This is a work site that will have to be funnier, more enjoyable, and unllike this one, actually proofread. Please don't post any comments there yet, k?
w00t!
Monday, May 23, 2005
Monday morn' and I'm not feeling in the least bit wordy or creative. Here's a new ytmnd I made on Friday. Hope ya like it.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I'll admit I don't see many early mornings. I've never been a "morning person" except when there's something fun afoot. This morning was one of those strange exceptions where I awoke at sunrise and watched from my bed as the sky turned from black to grey. It's a bit overcast and wicked windy here today, so the dawn had a sterile, still, and foreboding presence. As the light increased, so did the winds and I got to see Xanadu's catty nemesis, Blackbush, get blown around on the sidewalk.
No profound thoughts beyond that.
Oh, and if you're keeping tabs, here's a list of Xanadu's feline friends and foes:
Friends: Gorgi, Big Bit, Willie, Marvin
Enemies: Little Bit, Blackbush, Scurvy, Sir Stash-a-lot (squirrel)
No profound thoughts beyond that.
Oh, and if you're keeping tabs, here's a list of Xanadu's feline friends and foes:
Friends: Gorgi, Big Bit, Willie, Marvin
Enemies: Little Bit, Blackbush, Scurvy, Sir Stash-a-lot (squirrel)
Monday, May 16, 2005
Yes, yes, it's bike to work week and I've already done my best to get killed. At a lane merge, I had the right of way (legally, not physically) and made eye contact with the old woman (uh-oh) driving the car. She was at a stop at the time, so I figured all was fine; she saw me in the BIKE LANE and made eye contact. Right as I get along side her she starts accelerating, causing me to slam on my brakes and causing the guy on his bike behind me to hit my back tire. He wipes out, and the lady finally hits her brakes. I squirrel off to the side, unscathed. The guy who wiped out was OK too, though he rightfully unleashed a flurry of profanity at the old lady.
Realize that here in Boulder, bikes are everywhere. Bike lanes are on most major streets and unless you're from out of town, they are an expected form of traffic. Since being "healthy and environmentally sound" by riding my bike, I've gotten tapped by cars two times, both not my fault, and nearly hit countless times.
I've also had a head on collision on the bike path in the dark when my headlights burnt out, but that was only 50% my fault as the other guy had no lights either and was going way faster. I escaped from that crash unhurt but the other guy was sort of messed up.
For the record, biking is how I get to work 90% of the time anyhow, so bike to work week is nothing special.
Realize that here in Boulder, bikes are everywhere. Bike lanes are on most major streets and unless you're from out of town, they are an expected form of traffic. Since being "healthy and environmentally sound" by riding my bike, I've gotten tapped by cars two times, both not my fault, and nearly hit countless times.
I've also had a head on collision on the bike path in the dark when my headlights burnt out, but that was only 50% my fault as the other guy had no lights either and was going way faster. I escaped from that crash unhurt but the other guy was sort of messed up.
For the record, biking is how I get to work 90% of the time anyhow, so bike to work week is nothing special.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Maybe it's all the buzz about the new Star Wars movie, but I decided to try and replay my way through the 1992 classic PC game "X-Wing". Oh wait, do or do not, there is no try. So, I'm going to play through X-Wing.
Even today, it holds up as an awesome gaming experience, despite the dated graphics. I had actually beaten all 120 + missions and saved my pilot, but for whatever reason the disk I saved it is broken...so I'm starting from scratch. This is actually a good thing. It's a fun game and I wish I had the time I did back in the day to enjoy it.
In other news, training is going good and I'm feeling good things about the book proposal. If Stars Wars has taught me anything, I need to use the force...
Me: (waves hand) "This is the guy you want to write the Colorado guide book, and you'll give him a healthy advance."
Editor: "I want you to write this guide book and here's a bunch of broccoli and carrots, in advance."
Me: "DOH!"
Even today, it holds up as an awesome gaming experience, despite the dated graphics. I had actually beaten all 120 + missions and saved my pilot, but for whatever reason the disk I saved it is broken...so I'm starting from scratch. This is actually a good thing. It's a fun game and I wish I had the time I did back in the day to enjoy it.
In other news, training is going good and I'm feeling good things about the book proposal. If Stars Wars has taught me anything, I need to use the force...
Me: (waves hand) "This is the guy you want to write the Colorado guide book, and you'll give him a healthy advance."
Editor: "I want you to write this guide book and here's a bunch of broccoli and carrots, in advance."
Me: "DOH!"
Monday, May 09, 2005
First off, an update: I ended up going to the bank with three band-aids on my chin. The teller did everything she could to avoid eye contact with me the whole transaction. And I forgot one of the two checks I was supposed to cash. Doh!
Secondly: for those who haven't seen it, my dramatic batman movie can be seen on my homepage. Please check it out if your day is dragging along or you need some high energy inspiration.
This weekend I did two pack training climb on Mount Sanitas here in town. I carried about 35 lbs. of water to the top, emptied them at the summit, and came down. It's a good way to get stronger and I'll be working up to more weight as time goes by. My proposal to you all is this: suggest songs to me that would help me get through the climb! It takes me roughly 40 minutes at this point to get to the top, so any good songs to make the trek more enjoyable would be appreciated. This is the song I listened to most of the way up yesterday/
Thanks for playing and see you next!
Secondly: for those who haven't seen it, my dramatic batman movie can be seen on my homepage. Please check it out if your day is dragging along or you need some high energy inspiration.
This weekend I did two pack training climb on Mount Sanitas here in town. I carried about 35 lbs. of water to the top, emptied them at the summit, and came down. It's a good way to get stronger and I'll be working up to more weight as time goes by. My proposal to you all is this: suggest songs to me that would help me get through the climb! It takes me roughly 40 minutes at this point to get to the top, so any good songs to make the trek more enjoyable would be appreciated. This is the song I listened to most of the way up yesterday/
Thanks for playing and see you next!
Saturday, May 07, 2005
It's Saturday, so my bank closes at noon. I have two checks I need to cash so I/my cat can eat this weekend. It's 11:39 AM. I just got done shaving my face and pretty much sheared a birthmark/mole off my chin, which is now bleeding steadily. I've cut this mole before and it tends to bleed for over an hour, which means I'll walk into the bank like some kind of vampire with bad aim.
So here are my options:
1-Just bleed it out and forget about the bank.
2-Just bleed it out and GO to the bank.
3-Put a band aid on my chin, making me look like el toolo grande, but go to the bank.
4-Same as above, but no bank.
Which do you choose? For option 1, go to page 17, option 2, go to...
So here are my options:
1-Just bleed it out and forget about the bank.
2-Just bleed it out and GO to the bank.
3-Put a band aid on my chin, making me look like el toolo grande, but go to the bank.
4-Same as above, but no bank.
Which do you choose? For option 1, go to page 17, option 2, go to...
Friday, May 06, 2005
How about this little tid bit? At 6:05:06 the date and time will be 06-05-06-05-06-05. On the sixth day of the week nonetheless! Anyhow...
So for those of you who don't like Microsoft, at least they have no association with the devil's visual format, .mov. For those of you who don't know, .mov is the Quicktime extention for internet movies, to put it basically. And Quicktime sucks, big time. It's a buggy, clunky, poorly interfaced media player and I hate it. It's bad enough finding a stand-alone version of Quicktime is no easy task, even if you can procure the official DL from Apple, it encourages all sorts of spyware during installation. This last time I needed it, I was forced to download iTunes (yuck) to get the stupid Quicktime player, and let me tell you, Apple does NOT want you uninstalling any of these features. It's a bit of work to actually get them off your system.
So, whenever I encounter a .mov file, I have to re-download Craptime again, which I promptly delete and uninstall after using it. I have looked for a Windows Media Player codec to play .mov files but haven't found one. Yes, I do have have other media players that play .mov files, but I don't care much for any of them (though they are way better than Stinktime). If anyone knows of a Windows Media Player add-on that lets you play .mov files, let me know!
Also, while I'm bashing Apple, two of our office computers had their power supplies/cooling fan overheat and wreck their motherboards (or as Apple confusingly calls them, mid boards). Both were brand spanking new computers.
I sometimes think Apple fans are in denial. Their computers are hard to upgrade or repair, still have a clunky interface, it's harder to find hardware and software for them, their gaming line up comes no where near PC gaming, their soundcard/music capacity pretty much stinks as you're forced into using Apple hardware, and even the beloved iPod is no where near as nice as some of its competitors (such as the Creative Labs Zen). I'm usually a fan of the little guy but I've come to terms that the combined brains of manufacturers that make up the PC market puts out a better product than Apple.
That being said, I'm still glad Apple exists, if only to appease well-off artists, certain musicians, and general non-conformists.
(This message was made possible by a grant from Bill Gates and Paul Allen.)
So for those of you who don't like Microsoft, at least they have no association with the devil's visual format, .mov. For those of you who don't know, .mov is the Quicktime extention for internet movies, to put it basically. And Quicktime sucks, big time. It's a buggy, clunky, poorly interfaced media player and I hate it. It's bad enough finding a stand-alone version of Quicktime is no easy task, even if you can procure the official DL from Apple, it encourages all sorts of spyware during installation. This last time I needed it, I was forced to download iTunes (yuck) to get the stupid Quicktime player, and let me tell you, Apple does NOT want you uninstalling any of these features. It's a bit of work to actually get them off your system.
So, whenever I encounter a .mov file, I have to re-download Craptime again, which I promptly delete and uninstall after using it. I have looked for a Windows Media Player codec to play .mov files but haven't found one. Yes, I do have have other media players that play .mov files, but I don't care much for any of them (though they are way better than Stinktime). If anyone knows of a Windows Media Player add-on that lets you play .mov files, let me know!
Also, while I'm bashing Apple, two of our office computers had their power supplies/cooling fan overheat and wreck their motherboards (or as Apple confusingly calls them, mid boards). Both were brand spanking new computers.
I sometimes think Apple fans are in denial. Their computers are hard to upgrade or repair, still have a clunky interface, it's harder to find hardware and software for them, their gaming line up comes no where near PC gaming, their soundcard/music capacity pretty much stinks as you're forced into using Apple hardware, and even the beloved iPod is no where near as nice as some of its competitors (such as the Creative Labs Zen). I'm usually a fan of the little guy but I've come to terms that the combined brains of manufacturers that make up the PC market puts out a better product than Apple.
That being said, I'm still glad Apple exists, if only to appease well-off artists, certain musicians, and general non-conformists.
(This message was made possible by a grant from Bill Gates and Paul Allen.)
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Man, why did Sci-Fi have to cancel their best show? With every awful movie I see, I wish I could have Mike and the 'bots ripping it to shreds. I wish they got to do modern awful flicks, you know, like anything with Bruce Willis, Carrot Top, or Drew Barrymore.
*sighs and watches "Manos: The Hands of Fate" which translates to "Hands: The Hands of Fate"*
I have my most ambitious book proposal out to date, and this one has a good shot of being picked up. It's a guide to Colorado's high peaks, including all the 14,000 ft. + peaks. Since I was born on the 14th of April, I figured a springtime proposal regarding the 14ers was brimming with good luck.
With most writing endeavors, it's easy to assume you won't succeed. That's an expected but lousy attitude to have. I don't think there's anything jinxing about my writing at this time. I feel my proposal was solid and I have the experience and talent to write a good guide book. Either they'll want to publish it or not. I think I did the best I could presenting myself.
Should this proposal be accepted, not only is it a great writing opportunity but a fantastic way to get in shape! The last three or so weeks, I've been caught up in writing this proposal, work, and other small distractions that I've done little to get stronger in the outdoors. The weather here was rather unexpected; three weeks of rain, cold, and general gloom. It's the kind of weather that ices over running trails, negates road bike rides, and makes mountain bike riding a greater effort. Yet, it's not enough snow to enjoy any sort of snow sports. Luckily the sun is out.
Is more sunlight really what I need? Might be, at this point in time.
*sighs and watches "Manos: The Hands of Fate" which translates to "Hands: The Hands of Fate"*
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I have my most ambitious book proposal out to date, and this one has a good shot of being picked up. It's a guide to Colorado's high peaks, including all the 14,000 ft. + peaks. Since I was born on the 14th of April, I figured a springtime proposal regarding the 14ers was brimming with good luck.
With most writing endeavors, it's easy to assume you won't succeed. That's an expected but lousy attitude to have. I don't think there's anything jinxing about my writing at this time. I feel my proposal was solid and I have the experience and talent to write a good guide book. Either they'll want to publish it or not. I think I did the best I could presenting myself.
Should this proposal be accepted, not only is it a great writing opportunity but a fantastic way to get in shape! The last three or so weeks, I've been caught up in writing this proposal, work, and other small distractions that I've done little to get stronger in the outdoors. The weather here was rather unexpected; three weeks of rain, cold, and general gloom. It's the kind of weather that ices over running trails, negates road bike rides, and makes mountain bike riding a greater effort. Yet, it's not enough snow to enjoy any sort of snow sports. Luckily the sun is out.
Is more sunlight really what I need? Might be, at this point in time.
