Mayans frantically Christmas shopping

The so-called apocalypse didn't happen. What did happen wasn't much of a surprise.

My father has been introducing me to various acquaintances of his here in Taiwan, fishing for a woman he approves of to be my new girlfriend. Mind you, this is while I am still quite happy with my current one, despite her shortcomings(none of which I can recall, if she cares to ask, but I am quite sure exists. My father believes they are myriad and insurmountable. My opinion varies.).

On the bright side of things, I was able to play and beat Halo 4(nooo...Cortana...). Took a few pictures of random things, but most of the time in Taiwan I spent not dealing with my father's antics I spent wandering about the city. That and catching up on my reading. Lots and lots of reading.

Picked up a few paperbacks at the airport newsstand before I left the States. Heinlein mostly.

Coming back, lots of things to deal with.

As usual, stacks of paperwork, job sites to check on, supplier and contractors to update, but my real problem is:

My condo's tenants have moved out. Do I move in or do I continue to live with my parents? Practically, I would stay where I am, get new tenants, and continue to collect rent. It would also save me lots of commuting to and from work and friends.

On the other hand, I can afford to move out, and get mental relief from having to live with and work for my father/bossman at the same time. Commuting time spent would probably be made up for in lecture time saved(at least until my father discovers the convenience of the modern cellular telephone and unlimited minutes). And as much as I would enjoy driving more, I'd much prefer it over being lectured.

Privacy advantage is also a mixed bag. Sure, I could bring whatever women I wanted home, but

a) no women crawling out of the woodwork trying to get into my pants as it is(and if there are, please, let me know through the comment button below)
b) walls are not thick in a condo complex, and with my inclinations and tendencies, well, nosy neighbors and cops are a worry.

Of course, I'd have to do housework and such, but I've never shied away from work before. Cooking will probably be annoying, but laundry I can bring home, since I'd be coming home to the office near every day anyway.

Of course, the most important argument I have against moving out is my sickly mother. If I move out, and something happens, who will watch over her? My father, who is often away? I don't think so. I guess I can always sleep at home whenever I need to, since I am reluctant to leave my mother by her lonesome.

Sigh.

Maybe I should give it a try. I mean, if all else fails, I can always move back in, right?

New Suits

It's hard for someone of my build and size to find properly fitting clothes Stateside. It's one of the reasons I wear the clothes I do(the other reasons being money, comfort, and IDGAF). It's especially difficult to find suits that fit, since everything is made sized to non-Asian fatasses.

Today, I was able to rectify this lack of formal attire. Didn't even need to pay for a tailored suit. Would I have liked a bespoke suit? Yes. Would I have enjoyed paying for one? No. Do I need a bespoke suit? Not really. Will having one let me attract more women? Doubt it. Especially since I live and work at home, and really don't have anywhere to take said women to.

Taiwan is awesome, btw.

2 Years Down

I've been with my current girlfriend for two years today.

Although if my parents had it their way, there won't be a third.

Been playing Don't Starve. Lots of fun, artwork is Tim Burton-esque.

Going back to the old country this Thursday, be back in 10 days.

Hoping that there isn't an arranged  marriage waiting for me when I get there.

Playing Games

Finished Saint's Row: The Third. Mindless, violent, somewhat entertaining, but most importantly, Co-op.

Also playing Planetside 2. All agree: This must be what being an Imperial Guardsman feels like, minus Commissars.

Rained a lot this week, wasn't able to get too much done. Also, driving a lowered car in the rain is not fun.

And damned if I can remember what else I did this week.

Black Friday = New PC

That time of the...half decade?

Went out and got parts for a new PC. Actually, me and my friend built two identical PCs, the idea in that if we wanted to individually upgrade in the future, the upgrader would give his old parts (RAM or VGA) to the non-upgrader, who can then SLI or expand his RAM with identical parts to the original.

Also, watched Wreck It Ralph. Entertaining, though the short animation preceding it was more so, I thought, what with the black and white and paper airplanes and such.

Discovered the website theCHIVE, though I am not sure how to pronounce it. Perfect for amusing myself or wasting a bit of time.

Slow week, did pointless DIY

So...ain't done shit this week, really.

Thanksgiving par-tay was rather underwhelming this year. Bright spot? SuburbanDweller came down from the Bay. However, others decided to go to Vegas and thus participation was at an all time low.

So...after being very bored this week, I decided I would do a DIY project.

Materials purchased:

1 Sawhorse
32BF Plywood
5BF Select Pine boards
1 pint Ebony wood stain
1 pint American Walnut wood stain
1 pint Polyurthane
1 pack foam brushes
1 2in foam chair pad
2sq. yds. black marine vinyl
Assorted misc. hardware (screws, bolts, nuts, etc)

Can't say what I'm making, but I can say this:

Staining wood is fun.

It's all over!

Obama wins, no contest.

Senate remains in Democratic control.

House remains in Republican control.

Feinstein gets reelected.

UN Arms Trade Treaty moving forward.

We're just as screwed as we were last week.
 
And as far as California is concerned:

Prop 30 passes, as does Prop 39.

And my taxes continue to rise.



But.....IT'S THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THIS BLOG!
*fireworks*noisemakers*SPARKLES!*

Hard to believe I made it this far. Now if only I was as dedicated to my (non-existent) workout routine.

Election? Not I.

So...I'm in Texas.

Which means in not going to be able to vote. So all my deliberations were for naught.

On the bright side, it's nice to see all these Romney/Ryan signs. Was tired of Obama/Biden signs.

Prediction for tomorrow: Obama is going to win.

Hope: Democrats DO NOT capture the House.

My tax rate is going up next year regardless, by about 6-7% combined Fed and State.

Harvest Moon + Make Work

This week, most of my attention has been focused on new 3DS Harvest Moon: A New Beginning.
As a long time fan and player of the series, I would say that this is more reminiscent of the first few Harvest Moon games than the more recent ones. And that is a good thing.

However, I made the fatal mistake of selling all my building materials early in the game, and two seasons in, I had to restart due to that action dragging the story speed down. Sigh.

My friend had a BBQ on Sunday(yesterday), awesome steaks, delicious shrimp, and fine whiskeys. My kind of party. Also, I carved a pumpkin.

Work has slowed down a lot this week. It is unlikely to pick up for some time, meaning I must now Make Work. Planning on going to Texas for a week to check up operations there something I haven't done all this year.

Girlfriend voted already, the Democratic ticket. I've decided the Congressional and Presidential votes already, but still haven't gotten to reading on the Props yet.

Birthday week for teh birfday girls

Went to the optometrist for a follow up after last week's pinguecula incident.

Good news: pinguecula has receded and I can now wear contacts again.
Bad news: prescription has changed, eg. no longer stable, therefore no laser for me.

Shit.

GF's birthday week is far more eventful and exponentially more expensive than my own. Spent $300 over two dinners, and refused to go to a third. Presents are also $$$.

That, however, was a paltry sum compared to the money spent ordering parts for my vehicle. Upgrades incoming. Even found me a place to have them installed, recommended to me by car enthusiast friends. Will name and review at after work is complete.

About those dinners:

The Playground was delicious, if over salted. My previous two visits, I ate off special menus(or no menu at all), so this was the first time I was able to eat off the regular menu. I find myself inclined to prefer Chapter One and Lola Gaspar better. For one, they both have full bars(though lacking cocktail onions(dammit)), while The Playground only serves beer and wine. Food was, as stated above, delicious, but oversalted.

Haven Gastropub in Pasadena: This being my second visit to this location, I knew what to expect. I do like the selection of proprietary cocktails at the full bar they have, made even better by the large proportion of whiskey based drinks on the menu(They also have some 40 whiskeys on their whiskey menu, for those interested. I certainly was.). Moving past the drinks and onto the actual vittles: If one somehow manages to gather at least eight people and have them all agree to it, one can call Haven a week in advance and order a lamb dinner for $42/person + tax and gratuity. Very worth it. Consists of lamb roast(enough servings to stuff all participants) served with potato salad, brussel sprouts, and macaroni. Cooked to perfection(depending, of course, on the cut you get), it was a very satisfying meal, well worth the $50 spent.

In other news:

The next Harvest Moon game is to be released soon. Excited.

Winter is coming, but the weather is still fluctuating like a *DELETED FOR YOUR PROTECTION*!

Upcoming elections. Decided that my presidential vote is useless, but will vote the Republican ticket on the state level, to prevent the Democrats from completely taking over the state. As far as how I will vote for Congress, I have yet to decide. I'm still leaning Right, despite how much I disagree with the Republican social issues platform. I just don't trust the left. Any government that tries to disarm its populace just isn't to be trusted, whatever their excused. Oh, and taxes. Stoppit.
Propositions? Haven't read them yet.

Too Much Drinking

Drank too much this last week. Sent off a friend back to Peace Corp Uganda, another buddy is an alcoholic, and friend of a friend's birthday(note: older, nerdier conversations are likely to result when hanging with 3 or more older, nerdier people who have PhDs).

Ate at new Indian curry house that opened up close to my home. Was OK.

Many b'days being planned. Why so many bdays in October, anyhow?

Had bloodshot eyes, had said eyes checked, said eyes apparently developed a pinguecula.
Prescribed eyedrops, but now can't wear contacts for a week at least.

Now looking into eye surgery. Contacts are annoying enough, glasses even more so. I'd rather fix this sooner rather than later.

Why So Serious

Not much on the serious front this week.

Planning on extending the house, though it will take lots of work and planning and money to do so.
I live on a hillside, so extending the house out will require a lot of structural, up to and including terracing said hillside. That or drilling deep enough into the hill to reach rock, then anchoring huge steel beams to it.

Either way, lots of money. That I don't have. So it will remain in planning stages for some time.

Finished Part 1 of the Sword Art Online anime. Holy Crap. This is going into the top 10.

And yes, I know I'm too old for this shit, but SAO is that good.

SOC on a Friday

It's a beautiful sunny afternoon. I'm sitting here in an air conditioned tea house, gazing out the plate glass windows at the bustling city, mountains actually visible in the background; the typically all-encompassing smog is absent today. The remains of my $20 mid afternoon snack lay before me. They will go to waste.

The weather is the stuff of dreams, for a man who spends most of his days out in the world. California, despite how much I might bitch about it, is in this respect superior to any other place I have ever lived in or visited.

I am a lucky soul. Despite any personal headaches that I have, no matter how serious and costly they are or may be, I am at very little risk of personal injury or death. And though I admit that compared to my peers, my risk is exponentially higher, let us speak in broader terms.

I'm mostly whole, ignoring some relatively minor persistent damage from injuries sustained in the past. I'm not fighting in some distant war zone, for a cause I know little or nothing about, nor am I fighting to protect my home and/or family from oppressive invaders bent on wiping me and all those like me off the face of the planet for some nameless and intangible "god," or vice versa. My income already puts me above 99% of the rest of the world, meaning I am winning the struggle for the scarce resources available to the entire human population.

The water just served to me by the pretty waitress(thank you) is refreshingly cold and guaranteed potable. The food I just ate has an extremely low probability of being anything but fresh. I live in a big house, I have few enemies(and those I have, are not physically murderous, and even if they are, I'm paranoid enough to make it difficult for them(I hope)), and I have companionship enough to keep me from falling further into this psychopathy others claim I have(just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm psychotic, it means its not important, interesting, or relavant enough for me to care about).

The fact that I can sit here and can just not work for a few hours, eat overpriced snacks, drink overpriced tea that was shipped here from half the world away, and just be idle, yet not suffer a single consequence is amazing to me.

The $20 I spent, I can make more, yet it's enough to feed a family for a month in the Sub-Saharan territories.
The time I spent writing this, what work that was to be done has been delegated to my minions.

I am incredibly fortunate.

And yet, I know, it can all change in a moment, and it troubles me.

But not this moment. This moment, I can be content.

There will be time for strategizing and contingency planing later.

Let me have this moment in peace.

What to do, what to say

Rushing about this week, meetings with family retainers, partners, friends, and employees. Phone calls here, there, and everywhere. Plans made, scrapped, remade, refined. Contingencies readied and checked on.

And Harvest Moon preordered.

And I do want that Springfield EMP, but need to update or build a better Pc than the one I have now, and the car needs servicing and upgrades as well.

So much to do, so much to see.

And girlfriend is increasingly annoyed with Borderlands 2.

Borderlands, $0.05 Wine

Went drinking over the weekend. Remembered why I dislike going barhopping. Rather, my wallet reminded me. I also did not drink much, mostly because I knew I was going to drive, and a friend of mine just got a DUI the previous weekend.

Got Borderlands 2 this week. Girlfriend is feeling ignored. Head is feeling nauseous.
Conclusion: Video games are bad for body and relationships.

Bevmo held a $0.05 wine sale again this week. Went by, returned with a bunch. Ain't drunk 'em yet, but will strive to do so in a most un-snooty way.

Going out tonight, hopefully to gather information and try to head off troublesome things. This issue has cost me enough brain-cycles and grief.

9/11-11 years after.

Seems like its been long enough, and everyone is 'bout ready to move on.

It's destined to go down in history as another date on a page, much like December 7th.

But wait! Embassies and consulates being attacked? Ambassadors and staffers killed?!
What is this, Iran, 1979?!

Sad part is, Facebook is trending iPhone 5 nonsense, and not a hint of Ambassador Stevens' death to be found.



ION:

Democrats want to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban this cycle. Republicans are calling for a constitutional amendment against abortion.

What the hell is going on with this country. Can't we all just keep our noses in our own business without pushing our views on others? 

Who the hell do I vote for now? At this rate, I'm going to need to vote for more gridlock so nothing gets done!

Damocles

Head overflowing with heavy thoughts.

Hanging over head. Will it drop?

Cleaned out the garage.

Car is long, garage is short.

Ate, drank, and was merry.

Looked into Corona for work.

New, yet smells like cow.

Sent off a care package.

Summer Gone By

Another summer runs by, and me without any backpacking/backwoods time to show for it.

Growing up is annoying. It used to be that Summer was a wondrous time, full of happiness, laughter, and friends, tempered only by the looming presence of Autumn and its FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

Nowadays, my life is work, work, head off newest disaster that's befallen us, check on last great disaster that befell us, and make sure that disaster that befold us ain't coming back to befall us again, and work.

Sure, I get money now, but think on this: What use is money if I can't enjoy it without multiple Dooms of Damocles hanging over it my head?

Where have they gone, the days of carefree wonder?

Election Thoughts

There was a rant here about how tough it is to be a Kalifornian Republican, but when I reviewed it, it sounded silly, especially when I see how far Right the GOP has swung these last few years. So instead, I'm laying out some principles.

Who/what I vote for is decided by who/what most closely adheres to the below statements:

If I leave you alone, you leave me alone.

Abortion? The fetus is a parasite on the mother's body until it pops out and becomes it's own person. The mother can decide what to do with it as she wills. 

I know you need money to do things, but stop wasting it on crap no-one but special interest groups give a crap about. And seriously, for the amount of taxes I pay, you shouldn't need to come "ask" for more.

If you want to be intolerant about this or that, that's your business. It ain't, however, the business of my government to treat anyone different from anyone else, unless they ain't paying into the system; if you ain't paying for it, you don't get to complain about the service.

You get my guns when I run out of bullets.

I don't like drugs, but even I see that the War on Drugs is a losing proposition. Make the most of it and tax the hell out of that shit.

The other War is patriotic and good and all, but do we always have to do it in a way that cost so damn much? For God's(that I don't believe in, keep your wonky religions outta my government) sake, we spend more on defense than the next 26 nations combined, 25 of which are allies(according to The Newsroom(great show)). Why?! Are there actually hostile extraterrestrials out there than the government ain't telling us about?

Regulation has its place. Environmental regulation is rather important, but don't overdo it. When the EPA tells me that hunting with lead shot is dangerous to wildfowl, I will say that it's kind of the point.

Unions make shit more expensive than it ought to be. And service is shittier than I'd expect at the price point.

And seriously, corporations don't give a damn about this country. They care about making money, and don't give a damn about any irreparable harm they may or may not do. Regulate so that entrepreneurship and class-mobility is still reasonably possible.


Basically, to sum it all up:

STOP FORCING YOUR RELIGIOUS VIEW ON ME AND MINE!
STOP FORCING YOUR LIBERAL VALUES AND PROPAGANDA DOWN MY THROAT!
STOP TRYING TO TAKE MY GUNS!
STOP POLLUTING MY WORLD!
STOP  PANDERING TO THE CORPORATIONS AND THE UNIONS!
STOP OTHER PEOPLE FROM FUCKING THINGS UP FOR THE REST OF US!
        
                AND

STOP SPENDING SO MUCH GODDAMN MONEY! PEOPLE WORKED FOR THAT MONEY, YOU KNOW!

SB249

Stoppit SB249.

I don't want you, I didn't vote for you, and I certainly didn't vote for Senator Yee, who wrote you.

Why Super-Anti-Gun San Francisco is trying to push laws that affect my rights some 400 miles to their south is beyond me.

What's the point of making Mag-locked firearms illegal, when, if you are truly so concerned, there are hundreds of other models of firearms that are ballistically  and functionally identical to these mag-locked firearms? Why not ban those first? That is, if you are truly concerned with the "danger" these "Assault Weapons" pose.

I'm going out to get me an AR. Gonna pull money from everywhere and scrape up enough for that Colt AR. And when the time comes and the gun is required to be confiscated(ex-post facto, can you believe it?!), I'll hand it over. And I will know that this country is has truly gone to the pits, that our politicians wrap themselves in the flag, yet burn the Constitution, and that I should start expatriation.

Munchkin Business

Ain't Much Done Doing.

It Is Also Hot.

Munchkin is probably very lucrative for Steve Jackson.
Played lots of it this week. Will be playing more of it for the coming weeks as well.

Thinking about getting Zombie Munchkin.

Also: The Newsroom has my vote for best show of the year.

Grilled Meat Week

Water pipe burst in the basement last night. Had it fixed this morning, but still went without shower after a night of Korean BBQ with my girlfriend's father. His birthday and all that.

Had grilled meats in various forms three times this last week, got the runs after two of them. Also had several days in which I only had one meal/day. Probably related.

Saw the most beautiful supermarket at Palos Verdes yesterday. Played more Munchkin today.

Olympics: Missed the opening ceremony. Saw the US men's swim relay team lose to the French, of all people. Soccer between the Japanese and the Moroccans got exciting during the last five minutes. Soccer between the S. Koreans and the Swiss were more violent than expected. Also, if Japan is called "Nippon," why is it called Japan? And why is the abbreviation for Morocco "MAR"?

Gone awry

My cousin has returned home, so vacation is over.

Didn't do much but work this last week. Though I did eat my DineLA at Haven gastropub in Pasedena.

Did you know that duck fries are actually testicles and that said testicles taste like Lima beans?

Working to cover several holes in company hierarchy now that my father is distracted with other matters.

Spent significant amounts of money these last few weeks, and will spend an equally large amount soon.

My quote for new tires on my IS comes out to over a grand. And my truck will need major maintenance soon.

Wallet is feeling much pain.

Catalina, and Troubles

Built me that Minecraft Lego set. Funsies. Even came with a little creeper.

Went to Catalina for the weekend. Kayaked and got a Certificate of Accomplishment for my troubles.

Mostly hung about the island, played Munchkins and drank Ketel. Need to get Munchkins expansion packs.

Came back home to find the shit is hitting the fan. Will be working more. More need to be done. More needs to be learned. Such is life.

Also need to replace my AV receiver. The thing is chirping and blowing out on me.

San Fran and Back

Cousin arrived, took him to San Fran for the weekend. We took HWY1 up again, following the same path as my last vacation with my Girlfriend.

We ate a lot.

Hotel in Monterrey the first night was ridiculous. $200 for a double queen. A condo at Catalina in the high season goes for $200 a night.

New: Went to 17-mile Drive. Foggy as hell. So meh.

San Fran weather was as interesting as expected. Fog some places, sunny as SoCal in others. Microclimates galore.

Had several friends move up to the Bay recently, visited. They seem well, though one seems lost. Stayed at SuburbanDweller's. Still had a key on my keyring, actually.

New: Visited Exploratorium. Next to visit: Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

Note: The Bison in the Paddock were fruitful this past year.

Front Left wheel well panel fell off. Oddly enough, same thing happened to the last car, last time I went to San Fran. Go figure.

Out of Work

Ain't done much this week. Finished my last project at work and discovered that there ain't a new one waiting for me. So....

Got back into Minecraft, playing the Tekkit mod. Awesome.

Otherwise, the last week has been pretty boring.

Cousin is going to stay over for a week or two. He ain't been to the USA in many years, and likely won't be coming back for many more. Planning on taking him to SF this weekend, and Catalina the next. Interspersed with some gunplay and some food, and maybe some hiking if I can fit it in.

Fare thee well, Foie/ Les Miz/ Brave

Had that Farewell to Foie dinner.

Kinda overpriced, kinda over-salted, kinda over-foie'd.
Meh. Ain't gonna be eating it again. Not in the People's Replubik of Kalifornia anyway.

Got the stitches out of my finger. Hurt more coming out than it did going in. Typing still a pain in the finger.

Saw Les Miserables at the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. Incredible. Will see again sometime. More excited about the upcoming movie now.

Broke into the burnt down house I bought a few weeks ago. Aggressive as hell beehive in the back. Got stung. Looted shit, and by shit, I mean "nothing." Not worth it.
Father picked up weird alien toy thing. He seems very pleased with it. For a man worth many millions, he likes the cheapest things. Mom brought home a 4-cd collection of 80's rock music. Has promptly decided she doesn't like rock music.

Saw Brave last night, and liked it. Will be getting the soundtrack. Not too excited about any other movies coming out this summer.

Mom's youngest brother is staying over for the next week to take care of business in the States. Means the GF can't stay over. Again. I are amused at how much more annoyed she is at this than I am.

The Finger

Damn near cut my finger off this week. Suffice to say, ran around looking for a clinic that would take me. Got it on the 4th try. 6 stitches. Many things and plans now delayed until this nonsense is healed. Super inconvenient, especially typing up this nonsense.

Signed up for the Farewell to Foie dinner at The Playground. We'll see how that goes tomorrow.

Had a pool party at neighbor's house. A good proportion of attendees wore female swimming attire. How far our little sausage fest has come...

Finally got my car washed and waxed, even if finger excused me from doing it myself.

Zelda + Big Bang + Transit I Missed

Voted again! For the life of me couldn't remember who I wanted for District Attorney, picked one at random, otherwise, went for the Republican ticket.

Being a single issue voter makes life easy.

(That Single Issue is 2nd Amendment Rights, FYI.)

Ordered some Sodium Polyacylate and Sodium Alginate for an experiment of mine. Other ingredients to be found in a local health food store, I hope.

Zelda Concert was awesome and nostalgic. Soundstage needed a lot of work, but otherwise, the concert was brilliant. Felt like picking up my ocarinas and playing along.

Bought seats for a Farewell to Foie Gras Feast, seeing as said delicacy is being banned in California come July. First shark fin, next foie gras, what next? Beef?

Summer running/backpacking season is upon us. Barefoot? or not?

Uncle coming to stay for a week starting Tuesday. Not really my issue, but fixed up the wall in the bedroom for him. Yay!

Finished the latest season of Big Bang Theory. Fun stuff, but feels like it's gonna come to an end soon. Which will be sad. Of particular amusement, to me, was the Good Guy Fluctuation. It's hard to be a good guy.

Just sayin.

Missed the Transit of Venus, didn't have the right equipment anyway.

Bleh.

Burnt

Work eerily reflects the season. Just bought a burnt property. Not happy.

Went to a gun show. Now want Springfield EMP and M1A Scout.

Note: do not buy girlfriend one-size-fit-all clothes from Asia. They will not fit the corn-fed women we have here.

Going to Zelda concert this Wednesday at the Greek. Wondering what to bring.

Memorial Day, not so memorable

Had some burgers, drank a little beer, played some Smash.

Didn't really do much.

Ate at several places for my birthday.

First was Chapter One again. Had possibly the best burger ever. Was $18, but worth every penny. Others not so satisfied.

Ate Honda-ya, was pretty typical. Wasn't the best, wasn't terrible. Was expensive. $85 bottle of sake. I like sake.

Nowadays puzzling through upgrading my closet. Deciding which project to go through with first. Which will directly influence which saw(table or mitre) I get first, as I have neither and each project requires one or the other.

Decisions.

Food Poisoning is STUPID

Had food poisoning for the last week, was pretty bad for the first three days, slowly getting better the last four. Still not completely recovered yet, as my stomach microbes rebuild themselves. Imodium helped a lot. Guacamole also made my tummy happy. Judging from the symptoms, it was probably camphylobacter bacteria that caused me miserable, work-less(working much less) week. Also did not make me happy.

Finally ate at The Playground on Sunday, and watched The Avengers. Playground was delicious, but instead of the regular menu, we had Sunday Supper, where there is no menu, they just bring us food until we're full. If Sunday Supper is anything to go by, the regular menu must be pretty interesting too.

The Avengers? Meh. Except for the part where The HULK flings Loki around like a rag doll. That was amusing. But I feel like it had a few sentai parts that weren't really necessary.

Work is dying off, slowly. Not a good thing. Government regulation has choked off the industry I'm working in, and if something doesn't change within the next two or three months, I'll probably need to find another job in addition to this one. Not because I won't be making enough, because I could take a 50% pay cut and still have enough to live on, but because I refuse to be a layabout.

Still wondering what I'm going to do for Memorial Day Weekend.

Taiwan and Thoughts on Multiple Women

Taiwan is the same as it always is, which is to say mostly me trying to get Wi-Fi during treks across the city. Easier now than it was in past times, but still something of an effort. Grandmother is not doing as well as I hoped, but age is a disease with no cure.

Trips abroad continue to be really the sole opportunity for me to have deep, relationship-altering conversations with my girlfriend. I suppose this is because we can't be lead off topic by any physical distractions. The last time I went abroad, we discussed dominant-submissive relationships, which went quite well.

This time, I broached the subject of multiple submissives. As one might expect, asking a girl her thoughts on sharing her man went not as well as one might hope, but no worse than can be expected. Had little hope, but felt like the topic had to be brought up at some point. Given recent developments, sooner rather than later, for all our sakes.

I will admit I would have like to have done it later than sooner, but sooner was requested, and there was really, little advantage to doing it later.

Now, my girlfriend is hurt and angry, and I can't blame her. Possible second is wary and unsure, which is also expected. All is not well, but the fallout was pretty much what I envisioned.

As insensitive as my girlfriend accuses me of being, I did what I felt I must, and said what I had to say.

I'm not sure what this says about the future of our relationship, but I doubt it means anything good.

I think I lack certain inhibitions about poly-relationships, in that it really doesn't register as wrong. Probably the only inhibition along these line I have is that I am rather unable (physically, even; an embarrassing story for another, less serious time) to have any sexual relationships with women with whom I am unfamiliar(read: no one night stands and flings for me). On the flip side, once I am familiar and comfortable with a woman, am in some way attracted to her, and should she request it(or not, it could just happen, really), I find myself unable to deny her any physical intimacies, as if it were a routine occurrence that needs no thought. It doesn't even register on my mental landscape as unusual and something I need to stop from happening.




I suppose social conditioning should have taught me that this is in some way wrong, but evidence shows that said conditioning really didn't take hold. Especially since I'm also involved in a style of relationship that I'm sure society totally disapproves of(that flogger isn't just for show, you know).


*sigh*

Will be returning to do damage control around this time next week. Hopefully, my relationships(s) are still alive and standing when I get home.

Decorating and Leaving

Pretty much done with the refit now, put in a IKEA Bokel and Expidit to round out the current IKEA Malm bed and Stave mirror.

Attached winch to wall, works well. Pull-up bar coming in soon. Other accouterments will appear as I think of them.

I have a big empty space about 30 sq ft that I'm not sure what to do with. Maybe a pair of reading sofa singles, or a loveseat or a working table. Something.

Rug I purchased from Home Depot really pulls the room together, but it won't stop shifting around. Solution when I think of one.

Leaving for Taiwan on Thursday, need to start packing.

Mexican Baby Showers

Remodel progressing slowly, have put in maybe 9 hours in on it. About finished with compounding work. Another layer and quick patch around the room, then time for texture and paint. Soon.

Went to Twins' coworker's baby shower. Concluded that baby showers contain too much alcohol to be healthy for the baby. Also think that they last much too long to be healthy for the mother.

Also, that one thing in that one story?
It didn't happen exactly like that, but it happened.

In other news:

Lots of shootings in the news lately, though if anything, it makes me want to buy more guns.

Remodel

Rained last week, discovered mold growing on my bedroom wall the next day. Tore out said wall, found termites.

Dampwood termites, so treated wood around leak, sealed leak, patched it back up.

But since I already put the work into it, decided to improve the rest of the room.

Have purchased some flexible track-lights to replace old, cheapy gaudy thing that is currently on ceiling. Found rug to pull room together. Installed a reinforced cross beam in the ceiling and a hitching ring on it for potential "fun."

Now working on a large mirrored in wall cabinet. Problem is, need to re-wire and re-frame space where said cabinet is going. Also need to build said cabinet. Front will be a STAVE from IKEA.

Beyond all that, didn't do much. Ate ramen Yamadaya in Costa Mesa. Not impressed.

Snowboarding yet again

Had KBBQ with the guys Friday night, no girls around. Was interesting, this male bonding thing that has been lacking in my life for some time(Girlfriend and cuddlebuddies do that to you, but I'm not complaining the least bit).

Went snowboarding this weekend, - 15 hp.

Determined that I am to leave for Taiwan on family business from May 3 - May 13, purchased tickets. Economy Class, of course.


Hunger Games reached 300 mil, I probably should go watch it soon.

Planning some kind of full weekend adventure before I leave for Taiwan. Maybe Catalina again, or San Diego, or Santa Barbara. Still working it out in my head. Needs to be cheap enough for other people to go.

Money is the great limiter and the great enabler.

I need more of it. Failing that, my friends need more of it.

Artwalk, Blue Sweaters

Jury duty, almost got selected for a murder trial. Would have lasted an estimated three weeks, so that was a close call.

Worked a lot during the week.

Weekend was better. Girlfriend had a creative idea Saturday night.

Went to the Brewery Art Walk on Sunday with GF and g f. Saw things I already saw, but had the catered bbq pork ribs for the first time, probably the most delicious ones I've ever had(this year, at least).

Also visited The Grove LA and the attached farmer's market for the first time. The Grove was meh, but the farmer's market reminded me of marketplaces in Taiwan.

Got bored of The Grove, came back to Brea, and got my girl something at Fredrick's. She got me a light blue sweater.

I loathe it, but she says it's attractive.

I'll wear it to bed then.

(Side Note: The same sweater in a much more pleasing gray color was $10 dollars more, proving the superiority of gray over light blue. I did get myself the gray one.)

Ate Bruxies, group-cuddled, then called it a day. Over all, a good weekend.

Progress Report

Went to Gen BBQ again, did not have to wait for hours due to Substitute's superior planning skills over that of other friend. Delicious.

Took my mother to Ontario Mills. Got me a pair of Rockport moccasins. Discovered that there was a LEGO store, mother decided to get the girlfriend the Super Star Destroyer Executor.

Girlfriend panicked on presentation. I was amused.

Girlfriend also received blue plaid dress shirt with a frill. She was not amused.

I was.

Went to Lola Gaspar, delicious as expected. Still unable to eat at The Playground.

Jury duty tomorrow.

And this is amazing.

Substitute's substitute

Forgot to call in for Jury Duty on Tuesday. What's the point of signing up for text updates if it doesn't tell you that you need to report in?! Rescheduled for the week of the 26th.

JOURNEY WAS AWESOME! IT WAS ONLY TWO HOURS AND I LOVED EVERY FU*KING MINUTE OF IT!

Went to Vegas for work on Friday, slept on the floor in Caesar's. Good thing I always bring my sleeping bag, or it would have totally sucked.

I was the substitute for Substitute at some CAIPA dinner thing Saturday night. She was very pink and strapless. Dinner was typical of such Asian association dinners. Won nothing from the raffle, had a complimentary shot of Jack, sniped some butterfly decoration things for Sub.

Had cigars and port after dinner with some friends, one of which is proposing. I think I get to be Grand Wizard and officiate the marriage. Need to dig out the materials and stuff from my ordination.

Received Russian Standard copper mugs in the mail, trying to figure out how to tarnish them. Internet tells me to piss on them. I am reluctant.

Gone again, gone away

Had delicious gastropub food again this week.

The Back Abbey in Claremont receives my good review, in the picture that says a thousand words.

Also went back to Chapter One, and had the Foie Gras Burger. The best (remembered) burger I've ever had. Seafood Napoleon thingy was good too. As was the Moscow Mule, again. Not impressed by Vampyre cocktail.

Visitor left, said she'd try to come back and attend grad school in LA. I wished her luck.

Got my GF a new watch, Skagen, after "fixing" her old G-Shock(beeping at night kept waking me). Also gave her some money and told her to update specific parts of her wardrobe. This process is still ongoing.

Beyond all that:

Journey, the game I've been waiting a year for, is releasing tomorrow. Yay!

Syria: It bothers me how we haven't gone and done a Libya on it by now. Read the accounts of William Daniels.
I doubt that this situation is going to resolve itself without outside intervention.

Need to go to Vegas for work Friday. But need to be back by Saturday night dinner thing for Substitute.

Visitors and Food

Thursday night, I went to Chapter One with the GF, the Substitute(twin), and her boyfriend. Food was more than acceptable, but the toast of the night was their excellent Moscow Mule.

Visitor arrived Friday night, and life got expensive.

We (GF, gf, and me) went with her to eat lunch with another one of her friends in LA Saturday. Said friend, who is a model and makes me afraid of Thailand, picked a place called The Ivy in Beverly Hills.

I dropped $300USD there, on lunch. Damn near shat myself when I saw the menu and the prices.

I will say, however, that the food and service was excellent. Not $100 a head excellent though.

The following evening, we went to a favorite gastropub, Lola Gaspar, dropped $150. Food was...not as good as expected, but still good. I'd say satisfactory.

Dropped visitor off at the Holiday Inn in Santa Ana, where she would be staying for the week while training at the Xerox HQ.

Tuesday night, I picked her up and went with Substitute(GF went with gf to somewhere, UX something or the other) to The Crosby, which was alright on the beverage end, but I thought lacking a little on the food side. Dropped $180USD.

Total for the week so far, not including gas and my own at work meals: $630USD

I need an expense account.

Keeping it Real (Estate)

I passed the Real Estate Salesperson exam. (54mins)

Studying

Hit the book(just one) over the last few days. Real Estate Agent exam is tomorrow, Leap Day.

Conversely(if I'm using that right), my girlfriend is going snowboarding tomorrow. She loves that sh*t.

Ain't really done much else, sides watch seasons 1-4 of Big Bang Theory(I give it a 9 for entertainment factor. (Firefly was only 7 in entertainment, but 10 in values and philosophical things, basically, not as funny, but not meant to be.)).

Got the KV-3 and T34-85 in World of Tanks (super-fun!).

Have a guest for the coming weekend. I can now introduce her to the girlfriend I did get.

IF she makes her flight.

We shall see.

Back to the book.

Headboard

I made a headboard.

My girlfriend's twin sister needed help with her DIY project, spent some 8 hours on this thing. Learned how to make custom cloth buttons. I also did not make it to the hike I was going to go on.

Post-project SMS messages amused me:

Me: My legs are sore for some reason.
Her: My shoulders are sore and my legs
Me: You sure worked me hard. Your bed is no joke.
Her: Haha yes sorry about that. Didn't think it would take the much effort. Stupid buttons
Me: Lol. The innuendo just deepens.



In other news:

I am now "too manly." As in overly so. Also "too physical." Unsure what to make/do about that.

Drawsome is awesome. And buggy.

Ate Gen BBQ in Tustin. Delicious, but super long wait. Not amused.

Accompanied girlfriend and girl friend to game developer networking event at the Auld Dubliner bar. Some might see the issue with this. Was bored. Not amused.

Valentine's

Marinated a lamb in some whiskey.
I liked it, others did not.

Unfortunately, this would not have been a problem had the girlfriend not taken issue with rosemary, thyme, and mint.

Visited a photo shoot, decided I want a studio lighting set.

Ate Gyu-Kaku in Huntington Beach.
Not too impressed.

Got a shave set and a double edge from the girlfriend.

I had a picture of the two of us printed on a canvas and left it on her desk at work.

Related: did you know you can buy flowers at Home Depot? Yeah.

Magical Powers

It seems that modern life is rife with consumer goods lacking in durability. I had to replace my PC mouse, since the previous one...popped off. I now have a R.A.T. 3. So far, so good. Headphones supposedly arrive tomorrow, will say more after burn in.

Thinking about purchasing Modernist Cuisine. The books intrigue me, and all the reviews I've seen have been glowing. However, it is still a very large chunk of my disposable income. We shall see.

Valentine's Day approaches, and I've the gift prepared ahead of time. Now, I only need work out the proper...delivery for maximum impact.
Ideas are already floating about.

Notable Notes: I have "magical parent powers," capable of calming others' parents with my very presence.

Not a bad superpower to have, methinks.

Bouchon

DineLA at Bouchon with the twins. Was alright, not especially impressed. Bill was a little over two Franks for the three of us.

Have some kind of odd rash on my thighs, pretty sure it's from the bunny I had there. Knew I shoulda just done the normal thing and skinned it for soup!

Grew some weird pimple on the bridge of my nose. Annoying, because my sunglasses don't rest on it properly.

K701's cable died, ordered some Senn HD600s, this time with a removable cable. Again, never let it be said I don't learn from my mistakes.

New car needed new battery, cost two Franks. More annoyance.

Rain on my week(end)

Most notable thing of note: lectured 6 times in 8 days on my uselessness, averaging about 45mins/lecture.

Gurkha Grand Reserve with the cognac infusion is delicious.

Kristoff is not so delicious.

Had Chinese New Year dinner at my girlfriend's house.

Got rained on at work today.

Scheduled my Real Estate Agent's test for Leap Day.

Meh.

Short Hike

Decided not to go for that Triumph GT6 after all.

Meh.

Finished Skyward Sword. Was fun, provided some 40 hours of amusement and some Wii Motion Plus related frustration.


Went on a short hike in the Malibu area: Mishe Mokwa Trail to the Tri-Peaks and Sandstone Peak(Mt. Allen). Girlfriend complained a lot. Would have been better if twin also came, since that would make it seem as if girlfriend does not complain much at all.

Then again, maybe complaints would just get louder and more argumentative.

Lots of ladybugs in stream on trail.

Also tested out Clik DSLR backpack. Decided that it was probably meant for a smaller DSLR.
Konni is a bit too fat for it.

Ate at the Lazy Ox Canteen. Expensive. Would not recommend. Lola Gaspar was much better.

Next adventure will probably be Stoney Point Park.

New Year = More of the same

Beat Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Good game, cheap ending.

Almost done with Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Met up with some old friends for dinner and went to RoundONE at Puente Hills Mall. Was rather impressed at the scope of that particular operation.

Saw two dog-flies dogfight. Missed a picture of some WWII era warplanes flying overhead because I got complacent and wasn't carrying my camera.

Again, I learn from my mistakes.


Also, this is awesome.

Crunch Time

It's now 2012. Crunch time to prepare for the Apocalypse.

To help with that, my resolution this year is 666. Six targets in six seconds, and a six pack.

Clever, ain't it?

Ate a lot of Dino's Chicken this week while working a site in Pomona.

Found a abandon Triumph GT6 (Mk2, methinks) in terrible shape at another site, thinking of restoring it.

New Year's Party was uneventful, had a cigar and port, realized I've smoked more in the last 30 days than I have all that year.

Also, should start studying for my RE agent's exam.


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Note to self: When PC games also come out on console, get the console version and save myself the headache. Related: Damn you Shogun 2; damn you Deus Ex.