Calvin goes fishing
For Mom and Dad, who went fishing today
a clear waste of time
We implemented a process/procedure back in May while I was in the middle of the lab project. This process/procedure never worked properly when it went live. I didn’t know any better for I’ve never been trained in the type of matrix coding that this process uses. I was tasked with fixing the problems that surrounded it, but due to the lab project, this piece had to wait. Of course, now that the lab project is in place, it’s my responsibility to focus on the process/procedure. (more…)
Superbad
A friend of mine and I took advantage of our day off to go catch a movie. He wanted to watch “Superbad”. We went to the first matinee showing at the big theater complex ($7 for a matinee???). Now Daniel was in school, and he has been talking about wanting to see this film since seeing the trailer a while back. It’s rated R, and for good reason. Daniel’s at the age where he’s pretty much seen it all, but this is just one of those movies where I can’t sit in the same room with him to watch and enjoy. With that said …
Superbad – 4 out of 5 – this film was flat-out hilarious. It’s about friends in their senior year of high school who are trying to obtain alcohol for a big party to impress girls they’d like to score with. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Some memorable moments include home ec class; “McLovin”; the period; and the drawings – oh my God, the drawings!!
hardware failure?
My external hard drive may have crashed last night. What kind of data did I have on it? Well, let’s see – music, digital images, videos, installation files, etc. My digital images are also on my laptop and the family pc. As for my music, well, the majority of them are on both my iPod and the laptop. I may have lost everything else, which is really not that big a deal. I think the most precious items would be our pictures, and I (usually) back those up immediately after they’ve been uploaded from our cameras.
I’ll have to crack open the case and try hooking up the HD to the pc as a slave drive to see if I can salvage the data. I’ve looked into professional help for data recovery, but I read that the diagnostic fee alone could run me $500. Not worth it at this point in time. Looks like I need to continue burning CD’s/DVD’s in addition to using an external hard drive (back up my backups). Well, if the external hard drive is still usable, of course.
think test
Mom sent this test to me. I got 18 right.
Power of Observation
300
300 – 3 out of 5 – Another visually stunning film based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel. The Battle of Thermopylae is depicted with gore and blood as King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans fight to the end against King Xerxes and his massive Persian army. The battles were violent and outrageously loud; when scenes cut to dialogue, it got ridiculously quiet so it was difficult to understand because I had lowered the volume (not that I didn’t know what was going to happen). All in all, I enjoyed the film, but I’m learning that I don’t enjoy violence as much anymore.
Sin City
Sin City – 4 out of 5 – I didn’t know if I would like this film. I had the DVD from Netflix for over a week now. After starting it this afternoon, it took some time for me to get into it. The violence is brutal (probably why I failed to give it one more star). But the stories that make up “Sin City” kept my interest, especially Marv’s tale. And I enjoyed the film’s style, dark and noirish with the flair of a bold comic book. Each scene is eye candy, sharp contrasts of black and white with a vivid dash of color here and there. Bruce Willis and crew hold their own and bring their characters to life, but it’s Mickey Rourke who steals the show as Marv.
maybe 3rd time's a charm?
Van Halen & David Lee Roth announce tour
I don’t know. I said this before – maybe I would’ve been excited about this 10 years ago. I’ve seen VH in concert with Sammy Hagar on vocals, but I’ve never seen them perform live with Dave. However, I can’t fathom spending $50 for a nosebleed seat to watch a band who hasn’t performed together live in 22 years. And these days, I just don’t enjoy the same things I used to a decade ago. I will note the band seems happy together, and Eddie looks as healthy as he did in 1995. And the idea of a new album does give me goosebumps. But even if they survive this tour (and possibly endure Asia and Australia), we may not hear new stuff from VH until 2009.
"how to deal with a smartass teenage son"
This is not about me dealing with Daniel. Most of the time, I tend to get mad before I get even. I found this blog entry courtesy of Digg – classic and hilarious.
“Hey, Mom. I need you to stop at Rite Aid.”
He turned in his seat and looked at Julio and they both smirked.
“Why? Are you out of something?”
“No, not really. I need something, though. It starts with a ‘c’ and ends with ‘dum’”.
Filed Under: Parents 1, Smart-Ass, Teenage Son, 0 | digg story
redbirds on fire
The Redbirds, who have been as far as 10.5 games out of first place, now trail the Brewers by 2.5 and the Cubs by two. On July 27, they were nine back, but since then they’ve beaten Milwaukee six straight times. St. Louis’ five-game winning streak overall is its longest of the year. The Redbirds are 7-1 in their last eight games and 8-2 in their last 10, each a season-best stretch.
Sweet. I might actually start watching baseball again.
update 081307
I’m having probably one of my better weekends, something I haven’t had in a very long time. I’ve read a chapter of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” each night before bed. I got to watch Tiger Woods win his 13th major at Southern Hills. I’ve not only had time to relax and enjoy myself, but I’ve also been productive. I’ve done the dishes everyday, been keeping up on my laundry, taken Salem for a walk each day, and today, I tidied up the kitchen and vacuumed. Christine worked all weekend, and I made her dinner the other night (albeit a ready-made one from the grocery store, but, hey – who’s perfect?). Tuesday will be my Monday as I return to work from my 4-day weekend, and there’s a lot to do. I’m not crazy about going back to work, but at least I’m not dreading it like I did a month ago.
heat wave
Excessive heat warning continues through Friday. What about Saturday, Sunday, and Monday?? Isn’t anything above 100 degrees “excessive”??
take me back tuesday #135
Let’s go CD shopping!
Back in the day before the internet ruled the earth and people went to malls etc…
What was your favorite record store?
When I was a teenager, I always shopped at Birdland Records in Virginia Beach, VA. Great selection and great service.
Are there any non-chain stores that you still frequent for your music needs?
Not really. I only buy CD’s if they’re of a decent price (I won’t pay more than $12 if possible). Or I just put it on my Christmas wishlist for family to buy for me. Otherwise, it’s digital downloads for me (iTunes, eMusic).
What was your favorite “find” at your favorite store?
In the summer of 1989, I bought what became my favorite album by the BoDeans – Home (featuring “You Don’t Get Much”)
random 10 #117
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
An eclectic mix that randomly showed up on the pod this weekend …
“Green River” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Last Night” – The Traveling Wilburys
“Pillar of Davidson” – Live
“More” – Bobby Darin
“February Stars” – Foo Fighters
“Thunder Road” – Bruce Springsteen
“Pride and Joy” – Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble
“Outta Here” – Kenny Chesney
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” – The Beatles
“The Bare Necessities” – Harry Connick, Jr.
…and one picture that relates back.
With an excessive heat warning in the St Louis area through Friday (temps at 100 with heat indices around 110), the ice storm of 2006 seems like a distant memory.
movies update
I updated my watching page for the first time since (gasp!) February. I added 19 movies, including 2 that I watched this weekend:
Ghost Rider – 2 out of 5 – I like Nicolas Cage, but I had a hard time getting into this movie. I fell asleep just as the Rider was to make his first appearance. Maybe this would’ve made a better TV show on the USA network.
The Prestige – 3 out of 5 – This was a good movie. I could’ve given it 1 more star, but it was difficult to follow at times. Christian Bale and Michael Caine are great in this film. David Bowie does a nice turn as Nicola Tesla; however, I couldn’t help but notice that the voice was familiar. It wasn’t until later when Christine pointed out Bowie sounds just like Pierce Brosnan.
birthday greetings
Today is my sister’s birthday. Rochelle is seen here with her husband Steve and their daughter Jasmine when we were at Disney’s Animal Kingdom last May.
Happy Birthday Rochelle! 
100 Tips to Improve your Life
100 Tips to Improve your Life | digg story
A group of high profile ‘personal productivity’ bloggers collected a list of the 100 best “tips to improve your life.†Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits compiled the list. While not specific to creative professionals, the list includes tips that are likely to boost overall effectiveness and the impact we are able to make with our ideas.
Given all the craziness and stress I’ve been through the last few months, I could use some good hacks to improve my life. I already implemented tip #3 (I archived over 2000 emails from my inbox at work), and I’m thinking about putting #20 to good use. I certainly need to take a look at #16 if I even want to get to read all 100 tips.
