Scrawlings of a Space Cowboy

I was just looking through a clothing catalog for big and tall men (both of which I qualify as) and I felt a sudden, old, and familiar pang.

When I was a kid, leafing through the J.C.Penney catalog, I remember looking at the grown-ups in the clothing section and feeling longing, even envy. I remember wishing fervently to be like them...to be OLDER.

I felt that same longing again just now. But it wasn't to be older. It was just to look more like them: thinner, even if still tall.

Les sigh.

So I just did my first ever online music purchase (from Amazon, naturally, sans DRM). I got Knights of Cydonia by Muse. Then I had it playing in the background while I fired up World of Warcraft. I have to admit, WoW'ing while listening to that song is full of three hundred kinds of awesome.

I got a signed copy of his new book, "The Graveyard Book" and listened to him read chapter 3. After that, we got a sneak peek at scenes from Coraline he had just received on DVD yesterday morning and wanted to show all of us, then he answered questions from the audience, a short intermission, and then we got to see the movie Stardust, based on his book.

It was at the Tivoli theater, one of the two oldest theaters in the Chicago area. Absolutely beautiful, and smells a little bit like a very, very old building. Before Neil came on, they had a guy up from playing a very, very old organ, like in the old movie houses before "talkies." He was really quite good, and I was impressed, listening while I started reading my book. By the time he finished, I was honestly expecting a middle-aged man to turn around. To my surprise, the guy didn't look like he could possibly be older than 25. I was even more impressed as he smiled and waved to the audience who was cheering and applauding. As I said, he really was quite good.

I've seen video of Neil Gaiman and even heard him in the audiobook version of Fragile Things. But let me tell you, that guy is funny! He's definitely got the dry British wit down pat, and it's quite natural. I'd relate some of his offhand jokes, but honestly, I think without the timing and inflection, you'd most likely just end up looking at your screen strangely and wondering where on earth I ever got the idea that was funny. But he was gracious and willing to answer every question put to him. He didn't sign the books in front of us, as he's broken his finger on his right hand and signing is a bit of a slow process for him at the moment. Let me tell you one joking or funny thing he said, of all I can think of off the top of my head, I think this one might actually translate to the written word:

"So I've just figured something out, just today. I've been doing my signing of books with a fountain pen. And the colour of ink I'm using is called maroon, but what it really is is the colour of dried blood. So after I've been signing books a while, I'll be talking to people and they'll stare in horror at my hands and say, 'Are your hands all right?' And I've just come to figure out just today, after looking down at my hands that they see this cast on my finger and what looks like dried blood all over my hands."

I thought that was pretty funny. Another great part was where he described what he thinks fiction is. Without the pauses and timing I'm not sure this one will work, but here we go:

"I think that's what fiction is. It's me telling you that we're going to go into a dark, scary place, but that it's alright because I'll hold your hand. And then I take your hand and I say come with me into this dark and scary place. No, no, it's alright, I've got your hand, see? Then I guide you into that very dark and scary place ... then I let go of your hand and run away."

And lastly? His advice to people who want to write: finish a story. You'll learn a ton about the writing process.

The pre-trailer and short scenes we saw of Coraline were pretty cool. It's stop-motion animated, and being directed by the same guy who did Nightmare Before Christmas, and very much has a similar feel to it. Looks cool, but I think my daughters are still very much too young for it.

And finally Stardust. I never got a chance to see it, so it was really cool to get a chance, finally to do so. Simply amazing. I definitely want to buy and own that movie. And I want to watch it a couple more times to be sure, but I think it might, just might replace my favorite movie of all time in my mind, The Princess Bride. I wasn't sure that would ever happen, but I think it just may have!

ANyway, it was really a fantastic night, marred only by the fact thta I was there alone, rather than with D, because there wasn't a way to work it out. That kinda sucked, but other than that, it was wonderful, and I do mean that in the truest sense of the word: it was an evening full of wonder.

TTFN!

So I wrote an email to my congressional representatives and senators, expressing how I didn't obviously want our economy to tank, but that I thought a total bailout of Freddie Mac, Fannie May, etc. was a COLOSSALLY bad idea. Interestingly, I got a form letter response from Barack Obama's office (he being one of my senators). I agree with his sentiments, I think, though in true politician fashion, he doesn't really say anything. I thought other people might be interested in it as he's a Presidential candidate, so here's what he said:

From: "senator_obama@obama.senate.gov" <senator_obama@obama.senate.gov>
Subject: Message from Senator Barack Obama

Dear Jackson:

Thank you for writing to share your concerns on the current state of the U.S. economy and the government’s response to the ongoing stress on our financial markets, homeowners, and families.

From Wall Street to Main Street, the U.S. economy is in trouble. We have suffered 600,000 lost jobs since the beginning of this year, over a million families have lost their homes to foreclosure with millions more at risk, and many banks and other financial institutions are struggling to stay afloat. The bailout of investment bank Bear Stearns, the federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Federal Reserve’s emergency intervention to save AIG, and the emergency Treasury action to shore up money market mutual funds demonstrate the seriousness of the situation we face.

In response to these concerns, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Paulson have met with congressional leaders to request legislation that would authorize direct intervention in the economy. The plan would grant the Treasury Secretary $700 billion to purchase bad assets from financial institutions. By doing so, the Treasury would inject much needed liquidity into the market and work to rescue the economy from a worsening downturn.

While I agree that urgent and decisive action is necessary during this time of economic turmoil, I will not grant a blank check for billions of taxpayer dollars to the Treasury to bail out banks, with no oversight, accountability, guaranteed help for homeowners, or even assurances that the risky plan will work to the benefit of American workers and taxpayers.

Instead, we must insist upon a plan that includes relief for burdened homeowners, ensures restraints on exorbitant executive salaries, and ensures that the American people share in the upside as Wall Street recovers. It is also critical that the power to spend $700 billion is not left to the discretion of any one person but is instead under the rigorous oversight of an independent and bipartisan board.

Further, we need to move forward on a second emergency economic stimulus plan including tax rebates to help families cope with rising food and gas prices and investments in jobs and relief for state budgets.

In closing, be assured that as this process moves forward I will continue to work for a fast, fair and viable response to our nation’s economic crisis. Again, Jackson, thank you for sharing your comments and concerns with me. Please feel keep in touch on this, or other matters of importance to you.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator


P.S. Our system does not allow direct response to this email. However, if you would like to contact me again, please use the form on the website: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/

So tonight is garbage night, so I carried it all out to the curb. As I do on most garbage nights if the weather isn't very unpleasant, I pause and look up at the night sky. It's a clear and beautifully cool night here near Chicago tonight. I see Jupiter, I locate a few obvious and favorite constellations.

But I miss something. I didn't even realize I missed it until I thought I caught the barest glimmer of it out the corner of my eye. You know what it is? The vast, sweeping glow of our arm of the Milky Way. You can't see it here near Chicago. Heck, I don't think you can see it in any somewhat populated area. I've always gotten my best views of it when camping out west, in South Dakota or Wyoming. I can remember walking back to our campsite with my family as a teenager and, while trying not to step on any cacti, looking up at the night sky and just being dazzled by the sheer number of stars I could clearly make out. I remember I once decided to count them, just to see how impossible a task it is for one person. I believe I made it somewhere around 500 or so before looking at what a small section of the night sky I'd covered and stopped, grinning, loving the fast that the universe is so incredibly, mind-bogglingly vast and that from my vantage point, I could see more of it than I'd ever thought possible before. Strangely, I didn't find it humbling, but rather exciting. I love the fact that there's a LOT of things we don't know about this universe, and that we're always learning new things. It's another thing that makes me glad to be Catholic. By my beliefs, even after I die, I'll be around to know what other discoveries are made and by whom. Maybe I'll even hang out in heaven and cheer the human race on.

Anyway...just some thoughts banging around my head tonight. Now I need rest.

TTFN!

...do stories like this make anyone else think maybe we're not the only sentient life on this planet? Or at least that we're not going to be for long?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/nz.whales.ap/index.html

Well, after sleeping in (at least a bit), I'm now lunging in the house, making pancakes with the girls and getting ready for a REALLY late breakfast. It's lightly snowing outside and I'm wondering if I should bother checking my precipitation gauge for CoCoRaHS or not. I probably will after I eat. Later: World of Warcraft!

I'm shocked and saddened beyond words. Gaming has been such a huge part of my life for so long and helped me meet the best friends I've ever had, not to mention my wife.

http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4373&mforum=trolllordgames

So long, Gary. And thanks for all the fish.

I'm still up, still working, and desperately afraid I'm going to see sunlight before I get sleep. I HATE still being awake at dawn! It just fucks up your whole day!

Now I DESPERATELY wish I lived somewhere near New jersey, if you can believe it! Found a short posting by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors, pointing me to this! Read through all the postings by Teller (of Penn and Teller fame) and be amazed and equally as angered that you have no way of going to see this play.

http://www.pennandteller.com/03/coolstuff/tellersmacbethindex.html

Seriously. It sounds that good.

moar funneh pix

Okay, I think I seriously pulled something when I saw this, I laughed so hard! Please, if you get a chance, watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwOL4rB-go



To be honest, the funniest part is the first half. Please enjoy!

Once, long ago, I started trying to re-create the Temple of Elemental Evil in the NeverWinter Nights toolset. But then Wizards beat me to it and made a whole game for it.

Then I wanted and started working on creating a Bard's Tale game in the same toolset based on the first Bard's Tale game. But I quickly came to realize that, having never played it, I really couldn't do it justice.

So then I wanted to work on creating the game I *had* played (and LOVED) as a kid: Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate. I still think I might be able to do it, but the problems are threefold: first, there's no way I can remember all the dialog, etc. in the game and even the most complete walkthroughs of the original game just tell you answers, not what anyone or anything says, making it touch to script out. Second, there's a lot of very specialized monsters in the world of Bard's Tale, especially on the mechanical worlds. Still, I might be able to make them work using some golem and animated armour models. Third, NeverWinter Nights 2 has come out, looking and running much better than the first game, though the toolset is much harder to use.

Now I'm considering my original original idea again, though: re-creating Dragonlance 1, even if imperfectly, since the Dragonlance Alliance tried to create it in the first game toolset but failed ultimately. I think they were too worried about making it perfect and I think a lot of people out there would be happy to play something close to that original adventure, even if everything doesn't look absolutely perfect.

Then there's always those music videos I'd love to film at some point. My problem? Lack of actors, primarily. Of course, it doesn't help that, should I wish for a more traditional music video, my favourite singer is secreted away in the wilds of Toronto, out of my easy or even mildly convenient range.

Top ALL that off with I really should get my certifications finished off for work, I have a couple kids to watch out for now, I'm involved in C.E.R.T. in my town and want to help them out when I can...

I need to prioritize thse things. Some I HAVE to do, no question. Others are dreams that I want to do. I know the responsibilities come first, but it's beginning to make my heart ache that I can't do them. I like to think I have a very creative side hidden (currently) behind a very technical side. I just never get the chance to let my creative sound out to breathe these days.

So...anyone know any actors who might want to act in a video? Or want to contribute money to the "Make a Music Video" fund? I even have information on how to set myself up with a non-profit status so that people can give me money and write it off on their taxes. But again...not enough time in the day.

Oh well...back to the grind.

TTFN

This happened a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to get it down at least *somewhere* before I forgot it, because it was so cool.

Okay, so I'm working on the phone system on a two-building campus of retirement homes. The sun is fairly high in the sky yet, it's the middle of the afternoon. I'm walking down the edge of the parking lot which is the path between the two buildings. As I'm walking, the sun behind me and over my right shoulder, I see on the pale concrete surface of the building in front of me, the shadow of a bird. Nothing special, really. I think to myself "Oh, looks like a seagull just flew past the sun." There's always a ton of those around, especially around parking lots where people tend to dump trash. The shadow was fairly large, so I figure the seagull is probably just a little above my vision, since I'm squinting. It's a sunny day, after all.

So I glance up. I don't see anything. Since I haven't stopped walking this whole time, I think to myself, "Oh, he's probably just flown above me. From that shadow he wasn't moving too fast, more of a glide." I look up. I still don't see anything. Now I'm getting rather confused and so I stop walking. I'm determined to find this damned seagull now, so I start scanning the sky, slowly turning in a circle while squinting against the sun.

That's when I see them. Two huge black birds, one circling maybe fourty feet above the parking lot, the other maybe one hundred feet up. It's pretty obvious to me what they are, even though I've seen them in the wild only very occasionally: vultures. I grin, thinking it amusing that they're flying in circles around a parking lot between two retirement homes, and how disgusted most people would be with my having thought of that first. Of course, I reasoned it out later that what they were probably doing in fact, was using the nice thermals rising off the black asphault to gain some altitude to keep cruising for food. But still, amusing as hell.

TTFN!

I'm chewing on one right now, these things are AWESOME! They'll give you a little burn in your mouth, but I figure they're about 1000% healthier than all the other stuff I stick in my mouth all day. I'm constantly chewing on a pen or a paperclip or whatever comes to hand. In my opinion, it's amazing I've never been a smoker. And toothpicks fray far too quickly when you just use them for chewing. These things, however, are fantastic! Just thought I'd share. Off for more worky-work!

Happy Autumn, northern hemisphere (a day late)!

Have a baby and be off for two weeks. Just now I'm returning to work after those weeks of being off. Even worse? I've recently become re-enamored of NeverWinter Nights 2 again, and I find myself jonesin' for it. Ugh, this being at work thing is tough. I have to get going from 0 again. Before, I always was able to take off running every day I came in because it was sort of my momentum. One thing spilled to the next day and on and on, etc. Now, I have to start my momentum all over again. Fortunately, there are a couple of small projects I never got a chance to start because of Charlotte's unexpected arrival, so I at least have those to carry me forward a bit. As usual, I'm sure from there that things will just snowball. Wish me luck!

Okay, this is sort of self-serving, I know. However, the company I work for (technology consulting...lots of server and router work...Citrix a plus) is doing so well we might have to start turning clients away, just because we can't find people to hire. It's not a matter of finding *enough* people to hire, it just seems that everyone worth hiring is already working in a job and doesn't want to leave!

Okay, so here's putting myself out there a little bit. Does anyone know anyone who is technologically skilled (as mentioned above) and would be willing and able to take a job in said field in the south suburban Chicago area? We're desperate for people, but not desperate enough to take on people who don't have a killer work ethic (bleh, I sound like a recruiter), and who don't fit in the dynamic of the people we already have working here. I love this place and we all get along great.

Anyway, we're desperate enough I'm turning to you, the one or two people who actually glance in the direction of this blog once in a while. Any ideas? Oh, and don't worry. I don't have my hopes up. :)

Wow...it's almost 3 am and I'm still up. I have a young daughter, I have a difficult job and I really need to get started studying for certs again. So why am I up so late? Doing work, of course!

I've hit that twilight moment where the world doesn't seem entirely real and only the things immediately in front of you have any power to hold your attention at all. I've run out of interesting places to peruse online and am falling back to older things, like this journal.

Tired, exhausted, and having to pay VERY close attention to what I'm doing so as to make sure I don't do something with completely blows someone's mail server to kingdom come.

Just thought I'd take a minute while I wait for a hard drive to clean itself up a bit.

Anyhway, I should probably get back to watching it. TTFN!