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Blog - July 2004 |
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This page stores my blog entries from July 2004. The entries are dated July 10, July 15, July 20, and July 28.
Poorly-phrased Ads / Poor Changes in MLB: What Should be Altered / Poor Service: A Bad Experience with Cafe Napoli / Poor Use of Paint-Shop-Pro: My Fun with a Digital Camera Saturday, July 10, 2004 I've had some issues with ads and how they're worded. The English language contains so many different
words, and meanings can be a bit different depending on how you write with them. ***** With the All-Star Game fast approaching for Major League Baseball, I thought about the current situation of the game and what I'd change in it. I thought about three things (one not very new) that should be implemented:
It'll be interesting to see how the trades go and how the All-Star Game concludes. I'm certainly not against the evolution of the game, but I am against additions that ruin the spirit. ***** Whenever I get together with my grandfather to work on my helmet display cases, we go out for lunch. We usually pick a nice place to go and try assorted realms of food. A week ago, we tried to go to Cafe Napoli. I called ahead of time to make sure they were open on Saturday for lunch, being told they were open from 11am to 9pm every day. On Saturday, we drove over, parked, and walked up to the door. Locked. We didn't even notice that the neon "Open" sign wasn't on. Checking our watches, we found that it was 11:20am. We could see people walking around inside, but only two people inside worked to clean things up for the opening. Eventually, someone came to the door, unlocked it, and told us that they wouldn't be open for a few minutes. He even asked if we wanted to wait a bit. Dejected and annoyed, we said "no" and left for the Zinfandel Grille. Today, I saw an ad for Cafe Napoli, advertising that they're open from 11am to 9pm. Such places should be sued for false advertisement. Or worse, they should go out of business for their lack of professionalism. ***** Some time ago, I acquired an old digital camera from an old high school friend. I took many pictures, which will eventually grace a different page of this site. For the heck of it, I tried to balance a bent straw in the teeth of my incense holder. It's not any ordinary incense holder, since it's shaped like a skull with a snake weaving in and out of it. Appropriately, I bought this holder during the same Whole Earth Festival that I attended with same high school friend. The following images show my successful results in balancing said straw.
I made the straw many years ago, using a lighter to carefully melt it in spots, bending it slightly, and then holding it steady to cool and harden in position.
Reflection on My Recreational Shopping Trips - New Washer/Dryer for Pam! / "New World Order" Will Be Mine! / Time To Clean My Keyboard! / Short Reflection on People and Relationship Issues Thursday, July 15, 2004
I helped her dad unload the machines from his truck and get them in the garage. They needed some dryer hose and new water hoses, but they work beautifully! No more laundromats or fighting with her sister for washer/dryer time. ***** Back in time when MP3s grew from trees, I had an MP3 of Megadeth's "New World Order." I think I found this sometime after "Youthanasia" came out. An unreleased track featured on the "A Tout Le Monde" single as a B-side, "New World Order" sounded entirely too good to be relegated to a B-side demo. The cutting guitars, sweet riffs, and great refrain certainly would have carried A-side and hit quality if it had been properly mixed and, probably, not a cover song by a little-known "street metal" band Zoetrope. Over time, I lost this MP3 and, through the zealousness of the music industry, lost nearly all chances to get it back. Soon, Megadeth will re-release their older discography, adding extra tracks to each re-release. One of those albums will be "Youthanasia." Not only is that an album that I don't own (and actually want to own), but it also has "New World Order" as a bonus track. At some point in the near-ish future, I'll finally own that album and the track. Usually, I get burned by re-releases, like when Slayer's "Reign in Blood" album got re-released with the fast version of "Aggressive Perfector" as a bonus track. I loved that track, but I already own the album in a previous incarnation. Also with Slayer comes my saga with the "Undisputed Attitude" album. I bought the domestic release and enjoyed it. When I found out that the European version had an extra track, a cover of GBH's "Sick Boy", and a 3-track promo CD with live tracks from the "Live Intrusion" home video. I bought that, only to find that the Japanese version had yet another track but no promo CD. ***** I think I'll finally get a chance to clean my keyboard. Just a minute ago, my "G" key seems to not want to type every time I hit it. Apparently a capital G will type every time (GGGGGGG), but a lower-case G won't (ggggggg). I think either I'm not putting enough force on the key when typing, or something weird is going on with this keyboard. It's only ... well ... about ten years old and from a computer manufacturer that doesn't exist anymore (AST). I keep it because it's the older 101/102-key keyboard without the annoyingly-placed Windows keys. Those always got in the way when I played games many years ago for which I used the keyboard. Now, it's not much of an issue, since most games I play use a mouse for most of the play. ***** Sometimes I wonder why people have so many relationship issues, but I know that I have been very lucky to find Pam. Some people hold a "it's my way or the highway" attitude that, when removed emotionally from the situation, would clearly not be a road that will work. I tend to think, "why can't you two compromise?" It's easier for me, I guess, since I grew up in a different atmosphere. Or, maybe, I decided, early on, that I didn't want to repeat some of the things I knew about. I would never tell someone that they need to be more flexible or try to compromise. Humans are too complex to boil problems down to a small statement like that. Too many issues from life and other life experiences involve themselves in problems like that. However it works out, it makes me appreciate Pam all the greater.
Notes On Site Visits / This is a Low-Carb Web Site / Only the Pretty Ones Featured When Abducted? / Smoking: The Anti-Viagra / Velvet Revolver's "Contraband": a Review Tuesday, July 20, 2004
***** For anyone wondering, this site satisfies the requirements of a successful low-carb diet. ***** "Quit killing the pretty ones!" For quite some time, whenever I saw that a rather cute or beautiful girl/woman died, whether in an accident or through malicious hands, I'd yell out the command quoted above. I always got annoyed when one died or, more often, when some pervert or human mutation kidnapped and killed one. It always bristled me, since I grew up believing in and treating women with respect and care. That, and I also would have loved to have a chance at one of them. <grins> I knew I would have treated them as they deserved to be treated and treated with great love and care. I know when some girl was kidnapped and led around the country by some sort of lunatic, a similar situation with an African American girl went unnoticed. For that matter, I don't recall any unattractive people being kidnapped. Although I know this question had been raised in the past, but I feel I'm wondering something a little different. Are the cute girls/women the only ones being kidnapped? Were there any homely women kidnapped or killed that we weren't told about? Granted, "attractive" and "pretty" are all relative. One can find another attractive without there being a sexual attraction to that person. Also, obviously, one may find someone attractive, while another may not. Anyway, I guess I'm starting to get a little annoyed with what's being reported with the abductions. Frankly, I'd be happy if none of them were reported, but instead the reporters note how people get abducted and for what to watch out to help oneself prevent it. ***** Speaking of girls/women, why do all the gorgeous girls smoke? This represents another holdover from my college years that I still notice. Some hot woman will be walking along or driving, and all will seem wonderful until she raises that cigarette up to her lips. She might as well have the Black Plague when I see that mini-stogie emanate from her fingers. I guess I'm a prime example of the success the anti-smoking campaigns have had on Americans. In the 1950s, smoking marked whether one was "attractive" and "adult". Now, after 50-plus years and many deaths due to smoking, I now represent the complete opposite viewpoint. Smoking represents a funny spot in my mind. I know some people become huge blobs of cancer cells after smoking, and I know that some live until they turn 110 and die of old age. Given that, a part of me knows that one can smoke and possibly still live a long, healthy life. For myself, I would never take the chance, but I have many reasons for that for myself. Maybe I don't like the feeling that people are willing to take the risk and don't care. Maybe I get annoyed because I sometimes see it as a crutch used by people who don't seem to be able to handle life's stresses without it. When I think about that, I think about the role food and, sometimes, alcohol, plays in my life. I guess everyone has their vice they tweak on occasion. Nevertheless, smoking will forever be the anti-Viagra in my life. ***** In the last month, Pam bought Velvet Revolver's "Contraband" album for me. I mentioned that this was an album I had to get eventually. I am definitely not disappointed. First off, this is definitely not "Guns N' Roses II", despite the re-emergence of the instrumental part of GNR in the form of Slash, Duff, and Matt. With Scott Weiland on board, VR definitely sounds like a mixture of both former bands (GNR and Scott's Stone Temple Pilots). The hard edge of GNR firmly surfaces on many tracks with the softer, more alternative-ish feel of STP poking its head in on occasion. If you listen very carefully, you'll actually hear solos! Frankly, I thought the art of the solo had been lost on popular music in favor of making ultra-angry tracks and playing snare drums that sound like bouncing basketballs. A few tracks are definite winners, with the hard-driving "Sucker Train Blues", "Slither", and "Set Me Free" (the latter of which was on the "Hulk" soundtrack). "Loving the Alien" and, especially "Fall to Pieces" provide nice mellow spots. Other tracks like "Dirty Little Thing" help to make this album a sure winner. Soon to be on my purchasing list is the "Slither" single. One of the discs has a cover of Nirvana's "Negative Creep." I can't wait to hear what they did with that!
Digital Recovery of CDs / New Photos Page / High-Speed Driving a "Want", not a "Need" / "Hey, that Girl's Walking to My Song's Beat!" / Some Kind of Monster = Some Kind of Interest? / Plans for the Next Few Months / 3 Months! / Future Purchases Thursday, July 28, 2004
***** Well, I finally created a page to exhibit my photos, which, appropriately, I called "photos." It'll house various pictures that I have taken with this old Kodak DC25 digital camera (and with any future digital camera I may get). ***** I had a realization that changed my perceptions on driving and speed limits. Many times, I found myself to be in a rush to go wherever I needed. I'd want to go a certain speed all the time and get annoyed at anyone and anything that prevented me from doing so. When commuting to UC Davis, I could easily zoom along in the fast lane and pass many cars along the way. Nowadays, I can usually hold my own speed-wise in the fast lane, but I dare not go in the fast lane on Business 80. Actually, I think I barely fit the unwritten speed requirements to be in the fast lane on I-80. After seeing more and more drivers whip by me, I got irritated with their seemingly reckless driving. With my previous entry on the concept of enacting laws to allow people to qualify to drive at certain speeds, I felt that each driver could drive at whatever speed (s)he felt comfortable driving. This lessened my irritation with other drivers, though certain things like tailgating and cutting me off would still irritate me. I began to analyze why I felt I "needed" to go a certain speed all the time. Granted, this speed depended on the posted speed limit, but I drove consistently with it. I realized that I didn't "need" to go any particular speed, but that I just enjoyed going fast. The added speed on top of the speed limit, I also realized, made very little to no difference in how quickly I would arrive at my destination. Through these thoughts, I grew to relax even more when driving and eliminate nearly all worry. I know I enjoy driving, especially when I can drive at slightly elevated speeds, but I still enjoy it when I'm going slower. ***** You listen to that popular rock song on the radio. As you tap your fingers on the steering wheel, you watch a young, lithe female walking on the sidewalk with bounce and energy with each step. As your worlds of music and lustful fantasy collide, you realize, "hey, that girl is walking in-beat with the music!" I noticed this phenomena quite a bit, and it doesn't seem to depend on the song. Many songs seem to be written with a beat that's similar to one's natural walking rhythm. I know it certainly makes listening to music a bit more interesting, but I wonder why this seems to occur more often than not. ***** Even though Metallica lost my favor some eight years ago, I still find them somewhat interesting. The release of the movie "Some Kind of Monster" may become a stop on my path in life. Ignoring the bouncy-basketball snare drums, the concept of "following" the band from Newstead's departure to the present may show some interesting and funny segments of the life of that band. One element that make videos with Metallica enjoyable was the smart-ass remarks Lars and James would make. Allegedly, these two get into a few verbal spars in the movie, and I know that will be a hilarious spectacle. A review in the Sacramento Bee said that, when the band hired a psychologist to help them, they got together with Dave Mustaine (the original guitarist of Metallica, before they booted him and brought on Kirk Hammett) to try to resolve old issues. Allegedly, Dave said something like, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." I bet he has. We'll see if I get around to seeing this in the theaters and if it's as good as it seems like it could be. ***** My life will be rather busy and eventful, assuming all goes well, in the next few months. Last weekend, I saw my Great Uncle and Great Aunt for the first time in five years. Sadly, I didn't get to see much of them, with assorted family members dominating conversation. I have a plan to, eventually, fly over to New York and visit that side of my family. I have not seen most of my family on that side of the U.S. at all. The occasion for my Grandfather's 80th birthday. The dinner consisted of a choice between a beef tenderloin, a chicken, a halibut, and a portobello mushroom dish. We enjoyed some appetizers and wine before the dinner and some lemon tarts afterwards.
In the next couple of months, I'll be going to three River Cats games and concerts to see Prince, Van Halen, and the Street Dogs with Flogging Molly. Pam and I will be going off to a wedding, too. ***** Today marked my three-month anniversary with my company. It seems amazing that three months have already passed since I started working there. I should be out of the probationary period and be free of that label. We'll see if/when I do hear something. ***** At some point, I'll have to visit Fry's. In an ad a month or so ago, they advertised a Cambridge Soundworks radio/CD player for $199. Given how much I like their speakers for my computer, I would love to get this to replace that hunk of crap RCA stereo that has plagued me the last ten years. The Cambridge Soundworks player appears to have all the features of my old system and more (a remote), only lacking the dual-cassette deck. Given I never listen to cassettes anymore, that wouldn't be much of a loss. Also, I need to get something for work. Many people have personal stereos and listen to their own stuff. I'm starting to think that the general noise around my cubicle is becoming too much of a distraction. Plus, I get irritated when people listen to or talk about stuff that seems crappy or boring to me. I'll probably go shopping in a little more than a week. |
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