This has got to be the girliest cake Somara has ever made but it’s expected for a three-year-old. I need to ask Elizabeth’s father if she’s obsessed with horses like all young females. Nice to see the airbrush Somara bought is working out well too.
…even to a jagged Beatles hater such as myself.
Originally I felt this was going to be another cash cow for the remaining two and the other two’s estates as it was for Metallica and Aerosmith (they made more money from their GH franchises than their previous couple records for obvious reasons, they sucked). Then I saw this trailer on the Nintendo Channel because E3 was last week. I really enjoyed the animation, transitions and great use of color. Harmonix better implement these improvements into the future of the regular title because I’ve already seen all the moves offered in RB2. I do not feel the Beatles necessarily deserve such special, exclusive treatment.
Now the opening title sequence is odd yet memorable. It starts out like the movies they did in the early-mid Sixties and evolves into a hybrid of Yellow Submarine Meets The Return of the King. All they needed was Ringo shouting, “let’s destroy Minas Tirith!”
Does this mean EA-MTV-Harmonix have convinced me to buy the game despite my feelings that the Beatles are (over)venerated as the Second Coming of Pop music? I’ll say they’ve moved me from “no” to “maybe.” I would only be 100-percent sold on this if the material can be exported into my PS3’s hard drive so it can be mixed into the catalog I already paid for, thus I won’t have to juggle DVDs as GH 2, 3 & 80s required. Knowing how greedy and litigious The Beatles, Inc. are, probably not. Eventually MadCatz will manufacture the wireless bass controller I need so I won’t have to shell out $250. Still, these two videos are cool usage of the current technologies in video games.
Such a shame if his death was a murder or a suicide. He was always cool with me since as a child of the Seventies and Eighties, David was Caine, the ass-kicking buddhist monk who turned the dying TV Western genre on its ear. I recall my parents not letting me watch the show during its three seasons on ABC for some odd reason. When it re-appeared in syndication, I was older and I guess they realized it was more harmless than they remembered. I think the violence was what concerned them.
His Caine character went on to influence D&D in two places. The obvious one was the monk class but I’m confident a lot more of the details came from the numerous kung fu movies Gygax had seen. However, Caine was frequently used as an example in a Dragon article on how to revise the class into something more feasible, until third edition. The latter sign was more blatant in the Bloodstone Pass series of adventures: one of the heroes was a powerful monk named Kane. I think he even turned the tide of a battle in the story by killing a major villain.
Back to David…I’m glad he at least finished out as well liked and remembered for the Kill Bill role. He managed to be a star in his own right despite having the famous John Carradine as his father.
So it’s not a T-shirt but I bought one from this place and had to have a picture of this bag because it was funny. I figured you all would like it too since I’m big on recycling.
Anything to take my mind off of my team signing Ray Emery, a Terrell Owens type is what he is if you don’t know hockey but know a cancerous athlete who made the media frequently.
My friend Brian told me about this little Flash game which is an exaggeration since Detroit has its sins. Yet I can’t fault the Red Wings for being a winning franchise. I’m cheering them on because they represent more about what’s right with hockey than wrong.
There’s a handful of you who already know how to do this so you can skip this or better yet, if you’ve been getting this on an RSS feed for some time, I’m confident you will delete this missive in your inbox.
I decided to do a movie because some friends say they keep forgetting how to get to the site or more politely, they didn’t make a bookmark for it in their browser of choice. The nicer reason was my co-workers mastering the ability to make the Podcast Producer part of 10.5 server function reliably. It’s pretty neat when Podcast Capture passes the raw footage to the server and you can see it rendered, posted and ready in a Web page.
Mine isn’t so flashy but I hope it does the trick for some friends who need a little help.
Click here to watch it.
Sadly there’s nothing big to report since progress has slowed due to illness but we did get some inspiration tonight while at Costco…they finally had those 26″ Vizio LCD displays which are compatible with our MacBooks! More on those another day since I had to resist the urge to buy at least one.
Week 9 was the only one which had any movement and there’s nothing really worth showing on the page.
What is the plan with them now? Originally, I used to organize them by type according to the game. This became rather impractical over the years. Now they’re put into particular bins by alphabetical order as per the Monster Manual series of rulebooks. Phew! This is going to take a while with several trips to the Container Store. Some lack any decent classification too. I’m sure I can figure it out after 28 years of playing (more on this in another story I’m waiting to finish and clear with my sensei). Anyone who is interested in them, I will be shedding a few which serve no purpose or use.
Week 10 was derailed by my illness and a minor fight in which I admitted I would blame Somara for no progress because her former office is the room we need to vacate first. It will be the Library.
Week 11 got trashed by Somara’s turn to be sick courtesy of what I had. Being the newly promoted breadwinner, I stayed out of the house to concentrate on errands and paperwork to tackle.
We plan to really double our efforts on Week 12.
I promise, there will be progress or we don’t get to see the movie Up and those awesome displays.
She’s now lucky number seven which is a pretty groovy age as a kid. First grade is over (or will soon be) and you’ve gotten a pretty solid taste for grade school. I cannot remember if Summer vacation has started in the Chicago area, Brian will probably let me know.
Next year, I do hope to meet her in person for the first time because Somara and I have a tentative plan to do a road trip through the Midwest. Like a tour of my life during the late Eighties to early Nineties since she has never met my brother in person but there will be many familiar faces along the way: Steve B, Phil and Nelson.
Anyway, maybe we can time it around Anna’s birthday. Doesn’t sound like much of a gift to a kid. I can only hope the elfin magic I have with other children liking me works on her. She’s probably now too old to buy into the Santa Claus arrangement I have with the Lowrys.
I’m open to suggestions on what a seven-year-old girl would like, within reason, to send her parents’ way.
At least they were free before you completely dismiss the waste of battery power and space on my iPhone.
The first, iPity, was discovered by a friend of mine who’s a Mr. T fan. I think he made a really good Mac OS X icon of the A Team’s muscle. It’s a fun application since it responds to shaking the phone to make the virtual Mr. T say another catch phrase. Certainly has a wider range than the keychain I’ve seen at Waterloo Records.
Then iPity’s publisher had one of those links a la the iTunes Store showing what else the publisher has available. I couldn’t resist the virtual whoopie cushion known as iFarted. Just in time for my vacation to Washington DC to see the Silders. Paul and Helen’s two sons are that age when passing gas is comedy gold which never ends with males; I was laughing to the point of shaking after playing this for five minutes. It’s a mystery when cutting the cheese is hilarious. iPhone app? Thumbs up. Every other episode of Family Guy? Time wasted. Helen may make me sleep in the yard over excess use to entertain TJ and Jack. Well, it’s tamer than finding the Beavis & Butt-head quote remote I gave Paul for the Christmas of 1995.
Even as I write, the puck was dropped around 15 minutes ago. I’m late due to digressions which were essential and worthwhile. However, I stand by my prediction despite Commissioner Bettman trying to rig the results in favor of Sh**sburgh. I guess he thinks the future of the game depends on an immature brat who has not earned the right to wear the C on his jersey.
The official excuse (to change the schedule and have the first two games back-to-back) was to accommodate NBC. Probably, yet it’s too perfect of an explanation. I don’t completely share the opinion of my friend/co-worker Brian about an organized effort against Detroit but the dots are connecting too well not to disagree. Being a Philly fan, I’m more with the conspiracy theory of Bettman being biased toward the Pens after screwing the people of PA into buying those losers a new rink.
As commissioner he needs to focus on getting all the Cup games on a real network. Screw NBC if they will only air it on weekends. The dying giant needs cheap, original content during the week and sports are the ultimate reality show. Seeing Cindy Crosby scrunch up his face on the way to box for imitating Jacques Cousteau is funnier than Jay Leno’s blathering. Games three and four will be on Versus. When I had satellite, I did give the new channel an A for effort with hockey yet ESPN is included in most basic cable packages. They took Melrose back when Tampa fired him, Bettman should get on the phone and work out something. The poker for dummies fad has run its course, ESPN is probably back to airing spelling bees, putt-putt golf tournaments and other future material you’ll see in upcoming episodes of Cheap Seats: The Next Generation.
To the point now after ranting on the NHL having horrible, tainted leadership (as if this is new).
The smart money continues to be the Red Wings. Given the injuries. Given the lack of rest. Given the blatant prejudice to just give the Pens a trophy. I concede the advantage to them and they will overcome Bettman practically making their net 20-feet wide. They continue to have more depth, consistency, experience (Chelios is 47 years old! Now there’s the second coming of Gordie Howe.) and as Philly’s cousin in the West, they didn’t throw away a few consecutive seasons to get draft picks and a new rink. More importantly, they didn’t collapse like a cheap pup tent in the Finals; the disappointing fate of this year’s Sharks AND Bruins. Normally I would’ve predicted the Wings in five yet Bettman/NBC’s meddling will only put off the inevitable. A fifth championship in 12 years.
On a side note, Vegas did get it on the money last Fall. Brian may win 80 smackers on his 20 dollar bet because Treasure Island gave them the worst (paying) odds, 4-to-1 against. The Pens were next, I can’t remember what though and who really cares. I knew my ten on Philly wasn’t coming back dressed as 150 by March.
Somara’s late (or early) Christmas present from FAO Schwarz was left at our door last night: her official Jim Henson Muppet Whatnot (fancy term for an extra). I was very impressed with it. Hers was certainly better made than the Playskool Bert my parents gave me in the Seventies.
Currently, the Muppet is locked away in Somara’s former office (gradually being turned into the library, delayed by illness) so it won’t be covered in cat fur. What the Muppet’s name is will be determined at a later date but Somara has given me permission to have another contest like we did for our cat Kuroneko. This one will go down differently:
Good luck to you all…who are interested. I’m confident those of you with children will receive numerous suggestions.
Jun 7, 2009 Update: Due to some interest finally happening and a request from Somara, I’m extending the contest to tomorrow night, June 8. It will conclude by 11:59 PM and she will pick a winner. I’ve probably made calls badgering everyone with children to take a stab at this while modifying the site to keep this entry around as I update with others.
Those first three months in Austin were off to a sweet start: I had an awesome place to stay courtesy of University Towers (24th Street and Rio Grande); the weather was great (compared to the Midwest); the job was relatively easy (yet not very challenging); and I took a French refresher through UT’s casual night classes (no credit). The missing element from this new equation were new friends. Doc and I was already friends since Marquette but our situation was evolving into the boss-employee dynamic. There were also signs of things souring between us (it’s OK, this was patched up in a year). Regardless, Doc had his own life in Austin with Eiko and UT classes. My arrival wasn’t an automatic license to monopolize his time so I needed to find other people to share my specific interests.
If I had gotten my long-term plan figured out when I graduated from Marquette instead of making up my life as I went, I probably would’ve never moved to Austin. Too late though. Over three years had passed and I still had no real direction. There was the brief golden age in Milwaukee with kinko’s but I stupidly threw it all away for GDW. Despite the great friends I made through GDW, it was a disastrous career move I clung to for 15 months with a chaser of 10 weeks on unemployment. Had I been a braver, stronger person, I would’ve bailed as soon as the ink dried on the Mythus-Gygax swindle. Heck, wiser options were in the ashes of my firing from GDW: go to ISU full time (odds favored Grandma footing the bill, she was an alumnus) or pack up my junk, pound the pavement in Milwaukee. I took the cowardly route: temporary work in Pontiac and the full-time dead end in Peoria with DG; meeting Christina and knowing Rad more was the silver lining.
When Austin came along, I formulated one of the dumbest plans to work toward a more interesting career.
Only the Underpants Gnomes were more capable of concocting a more flawed scheme because “the job” lacked any description, never mind the lack of money to cover UT.
So…
Having official resident status in Texas was months away yet the mini-class I took with Khier (an amazing Algerian matchmaking polyglot educated at the Sorbonne) whetted my appetite for French. Gambling on their lax investigative skills, I enrolled in French 1 at Austin Community College’s Rio Grande campus. Good thing I got the Texas ID when Doc made me, it was all the proof that its administration wanted.
For the next six weeks of Summer, I had to be in class at 8 AM every weekday until 1030-11 AM. Getting to complete what GDW deprived me of compensated for the lack of sleep I would suffer from. The teacher who taught the class was a prize too! Marc Prevost. An actual French person but he’s a story for another day, especially when I contact him.
I will confess to my other motivation on returning to school. It was a strategy for meeting women. In those pre-Facebook, Match.com, Craigslist days, the same tactics people used for the past few decades were the only decent means. I figured there would be common interests to break the ice. It was a more effective strategy than the overrated party-bar scene and less embarrassing than ballroom dancing.
On the first day of class, I met an attractive lady to my left. Her name was Sonia and we hit it off pretty well because she shared my desire to learn the language. Most people are present to achieve the three to five hours with a passing grade. Obviously, I guessed Sonia was Mexican due to her complexion and surname. Wrong! Salvadoran. She was cool with it. Thinking she was Mexican was a common assumption in Texas she heard all her life.
After Mr. Prevost dismissed the class, Sonia and I hitched the bus back North to carry on a conversation we started earlier. I remember how she just lit up while talking to me, especially with the F bomb about her recent past. Any romantic aspirations I had for Sonia evaporated on the trip and I didn’t mind. (Not like I was on the prowl every waking minute.) She made me happy in many ways: I met a person who would take French 1 seriously; she shared my passion for the language; she was closer to my age than the average ACC student, thus some things I mentioned weren’t alien or ancient history; and she proved that making new friends in Austin was easier than the Midwest. Turned out Sonia was relatively new to Austin too; her boyfriend Charles recently convinced her to leave Houston, earn her diploma and live with him.
The Summer of 1994 was off to a great start! We both earned A’s from Mr. Prevost and occasionally hung out at Sixth Street, Les Amis Cafe or the apartment. When Fall came, Sonia and I were classmates again in Mr. Prevost’s French 2 in addition to all our future social gatherings.
Then she got accepted to UT. I envied her, in a good way. The university decided my degree from Marquette was enough so I’ve never bothered again. Matters with Apple went in my favor by mid-1995 anyway. As for Sonia, she carried on and achieved at least one degree in Latin American Studies. Don’t pin me to it! I need to ask her for the specifics. I know she pursued more French so she has at least a minor in it and she became fluent long before she married Philippe, a French guy.
The Austin years went on and I feel we became very good friends. We helped each other out in numerous ways. I think she’s done way more for me though, especially when she had this Quixotic goal to help me get married in five years. Oddly, I don’t recall asking for any further advice beyond landing the first date. Somara is grateful Sonia had no success too. I always appreciated the intention.
To me, Sonia became and is the younger, fashion savvy, wiser sister I wish I had growing up; like Anna Paquin in She’s All That or probably what Miranda Cosgrove was typecast in before iCarly. Hence, it’s why I call her ma petite soeur. From 1994-97, she was more often the voice of reason, optimism and bravery during my first tour in Austin. Good thing she also knew how to drive stick. I almost returned my VW if it weren’t for her refresher course on a Saturday morning in Hyde Park. Sonia was always a face of Austin I made sure my visiting friends met during their stays: Jose, Kami and Cindy said she rocked.
I could go on and on over how I consider Sonia a part of my family. But this entry is pushing well over 1000 words. There’s just no way I can be succinct about her. Sonia is an amazing person and I won the lottery the day I met her 15 years ago in a French class. I hope to continue being her loyal, awkward grand frere for another 1500 years.
Sonia does have a home page via Mobile Me (aka .Mac), I’ll see if she gives me permission to have a link to it from the Friends of the Picayune section.
I was never a fan of Wilco, more of an enemy of their fans due to an incident at the Sheryl Crow concert in 1997. Yeah I know, maybe the four assholes obstructing everyone else’s view were doing us a favor.
However, my brother vouched for the band since he was a fan and friend of Jay’s, especially when he was in another band called Titanic Love Affair around Urbana.
More details can be read here.
My fortune cookie for dinner this evening. How fitting for this weekend.
A few already know since Friday night when I made the phone calls and/or spotted my Facebook wall (or is it a banner?) but I still want to write about it here.
This week, my co-worker Eli accepted a position with another team in Apple. Thankfully he remains a part of the overall organization I’m in called Enterprise so he’s not off the hook on co-coordinating the annual Ethan Tran Memorial Thanksgiving Potluck (Ethan didn’t die, he moved to an Arabic nation for a job).
Anyway, since Eli was one of the two Senior Specialists on the team, it opened up the gig for me. I applied back in January but didn’t get it. My boss (Gary) and Eli said I made the decision hard with what I had to offer versus Chris. I’d be a liar to say I wasn’t disappointed. It felt like losing the Super Bowl because close only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear war. Once I pulled myself together and got over my pride, I continued to keep up the good work Gary gave me a great review for last year. Despite Eli and Chris handling the duties, Gary did have me pick up the slack when they were indisposed (training, vacation, etc.). I think my co-workers appreciated having one additional person to get advice from and I know the less-experienced guys helped me immensely; they made me feel useful again, not some burned-out fossil, punching in and out every day. Computer-related work does have an agism problem.
It remains a surprise to be in such a job too. Some of you may ask why though. I have been doing this line of work for 10-15 years (depending upon the employer), most of it with Apple, shouldn’t I be farther up the food chain? Not really. Heck, if we had this conversation last year or someone told me I’d be looking forward to the position, I would’ve laughed my head off. My prediction for 2009 would be more of the same or I’d be cut out through downsizing. Gary fixed this misperception in my review, hence the Evil Twin theory. Seems he was paying attention to my work and he has been pushing me to rise to the challenge, especially when I refused to consider the role last Fall. Gary’s a very patient, brave and foolish man to manage a bunch a cynical technicians with a wide array of skills.
So what is a Senior Specialist? It’s the tech who helps train the other agents in a group or on an individual basis; listens to random calls for trends (mainly to see what my comrades get right or wrong); and carries out various projects to make Enterprise better. It’s a combination of lead, coach, trainer and mother hen (rooster since I’m a guy?). The goal is to assist the agents toward a solution without doing it for them; nobody gains from the latter.
What’s next? I don’t know and I really don’t care. I think this is going to be similar to when I was happiest at PowerComputing as a Help Desk tech: every morning, I took calls until lunch and afternoons were spent handling consultations from other agents. Senior Specialist appears similar in how the days are broken down. Unlike some people I’ve known over the years in my field, I’ve never wanted to be completely removed from the phone element (it’s an obsession for some). To me, taking calls keeps me calibrated to what’s happening. I know I want to be doing this for well over a year and then some because I feel I can make a difference.
Thank you for all your support over these years! It was a rough time, trust me, I know and so does my doctor. Now I realize what could’ve been going through President Obama’s mind on election night: I won! Hooray! Oh wait, look at all work to be done. Crap! Nah. I feel we agreed on accepting this challenge willingly. I have the advantage too. Eli didn’t leave Enterprise lying wounded in a ditch.
This photo is not a digital trick nor some cruel prank being played on an animal. That’s my friends’ cat Cally in the getup. Recently Cally had surgery for a benign lump or something on a hind leg. Unfortunately, this insane cat kept chewing out the stitches. Tina (the primary caregiver to Cally) tried everything to no avail. Not only is the feline an escape artist (even got the cone off once) but self-preservation isn’t in Cally’s brain.
Tina finally found a combination of items to thwart the cat’s persistence. Cally is wearing a one-piece baby outfit tightened up to prevent any Houdini maneuvers. The back is opened up for her tail…and to use the litter box. The cone just makes it funnier. It’s like the cat is wearing Elizabethan-era sleepwear.
Being the co-owner of four cats, I know Cally won’t learn her lesson.
