Exciting is hardly the word I would choose

all the way, to the year two thousand...

2008-05-15T13:03:00.005-05:00

At work, I've done a few tasks where we approve something until the year 2010. I don't know about you, but I'm a fickle guy, so I don't know if I'll eventually be saying, "two thousand ten" or "twenty-ten" when those double-digit post-2000 years roll in. There's this inspection method called High Frequency Eddy Current (HFEC), and I always alternate between saying "'H'-FEC" and "High-FEC". The latter rolls off the tongue easier, but is more onerous, like saying "sem-I-circle" rather than "sem-ee-circle", and I think I tend to go with the pronunciation that gets in your face more. Based on that theory, it seems I'd be sticking with the whole "two thousand"-whatever way of stating the year, which goes against the norm in place for at least a thousand years.

And remember Back to the Future: Part II? 2015. We were going to have hover-converted cars and double neckties. But in reality, we'll be lucky if we have two competing largely composite airliners by then, the 787 and A350. Still a year like that feels just about as far away as back in the '90s when I saw that movie.

And for my Arizona friends, a special weather statement for the Puget Sound today:

...UNSEASONABLY HOT WEATHER WILL AFFECT WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

AFTER A COOL AND CLOUDY SPRING IN WESTERN WASHINGTON...A DRAMATIC SHIFT TO HOT AND SUNNY WEATHER WILL GET UNDERWAY TODAY. WIDESPREAD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY.

TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO CLIMB TODAY...AS A MASSIVE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. WEAK NORTHERLY ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM GETTING REALLY HOT. STILL...HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL BE IN THE 70S AND LOWER 80S.

FRIDAY WILL BE THE HOTTEST DAY FOR MANY SPOTS IN WESTERN WASHINGTON.... AND MANY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. FROM THE COAST TO THE PUGET SOUND REGION...TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S. THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AND THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR WILL REACH THE LOWER 90S.

One last thing. Everyone has to agree that Scrubs has lost what it had. It's over at NBC and is moving to ABC to do one final season. Dragging this thing on has just about killed whatever attachment I had to this show. But apparently they've gotten the message and, though I still remain pretty skeptical, Bill Lawrence is saying some pretty good things for the longtime fans here. I say one great final run could be better than a great series with a weak final act (like Seinfeld).

enough oceanic six for a while...

2008-03-27T23:37:00.001-05:00

... time to get back to the final five. This thing gives me the coolest goose bumps ever.

just noodlin'

2008-03-21T17:48:00.003-05:00

Met a guy last night and he asked me straight up, "What are you into?" And I just stood there for a few seconds. My real answer sucks. I would like to have something to say like most people do... hiking, skiing, surfing, painting, tatoo art. Anything cool. If you ask me that, what have I got? Movies. Not impressive. So I went to number two on my list.

"I play guitar. Would like to get a band or something, but I'd need to be better. I'm just kinda..."

"You noodle a little."

Yes. Dude, you found the perfect word for it. I noodle with it. That's talent, coming up with a great pseudo-verb to describe the things in life.

i am, truly, and engineer

2008-02-22T18:10:00.006-06:00

So, although I came in 3rd place for distance, I'm feeling pretty good about our little hoop glider competition at work. After all, these are people who analyze airplanes. The basic idea is that you tape two strips of paper as hoops onto a straw, and try to get the best glider out of that. I tested it out at home for a while, and while nothing I tried looked impressive when I threw it around my apartment, I did notice that my glider got some great balance and glide when I flattened the hoops vertically, making them more or less arches.

Little did I know that for the competition we would be throwing the gliders off the 4th floor and let them glide out to the factory floor. And lo and behold, the balance and glide performance I'd managed to get worked out really well. 3rd place for distance. Most people saw theirs take off, then do a nose dive a second later. The glider that won first for distance and time seemed to look a lot like mine, with taller hoops, and heavier paper I believe.

Bottom line: I rule. A little bit.

(Booyah. )

love stinks. yeah yeah.

2008-02-15T18:06:00.004-06:00

My dad was just in town last weekend, and with the usual overcast skies, misty rain and winds, I think some of the charm of Seattle gets a little lost on an outsider. But the last two days have had some sun breaks, and I've been able to get a nice view of Mt. Ranier as I drive to work. Then, yesterday, I made up my mind to check out the Stranger's Valentine's Day Bash.

And it was great.

This is a yearly event where Dan Savage, the head of the paper, has people come on stage, and present the crowd with their bad breakup stories, and then ceremoniously destroy a piece (or pieces) of sentimental crap they have left over from the relationship. There were several methods for destroying said items:

Fire.
Machete.
Sledgehammer.
Liquid nitrogen, followed by machete or sledgehammer.
Buzzsaw.
Blender.
Paper shredder.
Covering the item in tar and feathers and dumping it out into the street.
Placing the item in a men's room urinal and asking guys in the audience to relieve themselves on it (usually for photographs, especially ones of cheating partners).
Wiping the item on the inside (and outside) of a men's room urinal (most commonly for leftover garments of the cheating partner).

Also at one point, a woman told about how her husband cheated on her with another married woman, and that the other woman claimed the man was gay and she was treating him to become hetero. So Mr. Savage decided they should toss out the love letters she wrote to him while he was stationed in Hanoi to the people in the audience, so that people could spread the word about the guy. And hopefully one day the guy would read his letters posted on someone's blog and wonder WTF?

Just how good was it? Well, Lost was also on at the same time. I came back home and watched the episode I recorded, and even though it was pretty good (but just increasingly frustrating), it certainly wasn't the high point of the night. And it's not like I've just had my own big breakup, or have totally lost faith in the existence of true love. It's just that, damn, how many people have been messed up by someone who's a complete douchebag? I'm determined to go back every Feb. 14th I'm in Seattle, single or not. I really do love this town.

it's business time

2008-02-08T17:30:00.000-06:00

Now that I've moved to Washington (a blue state, booyah) I'd really like to do what's needed and vote in the state primary. Problem is, apparently the primary doesn't really matter, and it's the caucus I should be going to, which is this weekend. Several things about this bug me. First of all, I'm taking a trip up to Vancouver this weekend with my dad, so I can't stay for the caucus. Secondly, I JUST got registered (finally, largely the county's fault) so I'm not totally prepared as far as where and how to vote. And thirdly, why do we have a primary if it doesn't count?

I'm backing Obama. The Obama/Clinton race to me really isn't as great as an Obama/Edwards one would be: two Kennedy types who could really inspire this generation and at least give us hope of a better future. When Bush was elected, and then re-elected, we basically got the package sold to us. No one expected anything great from the guy, and that's what we got out of him. Wouldn't it be great to at least put a guy in office who has that little bit of possibility of being great, even if he turns out to do nothing particularly different? Not that Hillary wouldn't be great too, but I think too many people already have a perception of her, one way or another, which would would always dog her term in office.

I just read this article about how the more divided the Democratic Party is, and the longer they take to choose a candidate, the more likely they give an edge to the GOP, citing the 1968, 1972 and 1980 divided conventions which ended with the party losing the race. There's got to be some truth to that. For the last year (or two even), the Democrats have been attacking one another and exposing each others' blemishes (and so has the GOP), so much so that you'd almost be trained to think that the outcome would be us getting two Presidents, or that in fact, there are two elections going on, for two different countries: Blue America and Red America. With McCain on the Republican ticket, it's hard to think that either Clinton or Obama would lose, but really, who the hell knows anymore. And McCain, I want to like the guy. In fact, I did, back in college. But with his Iraq and Iran mentality, he really could be Bush again for 4 or 8 more years.

If it's a Clinton/McCain race, then someone owes me money because I called that at least a year ago. Obama/McCain however, oh shit. That's a good show. David versus Goliath's dad.

new zealand!

2008-01-25T15:38:00.000-06:00

Come see our bra fence!

(Better than the Toothbrush Fence, I'd say. )

hello, people

2007-12-14T16:53:00.000-06:00

I'd like to say that I've been completely immersed in the experience of living in Seattle, and that's why I haven't posted anything in months. But really, I feel the last few weeks like I'm almost into my usual grind of going to work, stopping by a store or two, then coming home to watch TV or whatever. Sure, I went out and saw a lot of good stuff the city's got: Gas Works, the Space Needle, Fremont, the U district, downtown, Pike Place Market, Chinatown... all good stuff, all within the main city of Seattle. From what I've heard, most of the suburbs are just that. Suburbs. Strip malls. Home Depots. Red Robins. So hopefully, I'm not missing all that much by not venturing out that way.

I do, however, plan to (somehow) find some time and drive out to where that nature stuff is. There's the coast, the mountains, waterfalls, slopes, islands, great stuff which I feel like I want to wait til it's moderately warm enough to enjoy. All in all, this has been a really therapeutic move for me, although it's not without some hiccups.

The latest thing that's toasted me out is the cable company I have to deal with at my new place. If you didn't know, I got a pretty nice apartment in a good location and I'm glad I grabbed it up. The problem is that the owners have a contract with this little cable company that apparently serves most of the central Seattle area, and the company just sucks. First off, I had problems with getting them to change my services and appointments because I guess their system doesn't let them change things without a huge delay. Secondly, their customer service line is horrendous. Each time you call, there's a welcome message that takes anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. Then each time I need assistance there's at least a 20 minute (if not, like last night, 45 minute) wait, because they probably have very few technicians (if you can call them that). But now what's really got me going is that I've been without internet service for 3 days. Their story is that they were upgrading the system and a lot of modems didn't accept it. After that 45 minute wait on the line (on my cell phone, no less), I got advice that can be basically summed up like this: just wait a few hours and see if it fixes itself... You can still do word-processing and that kinda stuff. Though I was completely confident this would not fix anything, I waited. 3 hours later, 9:30pm. I call in, wait for a real person, and get cut off. I call again, response, "Hold please", cut off again. One more call, because hey, why the hell not, I got night and weekend minutes, lady picks up. "We have a lot of people who are having problems. If you try again tomorrow morning, it should be fixed. If it's not, then call us again." This is the cable company of downtown Seattle, my friends. When Wichita beats you at technology, that is a sad situation indeed.

But fear not, for it's not all TV and internet calamities for yours truly. I've managed to get out to some shows, Wii parties, work parties, hat parties (which will forever be brand me as Construction Guy to some people), try some mochas, read some books, drink a shot off a ski, eat sushi, see the Sonics, buy some tea, due in large part to my fellow Boeing transplants.

Like I keep telling people here: it's something to just walk right out of my place and see the Space Needle right there. Stop by if you can.

seriously??!

2007-09-20T15:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but for some reason I've never cancelled my subscription to Honeywell's job alerts. Since my last days of college, I've had my profile on their career site, and it's supposed to match me with jobs I should be right for. Here's the thing. IT DOESN'T WORK. Every few weeks or so I get the most random job postings I've ever seen. And a lot of the time, they're positions out in the middle east. Today's just completely tops it off:

Dear Justin J. Mak,

A job opening matching your profile for a Wash Rack Attendant (Assoc Eng 2) - Kuwait-00074544 has just been posted in our Career Section.
If you would like to apply online, click here or click Jobs to consult the list of other positions currently available. If you do not wish to receive further job notifications, please click here to access your profile to unsubscribe.

We thank you for your interest in Honeywell.

Best regards,
Staffing
Honeywell

I know Richard once said something about how lame Honeywell's human resource department is, but really, this is so ridiculous.

hey look!

2007-09-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

It's Quatrovest! Home of Fanaramas 2004 thru 2005.

Thanks, Microsoft.

affleck was right

2007-08-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

Someday, I got to remember to get my mp3 player out and record one of the many pointless conversations from the people across the wall from me at work. One of the guys started talking (for probably the seventh time) about how he can't understand why his daughter needs a big wedding. He talks about how she's been brainwashed by TV shows like My Sweet 16 and other stuff into thinking she needs a big event. Now, I don't know how big this guy is talking about, but come on, it's Wichita. It can't be that huge. Another guy goes on and talks about how on those shows people buy their 16-year old kids $200,000 cars. Then the conversation moves on to celebrities getting special treatment from the law.

Today the focus is on Nicole Richie, but trust me, they have talked about this before, whether it's Lohan or Paris or whatever. Recording it would be good, because I think some of you guys who haven't lived around people from the southern part of the country would love to hear an actual guy who really sounds like Cletus from the Simpsons saying things like "Nicole Richie".

The whole thing reminds of that scene from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, where Affleck a.k.a Holden McNeil tells the two about websites where fanboys bitch about movie developments that they claim to hate, yet can't stop talking about.

Word, bitch. Phantoms like a mallfucker.

i'm a worrier, it's what i do

2007-08-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this for everybody who's heard me talk about quitting my current job and starting up a new one in Seattle. If you're one of them, I've probably bored you with the situation I'm in, that I'm scared like a bitch about telling my boss I quit, that I'm so lame that I've thought staying in Wichita would actually not be that bad.

What can I say. I'm jmak. I'm very lame. I've gotten comfortable working long hours, doing nothing on weekends, and moping about my state in life. Boo-fuckin'-hoo, right? Somewhere along the road I forgot to become a man.

I know a lot of you guys have told me, "Yeah, you need to get the hell out of Wichita", but how much of that is because all I do is whine about how bored I am here. I welcome you all to take a solid punch to my face for this if you ever see me again.

Back in my HK days, I read a Chinese poem, which I really need to dig up again. The theme of it was basically about how a true man is not affected by his surroundings. It sparked this image in me of a lone man paddling a small boat, approaching a giant tower of a wave, inside a dark and heavy storm of a night, knowing full well he'd live past it, sure of his own abilities, and for a time, I thought I could be like that.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. It seems to be me making excuses. It probably just boils down to this... I miss my old friends. Some day we'll have another drink and laugh about everything because that's how it should be. I look forward to it.

google, you crazy

2007-08-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

For a brief summary of big news, I'll usually go to Google news and check out headlines. I'm not totally sure how their system batches articles together, but I saw this and did a double take.

Bare-chested 80's Arnold with a sword is just simply funny.

Also, I think this site's dying.

smells like the inside of a fake leg

2007-07-25T18:02:00.000-05:00

So apparently it's true. Asparagus makes your pee smell bad.

i'm back. i am.

2007-06-29T17:05:00.001-05:00

I have returned to Wichita for a week now after a nice two-week vacation through Hong Kong and Japan, and am back at work full force, which really sucks. Because time off away from this place is very pleasant. But I'm finding little things to keep positive about, even in the realm of quiet little Kansas:

Driving around town at night with the radio on, usually Nights with Alice Cooper... makes it feel almost like Arizona.

Wendy's value menu. I probably seem completely naive when I say this, but Wendy's just feels less greasy and heart-mongering than all the other chains. One thing though is the fries. They don't seem to stay hot and fresh very well.

Running, even though my range has taken a hit. I'm back to about 2 miles for now, and got my calves strained a bit for a few days.

I'm heavily thinking about cutting down my cable subscription. I'm definitely keeping the DVR, but some of the stations I'm getting are causing a lot of aimless channel-surfing, usually ending with me watching something I've seen before.

Trying to keep some kind of schedule for the week. Days to do laundry. Days to make dinner. Days to run. Days to read. Probably won't keep, but I'm giving it a chance.

Re-watching DVDs with the commentary on. It's my hope that I get some kind of spark from them for coming up with another story idea or something.

That's me for now. If anybody's got some recommendations for a good book, something not all dramatic and crap, I'm open to it. Also, you can check out my photos from my trips at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/justinjmak

You might have caught some of them on Facebook, but I put up the whole batch on Picasa. Plus, they're higher resolution. I've got one of the tower in Sakae taken from Oasis as my wallpaper at work.

Peace.

off to reorient myself

2007-06-04T21:44:00.000-05:00

... in the orient. later.

30 years ago today

2007-05-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

... Obi-Wan taught a kid to use the Force. Being a Star Wars fan, I feel I just gotta have something here about the movie that made me the nerd I am today. Sure, I didn't see it in theaters (I had 4 more years left to be conceived), but through the great medium of VHS, I was exposed to years and years of watching a taped broadcast of the first Star Wars, complete with commercial cuts that my dad edited with the ol' pause button. The tape we had had Mark Hamill hosting a short 15 minute behind the scenes feature about the movie, followed disjointedly by an episode of The New Show, which started with a mock video of Steve Martin doing Billie Jean.

So that's how I saw Star Wars. Over and over. I found this over at the AICN talkback, and thought it summed things up pretty good:

30 lessons I learned from Star Wars

1. Never upset a Wookiee.
2. When threatened, stay on target.
3. Womp rats, though disgusting, aren't much bigger than 2 meters.
4. If an old man says your father was betrayed and murdered, don't believe him.
5. If it isn't a moon, it's probably a space station.
6. If it is a space station, turn the ship around.
7. Hokey religions and ancient weapons are just as useful as a blaster at your side -- maybe more so.
8. Truth be told, traveling through hyperspace and dusting crops have little in common.
9. Storm troopers are generally tall -- or at least taller than Luke Skywalker.
10. Not only do droids seem to be made to suffer, but they believe that it's their lot in life.
11. Light sabers, which could never be described as clumsy or random, are elegant weapons for a more-civilized age.
12. The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded -- such as small-town traffic cops.
13. If something doesn't look like much, don't dismiss it as a piece of junk. It still might have it where it counts.
14. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not the only hope.
15. To some people, a lack of faith can be disturbing.
16. Be cautious in strange bars. They might be wretched hives of scum and villainy.
17. Garbage mashers are for garbage -- not people.
18. If you have a bad feeling about something, you're probably right.
19. Who's the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him? Answer: the fool who follows him.
20. When flirting, calling a woman "your worshipfulness" isn't as romantic as it might seem.
21. If all you love is money, then that's what you'll receive -- along with a major guilt trip.
22. A reward is no good if you aren't around to use it.
23. Never underestimate or overestimate anything or anybody.
24. You can waste time with your friends, but it's best to do so after your chores are done.
25. If you're discovered, lock the door and hope they don't have blasters.
26. Wookiees don't get medals.
27. Don't remove a droid's restraining bolt, no matter what it promises you.
28. The best place to pick up some power converters is at the Toshi station.
29. There's no such thing as luck -- unless a princess wishes you some with a kiss.
30. Han shot first.

watching the dead

2007-05-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

I have continued my fascination with short-lived TV shows (Clone High, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared) by starting up on the two produced seasons of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I watched most of Andy Barker, P.I. during its extremely short run, and thought it was OK, but really going for that subtle, suburban comedy feel. ARCTU is much better. What I've seen so far would have rivaled Scrubs if it had been allowed to live a little longer. It shares a lot with Scrubs in its fantasy aspect, as well as pace, and in an almost Family Guy/Seinfeld-ish way, never really seems to progress any over-reaching story arc, leaving the characters to roam around free and just do funny stuff.

It's funny seeing that "Desperado" guy from Seinfeld on this show. The guy has a really odd but comedic way of gazing off and shifting eyebrows. And Paget Brewster. Hot. And funny. She was one of Chandler's pre-Monica girlfriends on Friends, and it would have been so good to have kept her that way. Her role is great on the show as the pseudo-boss who's really just another friend to hang out with. What's crazy is this show is not available on DVD yet. And I think there's no real plan for it. Cagney & Lacey gets DVD treatment, but Andy Richter gets no love.

On another note: season finales. This year my two veteran NBC comedies ended the season with the main guy/girl characters at the brink of a new relationship. It seems like at least two years since the old days of Jim secretly liking Pam (this was seriously a really long season). I get a feeling the next year will reach a little closer to those past years of a closely-knit group of people who are really awkward together. I would have predicted an overhaul of sorts like they did last year with people moving and the merger for season 4, but Michael's "this is my hospital/graveyard" speech made me think this is how it's gonna stay.

Then there's JD and Elliot. I was kinda outraged that Bill Lawrence would bring the issue back after all the comments he's said about not wanting to follow a cliché. For all it's intents and purposes, this change of events is without a doubt just something to get people to come back for one more year. But I gotta say, I'm not unhappy about how they're approaching it. I guess it's because in my mind I was picturing JD actually running into Elliot's wedding to stop her, or Elliot not going through with her vows Mary Jane-in-Spider-Man-2 style. Of course, they could be planning that for next year. In which case, it would seriously blow.

I'll leave you with a taste of why Andy Richter deserves better...

surrounded by flip-floppers

2007-05-11T17:28:00.000-05:00

"Success is not no violence." - George W. Bush

I am not passionate about politics. I lean a certain way in my views, but that's generally where my commitment ends. I seem to watch the Daily Show a lot more these days (probably because it's one of the only places left I can hear viewpoints that make sense to me) and I catch up on the news online every now and then. These outlets have made me see that America is truly in a bad place right now, and I'm pretty sure there's no happy ending coming anytime soon. We've got troops in Iraq, under the pretense that it would stifle terrorist threats to America. Just about everyone now knows it was a bad idea, which it was. When a guy gets his heart broken, he'll do stupid and irresponsible things, and that was the U.S. post-9/11, pissed and ready to hurt anybody. I'd like to say that back then I was fiercely against the war, but in reality I don't think I knew what the hell was going on. I was more likely busy figuring out how to shotgun a beer.

As that Genesis song from the '80s goes, this is the land we live in, and these are hands we're given. Mighty words there, Mr. Phil Collins. For us, we got Bush, thanks mostly to a lot of the same people who dislike him now, six years after his first election-win, and a mere two and a half since his last. Everyone complained about Kerry back in '04 about being a flip-flopper, but who are they kidding. It's most of America that are the flip-floppers. People used to love Bush. You guys out west won't believe it, but it's true. Now people in Middle America either think he's effed Iraq up big time, or just don't care. Most of us want change, but the country just doesn't work that way, either because of general apathy or the inability of government. So now we have all this focus on the next presidential election, and even if Barack wins it, hell, even if Jon Stewart wins it, are we really going to see a clean end to the war? A clean end to America taking a dump on the rest of world? Do we have the means to shift the country?

This may sound super-FOBish of me, but I remember being in Hong Kong, loving the U.S. so hard, waiting for the day I could return to the land of the freedom and opportunity. Seems every day a little bit of that in me dies, or at least, lets out a little "meh". I love the States, but sometimes it seems like we're the Yankees. Shiny and good-looking, but ultimately pretty sucky and lame.

P.S. This message was brought to you by the intense urge to write something after a week of nothing happening.

you are the weakest link

2007-05-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

Haven't seen or heard any real new stuff for a while. Every one of the rare times that I switch the radio in my car to one of the two preset stations that plays new music, I swear I have no idea what it is I'm listening to, although it's a pretty sure bet it's some variation of Nickelback or Hilary Duff crap.

I came across this article online, which addresses the state of some shows I like right now, near the end of the regular season for most. The guy who wrote it obviously loves to embellish, but I think some of what he talks about has a point. And I started to think what I would like to do if ever I could run these shows.

First off, the first season shows I like are ok as they are. Heroes and 30 Rock both have a solid start, and have a lot of possible great storylines ahead. They're both going in directions that are different than most shows I know, except I can see a clearer likeness between 30 Rock and Arrested Development with each passing week. Liz Lemon is Michael Bluth, running around fixing problems; Jack Donaghey is George Sr., running things from afar; Kenneth is George Michael; and Tracy Jordan is some kind of Tobias/GOB hybrid, a confused, flashy showman. Last week's Heroes showed just some of the great potential the series has, as long as it keeps trying new things. Time-traveling, redemption, CIVIL WAR!, good guys turning bad, secret identities. God, I do love shows that step out of reality, and I mean way out.

I agree with what was said about 24. It could benefit from some creative reinvention. A few years I've tried to start watching, because let's face it, each season stands alone. And they might start off different each year, new people, new scenario, but I think they always end up with the same situations and cliffhangers. It's almost Law & Order, if you stretched each episode out for an entire season. Here's an idea: no CTU. Yeah, that big ass super-efficient unit? Gone. Replaced by an incompetent organization maybe. Basically, I'd like to see Jack Bauer without the vast resources that CTU provides him with. Need a missile firing sequence decoded quick? Tough shit. There's only so many scenes of agents typing away at computers and looking up satellite images that a guy can take.

The Office. Yes, I DID like Pam a lot more before. She started off the year hungry to move forward, then Roy came back, she did dump him, but now just seems stuck in place again. But it is sort of the point of the show for the audience to be frustrated by the characters and their lack of vision beyond their four walls. That's the kind of show it is. I think her moving into sales or management (though somewhat out of nowhere) would give her the chance to interact a lot more with everybody else, especially Jim without it having to be about whether they get together or not.

Smallville. This should have been done in 4 or less years. Plain and simple. All the arcs they've done (the good ones) could have been compressed into no more than 4 seasons. I'm tired of them moving in circles with their characters and plots, not to mention the visual style. It's almost drained all the fun of being a Superman show. What they're going through now (Clark/Lex war, Lana learning the secret secretly), it's not bad, but I wanted it 3 years ago.

Battlestar Galactica. I'm not fully caught up with the latest installments (Universal HD has gotten me to the second half of season 3), so I don't know where it has ended up so far. All I can say is I hope they get Adama into serious ass-kicking mode again soon. The last few episodes I've watched he's been hanging around in the background, chatting it up with his officers and Roslin. I'm hoping there's something to the idea that the humans and Cylons are not alone out there. That a third group awaits, either good or bad, leading to some strange human/Cylon partnership or maybe some mind-boggling revelation that turns everything upside down.

Scrubs. Oh my dear Scrubs. The truth is, this show could dip terribly in quality and I would still watch and re-watch. Every new JD and Turk scene, every new inappropriate Elliot anecdote, every new Janitor scheme, every new Cox diatribe, every new Carla retort, every new Kelso outburst, I would come to love them all. The increasing level of absurdity the show is reaching is truly disturbing, and now it seems there is a chance it might even not get another season, which really sucks if they're ending on a cliffhanger this year. Best thing would be if they do half (or less) of one more season, round things out, and end it. While it's still at least a shell of its old self.

i'm a chunky monkey from funky town

2007-04-24T15:34:00.000-05:00

Whatever of the Week - 4/24/07

I got my hands on some Ben and Jerry's. I've never had Ben and Jerry's before. I thought, why deprive myself anymore of something that I've heard is pretty good. I hadn't had any ice cream around for a long time, and the apartment's getting warmer and warmer, so it seemed like a good time to dive in. Opening up that freezer in front of me at Target, I was bewildered by the choices, and really found it difficult to find the right flavor to break the seal with: Dave Matthews' Magic Brownies, Cherry Garcia, Fish Food, Napolitan Dynamite, Half Baked, the Gobfather. For some odd reason, I really wasn't feeling a berry/fruity vibe. I usually love that stuff. In the end, there was only one that seemed to offer the kind of simple but out-of-my-norm taste I was going for.

The choice was heavily inspired by my first try at a banana milkshake a few weeks ago, which in turn was probably brought about by my recent liking for banana cream pie. Bottom line: it's good. Definitely not an explosion of flavor, but subtle and different.

i just felt like running

2007-04-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Whatever of the Week - 4/18/07

What I'm adding to my run playlist:
Come On, Eileen (cover) - Save Ferris
All I'm Losing Is Me - Saves The Day
Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
Soma - The Strokes
Turn a Square - The Shins
Sunday Afternoon - Sunday Afternoon
Death or Glory - The Clash
Somebody's Baby (cover) - Phantom Planet

My mp3 player has accumulated too much slow shit, so I've got to single out some good uptempo stuff. Now that I'm pretty sure we got our last wave of snow (last weekend) and colder temps, I'm determined to get my run on. It seems to be the latest craze these days. What keeps me positive is that I don't get sore the day after anymore, which means I'm ready to go, every other day. Also, I'm ready to run earlier. I used to go after 9:00, now I can do 8:00 or 8:30, since I get home earlier (6pm, mmmmsweet). I got to 1.5 miles in one jog earlier in the week, and now I'm on the test-proven couch-to-5K program, starting myself out at day 1 of week 5. Got my three half-mile jogs down easy. Next, two 3/4 miles, then the almost unimaginable 2 mile. I've "run" up to 3, maybe even 4 miles before, but not without taking some serious walks between.

I'm really surprised by the improvement I've seen. I've pretty much never been an active guy all my life, but now I think I've actually found a habit that does something good for me. Of course, there's a lot more uphill to go, but just getting to this point was a feat, and I made it. And it really wasn't that hard. So, there's no reason to give up or not do it. Although, I've got some hesitancy towards jogging outdoors. The treadmill is nice and even, but I think I'd get more fun out of it by running through a park (I got one sort of close by). But 1) I'd have to probably run before dinner (which I usually don't do), and 2) it seems so much harder because of the environment. If I do build up to a regular non-stop 2-mile run, I think I'd start going out.

And on the topic of running, you know what movie's got a lot of running? Children of Men. More the escaping danger kind of running. Holy crap, this is movie so intense. There's some amazingly suspenseful and explosive chase scenes, shot with remarkable, seamless long shots on steadycam (like Saving Private Ryan with a longer attention span). I've got a feeling that the guy who taught Anne and I a class on film technique is prepping to use this movie as a genre example.

and featuring... the babysitter twins

2007-04-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

Whatever of the Week - 4/10/07

Grindhouse

I like Robert Rodriguez (in Sin City/Desperado mode, not Sharkboy and Lavagirl), and I like Tarantino. So it's easy that I liked the sensory overdrive that is Planet Terror and Death Proof. Planet Terror is the movie any violence/cheese-loving person should be into: blood, puss, squibs going off like balloons popping, girls, guns, girls with guns, girl with a needle-dart holster strapped to her leg. This is just plain fun stuff. Our parents as kids got the werewolf and creature from the Black Lagoon movies, and people just a little older than us got Shaft and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Those were theater-and-popcorn movies. We are the kids who lived on VHS. Grindhouse is not going to get people (especially kids who's parents are freaked out by the R rating) to go back to the theaters and experience that once-great feeling of seeing brainless fun on celluloid, but it did give me a taste of what I missed out on, being a videotape junkie.

Tarantino's Death Proof is not going to win a lot of people over though. Grindhouse didn't make a lot of money last weekend, and it's Tarantino's part that's going to get the blame. It follows the 2 hours of film before it, and takes almost another hour to get going. In all honesty, I can't say I would recommend it to most people. If you got time, and you don't mind lots of dialogue that really just goes nowhere, and not in a good "would you give a man a foot massage" way, then you might get entertained. If you stick it out long enough, there is the reward of a redeeming, though ridiculous, ending. But seriously, a guy snored through some of it.

If anything, see this movie for the great trailers they included with it. Machete is just about the best thing to cross the border since Joker from Next Friday. Remember that dude?

let's get it started

2007-04-03T20:20:00.000-05:00

April is feeling good. I like what I see so far. I'm going to ride the positivity I've had so far this month and see if I can start applying myself more frequently to this place. Sure, there aren't many people reading it, but I need to write. Even if it's just a little. It feels good. Like April.

So here it goes.

Whatever of the Week - 4/3/07:

Stranger Than Fiction
This is one of the best new movies I've seen in the last few years. It's certainly not Eternal Sunshine good, but it's my favorite of what I've seen so far this year. Will Ferrell is in just about every part, and he has some great one-on-one scenes with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman. It did feel odd wanting to see Ron "I Wanna Be On You" Burgundy get the girl, but his scenes of falling in and out with Maggie Gyllenhaal are just really likeable. And strange, but I think this is the first time I've seen a Maggie Gyllenhaal movie (getting tired of spelling that name out). The critics seem to love her, and I can see why that may be. She would definitely kick Katie Holmes' ass by replacing her in the next Batman movie. And then there's Dustin Hoffman. In recent years there hasn't been much to complement the amazing roles he's played. He was a little out there in I Heart Huckabees and Meet the Fockers. Here in this movie, he plays it all straight-faced and toned down and adds a sense of weight and intelligence to the whole thing. I like it a lot. Plot-wise, it's nice and creative (I liked the writer's description of his plot-development process for the movie in the extras), but like most movies with great concepts it doesn't exactly wrap things up with a genius ending. You can't have everything.

give me my 8 bucks

2007-03-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

I've struggled for years, and now I finally have it. The greatest script idea in cinematic history:

"Who Dat Ninja"
an original screenplay concept by jMizzery
Political thriller: A washed up prizefighter teams up with an alcoholic ex-CIA agent to take on the mafia. In the process they are locked in a haunted house with a super intelligent chimpanzee. By the end of the movie they chase four cable cars and end up winning the admiration of their 3rd grade teacher, living happily ever after.
Think Die Hard meets Empire Strikes Back.

Now all I need is Emilio Estevez, and Carl Weathers.

if i had some basil

2007-03-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

I'd make pesto.

also, asians are good at math

2007-03-10T17:00:00.000-06:00

Went out to Wendy's and Target last night. A couple of interesting, unabashedly-cliché moments from my Friday out:

They had a new girl working at Wendy's. My meal was $3.83. I first gave her just a twenty. Then pulled 90 cents out of my pocket, cuz I thought it would help. And yes, she was lost. I really can't blame her. I've never had to count change for a job or anything, and it was her first night. Still, it's not hard to figure out. But this is why grown-ups laugh at us.

Once I got to eating, this noticeably hot girl sat over a ways, which is always nice. And then, what happens? A big, heavy-set dude sits right in my line of sight.

At Target, I saw three 40-ish guys heading down the dairy aisle. One or two of them had goatees, and this along with the fact that they were grocery-shopping on a Friday night together just made me think they might possibly be gay. Of course, I can't confirm this, but one of them did seem overly joyous at finding the frozen cuisine section.

my 58s

2007-03-07T17:48:00.000-06:00

I'm surprised and worried by how easily I get through my very long work week. A year ago, I would be completely drained, waiting for hours to pass me by. Now 5 o'clock seems to arrive right around the point I finish my major task for the day. I used to be done with something by about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, then not be up for starting anything new. The projects just get bigger, and the hours get shorter. Now, 10-hour weekdays (plus a regular Saturday) is just something I'm used to, and not something I have to get through. And sweet Jesus, that makes me sad.

the golden child

2007-02-25T18:37:00.000-06:00

Usually I'm a big Oscars nerd. This year, not so much. Not that I don't like any of the movies - The Departed was good, but it's so close to the Hong Kong original; Little Miss Sunshine was also not bad, but it was a pretty light movie. I'll still watch, but I feel I've grown out of my nonsensical love for seeing filmmakers get honored. Two things that will be interesting after tonight though: Scorsese will finally have an Oscar, and so will Eddie Murphy (will be curious to see if that changes things for him). He already got his post-Oscar lameduck movie out, so he's free to make some less craptastic stuff.

Edit: Missed one already. Come on, it's Axel Foley!

top 10

2007-02-17T12:33:00.000-06:00

Rotten Tomatoes makes me sad.

Pan's Labyrinth is apparently super-awesome though. Also want to see Children of Men. Viva la Mexico.

honey nut

2007-02-12T16:21:00.000-06:00

I've found that I really like "honey nut" cereals. Particularly, Honey Nut Shredded Wheat and Honey Nut Chex. I think this springs from a childhood love for Honey Nut Cheerios (I once got a box of free Honey Nut Cheerios pencils with my name on them). It satisfies my sweet tooth, and it's crunchy. And I've been able to get boxes for under $2.50, which is also cool.

I've also started making sandwiches with a little bit of honey added on, and grilled with my George Foreman. But they definitely need a better kind of mustard, and more greens would also help. All I usually have is meat, onions and cheese. I'm contemplating ways of incorporating avacado, though I think I have another plan for the ones I bought. I made some tortilla rolls for Christmas and made another attempt last month. My next try I think I'll try a bit of avacado spread along with cream cheese I normally use. It's a pretty simple recipe and gives me something to do.

Last week I also had one of those KFC biscuits, and once again, honey. It's just so good once it hits the lips.

our town

2007-02-06T11:11:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I watched the Superbowl Sunday, mainly so that I would be ready to respond to any Superbowl chatter at work Monday. I saw an ad, then forgot about it, then read about it today here. You see, Sheryl Crow had some commercial for Revlon-something, I guess it was called "Not Fade Away", the Stones cover she was singing (which was also the name of the Angel finalé, but let's not stray). In the ad, they showed her playing in Wichita, and the semi-strange thing is, she hasn't had a show here in Wichita in any recent period. It's all kind of more odd that they seem to be saying that this is an actual Revlon-something tour she's going on.

What's my point? I don't really have any. But I do think it's kind of sadly funny that this town really is that lame.

together like the vena cava and the aorta

2007-01-20T14:01:00.000-06:00

Scrubs put on its musical episode this week, and I liked it. They went through a good number of musical styles, which was cool, from the Disney-esque "Everything Comes Down to Poo", to a Rent-like closer. I'm not a huge fan of musicals, god knows I got my limit, but people breaking into song is certainly one of the most entertaining forms of uh... entertainment. So, because the page needs an update, I put a list together of movies that did well putting the whole comedy and music thing together.

A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles showing that they were the coolest band ever. I watched this last week, and sure, the comedy is a little ancient (especially all the stuff with Paul's grandfather), but George Harrison shaving his assistant on the mirror is just genius. Plus Lennon and McCartney are so money, but unlike Jon Favreau, they know it. Favorite number: "I Should Have Known Better" on the train. The train moves along to the beat, and the girls swoon.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Michel Gondry is amazing at splicing together scenes from the set-up, backstage and concert performance. Being a mostly rock follower, I didn't expect to like the hip hop performances, but they're so well-intentioned and soulful that anyone should enjoy them. Really, it's more of an experience than a film featuring Dave Chappelle's stand-up. Favorite scene: Mos Def rimshotting for Dave, working together so perfectly you swear it's scripted.

This is Spinal Tap
The Hard Day's Night for cinema's most notorious fictional band. These guys are getting referenced so much lately (that ad that plays "Gimme Some Money") that I've no doubt some kind of big reunion is in the works, featuring their latest surviving drummer. Favorite song: "Big bottoms. Big bottoms. Talkin' 'bout mud flaps, my girl's got 'em. Big bottom, drive me out of my mind. How could I leave this behind?"

Little Shop of Horrors
I think this is my favorite actual musical. It's funny, cult-like, and the music is less Broadway and more Motown. Plus, there's this giant mechanized plant in the movie that still looks impressive 20 years later. Cavities, aliens, murder, botany. What else do you need? Favorite number: "Feed Me" for its "The guy sure looks like plant food to me!", and of course, "Dentist!" Oh funny Steve Martin, I miss you so much.

I'll end the post with the last dance number from Scrubs. The Janitor's cameo cracks me up every time.

reticulating splines

2007-01-08T14:49:00.000-06:00

I went browsing around on the Wichita Eagle and trotted upon this article:

New twist for state fair advertisements
Visitors will be asked to "hang with the hogs" or "pick up the bunnies" at this September's Kansas State Fair.
Fair officials have unveiled the new twist to its "It's a Wild Ride, Baby!" advertising campaign.
The proposed billboard, poster and television advertisements include a goggle-wearing, motorcycle-driving hog with a female pig companion urging people to "hang with the hogs."
Additional taglines using colorful, cartoon animals would be "check out the studs" and "pick up bunnies."
The fair's assistant general manager, Lori Mulch, said fair officials hope that refreshing the ad campaign, rather than completely revamping it, would be the most cost-effective way to continue an effort to appeal to younger potential fairgoers.
The updated promotions were concocted by the Greteman Group of Wichita, which has handled the fair's advertising for the past three events.
"I think they did good," said board member Mary Alice Lair.
Last year, the fair spent around $200,000 on marketing, with an emphasis on increasing Hispanic attendance. That effort resulted in a 6 percent increase in attendance at the 2006 fair.
Although that gave the fair more revenue for this year, the fair board plans to ask the Kansas Legislature for a $500,000 budget increase to help alleviate a 28 percent increase in utility costs.

I don't know how many of you ever played it as a kid, but this article read a lot like a SimCity 2000 news headline to me. God, that was a fun game. I always named my towns Coruscant. And that was before Episode I. Design in a river or coastline (or both), zone some industry, start some oil power plants (cleaner than coal... I was always environmentall conscious), build some roads six squares apart, connect roads to the edges (neighboring towns), run power over the roads, get public safety set up (cops, fire dept.), get some sizeable residential area going (frequently check the IRC demand curves), add some schools, start up the public transport system (which never really helped with traffic), build a bridge somewhere, up the taxes slowly, schools, hospitals, prisons, get the commerce side going, place the mayor's mansion somewhere with a view, read some headlines, maybe legalize gambling to get more money, turtle/llama/cheetah, start an airport, allow an army base to be built, shoot down a helicopter, marinas, water treatment plants, parks, seaports, landmarks, and of course, bonds and more bonds.

SimCity 2000.
Awwww. Yeeeaah.

stop it

2007-01-03T15:32:00.000-06:00

So I went looking for my company's stock quote today on Google using their symbol "SPR". Check out number two on the hit list.

falalalalahhhh

2006-12-23T21:11:00.000-06:00

Hi, everyone who reads my little page here. Just wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas. And for Jen, here's something you might enjoy, care of the wonderful engrish.com:

4147

2006-12-08T11:55:00.000-06:00

Jonagold apples. A mix of Jonathan apples and golden delicious apples. Product lable number 4147. Hands down, my favorite fruit.

flippin'

2006-11-30T21:40:00.000-06:00

Thursday night. Drove 25 mph the long way home in 7 inches of fresh slippery snow to get home and watch some TV. My Name is Earl comes on in its usual HD format. Cool. Next, The Office in HD (written by the Gervais and Merchant, who made and wrote the British original show). Hilarious. Time for some fresh Scrubs goodness. We'll get to that in a bit. Making up the end, 30 Rock and ER. In HD.

So yes, Scrubs is NOT in HD. They teased me with a radiant 10-second widescreen cliffhanger back in May, and I expected a glorious 22-episode high def season six. Of course, I was pissed. Outraged. But I couldn't help it. Not only was I not getting a nice HD feed, but the local station was running snow closings down at the bottom of the screen, completely distracting me from the show. By my estimate, about 70% of my screen was left with a stretched image of going-ons at Sacred Heart. Now what's even worse about the whole situation is that none of the other 4 shows got flooded by this tyrant of a marquee. So what the hell. And that still is not all of what continued to confound me during this broadcast.

The sound and then video went off (presumably, due to snow-related complications) in the middle of major plot points.
Since I was reduced to switching on closed captioning due to item 1, I noticed that as what was clearly an Audioslave song played at the end, the captions were being fed lyrics to the Killers' All These Things That I've Done.
NBC did the whole "Stick around for more Scrubs" deal, and then showed nothing more.
The episode itself was really bizarre (intensified by the aforementioned stretched-look). From Cox's hair, to morphing heads, to unlikely impregnating practices, to... an 'N Sync revival?? But it's expected. The show has been getting more and more unreal as it continues on.

So anyway. A bunch of crazy converged in that half-hour. The high def thing, no big deal. Just would have been a nice addition. It's moments like these that make me realize how obsessed I am with unimportant crap.

My Christmas tree is awesome!

a chance of doom

2006-11-28T13:07:00.000-06:00

Weather forecast:

Tuesday - High of 70
Wednesday - High of 44
Thursday - High of 27

Totally heinous.

relive

2006-11-20T22:55:00.000-06:00

First Family Guy came back. Futurama will be back next year. I say it's time for Abe, Ghandi, JFK and mutated Marie Curie to get a second chance. But then again, my opinion means nothing.

RHYTHM IS EVERYWHERE!

lens = mentiroso

2006-11-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

There is definitely something up with cameras. Now, I'm no Erik Estrada, but I certainly think I look a helluva lot better than most pictures that are taken of me. Just yesterday I finally owned up and applied for my Kansas driver's license. And I don't know what is up with the photo they got of me. Let's just say my head looked way too meaty near the bottom.

There's got to be something to this. Not like a great mystery, but some sort of explanation. I mean look what happened to Elisha Cuthbert:

Sorcery is afoot, people. But it does seem that this phenomenon is just starting to bother me recently, and I'm coming to the conclusion that I might be getting just a little heavier than I would like. So I think I'm going to unofficially try to lose about 10 pounds by the new year, which will probably have to be done through diet over exercise, because working all this overtime just has me beat.

Yay, vegetables.

it's my ILLUSION, michael

2006-11-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

Watched The Prestige this weekend. It's good to know that I can watch Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman on screen together and not immediately think... Batman vs. Wolverine!!! There maybe some hope for me after all. I won't give anything away that people don't expect. Of course with this kind of movie you expect a twist, but in this movie, there is not so much a twist as there is an answer. The whole movie is itself kind of a twist, at times combining at least 3 timelines, which is an amazing narrative feat, but coming from the guys who made Memento, that's no surprise. The movie plays along eventually as a magic trick itself, driving you to search for an explanation to the events, and in my case, that part was a bit of a let down. By about two-thirds of the way through I caught on to one of the secrets, and in the last 15 minutes, I figured out the other half before it was revealed. Now normally, I'm not turning the gears that fast in my head, but the way the movie presents itself, I felt like I had to pay attention every second to figure it all out in the end. So if you do try and see it, it might be more fun to just watch casually and not overthink it. But I gotta say it was still entertaining to see what they would do with the pieces I had put together. And if you have read all the way here and still have some interest in watching the movie, I highly recommend seeing it at the theater. I think you'd lose most of the suspense and weight of the movie by watching it at home.

why i have no life

2006-11-02T21:37:00.000-06:00

So since I got the new site started, I haven't had anything to say. I think it's because I'm just always watching TV. There's almost always something to watch. And not movies. Shows. Here's a list of what I try to catch up on:

Monday
Heroes, Studio 60 & Weeds

Heroes is much better than I was predicting it could be. It seemed like it was going to be some special effects kid show but it turned out to be one of the best ideas ever: a comic book on TV. The same characters don't always show up. There's an immediate threat. There's such a limitless amount of storylines that can be tried out. And it actually works. For the most part. Studio 60 is something that sounds interesting on paper, but I'm not sure I like the execution of it. The Christian comedienne part doesn't convince me much. I can understand Matthew Perry's character being inexplicably crazy about her, but she, along with most of the rest of the cast on the show just don't make me think they're funny people. The comedy they showcase is just way too cerebral for any major American audience to get into. Over on cable I was watching Weeds, which just finished it's season this week with a solid cliffhanger. I don't know if I'm going to keep paying for Showtime long enough to watch it next time around though.

Wednesday
30 Rock & The Nine

It's probably wise that Tina Fey left SNL to do her own show, 30 Rock. It's not a really funny show, but it's got just enough Tracy Morgan being crazy to make it okay. I'm not sure how far down I might start losing interest in The Nine, but so far I seem to keep watching. I'm really mostly attracted to how they can keep a show going in which the story revolves around people connected by a bank robbery. I think eventually there'll be a trial, maybe some vengeance, but then where do you go? I'm sure they thought it out.

Thursday
Smallville & The Office
I wish I was mature enough to hate Smallville, and there is a part of me that really can't stand all the stupid romantic plotlines and deception and their trademark scene of someone talking to someone else who is facing away from them, all dramatic like. God, I hate that. But it's kinda about Superman, so I'm doomed. They are making some small steps towards better stories: Green Arrow telling Clark to get off his ass; Phantom Zone criminals getting set loose; and Clark maybe finally starting to try and move on into superhero training. The Office is the funniest show on, though a little less enjoyable this season I think. Jim needs to get back to Scranton fast, but I don't think that'll happen until they hook him up with the new girl in Stamford.

And for those who eagerly await, Scrubs is back for Season 6 on November 30. In HD!!

I'm a nerd, and a couch potato, and I'm okay with it.

here it is

2006-10-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

A fresh place. And no new ideas. Perfect.

And now, time for a victory dance.