Blogacharya

Moon shot

2008-12-13T23:04:00.004-06:00

Took this tonight. Click the photo to enlarge it and check out the craters on the right edge. Can I just say for the record that I love my camera?

Click photo to enlarge. Seriously, do it ... then check out the craters!

Do they know it's Christmas?

2008-12-13T18:20:00.002-06:00

I went to the mall today, a pretty rare thing for me to do outside of the Christmas shopping season, but I went for a reason completely unrelated to Christmas. In fact, because the holiday wasn't on my mind, it wasn't until I was nearly done that I realized it didn't feel like Christmas at all. The mall wasn't any more crowded than it would be during a regular weekend. There was no Christmas crowd. There was plenty of parking, and it was easy to find a spot near an entrance. And this is the second-to-last weekend before Christmas. There's only a week and a half left. And it was even a nice sunny and pleasant day, so weather wasn't a factor. And this was the crowd?? If that doesn't say something about how far our economy has tanked...

One Year

2008-12-10T14:13:00.003-06:00

One year ago, Dec. 10 fell on a Monday. I know this because that was the start of a work week. But more importantly for me, it was the start of my first week at my new full-time job. After my third unemployment period in 2 1/2 years, I was out of the contracting game and gainfully employed directly with a company again.

Of course, with the economy now in freefall, it's hard to feel secure anywhere, contracting or otherwise. And I still find it difficult to plan very far into the future. Shortly after Halloween this year, one of my coworkers hit upon a theme that our team could use next year. And what struck me about that was how his ability to talk about something nearly 1 year in the future felt so foreign to me. It's not just that I no longer feel safe assuming we'll all be employed in the same place a year from now, no matter where anyone is. But it didn't even occur to me to think that was possible. It's like my default assumption now is that a potential layoff is always just around the corner. A year from now might as well be a decade. Anything can happen, good or bad.

Still, it's nice to be somewhere long enough that you no longer feel like the newcomer ... or even worse, temporary. And I'm lucky enough to have been hired into a really good group. While nothing will ever match those early days of NI, where we all hung out during and after work and still keep in touch 15+ years later, this group is like my early days at Tivoli/IBM. Everyone gets along great and we're able to have fun and keep the stress to a minimum. That's always important.

So, it's been good to have this stability again, and even with the uncertain economy, a full-time job comes with at least an illusion of security that I never found while contracting. And for me, that illusion is far, far better than the alternative...

SNL Digital Short

2008-12-07T19:31:00.000-06:00

This pretty much speaks for itself...

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Fun with rum

2008-11-24T23:41:00.003-06:00

A couple of people I know who shall remain nameless have been reminded recently, in completely unrelated incidents, that alcohol sometimes has, um, vomitous consequences. But who among us hasn't had that pleasure? And that ignores the fact that most of the time, alcohol can lead to a fun time by all with no regurgitation whatsoever.

Case in point, the Austin City Limits Music Festival (photos just posted). Every year, the beverage question you face when you arrive each day is, "How many overpriced beers should I drink over the next 8 hours?" Sure, there's wine too, but beer is so much more conducive to an outdoor festival. Even better would be some liquor to mix with a Coke. Unfortunately, as far as alcohol goes, beer and wine are your only choices.

Unless, of course, you ... ahem ... BYOL. Some people have been known to smuggle in a flask that, I've heard, might contain something you can mix with a Coke for a rip-roaring good time. But I've always been a good boy and never snuck anything in.

However, this year, on the first day of the festival, I realized that the searches of our bags and mini-coolers were very cursory. And that got me thinking. The water bottles I had were easily resealed. And while some rums are dark-colored, light rum is ... well, water-colored.

I'm not saying I took my thoughts any farther than that. All I'm saying is that early Saturday afternoon, the second day of the festival, I bought a 1.75-liter bottle of rum. At the festival, Barbara, Michelle, and I bought fewer and fewer beers and more and more Cokes (or Diet Cokes) as the day grew into night. And on Sunday, we pretty much just bought Cokes/Diet Cokes. Very little beer. And we had a great time both days, but especially after a few hours of drinking our, um, Cokes. And when I got home Sunday night, this is what was left in that 1.75-liter bottle of rum that had been brand-new the day before (my fingers mark how much is now empty):

I'm sure this mysteriously disappearing rum is totally unrelated to the great time that Barbara, Michelle, and I had drinking, uh, Cokes all weekend long. And on a complete and utter tangent that has no connection at all with anything in this post, thanks to Tamara for loaning me her funnel.

Home Dipu Mini-Update

2008-11-23T22:46:00.007-06:00

New albums from September and October!

John's Bachelor Party (Sept. 6-7, 2008)
Cameron Visits Austin (Sept. 10, 2008)
My Birthday (Sept. 18, 2008)
ACL Fest, photos and videos (Sept. 26-28, 2008)
Lisa Visits Austin (Oct. 2, 2008)

NAME INDEX NEWS: Brian becomes to first to break 900, while Lisa tops 200.

New Photo Sampler

Blogging again

2008-11-09T11:47:00.002-06:00

I know I've been a bad blogger the past few months, and my last new post on this blog doesn't really count. Well, just so you know, I'm trying to be better again, so for the one or two of you out there still reading, there's actually new material out there from me now. Including on the horribly sporadic Home Dipu Reviews ... I actually have two new movie reviews on there now from this month. So stay tuned on both blogs, because I'm back! Or at least trying...

Home Dipu Updated

2008-11-01T20:24:00.004-05:00

This is the last massive update I'll do like this. Why? Because from now on, I'll update the Home Dipu front page each time I add a new album (sorta like a blog) rather than waiting for a bunch to do at once. So, you'll have to check back more frequently to see what's new! I'll also change the spotlight photo monthly regardless of when I add new albums.

This update is almost as big as the last one, emcompassing 14 new albums, including last year's Lake Tahoe Vacation.

NAME INDEX NEWS: Brian closes in on 900 as Tom and I join him in the 800s. Also, Omid joins the 500 club; Barbara and Craig both top 400 but swap spots, as Babs moves into 9th place; and John, Marcus, and Michelle K. hit triple digits.

NEW STUFF: Easter at Laura & Eric's, Six Man, Texas World Premiere in Dallas, Kyle's Surprise Birthday Party, Memorial Weekend Pool Party, Zipline Tour, 4th of July, What I Want Right Now Cast Party, Matt's Birthday, Craig's Birthday, Lake Tahoe Vacation, Nike Human Race 10K, Barbara's Birthday, Brian's 40th Birthday Party, Anita & John's Wedding Shower.

Don't forget to check back every few weeks now and see what's new!

http://homedipu.com

Political Drinking Games

2008-09-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you could get nicely hammered if you had a drinking game where you took a shot every time Obama referred to hope or optimism in a speech. Last night, I realized what the GOP version would be.

So, introducing the Palindrone Drinking Game: Take a shot every time Sarah Palin refers to small towns. You'll be blind stinkin' drunk in 10 minutes!

U2 3D

2008-08-31T23:45:00.005-05:00

Okay, I let a couple days slide. And now this one is almost over too. Hell, the whole month is almost over. And I'm tired. Watching a 10k race can take a lot out of you. (I'm kidding, sort of ... obviously it's much more draining for the runners, but on a muggy day, even walking to several points on the race route is sweaty work). So I'll just do a quick photo post to get something up here.

I've seen 3D shorts at the IMAX, and I've seen features at the IMAX, but I'd never seen a feature-length 3D film at the IMAX before. That is, until early May. And even then, not really.

I'll explain. Back in May, Barbara, Michelle, and I went to catch the U2 concert film at the IMAX. A full-length feature shot not just with IMAX cameras, but in 3D to boot. That meant an hour and a half of wearing funny glasses. As you can see, they're quite sexy:

Click photo to enlarge

The film started out pretty cool, with the excited crowd running into the arena before the U2 show (in Buenos Aires, I think). Then the band launched into their first song. And after awhile I thought, is the sound out of sync? Just barely, and because of the editing I wasn't even sure, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Until the sound cut out entirely. And then for the next 5 minutes, the sound would keep cutting in and out, getting more and more out of sync, until finally, horribly, the screen went dark. And stayed that way. Then after a few minutes of silence, an announcement came on asking us to please make our way to the exits.

We got comp tickets for another showing AND refunds for that show, so the net result would be that we'd be seeing it completely for free ... eventually. Suddenly finding ourselves with two more hours than we'd expected, we headed out for some pizza, where Michelle seemed vaguely disturbed by the swan our waiter made to hold my leftover slice:

Click photo to enlarge

Finally, in mid-summer, we made our way back to the IMAX and caught the full, error-free, totally synced up film. Even though it meant looking like Kim Jong Il again:

Click photo to enlarge

The 3D worked great and wasn't the least bit uncomfortable. The concert was great as well. In the end, a very good IMAX experience. It just took awhile to work out the kinks. As for how the 3D looked if you weren't wearing your glasses, take a peek:

Bono looms large in IMAX 3D
Click photo to enlarge

Let there be zipline!!

2008-08-28T23:10:00.004-05:00

Yes, I realize I'm relying heavily on photos to get me through this week of posting, and also to limit how much I have to write. Well, tough it out, cuz here's another post with photos ... and videos! I'll eventually post a larger album of photos on Home Dipu proper, but here's a taste for now.

To kick off this summer, on Memorial Day, Barbara, Michelle, and I went on a zipline tour through the cypress trees of the Hill Country, about 40 minutes out of town. I'm sure compared to ziplines in Alaska or South America, this one is no big deal, as we were probably never more than 30 feet up. (Okay, it would still hurt a lot if you fell, but I assume the ones in other places are 75-100 feet up or more). Still, none of us had ever been on one before, and it's nearby, so we decided it'd be a fun and different thing to do. Plus Andrew had done the same one before and lived to tell about it.

First, they outfit you with harnesses, gloves, and helmets. (For the record, Michelle and I are almost exactly the same height. It's just perspective in this photo, okay?)

Click photo to enlarge

Then you get a brief lesson on a zipline that's maybe 4 feet off the ground and no more than 20 feet long. The main lesson being how to stop. I was a little unnerved to learn that the way you stop is to use the friction of one of your gloved hands on the wire. Even with the gloves, I couldn't help but picture the wire cutting through the gloves and into my hand. The fact that my first two pairs of gloves had holes on the sides, clearly from wear, didn't ease my mind.

Still, off we went to tackle six ziplines of varying lengths. The guides hook your harnesses to the zipline, then you place your hands on top of the zipline trolley, sit back into your harness, and shove off into the open air. Michelle went first...

Click photo to enlarge

...then me...

Click photo to enlarge

...and then Barbara.

Click photo to enlarge

Turns out, the zipline was surprisingly relaxing. Even on the shorter ones, I felt like I had time to look around at the scenery below, not worry about falling, and enjoy the peaceful feeling of gliding aloft through the woods. Although I never felt brave enough to try to somehow take a photo or a movie while I was ziplining. After all, they wanted us to keep both hands on the trolley. I suppose next time I might try snapping some shots, though.

We also crossed a couple of rope bridges, and for some reason, they made us walk backwards on the longest one:

Click photo to enlarge

As you can see above, you kinda had to see where you were going because there was a fair amount of space between the slats, so I'm not sure what they were trying to prove with that. (We were still harnessed to safety lines, but still).

The longest zipline took about 30 seconds for each person. The guides were responsible for keeping us harnessed to the safety lines at all times, even when we were in each "base" in the trees. The tour lasted about an hour, hour and a half. The guides also gave a nature talk about the local ecosystem, making sure to point out that there were snakes in the creek directly below our ziplines.

Overall, it was pretty relaxing, and now we're veteran zipliners!

Click photo to enlarge

Would I recommend it? Definitely. And to give you a sense of what it's like, I'll leave you with two videos of Barbara and Michelle in action (I have no movie of myself, but oh well):

Barbara in motion
Click to play movie

Michelle in motion
Click to play movie

Let there be light ... and multiple fan speeds

2008-08-27T23:41:00.006-05:00

A much cheaper home project came around a couple weeks ago ... replacing the wall-mounted speed dial for the ceiling fan in my living room. A couple years ago the wall switch started making funny noises at some speed settings. But I realized at the low speed setting, it sounded fine. So I left it like that for the past two years and having been using the chain on the fan to turn the fan on and off. But it's only had one speed this entire time ... slow.

Well, a couple weeks ago, when I accidentally turned the speed dial to a higher setting, it started to smell funny. Well, damn. That meant I'd have to replace it now.

The main reason for procrastinating was that I want to move to new, more modern white switches and away from the old ugly almond ones. But near the fan switch are four other light switches. So if I change one, I should change the others to match. So it's really five times the work. Hence, procrastination.

Well, steps 1 and 2 are finally done, replacing the fan switch and the light switch for the fan. Here's how it went:

The old switches ... notice how whoever installed them couldn't even line them up well.
Click photo to enlarge

Sure hope I turned the power off...
Click photo to enlarge

For some reason, Phoebe decided to lay on the floor right below the switch for the entire time.
Click photo to enlarge

The new switch with the old ugly one! I tried to straighten the new switch, but the box they installed years ago is crooked, so I could only adjust it so much. Oh well.
Click photo to enlarge

The new switch with the old ugly one! I tried to straighten the new switch, but the box they installed years ago is crooked, so I could only adjust it so much. Oh well. And yes, my fan works!
Click photo to enlarge

Let there be cool

2008-08-26T23:50:00.002-05:00

I blogged earlier about when my a/c went out. What I never followed up on was the final fix ... my new HVAC system! I'd been planning on replacing the system for months, and I'd even gotten an estimate last December ... on the first day of my new job. I didn't feel quite like dropping a bundle on my new system while just starting a new job, so I waited. A little too long, turned out. But hey, what's done is done.

The new system is considerably quieter than my old 17-year-old system; with the old one, I'd sometimes have to turn the volume on the TV up when it ran (the intake is about 8 feet away from the sofa). Now, I hardly notice it unless I'm trying to cool the house down a lot (it's a two-stage system, so it runs quieter at first and cranks it up louder only when it has to). And even then it's still quieter.

The new outside condenser unit surprised me, though. It dwarfs the old one. Made me wonder if I got sold a bill of goods and got something bigger than I needed. It's no 20-ton K-Mart-cooling unit, but physically it's still bigger than I expected. Oh well. With all the rebates, it didn't seem unreasonable, and it's supposed to be more energy effcient, so what the hell. I'm curious now how the heater compares to the old one, but I won't get to find out for months.

Oh, and no more scrounging around trying to find 10" x 36" filters (the closest thing I could ever find was 10" x 20", so I've had to cut filters for years). Who the hell makes a 10" x 36" intake grill, anyway?? Idiots. Oh well ... now I can use standard air filter sizes! Yay!

So here's a photo comparison of the old and the new:

The old small condenser
Click photo to enlarge

The big new condenser
Click photo to enlarge

And yet the old HVAC unit...
Click photo to enlarge

...is actually bigger than the new one
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Summer in a week

2008-08-25T21:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, I've been a poor blogger lately. The play really threw things off for me earlier this summer, but that's not all I've been keeping myself busy with. So here's what I'll attempt to do between now and Labor Day, the traditional mark of the end of summer (though in Texas that's a joke ... we still have another 2 months of summer). I will blog about my summer every day between now and Labor Day. And beyond if I have to. I have a lot number of posts that I just never got around to writing. So if I can force myself back into the habit, maybe I can finally get those out to my handful of readers. So be on the lookout for actual, real updates coming at you all week long!

Home Dipu Massively Updated

2008-08-03T12:06:00.005-05:00

If you've been paying attention, you've noticed I've been quietly adding new stuff in the left column of the home page of Home Dipu for the past few months. If not, welcome to the most massively massive update to Home Dipu in years, with 15 — count 'em, FIFTEEN — new albums! Also, welcome to Home Dipu version 2.2, now with 16% larger photos and 33% bigger thumbnails on new albums, plus a brand-new thumbnail grid! But wait, there's more! The biggest album ever, the long-overdue Alaska Cruise photos from 2005!

NEW STUFF: Alaska Cruise/Liu Wedding, Caroline Visits Austin, Omid's Birthday, St. Patrick's Day, Anita & John's Engagement Party, Super Bowl at Home Dipu, Andrew's Birthday , Anita's Birthday, Michelle B's Birthday, Trish's Birthday, New Year's Eve/Bob's 5-0, Bob's Birthday, Supper Club at Home Dipu, Cameron Visits Austin, Tom's Bachelor Party. WHEW!!

NAME INDEX NEWS: Brian becomes the first to scale 800 and maintains a comfortable lead for the #1 spot. Dipu (that's me) breaks 700, while Trish becomes the first gal to reach 600; the former #1 also moves up in rank for the first time in years as she passes Tim for 4th place. Anita tops 500, Kyle hits 300, and the Alaska Cruise helps both Matt K. (now in triple digits) and Barbara, who smashes 300 to sneak into the top 10 for the first time (knocking Amy K. to 11th).

This doesn't quite catch me up, but it's damn close now. So enjoy these literally hundreds of new photos, keep watching that left column for quiet updates, and as always ... enjoy!

http://homedipu.com

Home Dipu Reviews is back in business

2008-07-23T00:53:00.004-05:00

Yes, my third-ever blog, Home Dipu Reviews, is back! Okay, it never went away, it just got really, really, really, really, REALLY quiet. So quiet that I'm not sure if anyone besides me noticed that Tom posted a new review back in January. And I kept meaning to post reviews of the few movies I'd seen earlier this year. But for one reason or another, I never got around to it.

So I guess it's fitting that I restart my commitment to reviewing with a mega-review of The Dark Knight, the latest Batman movie. So take some time to visit an old friend you haven't seen in a long time and jog on over to Home Dipu Reviews, why doncha?

Life Without A/C

2008-07-14T23:42:00.006-05:00

Friday afternoon, my air conditioning stopped cooling. Right before the weekend. Great timing. And with a heat wave of 100+ degree temps forecast. The service company didn't think they could squeeze me in before late Saturday evening, if not Sunday. This wasn't very encouraging.

Overnight, the temperature inside got up to 87 degrees, but with the ceiling fans and a floor fan running, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I left mid-morning to go to Alan's monthly writers' group meeting, although I felt bad about leaving the cats in the house with no a/c. I kept telling myself that outdoor cats would be in that heat all the time, so it should be okay.

But then ... a miracle! While I was at the writers' meeting, the service company called and said a repairman could be at my house in 30 minutes. I raced home from south Austin, and within about 20 minutes, it was fixed. Turned out, the outside condenser fan had stopped running because the motor was going bad. He showed me how to reset a switch that gets tripped when the fan stops, and how to use a stick or a saw blade (yes, a saw blade) to push the fan and get it going again.

I've known for months that it was time to replace the entire HVAC system, so I figured this was the push I needed. I made an appointment to get an estimate on Monday; the repair guy charged me a nominal service fee and went on his way.

Except ... before the house got below 83 degrees, the fan stopped again. All the sticks I tried broke before they got the fan moving. And even the saw blade didn't help; the fan would move a little and then stop. Needless to say, I was pissed. And it was already mid-afternoon, so the service company couldn't fit me in again until ... well, they didn't even say when.

Earlier, Michelle had offered the use of her apartment pool if I needed to escape my house and cool off. As I was only getting more and more pissed at home, I clearly needed to get away for awhile. And I knew she was already at the pool. So I took off and joined her poolside. It may not make a ton of sense to go lay out in 100-degree rays to cool off (we never actually got in the pool), but it was way better than sitting at home. Barbara eventually joined us, and then we escaped to the air conditioning of Michelle's apartment, where I stayed soaking up the cool air (and eating the stir fry for three that Michelle made) until I had to leave to go to my play. Yes, I'm in a play ... which explains the lack of posts over the past month. More on that next post.

When I got home late that night after the play, it was 88 in the house. Outside, it was starting to cool into the upper 70s, so I opened up a few windows to try to draw in some cooler air. However, I don't like sleeping with open windows. And I didn't want to turn on lights or the TV or the desktop computer and add heat into the house, so I stayed up till 2 am, doing nothing but laying on the sofa, until the house cooled down to 84 degrees. Then I woke up early Sunday morning to open up the windows for a couple hours.

Sunday was the worst. The high was 103. The service company never called, and all I could do was leave voice mail at an automated system. The day dragged on as the temperature climbed. I tried putting a big bowl of ice in front of the floor fan, but it didn't seem to make much difference. Finally, late in the afternoon, I met Michelle and Barbara for a movie. I thought the theater a/c would do me good, but I felt a bit sick instead. I think I was overheated from spending all day in my house. I didn't feel better until halfway through the play that night, but then I got overheated again when I went for a late dinner afterwards with Tom, Virginia, Craig, and Suzanne and we sat outside.

Then, by the time I got home, it was 90 in my house. At 11 pm. And outside, it wasn't cooling off enough either, so opening the windows did nothing. All the fans running brought it down to ... 89. Somehow I fell asleep on the sofa for about an hour, waking up with sweat pouring down my face. Nice.

It was now 12:30 am. It was still hot even outside. No breeze. I walked around my front yard for a few minutes, then sat on my back patio in a lounge chair and tried to sleep. No dice. A tree roach raced across the porch. A tiny toad jumped onto the chair next to me. All sorts of things were rustling around in the dark, but with the porch light on, nothing ventured near. Still, it was doing me no good. So I went back in.

Now past 1 am, I was feverishly trying to figure out what to do. Find a hotel at this hour? What about the cats? Did I dare call any of my friends to ask if I could crash on their couch? Who should I call? I ran through the list of all those who live closest to me, but I couldn't bring myself to bother anyone.

Finally, around 2 am, I decided to try the outside condenser fan one last time. So I went out, saw and flashlight in hand to try to push that damn fan back to life. And ... it ran. And kept running. So I went inside and sat in a cool spot as the house cooled down to a balmy 87.

And then the cooling stopped. So I sat on the sofa and waited 15 minutes. Then I went outside again and successfully restarted the fan. Each time I did this, the fan would run for up to 20 minutes before I had to go outside again. I imagine the sight of a guy carrying a saw and flashlight at 3 am would be cause for alarm.

"Fixing" the condenser fan (saw teeth pointed away from the fan blade)
Click photo to enlarge

I repeated this pattern for the next 2 hours until the house was down to 82. Then, at 4 am, I turned off the a/c and went to bed.

I woke up at 7 am and got ready for work. I decided to work from home after lunch. The house had only warmed to 84, and I was able to use the restarting method successfully each time the cooling stopped. Outside, it warmed up to 103 again, but then some clouds and, I assume, a front rolled in and it dropped into the low 80s outside. So that helped a ton. I was able to stay comfortable all afternoon long until the sales rep came over to give me an estimate on a new system.

So now tomorrow (Tuesday), I'm getting the entire system replaced. Brand-spanking new everything. It'll take all day, and I'll work from home even though it's likely to get hot inside, but I would like to be around for it.

But it's interesting to learn what you take for granted. Central air, for one thing. I know millions of people live in 90-degree conditions all over the world with no artificial cooling. Yet I could barely stand one night. Also, I started thinking about what gives off heat in the house. I haven't run the dishwasher in days because the drying cycle will likely heat things up in the house. The amplifier connected to my TV gets very warm. The desktop spits out some warm air from time to time. My 100-watt floor lamp? Forget it! Only the dim light gets used for now. So I've watched less TV these past few days, though I couldn't stay off the computer for more than one night.

So, by tomorrow evening, I should have a space-age, energy-efficient, quieter, finally-equipped-with-a-standard-filter-size (who the hell makes a 10" x 36" air intake grill???), brand-spanking-new HVAC system.

Whew.

Teed up

2008-06-16T15:25:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that right now I am riveted, on the edge of my seat ... first glued to the TV in the waiting room of the VW service center, then searching for live updates on the web ... anxiously anticipating the next report ... completely captivated by ... of all things ... a game of ............................. GOLF.

I am somebody!!

2008-06-13T00:53:00.005-05:00

It's great news that Tom's efforts to get Six Man, Texas entered into IMDb.com have finally paid off. But forgive me for being a bit more excited about another piece of news related to this. Sure, it's great to have Six Man up there at last. But what else does this mean?

I. Am. On. IMDb.com!!

Back in 2000, Tom cast me in a couple of small roles in the sketch comedy film One Eye Peeled. I ended up playing about six different small parts in four different scenes, including a token Hindu in a beef commercial, a drive-thru funeral parlor assistant who played parts as a Hare Krishna and a Catholic altar boy, a customer of the same funeral parlor, a cast member of The Penis Monologues, a clueless bad date that drove a woman to beastiality, and a corporate lackey who gets fired, but not before reluctantly and badly simulating sex in a boardroom meeting with another corporate lackey in front of the company CEO to illustrate a third corporate lackey's idea to sell advertising via hookers.

It made sense, trust me.

I thought for sure this would be my ticket onto IMDb. And with several roles to my credit too, literally. Unfortunately, this film got stuck in post-production hell and was never released by the producer. So, no credit for me or anyone else.

Meanwhile, friends like Anita and Carolyn had gotten IMDb credits for being extras in another independent film, one that was still in production. They were lucky enough to get into the database before IMDb started implementing stricter rules about who qualified to be on the site.

Still, I figured I'm find my way onto the site eventually. There were other film projects; something would stick. But after One Eye Peeled, things didn't get much farther along. Cameron's animated superhero feature Point One ground to a halt during the animation stage; I would've had an assistant director credit there. Tom's documentary The Real Santa, on which I was part of the production crew, didn't get accepted to any film festivals (for reasons I still don't get ... I think it's a good documentary). My own short film projects didn't qualify. So by 2005, when I started helping out on Six Man, the whole IMDb thing seemed so far away.

But now, nearly three years later, Six Man qualified because it screened at a festival. And so, while my credits aren't very exciting, I am now one of the thousands or millions of non-famous people that nevertheless have a page on IMDb! Check it out! Also, if you've seen the film, please leave user comments and help expand the film's IMDb presence. Thanks!

6 Months

2008-06-11T22:30:00.002-05:00

I was a little surprised to realize that yesterday marked 6 months at my job. That's already 3 days longer than my first post-IBM contract job, and the time has flown here compared with that job. Even compared with my job last year, which was considerably better than the first.

For me, 2006 marked the first time 1992, the year I graduated from college and started at NI, that I was employed for less than half the year. My vision of the future became increasingly short-term; the lack of permanence I felt about my employment spilled into the rest of my life. My biggest accomplishments during that time were getting out of the house after 11 months of unemployment and reversing the drain on my bank account. That job, where the atmosphere was somewhat stifling and restrictive, was about getting back on my feet ... and little else.

Last year's job, another contract position, ensured I would be employed for the majority of 2007. It was supposed to be a contract-to-hire position, but after 7 1/2 months, my entire department got the axe. Contract and permanent people alike were looking for jobs. Still, this job was notable for the slow return of some of my pre-layoff attitudes about relaxing and enjoying life. After nearly two years of going nowhere outside of Central Texas and Houston, I went on a vacation. Out of state, no less. I had to take unpaid time off to do so, but I learned that my world didn't end when I voluntarily cut my pay for a few days. And I started to feel secure enough to allow myself a mini-burst of spending, finally buying a digital SLR camera and a new laptop for the aforementioned vacation.

So as this job progressed, I slowly felt more secure about life again. My short-term vision expanded out somewhat. But I still found it difficult to plan for anything more than a few weeks out.

Now, after half a year back in the world of full-time "permanent" work, I find that I still have a ways to go in recapturing all my pre-layoff attitudes. I still have trouble planning more than a couple months into the future. I still feel like it's impossible to know how much things can change in that time. I've now been here long enough to sign up for the employee stock purchase program, which goes for a 6-month period. And it occurred to me how strange it still felt to look 6 months ahead and assume I'd still be employed at the same place. I used to take such things for granted. Now, even when I feel "secure," I'm assuming a layoff can happen any month now. There's talk of group vacation plans for next year. NEXT year?!? I can't even be sure about anything I'm doing THIS summer!

For better or for worse, one area I've relaxed on is expenses. Not that I've gone hog wild; all I've really done in this first 6 months is buy a new Mac to replace my 8-year-old system and a new desk to go with it, plus a bunch of shelves from Ikea (more on those in a later entry). But I'm not tracking my bank account daily, and if I have to spend a little extra on something I hadn't planned for, I don't freak out about it. And that's a nice feeling. Plus, I no longer think of extra expenses in terms of how many hours I have to work to earn that amount after taxes. During my 2 years of contracting, if my car needed $300 in work, I'd calculate how many hours of work that meant. I never used to think like that before. And now I feel freed from the hourly rate mentality again.

So I guess that's reasonable progress. Okay, big deal, I still don't feel comfortable planning several months in advance. I guess that gives me something to work on over the next 6 months...

My new wheels: The truth

2008-06-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

Okay, that last post was tongue-in-cheek. That's not really my new ride. It's the rental they gave me while my car is in the body shop. I finally took my Passat in to fix the damage from the parking garage incident.

My Passat apparently entitled me to an "intermediate" sized vehicle. The one they were going to rent me had already been rented to someone else, so the only intermediate vehicle they had available was this PT Cruiser. Which, contrary to what I was saying last post, is not the manliest of cars. I mean, look at the tiny wheels on that thing. Not that I drive a sports car, but still, I am a little embarrassed to be driving this thing. And within just a couple hours of getting the rental, I'd already been teased by Michelle sight unseen. And given her generous nature, she happily repeated her comments in the last entry. And it wasn't just Michelle; a 12-year-old (Trish's niece Kayla) thought it was funny too.

So, that's my ride, but only for the next few days. Whew...

My new wheels

2008-06-04T18:55:00.004-05:00

Ohhhhhhh yeeeeahhhh. Check out my new wheels. PT Cruiser, baby. I am gonna get so much action in this p----mobile. You know what the PT stands for, right? Poontang. That's riiiight. PT Cruiser. This fine piece of machinery drops panties faster than spiked punch at the prom. Yo, the line starts at the back seat, ladies. You know you want me. I. Am. So. Cool. PT Cruiser cool.

Chickmagnetmobile!
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Nyquil Revelations: The Nature of Time Itself

2008-05-15T10:57:00.007-05:00

I just got up after 14 hours in bed. Yes, 14. Actually, in bed and on the sofa.

I've been rearranging my spare bedrooms to store some of Trish and Brian's stuff while their house is being remodeled (see their the updates on their remodeling here). And apparently in between moving my stuff around and moving theirs in, I stirred up a lot of dust plus mixed in dust from their house. So, I've been hit with allergies bad enough that it basically took me out of commission yesterday.

With chest congestion, coughing, a stuffy nose, and a complete lack of energy, it was like a bad cold. Tuesday night I slept fitfully at best. So yesterday, it finally occurred to me to take Dayquil, but once evening rolled around, I thought it was time to bring out the big guns: Nyquil. I was ready to be knocked out. So, around 8:30 pm, I took Nyquil and went to bed.

Over the next two hours, bad storms rolled through. There were reports of a tornado less than 10 miles away. And I slept blissfully through it all.

I slept soundly through this
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I awoke after a VERY solid sleep feeling refreshed and thinking, "Cool, it must be the middle of the night now."

It was 10:30 pm. Only two hours later. Long before I'd normally even go to bed.

The rest of the night was filled with short bursts of sleep on the bed and the sofa. Yes, I moved back and forth depending on my half-asleep mood. I missed another round of storms at 12:30 am.

I slept through this too
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And ... I made a startling realization about the nature of time.

You see, each moment in time has a tiny square near the edge that when positioned just right, helps you sleep perfectly through that moment. Each moment is different, of course, so you often have to adjust your sleeping position to find that right alignment. But that's how you sleep well; you constantly adjust to find the perfect position. And so that's why I kept waking up partway, to adjust to find the perfect sleeping position for each moment. And I felt comforted about waking up a lot, because it just meant I was finding the perfect sleep moment for every second, which would help me recover faster.

Hey, it made perfect sense to me for the next 12 hours. Seriously. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Nyquil, the nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you're open to revelations about the nature of time itself medicine.

Best. Headline. EVER.

2008-05-09T18:41:00.006-05:00

From the BBC's website:

Ain't that the truth?
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Six Man Premiere: The Pampering

2008-05-07T23:49:00.004-05:00

Jumping back to the Six Man, Texas premiere at the AFI Dallas film festival in late March, last noted in this entry...

Our premiere was that Saturday afternoon, with the red carpet event that evening. On Sunday, Tom and I met Alan and Mike at the filmmakers' lounge in the Victory Park building, near where the Dallas Mavericks play. We were to spend the day doing all the press interviews that AFI Dallas had set up. Actually, Alan and Mike were to do that (and you can see one interview here), but Alan had hoped to get me and Tom involved as well. However, they only wanted to interview two people, so Tom and I hung around the lounge for a few hours and got to learn what it was like to be a semi-pampered star.

Well, okay, not really. But we took advantage of the free stuff. One room had nice flat panels with Guitar Hero set up; unfortunately, they closed off that room before we could partake. But there were plenty of munchies, courtesy the festival's biggest sponsor, Target. Can you see their logo here?

Yes, even the Target logos are filled with candy
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Each of those drawers held a different treat, whether red hots, mint chocolate, chips of exotic flavors like Jamaican jerk, power bars, even gummi targets:

Yes, Target made gummi targets
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Of course, all the food was Target's brand Archer Farms. They also had Cokes, bottled water, and bottled iced teas. Okay, not terribly exciting, but it was fun to eat and drink the free stuff while we waited for Alan and Mike.

Then we discovered the pool hall. Well, one table. But it was early enough in the day that Tom and I had it all to ourselves:

Yes, even the pool table was branded by Target
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Yes, I'm going to start each caption with "Yes" even if it's me shooting pool
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Yes, that's the view of the Plaza outside the filmmakers' lounge
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So that was fun for awhile.

But now for some T&A. Because in the Plaza below, there was an Amazon army of shapely plant women:

Yes, plant women!!
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What a view on the other side of that window, eh?
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Are those real?
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So imagine our disappointment when, upon closer examination, we realized these plant women weren't real plants. They weren't made of ivy growing into a carefully controlled shape. The plant women are all plastic plants. The illusion was shattered; the plant women were as plastic as a Hollywood actress. Heh, holly. Anyway...