Regarding this article, I'm just way too lazy to register an account to post the following comment:

A m00se 0nce bit my sister.

I threw my back out on Thursday morning, so I've pretty much stayed at home since Friday morning, relegated to bed. Unfortunately, my WiFi is acting wonky, so I only had time to do the following:

• Watch this week's Lost.
• Read The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle.
• Read The Little Book That Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt.
• Watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 1: Disc 2.
• Watch Negima: Magic 601
• Watch An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder Disc 2.
• Watch Touching the Void.
• Finish Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.

I wish I could have known I would throw my back out--then I'd have planned to have more stuff on the TiVo to kill time.

Regarding this:

batnandu: what is WRONG with you?
batnandu: you and those fucking lego videogames
batnandu: it's weird, i tell ya
batnandu: just weird
batnandu: uh oh
batnandu: maybe this is like the start of my long journey into irrelevance
batnandu: you know how adults never understand the stuff that's cool with kids?
batnandu: shit
batnandu: ok, dude, we needs to play some lego games soon
batnandu: i gotta re-up my
batnandu: something
batnandu: or something

And:

thepeopleseason: you see the video of Eddie Griffin killing the Enzo?
batnandu: no
thepeopleseason: http://dethroner.com/2007/03/27/clips-eddie-griffin-totals-a-ferrari-enzo/
batnandu: yeah
batnandu: i saw the link to the video
batnandu: i just didn't see the video
batnandu: sheesh. just because i don't get your stupid lego games doesn't mean i'm a total luddite geezer.

Apparently two separate studies have found a correlation between racing video game play and increased risk-taking on meatspace roads.

Despite most gamers' insistence that gaming does not affect real-life behavior, anyone who's gotten on the road after playing Rush 2049 or Burnout knows the little, evil robot usses that pop onto the shoulder and insist on taking shortcuts or trying to get more boost by running your fellow commuters off the road.

So last night, I ended up hitting a local bar for their Guitar Hero competition. Having played very little actual Guitar Hero II, I didn't sign up to compete, my primary reason for being there was to meet up with El Guapo, his brother skander, and his other brother who to the best of my knowledge has no sort of blog. I get there somewhat earlier than the rest of the gang and mill about the bar while I wait for the Guapos. At one point one of the competitors walks up to me and asks, "Did you play at the competition at the Independent a long time ago?"

When I reply in the affirmative, he responds: "Dude, you're the reason that I play Guitar Hero!"

I'm not sure what to think of that.


Listening to the morning radio, I learned that the general contractor assigned to do roadwork on I-20 near Atlanta may be fined for exceeding the early-morning time alloted to blocking a lane on the interstate and causing a disproportionate amount of gridlock. Coupled with the recent news that Turner Broadcasting will likely pay some two million dollars for the media and police disruption of Boston as a result of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force viral marketing campaign, it occurs to me that if we're going to make people pay for screwing up traffic, then the purveyors of the Big Dig probably owe the city a pretty penny.


And finally, from countessmary: Bold the series that you've seen for 3 or more episodes. Underline the series that you know for sure (or that you've seen them complete). If you want, add three more series (keep it in alphabetic order).

I added Beauty and the Geek, Cupid, and Psych.

( big list of television series )

Here's yet another reason Microsoft's standard operating procedure of taking a standards-based technology and adding proprietary extensions to it eats a bag of ass.

I played a bit of Guitar Hero II today at a local Best Buy (demo copy, limited song list). It's still pretty damn fun.

I'm never going in on group meals again.

Inevitably, someone wants to split the tab evenly when one of them has ordered fifteen gazillion beers when all you drank was water. Or you end up short because someone can't count, and you feel rotten for leaving the overly-generous server a 0.002 percent tip.

What happened tonight, however, is the cake-taker.

Someone ate my dinner.

Prior to our disastrous pool league match today, I asked Ollie if he was hungry at all. After some hashing back and forth about where to go, we finally settled on Pizza. I ordered two medium pizzas from Mellow Mushroom, and I picked up the tab on my credit card, totaling about 32 dollars.

Courtney, Ollie, and I sat down and had about a pie's worth of slices. Nandu said he might be interested in some, so I pooled the boxes and entrusted the leftovers to Heidi in the kitchen. I figured that Nandu would eat his share, and I could eat the rest for dinner Wednesday after work.

At some point during the match, I see Rob coming down with two slices of the pizza. He offers to pay for his share, so I don't mind so much.

At the end of the night, however, I ask Ollie for the box, and he says there's just one slice left. Apparently when Rob found the pizza, others helped themselves to the rest of the pie.

What the fuck? Ollie gave me ten dollars for his share, and I felt bad about asking Courtney for five additional. I gave Rob's two dollars back to Ollie--he and Courtney didn't eat half the fucking tab's worth of pizza; at most they ate a quarter of it, and they're still paying for almost half.

Which just leaves me to pay the other half.

So whoever the hell you are that ate my dinner for tonight, I hope to hell it gives you anal seepage.
Current Mood: annoyed

As I mentioned last Sunday, despite our losses last weekend to the Hammerheads (Troy Freeman's team out of Maggie's in Toco Hills), our first place status in the Midtown division enabled us to continue playing this weekend. And this time, it sucked considerably less.

We made it past two further rounds, and despite our loss in the third round today, we're qualified for the city finals in June. Should we maintain solid play throughout this session, we continue to have a chance to win a trip to Vegas.

That's all for now. I'm horrendously tired. Thanks to a shower and soft bedclothes, I'm no longer feeling the wretchedness of spending about 14 hours at Cue's II.

The folks at Retrocrush have posted another obscure video game quiz.

And it blew. Why did I agree to this?

I played in my first division championship for APA Eight Ball today. To quote Xander from Buffy, ( On a scale from one to ten, it sucked. )

I left Cue's II feeling wretched. Not so much because of the match, though. By the time we returned from dinner, I had had just about my fill of the insipid atmosphere and oppressive cigarette and cigar smoke which permeates the sweltering armpit of a pool hall, and once our match was complete, I felt it had infected me with some horrid disease spontaneously growing from the tar-flavored miasma. I just know my spending about an entire day's worth of time in what should be called "Cue's Inferno" has robbed me of some precious time on the mortal coil...

Once we got back to DuPree's, however, I did spy yet another lithe, effulgent young Sweeney-type playing on Table 3. She was most cute. (No, I did not talk to her. Nor her boyfriend).

We're going to help Patty move to the Mattress Factory Lofts tomorrow, so I'm going to try to catch some shut-eye.
Current Mood: disappointed

Following a freak Frigit mishap, I now have only three of the original twelve marbles that came included with the toy.

I need more marbles.

I just had to mention the cool shit I got for Christmas. Aside from cash, which is the most versatile gift you can possibly get someone, and the aforementioned book and GIR plushie from Earnie, Gene got me Frigits, the magnetic marble rollercoaster. I've been looking at these things for a while now, since Jerry told me about them.

I finally had the chance to open them up last night. I set up numerous different configurations, and promptly lost about half the included marbles behind the fridge.

The ferris wheel unit doesn't always work right, so the marbles will often glance off of the side of one of the wells and bounce about the kitchen, usually finding its way around to the gap between the wall and the fridge.

Still, though, it's some pretty cool shit. Thanks, Gene.

Jerry and I are thinking about getting each other Roombas because we're both really lazy bastards, but we're still waiting to see how the reviews are on the thing.
Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: "River" - Robert Downey Jr.

Last night I went to sleep around 1:00 or so, after playing a game of computer chess and reading Nick Bantok's Alexandria.

At approximately 7:45 A.M., the power went out around Peachtree Street from North Avenue to about 14th Street this morning. I woke up to the sound of the First Union Building backup generators kicking in--imagine the sounds of a large diesel engine strapped to a skyscraper. Not so shortly thereafter, the plaintive alarms of my two UPS units started. For about forty-five minutes, I half-listened to the syncopated beeping and tried to return to my dreams. Amidst the cacophony, my clock radio kicked off its own alarm, with the morning news and traffic report.

Figuring that listening would just run the battery backup down on the clock, I shut it off and tried in vain to go back to sleep.

I tossed about the bed until about 9:32 and then finally rose to shower and shave for work. I was about 10 minutes late, which isn't really a huge concern.

I had wanted to stop off at the LaVista Sandwich Shop about six doors down from the office to grab a bagel with egg and cheese or something, but as I approached, I noticed their closed door. They're shut down for the season.

So now I'm exceedingly hungry.

( The previously promised More Christmas stuff )
Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: "But Not Tonight" - Scott Weiland

This has been quite a week. Like I said before, I went to go see Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on Tuesday night, following our pool league match.

Our match went quite well--We took 4 out of 5 to secure first place in the division. The four wins over the then-second place team allowed us to give Rob's team a bump up to second place. We have to play a wildcard round two weeks from now, and then figure in the session finals.

The movie was pretty good. I'm not sure about some of the plot changes, but since I don't recall the book itself well enough to delineate the exact differences, I'm going to wait to say anything else, other than to reiterate: Not enough Ents.

The birthday celebration was quite enjoyable. I ended up in quite a stupor towards the end of the night, demanding my cake and trying desperately to find a fork and knife with which to eat it.

I honestly can't say enough about how much I appreciate the gift, too. tiiguy suggested to batnandu that they get a signed copy of the recently out-of-print Super/System, by Doyle Brunson a two-time (maybe more?) winner of the World Series of Poker. It's what just about everyone in the professional poker world would refer to as the "Poker Bible."

And now I have one.

The work week is winding down, too. Unfortunately, the project that I'm currently working requires me to constantly reload a WindowsCE device with old versions of our software product, and upgrade. These upgrades take about 15 minutes each time to reinitialize the entire system, and then I have to check if the changes that I made worked or not.

So now you know where I found the time to learn how to juggle.

Ugh. The unit I was working with basically just choked out, and because, I suspect, of the continual re-loads will now require flashing the harddrive and a total rebuild from the ground up.

Luckily I have a spare...

Sigh.
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Here" - VAST

You know, if you're logged in, Livejournal should put a link on your own page to the frickin' update page. I've got too many windows open with this journal stuff. And why is there a lone purple asterisk just above the time and date fields of this form?

So tonight, at 12:01 AM, we'll be watching The Two Towers. I generally try to go into movies with low expectations, so in general, I'm not disappointed with movies. Sometimes this doesn't work at all, like when I stood up at the end of Cool World and screamed, "I paid six dollars for THAT?!?!?.

But with this movie, however, I can't help but be excited. Fellowship was just so well done. It helps that I agree with the minor (and some major) changes that Jackson made to the plot and characters.

Tonight's also the last night of the session for APA Eight-ball. We're currently in First place amongst the ten teams of the division, and we're hoping to clinch that against the second place team tonight. We didn't do too well last week, but here's hoping we're going to be ok.

If anyone's interested, I got a Borders coupon for 10% off your total purchase between 12-16 and 12-24. I need to buy some stuff for the gang, but I did get something rather amusing for Mr. Holley. Heh.

Of course, shopping for my mother and father is going to be much harder.
Current Mood: anxious
Current Music: the light pitter-patter of my upstairs neighbor...

Oh, for those of you still wondering about the answers to the video game captures...

( Here are the answers )
Current Mood: awake

Ok, here's pretty much the definition of frustration:

Yesterday was Katie Earle's birthday, and we took her out for a night of fun. Nandu and I started out playing chess up at DuPree's. At some point, I went downstairs to Apres Diem to get some dessert, and The Devil was there. We made some small talk, blah blah blah. Who really cares what we talked about? Will the subject or any of the given details make her want to crawl into bed with me any time soon? No. So let's just move on...

I went back up to DuPree's and hung about until it was time to go to the Cheetah. If you want to see something amusing, try going to a strip club with 30+ lesbians, and watch some of the dancer's reactions. Dave was standing by one when the whole bevy came in, and one dancer exclaimed, "OH. MY. GOD!" There were a few standouts, and Earnie was generous enough to buy a dance from one of them for me, as well as a shooter (according to Earnie, the shooter girl, Onyx--right, like that's her real name--can deep throat a Voss bottle; I shudder).

But as fun as strip clubs are, when you're condemned to go home alone, they're ultimately extremely frustrating.

Afterwards, at the behest of Keely, we headed over to My Sister's Room. Which was interesting to say the least. Of course, Jeech, Earnie and I basically hung out in a group by ourselves, lesbian-watching. There was quite a wide menagerie of lesbians there last night, and it was funny watching the different types making their way about the crowd. There was one girl dressed in all black, and a red necktie, who was quite fetching, but both Earnie and I were a bit uncomfortable watching her for fear of some random right-hook coming and belting us out of nowhere.

Again, however, despite the anthropological (and the leering) interest, being a guy and going to a lesbian bar is just an exercise in frustration.

And then I went home to shower and sleep. Alone. See?

Frustration.


On another note, on Friday night, I hit Apres Diem to get some tea to go. As I was walking up the stairs, I stumbled and spilled hot scalding water on my left hand. Jules was kind enough to give me a cold towel to wrap around my hand. When Patty saw it, she asked me what had happened. I explained everything, and she followed up with, "Oh, that sucks. Could you move your hand around the table and wipe it down?"

Imagine the fun of trying to play Spades while your hand is covered with a cold, damp, icy towel.

Oh well. I might be going to see Die Another Day, but I've got way too much television to watch at home...
Current Mood: frustrated
Current Music: Some jazzy stuff at Diem

So tonight's the big Bones night.

Close to about a year ago, Jeech and I competed against Patty and batnandu in a Spades game to 10,000 points. The stakes were a dinner at a restaurant of the winner's choice.

The game took about 4-6 months to complete, because Jeech and Nandu got sidetracked into playing Three-Card Dumbass for a few months. When it finally started back up, Patty and Nandu's team skills seemed to have improved. They had always tended to take a lot of sandbags, and bagged over quite frequently. But when we started over, Patty and Nandu seemed to grasp the concept of sloughing off a little better.

So much so, that they defeated us.

It was pretty exciting, actually; the final hand we were near even, both threatening to break the 10,000 mark. I went Nil to put us over by a greater number of points. I knew I couldn't get set. Unfortuantely, we had 7 sandbags, and with Jeech trying to cover me on all counts, I made my low, Jeech made his tricks, we sandbagged over and lost.

Heartbreaking way to lose...

So tonight we're taking Patty and Nandu to Bones for dinner.

The bastards.
Current Mood: apathetic
Current Music: "Wicked Ways" by Miss Major and her Minor Mood Swings

RetroCrush has a great quiz on some classic (and some not-so-classic) video games.

Ah, this really takes me back. I remember sitting with my brother at my dad's old work (he worked in--not for--a hotel that his boss owned), playing the cocktail cabinet Space Invaders game that the hotel manager would add like 100+ credits to.

I shudder to think of exactly how much money I've spent on coin-op videogames over my entire lifetime. I don't know if I'm exaggerating when I say it's probably over $10,000.

Is that sad?

Feh...I had fun.
Current Mood: nostalgic

Went to see The Ring yesterday with Katie--finally. We had postponed it a week at a time for the past three weeks. Various mix-ups and/or other events (going-away parties, etc) got in the way. But I think it was worth the wait. Deliciously creepy.

Tonight, we're playing Krystal's team in 8-ball. More than likely, I'm expecting batnandu to post me against Jeff. Hopefully, it'll work out. Marcus told me yesterday that he might not be playing because he's scheduled to work at Diem tonight. That might help...

Heidi told me that UPN cancelled Haunted the other day. I thought it was a pretty good show, but I suppose I'm glad that I now have an extra 40 minutes or so to my week. Sheesh. I really am a slave to the TiVo.
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: "Heaven's Earth" Delerium

You're not punk, and I'm telling everyone.
Save your breath; I never was one.

--Jawbreaker, "Boxcar"

So despite my living in Atlanta, what could very well be considered a cultural mecca compared to the armpit that is Suburban Miami, I'm a bit on the fence as to what to do this Friday evening.

On one hand, batnandu and Earnie will likely be up at the bar playing chess (CHESS?!!? on a friday??!). As much as I'd like to work on my chess game, which I really need to do, The Donnas are playing at the Masquerade tonight. The problem is I've long since moved past the time where I had any sort of punk street cred.

Well there was the last Hot Water show that I went to (err...that I actually got to see Hot Water Music play, that is...fuck the Tabernacle for starting the show at 8:00 pm. Who the hell starts a punk show on time??), the merch guy noticed my Spoke shirt (the one that I sleep in now), and gave me a free No Idea comp CD just because I was wearing it.

But lately I've turned into a old, preppy guy--hell, I dress in turtlenecks and peacoats from Old Navy. I feel completely out of place wearing an old flannel and some 11 year old shirt.

And the young kids who go to see these shows, which, of course, have to be all-ages shows--they're all angry at the world, raising their sweaty fists to the beat of the music, clomping around and denting the bulbous toe of my Frankensteinian Doc Martens.

I just can't keep up...
Current Mood: restless
Current Music: "Further" VNV Nation

Depending on who you're playing, a 3:3 APA league race can be quite nerve-racking.

I was playing Ty tonight--we're both handicapped at 4, and he took the first game quite soundly. We traded a bit on the second game which I won, and the third game was a real challenge for me defensively.

My five was tied up with the eight ball, and he only had the twelve to run through before attempting the eight. I kept trying to leave him with a shot from against a rail, or force him into a bank or a kick shot.

One of my defensive shots left the cue ball against the rail around a diamond away from the side pocket; the cue was frozen to my five, which was frozen to the eight. My opponent had a keen sense of aim, so that even though he might not sink a ball, he could do enough to avoid giving me ball-in-hand.

Which in this low-percentage case, he did.

We would trade a few more defensive leaves before he eventually had to shoot on the clustered eight (I had combo-ed my two ball to sink his twelve). Thus breaking open the table, I was able to sink my two then my five, and finally, the eight.

The final game of the match is the kind that every pool player aspires to. I usually break a rack so that there are good options for running a number of solid and stripes, and perhaps a few good defensive opportunities. Quite often, however, I'll end up not sinking a ball at all, which allows some of my more skilled opponents to run the table out.

I was a little afraid of this scenario, given Ty's skills. But just following the cue's resonant cracking against the surface of the One ball at the apex of the tightly-packed spheres, I heard Nandu shout, "Go Eight!" My eye followed the eight ball creeping slowly toward the far left corner pocket. It decelerated, however, and hung a few inches from the depths of the pocket.

The twelve ball which had so hampered me in the previous game, however, rolled ever so slowly toward the eight ball. I could see the two balls line up perfectly, and then the eight ball fell into the void.

I had made an Eight-on-Break.

Now I don't want to give the impression that this is some ultra-rare, once-in-a-blue-moon occurence. On the contrary, I know some players who can consistently sink the eight ball on the break, some even in consecutive games.

But this is probably like what my dad felt when he hit his first Hole-in-One. And that's a good feeling, indeed.


Speaking of Tight Racks, there were two women at the bar following the match, both quite shapely and cute. One was loud and playful in a trashy sort of way, which just made me want to spank her... err... yeah.

And the other was just really, really great to look at.

Women. Sigh.


Word of the moment: Adept
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: "The Light Sailer" by Wendy Carlos

No matter what the game, playing against someone whose skill level is significantly better than yours is extremely taxing. Unless your opponent is educationally inclined, the comparative speed in which he assesses a given situation and executes his moves will only serve to unbalance you, and make your game worse.

Chess pisses me off.


Let's try something...

I couldn't find your mother today.
I recall when she gave you to me,
warm and soft, her laughter
still adorned on her cheeks like rouge.

It's been too long since I've seen her,
and I know she sits,
veiled and shivering,
smelling of hankerchiefs and salt
amongst the tightly-pressed lips and fake smiles,
the hissing murmurs
which always follow a cold body.


Sigh. Ok. I couldn't work on that anymore. It sucked.

Word of the moment: Fend
Current Mood: frustrated

Went to sleep at 6:15 last night (err... this morning...) for some reason because after trying to watch all three Godfather movies at Rob's place, playing four games of chess (in the we-made-a-mockery-of-the-game-of-chess sense) with Nandu and Jason, and eating way too much wonderful food prepared by Keely (plus Jessyca's delectable tiramisu, I went home at about 4:30, showered the smoke from me, and began to play Hoyle Casino (2 Texas Hold'em Tournaments) and Hoyle Card Games (Hearts and Gin Rummy).

Woke up around noon today, and watched some TV, and then went to eat brunch at Apr´s. John and I then went to CompUSA and I bought another SiPix for Jerry and some other stuff. Went to CD Merchants afterwards to look for used CDs, because let's face it. I'd rather buy a used CD to prevent the freaking RIAA to get any additional income. As a matter of fact, I think I may sell a good many of my CDs now--it's not like I listen to most of them...

But I digress. After CD Merchants, I went to Target and bought some cleaning shit for all the mildew growing on my mildew-resistant shower curtain. What gives? I did get to see what could be one of the most sultry women I've ever seen walking by me amidst the aisles of the store. Or maybe I'm just being hyperbolic because it's really just been far too long.

So anyways, I made some leftover pasta that Keely left for me with garlic and oil (when garlic starts growing roots and stuff, is the darker part in the middle of the clove OK to eat? I sure hope so, 'cause if not...uhhh.... uh-oh...). Cleaned the tub, and watched John Doe.

I was thinking about heading to the bar, but I'm a bit tired, and I don't feel like getting all smoky. So I'm going to upgrade my computer so I can use USB 2.0 devices. Yay.

Word of the moment: odalisque
Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: Good Eats: Gravy Confidential