Hello Blogland, did you miss me? Every day I log in and see the blog (Shade and Sweet Water is my homepage), note the June 2nd last entry date and remind myself I need to blog. I'll do it tomorrow, I say. Three weeks of tomorrows later it's probably a good time to actually get on my hiney and do some typing.
Let me launch things off with a quick happy birthday shout out to my old San Luis Obispo partner in crime, Tassy. Happy birthday, Tassy! Miss you.
Speaking of birthdays, as most of you are aware, mine was this past Thursday. I took my fifth and final vacation day on Thursday so that I could enjoy my birthday and get paid while I was at it (and also took Friday off for any possible recovery needs, losing my usual Saturday off. No Rock Banding for me tonight. This makes me pout a lot). As birthdays go, the day went 99% groovy and truthfully, if not for some minor annoyances at the very end of the celebratin' it would have been perfect; still it was the finest I'd had in years.
The morning started out with Alex watching the kids for us while Denise and I met with Lash's counselor to discuss his progress and how she'd like us to approach some interactions and behavior modelling with him. This was followed with a quick walk-in trip to Gearhead Barbershop and Tattoo where Denise got her very first tattoo and I set myself up with an appointment to come back later and get more ink done.
Enjoyed some great carne asada burritos from Aca Taco with Denise and Alex and then he and I returned to Gearhead while Denise went on cake and last-minute gift retrieval. In tattoo land I added another "grace" to my arm--this time the Japanese kanji. And going against all reports of what my next intended tattoo would be (an astrological chart on back), I got a chocolate ice cream cone on my left shoulder. Pictures, once I upload them, will be on my Facebook page.
Farewell to Alex, and back home Denise and I enjoyed a bit of quiet couples time, which can be a little tricky when both parties have fresh tattoos to be mindful of.
Present time with the kids: Blu-Rays of The X-Men Trilogy, Lost Season 1, and True Romance. And Region 1 DVDs of Spaced. We're hoping the move won't tax our wallet too much and I'll finally be getting an HDTV with the remainder for my late birthday present so I can fully enjoy these cinematic goodies.
Denise got Chris to make us steak for my dinner and it was perfect. Then some ice cream cake, a little play with the kids and the eventual shuffling off of them to bed. After that we began taking in some of our favorite guests for later night margaritas and Rock Banding (and more prezzies: a microphone multi-tap for Rock Band allowing up to four singers on one slot at once. Harmonizing could prove crazy difficult. Katie and Lisa came along with themselves wrapped as presents with a fun homemade card).
Recovery day was spent with a bit more kid time and me finally tackling the Endless Setlist on Rock Band 2.
Now I've got to start getting myself ready to work again.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Addendum
On the way to work today I realized/began to fear some friends of the local variety might read more into my previous post than is there, and I just want to state that, as I wrote, everything there is an interpersonal exploration of a trait I see in myself, not an explanation that anyone in my life should be expecting me to be pushing them out of it. . .
P, L & H.
Ev
P, L & H.
Ev
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Commitment
I've been doing a great deal of internal exploration of myself and my relationships, the nature of friendship as it applies to me. I don't know if I ever really let anyone who reads this blog have even close to an idea of just how introspective I typically am, or how very calculated I am in almost everything I do. I'm the sort of person who will spend two hours writing a two paragraph e-mail just to make sure that there are no nuances or hidden meanings within that could at all come across without my intending them.
I am digressing, which is a response on my part to procrastinate because I've reached a point where I feel the necessity to start expressing my introspection to come to a even better understanding of myself, and doing so feels a little too raw for me.
Friendship.
For some years now I've expressed dismay over the shorter-lived nature of my localized interpersonal relationships. This would typically come across as a lamentation that I find myself frequently making friends, spending a couple years developing a close-ish friendship and then "losing" the friend when they inevitably graduate from the University and move elsewhere to start their real lives. Some of these people, we stay in varying degrees of touch (my Facebook is riddled with long distance, now mostly cursory, friendships which are much easier to maintain, and I've a handful of long distance friends I know would be instantly close bonded friends if I were local to them) but for the most part, it feels like a longer version of the "single serving friend" from Fight Club. Not single serving, but a soap dispenser that eventually runs out.
I'm beginning to be more honest with myself in that this isn't something that occurs due to the nature of friends being made with college students, but instead I choose to befriend college students because I have to wonder, and have difficulty trusting, whether longer-term friendships and me really work out at all. My closest friends in elementary school were not my closest friend in junior high school who was not any of my closest friends in highschool; and they, in turn, were not my closest friends post-high school. The closest anyone could come, I think, to refuting this is to note my friendships with Chris, Chrissy and Jira, all begun in 1991 and still present, but, by my own rules, I think they aren't refutable. After a small number of years varying between 2-4, they all trickled out of my life, moved away for quite a few years with almost zero contact and upon return, as is natural for all of us, were new and different people in the same, slightly older packaging. I think at my deepest, I considered these newly begun friendships again. This paragraph is riddled with grammatical error.
The longer any relationship lasts, the more complexand complicated they come, the more the energy required to nurture them changes. . .part of me wants to scream that the longer a friendship lasts, the easier it should become, and if that's an honest reality for everyone else, then I, in this particular instance, am discovering myself to be a bit broken. Am I the only one this rings true for? Do I find myself withdrawing quietly from some older associations as I nurture newer ones as some sort of "avoid working on maintaining friendships" defense mechanism, or as a "every one before has proven short, so best keep the attachment level to a minmum" response?
Why do I eventually push or walk away? And if I should, how do I even work towards changing this part of my personal reality?
Come tomorrow I'll probably decide I'm sharing too much vulnerability in my inner workings and delete this.
I am digressing, which is a response on my part to procrastinate because I've reached a point where I feel the necessity to start expressing my introspection to come to a even better understanding of myself, and doing so feels a little too raw for me.
Friendship.
For some years now I've expressed dismay over the shorter-lived nature of my localized interpersonal relationships. This would typically come across as a lamentation that I find myself frequently making friends, spending a couple years developing a close-ish friendship and then "losing" the friend when they inevitably graduate from the University and move elsewhere to start their real lives. Some of these people, we stay in varying degrees of touch (my Facebook is riddled with long distance, now mostly cursory, friendships which are much easier to maintain, and I've a handful of long distance friends I know would be instantly close bonded friends if I were local to them) but for the most part, it feels like a longer version of the "single serving friend" from Fight Club. Not single serving, but a soap dispenser that eventually runs out.
I'm beginning to be more honest with myself in that this isn't something that occurs due to the nature of friends being made with college students, but instead I choose to befriend college students because I have to wonder, and have difficulty trusting, whether longer-term friendships and me really work out at all. My closest friends in elementary school were not my closest friend in junior high school who was not any of my closest friends in highschool; and they, in turn, were not my closest friends post-high school. The closest anyone could come, I think, to refuting this is to note my friendships with Chris, Chrissy and Jira, all begun in 1991 and still present, but, by my own rules, I think they aren't refutable. After a small number of years varying between 2-4, they all trickled out of my life, moved away for quite a few years with almost zero contact and upon return, as is natural for all of us, were new and different people in the same, slightly older packaging. I think at my deepest, I considered these newly begun friendships again. This paragraph is riddled with grammatical error.
The longer any relationship lasts, the more complexand complicated they come, the more the energy required to nurture them changes. . .part of me wants to scream that the longer a friendship lasts, the easier it should become, and if that's an honest reality for everyone else, then I, in this particular instance, am discovering myself to be a bit broken. Am I the only one this rings true for? Do I find myself withdrawing quietly from some older associations as I nurture newer ones as some sort of "avoid working on maintaining friendships" defense mechanism, or as a "every one before has proven short, so best keep the attachment level to a minmum" response?
Why do I eventually push or walk away? And if I should, how do I even work towards changing this part of my personal reality?
Come tomorrow I'll probably decide I'm sharing too much vulnerability in my inner workings and delete this.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Happy Birthdays
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Rael,
Happy Birthday to you.
Four years old today, wow. I just try to think about where life was before Rael was born and how much has happened since, and I'm amazed so much has already fit into one little life time.
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Rael,
Happy Birthday to you.
Four years old today, wow. I just try to think about where life was before Rael was born and how much has happened since, and I'm amazed so much has already fit into one little life time.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Retail
All right, so direct to the chase: we're planning to move in July at some point. Staying in Chico, we just don't like the location we're at now and would rather find something with more of a yard and fewer screaming college kids for neighbors. With that being that, we've begun the long task of packing (takes forever with a family of six) and I've come to realize, yet again, that I really have too much accumulated stuff. Things I wholly dug at the time but would rather be able to get rid of for a little cash and not have to move, which means it's eBay time again for me, where I'll be regularly posting things over the coming weeks. Please give my listings an occasional look through and feel free to bid on anything that strikes your fancy; I'll give a 50% discount on shipping to anyone who buys anything and mentions they went there because of this blog. My stuff is found here.
So far I've put up most of my old DC Direct statues and will be tackling the HeroClix over my next few days off. Anyone ineterested in old Magic The Gathering cards? I don't want to take the time to try listing all of them on eBay, if there's an interest in buying by set, in bulk, let me know.
Thanks everyone!
So far I've put up most of my old DC Direct statues and will be tackling the HeroClix over my next few days off. Anyone ineterested in old Magic The Gathering cards? I don't want to take the time to try listing all of them on eBay, if there's an interest in buying by set, in bulk, let me know.
Thanks everyone!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Feliz Cumpleanos
Happy birthday to you,
Happ birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Drew,
Happy birthday to you!
Happ birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Drew,
Happy birthday to you!
Friday, May 15, 2009
I Called It.
Dollhouse is getting renewed for a second season. There is a Santa Claus. I am very happy about this. But enough giddy-ness, this post is called "I Called It" and that requires a good amount of pat-myself-on-the-back bragging so here goes:
Amy Acker's character, Dr. Saunders was a Doll: I called it (sure, I also wanted her to be Alpha, but ALL of my reasoning for her being a Doll proved out).
On Fringe, Pacey was really Mirror Universe Pacey: I called it.
Lost--John Locke's been dead all season and is still in-the-box: I called it.
More Lost--Juliet dies: Called it (knew she was headlining the V remake next year, which meant she would likely be toast).
Faraday's a Widmore: Called it.
Jack and Kate are royal douches: I didn't call that; those facts have always pretty much just been universal truths.
Setting off the bomb just sends them back to the future: you'll see in a year, I called that too.
I don't think it's just me, and sure I do have a history for calling it (Professor X is the traitor who kills Professor X in Bishop's future--I called that, ask Micah; Ed Norton is Tyler Durden during the first thirty seconds of Fight Club), I just think that a lot of this season's big twists were a bit too over-telegraphed to truly end up being surprises.
Amy Acker's character, Dr. Saunders was a Doll: I called it (sure, I also wanted her to be Alpha, but ALL of my reasoning for her being a Doll proved out).
On Fringe, Pacey was really Mirror Universe Pacey: I called it.
Lost--John Locke's been dead all season and is still in-the-box: I called it.
More Lost--Juliet dies: Called it (knew she was headlining the V remake next year, which meant she would likely be toast).
Faraday's a Widmore: Called it.
Jack and Kate are royal douches: I didn't call that; those facts have always pretty much just been universal truths.
Setting off the bomb just sends them back to the future: you'll see in a year, I called that too.
I don't think it's just me, and sure I do have a history for calling it (Professor X is the traitor who kills Professor X in Bishop's future--I called that, ask Micah; Ed Norton is Tyler Durden during the first thirty seconds of Fight Club), I just think that a lot of this season's big twists were a bit too over-telegraphed to truly end up being surprises.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Petting Zoo
Four of my last five posts were about television. I promise I actually have a life--it just isn't always all that exciting. Snippets of now and the future:
We've begun the slow process of packing. Anyone who has a lengthy relationship and has kids I'm sure can sympathize with just how monumentally more difficult it is to change living situation. For us, our current lease ends this summer and we've decided that, for the money we pay we would prefer a home that isn't surrounded by screaming college kids most nights of the week. Hopefully something with more yard for the kids. At any rate, packing takes forever, and we've only just begun. Hopefully we'll find something that meets our needs and our desires as much as possible.
This week Rael's preschool decided to surprise all the kids with the gift of a goldfish. A word of advice--if you plan to enter the teaching field, or to work with kids, do not give a child a pet, no matter how low-maintenance (ha! Shel can attest to how not low-maintenance fish actually are), without first making sure it's ok with the child's parent. Rael was ecstatic at his new fish and had it named and loved before he even left the classroom (he named it Goldy). I, on the other hand, not so happy that my kid now has a life to care for, and an extremely fragile life at that. I think it requires a certain level of audacity I just can't quite fathom, like cutting someone else's kid's hair without making sure the kid's parent is cool with it. Sadly, Goldy survived a bare 24 hours and Rael had to experience his first, and for a long time last, Funeral For A Fish.
We've begun the slow process of packing. Anyone who has a lengthy relationship and has kids I'm sure can sympathize with just how monumentally more difficult it is to change living situation. For us, our current lease ends this summer and we've decided that, for the money we pay we would prefer a home that isn't surrounded by screaming college kids most nights of the week. Hopefully something with more yard for the kids. At any rate, packing takes forever, and we've only just begun. Hopefully we'll find something that meets our needs and our desires as much as possible.
This week Rael's preschool decided to surprise all the kids with the gift of a goldfish. A word of advice--if you plan to enter the teaching field, or to work with kids, do not give a child a pet, no matter how low-maintenance (ha! Shel can attest to how not low-maintenance fish actually are), without first making sure it's ok with the child's parent. Rael was ecstatic at his new fish and had it named and loved before he even left the classroom (he named it Goldy). I, on the other hand, not so happy that my kid now has a life to care for, and an extremely fragile life at that. I think it requires a certain level of audacity I just can't quite fathom, like cutting someone else's kid's hair without making sure the kid's parent is cool with it. Sadly, Goldy survived a bare 24 hours and Rael had to experience his first, and for a long time last, Funeral For A Fish.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Down With the Sickness
I already fucking hate swine flu. Really, I have nothing but sympathy for anyone truly impacted by it and take its danger seriously, but I'm already worn down by the rampant paranoia I run into over it: people demanding to know why cashiers at work aren't wearing rubber gloves, the massive increase in personal space around anyone who has the audacity to let loose with a sneeze, the hypochondria attached to any sudden feeling of less-than-perfect well-being. Drink some orange juice or something.
Heroes finally ended its season (and if you don't like spoilers, turn away fast and go no further). For the briefest of moments I was intensely happy: when I thought our heroes were going to form the Justice League (or something equally geeky and Hiro-appropriate for a team name) at the end. This glee was killed by their decision to stick with the inherently dull "Company." OMG WTF, right? Does the Company have shareholders? What does it sell? Yawnage. Ali Larter coming back as Hydro-man; I called that one when she "died" this last time. Unlike Ian, I was actually hoping they would reveal she's got like 100 twins and would kill her off and intro a new one with new powers every season--and they would all sleep with Adrian Pasdar's character. I loved the moral hit Parkman had to take this episode (I should say "had" since it wasn't necessary and I actually think he should have refused, like Hurley in Lost season 4 re: lying). Herein is why the Sylar fix is s-t-u-p-i-d stupid. Sylar/Nathan, among all his other powers, has the power to "read the past" of anything he touches (a la Longshot). How long before he touches Angela, Noah or Matt and remembers who he is? What about when Claire's stolen regenerative powers simply heal his brain damage until he remembers who he is? The episode previous introduced a far superior plot device for turning Sylar good--something I'll call (and true X-Fans should get this) Rogue Syndrome. The more psyches he incorporates via shapeshifting, the more fractured and "externally" influenced his psyche becomes--so get him to shift into more and more morally good people until the good guys outnumber the not-good guys in his head, forcing him to change his own moral compass; this idea made his sparing of Micah actually believable and palatable to me (and really, how disappointing is it that we finally get Nathan killed off, violently and graphicly, only to have to deal with the bad stilted acting again in future seasons?). Meh.
Contrary to everyone else, I love that Kal Penn's Dr. Kutner killed himself. I dug him the most of all the new House minions, but still was very down with that storyline (not so much the "imprint Amber/Cutthroat Bitch onto the devil-on-my-shoulder story of last episode). When I learned some months ago someone was going to die, I expected it to be Thirteen and really, really hoped Omar Epps' character would reprise his e.r. exit by jumping in front of a subway train, so I was more surprised than anyone when it was Kutner and I liked it. Yay.
Whitest Kids U'Know is on and it beckons. Later gators! OMG, "The Grapist" is going to "grape you in the mouth."
Heroes finally ended its season (and if you don't like spoilers, turn away fast and go no further). For the briefest of moments I was intensely happy: when I thought our heroes were going to form the Justice League (or something equally geeky and Hiro-appropriate for a team name) at the end. This glee was killed by their decision to stick with the inherently dull "Company." OMG WTF, right? Does the Company have shareholders? What does it sell? Yawnage. Ali Larter coming back as Hydro-man; I called that one when she "died" this last time. Unlike Ian, I was actually hoping they would reveal she's got like 100 twins and would kill her off and intro a new one with new powers every season--and they would all sleep with Adrian Pasdar's character. I loved the moral hit Parkman had to take this episode (I should say "had" since it wasn't necessary and I actually think he should have refused, like Hurley in Lost season 4 re: lying). Herein is why the Sylar fix is s-t-u-p-i-d stupid. Sylar/Nathan, among all his other powers, has the power to "read the past" of anything he touches (a la Longshot). How long before he touches Angela, Noah or Matt and remembers who he is? What about when Claire's stolen regenerative powers simply heal his brain damage until he remembers who he is? The episode previous introduced a far superior plot device for turning Sylar good--something I'll call (and true X-Fans should get this) Rogue Syndrome. The more psyches he incorporates via shapeshifting, the more fractured and "externally" influenced his psyche becomes--so get him to shift into more and more morally good people until the good guys outnumber the not-good guys in his head, forcing him to change his own moral compass; this idea made his sparing of Micah actually believable and palatable to me (and really, how disappointing is it that we finally get Nathan killed off, violently and graphicly, only to have to deal with the bad stilted acting again in future seasons?). Meh.
Contrary to everyone else, I love that Kal Penn's Dr. Kutner killed himself. I dug him the most of all the new House minions, but still was very down with that storyline (not so much the "imprint Amber/Cutthroat Bitch onto the devil-on-my-shoulder story of last episode). When I learned some months ago someone was going to die, I expected it to be Thirteen and really, really hoped Omar Epps' character would reprise his e.r. exit by jumping in front of a subway train, so I was more surprised than anyone when it was Kutner and I liked it. Yay.
Whitest Kids U'Know is on and it beckons. Later gators! OMG, "The Grapist" is going to "grape you in the mouth."
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Denise,
Happy Birthday to you!
I love you, dear.
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Denise,
Happy Birthday to you!
I love you, dear.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Starjammers
When I was a wee one, I was a big fan of Battlestar Galactica (that and Dukes of Hazzard were my main live action shows), so between my general disdain for remakes and some not-stellar initial reviews I had from trusted friends, I gave the BSG remake/next generation a big miss when it first came out. I'm not sure why, but now that it's finally over, now that I've other trusted friends who apparently liked it, I've begun putting it through the Netflix rotation and am about half-way through the season one/mini-series as I type this. I'm afraid my accursed Tyler Durden Detector has already gone off, which is going to bum me out a little, as I hate when my Tyler Durden Detector goes off too early, but something seems too convenient about the lady who gets to inherit the Presidency when everyone else died in the beginning. I'm resisting my urge to Google, but tell me, she isn't one of those "human" Cylons is she? And why the hell is Starbuck a person? Shame. Olmos seems an unnatural fit for sci fi to me; I am however finding him to be pretty decent at it. And hey, the guy who plays Agent Ballard on Dollhouse is a cast member, so that's cool. Not giving up just yet, but I hope my Tyler Durden Detector behaves itself a little better.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Dollhouse is the Most Intellectually Complex Show on Primetime Television
There, I said it.
I'm about to be lambasted by friends for this, especially those who are fans of Whedon's previous tv series, but I'm coming to the point where I think Dollhouse is his most ambitious show, and his best-crafted. This is where I duck Ian's flamethrower.
I don't even want to address the louder, less reasonable cross-section of feminists who haven't even really watched the show and have condemned it as an extreme objectification of women, but of course I have to. First they obviously aren't truly familiar with anything previously created by Joss Whedon and his stable of writers--as I challenge anyone to provide an example of a female character of theirs who isn't strong, capable, competent. . .who isn't either equal or superior to all of her male counterparts. These people have been providing us with powerful, intelligent, strong women to watch, enjoy and respect for years. To say that this show is just the masturbatory fantasy of every basement-dwelling socially awkward male out there is both a disservice to the show and its creators, but a clear indicator that someone really hasn't been watching the show.
The one thing this show doesn't do is hit its viewer over the head with a message. It doesn't shine a light on how skeezy someone is to pay for a programmable playtoy for the weekend; it doesn't spend all of itstime questioning whether it's appropriate to use a technology just because we have the ability to use it (though both instances do occur in the show, neither are dwelled upon to the point of preachiness). If there's a moral to take away from the show, part of its perfection is that we each have to come into it on our own, navigating the many layers of ethics and morality the show has put forth to come into our own understanding of what this show has to say about our society, about our humanity.
For me, the greatest joy in this show is the debate it brings me, internally and externally with fellow viewers (most particularly Denise). I think the show completely turns the idea of good and evil completely on its head--as I don't believe there's a single character in this show who could fit the definition of a good guy. There are no saints here, only varying degrees of sin, of immorality and amorality, of ethical complexity. Again, I welcome someone trying to proveto me otherwise, because from where I stand there are no good-guys on Dollhouse, only varying degress of better guys. I think the ethical discussion this show demands is the most intriguing, makes this show the most complex of Whedon's to date, and is perhaps destined to be its very downfall. Too many of us want our entertainment simple and to the point and absolutely brain dead. For every Arrested Development and Veronica Mars that falls, ten Big Bang Theories, Two and a Half Men and Tyra shows rise.
I'm about to be lambasted by friends for this, especially those who are fans of Whedon's previous tv series, but I'm coming to the point where I think Dollhouse is his most ambitious show, and his best-crafted. This is where I duck Ian's flamethrower.
I don't even want to address the louder, less reasonable cross-section of feminists who haven't even really watched the show and have condemned it as an extreme objectification of women, but of course I have to. First they obviously aren't truly familiar with anything previously created by Joss Whedon and his stable of writers--as I challenge anyone to provide an example of a female character of theirs who isn't strong, capable, competent. . .who isn't either equal or superior to all of her male counterparts. These people have been providing us with powerful, intelligent, strong women to watch, enjoy and respect for years. To say that this show is just the masturbatory fantasy of every basement-dwelling socially awkward male out there is both a disservice to the show and its creators, but a clear indicator that someone really hasn't been watching the show.
The one thing this show doesn't do is hit its viewer over the head with a message. It doesn't shine a light on how skeezy someone is to pay for a programmable playtoy for the weekend; it doesn't spend all of itstime questioning whether it's appropriate to use a technology just because we have the ability to use it (though both instances do occur in the show, neither are dwelled upon to the point of preachiness). If there's a moral to take away from the show, part of its perfection is that we each have to come into it on our own, navigating the many layers of ethics and morality the show has put forth to come into our own understanding of what this show has to say about our society, about our humanity.
For me, the greatest joy in this show is the debate it brings me, internally and externally with fellow viewers (most particularly Denise). I think the show completely turns the idea of good and evil completely on its head--as I don't believe there's a single character in this show who could fit the definition of a good guy. There are no saints here, only varying degrees of sin, of immorality and amorality, of ethical complexity. Again, I welcome someone trying to proveto me otherwise, because from where I stand there are no good-guys on Dollhouse, only varying degress of better guys. I think the ethical discussion this show demands is the most intriguing, makes this show the most complex of Whedon's to date, and is perhaps destined to be its very downfall. Too many of us want our entertainment simple and to the point and absolutely brain dead. For every Arrested Development and Veronica Mars that falls, ten Big Bang Theories, Two and a Half Men and Tyra shows rise.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Peaces
Just chilling out enjoying some Long Way Down on dvd. These locations are amazing.
Last night's Lost. . .as much as I hate Kate-centric or Jack-centric episodes, this one really worked for me, had a lot of multi-layered allusions back to past events, lots of loose-end tying. Not shabby at all. And glee @ predicting how young Ben would get healed in advance. Looking forward (how very much not the appropriate emotion) to what I expect to be Ben's killing young Charlie next week in order to spur Desmond back to the island. I miss him calling everyone "brother" every thirty seconds.
Had a bad day--am having a pleasant night. Thanks to everyone who's sent all their kind thoughts and well-wishings this past week. You rock.
Last night's Lost. . .as much as I hate Kate-centric or Jack-centric episodes, this one really worked for me, had a lot of multi-layered allusions back to past events, lots of loose-end tying. Not shabby at all. And glee @ predicting how young Ben would get healed in advance. Looking forward (how very much not the appropriate emotion) to what I expect to be Ben's killing young Charlie next week in order to spur Desmond back to the island. I miss him calling everyone "brother" every thirty seconds.
Had a bad day--am having a pleasant night. Thanks to everyone who's sent all their kind thoughts and well-wishings this past week. You rock.
Venting
First up, the cardiology results:
1. I have a larger heart chamber than normal, but one that he says is actually the right size for someone my height and if I were at my ideal BMI.
2. I have a small leak in my pulmonary valve.
3. I have ventricular hypertrophy, which because I don't have high blood pressure problems, he says is not regular but nothing to worry about.
4. My PVCs went away entirely during the treadmill test, showing that activity is not a risk on my heart, but rather the opposite.
The end result was him saying I'm fine enough and that as long as I don't have new or worsening symptoms, I don't require any surgery or medications. Afterwards, he reminded me that I'm overweight and should improve my diet and exercise.
This last has led to immediate and recurrent pressures from one front that I should undergo surgical options I neither want nor feel at all necessary at this point. It's increasing my stress load a great deal though responding to these pressures. I don't need them. And it's beginning to upset me enough to make me want to isolate myself from them.
A week from today I see my general practitioner again and plan to be going over all of these results, plus the results from my yearly lab work-up with him then.
The nutshell: if you've been worrying for me, thank you, now feel free to cease doing so. And a very big thank you to the Taylors for all the help they've given us recently with watching kids while Denise and I deal with so many doctors' visits these past few weeks.
1. I have a larger heart chamber than normal, but one that he says is actually the right size for someone my height and if I were at my ideal BMI.
2. I have a small leak in my pulmonary valve.
3. I have ventricular hypertrophy, which because I don't have high blood pressure problems, he says is not regular but nothing to worry about.
4. My PVCs went away entirely during the treadmill test, showing that activity is not a risk on my heart, but rather the opposite.
The end result was him saying I'm fine enough and that as long as I don't have new or worsening symptoms, I don't require any surgery or medications. Afterwards, he reminded me that I'm overweight and should improve my diet and exercise.
This last has led to immediate and recurrent pressures from one front that I should undergo surgical options I neither want nor feel at all necessary at this point. It's increasing my stress load a great deal though responding to these pressures. I don't need them. And it's beginning to upset me enough to make me want to isolate myself from them.
A week from today I see my general practitioner again and plan to be going over all of these results, plus the results from my yearly lab work-up with him then.
The nutshell: if you've been worrying for me, thank you, now feel free to cease doing so. And a very big thank you to the Taylors for all the help they've given us recently with watching kids while Denise and I deal with so many doctors' visits these past few weeks.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Impolite
I think I'm losing my patience for diminished manners in my old age. It used to be that I'd just shrug off someone else's being boorish or rude, but lately I just want to bring the full wrath of Miss Manners down on these people.
Today during my echo cardiogram the tech running my test broke wind, quite quietly but also quite stankily and nary a word of apology or even acknowledgment from her as our closet sized testing room filled with the microscopic particles of rank that escaped her ass. All the while I'm trapped on the table thankful for every time she demanded I hold my breath.
At work I've found my tolerance for assholes greatly diminished--to thepoint I will, and have, refuse to serve someone if they're being particularly annoying douche bags. I feel no guilt whatsoever in this. If you're a drunk (and driving!) in my drive-thru and decide to be particularly crass or douche baggy, you're nixed. If you think it's an acceptable behavior to sexually harass my female staff (or male, but that I never see), you're nixed. I actually don't get people who treat their food preparers so poorly. You may think yourself "better" than your wee fast food employee, but remember, these are the people who just might decide to retaliate with snot burgers. Not that I've ever done that, but I'm just saying. If you haven't seen Waiting, you really should.
I guess it bugs me more when it comes from friends though. Two friends in particular are notorious for not responding to emails, no matter the seriousness of the subject and I find myself fighting a growing urge to just distance myself and break ties. If I'm not worth the time of day for a response or even just an acknowledgment then why should I keep feeling as if they're worth my time of day? The bonds of friendship being strong and all, it makes me feel as if they only go one way.
And by the way, I don't think my echo and treadmill tests went well for me today. At all.
Today during my echo cardiogram the tech running my test broke wind, quite quietly but also quite stankily and nary a word of apology or even acknowledgment from her as our closet sized testing room filled with the microscopic particles of rank that escaped her ass. All the while I'm trapped on the table thankful for every time she demanded I hold my breath.
At work I've found my tolerance for assholes greatly diminished--to thepoint I will, and have, refuse to serve someone if they're being particularly annoying douche bags. I feel no guilt whatsoever in this. If you're a drunk (and driving!) in my drive-thru and decide to be particularly crass or douche baggy, you're nixed. If you think it's an acceptable behavior to sexually harass my female staff (or male, but that I never see), you're nixed. I actually don't get people who treat their food preparers so poorly. You may think yourself "better" than your wee fast food employee, but remember, these are the people who just might decide to retaliate with snot burgers. Not that I've ever done that, but I'm just saying. If you haven't seen Waiting, you really should.
I guess it bugs me more when it comes from friends though. Two friends in particular are notorious for not responding to emails, no matter the seriousness of the subject and I find myself fighting a growing urge to just distance myself and break ties. If I'm not worth the time of day for a response or even just an acknowledgment then why should I keep feeling as if they're worth my time of day? The bonds of friendship being strong and all, it makes me feel as if they only go one way.
And by the way, I don't think my echo and treadmill tests went well for me today. At all.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Manic Monday
So Wednesday I went to the cardiologist. Anyone who's read the fullness of this blog, or knows me in real life, knows that I'm a guy who has lost his faith in much of the medical profession. I mean how many doctors did I see, suffering from major breathing problems, over seven years and never get a chest x-ray. . .too many. So I see a cardiologist on Wednesday for the arrhythmia my regular and only trusted doc discovered. So what happens? The cardiologist listens and listens and listens and declares that he doesn't hear anything. He does pay attention to the EKG I had the week before though and decides that more testing should be done rather than just declaring me fine. This is going to be a busy week for me with the usual full work and kid chauffeuring week; I've an appointment with Lash tomorrow afternoon, the cardiologist is having me in for both an echo cardiogram and a treadmill stress test tomorrow morning and then a follow-up visit with him the next day for the results (either that or wait 4 weeks for him to come back from vacation--no thanks). I'm already weary.
As narcissistic as Twitter is, it taught me Blink 182 is back together this week and that makes me happy. I missed their bubblegum punk.
Anyone else give Better off Ted a try yet? I've really enjoyed the first couple episodes. Not just because it has Portia Di Rossi, but it feels reminiscent of Arrested Development to me comedically, like they might be not-quite-kissing cousins. I can already see the fan rally to save the show from cancellation being a torrent of creamer packets shipped to the studio.
Seriously folks, Dollhouse is dangerously close to being my second favorite Joss Whedon helmed show of all time (sorry Firefly, but at least I get to see River terminate pigeons on Sarah Conner the preceding hour). It is that good. And all the feminist rantings about it--clearly folks with no real long-term viewing of this or any other Joss show. Catch up with it on Hulu if you haven't been watching it, and then start watching it. I think this show would make George Orwell proud.
Pearl Jam re-released Ten this week. Why is a band that was once so anti-studio, record company, commercialism, etc. putting out 5 versions of re-release for the consumers (4 different packaging options on Amazon and other retailers plus the full album available for the Rock Band game. This is the version I want to think about getting.)? Seems a bit much. And they'll be doing it again and again over the next two years with the rest of their catalog.
As narcissistic as Twitter is, it taught me Blink 182 is back together this week and that makes me happy. I missed their bubblegum punk.
Anyone else give Better off Ted a try yet? I've really enjoyed the first couple episodes. Not just because it has Portia Di Rossi, but it feels reminiscent of Arrested Development to me comedically, like they might be not-quite-kissing cousins. I can already see the fan rally to save the show from cancellation being a torrent of creamer packets shipped to the studio.
Seriously folks, Dollhouse is dangerously close to being my second favorite Joss Whedon helmed show of all time (sorry Firefly, but at least I get to see River terminate pigeons on Sarah Conner the preceding hour). It is that good. And all the feminist rantings about it--clearly folks with no real long-term viewing of this or any other Joss show. Catch up with it on Hulu if you haven't been watching it, and then start watching it. I think this show would make George Orwell proud.
Pearl Jam re-released Ten this week. Why is a band that was once so anti-studio, record company, commercialism, etc. putting out 5 versions of re-release for the consumers (4 different packaging options on Amazon and other retailers plus the full album available for the Rock Band game. This is the version I want to think about getting.)? Seems a bit much. And they'll be doing it again and again over the next two years with the rest of their catalog.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Scattered
As I've been lax writing here again lately, I'll likely be a bit slip-shod in this posting as I smooth back into things. I really do need to be less neglectful of this, regardless of how mundane the content.
I've been doing a lot of mental prep for a pitch I'm going to be putting together. I need to get my thoughts down on keyboard so they'll congeal better and turn into something as absolutely groovy as I believe they will be. Then I need to start harassing one of my more artistic friends into taking the pitch plunge with me; as much as I'd love to write and draw myself, my drawing output is too slow. More details as I get more ready to stick myself out there in the comics field again.
As mentioned, I've seen Watchmen and over-all I found it, with the exception of Rorschach, to be soulless, cumbersome and not the best acted. Obviously staying true to the source material 100% is an impossibility, but I find a lot of what they chose to excise was responsible in the written material for making the story more human and relate able.
At my annual physical yesterday, Dr. John discovered a bigeminy arrhythmia in my heart. Apparently if it's just that on its own, then I'm mostly just fine; if it turns out it's a symptom of something else, then it's dire enough that I could drop dead any minute now. Either way, the soonest a cardiologist would see me to find out, will be this upcoming Wednesday. Until then I have instructions not to strain or over-stress myself. Yay! How dare I beat cancer.
More later; I'm feeling a bit scattered.
I've been doing a lot of mental prep for a pitch I'm going to be putting together. I need to get my thoughts down on keyboard so they'll congeal better and turn into something as absolutely groovy as I believe they will be. Then I need to start harassing one of my more artistic friends into taking the pitch plunge with me; as much as I'd love to write and draw myself, my drawing output is too slow. More details as I get more ready to stick myself out there in the comics field again.
As mentioned, I've seen Watchmen and over-all I found it, with the exception of Rorschach, to be soulless, cumbersome and not the best acted. Obviously staying true to the source material 100% is an impossibility, but I find a lot of what they chose to excise was responsible in the written material for making the story more human and relate able.
At my annual physical yesterday, Dr. John discovered a bigeminy arrhythmia in my heart. Apparently if it's just that on its own, then I'm mostly just fine; if it turns out it's a symptom of something else, then it's dire enough that I could drop dead any minute now. Either way, the soonest a cardiologist would see me to find out, will be this upcoming Wednesday. Until then I have instructions not to strain or over-stress myself. Yay! How dare I beat cancer.
More later; I'm feeling a bit scattered.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday, to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, Chris,
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, Chris,
Happy Birthday to you.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
One
I'm watching the 4th disk of Nip/Tuck season 5 yesterday and left the episode where Gina dies wondering if it's simply Jessalyn Gilsig's lot in life to play television characters who are somewhat broken and end up dead. Seeing as this is what happens to three of the four television roles I know her from (the other dearly departed characters of hers are in Heroes and Prisonbreak; I don't think she got offed in Boston Public, but anything's possible).
I do not think I will be seeing Watchmen this weekend. C'est la vies.
Yesterday Denise lost her wallet. This is a little bit of a headache, and very frustrating to have so many pieces of personal identification of hers out there potentially in the hands of less than honest people, but the cancellation of cards and requesting of new ones apparently went very smoothly for her. Whew.
An unprofessional and disrespectful tirade from my boss in response to a simple question about my schedule at work has left me struggling to hold my tongue and stay on the job. Every minute I'm there right now is entirely unpleasant.
Today it's also become clear to me that I and someone very close to me have extremely fundamentally different ideas about a lot of aspects of life I hold to be important--personal responsibility, friendship, forgiveness, love, remorse, respect. . .coming to this realization leaves me at the lowest I've been in a very long time.
I'm thankful I have Denise, understanding and supportive, and loving, in my life as I find myself negotiating new emotional terrain. Aside from her, I've never felt so alone.
I do not think I will be seeing Watchmen this weekend. C'est la vies.
Yesterday Denise lost her wallet. This is a little bit of a headache, and very frustrating to have so many pieces of personal identification of hers out there potentially in the hands of less than honest people, but the cancellation of cards and requesting of new ones apparently went very smoothly for her. Whew.
An unprofessional and disrespectful tirade from my boss in response to a simple question about my schedule at work has left me struggling to hold my tongue and stay on the job. Every minute I'm there right now is entirely unpleasant.
Today it's also become clear to me that I and someone very close to me have extremely fundamentally different ideas about a lot of aspects of life I hold to be important--personal responsibility, friendship, forgiveness, love, remorse, respect. . .coming to this realization leaves me at the lowest I've been in a very long time.
I'm thankful I have Denise, understanding and supportive, and loving, in my life as I find myself negotiating new emotional terrain. Aside from her, I've never felt so alone.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Simple Things
Things making me smile today:
Rael demanding to wear his underpants backwards so his cartoon characters are in front.
Finding two bucks in my pants and spending them on a BK Mocha Joe this morning after zero hours of sleep.
Having a story idea I'm ready to explore working up into a pitch again after a bit of blockage.
Four days 'til my next day off.
Sigh.
Rael demanding to wear his underpants backwards so his cartoon characters are in front.
Finding two bucks in my pants and spending them on a BK Mocha Joe this morning after zero hours of sleep.
Having a story idea I'm ready to explore working up into a pitch again after a bit of blockage.
Four days 'til my next day off.
Sigh.
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