First Snow
Well it’s official. Winter is here. Andrea snapped this picture at lunch of our first real snow so far. Man was the wind blowing. Made it cold, but at least it kept the driveway clear!
A bit of a confession…
Against my better judgement over the weekend I decided to log into my old Second life character. For those that are unfamiliar with the software, you can think of it in simple terms as The Sims except with access to all of the unwholesomeness the internet has to offer. If you want a house and any money to spend in the “game” you have to pay a monthly subscription (which I don’t).
In more specific terms, Second Life could be a graphical representation of the internet. Instead of having a website, you can buy a patch of land. On that land you can create anything you want. Maybe you just want it to be your own personal space. Or you can even make a business where you make real money. And of course just as porn abounds on the internet itself, so it does in Second Life as well. Fortunately these sections of the map are clearly labeled “Mature”. That said there’s still plenty of “PG” areas where mature content is not aloud.
Honestly the concept really intrigues me. And the reason I use the phrase “against my better judgement” is because of the reputation the game recieves for attracting the most socially inept people in exsistance. Can’t make real friends? Your real job suck? Don’t do something about it…just play Second Life! …just an example of why I have reservations.
The part that fascinates me is the content creation part. While admittedly there is a learning curve, Second Life offers a playground of sorts to try out 3-D modeling, texture art, scripting, and the like. If you can imagine it, with enough skill you can probably build it in Second Life. You also retain the rights to anything you make. Which means you own it, and if you want, you can sell it. Whether anyone WANTS it is another matter.
So as of yet, I haven’t decided whether to pursue my fascination any further.
30 seconds
Wait... What?
Under our tree
Waiting for Santa Claus.
Halls be decked
The "family". Note extra tiny stockings.
Well we got our tree up tonight. It was Andrea’s idea to get a real tree this year. Sure does smell good. And we’ve got PLENTY of water down there, so it should be good. Already shed quite a few needles, but nothing we can’t deal with. As long as it doesn’t make too big of a mess when we haul it out, I’ll be super fine with it!
Sure does look pretty though. I enjoy the holiday season quite a bit. So it warms my heart to see a sparkling Christmas tree in the house. Nothing can compare to tromping into the house, kicking off your snow covered shoes and grabbing a cup of hot chocolate and a Calvin and Hobbes book and reading by the light of the Christmas tree. Just reminds me of those magical times when I was a kid I guess. I always looked forward to this time of year. Yes the presents, but it meant I got to see all sorts of family too. Grandmas and Grandpas, that sort of thing.
Real tree in all its glory!
We had a bit of a time getting the tree to stand up without falling over. Again one issue you usually don’t have to worry about with a fake one. But a little tree surgery and we were in business! We picked up a wreath for the front door. Even though nobody really uses the front door. And pulled out what little other holiday knick knacks we have. And what geek tree would be complete without some friendly Nintendo characters?
Yoshi. Joined by Mario, Bowser and the rest of the gang.
So happy holidays everybody! Here’s wishing you all trees that don’t catch on fire!
Random update
I haven’t blogged in a while. There’s not really a shortage of things to blog about, but just been busy enough that when I get home I’m really in the mood for something passive. Lurking on the message boards, watching some videos or what have you. The days are shorter and boy do they feel shorter too! Painting on the house is done for the year, and I find myself wondering if most people actually have time to put Christmas lights on their house while the sun it out.
I’ve been in a weird funk lately and I haven’t entirely traced down the cause yet. If I had to point my finger at one particular thing, I think it would be just a lack of having a free weekend. Part of it is the nature of the holidays, but I don’t help things by planning stuff for every weekend for three months straight. Two out of the last four weekends we’ve been watching Andrea’s niece and nephew. Great kids and a good time, but I don’t exactly get kick it an play some Guild Wars, or work on the car. The other two weekends we’ve been in Manhattan and SWK. Again, both good times, but feels like I’m always runnin’. Next weekend my friends Chris and Crystal are coming up, and the weekend after that we’re going to a wedding. Then MAYBE a weekend off.
Work has been going well. Slowly but surely figuring out what all needs to be done on all three stations and putting it into daily and weekly routines. Found several things that have been put off for over three months that I’ve had to get us caught up on. A little dissapointed that I haven’t really been able to focus on the actual sound of the stations yet. But I first need to figure out the day to day stuff that actually keeps stuff on the air! I’ve been putting in a few extra hours, but nothing too terrible.
I think I just need some solitary time. I need some time alone just like most normal people need to have people around once in a while. It keeps me sane and less grumpy.
A new “sig pic”.
On the message boards, you usually have a short space at the end of each post for your “signature”. Lots of people enjoy gigantic signature pictures approaching resolutions that were unheard of just a decade ago. I prefer to go easy on my posting brethren’s scroll wheels and keep mine more compact.
Spent an hour or two on this one. Tried to give the car a bit of an animated look, and give some love to those blingin’ wire wheels and white walls!
11.20.08A crazy Thursday
Well, it’s official…tomorrow is Dan’s last day. My feelings on the issue are mixed, but by and large, it’s the best of a crappy situation. It came down the horn that something had to give. Either everybody takes a hit or one person is sent packing. Now, as is well documented here and on my Twitter feed…I’ve never big the biggest Dan supporter. Be that as it may, despite his many shortcomings, he is a decent guy at heart. He had the option of skating out today and still get paid for the rest of the week, but he chose to stay the rest of the day and even come in tomorrow to make sure everything transitions over smoothly. I’ll be honest, if it were me, I’d have packed my things and been working on my second six pack by noon.
Speaking of transitions, as of Monday I will officially be Program Director of three radio stations. Granted they’re all syndicated stations. But it’s an opportunity to do something with them. It’s a place to start, and hopefully someday grow them into something more local. It’s more B.S. than bragging rights, but I’ll give it my best to make them sound as good as they possibly can.
So no pay cuts…which is good. But I’ll admit I felt some knots in my stomach seeing Dan shook up today. I don’t wish for anybody to lose their job, what a terrible feeling. In all honesty I was just as prepared for it to be me. After all, I haven’t even been there 5 months. But in that short time, I’ve tried to inject as much energy and enthusiasim into my position as I can. I try to be reliable, helpful, creative, and insightful. To be completely honest I haven’t had to work too hard at it. Maybe it comes naturally…but I don’t think that’s it. After the last job, I learned a lot about what I appreciate in my employment. And above all else it’s the people I work with. I look forward to seeing everyone here…most days. When I’m at work it feels more like a fraternity or a family. And even Dan has his place there. Like the weird uncle. I never imagined it…but I’ll miss the guy.
So life goes on. It will be a fast and furious couple weeks until I get a routine nailed down. But I’m looking forward to the challenge. Some of the obstacles that are part of this position look to provide some actual intellectual stimulation and I look forward to having the freedom to apply my style of solution to them. It’s a truly bittersweet moment. But a lesson in many respects: Don’t take for granted the good in people. All it takes to be noticed it some genuine intrest and good intentions. And no matter what life throws at you, it’s up to you to make the best of it.
11.19.08My next project
I bought a used carburetor for my car and I’m planning on rebuilding it and installing it on the Toronado. The one that’s on there now isn’t providing the gas mileage it used to.
All the parts involved.
Some people have said It’s a pretty ambitious project. I just consider it an exercise in patience. I have a couple new tools I have to buy, and a rebuild kit. But it should be a good winter project. I would have just rebuilt the one I have, but then I’d have to park the car while I was rebuilding it, and this might just take me a while. I want to take my time, get it right, and actually learn a thing or two!
Wish me luck…updates to come!
11.18.08Got City Folk!
Well I came home today and Andrea said she had a surprise for me. I figured she cooked me a nice homemade supper. Turns out she decided to pick up Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii!
I haven’t put a ton of time into it yet. But so far it’s very similar to previous Animal Crossing games. You just get to town, and you’re stuck working for Nook…AGAIN! Doing all the exact same chores he had you do clear back on the Gamecube. I was able to move my character from the DS onto the Wii though, which was pretty neat. Although I couldn’t bring any of my stuff with me.
It’s easier to play than the Gamecube version, thanks to the Wiimote, you can just click and drag items around, and it’s a lot easier to type letters. It controls pretty much exactly like the DS version. The cool part is you can go online and visit other towns. But even if you don’t have the internet, you can store your character on a DS and use that DS to travel to another person’s town on a different Wii. So I could set it up to travel to my DS. Put it in sleep mode. Then when I got to my sisters’s house on her Wii, open the DS back up and travel to her town. And visa versa to get back. Pretty snazzy, and hopefully I get a chance to try it out. As of now I’m the only person I know that has the game…so there’s really nowhere to travel to!