Thoughts, musings, and the occasional rambling commentary

Middling geek

2009-10-28T14:35:19Z

Bold means I've read it.
Italics means I own it but haven't read it.
~~Strikethrough~~ means I read it and can't really recommend it.
Underline means I've read other works by that author, but not the one specified.

1. Lord of the Rings, Tolkien
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
3. A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle
4. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
5. Starship Troopers, Heinlein
6. Dune, Herbert
7. I, Robot, Asimov (Foundation series is what I read)
8. Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, King
9. Sandman, Gaiman
10. Farenheit 451, Bradbury
11. Snow Crash, Stephenson
12. Lord Foul's Bane, Donaldson
13. Childhood's End, Clarke
14. The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Adams
15. A Spell for Chameleon, Anthony
16. The Dragonriders of Pern, McCaffery
17. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
18. Watchman, Moore
19. Neuromancer, Gibson
20. Pawn of Prophecy, Eddings
21. Hogfather, Pratchett
22. Ringworld, Niven
23. Nine Princes in Amber, Zelazny
24. Jhereg, Brust
25. Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Weis and Hickman
26. Brave New World, Huxley
27. Watership Down, Adams
28. Once and Future King, White
29. Ender's Game, Card
30. The Eye of the World, Jordan

A passable geek. I just don't like the 'classics.'

Writer's Block: Let’s Get Physical

2009-08-19T14:43:00Z

What are your fitness goals? What is helping or preventing you from accomplishing them?

Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

View 486 Answers

Get down to 230, and maybe eventual 220. If weight loss comes easier at some point, pushing to 200 would be the healthy choice. 222 is an important future goal - at that point I am 20% down from my peak body weight.

What helps? Consistency. Simple rules.

What hurts? Lack of progress.

Clearing out thoughts

2009-07-29T13:01:09Z

Accountability: Been pretty good on diet.

Was in a foul mood Monday, which returned with a vengeance Tuesday night. So Tuesday night I got nothing done. I even skipped exercising - no stepping, pushups or situps.

Angry mood again this morning - woke up early and was looking forward to some time alone before I left. Denied by child waking up. And I feel weird today since I didn't exercise. My back, stomach, arms and shoulders just feel...odd. I don't think it is a good feeling.

Hoping that clearing out some thoughts will help me concentrate on work. Basically trying to look at what the best way is to recreate a measure of the whirl of a spinning cylinder. Whirl is when the center of the cylinder is not lined up with the center of the hole it is in...basically. Sort of.

Back to digging in to variances, correlation factors, and correlation coefficients.

Grrr

2009-07-15T16:57:42Z

Pressure from the 'have to do' items is threatening to destroy any attempts at relaxation. So much anger, so few awesome dark side powers to use it on.

woot!

2009-07-14T19:39:32Z

I won an auction for a camera! Yay, in the price range I was looking for, and the model I wanted. It is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.

Now, this delays my TV plans for a bit, but I was really wanting one.

Let the waiting for delivery begin.

Huh

2009-07-08T14:43:39Z

I think the break from pushups and crunches over the weekend let my muscles have a chance to rebuild. My arms are looking significantly better. Last night my pushups were in much better form. Still doing them on my knees, but I can almost get through the full range of motion for all 50. Last few aren't quite as deep as I would like.

Here's hoping I start making some weight progress soon. Weekend brought me back up to 239. I had been down to nearly 236. I think my body just likes this set point too much.

Did find that the wii fit can plot your weight/bmi/wii fit age over time. This is good for me - even though my weight fluctuates about 4 pound, I can see a slight downward trend over the last 3 months. Though, it is very slight. At this rate, it'll take me 2ish years to get to 230.

And to tell it via electrons...

2009-07-06T13:19:07Z

hapersmion and I are expecting again. Woohoo!

meme-age

2009-05-28T20:30:33Z

Kissed any one of your LJ friends? --- Yes
Been arrested? --- No
Kissed someone you didn't like? --- No
Slept in until 5 PM? --- No
Fallen asleep at work/school? --- Yes, both
Held a snake? --- Yes
Ran a red light? --- Yes
Experienced love at first sight? --- No
Totaled your car in an accident? --- No
Been fired from a job? --- No
Fired somebody? --- No
Sang karaoke? --- No. Though at some point I'll do it when everyone I am with is really drunk. Some song by G'n'R
Pointed a gun at someone? --- Not a real one.
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes
Kissed in the rain? --- Yes, I think so. Made out probably not, but definitely kissed.
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- Not really.
Seen someone die? --- No
Played spin-the-bottle? --- No
Sang in the shower? --- Yes
Smoked a cigar? --- No
Sat on a rooftop? --- No
Smuggled something into another country? --- No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- No
Broken a bone? --- No
Skipped school? --- Yes
Eaten a bug? --- No
Sleepwalked? --- Yes
Walked a moonlit beach? --- Yes, once at least
Rode a motorcycle? --- No
Dumped someone? --- No
Forgotten your anniversary? --- No, though we have forgotten to get gifts
Lied to avoid a ticket? --- No
Ridden on a helicopter? --- No
Shaved your head? --- No
Blacked out from drinking? --- No
Played a prank on someone? --- Yes
Hit a home run? -- No
Felt like killing someone? --- Yes
Cross-dressed? --- No
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? --- Yes
Eaten snake? --- No
Marched/Protested? --- No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- No
Puked on amusement ride? --- No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- No
Been in a band? --- No
Knitted? --- No
Been on TV? --- No
Shot a gun? --- Yes
Skinny-dipped? --- No
Gave someone stitches? --- No
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? --- No
Ridden a surfboard? --- No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? --- No
Had surgery? --- Yes, though it was only for an ingrown toenail.
Streaked? --- No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? -- Yes. Sprained my neck at school.
Peed on a bush? --- Yes
Donated Blood? --- Yes. Still hates needles from toe surgery, so once was probably it.
Eaten alligator meat? --- No
Eaten cheesecake? --- Yes
Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? --- Yes
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- No
Peed your pants in public? --- Probably when I was a kid
Snuck into a movie without paying? --- Yes
Written graffiti? --- No
Still love someone you shouldn't? –-- No
Think about the future? --- Yes
Think about the furniture? --- Yes
Believe in love? --- Yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? --- The left if at home, but trips are random

Snippets

2009-05-27T13:16:30Z

Event: Fun. Apparently Jaysen the Messenger has morphed into Jaysen the Flirty Messenger. Got elevations done. Got other stuff moved along. Enjoyed being the random leftover marshal - means I only needed to know rules, not politics.

Today: Worky worky

Tonight: Make frosting, bake one layer of each tier (likely). Wash and clean all the stuff. Maybe take pictures of cake decorations for final approval.

Tomorrow morning: Bake second layer of each tier, Begin Assembly Process.

Tomorrow lunch: Something tasty

Tomorrow afternoon: Fret about refrigerator room. Apply frosting and decorate layers. Tinker with box and work out ways to cool cake for transport.

Friday: Drive down in the morning. Assemble cake in the evening. Touch up.

Saturday: Wedding! Party! Woo!

Edit: No weight loss progress, but I'm up to two sets of 35 crunches and last night did two sets of 20 (knees down) pushups, up from 2 of 15. Might try for some real ones soon.

Media ponderings

2009-05-06T19:00:54Z

I've read all 4 books of the Night Watch series. It's good, if a bit dark at times. I recommend it. It's high fantasy hidden in the real world.

In other book news, everyone should read the Dresden Files.

Heroes got renewed. So has Fringe. Life has been canceled though, and that really sucks. No word yet on Chuck, but my hopes aren't really high for it. Pessimists should always be happy - they are either right or things are better than the expected. Still no word on Sarah Conner chronicles or Dollhouse.

One good thing about Chuck and Sarah Conner Chronicles - they ended in a good spot I think, so if the series ended, it could work. Some unanswered stuff, but in general, most things wrapped up. Dollhouse season finale is Friday.

Krod Mandoon is pretty funny.

GI Joe: Resolute. Wow, was fun to watch. Loved it all. Hope that it takes the Clone Wars route and becomes a full series. Though, lots of dead characters, might be difficult.

Looking forward to many movies in the future. Star Trek looks like a lot of fun. Its plotline appeals to me. Haven't seen wolverine, not sure if I will in the theater or not.

Got my Exosquad Season 1 DVD. Haven't watched them yet. Will start probably in the summer. Exosuits and neo-sapiens might work for Eclipse inspiration.

...I fear for a Phaeton in Eclipse...

Lots of random thoughts

2009-05-05T21:53:00Z

Excited about the upcoming wedding. Getting stuff done for it. Need to bake more cakes for practice.

April was rough. Idea about living life better...not sure if it is working or not. Too much stress.

Have a strange urge to make a list of everything I don't like about myself. Not sure what is motivating this - it doesn't feel bitter or negative. Just an urge.

Looking forward to Eclipse. Really need to get caught up on my journal. Jakoby got put on a shelf after the last event. Couldn't deal with his emotional state and the real world at the same time. Not sure what this weekend will be like for him.

Somewhat looking forward to the 4-day. Should be interesting I think. Who really knows though. Gotta get a lot of stuff done, not sure if all of it will be completed.

Allergies are bothering me now. I blame the cat shedding. It's like she's saved it all up for the entire time we've had her and is letting it all go right now.

SAM is cute and a lot of fun. Need to figure out how to not let him get to me.

If Real Life interferes with the 4-day, I might have to stab it in the face. With a car.

Diet attempts are failing. Going to try to exercise more. Wii Fit is fun. I am not a stretchy person. Need more time in the day, really.

Work goes well. A product that we built was presented at a conference. It won an award. This means that, in theory, I might be able to talk about it. Go crazy NDA rules.

I have massive computer yearnings. I could easily drop 3k on a new laptop for me. Luckily, windows 7 being around the corner means I can stop thinking about it. I also have other priorities.

Been budgeting myself now. Hate it, I do. But at least now if I don't buy things I want (I'm materialistic), I can save for other things. Like a TV or computer.

I have one time of 4 free weekends in a row. Well, until plans get made for July. Then at most I think I have 3 at one point.

Did I mention the wedding and being excited?

My sister is, I think, the first person in our family to get a PhD. I think it is a PhD - it is in Clinical Psychology, I believe.

Poetry!

2009-05-05T12:20:19Z

Remember, remember the Cinco de Mayo
The margarita drinking plot.
Despite my poor thinking,
the margarita drinking,
should never be forgot.

Question I would love to put on the feedback form for this event:

2009-04-20T17:43:51Z

Are you attending Larp Prom, and if so, what are your feelings about buckets of fake blood and your prom costume?

Hell yeah.

2009-03-18T19:12:31Z

ExoSquad on DVD.

About damn time!

What's Your Personality Type? - This time for Jakoby.

2009-03-18T14:08:42Z

You Are An INFJ

The Protector

You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.
Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.
You are an excellent listener with almost infinite patience.
You have complex feelings, and you take great care to express them.

In love, you see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow.
You enjoy relationships when they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation.

At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support.
You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's Your Personality Type?

Hmmm

2009-02-19T21:40:13Z

I think Lucky 7's is an awesome mercenary company name.

Who'd a thunk it?

2009-02-13T12:42:22Z

Really, zombieism as an STD? Apparently the creators of Friday the 13th were really trying to make Jason Vorhees into a zombie-killing machine, just dealing with the problem before all those teenagers-who-practice-unprotected-sex actually died and became a zombie problem.

Ah well. So far no coworkers are showing signs. The religious right is going to have a field day with this one. Sinners become the accursed walking dead!

Some day....

2009-02-12T21:43:29Z

Some day I'll be content with how I look in a photo.

Random thought

2009-02-10T22:31:14Z

I haven't played Everquest in...coming up on 6 years I think. I still think about it periodically, and sometimes have dreams set in some of the zones.

Yesterday

2009-02-10T19:39:49Z

First off, if anyone knows a way to appease the angered shipping gods, please tell me! Two pretty important packages have been lost in the mail in the last 3 weeks. One is my glasses, which have pretty much disappeared entirely from the postal system, and will likely never appear again. Thankfully I was cleared to drive without glasses at my last birthday, and I eventually found my extra pair.

The second package was our anniversary gift - Corinthian Bells windchimes. This one was sent via UPS and we're trying to locate it still. You can click through the link for an audio sample of them.

So, I was pretty annoyed at all that yesterday - lots of time on the phone with various post offices, trying to locate the package, and then with UPS confirming the correct address. I left work a little early to run errands. Then, the Surreal started.

In chronological order:
*Rock Lobster came on the radio
*Wal-Mart parking lot was packed, but I still got a space at a tolerable distance to the store
*Found buckets...but lids are sold separately? How strange. Yay for black HDPE for an armored fist.
*Turned down a random aisle, found something that I needed but forgot about (sturdy rope for hanging the chimes, and a clip so we can take them down easily if needed).
*Bagels were out of stock - I normally get wheat lender's bagels...almost all the lender's are gone.
*Got to check out, one person in front of me. Poor check-out woman is trying and trying to get a gift card to run through as a purchase. Keeps failing. Has to go ask someone else. Finally gets it to work, and the little message that pops up? "Congrats GC" I started laughing, she pointed a finger at me, I explained why, and she got a grin about it.
*Walking on my way out, see a woman (college age, and I had seen her in the crafts section), she makes eye contact, I smile, she smiles. Yay for spreading positive feelings.
*A different woman tells me I have a great beard. I thank her and continue on. This is what made me realize just how surreal the trip was.
*On the way home, I made all but one light, despite heavy traffic.

meme

2009-02-09T12:53:03Z

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing<<--copy & paste...
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool... <<---and it would just ruin the natural levity of the note

Opening Credits: Behind_Blue_Eyes - The Who

Waking Up: Can't Not - Alanis Morissette

Falling In Love: Fog Bound - Klaus Badelt (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN)

Fight Song: For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC

Breaking Up: Free to Decide - The Cranberries

Prom: Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

Life: Ego sum abbas - Carl Orff (Carmina Burana)

Mental Breakdown: Hurt - Nine Inch Nails

Driving: Starbuck Takes on All Eight - Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica - Season One)

Flashback: The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace

Getting back together: Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Wedding: Minstrel Hall - Blackmore's Night

Birth of Child: Notes/Prima Donna - Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera)

Final Battle: The Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band

Death Scene: Space Oddity - David Bowie

Funeral Song: Hello Again - Neil Diamond

End Credits: 21 Things I Want In A Lover - Alanis Morissette

More light and fluffy

2009-02-02T14:34:36Z

Really, one of these times I'll find time to dump the introspective thoughts out. Not this time!

Friday we went and ran some errands. Made a Sam's run to check out prices and pick up a few things. My current diet has me eating a lot of cereal (approximately 2 servings of special K every day), so I'll probably be getting that at Sam's from here on out. Also, meat prices looked good. Oh, and we went to Gondolier for dinner - we're doing a reward-for-chores scheme with SAM, and he did enough to earn picking out a restaurant.

Friday evening I caught up on BSG. Enjoying it, have some differences of opinion about where the story is going, but enjoying the storytelling still.

Saturday morning started with boffer practice. I hurt now from it. So out of shape. Was a lot of fun, trying to make it a weekly thing. I desperately need the practice and the exercise.

Saturday afternoon, some grinding on taxes. Saturday evening, WoW. Have more money than I need, so I stopped doing the money making game (floating around 5k right now). I'll start back up when I hit 45 or when I get down to 3k. Will need money and supplies for when I get to 50 to get Enchanting up to 375. Ran some quests in Dustwallow, much fun. Going to need to find a new zone soon. Unless I go for some dragon killing. Dinged 36 that night, and 37 last night.

Sunday - pleasant time at church. Tasty lunch. Beautiful afternoon. Planned out flowerbeds in the front and prioritized money expenditures on landscaping. Finished grinding on taxes, expecting return soon, hurray. Sunday night was more WoW.

This week's goal on the diet front: Cut my lunch down even more. Continue to reinforce simple dinner (cereal, fruit, piece of liveactive cheese). Ideally, I'll be eating about 70% of the lunch I was last week. If I want a whole sandwich, I get no bun. If I want the bun, only half the sandwich. Nothing fried on the side (onion rings are a weakness). Hopefully, stop eating just short of full. Next week is starting to do some workout again.

Hates the diet. 247.6 last night. 17.6 pounds to go. Want to be under 240 in the next 7 weeks - before my 31st birthday.

Ahh...

2009-01-29T14:20:31Z

Yay for another creative outlet. One that if it tastes good, that's more than half the job :)

http://www.creative-cake-decorating.com/

Must try some of these techniques. Frosting filigree work here I come!

Doing my taxes

2009-01-29T13:35:50Z

Apparently we missed a $7500 refundable tax credit by 39 days. Oh, and while it was an interest-free loan originally, the new stimulus bills going through are removing the requirement to repay it.

Curses! Why couldn't it have been applied all the way back to January 2008?

Oh well.

Creature of the underworld!

2008-12-06T20:47:21Z

Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Incubus/Succubus It's all about feeding, isn't it? You pay them back from their energy, though. You give them something (your drama) that will keep them distracted from life, which you consider a terrible joke.
Vampire
Ghost
Werewolf
Demon
Sorceror
Cthulu Spawn
Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz