[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToIAsk6Q0Q4&w=480&h=390]
It’s pretty late, but I wanted to upload this video clip. farrah and I picked up Jane, Ann, and Tiana from the airport this evening. We went back to the house in SJ and started decorating the Christmas tree. As you can see from the clip, the kids started to become fascinated with the digital cameras.
Ok, I’m heading back to the living room to watch farrah finish wrapping gifts for the big day tomorrow.
How do you take your tea or coffee?If the coffee is regular cup size, I take two sugars, one creamer. If it happens to be the coffee at work, it is amp'd up to four sugars and four creams. Yeah, it's strong coffee.
Submitted by Vasquez.
Otherwise, give me a Venti Mocha please.
BossaNova treated Kelvin and I to lunch - as a thank you for covering his work duties while he was on vacation. It just gave me an opportunity to try and take a photo of the restaurant, Shabuway, on my cellphone and post it to Vox. The photo seems to have turned out ok. Hmmmm…perhaps I’ll need to add a data package to my phone plan.
So it’s been one year today that farrah and I have been married. As you can tell from the photo it was a little windy that day in Hawaii. But the wind is only one element that made the day memorable. I’m not really going to reminisce about that day. You can read about it here
if you would like.
After work today, I’m going to spend a quiet evening with my wife.
Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, farrah Today is your big 3-Oh! But babe, you don’t look a day over 25 to me :)
farrah and I went to see Imogen Heap at the Warfield this past Sunday, December 3rd. We hadn’t been to a concert in quite sometime. I think the last concert we saw was Esthero at the Filmore back in July.
We got a late start to the Warfield, not really having a desire to see the only listed opening act who, Kid Beyond. I had never heard of him, but then again I have never heard of some of the opening acts I had seen at the Warfield before. I never heard of Cheryl Crow when she opened for Crowded House. I never heard of Jewel when she opened for Liz Phair. And I never heard of Tricky when he opened for PJ Harvey. I’m not saying Kid Beyond is in the same league as these opening acts, but he was very entertaining.
We caught the tail end of Levi Weaver’s performance. He had the crowd going on and made me interested in hearing how his studio work would be.
Kid Beyond in Toronto
Imogen Heap came briefly on stage to introduce Kid Beyond. The dude beat boxes and so much more. He did a little Nine Inch Nails, some Portishead, and some of his own stuff. You can catch some clips, such as this, on YouTube. All the performers used a machine that Imogen Heap called a parrot. I’m not sure if that is the correct reference, but basically the performer records a vocal or sound that they layer upon until they have the affect they are trying to achieve. Anyway, it was a very good performance.
Imogen then came out twenty minutes later. She started by walking through the general admission crowd on the floor. farrah and I were located in very good seats, first row lodge, so we could see her milling about there in the dark, singing the vocals to her first song. I had never seen Imogen Heap perform, or never seen a video by her, so I was quite surprised to by her stage presence and performance.
She put on a strong performance considering she had a nasty cold she caught from Levi Weaver. From her stage look and keyboard talent, all I could think of was that she may be the lost love child of Cyndi Lauper and Thomas Dolby. You can see photos of her on Flickr here. I didn’t realize she is the girl in the red coat you see on Flickr’s home page from time to time.
She danced around stage with reckless abandon and played her keyboards and other instruments with (mostly) perfect precision. Her parrot failed her on one of her songs, but her cold never slowed her down. She talks and responds to the crowd in her cute voice. Very cool interaction.
Hopefully she’ll come around again in a couple of years after working on her next album.
What is your stupid human trick?I can fold my tongue in half - from front to back.
Submitted by Scarlett.
This morning we had to put Tigger to sleep. He was 19 years old.
He hadn’t eaten on his own the last six days. We brought him in on Friday and found out his white cell count was up, his body temperature was down, and his hydration level low. They gave him fluids and antibiotics.
Later that evening Tigger's breathing pattern had changed. It seemed he was struggling with each breath. We kept an eye on him through the night, trying to keep him warm, but there was no change in his condition.
So this morning we brought him back to the clinic, knowing full well the choice we had to make. After more consultation with the vet, and an xray to guide us in our choice, we made the decision that he shouldn’t suffer any longer. I called my sister Tessie, who had Tigger originally, and told her the news. She agreed as well it was time to let him go.
I will always remember Tigger as the most affectionate cat I ever knew. I’m am happy that I had the opportunity to be his owner for about 13 of his 19 years of life. His meowing and playful clawing will be missed.
Anybody know what kind of spider this may be? Just found him in our bedroom. Yikes!
Oh, my friends at Yahoo!, how I hope the rumor is not true. I went to only one YEP (Year End Party) out of three opportunities.
I missed The Flaming Lips and Earth, Wind and Fire, but did manage to see Ozamotli. But Chris Daughtry? Granted, I would have voted for him, if I did that sort of thing. But if you’re going to have an American Idol perform at your Christmas party, can you at least get the current champ? Or better yet Kelly Clarkson?
Perhaps it’s a ruse. Maybe someone like Bob Dylan will show up?
What's your dream career?If I could do it all over again I would have probably be a chef. I thought of being a chef my junior year in high school. Funny, I don't cook to often now, but I think if I made that career choice back then and stuck with it, I would be pretty good at cooking.
Submitted by Something.
farrah and I took a trip down south to visit friends. We haven't visited Yen and Heidi since they moved there last year. My friend Tage has lived in San Diego for several years and I have never visited him there.
We caught an evening flight out of SJO, arriving to unexpected warm weather in San Diego around 9:30 pm. Farrah and I didn't eat dinner before leaving San Jose, so Yen and Heidi - who picked us up at the airport - treated us to Extraordinary Desserts. We entered the eatery a little before eleven and the place closed at midnight. But the place was extrememly busy for 70 minutes we were there.
Our waitress seemed distracted. I'm guessing she was thinking about the end of the day more then about how to provide decent service for her customers. Everyone at our table ordered a type of panini, but I can't remember what kind I had. For dessert I ended up with Chocolate Short Bread which tasted like an overbaked cookie. I know that doesn't sound appealing to some, but I enjoyed it. I would have been better with a big glass of milk. Farrah, in her quest to find the perfect bread pudding, had their warmed bread pudding a la mode. Yum!
On Saturday morning we tried eating at Hash House A Go Go before splitting up for the weekend. Farrah was going to hang out with Yen and Heidi while I hung out with Tage for the rest of he weekend. The plan was to have breakfast, then split up. Unfortunately, the Hash House A Go Go was a little too busy when we did a drive by. We decided to go to a local Starbucks, then went our separate ways.
Shopping was on the agenda for the girls, while I had a hankering to go to the zoo and take photos. I haven't been to a zoo since I was a teenager, so I thought the San Diego Zoo would be the touristy thing to do. Plus I've been uninspired lately in taking photos.
I planned to take a lot of photos while in San Diego with the NIkon D70s. But while unpacking the night before, I found that I left a 1GB memory card back home. This meant I was down to only one 1GB card. I shoot in RAW, so that only afforded me 138 photos. But I thought, no worries, because I brought my portable hard drive, right? I even charged the hard drive two nights ago to ensure it was ready for the trip. But yes, you guessed it, I filled my memory card half way through the trip through the zoo, and then then took out the hard drive to dump the photos but (queue the wah wah wahhhh sound effect) the hard drive didn't work! Damn!!!
My photo shooting experience at the zoo and surrounding area felt a little truncated due to the memory card shortage. But oh well. I figured we could stop by a Best Buy or other store to pick up a card for the next day. After the zoo, Tage and I walked around Balboa Park. I must have seen at least five wedding parties taking photos in the surrounding area. I'll need to explore Balboa Park a little more on another visit.
We tried to meet up for dinner with the girls, but time and distance was against us. So Tage and I ending up eating at Fleming, a very nice steak house. The girls ended up at the Rei DO Gado Churrascaria, a Brazilian place I heard about and wanted to try, and which Farrah enjoyed.
Boy, my blogging stamina ain't what it used to be. I'll have need to blog about what happened on Sunday at a later time. I should work on the rest of the photos from the trip as well.
Windows, Mac, Linux - What's your preference and why?In order of preference: Mac, Linux, then Windows. I've actually just switched all my home computers to Mac. Linux I've used at jobs and on website. Windows I enjoy the least. Too many people with too many spyware slash virus problems!
Submitted by ramblingsbymark.
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How many computers do you have in your house?
Submitted by Foomper.
Four.
24" iMac - Just purchased this about three weeks ago. A very sweet machine, and my primary home computer. I know I wrote that I was lusting after Mac Pro, but after researching it more I think the iMac suits my needs. Away with Windows!
Pentium 4 3.0 gHz Windows XP machine - A three year old computer which is the second computer I ever built. I used a black Antech Sonata case, and an ASUS P4C800 Deluxe Motherboard. It was frustratingly fun to build a computer from scratch.
Take a photo of something in motion.
Inspired by Meg.
Do you listen to podcasts? Are there any you'd recommend?
Inspired by Alex.
I listen to a lot of the twit.tv podcasts, or as Leo Laporte has been using now, netcasts. I like his Mac netcasts, This Week in Tech, and his KFI feed.
Also on my list is the Answer Bitch from E! Online. Celebrity gossip with a little bite!
It cleaning month here in the city. They call it extra dump days. The first two weekends of this month we were able to take large amounts of junk to our local dump without being charged extra. Also, on normal trash days you for the whole month you can set aside extra garbage for the trucks to pick up.
So I’ve been in the garage a few days this month trying to get rid off all those items I no longer use. I can’t believe the amount of magazines I’ve found and thrown in the recyle bin. I would have to say a good 70 lbs of magazines have been hauled away.
Anyway, today’s gem was in a box full of old trading cards. Most of the cards were Star Wars, Star Trek, Superman I and II, and some KISS trading cards. Most are in a non-collectible state. But the one find was this Farrah Fawcett Charlie’s Angels card. I showed it to my farrah who thinks I should put it on my office wall.
Score!
What's the best way to spend a rainy day?
With farrah, making Banana Pancakes (If you didn't know, it's a Jack Johnson song).Submitted by Vee.
Lyrics:
Well can't you see that it's just raining
there ain't no need to go outside...
But Baby, You hardly even notice
when I try to show you
this song is meant to keep ya
from doing what you're supposed to
waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
make you banana pancakes
pretend like it's the weekend now
Show us your mug.
My Batman mug is used for most liquid beverages. Unfortunately, I chipped it while washing it earlier this year :(
But it minor damage hasn’t stopped me from using it!
What TV show(s) will you be watching this season? Why?Submitted by ducnly.vox.com.
Since I got a my first Tivo from BossaNova, watching televison has never been the same. But that story is for another day. I’ve finally gotten this entry finished. Ok, let’s do this in alphabetical order, shall we?
The Amazing Race 10 - Just goes to show that couples can fight with each other in any country.
America’s Next Top Model - I like all the drama.
Battlestar Galactica - Never thought I would like a remade version of a childhood show, but his sci-fi stuff is gritty and bleak. Oh, and there are the sexy women on the show as well.
Brothers & Sisters - Not sure how this drama is going to unfold, but it has me (slightly) interested.
Criminal Minds - I didn’t like this show at first, but for some reason it grew on me.
CSI - The one true CSI. No substitutes, baby!
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - We watch this show together to see who will cry first. (Yes, I have cried during this show - he admits reluctantly.)
Family Guy - I actually watch this show more religiously than the Simpson!
Gilmore Girls - Because my wife watches it.
Grey’s Anatomy - Yeah, hooked into the melodrama. I’m just hoping George is really moving on, cause I’m tired of his whiny self.
Heroes - Who doesn’t want to see superheroes?
House - I just love this guess this disease show!
How I Met Your Mother - Funny show, lousy title. See below for more lousy titles.
Men in Trees - Because my wife watches it. Plus, I don’t think there is much else on Friday nights.
Law and Order: CI - Oh man, Annabella Sciorra isn’t on there any longer? Oh, but Vincent D’Onofiro is still going strong.
Lost - Because I need to find the answers to all the freakin' questions from the last two seasons. What do you mean there will be more questions???!!!!
The Office - So, whree do Jim and Pam go from here?
NCIS - Good cast, weak but watchable stories.
Project Runway - Yeah, I’m into the drama…and Heidi Klum isn’t bad to watch.
Smith - Not sure this one will last, but Virgina Madsen is always nice to watch.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Lousy title, but (hopefully) some good writing. The pilot episode was good.
Top Chef - I like cooking, and what beats this Project Runway meets Iron Chef show?
24 - Because Jack Bauer kicks butt!
The Unit - I can do without the household melodrama parts, but I guess that’s part of the show.
What About Brian? - Lousy title, but I got hooked last year.
By the way - if you watch a lot of TV, you might want to check out MeeVee.
A quick happy birthday to Tessie and Tiana!!!
farrah and I wish we could be there to help you celebrate!
I need to start labeling my photos, either locally or on my Flickr account, but preferribly locally. Part of the whole tagging and captioning bit is to easily find photos, right? It’s going to take some time to go through all 14000+ photos I have.
I’m using Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 to label my library of photos. I’m not sure it’s the best tool or the best method to manage photos, but I’ve been using Photoshop Elements since version 2.0, so I have considerable time invested into this software. The tagging slash commenting method is more open then proprietary (thank goodness) - being able to write the comments to the file. If I decide to change software, then I’m (hopefully) assured that the information I have put into the photo will still be there.
Next year, I hope to be fully on the Mac platform only. I’ve been pining for the new Mac Pro, foolishly thinking that getting such a beauty will help me tame the organization beast. Though iPhoto is an interesting program, I don’t know if it is robust enough for my needs. I’ll need to see what else is available on the Mac.
Wait a minute, did I say 14K photos? Oh my gosh! I thought I only had about 7,000 photos. I have about 6,000 posted on Flickr, so I only have half of my photos backed up online.
So I made a deal with my wife, farrah, that if I get my computer room in order I can get that sweet Mac Pro. Sounds easy, right? Well if you know me, and if you’ve seen my computer room, it’s easier said than done.
I guess you know what I’ll be trying to accomplish this weekend.
I can’t seem to fall asleep yet. My wife farrah went on a mini-vacation to Hawaii this morning. The bed feels a little different, so I’m sure this is why I can’t fall asleep. Or it might also be that I watched that stupid 20/20 episode tonight called ‘Last Days on Earth’.
The show was counting down how the human race will cease to exist. If you didn’t watch it, here are the seven way that scientist feel how life on Earth will end (from least likely to most likely):
Wow, looking over the list, I’m not surprised I can’t sleep! I need to stop watching television news.
