BackTalk

iSplurged

2009-06-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

OK so finally I caved. I have a new iPhone on order. I know I know. Whatever.

It has a GPS and a compass. I know you're thinking WTF? But really a compass is key when you aren't moving fast.

I'm all about the navigation.

Maybe the peggle, too. (On sale for .99 through tomorrow!)

Shut it.

Boxed Lunch

2009-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I'm training this week and they are providing lunch. Which is very cool, and I've been pretty careful to eat relatively healthy with these boxes. I've been dumping the cheese off of sandwiches and just skipping the cookies and chocolate mind.

There have been some pretty good stuff. The baked veggie chips were all natural had no starches and were tasty, salty, and generally awesome.

And then there was today. I picked up what was marked "Transitional Deli Beef Sandwich". OK so first off it's chicken. That's fine it's better for me than red mead so score. It's even grilled so... good. Remove the cheese, spread on the mustard with the woefully inadequate knife and there is some kind of something I've don't recognize under the grilled chicken, but looks like it has onions in it. Risky, but OK.

I don't have a word for that stuff other than bad. I tried to lose some of it, but it had become one with the bread and the chicken so while I scraped some of it, most of it went down my neck. Clearly it had jalapenos and some other kind of pepper that tasted like a really really dill pickle. Unless it was a really really dill pickle. Maybe.

Kettle chips? Not super healthy, but at least it's salt and vinegar. Yeah. No. I'm guessing it was the sandwich mush that affected my palette, but some chips I usually love... Hated it. I ate like 3 and that was it.

Next up? More cheese. OK I checked this string cheese out and it wasn't exactly on the healthy scale so I skipped that, too.

Maybe tomorrow I'll pick a salad. Maybe it'll have scorpions or something tasty like that.

Studio 60 main line

2009-05-26T13:02:00.001-07:00

So I picked up Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip the complete series at best buy for a song. Well OK money actually changed hands but it wasn't much.

I just re-watched the whole thing start to finish over the last few days. 22 episodes of pure gold. I liked it even more the second time through. There are some really great Atheist moments, and yet it doesn't seem all that one sided. Sorkin avoided stereotypes when he wrote the Harriet character and her positions were well argued and played well. It was nice to see the Danny Tripp character stay true to his beliefs when facing huge uncertainty at the end of the show.

I'm not sure the circumstances of how it was cancelled, but the certainly didn't leave anything hanging. Now should I rewatch Sports Night or all of The West Wing?

I know what it looks like

2009-05-24T14:05:00.001-07:00

I know it looks like I've stopped bloggin. I haven't

I know it looks like I've stopped reading, as the GoodReads has not changed. I haven't.

I know it looks like I've stopped taking photographs. I haven't.

I know if you're my neighbor it sounds like I've taken up the drums. I have.

Six years later...

2009-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Really six years? I started this blog when I went back to work from having a hiatus or temporary retirement from the day to job thing. This isn't my first blog and I'm sure it won't be my last. Maybe I should update the photo though...

Some things are the same. Some things are very different. One thing is for sure life is much much better now.

I wanted...

2009-04-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, like most kids, I wanted stuff. We had food (mostly) and basics OK, but let's face it, my dad was in real estate in the and my mom was a grad student in the late 70's and early 80's. The economic crisis back then was bad, too. I didn't realize at the time how hard they worked. Like I said I was a kid. I know now. This is getting in the way of my selfish story.

I wanted a car. I got a chair. I wanted a car. I got luggage. I wanted a car we got a new computer (OK yo that shit was cool).

Way before that I wanted a Weeble's camper. I got it. I also got a red wagon that year and a rope. It was a fucking bumper crop of a Christmas. The Weeble's campter was PERFECT. I played with it all the time. It was an RV and the little dad weeble drove it and the mom weeble worked in the kitchen (while he drove, come on, we need our grilled cheese sandwiches up here, woman!). The weebles children sat and looked out the windows. It was awesome.

After that, but before I wanted a car. I wanted an electric keyboard. We had had a piano when we lived in North Carolina, but it didn't move with us. My sister took piano and I hated listening to her practice (the only great thing about the piano was that it wasn't the f'in clarinet she played.). I wanted a keyboard.

I wanted a teeny battery operated keyboard from Casio that I saw in Lazarus when we were shopping for Christmas tree ornaments. I have no idea how much it cost, but I'm guessing it wasn't cheap. My parents were always trying and so on Christmas morning we followed the notes to the treasure hunt and it lead us to the dining room. Man kids are stupid. I didn't even see the piece of furniture covered with a sheet in the corner.

Under that cloth was a Hammond Chord organ. OK so I was like 12 and I managed to keep a good face on it. I think. Looking back I hope I kept a good face on it, but I was a little let down. They had gotten it out of the paper and as my dad tells the story the elderly lady who sold it to him changed her mind as he was about to drive away with it and he told her to go fuck herself. Um no that's not how he tells it. He says he told her he needed it for his kid and drove off.

The fact is I played that thing a lot. I could play a few songs sort of and I could kinda use the chord grid next to it. I learned a few things about keyboards and their limitations at the time. It many "modes" it could play one note at a time. When it was it's normal organ sound I think it could play 3 and you could always get organ sounds out of the chord grid. Mostly I liked making the violin sound and trying to play the theme of star wars. I had no lessons just dinked. The thing used vacuum tubes and sounded awesome. I remember you had to let it "warm up" before it would make any sound.

I think when my parents moved they sold it. That was cool I was out of the house and had a job so I had a synth (a Yamaha SY-35 and then Later an SY-85) by then and I was taking lessons from a neurotic piano teacher who lived in an apartment near my work.

When I moved to Washington and had a new job and I just let the music slide. Lately I've picked it up again with drum lessons, but I picked up a keyboard controller for my PC and some software that plays a variety of instruments. Now I just have to find a Hammond Chord Organ for it. I'm guessing there is one in there somewhere. I wonder if I can get another weeble's camper.

Homework

2009-04-14T16:54:00.001-07:00

So I had some homework this week for my drum lessons. Besides practicing, I had to aquire a practice pad, a particular book, an electronic metronome, and some songs that I like to play along with. I had to like the songs and they have to be slow enough that I can keep up with the tempo.

First part was easy. The practice was easy. The choosing of songs. Well I thought about it quite a bit and then cheated. I just picked RockBand songs I know I can keep up with.

Creep
Dani California
Lazy Eye (this one is a stretch because of the syncopated snares).

I hope the guy doesn't mind that I have the fucking explicit versions.

woefully easy

2009-04-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

So we were walking around a book store tonight to kill a little time. I was looking at games and toys like I do. I saw what has to be the stupidest thing ever. It was a jigsaw puzzle for dummies. Now you know I don't buy those books, or the Idiot's guide to anything either because I'm not an idiot or a dummy. The puzzle for dummies? How does that work? OK I can kinda understand the books, right? I mean they are instructions and guides to skills for the woefully ignorant. By the way I would buy a book for the woefully ignorant because sometimes I am. Ignorant that is.

The puzzle for idiots is just easier. How is it easier? The pieces are numbered and there is a MAP to the numbers. Numbered. The point? You put it together and you have a picture. Of course it comes with this picture as a guide and a MAP OF THE NUMBERED PIECES.

Paint by numbers I get. I even think that's instructional. I mean you at least have to do something.

Has it come to this we can't even do our own puzzles?

A different kind of Tractor Pull

2009-04-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

We went out last night with friends to intending to eat at Hi-Life and see John Wesley Harding at the Tractor Tavern and instead we got so much more. The Hi-Life had a kitchen fire and were closed so we ate at Matador near it. Yummy fajitas.

At the Tractor it was Harding and Eugene Mirman's cabinet of wonders. They are travelling from city to city and bringing on local artists for a collection of songs, readings and comedy that, at least in Seattle, was awesome. Highlights included the medley of Jon Auer, a reading from the Long Winters's John Roderick of his journal concerning an incident in Romania involving a drunk mining captain's attempt to seduce him, Sherman Alexie's detailed description of a bathroom break he took in Kareem Abdul Jabbar's house, and the musicians from the band Thee Sgt. Major III performing with Harding etc..

I really enjoyed Mirman's stand up and the over all feel from the show which was largely improvised yet allowed the talents to show through nicely. A good time was had by all.

Last elementary talent show

2009-03-28T10:44:00.001-07:00

Some highlights from last night included:

Way too many Taylor Swift songs.
When did "Rockband" become fodder for a talent show?
The use of an overhead projector as a spot light.
Speed stacking was the most interesting/different act I've seen. All you need are plastic cups.
6th grade sense of humor.

Really really uncomfortable chairs to sit on for 2 hours.
No food or soda this year for sale. (Seriously people that's where the money is who dropped the PTSA ball on that one?)

This is the part where I say something gushy about my daughter's part in all this. I'm not gonna since she shouldn't really be reading this anyways and I'm guessing you aren't interested.

Science

2009-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

I love science. Only science could figure out that if I eat just a smidge (on the order of miligrams) of poison it would actually make me feel better.

In with the broad spectrum antibiotic and out with the infections... boo yeah.

Is this thing on?

2009-03-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously is it on?

Do you hear that?

2009-03-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

That's me air drumming. Of course you can't hear it, silly, you're far away from me and I'm not hitting anything.

I signed up today for a real honest actual class today. No prereqs and all you have to bring? sticks. I signed up for a beginner drum class with a local drumming studio. After a quick talk on the phone where they confirmed I am a complete beginner (I am) then I'm in. So I start tomorrow and have small class lessons for the rest of the month. After that maybe I'll move into private lessons. Either way I have a lot of practice ahead of me.

What I did with my 40th birthday

2009-02-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

First off my friend from Ohio came out and that made my birthday the greatest yet. We had a great time despite the short amount of time he was able to get out for. We had some peeps over and Jen made great snacks and we had a variety of drinks.

On my actual birthday we just went out with the kids for a quiet dinner at the OG and then home for presents. One of the awesome things that Jen got me was the Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison Legacy Edition which is 2 discs (and a DVD I haven't watched yet) of the raw recording. It's great because you can hear how they worked the audience to get the reactions for the record. Doesn't sound to me like you couldn't have a better audience to react to his music. (I resisted the whole captive joke, didn't I? Nope just used it right there.)

Ah but your asking yourself what did JR do that was his midlife crisis? Actually it wasn't a crisis at all I just went shopping for myself. I've my fill of crises, thanks.

So if you want to find me, I'll still be taking photos, but also I've crossed over from the gateway drug of Rockband to the hard stuff.

My dog knows kung fu

2009-02-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

The dogs are getting groomed today. Not just any grooming on many levels. First off they are not going to petco. My one dog who is not the brightest can say in his best rainman voice, "petco sucks."

I called around and got recommendations and picked a place near the highway on the way to work that does drop off. I get there and it's raining (duh) and I see the place on one sign it has the groomer's info and on the other (same door) it's all moo young chee chow (or some such. Not trying to be offensive I just don't remember and it wasn't any of the major ones I know) martial arts. From there it looks like the same place. In the window is a video playing of dudes in a field moving sticks (presumably sharp) and I'm all, "what did I get my dogs into?" I picture them coming home and putting their new doggy martial arts moves on us and dominating us instead and saying to me, "We'll put your food in a bowl on the floor, ass clown. Who's on top and who's on bottom now?"

As I approach the store front I see that the martial arts place is separate and there is a hallway going to the back of the building where the groomer is. K.

So we walk and and there are 2 little dogs being a gate and the lobby is all nice and plush and the little dogs are barking in little dog barks and timber and padfoot (3 minutes to Wapner) are gearing up to bark and nobody in sight. Well the lady walks out just as the barking begins and she says hello and then thanks the dogs. "Thank you. Thank you for the protection" and they shut up. All 4 of them. Stop dead quiet and sniffing ensues and she just brings them on back with zero anxiety and no problems. She tells me she runs it cageless unless there is a problem and I'm all that's fine and if they start bothering you they are fine to spend some down time in a crate. She's like they won't bother me if they don't bark constantly. Comedy timing. Doorbell rings. My dogs start to barking they are back with the little dogs now who are all whatever. The lady says it again "Thank you. Thank you for the protection" and they stop. Now if you don't know my dogs. If there is one problem we have left (besides trying to steal some fucking cheese during thanksgiving still have not forgiven Timber for that shit) is when the doorbell or garage goes they go nuts. They are totally calm with this lady no worries at all.

She's like the lady dog whisperer.

Who teaches dogs kung fu.

I dream in color

2009-01-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

One of them is black and the other is white. Actually I do dream in color but I do dream weird. No don't worry this isn't one of those TMI posts I'm so fond of. I'll just get right to it without the usual tangents. I dreamt about my notebook. I wish notebook were code for something like an interesting part of anatomy on someone else. It's not. My notebook consists of pages and some ink. I bet you have a notebook. I bet you don't dream about it.

Seriously I dreamt about writing in my notebook. Not secret stuff. Not Indiana Jones stuff. Just work stuff. Also I couldn't get enough light.

What does it mean? Do dreams really mean anything? Does the fact that I have trouble because there isn't enough light really mean that I can't see far enough into my future both professionally and personally to write it down? Is it a source of ambiguity that anyone could interpret in a variety of ways? Is my subconscious trying to tell me anything?

Nope. I just really like my notebook. Also I pimped it out with these. Fuck you Moleskine. OK not really. I love them, too. I have several and want more. Of course then I'd have to travel.

Oh fuck it, dude. Let's go bowling.

A few random things

2009-01-24T10:22:00.001-08:00

First off can I just say that dreaming that you need pepto is not a good sign. It's certainly not an indication that you ate well the day before.

The upside of that is when you wake up and you don't actually need any. I guess dream pepto works just as good as the real stuff. The liquid that is not the tablets. I was fine when I woke up.

Merlin Mann mentioned yesterday (although to me he mentioned it today because I didn't watch his video til just now) that there are lists and even books telling people what should be on their bucket list. This had kinda slid by me because while I saw the books and stuff in the book store. I just passed it right by because it would never occur to me to read such a thing. Merlin, thankfully, brought it to my attention because that's some prime grade a bullshit right there. I don't mean Mr. Mann (We're not on a first name basis I just realized, actually we're not on an any name basis. I apologize for earlier using his first name with such liberty.) I don't mean Mr. Mann is full of shit (he may be, but I don't believe he is and that isn't my point.) but didn't these people who are buying these books actually see the movie? I get the people selling the book they are selling it because people are buying them. I don't get why people are buying them. Did they even see the preview?

OK true confession, "I have not seen The Bucket List myself, yet." (Does that mean I'm going to see it? Ask Mr. Hornby who I am certainly in no position to refer to as "Nick")

Why then can I comment so heavily on the subject without myself having seen the movie or read one of these lists or books.

1. because I saw the preview and as of late seeing the preview of such a film is just as good as seeing it. The American public no longer likes to be surprised. Except for the fan boi population who put "spoiler alert" on top of blog posts that are about a movie that has been out for years. Please the nerve.

2. When I wrote the 1 above I know I had a 2, but after the spoiler and looking up the link and some other stuff I can't remember number two. So please imagine the insightful second reason that should be here as being very persuasive. K?

I said it was random, didn't I?

Also while I'm ranting I glanced at the book the secret. I didn't read it, but I'm pretty sure since it professes a quick fix that once you know the secret everything good will happen to you as my closing statement today I say: Bullshit. It's a lovely notion that a lot of people have in this country (I add that because really I haven't been to any other country other than the politer version of the US which is Canada.) that the "haves" have something small, some information, some opportunity, some secret if you will, that the "have nots" don't. And as a "have not" want what haves have they have to have the secret.

I have news for you "have nots" who have purchased this book. You aren't a have not. You are in fact a have. Because if you could afford that stupid book then you have must already have. Because if you had that money and yet you were a have not you wouldn't have spent it on the stupid book you would have bought food or clothes for your children. Those are the people that need an opportunity. Those are the people who need help. Those are the people if there was some magic secret (sorry there isn't, it's just pretend marketing bullshit) those are the people who need it.

Fuck 60. I'm going for old and cranky right now. I should change the title of this post to random cranky bullshit from me, but after all that is the theme.

Good? Yes. Bad? not at all.

2009-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

I'm getting one of the best birthday presents I've gotten in a long time.

Someone is coming to visit from far away and that is just so cool. So cool. Far away like Ohio. I know it doesn't sound cool, but it is.

Rules

2009-01-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

Rule number one is you don't talk about fight club.

Fried green tomatoes. Fried.

2009-01-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Last night we went with friends to the Kingfish Cafe in Capital Hill. Yes, Forrest, I had the shrimp gumbo. Before that we had the fried greet tomatoes I haven't had those in years and they came with the hush puppies. Honestly I'm not sure what came with what but it was all good. Those were the best hush puppies ever and the sauce drizzled on them was fantastic.

Let me just say the gumbo's broth was thin like it should be, but very flavorful. The rice was all around the side and that was helpful because it had a medium kick to it. The okra was perfect because it was not too crisp, but also not done to the point of slimy. The spice did build but the rice as I said soaked in the broth was a perfect counter. I've never seen gumbo with a single crab leg garnish, but from now on I'll be demanding it. So if you try to serve me gumbo without a crab leg... well there will be words.

Jen and I split a bread pudding which I was skeptical of. I keep picturing Bill Cosby in a Cosby sweater trying to give me sour dough pudding from a small cup and a plastic spoon. I can tell you Cosby was not there and the pudding wasn't pudding at all. It was really very good. I was too full to really eat as much as I would have liked, but luckily that did not stop me and I ate it anyways.

Jen had the fried chicken and yo that shit was awesome too.

Shout outs to our friends for taking us there. (they remain nameless since I have yet to get the blog name disclosure form signed.)

Then we played rockband til the wee hours.

That's all I have to say about that.

Rockband Ate My Homework

2009-01-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

So yeah I haven't blogged, I've told you before that I have no apologies for that. I will, however, make excuses.

Rockband did it. I have discovered drumming on rockband. Also bass. Not so much guitar and though people tell me base is just boring (it is) I've always been drawn to the bass sound more than the high sounds of the 80's axe wielding high pitched (often very poorly dressed) solo guitar artist. I won't name names.

Drumming rockband is scary. I'm sure drumming for real is scary. Especially when there are a bunch of other middle aged men standing around wearing some sort of paint (is poorly dressed a theme here?) and beating on some naturally made (that mean something died in the language of drumming) instrument.

At first all the red and yellow coming at me like an emergency vehicle flashing me over was traumatic. As I learned a few of the more basic patterns I started to get a hold of it. I started to move from really flailing to only sorta kinda flailing.

Then the songs get harder and I'm right back to whatdoyoumeanfootblueandyellowatthesametimeyousadisticrockbandcontentauthoringpricks?

The game itself is obviously a hit. Just judging by the shelf space down at Fredddy's (yes that's 3 d's) this shit is the shit. I've wondered why until the other night when some peeps came over and skooled us at playing rockband. (I learned that I don't know shit about drumming. Yet.) I picked up my controller to play bass and the game actually lulls you into the illusion of actually playing. It's wonderful. You move your fingers right on the changes and you strum with the beat. (aside from the flailing) Then you are rewarded. There are points. There are stars. There are clothes for your avitar. New drums to buy with the money you earned in Stockholm and Moscow. It quickly engages you and follows the exact right curve of challenge and reward. A game developer's home-fucking-run. The one thing no game dev is going to be able to get around is taste in music. I'm not much of a metal guy myself. Nothing against the metal heads out there (most of them are armed) I mean no offense it's just not my thing so when I find myself playing some of those bands and I won't name names because of the aforementioned armedness. Metalica. Then I'm all shit why do I have to play this? But honestly I do better on songs I don't know because I'm not expecting anything so I tolerate it as long as the song is going on. That's it no more beyond that.

OK I have to go practice fucking Don't Fear the Reaper on medium Jesus Christ more cow bell isn't gonna fix this song while I'm playing it.

Also... somebody please help me get fucking Train Keep a Rollin' out of my head. I mean really the definition of hell.

I am legend

2008-12-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

It seems stupid to warn you about spoilers since this movie has been out so long but there you are.

So I got suckered into watching I am legend today on HBO. I know, I know I just turned it on and there it was and I just had to watch.

I knew the dog was gonna die. I knew it going in. Still I watched. Stupid? yes.

Did it in fact unfold that way? yes. Was I sad? yes.

Am I sporting a new haristyle? yes I am... Was it intetional... nope.

There you have it from my world.

In the driving slush

2008-12-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

We've never had this volume of snow in the PNW for as long as I've been here (about 14 years) and usually when the roads get to slush and away from ice all is good.

Not this time. I find even in my little suv I'm having clearance problems and the ruts that have been dug in just rule your car. Life must be like this for a slot car. You can speed up. You can slow down. Steering... not so much. I prefer hard pack snow and ice to the slush troughs passing for roads in my neighborhood.

It's just icky too. It's not pretty clean snow. It's just gross.

There have been a couple of times when I've thought I'm gonna lose it and end up in the ditch, but so far so good. Also I always take my shovel and boots with me just in case I have to dig myself out of something. I imaging when it snows like this around here, body shop owners expecting many fender benders are all, "cha-ching!"

A very special holiday moment

2008-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

It's when you find it. It matches exactly what they want. It might even be better than they asked for. I don't know what it is in your world that you're hunting for but there is that feeling when you find it and you compare it to the list and it matches exactly and it's the last one. The very last one the mega store has. The package is perfect no dings, dents, or scratches and it is exactly what they want. Sure the line is long and the parking lot is full and you had to walk up hill in the snow to get it and here it is the last one and that warm feeling inside when you have it in your hands. The exact gift you were looking for and it was the last one. The last one.

The feeling inside is ever so special when you smile and think quietly to yourself, "Fuck all y'all! I got it and you DIDN'T"

Snow day!

2008-12-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

Boo yeah it's blizzardy white out. Random children trying to sled in the street. Kids ok here's the thing: "our street? flat. 2 blocks over now that's a fucking hill. go to it."

Just stay the fuck off my lawn! OK no not really. Play on my lawn children just don't sue me when you break your collar bone.