Time spent documenting said things: not so much.
Forgive me. Please. I am constantly at battle with this wretched monster of guilt. I just need to do it more regularly, but hey, What can I say, I'm lazy as fuck.
On the phone, Sledg pointed out to me that there wasn't a post for the entire month of February. Dang. Getting old and boring sucks.
The little boy on the Cracker Jack box was the nephew of the inventor, placed on there after the brand got big. Shortly after the unveiling, the boy died of pneumonia. True story.
In personal news, I've been kicking ass at work. A few weeks back, I interviewed for a job on a new team. It was a longshot, but the interview process went really well. I knew most of the people on the panel, so it wasn't too painful. They still made me work for it, however. My old manager was there and he was turning the screws on me. Fun times.
Anyway, this past friday was an amazing day. I got up early to try and score some shoes on the cheap. After waiting around with my coworkers for 40 minutes, I got *the call*. The servers were on fire and noone knew why. I had to leave, right before the doors opened to go figure out what was going on. Without going into the nerdy details, it took all day, and for the most part, we were helpless -- damn near DoS style. Anyway, in the midst of it, I get two e-mails requesting my presense in two different offices. I go to the first one -- I get handed an envelope containing a substantial bonus. I go to the second one and get offered a job. With a raise. Doing cool stuff. What a day, eh?
[ edit: I took the job. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a mistake. Should be insanely challenging, to say the least. ]
Currently, I am on a conference call. We had a big database migration tonight and I'm just waiting around until my peice happens. It's supposed to go until 4am. I've been on since 7pm. Not so much fun.
I saved this file a long time ago. I don't remember why.
Kim and I are taking the leap and moving in with one another. It's perfect timing. My lease is up, I'm trying to find my own place and Kim has three months left in her apartment. It'll be cramped quarters for awhile, but should be an adventure, no? I'm still fuckin' mad about her.Valentine's day was cute. I made her another stencil painting and bought her a watch. She got me not one but *two* DB Clay wallets and the Planet Earth DVD box. Plus, she made me a lunch that day. What a rad girlfriend.
Best album cover ever?
I'm on this call, people keep talking about 'cron', which is an automated utility to run things on a schedule, but I like to imagine that they are talking about kilos of marijuana. Makes the whole event much more lively.
"Is this Jimmy Breeze? We're looking for a rhythm guitar player, for our band. What do you look like? You look good holding a guitar? We have specific suits -- we wear leather pants and a red and black Michael Jackson suede jacket."
Two weeks ago, I made the trek upto Lopez Island. A memorial service for my uncle drew me back to the San Juans one last time. I woke up Friday at 4:00am. I shaved, grabbed my bag and hit the road. I was able to get my coffee (12oz Triple Americano, nonfat, .5 splenda -- fruity shit, I know) at the new drive-through coffee joint in town. I said a prayer to raptor jesus for allowing them to be open at that ungodly hour. I blazed a trail across the dark freeway and I plunged into the darkness of Washington.I burned a CD with the entire cLOUDDEAD discography on it, including the peel sessions. I watched the sun come up to the perfect soundtrack. Wonderful stuff. I only wish there were more of it. Any band that samples the theme song from the NES game, 'Goonies II' is alright in my book.
Fuck the polish.
Around Everett, I got nailed by a speed trap. 76 in a 60. Horseshit. I can't get too mad -- I was speeding. Still, hurts. My first speeding ticket. My perfect record is gone, gone, gone. I just home my insurance co. doesn't hike my rates, which they almost assuredly will. Bitches.
Solitary, solemn ferry ride.
Anyway, I made it up to the port around 10:00. I sat in line for an hour, read a book, listened to Karate and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. I finally boarded the Ferry and wove my way through the speckled islands floating in the water.As I drove my way down Center Rd, which essentially divides the island, I was overwhelmed with the strangest feeling. "Pressure Drop" by the Maytals playing, the gorgeous landscape pouring by -- it was surreal. Cinematic, even.
I arrived at the house, greated the company and headed off to the event. A huge potluck of really wonderful food followed by an open mic, a slideshow, a performance of some of Dennis's favourite songs (Little Wing, Since We've Ended it As Lovers [by Kurtis D.]) and a demonstration of a space-flight simulator. The open mic was pretty touching, but for me, the software demo moved me the most.
Pressure drop.
Dennis was damn near genius status. Independently wealthy at a young age, he kept his mind sharp during his retirement. He was an avid aviator and worked with a small group of people online building physically-realistic space flight simulators (which, to my understanding, used actual NASA lander code). After these peers learned of his death, they created a demo of a moon landing and a buggy ride to a memorial. It sounds a bit cornball, but seeing the amount of effort that went into this, I was genuinely touched -- he had never met these folks in person.Also, there was a lot of booze. I really ejoyed that they had nestled his favourite brand 'Miller Lite' amidst the 'classy, upscale' beers in the cooler.
Q: How is Miller Lite like having sex in a Canoe?
A: It's fucking close to water.
I give the entire event an A. It was sad, but necessary.
Life on an island.
After the event, we went back to his place. All of his closest friends were staying in the guest house and in surrounding abodes. We popped open some of the finest bottles in Dennis's collection and made merry. I lived through a mini 'Big Chill' event. It was an interesting mix of folks -- but we all generally got along quite well. A common thread, if you will.In the morning, I ate the most delicious omlette (way to cook, Bob) and hit the ferry. I drove a lot slower this time. By the way, fuck Washington roads -- your highways are in shitty condition.
That's all I have for now.
PS - Here are things I have recently enjoyed:
Cave Story -- duderad PC game.
gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle.com
SXSW artist torrent. ~3 gigs of free music.