Net_Eric

An Update

2007-10-14T17:51:00.000-04:00

Long time no post.

So, here we go, simple and easy.

1. Baby Kyleigh is progressing well. She's 28 weeks and 3 days along and growing about 1 day ahead of her actual due date. That's good stuff. She's become much more active and is kicking like mad. Eagerly awaiting her arrival.

2. We're in the process of buying a house. It's been a very busy process. Days off haven't been utilized for relaxation in quite a while. No matter, though, as it's for a great cause.

3. There's isn't a third one, but lists like this don't really work well when you only have two points to make. So, yeah. Thanks.

It's a Girl

2007-08-11T21:46:00.000-04:00

We had our first ultrasound yesterday, and we got to see our baby for the first time. I never knew it before, but you can actually see the baby moving and everything during those things. It was definitely one of the biggest "Holy Shit" moments in my life. I've stared at my computer screen for 5 minutes now trying to describe how it felt, but I can't quite put words on it. It was breathtaking.

Everything looked okay; there were two hands, feet and eyes. The spine looked good, as did the brain and heart. Also, according to the ultrasound tech, she's measuring just a few days ahead of the scheduled date of January 3rd. Apparently that's pretty normal, so they didn't adjust her due date.

She's become more active, and has started to move around lately. Shana says that she was kicking like crazy today. Unfortunate for me because I'm waiting for my chance to feel a kick. Someday soon, I'm sure.

So, world, say your first hello to Kyleigh

Day Trippin'

2007-08-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, Shana and I took a little road trip through Ohio. Ultimately, it ended in Rocky Fork State Park, just outside of Hillsboro, OH.

We went with the intention of trying to get some good nature shots at a new place because we've been to most of the parks around here at least twice already. We only ended up staying there for 10 minutes, though, because the place just wasn't very photogenic. The only decent shot I got was the one above.

All in all, we drove 5 hours, and stayed for 10 minutes.

Galaxy Zoo

2007-07-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey with its 120 megapixel camera is able to gather a lot of information about the visible universe. With so many newly observed galaxies to classify, it would take a team of astronomers way too long to categorize every one.

This is where Galaxy Zoo comes in.

It is much more difficult for a computer to identify shapes and patterns in objects, than for a human. So, to pick out all the eccentricities of the million or so galaxies yet to be categorized, the folks behind Galaxy Zoo thought it'd be best to crowdsource the task to tens of thousands of competent amateur astronomers. Much of the appeal behind the project is that users are given access to massive amounts of never before seen images, and are allowed to take part in defining our expanding knowledge of the Universe.

Irish Folk: Exposure for the Uninitiated

2007-06-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

Those who know me are probably aware of my long-running addiction to Irish Folk music. I really just can't get enough of it. I could listen to twenty different versions of the same song in a row and enjoy every second of it. There's something to be said of songs that can define and encourage a country through times of war and famine, and continue to impact listeners for many ages.

This post is meant to highlight, via YouTube, a nice - albeit small - sample of what I consider to be great Irish music. You may also be able to learn a bit, as I've included several links to information regarding the historical events and/or places some of these songs stemmed from.

The Foggy Dew

This version features Sinead O'Connor singing for The Chieftans on their 1995 album The Long Black Veil. The song itself is a chronicling of the Easter Uprise of 1916 and was intended to encourage the men of the time to fight for an Ireland free of English control. Though the attempts of this rebellion were unsuccessful at first, their efforts eventually led to the establishment of the Irish Republic in 1919.

Muirsheen Durkin

Luke Kelly and the Dubliners performed this traditional Irish folk tune on the Ed Sullivan show in 1968 (according to the video). From what I can tell, the actual meaning of the title "Muirsheen Durkin" is, for the most part, up in the air. However, what I've found most sites agree upon are the following points: 1) Pratie is just another word for potato. 2) Muirsheen is probably just another word for misses in some Celtic language.

The song itself is rather straight-forward as to its meaning. A fellow is fed up with the constant toiling in his life, so he heeds the grand news from America and plans to strike it rich.

Star of the County Down

Performed here by Orthodox Celts, an Irish/Celtic band from Belgrade, Serbia. This tune is the first person perspective of a man whose chance meeting with Rose McCann leaves him infatuated with her. The song continues on until at the end he basically says he'll do what it takes to make her his wife.

Rocky Road to Dublin

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem perform this tune, which is about a man's adventures from his home in Tuam to Liverpool in England. Judging from the lyrics, it seems he gets to Dublin but has his pack (bundle) stolen from him. From here, I'm not sure if he gets fed up with life in Dublin, if he's searching for the man who stole his pack, or just wishes to continue on his journey, but he jumps a ship to Liverpool. The song ends with the impression that the adventure is just beginning.

Black Velvet Band

Another performance by the Dubliners with Luke Kelly. This song is about a man who meets a woman, and as they're walking one night, the lady steals a gold watch from a man that passes by. She then places the watch in the author's hand. Obviously, the woman gets away with the crime, but the author gets tried and convicted. So he's sent off to Australia (more accurately Van Diemen's land, or Tasmania), which was the "penal colony" of Ireland and England in the 1800's.

So that's it for now. I hope these videos were enjoyable. If you're interested in more, there's a wealth of Irish Folk on YouTube. I'd suggest looking up some more Luke Kelly, as he's been proclaimed the greatest Irish Folk singer that has been or ever will be. He had a voice perfectly suited for the variety of themes that appeared in the music he sang.

Until next time, though, beware of them pretty colleens.

Three Months In

2007-06-22T23:38:00.000-04:00

Many people know, but there are a lot more that don't. So, what better way to propagate great news than by posting it on the Internet, right?

Shana and I are having a baby!

As the title indicates, we're three months along. For those that wonder why the news has not been shared until now, well, we just wanted to make sure everything was on the up-and-up. We've been excited and hopeful the whole time, but things - though unfortunate - do happen. The "crucial" period has passed and we heard the baby's heartbeat (I recall 166 bpm, but Shana says it was in the 130's.) for the first time on Wednesday, June 20th. So, here I am bearing news of the greatest nature.

I was excited when we first decided to try, but since that first positive test I've grown more and more ecstatic with each passing day. At this rate, I'll have a perpetual smile on my face in a few weeks.

Undoubtedly, I'll be posting updates as noteworthy events arise. It feels good; being able to finally tell people.

Stomach Hurts

2007-06-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Can't sleep. Shana's asleep behind me, though. Tonight was good and relaxing, aside from the massive headache which was shortly followed by a massive pain in my stomach caused by excessive acetaminophen. I was able to alleviate that by cooking a nice dinner of steak, corn on the cob, and baked potato. I don't think I'll ever figure out just how long to leave the potato in the oven. Every time I've tried to make them, I think they're just right, and I end up having to put them in the microwave for about 2 minutes to soften them up. I can't figure out if I'm using the wrong temperature or not enough time. I've even looked this up at several sites online, and most agree that it's one hour at 350 degrees. I've varied both time and temperature and I get the same results every time. I have no idea. Input is welcome by anyone who may stumble upon this.
__________

Since I got my Nikon D50, I've been using the Nikon Picture Project software, and have been weary of changing to something else for fear of esoteric interfaces scaring me off. Also, a concern about lack of sufficient features comes into play as I depend on the program to organize, showcase, and mildly edit the photographs I've worked so hard to capture. After talking with Mr. Marlow about how I would transfer some of my wedding photos to him, he suggested I get Picasa to email them with ease. We ended up transferring via AOL IM, but by that point I had already downloaded and installed Picasa. After importing and reorganizing my library of photographs, I was able to toy around with the program's various features. As esoteric goes, Picasa is as intuitive as a program of this type can come. A far cry from what I was expecting. It features a simple, yet powerful, editing engine capable of everything my old Nikon program could do (minus the sharpening feature, but I prefer to do that in Photoshop anyway) and more. I played with some of the editing options on the same picture .
Now, I realize the picture and the edits aren't much, but I just threw it all together in less than 2 minutes, and the majority of that time was picking a picture to edit. Basically, I'm just amazed at how simple it is to perform great edits such as all the ones I threw at this one picture. First, I applied a graduated tint to even out the exposure between sky and ground. Then I added focal black and white to bring out color in only the shell and ground. Last, I threw in soft focus to blur the fore and background even more than they already were. Sure, it may be overkill on a decent image, but, like I said, it's just an example. Now that I look at it, I probably should've darkened the sky a bit more. Oh well.
__________

I'm still doing research on weather patterns and what-not. This is kind of a fun hobby. I'm starting slow. Everytime I go outside, I quiz myself on what kind of clouds I see. I name them to myself and try to figure out what the wind is doing by looking at the cloud shapes. Figuring out the wind is the hardest part so far, but it's fun to me. Hell, at this point, it's all just a big guessing game for me. I'd like to get to the point where I could do my own forecasting, though. It's amazingly simple to get yourself in a position to something like that. You just need to keep consistent notes about your observations, use data provided by the NWS (not THEIR forecasts, though. lawlcakes.) and any other data you might have at your disposal. Then, one day, it'll be possible for you to do your own forecasts based on experience and atmospheric data. I mean, I've kinda simplified what it takes, but that's the basic gist.
__________

Well, look what an upset stomach can do. It gave me a blog post, and magically cured itself.

Meandering

2007-06-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

Started the night researching different aspects of weather formations, and forecasting. Ended up reading a lot about Esperanto and it's vocabulary.

Long time...

2007-05-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I've posted, I know. Mostly just dropping in to say that I've latched onto something a bit better than a full blow blog. I can now be found at http://twitter.com/Net_Eric

mini-blogs...much better.

SETI@home

2006-11-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

Just tonight, I decided to start using my idle cpu cycles for the greater good via a distributed computing project called SETI@home. I did this back in high school, and a little in college, but I uninstalled because I preferred to have as many cycles as I could. Nowadays, though, I'm hardly on my computer, so I figured why not.

Everyone, just click the title of this post and follow the easy instruction to get yourself set-up the right way.

Just a quick post for me to remember the awesome krablar moment

2006-10-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

PokerStars Game #4304378642: Tournament #406559, 300+20 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2006/10/02 - 20:45:31 (ET)
Table '406559 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: alabama498 (1050 in chips)
Seat 3: canadaword (1440 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 4: micmootie (1170 in chips)
Seat 5: kev_999 (6040 in chips)
Seat 6: chief61s (1560 in chips)
Seat 7: MOMUV2 (1585 in chips) out of hand (moved from another table into small blind)
Seat 8: Flibbertyjib (5710 in chips)
Seat 9: Gottheit (2480 in chips)
Flibbertyjib: posts small blind 15
Gottheit: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Gottheit [3c Kd]
alabama498: folds
canadaword: folds
micmootie: folds
kev_999: folds
chief61s: calls 30
Flibbertyjib: calls 15
Gottheit: checks
*** FLOP *** [3h 2c 3s]
giraph is connected
Flibbertyjib: bets 300
Gottheit: raises 540 to 840
chief61s: folds
Flibbertyjib: calls 540
*** TURN *** [3h 2c 3s] [4h]
Flibbertyjib: bets 1620
Gottheit: calls 1610 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [3h 2c 3s 4h] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Flibbertyjib: shows [Ad Ac] (two pair, Aces and Threes)
Gottheit: shows [3c Kd] (a full house, Threes full of Kings)
Gottheit collected 4990 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4990 | Rake 0
Board [3h 2c 3s 4h Kc]
Seat 1: alabama498 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: canadaword folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: micmootie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: kev_999 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: chief61s (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: Flibbertyjib (small blind) showed [Ad Ac] and lost with two pair, Aces and Threes
Seat 9: Gottheit (big blind) showed [3c Kd] and won (4990) with a full house, Threes full of Kings

Wait a minute now. Ha Aha

2006-09-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

Well hey howdy hey neighbors in cyberspace!

Holy goddamn it's been a while since I've last posted. I guess it's due time for a new post, eh?

To start things off, I'd like to visit something from our past...*doodley doo transition from Wayne's World*

The other day, may have been a week ago, I was discussing missed opportunities. Aside from the obvious non-completion of college (which I'm planning out right now, you worry warts), the only other opportunity I could think of was not seeing Rage Against the Machine while they were still together. I know Smitty was much closer to seeing them that I was. He actually had tickets to see them on their last tour with the Beastie Boys. Bleee dat.

So needless to say, I've been listening to Rage a lot lately. Right now I'm listening to a live version of Without a Face. Not that anyone REALLY cares, but why write a weblog post without including some sort of music reference. It'd be like peas without the carrots. The gin without the tonic. Or the apples without the oranges. Just wouldn't be prudent.

Hey! I got a new car. I did, I did. It's a 1995 Pontic Grand Am GT with 1337 ground effects. Power everthing, and I just put a new CD player in that my fiance got me for the ol' Birfday.

So, basically that's it for now. Not much to say really...Then again, I don't want to spend my day off writing a weblog entry that no one will read.

BUH BYE!!

Man Pain invades MySpace

2006-07-18T19:40:00.000-04:00

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Love You Tender

2006-06-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

Browsing through Google Video, I usually check out the top 100 videos. For some reason, it's been clogged with those mentos + diet coke videos. While it certainly is entertaining the first time you see it, it becomes rather dull when every dope with a digital camcorder posts a video like he's the first one who tried it. With the exception of well orchestrated experiments, everyone should stop trying. It's old news. When I see a 60+ year old guy buy a can of diet coke for the sole purpose of watching it explode in a grandiose display, it's gotten out of hand. Did anyone even pay attention in Chemistry class?

Anyway, that's not the point.

I'm here to display something I found while browsing Google video. The so-called "Worst Music Video EVER." I found it the other day hovering at the bottom of the top 100. It wasn't there very long, because the next day, when I went to find it again, it was gone. I've watched it probably five or six times since I found it.

For two reasons.

The first being that it's near impossible for me to wrap my head around WHAT they're going for. The whole video is like an orgy of 70's and 80's era stereotypes. What is the point of the poorly choreographed dancers (seriously, it seems like they learned the moves an hour before they started taping the video)? Why is there a mirror ball when the room is so well lit? Also, these lyrics bewilder me:

Oh, you're absolutely fine
Your lips are taste of wine
I'd like to make you mine
And if I could touch your hand
This rock would turn to sand
So this is where we stand

WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?! Okay, I get the first three lines. She's hot, she's drunk, and you want her, but what about those last three? They just don't make sense! Sure, used seperately, in different contexts, they can help form the skeleton of a smooth love song. But, the way they're used here...it makes my head hurt.

The second reason I've watched the video so much is because it's obviously good fodder for parody. I've shown the video to my fiance, and I now sing it to her when I have the chance. It's good fun.

Oh, but there's more. In the spirit of the Star Wars Kid, there's been a remake of this video. It doesn't really have much of a humor value, but it's worth noting.

Gotta love the internet.

660

2006-06-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

[my shift key isn't working. when i press it, i get a funky looking string of characters like this qKO: or this <>P, so please bear with me on the absence of capitalization, and question marks/exclamation marks...also, i'm going to use brackets instead of parenthases.]

so, today is 6-6-06. or is it....

according to discovery channel news 'Jesuit priest Richard Leonard, director of the Australian Catholic Film Office, told the Australian press that when Christianity took over the Roman calendar in the fourth century, the monk who compiled the dates got them wrong by four years. The Church became aware of the mistake in 1582 but did not correct it to prevent the world from losing four years.

"We assume Satan knows that the sixth day of the sixth month in 2006 was in fact June 6, 2002," Father Leonard said.'

worry not, you able-minded christians. today is actually june 6th, 2010.

Reds vs. Diamondbacks

2006-05-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

Me, my fiance, and a two of our friends (who happen to be dating) went out to the ballgame tonight. It was a good time. The last time I went to a Major League game was when I was barely knee-high to a something that's small. So, I didn't really recall the finer points of a good old fashioned baseball game until we got there. Like the four dollar 20 oz. Mountain Dew, or maybe the five dollar pretzel. Ahhh, breathe it in America. Our newest pastime is capitalism!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, and say goodbye to your 401k.

Haha, enough ranting.

In all honesty though, it was a great time. Recently (the past 5 years or so) I haven't really been into any kind of (popular) sport, but going to the game tonight brought back my old fondness of baseball. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or perhaps it was the action on the field...Possibly a combination of the two, I'm not sure, but it was definitely A+++++++ would go again!

Cincinnati lost, but I don't give a damn about who wins or loses. What I DO give a damn about is pictures. Lots and lots of pictures! Which I took, and have, to SHARE!

These aren't all I took, but these are the ones I bothered to resize.

Group shot~!!!!211!

Some pitcher guy wailing the ball

Panoramic Pitch. The ball is the white dot 1/3 of the way from the left.

A guy with a ball for a head. I call him Ballhead.

Some guy at bat swinging...the bat...

So that's that. I spoke to the future Mrs. about making this a regular thing (eventually), but downtown Cincinnati necessitates some wicked crazy driving habits. People just don't realize how dangerous those vehicles can be! Say someone is being chased by a police officer, and the guy running from the police rams the police car in a desperate attempt to get away. The guy that rams the police cruiser would get charged with "Assault with a Deadly Weapon." So it's true! Cars are machines engineered by corporations as a means of population control! You heard it here first!

Welcome to the Ohio Valley

2006-05-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

Enjoy your stay!

Holy...

2006-05-23T23:22:00.000-04:00

Mackerel!

Just started reading my most recent issue of Wired today. It's a good one.

Spare Time? Pfft, More Like Sparse Time

2006-05-23T16:12:00.000-04:00

(Looking at you with my "get it?!" face)

Well, it's true. This week especially. 49 hours I'm scheduled. Yeah, forty NINE!!

I'm off today though! Hey, that's good news. So what did I do today? I sat around and played Diablo II. No, wait, not JUST Diablo II, but Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Yeah, that's right. I got the expansion. Dig it.

Last time I played Diablo II was when me, Z, and D were working at the Perry of all Parks. I got the base game (sans expansion) from Penis and Penis, and from there I was hooked. After I beat Baal (the bad guy in the base game) I went out and bought the expansion. Not like the day after, either. NO! After I finished watching the last cinematic scene, I immediately drove to Wal-Mart to get the expansion.

Here I am now, three years later, and I reinstalled. The reinstallation of a game from your past is a very nostalgic event. It's like you're ressurecting a period of your life. Maybe it's just me, but when I saw the splash screens for Diablo I got a fuzzy little feeling in my stomach comparable to a hefty shot of Smirnoff vodka. Which, I happened to be drinking a lot of during my initial experience with Diablo. COINCIDENCE!?!?!!!11

Yeah probably...

Anyway.

For some reason I can't bring myself to play as any character other than the Necromancer. The dude is just SO badass. Spells and raising the dead? That's hot shit!

The only difference this time around, though, is that I'm playing solely online. It's a very different beast, indeed. Example: You have to scout out the area around the "towns" EVERY time you get back in the game. That sucks. Well, it works pretty good for leveling up, but sometimes you just want to get back into the action, right? RIGHT!

You can't do that if you're lumbering around trying to find the right path.

For those in the know, I'm stuck on the last quest in the second act. There's this fucking goliath of a boss I have to beat, and it's damn near impossible.

Anyway, yeah. That what I've been up to in my spar(s)e time.

As it turns out...

2006-05-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

...Tae Bo is pretty fun, and Billy Blanks is pretty cool.

Imagine that.

So, yeah, me and my fiance did some Tae Bo today. I didn't know what to expect at first, but she had been asking me to do it, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I had done workout tapes before when I was younger, and I thought the overall pace would be same. Haha! I was wrong. I thought the so-called "warm up" was the actual work out. It was very hard to keep up. I mean, that shit moves FAST! It's kinda like you have to watch it as a movie for the first few times before you actually get up and start kicking and punching. Kinda like watching a movie so many times and memorizing the lines. Except, instead of lines, there are kicks and butt thrusts.

I'm going to try and make this a regular "work out" type deal. Me and the (future) Mrs. have already made a deal to basically force each other to do some kind of work out or another. Given a few more rounds of Tae Bo, I might actually be able to make it through without laughing my ass off at Billy Blanks.

An Update of Sorts

2006-05-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

Today I needed something to distract myself from what day it is, so I ran the gamut of thought absorbing processes. Among these were: Playing poker, Playing Tribes, and Reading anything and everything I could find.

I also took it upon myself to do some "sprucing" up, if you will. I searched google to see what I could learn about making a good weblog. Apparently, I'm not too bad off. Some of the suggestions didn't need to be put into effect, I think, but some of them are actually worthwhile. So, that's why I now have links to some of my previous posts that I feel exemplify my weblog as a whole. If you haven't already, you might want to give them (and my archives, for that matter) a quick read. Admittedly, I'm going through a rather lengthy dry spell as far as pure writing substance goes. That'll pass though.

For now, though, enjoy the freshness to the right. Huzzah!

Bird Watching on a Rainy Day

2006-05-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

I spent a large portion of the day on my balcony taking in the refreshing scent on the rainy spring-time air, and photographing birds as I saw them. Sometimes I get worried that someone is going to see me up on my balcony taking pictures and assume that I'm some kind of weird peeper. It couldn't be further from the truth, really. I've just found that there a lot of wonderful shots waiting for me just outside, in front of my apartment.

As has been stated previously, I love nature photography. Bird photography, however, is something I've only recently found an interest in. I know birds and nature are very closely related (a little too obvious?), but I never really thought I would be interested in it. It's rather difficult, to say the least. I've found that you pick up on their habits very quickly, though.

Just in front of my building, there's a dumpster. I know, you're thinking "eww gross, trash is nasty." Yes, true, but it was here where I found the birds constantly returning. They would perch on the fence surrounding the dumpster, look around the area outside of the fence, survey the inside of the dumpster, and dive right in. I'm guessing the dumpster is a low-labor source of food. It seems perfectly reasonble for them to feast here, actually. I mean, aside from competition from other birds (which is clearly why they'd survey the area before going in), there's absolutely no danger. Hell, I'd even venture to say that there's a sense of protection inside the dumpster, both from the rain and other birds. It's a fuckin smorgasbord, and I was on hand with my camera.

Some key shots from the day:

This bird was perched in a branch just above the dumpster. He's actually looking down on it.

This one is obviously on top of the dumpster. Once again, surveying the area. S/He looks pretty sinister, eh?

These two were working together. They were VERY interesting to watch. One would go in, get it's fill, come back out, and the other would go in. Here you can see them checking out the perimeter to see if it's clear.

That's it for now. Tune in for more....after the break.

Thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.

2006-05-04T20:41:00.000-04:00

Samuel Clemens said that. At least I think he did...I'm not entirely sure.

I've found myself fascinated with random photography. Simply grabbing my Nikon D50 to snap a picture at the most obscure time. It may go without saying however, that I have a massive interest in nature photography. There's nothing more beautiful than catching mother nature in action, or at rest for that matter. My good friend Smitty seems to share this same love of nature photography. But, see, he has mountains. I don't have that. I have small hills and a smog-ridden city. Color me green with envy.

So, sometimes, I have to improvise.

A few weeks ago, for instance, a storm started brewing southeast of my apartment. It was quite a spectacle. 50 mi/h winds, unremitting lightning, and the obligatory booming thunder that immediately follows it. Don't you love my use of consonance? Too bad this isn't poetry, eh?

Anyway, in an impromptu effort to capture lightning with my camera, I set up my tripod just inside my balcony's sliding door. I had to position the legs just right so I could get as close to the opened door as possible. Those three legs, though simple in design, can be quite tricky. Once the camera was positioned for optimal through-the-door viewing, I had to get my settings right. I figured I'd set the camera on aperture priority and let it decide how long to leave the shutter open. It did a pretty good job, in my opinion.

So, I submit for your approval two of the best pictures taken that fateful eve.

Share a Smoke, Make a Joke

2006-05-04T08:08:00.000-04:00

Got my coffee, got my smoke.

Can't really think of any jokes right now. Just thought I'd say something in here. I gotta get ready for work! I'm running late. Holy shit.

Just for the record. French Roast is the best.

If you beg, he won't listen. You can't bribe him with bad checks.

2006-03-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

A weblog is the singular voice of a person, it's true. Rands definitely knew what was up when he said that. It goes without saying that my voice, however, has been a bit muffled over the past year. Rather than go into the typically boring "I should post more" apology, I guess I'll just sum up the past year as best I can.

Starting in July when I last left you:

- Due to my ex threatening my life, I moved into Brappytown for a few weeks where I was met with warm arms and cold beer. I stayed there during the transitional period of finding a new apartment and getting promoted to Photo Manager. I had a chance to catch up with Chris and some of the gang while there, and it was a generally good time. I felt as if I was a burden to them, but their kindness assured me otherwise.

- In August, Shana and I moved into our new apartment that kicks much ass. It was all gravy. At first, we had no furniture but our discontentment changed that one fateful afternoon when we took a trip to a furniture store. I can't remember the name of it. All the furniture is sleek and stylish. I guess what people would call "contemporary."

...

Hmm...Seems I can't really recall any other intersting events. Bah. I've been sick all this week and my head has been void of anything resembling intelligence. This includes memory, which never was that great anyway. Oh well. I guess it's good that I'm posting in this otherwise ruined weblog, eh?

Sigh.

Maybe I'll try again when I can type every word without having to backspace.

I need a shower.

Don't Let's Start

2005-07-20T02:01:00.000-04:00

I'm still around.

So, here I am. I'm 21 years old now. Things feel a bit different as I'm sure they should. Take this moment as an example. I'm drinking (and have been for a while. pardon any typos) the Guinness Extra Stout that I was permitted to buy when the man asked for my ID. Strange feeling. No more asking elder friends for their assistance so that I can commence alcoholic indulgence.

My 21st birthday was great. I had a wonderful time. Typically, people will go out with their friends and end the night in a toilet, or curled up in a bed soaked in their own bodily excrements. Not I, though. I spent the evening with my ever-so loving girlfriend who knew JUST how to make my birthday memorable. Wonderful times that I'll never forget.

On an unrelated (but much more important) note, my application for photo-lab manager has been completed and turned in. I'm not expecting a response until later this week, so any mojo you fabulous net-wanderers can throw my way would be greatly appreciated.

Oh oh OH! Another thing. For some reason, I've been overcome with this astounding fondness of Texas Hold-Em. Don't ask me why, how, or when (not that 'you' would, because 'you' doesn't really exists since no one reads this)...Because I couldn't really tell you. Well, actually, I take that back. I think I may have gained an interest in the game after seeing Rounders. I don't think I'll grant that movie the title of "Sole Inspiration" though. A couple of the other weblogs I read have featured articles about the game. Naturally, the "hmm, maybe I should try this" everyone gets from ANY form of media influence found a place in my head. But, I digress. I've been into all types of poker games for a long time (since I was about 10), so I think the Texas Hold-Em interest was just a natural evolutionary step to fix my poker crave. What can I say? I love to gamble.

I've been playing online Hold-Em over at holdempoker.com. It's interesting how they can make Play Money games feel stressful like a real money game.

Anyway, it's drunk and I'm very 2 AM. Until next time.

I Never Really Gave it Much Thought

2005-07-04T22:52:00.000-04:00

In my younger years (not really saying much, as I'm only 20), July 4th was always about fireworks.

"DAD! When are we gonna let off the fireworks?!?! It's frickin' dark already!"
"(slightly irritated)We gotta wait for it to be completely dark. That way we can see 'em better."
"*sigh* Fine..."

Since I was about 16, though, the magic of fireworks never really found a place in my head or heart. July 4th just became any other day of the year. Sure, it's Independence Day, a great day in America's history, but I was mostly apathetic.

Tonight, right around dusk, I was driving down by the Ohio River, with Cincinnati in the background. I was on my way back home from some errands I had to run, when I was greeted by the very first, of what is sure to be a magnificent fireworks display all over Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio. When I saw those first shells rise up and explode, with the Ohio River reflecting every glorious shimmer they had to offer, I was taken aback with an amazing feeling of pride. I was reminded of the history lesson we all learn in grade school: When Francis Scott Key was aboard the American ship in the Chesapeke Bay watching as the British Army attacked Fort McHenry from their ships. Then, after 25 hours of bombardment, the royal navy ceased their attack and Francis Scott Key peered across the bay to see the American Flag still flying high in the air.

The combination of twilight, the river reflecting the wonderous fireworks displays, and the reverie I was in, led to an emotional high I hadn't experienced in a long time.

I feel compelled to post the words that have been repeating over and over in my head tonight.

The Defence of Fort McHenry AKA The Star-Spangled Banner

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I thought today was going to be just another day, but I was very wrong.

Happy Independence Day everyone.

I’d Rather be Whistling in the Dark

2005-06-22T23:56:00.000-04:00

I just finished uploading the VERY early version of Eric's Music Library v2.0. Check it out if you'd like. There isn't any real content up yet, but I plan to fix that by the weekend, or during the weekend.

With that site, I'm actually TRYING to get the minimalistic look. I don't want it all overblown like it was before. If you don't like simple sites, then you won't like that site. I can't really see a reason why someone wouldn't like a simple site, unless they just don't like reading without a lot of pretty graphics to keep them occupied as their simple mind wanders. But, you're not one of those people. You're here reading a weblog. So, I suggest you look at my site, and throw some suggestions at the e-mail address posted in the left sidebar. My main battle with the design was: Should I go with black sidebars, or dark blue? I settled on dark blue, but, like I said before, this is a very early version. Many things are going to change.

Moving along...

In my last post, I spoke of my first day at a new job. Well, aside from the fact that I got VERY little sleep due to a fit of anxiety (no, not an anxiety attack), coupled with a sinus headache, things went pretty good. My manager and I worked together on a short-term strategy for getting the lab back up to decent condition. It was brought to my attention that I am the unofficial assistant manager. Factor in a slight ego boost, adjusted for inflation of the self-esteem, and you have me feeling pretty damn good about myself. I still make the same pay I did before, and I can't really boss anyone around (in a non jack-ass way), but my manager is confiding in me for the success of this "transformation."

It's a simple message, and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells

2005-06-21T02:02:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is my first day at a new job.

I have the same title, and work for the same company, but I'm moving to a different location. This is unfortunate, as I was just getting comfortable with all the people I worked with at the last place I was at. I suppose my previous post will be tested in this new environment. Hopefully I'll live up to the resolution I made at the end of it.

Ultimately, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm being sent in so I can help straighten the place out. Apparently my supervisors feel I'm a good worker, and will be able to get them back on their feet. Then again, perhaps they just didn't want me working for them. Who knows? Either way, if I prove myself there, I've been told that I can be in a good position to make the jump into management. One can only hope, but I know that I would be ecstatic if such a title was bestowed upon me.

Two smaller points that don't deserve full entries:

Note 1: Eric's Music Library is back up and running. The layout is still there, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to redo it and make it less...overwhelming?

Note 2: I've always liked the idea of a person adding, at the end of a journal/weblog entry, what music their listening to (a la LiveJournal/DeadJournal). Since I'm one that constantly listens to music while I'm at my computer, I like keeping track of my listening trends. So, in an effort to do that here, I'm going to link each title to the lyrics of a song that most would put in the little "Currently Listening to" spot on their LiveJournals. I despise the typical LiveJournal crowd (Belv and Sara excluded), but that's one thing they have going for them.

Self Assessment

2005-06-13T22:54:00.000-04:00

Last week I was reading a thread on the MajorGeeks forums which posed the question: What are you bad at?

I was intrigued by the question. All too often do we ponder what we excel at; perhaps as a way of emphasizing our redeeming qualities. This tends to force most into stuffing their shortcomings to the back of their mind, and out of sight of their precious well-being. I fancy this type of question because it forces me to think about me. How do I REALLY behave? How do I REALLY feel about certain topics? I know how I'd LIKE to answer those questions, but ideal situations and reality are seldom the same. Insight and exploration into one's self can often be a very uplifting, and goal-forming experience.

My initial response was one that came rather quickly. I didn't think very long on the question. I simply said "I'm bad at the opposite of procrastination." Which, ultimately, is true. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to insignificant tasks I need to accomplish. Take, for instance, this weblog entry. I told myself to start writing it on Saturday, and here I am, on Monday evening, finally sitting down to write it. Though my response to the question was true, I still kept the thought in my head. Eric, what the fuck are you REALLY bad at? I knew, in the back of my mind, that procrastination was just a cop-out.

I thought about the question, off and on, for two days until Friday the 10th. I was going with my girlfriend to a party that one of her friends was having. This was the second time I was going to meet a few of the people there, and the first time I was going to meet most of the people there. On the way to the party, my stomach was in knots and I felt like throwing up. I had no idea what was wrong with me, until it dawned on me; Jesus God, I'm fucking nervous.

Why the hell am I nervous? I'm about to get drunk, jam to some music, and probably have great drunk sex with the most beautiful girl ever.

I had no reason to be nervous (unless you jokesters want to say something about sexual insecurity, which, I assure you, was non-existant). But, there was still a sour feeling tugging at me. There was something else in the equation I hadn't consciously acknowledged. Then it hit me.

Holy fuck...I have to meet ALL of her friends.

As an aside: We've been dating for 3 months, and I've only met one of her friends. Her self-proclaimed best friend. There was no nervousness in that situation. Meeting her was simple, as it was a "double-date" scenario. I warmed up to her quickly and came to accept her as a friend. At the party, though, I knew I was going to be inundated by the presence of 20+ strangers immediately; all of which knew each other. I was the new guy. Being the new guy sucks. Plain and simple. No one knows you, and you know no one, and everyone else but you has their place firmly established in the hierarchy of the social clique. As the new guy, it is your job to work your way into the system, or you face exile from her social network.

In a huge whirl of epiphany and nausea, I realized that I am ABSOLUTELY terrible at meeting a lot of new people in social situations.

I specify "social situation" because the work environment is completely different. At work, everyone has their job, and socializing is what's done in between tasks. Being the new guy at work isn't so bad. Conversation at work tends to slowly grow from the goal-oriented get-this-done-or-we're-fired sort of talk until people are more comfortable with each other. Then comes the "So what'd you do this weekend" kind of questions. It all grows from there. Smooth, effective, and comfortable.

Social situations are no-holds-barred "Let's get drunk, yell at nothing, and take pictures of our cocks" type situations. Okay, I don't really look at social situations like that, but the guys at the party must because that's what they did. Different strokes, I guess.

Social situations, to me, are actually an ability to get to know people, or just have good conversation with my already-established circle of friends. This usually only works out when it's a controlled group. It basically breaks down like this:

(The first number is the rough percentage of my current friends present, the second number is the rough percentage of new people present, and the comments afterwards are my general thoughts on the situation.)

100% | 0% :: Good times. We can just hang out and conversate, or perhaps go out and do something. Ya know. Whatever.

75% | 25% :: Yay, new brains to pick! Let's meet the new faces and see if we can welcome them into our group.

50% | 50% :: Usually happens at big parties where more than one person set out with the initial invitations. Not too bad usually, but if something doesn't work out with meeting the new faces, I always have my friends to retreat to.

25% | 75% :: Same as above, but I may find myself heading for the door if the new faces aren't too welcoming. A small cluttered group of friends at a big event tends to stick out worse than a drunk's cock.

1% | 99% :: Typically, this occurs when I'm taken to a party held by someone I don't know, in a town I've never heard of. Immediate thoughts may include: Let's leave, Let's drink FAST, Let's stand over here away from everyone else. This has only happened twice as far as I can remember. The first time was fine because I was already drunk when we got there.

If I know I'm not going to be in a 50/50, or greater, social environment, I would usually do my best to stay away. Now that I've realized this little social downfall of mine, I'm trying my best to engage new people in situations I normally would not. Like I hinted at before, there's no point in recognizing and admitting a short-coming without attempting to overcome it. I feel I'm well on my way to doing just that.

Vietnam Vet and the Irish Setter

2005-05-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, I was in the photo-lab working the night shift by myself. It was a slow night, as most nights have been recently. It just doesn't seem like picture processing is on the top of people's list of important things to do, anymore.

Around 7 o'clock, I see a skinny, haggard, 50-something male walk up to the counter. In his hand, a strip of four 35mm negatives. I greeted him with the usual "Hi sir, how are you today?" tone I greet most customers with. His response was a simple, yet slightly sullen "okay."

He proceeded to ask me if I could make a reprint for him, and pointed to the actual negative he wanted made. I took a look at the negative and immediately noticed an immense amount of dust, dirt, and what can be best described as "gunk" on the negative in question. I told him it was kind of dirty, and paused for a second to observe his reaction. His response can best be described as that of a child who wanted nothing more than to get that really kick-ass present for Christmas, but when the morning came, it wasn't there. My heart dropped as I was looking him over. His eyes were on the counter, staring at the negative. On the negative, a clear image of a dog. Though my observation of his behavior lasted no more than 2 or 3 seconds, I gathered a lengthy story of woe.

In the most positive tone I could muster, I assured the man that I would do what I could to ensure this negative gets cleaned up and produces a wonderful picture. The man produced a gracious smile, looked at me and said, with a great deal of relief, "Thank you." My pleasure sir.

Cleaning the negative was a chore. I had to spray cleaner on it, wipe it off, and pick at it several times before it was able to be processed. Luckily I didn't damage the negative in my cleaning frenzy. I slipped the negative into the negative mask on our printer, adjusted the color levels, and gamma corrected for about 2 minutes before I was satisfied with the outcome. Typically, for reprints, I do minimal adjustments. Usually, it's just enough to make the picture look good. Not this time, though. I was going to ensure this man was absolutely satisfied with what I produced for him.

I printed out a sample 4x6 to see if he liked what I did with the picture. When I laid it down on the counter, he replied with an astonished "Oh wow..." He gripped his hand into a fist and put it up to his mouth as if he were kissing his index finger. Wearing a hat, and staring down at the picture, I couldn't see his eyes. I stood silent for a moment.

"...this is amazing."
"Thank you very much sir." I paused. Half waiting for him to say something, and half thinking of a way to make things better. " You know, sir. We have a special going on right now for our enlargements. If you'd like, I could make you an 8x10 for just one dollar." We had no such special going on.
"Can you make it look just like this?" He spoke with anticipation, but looked at me with desperation.
"Oh, this is just something I whipped together for you to preview. I'll give the 8x10 my special touch." I replied with a smile.
"I'd like that. Thank you so much."
"My pleasure sir."

Yes, I really say "sir" that much. My days of serving made it habitual.

With the 8x10 I spent close to 5 minutes cleaning the negative, and adjusting gamma and color levels. A 4x6 typically keeps minor imperfections out of sight, but an 8x10 can bring out even the tiniest dust particle.

The 8x10 finished printing, and I placed it on the counter for his approval. He said nothing, but once again, his hand was at his mouth, and his hat was covering his eyes.

"This is beautiful...I mean...I...*deep sigh* Wow."
"Thank you sir. I did the best I could."
He paused to collect his thoughts, "Ya know, he lived 18 years."
Knowing a bit about dogs, I've learned that if they live longer than 10 years, they're lucky. That's just been my experience, "Really? Wow. That's quite a long life for a dog." I really didn't know how best to respond to that. I was doing my best to maintain the customer/employee relationship.
"After I got home from Vietnam, he was the first thing I saw. He wasn't even mine." It was apparent he was fighting back tears, but he wanted this dog's legacy to be known, "He was with me all the time, everywhere I went. No matter how I was feeling, he was there. He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for." The shear power and conviction the man's words moved me in a way I never have been. I remained silent. He stopped to reflect on the life that was laying in front of him. "How much do I owe you?"
"A dollar, six, sir."

He paid, thanked me, and exited the store.

As I sat there in the photo-lab by myself, I started thinking about the nightmare that was Vietnam. I don't know personally, but many a story has been shared regarding the hell that it was. Then I thought about this man's first sight upon returning home from that war. The Irish Setter puppy that he took in, gave a home, and shared a bond with that only he will know. I had to push the tears back for the yuppie customer that just walked up to the counter.

"Are you still doing one hour?" She said in a pissy tone.
"No, sorry." We were, but I knew I didn't want to deal with any of her shit. She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and walked out of the store.
"Probably just meaningless shots you took trying to be artistic, asshole..." She was already in her car, but I wanted her to hear my words. "Try doing something with emotion, if you know what that is."

Too many people stop to take pictures of roses, but you have to wonder if they ever actually tried smelling them.

Pseudoephedrine runs my life

2005-05-26T22:04:00.000-04:00

Oi...I'm sick again. Sinus Infection. It hurts. My nose. My throat. It all hurts. Bad.

Today I had to work, while not really working. I get into the lab about 30 minutes early to pick up my check and grab some pain relieving medicine, only to find one of my co-workers completely frantic, and running back and forth between the film processor and the phone. She was talking to Noritsu (the company that maintains our machines) and was being instructed on how to save the three rolls of film that were stuck in the chemistry.

At the time, I had just taken a lot of medication to prepare me for my shift, so when I saw her running around all crazy-like, I just ducked past her and grabbed my check. When I got back to the lab, she was behaving more normal. Probably because she put up a sign that read "ONE HOUR OUT OF ORDER" right next to the envelopes. Hell, it made me smile when I saw it.

Apparently, a leader card got bent up at the very end of the processing cycle and jammed the rollers. The roll of film that was coming in behind the first two rolled on top of the first leader card, worstened the jam, and totally fucked our machine up.

Naturally, my co-worker left promptly at 3 o'clock, leaving me to deal with all this. Though this move was pretty shitty on her part, I'm kinda glad she called the people whose film may, or may not, be totally fucked. I didn't want to deal with THAT too.

Assured in the fact that I could turn away one hour requests, I rolled up my sleeves (figuratively) and wrestled the machine (literally) until about 6 pm. I was only interrupted twice by customers who needed reprints made (not counting the countless amount of people that came in wanting one hours done). 3 hours. 2 customers. It doesn't take a fucking degree in business management to know that we were dead. Quite fortunate if you ask me, the sick and over-labored employee. So, I got all the film out. It was ruined. Residual chemicals formed a gooey layer on either side of all three rolls. Attempting to clean them just made it worse. The only thought that ran through my head when I realized the futility in trying to clean the film: "At least I don't have to tell the customer." Is that bad?

So, there I am. 6 o'clock with nothing to do, and 3 more hours left to do it. I was reduced to humming catchy tunes, and reading decades old photography books.

I call my boss around 7:30 to see if I can close the lab down at 8 (an hour before typical closing. Not an unreasonable question, considering the circumstances). He said no.

No amount of nouns, adjectives, or verbs can describe the anger and hatred I felt toward that man, at that point in time. I sucked it up, though, and said "*Napoleon sigh* Alright." followed by a very abrupt slamming down of the receiver.

Needless to say, I made it through until 9. I rushed back to my apartment where, as sure as the Sun doth shine, my glorious computer was waiting for me.

So, here I am. 10 o'clock with just enough to do, and tonight and tomorrow (day off bitch!) left to do it.

Next time on Net_Eric: Vietnam Vet, and the Irish Setter.

A Tale of Three Browsers

2005-05-18T02:28:00.000-04:00

Recently I made a switch from Avant Browser to Firefox. Before I get any flames from rabid Firefox supporters, I should make it known that I tried Firefox about a year ago, but it just didn't rev my engine like Netcaptor did at the time.

Tracing my alterna-browser history back to high school, I recall that I made the switch from IE to Netcaptor around my 10th grade year. It was my holy grail of web browsing. I was introduced to Netcaptor by the network administrator of our district when I would hang out in the server room and shoot the shit with him. When dry moments would pop up in the conversation, he would browse around in this foreign application I had never seen before. He would click and open up new websites, but he never added another button to his taskbar.

"What IS this glorious application," I thought to myself.

At the time, I was a bit intimidated by this guy. I mean, I was an aspiring computer geek (yeah, quite a lofty goal to set one's sights on, eh?) and this guy knew his shit. I wasn't about to just come out and ask a dumb question like: "Gee, what program is THAT?"

I wasn't about to come off as a n00b.

So, I did what seemed to be the best approach. I snuck a peek at the program title positioned top of the screen, and rushed off to hurriedly write it down before I forgot proper spelling and capitalization (NetCaptor). Impatiently waiting for that 3 o'clock bell to ring, I was anticipating a glorious monument to efficiency, or, on the other hand, a horrific awakening into my non-savvy world.

Maybe this was a program only the leetest of the leet used, and a fledgling computer user with mere months of experience under their belt (such as myself at the time) just wouldn't get it.

I hoped for the best, and I prepared for the worst.

Arriving home, and immediately connecting to the internet, I recall google taking an ETERNITY to load. Maybe it was my terrible back-woods location coupled with the agonizingly slow dial-up service we had, or perhaps it was my impatience which had grown from nervous knee-bouncing, to unprovoked, angry shouting.

"LOAD GODDAMNIT!"

Google hesitated, but soon complied. I frantically entered my search query and hit enter. A deluge of blue links graced my screen, but I only needed one. The first one. It's description read: "Internet browser for power-users that opens sites in separate tabs."

It was for times like this that the term "Eureka" was coined.

Looking around the Netcaptor site, I immediately found a "Download Now" link, and did just that. Sort of...

Dial-up is a vile mistress that I am pleased to say I never have to rendezvous with again. I (and I may regret saying this later...) would rather do without internet access than go back to dial-up again.

There was no "Download Now" option for me. No, for me, it was more like "Click this link and curse the town you live in for being too small for DSL, now."

~30 minutes later, I'm able to install my newly acquired application. Thank the heavens above and all that jazz for not disconnecting me during the download. That would've been a broken mouse waiting to happen.

Installation was complete, and now I was ready to see what Netcaptor had to offer. It didn't take long for the holy shit moment to take hold.

I was not only able to browse in a more sleek and sexy browser, I was able to do all of this while taking up one insignificant slot on my taskbar thanks to tabbed browsing. I had no way to describe the amount of freedom I felt at the time, but now that I've read more into NADD, I believe it was my earliest introduction into fast, efficient, and convenient information indulgence on the internet. Holy shit, indeed.

Flash forward 4 years. I'm in my fourth semester of college, and Netcaptor fucks up. Luckily, it was in the middle of the semester and there wasn't an urgent research project I had to attack. I thought long and hard about what to do. Should I upgrade to the newest Netcaptor and hope it gives the same pleasure as the original?

I hadn't upgraded from my initial installation version because I was WAY too content with it to give it all up for unnecessary bells and whistles the newest releases promised.

No, I wasn't going to upgrade. I felt my time with Netcaptor was well-spent, and perhaps it was a signal (No, it wasn't a fucking SIGN. The stars don't determine my destiny. Shut up.) to move on to something more suited to my taste.

So, I researched.

I shamefully admit that I used IE to perform my alterna-browser research, but, hey, what else was I going to do in that situation? Netcaptor was belly-up, and I was desperate.

First, I tried Firefox, but it's system of downloading extensions for customization just didn't suit me. I wanted everything pre-packed and ready to go. No extra work for me, buddy! I'm a busy college student! I got beers to drink, and bong hits to take.

It was through MajorGeeks that I learned about Avant Browser. A freeware application that pimped tabbed browsing. Tabbed browsing, you say?! Why, SURE I'll give it a try!

Entering into my session with Avant Browser like a SWAT team would enter a building locked down by crazed gunmen, I double-clicked the new icon on my desktop. Within seconds, I was greeted by a flashy splash screen, to which my initial reaction was "pfft...Unnecessary eye-candy." Call me a purist. Call me an idiot. Either way, I had my standards, and they were being challenged.

Avant Browser loaded; The interface was sexy. I was reluctant to admit it at first, but it was definitely more sexy than Netcaptor. Trying not to get distracted by the fluff, I started browsing. It didn't take long for me to warm up to the interface of Avant Browser because it behaved very much like Netcaptor after a few adjustments in the options menu. I realized what I was doing by making Avant behave like Netcaptor, but I didn't care. I liked my new browser, and it was going to do what I wanted it to do. Net_Eric was pleased, and the world rejoiced.

Flash forward to one week ago, or ~1.5 years after the previous incident. Avant Browser just didn't do it for me anymore. I was having trouble with javascript, and there were many other minor problems I just didn't want to acknowledge. Individually, they were benign and capable of being ignored. Collectively, they were the bane of my internet presence.

So, I researched.

This particular stint of research wasn't so much acquisition of knowledge as it was checking up on weblogs I frequent. Okay, so yeah, I was slacking. Anyway, I was reminded of Firefox while reading the newest entry on Wil Wheaton dot net. One of his links was a button which read: "The browser you can trust." Reminded of my browser woes, I clicked the link with much aplomb.

I looked around the website and liked what I saw. Essentially, it was the same browser I had experienced roughly a year prior to this, but for some reason I was intrigued. Perhaps it was the tabbed browsing...

So, I downloaded.

Upon installation, my first objective was to get a new theme. The default look of Firefox rubbed me the wrong way, and I was happy I could customize it to suit my taste. +1 point to my opinion of Firefox.

After playing around with Firefox, I quickly learned that it's tabbed browsing was foreign to that of Netcaptor and Avant. I decided to deal with it. -1 point to my opinion of Firefox. Total Score: Apathy.

For a week now, I've been using Firefox for all my browsing needs and I've come to appreciate this new system of tabbed browsing. I've also gained appreciation for the ability to customize like mad. I CAN CONTROL WINAMP FROM MY BROWSER??!!1 JESUS GOD TELL ME MORE!!

To sum everything up, though, things are going great. I honestly don't think I could be much happier with my browser than I am now. Sure, nothing will ever have the magical first impression that Netcaptor had, but I can find solace in knowing that there are programmers out there who know what I'm looking for. To show my appreciation for such a great browser, I've decided to throw a button up so I can do my part in spreading the word.

Civilization III - Recounting through 1600 AD

2005-05-09T02:05:00.000-04:00

I've had Civilization III for a while, probably since '01 or '02, but haven't really played it much in the past few years. Sure, I played it a lot when i first got it, but it became just another disc in the pile before long. Today, however, my interest was re-kindled after a talk with Scott. I don't quite recall the twists and turns our conversation took, but after ~25 minutes of random "catching-up" talk, we were talking about Civ III. Before long, he had his disc in his CD player listening to the soundtrack, and I had my disc in the CD-ROM preparing a new game.

"Scott, what size map should I pick?"
"How many GHz you have?"
"Uhhh, well, no GHz really...Well, I guess you could say .7 GHz"
"*laughing* Just pick the one below Gigantic."
"Huge?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Now the tough one...What should I pick for my land distribution?"
"*thinking* Why don't you just play the Earth map?"
"(minor Holy Shit moment) ...good fucking idea."

I picked the Greeks, because I ALWAYS pick the Greeks. I've had a perpetual hard-on for Alexander the Great's epic life since my latter years of high school. It just seems natural to have an inclination for taking his role in my fictional conquest of the planet.

I set 5 random opponents, adjusted some of the victory conditions, and started the game.

When you start the game, you have a settler (used for establishing towns/cities) and a worker (basically a slave laborer who builds roads, mines, and cuts down forests...among many other things), and you're surrounded by blackness (AKA the Fog of War). I like the idea of not being able to see everything because it forces you to explore the terrain around you, while also keeping you oblivious to the actions of your "opponents". Overall, though, this is really just another facet of realism in a fictitious environment.

Before I go into more detail, I have stop and do a small commentary on my general playing style. I move slowly. I'm not a n00b, but I have n00bish qualities in that I'm not out for complete domination from the get-go.

Back on topic.

I did some exploring, and I ended up in fucking South America. Of all the places in the world I DIDN'T want to establish myself, this was at the top of the list. Nothing against South America, but on the map in Civ III, the Andes Mountains are motherfuckers.

After some exploring, I ran into the Romans. They were pretty cool, a little too close to my civilization, but they were still cool. We exchanged territorial maps, and I was on my way.

The exploration of South America was complete, so I set my sights north. Not long before I made it through Central America I ran into the fucking Carthaginians. I hate these guys, and I don't know why. A part of me thinks it's due to the absolutely wretched looking leader I have to be diplomatic with. I wish there was an option when I was choosing the computer players that would allow "Random - EXCEPT THE FUCKING CARTHAGINIANS." Anyway, we exchanged territorial maps, and I set my warrior to auto-explore because I didn't feel like seeing Hannibal chase the poor bastard around.

I scroll down to the southern border of my now thriving empire. It appears as if the Romans recognize my little "anti-make-your-civilation-grow" tactic.

Allow me to elaborate.

When I spawned (that's a First Person Shooter term, I know...Not sure what to use for Strategy games like this), I ended up on the eastern edge of South America right in the heart of Brazil. After some exploring, like I said, I encountered the Romans on the southern tip of Argentina. IMMEDIATELY, I started expanding my culture west and south. My primary goal, obviously, was to eventually deny them the ability to expand.

Well, it worked.

Roman settlers were being denied passage left and right, and I was loving it. It was all fun and games until Ceasar refused to move his units from my territory THREE TIMES.

Typically, when I start a game, I tell myself "Okay Eric, we're going for a diplomatic win here. There's no need to fight, because you can just smooth-talk your way to victory. Be the liberal. Be the liberal." It never seems to work that way though.

Caesar was pushing my buttons, and I didn't like how he was pushing them. He ended up moving the units out of my boundaries, but only because he was headed north to establish a settlement.

Awww hell naw!

Needless to say, the settlement soon became rubble, and the Greeks and Romans were at war. The entire time leading up to the first battle I was sure to stay buddy-buddy with Hannibal up north (I saw the impending war coming on a few turns in advance) because I knew it would be very bad to get gangbanged when you're pinched between your enemies, and one of them is a very furry, un-kept man. MORE MONEY, HANNIBAL?! SURE, WHATEVER YOU WANT BIG GUY!!

So, Hannibal was happy and Caesar was crying something about a peace treaty after the first 5 towns were taken over. I ignored him and mumbled something to myself about how Caesar should thank his settlers for the demise of his empire. Overthrowing an empire isn't something I step into lightly. I'm very meticulous, and when things don't go how I expect them to, I get angry.

I produced all of the necessary attacking units and positioned them outside each one of his key cities. When the time was right, I attacked them all on the same turn, and then moved my campain toward the southern tip of Argentina until I'd overthrown every city. Caesar et al (HAR!) were no more, and I now have several kick-ass locations to vacation in.

After overthrowing Caesar, I decided to kick back and develop my newly acquired cities. Things are going great for them, and I'm slowly advancing north. Don't worry though, I fortified an army and choked off the majority of Central America so Hannibal can't get his fat hands on my territory. I don't care how much of North America he has control of. I'll deal with that later.

Well, here we are at 1600 AD, and I haven't even sailed the fucking ocean blue yet. Damn those Romans for forcing me into a conflict so early on.

Tune in next time when we attempt to answer the age-old question: WTF is Hannibal thinking?!

So the syndication feed didn't work.

2005-05-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

Well, it worked, but for some reason any part of the page after the feed wouldn't load.

Wave bye-bye to it.

Watch out. I'm href crazy right now.

2005-05-08T01:05:00.000-04:00

Well, after a short research period, and through a combination of del.icio.us and RSS Digest, I was able to get those syndicated feeds I was talking about. Now, anytime I'm browsing, all I have to do is right click on a page I find interesting and select "Post link to del.icio.us" and boom, it shows up here too.

Goddamn, I love the internet.

More Shit Goin' Down

2005-05-07T22:31:00.000-04:00

Alright. The majority of renovations are over. Most notably:

Added the Trackback indicator. I doubt anyone ever has any interest in my posts, let alone enough interest to actually fill up their weblog space with stuff I say, but I'm prepared JUST IN CASE PEOPLE READ MY SHIT AND LIKE IT. HI EVERYONE.

Changed the domain from gottheit.blogspot.com to interneteric.blogspot.com. It's longer, but it's a better representation of what I got going here. I tried to pick neteric.blogspot.com but someone already picked it. Through years of dealing with already-taken screen names when signing up for many a site, I've grown used to this. However, in this situation, it's a member who isn't active anymore. His first post was at the tail end of August 2004, and his second post (AKA, his LAST POST) was at the beginning of September 2004. I, on the other hand, make it a point to stay active with it. I deserve that fucking name. RALLY BEHIND ME EVERYONE. NETERIC.BLOGSPOT.COM MUST BE MINE!

I added that quote by Rands (top of the sidebar to the right) to kind of say "Hey, I'm just here to be me. If you don't care for what I have to say here, you probably wouldn't be my friend in real life." Now that I look at past commenting statistics, it doesn't seem like anyone cares. Oh well. I still do, and that's who I'm writing for.

I'm still looking into that syndication-type listing of headlines from weblogs and news sources I read. I may very well have to break down and e-mail someone for tips.

To be quite honest, though. I'm never really satisfied with a layout. I'll probably continue tweaking and moving shit around until I end up with an entirely different layout. It's a vicious cycle, but it fuels my need to create.

Some Much Needed Mojo

2005-05-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to give too much away just so I don't jinx anything, but I'm going to be applying for a position I'd love to have at a place I'd love to work at. Any and all positive energy you care to send my way, please do. When I find out either way, I'll post with more info.

On a happier, less stressful note, I've contracted littledeviltoo, one of my chronies from DeviantART.com to put together a nice little piece to replace that sky over there. I'm eager to see what she comes up with.

Also, you'll notice the links to the right are gone. I did this as a quick fix to a problem with the CSS that I couldn't figure out (I admit, I'm not too savvy, but I can do SOME things). So, my solution was to put them in a post, and just put a link to the individual post they're in. Hey, it works. Anyway....The problem I ran into with the links placed on the right side was that, anytime the main body was too short (like looking at an individual post's page), all the links would push to the far left side of the page. I'm sure fixing it would have been simple...Probably just forcing some right justification or something...But, again, I'm a moron. Besides, I think my solution made things a bit more tidy. Also, this way they're much easier to edit than sifting through the code for the weblog. Now I just have to edit the post. Very simple stuff. See...Yeah. That's what I had in mind all along. It was all an attempt to make things more efficient. yeah...

I'm retarded.

Links

2005-05-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

Geek Resources

/.
Adrenaline Vault
Ars Technica
FrozenCPU
Science Jokes
SourceForge
Radio Locator
Think Geek

Knowledge

AnswerBus
arXiv
Google Scholar
NASA's JPL
Phyiscs FAQ
Science Daily
Wikipedia

Weblogs

The Drifter's Journal
Gravel Floor Tiles
I'm a rabbit in your headlights
Mini Dev
Nickerblog
Rands in Repose
Sans Sententia
Smitty in Fort Collins
Waiter Rant

Miscellaneous

Flickr Related Tag Browser
Gnod
Internet Movie Database
King of Gonzo
Memepool
RSS Digest
Technorati Profile
VidLit
Webtender
Word Spy

Spring Cleaning -OR- Some Shit Be Goin' Down Here

2005-05-06T16:34:00.000-04:00

I've obviously been playing around a bit with the layout. Call me lazy, or uninspired, but the layout you're looking at isn't a custom made design. It's a template I ran across and decided it was very much the look I wanted for this weblog. Other than the obvious, though, I'm going to be changing some more things in an attempt to make things more in tune with my tastes.

Changing that default picture to something more representative of myself. Although, the sky is pretty cool, it doesn't really fit the scheme if you ask me.

I'm probably going to change the domain. I'm not sure what it's going to be yet, but "got the it" is getting old and idiotic (well, it's always been idiotic, but I just ignored it). Once I decide what it is, I'll email my 4 or 5 readers and let them know what it is.

I don't know how, but I'm going to look into adding a constantly refreshing list of links to headlines from weblogs and new sources that I read frequently. Again, just another attempt at making this weblog more personalized.

Removing the "Music" portion from the links section. It kinda felt like it was rather unnecessary as they aren't sites I visit; They're just bands I listen to. So what, eh?

Plus, any number of little things I decide to change while I'm thumbing through the CSS and HTML for the template.

Stick around and see what happens. I don't even know for sure, yet.

Blogger's Bungle

2005-05-05T00:33:00.000-04:00

I have the inspiration; I have many ideas in my head. All would be excellent pieces of writing if only they could be rustled together into cohesive thoughts. Unfortunately, all I seem to have are flaky ideas. Like little kids who get joy out of smashing pennies, these ideas are meandering on and off the railroad tracks and leaving distinguishable artifacts of their presence. Once my train of thought arrives, however, these artifacts look nothing like the originals.

...

Eh, I never was one for metaphors. My apologies.

On a completely unrelated note, May 5th marks 2 important events this year:

Happy Birthday Will.
AND
Happy Space Day.

A Matter of Utmost Importance

2005-04-27T01:25:00.000-04:00

I never thought petitiononline.com was worth anything. Now I see the error in my assumption. I present to you, the fine readers of my glorious weblog, a cause actually worth fighting for in these "war against terrorism" times.

Reinstate the "Walker, Texas Ranger" Lever on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Bring back the "Walker, Texas Ranger" lever! We are all devoted fans of the comedic genius, Conan O'Brien, and we would would greatly appreciate it if Mr. O'Brien and his writers would seriously consider reinstating the hilarious "Walker, Texas Ranger" clips and aforementioned lever, perhaps in a permanent, re-occurring weekly segment, or at at least just once in a while.

Sign the petition, and you will be rewarded with 72 virgins (or sluts, if you prefer) in the afterlife.

Must See Movies

2005-04-21T02:26:00.000-04:00

Okay, granted, I don't go out to the movies very often. For some reason, though, I've found myself in a theater twice this week. First, to see "Sin City," a fast-paced, bloody, and emotional film ported from a comic of the same name. There are some big names involved in this movie. The two that stand out above the rest are Bruce Willis, and Quentin Tarantino. Willis plays a huge part in the movie as a end-of-his-line police officer trying to track down a guy who's kidnapped and killed several little girls. Tarantino's part in the movie was only as guest director. Which parts he helped with, I'm not sure. Probably all of them, at least inspirationally, because the entire movie has his style plastered all over it. Knowing that, people will either be immediately turned off or on depending on their Tarantino stance. Personally, when I saw Tarantino's name in the opening credits, I sat up in my seat and readied myself for a quality film.

The most recent movie I saw was "Sahara." I only decided to see this one because I liked the little plot synopsis I read at the theater, and I kinda dig Matthew Mcconaughey's acting. I've seen him in some movies that weren't too popular (Glory Daze being the one that immediately comes to mind), and he does a good job. I must make it known, however, that I ALMOST didn't watch Sahara simply because Penelope Cruz has a major role in it. It seems almost preposterous to imagine her in any role other than Sofia in "Vanilla Sky." I suffered through all of her mis-pronunciations of large words (she plays a WHO doctor who has to say some big words. Her articulation is terrible at best) to see what this movie had to offer. Overall, it was an effective cohesion of history, comedy, action, and drama. Not the greatest movie ever, but certainly not the worst.

Also, I should probably note that BOTH of the above movies featured previews for "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". You better believe I'm going to see that when it comes out.

I never knew Benadryl could be so potent

2005-04-11T17:12:00.000-04:00

So, I was supposed to work today. I went in for about 2.5 hours, and the store manager (not department manager...I'm talking about the big whig of the place) told me to go home. I didn't really want to because they cut me back to just 16 hours this week, but there's something about not being able to walk comfortably that makes you want to just get home and rest.

Yeah, that's right. Rather than the usual 40 hours I work, I've been cut down to 16 (well, about 10 now since I left early today). Apparently there were some budget issues, and employees have to reap the seeds which the figure heads have sown. Not only are we slashing prices, but we're slashing hours too.

Also, I've come to the conclusion that only rich people will be able to drive in about 6 months. $2.35/gallon? Oi. I remember thinking that 1.35/gal was outrageous. Oh well. Times'r a changin'...These changing times seem to leave me with less and less change in my pocket, though.

So I called Zach the other day, and he told me he was staring at the Atlantic Ocean. Jealousy ensued. Apparently, pictures were taken. Re-reading that post of hers, I realize that I have to nail her for the "haven't posted in light years" comment. Just so you all know (yes, all 3 of you), a light year is a measure of distance. Not time. pwned

So, like, yeah...I've got some good medicine running through my body, and I'm kinda (for lack of a better word) loopy. My arms are like Jell-O, and my head is the collective confusion of 10 monkeys trying to screw in a light bulb. I think I took too much.

Apparently, my Unitarian Jihad Name is: The Shuriken of Looking at All Sides of the Question. Thanks SkyTigress

If you're a gamer, and you have some bandwidth the spare, check out Pure Pwnage. There's, like, 6 episodes ranging in size from 60-120 megs, or something like that. Anyone who knows me and my friends in real life, tell me if you think FPS Dave reminds you of Dylan at all. He's introduced in the third episode, and plays a big part in the fifth as well. But you should probably watch them all in order so you can get a feel for what's going on. Belv, if you haven't already seen these, I _highly_ suggest you check them out. You'd appreciate them, I think. Especially the last one, but don't jump right to it. Watch them in order.

I'm rambling. Time to go.

vbr

Amour Propre

2005-04-08T03:33:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I spoke of my horrific experience with H&R Block. While this remains true from a financial stand-point, I must say, the man who helped me out had some amusing/interesting things to say. He was an elderly gent full of trivial information. The sort of tidbits that can only be amassed through decades of observation and mental note-taking.

One such tidbit came out when we were discussing my job at Olive Garden (remember, when getting you taxes done, past jobs tend to be the focus of conversation). He went on to give me the usual spiel I've heard a hundred times or more: "Oh, I love the food there." "My wife and I go there all the time." "The (insert appetizer/entree/dessert here) is the best you can get around these parts."

The interesting part of the conversation came about when he confessed that he could never finish any of their entrees. This, too, has been said to me many times. I offered up my usual response: "Yeah. They give you enough for a meal at the restaurant, and lunch the next day."

To which he responded (totally paraphrased obviously, but the point is still here):

"Well, a long time ago, back in the 20's or 30's, it used to be considered unsophisticated to take food home from a restaurant. So then people started saying they were taking the food home for their dog. That's where we get the name for a 'Doggie Bag'. [and he actually said this next part] But you have to wonder how much of that food actually made it to the dog."

It was one of those things that kind of force you to say "Wow. You learn something new every day."

Vanity has never been so interesting.

My Journey to the Edge of the Planet

2005-04-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

So, yeah, I didn't fall off the face of the planet.

Mahnamahna (After you first realize what you'll be watching, just give it a chance . It's funny.)

btw, I got raped by H&R Block. 116 dollars of un-lubricated ramming action. I do believe I'll take my business elsewhere, kind sir.

Is it apathy, or just a lack of musical knowledge?

2005-02-27T02:05:00.000-05:00

Either way, I guess I'll just give you the answers to the 20 songs from 2 posts ago.

Here they are:

1) Rob Zombie - Never Gonna Stop
2) Man Pain - Down By Texas
3) Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
4) Orgy - 107
5) Madonna - Hollywood
6) Mr. Bungle - The Girls of Porn
7) Misfits - Skulls
8) Big Dumb Face - Duke Lion
9) Murder By Death - A Caucus Race
10) Group X - Good Girl Yes, Bad Girl No
11) Kittie - Paperdoll
12) Rammstein - Spiel Mit Mir
13) Radiohead - Optimistic
14) Paddy's Irish Clan - Fuck the British Army
15) Mr Bungle - Ars Moriendi
16) Phish - Wonderwall (yeah, I know some other crappy band made the original, but Phish made it better)
17) Sublime - Santeria
18) Beck - Tropicalia
19) Bad Religion - You
20) Phish - Back on the Train
21) Spinal Tap - Stonehenge

That wasn't a very complicated list...You people need to listen to more (read: better) music.

An Imaginative Mind, or an Extreme Case of OCD

2005-02-24T02:27:00.000-05:00

My current job requires me to do things which are, how should I say...less than fun?

Perhaps that is an under/over-statement. You decide: I arrange things on shelves to make them look more presentable to the public, while fooling them into thinking we have more product than we actually do. Some shifts require that I do this for eight hours. This is the kind of job where it's necessary to have an imaginitive mind (or an extreme case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) for one to leave at the end of their shift without being gripped by hysteria.

A quick recap about the job (not that it's necessary): I arrange things on shelves. Easy enough, right? Exactly! It's so easy that I finish the job in 3-4 hours, and am left with about half of my shift to make it look like I'm working.

Now, for the few hours of real work that I do, it's easy to tell that I'm doing what I'm supposed to. I move up and down the aisle looking for product that's out of place and I return the stray merchandise to it's rightful position. There's nothing that can escape my clutches when I'm conditioning the shelves. Managers walk past, and say "Hey Eric, how's it going?" To which I always reply, "Oh, pretty good." *shuffle* *arrange* *shuffle* I'm in the zone.

When I finish my initial round of the store, though, I'm left with hours to pursue other objectives. At this stage in my shift, I make frequent trips to: the breakroom, the bathroom, the photo-lab, and other areas of the store where I find products that interest me. Most of all, however, I'm given the opportunity to do what I do best. Think. The deep thought and reflection I achieve during this phase of work is comparable only to that point where you're just about to fall asleep and EVERYTHING makes perfect sense. You can tell I'm deep in thought when I'm moving randomly through aisles without any apparent destination. I may also be sitting down on the floor, removing objects from the shelf, putting them back on, and repeating this process. I usually do this until I feel that someone's on to me. Once I feel the managers are peering down on my progress from the security cameras, I get up, move down the aisle a bit, and continue the process. Paranoia, or instinct? I'm not sure, but it works.

I suppose the most notable period of thought was when I devised the skeleton for my new calendar system. I'm still working on it, but I will post it when it's complete. I'll just say that it's highly efficient when compared to the hackneyed system currently in place. I'm still working out some kinks because the original model required that I completetly modify linear metric measurement.

How did I go from keeping track of days, to affecting the length of measurements in the metric system?

Well, because the meter is a set length which was determined by the distance light travels in a certain amount of time, and since this entire model is out to restructure time, I would have to restructure the metric system. Or just modify the amount of time required for light to travel that specific distance, given my new model for time. Not sure yet, but I'll do my best to make my thoughts coherent when I post the complete model.

But, yeah, that's what I do at work.

Good Shaith

2005-02-17T17:29:00.000-05:00

Stole this from Belv-ah.

Step 1: Open up whatever MP3 program you use and add every song in your collection.
Step 2: Put it on random.
Step 3: Pick lines from the first 20 songs that play. (I addded an extra one though)
Step 4: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from.
Step 5: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 6: DON'T RUN THEM THROUGH A SEARCH ENGINE.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Warzone

2005-02-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

Don't ask me, but that was the name of the performances Saturday night.

Sorry for the delay. I was hoping to get some pictures from the shows so I could post them, but Amos has yet to deliver.

This is how it all went down:

Pre-Show

On Friday, I was taking a nice, pleasant little nap in my oh-so comfortable apartment when I got a ring-ting-ting-a-ling from one Zachariah Smith. Apparently some people were at Dylan's and they were just jamming. After some persuasion on Zach's part, I agreed to come down. When I got there, we just kinda hung out and goofed off with various instruments. Soon enough, we all piled in Zach's car and rode to Hinkle's (it's a small town burger place. Open 24 hours. Best coffee ever). Nothing really happened there, but it was good times nonetheless. After Hinkle's we went back to Dylan's and did nothing until about 2 am. Arriving at my house, I stayed up until 4, yet again, doing nothing.

7 am is not the time a person expects to wake up when they go to sleep at 4 am. At least, I don't. The hustle and bustle of my family's morning rituals brought my fairy tale dreams to an abrupt halt, as I had been sleeping on the couch in the living room. Since I wasn't going to Dylan's until 2, I knew something had to be done to pass the time. What did I do? Ate leftover KFC, watched City Slickers, Toy Story 2, and two random shows on the History Channel.

So, it's 2 pm, and I'm at Dylan's. No one is here but me. The bastard went to get drinks. 15 minutes pass and he shows up. Fortunate for him, I was there to help him move crap out the "jam room" to make room for the show that night. We needed as much room as we could get too, since we were expecting about 40 people. With all that done, Zach shows up. Man Pain unites!!!...but we need coffee. Zach and I head over to Hinkle's where we drink our coffee (about 4 cups a piece I believe), and discussed our show. We outlined about 10 songs to play. 9 originals, and one cover.

Back at Dylan's, we begin to actually practice. Think about this for a second: We have two hours to prepare 10 songs for a show, and the last time we actually played together was back in November. Zach had no problem getting his guitar parts back in line, but the lyrics (i.e. My part) was not so simple. Since all of our songs are improv, and we never perform for people, I have no need to memorize the lyrics. This horribly twisted rationale came back to bite me in the metephorical ass on Saturday.

Enter Chris

He shows up, and we learn that his lead guitarist is sick with some rare tropical disease or something. By some weird stroke of luck, there was some dude there who can play a ukulele.

The Show

Chris was the first to play. Him and the ukulele guy busted out a few songs. None of which I'm familiar with, but they did them with a style and class that can only be summed up as "sweet ass." I sat in awe (and borderline intoxication) as the ukulele guy just busted out some riffs to songs he hadn't even practiced. Skill is a word that can't even describe what they laid down that night. While only playing 3 or 4 songs, they definitely made a killer impression on the important folks in the crowd (important folks being defined as those who have an appreciation for fine acoustic-type music).

Man Pain takes the stage. Eric is slighty intoxicated, and Zach is tearing it up on guitar. We never really got around to playing all the songs we intended. I don't even think we played half of them actually. I'll try to relay the ACTUAL set-list as best I can:

Stealing Money From Metallica
Captain Morgan
Western Jaw-Breaker
Down By Texas

Now, for the amount of practice we had, I feel we did pretty good. As I recall, Down by Texas went pretty good; as did Captain Morgan; I think people laughed at Stealing Money From Metallica a few times; and Western Jaw-Breaker got the biggest applause (probably because it's an instrumental, and they didn't have to listen to my dying-cat of a voice). So, overall, what we lacked musically, we made up for comically. Not a bad trade-off I guess.

After our set, Zach and Chris traded places, Jess grabbed her Cowbell, then Chris started the opening lick of Don't Fear the Reaper. I started singing, but there was no cowbell. I needed some cowbell. I requested, in song, for Jess to give me some of that sweet, sweet cowbell. She complied. It was glorious.

Then comes Seventh Story (improper semi-colon use coming up); the trio consisting of Dylan, Smalley, and Jess. While I can't comment on each song individually, I will say that their cover of April 26, 1992 was fucking awesome. I didn't think they could pull it off in a way that would be worthy of a Sublime song, but damn...They nailed it. The bass, the drums, the sweet ass guitar. All of it. Amazing.

I may be biased in saying this, as they're all friends of mine, but Seventh Story has some true potential. I hope they start looking into playing some local gigs around the area. I know they would find a fan base very quickly. For some reason, the town of Madison has this intense craving for grit-your-teeth, bang-your-brain-around-in-your-skull kind of metal, and Seventh Story can deliver. The Sublime song I mentioned is obviously a more mellow song, but they found a way to incorporate Dylan's love for his distortion without fucking the song. I don't know how, but it happened.

Post-Show

Afterwards, a few people (nine) went up to Pizza Hut for some food stuffs. I went for some Mountain Dew, but I was the minority. I rode up there with Belv and we had some good conversation. While we're discussing Belv, I feel I should restate the fact that Mariachi Spirit WILL be played the next time Man Pain performs and Belv-ah is present. I will dedicate it to him, and wink in his direction. It will be awkward.

Wrap-Up

It was fun, and we should do it again with more advanced notification to Zach and myself.

Okay, Here's the Deal... (part duex)

2005-02-11T14:49:00.000-05:00

It doesn't seem like I'm going to finish that glorious entry I spoke of in my last post by tonight, so I just wanted to throw a few things out there in the mean time.

I got a job (w00t++). Not really my ideal place of employment, but it'll do as a temporary source of income. It's the old photo lab I used to work at. I called them up and the deal was sealed on the phone. It's nice to have connections.

I'm going to a party/mini-concert/I-don't-know-what. Zach and I (AKA Man Pain) will be playing. We have a rough set-list, and here it is:

-Imposters
-Stealing Money From Metallica
-Captain Morgan
-Down by Texas
-Why?
-Skyy Blue
-Aviso
-Camel Song OR Please Don't Litter
-Western Jaw Breaker
-Westminster Chimes
I keep telling people to expect their asses to get blown out, but few believe me. Anyway, those are mostly just choice songs we've recorded in the past few months. I doubt any of you have heard them, unless Zach or myself has given you a CD. If you want some mp3's, I have no problem sending them via some IM client or email. There are a number of ways to get ahold of me concerning such things. Check around the weblog for your preferred method.

Expect an entry about the party upon my return.

I'm way too tired to be awake right now. I'm backspacing every few keystrokes due to my inability to control my finger muscles in such a way that promotes a ginormous wpm count.

Unordered lists rule.

Okay, Here's the Deal...

2005-02-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

It's obvious that I've been making it a point to update more often. So, to keep with that, I'm just updating to let you know that I've been working on an entry that involves a more in-depth approach. Therefore, I've been focusing more on it than a run-of-the-mill post.

I'm not going to tell you what it's about, but I'll tell you that it's going to be glorious.

The Run-Around

2005-02-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

Just called the potential employer about 30 minutes ago. Apparently (please put as much stress on that word as you can) the big man in charge of decision's is out for vacation starting yesterday, and he didn't bother to make a decision on who to hire. I was told to call back next Tuesday to find out for sure.

I'm very behind in the job search, and slightly behind with a few bills. My stomach is in knots, and the only thing I can think of is that line in Fear and Loathing: "What's the score here? What's next?"

Well, my day is planned for me. More job hunting. Gonna try online first, and then do the field work later.

And, Amy, thanks for the call. Honestly, your timing was immaculate.

Wait! Don't Go!

2005-02-08T05:44:00.000-05:00

The title of this weblog has changed. Welcome to "Got the It?" formerly known as "A Walk in the Park." Salutations!

I'm of the impression that I actually have to put thought into this here weblog's structure for people seek me out. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.

I'm still tinkering around in the template code trying to customize it a bit. I'm not entirely certain what is left to be done, though. After all, I am satisfied with the look of it now. Perhaps all that matters is my satisfaction. Mmm, yes, perhaps. Then again, there've been many times where I've found my contentment totally disrupted by someone else's declaration of bullshit/hogwash/what-have-you.

So, in the coming days, expect: minor (or major, depending on what I fuck up) adjustments in the look of the weblog, more links added to the appropriately named "Links" section, and more of these "Hey, I just did this to my weblog! Cool, huh?" type posts.

A Few Things to Points Out

2005-02-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

I suppose the most obvious thing I need to point out is the new page design. What do you think? Nice, eh?

Also, you may want to take a gander to your right (you may have to scroll down a bit) and notice all those links sitting there. I figured if I'm to have an online monument to myself, I should include links to sites covering a wide array of subjects that strike my fancy. Make no mistake of it, though...That list is far from complete. I mostly just wanted to get a general layout for the section, and then add to it as I go.

AND!!!

(this is the good shit coming up)

Syndication feed! Now, rather than tediously thumbing through the vast internet just to find your refuge here, I can be delivered to your screen in a very tidy and convenient manner. As of right now, I have the link to the feed with the title up there. I'm trying to find a better place to put it, but that seems cool for now.

So, you're asking yourself: "Self, what's a syndication feed?"

Ask no longer, weary traveler. For, I have your answer right here in a passage ripped from the blogger FAQ:

When a regularly updated site such as a blog has a feed, people can subscribe to it using software for reading syndicated content called a "newsreader." People like using readers for blogs because it allows them to catch up on all their favorites at once. Like checking email—without the SPAM.

Now that we have that lined up, I suppose the wise thing for me to do is recommend a reader. Well, the one I use (for Windows) is SharpReader. It works quite well. For Mac users, I've heard many good things about NetNewsWire. If you're using Linux, I don't need to recommend anything, because I'm sure you already have the aggregator of your desire.

So, remember, just click the link in the title up there for the feed.

Free subscriptions while supplies last.

Awake With the Rest of the World

2005-02-06T05:29:00.000-05:00

It's 5:30 a.m. and here I am. Greetings to those who skim through these words.

A lot has been on my mind lately, among them (and I'll make this part quick and painless) is my lack of occupation. I was fired from OG for eating a bowl of soup, and not IMMEDIATELY paying for it. Long story short, I found out later from ex-co-workers that the stunt was pulled just so they could use me as an example for the rest of the employees. I feel used and (perhaps, most importantly) broke. Funds are tight, and inner-tension is even tighter. I'm eeking through these days, but there is a nice shimmer at the end of this tunnel. In a few days I expect to receive a call from a potential employer. Hope is high, but expectations are buried in the ground somewhere.

Moving on, cause I dare not think about it, at the risk of mental destruction.

In other news, I'm listening to some Astral Projection remix tunes. Not too shabby. I'm surprised I hadn't heard them before tonight. If you like Goa/Psy Trance, and have the ability, be sure to check out their albumn "Ten." It'll make you move your body in a way that was not intended by the catholic church.

_________________________________________________________

(quick note: That little line above this text indicates that what you're about to read is lengthy, and focused on one thing. If you read the beginning of it, and don't care about what's said, just do what any normal person would do, and skip it. You'll find the rest of this weblog entry after the other line way down there somewhere.)

Yes, it's true, I've been playing Tribes a lot. Too much, probably. It's fun though. I've learned some things about online gaming via Tribes. Let me preface this little passage with a few notes; it'll set the tone much better than simply telling you what I've learned.

- Tribes is a game many years old. Probably 6 or 7, but I'm not sure.
- Tribes has many active participants. Most of whom have been around since the beginning.
- Tribes is intense.
- Tribes will determine your daily schedule without consulting you first.

Now, what I've noticed...Since Tribes is my first full-blown thrust into online gaming, it is naturally the first chance I have to observe what the community is like. Conseqeuntially, I've noticed there are 3 main types of people in Tribes:

- The n00bs/newbs/noobs
- The elitists
- The laid-back, "Yeah man, whatever." guys.

The n00b/newb/noob

We all know this player. He's the one who runs around and tries to kill people on his team because he honestly believes that is who he's supposed to kill. That phase usually lasts about 10 minutes, and it ends with them dropping from the game probably because they're frustrated they can't kill anyone. Sorry guys, this isn't a deathmatch. It's capture the flag. We work together here.

As this player progresses, they become more of a nuisance because now they're running around shooting objects that don't need to be shot. Like their teams generator. There's no better way to say "HEY! I'M THE NEW GUY! LOOK A' ME!!" than trying to kill your own gen. This is also the same phase in which the player camps in his base for no apparent reason other than to put mines in the weirdest places.

Fast forward about a week, and you have a player who is now roaming the vast landscapes of Tribes, typically as a sniper. Don't ask me why, but all players go through a sniper phase (If you didn't, then good for you. Have a lolli-pop.). They fumble around with their sniper rifle, and have trouble hitting anything other than air. This is just an adjustment period where they have to get familiar with leading their target. However, you are not to, under any circumstances, confront a noob sniper when he's camping on a far away hill. If you do, he becomes erratic and can cause serious harm to himself. All too often do I see noob snipers fall to their death because they flip-out way too hard when I approach them.

As the noob learns the tools of the trade, and excels at some particular area of Tribes, he will more-than-likely evolve into one of the following players.

The elitist

This is the guy who: picks on noobs just for being new to the game, trashes bases when there are only 5 people total on the server, kills people right when they spawn, complains (read: blames his team) when his side is losing, is too competitive for anyone's benefit...You know, the list really does go on, but I'll sum it up with one statement: The elitist, while generally good at the game, provides nothing positive for the gaming atmosphere.

The laid-back, "Yeah man, whatever." guys.

This guy. Yeah. He makes the game fun. He doesn't care who wins or loses (he may get a little competitive, but, hey, who doesn't?). He just wants to get from the game what it's developers intended. Fun. You'll probably find yourself wanting to be on his team because he's good, and provides some decent conversation when there's down-time.

---------------------

Okay, I guess this is the part where I sum up some loose-ends...

I know I didn't cover everything...This is all just randomly coming out of my head, so be cool. People are gonna play how they're gonna play, and what I outlined above are the basic extremes I've noticed.
_________________________________________________________

If you've read this far, relax, it's almost over.

If you skipped to the end of that little Tribes tangent, then shame on you.

Now, back to the weblog entry....

I've come to the conclusion that I'll never fully understand what the hell I'm doing when it comes to relationships. Not friend-like relationships. I'm talking about the "hugging, saying 'I love you' and meaning it in thatway, giving flowers just cause, and kissing upon the brow when parting company" kind of relationships. Emotions run high, as does the temperature of the person's skin when it's next to yours, and you're left with a feeling that very closely resembles crawling into a nice warm (or cold if that's your thing) bed when you're dead tired. It's a feeling that, when you attain it, you want to forever keep it in a place that only you can find so that no one else can taint it. Maybe in your deepest, most inner-thoughts.

Wishful thinking, though, as reality often forbids such actions.

I refer to a portion of the final stanza of Edgar Allan Poe's piece, "A Dream Within A Dream"

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep–while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?

We, us, our attempts, our actions, our lack of action, our apathy...That is the grasp.

The love, the bond, the essence of the relationship...That is the sand.

Time...That is the pitiless wave.

Now, I'm left to determine if I should piece that together like I have it in my mind, or if it is better left to the reader to determine my meaning. I suppose if you have questions, just ask...

Hmmm...I've been writing this for an hour now...I suppose I'll wrap it up.

*wrap*
*wrap*
*wrap*
*tape*
*tape*

Music Recommendations for Me

2005-01-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

I take a lot of online quizzes more or less to entertain myself during times of boredom, and very rarely do i actually post them on here (because, c'mon, how cliche is that?). However, once in a blue moon, a quiz will hit the nail right between the eyes. I present to you, My Music Taste (circa Jan. 28th, 2005).

You scored as Indie.

Indie

92%

Indie Rock

83%

Classic Rock.

83%

Punk and Pop Punk.

83%

Britpop

75%

Ska

67%

Industrial

63%

Hardcore

58%

Emo & More

54%

Hip Hop and Rap

33%

Mainstream

Country

Music Recommendation
created with QuizFarm.com

lmfao @ LiveJournal!!11

2005-01-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

Haha...seems the blogging hegemon bit the dust recently:

From: http://www.livejournal.com/powerloss
Our data center (Internap, the same one we've been at for many years) lost all its power, including redundant backup power, for some unknown reason. (unknown to us, at least) We're currently dealing with verifying the correct operation of our 100+ servers. Not fun. We're not happy about this.

That's funny shit...I don't care who y'are. ;)

Hark! Our Hero Returns!

2005-01-10T06:36:00.000-05:00

Granted, I haven't had (nor do I now have) anything very interesting to say. I've been stuck in a perilous work/sleep/repeat phase that I'm destined to deviate from soon...hopefully. Otherwise, all is well in the world of Me.

Here. Look at this:

That means I'm better than 93% of everyone. That's something you're just gonna have to deal with.

Sorry to upset my "loyal readers" with such a short and unfulfilling post, but the time will come when Eric rises high above the obstacles, and peers down onto his goal of writing the best blog entry in the world. Thusly, he will grapple at this objective with an astronomical amount of fury. The day will be glorious. The day will be soon.

Until then, don't hate the player. Hate the game.

On the Matter of Tipping:

2004-12-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

As I'm sure my faithful readers (*chuckle*) are aware of, I'm currently employed as a server at Olive Garden. It's through this vocation that I've become aware of the eccentricities that accompany working in a restaurant. Included in these is the forgotten art of tipping. Let me lay down a few points before I continue:

1 - Servers in restaurants like the one I work in typically earn an hourly pay that is far less than minimum wage.
2 - Thus, Servers depend on their tips for living.
3 - Therefore, servers don't necessarily care about you as much as they care about their tips.
4 - So, logically, any good service you receive is intended to be exchanged for a good tip.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me break down tipping for you. If everything goes good during your meal, then a tip that roughly equals 15 percent of the total bill is customary. Let me clarify what "everything goes good" means. If: your food arrives in a timely manner; your drinks are refilled (maybe you'll need to ask for it, but that happens. Cut us some slack.); and any unforseen problems are dealt with in a professional manner, then your server is worthy of that 15 percent tip.

If service is great then you'll want to tip 18 percent. You can usually tell great service by all things from the "good service" category being performed, accompanied with: a constant smile on the persons face; sounding thoroughly interested in anything you feel like you have to talk about; actually laughing at your jokes no matter how un-funny they are...though some may be funny, don't press your luck; and filling your drinks without you having to ask. That's great service. Most of the servers I work with (myself included) typically perform this kind of service with every party we are sat, but all-too-often do we deal with persons ignorant to the concept of tipping. Tipping me 4 dollars on a 30 dollar check when, on 3 occasions, I had the bread guy make you breadsticks without butter and garlic does not cut it.

If your server provides the absolute best dining experience you've ever had, do more than just tell them they're a great server. Plop a few extra bucks on top of the 18 percent they deserve. Money speaks louder than a comment we've heard many times before. Believe it or not, servers EXPECT to get a crappy tip when people compliment us. It happens to me almost every time someone compliments me. It's almost like a jinx, or a curse...

What people also need to be aware of is that they are not the only table we're waiting on. At OG, I'll serve you and two other tables. Depending on what part of the restaurant I'm in, and how the Hosts are seating me, I might not be able to rush out those breadsticks and salad refill as fast as you'd like. Believe me, though, I put your request in queue and I'll get to it when I can. This is a problem that most people don't know how to deal with. Apparently, I'm not supposed to be waiting on any other tables...Why not just castrate me now?

Every time I work, I never stop to do anything for myself. I never use the bathroom (seriously), I rarely get anything to drink, and I NEVER get anything to eat while I'm working. We don't get breaks when we work, because there's always the chance that we'll get sat. So, we have to be on our toes the entire time. Most of the people we serve are unaware of this. Like, today for instance (though this happens every time I work), I worked from 11:30 to 4:30 with no break. While that may not seem like much time to work (just 5 hours for those of you who don't feel like subtracting), you need to take into consideration that I was constantly walking (and sometimes running) without stopping to do anything besides give people their food.

While this post may sound like I'm ranting and raving about my job, believe me, it's FAR more than that. Serving is one of the most popular jobs among people my age, but it is also one that people are most ignorant about (and, no, I'm not calling people ignorant...simply un-informed). Sure, I may be biased, but I now realize this is something EVERYONE needs to know about. Not for my sake, but for the sake of any person involved in a tipped profession. Be they servers, pizza delivery guys, or bartenders. Tip them, and tip them well. When they know where the money is coming from, they will focus on ensuring your happiness.

Shpadoinkle...

2004-12-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

So, what have I been up to lately?

Only playing the best frickin' game in the world!! Tribes is my new addiction. Please don't plan an intervention for me because I'll be too busy playing Tribes to show up. ;)

I have something else to post, but I wanted to get that out of the way first...

Amendments to the Top Five Lists

2004-11-28T06:38:00.000-05:00

So I decided to stay up for another half hour so I could satisfy my rule of 3's for sleeping. If you're unfamiliar with my rule (introduced to me by someone I can't remember), I'll summarize: Always sleep in intervals of 3 hours. Be it 3, 6, 9, or (in extreme cases) 12 hours, you will find that you are capable of making it through the day with minimal tiredness. Perhaps it only works for certain people, but I've found that it works very well for me.

Anyway, the point of my post...I'm going to update some of the Top Five Lists I posted a little while back. You can expect these things to change almost constantly. I just like it that way. Anyway...The updated lists will only show the changes to the previous lists. If selections are left out, they have remained the same. If a new selection is listed, and the old selection that held that particular position is not listed, then the old selection was stricken from the list entirely. If I wish for the old selection to remain on the list, I will post it's new place on the list.

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Top Five Movies One Must See (and enjoy) Before I Can Consider Them "Properly Exposed:"

4. Cannibal! The Musical
2. Team America: World Police

Top Five Artists Everyone Must Be Familiar With: (the category itself is amended to only encompass artists)

5. Flogging Molly
4. Irish Rovers
3. DVDA
2. Group-X
1. Mr. Bungle

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything else remains the same. Time for sleep...After I listen to a few more DVDA songs.

You Guys Don't Even Know What It Means To Be A Trapper!

2004-11-28T06:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like I need to post something in here. Not like anyone reads this, right?

So, it's about 6:30 a.m. and I'm due in at Olive Garden in 5 hours. I've had no sleep, and I'm not tired. Through past experience, I can tell that I will become increasingly tired towards the 10 o'clock hour, and will thusly be unable to sleep because I'll be incapable of waking up when necessary. How fortunate...

Tonight was pleasant, though. I was scheduled to work, went in just a little late (as per usual), and was told that I didn't have to work. Apparenly scheduling got messed up and they put down one more person than they needed. Luckily, that person was me. How fortunate...again...

I've been listening to DVDA a lot lately (here I go with the style of comments typical for blogs...I hate that...). They really are a great band. Their versatility amazes me. Though, most of the songs I prefer to listen to were composed by Trey Parker (namely, songs from the "Cannibal! The Musical" soundtrack)...So, I suppose one could say that I've been listening to Trey Parker, and that HIS versatility amazes me. Oh well. Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe.

I've learned how to play the two songs that I find myself listening to over and over: "America, Fuck Yeah" and "The Trapper Song."

While reviewing this post before actually posting it, I've come to the conclusion that I need to actually think of something interesting to post before I post it. Sure, using this thing as a sort of journal is nice, but, let's be honest here...You don't want to read about the music I'm listening to. Seriously. The only person who cares about that is me...and maybe someone who's hanging out in my apartment or riding with me in my car. Not like those situations ever arise, but I wanted to cover my bases.

I'm starting to get tired, so I guess I'll squeeze in a few hours before work.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. - I apologize for how mundane this post is.

P.P.S. - It will never happen again.

P.P.P.S. - ...hopefully.

Fear and Loathing in Hanover

2004-11-22T02:27:00.000-05:00

So, it's the day after a party-type atmosphere. At least, it seemed like a party. Though there were only 7 of us there, it was still ripe with laughter and enjoyment by most everyone.

At first, there were 8: the aforementioned 7, plus Dallas. We all gathered like the old days of high school. It seemed like nothing had changed. Though, I have to admit it was a bit strange to see Tim and Kasie with a baby. I guess it's just one of those "growing up" things I have to get used to. Anyway, we all set out to Hometown Pizza where we sat, ate, and talked. If memory serves (and it usually does), I had 6 cups of coffee, plus one glass of mountain dew. I was feeling pretty good. After an hour or so of reminiscing and catching-up, we all headed to the one place everyone is sure to have a good time. That's right...I'm talking about the one and only Bowling Alley.

Some dude I remember from high school was working the counter. I kind of felt sorry for him. While we were bowling, our lane kept fucking up. So, ol' dude at the counter had to jump on his walkie talkie so he could get his boys in the back to go to work on our lane. Five minutes later, we had a fully operational bowling lane...for about 10 minutes. All in all, bowling sucked, but it was all made much better by the kick ass game of Cut-throat played by Zach, Tim, and I. It was a good one.

After the game, it was "so, Eric, tell us what kind of alcohol you want so we can get it for you" time. I hadn't thought about it, but I knew I had to go all out tonight. For some reason, the only thing that could come to mind, and actually be agreed upon by myself, was vodka. I love the vodka...and it loves me back. I've never once been sick off vodka, but I have certainly been extremely EXTREMELY drunk off it. I believe last night was a testament to that.

Bearing in mind that I haven't really had a night of hardcore drinking in a while (I'd say a year or so), it might surprise you to know that I finished my pint of vodka in about 2 hours. Sure, in the past I could drink a fifth in one night, but all those fifths could not come close to the feeling of victory I had over my little Smirnoff tumbler bottle. It was one of those "Eric's BACK!" kind of feelings. Happiness abound.

That is, until the realization of "Hey...Me and Zach are the only single people here...That sucks..." came around.

I'm sure the negativity was amplified by the potato-based spirit, but I didn't really care. I just cared about being alone, and how completely shitty it was.

I was talking to Zach and he gave me one of the best pep-talks I've ever received from someone who locked themself in the bathroom so they could catch a mouse. He said something along the lines of:

"Man, what you're feeling right now is normal. It might take a few weeks, or a few months of being single, but eventually you're just gonna be happy to be single."

Word.

Now, while it really has nothing at all to do with anything, I feel I should relay one of the more interesting events from last night. There was a group of us outside on the landing (kind of like a small porch that's about 4 feet by 4 feet) by the back door. Leaning on the landing was a thick piece of wood. I don't remember exactly, but I'd guess it was something like 8 inches wide, and 2 or 3 inches thick. Anyway, it was leaning on the landing like a kind of ramp. I don't know who initiated it, but someone thought it would be a good idea to get a group of people on this piece of wood, and see if we could find the center of gravity (see...This is what happens when a bunch of geeks get drunk. We do physics experiments.). At one point, I recall Zach, Sarah, Brandon, and myself all on this piece of wood trying to not shift our weight too much as to throw the system off balance. Though not everyone was there everytime we did this, I do know for a fact that I partook in the experiment for about 45 minutes, total. It was fun, and I certainly laughed my ass off a lot. I think we kept the system in equilibrium for a few brief moments, but nothing long enough to actually say that we fully accomplished our goal. By the way, it gets MUCH more interesting if you're holding your drink in one hand, and trying to not spill it.

On a side note, Saturday Night Live is nothing like it used to be. There are too many new faces on the show, and the bad part is, when I see the faces, they're not funny. I see no future Mike Myers', Eddie Murphy's, or Chevy Chase's coming from this line-up. Also, if there's one thing that you must never EVER forget in life, it's that Bono is, and always will be, the main focus of the performance.

As the evening wound down, and the last drinks were taken, I found myself on in the living room with Zach watching Farenheit 9/11. I vaguely remember key parts of the movie, and I didn't catch all of it because I fell asleep, but I've made it MORE of a point to actually sit down and watch it sometime. I can never fully immerse myself in anything (aside from music...both listening to, and performing) when I'm drunk.

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Since this week brings about Thanksgiving, I don't think I'll post anything else until I get back from home. It's a sad state of affairs when you go home for Thanksgiving and intend to spend the majority of your time AWAY from home. Perhaps my sense of family values hasn't kicked in yet...

Until next time.

Three Dream Sequences and One Faded Memory

2004-11-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

[pardon any grammatical errors...This is copied directly from the .txt file I wrote it in this morning.]

Me and Tabitha were driving to Muncie to see Beth. Tabitha was just along for the drive...to keep me company. On the drive up, I did my best to get ahold of beth by calling her on my cell phone, but every time I called, I would get a busy signal, or I would almost crash because I wasn't paying attention to the road. It seems like the drive lasted the whole 2 1/2 hours it takes to get up there.

When I arrived in Muncie, it was just me in the car. When I got on the off ramp from the interstate, all the directions I know now, were reversed. Instead of turning right off the ramp, I knew I had to turn left.

I got to Beth's and was able to get inside without anyone letting me in. The house itself looked more like Dallas' house with steps that greet you right as you come through the door. While in there, I realized that it's like 8 o'clock in the morning, and I have to be at work in a few hours...So I need to keep this visit quick.

I yelled for Beth, and someone appeared behind me suddenly. It was a young girl...late teens, early 20s...she had short brown curly hair. REALLY curly, like a tight perm. Her reactions were kind of creepy as she just sat there and stared just to the side of me. I told her "I'm not a burglar, I'm just looking for Beth."

RIGHT when I yelled "Beth" again I heard rustling behind me...The direction I was facing before the brown-haired girl appeared...and Beth surfaces from the kitchen. Her face was all red, as were her eyes, and she was extremely puffy. I want to think that she had dark blue rings around her eyes as well. She told me that she had stayed up all night talking with some guy and his kid. The kid fell asleep, so they were just up all night by themselves. She said "he's out front in his truck if you want to see him."

I looked outside, and the guy appeared to be an older lad...About mid-late 30's with a Burt Reynolds appearance. The hair, the moustache...

Parts after this are a bit fuzzy...

-I remember telling Beth I have to get to work, and heading back home. Tabitha was back in the car with me again. I don't know where she went, or where she came from.

-Tabitha and I felt like we needed to get alcohol at some point. We stopped at a shopping center type thing that consisted of two stores. The one on the left was an car parts shop (kinda like Pep Boys, or Auto-Zone), and the other was a HUGE liquor outlet. The buildings were roughly the same size, with the same designs on the walls, except a few disinguishing ones to let people know which store is which. On top of the buildings, they had orange christmas light going all the way around the building. One was darker orange, while the other was a lighter orange.

-This next one was before my Beth dream.

I had bought a jeep cherokee because I was tired of my other car, and the price was right. (this entire dream focused around the concept of money, and how it runs everything...capitalism.) The guy that sold me the car got really drunk one night and was so excited that I bought it from him, so he gave me DOUBLE my money back just because he was so happy.

At the time, I remember thinking "Is this car possessed or haunted or something?" Why I didn't just assume there was something mechanically wrong with it, I don't know.

I went into a shopping center that kind of resembles the grocery store just up the road from me, but they had items like you'd find at a wal mart or something...The inside was opened up like a wal mart or meijer.

While I was in there, I had some weird thoughts...Visuals that really stick with me...I was a small child, and I was playing in a field with two GIANT hills locking me in. kind of like a small valley. All I had in the field to play with was a slide. The memories are very shady, and very gray...I can't recall them that well.

Anyway, I approached this lady with my planned purchases, but she was taking every other customer but me. I figure I had enough time, so I went out into my car and counted my money. I can see why I did this because I really hate counting my money in front of people...especially if I have a lot in my wallet. Since I had just got something like 2000 dollars from that one guy in cold hard cash, I had to count my money in private. When I went back inside, the lady no longer occupied a check-out lane, but she was at a jewelry counter.

After that moment, I can't really distinguish between the money dream, and the beth dream.

There was another dream where I was at Olive Garden but it was a real fancy restaurant, and every person I served was being really difficult, or a total jackass. Not that magnificent of a dream, but I recall it anyway. I was serving a table of four. two guys and their respective girlfriends. The host of the group asked me if it would be okay if they paid part in cash, and the rest in credit. I told him yes. ...the only reason I can think of this as being interesting is that this is the only payment combination I have yet to receive. I have to work tonight, so I'll see if it comes up.

Yet Another Compilation Track-Listing

2004-11-15T01:13:00.000-05:00

This time around, I composed two seperate CDs simultaneously. The first being a hodge podge of great songs, and the other consisting of dance tracks (though most of the songs fall into the "Trance" category).

CD 1

Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo

Radiohead - Pyramid Song

North Mississippi Allstars - Goin' Down South

Cake - Going the Distance

Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze

Madonna - Love Profusion

Flogging Molly - Devil's Dance Floor

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

The Doors - Love Her Madly

Sublime - Same in the End

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky

Umbra Et Imago - Lieber Gott (feat. Peter Heppner)

Jamiroquai - Alright

Cat Apple Williams - Aviso!

Alice in Chains - Would? (Unplugged)

Violent Femmes - Add it Up

White Stripes - Now Mary

Terrorgruppe - Namen Vergessen

Liam Lynch - We're All-Nighters

Steven Wright - Run to You (So Goes)

CD 2

Trance Opera - Oleantus

Darude - Touch Me, Feel Me

trance[]control - Göthenburg Sound

Kai Tracid - Trance and Acid

DJ Shadow - Organ

Earl of Locsley - Nature

Datura - Fade to Grey

Driftwood - Anything Goes

DJ Rap - Rhythm

Transa - Supernova

Trance Opera - Conquest of Paradise

Paul Oakenfold - Real Nightmare

Astral Projection - Chaos

I'll be back to post something more worthwhile later. If not later tonight, then tomorrow probably.

Wrapping My Head Around "Vanilla Sky"

2004-11-14T02:13:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, a little background:

I first saw Vanilla Sky roughly 3 years ago when it first came out on DVD. I had never seen the movie before I bought it, and it was basically an impulse buy. I had heard many comments on the movie prior to purchasing it, and they all weighed heavily on the Balance of Judgment that exists within my mind. Apparently, people either loved or hated the movie. When this is the case, I've found, my sentiments closely resemble the former. Vanilla Sky was no exception to the rule, as my first viewing left me in a universe of pondering and conclusion-drawing that I hadn't experienced in some time.

And now, a brief summary (from imdb.com) of the movie to perhaps give you an idea of what I'm working with (If you've seen the movie, ignore the next paragraph):

"During the week he turns 33, NYC magazine publisher David Aames, a playboy who has strange dreams, spends a night of passion with Julie, "a friend he sometimes sleeps with," and a night with Sofia, a witty, knowing dancer with a Spanish accent - a night with intimations of love. David is charming, rich (his mother's Monet, "Vanilla Sky" is in his bedroom), and feckless: he inherited the magazines and his minority partners want him out. Jump ahead: he's in jail, wearing a prosthetic mask, talking to a sympathetic psychologist to get at the truth behind a death. Who has died? How? And who's Ellie? Popping up often on TV is Benny, a dog who survived for months frozen in ice."

Now, while that is a "teaser" of sorts, I will practically give the story-line away with the rest of this post. So, if you've not seen the movie and/or you'd rather draw your own conclusions from the ending, please stop reading...or don't.

As Vanilla Sky comes to a close, and David has leapt from the building after (apparently) making his final decision, I'm STILL clogged with thoughts of "what about this..." and "maybe he just...." However, tonight's viewing (the first in almost a year) has shed quite a bit of light on the matter. While questions remain, I feel my conclusion is sound.

When Aames was standing atop the building with Sofia, you can sense that they are sharing a moment. Before, I interpreted this moment to be one of lovers reunited (remember, he thought he had killed her). I now see what this moment really is. It's a time for them to find closure. David knows he can no longer be with Sofia in reality, so he would rather cease this masturbation of mortality and, in is own words, "live a normal life." You can think of this as a happy or sad ending based on your views of romance. Personally, it is love in it's purest form. While David is fully aware that he could continue on with his lucid dream and lead a glorious "life" with Sofia, he is much more content knowing there were once exchanges of true love, and those can never be replicated by any means. Keeping in mind that it is 150 years in the future, and Sofia is long since dead, David is left with a choice. To perpetually dream about being with Sofia, or to wake up and live a life with the beautiful memories of a story-book love. While my personal convictions do come into play while drawing my conclusions, I feel it impossible to fathom this movie ending any other way. David accepts reality, and dares not disturb the memories by continuing the charade. Leaping from the building, David is set free from the stranglehold of the lucid dream, and awakens to his new life.

Prior to tonight, I had other thoughts concerning the outcome of David's liberation.

One ending left David in bed having only dreamt of the murder case, and tech support. We all know dreams can get pretty crazy, so why not THAT crazy.

The other ending comes as a result of David wanting to start anew. Everything goes right back to the beginning of the movie so he can have a fresh start. Perhaps the least favorable of my assumptions, but it has remained a strong player since I first saw Vanilla Sky.

All in all, Vanilla Sky has definitely proven itself to be a catalyst for introspection on numerous occasions. Though I have seen it many times, I am still forced to contemplate life on many levels after viewing it. This time, the question, and possible answers of "How real is reality?" have been thrown around my head like a ragdoll of the selfish. Each thought leads to a dead-end which, in turn, forces me to re-think my entire system of analysis.

Row, row, row, your boat
gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.
Life is but a dream.

Post-Drunken Depression

2004-11-13T01:08:00.000-05:00

I just arrived back from Zach's where, upon arrival, I was inundated with offerings of alcohol and musical outlet. The crave for making music was the first of the accruing pleasures to take hold. It began long before I arrived, and lasted until I got there. At first, it was good fun. People were around, so it kind of dragged along after a while (people talking in the background of a recording is not so pleasurable).

Then, there was the alcohol. First it was Elijah Craig, then two Budweisers, then several shots of the evil EVIL so-called "beverage," tequila. With my first drink containing half Vanilla Coke, half Elijah Craig, I was more-or-less thrust into drunken stupor without first attaining that beautiful state of mind often coined "buzzing." I was stumbling, I was singing, and, all the while, I continued drinking.

Budweiser is a foul, cruel, and watery beer. It lacks flavor, and has a tendency to bend you to it's will. Fortunate enough for me, I was able to partake in the tequila sampling before I could let the Budweiser grab me by the hand and lead me to the restroom.

Jose Cuervo: While he is typically a no-good fiend, I believe it was his presence that enabled me to uphold mannerisms that are becoming of a lad my age. While we were taking the shots, everyone left it all to three individuals. Craig, Zach, and myself. The group thinned out, and there we were. Pondering the boundaries of sentience, taking an unknown amount of shots, and cursing the lemon juice.

As the night progressed, I devloped a headache and had to lay down. Be it from the alcohol or sleep deprivation, I don't know. I do remember going to sleep around 7 a.m. with the sweet sounds of the history channel ushering me away to dreamland.

After Zach and I woke up around 3 p.m today, we sat around for a bit and went off to Waffle House for some late breakfast. I did a lot of thinking in-between talking and eating. Contemplative depths that I often reserve for late at night, when I'm certain to be alone for an extended period of time. I'm not sure what came over me, but I had this sinking feeling..."I need to get out." Not out of the situation I was in at the time; that was quite enjoyable. Rather, I have to get out of this situation I've transplanted myself into. It's unnecessary for me to go into depth here, as that's not the purpose of this post.

After we paid the kind lady at Waffle House, we headed off to some hippy shop...The name escapes me right now...something Bay...Botany Bay? I think that's it. Anyway, that place was quite interesting. Tie-dye as far as the eye could see, and quite a diverse selection of incense. So diverse, in fact, they even had "Pussy" scent. I was dumbfounded. Out of sheer curiosity, I grabbed a stick and took a whif. Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasurable aroma I could imagine filling my room with, but, as they say, different strokes... Anyway, they were playing Led Zeppelin over the radio, and I recall one guy commenting "Man, Robert Plant always sounds like he's all: 'Listen how high I can get!' " Given the surroundings, I just couldn't help but notice the double meaning of the man's sentence. Mildly humorous.

We left the hippy shop for Wal-Mart. While there, we ended up in the candle section. I like to visit this area of stores when I go simply because I like to see what they have to offer. I make no secret of it that I burn candles almost every night, and I like to keep my mind open as to what I burn. My personal favorite, however, has always been "Rainforest." It has a crisp, sweet smell to it, and it doesn't smack you in the face if you're walking into the room for the first time after the candles have been lit. It's very welcoming. Anyway, I'm starting to think Wal Mart stopped carrying them. On more than one occasion (probably on the order of 4 or 5) I've gone into a Wal Mart specifically looking for these candles, and have been unable to find them. This is not a good thing, as Wal Mart was the only place I could find them. Sure, there may be other candles called "Rainforest" but they don't smell quite like the ones at Wal Mart. I believe the brand was Home-Stays or something like that...Whatever monopolized, store-brand candles they carry.

Moving along...

After we left Wal Mart, we headed back to Zach's. We recorded a few more songs, and I headed out. The drive back was cold and unnerving. I hate northern Kentucky. It's the devil's playground.

My Personal Collection of "Top Five..." Lists: Part 1

2004-11-10T02:53:00.000-05:00

Nearly everything is linked. Click them to see things that aren't here.

Top Five Movies One Must See (and enjoy) Before I Can Consider Them "Properly Exposed:"

5. Kung Pow
4. Clerks
3. Contact
2. Glory Daze
1. Napoleon Dynamite

Top Five Artists/Songs Everyone Must Be Familiar With:

5. Mr. Bungle - The Girls Of Porn
4. Jamiroquai - Canned Heat
3. Traditional Irish Folk - Finnigan's Wake - listen to the song playing on that site.
2. Klaus Badelt - Barbossa is Hungry - There's a track listing to the left with audio samples.
1. The Doors - Hyacinth House

Top Five Websites To Visit Daily

5. ArsTechnica
4. MSNBC.com
3. memepool
2. Google - search for a new topic everyday, and learn something new goddamnit.
1. SomethingAwful

Top Five Non-Alcoholic Beverages

5. Wild Cherry Capri Sun
4. Bellini Iced Tea
3. Mountain Dew
2. Water
1. Mountain Dew again

Top Five Alcoholic Beverages

5. Samuel Adams Pale Ale
4. Power Drill (vodka and ruby red grape fruit juice)
3. Gin and Tonic
2. George Killian's Irish Red
1. Rain Vodka

Top Five Books Everyone Should Read

5. Hyperspace by Michio Kaku
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. Alpha and Omega by Charles Seife
2. Poetry of the Universe by Robert Osserman
1. The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson

Well, chums, that's all for this installment. Come back next time when we try to submerge Saturn in a very Large bathtub.

Audioscrobbler

2004-11-08T04:03:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled onto a site that may be of interest to anyone reading this.

Audioscrobbler is a site that tracks your mp3 playing stats. Now, rather than try to explain it myself, I'll just quote the description found on the front page...Which is kind of redundant when you consider I just gave you a link to their front page. Anyway:

"Audioscrobbler builds a profile of your musical taste using a plugin for your media player (Winamp, iTunes, XMMS etc..). Plugins send the name of every song you play to the Audioscrobbler server, which updates your musical profile with the new song. Every person with a plugin has their own page on this site which shows their listening statistics. The system automatically matches you to people with a similar music taste, and generates personalised recommendations."

Sounds pretty neat, huh? I thought so too. Go check it out.

You can find my Audioscrobbler profile here.

The Ultimate Irish Folk Collection

2004-11-08T02:45:00.000-05:00

I initially started composing this collection for a friend of mine who has a mutual love for Irish folk music, then I began to realize that I was embarking on a quest that would lead me to the holy grail of Irish folk music collections. Allow me to preface my track listing with the following: While I know that a lot of these songs are "Traditional" irish tunes, I felt that the performances I feature are the best of the best. If you happen to know of a better performance for any song, please let me know.

Ladies and Germs, I now present to you the official track-listing of "The Ultimate Irish Folk Collection."

CD 1

Irish Rovers - If You're Irish Medley

Irish Rovers - The Moonshiner (Rambler, Gambler)

Clancy Brothers - Brennon on the Moor

The Crossing - The Hag and Humours

The Irish Ceili Band - Fiddler's Green

Irish Rovers - Pub with no beer

Dubliners - Tramps and Hawkers

Irish Rovers - Donald, Where's Your Trousers?

Clancy Brothers - The Wild Colonial Boy

Dubliners - Swallow's Tail Reel

The Blarney Lads - I'll Tell Me Ma

Irish Rovers - Drunk Scotsman

Dubliners - McAlpine's Fusiliers Behan

Irish Rovers - Rattlin' Bog

Irish Rovers - Drunken Sailor

Irish Rovers - Wild Rover

Irish Rovers - Whiskey on a Sunday

The Crossing - Endurance

Irish Rovers - Orange and the Green

Irish Rovers - Dublin Reel

CD 2

Irish Rovers - Come In

Clancy Brothers - Mountain Dew

The Blarney Lads - Muirsheen Durkin

Dubliners - High Reel

Irish Rovers - Blow the Man Down

Minstrels of Mayhem - Beer

Clancy Brothers - Old Maid in the Garrett

Minstrels of Mayhem - Queen of Argyle

The Irish Ceili Band - Scarce O'Tatties

Clancy Brothers - Jug of Punch

Clancy Brothers - All for me Grog

The Irish Ceili Band - Three Young Ladies Drinking Whiskey Before Breakfast

Dubliners - Home Boys Home

Waxies Dargle - Cod-Liver Oil/Coolies

Craftsmen - An Rince

Clancy Brothers - When We Were Under the King

Dubliners - Mrs. McGrath

The Crossing - Jiggle the Handle

Waxies Dargle - Docherty's Reel

Minstrels of Mayhem - Raggle Taggle Gypsy

Paddy's Irish Clan - Fuck the British Army

Minstrels of Mayhem - Rocky Road to Dublin

While some of those tunes may not be pure Irish (The Crossing, and Minstrels of Mayhem are from the states), they are worthy of being on this CD simply because I think they're kick-ass. So, don't ask questions. =)

Halloween Compilation

2004-10-31T14:04:00.000-05:00

I compiled a CD for Halloween. Just finished it, actually. In making it, I wanted to stay away from the "norms" or halloween music (Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for example). I did the best I could, but there are a few obvious ones that were bound to find their way onto it.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Dio - Heaven And Hell (6:58)
2. Misfits - Dig Up Her Bones (3:01)
3. A.F.I. - The Lost Souls (2:43)
4. The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings (4:17)
5. King Diamond - Family Ghost (4:05)
6. Rammstein - Halleluja (3:38)
7. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (live) (4:35)
8. Rob Zombie - Spookshow Baby (3:38)
9. Bobby Prince - Demons On The Prey (2:39)
10. Liam Lynch - We're All Nighters (3:00)
11. Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time (2:54)
12. Mr. Bungle - Carousel (5:13)
13. Nirvana - Lake of Fire (2:55)
14. Violent femmes - Country death song (5:02)
15. Macabre Minstrels - The Geins (3:23)
16. Mr. Bungle - Ars Moriendi (4:10)
17. The Misfits - Where Eagles Dare (2:08)
18. Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl (3:21)
19. Danzig - Possession (3:56)
20. Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave (5:17)

When you're making a CD like this, it gets to the point where you want to add every Rob Zombie, Danzig, Dio, or Misfits song you come across...It was hard not to.