Halloween and a Video

All right, first off this video blows me away. Beyond the coolness of the whole thing, they do it without yard lines and hash marks to guide off of.



Second, as promised... My costume:

Preparations

Last night Jennifer and I went to the Spirit store for Halloween gear. It was in the old Marhsall's building in Pleasant Hill, and was surprisingly roomy; much better than last year time in the old Good Guys in Concord.

We got lots of little things including green makeup, black detail makeup, and black hairspray for me. And if you can get my costume from that, I'll be surprised.

I'll be sure to get pictures of it up tomorrow.

Empowerment

What did I do yesterday?

Not much.

I'm reading Dacre Stoker's Dracula the Un-Dead, and since rock music doesn't go well with a turn of the century setting, I'm was listening to classical music in the gym. Two of the most motivating pieces of music came on: Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger and Gustav Holst's "Mars: the Warbringer." That'll get your blood pumping.

And last night I did the big manly thing... I upgraded Jennifer's computer from Windows Vista to Windows 7. The only hiccup was when I tried to do it Monday night and had downloaded the 32-bit rather than the 64-bit version. Then this morning I finished up the install and got her mail program going. My only remaining bit now is reinstalling iTunes.

I got to thinking this morning about the Windows upgrades I've installed. My first computer came with Windows 3.1 (or was it 3.2?), and when I went to UK, I got the big Windows 95 upgrade. That was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it. Then when 98 came out, I got that too. I skipped Bob and Me, but XP excited me. Then with my latest computer, Vista came with it, and now I'm waiting for the upgrade disc to arrive. I rarely have any problems with upgrades, and that always gives me a big feeling of satisfaction.

Trek Viral

Yeah, you're gonna wanna see this.

And it goes so well with this.

Fun Video

So I'm showing my mother-in-law how to use her new laptop, and I began playing on YouTube.

I thought about looking into liquid nitrogen (don't ask me why).

I found this one. A most unique way of using a cast iron cornbread pan.

Reading

I quickly read Genesis by Bernard Beckett.

It's a small book, and is mostly written as a transcript, so it's a fast read. It seems very much like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

The book was very entertaining at the beginning, and through the middle, but the ending was unsatisfying. I wanted so much more from some of the other characters. There was much left hanging, that I wanted to learn about.

I was glad it was small, so it wasn't a big investment of time, but I could have been a better and larger novel.

***

And so now I move on to the "official" sequel of Bram Stoker's Dracula, called Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt.

Dacre Stoker is the great-grand-nephew of Bram Stoker. I'm only into the first chapter, but I'm enjoying it. it is not written in a diary/letter format like the original, and it seems intriguing already. It begins 25 years after the end of the first book.

Birthday Celebration

Because we were not able to get to Portland until this weekend, Jennifer's parents had a birthday celebration for us today. For Jennifer, Karen made a lemon bundt cake. For me, she made an 18-inch diameter chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chip, ice cream sandwich. It was frozen solid, and had to be essentially carved to get an edible piece.

Tomorrow we're going to the Saturday Market. Then we'll be teaching Karen how to use Facebook.

Strange Feelings

This evening Jennifer and I are flying to Portland. Neither of us really want to go. it breaks up our happy routines. We have to live in someone else's house. And Sunday we have to be present for a possible reconciliation between Cynthia and the parents.

And ever since lunch, I've had a vague feeling of discontent. It's that feeling that I have a bad report card that I know is coming in the mail, and now it's just waiting for the axe to fall.

Bleah.

Speechless

This video almost makes me cry. It is as heartfelt as Chris Collinsworth's speech after Proposition 8 passed.



All right, strike that. It does make me cry.

I know my 91-year-old grandmother supports gay rights. I wish my 82 year old father-in-law did.

Twitter Advantage

Yesterday I had two comics that had not updated in the morning, nor had they updated by lunch.

I was doing my Twitter thing, and over the afternoon, I saw that each artist put up that they had finally put their new work up for the day.

So I guess Twitter isn't wholly useless.

Not Lazy, Just Distracted

A weekend full of late nights, and Facebook made me neglect the blog.

Friday night, Jennifer was out, so I was left at home to fend for myself. So I watched the Back to the Future trilogy, straight through with the producer commentary. I started at 8:00, so that took me through to 2:00 AM. I learned some cool trivia bits, and still got to experience the movies too.

Saturday we went to a birthday party for a friend. She is turning 30,and had an 80's themed party. I'll have to put some of the pictures up once I get home.

Then Sunday was just football and laundry.

And today there is rain.

Welcome to Today

I'm doing a little better in my back. I twisted a little yesterday and got a good pop of release. It's still a little sore, but I got to go to the gym last night, and did a half regimen. Then I slept pretty well last night.

Aside from a zombiepocalypse dream which made me a little paranoid this morning.

Right now, I'm just trying to sit up straight and not put too much pressure on the back.

***

In other news, this is cool.

***

Then there's the Dyson Fan.

The description of how it works is a little hard to understand.... Until James Dyson himself describes it.

Anotehr Book Down

Last night, I finished The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry.

Mom had described it as a poor man's Thursday Next book (the Jasper Fforde series), but it really isn't like that at all.

While it is very surreal, it has a pretty good internal logic. I enjoyed the layers you learn of in the Agency, and the things work in the sub-levels of the Agency.

It is like coming in towards the end of a series, and having a flunky take overt the story. Say, as if you had never read a Sherlock Holmes book, and a new book by Sir Arthur was found where Watson is the new hero and is looking for Holmes. And yet, not.

Plus, I liked the "everyman" kind of descriptions as well as the generic descriptions of the city as well.

As a mystery, I'm sure it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I found it a nice break from other things, and yet it still had elements of a good sci-fi kind of story too.

Making Cents

Ow.

So, my back still hurts. I did sleep better last night, but sitting is not a happy thing, and laying on my right side is all there is for relief. But the background pain is distracting me.

Last night I had a salad with tuna. I opened the can, got the tuna out, and then threw the can away, and cut myself on the edge of the lid. Jagged metal cuts bleed quite a bit by the way.

Anyway, this cut is on the tip of my left thumb and is perpendicular to my thumbnail. About twenty years ago, I nearly cut the tip of the same thumb off while cutting lemons at Sizzler. So I have this nearly complete circular scar on the tip of that thumb. Now I have a line that bisects it. If the new cut scars, it will look like I have a cent symbol on the tip of my thumb.

Oy, My Aching Back

I have hurt myself somehow.

Monday I woke up in slight pain; floating somewhere between my lower left rib and the top rear of my pelvis. It wasn't too bad until I got to work. Then it just got worse.

Last night sitting watching football was difficult, and despite aspirin, a Biofreeze rub, and two Valerian root pills, I had a difficult night of sleep. I have taken to sleeping on my left side so as not to snore, but I ended up being on my back most of the night. It was better, but nowhere near comfortable.

This morning it was no better, so I went in for a chiropractic adjustment. That helped some, and if I'm not better in a couple days, I am to go back. Then this afternoon, I went in for a massage. He said it wasn't the sciatic nerve because the pain is too high up; so it's probably just a pulled muscle.

I'll go to the gym this evening, and at least do a little workout. Just so I'm not a total lump.

Musical Fun

Joy to music:

Weekend Wonders

Saturday morning, I read Planetary. And it was great. I was almost disappointed at first, but after reading some interpretations, I realized that I needed to look at the series as a whole, and not look at this issue as a stand alone. I'm satisfied.

Saturday, was a really fun game session. A full crowd, and lots of banter. Good plots and battles.

And today was a big day of football. Jennifer's friend Carlos came over, and brought bacon. So I made pancakes, with scrambled eggs and bacon. They got spicy bloody marys and I had milk. The mix was leftover from a Christmas package we got at work. It came with real maple syrup, and the breakfast was wonderful.

And the topper for the day is that Jennifer is 5-0 for her fantasy football league. She's very excited.

To Read or Not to Read...

Truly that is the question.

Tonight after work, Jennifer and I braved Friday traffic to drive through the San Ramon Valley on Interstate 680 to go to Livermore where the comic book shop i frequent is located. We called, and Jennifer sweet talked him into staying open half an hour longer than he had intended to allow us to get there and buy: Planetary #27; Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's incredible book of the strange (Let's keep it that way.).

And now, I can hardly bring myself to open the cover.

If I read it, the series is over. Forever. If I hold off, everyone's final fate remains in the box with Schrodinger's cat.

I just can't bring myself to do it. I'll read it tomorrow after Jennifer has gone to work, and before I head off to john's RPG session.

Unless I wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep.

Maybe.

Singing Canary

All right so seeing this may convince me to watch "The Brave and the Bold".

Although I must admit I saw a similar resolution once Black Canary began singing.

Warbreaker

I finished Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker today over lunch. And it was really a fun book that kept me guessing all the way through.

At no point was anyone what they seemed. At least not to me.

I also really enjoyed the magic system that he created. It differs quite a bit from the metal-based magic of the Mistborn series.

Finally, I was worried for the last half of the book that it was goign to end up being a multi-parter, but Sanderson tied everything up nicely. There is the potential for a sequel, but no major points in Warbreaker are left hanging that would require one.

It gives me even further hope that Sanderson can tie up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time story in an interesting way.

Links

First: Perhaps Johnny Carson wasn't too far off when he mocked Carl Sagan with "Bill-yuns and bill-yuns"...



... at least not after this news.

Second: Sci-fi powercells may not be too far off. This is awesome and exciting.

Momentum

I am trying to get back into the regular swing of blogging things, but we'll see.

I made two appointments today.

One for a haircut next week which will set me up before I go off to Oregon for the weekend to spend time with Jennifer's parents.

The second for the continuation of my backpiece tattoo. That will be in November.

I was very nervous setting up the tattoo appointment. I think because I was talking to the ship and not to the artist. I am excited about the growth of the piece though.

I Try, I Really Do

I don't know what it is lately. I plan to write a post. I have Blogger up and everything. Then something shiny appears, and I'm like the crow in the animated "Rats of NIMH".

I did update some comics links on the side, but then I totally forgot to write anything.

Lame.

***

So, last night I watched Monday Night Football with Jennifer.

This has become easier and more comfortable of late. And the game was pretty cool.

And Brett Favre becomes the first person to beat all 32 NFL franchises during his career. It's just cool sounding.

Row, Row, Row Your Mind, Gently Down the Stream of Consciousness.

Oh, what a fine weekend it has been.

Friday I spent with my wife and a good friend of hers at the beach., Jennifer and I started out early, and got to her favorite beach just south of Stinson around 10:45. We went on to Stinson and bought food, and then waited for her friend to arrive. When Sydney arrived (with tiny Sky the dog in tow), we headed down the trail, and on to the beach. i was thrilled to see that the trail had been recently cleared and you could have almost driven a truck down the trail.

No fear of poison oak that day.

We spent the day lounging around, enjoying the sun and the water. Sydney ended up leaving around 2:30, and Jennifer and I stayed for a couple more hours sleeping and reading. we had intended to wait until sunset, but were getting too hungry. So we headed out and got to our favorite Indian restaurant in Sausalito about 5:00.

Then we wandered around burning off the beer we had each drunk, and ended up buying a beautiful flower arrangement for her, and a Dischidia pectenoides for me. I had one a few years ago, but it died. this one is budded out to bloom, and I am very excited to see what the flowers look like. I'll be taking it to work where it can get better sunlight than what we get at home.

***

Saturday, we cleaned house. We'd been a bit lax on cleanliness lately, and we picked up, wiped up, straightened up, and folded up. The house looks great now, and we made some decisions about Jennifer's sitting room. In a few weeks, we'll probably be going to IKEA again. And then I'll have some major assembling to do.

***

And today has been my day. Jennifer stayed home and eatched footall, and I went on a multi-space shopping spree.

Kind of.

I bought my comics, and had a chicken Philly cheese steak. I got a shirt, and jacket for myself, earrings for Jennifer, and basic supplies for the house. I had a wonderful time out, and Jennifer had wonderful time in.

***

Now I'm sitting watching Inside the Actors' Studio featuring Danny Devito. He and Rhea Perlman have been together for over 35 years.

That's pretty awesome.

Volatility

Have you ever been sitting and suddenly gotten hot and perhaps broken into a light sweat?

Hot enough that your cologne suddenly vaporizes and you can smell it again?

It's disturbing enough to suddenly get that hot, but the sudden smell of cologne is... disconcerting.

New Reading

All right. I hereby give up on Viriconium. I just can't get motivated to keep reading it. I really liked the first story. And the second was kind of a Twenty Years Later take on the first. But the third tale is boring. I think I'll just save the book for the next time I'm down at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

So, I am moving on the Brandon Sanderson's new book Warbreaker.

I am a little more than 50 pages in, and it's seems pretty cool so far. Instead of being based on metals like the Mistborn series, this time color is the source of magic. I am looking forward to the rest of this book, and his conclusion to the Wheel of Time series.