Commercialism has ruined Christmas.

No really...it has.
Not in the sense that it begins right after Thanksgiving, or that Santa is plastered over everything, or…well…any other crazy number of things.

It’s just…all of this stuff, these things we own.
Think about it for a second…the sheer volume of electronic gadgets, cooking tools, plates, utensils, tv’s, cars, clothes, books, toys, thingamabobs…
Ninety nine percent of the population is jaded toward ownership. How can we not be given the way that we are trained to consume from the time we are born?

So you get a new shirt, and it’s cool and all…but you’ve got 15 very similar to it sitting in the closet. So…eh…thanks?

I worked so hard this year to cultivate enthusiasm both as a giver, and receiver of things.
It also dawned on me that part of the reason I’ve been such a Grinch for the past few years is that I haven’t been able to give the kind of gifts that I really wanted to.
Not that I was able to do that this year either…but I put some serious thought into it and came up with some goodies. I’m happy with my choices and how they all turned out.
Yay!

Seriously though…my original point…
Imagine that it’s December 25th, 1860, and you just got a new pair of boots for Christmas.
You aren’t going to bitch about the color or style, you aren’t going to complain that it isn’t the kind of leather you wanted…
No, because you only own one damned pair of boots and those are starting to fall apart. You only have 2 sets of clothes…maybe 3…and your bedroom contains half a dozen books (if you’re lucky enough to know how to read) as well as a hobby horse and a cork gun made of wood.
So those boots are almost a miracle.
Can you imagine how your face would light up? How crazy happy you would be running downstairs and seeing the 2 or 3 gifts with your name on them under the tree?

I wish we could have that back. A statement which probably makes me about 100 years old. But it’s so true in my heart.

I want that simpler happier life when gifts were truly gifts and nothing was ever returned.


-a simple man

no such luck

This last weekend was pretty decent. Thursday morning I woke early to accompany SweetD on her apartment search. She's moving out. I don't think I mentioned that, but yes...
She has decided that she just can't handle roomates. Says she likes my sister and her boyfriend, but just can't handle living with anyone anymore. At the same time...she'd love it if I moved in with her.
Right.
And I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I'm waiting until she's gone...to see if I'm relieved and happy for the space or if I miss her terribly and just want to spend all of my time with her. If I'm honest, and I usually am...painfully so, I think I'll be more on the side of relief than disappointment and sadness. We'll see.

Anyway, so yes...apartment shopping. Then a quiet day at home brewing cider and whatnot. Friday night we went to see Harry Potter. Good stuff, go see it, worth the money, yada yada. I may review it...but eh...yeah...I guess I should. I'm hoping to make that a regular feature of the blog so it's gotta be there.
Sorry, look for a review soon.
Then on Saturday SweetD and I headed to Magnolia Texas to enjoy the Texas Renaissance Festival. She'd never been to a Renfest that she could remember so it was a new experience for her. We were there about 5 hours, walked around...saw Dead Bob, and the Mud Show. It was fun, plus I got to wear my horns so that's always a bonus. heh

Then sunday...back to work. I'd say yay...but not.

Oh...almost forgot...there was some drama revolving my personal feelings towards matrimony and her persistance regarding the desire to be betrothed. Mild drama really. Like I pissed her off a smidge and politely told her she'd have to deal.
meh.
I don't want her to be unhappy. I thought she was okay with the idea of not getting married...but the more we talk about it, the more it seems she was hoping that she could change my mind.
I don't even know what to say to that. I keep starting sentences and then stopping. Meh.
Other than that, life is most excellent. Hope yours is too.


- i gotta be me

things completed

I've been watching Victorian Farm on Youtube for the past few days. Good stuff. I had caught an episode on one of my visits to the boy, but didn't realize someone had been kind enough to post the whole series online.
The lovely Jenna at Cold Antler Farm mentioned it in one of her posts though and I had to check it out.
Between that and a new show on History...Apocolypse PA, it dawned on me that we don't make much ourselves anymore. I mean honestly...vegetables, meat, honey, butter, cheese. Heat, light...hell even many of our meals are prepared by others. Everyone is so specialized that if there were suddenly a crazy apocolypse and all modern machines ceased working, I'd be willing to bet that most 3rd world nations would be fine but 90% of the modern world would be shit out of luck.
Look, I get that in our current society, with the lives we lead, most of us just don't have time to make bread or butter or cheese. Hell...I love some Jarlsberg or smoked Gouda and I'm not gonna lie...I'm not nearly as talented as the people who do this for a living. Still, I know how, so I can provide for myself and my family and friends.
Also, we're all so busy...watching tv and generally being lazy bastards. If we spent just an hour less on the tv every night we'd have time for most of these projects. If nothing else...at least we'd know how.

As for yours truly, my soap is decent, but it needs more lather. I'll write the entry and show the pictures shortly. The rocket is ready to go with a nice new launch rod and I think we'll be doing that at the Woodlands' Football Stadium parking lot this next weekend. Actually, now that I think about it, Thanksgiving might be an appropriate time for launching rockets and whatnot. Hmm...
Anyway, I'll write something on that too sometime in the next few weeks.
Then there's the Cider that I started two days ago. Two one gallon carboys are currently bubbling away in my garage. I'll buy two more next week.
Oh, and I need to work on a new soap recipe because because I have plenty of bacon fat sitting in the fridge waiting to be used.
Projects galore.
Still, I'm looking forward to more. What would you kids like to see me make? Any suggestions?


-a force for good

a weird sort of kindness

"Some people are kind enough to spend their lives making sure no one will be sad at their funeral by alienating those who might love and cry for them."

Love that line.
Not because I want to do it, but because it's just the sort of dark humor that I get.
Also, loving someone is sometimes painful. It's probably safe to say that loving someone is always painful at one point or another. Some people are more painful than others.

Right, happy thoughts yes?

Oh, and if you'd like to see that line in its original context...clicky clicky.


-keepin' it real

call me jack

This!

Man, I read that and it just...yeah...it so matches the path I've been on for the past few years. I mean...her blog in general matches much of what I'd like to do, but that post specifically grabs hold of the idea that we should just get out and DO things. Looking in the comments I found another GEM as well. Go ahead and click it, it's about the cult of DONE. I like it, you should too.
There's a book too...but it's at home and I don't have the title...I'll come back and edit this to add that info.

That's all I've got. I really need to write up the cheese and the rocket and the papercraft, as well as make more cheese and get on the cider and beer kick now that it's cooling down. Also...possibly mushrooms. I'd like to grow them too, we'll see.


-jack of all trades

heebie jeebies

I hit work on Halloween day wearing a pair of horns. The jokes were plenty. But hey...I like my horns.
Also...I wasn't about to get all crazy dolled up for work. Not happening.
Though....funny enough, outside of work I would have loved to play dress up. Go figure.

Anyway, the next day was no bueno. I didn't sleep at all due to a headache so I called out.
I've been out all week. Also...I apparently have vacation next week.
Hew knew?
Not I.

Oh, and if my typing is poor I apologize, I'm doing this at 4am without a pair of glasses, so I'm pretty much doing it by feel and then just hoping that it comes out correctly because I can't actually see the words unless I squint my eyes and get right up on top of the computer screen.
Heh, right up on top of...you're dirty.
Me too.

But yes, so typos galore, now you know.

Also, I saw Paranormal Activity 2 last week with Rooms and her husband. Let me tell you...creepy mccreeperson. Holy crap. No lying.
A week later and I still get a little bit of the heeby jeebies when the lights go out. No joke.

So yes...4am and I'm awake with a cough wishing that I felt better and that I wasn't afraid of the dark. While I type this without glasses in a adark bedroom.
Right.
At least I won't actually be able to see the evil demon when he comes to get me.
blblblblbl....heebie jeebies I tell you.

Hope you're all doing well. I'm out.


-midnight writer

weekend update

Friday night was a dinner party here in the Woodlands followed by boys night out downtown. We hit Big Top and had a few drinks.
Stories were told.
"in the hall?!" heh

Anyway, yes...and it was decided that once a year we should have a no holds barred bachanal. The sort of suare(sp?) where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are going to get wastedface. Because...well...that's the reason for this party. One time a year when everyone can say screw it and really truly let loose. Plans are still murky though, so we'll have to see.

Saturday morning we woke up earlier than normal and headed to Austin to play with Monkey and some of her friends. Good times.
Good times.
I'm not telling all of my secrets but please, let's all agree that when someone of the opposite sex is very obviously attracted to you...it feels damned good.
Yes it does.

Also, I love hanging out with Monkey and her husband is a pretty cool cat too. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Then the sis and I drove home late at night, had a run-in with a pair of punks, and yours truly wanted ohsoverymuch to just pull over and beat the everloving daylights out of both of them.
The sister wouldn't let me...said I needed to just keep going...that we had no idea if they had a gun or knives or other such weapons.
I let her win the argument.
Lets be honest...if I insisted and she turned out to be right...I'd be dead or in a hospital...I don't like that kind of risk/reward system. It is no bueno.
Also, I've been saying that a lot lately.
No bueno.
It's fun...but then not so much...because..well...I wouldn't say it for a good thing right?
Right.

Oh...and SweetD's car blew up. Not literally. But yes...blew up. Almost 2grand to fix.
No bueno.
See what I mean?

But life is good otherwise. I very much enjoyed the trip to see Monkey and crew, boys night out was tons of fun, and I even had time for a movie this week.
Expect something on soap, a rocket update, and possible cider brewing soon.

Yay for making and doing! Woot!


-livin' la vida loca

RED

RED

Director: Robert Schwentke
Writers: Jon and Erich Hoeber

Starring: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, as well as Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Look...it's an allstar cast beyond a shadow of a doubt. That alone is reason enough to recommend this movie.

Based on the D.C. Comic of the same name, this movie is about ex CIA operatives who have been tagged RED. That is to say they are Retired, Extremely Dangerous.
So the film centers around a group of folks who are probably in their 60s, have retired, and are living nice quiet boring lives.
At least until someone else decides that our heroes know too much and feels they should be whacked.
Then hilarity ensues.

That's the part I wasn't expecting...the hilarity. Because John Malkovich is brilliant (as always really but call me a fan boy) and because the plot lends itself to whacky moments. Not too crazy over the top when is this movie going to be over...but laugh out loud, that's funny, ooh what's next kind of gags. This is good stuff. I would never have expected a spy action comedy to be so entertaining but I stand corrected.
If nothing else, go see Malkovich pout with a stuffed pig, or because Mary-Louise Parker is cute as all hell as she rants about her bad date.
Good stuff.

Oh, and a distinct lack of gore. Sure...people die...but they handled that more disney...with a light sprinkling of blood and an absence of the attrocities you expect to see in Rambo or a war film.

I'm ranking it number 3 for the year. That is still high enough that I'd go see it again.

-Old man my ass!

running through my mind

I think alot.
Alot alot.
And that's okay. I'm good with that.

There's an argument to be made that the brain is more powerful when we exercise it. Something that this man agrees with wholeheartedly.
Yet...exercise in this case requires a problem or process that must be sorted, fixed, or overcome.
Too often this is not the sort of thing that is running through my head.
Especially lately.

Have you ever noticed that when your brain gets moving on a painful or negative subject...that you just can't get off of it?
It's like a scab. The brain just picks and picks and picks at it...keeping that wound open and causing it to bleed all in the head till it consumes most of our thoughts.
Okay...my thoughts.
Which is one reason that I like difficult, hi stress, focused jobs. It requires the brain to focus on the task at hand.
In fact, that's probably why I'm enjoying all of the projects so much more now and trying to focus on them.

There's a group of thought that by focusing on the moment, actively recognizing that I'm sitting at a computer in the office, my back to the window, with a bit of airconditioning blowing down as I type on these keys...
That focusing on this moment I can kill the repetative negative train of thought. That I can, in fact, train my brain to be more focused when needed, and to perhaps go a bit quiet when not needed.
Peace and quiet would be nice right about now...because this constant motion is just too much.

Meh.


-noisy on the inside

The Social Network

The Social Network

Director - David Fincher
Writer - Aaron Sorkin

Starring - Jesse Eisenberg

Based on the legal drama surrounding Facebook this movie actually shines.
A movie about a social network shows precisely how messed up a network can become and how quickly things can go horribly wrong. Well...if you aren't careful about how you treat your friends and whom you choose to surround yourself with.

Jesse Eisenberg does a fantastic job of getting you to hate him and feel sorry for him at the same time.

Also...and it pains me to say this...but Justin Timberlake has a short appearance and he didn't suck in the slightest. I don't know where he's taking lessons but his teacher is apparently amazing.

Keep in mind that I hadn't seen a movie in what feels like forever...but I really enjoyed this movie. I like watching the interplay of people.
Good stuff.

Go see it at the theatre, I strongly doubt that you'll be disappointed. I'm ranking it #2 for the year. Okay...that's just out of 4 for now...but still.


-written in ink

what now?

I was totally going to the gym on a regular basis for a while there.
Read that as "at least twice a week"...but then it seems everything crashed and I stopped. It is my humble opinion that the lack of exercise and my increased lack of intelligent food choices has only added to the downward spiral.
So umm, yes...must fix...back to gym...quickly now.

Right.

Did I mention that I actually made soap a few weeks ago? I believe I did. I'll buy wax paper tonight and wrap it up. Perhaps a few pictures will make it in here along with my basic recipe. I'd like to start showing some of my projects so that other folks can learn from my mistakes and maybe be inspired to go DO something instead of freaking out that they'll screw it up.
Just go screw it up...you'll still have fun.
I promise.

Also, the rocket will be ready soon. It's built, just needs a pretty coat of paint and possibly a decal or two. Then she'll be ready to fly. Definitely pics of that project as well.

Still not on an up slope...but working on it one day at a time.


-this too shall pass

spiral

Yesterday just continued on it's downward spiral.
Someone that I've worked with for the past 6 years, whom I looked up to and respected, passed away yesterday afternoon.
The funeral is Friday.

I'm okay, a little shaken due to circumstances and how some of the folks around here are dealing with it, but okay nonetheless.

Expect the rest of the week to be a downer. I'll start fresh and happy on Saturday.
'least...that's the plan.


-singing the blues

Hits

There was a conversation last night regarding driving stories, particularly hitting things.
And there's a story there, of the time I hit something and it immediately and drastically altered my mood.
Strange how something so rare can either cause your day to immediately go downhill...or simply further cement the foul mood you were already fostering.

Today something hit me.
By "something" I mean a six or eight inch section of 4x4 that was launched by the vehicle in front of me. The soccer mom in the mini van who apparently didn't realize that she should have swerved around it rather than drive over it.
My mood was already poorly. Now it's particularly foul.

@#$%^!!!


-grumpy old man

On night fires and golf tournaments

Wednesday night I headed over to Humble to hang with Converse and friends. She sent the invite out to a dozen or so people, my expectation was a bonfire and craziness.
However, when I pulled up to the house, what I found was a quiet fire in the backyard with two folks hanging out. Just Converse and her man were left.
Here's the thing...though the night was nothing like I'd expected it to be, I'd tell you that it was far better. The conversation was stellar, the two of them are fantastic, and I missed Converse. We talked about the phone call a few months ago when she asked me for pointers on making jam, then her man and I discussed this long distance parenting thing I'm doing, and how...while it is painful and seems hopeless...it is such a good thing.
This coming from a bit of a personal perspective on his part, so it was very good to hear.
Oh, and the jam conversation...methinks that Converse and I will do a group jam session at her house. That sounds like music but is actually cooking.
The fire was awesome, so were the smores, and the conversation was delicious.
The only down side was that I missed Barista by like forty five minutes. Oh well...as she put it, we live in the same town, we'll have other opportunities.

Friday was the company golf tournament.
Man, golf is okay, it's kinda fun and not too shabby. But golf tournaments sponsored by companies and whatnot?
Just do it.
Four of us met up, drank alchohol, smoked cigars, cracked jokes, lots of homoerotic ball references, plenty of flirting with beer cart girls...sooo much fun.
I also won a $25 gift certificate and a $50 nike golf shirt. My entrance fee to the tournament was $75. Plus, all of the money goes to the company scholarship fund, so I'm helping someone get an education.
Good times.

Heh...oh, and about halfway through the day I met Barista's mom for the first time ever. Lining up to take a shot I heard my name from behind. After the shot I turned around and saw a cart with two ladies in it...one I recognized as having used to work here at headquarters...and I knew that she was friends with Barista's mom. Sure enough...I walk over and get introduced. Then she poured me a shot of tequila.
The universe is so random sometimes.

Yesterday I changed the oil on the car, then SweetD and I headed to Chi Sushi here in The Woodlands. After that, tailgaters with friends. Good times.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend.


-playing through

just let go

It's not that I'm ignoring the obvious connection. Or that I'm unaware of the crazy chemistry. I've forgiven you for all of the crazy bullshit that happened, I'm just unwilling to forget.
I've made the conscious decision that no amount of connection or chemistry is worth what comes with it in this case.
That might not be true if I hadn't been lucky enough to meet other equally amazing women who treated me with respect and love not because that's what you're supposed to do...but because that's just who they are.
I've experienced the connection and chemistry in other places and know that I don't have to put up with crazy in order to have that kind of awesome.

So umm...yeah.


-sticking it to ya

Creativity

I subscribe to the gapingvoid email list. He sends a picture plus a thought every day. Not everything he sends is awesome, but he has a knack for striking a chord...for making me think.
I like that.

Anyway, here's an exerpt from the email today:
Whether we're artists, corporate managers, accountants or whatever, we all want to create; and we want to do it in a purposeful and meaningful way.
I learned the hard way that, as agreeable an idea "Creativity for its own sake" is, it's not particularly sustainable, financially rewarding or emotionally satisfying over the long run.
Human beings are hardwired to embrace "Creativity With Purpose"- i.e.create stuff that actually has real value to ourselves and other people. Creativity is tied into our evolution as a species and our basic survival instinct. It's there for a reason.

I have no doubt that this is why I enjoy doing many of the things I do.
Take, for instance, the soap I made on Saturday night.
That's right...soap.
To be honest, I'm not too hopeful that it'll be good stuff. But I've already learned from the process and I've already figured two things I can do to make for a better batch.
1. Boil the fat to clean it...this is called making "sweet lard" as opposed to that normal lard that comes on your bacon.
2. no more lining if I'm using cardboard or peel away boxes...it just gets in the way.

I got off on a soap tangent there, excuse me
The thing here...is that creativity is in my bones.
I'm much happier...in fact I'd argue that we are all much happier, when we are making and creating. But most of us have been brought up to think that failure isn't an option, so we are paralyzed by the fear of it. Paralyzed to such an extent that many of us never even start.
A friend asked how I learned to make my own bread. She was interested in doing it herself but wasn't sure how to go about it. When my explanation was that I looked it up online then just did it, her first response said everything "But what if you mess up?"
Right...good question.
What if I screwed it up, failed, bit it, took a complete nosedive...
I guess if I did that, then I'd have a manky bit of dough and would've wasted a whole 75¢ on materials. Also, I'd have a horrible black stain on my baking record.
My actual answer to her..."Do over, start again. Who cares if you mess up? It's cheap and easy and fun. Just try it."
Because here's the thing...when you're in the kitchen making bread, or well...whatever you're making...no one really cares if you screw up.
Well...as long as you don't actually burn the house down.
But yes.
At the end of the day, if you learn from it, that only means the next experience will be much better. And it's those successes...even the small ones...that everyone will remember.

Also...soap.


-maker

motivation

It's difficult to muster motivation at the office lately.
You see...sometime not too long after June of 2011, I will no longer work for the company.
I say that, I guess there are always alternative possibilities, but they are moving, and I don't plan on going with them.
So yeah...no job in 9 months.

But that's nine months from now. In the meantime I just keep reminding myself that I'm proud of my work and that I'd like to leave here knowing that I did my absolute best all the way to my last day here.
Then sometimes...yeah...it's difficult muster that motivation.
That's a fantastic phrase...muster motivation.
Heh.

Anyway, yes...motivation...I've found it in so many other places lately. There's a half built rocket sitting on my coffee table waiting patiently for me to finish...it'll be done and skybound sometime in the next 10 days or so. My lovely car had work done to it, and I'll crawl underneath to change the oil this weekend.
I have just about everything I need to make soap at home.
It's also time to do cider again...and beer. Mmmmm beer.
Then Hotflashing and I had discussed the possibility of her and the little one helping me make another batch of cheese. Apparently the little one thought my last batch was the best stuff ever. Woot.
So yes...more cheese.

I've been reading the foxfire books, and researching home building techniques online. I want this offgrid life. Perhaps this is my opportunity.
I'm mostly dreaming wildly and having fun with all of the learning and doing. It probably won't actually happen, but it's been in the back of my mind so often lately...popping up and inspiring me.

For the past 6 months or so I've said over and over that true happiness would be waking up in a handbuilt house and teaching other people to make bread and butter and soap and wine and beer and cider, oh and cheese.
That would be pure joy.

It's a thought.


-hand built man

Come join me

All dressed out and ready to jump. The funny little gang sign is a reference to where I planned to be just 20 minutes after this picture was taken...two miles up. It was a theme for the morning, an inside joke at one of our other friends.
Next time you should come, you can make a silly 2-up gang sign too.

freefall

Imagine a point in the sky two miles high. Somewhere just above the clouds where the bright sun touches everything and there are no shadows. So far above everything we know on a daily basis, removed from the hustle and bustle. In the mind, this place we conjure up is quiet, it is hushed, it is brilliantly silent.
Soft clouds moving slowly below, occasionally breaking up the view of earth and it's manic occupants, everything up here moves at a different pace.

At least, that is the image that still plays back when I try to imagine a spot so high and far removed from this office I now sit in.
But that image shares a spot right next to a reality that I enjoyed this last weekend, a real world experience that was out of this world. It is something that, two days later, I am just now coming down from.

You see...two days ago, on Saturday morning I jumped out of an airplane.

After a meager four hours of sleep, yours truly got up in the wee hours so he could drive to Rosharon Texas. It's an adult playground, a mini amusement park. It is so much fun.
And the story is long with lots of little jokes and comments, all of the sort that end with "you should have been there".

But the part I want to tell is where I wasn't nearly as scared as I thought I'd be. How the ride up was loud and windy and funny and exciting, everyone talking and laughing as we watched altimeters and glanced out of the windows. How that spot so high up, that I'd always imagined would be quiet and peaceful and still, wasn't any of those things at all. The time came to jump and my tandem partner and I slid down to the door...my knees hanging out into space as I looked into a world of bright blue and was blasted by wind whipping past and then...

Ready.
Set.
Go.

It got quiet, for one second my entire life was as hushed as a church while I slowly toppled end over end and the airplane slid out of view.
Then it was loud and windy with excitement and yelling and happiness and joy.
The rush is like nothing I've ever experienced.
I'm hooked.


-free as a bird

Detroit Rock City

I spent the past weekend in Motor City.
The atmosphere there is definitely different from anything I know. Not in a bad way. Just different.
Though, I guess it's nice that I was even there long enough to realize that difference. Seems that so often travel is so short, or we are so secluded, that we don't get time to see those small things that set one place apart from another.

Anyway...yes...
Detroit.

There was a wedding. SweetD was a bridesmaid and I was asked to be her date. Our room was right next to the bride and groom. Honestly? I was not happy with that setup. Seemed a bit weird. But it worked out very well.
We arrived on thursday, headed to the hotel to change clothes, and then off to the rehearsal dinner. Pretty straightforward...this is where we began the drinking. The evening ended with your truly sharing a jacuzzi bathtub with four beautiful women. We were all drunk, and all fully clothed. It was pretty damned hilarious.
"I'm a beached whale!"
heh

Friday was the actual wedding. Girl got up early to drink mamosas and get all beautified and whatnot.
I went to The Henry Ford Museum instead. On the way, I stopped at Dearborn Itialian Bakery...good stuff. Not at all what I was expecting...because I was thinking more of a sit down type restaurant than a deli counter...but negating my preconceived notions...damned good food. Also, everyone in there was super nice and helpful. If you should ever be in the area I definitely recommend it.
The museum was great. I probably should have checked out the Greenfield Village instead of the inside section, but the skies were threatening to open up...and I didn't feel like walking in the rain. Still, I'd never been there, and even the meager 3 hours that I had available was totally worth the $15 admission.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to go back in spring.
The wedding was fun, the reception, better, and in general I had a fantastic weekend. Drank a few too many whiskey and cola's at the reception...but eh...maybe that's part of why I had so much fun. hehe

Saturday we flew back, managed to find time to hit Goose's Acre here in the Woodland's that afternoon, then to bed.
Fin'


-going to the concert

Vancouver Day 3

Wake up late, walk to Nester's to grab a few breakfast items and then back to play video games with Mogivite.
Then a short walk to a festival downtown where we met the lovely redhead and saw the sights.

Mogivite and I tried to enjoy the hottub at his apartment...but it was more luke warm. It was broken a few days ago something something. I don't know...I didn't really care. So we hung out down there anyway and talked in the tepid water for a half hour or so.
Then it was off to enjoy Tapas at La Bodega.
All of the food was good, but the chorizo is what got me. It didn't have that killer heat that we have here in Texas with Mexican Chorizo...but the flavor was phenomenal. Definitely order the chorizo if you go there. Do it.

Anyway, as always, the company and conversation were both excellent. We had a great time and then walked back home. Due to flight changes I had to be on the train at about 0530 so it was decided that Mogivite and myself would stay up until 2ish playing video games and then I'd nap for a bit.
Right.

That was the plan.

Sometime between 0230 and 0300...I was yanked from a sound sleep by the loudest alarm clock I'd ever heard. The lovely redhead came out of the bedroom and I thought she was looking for her cellphone...until I became coherent enough to realize that the two of them were trying to suss the reason for the ruckus, and that the loud bonging noise was actually the fire alarm.
Mogivite lives on the twelfth floor of a 25 story building.
He also has an awesome cat.
So I found out that my jeans will actually fit OVER my pajamas...good stuff, and then we spent a few minutes wrangling the understandably freaked out cat into it's carrier.
Cat wrangling...heh
Then, at 0300, we walked down 12 flights of stairs so that we could go stand in the rain with all of the neighbors and find out what happened.
Which was this:
Someone was cooking or some such, there was a mistake of some sort, which necessitated the use of their fire extinguisher.
Good on them for having the fire extinguisher.
In fact, that's the only portion of the story that is definite...I heard different versions as to the reason it was needed...but yes...the fire extinguisher fulfilled its purpose and put out the fire.
Only the building's fire alarm is designed to recognize the use of a fire extinguisher and to call the fire department.
Also...to sound the alarm.
Good times.
After about ten minutes the firemen declared the building safe, and then we spent roughly twenty minutes trying to get back upstairs. Yeah, there were a couple hundred of us, and only two elevators. The stairs don't have floor access, one you go into them you can't get out except for at ground level.
So all of us had to use the elevators to get back upstairs to the apartments.

I did try to sleep...but after thirty minutes or so of tossing and turning it seemed pointless. So I just played video games for the next half hour until the lovely redhead's alarm went off and we all got up to walk to the train station.

I had such a gerat weekend. I enjoy them so much.
Go to Vancouver. Even if you don't know anyone, it's a beautiful city and a ton of fun. Totally worth the visit.


-cat wrangler

Vancouver Day 2

Woke up midmorning and the 4 of us (myself, Mogivite, his bother E, and brother's wife A...yes, single letters for now, give me a break)...so yes, the 4 of us headed out for the Fraser Canyon. I had no clue what the plan was other than we'd be outdoors for the day. We did the 2 hour car trip complete with McDonald's stop, sadly too late for breakfast, as well as a lovely phonecall from babymama letting me know that our wonderful son had thrown a rock through a neighbors car window.
Good times.
I might tell that full story later. Maybe. Don't know. Suffice to say he is grounded and I'm a couple hundred poorer than I was prior to said rock blasting through said window.

Anyway, so we finally made our destination: Hell's Gate Airtram It runs down into the canyon where you get a good look at the salmon runs as well as the blasted rock and whatnot. There was a fisheries museum giving us a good idea of what happened in the area and how important it was that the salmon runs be fixed . "In all honesty" heh...I really enjoyed this part of the trip. Also, they have a fudge shop there and though I don't normally eat fudge...
This stuff is phenomenal!
Not even joking.
Phenomenal.

So yes, we saw the sights, learned some things, ate some fudge. As we were leaving everyone agreed that it was pretty cool but much smaller than we imagined. Which is funny because apparently none of those three had been there as kids and that's the common complaint when you see something as an adult that you also saw as a child right?
That it all seems much smaller?
But yeah...none of us had that prior experience. I'm thinking the word Airtram makes a person imagine a long trip up a mountain or something, and this (while very cool and interesting) was much shorter than what our minds had conjured up.

On the way back from the Airtram I convinced E to make a detour and we went hiking up to Alexandra Bridge I think his wife A got pics. Hopefully I'll get my hands on a few. We'll see.
I had a great time. E and his wife A are both great people that I would happily hang out with again. Maybe a trip to Phoenix before the end of the year. Woot!
Let's see...so that night, back at Mogivite's apartment, the lovely redhead made dinner and the two of us had a very good conversation waiting on him to come back from a meeting. He showed up with friends and there was some Wii to be had. Eventually we all hit the hay though, and Day 2 came to an end.


-in all honesty

Vancouver!!

As usual, so much fun. The one major difference was the pace...we did a ton of stuff, but things just didn't feel as manic or non-stop as usual. The pace was much more mellow this time.

I'm going to try for a quick run through, let's see how that goes:

I caught the early flight thursday morning with no problems. Vancouver Airport has a pretty fantastic walkthrough from the gate to customs, complete with indoor waterfall and river combination. Let's be honest, I want a river in my house. It'd be super awesome.
Customs meant the usual 20 questions, but they forgot to ask if I was heading to the coffeehouse. heh
I don't think that story will ever get old.

Mogivite and his brother picked me up and the 3 of us headed to a local casino. We wasted a bit of time and I burned $60 at a blackjack table.
We split ways and headed back to Mogivite's apartment where we were soon joined by his lovely redhead. *We're just going to call her that for now, I'll find a good nickname later*
Anyway, hugs galore and she was off to make appetizers for the family dinner we were headed to later.

Honestly...her litte nephew plodding around in adult sized fuzzy ducky slippers...funniest thing ever. Not one person who saw him that night kept a straight face. It was fantastic.
So was dinner by the way.
The appetizers were a hit, and the rest of the dinner was fantastic.
Ooooh!
I forgot lunch. After the casino but before we split up, Mogivite and his brother took me to The SandBar. The view was spectacular, as was the salmon burger.

Anyway, I remembered that only because dinner included grilled salmon. Along with roast chicken, vegetables, warm green bean salad, regular salad, the salmon, and fresh ears of corn.
Plus, all of the amazing people who were there to share it with. Very good times.

After dinner Mogivite and myself headed over to his brother's to spend the night. Mogivite was banned from the house computer, and there was Rockband.

Finally, at around 1 or 2am we hit the hay. I walked upstairs, figured out which doorway led to my bedroom and which one led to an awkward situation with the lady of the house...and hit the hay.
I avoided the awkward situation, in case you were wondering.

That was Day 1. We're going to do installments.


-easy installation

Community

What happened to everybody?
No really...
What.
Happened?

You see, this whole weblog phenomena that I'm happy to write about over and over again started for me back in the lovely year of 2002ish...I believe. I'll have to check and then come back at some point to edit that number.

So yes...I've been doing this for a while.
But when these words first left my lovely brain and hit the net it was part of a community of bloggers. A group of people who had easy access to eachother.
That's something I miss.
I want that long list of possible good reads, and not necessarily all professionaly written daily updated topic specific blogs either.
Just good intelligent people with varying ideas and viewpoints sitting down and talking about what they had for lunch or that asshole who cut them off in traffic.

Perhaps what we need is a new list of some sort...a new community.
Perhaps I just need to find a decent blogroll.

Along that vein, why don't you all say hello. All three of you who read here on a regular basis sure, but especially those few of you who lurk and have never commented. Take a second to say hello and introduce yourself. It'd be nice to know who you are. Plus, if you write on your own...maybe I'll go peruse your mental ramblings and have some fun while I'm at it. You never know.
You just never know.
So say hello.
Go now.
Do it.
Click the button.

Thank you.
At any rate...It's late and I'm finally out. I'll post this for Saturday. Should be getting back from Vancouver at some point on Sunday. In fact, I'm probably partying it up right now! Woot!
Yay future me!

Stories will be told.
Promise.


-built this city

Before Canada

I am so stoked for this weekend.
Vancouver is full of such fantastic people and yours truly will be fully emersed over the next 3 or 4 days.

As this is typed, eight hours into a ten hour shift, my mind can't fully comprehend the joy that awaits. Written like that it sounds like a Disneyland for adults. But mostly, it's just Disneyland for a person like me.
Though, it is such a beautiful city with a ton of fun things to do, so there is no doubt that many people would love a visit. But no seriously...Dizz-knee-land.
Because these folks that have managed to become a part of my world there in the lovely BC...have altered my perception of time.

You see...everyone else has BC and AD...Before Christ and Anno Domini, literally "year of our lord".
Or for those who are devoutly non-religious...heh...see what I did there?
Anyway, for those who reject all religious icons or denominations, or perhaps just reject all Christian Dates and times, there is BCE and CE, or Before Common Era and Common Era.
BCE and BC are the same, as are CE and AD.
It all gets quite confusing, but not nearly as confusing as the calendar that has suddenly been thrust into my head.

You see, I have BC and AC. That is Before Canada and After Canada. As such, I was born in 28 BC, and the current year is 6 AC.
Mind blowing.
I KNOW.

Okay, I'm a bit out of control, but you were told at the beginning that I am stoked, and these kids, especially Mogivite, they all have such a profound effect on me every single time I am with them.
More than likely I will be mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of these 4 days and I will be more than ready to go home. But that is due to overstimulation and all of the many positive things that I'll get out of it not from anything negative.
Also sushi...remind me to get the sushi.

Right.
Now I really am the rambling man.

This started out with a vague notion that I would hit all of the possible locations...here at the office, in the air, where you are right now as you read this.
But it kind of took on a manic little life of it's own...and I'm okay with that.
Quite okay.

I hope you're okay too.


-lengthy and confused

expectations

I wrote a long post back on the 20th where I threw out some ideas on long term relationships and the choices that we make in life.

Uncruel left a beautiful comment and I've been mulling over the entire topic for a week or so now.

Part of the problem with long term relationships is that the directions our lives can take are so amazingly varied and diverse that sometimes I think we get overwhelmed with the idea of who we could someday be...or what we might be able accomplish in the future...and forget to focus on who and what we are, what we are accomplishing and doing right now.

Life used to be a daily struggle for survival, keeping a roof over your head and food in your belly was what you worked and strived for from dawn to dusk.
Now...with those things easily provided for a large portion of the population (I know there are those less fortunate but that's a completely separate topic) instead of life being simpler...it is instead more complicated.

As a result, many of us will make drastic life changes in our thirties and forties. Hopefully we'll all have the intelligence and foresight to make the kinds of choices that will dramatically enhance our lives...but nevermind...I'm getting off topic.

Here's what Uncruel had to say on the subject:
You fix that by A) knowing where you want to go in life and B) finding out early on, preferably before falling in love, where the other person wants to go in life. A & B were not a problem in the old days because everyone was expected to have the same plans from life, and anyone who didn't was leaned on heavily by society. The reason everyone had these plans is that they are preferences which are built into our genetic code. In the age of birth control and a wide selection of professions, many of us dare to defy our genetic motivations, and these things can no longer be assumed.

In all honesty, I should probably just go back and delete what I wrote above, given that he has put it much more eloquently here...but hey, it's my blog, and I've been mulling it over for the past week so you can be subjected to it over and over again too.

Anyway...he is so right.
But either no one has noticed this problem, or no one thinks enough of it to warn our children. We are still hammering on them that they need to get married early and have children and the two cars and the white picket fence.
Why?
I totally get that many many people will be happier with a partner. I understand from experience the biological imperative to reproduce.
Still, why not sit your children down and explain to them that there's no rush to get married, that in this day and age we can have children in our late twenties and early thirties. That if they decide not to get married at all...that's completely okay too.
Why not explain that whatever they decide and want it'd make life far better if they at least wait until they have some certainty as to what they want from life before trying to make decisions about who they want to share that life with?

Perhaps I feel like my parents should have sat me down. Maybe that's why I feel so strongly.
Meh.
I don't think either of them saw it that way. Even now my mom pushes me to get married, but more because she can't get her head around the idea that I could be happy on my own. She just doesn't want me to be alone. I get that.
Anyway. Heavy subject and a long post. Perhaps I should have warned you back at the beginning. I do normally...but nevermind. Expect regular updates for the next day or so. I'm having a slow night and am in the mood to write. We'll see how many ideas I can flesh out in the next 3 hours.


-rambling man

Austin Road Trip

I took a road trip with SweetD last week to see Monkey and her little one in Austin while picking up the lovely suit I managed to leave behind last month.
Good times.
Honestly though...good times.
The road trip was fun and while I'm slightly opposed to putting the mileage on the GTI, it was fun to let it unwind a bit on the backroads. I'm so happy with that purchase. You just don't know.

SweetD spent the IAH AUS leg of the journey calling out interesting items that I just HAD to look at.
Only she waited until they had just passed to tell me.
Exactly.
Can't you see I'm driving here? I need some warning if you want me to look at something.
She just couldn't help herself. Even after I pointed it out she kept it up, in fact, at one point she was actually biting her tongue to keep herself from continuing.

Anyway, the visit with Monkey was fantastic. We started with lunch at Mighty Fine Bugers and then went back to her place for conversation and dessert. Mighty Fine makes a damned good burger, and the hand cut crinkly fries are delish.
Dessert at Monkey's house was a leftover home cooked creme brulee that she kindly offered to let me dig into. Those of you who know me will understand how quickly I agreed to take it off of her hands. It was so tasty, so wonderfully tasty.
If you ever have the means I highly recommend you pick one up.

Also, her little one has a fantastic pirate-ship-water-table contraption that caused a bit of a water fight outside. A little water never hurt anyone though, just causes giggles.
Except maybe the wicked witch, and she was misunderstood.
Poor thing.

That's all I've got.
Back in a day or two to finish up some thoughts on the two posts below.
Uncruel...thank you so much for your comments man. You never fail to amaze me with your words.


-pointing at the ketchup

games people play

Monopoly anyone?
I do love a good game night. Though, for some reason I prefer games that take a decent amount of time to play.
Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Risk, those are right up my alley.

However, those games we play out of insecurity?
Yeah....not so much.
I just can't hack it. Especially since ninety percent of them could be avoided if we'd only be honest about how we are feeling and communicate that to the person we are directing it towards...boyfriend/girlfriend/bestfriend...
Instead of playing a game or throwing a fit or causing drama, just tell someone how you're feeling and why. Hopefully they'll be adult enough to help you deal rather than make things worse.

Not that I've never played those games...because it's so much easier to describe the proper way to handle them having made all the wrong decisions myself.
That's what we call the wisdom of experience.

I've been in relationships full of games and manipulation, on both sides, but I'm at a point in my life where I have neither the patience nor the desire to put up with the drama. Running all of this through my head...it dawned on me that the other reason I don't do games anymore is that, having plenty of past experience, I pull out the big guns at the first opportunity. You see, I'm a vendictive asshole when it comes to drama/insecurity bs, and winning these games to me means that one of two things happens:
Either I cause so much hurt and insecurity that you will never ever play them again for fear of my reaction and how it will make you feel in the end, or I'm such an angry douchebag you decide to evict me from your life.
Either way...you will never play games with me again...in which case I view either scenario a win for team Sub.
Man...reading through that again...I really AM a dick.

Here's the thing though, someone recently played a bullshit game with me and my initial reaction was largely automatic and unconscious. Even 12 hours after the fact I had to take a deep breath and think about what I was doing to refrain from being a total ass.
Notice I said "total ass" because I was still an ass...but just a fraction of one.
Fraction of ass.
heh

So, knowing that my reaction was dickish, and probably hurtful, though certainly not uncalled for or overly mean (you'll have to take my word for it)...I have to ask at what point we stop doing this.
When does our brain interject and ask us to be adults rather than petulant spoiled children lashing out at anyone who doesn't automatically make us the center of their world?
I can tell you that I became an adult when I started making decisions based on what was right and good (in my moral and ethical view) rather than based on what was easiest or caused me the least trouble. I pride myself on that now...sometimes probably too much...but still.

We are so driven by ego that it's difficult to view anything outside of that light unless a person is making a conscious decision to do so. As a result every decision we make is driven by the desire to be the best, the most noticed, most popular...whatever.
So when do we begin to put that aside...at least to some degree, in an effort to be good to our common man? When does someone elses happiness and desires actually begin to trump our own?

Maybe it's just an entirely different kind of ego that gets off on knowing I'm not the most important person on the planet.
Maybe that's the next evolution for man...
Or...possibly...I'm just full of shit and passing the time before I leave for the night.
Either way I'm still a douchebag half the time.


-still a douchebag

are you headed my direction?

I'm housesitting this weekend. Taking care of the golden retriever formerly known as "crazy dog". He's not so crazy anymore. This is a good thing.
Unfortunately, it took the nullification of wedding vows for him to get all calm and collected. Perhaps he knew something his human companions didn't?
Meh.
They are both good people, just headed in different directions.

That seems to happen a lot these days. We fall in love only to figure out much later on that our significant other hopes to someday become the most popular hooker between here and Conroe. Which is about the time you realize that you've never had any desire whatsoever to be a pimp, much less one so famous, and the two of you should probably sit down and discuss the fact that you are headed in completely opposite directions.

Look, I'm very open minded. I'm progressive and different and willing to accept a ton of different lifestyles and sexual preferences...

Still, the more I think about it, the more it hits me that maybe those old fashioned folks have a few things right.

Take courting for instance:
Back in the day it was expected that a young man would get himself started in an actual career, get a house, and then...only then would he go looking for a young woman.
If he was in the country he'd get his own property...or get promise of it from his father...before looking for a wife.
In either case, the man is already headed solidly down a path and direction. Not that he can't or won't change his mind, just that he wasn't as likely to do so.

Now? None of this is expected before a major relationship or marriage. Which means that many couples get together and then figure out later on that they want entirely different things from life. So, what do you do? How do you fix that?

Don't get me wrong, my best friends got married and that certainly wasn't his situation when he proposed to her. Yet I'd swear to you that they have a fantastic relationship and a great marriage
It's just that...eh...maybe there'd be fewer divorces if we told young men that they needed to be more established before they seriously started to consider marriage.
Don't worry my AARP membership is on it's way and my walker is on backorder.

As a woman, wouldn't it be a plus to find a man who enjoyed his career and had a roof over his head that was in his name? Someone who's goals were already defined? Because then, at least you'd know what direction he was headed from the start. Maybe you meet a guy living in a condo downtown pimping hot college girls to all the biggest names in town...maybe he's exactly what you're looking for.

I've had fun dating, and I don't think that should go away. But then...how do you flip that switch from dating to seriously looking for a permanent long term relationship? Because that's really the issue here. So many of us happen to run into someone who is super fantastic, who hits all of the right buttons, so we flip from dating to serious before we have anything else figured out. And we shouldn't have to miss out on the perfect fit just because we don't have the house or the career...but maybe we should slow down and make sure we have those before we ask that special someone to spend their lives with us?
Not because they are necessary...but because where you want to live and what you want to do has such a huge impact on who and what we are that I can't imagine sharing my life with someone who doesn't have some of the same dreams and desires as I do.

Meh...I don't think this post has an ending, I'm just throwing thoughts out there. This all hit me today on the way into the office (overtime today) and continued during a smoke break outside. Perhaps tossing it on here will help purge it from my system.
Please...discuss...


-call me old fashioned

Inception

Inception

Writer/Director - Christopher Nolan
Starring - Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ellen Paige


Layers.
Onions have layers. This movie has layers. This movie is like an onion.
No. Wait. scratch that.
But yes...layers.

It's a heist movie, only it isn't.
It's sci-fi...but not crazy over the top otherworldly sci-fi. In this case a completely new impossible technology is involved, but it's cleverly placed into a setting that we will recognize and relate to. This is smart, making it far easier for us to accept the entire story.

There's also a small love story.

And a dash of espionage.

As I said...layers.

When we look for onions we test for many things...but looks, color, texture...these are the most important to me. Movies are no different, and the cinematography here didn't disappoint. Stunning landscapes and dream sequences abound. The astounding views and scenes shown in the trailers are carried throughout the film.

Onions will make you cry. This movie...
Well, okay, no crying.
Let's forget about the onions.
Layers though...from beginning to end you will be thinking about the many different levels and different plays taking place. It is definitely the best movie I've seen this year...but you won't likely walk out of the theatre with a smile on your face, because it isn't a feel-good king of thing.
Emotional draw is what this movie did best. You become invested in the outcome. Not just along a single story line either. I don't want to give anything away, but there are two poignant emotional moments that really struck at me. Both are similar in what they were supposed to be...but so different in the moments themselves. That's right, I'm a vague bastard. I'm also a badass and a sweetheart.
Because layers.

Exactly.

Yet for all of that...the plot was relatively simple. Not much in the way of twists and turns or unseen moments. Apparently some folks haven't liked this...but trust me, with everything else going on here, I think that would have made this movie too complicated, too intricate.

I'm going to tell you that Inception is a must-see. It is currently #1 on my list for this year. Just be prepared for a show that will make you think.


-dream weaver

Salt

Salt

Writer - Kurt Wimmer (also wrote Ultraviolet and Equilibrium)
Director - Phillip Noyce
Starring - Angelina Jolie


This is a spy thriller, no bones about that. More Jason Bourne than James Bond. Though, I think I liked that.
Heh...I just realized that those two spys have the same initials.
Anyway...the fight scenes are mostly believable, and the camera shots are kept clean. The only use of the jittery camera is during one of the car chases.
I've heard people say that Jolie doesn't deliver, but I don't think she had much to work with. The dialogue is kept to a minimum and the opportunity to show her character as anything other than an action hero are short and few. I think that those she did have were used relatively well.

The other thing I liked about this movie is that it wasn't so far out of whack that everything came from left field, but also not so simple that I was guessing all of the plot twists long before they happened.
It engaged me, kept my mind playing, and let me figure things out just before they happened. That's a key feature to the thriller and is pulled off very well here.

So, final verdict...it's worth the price at the theatre. I put it at #2 for the year. If you enjoy a good spy movie with a healthy dose of action and plenty of plot twists...this is the movie for you.


-not a russian spy

2010 Movie List

Okay, so.
The idea here is to rank all of the movies I've seen this year...only I didn't review all of them and well...I'm not sure how to place them.
As a result we'll start with what I've seen in the past two weeks and go from there.
I will tell you though...Dispicable Me was awesome. Go see it.
Also...Toy Story 3...I've been told it's a masterpiece but I ho-hummed it. Don't know, maybe because I expected more than their stock storyline after all of this time?
Eh...if you liked the other two you'll still like this one.

Anyway...onto the list!

1. Inception
2. The Social Network
3. RED
4. Harry Potter
5. Megamind
6. Salt
7. The Other Guys


-everyone's a critic

hello again

It's been so long since I've written that this feels like that first trip on a bike after years of not riding. I know what to do, how to do it, but nothing quite fits.
It feels clumsy.
I've lost my grace.

Oh let's be honest here...I never had any grace when it comes to writing. Not really. Those who know me will tell you that what comes out here is very rarely considered before it is added to the page. Thoughts flow from graymatter to fingertip at 78wpm. I took a test the other day...that's not just a random guess.
But yes...what you read is not far removed from what you'd hear should you be standing in front of me. I do enjoy the occasional verbal game. It is fun to stretch my brain and test these skills...but mostly...
Mostly you get these phrases in their original form.
It's better that way.
Cleaner.
As well, I'm far less likely to censor myself if I refrain from thinking it all out.
I think that's what happened. Part of the reason I disappeared. I was thinking too hard about what I might say.
What I should say.

So I said nothing at all.

Meh.
I'm learning. Still learning after all these years and I'm so happy to know this, to realize how far I've come and how far I've yet to go. I'm proud of the man I am...that's not boasting or bragging, just a fact.

I am proud of the man I am.

I have flaws...certainly.
I probably use "..." far too much when I write, heh.
Just think of them as pauses, because that's where I'd breathe or think or, well...eh...
*shrugging of shoulders*
You get the picture.

I'm back though.

I'm back.
I've deleted all of the old entries for now. They'll be reposted over time along with entries from the old site. That one with all of the amazing folks where I found this blogging phenomena for the first time.
There is happiness in that thought, and you can't see the way the corners of my mouth turned up into a grin just thinking about them...but there you have it.

I'm still that same guy I was a few months ago.
Obsessed with making things using his own two hands. So focused on the relationships around him and what we all get from them. Still trying to figure out how the written word so affects his fellow man, or woman...you get my drift.
But making his way, day by day, and happy to be here, you can see it from ear to ear.
Happy.


-like a cheshire cat

Patience please...

We're under construction.

We'll have a new entry for your happy little minds to digest in just two shakes.