Geekoman

I found a recipe for jam-filled buttermilk scones that I think I -need- to try out. Also, ginger spice tea cake? Sounds like an autumn-time recipe to me!

So, to continue a time-honoured tradition...

Happy birthday, Shelldigity!

I had an unfortunate encounter with a stinging insect yesterday.

While I was talking with a customer inside his house, I felt a sharp pain under my right armpit. I clutched the area through my clothing, and the painful sensation just kinda spread for a few seconds. I figured I knew what was going on, so I reached under the *three* layers of clothing I was wearing (jacket, short sleeve shirt, sleeveless under shirt) and plucked out the crushed remains of a hornet that had somehow gotten under all three layers of cloth.

I knew the little guys liked me, but seriously- do they have to get under three layers of clothing to get close and snuggly to me? Then sting me because I'm moving too much? Still, it wasn't his fault. He was probably just looking for somewhere warm since the morning was rather brisk.

I felt kinda bad for crushing him, since the little guy didn't sting me out of any sense of malice. A little aloe vera gel and I didn't feel the sting any more, so no harm done. I'm quite glad I'm not allergic to stinging toxins, given the number of bees, hornets, and wasps I run into on a daily basis in my line of work. On the plus side, I can count the number of times I've been stung in my life on one hand, so really, I've got nothing to complain about!

And now, for some random thoughts:

* I've had three customers ask me in the past week if I'm in theater or if I'm a Shakespearean actor.
* I haven't had cow and rice in quite some time! I should get some soon.
* Last night I had my fifth dream about running League. This one in particular was about running out of League supplies, and having disappointed players. I wonder if other professors have these kinds of dreams?
* Dragon Quest 4 is a very enjoyable game. Disgaea DS comes out today, and I'm looking forward to playing that when I'm done.
* I had a great idea for a Halloween costume. I don't know if I could make it work or not, though.

I won the third Great Taco Challenge. My final count was 18 crunchy tacos, 1 apple empanada, and 1 crunchwrap supreme. It was good times, and for the curious- I felt perfectly fine after the event, and I feel fine today.

OHHHHH YEAAAAHHHHHH!

I am evidently an axe tossing, ladder-of-truth climbing, hammer smashing man of the cloth who is able to shrive (within a matter of seconds, mind you) a man about to participate in a duel of honour.

No, that's not my multiclassed D&D character, that's just what I did yesterday at the Renaissance festival. On top of eating gobs of delicious food and drink that I'm sure I'll be working off for the next week.

I <3 the festival, and I can't wait to go back. For preference, the next trip will be by means of motorcycle.

It's difficult to describe just how enjoyable my creekwalking and exploring adventure was yesterday. My plans proceeded pretty much as I figured they would, and I went off and on my way on my mighty steed, the Soy Sauce 2.

I started exploring Grimes Glen, and made it to the second waterfall like I did whilst exploring with my friend this past weekend. Unlike this past weekend, I made the climb up the roped section, across the cliff, and up onto the landing to see the third waterfall around the bend. The view was spectacular. I made my way onwards with a couple for a little bit as they caught up to me while I was admiring the view, then we diverged when we couldn't keep our feet dry any longer. They went to look at a fourth waterfall, and I equipped my sandals, then stashed my socks and shoes in plastic bags, which I then put away in my pack. I rolled up my pant legs past my knees, and onwards I went!

From that point on, I didn't see a single soul. I made my way on in solitude, with only the sound of water, the singing of birds, and the rustling of trees in the wind for company. After about twenty minutes of creekwalking, I made my way to the fifth and final waterfall. I climbed up with the aid of a rope someone had tied to the top, and stood upon a ledge next to the falls. I thought about climbing the vertical rope to the top, but that rope looked a bit frayed, and being alone I figured I'd save it for another day just in case.

I made my way down and back, and climbed down in my sandals (considerably more difficult than in sneakers, fer shure, you bet'cha). After that, I made my way back to my motorcycle before changing back into sneakers and socks again.

On my way home from the village of Naples, I made a great discovery. At a gas station/convenience store along the way, I found those delightful pop-pop things for sale. I haven't seen those for sale in a goodly long time, and it was neat to see them again. After that, I chanced upon a group of three riders- a man and a woman on one motorcycle, and a woman on another one. We rode together for about twenty minutes, before joining up with a fourth motorcycle. We rode on in such a fashion until I turned off into BJ's in Victor, where my dad had told me he was going to be. I waved to the other riders, and the woman turned and waved back at me, while flashing a smile that was dazzlingly white from a distance. It's times like that when I love being a part of the biker culture; there's nothing quite like joining up with other riders and forming something of a pack as you go down the road. It's kind of funny to see two riders or more meet up and fall into a standard staggered or diamond formation while driving down the road; I don't think anyone thinks about it, we just do it.

I shopped with my dad for a bit, then I decided to head off to Weggies for some tea. He told me he'd come join me after dropping off the groceries. Riding on down was getting a bit cool, but still quite pleasant. I had a cup of rooibos (my old and ancient bones no longer handling caffeine quite as well at night, you see) and chatted with two girls about their teas when they came in. They'd never tried agave necter before, and were quite pleased with my suggestion as a sugar alternative. In fact, the fellow behind the counter handn't even seen the blue agave variety before, which I found a bit funny since he actually works there.

After finishing up at tea, I went home and went to sleep nice and early after retiring to play some Dragon Warrior 1. All in all, it was a fantastic day, and I can't wait to share the experience with others.

I finished up work early today, which is nice because of the heat outside. I'm thinking that I need to enjoy this weather while I can, so I've come up with an excellent list of things to do today.

1. Pack my backpack with a pair of sandals, some water, and some nuts and cranberries for the trail.

2. Equip myself with suitably rugged outdoors clothing and a comfortable pair of sneakers with a fairly good grip.

3. Mount up on the Soy Sauce 2, and make way for waterfall country.

4. Make my way out to Grimes Glen, and walk/wade to the second waterfall. At that point, I may try to ascend to the third waterfall, but it'll require climbing a rather sheer and dangerous cliff. I'm amenable to the idea, but were something to happen, I'd be alone. That might be a bad idea. If I don't do that, I'll try exploring the cave instead!

5. Return, hopefully alive and well.

It's unfortunate that I'll be making this trip solo, because it's a totally awesome one to share with people. I suppose I'll just have to explore it myself, and report to others later in order to get them excited about coming with me! I was so excited about returning after this past weekend's adventures, that I can't wait until another free weekend to go. I'MA GO NOW.

I got a professional hand and arm massage last night at the tea bar while I sampled green teas. It was, in short, fantastic.

I do a lot of work and working out with my hands and forearms, so to have the muscles therein treated to about ten minutes of pampering and relaxation felt great. The tea was excellent, as usual.

The cost was a rediculously low $10. I <3 Weggies, and their Tea Bar.

So. I thought I had it in the bag. I beat the three upgraded mirror bosses in Dragon Quest Swords' post-game. It took... like... almost all my items each time. I unlock the final mirror. Here comes the final upgraded post-game boss, right? WRONG. It looks like I have to fight the three upgraded mirror bosses again... in a row... without stopping... before beating the final upgraded post-game boss.

I must be a bad enough dude to beat the final boss! Time for a few hours of power-leveling...

In other news, Chris and I unlocked the second set of unlockable songs in Supernova 2 at the old CH. They're pretty cool, though I wish Konami would release the songs a bit faster.

There's something about Rennaisance Festival music that really gets me excited about the real thing. I can't wait to go this year. I go every year, usually twice or three times, but it's one of my favourite places to go. There's so much to do, so much to see and listen to, games to play, yummy foods to eat (Mmmm, fried dough with fruit or garlic...) and good times to share with friends.

I'm pumped already, and it doesn't start for another month!

"Come saddle to me my milk-white steed
Go and fetch my pony, oh!
That I may ride and seek my bride
Who is off with those raggle-taggle gypsies, oh!

Oh, he rode high, and he rode low
He rode through woods and copses, oh!
Until he came to a wide open field,
And there he spied his lady, oh!"

I usually think of that song as I ride on my ... er... coal... black... metal... steed...? to the Renaissance Festival. It's one of my favourite rides of the year, and I do indeed ride high and low, and through woods and copses, oh!

Free Comic Book Day '08 was the most. Epic. Day. Ever.

Epic shirt ripping, extreme weight training, time travel, sweaty man-flexing and posing, pushups, HAMMERS, a Poké-match at the end of time and space and the universe, cavemen, magic tabards, dragons with moustaches... it was the greatest day what ever never existed thanks to space-time paradoxes.

The Skin and Steel motorcycle show was fun yesterday. Vendors trying to sell you things is always amusing, and when it's motorcycle related items and apparel, it can be even more entertaining. (No, thank you, I don't need Harley Davidson brand cigarettes, nor do I know anyone who would wear that frighteningly large variety of intimate female apparel that you're trying to sell me, much of which is leather.) Yes, one of the lady vendors certainly did make some suggestions for things my girlfriend could wear in the bedroom that were quite... uh.. yeahhhh... if the vendors are certainly not one thing, it's shy.

I was quite jealous of all the people out on their motorcycles this past weekend. On the up side, my bike should be out of storage this week. On the downside, the repairs and modifications may cost a bit more than I expected thanks to some of the parts not fitting together correctly, requiring some custom brackets to be built. Ah well, it'll be worth it in the end. The new parts look fantastic from what I saw, and I'm really excited about riding with a new set of lights! Next up, underglow...

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is a good game.

Best. League night. Ever.

16 people showed up for Poké-league, two new signups, and a blast was had by all. I kept league open for about an extra hour to accommodate all the games people wanted to get in. I only got to play one round myself, but such is the duty of the Pokémon Professor!

Also, I went to Cycle Stop and had them mod my bike a little bit for the upcoming riding season. It's gonna be flippin' sweet, that's for darn sure. I'm well chuffed about it! My motorcycle is quickly approaching where I want it to be. Only a few mods left to go before I'm pretty much satisfied with how it looks and runs. Since I got it, I've added saddle bags, a passenger backrest, roll bars, a back-pack, windscreen, chrome fender tips (front and rear, of course), and now... it's gonna be excellent! I already had my bike on the road last year at this time, but whatchagonnado. This'll give 'em time to finish the upgrade before I hit the road on the mighty Soy Sauce #2!

Makes me wanna do pushups.

So, I find I'm in something of a moral quandary. I've got some poundage to shed before summer to get down to my warm-weather weight after packing on some muscle and fat over the winter months. I know I can do it because I've done it before; it's not just virtually assured, I'm as positive about it as I am about the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. I don't have a particular method or system that I use beyond a healthy diet and a good exercise regimen.

However.

There are products being advertised on the market which are offering potentially HUGE rewards to people who successfully lose weight using their products. Like, $250-$1000. I could use that kind of money for just doing what it is that I do anyways. My favourite is a company selling tea, which they claim helps increase fat loss.

This is true from that standpoint that tea has 0 calories and metabolism-boosting caffeine, whereas your average triple-mocha-latte with extra whipped cream and a shot of caramel flavouring has ... don't even think about that one. Even fruit juice packs a couple hundred calories per glass, easily. This is all incidental and besides the point, but there is SCIENCE to the ancient Chinese mysticism.

Now, I already drink a fair amount of tea. Probably one or two glasses every day or every other day, depending on how the mood strikes me. I've already incorporated the "0 Calorie For High Calorie Beverages" strategy. In that sense, it'd be like cheating for me to use their brand of tea, hold up a cup in my after shot, and say "This is the magic bullet, people!" At the same time that I say that though, a lot of people *could* benefit from that particular strategy, and I'm not actually deceiving anyone since it's the absolute truth that tea is one of my tools, if you will.

Now, I'm not going to do it. I decided that morally, I can't in all honesty go for it and feel good about myself in the end. It did, however, raise an interesting question- what do you people think? As far as I can see it, there are basically two arguments here.

A) You're already doing it anyways, so why not use the product at the same time and make some money just for doing what it is you do?

B) It's a bit dishonest to endorse a product which, in the end, actually had little bearing on the outcome since you were basically doing it anyways.

What do you believe? Why? Now, how about this- if I disclose EVERYTHING that I do, so that it reveals how much of the effort actually comes from maintaining a proper diet and exercise program, does that impact your position one way or the other? Discuss.

So, I've really gotten into e-books. As I would assume many of you know, I rather enjoy the fitness world. Lately, I've been purchasing primarily e-books as sources of new routines, fitness and health information, and such like that. It cuts through the marketing garbage that the bodybuilding magazines promote, and is left with a lot of good info. It's usually really decently priced, too.

Well, last week I decided to sit down and shoot off e-mails to the authors of several of these publications thanking them for their information, and letting them know how their books in particular have contributed or are contributing to my success. I feel sincere thanks in my heart for their knowledge and experience and for how it has helped me attain my goals. The other really neat thing about e-books is that the authors are usually quite accessible- they want you to e-mail them with questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, et cetera. Many of their member sites have links to directly e-mail them, even.

Well, I shot off e-mails to the three authors whose programs I have followed, or books I've read and gained something from. I expected that to be the end of it- a quick thank you lost in the mysteries of space and time. A quick explanation of where I've been, where I am, and where I want to go. I guess when you look at it on a purely objective level, to have gone from about 250 pounds in college to 170 this past summer, then to have muscled up to 185 again all over three years is a pretty decent feat. I guess when it happens so gradually, you don't really think of it as a "Holy crap!" type of transformation.

In the end, though, I guess somebody was pleased with my letter. One of the authors selected my letter as the Testimonial of the Month, entitling me to a year's worth of platinum subscription to his website. That means I've got access to all of his books that he's published, all of his articles and interviews, all of the videos he's put together, all updates he makes in the future, and his online forum- everything. The usual price for such a platinum level subscription for a year is $297, which is damn worth it considering what you get.

I was considering paying for it since my basic-level (access to the forums, limited access to videos and new materials) membership was about to expire. As you might imagine, I'm overjoyed. This is a completely unexpected turn of events, as I didn't even know there *was* a letter of the month drawing to win a year membership. I woke up this morning, checked my email, and it was like a present sitting in my inbox. I know others on the forums have seen excellent results, better than mine even. I have no idea why my letter was selected. But y'know what? I guess I don't really care! I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if my thank you letter was good enough for them, that's good enough for me! :)

Anyone else have the urge to do pushups?

Bwahahaha! I finally beat Dhoulmagus in Dragon Quest 8 yesterday! It only took me some 55 hours or so... which means I'm probably about half to maybe three quarters done with the game. Awesome. Winter time rocks. Clearly, though, it doesn't rock as much as the seasons which allow me to ride my motorcycle. Those are the -best- times.

Thanks to this game, I think I may have to incorporate the phrase, "Cor Blimey!" into my everyday speech.

In other news, I had a dream last night which fully explains gas prices. You see, I dreamed that the oil companies were actually owned by Ferengi. It all finally makes sense! This business about OPEC and Middle Eastern Oil and all that? It's just a front for extraterrestrial control by Ferengi. Unfortunately, I woke up before discovering how to topple their evil gas-controlling empire. Sorry, folks!

I gotta say, I'm on FIRE today. I woke up and *BAM*, up and out of bed and ready to go. I don't know WHY I'm on fire today, I just seem to feel that way.

It's kinda like in Viewtiful Joe, when you speed yourself up and beat the stuffing out of a lot of things and get all flame-ey, and you've got that fire aura. Yea. Kinda like that! Only minus any actual flames, mind you. Though while I'm on the subject, Viewtiful Joe is a really fun game. I was at K-Mart the other night and saw it for sale priced at $20. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "that's not a bad price and I've heard good things about this game. But - wait, what's this? On the other side of the rack is another copy of VJ with a sale sticker for $14.99, and - wait! There's ANOTHER sale sticker on it for ten dollars? Flippin' sweet! It's surely a sign from the gaming gods that I should get this game here and now."

Lo, I did. Lo, it is truly a fun and very enjoyable game. I play through no more than one chapter a night to savor its sweet, sweet Viewtiful goodness.

In other news, if you're interested, Dick's has a 100 pound vinyl barbell/weight set for sale for under thirty dollars. It's kinda chinsy compared to an olympic standard chrome bar, but for the novice or as a second barbell to use for barbell curls or military presses, it's a fantastic deal!

It's not often that I post twice in one day, but I'll make an exception for this.

I ran into some friends of mine today. One of them told me that he read in the paper that an old school chum of mine died in a car crash on the throughway.

I did some Googling on it when I got home, and sure enough, he lost control of his vehicle last Wednesday on the throughway. Fatal crash with a tractor trailer. I'll tell you truly, I was almost incredulous at first, and saddened later.

It's the kind of story you never want to hear when you hear news about folks from your past. We were in the same homeroom for four years, took AP Latin together, talked pretty much every day. Hung out a couple of times, I went to his graduation party. He was a good guy. I lost track of him when his family moved after graduation. I regretted that, and hoped to run into him one day and catch up on old times.

Sean, you'll be missed, buddy. Wherever you are now, I wish you the best of luck.

It's usually times like this that I'm reminded of how important the people around me are to me, and how fragile a thing life can be. Have you hugged your friends and loved ones close to you and told them what they mean to you today?

This is the story of a real dream I had a few nights ago. I was filling the Jag's gas tank when I noticed the car moved forward a few feet. Wondering what was going on, I looked in the driver's seat and saw some punk-ass sitting there. I went over to him and was all like, "WTF? What're you doing? You could start an explosion by starting the car while I'm pumping gas!" His reply was, "The car was in my way! And who's gonna stop me?"

I squinted at him and said, "Chuck. Norris."

Chuck Norris appeared beside me out of thin air, pulled the punk out of the car through the window, and roundhouse kicked him (literally) into space.

It was the greatest dream of my life.

Banzai the board/ Scene-It game for ten dollars and change? Truly, a Christmas miracle. I'm so psyched about that on so many levels, since it reminds me of good old times and of good times yet to come!

Dick's is selling kettlebells now. It's unfortunate that they're really, and I mean REALLY, expensive for what you get, weight-wise. Like, seventy dollars for a thirty five pound kettlebell. I'll stick to adjustable barbells and dumbbells...

Vitamin World in Eastview going out of business + tipoff from Shelldigity = happy me, well stocked for the next two months. Yay!

I beat X1-X4 in the Megaman X Collection. That game is truly worth the price, and playing each game through in sequence gives me a new appreciation for the series.

Behind Chuck Norris' beard is not a chin, but-- wait, that's a BIDOOF hiding on his chin! Amazing!

Merry Christmas, everyone. <3 you all!