Girls

I have always been surrounded by women. I grew up with two older sisters who tormented me through childhood. Most of the managers I’ve worked for have been women. When I was a manager at a record store, most of the people who worked for me were women. Girls. Women. Always.

So it comes as no surprise that we are having another girl!

Ultrasound

Yes, another bundle of joy is on the way. She will arrive in late October or early November. From these early scans, she looks like she’ll have plump lips like Mia. Can’t you see them in the ultrasound? I know I can.

My mom was convinced it would be a boy, especially when I told her the due date was the day my father was born. But I knew better.

Girls. Women. Always in my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Posting Photos New and Old

I have been on a photo publishing streak lately. I have tried to be diligent to post new photos quickly, as well as going back to posting older photos.

Here are a few direct links to new albums:

If you need the password to the albums either email me or ping me on Facebook.

The Top Five Films I’m Interested in Watching This Summer

I think I’ll be able to actually watch a few films this summer. If all works out, I hope to watch the following movies. Half are comic book-based movies, which appears to be this season’s trend. Anyway, here’s my list in order of anticipation:

The Dark Knight Rises

If you know anything about me, I do love some Batman! This is the last of Chris Nolan’s take on the Dark Knight detective. My expectations are high considering the last film.

Prometheus

I was excited about this movie when I saw the first teaser trailers. That excitement has lessened since seeing subsequent trailers. This is because trailers give away too much information.

The Avengers

Before seeing this movie, I thought it had the potential of a big letdown. To me the thought of too many characters and not enough screen time to develop each spelled doom. Boy, was I wrong? Nonetheless, I still looked forward to watching it. I may even watch it again before it leaves the theaters.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Charlize Theron as the evil witch. Well, worth the price of admission, right?

The Amazing Spiderman

I’m wondering about this reboot. It wasn’t long ago that Toby Maguire Spiderman came out, so why reboot? But the story looks new and different enough to be interesting. We’ll see.

The Talk Show Moves Networks

One of my favorite podcasts has unexpectedly moved podcast networks! It was previously on 5by5 but is now on the Mule Radio. I don’t know the reason for the change. But people are speculating here and there.

My guess? The 5by5 Network is growing. Gruber, the primary person on The Talk Show, probably couldn’t work around the scheduling constraints of the growing network. At least I hope it is that simple.

I’ll try to give the show a listen. But I’ll miss Dan and John talking on the same podcast.

Update 3: I woke up this morning, updated my Instacast and found a 5by5 special waiting for me to listen. Dan explains how it played out for him. Sounds like he was surprised about what happened. It was nice of him to at least put out a brief explanation.

Update 2: Seems the best coverage of this little drama can be found on the chandler blog. I wish a sense of finality could be brought to this subject. It appears from all the comments by those involved, or who are in the know, that it is none of our business why it went down the way it did. Transparency doesn’t apply in this matter, I guess.

Update 1: According to a Quora post it seems to have come down to money. Of course, the comments are by a person listed as anonymous, so take it for what it’s worth.

I did manage to listen to the new Talk Show episode. It is not the same. I’ll give it a few more episodes. But I’m on the pessimistic side of it working out.

The Avengers

Farrah and I were able to actually watch another movie! Last week we finally saw The Hunger Games - which I would rate Matinee. This week we watched The Avengers. When filming The Avengers was first announced I was a bit nervous. How could a movie with so many characters do justice to the comic book? I mean, would we just see the team fighting the villains on screen and bits of dialog thrown in. Inevitably, character development - though never a priority in most movies - couldn’t happen in a superhero movie of this scale? But wait, Joss Whedon is at the helm. Can he pull it off?

I think he did. I’ve watched all the related films - Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America, Thor, and all the versions of the Hulk movies. But I think The Avengers can work as a standalone film. A new viewer can get a sense of each character in this film. I know there isn’t deep character motivation exploration going on here, but these are no cardboard cut-outs either. They make some attempt at depth given the amount of screen time devoted to each character.

The story was simple enough to follow:

  • Big bad guy steals magic cube that equals ultimate power.
  • Heroes - who usually operate alone - must band together to stop the big bad guy.
  • Heroes don’t get along at first but unite to fight the big bad guy and the aliens who are his allies.
  • Heroes prevail for now.

The story moves along at a good pace, only slowing down just enough to catch your breath, digest the scene you’ve just watched, and then pick up steam to the next action sequence. The dialog is snappy, with humorous bits here and there to keep the mood light.

The part I disliked, and not by much, is the CGI-based ending battle sequences. They weren’t as confusing as a Transformers’ film, but they were annoying enough. I’m not a fan of these massive computer-generated battles. But if anyone could pull it off, it would be in a Josh Whedon film.

The Avengers may just be a movie I would pay again to see on the big screen.

Rating: Full Admission

Again

Mia watching an iPad in an Orange Case

It has been a while. Again. Life has just been busy. But I have a few moments right now to put down a few thoughts.

As I write this, it is Friday afternoon. I’m on the train heading home. I am typing on my new iPad. This new little machine is a joy to work on. It is much faster than the original iPad, which is now Mia’s full-time companion. She uses it as her “mini-TV,” but also has a few story apps she enjoys. Her iPad is protected with the iGuy cover, which makes it easier to carry around.

I bought the new iPad with 4G — the Verizon version. I find the wicked machine fast on the Verizon network when I’m able to get a signal, which has been most of the time. There has only been one problematic area when leaving SF on the train. But other than that, the machine has been smokin'.

I recently had a birthday. My birthday. Another one. Well, it’s a good thing, right, considering the alternative? I’m not particularly reflective, at least not yet. I’m sure I will have a moment to contemplate the year that has passed. But that moment isn’t right now. Right now I’m wondering what’s for dinner.

I, again, hope to write more soon. I hope to post more photos, soon. I hope to do plenty of things — soon. We’ll see what I can accomplish.

Mia Izobel and Malasadas

Mia and Malasadas Mia enjoying a malasada

I am so behind in posting photos that I have taken this year. I hope to rectify this by posting a photo album every three days until I am caught up. I was going to post an album a day, but that seems a little too ambitious.

The above is a photo of Mia Izobel taken by Farrah on her iPhone 4S at the Waikele Shopping Center. Let’s just say she enjoyed the malasada. 

Vacation Photos with iPhone 4S

We came back from our trip to Hawaii this past Thursday. I wanted to post a few photos I took during vacation. What’s interesting about these photos is that they were all taken with the iPhone 4S. Yup, I left my Canon 7D at home. We did, however, bring the Canon S90 with us, and I had a Sony NEX-5N at my disposal. Those photos should be up on the photos page sometime this week.

What I found interesting was that we (Farrah with her iPhone and I with mine) were able to capture moments effectively with our iPhones. There were a few missed opportunities, but none I regret in not having my Canon 7D with me. I’m sure if there were more nighttime or low-lit moments to capture, I would have failed with my iPhone. But most of our activities were in the daytime, making the iPhone a perfect vacation camera.

I also tried out the new version of the Path app. The app has been recently updated for the iPhone and Android. The updated version of Path makes it more intuitive than its previous incarnation, but there is still one thing lacking: people I know using Path.

I have a few co-workers using the app, but I would really like other family and friends to use it as well. Honestly, I don’t think many will do so, only having time for Facebook and, perhaps, Instagram. It’s understandable. I found myself posting more to Path (as a test) and Instagram than Facebook directly.

I’m thinking my time on Facebook will become more limited to pushing data from other sites/apps than direct interaction with Facebook (e.g. logging in and actively posting, commenting, etc.) There are only so many hours in the day. I’m finding that Facebook is taking a significant chunk of that free time I rarely have.

Here are a few photos in a slideshow format:

First Trip to Hawaii

Anxiety Sucks

I hope to be on a plane to Hawaii when you read this. I’ll be doped up on Dramamine which will help me make it through the plane flight. I’ve always had a little trouble getting on a plane, whether it was a short or long flight. But for some odd reason, I’ve been getting more anxious about this flight.

I hate this feeling. I truly do.

I am writing about this in hopes of purging all this bad “mojo” from my brain. It really comes down to that, doesn’t it? It’s your inability to stop your mind from thinking discomforting thoughts. You feel the sudden shift of the plane because of turbulence and you think the worst-case scenario. Or you feel the air in the cabin is not as fresh and free-flowing as it should be, and you feel more enclosed than you really are. Yes, my mind is wandering. My mind is thinking of these things — and more — it should not be thinking.

But why, why now? Am I really thinking of something else?

It’s possible. This is our first flight with Mia. She’s been a pill lately. Either she’s teething or simply closing in on the terrible twos. I don’t look forward to her acting up. I’m getting uncomfortable just at the thought of feeling the eyes of people wondering, “Dude, can’t you control your kid?” Seriously? You try to stop her from squirming and screaming when she’s in the zone. Pressure. Tough on a five hour flight.

So that may be it. I am not wanting to deal with what may happen. But to think more about it you can’t control what may happen. But shit happens. You cannot control everything. You can only set yourself up for the best result. Then you need to deal with the unexpected and adjust accordingly if it happens.

This is what I need to remember. Deal with it when things happen. And also remember that the Dramamine will kick in sooner or later.

Eating Tickets

We were supposed to watch the Smashing Pumpkins last Friday night at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Unfortunately, fate intervened. Having no desire to see any of the opening bands, and knowing the Smashing Pumpkins like to start late, we didn’t leave for the show until 8:30pm. The hour’s drive to Oakland should still give us plenty of time to see the concert. But who knew things were really happening in Oakland that night?!?!

The drive to Oakland wasn’t bad, the usual hour trip down a crazy 880. As we approached the Fox Theater on Telegraph though, things became a bit more complex. Crowds of people lined the sidewalks for several blocks down Telegraph. They were streaming out from somewhere but even when we made our way further down Telegraph, we couldn’t tell where the crowd originated from. It was a good mix of people too, both young and old. No protest signs, no apparel, just a crowd of people. We made our way around the area hoping to find parking and trying to avoid the crowds. But each parking lot we hit was full. And street parking was non-existent. We gave it a good hour of driving around before realizing we weren’t going to find safe parking.

This isn’t the first concert we’ve eaten the tickets on. Last year we didn’t make it to a Corrine Bailey Rae concert - on purpose. We were just too tired from working that day. And one time I missed Garbage because of a flat tire. I would have surely liked to have seen the Smashing Pumpkins this go around, as I heard they played mostly new tunes. Oh well, perhaps next time.

Not Disappointed

I’m fairly pleased with the iPhone 4S announcement the other day. It hit all the points I was looking for on a new iPhone. Granted, my points weren’t really that lofty. I hoped for, at the least:

  • A screen as good as the iPhone 4 (e.g. retina display).
  • The same or better camera.
  • More powerful, processor-wise.
  • More memory for less.

What was shown was:

  • Yup, retina display. No change in screen size or resolution/
  • A better 8MP camera with an aperture of 2.4 (good for low light).
  • Dual-core A5 chip = faster!
  • Now offering it in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. It meets my more memory for fewer criteria.

I wasn’t expecting or waiting for an iPhone 5. It seems to fit with the pattern or releases (e.g. iPhone 3 to iPhone 3GS). And since I’m on a broken-down iPhone 3GS anything would be much better. Now, what size and color should I get?

Just Annouce It Already!

Apple can announce anything today. Just as long as it’s a new iPhone. I so desperately need a new phone. 

I’ve got problems with mine right now:

  • The headphone jack is broken.
  • The physical volume buttons are broken.
  • The side with the volume buttons is starting t split.
  • The top power button, when pressed does nothing. This means I can’t power off my iPhone

I could have gone with an iPhone 4, but I held off for two reasons. The first was to uphold a pledge to skip every other version of the iPhone. We had the First Gen, skipped the iPhone 3G, and got the iPhone 3GS. The second reason I waited was when my iPhone truly started to become unusable as a music device, it happened during that weird window where you know you need a new iPhone, so why get one. Why not wait?

I do hope the new iPhone is better than the iPhone 4, which was something I lusted after for some time. What I hope for in a new iPhone is:

  • A screen as good as the iPhone 4 (e.g. retina display).
  • The same or better camera.
  • More powerful, processor-wise.
  • More memory for less.

All that I ask above is doable, very doable. We’ll see what happens later this morning. All I know is that by the end of the month, I should have a new phone.

Bixby

Photo of Papa, Bixby, and Lucky. Bixby is on the left.

It’s tough when you lose a pet. A pet who’s been a loyal friend and good companion over the years. But, like us and everything on this planet, in this universe, time doesn’t stand still and lets us simply live forever. And so, sadly, we say goodbye to Bixby who succumbed to age this past Thursday morning. He was about 77 years old (11 in human years).

Bixby

Bixby was a friendly, yet cautious dog. His cautious nature bordered on being shy. He would let his partner, Lucky, determine if any new person was worthy of attention. After the determination, Bixby would warm up and be playful as the next dog. Combine Bixby’s relaxed playfulness with Lucky’s hyperactive playful nature and you’ve got a tiring combination.

Bixby was a slower-moving dog, built more for comfort than speed. It didn’t help that he had an injured front paw making him a little less active. But he’d trot around with Lucky, playing with whoever would stop by.

Bixby and Lucky

But now, Lucky is alone again, as he was for a year before Bixby’s arrival. The photos in this post were taken with a film camera on Bixby’s first day in our lives. The photos are dated February 25, 2001.

You’ll be missed, Bixby.

Photo of Papa, Bixby, and Lucky. Bixby is on the left. Photo of Papa, Bixby, and Lucky. Bixby is on the left.

A Sunday Post

Mia in the sun

I wanted to start writing a regular post on Sunday, time permitting of course. I’m not sure what subject it may be. Perhaps it will be about something that happened during the week. Or it could be a summation of the week’s events in total. Or it may simply be another photo. Let us see what comes of this.

Mia turned nine months old this past week. She has been out of the womb longer than she was in it. A fantastic thing to realize this week. If you told me 18 months ago we’d have this babbling bundle of joy to deal with I would have simply replied, “Huh? You’re crazy.” Yes, we’re happily crazy.

Farrah was able to put Mia in short sleeves, sunglasses, and a hat, as the sun finally came out of its hiding place behind the clouds. Earlier that day Mia had some blood drawn—an unpleasant experience for all of us. I was the lucky one to hold her still while the needle was inserted. It’s a task I hope I do not have to do often. But going outside in the sun cheered up Mia immensely.

Mia in sunglasses

I had a birthday recently. As a whole, it was a pleasant experience. But there were individual elements, like being stuck on Highway 17 for over two hours, that were unpleasant. A tree was down across the highway, making the trip to Santa Cruz more arduous than normal.

Part of the presents I received was a very cool backpack and tickets to WonderCon. The last time I went to a comic book convention was over 15 years ago. I had never been to WonderCon, a large local comic book convention. This would be Farrah’s first comic book convention, making the experience even more memorable.

The Moscone Center, where the convention is held, was extremely crowded. There were many people in costume, though a majority of the attendees were in everyday clothes. We saw at least a dozen Stormtroopers, a couple of Wonder Women, a Superman, an Alien, a couple of Jokers, and several scantily clad women who were, I’m guessing, some Sucker Punch characters. (I need to watch that movie.)

We were able to attend a talk from one of my favorite comic book artists, Bill Sienkiewicz. I’m not an artist, and not being able to draw is worth a lick. But I enjoy listening to creative people talk about their passion. Sienkiewicz talked with no prepared topics, simply taking questions from the audience. It was interesting to hear about his past experiences which help shape his artistic point of view.

WonderCon was crowded. Moving around the first half of the show floor was like swimming through molasses. When we got to the middle of the showroom floor we had more opportunity to move and breathe more freely. Even with all of this, I think I’d like to go to WonderCon next year as well.

The above photos were taken on April 1, 2011.

List of Links for Today