Comments of my Day

Finally, another post

2007-10-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know why its been so long since I have posted anything. Its been nearly four months. I guess even though I have had stuff to say, I just can really put it into words like I would like. I have done a few things since the last post. I have gone to Texas to see family again, went to San Antonio, went to Las Vegas again, and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium last weekend.

Here are some pictures from the Riverwalk. There are a whole lot of restaurants and shops along the whole way of this. I was walking around a lot and even took a boat tour of the area.

And the Alamo:

Here are a couple of the garden behind the Alamo. I couldn't go in the first day, because it was too late. It was so dang hot there in San Antonio... in the high 90s with an equal amount of humidity. I did my best but had to go indoors after only a while outdoors. The short time I spent there was great and would like to go again sometime.

Now onto the aquarium. I have been to the area a lot, but mostly for work. This was my first visit to the Monterey Aquarium. I have been to Steinhart in San Francisco, but that was over 20 years ago.

Here are some pictures of the different types of jellyfish at the aquarium. These are so interesting they way they were moving.. just pulsing along and moving around the tank, and all the different kinds that there were.

The Kelp Forest Tank

and finally a pair of anenomes. These are two of the brighter colored ones.

Being sick sucks

2007-06-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

I caught a cold somewhere last weekend. I don't know where or when, but its the first time that I have been stay at home sick in over four years. I don't get sick all that often, but its been a sucky two days. I thought that I was good on Monday, but I went home at lunchtime because I just ran out of energy for the day. Today, I feel kinda okay today, but I hope thats just not because I all hopped up on cold goofers. DayQuil is good stuff, and I hope its all over. I just have to see how I feel in the morning and if I can go back to work.

Its been far too long.

2007-06-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Its been way too long since I have done any kind of post. I don't know why I haven't written anything. Lack of stuff to say, or just plain laziness. Im thinking its the latter. Now having a few things to say, its time to start up again.

After some prodding from some friends, I have decided to do a wardrobe upgrade. Begered and her sister Runak, who are two of my best friends, were kind enough to assist me in implementing the upgrade. We all went to the Macy's mens store and JCPennys a couple weeks ago. We spent about three hours and about $400 dollars getting a new set of shirts, pants and shoes. I will be posting a couple pictures illustrating the difference. I have to show the difference in just the pants. We found out that I was wearing pants that were eight sizes too big. Yikes... eight sizes. I guess that I just wasn't listening to anyone when it came to improving my clothing.

I don't have enough thanks for Begered and Runak for their help. I did buy them lunch for their help on that day, and I will be buying them lunch for some additional help they gave me last weekend. Thanks you two... you're the best!

Termites, Sharks and Rats

2007-04-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

When I came back from lunch today, this truck was parked outside the Starbucks

Termites I can see, but sharks as pests? On a houseboat maybe, but not in a completely landlocked city where I live.

I just thought this was a little bit funny to see.
One of those little oddities seen around town.
See below for one more.

Trader Joe's had something interesting a few days ago...

This just struck me as odd, but if I were advertising for crackers, I might have put something other than a rat on an in store advertisement, but thats just me.

Again, just another one of those oddities.

Okay

2007-04-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

I have thought a little bit as to why I don't blog more than I do. Mainly.. I suck at writing. That being said, I have been advised by friends who do read the blog that I should write more, no matter the subject, and it would best to get the practice. So, to that end... here I am.

I went to Vegas again a week ago, and this time it was bit better. Flying instead of driving, met up with my friend Donna again, and I also went to a Cirque de Soleil show. The show is called "Love" and is set to Beatles music. I really enjoyed the show, and I would highly recommend it for any Beatles fan.
Here is the opening to the box office, and the theater entrance in down the hallway under the flag on the ceiling.

Here is another picture down the hallway. This was kind of a neat setup. The floor here where you see the blue transitioning to red does a moving action.

Here is a link to a youtube video giving some previews of the show. It was well worth the cost of the ticket, about $140 per.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKcqTkPqOJQ

This is a neat little lounge called "Revolution" Of course, Beatles themed.

Here is a pic of the kitten in the pool that they have over there. Granted.. its a 600 pound kitten.

Finally, flying home, pretty good to see the Valley again.

I will be attempting to blog more, even if its a boring topic. So with that, enjoy!

Vegas, Baby... Vegas!!!!

2007-01-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago, I was able to take a trip to Las Vegas for the first time in almost seven years. I was able to do a little bit of gambling, who knew you could that there? I was able to see a whole lot of new constuction that has taken place since I had last been there. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Lucky for the three of us that took the trip, we all decided to pick the coldest weekend of the year to head down there. If I remember correctly, it was about a 25 degree high for the entire weekend.

I was able to take this picture of the Bellagio from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Its a half scale verstion, so its about 450 feet high. Very nice view, but cold and windy. With the wind chill, it was about zero degrees. Yikes.

Here is a picture of the Venetian and the Mirage. Sadly, both taken from street level.

And as a treat, geek that I am, I was able to go to the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton. Here are a couple pics from that part:

Me and a couple of aliens:

A couple of the ships from the show hanging from the ceiling. Each roughly about 20 feet long.
All in all , a very nice trip. As a final treat for me, I was able to meet up with a friend of mine that moved to Vegas almost four years ago. We had not seen each other since. A nice sunday dinner and a couple of hours of conversation later, we had to part ways because she had to go to work early the next day. Hope to see her again whenever I get back there.

20th annual Bridge School Concert

2006-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

I went to the bridge school benefit concert last saturday with a friend of mine and his daughters, (oct 21st). Neil Young puts this show on to benefit a school for children with special needs. Lineup included Dave Matthews, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Brian Wilson, Trent Reznor, and of course Neil Young, along with a few others. A very long day indeed. Lawn seats and a total of 30,000 people plus or minus. 4 p.m. to about about 1 a.m. I left about 20 minutes before the entire crowd ended up leaving, and didn't get home and in bed until about 5 a.m. Fairly nice" seats"... lawn seating anyway, and a great all acoustic show. I am so happy that the shows will be available on iTunes for purchase. Foo Fighters were a kick ass show, I would like to go next year (depending on lineup), but will be a little bit more prepared for sitting on a damp lawn for 8 hours. The waterproof padding was nice to have, but will be ready for almost anything next year. I will be buying one of those little chairs next year should I be going.

Here are a couple of pictures.

I apologize for the quality, I only had my cell phone camera.

Definitely a sea of people. I haven't seen a crowd this big since the last time I went to a football game.

a very long day

2006-09-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

Today felt like a bad day. I had to go out to the field today. Santa Cruz isn't a bad place to go, but its what I had to do when I got there. Hiking is fun when you have a trail, but this was up and down steep slopes, heavily wooded, tick-infested, and all with a medium sprinkling of poison oak. Not really high on my to-do list again. Two things made this trip worth it. Well, three: 1. Getting out of the office for a day isn't so bad.

2. This is what I saw this morning; A thing of beauty. I don't know why, but I could have stood there for an hour watching this spider finish her web. I have always been fascinated by this type I think its this amount of work that goes into it and it gets destroyed, only to be built again. I know its a deathtrap, but a work of beauty nontheless.

3. After coming home an hour late, I saw this. I was a little ticked at being out in the field so long, but coming home to this sight was worth it. I haven't stopped to look at a sunset in a long time.

New Ceiling Fan

2006-08-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have to give some heavy compliments to my friend Mike. He helped me install a new ceiling fan in my office. When I asked him for help, I offered to compensate him for his time and skill with the installation with a portion of my poker chip set. He said that he would have done it for free if I had asked him. I gotta hand it to him. He did a great job on this. All I did was put the blades on the arms that attach to the rotor. He got up into the ceiling, where it was about 110 degrees, and did all the work that was needed to get the fan mounted. Thanks Mike!

Before ====================>

<=============== After

A New Bike and a table update.

2006-08-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

For the first time in nearly 20 years. I have a bike, and a new one at that. To the end of wanting to live a little bit healthier and drive a lot less, I decided to buy a bike, and I found one that I liked very much. Of course, my balance is about as good as a two-legged stool. That presented a problem in getting on the bike and getting going. After nearly crashing twice just going up and down my street, I was able to get going a little bit and start turning corners again. I think I will be up to leaving the neighborhood after getting used riding a bike again. More to come on that.

TABLE UPDATE!!!!

The table has been refinished, but it is still in the garage, as I am not able to handle such an object by myself and schlep it into the house. Until a friend comes over, I will not be able to move it into the house. I could try it myself, but I would end up damaging it when I just got finished fixing the thing.

Im glad that Im finished with it, and can now put it in my kitchen it the big empty space and put the folding table back into the garage.

A "fun" start to the day

2006-07-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

If this is what you see when you go out to your driveway to check for the paper in the morning, its a "fun" start to the day. I don't know who did this, but they were not in anyway experienced at this form of hooliganism. First of all, you don't use high quality toilet paper. Second, you send rolls over the roof to the backyard, and you have someone in the back yard sending the rolls back over to the front and then back again. These were amateurs. I'm suspecting its fallout from my annual poker tournament that I hold at my home every July. There were a lot of cars parked on my street, and anyone who normally parks on the street would have had to walk about a half block to their home. Or, it could have been my neighbors who the police visited during the afternoon of my tournament, for something I know not of. Of course, all of these are pure speculation, but its the best I can come up with.

Yikes!!

2006-07-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

How could so much time have passed since I have put a post on this page?! Guess that says a lot for inattention and just good old fashioned plain laziness. A lot has appened since I put my last post on here. I went to Texas for a vacation to see family I haven't seen in a while. To boil it down.. Texas was flat, brown, and hot. There are a lot of things that I could say about Texas, but that will take a lot more time than I have at this moment. I will post some pictures from Texas in a while.

Kitchen table update: Its still in the garage. I have been taking the finish off in the little nooks that just take forever to get in and completely strip. I will be working on it during the week as best I can, and will try to get it done before this weekend. I have to stain it and then put the clear sealer on it.

Going to see Dr. Acula

2006-04-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

As is my 8 week ritual, I went to give blood yesterday. Having stayed up late the night before, I was pretty sleepy when I went in. The needle experience is always fun, and I say that sarcastically. After giving, I went home and ate, and then promptly fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up, I thought only a couple hours had passed, but about seven had passed. Yikes.

Today however, was a much different day. I went to the gym this morning... even though I didn't feel much like going. Did my cycling class and felt so much better. I went to the movies today as well. Hmmm.. maybe I should start doing some movie reviews.. I will consider it.

Where did patience go?

2006-04-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but this ticks me off to no end. I have, in the last few months or so, noticed that while at a four way stop, the people that are going to go in crossing direction take off from the stop line before I have even crossed their path. This evening, I had to floor it to get out of the way of some idiot who couldn't wait the 0.3 seconds it would have taken me to get out of their way. This brought to my mind the question of where someone has to be that is so important as to nearly ram another vehicle because you have to wait your turn at a four way stop? Ugh... I would not like to be that person.

I have noticed a lot of impatience, it seems everywhere. People being rude to the employees at a Starbucks because they can't give make a drink that takes three minutes to make in ten seconds, being rude to waiters because they don't become the personal servants to them, especially when they have twenty other people to take care of. Stuff like that. Some are so rude that I feel like slapping them. I honestly don't know whats wrong with some people. It seems like being nice is seen as weakness or just went extinct.

And now something that I hope someone out there appreciates:

I found a check in the parking lot at work. Since it was without tire marks or footprints, it must have been recently lost. So I mailed it back with a note, hoping the lady appreciates its return.
Its just one of those things that I hope someone does for me someday if I were to lose something and it was possible to return it to me.

Why on a Saturday

2006-04-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Another day at work. Just wish it wasn't a saturday. Glad I'm finished with the project. At least as far as its supposed to be before it goes for a review. Im feeling so beat down from my day that I don't even feel like going to my friend Mike's party this evening. I feel bad about not going, but I don't think I would be very good company right now. When I'm feeling this tired and flustered, all I want is silence, and if I don't get it, it makes me angry. Mad and tired isn't a very good combination, even the tapping on the keyboard seems loud. I have been so busy the last three weeks, that I have not even been able to complete the refinishing of the table. Its going to be next week for sure that I get back to it. Since woodwork isn't my forte, I might have to take a couple stabs at this. I will be taking some "before and after" pictures so that I can get some opinions from my readers.. all four of you. Heh Heh... at least its a start.
Looking forward to Easter tomorrow, going to spend some time with the family. Looking forward to a nice relaxing day. Hope its not raining tomorrow, wouldn't like to see a damper put on the day, and driving in the rain kinda sucks.

I also recently got a new kitty, and since last december, she has been a source of both joy and irritation, about a 90/10 split. More to come on that later. Suffice it to say, the property damage has been minimal, she only knocked down a DVD rack once so far, I guess it looked like an attractive place on which to climb onto. I have been trying to come up with a new name for her, she came with the name "Natasha" from the feline foundation ( a great place by the by). I though about "bitey", since she has a penchant for play biting whenever I try to pet her.
I will be posting a few pictures once I learn how, Im still pretty new at this.

Huffing by accident.

2006-03-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

I recently got an oak table from a good friend of mine, and I am in the process of refinishing it. Its currently in my garage, and it being a nice day, I thought I would take some time to start taking whats left of the finish on the table top after several years of kid abuse. Whew!!! That stripper stinks..... After only a few minutes I got a headache, so I stopped.. and then went back to it. Before you all start asking... Yes I opened up all the doors and got the air flowing. After several attempts, I was able to de-finish the table as best I could, and will sand it down to the bare wood. As soon as I get off my ass and get a digital camera, I will be posting a few pictures.