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.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, September 28, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
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!
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!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
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.
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.
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