Connection Conniption

I'm more than a bit annoyed right now. For some reason my internet connection is seriously lagging behind. But as Merlin Mann would so, this is very much a "first-world problem". Which I fully understand. So I'm trying desperately to maintain a sane perspective on the situation. :P But I can't. ;) I just hate it when things aren't operating as they should. This might be understandable if I were on DSL, but I'm not. We have a cable internet connection here. This shouldn't be happening! Help me!!! :P :(

I'm frustrated, annoyed and definitely not in the mood to be blogging right now. If you're diving the Net smoothly right now, consider yourself lucky. Don't take your fortune for granted. Look upon my pitiable situation and count your blessings. :P Give thanks to the Digital Gods and live a happy life. ;) :P

I was you once. You will be me.

DS333, stalled.

Point Of No Return

I really need to make an effort to start reading more analog media. I used to, but I've fallen out of the habit. For a long time my reading material could easily be broken up into two categories: magazines & books. Nothing revolutionary. As far as magazines went, my focus was singular. I only subscribed to GQ. When it came to books my interests were wide and varied. But once I latched onto a book, I made sure to stay within a particular theme. I'd usually stick with an author or series.

So this is the way things went. I would receive a new GQ in the mail and read it cover to cover. I'd say, on average, that would take about a week or two. Once I had that GQ in my grasp, that's the only thing I would read until it was finished. Once it was finished, I had the rest of the month to read whatever else I wanted to. That usually meant the current book I was reading. But once a new GQ came in the mail, I'd put the book on the back burner until I was finished with the magazine and then I would continue on with the book. If I finished, I always made sure to have another book on hand and the cycle would continue.

I loved this system, if only because it was a system. Plus, as systems went this was elegant and simple. If anything it was better than an ordered chaos. Which is where I am now. Ever since I started this project, things have gone all topsy-turvy. Well maybe that's not true. Things became undone a long time ago. I just stopped reading my GQ magazines and they kept piling up and up. Things are out of control and I'm sooo far behind. And being the guy that I am, I can't let go. I must do what I set out to do. Or rather, if I want to continue reading this magazine (which I really do) I must read everything in order. At the moment, though, that's a very tall order. I'm at least a full year behind on the issues. I really need to make a decision right now. Actually I've already made the decision, I just need to execute. If I don't follow through, I'll be so far behind I'll have no way of catching up.

I'm gonna start small and see if I can just sit down for an hour each day and see if I can't chip away at this massive wall of paper. If things are progressing nicely I might bump it up a notch. I'm not exactly sure what reading one hour a day amounts to when it comes to getting through one of these issues, but I hope it's enough. My hope is that I can at least take care of 1.5 issues worth of reading a month. In my wildest dreams, two issues per month. I just need enough to catch up.

As I've said... all of this is a must. Because of the system I've laid out in my head, I haven't been able to read anything. Nothing analog anyway. I haven't read a book in over a year. Which is very sad. Especially when I think of how well I was working my way through The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell. I need to get back to that. And getting back there means getting through these magazines. I need to. And I can't turn back.

DS333, planning.

001.159.365

• I completely beat Super Mario Galaxy tonight! :D It entailed beating the game as Mario with 120 Power Stars which unlocked Luigi. Then beating the game again as Luigi with 120 Power Stars which unlocked The Grand Finale Galaxy. Then scored the final star with Mario & Luigi, the 121st. :D
• Enjoying a pathetic sense of accomplishment tonight. :P :D
• I think I might have to unsubscribe to Lifehacker in Google Reader. :|
• I'm loving Quicksilver all the more these days. Due in large part to fiddling around with the triggers. :D
• I want to learn AppleScript.
  
• I really hate the WGA strike. Which really means I hate corporate America. Those greedy bastards. Avarice will undo this world.
• Biggest sign that I'm an addicted webhead? My brother called me after he was worried about not seeing me post on Twitter for a day. :P
• Not so cold tonight.
• Soon enough the Christmas decorations will go up. *sigh* I fear stepladders coupled with uneven ground. :P
• I hate those dreams that are so intense they make you feel like you haven't slept. Had one of them last night. The highlight (or lowlight, rather) involved me running for my life as I was trying to escape the grasp of lustful, gangbanging truckers. *shivers*
• It's getting harder and harder to torrent these days it seems.
• I wish I could run Leopard. :|
• Time to go to sleep. Or at least wind down for the night. :P

DS333, signing off.

Memory... "Tiger Eyes"

I thought it was sort of funny that a friend of mine recently brought up a trip to Magic Mountain. It was funny in that odd, coincidental sense. For a while now, I've been thinking of sharing this particular memory and it takes place at Magic Mountain. That recent off-hand mention, to me, is a sign that the story is begging to be told.

It's not a great story. Just a simple memory of another stranger. In the same vein of the last. It takes place some years back. Maybe in 2001 or 2002. A relative from Arizona was staying with the family for an extended visit and my older brother decided to take us out to Magic Mountain sometime during that Summer. I'd never been and always harbored a fear for roller coasters, but I wound up having one of the best times of my life. Apparently I'm an adrenaline and speed junkie in that atmosphere. I really took a liking to that entire world. I cast off my usual paranoia and learned to have a good time. I don't think I spent anytime whatsoever conjuring up images of my life ending in the grips of twisted metal. I guess I was having a good day. :P

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Since it was Summer, it was very crowded. Tons of people were at the park. I think you'd be hard pressed to recognize a familiar face throughout the day. It was stranger after stranger. Though, if I had the opportunity to see these strangers in a line up, I might be able to recognize one of them.

If I were given a map of the park I might be able to pinpoint where this took place. That's the kind of impression he left that day. I remember clearly the idea of food, but I'm not sure if that's because we were looking for a place to eat or if we had just finished eating. Whatever the case, for a few moments the hustle and bustle of the crowds broke. Broke for enough time to reveal him to me. I don't know who he is, who he was with, where he was going, etc. He was just this guy, this stranger. For the most part, I might say no more remarkable than the rest of us. As beautiful and as humble as any other. Except for his eyes.

He had the most... well... I don't even feel comfortable quantifying this sort of beauty. Maybe not the most beautiful eyes ever formed, but enough to leave an impression unlike any other. I thought tiger. That's all I could think. They were the most peculiar shape, size... very unique. I'd never seen anything like them. They were tiger eyes. That's the only way that I can describe them and the only way I've chosen to refer to them since.

It's funny how that happens. How we leave impressions without ever knowing it. He's played a unique role in my universe. Well not him, but his eyes at least. Like I said, I didn't know him. It was the shock and awe of the experience that I was left with. So don't get me wrong, I'm not pining away for him or those eyes. The memory is only there because... well, they were just so unique. It's hard to forget something you've never seen before. Especially when that something is so beautiful.

I don't typically draw portraits of people, but I have been meaning to interpret these eyes through my art. The shock, the awe, the beauty, the serendipity, the obliviousness, etc. I need to pin it down somehow. It's been years and I still haven't found a way around it or through it. It's just there. The thought and the memory. Floating like a cloud, waiting to take shape and rain down on me. It'll come though. Eventually...

DS333, waiting.

Film Fetish: "Monster Squad"

Monster Squad (1987)
- directed by Fred Dekker



In this classic 80's horror-fantasy children's film, iconic movie monsters, led by Dracula, gather and join forces in a simple suburban town bent on seeking out and destroying a magical amulet which houses the power to banish their evil from the world once every hundred years. On the eve of this night, the Monster Squad (a group of young kids obsessed and schooled on classic monster cinema) learn of Dracula's intentions and are determined to stop him and save the world from his evil.

This isn't a new film for me. As I said, this is an 80's classic. And as a child of the 80's I've seen my fair share of this movie countless times before. ;) That said, it's been years and years since I've seen it again. That's due to the fact that no one's been able to own it on DVD... ever. That is until now. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the film, it was released on DVD as a 2-disc edition.

As much as I love this film, I'm aware enough to realize that I'm biased by nostalgia. I don't know that I'd whole-heartedly recommend this movie to a new viewer. The concept is decent enough. And much of the charm of the film is still intact. But it's a children's film in the end, and a dated one at that. Though, I gotta say that I was impressed by how well the special effects held up after all these years. But again, my view is a warped one. It's very hard for me to criticize this movie. It's a little slice of geek heaven. I can't imagine anyone hating the movie, but I don't know that a new viewer would fall head-over-heels in love with it either. It's a real toss-up.

7.5/10 In my heart of hearts I wanna give this at least an 8, but objectively I might give it a 6... it's hard to say who would enjoy this. Definitely geeks, horror fans and children of the 80's... children in general, in fact. A charming little movie in the tradition of Goonies, but with an edge. :D

DS333, nostalgic.

001.156.365

• Taco Boy tacos are the best tacos on Earth. Yum. :D And they've got some mean fries too. Damn, now I'm hungry! :P
• Finally watched Little Children (2007) tonight. It's been a long time coming. It was great, but emotionally exhausting for me.
• I think Howard Stern is back from his vacation, but I didn't get to the live stream in time to listen live from the beginning. :(
• Been going to bed later and later again. Ooops.
• I've got a lot thoughts buzzing around my head, but I don't feel like sharing them right now.
• I'm sleepy.
• Goodnight.

DS333, sweepy (baby talk for "sleepy" :P ).

Temperature & Temperament

I think it's officially that time again. We Californians have truly left Summer behind and are neck deep in the chill of Winter. Which means I've stopped bitching about the heat, and I'll start whining about the chill. :P

Though, I probably won't whine much. I actually prefer to be cold than hot. There's so much about the heat and being hot that I can't stand. One of my most favorite creatures in all the world actually prefers the reverse; loves the heat. That I don't get. I mean I guess I sorta do. There are aspects of it that I can love. Though, that's only really the case when I'm with someone... if you get my meaning. ;) The sweat, the hot flesh, the warm breath, etc. In that instance, heat is very sexy. But for the majority of the time... heat isn't experienced that way. :P

So I hate Summer. And now we're in Winter and the only problem I have with the cold is the immobilization you experience. Sometimes I feel paralyzed. I want nothing more to do than hop into bed, wrap myself in my covers and hibernate. All warm and cozy-like. It's actually that, that makes me love the cold. I love being cozy. Being warm. Being... I don't know what you call that. I don't think they've made a word for that feeling. :P Whatever it is, it feels great. It's also so much easier to get warm than cool. Oh yeah, I love to wear jackets as well. Another plus for Winter. ;)

Anyway, I was miserable and now I'm happy. I was hot and now I'm cold. I was there and now I'm here. I was him and now I'm him. Crazy human. ;)

DS333, chilling in the chill.

Spark

This happens a lot. Every now and then I'm struck with wonder at the way the world works. In every form. Mostly, though, when it involves technology. At least three times a week, when I sit down to e-mail or instant message, I'm lost in awe at what's actually happening. When you break it down, it's pretty incredible. To think of how easy it is to communicate with people worlds away. That alone is a triumph of the modern world and food for thought for another post. The other thought concerns the system underlying these wonders.

It's the structures behind structures that I'm always interested in. People are more interesting and mysterious than usual in this context. Say with strangers, superficially, they're just talking heads. But of course they're more than that. They're stories layered upon stories; experiences. Neuroses upon neuroses. The talking is informed by this rich, grand structure... their lives. What's motivating people? What's the meaning behind the talk? Everything is more than it is. Meeting someone new opens up my mind in this way. And it's not meant to be an objectification by any means. It's the fact that they're new that calls to mind the structures, because there's so much there to fill in. When you're in the dark the mind begins to conjure. Getting to know people, filling in the gaps, makes them more... I don't know. I'm at a loss. I'm not a writer. :P Words aren't my medium. ;)

The point is that I'm fascinated by systems, complexes and structures. And the reason I bring this up is that the thought is more... again, my vocabulary is lacking. I would much rather draw what I mean. :P Lemme try this again. Having had the iPod touch for a while now, the thought is at the forefront of my mind. I would say the greatest gift I ever received was a Panasonic discman. It wasn't so much the device that touched me, it was more about what it allowed. Which was a way to develop a more intimate relationship with music. Everyone around the world can relate to the power of music, though our relationships are all varied, unique and personal. For me, it's a way to strengthen, refine and accentuate certain thoughts, feelings and visions. It also helps to weaken, bludgeon and mute them. It shapes and molds. This helps to better express myself through my art. Music is very inspiring. I've heard of many musicians being inspired by the visual arts. Interesting that the sonic inspires the visual as well. A thought for another post.

The discman was the first in a long line of... gee, I don't know what I would call them. Gatekeepers. Conduits. Doorways. etc (again, everything is more than it is). I received the iPod Shuffle as a gift some years back... the first generation model that I christened Joey-Bot. Then came the second generation iPod Nano I named The Thin Man. And if you've been a reader of this blog in the last few days you've probably heard of my new baby, Narcissus (first generation iPod Touch). Each of these (insert term here) have become integral parts of my life. In so many ways. I won't go into them now. For now, it's enough to know that because I love them so much I spend a lot of time with them. I always have one of 'em on hand. There's a constant interaction going on. With Narcissus though, it's... so amazing because of what the interaction inspires. It's sparks all of these ideas. The wonders of technology and the modern age. The architecture of systems and structures. But more so than any other (insert term here :P ), it illuminates the way in which all these wonders work in concert.

It was the idea of spark that got me brewing tonight. I've being going off on tangents I know, but that's just the way my mind works (or wanders :P ). Being with Narcissus, holding it, touching it, interacting with it... I couldn't help but think about the electric interplay going on. There's the spark in my brain which informs the body to move my arms, eyes and hands to touch. This spark travels through my fingers and into Narcissus which fires off a flurry of activity within his own body. The media itself is all spark... all digital; 1's and 0's. This is summoned and the spark travels through his face for me to view; that spark burns and dances across his face in the form of light which my eyes interpret as signals, electric. The spark travels back to my brain and feeds the soul. But the spark not only finds it's way to his face, but to his mouths as well, in the form of headphones. The spark travels a metal highway encased in a plastic tunnel and explodes in an electric cacophony interpreted as a symphony of sound by my ears which again relay the spark to the brain and to the soul. It's astounding. There's so much to digest. There's the cyclical nature of it all to ponder. The transmutation. The interaction. The fluidity of complex systems working is perfect harmony. But more than anything, the wonder and mystery of it all.

DS333, electrified.

001.153.365

• I beat Super Mario Galaxy! Again! ;) But this time I collected every single Power Star. All 120 of 'em. :D Now, every gaming news outlet opted not to spoil the special extra you get when you truly complete the game and I choose to do the same, but I will say that I think it's pretty slick. :D
• Turkey Day! I'm stuffed. I wonder how much I'll gain. :P
• I don't have much on my mind tonight, save for sleep. I wanna hit the sack. (-_-)zzZZZ
• Oh yeah... I really love my iPod touch. :D I've really become accustomed to the controls... feels like I've had the thing for years. God I love that machine. Feels so good to have it in my hands. :D
• Watched my first episode of Tim Gunn's Guide To Style. It's a mediocre version of What Not To Wear. But it's not terrible. It's got the Gunn after all. :P ;)
• Okay, time for bed.
• Goodnight all you turkeys. :P

DS333, stuffed.

Linkage ~ "Fabjectory"

Another late post. I'm dead-tired right now. Family's coming over to our place for Thanksgiving "tomorrow". :D Unfortunately that means a lot of prep for us cats over here. For the better part of the day I was summoning the spirits of Mei & Satsuki Kusakabe. But it was cool, I forget how fun it could be to clean. ;)

In honor of all my obsessive Wii time this past week I thought I'd give a shout-out to Fabjectory. They're an online vendor that specializes in giving physical form to your virtual avatars. I've been in love with the idea of having my very own Mii statue ever since I visited their site. It seems affordable enough and I would've probably tried the service out by now but I don't have my own credit card. :| If you do though, and you're as geeky as I am maybe you'll wanna pick one up for yourself. ;)

DS333, Mii tired. :P

Latest Love <3 "Maruchan Ramen"

My apologies. This post is coming out really late. Again. This of course is do to another of my latest loves... Super Mario Galaxy. Much of everything but that game has come to a stand-still. :P I expect that'll be the case for the next few days. ;) But on the plus side, I have been looking to pare down these posts and my lack of time has forced me to do so. This will be short and sweet. ;) By the by, I just beat Super Mario Galaxy a few minutes ago. Not bad huh? ;) Well actually I haven't truly beat the game. As any Mario fan will tell you, you haven't gotten to the end until you've collected 120 stars. I've got 50 more to go. :D

So I was at the grocery store the other day and I couldn't help myself when I happened upon the ramen noodles. Now, usually I eat... uhhh... I actually forget the brand, but the product has "Cup" in the title. Anyway, it's nothing special. Just noodles in a cup. But recently, in the past couple of months, my Mom got me hooked on spicy ramen. She has this brand that she likes to eat. The name escapes me again. But it comes in a styrofoam bowl. Now usually I'm not one for spicy anything. In fact, I'm a real pussy when it comes in ingesting spice. The mildest of chili gets my nose running and produces a steady flow of beads of sweat on my nose.

But the spice that came pre-packaged with my Mom's spicy noodles was divine. I can't take the full dosage. But the right mix sends me to heaven. ;) I still suffer the side-effects, but it's well worth it. Anyway, those noodles are hard to come by and quite expensive for a single serving in my humble opinion.

So while I was at the grocery store I was amazed to see a wide variety of flavors within my grasp. From two brands. The Cup one and Maruchan. Neither is the original spicy ramen I fell in love with. But I thought I would gamble and experiment. So... I've never really been fond of the Cup. And Maruchan is a call back to the days of yore. :P Something I used to eat years and years ago and just haven't since for some reason. Anyway I was sold on the big M when I started to get nostalgic, plus I couldn't resist their awesome kawaii-errific logo. So I picked up seven packs of theri chili-flavored ramen (Hey! It was incredibly inexpensive. Don't look at me like that. :P ). OMG! I had some tonight. It was fuckin' awesome. Not the same as the spicy ramen I fell in love with... it was even better. I forgot how damn good that ramen tasted. The prep is longer since it's not instant. But having to breaking out the pots and bowls is well worth it for that taste and texture. :D You should try it. ;)

Maruchan Ramen. And it's tasty too! ;)

DS333, not such a bad post after all. :P

p.s. I would've linked to their official site, but it's in Japanese. :P

001.150.365

• Super Mario Galaxy landed on my doorstep today! Thank you Amazon and The United States Postal Service! ;) Thank you for satiating my hunger for Italian plumbers bouncing around vertigo-inducing worlds. :P :D
• Once I started playing Super Mario Galaxy, I couldn't stop. Sleep is the only thing that has parted me. :P I've just over a third of the way complete. I have 48 of the 120 Power Stars in the game. ;)
• I love Super Mario Galaxy!!! :D
• I didn't read any of my blogs today. At the end of the day always have every item read in Google Reader. Tonight I have 132 new items. D'oh! I got a lot of reading to do tomorrow.
• Gotta get some laundry done tomorrow.
• Tonight's Heroes was fucking awesome. :D
• Okay, that's enough... I can barely keep my eyes open. :P
• Goodnight my fellow satellites. ;)

DS333, *sleepy kitty*.

Nexus

I just came back from Jamba Juice. I went out to try and kill some time. Tomorrow is probably the most anticipated Monday in my life. :P But anyway... I went out to Jamba Juice to tinker around with some sketches. Well, one sketch. Something from Jerry's Book. I haven't been drawing as much as I would like, and when I do, it's usually to work on my Dream Journal. But even that I don't really consider proper drawing in my view, since I'm working with a new medium (colored pencil). It's a bit tricky working on [my] Book, but I'm getting used to it.

It also doesn't feel real since a lot of the drawing I've been doing has been here, at home. Which is nice, but it's not really where I shine. I like being alone within a crowd. That's a general rule, but even more so when I want to create. For the longest time my creative haunt used to be Starbucks. In some ways I guess it still is. It's just that lately I haven't been in the mood for Fraps. The way I order 'em, they're not to be enjoyed in a public setting. I need to get my alchemy on at home when I prepare to experience one of my Frappuccino concoctions. :P So I've been looking for places that are somewhat busy and have a menu of drinks I can enjoy in-store. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf could suffice, but I've always felt somewhat treacherous going to the Coffee Bean given my Starbucks roots. :P Plus, those stores always smell like urine. They always have the worst seating and lighting conditions as well.

Jamba Juice won out since it's all the things that The Coffee Bean is not, plus there's one located near by. Anyway I had a good time. It wasn't as busy as I would like, but it did the trick. I usually need a place to be a hub of activity 'cause I feel the need to absorb an energy about people; a spontaneity. I mean, there are a lot of ideas floating around about why it is important that I be around a group of people when I create. But right now, I don't feel I can accurately pin them down. This belongs to another thought, another time. I'm somewhere else in my head right now. I was going strong but then I got lost in a conversation so my head's too bubbly right now. I got too many thoughts zipping by. Sorry. :P :( This is a lesson learned. I need to pump out these posts in one go. I'm still learning. ;)

DS333, buzzing.

Disappointment

Boy did I set myself up today. :P :( I was sooo sure that the copy of Super Mario Galaxy I ordered from Amazon would arrive in the mail today. It didn't. :( But I only have myself to blame for this disappointment. I don't usually, or rather almost never raise my expectations, but even I can be a little human sometimes. :P So I made the mistake of overestimating the U.S. Postal Service's delivery methods. But I don't mean that as a knock. I'm the one who ordered the game late. Plus, this is the sorta thing you have to brace yourself for when you opt for the free shipping. I saved $5, now I have to wait.

And what a wait it is. I've been dying to play this game for the longest time! Ever since it was first announced! I want it sooo bad! :P Anyway, my hope is that it'll arrive on Monday. The day before the expected time of arrival according to Amazon. Right now I'm telling myself it'll come on Tuesday. I'm not getting my hopes up again. :P Lesson learned. ;) In the meantime I'm gonna try not to think of the game... but that's sure to fail. So maybe I'll dive headfirst into it by absorbing every game review I can find. :P

Oh how I wish I could time-travel. :P

DS333, anxious.

001.147.365

• Spaghetti! And I didn't even get pasta sauce on my white shirt. How 'bout that? I can't remember the last time that wasn't the case. Or was. I'm confused. :P I'm messy when it comes to pasta. ;)
• I caught up with all my appointment television! Eureka! Though, now I feel like a zombie who wasted a hell of a lot of time. :P Not really, but I don't like sitting too long. Ho hum.
• I think I might watch Little Children tonight. :D
• I've been meaning to look into using HandBrake to rip some DVDs into Narcissus.
• I feel like breaking out the keyboard tonight. The musical variety. The synth.
• Many, many things to do and to be done.
• I need to get into my reading again. The analog media. Magazines and books.
• On a roll tonight. Time to busy myself. ;)
• I hope Super Mario Galaxy arrives in the mail tomorrow!!!

DS333, hopeful.

Projected Projects > "Updates I"

While I was trying to decide what to blog about today I started to think of all the features I had at my disposal. Then I thought it might be time for a Projected Project. But then I seriously started to think about how I hadn't really got anything going. So I just checked the archives and surprisingly, I'm doing quite well. But before I go adding another project to the heap I thought I'd give an update on everything I have in the air so far.

The first thing I ever really mentioned was trying to learn the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout. I'm quite happy to report that I'm pretty much a pro-typer again. ;) Well, I don't know... I'm not quite as fast as I used to be. Not normally. But every now and then I feel myself blazing past any previous speed records I held before. I think what I really need to do is get back to the routine of practicing, using the website I first did when I was getting a handle of the key positions: ABCD - A Basic Course in Dvorak. I really only learned the Home Row and got used to the rest of the key positions over time. I didn't drill them into my mind the same way I did when I was first learning to use QWERTY. On that note, I've just about forgotten everything I knew about the QWERTY layout. That's not a good thing. I wanted to be able to use both layouts with equal ease. But to truly learn Dvorak I had to dedicate several weeks to not using QWERTY. So now you might say my next mini-project will be to familiarize myself with QWERTY again. Let's hope all goes well.

I also mentioned uploading photos to Flickr. I had a pretty good run of steady uploads for a while and then I kinda just stopped. I get lazy. Or rather something else comes along that draws my attention and I forget about everything else for a while. Luckily I built a routine I'm comfortable using when it comes to doing the uploads. My main problem was getting a handle on the tagging, since I wanted them to be as comprehensive as possible. I think I nailed that system. I just need to get back into it again. Hopefully I'll max out my upload limit this month. That'll be my goal. ;)

Speaking of tagging, I also mentioned tagging all my posts to get this blog organized. I've been totally lax there. My plan was to tag as I posted. Which I have been doing. But I also had planned to tag past months posts, once a month. I never got that going. :P I've been real bad. I totally dropped the ball here. So I really need to get on that.

Thankfully I made time for this post 'cause I more or less forgot what I had on my plate and I now I have a clear picture of what it is that I really need to take care of. So that's it. I'm not doing too bad. Though, I'm glad I didn't add anything else today. In fact, I need to shake some things up. Change my routine in a few other areas. Specifically the blogosphere. I need to get Google Reader in shape. I've been keeping up with all the new items and that's precisely the problem... I've subscribed to too many feeds. I need to cut back on some of my subscriptions to allow time to read and do other things. I've been tethered to this machine a bit too much these days. I'll consider that another mini-project. ;)

DS333, maintaining order.

Film Fetish: "Blade Runner: The Final Cut"

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (2007)
- directed by Ridley Scott



Adapted from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? this perennial cyber punk classic is set in 2019 Los Angeles and stars Harrison Ford as Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, a retired detective specializing in detecting and hunting down fully realized androids known as replicants. His services are called upon again when a murderous quartet of replicants hijack a space freighter and make their way back to Earth bent on meeting their creator.

I'm embarrassed to say that as much of a sci-fi fanatic & junkie as I am, this year marked the first time I had seen this film. Luckily for me, the wait paid off. If you know anything about this film you're probably aware that there are a few versions of this film floating around. The Final Cut is meant to be the definitive version. I can say without a doubt it's the most gorgeous looking of all the versions since it's been rescanned to beautiful high definition grade.

I don't know how much I should say about his film since I'm wary about giving away any important plot points to new viewers and retreading old ground with long-time fans. All I really need to say is that this film blew me away on every level. Given that the film is a re-cut of a 1982 one, I was amazed at how well it held together. It's the type of film you could imagine being released today. Very little of the film is dated. In fact, much of the film harbors a sense of familiarity since the work has gone on to inspire many modern sci-fi classics. Every bit of this film is a delight: set design, score, casting, story, etc.

9/10 A must-see for any fan of science fiction, cyber punk and neo noir.

DS333, in awe.

001.144.365

• I wish ants were more like Pikmin.
• I'm falling deeper and deeper in love with Narcissus. :D
• I ordered Super Mario Galaxy from Amazon on Monday. They say they don't expect to ship until the 20th. :( Oh well...
• I really want to get a 100% collection rate in Super Metroid, guess I need to dig up some tutorials/walkthroughs. I've hit the same wall I did back in the 90's. :P
• Transmission finally sussed out their "router death" bug. I'm seeding and diving the Net at the same time! :D
• I've been considering switching back to Leopard once I learned people have resolved their X11 issues and problems running GIMP. To do a third install in almost the same week seems a bit frustrating though. I'll wait a couple of months I think.
• I don't know why I'm still listening to the MacCast. Adam has the worst delivery. Less is more!
• Had some Pioneer Chicken chicken strips. :)
• Tonight's The Biggest Loser was awesome! I love that show.
• Project Runway returns for its new season tomorrow! :D
• I miss Leopard. :(
• My album art on the iPod touch kills me every time. It looks so beautiful. :D
• The touch is an energy whore. Yes, I don't have the WiFi enabled at all times.
• I wish the touch scrobbled.
• I've been putting off Pan's Labyrinth for days now. Looks like I won't get to it tonight. :(
• I'm done for tonight. Goodnight kids. ;)

DS333, blank.

Gratitude

The folks have been sick for what seems like months. Nothing serious, just your garden-variety cold. Though, I would think it would have passed by now. It might have... I think they picked up some more bugs along the way, it is cold season after all.

I feel really bad for them. I hate sickness and can't stand to see them so uncomfortable. As sorry as I am for their discomfort, I'm sooo thankful that nothing's hit me yet. :P I'm so bad when I'm sick. When it hits, it hits hard. It takes me weeks to recover. I guess I gotta work on building up that ol' immune system. Though, I suppose that's not much of a problem this time around since I've been able to stave off those nasty germs. But I don't think my luck will last long.

I sorta feel a headache coming on, coupled with a sharpness in the back of my throat... and now that I think about it, I'm feeling kinda hot tonight. I might be on the brink. :( I don't want to get sick, though I know it's the natural order of things. I'm just thankful I've been able to hold out this long. Whenever I'm in the thick of a cold I always think of the better times and how much I wish I enjoyed it more. I do that all the time. I've done it so much now that I don't think I could be anymore thankful. So I'm sorta approaching the slab willingly this time. I've had a good run, now it's time to pay up. :P :(

But maybe I'm wrong. Could just be a change in the weather... and maybe I've stared too long at the monitor... and a scratch (at the back of the throat) could just be a scratch. At least that's what I'm hoping. As grateful as I am for having been this healthy for so long I wouldn't mind staying that way. I hope I'm not getting sick.

DS333, praying.

Ships Passing In The Night

I've been having these intense dreams lately. Emotionally resonant you might say. They're really forceful and strike to the core. Though, not aggressively so. They just leave a mark in a way that most dreams don't, and I dream a lot so that's saying something. These dreams are special. And it might have more to do with the characters in them than anything else.

It's rare that a dream creature comes along and leaves a lasting impression. We all conjure up these creatures on a nightly basis and we think nothing of it. At least I don't. They're just filler and fodder. People our psyche conjure up to facilitate the movement of the story. I don't think anyone takes special note of a particular face in a throng of millions if you find yourself lost within a crowd in your dream; the crowd is the focus, not the people. But now and again they appear. I think we've all seen and felt them. These special dream creatures, these ships passing in the night. I always wonder who and what they are and lament their passing at the break of a new day. Are they projections of the self? Obscured visions of the people we know in the waking world? I wonder what about them makes them so special; what leaves this lasting effect?

They're very familiar, which leaves me to believe that they could be of the waking world. Perversions or elaborations of the people we know. But these creatures don't seem as complex. That they seem so simple and focused also lead me to believe that they might be fully realized archetypes. But they're more involved and complex... in a way that leads we away from that notion. They're a mixture, a contradiction. They seem too simple to be human, almost vacant. But they also feel great and mythic, just not in a way that they would need to be to be motifs. They're simple and great; an abyss. Very mystery creatures.

As consumed as I am to figure out who they are, I'm fascinated about what they are. They look so human. So fully realized. If asked to, I could spot them in a line-up. Something about that is sooo... something. I don't know what. They have their own voices... their own minds. Ghosts; people from a past life? People here and now; separated by the seas? More than anything I wish I could see them again, but something about what they are makes that impossible I think. They're catalysts in a lot of ways. These creatures not only facilitate the dream story, but our own personal stories. It's all about timing I suppose. We don't need heroes to appear at every turn, nor saviors, nor victims, etc. They appear when they need to. An echo to inspire action. I just don't know what's calling. What's meant by these visitors? To have had three in the last few days is odd. If anything they've proven thought-provoking. I just wish I could see them again...

DS333, in dreams.

001.141.365

• Big day with the whole family! :D
• Had some num num at Jim's Burger #1; an oldie, but a goodie; the tried & true. ;)
• Took forever to go to bed last night. I wonder why? :P
• Spent some nice quality time with my new iPod touch! :D I'm still rebuilding my Mac... adding calendars, photos, bookmarks and such. So Narcissus is still kinda green.
• I watched Monster Squad and Spider Man 2 today.
• Took in some Kuuduk and Uno, two of my favorite card games.
• Rating my iTunes library again... *sigh* :P
• I'm very worried about my hard drive dying for some reason. Ominous!
• Demonoid is shut down. Time to do a mad scramble for another reliable torrent tracker. I hate this game of Cat & Mouse.
• I really wish Finder could see my external hard drive. Thank the maker for Path Finder and it's excellent "eyesight".
• My knees ache. Am I becoming an old man? :|
• One thing that the Leopard install taught me? The power of a visible Dock.
• Gonna have a steak sandwich tonight.
• Many podcasts to catch up with.
• Narcissus can't communicate with iScrobbler.
• There's a lot out there I wanna learn. Need to learn.
• Old memories and emotions are getting the better of me lately. I need a revelation.
• I'm gonna go on a heavy media binge now. I've been slacking off. :P
• I really wish Safari didn't suck ass... the bookmark syncing via .Mac would be a godsend right about now.
• Bye bye. ;)

DS333, testing & tweaking.

Latest Love <3 "My New iPod Touch"

Yes, you read correctly. I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous 16 GB iPod Touch!!! Thanks to my Brother, Sister, the monkeys, my folks... everyone! It's universal gift. It's a godsend. :P I'm sooo over the Moon right now... so much so that I can't believe I'm blogging right now (I won't be for much longer :P ). Thankfully it came pretty much completely charged right outta the box so it's all ready to go. I just need to configure some stuff in iTunes to really get things going. I recently re-installed Tiger... I did a major wipe so I've a bare bones system right now. First thing I need to do is create some folders and Smart Playlists. It's so crazy that I'll finally be able to include vidcasts! Gee... and now I can rip some DVDs into the touch. There's so much running through my head right now. :P I need to add bookmarks to my beautiful little touch. I gotta get iPhoto up and running again. My Address Book isn't where I'd like it to be. It's... OMG, I'm in geek Nirvana!!! :P :D :D :D

Okay that's enough. I need to get back to Narcissus... that's the name of my new baby, I think it's apt. He's the most gorgeous of my machines. ;) Eeeep!!!

DS333, dying!

Latest Love <3 "Carbonated Candy"

On one of the many stops the family made during our trip to Laughlin late last month we happened upon this sprawling truck stop that harbored a plethora of chemical-infused goodies. It's one of the best things about traveling: discovering the latest candy/snack innovations. I found a doozy this time around. I've fallen head-over-heels in love with the latest and greatest from the wizards and geniuses at the Jones Soda Co.: Jones Soda Co. Carbonated Candy. :D

By themselves they're nothing more than miniature Pop Rocks-lite hard candy tablets, but mixed with your favorite soda they're an entirely new beast. They're these wonderful flavor tabs, inspired by the most popular Jones Soda flavors (my favorite being Cream Soda. Mmmm...). They're a revelation. :P They transform the most mediocre sodas into something divine. ;) I've been using them a lot lately, which might become a problem. For one, I don't wanna become a Coke fiend and secondly, I have a limited supply that I need to conserve. I suppose I could find them around here but I haven't looked around so I'm assuming they're rare. Anyway, I'm enjoying what I got right now. I'm especially enjoying the ritual of mixing the tabs in the soda 'cause I feel part mad scientist and part prescription med junkie. :P It doesn't help that the pop and fizzle of the interaction between the soda and candy creates a powdery residue around the lip of the cup that gives the illusion that I'm lacing my drinks with cocaine. :P It's pretty funny... "and tasty too!". ;)

DS333, in love.

001.138.365

• Yay! VLC is working now! :D Apparently I got a corrupted .dmg file from one of the download mirrors. It was a French one by the way. Just sayin'. :P
• Sleepy.
• Now I just need to get GIMP working. Oh how happy that'll make me. ;)
• I watched the 20th anniversary edition DVD of The Monster Squad tonight. :D
• I really wanna watch a movie tonight but I'm really sleepy.
• Wondering if I should grow my hair out. No. It's not in keeping with the project.
• My brother brought over iLife and iWork '08. :D I feel a little more complete tonight. ;)
• I'm falling further and further in love with Leopard. :D :D :D
• I've been having the weirdest dreams... but sooo great. I wish I could share them. I don't mean explain them... but share the experience. They feel incredible.
• Firefox is giving me a bit of a problem. It's nothing big... just involves favicon support.
• I can't wait to see Tori Amos in December.
• Ate pork chops tonight.
• Kitchen Nightmares came back! :D
• Time to eat again... heading out early. ;) :P

DS333, in limbo.

Appointment Television

Well I finally got my blog consumption under control. I don't mean that I've unsubscribed to any feeds and that I'm reading less... I just mean that I've finally caught up with all the blog reading that I got behind with when I went on that trip to Laughlin at the end of October. Having gone through a marathon session of reading I learned one thing: good blogs = short blogs. Now I realize this isn't always the case. Believe me, I love a good long read. But that's usually only the case when there's something interesting to read. I think most of the time bloggers blather on incessantly. Especially personal bloggers like myself. I've spoke about this before, but I'm really going to make a concerted effort to make short posts. At least with the random posts. My feature posts are the only entries in which I'll indulge my inner Chatty Kathy. ;) Enjoy.

Here's a list of my favorite television programs at the moment:

Monday

• Heroes (NBC, 9p.m.)
  

Tuesday

• The Biggest Loser (NBC, 9p.m.)
  

Wednesday

• Kid Nation (CBS, 8 p.m.)
• Pushing Daisies (ABC, 8 p.m.)
• Bionic Woman (NBC, 9 p.m.)
• Kitchen Nightmare (FOX, 9 p.m.)
• South Park (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.)
• The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.)
  

Thursday

• ER (NBC, 10 p.m.)
  

Sunday

• The Amazing Race (CBS, 8 p.m.)
  

DS333, short and to the point.

New Beginnings

So I installed Leopard on my iMac the other day. Given all the things that could've gone wrong, I think things are running swimmingly. There are a few crucial applications that I wish I had, chiefly GIMP and VLC Player. :( But other than that all is well with the world.

Going through this install really made me realize how adept I've become at wiping the slate clean and running ahead at full steam again. At least as far as computer systems are concerned. In my time, I've probably lived through the demise of about three machines. I'm talking about major deaths. All of sudden you see the screen go black, you hear some popping and then you detect the distinct stench of burnt plastic in the air. It's a horrifying experience if it's never happened to you before. Doubly so if you never took the time to back up your system. Which I basically never did.

But going through that trauma of losing your data hardens you to any future loss, almost numbs you. Thankfully I can now count myself among the small camp of users who do back-up, but if I hadn't I don't think I'd have such a hard time of it, starting over I mean. But backing up definitely makes things easier. All I really care about is the truly hard data: music, movie, picture and text files. The irreplaceables. But I've lost those things in the past and it isn't so bad. It's not the end of the world. So long as something doesn't lead to the torture and murder of my family I'm okay with it. It's all about perspective I guess.

Starting over I find in rather fun. Getting to dig into application preferences and familiarizing yourself with all it's features or discovering new ones is really exciting. Running around for old bookmarks and falling in love with old websites is also a kick. Though, I didn't have to do much there. Thankfully the cloud has become more and more a part of my life. Having data stored on the Net is such a comforting feeling. So long as I can connect to the Net I'm in tip-top shape.

Anyway, I'm gonna go squirrel myself away and get back it configuring, restoring and customizing. Message for the day? Use the cloud and back-up! >:O

;)

DS333, starting over.

001.135.365

• Phew! This blog is finally in order. :D Well in terms of my posting system. I still haven't made much headway with my tagging project. :( :P
• Since the family trip we took last weekend I've been struggling to catch-up with all my podcasts, t.v. shows and blogs.
• I've near 500 new items in Google Reader. I usually get a little over 100 each day, but that's about as much as I tend to read. *sigh* But I'm really gonna dig into it tonight.
• Just watched the 12th season premiere of The Amazing Race on CBS. It wasn't anything special. Not horrible, but not great either. Shows like this are a slow burn. Patience is a virtue folks. Everything need not be instant gratification. ;)
• Big news!!!: I'm now running Leopard OS X.5 on my Mac! :D
• My brother brought over the Family Edition of Leopard yesterday and I just couldn't resist. I was very wary about breaking a lot of third party apps and plug-ins but it seems to be going pretty smoothly. That's not to say that it wasn't a bit of a pain. I had to do a lot of testing with various versions of apps. My biggest casualty is losing GIMP. :(
• I need an image/photo editor!!! :(... I feel horrible without one. I'm looking into Acorn and ArtRage 2.5... I'll probably give the trial version of Acorn a run tomorrow. My hope is that in the next couple of weeks the GIMP community will answer my prayers. I want GIMP back!!! :(
• I'm in love with Leopard! :D
• Over the years I've become remarkably adept at wiping the slate clean and starting over. With computer systems that is.
• The next few days will be spent restoring my system and tweaking my preferences just like I like 'em. ;)
• The last major update for Transmission was a real bitch. If you haven't upgraded yet, don't! It's such a pain in the ass the way it manages to continue torrenting while stalling the rest of your Net connections. I'm praying for an update soon that'll square this problem away.
• I'm in love with Stacks! :D
• I'm in love with Spaces! :D
• I'm in love with the new Dock! :D
• I'm not so fond of Safari. I've decided to ditch FireFox to get the most outta .Mac and achieve a greater level of divine syncness but there's a lot of little UI problems with Safari that really make me wanna go back.
• I think I should head out. I could go on but I really need to attack Google Reader. ;)

DS333, in love.

Photosensitivity

I've been getting up a lot earlier this past week. Meaning I actually see as much sunlight as you normal humans do. :P

I'd been in a weird space for the last few months. Uh, maybe several months? But I feel like I'm out of that space, in fact I know I am... I don't feel as... well I don't feel the same way I did.

Having been there meant a lot of things. One of them meant I had become even more reclusive than usual. Which I realize wasn't the best thing. I hadn't been sleeping more, but I'd shifted my sleep cycle to the point that I virtually saw no sunlight everyday. Which in a lot of ways was a blessing! Not so much though if you find yourself in a weird space. Then the physical darkness begins to feed into whatever's driving this compulsion to recede. Then the darkness doesn't feel all too comforting. Which is a pretty sure sign that things aren't right. 'Cause I love the dark. I just do. But I'd never had the experience of it affecting my mood in a negative fashion. The dark's always made me happy and content, never sorrowful and melancholy.

So it's kinda funny the way things coincide. Because as soon as I had the inklings of this revelation I was hit with an article about photosensitivity and the lights effect on mood and such. I mean it's obviously common sense. But you sometimes need to hear things externally when they're lingering internally for the thoughts to solidify and become realized. Hearing/reading this was a catalyst for change.

So yeah. It's been kinda wild lately. The first couple of days basking in the light, so to speak, made me noticeably ill. Talk about withdrawal. :P I felt I was always on the cusp of a headache. I also felt mildly nauseous all the time. But it just takes some adjusting I guess. :P Because now I feel fine. Well don't get me wrong, I still hate the light. ;) I think it's just biological. I can't stand bright light and I never will. It just needs to come in waves if I'm gonna experience it full-on. But I'm tolerating a lot more of it than I have in a long time and I feel grateful for it. It has affected my mood, for the better. So all in all things are good. Uhhh... I don't know how to end this. :P The end. ;)

DS333, enlightened.

Linkage ~ "Abscess"

*sigh* I was hoping to link to two videos today from YouTube, but one of them got pulled down. :( I don't know why though. It was video of a couple of friends draining the abscess from some guy's back. Granted it was disgusting, but there are a ton of other videos like it on YouTube. I haven't checked them all out of course, but I wonder what made them pull that video. Hmmm...

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with these posts. I haven't done one in forever, which made me think it was about time to get back to it. I'm thinking I need to create a collection of links around a certain theme. Or maybe I would post a thread of links... y'know like a group of links I happened upon during a random dive in the Net. A way to share an experience through a digital rabbit hole. Or... I don't know. Still thinking. ;)

An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e.g. splinters or bullet wounds). It is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body. (abscess, Wikipedia.org)

So my brother directed me to this horrifying article from The New York Times about Staph infections. It's a short, easy read and well worth the time: Drug-Resistant Staph

If you read through the article you'll be directed to a site about MRSA, which then directs you to three videos on YouTube that chronicles one abscess surgery. The best of the three being this one. Enjoy. ;) :P



DS333, *chills*.

Projected Projects > "The Keyboard"

I'm not talking about a computer keyboard today, rather a musical keyboard. I've been dying to play the piano for the longest time. The urge has been serious for the last several years, not just a passing thought. I suppose that began when my mother bought me an electronic keyboard to fiddle around with. Sadly, it hasn't gotten much use. I made the effort to learn for a while, but I kinda got off track. Well more than kinda, I just plain gave up. I'm not sure why. I still have my Piano For Dummies book in hand and the keyboard's still in good working order so there's really no excuse not to be playing. So I'm saying that I'm gonna get back on the horse again, so to speak. I'm hoping to be halfway proficient with the keyboard by the end of next year. I'm sorta setting my sights a little low, I know. :P But I think it's a much better idea to visualize something smaller, something you can attack. I'm also not promising that I'll learn the thing. I think it's horrible to say you'll do something and never get around to it. All I'm saying is that I'm gonna make a concerted effort to try. That's all. I'm gonna try to play the piano again. Hopefully it works out this time.

A huge motivator for learning to play the keyboard is being able to compose my own music. I'd have to say that the piano is my favorite musical instrument of all time, save for the human voice of course. I just love the sound. I love the aura about them as well, just everything. The instrument itself is endlessly fascinating. It's so mechanical. It's an interesting amalgamation of wood, wire, and metal. In reality it seems very much ahead of its time... in terms of its design anyway. Almost appears to be an analog computer in fact. Best of all, the design is so amorphous. There's the standard piano then there are the uprights, harpsichords, organs, keyboards, etc. There's such a beautiful array of options for this sound and technique. At once, it's simple and complicated. Just the way I like things. ;)

But anyway... my hope is to one day create musical pieces to accompany my art when I'm competent enough to move it into the animated space. But that vision in and of itself is sooo far from my mind right now. I'm going to concentrate on what I know how to do, and then see how I can work in something new. So that's what I'm gonna try to do. Learn this beast. Get a handle of this new animal. I'm not at all what you would call a musician... my experience with art has always been visual, but I'm hoping I can get a taste of that other world. I need to create an experience... that's all my own. Here's hoping I'm on my way to making that happen. Wish me luck! ;)

DS333, experimenting.