Where Have You Been?

I have had three inquiries in as many days asking me when I’m going to post something.

One of those inquiries came from Randy. Remember him? I had lunch with him today.

I don’t often have lunch with Randy, as he insists on talking with his mouth full. Meaningful dialogue is a two-way street, but my street tends to be lined with potholes as I watch bits of hamburger drop from Randy’s mouth onto the table. I could almost handle the sight of food falling from his lips as he blathers on about insignificant bits of Star Trek trivia, but rarely is this the only offensive behavior I have to sit through.

For example, at the point of what should have been the conclusion to the meal, Randy gathered up the half-chewed scraps from the table, squished them with his fingers into one tidy little ball, and popped it into his mouth. As I watched in horror at the third world table manners, he proclaimed, “Hey, there are starving kids in Irvine California. No point in being wasteful.”

I would mention the other two inquiries, but I didn’t have lunch with them today.

Okay, what else?

On a good note, we have finally moved into the new Stampfl estate!! Mrs. CSI and I are still unpacking boxes, some of which have been in storage for over a year. (You’ll remember that we were residing in an apartment for some time.) Opening each box is like a Christmas present, except that each box contains a White Elephant gift.

We have given away what seems like truck loads of stuff to Goodwill, all the while wondering why we paid so much money to store the junk for so long.

I have decided to go Zen people. I’m giving everything away. A beer, my laptop, and the Dave Mathews Band playing in the background will suit me just fine.

So what’s next? Roadtrip! I will keep you posted. Hope you’re all well.

Oh, I Know Just How This Guy Feels

I Really Need to Tri Better

Photo by DavidDMuir

A few weeks back, I made the really poor decision to sign myself up for a triathlon. It's a Sprint triathlon, which is significantly shorter than a traditional triathlon. But with a 1/4 mile swim, a 15 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run, this is still going to be a tough event for a guy who gets winded running to answer the phone.

The event is May 28h. I started training yesterday.

Yesterday I went out for a run just to see how I am doing. Prior to yesterday, if I saw an overweight guy jogging down the sidewalk, I'd say to myself, "That boy might want to pick up the pace." For thirty painful minutes, the occupants of every passing car were given the opportunity to say the same thing about me. However, despite the numerous requests that I made to myself to stop, I managed three miles.

So now begins a personal experiment into streamlining. I have just four weeks to maximize my training, diet, rest and recovery in order to not only participate in the triathlon, but to actually finish. A tough challenge for a guy who is out of shape and has never participated in triathlon before.

Updates to come.

BTW - Special thanks to Kylie. She has awarded me the Zombie Chicken Award. I am not entirely sure what the award means, but I think it suggests that I have not been blogging as often as I should, therefore leaving my three readers without the extraordinary information that they crave to fill their minds with valuable information...or something like that. Regardless of its meaning, I like it. Thanks Kylie.

A Little Advertising for a Friend

There are two types of writers: Writers who write, and those who say they will.

I am amazed at the number of authors I have met since becoming interested in writing. This link is to Diesel's site regarding his new book. He is a writer who writes, and this is his second book.

Take a look. It's quick. It's simple. Diesel will mow your lawn if you do.

Did You See It?

Did anybody watch American Idol tonight? I don't normally blather on about this kind of stuff, but Adam Lambert was absolutely amazing. His rendition of Tears for Fears' Mad World was so cool that I actually watched it several times. Thank goodness for TiVo.

I may even have to buy that recording from iTunes.

Your thoughts? And yes, you can bag on me for watching American Idol.

Full Frontal Nerdity

Mini CSI and I just got back from the Emerald City ComiCon.  

The place was packed but it was cool.  And I almost got to see what I wanted to see. Just as we busted through the doors, Mini CSI spotted a booth where they were making balloon animals.  Oh Joy!  He had to have one.  

So we stood in line to get ourselves a balloon animal, all the while Ray Park (aka Darth Maul from the Phantom Menace) is standing behind us, chatting it up with the crowd and taking pictures with everyone.  I tried get Mini CSI to break away, but he would not hear of it. Balloon Animal or Bust! So, that was a missed opportunity.  

After what seemed like forever, Mini CSI's balloon animal, which was actually a hat shaped like a dragon, was now complete.  In the meantime, I had a sudden drop in blood sugar and was in desperate need of some food.  So back down the escalators to the lower floors of the convention center for a little lunch.   Unfortunately for me, one more obstacle was about to be placed in front of me.  As we were eating, one of the balloons of the dragon balloon hat popped.  Mini CSI's eyes began to tear up and my heart sank on his behalf since his new hat was all of about fifteen minutes old.  In order to restore order to the free world, I promised Mini that we would go back to the balloon guy and request a repair.  

So back up we went, and back in line we stood.  Repairs made, and off we went.  

Although I am not a big fan of comic books per se, I am a big fan of the artwork that goes into making the comic books.  There were well over one hundred artists on hand showing off their respective artwork and signing their products for the crowd.  This is the kind of stuff I like.  

On the other hand, there were well over one hundred vendors selling models, replicas and toys.  This is the kind of stuff that Mini CSI likes.  Immediately he got himself a case of what we call the "gimmies".  "Oh Dad, I want that.  I love that.  Oh Dad, you gotta see this."  

The very first "toy" that Mini saw that he had to have was a 2 1/2 foot wide Millenium Falcon replica. I have to say, it was really cool.  Luckily, it was on sale for only $250.00.  I never really liked the Millenium Falcon that much.  

So we cruised around, looking at all the different displays.  There were several celebrities on hand signing autographs.  Several of cast members of the current Battlestar Galactica were on hand, as well as Stargate Atlantis.  Wil Wheaton formerly Wesley Crusher on Star Trek The Next Generation was there as well.  I had hoped for the chance to say hello to him as I enjoy reading his very successful blog, but the line was way too long for a guy toting along a kid in a dragon balloon hat.  

Before we left, I managed to convince Mini CSI to take at least one picture with one of his Star Wars heros.  And with that, the day was complete. 

Did you manage to get your Nerd on today?  

A Contrast in Parenting Styles

Mini CSI and I are walking to the park, which is one of his favorite places. An obviously angry dad is dragging his four-year-old son by the arm back to their car. The dad is yelling at his son, “Tell me again what you called Daddy. You don’t call Daddy names. Tell me what you called me.”

In the meantime, Mini CSI and I are doing that thing where you flip your leg up to the side and kick each other in the butt, all the while engaged in our own conversation.

“You’re a big dufus.”
“No you’re a big dufus.”
“Oh yeah? Well you’re a big dufus.”

Am I doing it wrong?

A Shot in the Dark

Graph by emdot

I was at Starbucks today. The gentleman in line next to me ordered a drink called "A Shot in the Dark". I had to inquire since I have been contributing to the Starbucks empire everyday for over fourteen years and I had never heard of that drink before.

The Answer: A shot of espresso poured into black coffee.

I try to learn something new every day. I'm good for today.

The Ebb and Flow of My Blog

People want an update. Okay, here's an update.

I smashed the hell out of my little toe!

Last night I'm walking out of the bathroom when my dumb cat, Rudy, darts in front of me. I zig, he zags and I drove my little toe into the corner of the nightstand. I've never been shot before, but Mrs. CSI thought that I might have been as I dropped face first into the bed, screaming like Tatiana from American Idol (only a few will get that one...).

I woke up this morning to find that I am hobbling around like Tiny Tim. I will be having a new pair of slippers made. I will call them...Rudy.

Today will be low key. I just finished building a fort for Mini CSI using the cushions on the couch. It has a door, a window and a skylight, per his specifications. I denied his request to build a bathroom since it involved the use of the cushions on the couch.

Custom Fort Made of Cushions - Crazy Mad Scientist Hair Optional

Later today we will be heading north to Antique Row. As the search for a new house continues, I am looking ever so forward to having my own office...my own space, my own desk, a place to sit quietly that's not the kitchen table...I feel all goose pimplely just thinking about.

Either way, the design of the office is of particular interest to me. I have recently been inspired by this blog site, The Steampunk Home, for my design interests.

Today I will be searching for, but not necessarily buying, a library table. I like the idea of a large working surface with ornate designs along the edges and legs. The table needs to be thick and heavy in design. Although I am just learning about the terminology for this era of table, "French Gothic" was applied to a table that "Disgruntled Worker", a frequent commenter here, discovered for me on the web. Gargoyles were used as the legs for the table just to give you an idea. If any of you are well versed in this style of design or have some better idea of the type of table I am looking for, let me know.

Either way, apartment life and house shopping has really taken me out of my element. For about ten minutes we thought that we were going to actually purchase the new Stampfl Estate. However, a little misunderstanding with the bank caused everything to go down the dumper. "I'm sorry Mr. Stampfl. Did I say that your payment would be two thousand a month? I meant four thousand a month...plus taxes."

I have to take the bulk of the responsibility for that failure by not educating myself better ahead of time. But nonetheless, we were bummed. We will continue the search for our new house and my office. In the meantime, we will be staying in the couch cushion fort for the next few days.

"The Law" and "The Lawless"

I wanted to wait until Inner Voices was back online before posting this, but the natives were growing restless and notes have been left on my truck's windshield demanding proof of what will be known as "The Historic Meeting".

A quick rundown for those who need to be run down.  Our man Zack and Cheese took a little trip from Big Sur up to Canada.  Along the way, they stopped and visited a few of us blogging folks. Unfortunately, Cheese had to fly home from Canada to take care of children and work related matters, while Zack worked his way back south. So, we didn't actually get to meet Cheese as hoped. However, Zack did make it.

After a quick stop at my house, which was in the process of being packed into boxes, Zack and I went out for a burger and beer lunch and chatted the whole time about all of you.  And I mean we talked about ALL of you...big time...trust me... a lot.

It was a quick meeting.  I wish that we could have had more time to chat.  But Zack had to go and I had to continue working on my move from the former Stampfl estate.  

So the questions remains, "Well, was Zack nice?  Is he a cool guy?  Did he try to steal your wallet?"

Let my just say this:  When Zack and Cheese work their way back up through Seattle, we will be seeing them and the visit will last a whole bunch longer. Mrs. CSI was delighted with Zack and learned so much about Cheese that she actually thinks she may know her.  

So here's the proof.  Have a great day!

When Less is More

Okay...so, I am currently enjoying day 40 or so of moving. Yes, we sold our house. The problem is, due to a quick closing, we could not find a new house to our liking in such a short time span. So, we have set up camp in an apartment in the meantime. I will come back with all the details here shortly. But in the meantime, here are some moving tips that I would like to pass on:

• Sell or set everything you own on fire.  Moving sucks.  You will never know how much stuff you own until you have to move it.  
• Paying $500.00 a month storage fees for $300.0o worth of stuff is bad math. 
• Clean behind your refrigerator and washer at least once a year.  Otherwise on the day you move, you will be attacked by the Toxic Dust Bunny.  

This is just start to my entirely new outlook on life.  I will share more later.  

Some of you may have heard this already, but Inner Voices stopped by and harassed me.  After meeting in a remote location, a quick pat-down search for weapons and a warrant check, I had him come by the now former Stampfl estate.  I have pictures as proof of his visit and will post them as soon as I can find the download cable for my camera.  

I am off now off to finish moving the rest of the junk that I don't even want, and cleaning the carpets that were trashed by the rubber tires on my hand truck.  I've got to round up the stupid cats, two of which will be easy and another that may require a wildlife relocation team to help me catch and tranquilize.  By Thursday the move will be complete and then we can start our search for our new home, so that we can move all this junk one more time.   

The Black Hole

My mom sent me this video and it's cool. Thanks mom.

Take a look.

Been Playing in 2009

The end of my vacation is near. However, so far this year, I have been to a place I had never been before and tried something I have never tried before.

2009 - So far, so good.

Back on Monday.

New Year's Resolutions

I thought about listing all of my New Year's Resolutions like I did last year. But then I remembered how well they all turned out.


Happy New Year!

I am expecting more from all of you in 2009.

Back to Work

I have to go back to work on Monday.

I'll be there, but am I required to care?