Blog Title: ? ? ? nonsequiter groove ? ? ?

*yawn*

ejay!

Starting to clear out some stuff and will post here to share...

Anyone want an inexpensive SmartPhone?

2008 in review meme

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Working for a non-profit, filed taxes for 3 different states, spent my first full year living outside of PA, had some long-troublesome teeth removed, held a starfish

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do resolutions. I do plan to set some personal goals for myself this year, though.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, on my birthday!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Seems like we can't get through a year these days without a loss.

5. What countries did you visit?
Does Northrend count?

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
I'd like a permanent position again; being a contractor is getting old.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Not actual dates so much as events... the election was pretty huge. Got to see some history in the making.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Managed to make a 3 month contract last 10 months (and still going strong).

9. What was your biggest failure?
Packed on a few of the pounds I so diligently dropped in '07.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Got pretty sick in March, had some oral surgery, messed up my knee in December, but recovered from all.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my star-shaped tambourine.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
linda_a achieved her PhD candidacy, Americans got out the vote in record numbers, and McCain showed his muster (again, finally) in his resultant concession speech

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one new, actually.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Probably rent. :P

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
linda_a's PhD candidacy, Speed Racer, Iron Man, my nephew and his friends' visit

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
the Traveling Wilbury's "The End of the Line"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? about the same, albeit more settled
b) thinner or fatter? put some weight back on, but that's temporary
c) richer or poorer? just about the same, little less debt, little more responsible spending (well, truth be told, less irresponsible spending), though I do tend to spoil people when I shouldn't

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing. Hiking.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Parking my ass on the couch.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Since we were in Altoona this time, perhaps Philly next.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Probably Mom.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope; just fell deeper.

23. Did you fall out of love in 2008?
Nope.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Probably Primeval; it shows promise anyway. Also watched more Family Guy than I had previously and revisited the awesomeness of Twin Peaks, thanks to Hulu.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.

26. What was the best book you read?
I Am America (And So Can You) - Stephen Colbert

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Vitamin String Quartet

28. What did you want and get?
A good year.

29. What did you want and not get?
160Gb Black iPod Classic

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Iron Man really did impress me.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 35 this year, on a Wednesday, so I was working in Boston. We celebrated the following weekend instead.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Gaining permanency at work.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Same as it ever was. Comfort, casual, and hooray for mock turtlenecks coming back in.

34. What kept you sane?
hulu.com and watch-movies.net saved my sanity during some long slow periods at work

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I enjoyed watching Cynthia McKinney's campaign.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
It was interesting to watch the Religious Reich Right lose some major ground.

37. Who did you miss?
PA family and friends

38 Who was the best new person you met?
Helen, Jim, and Alan

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
It is necessary to sometimes make important positive changes for yourself at the risk of disappointing/inconveniencing others; you can't continually sacrifice your own needs to make everyone else happy or "keep the peace."

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"You are all you need
And that is everything
So don't hesitate
There's no time to waste
You just do it for yourself"
- Listen Like Thieves, INXS

Happy New Year!

I'm in a drinkin' wine coolers and listening to 80's music mood, so I'm drinkin' wine coolers and listening to 80's music.

Hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve. I know '08 was rough for many of you; may '09 be as good to you as '08 has been to me. 2008 kicked ass largely in part to spending it with linda_a but it's been great all around.

xmas wrap

Christmas was fun (I only hate Xmas until it happens; I rather enjoy the actual day). We went to Altoona, PA and it is always a pleasure to spend time with linda_a's family and friends; I'm always humbled by their generosity and hospitality.

While we were there, we got to spend some extra time with kzgurl2003 and the kiddos, and also I finally got to meet thedougz. The four of us enjoyed snacks, dessert, and drinks on Saturday evening. All the while, we were treated to some very Spring-like weather for some day tripping in the surrounding areas, including a cool miniature shop who's name escapes me and Joy's Japanamation, both in Greensburg.

On that note, Central PA is certainly not the bass-ackwards redneck haven that some folks may believe. While I hail from the so-called "more metropolitan" Philadelphia area, we have more than our share of pickups with gunracks and ign'r'nt "good ole boy" types, as well. Hell, I've seen more redneck in parts of Maine and Vermont than all of PA. < /impromptu side rant >

While the ride down was a bit slow with rain, wind, and/r fog, the ride home was dry and uneventful. Amazingly, traffic was, for once, on our side. Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday as well!

Random fact: Altoona is 1,206ft above sea level vs Somersworth's 204ft.

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: I should not continue to let Linda's niece think my name is "Godzilla."

Happy Xmas!

We're off to Altoona, PA for the weekend.

Humbuggery!

Christmas... several weeks' worth of people being assholes in stores and traffic in exchange for one day of obligatory niceties.

Bah!

winter wonderland

I'll say it... I love snow.*

Even after last year's move to New Hampshire into one of the snowiest years on record.
Even after taking an hour to get home from work on Friday, which included leaving my car in town and walking a quarter mile up a steep hill in a few inches of the stuff.
Even after fucking up my knee on the snowy/icy steps yesterday on the way out of the house to go to get my car.
And even after the potential to get anywhere between 9 and 20 inches more today.

•-•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•

Our supervisor sent us home at around 4 on Friday, as it was snowing pretty heavily and the phones were dead. While the traffic was heavy, most people were simply taking their time and playing it safe, for once. All was well until the final leg of the journey which comprises of, regardless of which street I take to ours, a steep hill. I tried valiantly.... Noble Street; nope. Mt. Vernon Street; nope. Grove Street; nope. And finally Highland Street, where I pulled into an apartment lot, parked as out of the way as I could and trudged home.

After we walked into town to get the Dragon Wagon yesterday, we drove to the gas station to fill 'er up and hit Target for some provisions (comfort food, snow melt, and washer fluid). The roads were still dicey from Friday's storm and the snow was still falling but I found a route home that avoids the types of inclines we have to deal with in our neighborhood. It's a few miles out of the way, but the steep hills here offered the 'Wagon her first failed challenge.

After we got home, we put a log on the fire and settled in for what appears now to be at least through tomorrow morning (by my best estimate, after it started on Friday at around 3PM, it stopped snowing from about 3AM until about 7AM this morning). We basically spent our time surfing the 'net and watching some Twin Peaks.

The knee is definitely more painful today, but no signs of swelling or bruising, so I'm seeing it as an annoyance rather than a concern. I can bend and extend with very minimal pain, unless I have weight on it; that's when it gives me trouble. Ibuprofin, rest, and epsom salts have been my friends.

Today, we're sitting by the fire, enjoying each other's company, and taking advantage of some forced relaxation.Sunset's not until 4:11, but we've had the lights on for the last hour or so. I have the curtains open and can occasionally see the old school across the corner, but for the most part, it's white out there. Low teen temperatures and wind gusts over 35mph make me happy to rid this out inside with a log on the fire.

Folks, have a safe and happy end of the weekend...

Blessed Solstice!

Happy Chanukkah!



*...with apologies, of course, to stabbity and teknozen; I know you're getting hammered recently!

from jay!phone

jay! loves tweaking the Bruins fans!

Test

Testing new phone app!

First AC/DC, now Apple. Makes ya feel dirty...

...and not in a good way.

*shakes head*

Frickin' WalMart.

snow

snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow

:D

A year ago, I packed the Dragon Wagon, went to work in, and at the end of the day, drove to New Hampshire and never turned back.

"I give ya three months!"
"You'll be back in half a year."
"Gonna even bother with an address change?"

...all said in friendly jest, of course.

Well, here I am, at the one year mark and still going strong; gainfully employed, a place to call home, and things couldn't be better with linda_a!

Twilight

Secretly, I wanted to like it and I tried to clear my head of expectations for "Twilight." Nonetheless, based on what little I knew, I was expecting the film to be The Lost Boys For Whiny, Angsty, Unpopular Kids Who Take Their Social Microcosm Too Seriously, which means that 20 years ago, I would have liked this film.

What I got was... exactly what I expected. The characters were shallow, loosely developed, and lacking any chemistry between each other making them hardly likable, the story was predictable, and the *cough* climax... well, it was rushed, trite, and well... anticlimactic. Beautiful people and trendy vampire vogue alone do not a good movie make.

If you want a good vampire movie, watch "The Lost Boys," "From Dusk 'Til Dawn," "Underworld," or "John Carpenter’s Vampires." If you want 90210 with bloodsuckers, watch this. Fuck, I'd watch "Vamp" and "Fright Night" back to back before suffering through this again.

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I can't decide whether I hate xmas or if it just severely annoys me.

lazy saturday and adult vod!

Had a great snow (ice) day off yesterday and we're enjoying a low-key day today; playing on the internets, light cleaning, and such.

I got accepted into the beta program for fyretv. The gear showed up today and I've been checking out things and diligently posting my feedback on the setup process and first impressions of the interface. Kinda fun, really, the whole set-top porn-on-demand concept. Connection and setup were a breeze and the speed and video quality are pretty damn nice. If anyone's really interested, I'll post a comprehensive review for you.

It's been bitter cold and we've pretty much had a fire going most of the day. It's nice and cozy and we might treat ourselves to some delivery for dinner. Otherwise, things have been pretty normal and relaxed lately. :)

ice storm 08

Ice on the Dragon Wagon:


The 2 sections of this birch tree are usually standing upright at a good 3 stories:


An inverted "ice bowl" from the top of the stairway post:

Woman sees Virgin Mary in MRI.

I see... The Phantom Shadow from Scooby Doo!

"Dad, get me a burrow owl. I'll never ask for anything else as long as I live."

This really is one cool-ass website.

*sigh*

Science Fiction loses a true icon...

Bettie Page in critical condition...

PSA

Thought I'd spread the word...

Allentown, PA hosts this weekend's Indiemade Craft Market, featuring 40+ vendors, local musicians, a DIY area, and swag bags for the first 50 attendees. You could also win special prizes from CRAFT!

Indiemade Craft Market
Sunday, December 7, 11am-4pm
@ Starlite Ballroom
1221 S Front Street
Allentown, PA
http://www.indiemademarket.com