It appears that I spoke too soon regarding our house purchase as there has been a turn of events in the last few days. We had reached a stand-off in negotiations and we weren't willing to relinquish anymore of our requests. So, we called our lawyer and told him that we were walking away from the table. In a matter of hours, the tide had turned. Now, I'm not trying to brag about any perceived superiority of our negotiating skills. I'm only saying that we had made a number of concessions to meet the sellers in the middle and it seemed that they were unwilling to meet with us over a couple of minor items. At the time, while we didn't want to sacrifice a house that we wanted, we didn't want to give up anything else that we had requested, plain and simple. So, things are once again progressing smoothly and we should be moved in by the third week of July.
We'll be traveling home in a couple of weeks for Rachel's bridal shower. I'll also be spending some time with Ian and Joel miles away in a dark video arcade so that neither of them will have to endure the concentrated tea party that is a bridal shower. Even though they would not have participated in the shower, if I were not going with Amy, they would have been near it, which would be kind of like a lame spacecraft being sucked into the orbit of a nearby celestial body. They would have been forced to endure cuteness and frilly-ness that no man should have to endure, even from a distance.
Currently listening to: The Innocence Mission, July
Friday, May 28, 2004
Friday, May 21, 2004
So I'm a Schizoid...Leave Me Alone.
| Disorder | Rating |
| Paranoid: | Moderate |
| Schizoid: | High |
| Schizotypal: | Moderate |
| Antisocial: | Low |
| Borderline: | Low |
| Histrionic: | Low |
| Narcissistic: | Low |
| Avoidant: | Low |
| Dependent: | Low |
| Obsessive-Compulsive: | Low |
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! -- | |
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Sleepless Night
I finally slept last night.
On Monday night, I went to bed at my usual hour of 11pm expecting to rise again at 6:40am as usual, but it was not to be. There were rainstorms scheduled for that night. Once the clouds rolled over and it began to pour, the bedroom window had to be shut which created a very stuffy and humid environment, too much, in fact, for sleep. A thin veneer of sweat began to make its appearance on my skin almost as soon as the window was closed. If any of my limbs was touching another, the thin layer of sweat that was trying to cool me seemed to become like melted chocolate, warm and sticky with a residue that would only be dissolved by a douse in the shower. Not wanting to get out of bed, I weakly lifted my head and glanced at the clock which read 3:30am.
Once those involuntary physical events had me fully awake, I realized that the lightning flashes creeping around the window shades were repeating in quick, repetitive patterns. I relented, got out of bed, and lifted the shade slightly to see a police car blocking the intersection with its lights flashing, the roof strobes firing rapid salvos of jagged blue light against the nearby houses. Oddly, the car was empty and nobody was within eye or earshot. The only sound was the rain splashing into the rivers already raging into the sewer grates. I craned my neck and pressed my face against the window to see as far as I could down the street in both directions but still could not see anything.
Not wanting to disturb Amy, I tiptoed carefully across the creaky wooden floor in our apartment as if it were a minefield to the couch in the living room. Unfortunately, sleep was not to be had there either. The same chocolate sweat began to gather on my body as soon as I was still. At this point, with no moving air in the room, there was nothing to cool my skin and I was hopelessly awake. I began to read the book that Amy and I are studying about buying a house and reread the chapter on negotiating techniques. Once I had completed the chapter, I finished some work that I had to do for the next day. Completing that, I again tiptoed across the minefield of creaky wooden slats to the computer in the second bedroom and played The Simpsons: Hit and Run for a while.
Eventually, Amy got up for work which meant that I had to do the same. I readied myself for work and as I walked to the bus stop, the cool air that permeated my light jacket kept me awake. As I cut through an alley at the end of our block, I noticed that one of the houses had been badly damaged by fire which explained the police car from hours before. Fortunately, I was not swamped with projects at work and I was able to let my frazzled mind wander without too much penalty. By the end of the day, I was falling asleep in my chair. I would jar myself awake each time I sensed my chin falling against my chest in defeat. I could not wait to get home, make myself some dinner, and take a nap before we had to go to a rehearsal for the band we play in at our church. But, once I got home, I had not even finished heating the leftover burritos I had saved from a recent lunch at a local mexican restaurant when the phone began to ring. Each time it rang, I picked it up, had the necessary conversation, and hung up expecting to fetch my dinner from the microwave. Four times it rang and each time except the last, as I laid the phone back in its cradle, it rang again. At this point, I had run out of time for a nap and gave up all hope of sleep until later in the evening.
Finally, at my usual 11pm, I returned to the bed that had scorned me only hours before. But the night was cool and the rain was absent. I laid my head on my pillow and as I fell asleep, I only thought about how I had been awake for almost 21 hours and that I was glad that the day was over.
On Monday night, I went to bed at my usual hour of 11pm expecting to rise again at 6:40am as usual, but it was not to be. There were rainstorms scheduled for that night. Once the clouds rolled over and it began to pour, the bedroom window had to be shut which created a very stuffy and humid environment, too much, in fact, for sleep. A thin veneer of sweat began to make its appearance on my skin almost as soon as the window was closed. If any of my limbs was touching another, the thin layer of sweat that was trying to cool me seemed to become like melted chocolate, warm and sticky with a residue that would only be dissolved by a douse in the shower. Not wanting to get out of bed, I weakly lifted my head and glanced at the clock which read 3:30am.
Once those involuntary physical events had me fully awake, I realized that the lightning flashes creeping around the window shades were repeating in quick, repetitive patterns. I relented, got out of bed, and lifted the shade slightly to see a police car blocking the intersection with its lights flashing, the roof strobes firing rapid salvos of jagged blue light against the nearby houses. Oddly, the car was empty and nobody was within eye or earshot. The only sound was the rain splashing into the rivers already raging into the sewer grates. I craned my neck and pressed my face against the window to see as far as I could down the street in both directions but still could not see anything.
Not wanting to disturb Amy, I tiptoed carefully across the creaky wooden floor in our apartment as if it were a minefield to the couch in the living room. Unfortunately, sleep was not to be had there either. The same chocolate sweat began to gather on my body as soon as I was still. At this point, with no moving air in the room, there was nothing to cool my skin and I was hopelessly awake. I began to read the book that Amy and I are studying about buying a house and reread the chapter on negotiating techniques. Once I had completed the chapter, I finished some work that I had to do for the next day. Completing that, I again tiptoed across the minefield of creaky wooden slats to the computer in the second bedroom and played The Simpsons: Hit and Run for a while.
Eventually, Amy got up for work which meant that I had to do the same. I readied myself for work and as I walked to the bus stop, the cool air that permeated my light jacket kept me awake. As I cut through an alley at the end of our block, I noticed that one of the houses had been badly damaged by fire which explained the police car from hours before. Fortunately, I was not swamped with projects at work and I was able to let my frazzled mind wander without too much penalty. By the end of the day, I was falling asleep in my chair. I would jar myself awake each time I sensed my chin falling against my chest in defeat. I could not wait to get home, make myself some dinner, and take a nap before we had to go to a rehearsal for the band we play in at our church. But, once I got home, I had not even finished heating the leftover burritos I had saved from a recent lunch at a local mexican restaurant when the phone began to ring. Each time it rang, I picked it up, had the necessary conversation, and hung up expecting to fetch my dinner from the microwave. Four times it rang and each time except the last, as I laid the phone back in its cradle, it rang again. At this point, I had run out of time for a nap and gave up all hope of sleep until later in the evening.
Finally, at my usual 11pm, I returned to the bed that had scorned me only hours before. But the night was cool and the rain was absent. I laid my head on my pillow and as I fell asleep, I only thought about how I had been awake for almost 21 hours and that I was glad that the day was over.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Farewell to Andy
An uneventful weekend. Finally, a Saturday well spent watching a movie, playing a video game, taking a nap, and generally not doing much beyond what was required of me by outside forces. We did have a music rehearsal to go to and we potted a good number of marigolds in peat pots, but not much beyond that.
I wish that mice could read. I would post little signs as to the better spots to get themselves trapped. While I certainly have not appreciated having a mouse run around my kitchen when I am not around, I don't begrudge it its will to live. Unfortunately, Mouse 2, we'll call it Andy, chose to partake of the poison rather than get stuck in one of the glue traps that I set for it. If only they could be told that if they stick themselves in a glue trap, there is a higher possibility of being freed of all charges to the great outdoors where I would rather they stay. Instead, of the two mice we've had roaming the open tile in the past year or so, both have opted to ingest the poison. Now, let me state that I only want the mouse out of my apartment. So, while I would rather let it live than kill it, I would still do just about anything to get it out of where I live unless it starts chipping in for the rent and makes a visit to the local clinic to get checked out.
Anyway, Andy opted instead to eat the poison of his doomed brethren and will soon find himself in a state of minor discomfort before he starts feeling tired. As I have made the effort to place a number of relatively humane traps in addition to the poison, I feel that it was up to Andy to choose the one that best suited him and he happened to choose the slow death kind of trap. I'm sorry that Andy chose to die, but at least he will no longer be squatting in my apartment.
On that note, the landlords have deemed our rodent problem "attention worthy" and sent someone over to seal up the baseboards a little bit and fix any and all mouse-friendly entryways.
After a few months of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I finally finished it. I'd have to say that it was great adventure game and one that was worthy of the history of its predecessors. I started in on Majora's Mask shortly afterward. So far, I am digging on the clock and how it's integrated with the gameplay. At least it justifies all the enemies that just seem to reappear to a certain extent. Not only that, but the fact that you have to accomplish certain tasks or have certain conversations at a specific day and time is an added element of reality that I appreciate... mostly. What I don't like is that the save game procedure is tied to traveling back in time to the first day. Talk about forcing longer gaming sessions out of someone who may or may not have hours to waste performing repetitive tasks.
Currently listening to: Luna, Sleeping Pill
I wish that mice could read. I would post little signs as to the better spots to get themselves trapped. While I certainly have not appreciated having a mouse run around my kitchen when I am not around, I don't begrudge it its will to live. Unfortunately, Mouse 2, we'll call it Andy, chose to partake of the poison rather than get stuck in one of the glue traps that I set for it. If only they could be told that if they stick themselves in a glue trap, there is a higher possibility of being freed of all charges to the great outdoors where I would rather they stay. Instead, of the two mice we've had roaming the open tile in the past year or so, both have opted to ingest the poison. Now, let me state that I only want the mouse out of my apartment. So, while I would rather let it live than kill it, I would still do just about anything to get it out of where I live unless it starts chipping in for the rent and makes a visit to the local clinic to get checked out.
Anyway, Andy opted instead to eat the poison of his doomed brethren and will soon find himself in a state of minor discomfort before he starts feeling tired. As I have made the effort to place a number of relatively humane traps in addition to the poison, I feel that it was up to Andy to choose the one that best suited him and he happened to choose the slow death kind of trap. I'm sorry that Andy chose to die, but at least he will no longer be squatting in my apartment.
On that note, the landlords have deemed our rodent problem "attention worthy" and sent someone over to seal up the baseboards a little bit and fix any and all mouse-friendly entryways.
After a few months of playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I finally finished it. I'd have to say that it was great adventure game and one that was worthy of the history of its predecessors. I started in on Majora's Mask shortly afterward. So far, I am digging on the clock and how it's integrated with the gameplay. At least it justifies all the enemies that just seem to reappear to a certain extent. Not only that, but the fact that you have to accomplish certain tasks or have certain conversations at a specific day and time is an added element of reality that I appreciate... mostly. What I don't like is that the save game procedure is tied to traveling back in time to the first day. Talk about forcing longer gaming sessions out of someone who may or may not have hours to waste performing repetitive tasks.
Currently listening to: Luna, Sleeping Pill
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Failures, Mice, and Games
Amy and I have been negotiating a contract on a house for the past couple of weeks and it all fell through yesterday. There were some significant problems with the roof and we were asking the sellers to replace it as well as a few more minor problems with the place before we continued with the process. The sellers came back with an offer to give us $500 to replace the roof. We are disappointed, but we will find another house that we like just as much if not more. We just have to keep looking. ...If only we can find something before the end of August...
As if the expiring lease on our apartment was not inspiration enough for us to move in August, our furry rodent friends have returned now that the weather is warming up. Something tells me that the mouse problem in our apartment building is getting annually worse. The biggest pain is that I cannot figure out where they're getting into our apartment. The last time this happened I thought the little disease-bag had entered through a door that we left cracked open during a heavy rainstorm, but we vowed never to do that again and despite our vow, one of his little pals has followed his trail. Maybe this brave new mouse is on a quest to avenge his deceased friend. Unfortunately for him, he'll soon discover that he's no Mappy. Or Jerry. Or any other cute little cartoon mouse. I'm going to the store tonight for some more traps and poison.
Anyone that knows me is aware that I love video games. They've been my hobby for most of life going all the way back to the late 1970s. In the past few months I've finished a lot of games including No One Lives Forever 2, Star Trek: Elite Force, Icewind Dale, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Resident Evil (remake), Eternal Darkness, and Metroid Prime. If you can't tell, I tend to stick to older titles since I can pick them up cheap at GoGamer.com or in the bargain bin at any brick and mortar retail outlet. Anyway, the careful reader will notice the shift from PC based titles to Gamecube titles as I re-entered the console fray this last Christmas with the Gamecube price drop. If you did not get a chance to play Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, go do it! Now! While it wasn't the most engrossing game I've ever played, it was a great throwback to Duke's early days. If you played games like Commander Keen and the early Duke Nukem (Nukum) platformers, you owe it to yourself to remember why those games were fun. Plus, I gave up hope that Duke Nukem Forever would be any good at all about two years ago.
In the long run, that's all just pointless information that leads me to my current game list. I'm currently playing Simpsons: Hit and Run (on the PC), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA. While the previous two titles are pretty standard subject fare for games, Harvest Moon has always been a more unique concept. Hopefully, I'll have some form of useful criticism of the game in the near future. At the moment, I think if you took the praises of the faithful Harvest Moon fans and averaged them against the terrible reviews of the 14-year-olds who won't play a game unless they can "blow shit up" you'd have a pretty accurate idea of Friends of Mineral Town's quality. Like I said, hopefully I'll have time to get more specific after I've played it a while longer.
As if the expiring lease on our apartment was not inspiration enough for us to move in August, our furry rodent friends have returned now that the weather is warming up. Something tells me that the mouse problem in our apartment building is getting annually worse. The biggest pain is that I cannot figure out where they're getting into our apartment. The last time this happened I thought the little disease-bag had entered through a door that we left cracked open during a heavy rainstorm, but we vowed never to do that again and despite our vow, one of his little pals has followed his trail. Maybe this brave new mouse is on a quest to avenge his deceased friend. Unfortunately for him, he'll soon discover that he's no Mappy. Or Jerry. Or any other cute little cartoon mouse. I'm going to the store tonight for some more traps and poison.
Anyone that knows me is aware that I love video games. They've been my hobby for most of life going all the way back to the late 1970s. In the past few months I've finished a lot of games including No One Lives Forever 2, Star Trek: Elite Force, Icewind Dale, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Planescape Torment, Neverwinter Nights, Resident Evil (remake), Eternal Darkness, and Metroid Prime. If you can't tell, I tend to stick to older titles since I can pick them up cheap at GoGamer.com or in the bargain bin at any brick and mortar retail outlet. Anyway, the careful reader will notice the shift from PC based titles to Gamecube titles as I re-entered the console fray this last Christmas with the Gamecube price drop. If you did not get a chance to play Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, go do it! Now! While it wasn't the most engrossing game I've ever played, it was a great throwback to Duke's early days. If you played games like Commander Keen and the early Duke Nukem (Nukum) platformers, you owe it to yourself to remember why those games were fun. Plus, I gave up hope that Duke Nukem Forever would be any good at all about two years ago.
In the long run, that's all just pointless information that leads me to my current game list. I'm currently playing Simpsons: Hit and Run (on the PC), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA. While the previous two titles are pretty standard subject fare for games, Harvest Moon has always been a more unique concept. Hopefully, I'll have some form of useful criticism of the game in the near future. At the moment, I think if you took the praises of the faithful Harvest Moon fans and averaged them against the terrible reviews of the 14-year-olds who won't play a game unless they can "blow shit up" you'd have a pretty accurate idea of Friends of Mineral Town's quality. Like I said, hopefully I'll have time to get more specific after I've played it a while longer.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Truncated Speech
Yesterday, I returned to Northwestern University where I received my Master's degree as a guest speaker at a music technology colloquium. The speech went alright, but I wasn't able to show my game mod because their only PC couldn't support it. Last year, I completed an audio-only mod of the Star Trek: Elite Force 2 demo and the entire second half of my presentation was based on playing through the demo and giving a brief post-mortem on it. While the presentation wasn't entirely perfect, I realized, that while I enjoyed my stay at NU when I was there, it is certainly a relief to be out of school. It was kind of fun to be back inside the creaky old music building with leaning staircases, ivy, and cracking paint, but I almost felt trapped, as if my reverie was luring me to wish that I could stay. But a lesson I have learned and learned well is that pleasant memories are best left to be just what they are. The truth is that I don't wish to return to any past times of fond memory, but only to hold onto them for as long I can.
For any curious people, I am a sound designer for a publisher of children's books, toys, and other multimedia products. Yes, I am responsible for the noises that annoy thousands of parents across the country on a daily basis. It's enjoyable work and a welcome change from the usual office drone and blue collar slave positions I've held in the past. I am emphatically thankful to do something so fun and enjoyable and make a living at it as well.
For any curious people, I am a sound designer for a publisher of children's books, toys, and other multimedia products. Yes, I am responsible for the noises that annoy thousands of parents across the country on a daily basis. It's enjoyable work and a welcome change from the usual office drone and blue collar slave positions I've held in the past. I am emphatically thankful to do something so fun and enjoyable and make a living at it as well.
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