Reading News
The American
Henry James
30%
Lightsabers
Kevin J. Anderson
63%
The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams
75%
The Dragon King
R.A. Salvatore
66%
Friday, November 26, 2004
Thanksgiving 2004
For the past two years I traveled from Siloam Springs, Arkansas back home to Colorado for Thanksgiving, so I’m glad that I didn’t have to travel this year. Last year I made the trip with my friend Mike Glass. It took us about 13 hours, but we had a good time . . . well, maybe not a “good” time, but a memorable time, at least. We took turns driving, and while I was driving during one terribly boring stretch somewhere near Wichita, Kansas (I can’t be sure of our exact location because every part of Kansas is identical to every other part), he started pulling out his nose hairs with a pair of pliers. It was clearly painful, because he screamed like a little girl and his eyes couldn’t stop watering. I repeatedly told him to stop, but he didn’t listen. I think he might have been protesting the OAR CD we were listening to (we have different tastes in music). Strange that that should be the first thing that comes to mind when I think of last year’s Thanksgiving. Oh well, good times.
This year's Thanksgiving was out of the ordinary, because for the first time in a few years we had guests. When we lived in Guatemala, we spent our Thanksgivings with our pals the Wheelers at their house, but since returning to the U.S. we’ve been Thanksgiving hermits.
Three people joined us this year, all friends of my Dad’s from church:
Hannah: a half-Japanese / half-Korean woman in her early 40’s. She was very nice, but difficult to understand due to the fact that she spoke extremely fast and with a strong accent. She told us that she works on the Air Force Academy base and cuts cadet’s hair. She averages about 40 haircuts per day, but she said that she gave 100 haircuts one day right before July 4th. She promised to make sushi for us sometime.
JJ: mid 20’s, from New Mexico. He’s part of an unsigned band and has played shows all over the world. He was very outgoing and charismatic. After we ate, Joe and I showed him around downstairs, and he noticed all of Joe’s guitars and the drum set in his room. Joe played the guitar for him for awhile, and he was impressed and even offered to let Joe practice with his band sometime.
Russell: early 20’s, from Nebraska, currently JJ's roommate. Interestingly, he was blind and had a thick, black beard. From what I’ve heard from various people, he’s an exceptional pianist. He had a great sense of humor and kept the conversation going for most of the meal. As we were all finishing our pie, he said that he felt like he was a part of our family and wanted to come back for Christmas dinner.
The next few days we’ll have leftover turkey and pie for every meal (I had a big slice of apple pie for breakfast this morning). Ahhh, Thanksgiving is great.
For the past two years I traveled from Siloam Springs, Arkansas back home to Colorado for Thanksgiving, so I’m glad that I didn’t have to travel this year. Last year I made the trip with my friend Mike Glass. It took us about 13 hours, but we had a good time . . . well, maybe not a “good” time, but a memorable time, at least. We took turns driving, and while I was driving during one terribly boring stretch somewhere near Wichita, Kansas (I can’t be sure of our exact location because every part of Kansas is identical to every other part), he started pulling out his nose hairs with a pair of pliers. It was clearly painful, because he screamed like a little girl and his eyes couldn’t stop watering. I repeatedly told him to stop, but he didn’t listen. I think he might have been protesting the OAR CD we were listening to (we have different tastes in music). Strange that that should be the first thing that comes to mind when I think of last year’s Thanksgiving. Oh well, good times.
This year's Thanksgiving was out of the ordinary, because for the first time in a few years we had guests. When we lived in Guatemala, we spent our Thanksgivings with our pals the Wheelers at their house, but since returning to the U.S. we’ve been Thanksgiving hermits.
Three people joined us this year, all friends of my Dad’s from church:
Hannah: a half-Japanese / half-Korean woman in her early 40’s. She was very nice, but difficult to understand due to the fact that she spoke extremely fast and with a strong accent. She told us that she works on the Air Force Academy base and cuts cadet’s hair. She averages about 40 haircuts per day, but she said that she gave 100 haircuts one day right before July 4th. She promised to make sushi for us sometime.
JJ: mid 20’s, from New Mexico. He’s part of an unsigned band and has played shows all over the world. He was very outgoing and charismatic. After we ate, Joe and I showed him around downstairs, and he noticed all of Joe’s guitars and the drum set in his room. Joe played the guitar for him for awhile, and he was impressed and even offered to let Joe practice with his band sometime.
Russell: early 20’s, from Nebraska, currently JJ's roommate. Interestingly, he was blind and had a thick, black beard. From what I’ve heard from various people, he’s an exceptional pianist. He had a great sense of humor and kept the conversation going for most of the meal. As we were all finishing our pie, he said that he felt like he was a part of our family and wanted to come back for Christmas dinner.
The next few days we’ll have leftover turkey and pie for every meal (I had a big slice of apple pie for breakfast this morning). Ahhh, Thanksgiving is great.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
"History Never Repeats"
Yesterday was pay day at the library. I've been receiving my pay through direct deposit lately, so I checked my account online ten times yesterday, but it was never deposited. I was a little worried because this morning the bank took $200 out of my checking account for my monthly car payment, and that cut my finances down considerably. This morning when I arrived at the library I looked through the check box thinking that the wonderful folks from the payroll department had inexplicably given me a regular check instead of depositing it for me. It wasn't there. Optimism be damned! The only explanation: for the second time they had forgotten to pay me. The PPLD payroll department is clearly incompetent. I've heard from multiple co-workers that they have had all kinds of errors on their paychecks in the last few months. One lady received 72 hours of pay when she only worked 40 hours, and another lady has been receiving a $170 per month insurance stipend for the past three months completely by mistake (too bad payroll can't make a mistake that benefits me). I talked to Dolores, my supervisor, about the fact that my paycheck was missing again, and her reaction startled me. She mouthed the word "crap," which is especially significant for a woman who never says anything that could be considered inappropriate by anyone, and she told me that she was very sorry and even offered to loan me some money to get me through the next few days. It was kind of her to offer, but I told her that I had enough saved to get me by. My plans for the weekend are screwed up now because I had wanted to do some Christmas shopping for my family. On Monday I'm going to have a nice confrontation with the payroll department . . .
In other news, my Dad's car has been in the shop all week since his accident. The insurance company was kind enough to pay for a rental car to get him through the week . . . but it appears to me their "kindness" was really an excuse to pull a rather sick joke: they gave him a cream-colored PT Cruiser. I feel ashamed every time I come home from class and see it parked in the driveway. He told me that the first day he had it, he passed a group of Japanese tourist walking on the side of the road near his office (funny how they show up in the strangest places), and they all stopped walking and pointed at the PT Cruiser and took pictures of it. The saddest part: my Dad thinks that the car is really cool looking.
Yesterday was pay day at the library. I've been receiving my pay through direct deposit lately, so I checked my account online ten times yesterday, but it was never deposited. I was a little worried because this morning the bank took $200 out of my checking account for my monthly car payment, and that cut my finances down considerably. This morning when I arrived at the library I looked through the check box thinking that the wonderful folks from the payroll department had inexplicably given me a regular check instead of depositing it for me. It wasn't there. Optimism be damned! The only explanation: for the second time they had forgotten to pay me. The PPLD payroll department is clearly incompetent. I've heard from multiple co-workers that they have had all kinds of errors on their paychecks in the last few months. One lady received 72 hours of pay when she only worked 40 hours, and another lady has been receiving a $170 per month insurance stipend for the past three months completely by mistake (too bad payroll can't make a mistake that benefits me). I talked to Dolores, my supervisor, about the fact that my paycheck was missing again, and her reaction startled me. She mouthed the word "crap," which is especially significant for a woman who never says anything that could be considered inappropriate by anyone, and she told me that she was very sorry and even offered to loan me some money to get me through the next few days. It was kind of her to offer, but I told her that I had enough saved to get me by. My plans for the weekend are screwed up now because I had wanted to do some Christmas shopping for my family. On Monday I'm going to have a nice confrontation with the payroll department . . .
In other news, my Dad's car has been in the shop all week since his accident. The insurance company was kind enough to pay for a rental car to get him through the week . . . but it appears to me their "kindness" was really an excuse to pull a rather sick joke: they gave him a cream-colored PT Cruiser. I feel ashamed every time I come home from class and see it parked in the driveway. He told me that the first day he had it, he passed a group of Japanese tourist walking on the side of the road near his office (funny how they show up in the strangest places), and they all stopped walking and pointed at the PT Cruiser and took pictures of it. The saddest part: my Dad thinks that the car is really cool looking.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Early Morning Search and Rescue
(well, maybe not that dramatic)
We had another mini-blizzard last night, and this morning the roads are extremely icy. I woke up at 8 AM and went upstairs to get some coffee. My Mom was on the phone, and I heard her saying, "Oh no. Oh no. When will AAA be there? Is the axle broken?" Hearing that woke me up more than coffee ever could. When she was finished on the phone, she told me that my Dad had been driving down Pine Manor, the steep hill that's nearly a mile long right by our house (and incidentally the only possible way to leave our neighborhood), when he hit a patch of ice and skidded into a curb.
My Mom told me that I needed to drive down the hill and pick him up because he was late for an important meeting and couldn't sit around and wait for AAA to show up. I threw on a sweatshirt and began warming up my brother's car (since he was asleep, I didn't think he would mind). It was so foggy that the visibility was less than 100 feet, and I could tell immediately upon exiting the driveway that the ice was quite thick. I proceeded down the hill at about 10 mph until I saw my Dad standing on the side of the road. He hopped in, and I drove back to my house without any trouble. End of adventure, for me at least. He just drove off in my brother's car in the hopes that his meeting isn't over. I hope that my Dad's car isn't terribly damaged, but I guess we'll see later. The same thing happened to Joe about two years ago when he was driving my old car: it cost over $1,000 to repair the damages.
(well, maybe not that dramatic)
We had another mini-blizzard last night, and this morning the roads are extremely icy. I woke up at 8 AM and went upstairs to get some coffee. My Mom was on the phone, and I heard her saying, "Oh no. Oh no. When will AAA be there? Is the axle broken?" Hearing that woke me up more than coffee ever could. When she was finished on the phone, she told me that my Dad had been driving down Pine Manor, the steep hill that's nearly a mile long right by our house (and incidentally the only possible way to leave our neighborhood), when he hit a patch of ice and skidded into a curb.
My Mom told me that I needed to drive down the hill and pick him up because he was late for an important meeting and couldn't sit around and wait for AAA to show up. I threw on a sweatshirt and began warming up my brother's car (since he was asleep, I didn't think he would mind). It was so foggy that the visibility was less than 100 feet, and I could tell immediately upon exiting the driveway that the ice was quite thick. I proceeded down the hill at about 10 mph until I saw my Dad standing on the side of the road. He hopped in, and I drove back to my house without any trouble. End of adventure, for me at least. He just drove off in my brother's car in the hopes that his meeting isn't over. I hope that my Dad's car isn't terribly damaged, but I guess we'll see later. The same thing happened to Joe about two years ago when he was driving my old car: it cost over $1,000 to repair the damages.
Friday, November 12, 2004
(Insert Random Title)
In the absence of anything really interesting going on in my life right now, I offer a few pieces of news that have nothing at all to do with me personally, but may be interesting:
Half-Life 2 will be released on Tuesday, November 16th. If you've never heard of this game . . . you must not be into PC gaming (that's okay, don't worry). It's quite possibly the most-anticipated game in gaming history. It has taken Valve Software about five years to complete it because of innumerable setbacks (most notably the theft of the game's source code about a year ago). For hundreds of great screenshots and movies of the game in action, head over to GameSpot. I bought the newest issue of PC Gamer tonight, and they have an exclusive review of Half-Life 2: it received a 98% rating, and they say that it is "arguably the best game ever made." I may end up skipping a class or two on Tuesday . . .
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith will be in theaters May 19th, 2005, and you can watch the brand-new teaser trailer here. As always, TheForce.net has great daily Star Wars news.
In the absence of anything really interesting going on in my life right now, I offer a few pieces of news that have nothing at all to do with me personally, but may be interesting:
Half-Life 2 will be released on Tuesday, November 16th. If you've never heard of this game . . . you must not be into PC gaming (that's okay, don't worry). It's quite possibly the most-anticipated game in gaming history. It has taken Valve Software about five years to complete it because of innumerable setbacks (most notably the theft of the game's source code about a year ago). For hundreds of great screenshots and movies of the game in action, head over to GameSpot. I bought the newest issue of PC Gamer tonight, and they have an exclusive review of Half-Life 2: it received a 98% rating, and they say that it is "arguably the best game ever made." I may end up skipping a class or two on Tuesday . . .
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith will be in theaters May 19th, 2005, and you can watch the brand-new teaser trailer here. As always, TheForce.net has great daily Star Wars news.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
A New Holiday . . .
Today is National Don't Yield to Oncoming Cars When Turning Left at a Traffic Light Day. No one told me before I left for work this morning (amazingly, it isn't printed on my calendar), so I was understandably surprised.
At the Union/Research intersection, the light was green, so as always I did not stop but continued going straight (it seems absurd to mention that, but because of drivers I've seen lately, it is an important distinction to make). Two cars across the intersection were in the left turn lane, and as I entered the intersection, one of the cars turned left right in front of me. I immediately thought, "Wow, that guy really should have waited for me to pass. That was way too . . . " but a millisecond later, the SUV behind that guy decided to go, as well. This time it was far, far, far too close. I slammed on my brakes and came within literally four feet of smacking into the guy, and he actually slowed down when our vehicles were perpendicular. I honked at him and gave him a get-the-hell-out-of-the-intersection look. He waved at me, but it looked more like a greeting than an apology. So from my dead stop in the middle of the intersection, I began to accelerate as the light turned red.
On my way home about 4.5 hours later, I once again approached the Union/Research intersection. The light was red, so I stopped and waited for a couple of minutes. I was in the middle lane, prepared to go straight, and I watched the cars across the intersection with the wariness of a soldier entering enemy territory. The light turned green, I accelerated, and . . . surprise! Happy Don't Yield to Oncoming Cars When Turning Left at a Traffic Light Day! . . . the first car turning left did not yield. It was a teenage girl driving a brand-new Mustang, and she came within a few feet of hitting me before she realized her error and stopped. As I passed, I noticed that she looked terribly embarrassed.
Well, next year I'll mark November 6th on my calendar and maybe I'll just sleep in that day.
Today is National Don't Yield to Oncoming Cars When Turning Left at a Traffic Light Day. No one told me before I left for work this morning (amazingly, it isn't printed on my calendar), so I was understandably surprised.
At the Union/Research intersection, the light was green, so as always I did not stop but continued going straight (it seems absurd to mention that, but because of drivers I've seen lately, it is an important distinction to make). Two cars across the intersection were in the left turn lane, and as I entered the intersection, one of the cars turned left right in front of me. I immediately thought, "Wow, that guy really should have waited for me to pass. That was way too . . . " but a millisecond later, the SUV behind that guy decided to go, as well. This time it was far, far, far too close. I slammed on my brakes and came within literally four feet of smacking into the guy, and he actually slowed down when our vehicles were perpendicular. I honked at him and gave him a get-the-hell-out-of-the-intersection look. He waved at me, but it looked more like a greeting than an apology. So from my dead stop in the middle of the intersection, I began to accelerate as the light turned red.
On my way home about 4.5 hours later, I once again approached the Union/Research intersection. The light was red, so I stopped and waited for a couple of minutes. I was in the middle lane, prepared to go straight, and I watched the cars across the intersection with the wariness of a soldier entering enemy territory. The light turned green, I accelerated, and . . . surprise! Happy Don't Yield to Oncoming Cars When Turning Left at a Traffic Light Day! . . . the first car turning left did not yield. It was a teenage girl driving a brand-new Mustang, and she came within a few feet of hitting me before she realized her error and stopped. As I passed, I noticed that she looked terribly embarrassed.
Well, next year I'll mark November 6th on my calendar and maybe I'll just sleep in that day.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Sorry, But I'm Failing to Emote
I've been a Perfect Circle fan since they released the outstanding album Mer de Noms in 2000, and my enjoyment and appreciation of their music increased when I saw them live over the summer. On Tuesday they released a new album, Emotive, and I'm really questioning what Maynard James Keenan and the gang were thinking.
Emotive
A sticker on the CD cover says that it is a collection of songs about "War, Peace, Love, and Greed," and that description isn't far off. At the concert I attended, I witnessed firsthand Maynard's anti-war/Bush ranting, so I suppose that this album should not be such a surprise. Basically, it's twelve tracks speaking out against the foolishness/evil of war, hate, and discrimination . . . and that's about as deep as it gets.
Emotive features multiple covers of famous anti-war songs, including "Imagine," by John Lennon and "What's Going On," by Marvin Gaye. In fact, only two songs are APC originals, and one of those is a remix of the song "Pet" from their Thirteenth Step album, so it hardly counts. The song "Passive" is quite good, and it's the only song on the album that I've listened to more than twice.
Their "rearrangements" of the cover songs display the typical mix of soft tones and thunder that has become an APC trademark, and it definitely sounds good, but they are still covers. It seems to me that when a band releases a "Brand New!" album, fans should receive new songs, but these recycled anti-war songs are disappointing, and even worse: uninteresting.
In addition, the album feels rushed. I'm guessing that they really wanted to release it on election day. The liner notes lead me to believe that only Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan did any significant work on the album; the other band members played on some of the songs, but this album appears to be more Billy and Maynard than A Perfect Circle. One great thing about the album: the artwork. The "reinterpretations" of World War II posters are especially cool (and by posting a few here, I am not trying to be politically subversive, nor do I support political subversion at any level . . . these posters are really funny, though).
I still contend that Maynard James Keenan has the best voice in rock and roll today, so I'll just wait a few years for the next APC album and hope that it will be a real album.
I've been a Perfect Circle fan since they released the outstanding album Mer de Noms in 2000, and my enjoyment and appreciation of their music increased when I saw them live over the summer. On Tuesday they released a new album, Emotive, and I'm really questioning what Maynard James Keenan and the gang were thinking.
Emotive
A sticker on the CD cover says that it is a collection of songs about "War, Peace, Love, and Greed," and that description isn't far off. At the concert I attended, I witnessed firsthand Maynard's anti-war/Bush ranting, so I suppose that this album should not be such a surprise. Basically, it's twelve tracks speaking out against the foolishness/evil of war, hate, and discrimination . . . and that's about as deep as it gets.
Emotive features multiple covers of famous anti-war songs, including "Imagine," by John Lennon and "What's Going On," by Marvin Gaye. In fact, only two songs are APC originals, and one of those is a remix of the song "Pet" from their Thirteenth Step album, so it hardly counts. The song "Passive" is quite good, and it's the only song on the album that I've listened to more than twice.
Their "rearrangements" of the cover songs display the typical mix of soft tones and thunder that has become an APC trademark, and it definitely sounds good, but they are still covers. It seems to me that when a band releases a "Brand New!" album, fans should receive new songs, but these recycled anti-war songs are disappointing, and even worse: uninteresting.
In addition, the album feels rushed. I'm guessing that they really wanted to release it on election day. The liner notes lead me to believe that only Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan did any significant work on the album; the other band members played on some of the songs, but this album appears to be more Billy and Maynard than A Perfect Circle. One great thing about the album: the artwork. The "reinterpretations" of World War II posters are especially cool (and by posting a few here, I am not trying to be politically subversive, nor do I support political subversion at any level . . . these posters are really funny, though).
I still contend that Maynard James Keenan has the best voice in rock and roll today, so I'll just wait a few years for the next APC album and hope that it will be a real album.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Snow!
Almost every Halloween a cold front moves into Colorado Springs, and this year was no exception. It began to snow late last night and was still snowing when I awoke. My Mom told me it was a snow day for my brother and sister’s school district, as well as pretty much every other district in town.
UCCS didn’t cancel classes for some reason. I decided that attending my physical anthropology class wasn't worth risking death (or worse: damaging my car), so I stayed home. My Dad drove my car to a mechanic to have snow tires put on, and he was gone for a very long time. The roads were so bad that it took him over twenty minutes to get to Research parkway from our house! On most days I can make it in about five minutes. Right now he and Joe are at the mechanics’ buying snow tires for two of our other vehicles.
The snow is not very deep overall, but the streets and sidewalks are covered in thick layers of ice. Our window wells collected some impressive drifts:
My bedroom window
Family room window
My dogs have enjoyed playing in the snow this morning. When Spanky stepped outside after her breakfast, she missed a step and landed in a deep drift.
Spanky pretends that she's a snowshoe hare
Rascal prefers a warm bed
Almost every Halloween a cold front moves into Colorado Springs, and this year was no exception. It began to snow late last night and was still snowing when I awoke. My Mom told me it was a snow day for my brother and sister’s school district, as well as pretty much every other district in town.
UCCS didn’t cancel classes for some reason. I decided that attending my physical anthropology class wasn't worth risking death (or worse: damaging my car), so I stayed home. My Dad drove my car to a mechanic to have snow tires put on, and he was gone for a very long time. The roads were so bad that it took him over twenty minutes to get to Research parkway from our house! On most days I can make it in about five minutes. Right now he and Joe are at the mechanics’ buying snow tires for two of our other vehicles.
The snow is not very deep overall, but the streets and sidewalks are covered in thick layers of ice. Our window wells collected some impressive drifts:
My bedroom window
Family room window
My dogs have enjoyed playing in the snow this morning. When Spanky stepped outside after her breakfast, she missed a step and landed in a deep drift.
Spanky pretends that she's a snowshoe hare
Rascal prefers a warm bed
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