And yet another week goes by without a GPS for hiking or an electric piano for night time enjoyment. Next week.. next week. Actually, next week I'm planning to go to Sea World so I won't need any of those things. It is a rough life down here. :-)
Saturday night, it was 11:00 I had brushed my teeth, and was getting into bed, when I started to listen to the noises. There were a few bullfrogs and some sort of weird twittering insect making noises. It sounded like a hot summer evening in Pennsylvania when all the crickets are going full time.... except I was inside the house here and it still sounded close. It lasted about a minute, and then it went completely quite. I waited 5 minutes and haven't heard a thing for the last 5 minutes... nothing. The house doesn't creek, no bird calls, no wind, no cars from the nearby highway, no neighbors. creepy.
I'm off to bed. I know it is barely nine, but I've been feeling tired lately. It is a vicious circle because I also set my alarm to go off earlier if I get to bed earlier. On a more personal note, I was thinking about home and family. Specifically about this last weekend. Everyone but me was at my parent's house, and I was just thinking how lucky it is to have a mom and dad that's willing to watch the grandchild to give K and R time to relax together, to have a mom and dad that opens home to my older sister so she can live at home while she works and breeds dogs and feed cats, and to have a mom and dad that wants to visit my brother and sister and law even though they live six hours away. That doesn't really stand out to me to much, but then this evening I'm thinking about other families I know and the troubles they go through and it's amazing that us siblings have parents like Mom and Dad and siblings like each other. I wouldn't trade any of them for anyone else I know. I love you guys (and gals). I'm going to call home now. :-)
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Sisters, Plots, And Music
I'm so happy. Katie is debating today and she gets to show off the baby at the same time. I was asking her (Katie, not the baby) what the schedule for today was, and she described the schedule to me and she mentioned something about CR and I realized I had completely forgotten about the baby! Wow. I must not be a good uncle! Mom is going to watch CR for the day... wait... this is suspicious...
(1) Mom hears about an open spot for a debater
(2) Mom tells sister
(3) sister accepts
(4) Mom holds baby
Ha! I knew there was a plot to hold the baby somewhere! And I found it. The great mastermind behind this fiendish plan? MOM!
Over last weekend, I played some Beethoven music I brought south with me and tried playing it a bit. Moonlight Sonata and The Pathetic Sonata (Opus 13). At this very moment, I'm reading the company's notes for The Pathetic Sonata... "full of sorrow, with a mingling of love and devotion..." Nowhere does the author mention anything about excitement. Beethoven has a whole measure of 1/64th notes. There is no way that even "Grave" can play those slowly. And the very next movement has the left hand playing at 552 notes a minute. That is 9.2 notes a second. "full of sorrow... love and devotion"???? Did the guy that wrote that line ever hear the music played? How do you get "full of sorrow" from a tempo marking of "Allegro di molto e con brio!"
Related topic - Trans Siberian Orchestra. That band is who I first heard "The Pathetic Sonata" from. i think the actual name of the song was "Mephistopheles." I'll look it up tomorrow. It was such a beautiful, enrapturing part of the band's song (the rest of the song wasn't so enrapturing), that as soon as I first played it for practice I recognized what it was... and after I looked at the temp markings, I also realized the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was playing the song at one third tempo. Bah. I can play it almost at full speed... but only for about 30 seconds... Well, I can only play two pages of the 17 pages song at that speed. After the first two pages, my familiarity with the song goes down rapidly. After hiking this weekend, I'll probably sit down for a hour or two and practice.
(1) Mom hears about an open spot for a debater
(2) Mom tells sister
(3) sister accepts
(4) Mom holds baby
Ha! I knew there was a plot to hold the baby somewhere! And I found it. The great mastermind behind this fiendish plan? MOM!
Over last weekend, I played some Beethoven music I brought south with me and tried playing it a bit. Moonlight Sonata and The Pathetic Sonata (Opus 13). At this very moment, I'm reading the company's notes for The Pathetic Sonata... "full of sorrow, with a mingling of love and devotion..." Nowhere does the author mention anything about excitement. Beethoven has a whole measure of 1/64th notes. There is no way that even "Grave" can play those slowly. And the very next movement has the left hand playing at 552 notes a minute. That is 9.2 notes a second. "full of sorrow... love and devotion"???? Did the guy that wrote that line ever hear the music played? How do you get "full of sorrow" from a tempo marking of "Allegro di molto e con brio!"
Related topic - Trans Siberian Orchestra. That band is who I first heard "The Pathetic Sonata" from. i think the actual name of the song was "Mephistopheles." I'll look it up tomorrow. It was such a beautiful, enrapturing part of the band's song (the rest of the song wasn't so enrapturing), that as soon as I first played it for practice I recognized what it was... and after I looked at the temp markings, I also realized the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was playing the song at one third tempo. Bah. I can play it almost at full speed... but only for about 30 seconds... Well, I can only play two pages of the 17 pages song at that speed. After the first two pages, my familiarity with the song goes down rapidly. After hiking this weekend, I'll probably sit down for a hour or two and practice.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
50 First Dates - Update One
Ha, I've successfully ripped the DVD to my computer and am now using VirtualDub to modify the movie. I've gotten through the first 20 minutes of the movie. I had to restart a few times until I figured out what would make a good editing. It's moving at a decent rate right now. VirtualDub keeps crashing about 2-3 minutes fairly regularly, so it's going slow - but I am making progress!
But - time for the interesting part of today!
A few days ago, I posted some break-dancing videos that I enjoyed. Today, I'll post some of the comics I enjoy.
First on the list, because it is a completed comic, is the Miracle of Science. Decent comic - drawing isn't great, but the storyline is the second best long running plot I've read in a comic...and the comic is finished! No wondering for three years how a particular story arc will turn out! ( Some webcomics update once a week... very boring... but I still check )
DMFA - Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures - I check this one multiple times throughout the day. Not because I enjoy it that much, but because I have one batch file that opens a whole bunch of my favorite sites and when I want to see one, I see them all, and DMFA is the first on that the batch file opens.
Last but not least is Vexxarr. An interesting read. There isn't much of a plotline, but the dialog is full of sarcasm, thinly veiled threats, and statements of impending doom upon anything non-mechanical.
By admitting the fact that I read webcomics, I have fully shown the world the lack of life I have.
Good luck Friday Kate!
But - time for the interesting part of today!
A few days ago, I posted some break-dancing videos that I enjoyed. Today, I'll post some of the comics I enjoy.
First on the list, because it is a completed comic, is the Miracle of Science. Decent comic - drawing isn't great, but the storyline is the second best long running plot I've read in a comic...and the comic is finished! No wondering for three years how a particular story arc will turn out! ( Some webcomics update once a week... very boring... but I still check )
DMFA - Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures - I check this one multiple times throughout the day. Not because I enjoy it that much, but because I have one batch file that opens a whole bunch of my favorite sites and when I want to see one, I see them all, and DMFA is the first on that the batch file opens.
Last but not least is Vexxarr. An interesting read. There isn't much of a plotline, but the dialog is full of sarcasm, thinly veiled threats, and statements of impending doom upon anything non-mechanical.
By admitting the fact that I read webcomics, I have fully shown the world the lack of life I have.
Good luck Friday Kate!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ghost Rider
For today's post on an incredibly popular and commonly read blog ( I think I hear my brother laughing ) I will do a review on the movie Ghost Rider.
I watched Ghost Rider Friday night. I don't want to give away any of the plotline, so I'll just say the plot is completely predictable, the fights were disappointingly simple, and the special effects are very good. As much as I enjoy watching a whole street of cars flip into store fronts while bursting into flame, I don't think I'll see the movie again. That was a short review. :-)
Almost short - I can't help it, I need to rant a bit more about the boss fights. Sunday, I watched the last two fights of Gorgeous. THAT is a good fight: good choreography, closely matched opponents, good reflexes, speed, humor, character development during the fights and both fights together last 30 minutes if they were put back to back. In Ghost Rider, there were no close fights. Ghost Rider always outpowered his opponents (by a huge amount) and had no finness while doing it. Come on! The movie gave Ghost Rider an unstoppable physical attack and a spiritual attack that is only SUPER EFFECTIVE against any evil. And movie goers are supposed to think that Ghost Rider is ever in trouble? Bah.
I watched Ghost Rider Friday night. I don't want to give away any of the plotline, so I'll just say the plot is completely predictable, the fights were disappointingly simple, and the special effects are very good. As much as I enjoy watching a whole street of cars flip into store fronts while bursting into flame, I don't think I'll see the movie again. That was a short review. :-)
Almost short - I can't help it, I need to rant a bit more about the boss fights. Sunday, I watched the last two fights of Gorgeous. THAT is a good fight: good choreography, closely matched opponents, good reflexes, speed, humor, character development during the fights and both fights together last 30 minutes if they were put back to back. In Ghost Rider, there were no close fights. Ghost Rider always outpowered his opponents (by a huge amount) and had no finness while doing it. Come on! The movie gave Ghost Rider an unstoppable physical attack and a spiritual attack that is only SUPER EFFECTIVE against any evil. And movie goers are supposed to think that Ghost Rider is ever in trouble? Bah.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Kick Your Heels Up And Dance, Come On Now
I was considering what I should put in my blog today and I was having trouble. When a person has such a fantastic, famous, regularly updated, and popular blog, choosing a good topic i s a challenge. But worry not dear readers, for today I have decided to share the greatness of my blog. I will do this by mentioning a few of my favore websites.
My secret is out - I just want to share some cool websites I know about! OK, today, I'll start with the musical dance. Sorry for those on dial up, but these are big files - Oh, and mom. I've shown you these before.
extreme crew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bkk3Um1LkU
extreme break dancing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyxlaib9UF0
This post is also in premature celebration of finding a hobby while I'm down here - competitive ballroom dancing. The studio is nearby, but I still need to find out what the class schedule is.
My secret is out - I just want to share some cool websites I know about! OK, today, I'll start with the musical dance. Sorry for those on dial up, but these are big files - Oh, and mom. I've shown you these before.
extreme crew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bkk3Um1LkU
extreme break dancing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyxlaib9UF0
This post is also in premature celebration of finding a hobby while I'm down here - competitive ballroom dancing. The studio is nearby, but I still need to find out what the class schedule is.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Movies And Research
Current project: finding out how to rip a dvd and modify the movie. :-) One of the movies I could watch over and over is "50 First Dates". The only problem though is that the movie is very crude at times. Lovely, touching scenes one moment, and a crude joke the next that has no relation to the scene. Not even close to appropriate for family watching. Right now I just skip forward to my favorite parts, but I miss parts of the plot.
So I hatched my own fiendish plot: modify the movie so I don't accidently skip past the goodness of the movie. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress, and perhaps I'll move onto other movies? As long I keep it for myself, I *think* it's legal. Can anyone double check and let me know if it's valid for personal use?
but for now I really need to start researching for Katie. I have no clue why I'm putting off something I enjoy so much. Ooo. I should call my mom. She'll put me into the mood for research - or Katie! She'll have great ideas also. She's being a partner for team debate (NCFCA) so there are no bye rounds. I'll do some research right now!
So I hatched my own fiendish plot: modify the movie so I don't accidently skip past the goodness of the movie. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress, and perhaps I'll move onto other movies? As long I keep it for myself, I *think* it's legal. Can anyone double check and let me know if it's valid for personal use?
but for now I really need to start researching for Katie. I have no clue why I'm putting off something I enjoy so much. Ooo. I should call my mom. She'll put me into the mood for research - or Katie! She'll have great ideas also. She's being a partner for team debate (NCFCA) so there are no bye rounds. I'll do some research right now!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Fountain Pens
Today's big activity? I got to write with a proper fountain pen. The desk I recently got for work had office supplies still in drawers from the previous owners. Whoever owned it still had a fountain pen ( still in it's wrapper ), extra parts, and an ink well. It didn't take long to plan an outing. I first had to look up just what to do with the pen. I could take a guess, but the last thing I wanted was to spill ink on my desk. :-)
And now you are probably wondering the outcome of my dangerous experiments? My experiment failed miserably. It looks like the pen is clogged up with old ink. I tried cleaning it, but the pen just has to soak for a while. It's time will come. I will be victorious!
Now, I need to research for Katie a bit. Ah, debate. That's a relaxing way to spend an evening. Use stock issues Katie, use stock issues! Good luck.
And now you are probably wondering the outcome of my dangerous experiments? My experiment failed miserably. It looks like the pen is clogged up with old ink. I tried cleaning it, but the pen just has to soak for a while. It's time will come. I will be victorious!
Now, I need to research for Katie a bit. Ah, debate. That's a relaxing way to spend an evening. Use stock issues Katie, use stock issues! Good luck.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Floridian Joy
So far Florida has been a big bust. Two weeks of fun in the sun and my tan hasn't improved!
I've settled in pretty well. Most of my boxes are unpacked and everything is laying in ... organized ... piles on the floor. I've put all of my book on a chest and they are all lined in a row against the wall. My boss actually bought me a good book on hiking across China. ( Don't worry mom, I don't have any plans to do anything like that... for at least a year. ) The book is pretty good. It's more anecdotal with little on the actual traveling.
Subtly moving to a related topic - I went hiking Saturday! I wanted to do a 10 mile route but I wandered into the middle of a military exercises. It looked more like boot camp exercises. The troops didn't have the proper military feel to them. Since I was still on a public and open path ( the bombing range was over 3 miles away ) I went ahead and sat down and watched the gunfire, patrols, maneuvers, and ambush. I'm guessing I got there at a good time, because the last half of the grapefruit I was eating was spent watching troops patrol a perimeter. Unfortunatly, a grunt came over and asked if I needed anything, then politely asked for me to move to 50 feet past the border. Oh well, it was fun watching while I was there.
Ah, the time has gotten late, and I haven't even come close to starting my taxes. Toodles!
I've settled in pretty well. Most of my boxes are unpacked and everything is laying in ... organized ... piles on the floor. I've put all of my book on a chest and they are all lined in a row against the wall. My boss actually bought me a good book on hiking across China. ( Don't worry mom, I don't have any plans to do anything like that... for at least a year. ) The book is pretty good. It's more anecdotal with little on the actual traveling.
Subtly moving to a related topic - I went hiking Saturday! I wanted to do a 10 mile route but I wandered into the middle of a military exercises. It looked more like boot camp exercises. The troops didn't have the proper military feel to them. Since I was still on a public and open path ( the bombing range was over 3 miles away ) I went ahead and sat down and watched the gunfire, patrols, maneuvers, and ambush. I'm guessing I got there at a good time, because the last half of the grapefruit I was eating was spent watching troops patrol a perimeter. Unfortunatly, a grunt came over and asked if I needed anything, then politely asked for me to move to 50 feet past the border. Oh well, it was fun watching while I was there.
Ah, the time has gotten late, and I haven't even come close to starting my taxes. Toodles!
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