Looping the Hen

Closed and Moving

It was a fun run, and I probably should have done this shortly after my last post. This blog is officially closed, though it will remain should anyone wish to review the archives. Over the year and a half of its life or so, there were 250 posts (this is 251).

This post is universally regarded as the best, should any employer want to get a gist of my communication style.

To the dozen or so that read and commented regularly, thanks. I am going to start up another blog shortly, focusing on personal finance, the writing of my book, and the setting up of my new home. I plan to do more to increase readership than I ever felt I needed to here, which was more of a private conversation among friends.

It will be located here, though don't go there now as it is not yet even under construction. Look for it toward the beginning of the year.

Thanks to everyone, you're all the bomb-bigidees!

A Bunny's Prayer

It's been a while since I've mentioned how much I love my life, simple as it is. Sunday evening is my favorite time of the week; all brilliant sunset of gold and crimson with a touch of bittersweet as I prepare myself for the six days ahead. It is also the time I reflect on the days behind me. It consists of 5 hours that are perfectly, peacefully mine. The laundry is done, the house is (reasonably) clean, my body is still warm from a few miles running in the park. The world may be spinning, but I don't know it. It is just me, Shakira, and the words on my monitor.

And the week behind is as good as it gets...nothing monumental happened; I didn't win the lottery or inherit a fortune or win an olympic medal. But still it was near perfect. I ran more than 10 miles (in a week) for the first time in 15 years, including a race where they fed me a Nutty Buddy and Pasta Alfredo afterward. I hung out and played poker with some great friends, and then played D&D with some other great friends. I even made a new one.

I got a raise. I lost a pound. I got my car waxed. I started on my tan. I finished a funny novel, watched a couple of movies, and discarded some junk that was cluttering up my life. I took a chance. I started helping my dad and step-mom with a project I should've helped them with 3 months ago. I conversed with a girl with hypnotic eyes and made some new goals that have me hopeful about tomorrow, and many tomorrows after that. I smiled. A lot. And did some laughing to.

It's not much, but I offer this up as my little Easter Prayer, and I thank God for His Son who rose today, and for every little thing that makes my life sublime and perfect.

I know many don't know it, and for all who don't, it doesn't take anything to have a wonderful life except believing you have a wonderful life, being thankful for every little thing, and doing one's best to ignore the snags. Start something. Take a chance. Kiss your husband or wife or significant other and thank them for being there every day. Try something new. Remember something old. Hug your mom if you can. Shed a tear, or a few, but not bitter ones. Live.

(And when all else fails, promise a spy you'll go skydiving with them.)

What I go to school for...

Well, I think it's about that time. I haven't truly attempted college since I left Marist in 1991, although I have taken some courses at various places. It just never seemed the right time to fit it into my life. I give myself about 50/50 odds of getting in, but I am going to apply to Belmont University in Nashville. It is as far as I can tell a very good school, small population, and may be 2nd only to Vanderbilt in TN.

As long as I take a Business focus (blech), my company will pay for up to $10,000 a year, although I would probably only take 2 courses per semester at $390/hour for a total of $7,000 or so.

The thought of going back to school is a little scary as it will intrude on my already-dwindling free time. It should take me until I am 40 or so to finish my undergraduate, grand! (I expect to have about 35 transferrable creds from UConn and Marist)

Still, it's not all grim. I have to admit that the 66/34 female to male ratio doesn't bother me one bit.

Go Me!

I didn't hit my goal of 26:24 (I don't think, will know tomorrow when they post official times), but I came darned close! I think I clocked in at under 27:00 on a course with a pair of hills (not as bad as I had heard, but still), one light and one pretty steep. In 30 degree weather. In the dark. Wearing an Enhanced Santa hat. (Thanks to the very artsy and talented AKBar!) And three layers of clothes.

Thanks goes to three very cool ladies from work. One who helped me step up my pace on the first big downhill, which gained me a good 15 seconds over just jogging it down. The other two helped me finish much stronger than I would have. We were at about 2.15 miles and I was already burnt (out of 3.11) when the first passed me, and then about 30 seconds later the other did. The first was about 5 seconds overall up on us at that point. I wasn't sure I had it left in me, but I pulled into pace with the 2nd, ran with her for about a minute, then pulled and passed the first one also. I even had enough to outkick 3 people at the end. (was a good sized race of about 900-1000 folks) I think they may have beaten me time wise (They started after me; people run with 'chips' now that track when you cross the start and finish, so it doesn't matter if you start at the back of the pack (other than trying to get through the crowd)), but they definitely pushed me to a time 30 seconds to a minute better than I was headed for. Go competitive nature!

I read an article in Runner's World a few weeks back that said runners always beat themselves up after a race, no matter how they do. I don't think that's right. I ran a pretty good race, even if I did get passed by 3 Santa's, 5 girl's with antlers, and an elf (ears and all), but still I am extremely happy with myself, unlike my last two races. I held in check one of my bad habits, which is to save too much for the end, and I crossed the line wobbly, crispy and out of breath like I should have.

The only complaint I have is the brand new $50 piece of cold weather Under Armor I bought this afternoon. I wore it and a medium piece of cold weather gear from New Balance and felt like I was buck naked. The workout pants from New Balance were fine for my legs, two pairs of standard athletic socks for my feet were good, and my $4 Enhanced Santa Hat kept my head cooking. My solution for the rest of me? I added a standard WalMart t-shirt into the mix and I was good as gold. All I can say is I am not too impressed with Under Armor. i will read up on it some and see if I used it wrong or something, but barring some major screwup on my part, I won't be buying any more.

Anyhoo, I am off to see Aeon Flux (though the early verdict is it is horrible), hope its better than the reviews! Will report on the lovely Ms. Theron in the AM. Night!

Update: Can't get much closer than that! My time came in at 26:30. Whee!

Run and Gun

Battlefield 2 (link currently not working for some reason) is my current obsession. Unlike my other games (Magic, Eve), there's no playing it in Windowed (plus the fact that most would die instantly trying to do 2 things at once), and one of the main reasons I nada post lately. I am in a cool clan, all adults (yay). Anyone who has the game should feel free to go to our clan's site and play on our ranked server. We don't use the ingame voice and use Teamspeak instead (IP also on our site). I am BobGnarly...{TFL}.

It's almost like Alzheimer's at 34

Am I my own worst enemy? Oh, yes I am.

If there were two personality traits I could change in myself, they would be my almost legendary procrastination skill and my microscopic attention span. It is truly horrible, even when I finally do get around to something, I can't keep focused on it for longer than your average garage sale.

As many have gathered, I love video games. I have many more than I should have, because I play the average game for about a weekend before giving it up. Of the almost 100 games I have played in the last five years, I can count the ones I finished on one hand. Four fingers to be exact: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (probably my favorite game ever, and still took me 2 tries to finish), Fallout 1 (after 3 tries over 4 years), Halo, and the first campaign for Neverwinter Nights (after 2 tries). Great games I played but never finished (and should have) include Fallout 2 (my 2nd fav game ever), Disciple, Nexus, The Jupiter Incident, Evil Genius, Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts, and Freedom Force, among many many others. Most games last a weekend and then hit the 'pile', a 2-inch silver stack where they live until they find their way back to their case and a milk crate in the closet.

I'm the same way with real life things also. I lasted 3 weeks in the SCA, quit karate after I hit my third belt, given up Magic at least 4 times now, wrote three chapters of what could be a great book and shelved it, and just recently quit the singles site thing after less than two weeks. About the only stable things in my life are my job and my other job (Eve). I love my job and have been there 6 years now, but am even feeling ancy about that, as its been a while since my last vertical move and budget controls for the next year make me question whether things will happen.

In a recent bout with insanity, I have been thinking of going back to school and finishing my degree (I am about halfway there with 60 transferable creds or so). But I know me, I'll manage one course a semester for about 2 semesters before I get tired of it and move on to flying ultralights or something. The only positive might be this, 135 women receive degrees for every 100 men. Sounds like good dating odds at least!

Almost worse than my life-of-fruitfly attention span is my procrastination. I have mastered the art of putting things off until the very last millisecond. If I were to actually decide to go to college, I know my application would be there the very last day and my financial aid request hand-delivered at 4:58. My Belize trip? Will be booked at most 2 weeks before we actually pick a date. Part of the reason it took me so long to get a new car (and I must say was actually a good thing here!) was my inability to pick up the phone for more information until 3 days after the owner actually sold the car.

Anyone else have any silly traits they'd like to lose? Any advice for the terminally inattentive?

I'm not this self-centered, really

When I first started this site, my intent was definitely not to write as much personal stuff as I have. Although I find myself terribly entertaining (even if no one else does), it is not so narcissistic as that. So far, this has been much more online diary than blog. I wanted (and still want) it to be a combination of odds and ends (like the Smurf post below), political commentary, technology that I find interesting (space elevators and carbon nanotubes, etc.), unusual financial managment ideas I found have worked for me, and the like, interspersed only occasionally with my random manicness.

I used to read the blogs on my sidebar (among others) cover-to-cover every day. I had actually intended to branch out and read many smaller blogs, find some I like, and link them and their entries as well, and with hope build some inter-site friendships. So far, since I started this, I haven't read any more than once or twice each, and even then not cover to cover.

I am not sure how I am going to fix the balance, but it is definitely something I will try to work on in the coming weeks. I'm not sure why I'm mentioning this, just that if things change around here, I don't want it to be a surprise for the folks who wander around regularly.

Saint and Gibb, I appreciate both of your comments and ideas, and as I find time, will work to implement at least some of them where I can.

That is all!

Look, the moon!

It's my bridge to sell...really

Would you mind taking that off?

My lovely Luna Grace...

A boy and his car...

Mine might be worth 583 words, but still...

I need help! (Please move along, there is nothing new to see here...) I want to purchase a digital camera to include some live photos (err, yes that is a contradiction) here (and yes, I am working to get some of me up to scare away any prospective soul-mates! J/k, self-consciousness is not one of my many faults...)

I am looking in the $500-750 range, hopefully a decent zoom, and more importantly easy to use and get photos out of and into my PC. Something with a docking station as opposed to a USB setup would be best.

I ended up giving my brother my old digital that I spent a couple hunnert bucks on (and managed to take a grand total of 2 pictures on), due to being unable to easily get my pictures off. Of course, he has taken about a gajillion pictures on it and seems to have no problem (and he didn't even get the manual with it), makes me grouchy!

A friend bought himself a camera that cost more than all but one car I have ever owned (yes, that is literal); definitely not looking into the more than a grand range.

If anyone has any suggestions, preferably for a camera they have used, I would greatly appreciate an email!

Greetings and Salivations

So why am I here? As many who inhabit the ether with me and regularly devour news, comment, music, humor, we understand the medium is now part and parcel of our lives, ubiquitous in all its outlets. We are people who Google exes or potential girl/boyfriends before we even think about asking them out. Some of us buy intangible objects that exist nowhere but on Sony’s or Sierra’s or CCP’s servers. We make mix CD’s or playlists entirely of b-tracks no one has ever heard of.

Among all of those out here silently making their way through DSL or fiber or (eek!) copper, I believe there is a woman who is for me.

Maybe she is reading one of the dozens of sites devoted to determining whether the Verve Pipe’s Freshman is about abortion or suicide. Perhaps she is researching (for the fifth time) the difference between effect and affect or some other vagary Funk and Wagnall failed to teach us in middle school. It is possible she is feeding her Neopet Sluggo some bacon and spinach omelette. (Mine prefers Lime Jelly) Whatever she is doing, most likely she has no idea I exist, or how to find me.

However, I believe the Internet solves for those who are willing to help themselves.

So I will start this weblog (or online journal, for those keeping score at home), and over the course of however long, I will bare my soul, bit by tiny bit. I hope if and when she finds this site, she will read it and not be frightened away by whatever mental detritus has collected, and understand that all people have dark pieces of their souls. I choose to put mine forth to her (and you!) so there are no vicious surprises, no lurking secrets, and no hidden baggage.

I pledge that when she finds me, there is not a question she can put to me that I will not answer truthfully, so she can truly judge whether she is for me and I for her.

So if you are here and read through all the noise and determine I am not your soul mate, all I can do is ask that you refer a girlfriend, or a sister, or a co-worker here, on the off-chance I am Their soul mate.

I hope my site may hold some random interest for anyone who chooses to dwell here for a few moments. My areas of interest, and what you will find written about here, will eventually encompass politics, music, religion, video games, sex (and more importantly, Sexy!), family, managing money, my unfinished novel, rants, screeds, and what I want in a woman (and quite differently, what I need in a woman)

So grab a beverage, have a look around, perhaps email me and say hey. Constructive criticism of the site and its contents gladly read and responded to; unconstructive criticism will be calmly deleted with no hard feelings.