Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday Night Blog Post
OMG! Fallout Boy won a moonman!
I only know this because I'm watching the MTV VMAs while helping out with some of the weekday chores. Laundry, Dishes, unpacking (still!).
On a side note, I ripped a piece of surgical thread about a quarter inch long out of my lip tonight. I guess the guy who cut them out of me wasn't as good who put them in.
There are new photos on flickr from yours truly. Not many, however.
I'm really excited at the direction things are taking at work. Aside from me getting snippy with testers, but I can't really talk about work.
Another awesome fact about my red ear slider, Logo. I read on RedEarSlider.com that if I take good care of my turtle, he could live for 20-40 years. So I could be taking care of this turtle for more than half of my life.
I think that's pretty badass. He's growing very quickly, and its fun to take him out. He recognizes me now, and eats from my hand. He also lets me pick him up. He's also gotten a lot faster on land, so when I take him out of the tank, he gets himself into trouble. He's still young and spry enough to flip himself over when he falls on his back.
I've been playing a lot of Halo 2 on Xbox live. I've come up with an astute observation: Xbox live sucks really bad. The audio over the headsets is awful. You can't really strategize, not that Halo involves the tactics I'm used to in RTCW. It basically allows you to smack talk. And hear their mom tell them its bedtime, and hear as they beg to finish the game. And if your audio only really serves to let people whine or talk shit, the only people who will play online whine and talk shit.
Here's an example of pretty much every exchage:
Xbox Live Player: "haha. I killed you with shotgun. You're the worst player I've ever seen."
Me: "I have a car and a girlfriend. You have a bedtime. Now stop talking, its like you're fucking my ear."
Oh, and the one deterrant to me playing FPS on a console is how that I cannot get the accuracy I'm used to with an optical mouse. Its just not as fun. I enjoyed trying it, and its a quick way to kill an hour with a friend, but I'm filing MS' Xbox Live service as "Not Quite There Yet".
Oh yeah, "Accepted" is a _GREAT_ movie. See it.
I only know this because I'm watching the MTV VMAs while helping out with some of the weekday chores. Laundry, Dishes, unpacking (still!).
On a side note, I ripped a piece of surgical thread about a quarter inch long out of my lip tonight. I guess the guy who cut them out of me wasn't as good who put them in.
There are new photos on flickr from yours truly. Not many, however.
I'm really excited at the direction things are taking at work. Aside from me getting snippy with testers, but I can't really talk about work.
Another awesome fact about my red ear slider, Logo. I read on RedEarSlider.com that if I take good care of my turtle, he could live for 20-40 years. So I could be taking care of this turtle for more than half of my life.
I think that's pretty badass. He's growing very quickly, and its fun to take him out. He recognizes me now, and eats from my hand. He also lets me pick him up. He's also gotten a lot faster on land, so when I take him out of the tank, he gets himself into trouble. He's still young and spry enough to flip himself over when he falls on his back.
I've been playing a lot of Halo 2 on Xbox live. I've come up with an astute observation: Xbox live sucks really bad. The audio over the headsets is awful. You can't really strategize, not that Halo involves the tactics I'm used to in RTCW. It basically allows you to smack talk. And hear their mom tell them its bedtime, and hear as they beg to finish the game. And if your audio only really serves to let people whine or talk shit, the only people who will play online whine and talk shit.
Here's an example of pretty much every exchage:
Xbox Live Player: "haha. I killed you with shotgun. You're the worst player I've ever seen."
Me: "I have a car and a girlfriend. You have a bedtime. Now stop talking, its like you're fucking my ear."
Oh, and the one deterrant to me playing FPS on a console is how that I cannot get the accuracy I'm used to with an optical mouse. Its just not as fun. I enjoyed trying it, and its a quick way to kill an hour with a friend, but I'm filing MS' Xbox Live service as "Not Quite There Yet".
Oh yeah, "Accepted" is a _GREAT_ movie. See it.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Friday Morning Blog Post
I know I should say something, seeing as I have people checking my blog daily for the 3 updates I put up on it all week.
So I'm saying hello. I've been really busy, and haven't been making the time to blog.
I'm also healing up pretty well, in case anyone's wondering. Everyone keeps telling me there will be very little evidence of a scar by my lip. I remain cautiously opptimistic.
A friend of mine recently got the boot from his first job out of college. I don't think he was very upset. Where he worked, management bullied their engineers in a way that can't really be described here. It should just be witnessed.
My advice to him: Rejoice. Wherever you go, it will seem like a huge improvement in attitude and culture, and that will make a HUGE difference in productivity and confidence. It will make you want to wake up a be an engineer.
I went bowling last night (thursday) and it was awesome. I find bowling to be innately calming. It really gets rid of stress. I had a great time and hope to do it again soon.
Now off to snuggle and feel the breathe of my SO against the back of my neck.
So I'm saying hello. I've been really busy, and haven't been making the time to blog.
I'm also healing up pretty well, in case anyone's wondering. Everyone keeps telling me there will be very little evidence of a scar by my lip. I remain cautiously opptimistic.
A friend of mine recently got the boot from his first job out of college. I don't think he was very upset. Where he worked, management bullied their engineers in a way that can't really be described here. It should just be witnessed.
My advice to him: Rejoice. Wherever you go, it will seem like a huge improvement in attitude and culture, and that will make a HUGE difference in productivity and confidence. It will make you want to wake up a be an engineer.
I went bowling last night (thursday) and it was awesome. I find bowling to be innately calming. It really gets rid of stress. I had a great time and hope to do it again soon.
Now off to snuggle and feel the breathe of my SO against the back of my neck.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
The most eventful wenesday ever
I could've died yesterday. And I will bear another scar, as a reminder for life, of the day I spent inside a waterfall.
A friend of mine is a professional independent model. She knows of this secret place, this chill place, a mere 40 minutes drive away from Fairmont, WV, that she is interested in using for one of her photoshoots. She has scoped it out before, but she wanted someone to go with her.
My usual wenesday night routine involves cable tv. Nature? Rivers? Waterfalls?
Count me in.
We make the drive, and park out by what's known by the locals as party rock. This is where they go to drink beer, get some sun, and jump off the deep end into a nice small cool pool. The dry summer, however, has opened up opportunities for nature photography further downstream, which is normally covered in rapids. This is where we headed -- off, away from the main group.
We walked down the rightmost bank, where my friend had previous scoped out some rock formations that work well for the black and white photography. As we worked our way down, we realized there was a path on our left that took us right into a waterfall.
It was rocky, and slippery, but we felt if we stayed low and moved slowly, we could it.
When we got to the waterfall, we saw there was a gang of four underneath it. Some of the rocks broke up the current, and there was a bubbling pocket of warm water. Nature had created a hot tub right next to this waterfall.
We chilled there for a while. Then we decided to actually go underneath the waterfall.
I know my description of this place is lacking; but its beyond description. Words can't do it justice. The way your spirit recharges just walking through the water can't really be said by someone like me on a blog like this. But there we were, just letting the water from the waterfall hit our shoulders and run down our backs. It was like a massage.
I don't quite know how long I stayed there, immersed in the water, just thinking about everything and nothing. I didn't get out until the sun was setting and the water was getting cold.
Oh, and early on, getting underneath this waterfall, I lost my new pair of glasses. But again, this place was so awesome I didn't really care.
On the way back something worse happened. I planted my foot on a rock, and as soon as I shifted my weight to that leg, my foot just slipped out from under me.
I fell about 5 feet and face planted into a sharp rock. Then the current from the waterfall began to push me downstream towards other rocks.
Luckily, I didn't black out from impact. I knew what was happening. I knew I had to stop myself from getting dragged down to far, where I couldn't keep my head under water. I was also vaguely aware that I was bleeding from my face. I could hear my friend scream my name in the very worried tone of voice. And I knew my upper front teeth hurt like a son of a bitch.
I got out and put my hand on my face; when i looked at it, It was covered in blood.
It was at least a 15 minute walk back to the car. It was at least another 40 minute drive to the closest hospitial. It was getting dark.
In contrast to all the awe, amazement, and freedom I felt when arriving, I suddenly felt very naked. Very vulnerable. Very unsteady. It was getting darker, and cooler. I couldn't see through the water anymore. I didn't know how bad it looked, or how much damage my teeth had sustained, but part of me was curling inward. It made me hunch over, like a walking fetal position.
We got to my place. I threw the wifebeater I used to apply pressure to my mouth straight in the trash. It was spotted red all over. Having just moved, all my glasses were packed up. In fact, the only pair I found was a set I stopped wearing in 8th grade. God only knows why I still have them.
They worked. Off to the ER.
In the ER, the doctor who would be stiching me up explained to me that he can't numb my lip because that would cause it to swell. The first two stiches have to go through without any painkiller, to make sure the lip line is matched perfectly. Not only does this minimize the scarring, but it makes sure you won't look entirely fucked up for the rest of your life.
The nurse, who despite my glasses being gone, looked quite a lot like my friend Becky, who was a nursing student at Pitt, held my hand as the doctor put the stiches through my lip. I blinked tears. I squeezed hard. I thanked her profusely, afterward. I thought I was going to be okay with getting another set of stiches on my face, but I did need a hand to hold in the end. It was very sweet of her.
Shortly after the stiches my girlfriend showed up, and the three of us left after I was discharged. We watched some adult swim and I tried to line my stomach with triscuits before taking my first perkaset.
I guess the moral of the story is that when you fall hard, you're going to get a big fat upper lip. But if you get to inside a waterfall, its worth it.
A friend of mine is a professional independent model. She knows of this secret place, this chill place, a mere 40 minutes drive away from Fairmont, WV, that she is interested in using for one of her photoshoots. She has scoped it out before, but she wanted someone to go with her.
My usual wenesday night routine involves cable tv. Nature? Rivers? Waterfalls?
Count me in.
We make the drive, and park out by what's known by the locals as party rock. This is where they go to drink beer, get some sun, and jump off the deep end into a nice small cool pool. The dry summer, however, has opened up opportunities for nature photography further downstream, which is normally covered in rapids. This is where we headed -- off, away from the main group.
We walked down the rightmost bank, where my friend had previous scoped out some rock formations that work well for the black and white photography. As we worked our way down, we realized there was a path on our left that took us right into a waterfall.
It was rocky, and slippery, but we felt if we stayed low and moved slowly, we could it.
When we got to the waterfall, we saw there was a gang of four underneath it. Some of the rocks broke up the current, and there was a bubbling pocket of warm water. Nature had created a hot tub right next to this waterfall.
We chilled there for a while. Then we decided to actually go underneath the waterfall.
I know my description of this place is lacking; but its beyond description. Words can't do it justice. The way your spirit recharges just walking through the water can't really be said by someone like me on a blog like this. But there we were, just letting the water from the waterfall hit our shoulders and run down our backs. It was like a massage.
I don't quite know how long I stayed there, immersed in the water, just thinking about everything and nothing. I didn't get out until the sun was setting and the water was getting cold.
Oh, and early on, getting underneath this waterfall, I lost my new pair of glasses. But again, this place was so awesome I didn't really care.
On the way back something worse happened. I planted my foot on a rock, and as soon as I shifted my weight to that leg, my foot just slipped out from under me.
I fell about 5 feet and face planted into a sharp rock. Then the current from the waterfall began to push me downstream towards other rocks.
Luckily, I didn't black out from impact. I knew what was happening. I knew I had to stop myself from getting dragged down to far, where I couldn't keep my head under water. I was also vaguely aware that I was bleeding from my face. I could hear my friend scream my name in the very worried tone of voice. And I knew my upper front teeth hurt like a son of a bitch.
I got out and put my hand on my face; when i looked at it, It was covered in blood.
It was at least a 15 minute walk back to the car. It was at least another 40 minute drive to the closest hospitial. It was getting dark.
In contrast to all the awe, amazement, and freedom I felt when arriving, I suddenly felt very naked. Very vulnerable. Very unsteady. It was getting darker, and cooler. I couldn't see through the water anymore. I didn't know how bad it looked, or how much damage my teeth had sustained, but part of me was curling inward. It made me hunch over, like a walking fetal position.
We got to my place. I threw the wifebeater I used to apply pressure to my mouth straight in the trash. It was spotted red all over. Having just moved, all my glasses were packed up. In fact, the only pair I found was a set I stopped wearing in 8th grade. God only knows why I still have them.
They worked. Off to the ER.
In the ER, the doctor who would be stiching me up explained to me that he can't numb my lip because that would cause it to swell. The first two stiches have to go through without any painkiller, to make sure the lip line is matched perfectly. Not only does this minimize the scarring, but it makes sure you won't look entirely fucked up for the rest of your life.
The nurse, who despite my glasses being gone, looked quite a lot like my friend Becky, who was a nursing student at Pitt, held my hand as the doctor put the stiches through my lip. I blinked tears. I squeezed hard. I thanked her profusely, afterward. I thought I was going to be okay with getting another set of stiches on my face, but I did need a hand to hold in the end. It was very sweet of her.
Shortly after the stiches my girlfriend showed up, and the three of us left after I was discharged. We watched some adult swim and I tried to line my stomach with triscuits before taking my first perkaset.
I guess the moral of the story is that when you fall hard, you're going to get a big fat upper lip. But if you get to inside a waterfall, its worth it.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
808 Miles
I drove 808 miles this weekend.
Sometimes that straight shot, 4 to 5 hour trip (one way) does nothing to your body. Othertimes, you feel like it prematurely aged you. You're tired and cranky.
This time, the trip just seemed to wear me out. The end result of this crankiness being that I found sleeping on the futon unacceptable, and proceeded to assemble the King Size Waterbed that had luckily just arrived today with the help of my good friend Mario Jones.
Sleeping on a heated waterbed with that space age temper-pedic material may do wonders for your lower back, but the fact that everything you own grocery wise is frozen does nothing for my stomach. To backtrack, shortly after moving in, our dryer decided to stop drying things, and our refridgerator got stuck on "11", when it typically only goes from 1 to 9 -- with 9 being the coldest. So we have two jugs of milk, both frozen solid. And I can't just eat lucky charms dry. It would lack so many of the essential vitamins and minerals that make it part of of my complete breakfast!
In other news, I just got a new phone -- I upgraded to the new RAZR Silver. But I can't activate it while I'm here in WV, because you can't activate phones while you're roaming. If anyone know otherwise, like if a verizon dealer or something could help out, leave me something in the comments.
This move has not been timely. But we're getting settled.
Sometimes that straight shot, 4 to 5 hour trip (one way) does nothing to your body. Othertimes, you feel like it prematurely aged you. You're tired and cranky.
This time, the trip just seemed to wear me out. The end result of this crankiness being that I found sleeping on the futon unacceptable, and proceeded to assemble the King Size Waterbed that had luckily just arrived today with the help of my good friend Mario Jones.
Sleeping on a heated waterbed with that space age temper-pedic material may do wonders for your lower back, but the fact that everything you own grocery wise is frozen does nothing for my stomach. To backtrack, shortly after moving in, our dryer decided to stop drying things, and our refridgerator got stuck on "11", when it typically only goes from 1 to 9 -- with 9 being the coldest. So we have two jugs of milk, both frozen solid. And I can't just eat lucky charms dry. It would lack so many of the essential vitamins and minerals that make it part of of my complete breakfast!
In other news, I just got a new phone -- I upgraded to the new RAZR Silver. But I can't activate it while I'm here in WV, because you can't activate phones while you're roaming. If anyone know otherwise, like if a verizon dealer or something could help out, leave me something in the comments.
This move has not been timely. But we're getting settled.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The Accident
#
She hit an oil slick, she's okay. We don't know about the car just yet.
We're just being thankful on how lucky we are to have her walk away from it.
Silent for Too Long
I haven't been blogging enough to entertain you, my readers. I'm sure 3 of the 5 of you have already left. And the other two are probably waiting to see if I'm going to call them and see if they want to go see Clerks 2. (Answer: Hell yes.)
So I thought I'd entertain everyone with some pictures.
This is my at the top of the rock climbing tower at my company's picnic.
This is Mark nearly at the top.
This is Mark on the way down. They didn't take a picture of me repelling down because I froze up and climbed down. That tends to really strain your arms a lot. But I just don't trust belay systems. Maybe I'm too paranoid. But it did not look as cool, and thus, no picture.
More later. There has been too much going on and I'm honestly waiting for it to slow down a litte.
So I thought I'd entertain everyone with some pictures.
This is my at the top of the rock climbing tower at my company's picnic.
This is Mark nearly at the top.
This is Mark on the way down. They didn't take a picture of me repelling down because I froze up and climbed down. That tends to really strain your arms a lot. But I just don't trust belay systems. Maybe I'm too paranoid. But it did not look as cool, and thus, no picture.
More later. There has been too much going on and I'm honestly waiting for it to slow down a litte.
