Fuzzys Hideaway

Facebook killed the Blog Star...

2009-04-02T08:11:00.002-04:00

Not that I was much of a blog star mind you :).
I will very rarely put stuff up here I think, but most of my
comments will end up on my facebook account.
Interested in being my friend on FB? I'm the only
one with my name on there, so feel free to add me!

That being said, Icon this weekend can't wait!

She couldn't have known....

2008-06-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

How many folks cared about her, for her.
Too young to have been taken... We are less
because of her loss....

Happy Birthday Liz, wherever you are....
You are missed.

Gary Gygax.....

2008-03-05T11:14:00.005-05:00

Thanks Dude.. From all of us....

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080305-dd-cocreator-gary-gygax-now-beyond-scope-of-healing-spells.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/arts/television/08gyga.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09rogers.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax

You changed countless lives...

Christmas in....well... December!

2007-12-21T08:10:00.001-05:00

...Wanna know what I want for Christmas?
Ask..I won't say it here :).
And here I am again, about 4 hrs from 2 weeks off. I've got no definite plans
for these 2 weeks other then to NOT work. It's currently looking like
a trip to Montreal is gonna happen but nothings set in stone yet.
I'd really enjoy some serious CoH time though...
J did well for Christmas this year. A GPS, the mp3 player I don't like for
myself (I'm picky about my electronics, so shoot me..) bluetooth headset for
her Treo and a few CD's that she won't actually get till Christmas...
I think she got me...Clothing.
Sigh.
A Hint folks; NEVER buy me clothing, it's a questionable purchase at best and mostly
stuff like that goes right into a closet or donated, never to be looked at again, but I suppose
we'll see eh?
....I gotta tell you though, if my girlfriend basically got me boxers for Christmas I'm gonna be
kinda upset.....
As a guy with no faith though I suppose it doesn't really matter. I'm just glad to have the time off!
Hope to say something more interesting soon. Laters.

Christmas in August!

2007-11-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

OK it's not that bad...Yet.
I really really hate it when the 'Holiday season' starts before thanksgiving.
Too many commercials. too much cheery holiday-type music, etc.
Give me a break, that time of the year is special because it's kinda unique,
and by stretching it more and more it just takes away from it IMHO.
...but what do I know, I'm not the one buying lots of stuff this year....

Gah.

Who was it..

2007-09-18T07:01:00.000-04:00

That I was telling just the other day, that no matter how well the mets do in the beginning of the season, they always choke at the end? 10 errors in 2 games?! Comeon folks.
In other news I've decided that this will be a 'no red meat' week...I'm still eating chicken and turkey though. I find smoked turkey/egg on a bagel is pretty darn good....
Not as good as Pastrami/Eggs/Cheese...but still pretty good :)
So far I don't feel all that different, but it's only been a couple of days. We'll see how I'm feeling on say Friday.
I'm troubled about my Blaster on CoH. I'm not sure where to 'take' him really. It's so much easier to build a tank but CopBot is 33, I WILL see him hit 50...Just not sure when, or what his power sets are gonna look like...
Meh It'll be OK :)

Have a good one folks!

And Fall comes round again...

2007-09-16T23:23:00.000-04:00

Welcome to fall folks. I for one am of 2 minds about it. a) I LOVE Fall...I love the cool weather, beautiful foliage,etc... b) I'm not really excited about school starting again :-p.
Can't complain much this year though. The kids seem OK, The folks at Dell are keeping on top of stuff, I haven't been overrun with badness, and Hey, how many other jobs can give you 2 months off a year?!
I'm working on vacation plans for the next several months.If all goes according to plan (Yes I know when does THAT happen?) It looks like Disney for thanksgiving, a Cruise for Christmas and maybe...MAYBE...England for spring break...
There are of course questions about all of these, the first being...can I Afford to do all this?
Hurm....Donno...
Disney if it's a 'go' won't be too bad. Last time I was there I picked up an annual pass. The big expense will now be Transport and food...neither horridly unreasonable.
The Christmas cruise, 7 days, window room 1249...not horrid but really more then I"d like to spend. It goes to a number of places that would be nice to see, Key West,etc.
England...ah I don't think London will happen, if the other 2 do....although on expedia I found hotel/airfare for like 900 bucks I"m sure there would be tons of other expenses that would just suck up all my very weak American dollars...
We'll see.....

I spent some time this evening looking through old posts and stuff... some of the responses where surprising, not all in a pleasant fashion. I'm not sure what I did to 'anonymous' to make them so very angry with me, but whatever it was, I apologise if my actions hurt you.. I've never wanted to cause anyone so much discomfort.. I suppose we all do it to folks sometime though, and hopefully we can all learn and move on, and maybe forgive? Who knows.
Richard...I knew several growing up, I"m not at all sure which one this would be, however there's no one in my past I"d not want to sit down and have a meal with so if you're still reading (and if you are, sorry it's not more entertaining...) Drop me a line and we can have lunch or something. I'd like that....Even with the Angry Anonymous :).
....Hell, Especially with Angry Anonymous...
I suppose we all do what we can though eh?

Me? I'm gonna try to get some sleep, 530 am comes awfully early.

Nite Reader!

..And where does the time go?

2007-08-09T01:42:00.000-04:00

Yes it seems only yesterday that I was getting ready to leave for Florida, and here we are another school year bearing down on us like a tidal wave....
Firstly let me say that Florida was..Educational. Going to Fla in June was a terrible idea. It was friggen hot and humid. I know I shouldn't be surprised but damn it sucked...
2 Disney notes though. The Disney dining thing where you get one snack one counter meal and one table meal a day for like 40$ is completely utterly and totally worth it. If you pay a little attention, plan ahead,etc you can make out like a bandit, eat quite well and in our case we had a couple of points left over, which we used to get some snacks and water for the trip home....
The 'extra magic hours' although a good idea, I found weren't helpful. even at 1am the wait for test track and sorin where well over 2 hours and I'm simply NOT going to stand in the heat/humidity for 2 hours for a 3 or so minute ride...I just don't find it worth it.
I didn't get to go sailing either.
My birthday is in 5 days. Jen's Tenure box is due in ...6 days. I know its a career thing, it's critical etc....
I'd probably have a crappy b-day no matter what, I always do pretty much.
I'm so not ready for school to restart. The work load is OK actually I think we'll be all set machine wise, but my GOD how often do I have to hear stuff like "I don't know how to scan for viruses" when the directions are RIGHT THERE and the computer science teacher goes over it with them in class....
Sigh.
I bought a new video card. CoH continues to go well, and in fact one of my old friends has started playing again, so I've been playing with him a bit lately. That's a good thing.
Sorry this doesn't make much sense folks, its late and I"m sorta kinda tired but not able to fall asleep again.

I"ll give it a shot though. Here's to a good night sleep!

Summer...Turns me Upside down..

2007-06-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

Welp Graduation was yesterday, and I'm pretty sure that although the kids where thrilled, they weren't as happy as *I* was that this school year is over. I've been really stressed out lately, and am terribly pleased I got through the year without throttling anyone.
On 6/13 we had a memorial-type service for Elizabeth. It was quite lovely really, it never ceases to amaze me how many folks she touched in her brief life...It also amazes me to know she never quite understood how Lovely she truly was... I don't know if it's a society problem or whatever, it seems that folks can never accept the fact that some of them are pretty wonderful beautiful people...It's odd I suppose. I mean hey, I'm OK I guess but Liz really really Rocked. It's pretty shocking she managed to find any time to hang out here at ALL with all the other things she did..
I'll always miss her...

Onto happier notes!
I'm leaving for Florida in about um...2.5 hours. We're driving. I know it seems like a bit of a hike, but honestly it's only 16 hours and if the company's good (and it should be...) The drive can be seen as sorta its own little vacation, and a good chance to have some good chat time, and enjoy some crappy food with a friend or loved one. I'm looking forward to the whole trip (OK the part of 95 around DC kinda sucks..) and I'm hoping that for a change I can have a most excellent vacation and come back next week feeling vaguely human.
City of Heroes progresses well, even though my video card died. I'm on an emergency back up card for now, and will get a better card once I get back from Fla..depending on how much I spend on the trip I suppose.
I'm trying to decide what to do for my b-day in August. It is as anyone who reads this regularly, a bit of a tough time for me...I really kinda hate all it represents in some ways, but on the other hand I always at least take the day off,etc...
Hey, I never said I was reasonable ....
I'd thought about an Alaskan cruise but with Jen up for Tenure there isn't enough time to take the 10 days or so to go to Seattle and then the 7 nite cruise...its really a shame, I decided it was doable financially and she told me 'no time'.....
Ah well, next year is another year eh?
Hope All's well with y'all. I know I don't update much but well...I don't really have a lot to say these days I guess. Until today I was just trying to get through the days. Hopefully the next several weeks will be an improvement. I'm Hopin :)

I've decided...

2007-04-12T08:22:00.000-04:00

That if I ever feel like using a racial slur, I'll just call the person(s) involved Shit-eating motherfuckers or something.

It's Just safer.

.....In other news, PEOPLE ARE DIEING OVERSEAS FOR A STUPID WAR......

It never ceases to amaze me that Imus can say something stupid and it can go on and on...people dieing? Nobody seems to care....

*shakes head*

I really should see about relocating to Canada or something.....

PS- When I went to spell check this document, the blogger corrected my spelling of 'motherfuckers'

I'm not sure weather to be appalled, amused, or both.

The Dresden Files, etc

2007-03-12T08:28:00.000-04:00

OK Let me make this Crystal Clear: The BOOKS written by Jim Butcher totally Kick ass. They're fun well put together,etc. They are a pleasure and a privilege to read, take it from a guy
who's read a LOT of Sci-fi/fantasy over the years......
That being said, I'm really not happy with a number of things from the TV series.
Granted, this is partly because I'm such a huge fan of the books and I suppose my expectation levels are rather high, but COME ON PEOPLE! Some things about it totally Cheese me off...
-Someone breaks into his home/office. Every Week....EVERY FRIGGEN WEEK!?
-They show you the nifty shield bracelet. They spend time talking about it, give it some background,etc in the first episode. You never see/hear of it again?
-He's ALWAYS getting his ass kicked. Always.
-Episodic stuff. HELLO haven't we learned yet that although episodic is 'easy' a lot of viewers are looking for story arcs?
I won't go into the ways the stories have gone away from the novels,etc it would take me forever and it would be unfair to the TV series. A TV/Movie script gets one page per minute of air time so figure they've got maybe 46 pages to do everything...Yes I know it goes back to the whole 'story arc' thing...
Ah well.
In other news, If you'd like to tell Jim what a wonderful author he is (And yeah he kinda kicks ass in the authoring stuff) and see tons of other authors and do sci-fi stuff and role play and watch movies and anime and meet me for lunch, I will be at I-con again this year(www.iconsf.org) on the weekend of 3/23. I can't wait. Not only does Icon Rock, but there's also a lovely steak house up there that I'm planning on enjoying at least once :). After Icon I will be driving to Florida to have my first real vacation in quite awhile. If any of you are along the way or in Fla, please let me know I'd love to meetya for lunch or something. I will be taking my time driving up and back (I've got 2 weeks...) so if any of you have any suggestions or ideas for side trips I'm interested in hearing them.

Something to Think about.....

2007-03-08T23:56:00.000-05:00

OK.
They say.... If it weren't a bit challenging it wouldn't be worth doing. Right?

So

If life is easy (and lets face it folks, compared to life 200 years or even 100 years ago life is a friggen walk in the park....) Is life becoming less valued? It seems to me that these days more and more people are acting to intentionally shorten their lives. I don't necessarily mean by shooting themselves in the head, but more by living lifestyles we KNOW are bad for us, yet we continue to do them. I am a fine example of this, as was my friend Jeff who died last night...
Jeff made ME look small....
A Lot of us eat and drink to horrid excess, smoke,etc knowing just KNOWING the consequences yet we still do it......
Did this sort of thing happen 200 years ago?
....Well I"m sure it DID...but not in the vast numbers like folks do today, so I ask: Since life is far easier now then it ever was, Do we care about it less?

Sometimes I think too much.......

Niters.

Happy Birthday Alex....

2007-01-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

Al Poger.
What can I say about him?
He was very sharp.
He was very funny
He could be very sarcastic,
He was very good at calling it like he saw it.
He was about 280 lbs and asthmatic....
Tomorrow would have been his birthday if he'd
gone to the doctor a bit more maybe, exercised
a bit more maybe.....
He's been gone about 1.5 years now, and he's still
regularly on my mind (and indeed on a number of minds...).
Could I learn a lesson from him? Sure...Have I ....
well I still hear his voice in my head, when we where
sitting around sorta kinda doing something, but nothing
exciting he'd say.... I could be gaining levels right now...
Heah.
I wonder if he'd hate or be impressed with my CoH characters

He was a good, but directionless guy. He wanted to do stuff
but he never felt he was 'ready' ...
If I take one lesson from his life it should probably be to
NOT WAIT...Do some of that stuff you want to do because
as they say, It's always later then you think :).

Live your lives! No one else will .

Have a great weekend folks, Get out there and Enjoy it!

Give Flowers.....

2006-12-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers has been having a rough time this week. Every time I saw her in the hall, she looked sad/tired/harried/etc and it made me sad. I thought that I'd like to do something to brighten her day....
So I got her flowers...
My...
She looked SO happy and touched :)
It was lovely!
So my tip for the day boys and girls.....

If someone you care about (even a little) seems to be having a bad run...

Give em some flowers... (I'm a guy, and I'd still be touched if someone gave em to me...)
You'll make at least *two* people happy...them and YOU because you helped brighten up their day :)

On Death....

2006-12-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

I went to her wake yesterday. Hundreds of people where there, a grim reunion of sorts. It seems that only weddings and funerals can gather this kind of turnout for folks.
I looked down on her body and realised that she was...unrecognisable.
This was not Elizabeth.
I then remembered, I've gone to a few (OK too many) Funerals and wakes, I've looked into the box and said the same thing....
I have NO faith. I do not believe in god or the devil or the afterlife or anything, however whenever I see someone in one of those boxes, enough of me realises that something that made
that person THAT PERSON is GONE... I don't know, if it's the 'spark of life' or whatever, The person I cared for no longer resides in this body, and I'm sorry to sound a little trite about this but 'This is only an empty shell'. That person Lives On in all of us, they live in our hearts and our minds, not in some empty shell of a body.
I'd like to think she's gone onto another place, a happier place. I'd like to believe there IS a happier place for her to go and then when my time comes, I'll see her there again.

...I see a lot of folks are hitting my page lately, Please share your thoughts and comments about Liz. I think it would be nice if we could all share our thoughts and memories of her.

Elizabeth Aakre

2006-12-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well.

What can I say?

She was lovely. She was smart. She was sweet. She was fun. She was.... So Alive.......

She used to sit at my desk, and just..hang out, you know? We'd just chat away about whatever, and I loved having her around.....

She was a Drama Queen...oh yes...a beautiful drama queen.....At times it was almost a swirl around her....Old enough to know better, young enough not to worry about some stuff too much...

She had the world ahead of her... a wonderful full life of adventure and joy......

..........

Had.

And now...she's gone.

I don't know how. I don't know why.....

Does anyone really know WHY?

I DO know....The world is a sadder darker place because she's gone.

I miss her..... I always will.

I Hope it's a better place where you are now.

Oh Happy Day!

2006-11-21T07:54:00.000-05:00

I'm happy!
2 days of work this week, so pleanty of 'sleep in' time this '5 day weekend' .
Also, I saw something wonderful this am.
You know how you can be sitting in traffic, and some ass will speed by you driving on the shoulder? Well, I saw that this am.....And then I saw the sheriff's car, lights ablaze, nail him!
WOO WOO! Score one for those who try to follow the rules!

Ya I know its odd,but I try to be a good citizen, and people who do stuff like that (and litterbugs too) make me nuts.

Thanksgiving will be spent with Jen at a lovely Buffet in Westchester, at the Doral Arrowwood. Excellent food, nice atmosphere,etc. We went last year, and it was very nice, so we're going with it again this year... I wanted to go away, but it just didn't work out, you know?

Maybe Christmas time.

On the CoH front, all is going swimmingly. Cliff is now 46, and I'm hoping to make 50 by Christmas... I know its silly, but I promised myself I'd get Cliff to 50 before I started playing my Stone Tank (HottRox) seriously again...I gotta say though, I LOVE to play hottrox...he can really take a pounding, and is in some ways lots more fun then playing anyone else I've played.

Anyway, I also wanted to take a moment to say 'Happy Thanksgiving' to all...this is another one of those holidays that Everyone can enjoy, it doesn't have a lot of religious overtones.

I'll blog again soon!

Ew...

2006-11-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

Ok So Jen's got this health book. It suggests for loosing weight that you take 'digestive enzymes' a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of cocoanut oil before each meal......

I see why people loose weight...The only thing that tastes worse then the cider vinegar is the cocoanut oil.... People skip meals so they don't have to eat this stuff....

I'll try it for a couple of days though... It can't hurt to TRY right?

Gawd it tastes nast though.

Why Do I play City of Heros?

2006-11-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

Well, thats really not a terribly hard question, although some of you may wonder...
Firstly its FUN. I mean really, you get to FLY! You can make yourself look however you want, and you're in a world with a lot of fun people who can fly, jump,whatever, and all the female toons (thats what they call the characters you play in the game) are HOT...never a bad thing :).
The lines are pretty clear. You know who 'us' and 'them' are. You know who's 'bad' and who's 'good' and you don't have to spend time trying to figure out the grey areas and stuff.
ALL The bad guys are ultimately defeatable. Even the biggest baddest guy in the game can be defeated, if you've got 50 or so folks all working together as a team.....
Real life...its just not like that. There are many many problems that are totally unbeatable, there are so many grey areas, It's so hard to figure out 'right' from 'wrong'.... Especially when there are folks who you think are right in some ways but oh so wrong in others..........

So much easier to log on, build your toon and go knock around some freakshows or some counsel or some clockwork bad guys.....

And the folks you meet.... They speak your language, they understand, they like to play too.. It's nice to feel that there is a place where you can be radically different in so many ways yet agree on some simple things: Work together, beat up bad guys, and get better at it so we can beat up TOUGHER bad guys... Help out strangers and make friends.....
There are a lot of folks there, I don't know what they do, I don't know if they're male, female, black/white/republican/democrat/whatever... but we get on, play together (sometimes for hours) and we have a good time doing it......

Is this such a bad thing?

So What's goin on w/me lately...

2006-10-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

Not a Lot. Approaching Halloween, and no costume parties to be found..This makes me sad because Halloween is my favorite holiday!
Who doesn't like an excuse to get dressed up in crazy outfits after all?
I've been recording and watching Dr Who, Battlestar Galactica, and Heros. I've seen Dr Who and Battlestar pretty religiously, I'm afraid I'm about 2 episodes behind on Heros though...I finally saw episode 2 last night. Good show, interesting premise. I wonder if Niki is just Dual personalities or there 'alt' has some kinda actual super powers?
Guess time will tell :).

I've Always wondered...What is everyone's Favorite starship combat scene? I know an Odd question... My favorite has always been the final combat in Star Trek 2, the tension is high, it looks just GREAT...it's lovely work all around.
On The City Of Heros side, they're doing a 'trick or treat' thing that is really kinda cute, and I'm still loving the game. I've got my level 50 defender my level 42 peacebringer and a level 36 Stone tanker. I'm having fun with them and I've found a Supergroup I'm happy with, low pressure, just fun to hang out with, you know?

Hope you're all doing well, feel free to drop me a comment and say 'hi'...all like 3 of you :)

A Quick Update

2006-08-31T10:13:00.000-04:00

I walked out this am and grinned my ass off. I LOVE FALL!
The weather becomes cooler, a bit breezy, and I practically
come to life again..It's so beautiful in New York today.
Ok Its a little cloudy, but the cool breeze makes me feel
more alive then I have in months.
I can't wait for winter :)

In other news, I'm heading to Montreal this weekend. I'm hoping
to have a good time.
I haven't had a serious conversation with Jen since my b-day. We are
sorta-kinda exchanging one or two lines here and there, but not much.
We'll see what happens in the next few days. I wrote her an e-mail, and
she FINALLY read it last night... I think it will have SOME kind of reaction,
as sitting here in limbo is...Challenging.
So I'll try to live my life,etc and enjoy my time.
Life's too short not to right?

I remember

2006-08-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

I remember....
Looking into the window of The Slaughtered Lamb and seeing her face.
Laying in bed late one night, with her and the cat, and thinking...this is my family...
How hurt I was that she couldn't even get me a birthday card.....
8.5 years
A Long Time.

I love her, but I can't go on like this, knowing that she doesn't respect me.

God it hurts.

...I'll live though.

What choice do I have?

It's about choices...

2006-08-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

Ok.
Let's say you've decided you're Done with the big 'D'. You've decided its time to die.
I am not saying *I* am. I'm just saying suppose you dedicded you where ready to?
Firstly, if you're under like 20, you're too young, you've really got too much to live for.

Secondly, if you're killing yourself b/c of a girl/boy/whatever... Again, it's not worth it, there WILL be another girl/boy/whatever. Really, there will be.

I'm talkin...You've done what you've wanted to, or you're ill, or you're just tired of it all or whatever.......

Leave all important info someplace its easy to find. Bank accounts, credit card info, Christmas club stuff, whatever. Leave it someplace handy.

Leave a note. In the note make it CRYSTAL CLEAR...this is no one's fault, nobody's responsibility, etc ...Because there will always be folks who will say 'but I could have/should have seen it coming' or 'why didn't anyone help him/her,etc'.

The reality is, that if you've made the choice really ..NO ONE can stop you. You'll find a way, and anything else will just make things more difficult for everyone involved.

Don't do yourself in in a park or something, because if you 'go missing' then people will be left to wonder what happened to you...this is about making sure there are no loose ends.

A hotel would probably be best. One prefiberly with a tub.
Choose your method, and do it in the tub. Easiest cleanup, minimal mess and bother for all involved.

You don't want someone you know to find you. They're in for enough trauma as is, no matter what you say/do or have said in the note. Them finding your bod will NOT be good for their mental states.
Of course, its not good for ANYONE'S...But its probably easier on some anonymous person then on your friends/family/etc. I suppose it might even be better to arrange for an EMS person to show up or something as they've probably dealt with it before.....
If you must do it at home I guess if you make the call and claim some minor problem then leave the door wide open they can come in and find you.

...Don't make a scene doing yourself in. It's not helpful or productive, and it really really doesnt do anyone any good.

Just some thoughts on my 39th birthday.

Happy birthday to me.

Gah.

An open letter to the folks at carnival cruises

2006-07-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

Jen and I recently took a 5 night cruise. It wasn't bad...However there where issues that needed to be addressed. After the cruise we sent them the following letter:

Dear Carnival associates,To start, Lauren was very helpful and informative as we began to book this cruise. She addressed many of our concerns and made us feel comfortable taking a cruise with Carnival, even though Michaels first cruise experience was negative. Her enthusiasm was well noted and Jennifer and I looked forward to the cruise were excited to hear about our room assignment which was categorized as an "upgrade." We had paid for an oceanview room and were "upgraded" to a room on a higher deck with an ocean view. When we checked the room online and saw it was obstructed, red flags went up but we were assured it was fine.Upon arrival at the ship, we saw that it was not so much the obstruction ofthe water (you couldn't see any water unless you went outside and looked over the side) but the fact that there was a bench outside the window and a public walkway outside the room, complete with ashtrays for smokers. This disturbed us greatly and we took our first trip to the Purser. We were told they didnt know what was happening and to come back at 5:00. After a mediocre, cafeteria caliber meal, we went to the Purser and were told they would leave a note for us and we could come back at 7 to check. At 7:00 we were told they didnt know and we should come back at 9. At 9:00 after noticing our air conditioner was not working at all, even after figuring out to open the vent on the ceiling, we went to the Purser to be told that the ship was full and there was nothing they could do. We were then further told that the possibility existed that people would not return to the ship at a port (people not wanting to continue their cruise, that doesn't bode well) and then maybe we could get a different room. Knowing that chance was slim, Jennifer asked for another compensation such as shipboard credit and we were told that was not possible. This was very upsetting and we felt blown off by the man at the pursers desk who gave the snide comment to Jennifer "perhaps you want us to move people out of their rooms...hmmm?"Jennifer walked around the ship and I returned to the room. I contacted housekeeping to report the AC issues. They suggested that I "adjust" the thermostat on the ceiling. The "thermostat" is a handle that just opens or closes a vent. This is not a thermostat. Even with the vent open, no cool air was coming out. A maintenance man came after the second phone call and proceeded to take the unit apart. While he was doing this, he got many calls on rooms that were too hot. He said he would check the main unit and finish repairs on the ceiling before 9:00 the next morning while we were out.We got up and left the room and came back around 11:00 and the unit was still broken. Another call was made. We went out again, came back and the unit was still not repaired. Finally when we got back from 8:00 dinner seating, the unit was working.Reference the window overlooking the walkway: This should not be marketed as an oceanview room, obstructed or otherwise, and certainly not an upgrade.The fact that you had to keep the drapes drawn means you might as well have an interior room, and that is not what we paid for. The fact that the window is tinted is of no consequence in the evening when the lights are on and its dark outside, people can SEE inside the room. Plus, you can see them at all times. The sign next to the window telling you to keep the drapes closed and lights off to avoid navigational problems is an insult to our intelligence. One cannot see the bow of the ship from the room and the rest of the ship is lit up like a Christmas tree; this notice was just there because the fact is, people can see into your room.Very insulting indeed.The quality of food on this ship was not the caliber I expected nor experienced on other cruises. One hot dish, iceberg lettuce, rice, one dessert, and Bologna does not a quality buffet make. The variety of the items in the Mediterranean cafe was lacking and the caliber of food fell short. The presentation as well as the preparation was that of a cafeteria.Just because it is a buffet does not mean it needs to be poor quality. On other cruise lines there were many items, a lot of variety, and the food more sophisticated in flavor. The lobster night in the dining room was good, but the other nights the food was tired or overcooked. We sometimes like to have a meal in the buffet because we want to eat quicker and go onto a fun activity rather than being tied down to a 2 hr meal in the dining room. We found that in order to get a meal of any quality we had to go to the dining room. Other cruise lines make sure that the same entrees, maybe with the exception of lobster, are echoed in their buffets. There are also mixed field greens, international cheeses, innovative salads, and for desserts we were spoiled for choice. On the Victory, there was one dessert at dinner in the Med Cafe. The deli had nice sandwiches and the chevre pizza was good, but I don't spend that kind of money to have deli and pizza. I also don't understand the logic behind more choices for lunch than for dinner. Lunch was the better meal overall, with the last sea day lunch being the best one. For example there was a spinach, yam, and potato salad with goat cheese that was excellent. Why wasn't this caliber of food served throughout the cruise and for the dinner buffet as well. Breakfast was less than the offerings at a Bob's Big Boy or Sizzler. Toast was constantly cold.Only plain bagels? Tater tots? Again it was like a school cafeteria. Iceberg lettuce and Bologna are just not items for a cruise buffet. The Mississippi"BBQ" was not. Hot dogs on a roller and hamburgers are not BBQ. Not even a bottle of BBQ sauce for good measure. Again, food was quality of a school cafeteria.This is especially true when you have to wait on extraordinarily long lines for food of this quality. Certain times of the day it was impossible to pass certain areas, especially on Lido and Promenade for the crowds. Why can't people serve themselves from both sides of the lines. Design it so tha there are two spoons, one on either side of a dish so that two queues can form. The crowding was extreme. Dining rooms sometimes opened late.Promenade and Photo galleries were impassable at times.I thought that only certain areas were designated for smoking. There was no announcement or enforcement of this. As far as I am concerned, the whole ship was smoking with the exception of seated dining rooms and the SPA/Gym.People were smoking where there weren't any ashtrays. Wherever they wanted.No crew member told them not to. This was very disappointing. You could smell it down the stateroom halls. There were many smokers and they did it everywhere.I understand that there were many children on this summer cruise. There were also jacuzzis and areas that were designated as adult only. This was not enforced as kids were in clubs and in the adult only jacuzzi back in Sirens.In fact, Sirens was so full of children it was not the quiet respite I was expecting. When they closed the main pool due to weather, they kept it closed even after the seas were calm, well before 8:00. This meant that Sirens was overrun with kids, infants, and their smoking parents. There should not be smoking where food is served and when you walked into Sirens the smoke just overwhelmed you. Kids were in areas designed for adults. I don't mean teenagers, but kids under 12.We went on the Halifax/Peggy's Cove excursion. Now there is so much to this area that we want to do a road trip; it was very pretty. This trip included a salmon bake lunch. I do not eat salmon but was told there were alternative choices. The only choice was pasta. I expected a dish on par with salmon. I was given a small bowl of spaghetti with thin red sauce the color of ketchup and a piece of garlic bread. It looked like the child's portion. Not even apiece of chicken or anything in it. Jennifer gave me her vegetables and rice so there would be something to this meal. For the price paid I would expect something on par with the price of a salmon dish as an alternative choice.Despite the shortcomings of this cruise, the crew, service staff, room stewards, dining staff, etc., were very helpful, nice, and supportive. They're not to blame for any of these problems and were doing their best under the circumstances. Activities were fun and the Victory dancers performed very well with lightning costume changes and strenuous dancing. Fine job.I regret to say although there were high moments during this cruise, I think we will not be cruising on Carnival Cruise lines again in the foreseeable future. Although the effort was great on the part of the crew, the issues previously mentioned are serious and cause me to be skeptical and wary about booking another cruise with Carnival.Thank you for your time.

Sorry about the formatting. The copy/paste didn't seem to 'take' well
Their response?
A form letter, sorry, bla bla bla. Here's a 50 dollar ship board credit for each of you. Usable in the next 18 months. But you have to give us 30 days notice.....

Screw em. Next time we'll try Norwegian.

How often....

2006-05-15T07:52:00.000-04:00

When you are driving do you look at your gas gauge and think...." I could be pretty far away by the time I ran out...."

....Just a thought for a monday morning.

What....

2006-05-02T10:35:00.000-04:00

Do we leave behind after we're gone?

Hamidon Raid!

2006-03-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

As you all (ok all like 5 of you...) are aware, I play a game called 'City of Heros'. In the game you basically play a super hero, you run around saving innocent lives and stuff like that.
It's pretty neat stuff for those of us who enjoy it :).

The biggest Baddest Bad guy in the game is called Hamidon.
You don't fight Hamidon alone.
You don't even fight him with a full party.....
Usually it takes about 50-60 people to Take this bad boy down.
As of now I've gone on about 5 Hamidon Raids (as their called) and I feel that I should share my experiences with the world (that and one of my readers insisted I update my blog...so blame HER if you don't care about Hammi Raids :-p ).

Take 50 or so of your high level (45+) Friends.
Go to the zone known as 'The Hive'
Slug it out with the michrocondria
Slug it out with Hamidon
Meet your Debit Cap
Get your Hamidon Enhancement

Hamidon is in 'The Hive', which is connected to 'Eden' which is connected to 'founders falls' which is connected to 'Talos Island'. It's a bit of a hike, and ALL the enemies in 'The Hive' are classified as 'monsters'. They are all very very hard to beat, so you're best not engaging them if you can avoid it.

The Raid Leader is the ONLY person who uses the 'request' channel. All directions will come through that channel.
initially there are two teams.
1) The Hamidon taunt team
2) The Mido hunters.

The Hamidon taunt team consists of I suppose 4-5 people
1 tank, 3-4 empathy defenders.
This team's one and only job is to Keep hamidon's attention. The tank taunts hamidon, and the 3-4 healers do their best to keep the tank alive during the whole raid.

The other group?? That's Everyone else. The healers put their 'heal aura' on auto (hit control and click the power, a little green ring goes on around it, and the power will activate every time it can) and run around in a huge mass attacking ONE mitochondria at a time (there are maybe 30 of em?).Holders use their hold powers on the Midos and everyone else attacks. NO Pets, no wierdnesss, because you don't want ANYTHING that might get Hamidon's attention.

After all the Midos are dead, usually we take a 10 minute break. Everyone with a 'hold' power then proceeds to go over to Hamidon and try to 'hold' him. Some pets are activated, Pets that have HOLD powers, and then used.Hamidon is held, and held for a couple of minutes. After he's securely held, everyone ELSE comes in and attacks him.

Then he dies, and everyone who participates gets a level 50 dual-use enhancement. They're quite handy, as a normal enhancement only enhances ONE thing (like enhance damage) the Hamidon enhancements do TWO (enhance damage/range or enhance heal/reduce endurance for example)

Easy you say?

Why worry about the debt cap?

Well.......
I'd say that 70% of the heros can survive ONE shot from a mitochondria.
Not Two. Tanks Maybe can take two.
Hamidon? Will indeed One shot ANYONE except a high level tank in my limited experience, and a tank not properly backed up will die pretty darn quick. Mido and Hamidon attacks are also 'Area of Effect' (AoE) so if they get a shot off, many people get hit, and many people die.
In short, if the taunter looses Hamidons attention or the Mido team gets the Attention of more then One Mido at a time, people drop like flies.

It seems that Hamidon and The Mido's have a short attention span, so people die a LOT.

My first raid, it went smooth as silk and I didn't die once. Since then, I've died more then 6 times per raid.

Other things to consider:

When doing a Hamidon Raid, put the game's Graphics settings down to the barest minimums because the lag is HORRID....It is SO horrid that occasionally Hamidon just disappears from the screen. Becaise of this when attacking him, it is best to target through someone's pet..They don't seem to Ever loose lock.
If Hamidon is not locked down properly, when he falls to 50% of his hits, he will spawn a mitochondria for EVERY hero in the zone, and it will be....Special, so its critical to keep Hamidon Held!

Total time on a Hamidon raid is probably about 2 hours.

I am No expert at the game, however I hope that this little guide is helpful to Anyone who plays.

If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I'll try to answer :)

A general update!

2006-03-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

Ok Welcome to march first everyone.
Sorry I've not posted much. I haven't really much to say!
I start weight watchers this afternoon. I weighed myself this morning,
I come in at 295 lbs. Not my TOP number mind you, but pretty damn close.
Hopefully this weight watchers thing will help. We'll see.
I Just LOVE food, you know?

Damn I want a big steak now.
(yes its 7:41 am, your point?!)

Level 47 on City of heros, Did my first Hammi Raid.. Quite exciting, and it went really well.. I can also see that if folks aren't organized, it could go terribly horribly wrong, so its kinda dicey to do it...It was fun though.

I noticed I never discussed the cruise I went on here..
It bit.
Well...That's not totally true. The CRUISE was quite nice actually, the ship was nice the food was good,etc etc..... I (big shock...) Was sick. I never really got used to the feel of the boat, and Christmas eve had me puking and with a horrid pounding headache in the infirmary.. they where very nice and wanted to give me lots of IV's and Needles and stuff....
I passed..... I HATE needles, and if someone's gonna stick an IV in my arm I'd better be damn near dead....

All in all the cruise was NOT a positive experience for me... Jen loved it though.
If I ever do it again, I'll look into those seasickness patches and stuff...Maybe that will help.

Sigh a ship infirmary is NOT where you wanna spend Christmas eve, but I suppose it coulda been worse, it coulda been a Mexican hospital right?

The town of cozoumal (or however its spelled) was actually kinda interesting. I know It's nothing like the 'real' Mexico, but It was still neat. If it have been a little cooler, and I hadn't started feeling like someone was using an Ice pick on my head mid-afternoon I think I would have enjoyed it more...
Next time, gadget next time....

I've got 2 weeks of spring break coming up (last 2 weeks in march) I've got I-con in the middle of it for 3 days, but other then That, Nothin going on. Anyone have any ideas?

What's your opinion,we'd like to know :)

Here Ya go Hon!

2006-02-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

This post is in Honor of our newest reader...Welcome Monti Jo!
And as an additional bonus, here's a pic from my most recent trip to Niagara falls!
....
But you say, that pic is obviously from the summer....

well...Yes I haven't been to the falls since then.....
Sorry :-p

Hopefully will be going on 3/17/06.
I'll keep Y'all posted.

Welcome again to our new reader!

Unos Update!

2006-02-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

I got home today, and got a letter from Unos corporate:

Dear Mr Bekman,
Based largely on our customer feedback, we've brought back the Cream of broccoli soup. By the time you receive this letter, our new improved soup will have arrived at your local UNO.

...It goes on to talk about the soup, and they even sent me a 5$ coupon to 'try our new and improved soup' and to e-mail this guy and let him know what I think.

My words where heard folks!

W00t!

In other news....

I made 44th on City of Heros, I'm well pleased...

I'll be attending I-con the 3rd week of march...Feel free to flock there and meet me :-p

www.iconsf.org

Hope all is well with all...um...3 of you!

Tis' The Season

2005-11-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

With the return of the holiday season, I present to you all, well all like 3 of you that read this, Christmas in corona:

'Twas Christmas in Corona,
And all down the block
Not a Boom Box was playing
Neither Hip-hop or Rock
The ammo was unpacked,
The Boyz where in place
In Wait for St. Nicholas,
To jump on his face.
When St.Nick arrived,
They gave it their best
But they just didn't count
On his Kevlar vest.
"Ho Ho ho" chortled he,
We've been bad boys I see!
It'll do you no Good,
You know-nothing hoods
You'll certainly get nothing from Me!

-This was written many years ago by myself and a friend who to this day wishes to be anonymous. One line had been updated, to 'change with the times' more or less....

Happy Holidays folks, I hope everyone gets what they're looking for!

Quick Informal Poll....

2005-11-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

So How many of the 2 or 3 folks who read this enjoy talking dirty during sex?
I'm just curious, if you don't wanna tell me who you are and all I totally Get it :-p. I personally find it to be a big turn on.....

In Other News.....

I love city of heros. My main character is now 26th, and I'm having a great time with him. I'd like to meet other folks from NYC who also play CoH, but I'm not motivated enough to set something up... Too busy, etc.

I've also been enjoying urban dead (www.urbandead.com). I play with two of my friends, and we're quite involved with this silly silly game.. I find it to be a fun distraction..

Jen and I are talking about taking a cruise for Christmas... I'm not sure I want to spend that much money...its pricy. I KNOW its a good deal but do I REALLY want to spend most of my savings account on a vacation, knowing that I'm driving a 14 year old car that could suddenly have a dead transmission,etc.... Or do I wanna go on a cruise ? :)

What's your opinion, we'd like to know !

Nightmares and such

2005-10-23T11:56:00.000-04:00

So here I am at work on a Sunday. It's easier to do some stuff when nobody else is around to disturb me, so I come in on an 'off' day every 2-3 months to get stuff done...
So here I am blogging :-p
Ok Windows updates run on their own eh?
The last 2 nights have been a bit of an oddity for me..Hopefully tonight won't make a 3rd.. I had nightmares 2 nights in a row... Friday night I had a dream in which I was in of all things some kinda RV, with some co-workers, one of my friends, and her boyfriend...And the first english bulldog our family every really knew, Petunia...
Petunia was hurt, she had some horrid looking wound on her..and she was suffering..and NOBODY was doing anything about it... I was trying to get us moving, but nobody seemed to be aware or caring that she was in such bad shape...There wasn't a lot of action..Just a lot of suffering...Her suffering and me suffering b/c there was nothing I could do for her....I know in the grand scale of things it doesn't seem horrid, but when I woke up I Felt... I donno, angry, frustrated, hurt etc...and Helpless I suppose.... It didn't start the day off well, and although it had some positive points (Great lunch with a buddy for example) It Still Sucked.....
And now last nights.....
The long and the short of it was that my girlfriend had done some things that showed me how little she thought of me, AND she'd of all things..Started smoking, a habit I really really despise... And she wouldn't stop..I spent most of the dream being REALLY REALLY angry at her, and trying to break up with her, but she wouldn't take me seriously and stuff....
And she wonders why I didn't want to talk about it this am...
I probably will discuss it with her if it doesn't fade away (I was hoping it would..) lord knows she's had enough nightmares with ME in em...
How screwed up is THAT eh.....

I'm really hoping to just have a normal night's sleep tonight.

Unos is Getting on my S-List

2005-10-05T08:04:00.000-04:00

Ok.
I'm a simple man really.
I like simple things. Among those simple pleasures that I enjoy, is a nice quiet trip to unos for an express lunch, which includes a deep dish pizza, and a cream of broccoli soup. I could sit, eat and read, two activities I'm really really fond of.

Someone in the Unos organization has decided to replace the cream of broccoli soup with...veggie soup.

If I wanted veggie soup I could goto a diner.

I want my cream of broccoli back!

Yes, I've already written Unos, and apparently some unos restaurants haven't made this change yet... I'm hoping they DON'T.

Yeah, I know its not a big deal in the grand scale of things, but I didn't make a stink when they took the 'dumb monkey' away (for those who don't remember, basically it was a banana split in a tall glass...It ROCKED).
I will NOT stand by and let them take my soup away :-p.

Coincidence?/A deals a deal...

2005-09-13T07:37:00.000-04:00

Ok I've been slacking off since school started. I've been busy doing work stuff, fixing the kids and faculties machines,etc etc....
I stopped walking, wasn't eating as I should.....
Last night I didn't sleep well, was up about 25 minutes early this am.. I said to myself...If I find parking, I'll go walk before work.....
Ya know I found parking in like 5 minutes....
A deal's a deal. I got my butt on the treadmill after I got parked, and In.
I'm back on my drinks for b'fast, and I'm going to try to make better choices again...
I'm also working on improving my attitude.'They' say its really more about BEING positive, as compared to actually having a cruddy or good life, and I'm painfully well aware that I've got it GOOD. Good job, minimal responsibilities, decent health (ok it's not GREAT but it's something I control..), great folks surrounding me....
I changed my screen saver to say 'today will be a GOOD day...'
I don't hate it yet :)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

2005-08-22T05:59:00.000-04:00

This movie is actually very important. It's an action adventrure movie to anyone under the age of say 25, but to folks who are a little older, and maybe just a hair more aware of ..well I donno..stuff.. The movie is really about relationships, love, and being together.....
You haven't seen it? You probibly should... It's one of my favorite movies nowadays....
Basically, there's a ton of love there, but they've lost touch with each other... they've sorta drifted apart, and are no longer 'partners'...

Sound familiar to anyone?

Its a movie folks, it doesnt solve the problem, or even offer any real solutions (unless both you and your SO happen to be assassins, and you're both being hunted/being put into a life/death situation where you are kinda forced to depend on each other..), however I think it speaks volumes about our culture, and about how a lot of folks feel, or maybe SHOULD be feeling? How many of us out there are in relationships, and don't even REALIZE that they've stopped working WITH their partner, and are in some cases, at best, simply shareing a livng space....?

At one point, it was different. Folks had more in common.. someone ran the farm, someone kept house...both had the same set of kids... some guy made iron works, his wife did the selling maybe, I donno....

You want solutions? What do I look like, a social psychologist?

*shrugs* my best guess? Make an effort. Look at your partners life, see their interests.. try to be involved. Let Them Know. Try.
Hope for success...It takes both of you, and honestly you can do all the trying in the world.. If your partner can't/doesn't want to/whatever to work with you and try to share some of YOUR stuff, I guess you're doomed to either become someone you're not or move on or something... It doesn't work with effort and understanding on only one side.

I Love Jen. I'm crazy about her. I want us to work out.
I just don't know if its going to happen.....
Would an episode of Justice League kill her?
Going to antique places didn't kill me...
*shrugs*

Birthdays....

2005-08-10T10:10:00.000-04:00

Ok I gotta say, today is 8/10. Usually I'm really down around my b-day, and this year round I've made it all the way to today basically before I'd felt depressed... the whole 'older getting closer to death' thing is ever present, and my birthday simply brings this more to my awareness....All the things I did do, and will never do again...All the things I Should have done when I was younger.... Spring break stuff probibly is a blast really....
I'm just down. I'm even considering leaving work early, I was really tempted to eat like a little piggy this am..... b/c I'm really feeling like I don't care.
At least I'm enjoying City of Heros... Its lots of fun, and is pretty uncomplicated, etc... In some ways I'd probibly be really happy just playing CoH all the time....I've decided that I'm pretty much gonna play all weekend for my b-day.... the price is right, doesn't require anything special to set up or anything, It's all good, you know?
Once school starts again I'll probibly be too busy to get too down eh?

Alex

2005-07-26T21:15:00.000-04:00

I lost a friend today.

I got the call at work around 2pm, by the time I got to the hospital, he was already gone. I've known Al for probably about 10 years. He was a good man. He hadn't been feeling well for a couple of days, and basically thought he had some kinda flu. He was feeling poorly this am, called an ambulance, and died in his lobby of a heart attack. He was about 39.
I'll miss him terribly, and I will try like hell to learn from this loss... He outweighed me, but not by a lot.. I had started eating better and exercising, but of late I've fallen off that wagon, put more weight back on, and some folks said I'm more irritable since I've stopped exercising....
I've got to fix that... I'm not ready to die...I'm also not ready to put my family and friends through what we're going through now.....
Damn I miss him...But hopefully I can not let his death totally be in vain...
Alex, Like me, doesn't believe there is anything 'afterwards'.... For the second time in about a week, I really really hope I'm wrong.....
Maybe some good news will be coming my way soon.....

Booter

2005-07-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there" The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them. "What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," was the answer. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell." "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?" "No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind.

Ok that was technically about a dog, but I think we all understand that cats CAN fall into the same category.... Yesterday, after gracing Jen with is presence for 20 years, and gracing mine for over 7 years Booter Moved On. He lead a good life. He ate well, was never cold, never hot, never TOO bored, never in pain. In the last few months he was on a little medication, in the last month he didn't move around much....
Monday he walked around, had some tuna, some meatball, spent time with Jen and her mom, went to sleep around 11pm and checked out. There was no sign of discomfort, or pain or struggle.
I was NEVER a Cat Person. I always preferred the company of dogs. Booter was, for lack of a better way to put it, a Dog in a cat suit. He came to the door when you came home, he was happy to see you, he was always 'there' looking to be social and involved and loving... And he never needed to be walked :-p.
I will miss him dearly.

I don't know if there is anything 'after' this, but if there is I'd like to think that when I get there I'll be able to see him again.

Hot town, summer in the city...

2005-07-18T07:29:00.000-04:00

Ok It's 7:30 am, and its 77 degrees..And friggen 94% humidity. NY SUCKS during the summer! I felt like I should be swimming to work or something. As most folks who've experienced it (and I'm pretty sure the all 2-3 of you that read this have...) Heat is not so pleasant, but the humidity is the real killer. It's supposed to be like this the next few day I understand too... Lucky us, eh?
I went to the rifle range yesterday, and discovered something I was already pretty sure of... I'm a Horrid shot. Horrid. It was educational though, I got to shoot 2 rifles and a pistol, and as this was only my second trip ever to a range, it was quite educational. I'd never fired a pistol or a larger-bore rifle before, and they both have some kick..An Interesting experience.
I've decided that for my b-day I am going away. One of my friends will be joining me..Where you ask? Well... I've been missing Canada for awhile now, so its time to go. If you're going to be anywhere near Niagara Falls the weekend of Aug 12, let me know, maybe we can have lunch or something!
My boss should be back today, after a fairly long absence due to vacation and baby birthing time. I will be gentle with him but I WANT MY NEW MACHINE! I'm desperate to start playing City Of Heros. I was at one of my friends houses last week, I made up a character and got a handle on the controls,etc...Its fun, and I'm really looking forward to a machine that can handle it, preferably before school starts and we're horridly busy again.... Well A guy can hope eh?
Hope you all had a good weekend!

Other thoughts (not so deep I don't think...)

2005-07-12T07:15:00.000-04:00

I ordered this T-shirt this morning. I enjoy the Stuff at 'Ill will Press' and Foamy Kicks ass. I also think that come September, the kids will fear and respect the t-shirt :-p.

besides, who wouldn't like to have more 'one ness' with their anger?

On to another subject that's been on my mind...
Crisci Baxter, where are you now?
Ok its not necessarily that I'm looking for Crisci specifically (well I am also of course..) But I wonder where some of my old friends have moved on to..
I miss them, and hope they're well, would like to have lunch with them etc....I've got to admit though, I think that I'm particularly lucky in this aspect...I've got friends that I've known since 83 or so, and It hasn't always been easy, but IMHO it's always been worth the struggle. Crisci old friend, if you're reading this, drop me a note...

I need more sleep :-p

The Pros and Cons of Insomnia

2005-07-12T04:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, I was up at 3am today. Slept a good...3 hours maybe? This is becoming incresingly frequennt and a bit more of a consern, however we should take a moment to look at the pros and cons of being unable to sleep:

Pro: Up early, at work early....

Con: Overnight construction, gives you unwelcome tour of the Bronx, and makes you wonder if theres anyone you know who might happen to have knowledge of the Bronx, and is awake at 4:10am...

Pro: No traffic to speak of, so while driving through these areas your car moves fast enough so you're a lousy target.....

Pro: Parking!....

Con: sometimes..... Sometimes parking is WORSE b/c not too many folks are up at 4 am to move their cars.......

Pro: "In A Gadda Da Vida"... LOUD!

Con: The drive throughs that ARE open NEVER EVER get your order correct.... And damnit at 3:30 I didn't want lunch, I wanted b'fast, and I was S.O.L. ...and they didn't even give me my soda. Grumbles.

Pro: You can get a lot done!

Con: you get a little done, and then are totally Irritable b/c of lack of sleep for the rest of the day ... Ok Ok I know, I'm totally irritable normally, but it's even WORSE......

Pro: Usually my Boss is totally awsome, and he'd let me go home a little early on days like this....

Con: Today... No Boss. Just me and one other guy...so no bailing early :(.

So folks, what are YOUR favorite things to do when you're not able to sleep?

The Bosses Daughter...

2005-07-11T12:48:00.000-04:00

Born on the 4th of July!

Damn she's got a lot of hair...

On Kids... Personally, I don't want any.. I have enough trouble with myself and and occasional Pet thanks...

My Birthday is coming up. (its in August) And I'm trying to decide what to do with it. It actually falls on a weekend this year, 2 years ago I got a Blackout for my birthday (lucky me eh?). My girlfriend has informed me that she's going to a seminar that weekend, and I'm welcome to join her if I'd like to.....

I'm not happy about that, and am not exactly sure how I'm going to address it. Perhaps I'll spend the weekend doing something else..I donno. I may not even be in a position to wander far, as by then work will be 'ramping up'..I may actually have to come in that weekend, Who knows? It's too soon to tell yet.

Happy Monday everyone....

Foot Injuries suck, M'Kay?

2005-07-06T08:14:00.000-04:00

So Thursday night, I stubbed my toe. It sucked, but wasn't horrid. Was ok mostly Friday. Friday afternoon, over my sausage thin-crust pizza at unos (I sometimes feel I LIVE for unos express lunch..) The foot started being a bit more...Difficult.......Well I went to the hospital on July 4th, and they said 'nothings broken' and sent me away with crutches and a 'cast boot'.
My personal poditrast, he gave me some anti-inflammatory meds, wrapped the foot, and told me to come back Thursday. I'm at work today, I'm managing with a cane (I have the crutches in the car...) And otherwise, all's more or less ok :-p.
My boss had a baby girl also over the weekend, I'll post a picture if I get one.
Hope everyone else had a better weekend!

Finally Friday!

2005-07-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

OK I can't complain (surrreee I can....?)
Summer Fridays ROCK! We close at 1, so I can skeedaddle outta here nice and early, and avoid the normally really annoying Friday afternoon traffic.

Traffic Sucks, M'kay?

3 Day weekend, even better! No big plans, other then a couple of movies (War of the worlds this afternoon!) and do some reading. I might see the fireworks... On TV.. I have NO interest in standing outside among a million other people in huge crowds to watch em, when I can watch em from the A/C'd comfort of my home...

Otherwise, a quiet uneventful day. Have a good one folks!

I wear someones sunglasses in the morning....

2005-06-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, Worship my funky sunglasses!

Ok. They're not mine, but feel free to worship anyway :-p

The Great Parking Issue...

2005-06-29T08:21:00.000-04:00

I work in brooklyn heights, and drive in. The traffic is always an issue (well duh, I DO live in NYC..) However the really big issue is.... Parking. I spend a lot of time in the AM's looking for legal free parking, and am successful only occasionally. Parking monthly runs around 275 to START, before NYC taxes, so I'm really not in a position to drop cash on a monthly lot...
Summertime, there are *3* spots in front of the school that can be grabbed if the timing is good... the spots are guarded by a sign that says 'No parking 7am to 6pm school days'. Depending on who you talk with, either a school day is defined by the 'school year' orrrr... If there are folks in the building or not.
The building is 'staffed' 24/7 so.......
I parked in front, put a nice note in my window, and am hoping.....
If anyone knows any cheap parking in brooklyn heights, please let me know!

AGAIN with the 'no sleep' thing.

2005-06-28T07:25:00.000-04:00

Ok Another night spent Not sleeping. This is getting annoying. Another night spent watching TV, and looking at people's blogs and stuff :-p.
I got to work at 5:15, because there was no reason to hang around the house.
The night watchman slept through my calling, ringing the doorbell,etc. One of the B&G people got here around 6:15, and we where getting concerned that he was like dead in the building or something...
Not dead, Just Resting.
Grumbles.
So now I'm working and since no one else is here, I'm playing loud music er...Loud :-p
Nothing starts a morning off Like a little Metallica, Meat loaf and Def lep, eh?

I'll try to scram outta here at like 1... Maybe I can get away with it, being its summer time and all.

I'll keep Y'all posted :)

A few of my favorite things....

2005-06-28T02:09:00.000-04:00

...In no particular order...
Dice-I like different, funny dice, big ones, small ones, 100 sided ones, I like em, and have a collection

Niagara Falls-The Canadian side (of course!) The falls are breathtaking, both summer and winter, and the town has lots of tourist-cute things to do to amuse..The folks there where all nice too. I've never had a bad time in Niagara falls (or any part of Canada, for that matter)

Disney World- Say what you want about political correctness (which I indeed hate), but Disney is really a fun, happy place to be, and again the people there are Incredibly warm/nice/friendly. It's really pleasant, especially for a NY boy like me.

I also enjoy the following web sites, again in no particular order:

http://www.battleon.com/ -A silly little web game, I enjoy playing when I have some time to kill

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html -Peters overlords List. An esscancial guide to those prepping for a career in world domination!

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ -They recap TV shows...With no mercy! It's a really amusing site

http://www.straightdope.com/ -The Straight dope, brought to you by Cecil Adams. Much Information and amusement is available here!

http://www.woot.com/ -Woot! They sell one thing a day, usually at a pretty good price, till the day's over, or its all sold out.

Recent Obsessions...

2005-06-27T23:38:00.000-04:00

Ok as kinda sad as this seems, as a relatively intelligent adult male, I've got a couple of completely unreasonable obsessions. I've been totally addicted to The cartoon networks 'Justice league' and 'Justice league unlimited', have been watching a fair amount of the old 'X-men' cartoons, and even Stargate SG-1. Also, usually I'm not particularly interested in material stuff, but I've decided that The Motorola Razr is really really nifty looking... However I'm not willing to spend 200 bucks on a new cell phone (not to mention changing service providers..) Just because I think the phone is...Nifty.
I also collect Dice, and am currently looking for a new bag for my dice. My current one is too small I'm afraid, especially since at my last convention trip....
Silly I admit, but I love having weird dice!
Anyone want to confess to their own bizzarro obsessions?

And Why Fuzzys Hideaway?

2005-06-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Easy Question. I'm a gamer you see, and as most gamers would tell you, a lot of stuff starts up in the 'bar'. I thought about it, and these days you don't see many places you can stop in, get a drink, a bite to eat, and if you want to, grab a room 'upstairs'... Most hotels have a restaurant in em but its not the quaint little pub type setup you think of when you game....So I thought it would be nice one day to have a nice quiet bar/restaurant/inn where folks could go and quietly get drunk and if necessary sleep it off upstairs :-p.

Well I do THIS often......

2005-06-25T04:48:00.000-04:00

Ah I see its been a few months..
Ok It's been like 7 months...What's your point?
I Generally don't write unless I'm a bit down or something, amazingly
it's been awhile since I've felt like this and had the time (and remembered HOW) to
write here.. So I want to get this 'out there' Right now, because you never ever know if
you're going to ever get the chance......

Thank You all for being a part of my life.....
I could not wake up tomorrow...I want you all (any? Anyone read this... Not that I've told anyone it exists....) To know, I treasure every moment I've gotten to spend with you folks..As some people are painfully aware, my friends are very important to me, and I often have no idea what I'd have done without you.

Now...Onto the reason of 'no sleep' tonight....
I don't believe in an after 'anything' and it saddens and scares the hell out of me.
I'm dead positive that when we die we simply cease to exist. This makes me sad. It makes me sad For me, it makes me sad because I think of all the incredible wonderful people who have added incredible wonderful things into this thing we call life...And they're gone.
Oh sure, 'they live on in us'
Excuse me for being cynical, but they're still GONE.
Jim Henson no longer creates, Freddy mercury no longer sings, Jimmy Hendrix no longer plays... My grandfather is no longer around to talk with and watch TV with and raid the fridge with at all hours of the night...

I have several friends who have lost Both their parents....I don't know how they manage to get up and function. Some would say they have no choice... There's Always a choice.

Am I choosing to kill myself by overeating?

We All Die.

I guess part of the trick is, to live as much as we can between now and then....
I enjoy eating.
I LOVE eating...If I die 10 years earlier, but happier is it worth it? I don't think so, but often I find myself unmotivated to do the walking, and to not put aside that snacky-cake....

I think I am a good person. I'm not a GREAT person, or a wonderful person.. But I think I'm a good one. I try to leave more good then bad in the world, I try to treat people as I'd like to be treated.. I am still occasionally amazed at the amount of understanding and patience some people have.. It Boggles my mind.. Does the little good I do help?
I suppose. Is it WORTH IT?
I see/hear stories of people who do some things I feel are just wrong... I'm not talking about the BIG sins really... People who drive on the shoulder during heavy traffic, people who do stuff that seems 'victimless' in some ways, and they get away with it....They get what THEY want....
Does Karma Exist?
I'm afraid I don't believe in THAT either...
So why be 'nice' ?
I guess my hope is that....If I'm nice, maybe some of that 'nice' will spread around and eventually work its way to lots of people, maybe even me...And life will be better for everyone?
Does it work?
I donno.
Horrible things still happen. People still do horrible terrible things to each other.
I don't think me saying 'Thank you, have a great day' to the person in the toll plaza saved any lives.

*sigh*

I guess I'll put my picture up now. I've got a couple someplace.

G'night (g'morning) folks, Have a great day, thanks for visiting......

did that make anyone feel better? Let me know....

TA da part 2....

2005-06-25T02:05:00.000-04:00

Another shot of me in Disney World... Admit it, you're all jealous that I got my picture taken with a hot blonde :-p

TA Da.....

2005-06-25T02:02:00.000-04:00

This is a shot of me at Disney world in may of 2005, doing the 'oh lookie how small that building' thing using distance perspective camera work. Peter Jackson Look out......

It was a dark and stormy nite...

2004-10-14T01:39:00.000-04:00

Ok its not. In fact its quite a lovely evening, other then the fact that its 1:40 AM and it appears that I will have another nite of 'no sleep'. It used to happen only occasionally, maybe once every 8 months or so...However this will be (if it continues) to be like my 4th nite of no sleep in maybe 3 months.
I'm getting concerned.
I just feel ....Old tonight I suppose. I still haven't decided if this is a good idea or not, I mean...What am I going to say? Not much really...There's little deep or exciting in my life really, and the important stuff I don't dare mention here..
I guess I"ll put up a picture if I can find one I"m ok with...
Gawd I thought I'd never type those words.... "One I'm ok with.."
Pathetic.
I swore to myself I'd grow old gracefully. I wouldn't care that I was going bald or anything like that....Today I found myself wondering if I could possibly find hair coloring for my beard which has gone from pretty bright red, to mostly white in what seems like an Eyeblink....
I've got a good life, I know this intellectually. I just don't always FEEL it, you know?
hurm I guess I'd better figure out how to put a description up and all...
probably more later tonight..Or rather later this AM.