoiled.
On the semi-productive spending side, I also invested in an alternative for a PSP. I got the Kinoma Player for my Palm Tungsten E2, which has been gathering dust because I haven't had new businesses, and I've avoided it because the flash drive or something in it whines at a very high pitch. It actually bothers me on some days. Anyway, with the Kinoma Player and the iSquint that I use to compress youtube videos, I spent most of this morning figuring out the magic compression stats to fit podcasts on my Tungsten, so that I can watch video on the go. It's not the ideal quality, since the stupid Tungsten's only running 200 mhz, but it'll do. It might just quell my need for a PSP. Might.
Oh, and hilarity in the fact that I actually bought a belt without trying it on. So it looks like I'll have to lose some weight after all because I'm already on the last notch and it's pretty darn tight.
---
I was just thinking the other night that I'm glad that I changed the format from baby journals to just me talking about whatever, because I'm realizing that not a lot of people actually read this blog. And since I'm not really doing this for anyone else but myself, that's okay with me. I'd hate to really watch what I write and have no one care what I write about in the first place. Of course, it's not like I'm about to disclose my plans for world domination either.
---
Zoe's picking up potty training pretty diligently, she even went so far as to take off her own shorts and sit on the potty without prompting, which is like eons above Alex. Alex is immensely stubborn about it, and a lot of times he still needs to be asked if he needs to go. Zoe's sounding off when she needs to, so she's basically done in a week what it took the boy months to master.
Speaking of which, Alex has been a little difficult as of late, having an attitude and being way too crazy to be normal. He's responding to our requests at his own pace, and he's bullying Zoe in subtle manners that he thinks we don't pick up. Not that Zoe doesn't have her behavioral issues - she's as stubborn as a mule in cement, but at least she's not constantly a handful. Alex is just very difficult to stay home with, go out with, and sometimes even talk to. I was just mentioning to my wife that we've got to be stricter and firmer with him, but at the same time give him equal if not more love to balance that out.
Yesterday he refused to leave the playground and my wife said, "Ok, bye, Alex!" and started to walk away. Alex yelled out, "You can't leave me! You love me!" Which was pretty funny, though I'm not sure what the other parents must have thought.
---
Yesterday we were at Best Buy, and I've always wanted to try Guitar Hero, but at this second attempt, I know that I either have to forget about ever playing the damn game, or just buy it and play it at home. Reason being, it's a different kind of gameplay with a learning curve, since you're using the guitar to play the game. I thought it was as simple as pressing the buttons as the buttons line up, but evidently not. So I end up looking like a monkey's red ass when I press the buttons and nothing happens. And I suck badly in public while the kids in the back of me waiting for their turn laugh and point at the back of my head.
---
This weekend was no exception - since I've been working, our budget has doubled, which is a good thing because we are getting the medical bills taken care of finally. I can write full checks to take care of it instead of weird partial ones. And also we can get necessities like jeans for our growing boy and whatnot. But along with that, I got myself a few things this weekend, just to console myself that even though my job is ultimately meaningless and my contributions are nothing unique in nature, I still have cool shit that makes me happy - at least for a little bit.
I got Cooking Mama for the DS, which is a fun little game that allows me to cook these dishes using my stylus - a fun little activity type game with no storyline whatsoever, but a great way to unwind and it gives me a false sense of accomplishment, cooking these virtual meals that I can only look at. I also got a wireless gamecube controller for the Wii, which allows me to play with my Wii untethered. The Wiimote's got me spoiled.
On the semi-productive spending side, I also invested in an alternative for a PSP. I got the Kinoma Player for my Palm Tungsten E2, which has been gathering dust because I haven't had new businesses, and I've avoided it because the flash drive or something in it whines at a very high pitch. It actually bothers me on some days. Anyway, with the Kinoma Player and the iSquint that I use to compress youtube videos, I spent most of this morning figuring out the magic compression stats to fit podcasts on my Tungsten, so that I can watch video on the go. It's not the ideal quality, since the stupid Tungsten's only running 200 mhz, but it'll do. It might just quell my need for a PSP. Might.
Oh, and hilarity in the fact that I actually bought a belt without trying it on. So it looks like I'll have to lose some weight after all because I'm already on the last notch and it's pretty darn tight.
---
I was just thinking the other night that I'm glad that I changed the format from baby journals to just me talking about whatever, because I'm realizing that not a lot of people actually read this blog. And since I'm not really doing this for anyone else but myself, that's okay with me. I'd hate to really watch what I write and have no one care what I write about in the first place. Of course, it's not like I'm about to disclose my plans for world domination either.
---
Zoe's picking up potty training pretty diligently, she even went so far as to take off her own shorts and sit on the potty without prompting, which is like eons above Alex. Alex is immensely stubborn about it, and a lot of times he still needs to be asked if he needs to go. Zoe's sounding off when she needs to, so she's basically done in a week what it took the boy months to master.
Speaking of which, Alex has been a little difficult as of late, having an attitude and being way too crazy to be normal. He's responding to our requests at his own pace, and he's bullying Zoe in subtle manners that he thinks we don't pick up. Not that Zoe doesn't have her behavioral issues - she's as stubborn as a mule in cement, but at least she's not constantly a handful. Alex is just very difficult to stay home with, go out with, and sometimes even talk to. I was just mentioning to my wife that we've got to be stricter and firmer with him, but at the same time give him equal if not more love to balance that out.
Yesterday he refused to leave the playground and my wife said, "Ok, bye, Alex!" and started to walk away. Alex yelled out, "You can't leave me! You love me!" Which was pretty funny, though I'm not sure what the other parents must have thought.
---
Yesterday we were at Best Buy, and I've always wanted to try Guitar Hero, but at this second attempt, I know that I either have to forget about ever playing the damn game, or just buy it and play it at home. Reason being, it's a different kind of gameplay with a learning curve, since you're using the guitar to play the game. I thought it was as simple as pressing the buttons as the buttons line up, but evidently not. So I end up looking like a monkey's red ass when I press the buttons and nothing happens. And I suck badly in public while the kids in the back of me waiting for their turn laugh and point at the back of my head.
---
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Emotion Overload
It's been a roller coaster for the past few days - so many ups and downs that it rivals a white bear that swings both ways. Bipolar! Bleah, that was terrible.
---
Today I was spared the laborious exertions that was yesterday, when me and 3 other blokes had to move huge racks with no directions whatsoever. I almost got myself fired because I was just so fed up that I was ready to snap. But today, I was assigned to my hired position, and although it was dreadfully slow (4 items shipped. No joke.) I just didn't have to strain my back some more. I'm pulling so many muscles that my groin muscles were starting to hurt. Hernia, anyone?
But today was a little odd too, the one guy who likes to mock others, surf on the internet, talk on the phone, and ignore other people pleas for help, got fired. We didn't know if he just called in sick or not, but when we noticed his girlfriend gather his stuff from the locker, we knew that he was probably not leaving on his own accord.
So I got to spend more time with one of my co-workers today, a guy who's been here for like 2 years and is taking ESL classes after work. And conversation with him is fairly difficult. Often times I will start talking to him and he'd either drift off, smile blankly, or just agree to nothing in particular. He's a nice enough guy, but after each attempt of mine to start a conversation, I'd just end up feeling a bit disappointed that he either didn't seem to understand, or that the conversation wasn't deeper. I didn't mind explaining things to him, like "being on the fence", "pissed off", and "felony".
Speaking of that, found out that the new guy had indeed done a year of juvie when he was younger. I had to explain to my coworker that new guy doesn't have a permanent record because he was a minor and the crime was a misdemeanor, and not a felony. I told him misdeameanors were like minor crimes, like shoplifting, or in the new guy's case, "stabbing a Mexican."
But I do feel a bit bad about the new guy and his dad. Turns out that his dad had served in the South Vietnamese army as a captain during the Vietnam war, and when the communist state resumed power after the Americans left, the North Vietnamese imprisoned the poor guy for 10 years. He then came over to the States for five more years and then he died.
But yeah, the job is getting to be sorta okay. Of course, I could always be...
---
Video game testing! It was so weird, because I had coveted the job like crazy, and then when they called last week, I had hoped that it was come back to me. Yesterday they did call when I was having such a bad day, and it seemed like great news at the time. But after a furious debate between my logic and my blind lust, I decided to back out on my Friday interview and Thursday class.
Thing is, it sounds like a fun gig, it really did. It was for a Xbox360 Party Game that was due for this holiday season. Problem was, the work shift was late, so my wife would have to flip her schedule around. Overtime was highly probable, but with kids it made it impossible. The contract was "anywhere from 3-9 months" as she mentioned, but a big giveaway was that the game was advertised to be out holiday season, which means it would be 4 months of so before I was out of a job again. I looked at it logically and thought, well, I like video games, and that's the only reason why I'm wanting this job. So, I should just buy some games and call it good, instead of reorganizing all my family member's lives just to take this job.
Funny to think that months ago, I would've loved to be a game tester.
---
So today was pretty cool because when I got home, it just got better. The plumber was about 5 hours late, and when he came in, Alex asked him if he was the mailman. He was pretty good humored about it, even when Alex offered to show up the problem with the ceiling and starting to give his rendition of what needed to be done. When the guy went upstairs with me to look at the bathtub, we could hear Alex say,
"That man is Black, huh?"
And a surge of slight worry came over me. Luckily, I said the best words I could say in a surprise situation, I just turned to him and smiled, and said, "He's just 3."
He mentioned something in agreement - I don't remember exactly what, but just relieved that the moment had passed. Even tonight, I thought about all the justifications for Alex's statments that would've just sounded wrong, even if it was well intended.
But the plumber was pretty cool, he diagnosed the problem, said he couldn't really do anything for me (water damage, not leaking pipe), but told me how to prevent further damage and what I needed to do. I asked him to look at the garbage disposal under the sink, which had been stuck either because of the sand I washed out of the kids shoes or the bones my mom fed the disposal. He did, quoted me some prices, but also told me that if I had an Allen wrench, we could try to turn the motor free, and see if that does the trick. It did, and he simply told us no charge, even though he was stuck on 520 for an hour getting to our place, and had come out for essentially nothing. I offered him a Snapple in return, but was very impressed that this guy wasn't just concerned about his paycheck. I would definitely call him again if I had a problem because he had earned my trust.
Then I decided to go out with the kids, something I didn't normally do after a work day, and we went to the Summer Concert thingie at the mall. We got there early, so we had a short wait at the inflatable castle. But then there were no kids once Alex and Zoe got in there. Just the two kids, and my kids. The guy said they could stay in there as long as there weren't any kids in line, so they were in there for a good 10 minutes. And then when the kids lined up, he gave them a 2 minute warning - so when Alex and Zoe finally had to come out, they got so much bounce time that we didn't even need a second pass. Which was great, because the lines got ridiculous after us.
We got a couple Javanilla shakes at SBC, and then just hung out, playing with bubbles, a bit of time at the fountain... So, it was a pretty good day. And tomorrow's my Friday too! Bonus!
---
Today I was spared the laborious exertions that was yesterday, when me and 3 other blokes had to move huge racks with no directions whatsoever. I almost got myself fired because I was just so fed up that I was ready to snap. But today, I was assigned to my hired position, and although it was dreadfully slow (4 items shipped. No joke.) I just didn't have to strain my back some more. I'm pulling so many muscles that my groin muscles were starting to hurt. Hernia, anyone?
But today was a little odd too, the one guy who likes to mock others, surf on the internet, talk on the phone, and ignore other people pleas for help, got fired. We didn't know if he just called in sick or not, but when we noticed his girlfriend gather his stuff from the locker, we knew that he was probably not leaving on his own accord.
So I got to spend more time with one of my co-workers today, a guy who's been here for like 2 years and is taking ESL classes after work. And conversation with him is fairly difficult. Often times I will start talking to him and he'd either drift off, smile blankly, or just agree to nothing in particular. He's a nice enough guy, but after each attempt of mine to start a conversation, I'd just end up feeling a bit disappointed that he either didn't seem to understand, or that the conversation wasn't deeper. I didn't mind explaining things to him, like "being on the fence", "pissed off", and "felony".
Speaking of that, found out that the new guy had indeed done a year of juvie when he was younger. I had to explain to my coworker that new guy doesn't have a permanent record because he was a minor and the crime was a misdemeanor, and not a felony. I told him misdeameanors were like minor crimes, like shoplifting, or in the new guy's case, "stabbing a Mexican."
But I do feel a bit bad about the new guy and his dad. Turns out that his dad had served in the South Vietnamese army as a captain during the Vietnam war, and when the communist state resumed power after the Americans left, the North Vietnamese imprisoned the poor guy for 10 years. He then came over to the States for five more years and then he died.
But yeah, the job is getting to be sorta okay. Of course, I could always be...
---
Video game testing! It was so weird, because I had coveted the job like crazy, and then when they called last week, I had hoped that it was come back to me. Yesterday they did call when I was having such a bad day, and it seemed like great news at the time. But after a furious debate between my logic and my blind lust, I decided to back out on my Friday interview and Thursday class.
Thing is, it sounds like a fun gig, it really did. It was for a Xbox360 Party Game that was due for this holiday season. Problem was, the work shift was late, so my wife would have to flip her schedule around. Overtime was highly probable, but with kids it made it impossible. The contract was "anywhere from 3-9 months" as she mentioned, but a big giveaway was that the game was advertised to be out holiday season, which means it would be 4 months of so before I was out of a job again. I looked at it logically and thought, well, I like video games, and that's the only reason why I'm wanting this job. So, I should just buy some games and call it good, instead of reorganizing all my family member's lives just to take this job.
Funny to think that months ago, I would've loved to be a game tester.
---
So today was pretty cool because when I got home, it just got better. The plumber was about 5 hours late, and when he came in, Alex asked him if he was the mailman. He was pretty good humored about it, even when Alex offered to show up the problem with the ceiling and starting to give his rendition of what needed to be done. When the guy went upstairs with me to look at the bathtub, we could hear Alex say,
"That man is Black, huh?"
And a surge of slight worry came over me. Luckily, I said the best words I could say in a surprise situation, I just turned to him and smiled, and said, "He's just 3."
He mentioned something in agreement - I don't remember exactly what, but just relieved that the moment had passed. Even tonight, I thought about all the justifications for Alex's statments that would've just sounded wrong, even if it was well intended.
But the plumber was pretty cool, he diagnosed the problem, said he couldn't really do anything for me (water damage, not leaking pipe), but told me how to prevent further damage and what I needed to do. I asked him to look at the garbage disposal under the sink, which had been stuck either because of the sand I washed out of the kids shoes or the bones my mom fed the disposal. He did, quoted me some prices, but also told me that if I had an Allen wrench, we could try to turn the motor free, and see if that does the trick. It did, and he simply told us no charge, even though he was stuck on 520 for an hour getting to our place, and had come out for essentially nothing. I offered him a Snapple in return, but was very impressed that this guy wasn't just concerned about his paycheck. I would definitely call him again if I had a problem because he had earned my trust.
Then I decided to go out with the kids, something I didn't normally do after a work day, and we went to the Summer Concert thingie at the mall. We got there early, so we had a short wait at the inflatable castle. But then there were no kids once Alex and Zoe got in there. Just the two kids, and my kids. The guy said they could stay in there as long as there weren't any kids in line, so they were in there for a good 10 minutes. And then when the kids lined up, he gave them a 2 minute warning - so when Alex and Zoe finally had to come out, they got so much bounce time that we didn't even need a second pass. Which was great, because the lines got ridiculous after us.
We got a couple Javanilla shakes at SBC, and then just hung out, playing with bubbles, a bit of time at the fountain... So, it was a pretty good day. And tomorrow's my Friday too! Bonus!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Blogging from Work, sorta
Writing this (well, transcribing now) entry manually at work to evade the snoops that might monitor my account for unauthorizzed surfing or blogging for that matter.
Anywho, work is boring as ever. Nothing is going out of shipping due to some authorization issues, so a lot of folks are doing housekeeping. many trying to look or stay busy, and word is tomorrow we'll be getting 7 or 8 more new contractors.
Been entertaining finding another job, except it gets tough trying to look for jobs while working. Something inevitably gets ignored. But there's just too many slow days here, and not enough conversation to keep me engaged.
---
My uncle is visiting from Woodstock, Canada, doing a road trip across Canada and the US. They stopped over to celebrate my nephew's first birthday, and is spending today with my Mom doing the Seattle thing. Space Needle, Duck Tours, that sort of thing. My uncle and aunt are pretty nice folk, and it's my first real impression of them, especially him. I knew him when I was younger of course, but at that age uncles are just your father's borther who gives out red packets during the holiday and not much else.
But getting to know him was kinda nice - he has a lifelong love of photography, so the conversation's easy. He has some interest in video as well, though I think my quick attempt to sway him to Apple was fruitless. It did get me thinking about how my life would've been different if my father was around to help coach, encourage, or even just been around to listen to me. Spending time with my uncle certainly gave me a little preview.
---
Back at home. Boy, work certainly has it's fair share of characters. So the new guy has the kind of attitude that he wants to save some work for tomorrow, even though there's an hour of work left on the shift. I ignore him and continue working anyway, and I think out of guilt or whatever motivated him, he brought over the other receivers to help. I didn't really need the help, because with every project, there's always the possibility that too much help can actually be counter productive. And did they put that to the test.
One of the guys proceeded to form a human chain, from the pallet of freight to the shelf. It is literally a step or two from the pallet to the board, and there was going to be a four man team working on it. I broke the chain and said something smart alecky, and just stepped back. It's just ridiculous. What topped it was that guy who wanted to quit an hour early then talked about how lazy other people were. I am close to tearing my freakin' hair out. I might just be job hunting. Lower pay doesn't seem as bad as bad company.
---
I'm a proud Daddy! My wife started training Zoe on the potty today and she hasn't gone the whole day while wearing underwear. She sat on the potty and played some Nintendogs. Then a few minutes later, she went again. Then a few minutes later, I asked her because she was being touchy, and sure enough, she went on the potty. Yay for her.
---
So yesterday was my wife's birthday, and we spent a majority of the day at my brothers because it was my nephew's first birthday. But then my wife and I went to see "The Simpsons Movie" and it was exactly what I wanted. It was like a super-sized episode, except it was actually more cohesive than the usual episode. The plot was actually quite coherent, and like a fine-tuned Pixar movie, every line, sight gag, and joke is carefully timed, well-placed, and never disappointing. The crowd enjoyed it as much as I did, and the PG-13 rating is perfect for the movie. It never felt like they were just trying to skew it older just for the movie - the jokes that probably bumped up the rating was well deserved.
I actually thought of Dave because there's a whole chunk devoted to Alaska, so that was fun too. I won't disclose any jokes - they are just great to discover on your own. The only thing I'd advise is that there are indeed a little bit of stuff after the credits, though having seen the after credit sequences, it's nothing major you'd be missing if you end right after the movie.
One more thing, the movie actually is pretty touching in one spot.
Anywho, work is boring as ever. Nothing is going out of shipping due to some authorization issues, so a lot of folks are doing housekeeping. many trying to look or stay busy, and word is tomorrow we'll be getting 7 or 8 more new contractors.
Been entertaining finding another job, except it gets tough trying to look for jobs while working. Something inevitably gets ignored. But there's just too many slow days here, and not enough conversation to keep me engaged.
---
My uncle is visiting from Woodstock, Canada, doing a road trip across Canada and the US. They stopped over to celebrate my nephew's first birthday, and is spending today with my Mom doing the Seattle thing. Space Needle, Duck Tours, that sort of thing. My uncle and aunt are pretty nice folk, and it's my first real impression of them, especially him. I knew him when I was younger of course, but at that age uncles are just your father's borther who gives out red packets during the holiday and not much else.
But getting to know him was kinda nice - he has a lifelong love of photography, so the conversation's easy. He has some interest in video as well, though I think my quick attempt to sway him to Apple was fruitless. It did get me thinking about how my life would've been different if my father was around to help coach, encourage, or even just been around to listen to me. Spending time with my uncle certainly gave me a little preview.
---
Back at home. Boy, work certainly has it's fair share of characters. So the new guy has the kind of attitude that he wants to save some work for tomorrow, even though there's an hour of work left on the shift. I ignore him and continue working anyway, and I think out of guilt or whatever motivated him, he brought over the other receivers to help. I didn't really need the help, because with every project, there's always the possibility that too much help can actually be counter productive. And did they put that to the test.
One of the guys proceeded to form a human chain, from the pallet of freight to the shelf. It is literally a step or two from the pallet to the board, and there was going to be a four man team working on it. I broke the chain and said something smart alecky, and just stepped back. It's just ridiculous. What topped it was that guy who wanted to quit an hour early then talked about how lazy other people were. I am close to tearing my freakin' hair out. I might just be job hunting. Lower pay doesn't seem as bad as bad company.
---
I'm a proud Daddy! My wife started training Zoe on the potty today and she hasn't gone the whole day while wearing underwear. She sat on the potty and played some Nintendogs. Then a few minutes later, she went again. Then a few minutes later, I asked her because she was being touchy, and sure enough, she went on the potty. Yay for her.
---
So yesterday was my wife's birthday, and we spent a majority of the day at my brothers because it was my nephew's first birthday. But then my wife and I went to see "The Simpsons Movie" and it was exactly what I wanted. It was like a super-sized episode, except it was actually more cohesive than the usual episode. The plot was actually quite coherent, and like a fine-tuned Pixar movie, every line, sight gag, and joke is carefully timed, well-placed, and never disappointing. The crowd enjoyed it as much as I did, and the PG-13 rating is perfect for the movie. It never felt like they were just trying to skew it older just for the movie - the jokes that probably bumped up the rating was well deserved.
I actually thought of Dave because there's a whole chunk devoted to Alaska, so that was fun too. I won't disclose any jokes - they are just great to discover on your own. The only thing I'd advise is that there are indeed a little bit of stuff after the credits, though having seen the after credit sequences, it's nothing major you'd be missing if you end right after the movie.
One more thing, the movie actually is pretty touching in one spot.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Coolest Job
My Mom seriously has the coolest job. Well, not for her, but more for me. See, she is in charge of the lost and found, and when an item comes in and none of the hotel staff had reserved it, my mom will claim her name on it. After three months and if no guests claim it, then it's hers. So the last big claim she's gotten was the 20 gig iPod, so that was pretty cool.
Yesterday she came downstairs, and with the same indifferent nonchalance, she handed me a case and asked me if it was useful to me. I opened it and just about flipped out - it was a Nintendo DS game case with 8 DS games and one dubious "Elf" GBA game. Although there were a couple duplicate games I already had or have, and a couple of weird card based kiddy games, the rest are actually top shelf games. New Super Mario, Star Wars Lego 2, Viewtiful Joe, and Mario 64. And since I've been unable to actually play these games because Alex is using them for potty training, I did what any rational person would do. I took the duplicates and lesser liked games and traded them in, and got a used DS at EB Games for around 58 bucks. So now I actually have two DS-es, and I reclaimed my red DS which has, so far, no scratches yet on the touch screen. The used one has some barely visible ones. Not too bad though.
Anyway, now I can actually have my DS again, which is kinda nice. I stopped playing it because it was always in the bathroom.
---
My uncle and aunt are going to visit from Canada - they moved out to Canada about a year before I did, and though I do have three younger cousins, they opted out of the trip so I won't be seeing them. I don't know how to really feel about it, since my uncle was always one of them uncles who would not really talk to their nephews, just give them money once in a while for their birthdays. I'm less of a nephew and more of my father's son, I suppose. My aunt has left a bit more of an impression on me, but not much more. They're pretty nice as far as I remember them. When we first moved to the States, we did go visit them for about a week or so. That was 17 years ago. Of my three cousins, one of them I haven't even met yet since he wasn't born yet.
Oh well, better get some work done.
Oh yeah, I think I'm still gunning for the PSP. At least for now.
Yesterday she came downstairs, and with the same indifferent nonchalance, she handed me a case and asked me if it was useful to me. I opened it and just about flipped out - it was a Nintendo DS game case with 8 DS games and one dubious "Elf" GBA game. Although there were a couple duplicate games I already had or have, and a couple of weird card based kiddy games, the rest are actually top shelf games. New Super Mario, Star Wars Lego 2, Viewtiful Joe, and Mario 64. And since I've been unable to actually play these games because Alex is using them for potty training, I did what any rational person would do. I took the duplicates and lesser liked games and traded them in, and got a used DS at EB Games for around 58 bucks. So now I actually have two DS-es, and I reclaimed my red DS which has, so far, no scratches yet on the touch screen. The used one has some barely visible ones. Not too bad though.
Anyway, now I can actually have my DS again, which is kinda nice. I stopped playing it because it was always in the bathroom.
---
My uncle and aunt are going to visit from Canada - they moved out to Canada about a year before I did, and though I do have three younger cousins, they opted out of the trip so I won't be seeing them. I don't know how to really feel about it, since my uncle was always one of them uncles who would not really talk to their nephews, just give them money once in a while for their birthdays. I'm less of a nephew and more of my father's son, I suppose. My aunt has left a bit more of an impression on me, but not much more. They're pretty nice as far as I remember them. When we first moved to the States, we did go visit them for about a week or so. That was 17 years ago. Of my three cousins, one of them I haven't even met yet since he wasn't born yet.
Oh well, better get some work done.
Oh yeah, I think I'm still gunning for the PSP. At least for now.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Work is weird
I'm sure the company is a viable, great company, despite the fact that it's been bleeding money all year because of a government issue right now. It's evidently a Fortune 500 company, but if you brought a camera crew to where I was working right now, it would be easy to mistake it for some production line in Asia or something. Times like yesterday when a couple White folks were supervising and helping all the other colored folks how to move things - it just felt odd for me.
I wasn't much help today, when a couple of my co-workers wanted to move some stuff around. The supervisor asked why we wanted to move stuff around, and I mentioned that it would make the process more efficient. And he looked at me as if I had just mentioned some magic word, so he said, "ok."
But this company, man, it's just a odd situation all over. How weird? It's my third week, right, and so far I have replaced someone who's left with no training. Then after about 3 days of doing that, a new replacement comes in and they want me to train the guy. I'm like, "This is my third week. I don't know anything." Nonetheless, I trained him, and he's tremendously careless about the work he does, ignoring my instruction which could possibly lead to a lot of issues in the future. Anyway, he latches onto me for things to do, but it's like - there's nothing to do. Production was halted for about two weeks, and they decided to move the whole department to a new area, so it could be out for another week. I've had 2 and a half weeks of being at work and I've honestly done maybe 3 days of real work, and maybe 4 hours of work that's related to the position I actually applied for.
To further distract me, I noticed there was a voicemail on my mobile while I was on my brake, and it was another contractor job, this one as a video game tester. They wanted a hasty interview ASAP, but since I'm working tomorrow, I stated the first day I was available for interview for Friday. Still haven't heard back, but it started the gears in my mind for wanting another job. One that actually puts me to work.
Yeah, and to make matters worse, my co-workers are quite... different. One is a conspiracy-spouting, government disbelieving, police hating dude who likes to brag about his different girlfriends. And the new guy I'm training has a 10 year old kid (he's a year younger than me), and he just got married in his homeland 2 months ago, and didn't tell his wife that he had a kid after the marriage. When asked why he didn't mention it, he said, "Well, then you wouldn't marry me!" Naturally, my disdain for the both of them is probably not well hidden - I tend to ignore them for the most part unless I have to.
The two regular guys are pretty nice to me, and I like them ok. One of them has a distorted sense of time, always watching the clock and saying, "No, do it later, it's almost time to go." and it's like half an hour before quitting time. I had to demand rather insistently yesterday for my way when we were moving pallets, and he said "We'll fix it later."
"Why don't we do it right the first time, so we don't have to do it again?", I huffed.
I probably come across as really anal and eager to work, but really, it's just that little thing called a work ethic. When I have to spend 10 1/2 hours at a workplace, I'd like to leave with a sense of accomplishment.
Anyway, don't know what's going to happen right now, pretty much doing this thing day by day.
I wasn't much help today, when a couple of my co-workers wanted to move some stuff around. The supervisor asked why we wanted to move stuff around, and I mentioned that it would make the process more efficient. And he looked at me as if I had just mentioned some magic word, so he said, "ok."
But this company, man, it's just a odd situation all over. How weird? It's my third week, right, and so far I have replaced someone who's left with no training. Then after about 3 days of doing that, a new replacement comes in and they want me to train the guy. I'm like, "This is my third week. I don't know anything." Nonetheless, I trained him, and he's tremendously careless about the work he does, ignoring my instruction which could possibly lead to a lot of issues in the future. Anyway, he latches onto me for things to do, but it's like - there's nothing to do. Production was halted for about two weeks, and they decided to move the whole department to a new area, so it could be out for another week. I've had 2 and a half weeks of being at work and I've honestly done maybe 3 days of real work, and maybe 4 hours of work that's related to the position I actually applied for.
To further distract me, I noticed there was a voicemail on my mobile while I was on my brake, and it was another contractor job, this one as a video game tester. They wanted a hasty interview ASAP, but since I'm working tomorrow, I stated the first day I was available for interview for Friday. Still haven't heard back, but it started the gears in my mind for wanting another job. One that actually puts me to work.
Yeah, and to make matters worse, my co-workers are quite... different. One is a conspiracy-spouting, government disbelieving, police hating dude who likes to brag about his different girlfriends. And the new guy I'm training has a 10 year old kid (he's a year younger than me), and he just got married in his homeland 2 months ago, and didn't tell his wife that he had a kid after the marriage. When asked why he didn't mention it, he said, "Well, then you wouldn't marry me!" Naturally, my disdain for the both of them is probably not well hidden - I tend to ignore them for the most part unless I have to.
The two regular guys are pretty nice to me, and I like them ok. One of them has a distorted sense of time, always watching the clock and saying, "No, do it later, it's almost time to go." and it's like half an hour before quitting time. I had to demand rather insistently yesterday for my way when we were moving pallets, and he said "We'll fix it later."
"Why don't we do it right the first time, so we don't have to do it again?", I huffed.
I probably come across as really anal and eager to work, but really, it's just that little thing called a work ethic. When I have to spend 10 1/2 hours at a workplace, I'd like to leave with a sense of accomplishment.
Anyway, don't know what's going to happen right now, pretty much doing this thing day by day.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Rethinking the iPod Lust
I like my iPod, I really do. It's the 4th gen iPod with photo capability, with 20 Gigs of storage, and it's just perfect for me. And bonus! It was free. My mom had found it months before at the hotel and nobody had claimed it, so she did. I know, somebody had to lost their iPod for me to find it, so I do feel a tad guilty that I'm not its rightful owner. But I sure am a grateful owner.
Anyhow, the only thing I wished that I could change about it was some video capability. I'm sure all this iPod needed was a video codec or something in order to play video, since it could technically run some video in Linux, but still I wouldn't shell out the extra money for the current video iPod. The screen is just too meager.
That said, the rumors that a wider, probably touch screen iPod has got me salivating... until I looked it up on Wikipedia. The last price points were initially 299 and 399, steep considering what I really just want is a bit of video to kill time at work, or in between doctor's appointments. I really don't need that much more space, nor am I particularly unhappy with my current iPod. In fact, I cringe to think that my speaker dock might have to be rejiggered to fit a newer design, along with the power adapter.
Then this morning, a unrelated gadget that I've been aware of popped into my head. In September, the PSP will have a newer design - though not a complete overhaul. Just slimmer, lighter, and faster, with an assortment of colors. But more than that, the price point of 169.99 plus the cost of a memory card might be the ultimate answer to my portable media problem. The PSP plays mp4s, and some other files, and most of the podcasts I watch are already mp4s. Some movs, but that's easily fixable. That way, I have no redundacy in my gadgetry, plus I have a portable gaming device. And since Alex has hijacked my DS for his pottytime, it'll give me something to do while I ignore people. And despite of what I've read about PSP games, the tweaky one analog control, and numerous camera issues with a lot of games, it's still got a nice big screen with crisp colors. Can't really fight that too much.
---
I had a dream last night that I was either homeless or unemployed. I was trying to work at Safeway or something, and then I was sleeping in the pews at a church. The pastor would tell me that I couldn't sleep there, I'd apologize and get up. Anyway, that's plenty weird in itself, imagine how I felt when I came to work and it felt familiar. It's my third week and there was a sense of comfort showing up for work. I dunno, a lot still in transition, though I have to say that a three day weekend is pretty sweet. Now if only the kids acknowledge that, it would be supper. Yes, I meant to say supper.
---
I keep thinking about what I have to do with my life, and I think the thing that I really still want to get accomplished isn't more school, different jobs, or selling of souls to anyone. It's about making movies, as it's always been about. I could try to jet off to CA and start off as some lowly production assistant or grip and try to work my way out, but I think I'd just like the freedom to be able to make movies without worrying too much about what I say and how I say it. Woody Allen has a great job, a movie every year, low budget with artistic clout that anyone will work for scale for you, and no pressure from the studios to perform exceptionally at the box office. I would love that job. Of course, I would need writing talent too, but that would just be asking for too much.
Well, back to work.
Anyhow, the only thing I wished that I could change about it was some video capability. I'm sure all this iPod needed was a video codec or something in order to play video, since it could technically run some video in Linux, but still I wouldn't shell out the extra money for the current video iPod. The screen is just too meager.
That said, the rumors that a wider, probably touch screen iPod has got me salivating... until I looked it up on Wikipedia. The last price points were initially 299 and 399, steep considering what I really just want is a bit of video to kill time at work, or in between doctor's appointments. I really don't need that much more space, nor am I particularly unhappy with my current iPod. In fact, I cringe to think that my speaker dock might have to be rejiggered to fit a newer design, along with the power adapter.
Then this morning, a unrelated gadget that I've been aware of popped into my head. In September, the PSP will have a newer design - though not a complete overhaul. Just slimmer, lighter, and faster, with an assortment of colors. But more than that, the price point of 169.99 plus the cost of a memory card might be the ultimate answer to my portable media problem. The PSP plays mp4s, and some other files, and most of the podcasts I watch are already mp4s. Some movs, but that's easily fixable. That way, I have no redundacy in my gadgetry, plus I have a portable gaming device. And since Alex has hijacked my DS for his pottytime, it'll give me something to do while I ignore people. And despite of what I've read about PSP games, the tweaky one analog control, and numerous camera issues with a lot of games, it's still got a nice big screen with crisp colors. Can't really fight that too much.
---
I had a dream last night that I was either homeless or unemployed. I was trying to work at Safeway or something, and then I was sleeping in the pews at a church. The pastor would tell me that I couldn't sleep there, I'd apologize and get up. Anyway, that's plenty weird in itself, imagine how I felt when I came to work and it felt familiar. It's my third week and there was a sense of comfort showing up for work. I dunno, a lot still in transition, though I have to say that a three day weekend is pretty sweet. Now if only the kids acknowledge that, it would be supper. Yes, I meant to say supper.
---
I keep thinking about what I have to do with my life, and I think the thing that I really still want to get accomplished isn't more school, different jobs, or selling of souls to anyone. It's about making movies, as it's always been about. I could try to jet off to CA and start off as some lowly production assistant or grip and try to work my way out, but I think I'd just like the freedom to be able to make movies without worrying too much about what I say and how I say it. Woody Allen has a great job, a movie every year, low budget with artistic clout that anyone will work for scale for you, and no pressure from the studios to perform exceptionally at the box office. I would love that job. Of course, I would need writing talent too, but that would just be asking for too much.
Well, back to work.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Loose Ends
Blogging from work during lunch, and though I'm basically emailing this entry to myself, I don't reckon that they'll go so far as to keep a key logger of some sort to monitor employee activity. At any rate, the blog isn't really mentioned and I'm not about to talk about work, so I don't think it'll be a problem.
Just thought about a few loose ends...
---
So we went to the Bite on Friday, and now that Alex is potty trained, we have to constantly make him go to the bathroom because he either doesn't think about it until it's too late, or he ignores the warnings. Anyhow, I had to take Alex and Zoe each to the bathroom at least once that day, and the results are mention worthy...
When I took Alex, he went first, and then I went after him, and he said something that I always wanted to hear, except in my mind it wouldn't be my little son saying that. More like a hot blind girl with no nerve endings on any of her appendages. But he said, "You got a big peanut, Dad." And I just laughed. Then he reached over to touch the toilet bowl and I said, "Don't touch that," and then realized how terrible it sounded to everyone else in the bathroom.
Then when Zoe went, she asked what I was doing, and after I told her, she exclaimed, "You got a peanut like Alex, huh? I don't have a peanut."
And by the way, we do use the actual word for that body part - they just hear it differently.
---
We ditched a sleeping Zoe yesterday and took Alex to see "Transformers", which was actually better than expected. I've heard that reaction with other people, and I have to agree that it's pretty much true. It's better than most Michael Bay movies, which always include a thing or two that doesn't seem quite right. Like how Pearl Harbor had that really cool, yet inappropriate tracking shot of a bomb going into a ship. And his romance scenes are always icky, like Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler playing out some deranged infantile safari with animal cookies. Or the body tossing chase scene in Bad Boys 2. Just not quite right.
The thing I liked about this movie was how diverse the cast was. The top hacker was a black kid, the girl was a grease monkey, and both their stories didn't seem forced. The plot moved the story right along, and the supporting cast and even Shia was actually not bad. The graphics of course, were fantastic. Completely seamless CG.
The things I didn't like with the movie was when the Autobots talked, it seemed weird. They were also too human to be alien. During a comedy bit, they were even going out of their way to hide from Sam's parents - quite silly if you've seen the rest of the movie. And the whole alien technology being able to make metals and machinery expand and contract to transform seem... suspect. And I'm being nitpicky here, but why would these robots fire traditional ammo? Like rockets and bullets? Wouldn't they be better off with lasers? Ammo has to be reloaded and rearmed, and it's not like there's a ammo dump for alien robots that's accessible to them. Maybe, but I don't think so. That said, I do prefer real world ammo. Lasers would just seem cheesy. But just the logic of it doesn't stick.
---
Well, finishing up the blog from home since a few paragraphs ago.
I think one of my issues about work is how overeducated I feel at the place. I mean, I'm not implying snobbery by any means, but thinking that I spent all that money for tuition to work here? Makes me feel a bit peeved. And I think one of the biggest problems with being educated is that now I feel unchallenged. Nothing at work takes more than simple mechanical memory to complete. I'm currently working under someone and he still doesn't call me by name, just "hey" or "you". Nice.
On the good side, it is a M-T work week, and I have three days off after four ten-hour days. It makes me tired and short on time on the weekdays, but it's nice to have a regular schedule that my wife can work around.
On the downside, it is a contract position with no medical, and the pay is only slightly better than most. But by and far, the biggest obstacle is that it is not challenging. Oh well, it'll do for now until I get those blueprints for the bank.
---
Ok, this is mostly for the one Apple geek that reads this. But there's been rumblings on the rumor mill about the iPhone nano, and the 6th gen iPod. There were some screenshots that were on a website, but Apple legal had them taken off which either means they're fishing for moles with intentional leaks, or they were on to something.
Here's what I'm hoping it'll be. I want a widescreen iPod with touch screen. That's all I want. But I think they're going to hold off on the widescreen. I think they might still have touchscreen, but who knows. To have an iPod with a touchscreen may be a bit goofy - it'll be hard to just skip a song without having to look at the screen. But they could very well do the opposite of iPhone, and just release an iPod with basic phone capabilities. But man, I'm really dying for a widescreen iPod. I don't even mind if it isn't touch screen. I just want a wide screen to watch my podcasts... August 7 is the rumored date for news. Just gotta be patient.
---
I've been a geek for the History Channel recently, watching a ton of their documentaries but I was cemented as a fan when they showed Band of Brothers over a weekend a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I missed 3 episodes, but the first 5 have been exceptional. If you've forgotten or not cared, it's a 10 part mini-series that revolves around Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during WWII. What makes the stories amazing is that it's mostly based on real people, and the History Channel was true enough to leave the documentary uncensored. I think that's outstanding considering how touchy the networks can get.
But if you've got a chance, rent that mini-series. Every episode has so far been stellar, and each stands well on its own.
Just thought about a few loose ends...
---
So we went to the Bite on Friday, and now that Alex is potty trained, we have to constantly make him go to the bathroom because he either doesn't think about it until it's too late, or he ignores the warnings. Anyhow, I had to take Alex and Zoe each to the bathroom at least once that day, and the results are mention worthy...
When I took Alex, he went first, and then I went after him, and he said something that I always wanted to hear, except in my mind it wouldn't be my little son saying that. More like a hot blind girl with no nerve endings on any of her appendages. But he said, "You got a big peanut, Dad." And I just laughed. Then he reached over to touch the toilet bowl and I said, "Don't touch that," and then realized how terrible it sounded to everyone else in the bathroom.
Then when Zoe went, she asked what I was doing, and after I told her, she exclaimed, "You got a peanut like Alex, huh? I don't have a peanut."
And by the way, we do use the actual word for that body part - they just hear it differently.
---
We ditched a sleeping Zoe yesterday and took Alex to see "Transformers", which was actually better than expected. I've heard that reaction with other people, and I have to agree that it's pretty much true. It's better than most Michael Bay movies, which always include a thing or two that doesn't seem quite right. Like how Pearl Harbor had that really cool, yet inappropriate tracking shot of a bomb going into a ship. And his romance scenes are always icky, like Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler playing out some deranged infantile safari with animal cookies. Or the body tossing chase scene in Bad Boys 2. Just not quite right.
The thing I liked about this movie was how diverse the cast was. The top hacker was a black kid, the girl was a grease monkey, and both their stories didn't seem forced. The plot moved the story right along, and the supporting cast and even Shia was actually not bad. The graphics of course, were fantastic. Completely seamless CG.
The things I didn't like with the movie was when the Autobots talked, it seemed weird. They were also too human to be alien. During a comedy bit, they were even going out of their way to hide from Sam's parents - quite silly if you've seen the rest of the movie. And the whole alien technology being able to make metals and machinery expand and contract to transform seem... suspect. And I'm being nitpicky here, but why would these robots fire traditional ammo? Like rockets and bullets? Wouldn't they be better off with lasers? Ammo has to be reloaded and rearmed, and it's not like there's a ammo dump for alien robots that's accessible to them. Maybe, but I don't think so. That said, I do prefer real world ammo. Lasers would just seem cheesy. But just the logic of it doesn't stick.
---
Well, finishing up the blog from home since a few paragraphs ago.
I think one of my issues about work is how overeducated I feel at the place. I mean, I'm not implying snobbery by any means, but thinking that I spent all that money for tuition to work here? Makes me feel a bit peeved. And I think one of the biggest problems with being educated is that now I feel unchallenged. Nothing at work takes more than simple mechanical memory to complete. I'm currently working under someone and he still doesn't call me by name, just "hey" or "you". Nice.
On the good side, it is a M-T work week, and I have three days off after four ten-hour days. It makes me tired and short on time on the weekdays, but it's nice to have a regular schedule that my wife can work around.
On the downside, it is a contract position with no medical, and the pay is only slightly better than most. But by and far, the biggest obstacle is that it is not challenging. Oh well, it'll do for now until I get those blueprints for the bank.
---
Ok, this is mostly for the one Apple geek that reads this. But there's been rumblings on the rumor mill about the iPhone nano, and the 6th gen iPod. There were some screenshots that were on a website, but Apple legal had them taken off which either means they're fishing for moles with intentional leaks, or they were on to something.
Here's what I'm hoping it'll be. I want a widescreen iPod with touch screen. That's all I want. But I think they're going to hold off on the widescreen. I think they might still have touchscreen, but who knows. To have an iPod with a touchscreen may be a bit goofy - it'll be hard to just skip a song without having to look at the screen. But they could very well do the opposite of iPhone, and just release an iPod with basic phone capabilities. But man, I'm really dying for a widescreen iPod. I don't even mind if it isn't touch screen. I just want a wide screen to watch my podcasts... August 7 is the rumored date for news. Just gotta be patient.
---
I've been a geek for the History Channel recently, watching a ton of their documentaries but I was cemented as a fan when they showed Band of Brothers over a weekend a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I missed 3 episodes, but the first 5 have been exceptional. If you've forgotten or not cared, it's a 10 part mini-series that revolves around Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during WWII. What makes the stories amazing is that it's mostly based on real people, and the History Channel was true enough to leave the documentary uncensored. I think that's outstanding considering how touchy the networks can get.
But if you've got a chance, rent that mini-series. Every episode has so far been stellar, and each stands well on its own.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The almost perfect day and the much delayed update.
I haven't blogged in a while because honestly, I was a little depressed initially about our money situation along with the new job. But I'm a little better now.
---
Yesterday was our day off as a family together, when I had the day off and my wife takes the same day off in order to fill in for me or whatever. I always look forward to the Bite of Seattle, because, well, I'm a bloody glutton and I love food. Not enough to want to cook or am I particularly picky about what I put in my mouth, but I sure like good food once in a while.
So imagine my delight when I found out that Bite was this weekend, so we headed down to Seattle yesterday despite the constant rain the didn't seem like it was going to let up. Umbrella and raincoats in tow, we had devised a plan to get the most out of the Bite. We would only order one thing, and we would all share it - extending the maximum food exposure, instead of just filling up on one thing.
So crab cakes were the first, and they were delicious - even at the 5 dollar price for two of them. Then came the Ham and Cheese Crepes, the frosted sprinkled strawberries, BBQ rib tips, and roasted corn for me. There was a frozen banana incident as well, when the kids were sharing a frozen banana and I took a bite of it. I was cringing the bite because the kids weren't really biting it as licking/chewing/gumming/salivating on it, so that bite wasn't very pleasant. Anyway, I made a face while taking a bite, turned around, and then looked back at my wife. And it was gone.
"Where did it go?" My wife had thrown it away, thinking nobody was really eating it. Then Alex wanted the frozen banana too, and was a little upset that it had disappeared.
But anyway, we went to the Science Center and spent a bit of time there, looking at the exhibits when I ran into an employee I used to train with in Bellingham. We were training to fill in for the regular Time and Attendance person, and we weren't really going to take over, just fill in for vacations and whatnot. Anyway, she told me that the person who used to do it had indeed retired, so she was doing it now. So in my mind, I'm kicking myself again because I always seem to have the worst timing. That job could've been mine, and the receiving job that was mine I left because of the videography. Bah.
We came out of the Science Center a little beat, but ready for more action. We went to the arcade and the kids got on some of the rides - the outdoor rides weren't running because of the rain, so we did a couple kiddy rides and one very nervous frog ride. They went highish, and it hopped down and up on a relatively gentle jolt. But the look on our kids faces were just sheer nervousness. Alex looked pale and all the muscles in his face went limp, and Zoe just looked like she was paralyzed.
After that bout of child abuse, we went on the wet Ferris Wheel ride, which Alex wasn't particularly fond of. Even though I was sitting next to him, he just collapsed into himself. I'm not a big ride fan, but Ferris Wheels are pretty tame. But after that, we had just enough for food so it was back to the bite.
We got a couple Gyros and a hot brick of fries, followed by some yummy fudge, and then back to the Science Center for the Lazer Show. I was really looking forward to it because it was the Beatles, and it was an experience I wanted to share with the kids. Alex wasn't so sure at first, seeing all the other people lie down on the floor made him feel a bit suspicious of what was going to happen. Then the room went pitch black, and he went, "Too dark Daddy! Too dark!" I struggled to flip him around and then he saw the lights, and he was captivated. His hand reached up to feel it, and he was saying a bunch of stuff to me that I couldn't really hear, because either the music was too loud or I was singing along too loudly.
So we had spent a good day at the Seattle Center, and we went home just exhausted. The kids were having a snack before bedtime and I noticed something horrid. Two huge water stain on the ceiling, and one of the spots had actually split open to reveal the surface underneath the paint. It looked like the ceiling had ripped a hole. After my wife took a shower, the split got even bigger and it was actually dripping a bit too. So, that bummed me out for the rest of the night.
But otherwise it was a near perfect day. I wish I would've brought the camera but I think it would've been a logistical nightmare with the rain and all.
---
Okay, to catch up with the lost two weeks? I started my new job and for the first few days, it truly sucked. The first day we were to show up at 7, whereby we would meet this person. Well, there were four of us, and we sat there till 7, and there was nobody there. But we waited anyway, having signed in and checked in with security. At 7 there was a shift change, when the security went home and the world's dumbest receptionist came on. We waited and waited, and then at 7:30, I went up to the receptionist and told her we had a 7am appointment, and she called the person. So we waited more. Then at 7:45, someone finally came over. It wasn't who we were supposed to meet, but another receiver who showed us some training tapes. We ran into the person later, who said that nobody called her to let her know we were there. Hello? Four new contracters show up and you didn't know we were there?
Then we were skirted off to training, whereby we learned about the history of the company, the security, the policies, and all that jazz. When we were asked who our supervisor was, we had no idea. After that was over, we didn't even know where to go, so I hunted down the receiver who had escorted us earlier, and she told us to just "hang out" till 4 pm. I left feeling thoroughly unimpressed and frustrated.
The second day had a slightly better deal, though not much. At first they had forgotten that I was a receiver, not an assembler. I spoke up and they had to look it up. Another thing they confidently told us was that we were just numbers, and we don't use our names. Nice. Then I got recruited to help with the construction work going on, moving furniture, taking it apart, running to the dumpster... I was pissed. I wasn't sure I was going to last.
Since then, it's gotten a little better. I got placed in my applied position and got to know the two receivers there, who are pretty nice guys. The demographic there is seriously skewed - mostly Asians of different ethnicities, mostly immigrants, probably a median age of 42 or so. I was completely out of my element. To make things worse, the majority of cubicle employees and business employees were White. You can imagine how down I was with that. Even though there may not be any racism that I could see, the basic structure of the work environment was enough to make me uncomfortable.
Luckily, the two guys that I work with are pretty decent guys. A funny family man from Indonesia, and a 24 year old guy from Cambodia. They were relatively easy going, and fun to be around. There's a third guy, and even though he's not terrible to deal with, he does wear on you. He has conspiracies and theories about the police, 9/11, and the government that make him sound just misinformed and uneducated. He's the kind of guy just looking for validation from any kind of source to reinforce his prejudices and biases.
This last week, production on my line was halted due to a part shortage, so I've been sitting around with the guys, not doing anything. My repeated pleas with the higher ups for something to do has been largely ignored - seems like they don't know what to do with me either. Basically FDA has got this company halting domestic shipments, which account for 70% of orders, so we're basically doing overseas orders only. So this last week, I've just been sitting around, killing time, volunteering for projects. I'm not entirely comfortable with it, but the powers that be seem like they don't care.
On Thursday I was oddly assigned to deal with freight, which I don't mind, but I don't think I'll stick with it once receiving gets up to speed. I ain't doing that kind of heavy labor when I'm pulling in those wages with no medical. And the person in charge is a bit dodgy. He even looks dodgy. So for now, it's just going.
---
Taking it easy today. The kids are probably tired from yesterday, and I need to catch up on a lot of things, including blogging.
---
Yesterday was our day off as a family together, when I had the day off and my wife takes the same day off in order to fill in for me or whatever. I always look forward to the Bite of Seattle, because, well, I'm a bloody glutton and I love food. Not enough to want to cook or am I particularly picky about what I put in my mouth, but I sure like good food once in a while.
So imagine my delight when I found out that Bite was this weekend, so we headed down to Seattle yesterday despite the constant rain the didn't seem like it was going to let up. Umbrella and raincoats in tow, we had devised a plan to get the most out of the Bite. We would only order one thing, and we would all share it - extending the maximum food exposure, instead of just filling up on one thing.
So crab cakes were the first, and they were delicious - even at the 5 dollar price for two of them. Then came the Ham and Cheese Crepes, the frosted sprinkled strawberries, BBQ rib tips, and roasted corn for me. There was a frozen banana incident as well, when the kids were sharing a frozen banana and I took a bite of it. I was cringing the bite because the kids weren't really biting it as licking/chewing/gumming/salivating on it, so that bite wasn't very pleasant. Anyway, I made a face while taking a bite, turned around, and then looked back at my wife. And it was gone.
"Where did it go?" My wife had thrown it away, thinking nobody was really eating it. Then Alex wanted the frozen banana too, and was a little upset that it had disappeared.
But anyway, we went to the Science Center and spent a bit of time there, looking at the exhibits when I ran into an employee I used to train with in Bellingham. We were training to fill in for the regular Time and Attendance person, and we weren't really going to take over, just fill in for vacations and whatnot. Anyway, she told me that the person who used to do it had indeed retired, so she was doing it now. So in my mind, I'm kicking myself again because I always seem to have the worst timing. That job could've been mine, and the receiving job that was mine I left because of the videography. Bah.
We came out of the Science Center a little beat, but ready for more action. We went to the arcade and the kids got on some of the rides - the outdoor rides weren't running because of the rain, so we did a couple kiddy rides and one very nervous frog ride. They went highish, and it hopped down and up on a relatively gentle jolt. But the look on our kids faces were just sheer nervousness. Alex looked pale and all the muscles in his face went limp, and Zoe just looked like she was paralyzed.
After that bout of child abuse, we went on the wet Ferris Wheel ride, which Alex wasn't particularly fond of. Even though I was sitting next to him, he just collapsed into himself. I'm not a big ride fan, but Ferris Wheels are pretty tame. But after that, we had just enough for food so it was back to the bite.
We got a couple Gyros and a hot brick of fries, followed by some yummy fudge, and then back to the Science Center for the Lazer Show. I was really looking forward to it because it was the Beatles, and it was an experience I wanted to share with the kids. Alex wasn't so sure at first, seeing all the other people lie down on the floor made him feel a bit suspicious of what was going to happen. Then the room went pitch black, and he went, "Too dark Daddy! Too dark!" I struggled to flip him around and then he saw the lights, and he was captivated. His hand reached up to feel it, and he was saying a bunch of stuff to me that I couldn't really hear, because either the music was too loud or I was singing along too loudly.
So we had spent a good day at the Seattle Center, and we went home just exhausted. The kids were having a snack before bedtime and I noticed something horrid. Two huge water stain on the ceiling, and one of the spots had actually split open to reveal the surface underneath the paint. It looked like the ceiling had ripped a hole. After my wife took a shower, the split got even bigger and it was actually dripping a bit too. So, that bummed me out for the rest of the night.
But otherwise it was a near perfect day. I wish I would've brought the camera but I think it would've been a logistical nightmare with the rain and all.
---
Okay, to catch up with the lost two weeks? I started my new job and for the first few days, it truly sucked. The first day we were to show up at 7, whereby we would meet this person. Well, there were four of us, and we sat there till 7, and there was nobody there. But we waited anyway, having signed in and checked in with security. At 7 there was a shift change, when the security went home and the world's dumbest receptionist came on. We waited and waited, and then at 7:30, I went up to the receptionist and told her we had a 7am appointment, and she called the person. So we waited more. Then at 7:45, someone finally came over. It wasn't who we were supposed to meet, but another receiver who showed us some training tapes. We ran into the person later, who said that nobody called her to let her know we were there. Hello? Four new contracters show up and you didn't know we were there?
Then we were skirted off to training, whereby we learned about the history of the company, the security, the policies, and all that jazz. When we were asked who our supervisor was, we had no idea. After that was over, we didn't even know where to go, so I hunted down the receiver who had escorted us earlier, and she told us to just "hang out" till 4 pm. I left feeling thoroughly unimpressed and frustrated.
The second day had a slightly better deal, though not much. At first they had forgotten that I was a receiver, not an assembler. I spoke up and they had to look it up. Another thing they confidently told us was that we were just numbers, and we don't use our names. Nice. Then I got recruited to help with the construction work going on, moving furniture, taking it apart, running to the dumpster... I was pissed. I wasn't sure I was going to last.
Since then, it's gotten a little better. I got placed in my applied position and got to know the two receivers there, who are pretty nice guys. The demographic there is seriously skewed - mostly Asians of different ethnicities, mostly immigrants, probably a median age of 42 or so. I was completely out of my element. To make things worse, the majority of cubicle employees and business employees were White. You can imagine how down I was with that. Even though there may not be any racism that I could see, the basic structure of the work environment was enough to make me uncomfortable.
Luckily, the two guys that I work with are pretty decent guys. A funny family man from Indonesia, and a 24 year old guy from Cambodia. They were relatively easy going, and fun to be around. There's a third guy, and even though he's not terrible to deal with, he does wear on you. He has conspiracies and theories about the police, 9/11, and the government that make him sound just misinformed and uneducated. He's the kind of guy just looking for validation from any kind of source to reinforce his prejudices and biases.
This last week, production on my line was halted due to a part shortage, so I've been sitting around with the guys, not doing anything. My repeated pleas with the higher ups for something to do has been largely ignored - seems like they don't know what to do with me either. Basically FDA has got this company halting domestic shipments, which account for 70% of orders, so we're basically doing overseas orders only. So this last week, I've just been sitting around, killing time, volunteering for projects. I'm not entirely comfortable with it, but the powers that be seem like they don't care.
On Thursday I was oddly assigned to deal with freight, which I don't mind, but I don't think I'll stick with it once receiving gets up to speed. I ain't doing that kind of heavy labor when I'm pulling in those wages with no medical. And the person in charge is a bit dodgy. He even looks dodgy. So for now, it's just going.
---
Taking it easy today. The kids are probably tired from yesterday, and I need to catch up on a lot of things, including blogging.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
I'm Charlie Brown.
We're watching "Snoopy Come Home" for the first time, and one of his first lines is, "Everything I do, I feel guilty." That sums it up for me. Even when I ebay my crap online or on Craigslist, I feel like I shouldn't be making people pay. Never give me money, lest I give it all away because I don't feel like I deserve it. After I skim the funds for an iPhone, of course.
---
Speaking of which, I heard that my brother in law got himself an iPhone, and I'm insanely jealous. If you're a techie like me, you probably know more than you'd care to about the iPhone. Here's 4 reasons on each side why I'd get/not get the iPhone.
Gimme!
1. It's got Mac OSX on it, and anyone with a Mac will attest that it has a stable, attractive, and functional user interface. Plus the touch screen with the OS is just sweet icing on the cake.
2. Internet on my phone! The real internet too, not the neutered, funky one that comes on most cell phones today.
3. WIDE SCREEN IPOD. C'mon, that's just insane. Movies on your iPod is just awesome.
4. Youtube, internet, blogging, are very integral to my survival. And doing that on an unlimited 59.99 plan is actually not that bad.
I'll Wait for a Couple Years.
1. For first gen, it is pretty sweet. But 8 gigs is still small. My selected playlist is already about 5 Gigs, and my podcasts alone are at around 5 itself. Also, no video and flash for the camera, with EDGE wireless instead of 3G? I'll wait for 2nd Gen.
2. If only I could get the iPhone without the phone... I don't talk that much on the phone, but I use the internet a long. Paying the 40 bucks just for the minutes isn't worth it. An iPod with internet access is really what I'd like.
3. Some funky stuff like no iCal, no proper word processing type program, synching through iTunes only, and a limited compatibility with 3rd party earphones? What is that all about.
4. They did a cost analysis, and for the cost of the phone and the monthly fees, it's close to $2000 for a year. Yikes.
So anyway, when they do unveil the next gen iPod, I'm probably for it. I've been dying for a video iPod, but with widescreen and touch screen coming along, I'll just wait till then.
---
By the way, this Snoopy is from 1972 and missing from the score and music is Vince Guaraldi and it's obvious how timeless his musical influence is on the Snoopy animation. Without it, the music sounds very dated and a little loopy.
---
Last night I did my last weddding, and it was luckily one that I enjoyed. The bride and groom were nice to me, the family was very kind to me, but most of all, the ceremony had limited moving, great lighting, and best of all, there was a great mix of family and friends. It was a Persian wedding, actually my second one, and it's interesting when I start recognizing songs from it.
The DJ unfortunately, was terrible. He was some kid with no DJ voice at all, seemingly reciting words from memory that often made no sense, like lines that are misplaced into random scenes. He said, "Let's give it up for the groom and bride" about three times, 2 of which had nothing to do with the bride and groom actually doing anything.
He played Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" 3 or 4 times in the beginning - again, don't know why. When the bride and groom came in, the music started, ended abruptly, then another song started, ending abruptly, then the first one played from the beginning again.
Finally, he wanted the Father of the Groom to dance with the bride, until someone yelled, "Father of the Bride!"
---
This afternoon I was playing with the kids when I heard something hit the window. I thought it might be a bird and sure enough, a foot away from the window was a black and white sparrow type guy who was upright, but not moving much. I had to stare at it for a while because I wasn't even sure if it was alive, let alone a bird. It'd turn its turn a little, probably dazed and confused. When we went out to look at it and offer it some bagel, it flew off.
Our neighbor is maybe less than 10 feet from our house, which probably worked out for the bird. Any further would've caused the little bird more harm.
---
Speaking of which, I heard that my brother in law got himself an iPhone, and I'm insanely jealous. If you're a techie like me, you probably know more than you'd care to about the iPhone. Here's 4 reasons on each side why I'd get/not get the iPhone.
Gimme!
1. It's got Mac OSX on it, and anyone with a Mac will attest that it has a stable, attractive, and functional user interface. Plus the touch screen with the OS is just sweet icing on the cake.
2. Internet on my phone! The real internet too, not the neutered, funky one that comes on most cell phones today.
3. WIDE SCREEN IPOD. C'mon, that's just insane. Movies on your iPod is just awesome.
4. Youtube, internet, blogging, are very integral to my survival. And doing that on an unlimited 59.99 plan is actually not that bad.
I'll Wait for a Couple Years.
1. For first gen, it is pretty sweet. But 8 gigs is still small. My selected playlist is already about 5 Gigs, and my podcasts alone are at around 5 itself. Also, no video and flash for the camera, with EDGE wireless instead of 3G? I'll wait for 2nd Gen.
2. If only I could get the iPhone without the phone... I don't talk that much on the phone, but I use the internet a long. Paying the 40 bucks just for the minutes isn't worth it. An iPod with internet access is really what I'd like.
3. Some funky stuff like no iCal, no proper word processing type program, synching through iTunes only, and a limited compatibility with 3rd party earphones? What is that all about.
4. They did a cost analysis, and for the cost of the phone and the monthly fees, it's close to $2000 for a year. Yikes.
So anyway, when they do unveil the next gen iPod, I'm probably for it. I've been dying for a video iPod, but with widescreen and touch screen coming along, I'll just wait till then.
---
By the way, this Snoopy is from 1972 and missing from the score and music is Vince Guaraldi and it's obvious how timeless his musical influence is on the Snoopy animation. Without it, the music sounds very dated and a little loopy.
---
Last night I did my last weddding, and it was luckily one that I enjoyed. The bride and groom were nice to me, the family was very kind to me, but most of all, the ceremony had limited moving, great lighting, and best of all, there was a great mix of family and friends. It was a Persian wedding, actually my second one, and it's interesting when I start recognizing songs from it.
The DJ unfortunately, was terrible. He was some kid with no DJ voice at all, seemingly reciting words from memory that often made no sense, like lines that are misplaced into random scenes. He said, "Let's give it up for the groom and bride" about three times, 2 of which had nothing to do with the bride and groom actually doing anything.
He played Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" 3 or 4 times in the beginning - again, don't know why. When the bride and groom came in, the music started, ended abruptly, then another song started, ending abruptly, then the first one played from the beginning again.
Finally, he wanted the Father of the Groom to dance with the bride, until someone yelled, "Father of the Bride!"
---
This afternoon I was playing with the kids when I heard something hit the window. I thought it might be a bird and sure enough, a foot away from the window was a black and white sparrow type guy who was upright, but not moving much. I had to stare at it for a while because I wasn't even sure if it was alive, let alone a bird. It'd turn its turn a little, probably dazed and confused. When we went out to look at it and offer it some bagel, it flew off.
Our neighbor is maybe less than 10 feet from our house, which probably worked out for the bird. Any further would've caused the little bird more harm.
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