BAD BLUE JOURNAL

Will it have been worth it to have worked until 9:45 last night, gotten up at 6:00 this morning to be back in the office by 7:30 on a day that everyone else has off?

It'd fucking better be.

So I figured I'd post something.

It's not like my life has changed much since October of 2004.

Haha!

Okay, so the new Cake album came out yesterday.  </a>Susidhe and I picked it up on the way home from work.  I've had a chance to listen to it all the way through twice and have this to say.</span>

And they lyrical genius that makes Cake one of my favorite bands was seriously lacking in a lot of songs.</span>





Good guitar and McCrea's lyrics are good and the trumpets at the end have a great rhythm. </span>

They add synth loops that have their proper place, and in this song it works.  Plus, it's a song about a dime.  How great is that?  This is my second favorite song on the album.</span>

The message is clear, but the structure of the song is a little but strange.  There's 3 or 4 different sections that don't tie to together well.  I imagine they were really high when they wrote and played this.  Good rhythms but just too erratic.</span>

A wonderful cover ofthe Bread original.  McCrea's vocals are outstanding.  There are more digital effects that are cool.  My only complaint is that the chorus, which is the best part of the song, isn't repeated at the end of the song, but that's not Cake's fault.</span>

7. Waiting – Okay, what the hell happened to the Cake lyrics that we know and love?  This song starts with great lyrics, and then he decides to repeat a phrase over and over and over and over again.  Musically, it's not bad, if a little slow.  But I wonder if McCrea just ran out of words for this song.

8. She'll Hang The Baskets – Not too bad of a song.  It's a somewhat depressing song about failed relationships and the music plauys in to the lyrics really well.  Again, though, it seems like he ran out of things to say; the two verses are very short and the chorus is repeated a lot.

9. End Of The Movie – This song is weird, but it's cool.  It has like three instruments, no drums and is just McCrea singing.  Very folksie… if anyone knows Lava Toad it's a lot like some of their songs.

10. Palm Of Your Hands – My favorite song.  Good beat.  Great guitars.  A Hammond organ.  Great visual lyrics and well sung.  And the message from the song is one that should be heeded by all of those people who think they know what they're doing.

11. Tougher Than It Is – Great guitar intro leads into a hard and dirty beat, although some of the drums sound like drum loops rather than a real drummer, which is fine, it's just not the Cake I know.  And, once again, short verses with few words and a lot of repeated chorus.  The trumpet is pretty freaking cool though.

Overall, I give it a B.  It may seem weird being disappointed in an album given a B, but my hopes were really high for this considering how much I love Fashion Nugget and Comfort Eagle.  Oh well.

Been gone for a while. I was busy, okay?

I really don't have much to say... except... check out my cool ass asteroids game. You need Shockwave to play it.  There's supposed to be music but the last time I updated it I accidentally turned it off.  I've been too busy/lazy to fix it.

I like the game.  I'm using it as a sample of my mad skillz for the side business that susidhe and I have embarked upon doing web site development and the like.  It's fun.
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I've just completed a "client site" that I'd been working on for well over a month. I present to you http://www.crumplednapkin.com/. Crumpled Napkin is a band belonging to friends of mine. They like the site, which is cool cuz I worked my ass off on it. :)

Oh, I also now have my own domain for my web designing services. http://www.webfootsites.com. As they say in Canada: Check it oot!

So I've decided to turn my web design hobby into a paying hobby.  Webfoot Sites is the name I've given to my new company.  That URL is temporary until I get the domain next week.  This all came about when I friend of mine gave me the name of a business associate of his that was lookign for a website for his business... and he was willing to pay.  So I figured I'd better get my shit together and get a little more serious about this than I was before.

So if anyone is looking for a new website (I doubt any of you readers are considering we're all computer nerds around here), go to the website and email me.  I can make pretty for you.

Yesterday's workout is hurting me.  Damn squats just about killed me.  I think I'll not go to the gym today and go on Tuesday instead.  Yeah, that's a good plan.  Besides, I have websites to work on.

My nephew Adam is coming to visit at the end of July for a week.  We're gonna take him to see Weird Al.  It will indeed rock.  I'm very excited about it.  He's a cool kid.

Okay, it has been a long time since I signed my LiveJournal.  You would think that it was because I had nothing to say.  You would be partly right.  Although a lot has happened in this last month, there's not much that I can think of to talk about.  

I could talk about how I'm really annoyed at losing a lot of my three-day weekends to go work at game conventions where the food is terrible and over-priced.  But I'm tired of bitching about that.

I could talk about how I finished 2001: A Space Odyssey and am now reading Dune, but I'd rather keep reading instead of writing about it.

I could talk about how susidhe asked me to get some Weird Al tunes for her and how I now have over 3 hours of his music sitting on my computer with plenty more left to find.  You know, I think I will talk about this a little more.  We're planning on going down to Paso Robles in August to catch Al at the county fair.  She's never seen him in concert, but I once saw him at the San Mateo county fair.  The dude is a riot... I worship him.  So yeah.

I could talk about our new car, but susidhe </span>already did so it would be redundant.

I could talk about how buffed and ripped I'm getting but then I'd have to run and hide from all the boys and girls wanting to rip off my clothes for a chance at seeing my pulsating pecs and bulging biceps.  Sorry gang, that's reserved for my wife... and those internet viewers willing to pay $29.95/mo.

Oh, yeah. I turned 29 last month. w00t!

So, there, I updated my LJ.  See you all in another 10 years, eh?
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Okay... I'm not the biggest Sharks fan in the world. I'm a Ducks fan which makes the Sharks a division rival. But the Ducks are not in the playoffs and the Sharks are having a great run and I'll watch any hockey game. And if my friends are Sharks fans and I'm watching the game with them then, yeah, I'll cheer for the Sharks.

Which leads me to Wednesday night when the Sharks lost to the Avalanche in Game 4 by a score of 1-0. It was a close, exciting game with great scoring chances, amazing defense and stellar goaltending on both sides. Given the way the Sharks and the Avalanche played, the score was rightfully 0-0 after 3 periods. Obviously, the biggest mistake of the night came from Rathje and it resulted in Sakic's OT winner.

So, okay, fine, the Sharks lost a close one on an overtime mistake. Good playoff hockey, right?

Now, enter Ray Ratto, a sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. In Thursday's paper and on ESPN.com today, he's going on and on about how the Avs really took it to the Sharks and that the score should have been 5-1 or 5-2 or 7-1 based on "style points". And I'm wondering, Ray, what the fuck game were you watching? Cuz both the Avs and Sharks looked really good on both sides of the puck and on both sides of the ice. That's why it was 0-0, you dumb fuck!

I mean, if the Avs played so much better than the Sharks, why wasn't the score 7-1? Was it because Nabakov played an extraordinary game in net? Sure, he did play well, but if the Avs played well enough to score 7 goals, why isn't Ray going on and on about how Nabby played the game of his career just to keep the game tied? I'll tell you why, because Nabby didn't HAVE to because the rest of his teammates ALSO played a good game in front of him. That being the case, why is Ray talking about how great the Avs were and how shitty the Sharks played?

What game were you watching, Ray? And who in Colorado is sucking your dick to make you say such things about YOUR LOCAL TEAM... and not only are you saying it in the local papers, but you're using your national spotlight on EPSN.com to talk about a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME than the one that was actually played. Why are you a sports writer, anyway?

I hate you, Ray Ratto.

Every year my allergies get worse. It used to just be some sniffles duringthe blooming season. Now it's watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing fits. Not fun.

I think I get it from my dad. I remember as a kid he used to be out back doing yard work and he'd sneeze for minutes on end. Often times he'd call us out there so we could watch him squeeze his nose, causing jets of water to squirt from each nostril. Nice image, dad. Thanks.

I hope that doesn't happen to me.

I don't use Contac because it makes me drowsy and I have plenty of other things to make me loopy. Sudafed is hit-or-miss, and when it misses I want to shove my head through a window. I've started using Claratin, and if taken early enough in the day they work like a charm. But at $1 per hit... err... per pill... it's more expensive than I would like.

I'm considering getting an allergy shot next year, and every year after than until my nose falls off or I die.

Last night I saw one of the best Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 7's that I'd seen in a long time.  Vancouver vs. Calgary... who really cares, right?  Well, let me tell you something... it was a classic.

The last 2 minutes of the 3rd period epitomized why I love hockey.  The intensity, the talent, the fans, the bounces, the drama... goddammit!  It was absolutely amazing.  infocalypsed </span>and I sat there with our jaws hanging open for a good minute or two after what we saw...

Shit, first, go here and watch the highlights for the Vancouver/Calgary game...

Nevermind... I can't even talk about it.  If you love hockey, you'll know why it's so fucking cool.  And if you think it's cool, then I think you're cool.  And rock the fuck on!


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Okay, so I haven't updated my Live Journal since the first of the month.  I'd like to say that it was because I was away on an exotic vacation.  But it's just been a little bit of laziness mixed in with a little bit of busy-ness.  So I'm going to do another review.

- First and foremost, as reported by my lovely wife susidhe, </span> the 4Runner was taken away from us last Friday.  I talked to the State Farm Total Loss department today and they have already sent us the money.  We got a decent settlement, but there's no amount of money that can replace that truck.  I fucking loved that truck. And if I think about it too hard I get sad, cuz it basically sacrificed itself to keep me alive.  I guess it loved me too.

- I finished another website over the weekend.  This one is for The Black Friars, yet another improv group that some of my friends are in.  I like this one a lot; susidhe helped with the logo which I think is way cool.

- The Stanley Cup Playoffs have started.  If you did not already know that then you need to reprioritize your life.  Even though my Sucky Ducks didn't make it, I'm still into it.  And that's the definition of a true hockey fan.  At least, it's my definition.

- I've started learning MySQL and PHP so that I can develop better websites with dynamic content instead of the bland straight-HTML pages I've been doing so far.  I'm hoping that by improving my skillset I'll be able to actually make a little money on the side making websites for people.  I wouldn't dare ask for payment for an HTML website.  But if I have some PHP and MySQL programming in there, then that's something worth billing.

So yeah. See you in anouther 50 years, when I finally get around to updating my Journal again. </span>

Okay, so what's new?

- I finally finished all of my dental work for the year. Every tooth is filled and pretty. The wisdom teeth are still there, but they have a limited life span at this point. Once my dental insurance funds reset I'm all about pulling those bitches out.

- Holly D's website http://www.interiorartistry.com/ is finally finished. I think it looks pretty good, but that's mostly because of her creative and artistic input. It's nice working with a real artist. As payment she's gonna fix up parts of our house real pretty-like. So that's cool.

- The Single Entendre website http://www.singleentendre.org is coming along slowly. Its development has been so different than when I worked on Interior Artistry. These guys are LAGGERS, as you'll be able to tell from my comments spread throughout the website. But they are funny guys (and gal) and once they start performing there will be more content for the site.

- State Farm called me regarding my accident on January 15. SF is representing the woman who plowed into me. The agent told me that they were accepting full liability! FUCK YES! So I'm getting all of my medical bills paid, money for 2 days missed work plus a healthy lump for pain and suffering due to my shoulder injury. HELL YES! And they're going to send out someone to take a look at the 4-Runner to determine how much more they're gonna give me for the damage. I hope they don't decide to total it... I love that truck.

- My mom is coming to visit this weekend. Should be fun... I haven't seen her since my wedding.

I guess that's it for now. If I think of anything else to talk about, I'll post it here. :)

So, back on January 15, I was in a car accident.  I was in San Francisco on Pine Street on my way to work.  I was stopped at a red light at Van Ness going west and in the far left lane (Pine is a one-way street at that point). 

The light turns green and I look to my left to see that the cross traffic is stopping.  And they, in fact do.  They are stopped.  So I proceed to move through the intersection.  At the last moment, a black car from the far lane comes quickly into view and plows right into the front left corner of my 4-Runner.

The truck is spun around almost 180 degrees.  My shoulder is slammed into the door and my hand whacks into the steering wheel.  The truck slowly rolls to the curb while I sit there in shock, not quite sure what to do since I'd never been in an accident before and I wasn't expecting this car to come slamming in to me.  I was just going to work... and now this.

Immediately I'm surrounded by witnesses who are all like "I can't believe she ran the red."  "Are you okay?"  "Here's my card, I'll be your witness."  It was cool seeing all of these people come to my aid.  It made me feel good about humanity despite the pain and swelling in my left arm.

The police showed up, took statements and the paramedics took us to the hospital.  Apparently she was injured when her airbag deployed.

So after a run-around with my adjuster and the SFPD (it took 2 months to get a freaking police report) my adjuster calls to give me her insurance info.  He says that on the police report that I have 2 witnesses saying that she ran the red.

But this chick... she's claiming that I ran the red light and she has hired an attorney.  What the FUCK?!  This chick TOTALLY ran this red light and is now trying to say that *I* did?  Unbelievable.  Everyone else going in her direction was STOPPED at the RED LIGHT.  What in the hell is she thinking?

My adjuster told me not to worry about it.  All of the witnesses there corroborate my story.  She's just wasting her time and money on an attorney.  I just can't believe that she has the fucking balls to say that the accident was MY fault! 

So much for feeling good about humanity... I JUST WANT MY TRUCK TO WORK AGAIN!!!

... so don't fuck with the 'guin, yo!  I will cut you!

Thanks to mah behbeh susidhe for the cool ass picture.  w00t!

Work has been pretty chill this week since I've been the only one in the office.  I mean, I even had to make sales calls this week and it's still been a great week.  I hate doing sales calls, but since I'm calling distributors that actually WANT to buy our books it's been pretty easy.  It's like "Hey this is Ben from Hero Games.  Gadgets and Gear is coming out this week and you haven't placed an order for it.  64 copies?  You got it!  Thanks!  *click*"  Fun stuff.

Since the work load has been extremely low, it's also given me a chance to work on some personal stuff.  I was finally able to distribute some documentation for the Herosphere playtesters which is a good thing because a lot of the problems that have been coming up is because they hadn't had any documentation and therefore were doing things wrong.  But hopefully these documents will help them... and me...

I also picked up a new website this weekend.  My friend Holly D. has asked me to do her business website (interior artistry and the like) and so I've been working on a layout mock up for her.  Apparently the person she'd had doing it for her before took 4 months to do basically nothing.  In two days I've just about completed the layout and once she gives me the approval for it I'll then crank out the content.  I'm not saying I'm good or fast or anything, but after what I saw this person did in 4 months (and CHARGED for it) I was more than happy to bust my ass for Holly for free.  She's a good friend and a talented artist.  You can check out her site at http://www.interiorartistry.com.  That's the old layout... the new site will be active in probably a week or so.

I'm also doing the website for some friends that have formed an improv group... yeah, I know, me with friends that do improv?  How can that be?  Single Entendre is their name, and if I know them to be the way they are, offending people with a smile on their face is their game.  I've complete a half-assed mock up for that site already and need to make some tweaks to it so that I am satisfied with how it looks.  They don't give a shit, which is kind of frustrating because as a web designer you'd like to make the site look like how the owners of the site want it to look.  It gives you direction and a more tangible objective rather than "Just make us look cool."  I'm like "If you wanna look cool then I shouldn't put up any pictures of you!"  Sheeit.  http://www.singleentendre.org is the site.  Be warned, it is far from finished.  Shit, it aint even started really.

And to make matters worse I am slowly becoming addicted to GunBound.  A special thanks to hickory for bringing this to my attention.  The game itself is pretty basic, but the graphics are pretty  the avatar options are really cool.  Check it out at http://www.gunbound.net, and be warned, the site is translated from some other language into english so some of the verbage is, well, fucked up. :)</span>

So I actually had a hangover yeaterday. Ever since going completely clean and sober in January, my alcohol tolerance has been been for shit. I had three beers and a couple puffs and I was dead meat. Sarah had to drive home, bless her soul. And SHE was hungover, too! WTF, man? Are we getting old? Are we not drinking enough?

Ah, who cares... we had a good time and no one died.

The Plasterkatz show was off the hook. Those guys can really rock it. And they've got a big following too... true, it's all of our friends and friends of thiers, but it's cool to be able to go hang out with our friends to watch our other friends perform life music for a few hours. It's an excuse to have the whole gang together. And the gang was huge! People form all over our social spectrum were there and that can only bode well for Plasterkatz. They rawk! http://www.plasterkatz.com

So we didn't do much yesterday. We went to the store to get food and stuff. And we bombed the apartment cuz we think Kik is bringing biting critters into the house. So we nuked the joint. Fun.

Have you noticed how warm it is outside? I'd go run in the sprinklers if we had sprinklers. :)

Well, it turns out I have to wait until next year to have my wisdom teeth removed. Since I'm having to spend so much money on just getting my fillings done, I don't have enough insurance remaining to have oral surgery as well. So I have to wait for the money to come back in. Oh well... I've lived with them for over a decade, what's one more year, right?

Sarah and I are going to go see the Plasterkatz tonight at the Old Rogue in San Francisco. I haven't seen them perform since I quit the band back in January, so it's going to be cool. Check out their site at http://www.plasterkatz.com.

Okay, if you haven't peeped this yet, click here.

It is amazing to me, and mind-boggling to the n-th degree, that light from so early in the life of our universe is just now reaching us.  And it's not the fact that light from 13 billion years ago is reaching us that hurts my brain, it's the fact that we are 13 billion light years away from where those objects were when they first emmited that light.  That shit is waaaaaaay the hell out there.  Waaaaaaay out there.  From a waaaaaaay long time ago.

It's all pretty fucked up. :)  I wish I could talk more about it, but I'm still trying to comprehend the implications of this.  It's nuts, yo.

So I got another filling today. It was cake. One shot. One minute of drilling. Some other stuff. Done. I also finished up getting my teeth all scraped and cleaned, so I'm all good in that department.

I go in next Tuesday to get 3 more fillings in the upper right. I asked my dentist how many cavities I actually had. She told me 13. I almost shit my pants. Almost.

I think a few of them are in my wisdom teeth which are getting yanked in April. But damn! 13! Cripes!

So I visited the oral surgeon yesterday and he informed me that I actually had TWO extra wisdom teeth, not just the little guy that my dentist had told me about. Great! That's kinda cool! That ties me with my sister as far as number of wisdom teeth go. I win the overall competition, though, because I had three extra front teeth that were pulled back in elementary school. Good times.

The only thing that sucks about having extra wisdom teeth is that the oral surgeon charges by the tooth, and at $400/tooth, it gets a little pricey, even with dental insurance. My appointment is April 2nd which is plenty of time to save up funds, and it's a Friday which means I'll have all weekend to sit around and choke on my own blood. FUN!

Tomorrow I get my second filling and second cleaning. This is gonna be GREAT!