Castle Shima

I married into a very, very, very weathly family. If you have a choice on this, go ahead. -- Ron White

Tower View
Its been abit hectic lately so here comes a long entry.

Congratulations!
Congratulations have to go to my cousin Jane and her new husband, Ryan, for their wedding!

I had to attend this event, which isnt truly my forte, but I really didnt have much of a choice since I was part of the entourage, although I will be the first to admit it was interesting.

Why?

1) My bride's maid in crime was Judy from New Jersey. Judy is alot like me in that she is Asian, works in IT, works in project management, and even enjoys cycling. It was great to vent with someone who knew what I was talking about.

2) I was joking the Friday evening and Saturday morning before the wedding that since Jane is Asian, she will be late to the wedding. With the event scheduled for 3pm, I teased Ryan that she wouldnt show up until 4pm. Unfortunately, that afternoon, it was no longer a joke. Jane was exactly an hour late for the wedding.

3) When people are hungry and tired from standing around for an hour, they will eat anything in sight, including the hordourves (sp).

4) It was bad enough that the wedding party had literally to stand for an hour while waiting, but then we had to stand for nearly an hour and half for the actual ceremony. At one point, I had almost fallen asleep while standing. I felt bad for the bride's maids because they had to have been standing for just as long in those damn heels. How they did it amazed me.

5) For all my complaining, the ceremony was still one of the best ones I had ever seen. I must remember to thank Ryan and Jane for allowing me the honour of being in it.

6) I have a large family. Now my immediate family is large with all my parents, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. At one point my family located in town is larger than some people's entire family.

That makes things abit difficult when the wedding coordinator keeps asking for family members to take pictures with the bride and groom. Then she asks for the cousins with the bride and groom. Now the bride's maids with the bride. Now the bride's maids with the groom. Now the bride's maids with both the bride and groom. Then the groom's men with the bride. Now the groom's men with the groom. Now the groom's men with both the bride and groom. Now the choir with the bride.

By the time she got to college friends, high school friends, and even the choir, the whole thing was abit tedious. When the coordinator called out for the musicians, someone growled out "F*&$ you! They left an hour ago..."

Which wouldnt have been so bad except for the fact we were still in the church at the time. It earned me a smack from Judy and a few others. Heh...
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Woohoo!
Happy Birthday must go out to Little Fury, Starfury's son. He just turned three and now can start getting all the cool stuff for presents.

I had to remind myself I was shopping for the boy, not for myself.
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Music To My Ears
Hat tip: Laura

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Out In The Yard
Couple tricks family to go to wedding. It would have been easier just to tell them food was involved.
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The Lion King is fading into the sunset. Mario Cipollini has been a force in European cycling for many years. So long, Cipo, and thanks for all the fish.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy comes out tomorrow. Dont panic.
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Background Noise
White Lines by Grandmaster Flash

Athletes reject it...
Governors correct it...
Gangersters, punks, and smugglers are
thoroughly respected...
The money gets divided...
The women get excited...
Now I'm broke and its no joke...
Its hard as hell to fight it...
Dont buy it!

Friggin XM radio. I thought it was the Duran Duran cover of the song.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I'm tired of going to Taco Bell and hearing people whine "How come I have to work at T-t-t-taco Bell?!" Perhaps it had to do something with your r-r-r-report card?! You got straight D's! What does that spell?! Duh-duh-duh-duh! -- Carlos Mencia

Tower View
Yet More Stuff
I know I'm a geek because of all the toys I own. Between the bicycles, computers, Xbox, Playstation2, and DVDs, I have stuff that is worth more than my stock portfolio.

So to make it worse, I saw these Hokey Spokes. Neon lights on the bicycle in order to trick it out. Are you frigging kidding me?!

I'll be ordering a pair of the yellow ones for my Giant TCR 2.

Hat tip: Gizmodo
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Yet More Television
The International Channel has now become Asian Tv. They basically take chunks from several other Asian channels and direct them towards their own station.

So now its your chance to watch shows from the Far East. Really bad shows from the Far East.

For example, there is a show called Krystala, which is a really cheesy Filipino science fiction show. Since when did aliens speak Tagalog?!

Now there are some decent shows like Legends of Ji Gong which is a Chinese martial arts drama and they have the decency to have English subtitles.

Unfortunately, the bad definately outweighs the good. I'm still expecting to see all the Indian shows to break out in songs.
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Out In The Yard
Jade Empire comes out tomorrow. Frig! As if I have the time to play another game...
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Hincapie places second in Paris-Roubaix. Congrats George! You'll definately help make July an interesting month.
**********

Lance competes in Lemire Memorial Grand Prix. Now this was cool. Its like having the New England Patriots play flag football with your kids.
**********

Background Noise
Spice Up Your Life by Spice Girls

Slam it to the left,
If you're having a good time...
Shake it to the right,
If you know that you feel fine...
Chicas to the front...
Huh huh...
Go round...

Yeah, they are really talking about dancing. Right.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Alot of people are very extreme, you know. People are very sure on what they believe. You know they are either on the far right or the far left of politics. If you are on the far right or the far left, you know what you've done now? You've gone too far. -- Richard Jeni

Tower View
Random Thoughts Part 205
I've been so preoccupied with other things, I havent had the time nor the energy to update the blog. So here comes everything all at once.

1) Happy Easter to all!

2) Yet again, the news is on about the entire schiavo incident. Protesters are screaming for the govenor to step in again. My apologies to those who believe otherwise, but this is none of the government's business. There is absolutely no reason, legal or otherwise, for them to step in. Like it or not, this is their family matter.

3) The moron protestors are making things worse. For example, this idiot tried to steal a firearm from a gun store. All in the name of saving the girl.

4) Wal-Mart sucks. They just opened yet another one of their damn stores down the street from me. Traffic has now gone from bad to absolutely terrible. These things have been become the Starbucks of the 2000's.

5) I love the fact that Laura is using quotes from Coupling. I have to refrain from sending her several emails with my own personal favorites.

6) The Pretender Season 1 has finally been released on DVD. I always loved the one line from the introduction: Then one day, their pretender ran away...

7) Speaking of DVDs, The Lone Gunmen is coming out this week. Result! I loved this spin-off from the X-files. It was more humourous and off beat than Mulder and Scully were, but scully was definately more attractive. Heh.

8) Mental note: Give Jay major kinds of grief over this Indian medicine made from cow urine. This will serve him right for bring in the Tender vittles Curry every week to the office.

9) Just to make the tick off the SUV hating crowd, here is an article about the annual Jeep Safari. Talk about taking over the town from the hippies... heh... Hat tip: Fark.Com.

10) If you ever get a chance, try Mama Fu's Asian House. They have a great mix of Thai, Japanese, and Chinese fusion type of food. The prices are pretty reasonable and everything was so tasty.
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Out In The Yard
The Tour of California is being planned for the 2006 season. Great! Now professional cycling will have a new event: Car Dodging.
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SWAT 4 is coming out in two weeks. Just in time for me to buy it and put it on the shelf to collect dust with the rest of the games I dont play.
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Ex-Crowded House drummer commits suicide. Hey now, hey now, dont dream its over...
**********

Background Noise
I had to switch back to Richard Jeni's show A Big, Steaming Pile Of Me. I love his idea about advertising to the rest of the world that the US is a great country.

If we could sell bad food, useless thigh cream, and deadly cigerettes, then we could sell the United States if we had the right slogan. Here's the slogan for this country:

America, 20 million illegal aliens cant be wrong!

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

From Andrew Lloyd Webber, the man that brought you "Cats," comes his newest musical "Snot!" -- Robbie at work

Tower View
Tis The Season
The Team Discovery site is up.

With the US Postal Cycling team a thing of the past, the premier US team is looking to compete more in the European races.

Lance has finally decided to try for an unprecedented seventh Tour de France win. The odds are against him considering there are still alot of new faces on the team, but for this team preparation is still the key.

In the years past, Lance would compete in a one day race called the Amstel Gold Race, which is held in the Netherlands, as part of that preparation.

This year he will be defending his title in the Tour of Georgia, which is becoming part of his routine by training more in the States.

This is great for US fans like myself, but unfortunately, I doubt if I will get to go see the ToG. I dont even have the energy to get out of bed.

Matter of fact, I'm amazed I got up to type this... heh...
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Out In The Yard
Speaking of training, Lance heads to Paris to compete in classic race. The race is 757 miles long. Somebody better get me a bagel while they are over there.
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Numerous dog suicides baffling experts. Maybe the Kibbles & Bits have been spiked?
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Consumer Reports names the best cars from 2004. The Suburu WRX won the best Fun Car To Drive. Result!
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Background Noise
Everything Will Be All Right by Limp Bizkit

Does anybody really know the secret
Or the combination for this life
And where they keep it?
Its kind of sad
When you dont know the meaning,
But everything happens for a reason.
I dont even know what I should say
Because i'm an idiot,
A loser,
A microphone abuser...
I analyze every second I exist
Beating on my mind
Every second with my fist...

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Tower View
A Word From Our Sponsors
Its been awhile since I've posted. It always seems that there is some kind of drama in my life. Most of it self-inflicted.

So its been tiring and draining these past few weeks. Perhaps I may get into it later although I normally refrain from posting more personal things here. But this started out as therapy for me, so who knows.

In the meantime...
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My Neck Isnt That Red

I am 27% White Trash.

The white trash in my blood will not keep me from becoming a doctor or a lawyer, but it will keep me from a good haircut and any sort of fashion sense.

Take the
White Trash Test
@ FualiDotCom

If its in the game, then its in the game! -- theme for EA Sports Madden 2005

Tower View
Are You Ready For Some Football?!
Its Super Bowl Sunday! Time for to watch some football, eat alot of food, and listen to alot of boring interviews.

I cant cook and I know how to change the channel so I guess I will just have to settle on the football. Heh...
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I'm A Loser, Baby, So Why Dont You Kill Me?



47% are cooler and 53% are more of a loser than you.

What does this mean? You're cooler than half the people! Great work!

I dont know about that. I took the test so I must be a bigger loser than it thinks.

Hat tip: Tiffany
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Out In The Yard
Here is a list of items not allowed into the stadium during the Super Bowl. Wouldnt you think that "weapons" be first on the list?!
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The Lion King wins one more. At 38 years old, Mario Cipollini is still one of the fastest sprinters in the world. Gives terrible riders like me some hope. Heh...
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Background Noise
The Kingdom II (aka Riget II) is on the Independent Film Channel. I loved The Kingdom and its still one of the scarier films in my collection.

Too bad that Kingdom Hospital was a terrible remake. It could have brought more fans to the series.

I've got the original series in VHS, but the only way to get the DVD verison is as an import.

I'll have to think about this.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

What did I experience from the NFL Experience?! Standing in some long freaking lines -- my brother, Ric, on his visit to the NFL Experience theme park.

Tower View
Revenge Of The Psuedo-Nerd



Hmm.. I always figured I was more of nerd or at least a geek.

Hat tip: Laura
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Out In The Yard
Here is a bunny with some issues. Not necessarily safe for work. Hat tip: Cally from the TLXG
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The Grudge comes out tomorrow. I loved the original Japanese version, Ju-On: The Grudge, so I hope the American version is just as decent.
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Background Noise
Big Time by Peter Gabriel

My car is getting bigger,
My hand is getting bigger,
My eye is getting bigger,
And my mouth...
Big time...
My belly is getting bigger,
And my bank account...
Big time...
Look at my circumstance..
Big time...
And the bulge in my big
Big big big big big....


***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

How do we spend Martin Luther King day? By having a white sale?! -- Anonymous

Tower View
Drool Drool
Bonus time is coming up.

With all the extra hours I've been putting in, I know they dont qualify for this year's bonus money, but I hope the upper eschelon remembers all the effort for next year.

Actually if they could remember for this year, that would be good too. Heh...

Why?

Because for this year's big purchase item, I'm after this Sharp Aquos 37" LCD tv.



Oh yes. It will be mine.
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Out In The Yard
Sixty six year old woman gives birth. Makes you wonder who will wear the diapers in the family.
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Power outage knocked out Live Journal. Cant... blog... Not... enough... power...
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Background Noise
Wild Boys by Duran Duran

Wild boys never lose it...
Wild boys never chose this way...
Wild boys never close your eyes...
Wild boys always shine...

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Foo Kew -- seen on a personalized license plate

Tower View
Time To Cash In
I've been working a lot of extra hours for the past three months. The past two have been pretty hard since my manager,Hem, went home to India in mid-December and wasnt supposed to be back until the end of next week.

With Hem gone, I've been covering for most of his duties while another manager handled things that needed an "authorized" signature.

And its been crazy ever since he left.

My director was slightly annoyed that I was working during Christmas and New Year's. Not because things were not done or anything like that, but more to the fact that I was actually having to work during these supposed holidays.

But the fact that I have to do my manager's job and mine, there really wasnt much of a choice.

Then with the tsunamis, we were worried that something may have happened to him and his family. Fortunately, they were nowhere near the events.

Now with things getting even more wild, the other manager, K, was going nut. We planned on getting lawn chairs and planting ourselves at Hem's front yard so when he pulls in, we can sit there and say "Where the hell have you been?!"

So what happens? I found out Friday that Hem wont be back until after Jan 20th, if we are lucky.

Because of family issues, Hem had planned to stay a few more days, but because of the disaster, there are no flights available for quite some time.

So as soon as he gets back, I'm taking a vacation. I'm going to whittle my time down from 70 hours a week to 40.

That should allow for some relaxation time.
**********

Out In The Yard
Lance wins libel case in London. If you are going to accuse someone of steroid abuse, be sure to actually have proof.
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Fourth Season of Coupling comes out on Jan. 25. Pardon me while I wait impatiently...
**********

Assault On Precinct 13 comes out on Jan. 19. I hope this one was as good as the original.
**********

Background Noise
$40 A Day is on the Food Network.

I'm not much of a cook, but I actually like the show. If you've never seen it before, the host, Rachel Ray, tours various locations around the world, showing viewers the local cuisine can be tasted for under $40.

Not only does it has Rachel's bubbly personality, the places she visits are actually pretty interesting.

Well, that and its Rachel Ray.



Tonight she visits Martha's Vineyard, but that wasnt the catching point. In one scene where she is buying a bottle of wine, Rachel slips out that she has a boyfriend, John, and that the bottle is for him.

Lucky man.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I love cats. They taste like chicken
-- seen on a bumper sticker

Tower View
Aid Rage
Maybe I'm going to sound bitter here about the tsunami relief, but please keep in mind I'm Asian by birth so this is close to home. I also have many friends from the hit regions so I'm watching this very closely.

I'm in agreement with Elizabeth about giving too much US government aid. Our government has now agreed to give over $350 million in aid to the victims, which is very generous considering there are over 120,000 people lost.

But this comes after many countries have been called stingy for the amount of aid given by the government.

The first thought that came to mind was So what if the government is stingy?

If the relief amount was raised from $35 million to only 150$ million, wouldnt that be enough from the US government? We citizens (myself included) have been giving to the private organizations, but why should our government, which we fund with our tax dollars, give the highest amount in the world?

This means as taxpayers, we are donating twice. Even the people who didnt want to donate anything are now giving funds to the relief. And for our country, its their right to not want to give anything.

That other $315 million has to come from somewhere. That means funding for schools, education, defense, as well relief to our own people.

All this for what? Many of the nations that are crying that the US is stingy are the same ones that just a few months ago, didnt want anything to do with us, because we re-elected President Bush. These were the same sods that complained about the US influence in Europe, but then started crying when they found out the US would pull troops out of their country.

Two words for those people: F**k you.

The person you so despised is the one who signed off sacrificing a large amount of help for his country to help out others. If you dont want our help, then why should we give it?

This entry isnt meant to be a pro-Bush one, but more to vent at the hypocrisy of the others. The country many despise is the one offering the most amount of relief from its people and its government.

And what started this tirade? I saw this picture on Neal Boortz's site.



There was no direct link so I had to save the image, but note the man in the tshirt. Was it someone like this person that said "Where is America?"
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More Importantly...
Now that the venting phase is out, please donate what you can to the responsible charities. There are already those scumbags that are using this tragedy.

The two I went through were the American Red Cross and the Catholic Relief Services
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Its Deca 31, Buck...
If you understand where that title came from, then you are an old timer like myself. hehehe...

And if you have no idea what the heck, I'm talking about, watch the 80's version of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, which will be out in DVD soon.

And with that being said, Happy New Year's to everyone. Stay safe tonight and we'll see you next year.
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Out In The Yard
Linkin Park donates $100,000 to tsunami relief. And in the end, all of it really does matter...
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Bummer shows that the Washington Post screws up the facts of Memogate in a single paragraph. Today's lesson in journalism: fact checking. Hat tip to Little Green Footballs
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Jerry Orbach passed away. Jerry may be gone, but Lennie Briscoe will live on forever.
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Background Noise
Tim Allen is playing on Xm's comedy Channel (channel 150):

I just bought some duct tape. I figure if I cant fix it, duct it

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I said he could throw the ball in the middle of the field. I didnt say he was supposed to throw it to the other team!
-- Joe Theismann during the Broncos vs Titans game

Tower View
The Christ in Christmas
Since I've been in the office so much lately, most of my observations come around then.

This past week, I've been hearing alot of people wonder about the blatent bias about Christmas. Most of the discussion revolved around non-Catholics saying that Christmas symbols, the tree, lights, Nativity scenes, are offensive to them. But then they have no problems with the Menora, Kwanzaa, and Hannakkauh (sp) symbols being everywhere.

My first comment was "Wtf?! If you dont like one, why the hell is the other any different? More importantly, if you dont want one showing, none of them should be showing."

The second comment was "And why the hell is it so offensive? Do these things make you less of a person because they exist? You would rather complain about it rather than get over it?!"

(Which was shortly followed by "Hey! Get your arses back to work so we can get out of here!" But thats another story...)

Even the Hindu guys I work with were confused by the "offended" comments.

They had been living in the US long enough to get used to the custom and even though they dont believe in the religious aspect, they understood it. One friend even bought his wife something just because he wanted her to have something in this "season of happiness" as he put it.

This conversation came to mind again when I saw the difference in these headlines today:
AP News - Troubles in Iraq
CNN.com - U.S. captures 2 key terror suspects in Iraq
Foxnews.com - Christmas Spirit Crisscrosses the Globe

No wonder I'm preferring Fox News more every day.

So is there a bias? Absolutely.

How are we going to get over it? Celebrate the day and be good to each other every day.

That is until I have to log into work tonight... Stupid after-Christmas deadlines. Some one needs to die for coming up with this schedule.
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Out In The Yard
Timmy Chang leads University of Hawaii to a win in the Hawaii Bowl. This was a great game especially with Chang being the one of the top Asian players in the NCAA.

Parents sell naughty kids' presents on Ebay. Yah! Thats what I'm talking about. We need more parents like this.
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Kevin Bacon is a sex offender. Its his newest role, people. Get your mind out of the gutter. Heh...
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Background Noise
Oh Shiela by Ready For The World

ew... I never liked this song, even when it came out in the 80s.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

That's right! Its Santa day!
-- Kasume from Ranma 1/2: Tendo Family Christmas Scramble

Tower View
And To All, A Good Night
Around this time is the mad rush for those last minute gifts. This is usually when you get the wierdest crap like the Chia pet or really bad perfume.

Hopefully, you wont get any of those in your stocking this year. I expect lots of coal in mine. Heh...

Merry Christmas to everyone! Have a good holiday and stay safe.
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Out In The Yard
The Jib Jab guys strike again with Grumpy Santa. I cant remember the last time I got... paid...
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The Other Final is an awesome film about a soccer game being played by the two lowest ranked teams in the world. They played for free with no sponsors simply because they love the game. Fat Bastard Moore could learn from this film about what is a real documentary.
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Background Noise
Merry F***ing Christmas by Mr. Garrison of South Park

Hey there Mr. Muslim!
Merry f***ing christmas!
Put down that book, the Koran,
And hear some holiday wishes....
In case you havent noticed
Its Jesus' birthday
So get off your heathen Muslim ass
And f***ing celebrate!

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Get up! Its time for the Epcot death march! -- Jon Pinette

Tower View
So, In Review..
I got this from Laura.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Bought Furniture. I dont buy furniture. That means people will want to come over.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No. I wanted to cycle 1,500 miles this year. Currently, I'm not close with my total at 955. I may be able to make 1,000 by 12/31, but that still is pale when compared to the 1,195 miles I did last year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, just some women I knew from work.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but someone close to my brother did.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
Money. Heh...

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Nothing really stands out at this time.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Completing the MS-150.

9. What was your biggest failure?
The Platform Product Project at work. I allowed another project to take up too much of my time and let this one lapse.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just plain exhaustion.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My TCR Composite bicyle by Giant.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lance Armstrong. Sure, I'm biased, but the man broke the record and won his sixth Tour de France. I can barely ride down the street now.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm not depressed, but definately appalled with Michael Moore. This fat bastard claims to be just like the common man, but makes millions of dollars sponging off of the pain of others.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Computer and video games.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The 2004 election. Its the first time I've ever gotten truly political about anything. What the hell happened to me?

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Older.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Cycling.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Office Work.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Working.

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Not this year... And what the hell happened to #21?!

23. How many one-night stands?
None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Notice a pattern here?

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Not really.

26. What was the best book you read?
Crisis On Infinite Earths by Marv wolfman and George Perez. This doesnt qualify as a standard novel, but its always been one of my favorite series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Xm radio.

28. What did you want and get?
My TCR Composite bicycle by Giant.

29. What did you want and not get?
An AR-15 rifle or the Beretta storm carbine rifle.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King, Hero

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I worked; Cyber-ancient.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More money.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Really, really lazy.

34. What kept you sane?
who said I was sane?!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Stephanie March. Yet another reason to watch Law & Order.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Rather-gate. I know this wasnt a real political issue but he should have been fired right on the spot. If you sent in forged paperwork to your employers, do you think they would have put up with that mess?

37. Who did you miss?
My ex. She ducked at the last second and the bullet just missed her. (That is a joke by the way)

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My buddy Robbie at work.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
I am seriously underpaid.
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Out In The Yard
Here is the list of the top 25 most annoying newsmakers of 2004. Once again proving the gene pool could use a little more chlorine.
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Man beats the hell out of his own car. That is one way to deal with road rage.
**********

Background Noise
Closing Time by Semisonic

So gather up your jackets
And move it to the exits...
I hope you have found a friend...
Closing time...
Every new beginning comes
From some other beginning's end.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I found my girlfriend going down on a midget. I cant believe she would stoop so low. -- Dwight York

Tower View
Where Are My Priorities?
In two weeks, I've compiled roughly 130 hours of work.

When the hell did I start working so hard? More importantly, why am I working so hard?! Dont these people realized I'm just here for the paycheck?!

Two days ago, I wrote a 1,500 line Javascript code script using over 4,000 words. That was more than a couple of my chapters from Nanowrimo...

One good thing came out of all this mess.

If you like listening to comedy cds, I recommend Mitch Hedberg's Mitch All Together. This made me laugh throughtout this whole ordeal.
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Out In The Yard
Elektra is back for more action. Hopefully this will be better than Daredevil.
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Pro cycling teams agree on ethics code. Isnt that like saying that Scott Peterson agrees not to kill anyone?
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Background Noise
Sexual Healing by Soul Asylum

It's just wierd hearing these guys singing this song. I suppose I'm so used to Marvin Gaye's version.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

We've tried psychology. We've tried time outs. None of its worked. Its time to get back to whipping ass. -- Alonzo Bodden on punishing kids.

Tower View
Random Thoughts Again?!
I worked throughout the supposed holiday and have been doing 13 to 15 hours every day since Sunday so I'm abit sluggish. I've been lucky enough to either catch a few hours of sleep and read my list of blogs. Other than that, its been living and breathing code development. I could have qualified as a video game programmer.

I'm finally down to a 12 hour day and am finally getting a chance to update the blog. So here are some things that came up this week:

1) Chocolate is not substitute for real food. It may taste good for the first few minutes, but after fifty candy bars, you tend to get tired of it.

2) Minnie Driver's cd, Everything I've Got In My Pocket is pretty decent, but definately not for everyone, especially when you are really tired. Its so mello that you may find yourself sleeping while behind the wheel of your car.

3) I was able to watch the episode of Overhaulin where Lance Armstrong's GTO was upgraded. It showed how Sheryl Crow is a really sneaky wench. The entire time the tv crew is working on Lance's car, he is paniced over it because he has been tricked into thinking the car was stolen. So what does Sheryl, who is in on the prank, do to this man? She chews him out several times for not having the car insured...

5) So much for Nanowrimo and 50,000 words. I ended with nearly 7,000 words. When time permits, I may finish this, just to say I did it.

4) While grabbing lunch with some of the team, we notice that the car in front of us has the license plate IMA-SPY. I'm still debating about calling Homeland Security...
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Out In The Yard
Fury remembers The Great Mountasia Event. After all these years, this story still makes me laugh.
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The latest sports incident: Water Polo Hooligans. I didnt even know they allowed beer at water polo games?!
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Background Noise
Robert Downey Jr is on The Tonight Show, promoting his new cd, and singing on the show. And he really sucks.

I dont know if its exhaustion or me being punchy, but I cant understand a word that Downey is even saying.

What is even worse is that he reminds me of William Shatner singing, just like he did for those Priceline.Com commercials.

At least I could understand Shatner.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Jade: Brent Sienna! Where is Skull?
Brent: I had him kenneled.
-- from PvP

Tower View
Surviving The Days
Thanksgiving wasnt as stressful as last year, which unfortunately, means that it wasnt as humourous as it was last year. So the best I could do is the high and low points of the past few days.

High Point: We werent going to have dinner at my parents' home since its under heavy reconstruction.
Low Point: Having to listen to my cousin who lives in a large home with her family, continuously asking the man with the one bedroom apartment (aka me) "What do you think? Should we have it here? What do you think?"

High Point: All the food was going to be set up by a local grocery store so the amount of cooking was going to be limited.
Low Point: Standing in the self checkout line, watching the moron in front of me, trying to scan the wrong side of their package for five minutes.

High Point: Finally getting to wake up on a Thursday morning at 7a and not having to fret about work.
Low Point: I was supposed to be at a local bicycle ride at 7a.

High Point: I got to catch up on some of my movie viewing with Shrek 2 and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Low Point: I also had to sit thru a viewing of The Terminal, which is very typical of a modern Steven Spielburg movie. Its a fairly decent movie, but 30 minutes too long. The entire subplot with Catherine Zeta Jones could have been skipped.

High Point: I got to catch up on some of my riding since I rode my offroad bike to do the shopping on "Black Friday."
Low Point: I spent way too much money.

High Point: I got to laugh at all the people trapped in their cars when they couldnt find a parking space while I simply rode up and parked at a bike rack.
Low Point: I still spent way too much money.

High Point: FIFA 2005 was on sale at Target.
Low Point: I bought another game that I really dont have time to play. Matter of fact, I'm still supposed to be writing for Nanowrimo?!

High Point: I got to buy a different kind of wine from the interesting company known as Fat Bastard Wines.
Low Point: I know I'm not much of a wine drinker, but have you actually tasted this stuff?! Gah...
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Fit The Bill
Its pretty sad when you represent alot of the comments from You Know You Are Addicted To Cycling When

* You no longer require a hankie to blow your nose.
- Plug up one nostril and blow really hard. Be sure to towards the ground to avoid hitting those riders behind you.

* You see nothing wrong with discussing the connection between hydration and urine color.
- It should normally be semi-clear to yellowish... Ummm.. nevermind...

* You refuse to buy a couch because that patch of wallspace is taken up by the bike.
- Besides, the floor is still a available as a place to sit.

* You see a fit, tanned, Lycra-clad young woman ride by, and the first thing you check out is her bicycle.
- This is because I've greater chance of getting to ride the bicycle.

* When you move to a new area the first thing you look for is a bike shop.
- And its only 4 miles down the road...

* Your bikes are worth more than your car.
- I'll get a new car... One day...

* You have more money invested in your bike clothes than in the rest of your combined wardrobe.
- I plead guilty.

* You have more bike jerseys than dress shirts.
- Once again, guilty as charged.
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Out In The Yard
Here are some voodoo dolls for dogs. If they start doing human sacrifices, get really worried.
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The Lego Wars have broken out! At least you could build your own foxhole.
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Lance is getting overhauled. Damn. Now I'm going to have to watch a "Fix My Car/House/Life" show.
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Background Noise
The Riders of Rohan have entered the battle for Gandor. Theoden King leads his calvary into the Orc hordes, cutting a path thru their center. Soon the elephants of Mordor will enter the fray...

Thats it. I've definately watched Return Of The King a bit too much...

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Well, sure... Dark Elves are bastards. -- Skull from Player vs Player

Tower View
Work To Live
The past two weeks I've been working an average of 9 to 10 hour days by leaving the office, goofing off for awhile, then logging in from home. I know that is not a long day as compared to some jobs, but for a desk jockey, I'm working way too hard.

The worse part is that I actually dont mind working from home because then I can avoid the barrage of silly questions. I know there is no such thing as stupid questions, but there are plenty of silly ones.

Yesterday, someone from the marketing area called me, asking if it would be possible for me to do a very large, very important report and send her the results within the next couple of hours. I mentioned that I wasnt available to do it since I'm no longer with the freelance programming team.

I mentioned since that team sits one row over from me, I knew a couple of the programmers were available. She could send an email and ask for them to do it. The downside was that the team would have to charge her dept for the work because doing programs like this is how they got paid.

She then asked Do you think they could do it without charging our dept?

When I reminded her that their team got their paycheck based on the programs they wrote for people, she replied I know, but I dont think that we can afford to pay for it. Are you sure you couldnt do this?

The phrase Are you $%^#ing kidding me?! almost slipped out.

Instead, I stated that if I did the work, it would cost her dept three times more than the other team. That was why I had left that team.

I also noted that I wouldnt even be available to do any freelance work until next month because I was totally booked. I even made commented the freelance programming team would not only be less expensive, they could actually get it done.

She thought for a moment and said Well, we really dont need the report that badly. Thanks...

And people wonder why I prefer to work at home now.
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Yet Another Survey
Apparently, I'm more of a Sagittarian than most. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

You are 73% Sagittarius

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Out In The Yard
The latest ingredient for the chef in all of us. Thank God I cant cook. (Not safe for work. Hat tip: Avatar)
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Here is a site to rate people's external work. I thought it was just a load of crap, but that is my opinion. (Not safe for work. Hat tip: Fury)
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Background Noise
Numb by Linkin Park & Jay-Z

Its a remix of the original song with Jay-Z is rapping and Linkin Park providing the music and chorus. This is the first time I've heard this and I'm pretty impressed. I'll have to see about getting this version.

XM Radio in the house is a good thing.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I'm not pregnant! It's a miracle! I shagged and shagged and shagged and all the little bastards missed! -- Jane from Coupling

Tower View
More Random Notes
1. Seriously, if you absolutely, positively hate living here, then move. Go to the Ivory Coast or perhaps Sudan and see what you are missing.

2. There is no way in heck I'm going to finish Nanowrimo. Have I mentioned 50,000 words is alot of $%^&ing words?!

3. I've been reading I Burn For You instead of writing. Good blog. Bad distraction.

4. Thanks to Alexa for including my entry in the Carnival of Sins.

5. Here is the ultimate online role playing game. Fury got caught up in the action.
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Out In The Yard
Djork! Djork! Nerd rock rules.
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The 30 Second Bunnies Theatre Strike Again! Movies will never be the same.
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Background Noise
Who Can It Be Now by Men At Work

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Go away,
Dont come around here no more...
Cant you see that its late at night?
I'm very tired
And i'm not feeling right...

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for unemployment! -- from The Tonight Show

Tower View
Well thanks to Nanowrimo, work, and just plain illness, I'll have to start shortening my entries. So without further adieu...

First Things First
I never got a chance to say this yesterday, but Bush Wins! Bush Wins!

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my system, here are some random thoughts on this while I gloat a little:

1) Four more years! Four more years! Ha! Sorry.. I just had to say that so I could tease my friends that voted for Kerry.

2) See what happens? You people just had to have Boston Red Sox win the Series so that had to mess up the Redskins' prediction.

3) Speaking of predictions, the DNC should have known they were screwed when Fatboy Moore began backing Kerry. No candidate that Moore endorses has ever won.

4) While we are on the topic of Fatboy, its interesting how his gloating letter of a Kerry win suddenly disappeared from his website.

5) It was really fun seeing Dan Rather, Tom Brokow, and even Katie Couric look so depressed as things went on. I was actually awake until 4a watching the returns and got to see Dan almost break down in tears. Even Brokow got irritable when NBC predicted Ohio for Bush.

6) For the San Francisco protestors that marched AFTER the damn election was over, how many of these morons actually voted?! The number of voters age 18 to 25 didnt increase and from the pictures I've seen of the protestors, there were alot 18 to 25 year olds.

7) If you are really upset over the election and absolutely hate it here, then #$%^ING MOVE! If you believe that this isnt the place for you, then #$%^ING MOVE! Just remember Canada may not want you. Iraq could use the population boost.

8) Kerry did the proper thing by conceding defeat. It was the honorable thing to do.

9) I felt bad for a lesbian couple I know that were big Kerry supporters. During the summer they were proud to announce that they were for Kerry because they didnt want Bush in office to wreck their marriage. But when Kerry took the shot at Cheney's daughter during the debates, they werent as proud to announce their support. It hadnt dawned on them that Kerry would not be any different when it came to their marriage. To add insult to injury, the ban on gay marriage passed in every state that had this on their ballot. So they arent too happy right now.

And for the record, I have no issues with gay marriages. They should have the chance to pay higher taxes, divorce lawyers, alimony, and child support just like every one else.

10) Regardless of how it turned out, I'm glad that so many people actually voted.
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Out In The Yard
Neil Cavuto notes that Kerry did win respect. Definately.
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Oil prices begin to drop. One day later and things are already better.
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Schoolgirl lesbian TV drama series announced. Dont we already have this? Its called p()rn...
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Background Noise
Take My Breathe Away by Jessica Simpson

I'm not going to bother with the words since its a cover of the Berlin song. I just wish they would take her away...

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Men have dogs because they want a best friend dumber than they are. Women want that too, but they already have men. -- Bill Engvall

Tower View
Are You Sure About This?
A friend from work, Baker, is getting married this weekend. So of course, he is getting emails galore with jokes and harrassment.

Here was my contribution:
1. Remember, if she isnt happy, then you arent happy.
2. What is her's belongs to her. What is your's belongs to her.
3. When she asks "What are you thinking about?", never tell her what you are really thinking.
4. When she asks "Does this dress make me look fat?", laughing hysterically is not a proper response.
5. If there are any questions, see rule #1.
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And So It Begins
Tomorrow is election day. I can spend the next hour ranting about what is going on out in the world except I have to get started on my 50,000 word essay for Nanowrimo.

Have I mentioned that 50,000 words is alot of $%^&ing words?!
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Out In The Yard
College students arrested for forging Subway Sub Club stamps. It cost these morons more to print the damn things than it did to buy the sandwich.
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Cyclist assaulted by magpie. Dive bomber! Dive Bomber!
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Top Ten Resume hints. Especially for those of you looking for a job after graduating college 2 years ago and still living at home.
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Background Noise
Ruby, Dont Take Your Love To Town by Cake.

She's leaving now
Cause I just heard the slamming of the door
The way I know
I've heard it slam 100 times before...
And if i could move I'd get my gun
And put her in the ground...
Oh Ruby...
Dont take your love town

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************