Brokeback

There's a new movie coming out December 9th that looks REALLY good. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.brokebackmountain.com/

Mourning A Loss

It's easy to see which kitty isn't coping very well at the house I'm watching the next couple of weeks. He's gotten into the habit and either sitting next to the front door or in the front window just looking out waiting for his Dad to come home. Unfortunately, this is only day 2 of a 14 day vacation trip so he's got a long way to go. Tonite, he started meowing and eventually moaning while sitting next to the front door. :( At least we've kind of bonded. He lets me pick him up and give him "lap-time" now where he just sits on my lap and lets me pet him. But the other kitty is another matter. No matter how hard I try, she won't let me brush her (her favorite thing is to be brushed with a hairbrush). However, she's not moaning either so maybe in a few days she'll finally let me in. Who knows.

Searching for New Digs

I've started the search, somewhat prematurely, for a new apartment. My lease doesn't actually expire until the end of the year, and I'm not really sure I even am going to move yet. But I would like to investigate the idea of moving closer to work, so I don't have the 25 miles (one-way) trip to the office. I do carpool with Chuck, but still it takes nearly an hour to get home from the office, even using the carpool lane (which jams up just as bad as the rest of the freeway anyway). So this weekend I might venture out and look around the area where I'm house sitting for a new apartment. We'll see what happens.

Wake-Up Call

I got woken up this morning (2:30am) by one of the kitties as it meowed and moaned. I think it missed it's Daddy. I talked to my boss just now and he said it's usually the OTHER cat that wakes them up around 5:30am. I told him I hadn't seen either of them except for that one earlier morning visitation. I found them both on the window sill in the front living room...hoping and praying their Mom and Dad would be back soon. :)

Rotation

Well, I just got my truck back from Discount Tire. I wound up buying just 2 new tires, one to replace the blow out and one to replace the spare. Unfortunately they didn't have the matching tires in stock. So I wound up going with Goodyear's Silent Armor tires. The good news is they were slightly cheaper than the Eagle LS tires that I had on their previously. I also had the rotate the remaining tires...the bad part is they rotated the new tires in too. I wanted the brand new ones on the front wheels, but they put them on the back. Oh well....it's just incentive to go back and buy the matching set for the other 2. :)

Hitting the Rubber

Well tonight's drive home was expensive...and I'm not talking about gas prices. On the way home my front left tire decided it was tired of holding up the car and promptly deflated in a catastrophic way. It's my own fault really. I've been nursing that tire along for the last 3 or 4 months. It was get close to flat, I'd re-inflat it. It's would slowly flatten over a period of a month, I'd re-inflat it again....and again....and again. Well I guess finally it said "This guy just doesn't get it" and promptly went SPOOOSSSH...thump thump thump thump.

I did have a spare, but it is as bald as Kojak! So now it looks like i'll at least be buying 2 new tires for Justin, maybe 3, since the left rear is also showing signs of deflating. And since I'm buying 3, I might as well just go ahead and buy 4 brand new ones and make one of the remaining good ones the new spare...and hope that I pick a good one that won't deflat while being carried under the bed.

Hmm....deflation....if only gas prices (instead of tires) could do that...

A couple good bumper stickers...

Saw both these bumper stickers while driving down Camelback Rd today after getting lunch.

#1
Bush's Policy: Leave No Child A Dime

#2
Never have so few
Taken so much
From so many
For so long.

Amen, Brother.

Up Late

Well, it looks like I'm getting hooked on a brand new computer game...and it's not even out yet. I downloaded the demo for Age of Empires III tonite and have been playing it ever since. I noticed it on the File Planet website while I was downloading the new patch to World of Warcraft. I've been a fan of the Age Series since the first one released back in the mid 90s, although I STILL haven't place Age of Mythology yet.

Age III takes the game experience to a whole new level though with simply AMAZING graphics. The demo lets you play around with a couple skirmishes and lemme tell you when you get into the heavier artillary, like cannons and the like, devastation is unreal. Buildings physically break apart upon impact...and not always in the same way! These are 3D models not just good ol' sprites that the previous generation of games used.

I could go on an on and continue gushing about the game but it's WAY past my bedtime as it is. So here is a link to the new Age III website. Check out the screen shots. Scheduled release date is October 18th. Not in time for my birthday, but after playing the demo for 4 hours, I think it will be well worth the wait. :)

http://www.ageofempires3.com

"Fabulous"

Welcome to "Fabulous" Las Vegas... I couldn't agree more. :P
(Photo from my most recent trip to Vegas, August 2005)

Dragging On

Toady is just dragging. Where yesterday I felt I accomplished something, today I feel like nothing has gotten done...primarily because I REALLY don't want to be here to do it. LOL. Tomorrow, I'm suppose to take most of the afternoon and head to the boss' house where I'll be introduced to the kitties. I'll be house sitting for him over the next two weeks while he takes a trip with his wife to go visit family. Thank goodness I have a good laptop that I can take with me. He has high-speed internet at his house, but he's not a gamer. So I guess I better install my favorites on the laptop and get ready to be isolated from my computer...even if it is only 20 miles away...that's a LONG 20 miles in this traffic!

The New Game

Chuck and I have developed a new game for the drive in to work. We carpool, alternating weeks as to who is driving. So to pass the time we started counting cars on our way in. Not just any cars though... Kia Sorentos, Chuck's car. The current record is seeing 13 Sorentos in one day (counting the trip to and the trip from work). We've even implemented rules. For example, The car must be owned by an individual (not on a dealer's lot or carried by a semi). Think we're nutty, yet? Just wait.

We've somehow started counting the Toyota Prius' (cause of the gas mileage), Dodge Chargers (cause they look cool), and Chrysler 300 Hemi's (cause it's a HEMI!). LOL.

Snooze

I soooo did not want to get up this morning. I think I must have hit the snooze button like 3 times before I finally got up. But what a marvelous invention the snooze button is. You hear the alarm and get pissed that it's waking you up. So you hit the snooze button, so you can do it all over again 9 minutes later! What am I glutton for punishment or what?!

From the OMFG Files...

This is the X-Scream at the Stratophere Tower. Topping out at over 1100 feet in the air, the Strat's tower is the tallest free-standing structure west of the Mississippi River. But that wasn't enough for ol' Stupek. They decided to put RIDES on TOP of that thing, and the X-Scream is the latest addition to the entertianment offerings up top. Appearantly, people PAY to get strapped into a wide-open bobsled style car that rides on a single rail. When you first get in, it's pointing skyward. But after it starts, the rail drastically slants downward, sending the bobsled down and out over the edge of the tower before abruptly stopping at the very tip. Now you're 1100 up with just a lap bar and strap keeping you in place. Can you say, "NO WAY IN HELL ARE YOU GETTING ME ON THAT THING!" 

Gaining Experience

Well tonight was very productive on WoW. I thought Janell wasn't going to be able to play tonight, but it turns out I was wrong. She doesn't work tomorrow so she was able to stay up late working on quests with me. I managed to bump up almost a full level in XP tonite. Closing in on that elusive level 40 where I get my mount, and the ability to teleport parties to Ironforge or Stormwind. Cool huh? :P

Productivity Soaring

Wow...today has been an incredibly productive day. I've managed to get tons down here at work and still been able to post and surf a few websites for updates, etc. Tonight, I'll probably skip WoW, since I don't think I have any quests I can do on my own and Janell will be going to bed around the same time I arrive home. (She works early in the morning. That will teach her to be an EMT. :P )

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of.... ;)

This shot is from inside the Bellagio at their Conservatory. They rotate displays based on seasonal events. When I was there, it was still using the July 4th theme. And having that cute guy posing in front of it was just a coincidence.... yeah....that's it....a coincidence. ;) 

Hunter Talents

It looks like WoW is revising their hunter talent trees. I still haven't quite figured out what the differences are, but here is an interactive webpage that allows you to custom build a tree before you can do it in the game. Click here to try it out.

Headset Agony

Damn these phones. Normally they are ringing off the hook, but now that I got Chuck a headset....*crickets chirping*

Back At Work

Well, it's back to work for me. Wish the weekends were longer, but oh well. I think the next big weekend is the weekend of my birthday, due to Columbus Day. As far as my parents know, I work that day, but it's actually what we call a "Skeleton Crew". One person from each department needs to be in the office and that's it. Since there are 2 of them a year, we manage to each get one of them off. I choose the one with my birthday on it so I can do something for my birthday. I'm sure the parental units are going to want to see me that weekend, so I don't know if I'm gonna get the chance to go anywhere or not. We'll see.

Bellagio

Here's my first picture in the blog from my most recent trip to Vegas. My favorite hotel in Vegas is Bellagio, as most of my routine readers would know. So here it is in all it's glory. Notice the new "Spa Tower" on the left side, situated behind the original building.