Still a little sick. Just don't feel "right". But I'll live (I always do).
Got back into a little more of a weekend routine. Went to Target. Went to Feeder's. Went to lunch. Took Jooj shopping. Got a call from work...
Yeah.
So a lot of shit went down last week. Sounds like it's going to be an interesting day tomorrow.
Oh, and did I mention that this will be my first day back without our Senior Java Developer?
Oh, and did I also mention that this will be the first day with our new CEO?
Oh, and did I lastly mention that... hmm, no, just those first two.
Life at work is going to be hard. Morale is low in my team right now. There is silent infighting within our group. Whispers of threats are being made. There is not-so-silent outfighting* outside our group. Grumblings and rumblings abound.
The coming months will test me. Test my meddle. Test my resolve. Test my tenacity. And if I pass these tests what will I earn? Promotion? Bonus? Employee of the Year? Possibly all of these things. Probably none of these things. But I will tell you one thing I am guaranteed to earn if I come out of this thing the victor. Respect. And I will have another war story to share with colleagues, peers, friends, children, and grandchildren. A story that shows how one man can use his wits and work ethic to prove to be an exemplar of stoic resolution in the face of a great adversary.
Pray for me. Wish me well. Pat me on the back. Playtime is over. I am going to war. And I am going to win.
* Holy smokes! Outfighting is actually a word? I'm tucking that away and pulling it out again later.
100% | 174.57 lbs. (178.0 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 58.08% (212 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Isle of Palms... Sayonara!
We left Isle of Palms this morning a little before 8am. Still felt pretty rough. The drive was tough on me - tougher than it should have been. But I'm home now. The animals are happy to see us. And it'll be good to sleep in my own bed. Real life starts anew in the morning.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.81% (211 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.81% (211 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Isle of Palms - Day 6
Drink of the Day - ??? (it was gone before I could find out... not that I was in any shape to drink that is)
My morning started at 2am with my wife and my niece playing doctor. No, no, no you freakin' perverts!!! You sickos! Jeez... LOL!
I woke up from a heart-attack nightmare to them standing over me. My breathing was frantic. My heart was racing. I was sweaty. I was freezing. My bones were killing me. My fingers tingled. I felt horrible. I honestly felt like Mr. Flu had come and taken a shit right on my brain. Nurse Leigh Anne was at a loss. Nurse Jooj isn't even a nurse. A bottle of water and a few baby aspirins later and I was left to suffer in my illness.
The night couldn't have crept any slower. Every round of chills shot my heart rate through the roof. Every heart rate spike made it that much harder to fall asleep. And when I coupled that with the wracking pain in my neck and shoulders and back and legs - well, I knew that sleep was going to be an impossibility.
Dawn broke. My body finally decided it was time to sleep. Seriously? Thanks, man. Great timing.
The day mostly sucked. I enjoyed what little time I had between naps with family. I was able to enjoy a little pool time. I was able to chill in the den a while. I was able to bond with Soos at the grocery store. I was able to enjoy dinner with everyone. I made it through The Big Lebowski before the Tylenol PM took my ass down.
The highlight of the day was seeing Katie, Lauren, and Leigh Anne playing "Discs of Tron" in the pool. Funniest thing I saw this whole trip. I would have believed it was a hallucination from my illness had Pat not captured a segment of it on video. Hilarious!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.53% (210 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
My morning started at 2am with my wife and my niece playing doctor. No, no, no you freakin' perverts!!! You sickos! Jeez... LOL!
I woke up from a heart-attack nightmare to them standing over me. My breathing was frantic. My heart was racing. I was sweaty. I was freezing. My bones were killing me. My fingers tingled. I felt horrible. I honestly felt like Mr. Flu had come and taken a shit right on my brain. Nurse Leigh Anne was at a loss. Nurse Jooj isn't even a nurse. A bottle of water and a few baby aspirins later and I was left to suffer in my illness.
The night couldn't have crept any slower. Every round of chills shot my heart rate through the roof. Every heart rate spike made it that much harder to fall asleep. And when I coupled that with the wracking pain in my neck and shoulders and back and legs - well, I knew that sleep was going to be an impossibility.
Dawn broke. My body finally decided it was time to sleep. Seriously? Thanks, man. Great timing.
The day mostly sucked. I enjoyed what little time I had between naps with family. I was able to enjoy a little pool time. I was able to chill in the den a while. I was able to bond with Soos at the grocery store. I was able to enjoy dinner with everyone. I made it through The Big Lebowski before the Tylenol PM took my ass down.
The highlight of the day was seeing Katie, Lauren, and Leigh Anne playing "Discs of Tron" in the pool. Funniest thing I saw this whole trip. I would have believed it was a hallucination from my illness had Pat not captured a segment of it on video. Hilarious!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.53% (210 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 5
Drink of the Day - The Jimmy & The Black Irish
Beautiful weather welcomed us yesterday morning upon waking. Yay! Pool time was followed by beach time. Beach time was followed by ocean time. Ocean time was followed by Jimmy time. Good company. Sweet snacks. Cold drinks. Chili brats. Bocce ball.
Later we headed over to Mike and Jeanie's house to meet the whole fam for appetizers and drinks. We stayed there for a couple of hours and headed back. Pat and I went up to Taste of Asia to pick up dinner for his fam and mine. After waiting 30 minutes during which we suffered through an episode of "Two and a Half Men" we were given our food and rolled home.
Except we were missing half our order. Super weak. I headed back to rectify the situation. When I walked in the grrrl said:
"Okay, one, you forgot your other bag. And two, you need to pay an additional $18.65."
To which I responded:
"One, I am not paying for this and two, I want you to cancel the original charge because I don't want you to have the $10 tip I gave you."
Their stupid-looking grins turned to shock pretty quickly. Ricky, the only authentic Asian in the joint, came out to work things out. I wasn't leaving there without my food and I was not paying for it. Ricky succumbed and threw in a 2 liter of Mountain Dew to boot.
We came back and Pat whipped up a drink he called the Black Irish. It was tasty! The grrrls were going out so I threw on TRON: Legacy. Believe it or not they all stayed in to watch the movie (although everyone was asleep at one point in the middle). I love those gals!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.26% (209 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Beautiful weather welcomed us yesterday morning upon waking. Yay! Pool time was followed by beach time. Beach time was followed by ocean time. Ocean time was followed by Jimmy time. Good company. Sweet snacks. Cold drinks. Chili brats. Bocce ball.
Later we headed over to Mike and Jeanie's house to meet the whole fam for appetizers and drinks. We stayed there for a couple of hours and headed back. Pat and I went up to Taste of Asia to pick up dinner for his fam and mine. After waiting 30 minutes during which we suffered through an episode of "Two and a Half Men" we were given our food and rolled home.
Except we were missing half our order. Super weak. I headed back to rectify the situation. When I walked in the grrrl said:
"Okay, one, you forgot your other bag. And two, you need to pay an additional $18.65."
To which I responded:
"One, I am not paying for this and two, I want you to cancel the original charge because I don't want you to have the $10 tip I gave you."
Their stupid-looking grins turned to shock pretty quickly. Ricky, the only authentic Asian in the joint, came out to work things out. I wasn't leaving there without my food and I was not paying for it. Ricky succumbed and threw in a 2 liter of Mountain Dew to boot.
We came back and Pat whipped up a drink he called the Black Irish. It was tasty! The grrrls were going out so I threw on TRON: Legacy. Believe it or not they all stayed in to watch the movie (although everyone was asleep at one point in the middle). I love those gals!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 57.26% (209 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 4
Drink of the Day - None :(
HAPPY 17th BIRFDAY, PATRICK!
Woke up to the fam making a totally kick-ass breakfast. I love food. I love breakfast. And I love breakfast food the most. Sausage, bacon, spicy hashbrowns, biscuits, and eggs. OMVG it was out of this world! Jooj wanted to do some shopping afterward so we made plans to go to Target and this store called Oops.
Oops. It was described to me as this cool place that carries overstocked, name-brand items. In my mind I imagined something the size of Dick's filed with all sorts of goods. What we drove up to was anything but that. It was tiny. And kind of cheap. It totally had a Goodwill vibe going on. I wanted to run out the moment I walked in. But I hung out for a while and let the grrrls do their mandatory pick and perusal. But time was wastin' and I didn't have much shopping left in me after taking that hit. Off to Target we ran (where we spent some dinero but had fun as a family doing it).
Later on we drove to Shem Creek to take a ride on The Thriller. Imagine speed boating, loud rock music, and a history tour - wrap it around a bright yellow boat with twin engines - and that is The Thriller. It was surprisingly fun and a welcome addition to the week's activities. I got soaked and the sea spray stung my face as it pelted us at 57 mph. Great times!
Dinner followed immediately after at Red's Ice House. I changed in the van* before heading in. I was honored by being sat between Will and the birfday boy. They both put down a pound of crab each. I could've put down a pound of those jalapeno hush puppies if no one had been paying attention. Muwahahahaha!
We came back to the house and settled in after celebrating with cake. Kels and I had talked about watching Fight Club with Will and Caroline. In fact, earlier in the day, she and I both picked up Fight Club shirts at Target. I managed to convince the fam to watch it with us. I think everyone liked it. I wanted to make sure that Will and Caroline did and they claimed to. Will wanted to stay up with me and talk about it afterwards so we did.
Lastly, and very much randomly, can I just say how much I adore Leigh Anne when she emphasizes the enunciation of her T's? It's the little things that make me smile.
* It is a very odd feeling to be naked in a van in a public parking lot. It felt all so wrong!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.99% (208 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
HAPPY 17th BIRFDAY, PATRICK!
Woke up to the fam making a totally kick-ass breakfast. I love food. I love breakfast. And I love breakfast food the most. Sausage, bacon, spicy hashbrowns, biscuits, and eggs. OMVG it was out of this world! Jooj wanted to do some shopping afterward so we made plans to go to Target and this store called Oops.
Oops. It was described to me as this cool place that carries overstocked, name-brand items. In my mind I imagined something the size of Dick's filed with all sorts of goods. What we drove up to was anything but that. It was tiny. And kind of cheap. It totally had a Goodwill vibe going on. I wanted to run out the moment I walked in. But I hung out for a while and let the grrrls do their mandatory pick and perusal. But time was wastin' and I didn't have much shopping left in me after taking that hit. Off to Target we ran (where we spent some dinero but had fun as a family doing it).
Later on we drove to Shem Creek to take a ride on The Thriller. Imagine speed boating, loud rock music, and a history tour - wrap it around a bright yellow boat with twin engines - and that is The Thriller. It was surprisingly fun and a welcome addition to the week's activities. I got soaked and the sea spray stung my face as it pelted us at 57 mph. Great times!
Dinner followed immediately after at Red's Ice House. I changed in the van* before heading in. I was honored by being sat between Will and the birfday boy. They both put down a pound of crab each. I could've put down a pound of those jalapeno hush puppies if no one had been paying attention. Muwahahahaha!
We came back to the house and settled in after celebrating with cake. Kels and I had talked about watching Fight Club with Will and Caroline. In fact, earlier in the day, she and I both picked up Fight Club shirts at Target. I managed to convince the fam to watch it with us. I think everyone liked it. I wanted to make sure that Will and Caroline did and they claimed to. Will wanted to stay up with me and talk about it afterwards so we did.
Lastly, and very much randomly, can I just say how much I adore Leigh Anne when she emphasizes the enunciation of her T's? It's the little things that make me smile.
* It is a very odd feeling to be naked in a van in a public parking lot. It felt all so wrong!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.99% (208 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 3
Drink of the Day - The Jim Taylor
Golf Scramble Day! We woke up to a massive thunderstorm and I thought that golfing may be off. But no. We golfed. In the rain. It was fun but it was also miserable. But believe it or not, our team actually won the damn thing! Our final score was two over and that was enough to beat out everyone else. Amazing!
The afternoon was pretty lazy. The showers were still spitting a bit but the sun did manage to peek out from time to time.
We headed to Poe's Tavern for dinner with Susu's family. It was a blast! The place was pretty much a hole in the wall but the food was spectacular and the bar pretty much had all my favorite beers on tap. My favorite thing was the bathrooms. The walls were covered with pages of short stories and poems by Edgar Allen Poe. What a fun place!
After dinner we pulled together and played a massive game of flip cup. It was quite a sight. Only this family, I tell you :)
After getting properly sauced, Jooj and I volunteered to take the nieces up to The Windjammer. Jooj headed back soon after. I stayed around to make sure the gals got back okay. They stayed 'til closing at 2am. At one point I was trying to collect them all. I turned to one of the guys and said "She's not going home with you. All these grrrls are coming with me." Hahaha!
I finally managed to get them out of there. I threw Caroline over my shoulder. Sarah had crumpled to the ground and Kevin was helping her. They were all a hot mess. Gawd bless them!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.71% (207 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Golf Scramble Day! We woke up to a massive thunderstorm and I thought that golfing may be off. But no. We golfed. In the rain. It was fun but it was also miserable. But believe it or not, our team actually won the damn thing! Our final score was two over and that was enough to beat out everyone else. Amazing!
The afternoon was pretty lazy. The showers were still spitting a bit but the sun did manage to peek out from time to time.
We headed to Poe's Tavern for dinner with Susu's family. It was a blast! The place was pretty much a hole in the wall but the food was spectacular and the bar pretty much had all my favorite beers on tap. My favorite thing was the bathrooms. The walls were covered with pages of short stories and poems by Edgar Allen Poe. What a fun place!
After dinner we pulled together and played a massive game of flip cup. It was quite a sight. Only this family, I tell you :)
After getting properly sauced, Jooj and I volunteered to take the nieces up to The Windjammer. Jooj headed back soon after. I stayed around to make sure the gals got back okay. They stayed 'til closing at 2am. At one point I was trying to collect them all. I turned to one of the guys and said "She's not going home with you. All these grrrls are coming with me." Hahaha!
I finally managed to get them out of there. I threw Caroline over my shoulder. Sarah had crumpled to the ground and Kevin was helping her. They were all a hot mess. Gawd bless them!
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.71% (207 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 2
Drink of the Day - The Quad M (Monday Mango Margarita Mash-up)
The day started early with the whole fam getting geared up for a trip to Charleston's historic City Market. We headed over and hit up the (mostly) open-air market (thank gawd for "mostly" as the air-conditioned areas of the market as they were a reprieve from the terrible heat). Some of the fam picked through the tourist knick-knack crap while others of us quietly chastised the previous members (teehee). We all ate lunch at A.W. Shucks and it was simply delectable. I had a dish that offered four shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried to golden perfection. Gawddamn they were good.
A carload of us loaded up the van and we drove around the Battery before heading back home.
Drinks. Pool. Ocean.
Pat made a delicious pesto shrimp pasta dinner. Drained and partially drunk, we all settled in and watched the movie Step Brothers. I went to bed and slept very, very well.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.44% (206 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
The day started early with the whole fam getting geared up for a trip to Charleston's historic City Market. We headed over and hit up the (mostly) open-air market (thank gawd for "mostly" as the air-conditioned areas of the market as they were a reprieve from the terrible heat). Some of the fam picked through the tourist knick-knack crap while others of us quietly chastised the previous members (teehee). We all ate lunch at A.W. Shucks and it was simply delectable. I had a dish that offered four shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried to golden perfection. Gawddamn they were good.
A carload of us loaded up the van and we drove around the Battery before heading back home.
Drinks. Pool. Ocean.
Pat made a delicious pesto shrimp pasta dinner. Drained and partially drunk, we all settled in and watched the movie Step Brothers. I went to bed and slept very, very well.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.44% (206 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 1
Drink of the Day - The Isle of Palms
The day was filled with fun. It started off with a one-on-one trip to Publix with the patriarch. Good stories. That was followed by morning swimming in the pool. I quick walk to the beach was in order after that. The kids and I threw the football around. Kelsey has quite an arm! We headed back and it was "quiet time" at the house. Will and I got some gas ($4.39/gallon) and drove around for a bit. Around 5pm we headed over to Jimmy's for the low country shrimp boil. Good times and good people. We managed to pull off a great family portrait too. The evening wound down rather calmly. I think we were all recharging from last night.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.16% (205 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
The day was filled with fun. It started off with a one-on-one trip to Publix with the patriarch. Good stories. That was followed by morning swimming in the pool. I quick walk to the beach was in order after that. The kids and I threw the football around. Kelsey has quite an arm! We headed back and it was "quiet time" at the house. Will and I got some gas ($4.39/gallon) and drove around for a bit. Around 5pm we headed over to Jimmy's for the low country shrimp boil. Good times and good people. We managed to pull off a great family portrait too. The evening wound down rather calmly. I think we were all recharging from last night.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (???.? lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 56.16% (205 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Isle of Palms - Day 0
Drink of the Day - The Mimi
Left this morning at 8AM for the drive to Isle of Palms. We rolled up to the house at 6:15PM. The drinks were made. The pool was warm. This is going to be a good week.
I don't know if there is a scale in the house. Oh well! :)
UPDATE:
Ho...
Lee...
Shiiiiiiiiiii...
T.
Went to bed at 3AM. What a night. I mean, srsly, what a night! Wow. WOW! Whoah.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (176 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.89% (204 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Left this morning at 8AM for the drive to Isle of Palms. We rolled up to the house at 6:15PM. The drinks were made. The pool was warm. This is going to be a good week.
I don't know if there is a scale in the house. Oh well! :)
UPDATE:
Ho...
Lee...
Shiiiiiiiiiii...
T.
Went to bed at 3AM. What a night. I mean, srsly, what a night! Wow. WOW! Whoah.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (176 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.89% (204 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Friday, July 22, 2011
The "Elsies"
Whomever made this housing placement had to get a chuckle out of it.
Kelsey found out who she will be living with at college in a few weeks and her name is Chelsea. Kelsey and Chelsea. Seriously? I can totally see this conversation happening among the grrrls on her hall:
Grrrl #1: "I'm making some popcorn for the movie."
Grrrl #2: "Cool. Where are we watching?"
Grrrl #1: "The Elsies room!"
I will be shocked if there aren't jokes about that. At least it will help them stand out, and not in any kind of bad way, in the sea of incoming Freshmen. Getting people to remember who is who... that is a different matter altogether.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (176.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.62% (203 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Kelsey found out who she will be living with at college in a few weeks and her name is Chelsea. Kelsey and Chelsea. Seriously? I can totally see this conversation happening among the grrrls on her hall:
Grrrl #1: "I'm making some popcorn for the movie."
Grrrl #2: "Cool. Where are we watching?"
Grrrl #1: "The Elsies room!"
I will be shocked if there aren't jokes about that. At least it will help them stand out, and not in any kind of bad way, in the sea of incoming Freshmen. Getting people to remember who is who... that is a different matter altogether.
100% | 174.55 lbs. (176.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.62% (203 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Star Wars: Battlefront 3??? (UPDATED)
I hate to sound like a broken record. Battlefront announcement. Blah blah blah. Could it finally be? Blah blah. Announced? Blah.
From today's schedule of events at this year's San Diego Comic Con...
10:00-11:00 Kinect Star Wars Panel— Enter the Galaxy with studio head Jorg Neumann (Kinect Publishing) and lead producer Craig Derrick (LucasArts) as they discuss the highly anticipated title with USA Today's Mike Snider, sharing new game play from the iconic Star Wars universe, revealing an all-new mode, and unveiling an exciting announcement. All attendees will receive a limited-edition poster. Room 32AB
Battlefront 3? Don't get your hopes up, fanboys. I'm a jaded old man that's been burned all too often by that fat bastard George. Dream on!
UPDATE:
Hahaha! You stupid bitches! The "exciting announcement" was, of course, not Battlefront 3. It was a Star Wars-themed Xbox retailing for $449. Blow me, LucasArts. I can honestly say that I did not, for the first time, get all worked up over the possibility that BF3 was being announced. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 14 times, and maybe I finally learn my lesson. Fuck off, Lucas, you fat fucking Hutt!
100% | 174.54 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.34% (202 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
From today's schedule of events at this year's San Diego Comic Con...
10:00-11:00 Kinect Star Wars Panel— Enter the Galaxy with studio head Jorg Neumann (Kinect Publishing) and lead producer Craig Derrick (LucasArts) as they discuss the highly anticipated title with USA Today's Mike Snider, sharing new game play from the iconic Star Wars universe, revealing an all-new mode, and unveiling an exciting announcement. All attendees will receive a limited-edition poster. Room 32AB
Battlefront 3? Don't get your hopes up, fanboys. I'm a jaded old man that's been burned all too often by that fat bastard George. Dream on!
UPDATE:
Hahaha! You stupid bitches! The "exciting announcement" was, of course, not Battlefront 3. It was a Star Wars-themed Xbox retailing for $449. Blow me, LucasArts. I can honestly say that I did not, for the first time, get all worked up over the possibility that BF3 was being announced. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 14 times, and maybe I finally learn my lesson. Fuck off, Lucas, you fat fucking Hutt!
100% | 174.54 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.34% (202 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
(Lack of) Sleep
I'm pretty sure that the stress from work is causing me not only trouble falling asleep but also trouble staying asleep. I can function under many adverse conditions but I do not handle less than 7 hours of sleep well. Especially on consecutive days and I believe this is the third night in a row of 6 or less hours of interrupted sleep.
On a brighter note...
<FULL BLOW NERD ALERT>
I've been a junior member of the Twilight Avengers in City of Heroes for a week now. During this junior period, while I am ranked as a Twilight Defender, I am supposed to find the right team for me (Red Team, Black Team, Green Team, Silver Team, Platinum Team). I've really gotten close to the two leaders of the Red Team and was wondering how to go about telling them that I would like to be considered for Red. Lo and behold, one of their members sent me a private message asking me to run a Task Force with them this Friday. Hells to the yeahs!!!
</FULL BLOW NERD ALERT>
100% | 174.52 lbs. (175.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.07% (201 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
On a brighter note...
<FULL BLOW NERD ALERT>
I've been a junior member of the Twilight Avengers in City of Heroes for a week now. During this junior period, while I am ranked as a Twilight Defender, I am supposed to find the right team for me (Red Team, Black Team, Green Team, Silver Team, Platinum Team). I've really gotten close to the two leaders of the Red Team and was wondering how to go about telling them that I would like to be considered for Red. Lo and behold, one of their members sent me a private message asking me to run a Task Force with them this Friday. Hells to the yeahs!!!
</FULL BLOW NERD ALERT>
100% | 174.52 lbs. (175.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 55.07% (201 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Post 200 in 2011
Here are a bunch of random thoughts:
I'm pissed over the situation at work. Jooj had her endoscopy today. Nothing terrible to report. Waiting on test results. Last egg from the 2nd clutch of lizard eggs went kaput. Jack has a growth on his hind leg. Could be lymphoma. He's already had cancerous cells removed once. We lost our soccer game 10-9. We lost last week 7-6. When the score is that close you, as the goalie, have the wonder what *you* could have done differently. Kelsey's tuition bill came. Monthly payments were half what I expected. That is because they require $2K up front. Ouch. Wish that was more clear at some point before 2 weeks before it is due. Bastards.
100% | 174.52 lbs. (178.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.8% (200 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
I'm pissed over the situation at work. Jooj had her endoscopy today. Nothing terrible to report. Waiting on test results. Last egg from the 2nd clutch of lizard eggs went kaput. Jack has a growth on his hind leg. Could be lymphoma. He's already had cancerous cells removed once. We lost our soccer game 10-9. We lost last week 7-6. When the score is that close you, as the goalie, have the wonder what *you* could have done differently. Kelsey's tuition bill came. Monthly payments were half what I expected. That is because they require $2K up front. Ouch. Wish that was more clear at some point before 2 weeks before it is due. Bastards.
100% | 174.52 lbs. (178.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.8% (200 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Monday, July 18, 2011
A bomb was dropped at work today
A fellow, senior developer came back from leave today and had some news. This is his last week.
Wow.
He was my mentor when I started and is a key player in my group. We work at an accelerated rate upstairs and I am having trouble imagining how we are going to maintain that pace without him.
I could say more but I'm not. I am stressed and very unhappy with the whole situation. I cannot imagine how I am not going to be screwed for the foreseeable future.
And a little birdie is telling me that things are about to get much worse.
Vacation cannot come soon enough.
100% | 174.5 lbs. (178 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.52% (199 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Wow.
He was my mentor when I started and is a key player in my group. We work at an accelerated rate upstairs and I am having trouble imagining how we are going to maintain that pace without him.
I could say more but I'm not. I am stressed and very unhappy with the whole situation. I cannot imagine how I am not going to be screwed for the foreseeable future.
And a little birdie is telling me that things are about to get much worse.
Vacation cannot come soon enough.
100% | 174.5 lbs. (178 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.52% (199 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
And the 2011 Women's World Cup winner is...
Japan.
Those US women had many, many opportunities to put the game away early in the match but could not convert any of those chances to goals (or even shots on goal for that matter). The USA appeared for most of the match to be the stronger squad. But as fate would have it, we went into extra time tied at 1-1. After two 15 minutes periods of extra time the score was still tied at 2-2. Penalty kicks proved to be our undoing.
It was well-deserved for Japan who has struggled throughout not only this World Cup but throughout this entire year and has emerged the champions. Gratz, Japan. I hope this restores a little faith and pride back into the hopes and dreams and pride of your people.
100% | 174.48 lbs. (180.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.25% (198 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Those US women had many, many opportunities to put the game away early in the match but could not convert any of those chances to goals (or even shots on goal for that matter). The USA appeared for most of the match to be the stronger squad. But as fate would have it, we went into extra time tied at 1-1. After two 15 minutes periods of extra time the score was still tied at 2-2. Penalty kicks proved to be our undoing.
It was well-deserved for Japan who has struggled throughout not only this World Cup but throughout this entire year and has emerged the champions. Gratz, Japan. I hope this restores a little faith and pride back into the hopes and dreams and pride of your people.
100% | 174.48 lbs. (180.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 54.25% (198 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tomorrow's World Cup Final... A No-Win Scenario
Japan has advanced to the Women's World Cup final game. Japan - the same country that was devastated by tsunami and later near-nuclear disaster earlier this year. Japan - whose team temporarily disbanded after their coach was killed by the disaster and practice field was used as a relief center. Japan - whose combination of graceful finesse, strong heart, and unbending willpower has landed them in this final match. Japan - a team who is making their first World Cup Final appearance ever. Japan... after all they've endured and after the road they've taken to get here - who can't root for them?
I'll tell you who can't root for them - their opponent... the USA.
Yes, it's been an exciting run for our women's team and I'm proud of them for getting to the finals. And yes, I want them to win. But winning means that Japan's Cinderella story comes to an end at the most bittersweet moment possible - the moment just before their dream run could win them everything. And a win for Japan means everything - their first win in a final, their first win over the USA women's team, a win for a team that beat all the odds to be here.
Unfortunately, someone has to win today, hich means that someone else has to lose.
100% | 174.45 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 53.97% (197 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
I'll tell you who can't root for them - their opponent... the USA.
Yes, it's been an exciting run for our women's team and I'm proud of them for getting to the finals. And yes, I want them to win. But winning means that Japan's Cinderella story comes to an end at the most bittersweet moment possible - the moment just before their dream run could win them everything. And a win for Japan means everything - their first win in a final, their first win over the USA women's team, a win for a team that beat all the odds to be here.
Unfortunately, someone has to win today, hich means that someone else has to lose.
100% | 174.45 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 53.97% (197 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Goin' Hard
I slept hard. I woke up and didn't even know what day it was.
I worked hard. I put in a full day's work and rocked out a minor project in just over a day.
I dated hard. Enjoyed the second part of the two-part 4th anniversary celebration by hitting up Dundee Tavern *and* Molly Malone's. Vegas next year, baby!
I ate hard. Not satisfied with the salad I had for dinner I went full-on crazy and ordered the deep-fried bratwurst.
I mourned hard. Shit, Ear X-tacy is a shell of its former self. I'd almost rather see the poor music store go under than visit it's paltry shelves again.
I drank hard. Stella Artois. Mad Hatter #9. Bee Sting (Boddington's and Guiness).
I napped hard. Will couldn't find a place to stay after the St. Agnes picnic so I had to sleep off my buzz pretty quick before I had to pick him up.
I played hard. Played CoH with my new Twilight Avengers buddies 'til 2AM.
Go hard or go home... Jeez, I *hate* that phrase :)
100% | 174.44 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 53.7% (196 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
I worked hard. I put in a full day's work and rocked out a minor project in just over a day.
I dated hard. Enjoyed the second part of the two-part 4th anniversary celebration by hitting up Dundee Tavern *and* Molly Malone's. Vegas next year, baby!
I ate hard. Not satisfied with the salad I had for dinner I went full-on crazy and ordered the deep-fried bratwurst.
I mourned hard. Shit, Ear X-tacy is a shell of its former self. I'd almost rather see the poor music store go under than visit it's paltry shelves again.
I drank hard. Stella Artois. Mad Hatter #9. Bee Sting (Boddington's and Guiness).
I napped hard. Will couldn't find a place to stay after the St. Agnes picnic so I had to sleep off my buzz pretty quick before I had to pick him up.
I played hard. Played CoH with my new Twilight Avengers buddies 'til 2AM.
Go hard or go home... Jeez, I *hate* that phrase :)
100% | 174.44 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 16% (8 of 50) | 53.7% (196 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Four Years (A Day to Remember)
This has certainly been a day to remember.
Most importantly, it was four years ago today that my wife Jooj and I exchanged wedding vows. The saying is true about time flying when you are having fun because these last four years have just flown by. We've married. We've moved. We have a kid going to college. We have a kid going into high school. I look forward to many more years with Jooj and I love her as much as I did on that special day.
The morning also started with a bang when we saw the total bill from Murray State for Kelsey's Fall 2011 semester. We had calculated a pretty good (but slightly conservative) estimate. In the last week or so, without any concrete numbers to calm our anxiety, we've calculated a "worst case" number. I am happy to share that the actual cost, when divided into the monthly payments, is $50 less than my initial estimate. Yay (and damn I'm good)!
Lastly, I logged onto CoH tonight. I spammed the Applicant channel for the Twilight Avengers (as I always do). A few members exchanged greetings with me but told me they were holding a meeting. I ran a mission and went to the market. After a while two members invited me to a team and asked me to meet them. I did. One of the members, Grim Maligne, I've "known" for quite some time. They were asking me a bunch of questions about my experience and stuff. And then finally asked, "Are you sure you want to be a Twilight Avenger?" I answered, "Yes, certainly!" They told me we were going to run a mission and took me around a building... where the entire super group was waiting to celebrate and congratulate me for becoming their newest member. It was nerdy, geeky, and corny but it was also pretty Viking cool. Will was sitting next to me when it happened and I was happy he was able to share that moment with me.
It was definitely a good day :)
100% | 174.42 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 53.42% (195 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Most importantly, it was four years ago today that my wife Jooj and I exchanged wedding vows. The saying is true about time flying when you are having fun because these last four years have just flown by. We've married. We've moved. We have a kid going to college. We have a kid going into high school. I look forward to many more years with Jooj and I love her as much as I did on that special day.
The morning also started with a bang when we saw the total bill from Murray State for Kelsey's Fall 2011 semester. We had calculated a pretty good (but slightly conservative) estimate. In the last week or so, without any concrete numbers to calm our anxiety, we've calculated a "worst case" number. I am happy to share that the actual cost, when divided into the monthly payments, is $50 less than my initial estimate. Yay (and damn I'm good)!
Lastly, I logged onto CoH tonight. I spammed the Applicant channel for the Twilight Avengers (as I always do). A few members exchanged greetings with me but told me they were holding a meeting. I ran a mission and went to the market. After a while two members invited me to a team and asked me to meet them. I did. One of the members, Grim Maligne, I've "known" for quite some time. They were asking me a bunch of questions about my experience and stuff. And then finally asked, "Are you sure you want to be a Twilight Avenger?" I answered, "Yes, certainly!" They told me we were going to run a mission and took me around a building... where the entire super group was waiting to celebrate and congratulate me for becoming their newest member. It was nerdy, geeky, and corny but it was also pretty Viking cool. Will was sitting next to me when it happened and I was happy he was able to share that moment with me.
It was definitely a good day :)
100% | 174.42 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 53.42% (195 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
It's On! (head-to-head Biggest Loser)
Brandon, a buddy of mine at work, and I started a friendly wager today. We both think we could shed a few pounds so we drew up a little competition. The one of us to lose the most weight by the end of October will be bestowed a bottle of fine bourbon by the loser. He may have a leg up on me since I am weight training while he is just running. But win or lose, this will be good for me. I've been gluttonous since The Biggest Loser competition ended and need to shed some fat.
100% | 174.406 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 53.15% (194 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
100% | 174.406 lbs. (177.5 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 53.15% (194 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A New Way to Track the LBs
174.389189189189
That's my average daily weight for the year.
I created a new Google Doc spreadsheet today. On it I recorded every weight of everyday that I've measured this year (185 days out of the 193 so far) from the blog posts for 2011. I then took that sum and divided by the number of days measured. And that's when I got the number at the top of the post. Not bad for an average so far, especially since one of my resolutions is to stay under 175 lbs.
I was finding that recording my weight each day, while interesting, was not very informative. This should help me stay more focused on keeping that weight under 175 lbs. Fun fact - I've stepped on the scale enough times this year to total over 32,000 lbs. I think that's funny :)
100% | 174.39 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.88% (193 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
That's my average daily weight for the year.
I created a new Google Doc spreadsheet today. On it I recorded every weight of everyday that I've measured this year (185 days out of the 193 so far) from the blog posts for 2011. I then took that sum and divided by the number of days measured. And that's when I got the number at the top of the post. Not bad for an average so far, especially since one of my resolutions is to stay under 175 lbs.
I was finding that recording my weight each day, while interesting, was not very informative. This should help me stay more focused on keeping that weight under 175 lbs. Fun fact - I've stepped on the scale enough times this year to total over 32,000 lbs. I think that's funny :)
100% | 174.39 lbs. (177 lbs.) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.88% (193 of 365) | 112/55 lbs.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Burger King FAIL
I can officially remove Burger King from my "Where Shall We Eat Tonight?" list. Tonight's meal was the worst ever.
Will and I walked in with appetites to sate. I ordered the Angry Whopper meal and he ordered some A1 Steakhouse XT Burger (I don't even know what the vike that is) meal. We also ordered a slice of pie. My diet Coke tasted a little weird but I am not one to judge a meal based off syrup-to-carbonated-water ratios.
I opened up my Angry Whopper and dug in. The picture, as should be expected, was quite a bit more impressive than the sammich I had in my hands. As I started to tear into it Will threw his down.
"I can't eat this."
Turns out Will's sammich was slathered in sauce and mayo and other stuff he didn't want. I told him to wipe it off. He did and picked at it before circumventing the fries and going straight for the pie (I saw no sharing of the pie in my future).
The fries. What pieces of shit. They may have been good at some point but these poor husks of fried potatoes were bone dry from a long day of heat lamp exposure. They weren't good. And the ketchup, if this is even possibly, tasted sour. I opted out of fry consumption.
So all I had left was this Angry Whopper. It was advertised as a spicy Whopper. It differed in that it had jalapenos, onion straws, and some sort of angry sauce. Well, it did have those things, but it also suffered from the slathering problem that Will's sammich suffered from. And not only was it sloppy, it was a bit puny and quite *not* angry - maybe I could go so far as call it sad. It was no Angry Whooper - it was a Sad/Sloppy Whopper... a SLOPPER!!
But I was a good sport, and quite hungry, so I ate all my sammich. I tried Will's and it was horrible. The fries were inedible. He scarfed the pie down. And the after-dinner breath mints kicked ass. But overall I give this experience a FAIL.
King, I will laugh at your creepy commercials, but I will no longer be allowing your fare in my gullet.
100% | 177.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.60% (192 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Will and I walked in with appetites to sate. I ordered the Angry Whopper meal and he ordered some A1 Steakhouse XT Burger (I don't even know what the vike that is) meal. We also ordered a slice of pie. My diet Coke tasted a little weird but I am not one to judge a meal based off syrup-to-carbonated-water ratios.
I opened up my Angry Whopper and dug in. The picture, as should be expected, was quite a bit more impressive than the sammich I had in my hands. As I started to tear into it Will threw his down.
"I can't eat this."
Turns out Will's sammich was slathered in sauce and mayo and other stuff he didn't want. I told him to wipe it off. He did and picked at it before circumventing the fries and going straight for the pie (I saw no sharing of the pie in my future).
The fries. What pieces of shit. They may have been good at some point but these poor husks of fried potatoes were bone dry from a long day of heat lamp exposure. They weren't good. And the ketchup, if this is even possibly, tasted sour. I opted out of fry consumption.
So all I had left was this Angry Whopper. It was advertised as a spicy Whopper. It differed in that it had jalapenos, onion straws, and some sort of angry sauce. Well, it did have those things, but it also suffered from the slathering problem that Will's sammich suffered from. And not only was it sloppy, it was a bit puny and quite *not* angry - maybe I could go so far as call it sad. It was no Angry Whooper - it was a Sad/Sloppy Whopper... a SLOPPER!!
But I was a good sport, and quite hungry, so I ate all my sammich. I tried Will's and it was horrible. The fries were inedible. He scarfed the pie down. And the after-dinner breath mints kicked ass. But overall I give this experience a FAIL.
King, I will laugh at your creepy commercials, but I will no longer be allowing your fare in my gullet.
100% | 177.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.60% (192 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Took Will tonight to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3D, the third installment in the Michael Bay Transformer series. I had some issues but tolerated the first one. I couldn't stand many, many things about the second one. This one was awesome if you kept one thing in mind:
"It doesn't need to make sense as long as there are 'splosions!"
There are so many things in this movie that don't make any sense. But before your brain can get its footing it's thrown another 'splosion and things are fine again. Huh, why did they do that? 'Splosion! Why are the Decepticons attacking that building? 'Splosion! Why is it day, then night, and then day again as Chicago gets its ass handed to it? 'Splosion! Why did Cybertron just totally invert on itself? 'Splosion! Why go to some much effort to use your glowing sword and axe when a simple shot to the head could've finished it easier? 'Splosion!
The Good: The 3D in this film is excellent. I dare say it is the best 3D I've seen to date of any movie. Michael Bay had to slow down his shots to accommodate the brain's ability to process the 3D and it did wonders for his action sequences. I actually felt like I knew what was going on. Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Sentinel Prime was perfect. And the best moment of the film was when he character cried "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many!" (a direct contradiction to what his Spock character said at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I LOL'ed in the theater but was the only one). Megatron looked awesome - still mortally wounded from the second movie. Starscream played his awesome little bitch. Soundwave was the main bad guy for most of the movie and it was exciting to see him in that role - he was always my favorite.
The Bad: Well, as previously noted, there is plenty in the movie that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It is a summer blockbuster. It's not gunning for Oscars. It muddles about when it tries to be clever. But it's dumbed down for the dumb masses with a heavy does of 'splosions.
The Ugly: It's a real shame that actors the likes of John Malkovich, Francis McDormand, and John Turturro play comic relief and take a backseat to Shia LaBeouf. And I know that some may think I'm full of it by saying this but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is not really all that pretty. Her acting sucks. I actually wish Megan Fox would've stayed around for this last one.
Overall, I liked the movie. I recommend 3D. I'm not sure if I would still feel this way had I not just been blown away by the 3D.
100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.33% (191 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
"It doesn't need to make sense as long as there are 'splosions!"
There are so many things in this movie that don't make any sense. But before your brain can get its footing it's thrown another 'splosion and things are fine again. Huh, why did they do that? 'Splosion! Why are the Decepticons attacking that building? 'Splosion! Why is it day, then night, and then day again as Chicago gets its ass handed to it? 'Splosion! Why did Cybertron just totally invert on itself? 'Splosion! Why go to some much effort to use your glowing sword and axe when a simple shot to the head could've finished it easier? 'Splosion!
The Good: The 3D in this film is excellent. I dare say it is the best 3D I've seen to date of any movie. Michael Bay had to slow down his shots to accommodate the brain's ability to process the 3D and it did wonders for his action sequences. I actually felt like I knew what was going on. Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Sentinel Prime was perfect. And the best moment of the film was when he character cried "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many!" (a direct contradiction to what his Spock character said at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I LOL'ed in the theater but was the only one). Megatron looked awesome - still mortally wounded from the second movie. Starscream played his awesome little bitch. Soundwave was the main bad guy for most of the movie and it was exciting to see him in that role - he was always my favorite.
The Bad: Well, as previously noted, there is plenty in the movie that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It is a summer blockbuster. It's not gunning for Oscars. It muddles about when it tries to be clever. But it's dumbed down for the dumb masses with a heavy does of 'splosions.
The Ugly: It's a real shame that actors the likes of John Malkovich, Francis McDormand, and John Turturro play comic relief and take a backseat to Shia LaBeouf. And I know that some may think I'm full of it by saying this but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is not really all that pretty. Her acting sucks. I actually wish Megan Fox would've stayed around for this last one.
Overall, I liked the movie. I recommend 3D. I'm not sure if I would still feel this way had I not just been blown away by the 3D.
100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.33% (191 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Summer Fiesta 2011
Getting ready for the big party. Yard is mowed. Food is ready. Ice is frozen. Drinks are out. Music is mixed. Just waiting for the peeps to peep.
UPDATE!
I wasn't in class the day they taught "Rules to a Successful Cocktail Party" so I didn't know that, among the other regulations, there was this little gem:
"Do Not Bring Pie to a Cocktail Party. Cookies are acceptable. As are mini-brownies."
Excuuuuuuuuuuse me! :)
100% | 180 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.05% (190 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
UPDATE!
I wasn't in class the day they taught "Rules to a Successful Cocktail Party" so I didn't know that, among the other regulations, there was this little gem:
"Do Not Bring Pie to a Cocktail Party. Cookies are acceptable. As are mini-brownies."
Excuuuuuuuuuuse me! :)
100% | 180 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 52.05% (190 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Friday, July 8, 2011
Hangin' with the 'rents
Had a great Friday night hanging out with Jooj and my parents. Mom is leaving for Europe Sunday so we wanted to have a little time to chat and chill before sending her off. It's funny 'cause she is worried about Dad eating while she's gone. I swear, do we men ever (get a chance to) grow up?
100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.78% (189 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.78% (189 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Warrior's Way
I've seen plenty of ninja assassin movies before - both live-action and animated. But I have never ever, ever seen anything resembling the story I just watched. It would be a disservice to simply say that this movie is about cowboys and ninjas (and clowns). And while you may scoff at that notion (go ahead and scoff... I certainly scoffed) I think it actually worked. And not only did it work but it really pulled off a great little story. Here is a quick synopsis:
There are two warring ninja clans. One of the ninja assassins kills every ninja from the opposing clan (in the process gaining the title of "The Greatest Swordsman in the History of Mankind Ever" - literally) except for an infant grrrl, whom he spares. Doing so marks him for death among his own clan so he runs to Wild West America. He comes to the town of Lode which has been terrorized by a band of outlaws led by the Colonel. He befriends the townsfolk, including a young woman hellbent on revenge against the Colonel for killing her family, and takes over the cleaners of his long-dead friend. The ninja assassin enjoys his new life. But then the outlaws return. The ninjas crash the party. Shots are fired. Blood is letted. Ridiculousness ensues and never lets up.
The Good: The visuals are amazing. It's all green screen CGI live-animated-action but it works. It reminds me of the Wachowski's Speed Racer which I still love to this day. I truly felt like I was watching real people in a cartoon. The music was great - fanciful and fun but not silly. The little baby was adorable. Dong-gun Jang was the perfect ninja assassin. The fighting was like watching a dance. The swordplay was stupendous. Geoffrey Rush was an awesome gunfighter turned drunk turned gunfighter. The town circus was a sweet touch. The Colonel was an excellent bad guy. And the ninjas... gawddam they were killer (pun intended).
The Bad: Kate Bosworth. I found myself grating my teeth every time she was onscreen by the end of the flick. Her accent was garbage. She's not a particularly good actress. She's not cute. She's not funny. And she doesn't do a damn to sell herself as a wannabe assassin.
The Ugly: Seeing Geoffrey Rush's ass. Hahaha! Some may say the blood and gore was too much - over the top. It was. But I just went with it and enjoyed it. It was pretty much all CGI anyway.
I look forward to watching it with a few people who I think will really dig it (Kels, you are at the top of my list!).
100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.51% (188 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
There are two warring ninja clans. One of the ninja assassins kills every ninja from the opposing clan (in the process gaining the title of "The Greatest Swordsman in the History of Mankind Ever" - literally) except for an infant grrrl, whom he spares. Doing so marks him for death among his own clan so he runs to Wild West America. He comes to the town of Lode which has been terrorized by a band of outlaws led by the Colonel. He befriends the townsfolk, including a young woman hellbent on revenge against the Colonel for killing her family, and takes over the cleaners of his long-dead friend. The ninja assassin enjoys his new life. But then the outlaws return. The ninjas crash the party. Shots are fired. Blood is letted. Ridiculousness ensues and never lets up.
The Good: The visuals are amazing. It's all green screen CGI live-animated-action but it works. It reminds me of the Wachowski's Speed Racer which I still love to this day. I truly felt like I was watching real people in a cartoon. The music was great - fanciful and fun but not silly. The little baby was adorable. Dong-gun Jang was the perfect ninja assassin. The fighting was like watching a dance. The swordplay was stupendous. Geoffrey Rush was an awesome gunfighter turned drunk turned gunfighter. The town circus was a sweet touch. The Colonel was an excellent bad guy. And the ninjas... gawddam they were killer (pun intended).
The Bad: Kate Bosworth. I found myself grating my teeth every time she was onscreen by the end of the flick. Her accent was garbage. She's not a particularly good actress. She's not cute. She's not funny. And she doesn't do a damn to sell herself as a wannabe assassin.
The Ugly: Seeing Geoffrey Rush's ass. Hahaha! Some may say the blood and gore was too much - over the top. It was. But I just went with it and enjoyed it. It was pretty much all CGI anyway.
I look forward to watching it with a few people who I think will really dig it (Kels, you are at the top of my list!).
100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.51% (188 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Barbarella
I have a memory as a child, a very wee lad, where I am watching one of the premium movie channels at my dad's friend Buddy's house (his buddy and his name is Buddy - convenient, no?). I see a trailer for a movie and I remember thinking "YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!" The only memory I have of it was a woman being attacked by what I remember to be giant bees while a man's voiceover commentates. I think it had something to do with space or aliens too.
Fast forward about 30 years...
Yesterday, the AintItCool.com Behind the Scenes Picture of the Day was a still shot from the movie Barbarella. I've heard of this movie over the years but have never taken the time to watch it. I've heard it panned and praised by different people. In my experience, that means I'm either going to love it or hate it. And I've just never invested the time into it. I'm a geek, yes, but I never checked "Watch Barbarella" off my Geek ToDo list.
Anyway, I dug around a little to find out more about the movie. I looked it up on IMDB. I looked it up on Wiki. I read the plot synopsis. Sounds like a fun, garbage sci-fi movie from the 70s (it was actually 1968). My search eventually led me to a trailer for the movie which I watched.
O
M
G
This was it. The voice? This was the voice. The woman? That was Jane Fonda! The bees? Those weren't giant bees - they were birds!!!
Barbarella was the movie that I wanted to see 30ish years ago. It is the movie that has always been at the back of my little mind whispering "YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!". It's going to be bad. It's going to be campy. But I must see it. And see it I will.
100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.23% (187 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
I changed my workout around a bit. I'm doing 3 sets of 10 now and I removed the lat/deltoid workout
Fast forward about 30 years...
Yesterday, the AintItCool.com Behind the Scenes Picture of the Day was a still shot from the movie Barbarella. I've heard of this movie over the years but have never taken the time to watch it. I've heard it panned and praised by different people. In my experience, that means I'm either going to love it or hate it. And I've just never invested the time into it. I'm a geek, yes, but I never checked "Watch Barbarella" off my Geek ToDo list.
Anyway, I dug around a little to find out more about the movie. I looked it up on IMDB. I looked it up on Wiki. I read the plot synopsis. Sounds like a fun, garbage sci-fi movie from the 70s (it was actually 1968). My search eventually led me to a trailer for the movie which I watched.
O
M
G
This was it. The voice? This was the voice. The woman? That was Jane Fonda! The bees? Those weren't giant bees - they were birds!!!
Barbarella was the movie that I wanted to see 30ish years ago. It is the movie that has always been at the back of my little mind whispering "YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!". It's going to be bad. It's going to be campy. But I must see it. And see it I will.
100% | 174.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.23% (187 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
I changed my workout around a bit. I'm doing 3 sets of 10 now and I removed the lat/deltoid workout
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
"Casey Anthony is Not Guilty"
Can you believe it? I can. But I don't want to. Ugh. Attorneys... what can you say?
But believe it or not, this was not the headline that blew my fucking brain out of my head today. Are you ready for this?
"WHAT!!!!???!!!! CASEY ANTHONY FOUND NOT GUILTY!!!! I am speechless!!!" - Kim Kardashian, via Twitter
This is the same Kim Kardashian who even exists in the world of celebrities because her father, Robert Kardashian, was part of the legal Team Six that got OJ Simpson off of his murder charge back in the 90s (I'm not counting that shitty sex tape... she never would have scored Ray J unless her father was who he was [and Kim is a dead lay, BTW]). If anybody... **ANYBODY**... should shut the fuck up about how fucked up our legal system can get, it is that woman.
Please just let this one go Kim. Go back to your show. Talk like a retarded robot while people spend 30 minutes watching you and your dysfunctional family shop or talk or whine or whatever. And just let this one go. Don't tweet. Don't peep. Don't blog. Let it go.
100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.96% (186 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
But believe it or not, this was not the headline that blew my fucking brain out of my head today. Are you ready for this?
"WHAT!!!!???!!!! CASEY ANTHONY FOUND NOT GUILTY!!!! I am speechless!!!" - Kim Kardashian, via Twitter
This is the same Kim Kardashian who even exists in the world of celebrities because her father, Robert Kardashian, was part of the legal Team Six that got OJ Simpson off of his murder charge back in the 90s (I'm not counting that shitty sex tape... she never would have scored Ray J unless her father was who he was [and Kim is a dead lay, BTW]). If anybody... **ANYBODY**... should shut the fuck up about how fucked up our legal system can get, it is that woman.
Please just let this one go Kim. Go back to your show. Talk like a retarded robot while people spend 30 minutes watching you and your dysfunctional family shop or talk or whine or whatever. And just let this one go. Don't tweet. Don't peep. Don't blog. Let it go.
100% | 177 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.96% (186 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th!
Happy Birfday America!
Or whatever this day is celebrating.
Woooo. Fireworks!!!
100% | ??? lbs. (no scale at the lake... and thank GAWD for that) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.68% (185 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Or whatever this day is celebrating.
Woooo. Fireworks!!!
100% | ??? lbs. (no scale at the lake... and thank GAWD for that) | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.68% (185 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Annual Lake Trip... SUCCESS
Jooj and I and a mini-van full of boys went down to the lake and enjoyed the fun, sun, and whatever else rhymes with "-un". We all did some cliff jumping (yes, even yours truly). I drank 13 beers and a Bobby Wallbanger. Or was it a Bobby Kennedy? Bobby Boucher? Bobby Soprano? No, it was a Bobby Tromboni. No? Bobby Flay? Bobby Fisher? Bob Barker? Bobby Chapelle? Bobby Calzone. No? Bobby Shampoo? Bobby Ferrari? Bob Knight? Hell, I dunno. But whatever it was, it was good.
We made it back all in one piece. Will had a blast. And so did his friend Will. And so did his other friend Will. And so did his other friend... Patrick. I saw a niece more hammered than I ever had. I saw another niece sipping beer for the first time (thought it was funny... seemed like just yesterday she was 16). I caught up with another niece that I hadn't seen in a while (kind of worry about them when I don't get to talk with them) and she's doing just F-I-N-E. Ate some killer food. Passed out in the back of a car for a bit. Had a good run with some fireworks. Got a quick man-I'm-so-happy-you-are-part-of-this-family-and-you've-done-so-well-with-Jooj-and-the-kids "attaboy" speech from an in-law. Slept soundly with that on my conscience (the 13 brews and Bobby Whatever helped too).
100% | 176 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.41% (184 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
We made it back all in one piece. Will had a blast. And so did his friend Will. And so did his other friend Will. And so did his other friend... Patrick. I saw a niece more hammered than I ever had. I saw another niece sipping beer for the first time (thought it was funny... seemed like just yesterday she was 16). I caught up with another niece that I hadn't seen in a while (kind of worry about them when I don't get to talk with them) and she's doing just F-I-N-E. Ate some killer food. Passed out in the back of a car for a bit. Had a good run with some fireworks. Got a quick man-I'm-so-happy-you-are-part-of-this-family-and-you've-done-so-well-with-Jooj-and-the-kids "attaboy" speech from an in-law. Slept soundly with that on my conscience (the 13 brews and Bobby Whatever helped too).
100% | 176 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.41% (184 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Saturday, July 2, 2011
2011 - Halfway point!
I would like to use this post to check up on how my New Years resolutions are coming along.
1. Pay off the Chase Visa this year. - DONE.
2. Stay below 175 lbs. I started Biggest Loser last year at 188. I ended at 164. I've since put 10 pounds back on (it took 10 months so it isn't too bad but still a trend I want to reverse). - I'd like to calculate this better than just tracking my weight and looking at the numbers go up and down. That's not really telling me much.
3. Finish (hell, begin!) work on my comic book idea. It will be a blast putting it together. It will be a huge accomplishment for me (that will more than likely never amount to anything other than points in pride). And Granny would've loved it. I'm thinking of a 4-part mini-series at 32 pages each. Woo... that sounds like a lot. Wish me luck. - This is the one I'm worried about. It will be an undertaking. The ideas are in my head. Outlines have been written. Storyboards have not. Kelsey, one of my stars, has only weeks left in town before college. I'm doing what I can to get momentum going but this one may be tough to pull off.
4. Paint 50 pieces in 2011. That sounds crazy but I know it's doable. I've painted 100 pieces over the last few years and I've done it at a very leisure pace. If anything, it could get a wee bit expensive. However, I'm going to start off in good shape as I kick off this resolution with six pieces I'm finishing this week. - Painting took a back seat for a while. I hit a lull and didn't try to pull myself out of it. But work is on the way and I'm getting psyched. I don't think I'll have any issue meeting this goal.
5? Blog more. I don't really know what that means. I was thinking initially everyday. But that's a lot. And I may even bore myself at that rate. Not sure on that one. - So far so good. It's been fun too. While I may not have so much to say every single day I have surprised myself by mostly coming up with something or another each day.
100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.17% (183 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
1. Pay off the Chase Visa this year. - DONE.
2. Stay below 175 lbs. I started Biggest Loser last year at 188. I ended at 164. I've since put 10 pounds back on (it took 10 months so it isn't too bad but still a trend I want to reverse). - I'd like to calculate this better than just tracking my weight and looking at the numbers go up and down. That's not really telling me much.
3. Finish (hell, begin!) work on my comic book idea. It will be a blast putting it together. It will be a huge accomplishment for me (that will more than likely never amount to anything other than points in pride). And Granny would've loved it. I'm thinking of a 4-part mini-series at 32 pages each. Woo... that sounds like a lot. Wish me luck. - This is the one I'm worried about. It will be an undertaking. The ideas are in my head. Outlines have been written. Storyboards have not. Kelsey, one of my stars, has only weeks left in town before college. I'm doing what I can to get momentum going but this one may be tough to pull off.
4. Paint 50 pieces in 2011. That sounds crazy but I know it's doable. I've painted 100 pieces over the last few years and I've done it at a very leisure pace. If anything, it could get a wee bit expensive. However, I'm going to start off in good shape as I kick off this resolution with six pieces I'm finishing this week. - Painting took a back seat for a while. I hit a lull and didn't try to pull myself out of it. But work is on the way and I'm getting psyched. I don't think I'll have any issue meeting this goal.
5? Blog more. I don't really know what that means. I was thinking initially everyday. But that's a lot. And I may even bore myself at that rate. Not sure on that one. - So far so good. It's been fun too. While I may not have so much to say every single day I have surprised myself by mostly coming up with something or another each day.
100% | 175.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 50.17% (183 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Friday, July 1, 2011
Brutal return to futbol
Played in my first game last night since injuring my right middle finger. And boy-o-boy it was a doozie! I got shelled and we lost 11-2. But, believe it or not, it was fun. The finger held up. No injuries to report. I woke up with a tight back and legs so sore that I stayed home from work. But in the end that was a good thing (got all kinds of stuff done today).
Looking forward to getting into the swing of twice-weekly games again.
100% | 175 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 49.87% (182 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
Looking forward to getting into the swing of twice-weekly games again.
100% | 175 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 49.87% (182 of 365) | 112/50/20 lbs
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