Family Blessings

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. :-)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Forida and Expectations

Only another two weeks and I will be heading down to Florida. My boss is coming up this Thursday, and then driving back down with extra tables, computers, chairs... all the big things I won't be able to fit into my car.

I'll be taking our BBC (Big Black Car) down. It doesn't have great gas mileage, but since my major driving all year will be down to Florida and back, the total mileage will probably be less than if the BBC stayed at home for the year. Ben, my old apartment-mate, is probably going to come down with me. It will make for a bit less room and a longer trip, but the company will definitely be worth it. To counterbalance the bonus of a driving partner, I found out yesterday that my parents won't be driving down with me. They had been planning to come down for a while, but the closer it got, the less likely it became. Oh well, I guess that means I can come back to visit more often!

Ah, two weeks. Now that the time and date is set to head down, I wish I could head down right now and skip this waiting period, but then I start thinking about friends and family I'll see in the next two weeks and I know the delay is going to be a great blessing.

Two Weeks After The Wedding

J & C's wedding was a wonderful affair. Everything went very well. If you go to my brother's blog, you can see full description of how wonderful it was. :-) I'm torn about my wedding responsibilities, At my younger sister's wedding, I was 'merely' the brother, and didn't need to be concerned for much other than playing the music right. As a groomsman at my brother's wedding, I had extra responsibilities and worries. I needed to pick the right pre-wedding music, keep J's nerves from getting rattled, entertain Jeremiah, and relay orders between people.

Pictures!

On a cute note, half way through the wedding, I was asking Jeremiah if he wanted to be carried.... or I just gave him a friendly pat... I'll have to check the wedding video, and he turns and gives a nice, proper punch in the leg. :-) It was so cute from my perspective, and then I though, "Oh no! What will they think? He was just being playful, but they may think he was being rebellious or something!!!" So I'll tell J and C: he was being playful. :-P

Ah, the end of the week. I'm busy doing finishing up details - one of which is blogging.

Now I must leave, I have a lot of things yet to do on my todo list! I've gotten an exercise ball. I've picked out a domain name for my website, now I need a gps, post pictures, e-mail sappy letters, find an electric piano, find a hiking route, find a karate teacher in FL, learn a desktop automation programming language.... and I'm only a third through my list!

Baptism

Today is the day little Christina gets baptized. We need to leave in another 2 1/2 hours. I'm not sure which church she's getting baptized at - my mom handled all the details. Dad, Mom, Margaret, and I will be heading down in one car, and I'm not sure how long we'll visit. I'm guessing we'll need to get back to the house fairly soon so we can prepare to head to Virginia.

In work related news - my boss came up for the week, and he's explained a little of what needs to be done. In summary: he's really busy in December and January so he can't keep up to us especially if we're a bit slow getting work back to him, the design work is a bit too interdependent on both of us working together and he's guessing it will stay that way permanently, and he needs to have us in Florida to keep this project going.

I'm heading to Florida!

I've given the house owner 90 days notice and I should be out of the house by January. Last summer, Florida was boring. This year, I'm going to do things a little differently. Since I'll be there a whole year, I'm thinking of signing up for karate classes during the week, go swing dancing on the weekend, read in my spare time, and upkeep a site for extempers.

Another Week and a Half

My brother is almost married! I'm heading down (with my mom) to his place until the wedding. After the wedding, my mom and I may stay around a bit, but with my brother and his wife away on their honeymoon, there won't be much to keep us busy.... after the wedding. A lot of family is coming down, so we'll be quite busy visiting until the big day. Almost all my aunts and uncles on my mom's side will be coming down... kind of a mini-reunion.

I'm looking forward to the visit and seeing Jesse... and seeing him married. I can't think of a good best man speech, so I probably won't give one. It would be nice, and I'll keep at it. Maybe I'll ask my dad for ideas.

Thursday is a Work Day... maybe?

Nothing special about today. Work is going really slowly though. I had a total of 3 hours of work yesterday. Hopefully, he'll get the next assignment to me and I can get a full day of work finished. I haven't had a full day this week. :-( As much as I like the job, if I can't get 25 hours in a week, I'm not sure I can stay. My boss is coming up near Christmas, and he has a few things to talk about - some of which are hopefully 1) the next big projects for work and 2) going down to the main business to work; both of which would be VERY beneficial for hours worked.

I'm sitting here waiting for an e-mail for today's work, and I thought I would post my current thoughts on work. I tend to spread out work throughout the day - perhaps if I put in more effort to getting work done earlier in the day, my boss could get back to me faster. I'll try that today.

Quick update

It's late but I wanted to get a short update completed. I had a wonderful weekend at home. My mom and I chatted a lot, dad showed me his bikes and magic tricks for the upcoming new year, and Margaret and I beat upon each other mercilessly... yes, it was a good weekend. I finished it off by coming back to the apartment and watching "Big Trouble in Little China". Oddly enough, I've seen it before - probably at a motel during a craft show. Think of a script put together in an afternoon, cast that evening and filmed the next day... that's the type of movie it was. Nothing made sense. It was a blast to poke fun at the movie!

Almost done

Whew! I've been busy the last few days. My boss leaves tomorrow, so I should be able to slow down just a little. Unfortunately, all the steam I've built up will die Wednesday as I spend most of the day in Butler. I have two appointments, maybe three. I'll be debating with Olivia and I need to get together with her to figure out the case, who's doing what speech, evidence... there is a lot to cover.

Today in 30 seconds

Work is moving well again - I'm working more hours. Goofing off is taking priority too often. School work is going well. I was accused of being a stacker by someone I haven't seen in almost 6 months. My contacts hurt. Toe is healing well. My Jackie Chan impression isn't going so well - but I'm getting better. Had a VERY nice conversation tonight... more like relaxation with some serious subjects of conversation. I broke down and bought a veggie wrap for dinner. Worked out tonight. Haven't watched "Raising Helen" yet. The band Aqua is great. I have "Forces of Corruption."

Ah. My life in 30 seconds.

Fridays are wonderful

I'm on my way home today. Weekends are the best part of the week. It's where I get to go home, do chores, mow the lawn, weed-eat, help my dad, do hebrew, go over finances.... ah. Heaven.

I can't believe the amount of time since I last blogged. Time has flown! I was guessing early last week, but no! Almost three weeks ago! I'll try to make up for lost time now that I know how poorly I'm keeping my blog updated. At least I'll try to blog more often. :-)

Dan, one of my apartment-mates is moving out today or tomorrow. He's moving to a cheaper place and a college student is moving in through December. Plans after that will depend on whether the college student (Ben) get's a full time job or not. Brandon, my other apartment-mate is moving out at the end of October here, and in December, I start to be the renter for the house. So... I start renting the house in December, I'm subletting the workspace for part of the rent, and hopefully I'll be able to find two others to help offset the rent. The likelyhood is good I would say. Ben *might* stay on, Lauren and Stew could be staying, Someone else I haven't met may be looking for an apartment, and Mark is looking for a place. Ah, the joy of planning.

Brief update

I just wanted to post a quick blog. My mom left today for YP craft show. I decided against attending the Grove City speech team at the tournament this weekend and instead decided to help my parents at the craft show.

I know my parents can't actually check this blog until they get home Monday, so I'm going to let the rest of the readers in on a small surprise I have for them! It's not a big present, but the car I'm driving (It's the one my parents usually drive for business) has part of the felt on the roof loose (227000 miles. The car has served us well!) We've tried all sorts of products to re-attach the felt, but nothing has worked. Today, I bought some pins and pined up the felt. Hopefully the pins will hold. All it took was time to figure out what positions would keep the pins from falling out. It's not anything big, just a bit of felt and time, but I am inordinately pleased and looking forward to showing Mom and Dad!

Best songs heard today (both have been favorites for the last two months):
When the Broken Hearted Love Again
Be a Man

Back in Action

It's been two weeks and quite a bit has happened, so it's a bit hard to know where to start. I'll go in chronological order, which means the big events are not the first events

I came back to GC and am slowly catching up to what I should be doing. In essence, after getting back from Florida I took a week and a half off of work. I am just now starting to get into the habit of working full time again.

My parents have a big craft-show for three weekends this month and I've been pretty busy helping them. Mom and dad could get it all done themselves, but if I'm in town then I'll help because just one more person can make things go a lot smoother. There isn't so much rushing around or worry. After a month and a half hiatus, going to craft shows and spending time with family again is a lot of fun.

I'm also attending classes at gcc again.

But the biggest news is that KATIE had her baby! Christina entered the world healthy and well. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to put up, but that is on the to-do list for today. When I get a picture or two and actually see the niece for myself, I'll give a more complete update.

Final tidbit about myself for today - I did my first hard workout yesterday and I had a small moment of panic when I tried to get into my car to go home. I couldn't get my backpack off! I know it's not quite the most glamorous fear to have. Fear of heights or fear of flying is so much more popular, but some of my biggest fears is not being able to get my backpack off, wearing a shirt far too small, or getting stuck in a snowtunnel. None of them are very dangerous. :-) The problem yesterday was, that after a workout, my muscles are swollen and the muscles are tighter than normal and can't stretch as far, so I can't touch my shoulders and I couldn't reach the strap on my shoulder. I also couldn't bend enough to push my left strap off my shoulder with my right hand. Quite a predicament.

Airporting

This is a hobby, created just for airport aficionados. If you wish to start enjoying this hobby, there are a few rules which must be followed in order to get the maximum effect from "airporting".

1st: Arrive at the airport earlier than any person in their right mind would.
2nd: Check your bags. But wait! You're too early to check bags. You should have arrived early enough to wait at least an hour before bags can be checked.
3rd: You must plan your trip around high terror alerts. Anything less than level orange doesn't let the X-ray line pile up enough to be a proper airporting line.
4th: Go to your gate to wait at least four hours until your plane takes off. Notice I said "wait." Wait does not include sitting in the cushioned chairs provided... because the previous flight using the gate hasn't left yet and all the seats should be filled.
5th: If you can find a power outlet within 50 feet of the gate, you can still be an airporting hobbyist, but only if the first two outlets you found were unavailable for productive use... i.e. they don't work.

If you carefully follow these steps, you too can be an airporting hobbyist.


Three friars opened up a flower shop. The local florists were outraged because their customers were buying flowers from the friars. Complaint after complaint failed to change the friar's minds, so the florists hired "Hugh's Friendly Removal Service" to take care of their problem. That evening, amid broken pots and a sea of flowers, Hugh convinced the friars that the town could not support an extra florist shop - proving, yet again, that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.