Currently Reading: Essential X-Men Vol. 2 by Marvel
My family is nuts. It's probably hereditary too meaning that somewhere along the lines I'll go nuts too if I haven't already made the trip.
Earlier today, I was sitting here at the machine just reading the news online when my mother came home from work...
Mom: Did my books come yet?
Bear: Uh, no. Not yet.
Mom: They were supposed to get here today!
Bear: Well, did you get a message saying they were sent?
Mom: Yes, and they should be here now!
Bear: Well, maybe they'll get here tomorrow. Sometimes the estimates are wrong.
Mom: They were supposed to be here the 28th or 29th!
Bear: I know, but sometimes it takes another day or two.
Mom: Why aren't there here yet?
This went on in a circle for about 5 minutes. The whole while she's getting more and more worked up and keeps asking me WHY they're not here yet, as if I somehow had the power to stop them from arriving.
And people wonder why I tend to avoid my family when CC's not around :-)
Friday, April 29, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Slowly Drifting Through The Week
Just Finished: My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
It's Wednesday thank goodness. Just two more days to go until the weekend. I'm looking forward to this particular weekend more than usual but not entirely because of the things we have planned.
This week's sleep schedule has been a real pain. CC's working the odd hours of course. Comes home about 4:30 in the morning. We sleep. Problem is, she never stays asleep more than 5 hours or so.
So, we're up. Not a problem in itself right? Thing is, we have no energy. Actually she has less than I do. I have broken sleep, she has only a little sleep. We end up spending most of the day just laying there watching TV.
Today we did actually make it out for a little while. CC wanted to go out for lunch so we got Japanese take-out at this little place that opened up a few weeks ago. Great food and very affordable. We'll be going there often. We also stopped and got coffee at Starbucks (chai tea latte for me). That's an improvment over yesterday and Monday at least :-)
We're going out to see the symphony Saturday night. They're performing Carmina Burana, which we both like. I imagine we'll spend most of Saturday goofing off again, but maybe a little more active. Hopefully things will be back to normal by Monday. I sure hope so. All this broken sleep is leaving me fuzzy-headed and leaving CC dragging most of the time. We'll make it though :-)
It's Wednesday thank goodness. Just two more days to go until the weekend. I'm looking forward to this particular weekend more than usual but not entirely because of the things we have planned.
This week's sleep schedule has been a real pain. CC's working the odd hours of course. Comes home about 4:30 in the morning. We sleep. Problem is, she never stays asleep more than 5 hours or so.
So, we're up. Not a problem in itself right? Thing is, we have no energy. Actually she has less than I do. I have broken sleep, she has only a little sleep. We end up spending most of the day just laying there watching TV.
Today we did actually make it out for a little while. CC wanted to go out for lunch so we got Japanese take-out at this little place that opened up a few weeks ago. Great food and very affordable. We'll be going there often. We also stopped and got coffee at Starbucks (chai tea latte for me). That's an improvment over yesterday and Monday at least :-)
We're going out to see the symphony Saturday night. They're performing Carmina Burana, which we both like. I imagine we'll spend most of Saturday goofing off again, but maybe a little more active. Hopefully things will be back to normal by Monday. I sure hope so. All this broken sleep is leaving me fuzzy-headed and leaving CC dragging most of the time. We'll make it though :-)
Jack Russet Poterrier
Just Finished: My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
I think we've finally hit on the most fitting nickname for our little dog Bu. CC and I were looking at her the other day and noticed how much she looks like one of those very large potatoes used for baking. You've seen them in the stores I'm sure. They're just huge, long, and light brown. Well, that's her.
After a few days of tossing around variations of the potato theme, we finally came up with Jack Russet Poterrier. Yes, she is still a cutie. Very snuggly. But in all honesty, her head looks a few sizes too small for her body :-)
I think we've finally hit on the most fitting nickname for our little dog Bu. CC and I were looking at her the other day and noticed how much she looks like one of those very large potatoes used for baking. You've seen them in the stores I'm sure. They're just huge, long, and light brown. Well, that's her.
After a few days of tossing around variations of the potato theme, we finally came up with Jack Russet Poterrier. Yes, she is still a cutie. Very snuggly. But in all honesty, her head looks a few sizes too small for her body :-)
Monday, April 25, 2005
Online Shopping
Currently Reading: My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
I'm starting to wonder why more people don't shop online for some things. I've been doing a bit of comparison shopping between the online book stores and the stores here in town and you can't BELIEVE the money I'm saving on books.
What I've been doing lately is going to the book stores, jotting down a few titles that I'd like to pick up, then I go online to Amazon and order them there. In many cases I'm saving 40% or more and the only catch is that I have to wait and buy them in 25 dollar chunks. If you spend 25 dollars or more the shipping is free.
Of course, not everything is cheaper online, that's why you have to be careful. Sometimes the stores over-buy a certain title and have to mark it down for clearance later. You can catch some great deals then. Same goes with buying music and movies. Sometimes it's just cheaper to run down to the local Best Buy or Walmart.
I'm starting to wonder why more people don't shop online for some things. I've been doing a bit of comparison shopping between the online book stores and the stores here in town and you can't BELIEVE the money I'm saving on books.
What I've been doing lately is going to the book stores, jotting down a few titles that I'd like to pick up, then I go online to Amazon and order them there. In many cases I'm saving 40% or more and the only catch is that I have to wait and buy them in 25 dollar chunks. If you spend 25 dollars or more the shipping is free.
Of course, not everything is cheaper online, that's why you have to be careful. Sometimes the stores over-buy a certain title and have to mark it down for clearance later. You can catch some great deals then. Same goes with buying music and movies. Sometimes it's just cheaper to run down to the local Best Buy or Walmart.
My Week Is Long
Currently Reading: My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
There you go, a title in the style of Mickey Spillane. Yes, my week will be long but not really for anything that I have to do. My week will be long in supporting CC and what she has to do.
Let me give you the quick version. She's teaching classes via video conference this week to students in Manila. No problem right? Well, not exactly. Due to limitations in bandwidth at the office, she'll have to teach these classes at night. This week, her schedule is 7 pm to 4 am.
That wouldn't be too much of a problem if she was more of a night owl but CC's the type who wakes up at 4 or 5 in the morning and is asleep by 8 or 9 at night. She sometimes wakes up at midnight, stays up a few hours, then goes back to bed. Needless to say, adjusting to this schedule is going to be tough.
She tried very hard last night and managed to stay up until 4:30. Problem is, she wasn't able to sleep solid through the day. She slept a good 4 hours or so this morning and napped off and on during the day so in theory she's had a full night's sleep in pieces but when she went to the office, she was dragging a little, poor thing.
And naturally since her sleep pattern is off and she's stressing all the time, that throws mine off too. In the old days, when I could still hear, it wouldn't have bothered me as much but these days I'm a much lighter sleeper than I was.
Wish us both luck :-)
There you go, a title in the style of Mickey Spillane. Yes, my week will be long but not really for anything that I have to do. My week will be long in supporting CC and what she has to do.
Let me give you the quick version. She's teaching classes via video conference this week to students in Manila. No problem right? Well, not exactly. Due to limitations in bandwidth at the office, she'll have to teach these classes at night. This week, her schedule is 7 pm to 4 am.
That wouldn't be too much of a problem if she was more of a night owl but CC's the type who wakes up at 4 or 5 in the morning and is asleep by 8 or 9 at night. She sometimes wakes up at midnight, stays up a few hours, then goes back to bed. Needless to say, adjusting to this schedule is going to be tough.
She tried very hard last night and managed to stay up until 4:30. Problem is, she wasn't able to sleep solid through the day. She slept a good 4 hours or so this morning and napped off and on during the day so in theory she's had a full night's sleep in pieces but when she went to the office, she was dragging a little, poor thing.
And naturally since her sleep pattern is off and she's stressing all the time, that throws mine off too. In the old days, when I could still hear, it wouldn't have bothered me as much but these days I'm a much lighter sleeper than I was.
Wish us both luck :-)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Care Bears in Sin City
Currently Reading: My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
Sometimes you have to wonder if the forces of the universe are just out to get you. Or, if they're not totally out to get you, maybe just out to make you look silly. Yesterday, I had one of those moments.
As most folks know by now, my father was laid off last week and so he's been home, working around the house or looking for jobs online. That means I have temporary access to a car without having to drive CC to work in the morning. That's a good thing right? Well everything has its price.
Yesterday I decided to go out for a bit. I wanted to get a copy of House of Flying Daggers and look around at computer software, maybe look into a few Gameboy games, stuff like that. I also intended to go see the movie Sin City. CC and I have a little deal going where we alternate picking which movie to see when we go out. Right now she's up 2 movies so I get to pick the next two unless we both agree on the film. This way, she gets me to go see "chick movies" while I get to take her to see the guy flicks. Sin City clearly falls into the guy flicks category.
Problem is though, looking into the future of the films coming out this summer, well, I'm going to have to sit through a LOT of chick movies to make up for all the films I'm gonna drag CC to. Anyway, in order to decrease that amount, and to free up Saturday so we can see Kung Fu Hustle (which we both want to see) I went and saw Sin City by myself.
I got to the theater a bit early. Had maybe 20 minutes to kill and didn't feel like just sitting there in the theater so I went into the game room. They had one of those machines with the crane and you try and pick up a toy from the vat. If you can drop it into the box, you get to keep it. Usually I'm horrible at this game but I decided to play anyway because there seemed to be a few good prospects. Well, the first one I tried, the claw got a hold on the bear but when it lifted up, the bear was off balance and so it flipped over and fell out of the claw on the way to the box. That gave me good insight though. I noticed another bear in a similar position, adjusted so it wouldn't be off balance, and BAM, caught me a Care Bear.
This didn't seem odd at the time. Wasn't until I was at the concession stand getting some popcorn when I thought about it: I'M GOING TO BE SITTING IN SIN CITY WITH A CARE BEAR!
Ok, no need to freak out here. It's a Tuesday. The place is empty. Probably no one will notice much.
I go into the theater. Totally empty. I have my choice of seats. Perfect. 5 minutes to showtime, no one. 3 minutes, no one. About a minute before the start up, this HUGE black guy comes into the theater. I'm talking 6 foot plus, 300+ pounds. Looks like a lineman for a football team. And here's me, skinny, short, white guy sitting RIGHT in the middle of the theater with a pastel green Care Bear in my lap. Oh what a picture THAT must have made.
I was hoping maybe he wouldn't notice. I wasn't so lucky. He looked . . . TWICE and long.
Oh, I know what it was. He had to be wondering what in the HELL I had sitting in my lap. That's something that really does look out of place in the movies, especially for an adult. I just hope he remembered the crane game in the arcade. If he did, he knew where the bear came from.
I have to admit though, it was pretty comfortable having that bear in my lap during the movie. At least we were in the dark :-)
Sometimes you have to wonder if the forces of the universe are just out to get you. Or, if they're not totally out to get you, maybe just out to make you look silly. Yesterday, I had one of those moments.
As most folks know by now, my father was laid off last week and so he's been home, working around the house or looking for jobs online. That means I have temporary access to a car without having to drive CC to work in the morning. That's a good thing right? Well everything has its price.
Yesterday I decided to go out for a bit. I wanted to get a copy of House of Flying Daggers and look around at computer software, maybe look into a few Gameboy games, stuff like that. I also intended to go see the movie Sin City. CC and I have a little deal going where we alternate picking which movie to see when we go out. Right now she's up 2 movies so I get to pick the next two unless we both agree on the film. This way, she gets me to go see "chick movies" while I get to take her to see the guy flicks. Sin City clearly falls into the guy flicks category.
Problem is though, looking into the future of the films coming out this summer, well, I'm going to have to sit through a LOT of chick movies to make up for all the films I'm gonna drag CC to. Anyway, in order to decrease that amount, and to free up Saturday so we can see Kung Fu Hustle (which we both want to see) I went and saw Sin City by myself.
I got to the theater a bit early. Had maybe 20 minutes to kill and didn't feel like just sitting there in the theater so I went into the game room. They had one of those machines with the crane and you try and pick up a toy from the vat. If you can drop it into the box, you get to keep it. Usually I'm horrible at this game but I decided to play anyway because there seemed to be a few good prospects. Well, the first one I tried, the claw got a hold on the bear but when it lifted up, the bear was off balance and so it flipped over and fell out of the claw on the way to the box. That gave me good insight though. I noticed another bear in a similar position, adjusted so it wouldn't be off balance, and BAM, caught me a Care Bear.
This didn't seem odd at the time. Wasn't until I was at the concession stand getting some popcorn when I thought about it: I'M GOING TO BE SITTING IN SIN CITY WITH A CARE BEAR!
Ok, no need to freak out here. It's a Tuesday. The place is empty. Probably no one will notice much.
I go into the theater. Totally empty. I have my choice of seats. Perfect. 5 minutes to showtime, no one. 3 minutes, no one. About a minute before the start up, this HUGE black guy comes into the theater. I'm talking 6 foot plus, 300+ pounds. Looks like a lineman for a football team. And here's me, skinny, short, white guy sitting RIGHT in the middle of the theater with a pastel green Care Bear in my lap. Oh what a picture THAT must have made.
I was hoping maybe he wouldn't notice. I wasn't so lucky. He looked . . . TWICE and long.
Oh, I know what it was. He had to be wondering what in the HELL I had sitting in my lap. That's something that really does look out of place in the movies, especially for an adult. I just hope he remembered the crane game in the arcade. If he did, he knew where the bear came from.
I have to admit though, it was pretty comfortable having that bear in my lap during the movie. At least we were in the dark :-)
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Shopping: Male vs Female
Currently Reading: Hulk: Return of the Monster by Marvel
I'm sure you've all noticed by now that men and women do NOT shop the same. Oh, I'm not talking about the different items we buy. That one is completely obvious. Do you honestly think those bath/perfume shops are really meant for men? Of COURSE they aren't. That's why most of the store is filled with frilly, sweet-smelling perfume type bath gels while the more manly stuff occupies one shelf in the back.
There's also the difference in the WAY we shop. Men tend to have things planned. We don't often go out just to BROWSE unless that browsing involves gathering statistical data on which electronics product will make us look the most COOL and impressive to our friends/enemies. When men shop, we like to know just what we're looking for so we can plot out which stores are likely to have it and what route to take. We do all this not because we hate shopping. We do this because we like to maximize our shopping experience. To wander aimlessly while looking at things we don't want, that's inefficient :-)
Most importantly, we differ when it comes to describing our shopping trips. For men, it runs something like this:
Man: Well, we went out to the mall this weekend. Got some great deals. Spent about $50 bucks on some sweaters and shoes.
While the female version is more like:
Woman: Oh my GOD you won't BELIEVE how much money we SAVED this weekend at the mall. By the time we were through, I saved over 100 dollars!
I'm sure you've noticed the slight change in emphasis between the two. Which brings me to our weekend. As you may have guessed, we did a little more shopping, even though we said we wouldn't. Mostly we went out because we were bored and couldn't think of anything to do. We hadn't been to the mall in a while so that's where we headed after church.
By the end of the day, we'd spent about 55 bucks on sweaters and shoes for CC. Got some great deals. She picked up 6 sweaters, all very nice, most of them light, for spring. She also finally used the gift card for Payless that she got for her birthday. Picked up three pairs of shoes. Great deals, we got all of that for 55 bucks. But that's not how she describes it. From her perspective, we SAVED over 150 dollars due to all the mark-downs.
I guess the lesson for the day is that you have to spend a little to save a lot :-)
I'm sure you've all noticed by now that men and women do NOT shop the same. Oh, I'm not talking about the different items we buy. That one is completely obvious. Do you honestly think those bath/perfume shops are really meant for men? Of COURSE they aren't. That's why most of the store is filled with frilly, sweet-smelling perfume type bath gels while the more manly stuff occupies one shelf in the back.
There's also the difference in the WAY we shop. Men tend to have things planned. We don't often go out just to BROWSE unless that browsing involves gathering statistical data on which electronics product will make us look the most COOL and impressive to our friends/enemies. When men shop, we like to know just what we're looking for so we can plot out which stores are likely to have it and what route to take. We do all this not because we hate shopping. We do this because we like to maximize our shopping experience. To wander aimlessly while looking at things we don't want, that's inefficient :-)
Most importantly, we differ when it comes to describing our shopping trips. For men, it runs something like this:
Man: Well, we went out to the mall this weekend. Got some great deals. Spent about $50 bucks on some sweaters and shoes.
While the female version is more like:
Woman: Oh my GOD you won't BELIEVE how much money we SAVED this weekend at the mall. By the time we were through, I saved over 100 dollars!
I'm sure you've noticed the slight change in emphasis between the two. Which brings me to our weekend. As you may have guessed, we did a little more shopping, even though we said we wouldn't. Mostly we went out because we were bored and couldn't think of anything to do. We hadn't been to the mall in a while so that's where we headed after church.
By the end of the day, we'd spent about 55 bucks on sweaters and shoes for CC. Got some great deals. She picked up 6 sweaters, all very nice, most of them light, for spring. She also finally used the gift card for Payless that she got for her birthday. Picked up three pairs of shoes. Great deals, we got all of that for 55 bucks. But that's not how she describes it. From her perspective, we SAVED over 150 dollars due to all the mark-downs.
I guess the lesson for the day is that you have to spend a little to save a lot :-)
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Not Growing Up Without A Fight!
Currently Reading: The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
You may have read over on CC's blog that she bought me a Clone Trooper blaster rifle from Target the other day. It's true, she did and I really love that thing :-) Oh it has no real purpose. It's just a toy of course. Sure is fun though, at least for me. It's all part of my NOT growing up without a fight.
Oh it's true, I will have to be dragged, kicking and screaming before I ever totally cross over to "The Dark Side" -- meaning being a grown up ALL the time. Where's the fun in THAT? You know, the world would be a MUCH happier place if we all kept just a LITTLE bit of space inside us to be a kid.
You wouldn't want to be a kid ALL the time. Just look what happened to all those baby boomers who refused to grow up at ALL and just ended up exchanging one set of toys for another. They went from toy guns and games to video games and expensive stereos to computers and MP3 players and fancy cars. And they're still at it. But the toys are not really their problem. Hell I have most of those toys myself. The real problem with THAT particular group of child wannabes is that mentally, they still ACT like children. You've seen them I'm sure. They're the ones in the stores pitching a fit at some poor customer service clerk because the shopping experience wasn't perfect. Or maybe they're the ones trying to be "friends" with their AWFUL children instead of actually being a parent. You can always have too much of a good thing.
This toy that CC bought me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Back in the 1970's when the original three movies came out, they made a Storm Trooper gun like this. OH MAN did I ever want one of THOSE! Parents would never get it for me though. I don't know if it's a violence thing or not. I only had two cap guns growing up, one of which I bought myself with allowance money. Never had a BB gun (Red Ryder or other) or any of the guns that shot foam darts. Had one that shot little plastic disks but there again, bought that myself and it was for a game we were playing in high school (think of a very primative version of paintball).
Anyway, so this here toy gun is something I've been wanting since I was about 7. Now I have it and it's COOL :-)
Don't worry though, I'm not such a geek that I'll be taking it with me to the opening of the next Star Wars movie and I don't dress up in costume or anything like that. It's just something fun :-)
You may have read over on CC's blog that she bought me a Clone Trooper blaster rifle from Target the other day. It's true, she did and I really love that thing :-) Oh it has no real purpose. It's just a toy of course. Sure is fun though, at least for me. It's all part of my NOT growing up without a fight.
Oh it's true, I will have to be dragged, kicking and screaming before I ever totally cross over to "The Dark Side" -- meaning being a grown up ALL the time. Where's the fun in THAT? You know, the world would be a MUCH happier place if we all kept just a LITTLE bit of space inside us to be a kid.
You wouldn't want to be a kid ALL the time. Just look what happened to all those baby boomers who refused to grow up at ALL and just ended up exchanging one set of toys for another. They went from toy guns and games to video games and expensive stereos to computers and MP3 players and fancy cars. And they're still at it. But the toys are not really their problem. Hell I have most of those toys myself. The real problem with THAT particular group of child wannabes is that mentally, they still ACT like children. You've seen them I'm sure. They're the ones in the stores pitching a fit at some poor customer service clerk because the shopping experience wasn't perfect. Or maybe they're the ones trying to be "friends" with their AWFUL children instead of actually being a parent. You can always have too much of a good thing.
This toy that CC bought me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Back in the 1970's when the original three movies came out, they made a Storm Trooper gun like this. OH MAN did I ever want one of THOSE! Parents would never get it for me though. I don't know if it's a violence thing or not. I only had two cap guns growing up, one of which I bought myself with allowance money. Never had a BB gun (Red Ryder or other) or any of the guns that shot foam darts. Had one that shot little plastic disks but there again, bought that myself and it was for a game we were playing in high school (think of a very primative version of paintball).
Anyway, so this here toy gun is something I've been wanting since I was about 7. Now I have it and it's COOL :-)
Don't worry though, I'm not such a geek that I'll be taking it with me to the opening of the next Star Wars movie and I don't dress up in costume or anything like that. It's just something fun :-)
Not growing up without a fight!
Currently Reading: The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
You may have read over on CC's blog that she bought me a Clone Trooper blaster rifle from Target the other day. It's true, she did and I really love that thing :-) Oh it has no real purpose. It's just a toy of course. Sure is fun though, at least for me. It's all part of my NOT growing up without a fight.
Oh it's true, I will have to be dragged, kicking and screaming before I ever totally cross over to "The Dark Side" -- meaning being a grown up ALL the time. Where's the fun in THAT? You know, the world would be a MUCH happier place if we all kept just a LITTLE bit of space inside us to be a kid.
You wouldn't want to be a kid ALL the time. Just look what happened to all those baby boomers who refused to grow up at ALL and just ended up exchanging one set of toys for another. They went from toy guns and games to video games and expensive stereos to computers and MP3 players and fancy cars. And they're still at it. But the toys are not really their problem. Hell I have most of those toys myself. The real problem with THAT particular group of child wannabes is that mentally, they still ACT like children. You've seen them I'm sure. They're the ones in the stores pitching a fit at some poor customer service clerk because the shopping experience wasn't perfect. Or maybe they're the ones trying to be "friends" with their AWFUL children instead of actually being a parent. You can always have too much of a good thing.
This toy that CC bought me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Back in the 1970's when the original three movies came out, they made a Storm Trooper gun like this. OH MAN did I ever want one of THOSE! Parents would never get it for me though. I don't know if it's a violence thing or not. I only had two cap guns growing up, one of which I bought myself with allowance money. Never had a BB gun (Red Ryder or other) or any of the guns that shot foam darts. Had one that shot little plastic disks but there again, bought that myself and it was for a game we were playing in high school (think of a very primative version of paintball).
Anyway, so this here toy gun is something I've been wanting since I was about 7. Now I have it and it's COOL :-)
Don't worry though, I'm not such a geek that I'll be taking it with me to the opening of the next Star Wars movie and I don't dress up in costume or anything like that. It's just something fun :-)
You may have read over on CC's blog that she bought me a Clone Trooper blaster rifle from Target the other day. It's true, she did and I really love that thing :-) Oh it has no real purpose. It's just a toy of course. Sure is fun though, at least for me. It's all part of my NOT growing up without a fight.
Oh it's true, I will have to be dragged, kicking and screaming before I ever totally cross over to "The Dark Side" -- meaning being a grown up ALL the time. Where's the fun in THAT? You know, the world would be a MUCH happier place if we all kept just a LITTLE bit of space inside us to be a kid.
You wouldn't want to be a kid ALL the time. Just look what happened to all those baby boomers who refused to grow up at ALL and just ended up exchanging one set of toys for another. They went from toy guns and games to video games and expensive stereos to computers and MP3 players and fancy cars. And they're still at it. But the toys are not really their problem. Hell I have most of those toys myself. The real problem with THAT particular group of child wannabes is that mentally, they still ACT like children. You've seen them I'm sure. They're the ones in the stores pitching a fit at some poor customer service clerk because the shopping experience wasn't perfect. Or maybe they're the ones trying to be "friends" with their AWFUL children instead of actually being a parent. You can always have too much of a good thing.
This toy that CC bought me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Back in the 1970's when the original three movies came out, they made a Storm Trooper gun like this. OH MAN did I ever want one of THOSE! Parents would never get it for me though. I don't know if it's a violence thing or not. I only had two cap guns growing up, one of which I bought myself with allowance money. Never had a BB gun (Red Ryder or other) or any of the guns that shot foam darts. Had one that shot little plastic disks but there again, bought that myself and it was for a game we were playing in high school (think of a very primative version of paintball).
Anyway, so this here toy gun is something I've been wanting since I was about 7. Now I have it and it's COOL :-)
Don't worry though, I'm not such a geek that I'll be taking it with me to the opening of the next Star Wars movie and I don't dress up in costume or anything like that. It's just something fun :-)
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Speaking of A Christmas Story . . .
Currently Reading: The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
One side note I forgot to mention. The house where the movie "A Christmas Story" was filmed was recently sold on eBay. It went for something like $150,000 or so. The guy who bought it is going to pretty much restore it to how it looked in the film and use it as a sort of museum/gift shop for things about the movie. He's actually the same guy who first started selling the full-size "Major Award" lamp.
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you can see the lamp here.
One side note I forgot to mention. The house where the movie "A Christmas Story" was filmed was recently sold on eBay. It went for something like $150,000 or so. The guy who bought it is going to pretty much restore it to how it looked in the film and use it as a sort of museum/gift shop for things about the movie. He's actually the same guy who first started selling the full-size "Major Award" lamp.
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you can see the lamp here.
The Big Spring Slowdown
Currently Reading: The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
Hmm, with a title like that I should write the whole letter in the style of Film Noir detective movies.
It was the kind of day outside where the sun came up loud. Clouds littered the sky like cotton balls stuck with cheap glue. Below it all, the new grass clawed its way through the brown remains of last year's turf.
Seems like a lot of effort to go through just to say it was sunny outside and the grass is growing. What's also going on is . . . well not much. That's the whole point of the big spring slowdown you see. We all start to slow down heading into summer. Why? I'm not sure actually. I do know that when you're a kid, it's exactly the opposite. You slow down in the fall heading into the winter. In spring you speed up. The little guys are bouncing all over the streets these days. Wish I had that energy this time of year.
CC and I will put that energy to good use though (theirs, not ours). We're moving into our new apartment in June so we'll be using plenty of child labor. Let's see how excited my sister's kids are about helping us move when we have them haul the desk up three flights of stairs MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA :-)
Actually they'll be a big help. There will be plenty of little boxes filled with just stuff. I have LOTS of "just stuff" around here. Take my desk for example. Yes, it's a bit cluttered at the moment but even in it's CLEAN state it's covered with just stuff. Some of it is stuff I use all the time like pens and address books and things like that. The rest, or most of it anyway, is decoration really. Over to my left, on one shelf, in front of a row of books I've got a small collection of action figures. Three of them are Japanese, the others are Marvel. I have both The Thing and The Hulk. Oh, and there's the black and turquoise bear Judy sent me. There's also a candle and a pile of change. And that's just the beginning.
Over on top of the monitor there's a stuffed bear and a stuffed dog. The bear I got when CC and I went to Gatlinburg for the first time. The dog she sent me when she was in Manila because it looks a bit like Katya. Over on the right, another candle, incense burner, two sets of headphones and my "Major Award" lamp. If you've seen the movie "A Christmas Story" you know all about the major award lamp.
Ok, I could go on with this detailed inventory of my desk but let's face it, it's pretty boring and this blog entry is running long :-)
So remember, it's spring. Take it slow. You're SUPPOSED to :-)
Hmm, with a title like that I should write the whole letter in the style of Film Noir detective movies.
It was the kind of day outside where the sun came up loud. Clouds littered the sky like cotton balls stuck with cheap glue. Below it all, the new grass clawed its way through the brown remains of last year's turf.
Seems like a lot of effort to go through just to say it was sunny outside and the grass is growing. What's also going on is . . . well not much. That's the whole point of the big spring slowdown you see. We all start to slow down heading into summer. Why? I'm not sure actually. I do know that when you're a kid, it's exactly the opposite. You slow down in the fall heading into the winter. In spring you speed up. The little guys are bouncing all over the streets these days. Wish I had that energy this time of year.
CC and I will put that energy to good use though (theirs, not ours). We're moving into our new apartment in June so we'll be using plenty of child labor. Let's see how excited my sister's kids are about helping us move when we have them haul the desk up three flights of stairs MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA :-)
Actually they'll be a big help. There will be plenty of little boxes filled with just stuff. I have LOTS of "just stuff" around here. Take my desk for example. Yes, it's a bit cluttered at the moment but even in it's CLEAN state it's covered with just stuff. Some of it is stuff I use all the time like pens and address books and things like that. The rest, or most of it anyway, is decoration really. Over to my left, on one shelf, in front of a row of books I've got a small collection of action figures. Three of them are Japanese, the others are Marvel. I have both The Thing and The Hulk. Oh, and there's the black and turquoise bear Judy sent me. There's also a candle and a pile of change. And that's just the beginning.
Over on top of the monitor there's a stuffed bear and a stuffed dog. The bear I got when CC and I went to Gatlinburg for the first time. The dog she sent me when she was in Manila because it looks a bit like Katya. Over on the right, another candle, incense burner, two sets of headphones and my "Major Award" lamp. If you've seen the movie "A Christmas Story" you know all about the major award lamp.
Ok, I could go on with this detailed inventory of my desk but let's face it, it's pretty boring and this blog entry is running long :-)
So remember, it's spring. Take it slow. You're SUPPOSED to :-)
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Semi-Annual Sanity Check
Currently Reading: Nothing
Once again I have defied the odds and managed to pass my sanity check. You see, twice a year I have to go in to see the shrink to make sure I'm not nuts. Why? Well I get anxious for no particular reason. Ok more than just anxious. This is more like a full force, raving panic.
Started back, hmm, oh I'd say back when I was in high school. I just had no idea what it was at the time. Figured I was just getting exhausted or maybe ate bad food or something. But then it started happening more regular and more often. Next thing you know I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to hold down my dinner just because someone invites me to a hockey game.
What's really amazing about it though is that it never really got in the way of my theater work. Oh don't get me wrong, I had panic attacks while I was doing theater too. I'd be so tense before a show you just had to poke me and I'd explode. But for some reason, the demands of the show managed to override my panic attacks at the last minute.
When I was in college, I had to give a 60 minute lecture complete with handouts and so forth on Arthurian Literature. I honestly don't know how I managed to get started. I literally couldn't see the table in front of me when I stood up to begin my presentation. The whole world was fuzzed out. But then I started. The words came forth, next thing you know I'm done and it's time for a break. Can't say I remember much of what I talked about but I DO remember people coming up to me during the break telling me how much they enjoyed the presentation and how CALM I appeared. They were amazed and thought I should do more public speaking. If they only knew how much it took out of me :-)
It didn't always happen like that. Hell when I was in high school I was on the debate team, did lots of theater, band, all sorts of stuff that put me in front of an audience. Sometimes the panic would set in, sometimes not. I had no idea when it would happen or what would set it off. My only consolation was that I knew it would STOP as soon as the show got started. The show ALWAYS came first.
When I really started to lose my hearing the anxiety got worse. I quit going out entirely. Didn't really see the point in it. I mean, 1. I couldn't hear anything and 2. I'd probably end up feeling sick anyway.
What made the difference was Lucky Charms . . . the breakfast cereal. I was eating some and in the process I broke a tooth. Now, the tooth was already cracked and had been filled before. Breakfast just pushed it over the edge. I actually called in sick that day because I was so stressed out over it. It's just a tooth. I'd had it filled before. I knew the dentist. Been going there since I was a kid. None of that mattered.
That was when I decided I'd had enough. I called a shrink, went over there that afternoon. Been going to one every 3-6 months ever since. These days it's just to check in, make sure nothing dramatic has happened and pick up prescription renewals. Does it work? Yeah, I'd say so. I managed to get married didn't I? :-)
Once again I have defied the odds and managed to pass my sanity check. You see, twice a year I have to go in to see the shrink to make sure I'm not nuts. Why? Well I get anxious for no particular reason. Ok more than just anxious. This is more like a full force, raving panic.
Started back, hmm, oh I'd say back when I was in high school. I just had no idea what it was at the time. Figured I was just getting exhausted or maybe ate bad food or something. But then it started happening more regular and more often. Next thing you know I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to hold down my dinner just because someone invites me to a hockey game.
What's really amazing about it though is that it never really got in the way of my theater work. Oh don't get me wrong, I had panic attacks while I was doing theater too. I'd be so tense before a show you just had to poke me and I'd explode. But for some reason, the demands of the show managed to override my panic attacks at the last minute.
When I was in college, I had to give a 60 minute lecture complete with handouts and so forth on Arthurian Literature. I honestly don't know how I managed to get started. I literally couldn't see the table in front of me when I stood up to begin my presentation. The whole world was fuzzed out. But then I started. The words came forth, next thing you know I'm done and it's time for a break. Can't say I remember much of what I talked about but I DO remember people coming up to me during the break telling me how much they enjoyed the presentation and how CALM I appeared. They were amazed and thought I should do more public speaking. If they only knew how much it took out of me :-)
It didn't always happen like that. Hell when I was in high school I was on the debate team, did lots of theater, band, all sorts of stuff that put me in front of an audience. Sometimes the panic would set in, sometimes not. I had no idea when it would happen or what would set it off. My only consolation was that I knew it would STOP as soon as the show got started. The show ALWAYS came first.
When I really started to lose my hearing the anxiety got worse. I quit going out entirely. Didn't really see the point in it. I mean, 1. I couldn't hear anything and 2. I'd probably end up feeling sick anyway.
What made the difference was Lucky Charms . . . the breakfast cereal. I was eating some and in the process I broke a tooth. Now, the tooth was already cracked and had been filled before. Breakfast just pushed it over the edge. I actually called in sick that day because I was so stressed out over it. It's just a tooth. I'd had it filled before. I knew the dentist. Been going there since I was a kid. None of that mattered.
That was when I decided I'd had enough. I called a shrink, went over there that afternoon. Been going to one every 3-6 months ever since. These days it's just to check in, make sure nothing dramatic has happened and pick up prescription renewals. Does it work? Yeah, I'd say so. I managed to get married didn't I? :-)
Friday, April 01, 2005
Wet Dog And Soap
Currently Reading: Jupiter by Ben Bova
Everybody's a critic. I already posted this once. Typed it all out, hit the "publish" button and ended up with some sort of java error. I guess the server didn't much care of my detailed rendition of dog washing.
That's what the bathroom smells like, by the way, wet dog and soap. I've washed the dogs today because last night I found a flea. Oh joy of joys, it's flea and tick season! Actually, it never really went away. It didn't get quite cold enough this winter to kill them all off so they've always been lurking out there I suppose. But now one found its way into the house so the dogs must be de-fleaed.
It's not as fun as it used to be. Katya used to be much better about baths than she is now. She doesn't like to sit still in the tub much anymore and she LOVES to shake all that water out of her fur. I usually end up wetter than she is in the end.
And Jack, well, actually he's a success story. At the mention of a bath, he used to get scared, run, pee, and hide . . . in that order. Now, he still gets scared but he comes into the bathroom and waits it out. He knows I'll find him anyway. I can just follow the pee :-)
Once they've dried off a bit I'll brush them down and put on the flea drops. The brushing process will result in a ball of fur large enough to create an emergency, back-up dog or, if we're so inclined, a very colorful sweater for one of the smaller dogs.
Still, better all this than having fleas :-)
Everybody's a critic. I already posted this once. Typed it all out, hit the "publish" button and ended up with some sort of java error. I guess the server didn't much care of my detailed rendition of dog washing.
That's what the bathroom smells like, by the way, wet dog and soap. I've washed the dogs today because last night I found a flea. Oh joy of joys, it's flea and tick season! Actually, it never really went away. It didn't get quite cold enough this winter to kill them all off so they've always been lurking out there I suppose. But now one found its way into the house so the dogs must be de-fleaed.
It's not as fun as it used to be. Katya used to be much better about baths than she is now. She doesn't like to sit still in the tub much anymore and she LOVES to shake all that water out of her fur. I usually end up wetter than she is in the end.
And Jack, well, actually he's a success story. At the mention of a bath, he used to get scared, run, pee, and hide . . . in that order. Now, he still gets scared but he comes into the bathroom and waits it out. He knows I'll find him anyway. I can just follow the pee :-)
Once they've dried off a bit I'll brush them down and put on the flea drops. The brushing process will result in a ball of fur large enough to create an emergency, back-up dog or, if we're so inclined, a very colorful sweater for one of the smaller dogs.
Still, better all this than having fleas :-)
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