Insignifica

Keep Reaching For The Stars, Refund, Quick Service Prices, Shaving, Gym, Not Busy or Sick, Friday

Happy Friday!

Picture of the day!

Why I'm not a fan of lorikeets - they steal your hat, dude.

It's the end of the work week, and I just realized that this is the first weekend in a while that I'm neither sick nor busy (or both). Too bad it'll be raining for some of it.

Hit the gym again this morning, but took it easy - it usually takes about 30 hours for me to really feel a workout, so yesterday's won't hit me until this afternoon. I can tell you that my calves were not particularly happy with my choice to cycle this morning.

In an apparent throwback to being 16, I cut my face all over the place shaving today. Weird. I also have a new pimple to round out the effect.

I'm sure it's happened slowly over the last few years, but a quick-service lunch (the step between fast food and table service) now runs between $7 and $10. That's really too much, I think.

Still no state tax refund. Bastards.

Anyway, that's all I got on this beautiful Friday. Keep reaching for the stars!

Work Is Callin', Arizona, Baseball, Jacket, Gym, Thursday

Thursday!

Picture of the day!

The internet.

Gym attended. Ass kicked. Feelin' great.

So remember yesterday when I posted a picture of me in my funky jacket? We thought that the only way that jacket could get better was if we could find the pants. There's a new website and new mission coming soon...

Players have reported, and baseball season starts soon. Things are good, my friends. Things are good.

Arizona (Phoenix) trip is coming together, weekend of March 20th. I'm also going to the Grand Canyon at the end of April, so it's possible I'll be in AZ in three consecutive months. That's pretty odd for me, considering I've only been there twice before in my life.

Work is callin' and I better answer. Have a fantastic day, mi amigos!

Hungry, Gmail, Religulous, Fast February, Morning Update, Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday!

Picture of the day!

I'm not 100% sure what's going on here. Click through to see all the odd details.

No gym today - Katie's got a little cold (and a big stuffy nose), so I didn't rush her out the door this morning. I did carry a 12-pack of soda in my backpack from the car to the office, though - that must count for something.

This has been an absurdly fast February.

Finally sat down and watched "Religulous" all the way through last night. Who knew: I agree with just about all of Bill Maher's points (though not the way he edits to specifically make fun of people). The final point is the best, though: closeted skeptics and atheists need to come out and be vocal, if only to say "I don't believe, and that's OK".

I love Gmail, but every once in a while, it decides it's just not going to retrieve my pop mail from my home account (which it usually does automatically). Also, Google's had me change my password twice in the last month, for no particular reason. Quite annoying.

Hungry. Lunch will happen early today. Happy Hump Day, and enjoy!

You Had Homework, Video Camera, CA Tax Refund, Arizona, Captain Eo, Tuesday

Good day, and happy Tuesday! Happy Birthday to CS today!

Picture of the day!

Jesus and the plastic King Cake baby have a bottle of rum. Saturday night at my house.

You know what's back at Disneyland for a while? Captain Eo. Hell yeah.

I may be going to Arizona next month to get some pizza. I'm pretty excited about that.

Anyone else having a very slow turnaround from California in terms of tax refunds? Usually they're faster than federal, but I haven't gotten it yet. Update: Just checked, and it was "authorized" last week. Still weird that it's taken this long.

I don't use my video camera enough. We should make a movie, y'all.

I hope you made yesterday awesome, you had homework. Please turn it in now, and enjoy your day.

Let's Make Monday Awesome, Flying Papers, Leftovers, Pretty Nice Day, Photos, Weekending, Monday

Happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Katie at the SD Wild Animal Park petting zoo.

Good times this weekend celebrating Mardi Gras (a weekend late) then a day of D&D. Lots of friends seen, lots of beads worn, lots of monsters vanquished. Hipster Nerd Bonus: Of the nine people at my house Saturday, five had iPhones.

Speaking of that, I'm finding that pictures I post to Facebook (via my iPhone) get much, much higher responses than anything else. That's interesting.

It started out a little cloudy, but it's becoming a pretty nice day out there. The hills are also greening up very nicely with our "rain one day a week" weather lately.

Hmm. Maybe leftover King Cake and jambalaya isn't the best breakfast. Oi.

It's windy here today, and I'm watching single sheets of newspaper fly off the cafeteria patio (which is just pass my window, a floor up) and down into the odd air currents between the parking garage and plant building. It's really quite impressive.

Let's make Monday awesome. Do something cool today, and check in tomorrow.

Friday, Book, Sleep, Gym, Wellness, Birthday, Whoops

I knew I forgot something...

Picture of the day!

Ryan, countin' out chips.

Today was so busy that I forgot to post until nearly 5pm, so we'll keep it short.

Birthday: Happy birthday to Ryan today!

Wellness: Getting better. No drugs needed.

Gym: Kicked my ass, feelin' fine.

Sleep: I'm not getting enough. Apparently I brought the kid into bed with us last night when she was fussy. I have no memory of such an event taking place.

Book: I'm re-reading "The Accidental Time Machine" by Joe Haldeman. Great time-travel sci-fi, if you're into such things.

Friday: Ooh, Friday. Have a great weekend!

What's Awesome?, Taxes, Foodz, Gym, Nothing, Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Picture of the day!

Katie at the zoo. I'm not sure what it is, but I love this picture.

For the first time in weeks, there's nothing on my calendar today. I have work deadlines, but nothing else happening. That's pretty cool.

Made it back to the gym this morning, and did a light workout. Feelin' pretty good, though there's still some congestion. Overall, I think I'm getting better for real.

I've decided I hate the argument that you shouldn't eat any foods with words you can't pronounce. Just because you're unable to grasp that packaged foods require preservatives, and you're too lazy to do the research to see which preservatives are which, that doesn't mean they're bad for you, or not a necessary part of that food. Yes, we should all eat more natural foods. But your lack of food science knowledge certainly doesn't make you qualified to speak on the subject.

I had my taxes done last Monday, and the IRS site says I'll get my federal refund tomorrow. Just about average for them. What's weird is that I haven't gotten my state refund yet, and their site says it hasn't been processed. Usually that's done, and the refund is in my account, within a week.

I get to play D&D live this weekend. That's awesome - I love rollin' me some dice. What's awesome for you today, my friends?

Add Something Interesting, Up Too Late, Game Night, Cold, Birthdays

Happy Wednesday, and happy birthday to Colleen and Nhan today!

Picture of the day!

Lisa, Colleen and myself, Halloween 2005. Wow - 2005? Seems so recent.

This on-again, off-again cold was on-again last night, but seems to be fading again. Weirdo thing is treating others the same way.

It's been far too long since we've had a game night. Maybe we'll combine one with Pi(e) Day next month.

I stayed up too late last night, halfway expecting to stay home today sick. Now I'm at work, but there could be tiredness later. Oh yes.

I seem to be without anything else interesting to add today. How about you add something interesting? Have a great day!

Down To Business, Organic, Coffee, Weather, Feeling Better, Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras!

Picture of the day!

Last year's King Cake, mostly destroyed. Look for the little baby in that picture.

Feeling better today. Last night I realized after dinner that I wasn't on any cold meds, and things were looking good. So I made my homemade spaghetti sauce, then made a batch of homemade ice cream. Oh yeah.

The weather here's been amazing - clear, bright blue skies, and temps in the high 70s. My office was actually hot when I got in here this morning (it faces East so the sun hits it, but it's usually not an issue in the winter). I'm lovin' it.

Been really into coffee lately. I might go get some now.

Back, with my coffee. It's delicious.

I only buy organic dairy, and here's why. The environmental issues are nice, but for me, it's really about treating cows more politely. Thanks, cows!

Off to get down to business for the day. Use up your eggs and meat, throw some beads at the ones you love, and enjoy your day!

Back To Work, TV Mount, Mardi Gras, Buzz, Still Sick, Monday

Monday!

Picture of the day!

A very red bird at the Santa Ana Zoo. Yes, Santa Ana has a zoo.

I'm sick. Well, I'm still sick - general tiredness and a scratchy throat turned into a ear/nose/sinus thing on Sunday, and today started with a little vertigo. That's subsided, so hopefully I'm on the mend. I'm well enough to be at work, at least...

Google Buzz! I turned it back on. But I'm wondering if people are gonna use it at all after all the privacy issues. This is truly a "WTF was Google thinking" event - they're usually pretty good about stuff.

We had to cancel all Mardi Gras events due to illness (ours and guests), but hopefully we'll still have a nice Southern-style meal tomorrow.

I bought a TV mount, but I'm a little afraid to install it myself. It SHOULD be fine, but I'm wondering if it's a better idea to hire a pro. Anyone know any good pros to hire for such things?

Back to work - lots to do when you take Friday off. Good times!

Kick Some Ass, Little Cold Chorus, Weather, Speech, Gym, Thursday

It's Thursday!

Picture of the day!

Marek and Jenn, about 3 years ago.

Got to the gym for the third day this week. Feeling pretty darn good about that.

I'm woefully under-prepared for the talk I'm giving tomorrow night to the folks at MENSA. I am, however, feeling very confident lately, so hopefully there's an entertaining 45 minutes in the middle there somewhere.

It's not as sunny and clear as yesterday, but it's still a beautiful day out there. We've also, apparently, got at least a week of beautiful days coming up, too. W00t.

Lots of "I've got a little cold" updates on Twitter and Facebook. I may join that chorus soon. We'll see.

There may or may not be an update tomorrow - depends on how busy I am in the morning. Either way, kick some ass this weekend, whatever you're doing!

Cutting It Short, D&D Troubles, Facebook Fail, Cold Night, Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday!

Picture of the day!

Katie and her friend Jocelyn having a cupcake tea party.

Cold night for us Socal folks - it likely got close to freezing. It's clear and beautiful now, and should stay this way for at least a week. Good times!

So, Facebook redesigns their interface, and as often happens, they have some resulting database/feed issues. For a computer guy like me, easy to understand. But I'm discovering that the less savvy folks out there just think the total fail of Facebook to serve up information is a feature of the redesign - not a bug. Why they'd think that a broken site is a feature is beyond my understanding, but there you go. That will hopefully teach sites a nice lesson in "keeping users informed". Facebook's been dead quiet on their problems.

We all know D&D is fake, but it's still weird when you kill children. When they die in amusing, almost slapstick ways, though, you feel bad for laughing, but you still do it...

Cutting it short, cause this guy's got stuff to do today. Have a great Wednesday!

Stay Dry and Stay Awesome, XM Cancelled, Taxes, Send Me A Text, Olympics, Facebook, Gym, Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

Picture of the day!

My sister Suzanne and my daughter at Christmas. Katie can't get enough of that tea set.

Got to the gym today, for the first time in weeks. Kicked a little ass, and I'm feelin' fine.

As I thought might happen, I got the Facebook update a few hours after blogging yesterday that I hadn't seen it yet. Overall, it's fine. It puts some things in better places. I just wish they'd give better control over what I see on my feed, in terms of what type of events (not just people). I still think it's funny how people bitch at every update though like Facebook just punched them in the balls.

Ugh. Olympics start next week. Not a fan (of either the sports or the wall-to-wall coverage).

Everyone should send me a text message today, just because. Seven One Four, Four Seven Eight, Eight Four Five Seven.

Taxes went well yesterday, as expected. I've been seeing the same tax guy long enough that I'm rolled over on my "keep your paperwork 7 years" deal. That's crazy.

Also going well yesterday was canceling XM radio. Every time I've called them before, I've had to deal with poorly-trained Indian tech support (that has the added value of being difficult to understand). Today I got a better-trained dude that I assume was here in the states. I still wish you could cancel on the website, but at least the phone process wasn't that tough.

Alright folks, that's what we're doing today. Stay dry and stay awesome.

Get This Week Started, New Facebook, Canceling XM, Busy Busy Week, Taxes, Monday!

It's Monday!

Picture of the day!

Ice cream with caramel and cashews.

Tax day! Well, for me it is, and I'm quite looking forward to it. As offended as my more money-minded friends are, I regularly get a large return from the state and federal tax boards. The friends would rather I pocket the money and not give the evil government my interest. I'm quite sure I'd spend the cash slowly throughout the year, and do less good with it. Either way, it's time to continue to kick my debt's ass, and maybe do a little something fun.

Busy busy week - gotta get my ducks in order before I start trying to knock them down.

I think I'm canceling my XM radio service, and this makes me a little sad. I really enjoy it, but don't really enjoy the price at all (it's $160/year). I thought I'd be able to use the iPhone as a receiver, but that's turned out to be expensive (and apparently not any good), so I'm switching back to regular radio and the iPod. I think I'll survive.

I still haven't gotten the "new" facebook interface. I'm often last with these things.

Gotta get this week started - have a fantastic day!

Get Something Done, Super Bowl, Comments, Yahoo Account, Foursquare, Good Morning, Friday

Friday!

Picture of the day!

A cute, previously unnoticed (by me) picture of The Girlfriend.

Having a good morning. Light rain (for the moment), and what started as a tough "you only got 5 1/2 hours sleep, dummy" wake-up quickly became a normal morning.

I'm getting fun-addicted to Foursquare, a "let the world know where you are" game/social network deal. It's kinda dumb, but in a fun way. If you use it too, add me.

I rediscovered an old Yahoo login/account I used to use regularly (mikedoss), and I've started signing into it. Wondering how long until someone who had me on their buddy list will say "Wow - that dude hasn't been on in years" and IMs me.

Two days ago I requested comments, and only The Girlfriend obliged. You really should leave one. Really.

I heard there's some sort of "Super Bowl" this weekend. I'd enjoy a super bowl of spaghetti tonight, and some pie for dessert. That'd be tasty.

Anyway, I'm back to work, and you really should go get something done. Or at least plan your evening. Enjoy!

Enjoy Your Thursday, Geek/Hacker Moments, Fire Drill, Nachos, Pie, Busy, Hello!

Hello!

Picture of the day!

Katie and the girlfriend at Disneyland.

Late start to the day, and it's been busy, hence the late post. But I'm here now, and that's what counts.

Got bored and made both a Vanilla Cream Cheesecake Pie and Vanilla Cream Cheesecake tartlets (really, they're just two-bite versions of the pie). I'm giving away the tartlets at work, but need to find something to do with the pie.

You know what's awesome? Nachos.

Heard there was going to be a fire drill at work about 20 minutes before it happened, so some friends and I headed out for ice cream before we were trapped. I think that's perfectly acceptable.

I've been having lots of geek/hacker moments lately, and it's awesome. I don't spend nearly enough time with that area of interest. It's always around, though: I only subscribe to two magazines - Make and 2600.

Back to work with me. Enjoy your Thursday!

Do Something Awesome, Friends with Kids, Credit Cards, Comments, Strangers, Mile, Hump Day

Happy Hump Day, friends and neighbors!

Picture of the day!

Creepy trees, Point Lobos, 2005.

Got about a mile in this morning, and I'm feeling fine.

I realized today it's been ages since any strangers commented on a blog post. There's gotta be a few people I don't know who read this - who are you? Say hello!

If you're not a stranger, feel free to say hello as well. Comments are fun.

On Fark last night I was reminded of some things about credit cards that I had totally forgotten about. Most notably, it's against Mastercard's terms of service to ask you for ID (ever), charge a fee, or require a minimum payment in order to use a card. Visa allows you to check ID (where allowed by law), but only if the card is unsigned. However, that's only so you can compare the signature they're about to put on their card - if the card is unsigned, Visa merchants aren't supposed to accept it at all. I can think of about a hundred places that are violating right now.

I'm finding it somewhat strange that friends my age have kids who are teens now. And it's not just a few, and not just people who started families early. I ain't old, but I ain't young anymore...

Lots to do, so that's it for today. Do something awesome today!

Enjoy Today!, Widespread Psychic Issues, Soup or a Cupcake, Star, Laptop, Tuesday

It's Tuesday!

Picture of the day!

Last year's Mardi Gras King Cake. My best effort to date.

It took me months to realize that my work laptop fits nicely in in the laptop pocket of my backpack, so carrying the laptop in its own carrying case all this time has been silly.

In replacing my DVD shelf after Christmas, I've discovered that at least 1/3 of my DVD collection consists of movies and television shows that start with the word "Star".

You know what'd be good right now? Some soup. Or a cupcake. Yeah, a cupcake.

Speaking of which, walked my 1.4 miles this morning. Wasn't any way a run was happening. I woke up feeling like sleep had kicked me in the head. Lots of people have said this morning that they've had weird dreams or problems sleeping - I blame widespread psychic issues.

That's all I got for today. Enjoy today!

February, D&D, Coffee, Atheism Talk, Weekend, Mardi Gras, Monday

Happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Jesus Christ! We were on our way to Nevada.

Wow. February. Only two weeks and a day until Mardi Gras? Yikes.

Good weekend, though I'm unsure how anyone manages to take care of children on a full-time basis without a lot of breaks and support. Maybe some people are more geared toward such things, but I find trying to entertain a 3-year-old all weekend to be exhausting.

In a little less than two weeks, I get to speak to a room full of smart people about Atheism for 45 minutes. The task is somewhat daunting.

I decided around 7pm last night to have a large coffee, and it fucked me up big time. Am I just getting too old for the hard drugs like caffeine and alcohol? 31 ain't 21, my friends...

Itchin' to play some live D&D (I play daily online in a post-by-play message board, but playing in person is pretty awesome). Wondering if I have enough DM experience to actually run some stuff for the game I created.

I hope February's treatin' you well, my friends. Have a fantastic day!