Obessessed!

I have no idea WHY I want this game so much. I'm sure it wont even be that fun after a week. So I'm holding back on purchasing it – which of course makes me want it even more!

The act or feeling of wanting is sometimes so strange to me. I know want only brings about either suffering or more want, neither which are very good for the soul. But alas, I want to live out an air guitar dream I didn't even know I had!

Change is enevitable. Hmmmm...

Almost 8 years ago, when I just couldn't stand it anymore at my parent's house (I'm sure I was insufferable as well), I finally moved out. Our relationship has vastly improved since then and a lot of things have changed for me personally. I know it may seem odd, but the whole reason I started thinking back is because I just helped my parents replace their kitchen faucet, which was approximately the same age (I bought it for them when I bought mine).

Recently, I've been looking around the house at various fixtures and appliances and realized how much has changed from my mindset when I first purchased them to now. I know it's stupid, but the notion of wanting to replace it all or needing to replace it all feels very unsettling to me. I still remember growing up with the same awful pink bathroom tiles, squeaky chairs, and various other fixtures. It's weird what you remember as a kid.

I guess maybe I'm just feeling old lately. I want to have the time and energy to simply run around pointlessly in a gopher infested field again.

All of this being said though, I am very grateful for many, many things. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's perfectly cromulent

It's finally here! Friday at last! I can't wait to start my vacation as soon as possible. My head is tired of thinking of too many things and my heart is heavy from dealing with too many things. I'll soon be happily organizing closets, working on electrical in the garage, and wandering around the aisles of Target :)

Recently purchased at Target®
Holiday storage container ~ $5.88 on sale! Red and green mark this plastic storage container as Xmas holiday central (I dumped all my Halloween gear in it, shhhh....don't tell Cathryn!)
Spongebob Squarepants Monopoly ~ $24.99 on sale! A fun gift we got for my newphews. The playing pieces are seriously fun!
Panasonic Inverter Microwave ~ $88.88 on sale! This beauty has replaced my 10+ year old microwave and has such modern amenities as: turntable dish inside, digital timer, 1.2 cu ft of interior space (seriously, do you remember my old microwave? it took 2 minutes to make water go from room temp to lukewarm!)

If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.

After reading Julienne's blog about GTA, I just had to make my own top 10 lists of things I like to do in the game... (drum roll...)

10. Stop my car on the freeway and cause a HUGE pileup. Then throw a grenade in the middle of the pile and watch the chain reaction of explosions.

9. Mow down a group of rival gang members and gather their weapons and cash afterwards.

8. Take the slowest, biggest vehicle I can find on a jump ramp.

7. Drive on the freeway and streets on a motorcycle as fast as possible in the wrong direction for as long as possible.

6. Hit a pedestrian so they go straight up in the air, then look in the rear view to see them land.

5. Try to open a police car door, then when the cop steps out, let him chase you once around his car and then steal it.

4. Find a nice elevated spot with overhead cover and only one entrance, do rocket launcher cheat and shoot anything that moves.

3. Making CJ as fat as possible with constant trips to fast food restaurants, then watch him try to run.

2. Perform an end around on a police blockade, and then mow everyone down in a straight line.

1. Steal car. Cause mayhem. Repeat.

In other news, if you're a user of ear plugs or need a recommendation for one - I found a fantastic brand that was recommended by a Slate article. Hearos Ultimate Soft Series earplugs are pretty much like their name. Super soft and very effective!

And finally, here's some spam that I was recently sent. I can't decide if it's completely lame or if it's genius!

When the going gets tough, he's really rough, with a Hong Kong Phooey chop (Hi-Ya!). Thunder, thunder, thundercats, Ho! Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose. Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down, Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on. Straight'nin' the curve, flat'nin' the hills. One for all and all for one, it's a pretty story. wishing for The Cities of Gold. This is my boss, Jonathan Hart, a self-made millionaire, he's quite a guy. Hong Kong Phooey, number one super guy. Down the road, that's where I'll always be. Do-do-do-do, Cities of Gold. Ulysses - no-one else can

Love that irony...

Paper or plastic? Disposable or cotton? Ceramic mug or Styrofoam cup? These questions and more plague our tryin' to be green everyday existence. Wired recently had an interesting article with some surprising answers. I scanned the page so you can read it here for your pleasure (click on the small image and a big one should show up).

The one about hand washing dishes really surprised me. Since I don't have a dishwasher, I have to admit I'm the guy who washes dishes with the water running. I had assumed I still did better than a dishwasher, but decided to do a test – I hand washed some dishes and plugged the sink to see how quickly it would fill up. To my surprise, I only got a quarter of the way through a set of dishes before the sink was full!

So I did another test and only ran the faucet when I rinsed and only a little shot to make whatever I was washing wet (or none at all if it was already wet). The result was less than half a sink full for the rest of the dishes. It was easy to get used to washing dishes that way, and I'm very glad to know that I'm wasting that much less water. Thanks Wired :)

Next big thing?

New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream

I can't wait for the remix versions of this song. This band is seriously awesome in the most 80s-ish way you can think of!

When in doubt, pinky out!

I don't think I ever posted this shot of me waiting to eat my food. I was on my best behavior at Sean and Melissa's reception :) I'm using the photo for my profile at Sushimonsters.com. If they don't go out of business, the website is another great tool for finding sushi locally.


And as for this guy... well, I think a punching cat is self explanatory. If you can't get enough of him (like me) go here.

In response to a seriously rough past 10 days, I'm writing a comedy...

Bird flies overhead.
Hair feels wet.

SBUX

Now that I have my easy button, all my problems will be solved with a press of this big, shiny, red button! Bonus: it's a charitable product sold at Staples for five bucks.

Speaking of charitable, it's that time of year again! My favorite charity, Toys 4 Tots is now being backed up by Toy's R Us. From now until November 22, bring in any unwrapped toy to any Toy's (or Baby's) R Us store and they will match the donation! (up to one million toys). Kids may need a lot of things that might be more of a necessity than toys, but I think having something to play with can help beyond measure in intangible ways with the tough stuff every kid goes through growing up (I absorbed myself in Legos).

You may have wondered, nay, had a burning desire to find out why I have two logos below this post's picture. Have I gone mad? Have I gotten sponsorship? Neither! I just wanted to push again different ways you can save or invest your money. Too many people think they can't save or that they don't have enough money to save or invest.

I just discovered Sharebuilder.com, a GREAT way to get into stocks, because you don't have to think about buying shares. Google at $450 per share and you only have $40? No problem! You tell Sharebuilder to buy $40 worth of Google and you end up buying a partial share. Each non realtime trade is $4 and there are no set up fees, minimums to fund, or inactivity penalties. The stock market on average returns 10% on long-term investments (5-10+ years).

Do you have a savings account at your bank that's drawing 2% or trapped in a CD for months or years? Put your money in an ING Orange account. It's currently at 4.4% for an annual return and is semi-liquid. That is, all funds are transferred electronically to or from your checking account. Either way takes 3-5 business days to complete. There are no minimums and no fees. The best part is that you can set up an automatic savings plan to take cash from your checking! Schedule it to transfer $40 a month – chances are you wont miss it, and by the end of the year, you'll have $480. If you sign up, tell 'em I sent you and we both get promo cash added to our accounts.

Sorry for all the directives, but all this stuff I really believe in (and take part in) and I definitely want to share the knowledge that I've gained through lots of research and poking around. If you have any advice about charities, saving money, or investing money, (especially if you think I've got it wrong!) I'd love to hear about it!

Press El Numero Dos Para Español

My chin is cold. Why you ask? Because I promised myself that I would shave off the goatee after Halloween. I can't say I miss it much though. It was always snagging on things, moving around when it was windy (which gave the strangest tugging sensation on my chin), and towards the end when it was longer, every now and again it would end up in my mouth (YUCK).

The photos are from this Saturday at Cleve's. I really like the quality of the image the camera phone produces (excellent shots taken by Cathryn). I think I missed out on the casting call for the break dancin' DJ villain from Zoolander.

In continuation of my assault on literature with six word stories, Cathryn wanted me to pen a mystery...

None shall prevail.
The perfect crime.

If I read "spooktacular savings" ONE more time...

Sadly, I'm not so much in the Halloween spirit this year. But I do feel something a comin' on. Maybe it was the windstorm that swept through this afternoon that flooded the streets with fall leaves. Or maybe it was putting up Cathryn's paper bats for work, but I think it's starting to finally feel more like autumn to me (ah, the beautifully temperate Bay Area). And tonight I even figured out a great idea for a costume!

If you haven't yet, you should check out Merima's pumpkins.

For some reason, I'm SO jonesing for a snack right now. Like Cheetos or Cheez-its (that Cheez-it craving isn't going away). Mmmm.... something crunchy and salty. I wonder how Bugles are doing these days. I swear they must put amphetamines in that stuff.

Anyway, here's another six word story :) This time, a bodice-ripper...

Innocent embrace
developed into
fiery passion.

Shake the disease

I just previewed my previous blog entry in explorer and it sucks! Not funny at all. So my apologies to everyone who looked at that and were using a browser other than Firefox (in which, the words are HUGE and I still find it amusing because I'm juvenille that way).

So after days of feeling much better, I'm still feverish! What the fuck??? I got sick last week, got better by the end of the week, no sore throat, runny nose, or aches left to speak of. Yet I'm still illin'. Sigh. I guess I'll prescribe myself plenty of fluids and rest - probably what the doc will say anyway.

For lunch today I wanted to roast some pine nuts to add to my pasta. I got distracted and burned them all! Disgusted with myself, I dumped them into the trash, where they immediately began melting through the plastic bag. Sigh, I wonder how many trash bags I'll have to melt through with hot garbage before learning my lesson. (melted bags: 4, walt:0)

Just fucking around. What else?

Ahh.. 'twas fun messing around with the giant text, but since I think few saw it and since on my browser it's interfering with my other entries, I've decided to replace this entry with a six word short story - inspired by the short story section of the latest Wired featuring six word stories by famed authors.

God failed him,
Vengeance was nigh.

I'm shocked, cotton.

Hmmm.... blogger has been slow lately. What's up with that? Anywho, I just got back from a sortie to the new giant Target. I randomly wandered down the aisle looking for a mirror when this guy asked for my opinion on a painting he was considering. I responded, "You asked the right person, I'm a graphic designer!" Which made him happy and I answered all sorts of questions and in the end, it was decided that the art at Target wasn't for him.

I then got to thinking, ha, I just pulled the "designer" card. It was fun to think that my opinion mattered so much to a stranger (the guy by the way is an expert in his own right - he's a bridge inspector and currently works on the new bay bridge). I have more random converstations at Target it seems than anywhere else (I once met a recruiter who tried to get me to work for him while his pregnant wife rolled her eyes at his workaholism).

Speaking of random shopping stuff, last week we were walking out of Orchard Supply and this dude walked out behind us and he was a no joke cowboy. Now I know what you're thinking, "he was probably wearing a cowboy hat which doesn't necessarily qualify him to be a cowboy". Which is true. But he was also wearing cowboy boots and spurs. Yes, spurs. It was the spurs that got my attention. I could hear them behind us as we walked out (ching, clomp, ching, clomp...) It was like I was in a really weird Western set in residential San Lorenzo and instead of horses, we drove cars. And we were buying fungicide instead of whiskey. Like I said - weird!

The top photo shows us at Lanesplitters enjoying a giant pizza. MMmmmmmm.... and the other photo is mine and Cathryn's newest addiction. It's Bejewelled 2 and I made 4 hypercubes. Aw yeah! Seriously. The game is really addicting. You've been warned!!!

Recently purchased at Target®
Inova Micro Light ~ $6.29 on sale! Great keychain light that comes in handy :)
Cottonelle 12 pack with Aloe and Vitamin E ~ $6.00 on sale! Why your ass would ever need vitamin E, I have no idea, but after Northern disappointed me, Cottonelle TP has saved the day.
Progresso soups ~ $1.67 Amazing regular price!
3M Duct Tape ~ 3.99 on sale! For taping up... things.
Palmolive dishsoap ~ $2.99 Can't wait to try the new foaming oxygenating action.

It's rhetoric season!

Here's some snaps from a weekend past. We were on Angel Island and I finally got to try out my new football with Rajan. Here's a haiku of what happened:

Glorious football,
So fun on a sunny day,
Bounced into water.

And also, here's the forementioned shot of me and C dressed up a notch or two (or five for me). In seeing this photo, I can't help but to think how badly my parents need to repaint their living room. I also like how my shoulder blends into the background. I look like the widest person ever!

No more pink, please.

It's an epidemic of guys wearing pink out there! One other thing that I don't miss about going into the office is walking to work from BART and having to pass by guys strutting around in their stupid pink shirts. What the hell??? I know I'm in the minority, but white guys + pink shirts just makes me think of them as idiots who look at a J. Crew catalog and does whatever they say. The next think you know, they'll be walking around with their collars flipped up.

I will also never be convinced about flat shoes for women being "in". Flat shoes will never be in for me - nothing ends a hot pair of stems better than some high-heeled boots or stillettos in my opinion.

Yes, the 80's was a very tough time for me fashion-wise. God help me, I even wanted a Member's Only jacket.

Help! I can't tell where I am. It's dark and I can hear laughing.

Ah Jenga, where have you been my entire life? I've only played this game one other time and always wanted to get it. However, the guilt of buying all that wood from clear cut forest was just too much. That is until there was a great sale at Target. Jenga and several other very popular MB games were all on sale for 8 bucks and I couldn't pass up such a good price! (I talk about this sale a lot - if you donate to Toys 4 Tots, now's the time to stock up). Cathryn and I played a very rousing game of nerve-racking Jenga. I think we only got 6 or 8 more stories after the shot you see of the magnificent and very unstable 28 levels of Jenga blocks. After everything fell, we put together the tower. Yes, 'twas another riveting Friday evening at Casa Del Campo.

In other news, I keep getting spam for some guy named Walter Eichmann. Which is really weird since my secret alias is Swedish/Norweigian and decidedly NOT German. What the hell? And I guess no one needs a bigger cock or breasts anymore either because all my spam these days are about mortgages. Even the Nigerians have enough money. I say, if you haven't realized how absolutely fucked you are now if you still have an open ARM, you'll figure it out soon enough.

You know something else? I've probably taken hundreds, nay, THOUSANDS of showers, so I would expect to be rather proficient at the task. Yet every now and again, I can't remember if I've washed my feet already. Then I wash them again right at the end of my shower and subsequently recall that it's the third time I've washed them. Weird.

Giving the ol' Double Deuce!

Ever notice how your tongue is a good indicator of you health? Eastern doctors have been using tongue reading techniques for years. Since I am of Eastern ancestry, I feel that I am qualified to give out a handy tongue guide.

Your Tongue Color is:
Red, like a nice juicy piece of fruit = You're pretty healthy or you drink enough water. My tongue is now like this pretty often since I started taking multi-vitamins from Costco.

White, kinda pasty red = This is how my tongue always used to be. I always had dry mouth from downing too much Sudafed for my sinus condition. Breathing in searing hot steam on a semi-regular basis freed me from the tyranny of Sudafed. This could also mean that you might be getting sick if your tongue is usually red. You probably need to drink more water and get some rest.

White, kinda creamy = That's probably just morning tongue. You know. The tongue you get in the morning. If your tongue is like this after you've brushed your teeth, you should probably drink lots more water and write apology notes to anyone sitting next to you on the bus.

White, kinda greenish = This is just the worst! You're probably sick, have severe halitosis, or both. Drink Listerine or Scope stat. People nearby, your houseplants, and the greenhouse effect will thank you. I've met people with this color tongue, whenever they spoke, it was like ghosts of the undead were escaping or something.

Bonus: If you bought that plastic tongue scraper I've seen on infomercials, please let me know so that I can try to sell you other useless things and take your money.

It's iocane powder, I bet my life on it!

Ahhhh... it's late and it's quiet and I'm blogging once again. So much has happened this past week it's insane! Work has been relentless, I'm getting new insurance, and the whole weekend was dedicated to Melissa and Sean's wedding activities (pics to come).

It started Friday night with a trip to Ireland's 32. 'twas and okay time there and it was fun to see who's related to people you know and also to order drinks from a surly Irish bartender. On Saturday, we ate at the Orchard Hotel (Vignette) where the amazing food was only surpassed by their excellent staff. I got to take my new suit out for a spin and Cathryn looked ravishing in a polka dotty dress (small dots, not huge 80's style ones). The next day we dragged ourselves out to Angel Island where we were greeted by beautiful weather and friendly park rangers.

Oh yeah, getting back to the whole switching insurance thing, my new potential insurer required that I get an automatic shutoff valve for my gas main. Yes, I can hear everyone's eyes glazing over right about now, but if you or someone you know owns a home in California, I would say spread the word about giving it serious consideration. Many people don't even know how to shut off their gas main and getting this little dohickey installed is supposed to do the trick all on its own. Installation is $250 for most homes, up to $400 for larger homes or for homes with more intensive gas needs. It's hard to put a price on safety, but it's usually less costly than having your place explode (the only upside being if some squirrels are caught in the explosion). Call 1.866.723.8178 for more info.

p.s. All the casks were from a company wine tour in Napa and the table shot is from Triple Rock. I love taking those table shots!

a shameless plug for Matt

I almost forgot to do this... Matt Lindgren, fiance to one of my favorite people in my life and all around great guy, is now practicing as a Marriage and Family Therapy Intern in San Francisco, Livermore, and Concord. I cannot speak to his professional qualifications as he has not treated me, but I can speak about his kindness, integrity, and high character (and goofiness).

If you or someone you know could find use of his expertise, please visit http://www.matthewlindgren.com to find out more info.

fun at Chevy's

Phonecam shots from a recent b-day dinner for my sister at Chevy's. She really, really, didn't want to wear the hat, so I got it :) We're eating some fried ice cream desert thing. It was really good, but I'm sure qualifies as a weapon of some sort because of its caloric deadliness.

I think my parents are happier these days now that they've settled into retirement. There are definitely more photos of them happy now than I ever remember while growing up. Our parents sacrafice so much for us! Love to my moms and my pops :) :) :)