The Freezer

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I’ve been looking for an easier way to manage photos across both my computer and blog.  So this is a test post to look at how Live Writer embeds photo galleries from SkyDrive shares.

So, my friend Seth is changing the look of his blog/website and it has ‘inspired’ me to changed mine. I’m not quite as ambitious or graphically skilled as he, so I just slapped a new theme on mine and called it a day. I like the dark colors of this theme so I think I’ll stick with it. For awhile at least…

I compare programming to anchovies. You either like it or you don’t. Granted, there are people that write code for a living and probably don’t actually enjoy it. I fall into the lucky group of people that LOVE programming. I can sit for hours putting together code that, in all honesty, doesn’t really achieve anything. Most if not all of my programs are utilitarian at best. More like little automation tools for tasks that would be tedious if done by hand. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing but I believe it separates me from “real” programmers. I’m a hobbyist coder. Structure and coding the correct way are pushed aside by my eagerness to achieve an end result. Again, this is not a bad thing as long as I confine my “apps” to my own usage. Very few get battle tested enough for me to be able to offer them for the usage of others. I still remain as completely fascinated with the process as I was the first time I ever typed a command into my TRS-80. Programming models life. And life can be modeled in programming code. I can’t imagine ever getting to a point where programming doesn’t interest me.

We made it through another 4th of July. We were going to go down to the river front to watch the big city fireworks display but instead opted to stay at home and watch all of the neighborhood shows. I think we made the right decision. There were displays all around us from about 8:30pm until almost 10:30pm. Nice stuff too. It’s funny how much money people will spend on something that lasts such a brief amount of time. But I guess it’s not the gunpowder and cardboard tubing that people are so willing to pay for. It’s the memories of the warm summer nights with that low hanging cloud of smoke floating through the air. The pops, bangs and whistles laced with cheers and laughter. And above all, we have the right to celebrate however we want.

It just first became completly real to me that my sister Chris is no longer here. She passed away Sunday, May the 24th 2010 at around 5pm. Being a life long type 1 diabetic, she was pretty used to fighting for her life. Chris went through many medical procedures and hospital stays throughout her 42 and a half years. But she never gave up. Granted, her disease took its toll on her and it’s only natural that she would have angry or depressed times. But for the most part, she always had a witty one liner or Bugs Bunny quote to throw out. An avid horror fan, like myself, we would often discuss our favorite moments of fright and both agreed that the majority of horror film “monsters” are misunderstood. Ironically, food was also a topic that came up frequently in our conversations. I say that’s ironic, because food was basically a chore for Chris. It was something she HAD to do, not usually something she felt like doing or even enjoyed. But non-the-less, we swapped recipes and ideas for meals and snacks. One of her favorites was Starkist smoked Albacore tuna mixed with Velvetta shells n cheese. It’s something I still have yet to try, but will soon for sure. Chris and I will continue our conversations. Probably more now then ever. I just hope she’s happy. She can rest now. No more needles or tests. Just relax. We’ll all be together again someday.

I’m on a bit of a nostalgia kick. I recently acquired a Nintendo 64. There are a few games for that system that rank in my top 20 all time favorite games. So I went on the hunt for some of these great time passers from years ago. Luckily, a local video game store had what I wanted and after trading in some of my older game stock, I walked out with 6 games that I absolutely love. Here are the games I picked up, ordered from fun to fantastic.

Banjo Kazooie: This game is a great platformer with some hilariously cheesy moments. The puzzles are challenging but not so difficult that you get stuck.

Blast Corps: One of those games that you either love or hate. How can you not love a game where the main goal is to level everything in the path of a missile toting flatbed truck??

Star Wars Shadows of the Empire: The Hoth battle level is enough to give this game a spot in anyones most memorable gaming moments. Flying over the snow laden landscape while Emperial drones and huge AT-ATs try to splatter your rebel rump is a very tense and enormously fun experience.

Mischief Makers: In my opinion, Mischief Makers was one of the best but most over looked games of the N64 library. A great 2.5D side scroller (in the vein of the Mega Man series), Mischief Makers is as fun to play as it’s story is crazy. You play a semi-robotic maid trying to free her teacher from a hoard of robotic bosses and odd little bowling ball-esque characters. It sounds a little off but it’s a great game.

Castlevania: It’s NOT called Castlevania 64. It’s just Castlevania. Being a long time fanboy of the Castlevania series, I’m a bit biased when it comes to this game. Most gamers where a little ticked off at the choice to make this game 3D. While the game does come off a bit stiff in spots, it’s still a very satisfying experience and one that should be a mandatory play for anyone that considers themselves a Castlevania fan.

Pilotwings 64: This is my FAVORITE game on the N64. The music is a relaxing mix of airy melodies that lift you through the hang gliding missions while switching to jazzier beats for the faster paced gyro copter and rocket pack levels. Throw in bonus levels like bird man and cannon ball (shooting a character out of a cannon to hit a target on the other side of an island is a very VERY rewarding feeling) and you’ve got a dish that I could eat every night.

All in all, it’s been a fun trip back to the time when Nintendo ruled. I’ve played these games in emulators on my PC for years but they never seem to feel quite right. Now with a real N64 controller in my hand and my favorite carts at the ready, I’m all set to swim with the Dolphins.

Just got home from seeing Iron Man 2 with Emily. It has successfully taken the rank as my favorite comic book movie to date. The pace, effects, action, etc.. all great. Now I’m even more excited for the upcoming Avengers movie!! Keep it up Marvel Studios. You’ve found the recipe for great comic book to movie translations.

I don’t normally like to “gripe” about things that seem trivial. At least, not on my blog. I realize that most things are relative to a person’s situation and/or attitude. One man’s inconvenience is another man’s emergency. But this is just one of those times that I want to spout off. So here goes. I like to talk. I admit it. I like to talk. I love the stimulation that my mind feels while talking. It could be about anything. And with the abundance of information on the internet, it just fuels my need for discussion. So where’s the problem in that, you ask? My wife does not like to talk. Now, I don’t mean any disrespect to her by that statement. I understand that I can (and usually am) very long winded. I come from a family that ALWAYS has things to talk about. If this were the age of kings, we would be the court story tellers. But it’s something that can be very annoying to someone that doesn’t exactly share the same zest for the spoken word. Luckily, I have this space to shout in. It may not be quite the same as a good verbal conversation or exchange of ideas. But it’s an outlet that always listens. No matter what I have (or don’t have) to say.

In my opinion, it’s bad. I grew up here in Evansville. It used to not be a bad place to live. It always sounded so cliché to me when someone would say things like “Back in my day, everyone left their front doors unlocked.” but now I know what they meant. Am I just feeling my age? I don’t think so. And it scares me. Now, I’m not talking about the global problems that you see on the evening news. I’m talking about right here on our front doorsteps. People are losing the qualities that make a person “good”. Values like pride. Respect. Courtesy. Humility. Dignity. I’m 34 years old. I shouldn’t have to worry about someone urinating on the side of my car while I’m at work. And yes, that happened just recently. At 4pm on a Friday afternoon I witnessed a man (only in the anatomical sense) relieving himself on the rear driver side door of my car. I park on the street. A busy street. Three blocks away from Evansville’s police headquarters. When I confronted the pisser, he looked at me through eyes that were barely open (he was obviously stoned) but he said nothing. He simply turned 90° to his right and finished his business against the street light post. I’ve heard many people that like to say everything happens for a reason. I’d like to know what the reason was for seeing that happen. Was it to make me thankful for what I have? Maybe it was to make me realize that I was taught by my parents to have respect for people and property. I already knew those things. Instead, I feel disgusted and distrustful. At what point is enough, enough? And what will be done about it? The prisons are overcrowded. Women have baby after baby to get more government assistance money. Men are getting those women pregnant and not taking any responsibility for their children. The children grow up with no morality and the cycle starts again. How long is it going to take before society completely breaks down? And when it does, then what? Do we revert to survival of the fittest? Natural selection does not seem to work in an artificially controlled environment. Some people would say that I just need to have faith in God and that He will take care of everything. Trouble is, it’s not God that I’ve lost faith in. It’s my fellow human-beings.