A Thousand Monkeys At A Thousand Typewriters

Annual Drivel

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:25:44 GMT

Contrary to what one might believe after looking at the dates of the posts here that precede this one, I have found myself several times over the last year here at the keyboard, wanting to type something. Trying to write an entry. But nothing happens.

I read through the entries present on the first page, and I have to say, I'm surprised at much of what I've written. I'm surprised at some of the things I've said, the state of mind that I must have been in when typing them. Anxious, depressed, lonely, bored, whatever. In some entries, it's the words that were left unwritten that say the most to me. And in some others, it's as though they've been written by someone else entirely.

But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It was a reminder that things have certainly been worse. And an assurance that I really have it pretty damn good right now, all things considered.

On the other hand, what is an anonymous online journal for but to complain?

What the hell does "rant" mean?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:24:32 GMT

I'm sort of happy to say I've been watching Family Guy since it premiered after the Super Bowl in 1999. In fact, I watched that first run up until the day it got canceled and was replaced with the Glutton Bowl in 2002. Downloading episodes in college didn't put me on to the show (though I did that). Watching the reruns on Adult Swim and TBS didn't make me a fan of it (though I watched 'em). I feel like I've been there since the beginning. And that's why the DVDs piss me off.

It bugs the crap out of me that they release VOLUMES of episodes on DVD rather than SEASONS. I realize, of course, that getting canceled for two and a half years sort of messed up the production schedule. The fourth season, if you include the episodes that make up "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story," is about 30 episodes long- TV seasons haven't been that long in decades. So I can kind of forgive breaking that one up into Volumes 3 and 4 of the DVD collection. But Volume 5, with its 13 episodes, is only like two thirds of the 5th season! What the heck is that? The third disc is just a bunch of featurettes!

I'm not going to get into talking about the decline in quality some people see in the show; if I didn't think it was funny, I wouldn't have spent the money on it. But I feel like we're being screwed into buying incomplete DVD sets so Fox can release another abbreviated collection of half a season or whatever for the next holiday shopping season. And that sucks, because those of us who bought the DVDs are one of the biggest reasons the show was un-canceled in the first place.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This is the same company that moved Arrested Development and its boat load of Emmy Awards around the schedule so much it was canned, and yet run out 'Til Death every Thursday like it's the second coming of Seinfeld. Come on, Michael!

Higgins!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:46:08 GMT

Magnum, PI is a good show. It's aged so much better than a lot of its contemporaries. Take out the occasionally hilarious wardrobe, and it could still be on TV today. The dude lives on a luxury estate in Hawaii for free, drives around in a Ferarri that isn't his, hangs out at the country club his pal manages, and hitches rides in his buddy's helicopter. The writing is good, the cast's chemistry is great, and I bet it'd kill in the ratings if it were on today. Oh well... at least we can all watch "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" instead.

I weathered my car troubles alright. The good news was it wasn't as serious as I had worried it would be. The bad news is it still set me back 700 bucks to fix. Good thing I've got that tax refund coming. Maybe I should try and earn some extra money, just to be safe. Play the stock market or sell some organs or something.

Tato Skins

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:35:18 GMT

I had no idea they still made Tato Skins. I'm pumped!

My car is sick. That's got me concerned for a few reasons: the inconvenience of not having it available, and the expense of having it repaired. I'm reasonably competent when it comes to some of the electrical and body/trim stuff, but I have neither the knowledge, tools, or space to make any real mechanical repairs. And because I don't have a diagnosis yet, my mind of course is careening toward the most expensive repairs I can think of even though it could end up being something minor (or common to VWs, like a bad coil pack). I'd say 95% of the time, I like my car quite a bit. I enjoy driving it. But there's that other 5% of the time where I want to tell it to go screw itself and kick the door as I'm walking away. Ahh, car ownership...

Of course, I could always win that Shelby GT500KR giveaway they kept advertising during Knight Rider last night. If that happens, I should probably start buying lottery tickets!

This (http://www.furaffinity.net/full/1054339/) might still be one of the most fantastic pictures I've ever seen. King of the feasts!

Semi-Yearly Update

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 21:40:38 GMT

Seriously, though. I can't believe I haven't written anything here since December.

Okay, that was a lie. I believe it. But it's still kind of surprising.

Anyway, I've been working an incredible amount over the last several months. So much so, in fact, that I've reached a point of physical and mental exhaustion. Example: my last true day off was the 4th of July- and before that, it was Memorial Day... the pattern carries on for months before that. I have, however, come to a conclusion: regardless of how much I work, it won't be enough. That being the case, I've decided to change my approach.

There's an older episode of The Simpsons, where Homer passes some fatherly advice on to Bart. He says something to the effect of, "Son, if you don't like your job, you don't QUIT. You just go in every day and do it REALLY half-assed. THAT'S the American way!" Now, I don't mean to imply that I'll be giving a half-effort... it's mostly just a funny quote. But I'll be darned if I'm going to get burned out after a year and a half. But no, now I'll be providing my employer only with what they're paying for (which ain't much) and enjoying what I do. I'm not going to bust my ass over things that aren't noticed and aren't rewarded or acknowledged. That's the plan for now, anyway!

Summer has finally arrived in Seattle for good this year. Like clockwork, the week after Independance Day is when you're allowed to start planning for the outdoors with no threat of rain. That's just how it is. And with that, I'm going to go out and enjoy the splendor outside this afternoon!

Until I have to go to work, at least.

Blow me!

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:26:27 GMT

I'm writing this in the middle of the worst storm we've had in years. Wind is gusts are reaching 60mph in the city, it's raining sideways, and there are a lot of people without power (although, thankfully, I'm not one of them). If it's like this tomorrow, I'm not leaving the house unless I'm dressed like the Gorton's Fisherman. When I was leaving work, the bottom floor of our parking garage was a lake being fed by water boiling out of storm drains like a gyser. It was pretty cool, actually- I think if I still had my Jeep, I would have gone through it, but I didn't think it was very wise to try and brave it with my Jetta. So I turned around and left through another exit.

So when I set up my new computer, I re-downloaded my virus program of choice (which I've always been very happy with). Although, apparently, I neglected to download its firewall as well, and now I'm dealing with a pair of Trojans. They're quarantined at the moment, and I'm preparing to get rid of them, but man. What a pain in the ass. What kind of dickface writes a computer virus, anyway?

Type-type-type-type...

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 07:24:42 GMT

I got a new computer! And wow, does it ever make a difference. My old computer is about 6 years old, and while it's served me mostly faithfully (I suppose) it's had its share of problems. And ever since I upgraded to Windows XP a couple of years ago, I've been plagued with various computer memory problems- no matter how many times Windows claimed to be increasing the size of my virtual memory file, it never seemed to make a whole hell of a lot of difference. But this new computer is pret-ty awesome to use so far. And I think it looks cool, too, which is certainly a plus. I have to admit to being more than a little bit concerned at buying a computer on eBay- certainly the most money I've ever dropped there at one time- if for no other reason than I wouldn't be able to drive down to the store and return it if it had been a piece of crap (or broken). But so far, so good- and it'd better stay that way! Now the only thing left for me to do is transfer all of my stuff from the old one to this one.

I saw the fattest dog today. He was just the kind of pooch I hope to have when I move somewhere that allows pets... a big, cuddly, yellow lab. He was a seriously big boy, with a heavy collar of fat around his neck and a nice belly. So cute! I wanted to take him home to snuggle and feed him treats. Of course, I couldn't. But someday I'll have a furry friend of my own, and he'll end up being one king-sized doggie.

Oh, right... I have a LiveJournal.

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 04:29:34 GMT

It would seem that my schedule got the best of me for a few months. Sure, I've logged in here a couple of times, but just didn't feel like taking the time to post anything. I guess that's what happens when you get roped into the work-all-day-and-then-go-to-sleep routine. Now that I appear to have broken that routine, I must not have any excuse not to post. (Hah!)

There's a new James Bond movie coming out about a month from now. While I've seen a fair chunk of the previous 20 movies, I've decided to try and watch them all before seeing the new one. Even though I've only got 9 to go, I'm worried that they're starting to run together. I can be watching Roger Moore and hear Sean Connery's voice over the dialogue. But it's not even the real Sean Connery- it's Darryl Hammond's surly impression featured on SNL's "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches! I guess I can't accurately explain it here, but trust me. It's funny.

Qwerty

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 06:40:15 GMT

[obligatory comment about how I'd like to post more here]

Ahh, now that that's out of the way... lemme tell you: straight, no-sugar-added, pure cranberry juice is like a punch in the mouth. Apparently I've gotten used to the many various cranberry-blends out there. But... whoo! I wasn't ready, and it was like taking a shot!

Today might have been the most beautiful sunny day of the year so far. Upper 70s, not a cloud in the sky, a nice breeze- just about perfect! Unfortunately, I had the pleasure of working all day, and didn't have any real opportunity to enjoy it. But tommorow we're supposed to be hit with a bit of a heat wave and get into the low-to-mid 90s, which is something that happens very rarely here. Maybe a couple days in August, but I can't remember the last time it happened this early.

Also, I feel like I've been hit with some pretty good urges to gain weight lately. But so far- other than appeasing a craving for something sweet a little more than I needed to- I've managed to keep it under control. But man... if I didn't need to keep my weight at a certain level for work... :P

Pack it up, pack it in

Mon, 29 May 2006 04:30:04 GMT

Let me begin.

Where do I start? I would like to post here more regularly, more often- which I realize is something a lot of people write here. But I feel that I have a fairly legitimate reason for not doing that: after working from 9am until 11pm most days, I find that I'm just too tired to sit down at the keyboard here. Don't feel like it. And after today, I've had all of two days off since Easter. So I've been busy. But that doesn't mean it's bad, I guess- at least I'm keeping occupied!

Of course, it could just be that I don't have much to say. Plus, nobody likes to read dissertation-legnth LJ posts. So... the end!

Hm.

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:10:55 GMT

I've attempted to put together a post here a few times over the last month, but each time I try and get started I find I just don't have the drive to actually type anything. Really, the last month has been a veritable whirlwind in many different ways; and as this week is the first time that things have slowed down a little bit (relatively), I've found that I can take a step back and look at things a little bit more thoroughly and clearly.

My new busyness is pretty much completely due to my new job. I like my job. It's a job that I've wanted for a long time, and I'm happy that I've been given the opportunity to have it. But I'm finding that, at this point six weeks into things, it's more taxing on every level than I thought it would be- both physically and mentally. There's tremendous pressure to perform well, much of which I put on myself I'm sure. And there has been some tension with the one person I had anticipated there would be tension with, despite how much I had hoped there wouldn't be. That, as much as anything else, is exhausting. I've so been trying to please and impress everyone that I think I've neglected to think about who I'm really doing the work for. That's something I need to change before I get into too much of a routine.

I've had a headache the whole freaking day. I was un-officially, informally dressed down at work today. I've got a friend in the hospital with some kind of bacterial infection. I've got another friend moving back here from across the country who seems to be banking on having me as a roommate, but I think I may have become too used to living alone over the last couple of years to be interested in that (and I've said as much). A girl that I like- who's really awesome- was on the verge of becoming full-on girlfriend, and I've let our relationship kind of grind to a halt. I'm sad that I can't have a pet where I live. And I'm frusturated that I'm letting my confidence waver this week, despite being so blessed in every aspect of my life.

I don't think I've lost sight of what's important, but my vision has sure blurred!

Today I watched the 10th inning of the 1986 World Series between the Mets and the Red Sox... re-enacted using RBI Baseball for the NES. It's one of the coolest things I've seen in quite awhile. And it's pretty funny, too (especially when it cuts to the genuine 20-year-old NBC footage of the "Miller Lite Player of the Game"). http://news.com.com/2061-10797_3-6060689.html

Yawn!

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:42:21 GMT

I'm tired. But it's a good kind of tired- the kind of tired you get because you've been doing stuff you like. Sort of a rewarding kind of tired, I suppose. Like, even though I'm tired, I'm still looking forward to getting up in the morning. It's really a great feeling.

I find myself posting here mostly because I feel obligated to. Actually, I don't know that "obligated" is the right word; but I think I don't usually feel strongly enough about anything to bother writing about it. And I end up writing here merely because I have the account. And, as a result, I end up writing stuff like this!

Edit: Yikes, stream-of-consciousness...

Oh my God.

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 22:57:57 GMT

So I finished the previous entry's job interview late on Saturday afternoon. And I've since come to the realization, perhaps because I really want the job, that the tension from waiting to hear whether or not I've got the job is far worse than the pre-interview jitters I stumbled through last week. For serious. I don't know what to do with myself. I've hardly left the house since then. I haven't shaved since then. And it seems like I'm eating a lot- although I think it just feels that way because I'm doing so little in general right now. I would do almost anything to get my mind off of this job, but I can't motivate myself to actually do it. It's really wierd.

And I'm tired of my hands being so friggin' cold! But I can only do so much complaining at one time. :P

Can't... concentrate... or speak... at normal... rate.

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 23:03:14 GMT

"Errg!"

Apparently my vocabulary is so limited that I'm forced to make up new words to convey my unease. Tomorrow morning I've got the biggest job interview of my life, and it's for a job I've wanted for several years. And I'm finding it difficult to focus on much of anything. Periods of tremendous confidence alternate with periods of brutal insecurity, and I'm beginning to suspect that this might be some taste of what it's like to suffer from bi-polar disorder (or some other fill-in-the-blank condition you'll find in a DSM-IVR)! And even though I know that whatever is supposed to happen will happen, I find that thought doesn't seem to be stopping me from obsessing over this two-day interview. Part of me believes that I'm an absoloute shoe-in for the position, and I'm practically measuring for new drapes in my head; and then the other, perhaps more rational part of me is desparately trying to restrain myself so I don't get my hopes up in the event that they decide one of the other candidates is a better fit. So I've pretty much just been sitting around stewing all day.

I did, however, muster up the stregnth to do the dishes that were in the sink. So I suppose that's something.

Oh, man- I just remembered I need to iron a shirt before tomorrow morning! See?! I can't even focus on the most basic things! :D

He's dead, Jim.

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 06:30:05 GMT

Your results:
You are An Expendable Character (Redshirt)

An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		65%
Geordi LaForge		55%
Will Riker		50%
Mr. Scott		45%
Jean-Luc Picard		45%
Deanna Troi		40%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		35%
Chekov		35%
Beverly Crusher		35%
Worf		35%
Data		32%
Uhura		25%
Spock		22%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		20%
Mr. Sulu		20%

Since your accomplishments are seldom noticed,
and you are rarely thought of, you are expendable.
That doesn't mean your job isn't important but if you
were in Star Trek you would be killed off in the first
episode you appeared in.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

All in all, I'd say I somehow managed to end up with the funniest quiz result. :P

Here comes the sun!

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:49:06 GMT

It feels like I haven't seen the sun since the middle of December, and that's not an exaggeration. But today was sunny and clear- not a cloud in the sky- and it's supposed to be the same tomorrow! And even though it's only 50 degrees, it's awesome.

On another note, I think I've put on about 5 pounds in the last week or two. Well, I have according to my scale anyway... I don't think I notice it (it's not that much, after all). This is a little wierd for 2 reasons: first, it wasn't on purpose, and second, it's the first time I've gained any weight since I was actively gaining. I've got mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I don't care- I figure if I end up fat I end up fat, and there's no reason not to enjoy it (especially since there are more than a few reasons I'd consider doing it on purpose again). But on the other hand, I don't think I really want to gain any weight right now, which is why I stopped gaining in the first place and slimmed back down a couple of years ago. Of course, it could just be that I have a crummy cheap scale, and I'm being all wierd about it for nothing! :D

I was going to write about something else, but I think I forgot what it was. If that doesn't make for interesting reading, I don't know what does.

Hey...

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 03:45:04 GMT

I have a pet! Kinda.

There's so much else I should be doing right now. Constructive stuff. Oh well... so much for that! :P

Holy crap.

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:28:44 GMT

I didn't believe- couldn't believe- that the Seahawks were really gonna play in the Super Bowl until I saw all the confetti on the field. It's awesome.

I was going to write about something else, but I've been sitting here for a couple minutes and can't for the life of me remember what it was. Hmm... shoot. Oh well.

Man, I wish I had some donuts.

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 04:33:04 GMT

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you.
But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft.
You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily.
You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

I'm really considering going to get some donuts after this quiz. But I might be too cheap and/or lazy.

Buildin' an ark.

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 07:10:23 GMT

It rained here for 27 days in a row. Then yesterday, it didn't rain. But today is really making up for yesterday... it's just pouring, and it doesn't look like it's gonna stop any time soon! I wish that it had rained yesterday, because there would have been a chance to surpass the city's "consecutive days of rain" record (33) that was set in 1953. At least we would have had something to show for being damp for a month! But noooo... now, it's just more flooding and landslides. And I really need to wash my car, but I don't want to do it if it's just gonna keep raining.

I'm starting to think I'm getting tired of all the rain, and that I might be ready to skip spring and jump right into summer. Maybe I should buy a Hawaiian shirt and crank up the thermostat.

Edit: Wow, I really said "rain" a lot. Rain!

An interesting purchase.

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:32:28 GMT

This afternoon, I was in a thrift store, and something caught my eye. A stuffed animal. Now, I'm not typically one to purchase plushies- let alone from a thrift store- but this one was different. It was a brown dog. Pretty cute. But also an unquestionably obese brown dog. And he was actually new, too; not even any mysteriously sticky spots, as is the case with much of what's on the shelves at a thrift store. I walked around a little bit, and he was sitting there all alone like he was looking at me (eerily similar to something a real dog might do). I ultimately decided that I really shouldn't leave the store without him, especially for $6.99. After all, he needed a friend.

And man, this thing is big. It's 30" tall. And not only that, but it's got a 42" waist (I actually measured). He's built like a complete tub- perfect to cuddle with, I'm sure. And it has this really soft fur. Anyway, I really like it. Which seems silly.

So now I have to figure out how to explain this big fat stuffed dog to people when they come over. And where I'm going to put it.

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 07:02:20 GMT

What Icons are for you?(Thank you for #1!! Please check out my other Memes!!) by ladyallie
Username
Favourite Colour
Sex
Your Love icon is...
Your Sexy Icon is...
Your Animal Icon is...
Your Sad Icon is...
Your Random Icon is...
Your Happy Icon is...
Your Food Icon is...
Your Cartoon Icon is...
Your Angry Icon is...

Quiz created with MemeGen!

I gotta say, the only ones I'd ever consider using are the Happy Icon and the Food Icon. The rest... well, not impressed.

The Conundrum

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 07:42:12 GMT

I've been thinking about something for the last few days.

There's someone who I used to be really close with, but now I would question whether or not we're even still friends. It sure seems like there are a lot of times where it doesn't feel that way. But every year I've known this person, we've exchanged gifts at Christmas time- nothing big, not more than 10 or 15 bucks. This year, however, I found myself questioning whether or not I should get a gift for this person, as our relationship seems to have deteriorated to the point where I don't hear from the guy unless it's absoloutely necessary. Eventually, I decided just to go ahead and get a gift for him. Box wrapped, card signed. All of this person's family lives out of state, and every year he goes to visit them for Christmas; generally we'll exchange our gifts before he leaves.

But here's what has me scratching my head: this year the person doesn't even so much as give me a verbal "Merry Christmas." Embarrassed and frusturated, I decided to hold on to the gift I was going to give him to think about things. Now, it's entirely possible that he just forgot amidst the confusion of travelling, work, etc... but it's just really unlikely. I'm all but certain it was a deliberate slight against me. So I've been thinking about this for a few days. I've pondered, I've postulated, I've prayed, and I'm pretty sure the horse I've been beating has been dead for awhile. And I think I've decided that I'm going to leave the gift for him.

I don't know if it's me trying to be the better man, or what. A big part of me is wondering if I'm giving it to him out of spite, messed up as that is. Or maybe it's an effort to lay a foundation for rebuilding our relationship. I really don't know. Like I said before, I really can't tell if we're still friends. It would be really dissappointing if we aren't. But what if we're enemies? Oh, the Bible says to love your enemies. Huh. I guess I have to give it to him either way. Pride can make things so difficult.

Oreos.

This Kitty Has Claws

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 04:23:54 GMT

Apparently, I'm a snow leopard.

Man, I gotta find better things to do with my time than taking these quizzes! Plus, not all of them seem to be very spot-on in the end. Get it? Leopard? Spot-on? Eh? Bah, you don't care.

You'd turn into a Snowleopard! Like a snowleopard
you are quiet, shy and not seen much and find
it hard to talk to people, but dont really mind
being by yourself. However once you have gotten
over your shyness and are relaxed you are so
different it can be scary! You have a few close
friends who can grasp your strange ways. You
are generally laid back but when you get angry
you get angry and can be very vicious and a
force to be recond with, though few people ever
see this.

What animal would you turn into?
brought to you by Quizilla

My toes are cold.

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 07:37:58 GMT

December hasn't even started yet, and I'm already tired of my fingers and toes being cold when I'm at home. I suppose I could turn up the heat higher, but I don't feel cold anywhere else. Also, electric baseboard heat isn't that friendly when it comes to keeping your power bill low. Note for the cheap people: sleeping with a plushie will keep you warm.

We were supposed to be smacked with a "winter storm" the other day, according to the news. Of course, when I woke up the morning of said storm, there was no snow. It was cold... but the streets were bare and dry. I'll never understand how 15 minutes of a 30-minute newscast can be dedicated to weather and the forecast is still wrong. And it seems like whenever there's the slightest hint of a possibility of inclement weather, the newscast is choked with "WINTER STORM: 2005" stories and updates and reporters outdoors in parkas for no reason whatsoever. But I guess they need to spice up the story a little- "SLIGHT BREEZE: 2005" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Gotta have that sense of urgency.

I should have bought some milk today. I need to do a little grocery shopping.