Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Awww #@%$*.

To quote Don Corleone, "Look how they massacred my boy!"

DSC01944

Rhonda was a hit-and-run victim last night on the way home from work. And do you know how many people stopped to offer themselves as witnesses? Zero.

She is safe and, aside from being a little sore today, physically okay. For that, we are relieved. But we are super, red-hot pissed off right now. This is twice now we've been victims of a crime where the criminal is getting away scot-free, and we get left paying the price. Twice in a little over a year.

I had a nice bonus coming that was going to be Christmas money (or maybe, Rose Bowl money), but now it's deductible money. One step forward, one step back. It's gotten to the point that these things don't even surprise me anymore.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Quick random stuff going on

Just wanted to get a quick post in before I go read comic books in bed.

Cal put a whoopin' on Oregon Saturday. Frankly, it was a shocker. I was very impressed with how they played, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. U$C should be very nervous. Cal is back in the top ten. I smell roses.

I just read Getting Things Done, so I may be joining the GTD Cult. I guess I am a little slow at jumping on the bandwagon, but there are a lot of things that make sense in there. We'll see. So far, it has been useful to keep my work inbox empty, and I feel a little more productive.

I just replaced the power supply in my Shuttle SS51G XPC (in other words, my little tiny Windows box). The old one hasn't been working properly for a couple of years - it would not boot up if the PC had been unplugged, or if it was cold - but I ignored the problem until the computer started having trouble turning on at all. So after a couple weeks of being on and off standby, I can finally shut down Windows tonight and know it will boot up again in the morning. I had been putting it off since, to me, "change power supply" equals "risk electrocution", but since it's shielded, it was actually quite easy. And safe.

There are a lot of new TV shows piling up on my DVR. We are back up to 100% of capacity. Based off the pilot, Studio 60 was the best of the new stuff. Ugly Betty was also really good. Six Degrees not so much, I will probably drop it despite the J.J. Abrams connection and the Chungking Express-esque feel of the pilot. Jury is still out on Heroes because the pilot was exposition-heavy, but Marv said the second episode was really good.

Lastly, saw The Departed on Friday night and it lived up to expectations, I highly recommend it. I'll write more about it and how it measured up to the Hong Kong original soon.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Software engineering humor

Courtesy of Rachna. I liked the quiz best.


*Car Trouble*

A Software Engineer, a Hardware Engineer and a Departmental Manager were on their way to a meeting in Switzerland. They were driving down a steep mountain road when suddenly the brakes on their car failed. The car careened almost out of control down the road, bouncing off the crash barriers, until it miraculously ground to a halt, scraping along the mountainside. The car's occupants, shaken but unhurt, now had a problem: they were stuck halfway down a mountain in a car with no brakes. What were they to do?

"I know," said the Departmental Manager, "Let's have a meeting, propose a Vision, formulate a Mission Statement, define some Goals, and by a process of Continuous Improvement find a solution to the Critical Problems, and we can be on our way."

"No, no," said the Hardware Engineer, "That will take far too long, and besides, that method has never worked before. I've got my Swiss Army knife with me, and in no time at all I can strip down the car's braking system, isolate the fault, fix it, and we can be on our way."

"Well," said the Software Engineer, "Before we do anything, I think we should push the car back up the road and see if it happens again."


-------------------

*Quiz*


*1) What quality do you value most in
your partner? *

a) A sense of humor

b) Emotional maturity.

c) High bandwidth.

*2) When you get home at the end of the
day, you like to:*

a) Turn on the Silicon Valley Business report, and eat dinner.

b) Hook up to your ISP, and check out the hit count on your web page.

c) Recharge your cell phone, laptop, and wireless modem, change
batteries on
your pager, and resynchronize your Palm Pilot and home computer.


*3) Your ideal partner is:
*

a) Interesting and attractive.

b) Emotionally mature and understanding.

c) Extensible and polymorphic.

*4) In spiritually difficult times, you
often turn to: *

a) Dilbert

b) Kernighan and Ritchie

c) comp.lang.c++

*5) If go over to your partner's place
and think it's a mess, you would: *

a) Complain to him/her, and tell them to tidy up.

b) Call a maid service.

c) Make clean

*6) What kind of car would you like to
buy next, and why? *

a) A BMW, because people will see that I am rich and successful.

b) A Jeep, because it's youthful, rugged, and won't break down.

c) A Honda because the engine control computer can be hacked for
more horsepower.


*7) Name the 4 essential food groups:
*

a) Fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy.

b) Coffee, chocolate, takeout, ice cream.

c) rec.food.cooking, rec.food.veg, ba.food, alt.food.chocolate


*8) You like to travel with your partner
because: *

a) You share new experiences together.

b) You learn about each other in different situations.

c) You get more use out of your wireless modem.

*9) You think a relationship is ready
for a permanent commitment because: *

a) You've successfully struggled through several years of good and
bad times.


b) You're already living together, so you might as well tie the knot.

c) You finally got your local network configured just right.

*10) If you and your partner got married,
you would want to: *

a) Keep your last name.

b) Change your last name.

c) Combine your names with a hyphen.

d) Combine your names with an underscore.

*11) You and your partner think it's
time to have children when: *

a) Your stock options are vested.

b) You've agreed on the requirements and design.

c) You've come up with a good naming convention.

d) You really understand the use of multiple inheritance.

------------------------

*Airplane*

At a recent real-time Java conference, the participants were
given an awkward question to answer:


"If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that
your team of programmers had been responsible for the flight
control software,
how many of you would disembark immediately?"


Among the forest of raised hands only one man sat motionless.
When asked what he would do, he replied that he would be quite content to stay
aboard. With his team's software, he said, the plane was unlikely to even taxi
as far as the runway, let alone take off.


---------------------------

*Software Upgrades*

1.0:
Also known as "one point uh-oh", or "barely out of beta". We had
to release because the lab guys had reached a point of exhaustion
and the marketing guys were in a cold sweat of terror. We're
praying that you'll find it more functional than, say, a computer
virus and that its operation has some resemblance to that
specified in the marketing copy.

1.1:
We fixed all the killer bugs ...

1.2:
Uh, we introduced a few new bugs fixing the killer bugs and so we
had to fix them, too.

2.0:
We did the product we really wanted to do to begin with. Mind you,
it's really not what the customer needs yet, but we're working on it.

2.1:
Well, not surprisingly, we broke some things in making major
changes so we had to fix them. But we did a really good job of
testing this time, so we don't think we introduced any new bugs
while we were fixing these bugs.

2.2:
Uh, sorry, one slipped through. One lousy typo error and you won't
believe how much trouble it caused!

2.3:
Some jerk found a deep-seated bug that's been there since 1.0 and
wouldn't stop nagging until we fixed it!!

3.0:
Hey, we finally think we've got it right! Most of the customers
are really happy with this.

3.1:
Of course, we did break a few little things.

4.0:
More features. It's doubled in size now, by the way, and you'll
need to get more memory and a faster processor ...

4.1:
Just one or two bugs this time... Honest!

5.0:
We really need to go on to a new product, but we have an installed
base out there to protect. We're cutting the staffing after this.

6.0:
We had to fix a few things we broke in 5.0. Not very many, but
it's been so long since we looked at this thing we might as well
call it a major upgrade. Oh, yeah, we added a few flashy cosmetic
features so we could justify the major upgrade number.

6.1:
Since I'm leaving the company and I'm the last guy left in the lab
who works on the product, I wanted to make sure that all the
changes I've made are incorporated before I go. I added some cute
demos, too, since I was getting pretty bored back here in my dark
little corner (I kept complaining about the lighting but they
wouldn't do anything). They're talking about obsolescence planning
but they'll try to keep selling it for as long as there's a buck
or two to be made. I'm leaving the bits in as good a shape as I
can in case somebody has to tweak them, but it'll be sheer luck if
no one loses them.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

My uchi weighs a ton.

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(Bonus points if you translated that correctly to, "My house weighs a pork." More bonus points if you got the Public Enemy reference.)

Hey, it's good to be back! Things have been mad busy. I know I say that a lot around here, but a lot has happened since Tim dropped that fly ball:

  • Japanese class is in full swing and is kicking our butts. We are doing well in the class but it's five hours a week of class, not counting homework and studying. On Wednesdays we also have allergy shots, so coming home from work, getting shots, and going to class (and trying to eat somewhere in there too) is a serious challenge.

  • Rhonda and I turned the house upside down in late August and early September and we got it cleaner than it has been since the day we moved in. There were still a couple of boxes in the kitchen with our collectibles (aka anime crap) in them and they have been unpacked. The Evangelion shrine is in full effect now. We had to get everything cleaned up because...

  • I turned 30! We had a little party and watched Cal beat the stuffing out of Minnesota. I'd like to thank everyone who came from all over to welcome me into my fourth decade, and those who wanted to make it but couldn't.

  • That was quickly followed up by our second wedding anniversary. It was also our second anniversary spent in the East Bay (yes, I know, very exciting, but this is what you get when you have a mortgage to pay). We drove up to Berkeley for the Cal/Portland State game, then drove over to Emeryville, where we stayed at the Woodfin Suites Hotel and had a nice view of the bay and the Bay Bridge. We found out Willie Mays' SkyBox Lounge was just over in the Public Market building where Kimball's East used to be, and we walked over there and had dinner. Sunday, I surprised Rhonda by taking her to the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory, where they give a free tour with free samples of their chocolate. (She loved it, although I created a monster and now she is a full-fledged chocolate connoisseur/snob.) After that, we walked through Berkeley's new 4th Street shopping area, which is a little like Santana Row but not as pretentious. By then, we were thoroughly exhausted from two days of walking and were glad to get home and sleep.

  • Another Cal game last Saturday (a whoopin' of ASU), followed by Adia's birthday party on Sunday. I hear Ms. (Mrs.?) Potato Head was a big hit.

  • Giants game tomorrow, Rhonda has some teacher stuff to take care of Saturday morning (in Capitola!), bookended by another Giants game Sunday. Possibly Barry Bonds's last game in a Giants uniform (but possibly not). Either way, hopefully the Giants can ruin the Dodgers' year and make sure they're at home watching the playoffs like the rest of us.

So yeah, it's been tough to catch a breather. We haven't even been able to do simple things like grocery shop or go to the gym. But it looks like slowly, but surely, things are slowing down some. So look for some changes on this blog, and hopefully, more regular posts. Until then, sayonara and oyasuminasai.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Make a play, meat!

I was watching the Giants game tonight and one of the D-backs players ht a foul ball down the right field line. Pretty uneventful, except one of the fans tried to make the play by reaching out for the ball. Instead, he got a glove full of air as the ball landed in the glove of the guy behind him.

DSC01792I said, "Holy $&!*, that looks like Tim!"

And it was.

So our friend Tim, who we met through Marv via Verizon, came up empty trying to make the play. It was pretty funny, not only because we know him, but because he held the pose for so long befor realizing his glove was empty. Giants announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper had a good laugh at Tim's expense, although they did note he brought his glove to the game (probably saving him from "elimination") and that he high-fived the fan who actually made the catch. The play was entertaining enough that they showed a replay of the play in the next inning, and they talked about it for several minutes.

DSC01794Kruk: That guy's a gamer...I want to party with *that* guy.
Kuip: In my opinion, I don't think that's the first time that's happened to him!


I tried to stream the video from my Motorola DCT6412 DVR from Comcast (aka the "Suckmaster 2000") but it wouldn't work (because of DRM, arghhh), so you'll have to settle for these lovely stills taken off my mammoth TV. Luckily tonight's game was in high-def.

Good times...

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

More Japanese TV foolishness.

Rhonda found these videos on YouTube of HYDE and Ken from L'arc~en~Ciel on Matthew's Big Hit TV (which you may recognize from Lost in Translation). We even found them subtitled. They are hilarious.

(The highlights are the last three videos. They are in a competition for fugu sashimi, and the last couple of games are comedy gold. In particular, the outcome of the washtub game and Hyde's first attempt at the last game.)






Oh yeah...

coverI forgot, I finished Moneyball last weekend and I really enjoyed it. The timing of reading this now (it chronicles the 2002 season for the Oakland A's) is interesting, because many of Billy Beane's draft picks are now in the bigs. (Such as Nick Swisher and Jeremy Bonderman. That Bonderman trade didn't work out too well for Oakland.)

Being both a fan of baseball and a math nerd, it's fascinating to see the two collide. Weaned on baseball conventional wisdom, some of the theories are hard to swallow. While not stealing bases and not bunting work in the American League, where you have nine batters in the lineup, I'm not sure they translate as well to the National League, where the pitchers hit. (The teams using the "sabremetric" approach are all in the AL - Oakland, Toronto, and Boston. Worked out pretty well for Boston in 2004.) If the pitcher is up with a runner at first, I would think the statistical likelihood of an unproductive out (pop-up, strikeout, or, worse, double play) is much higher than that of a hit, so a sacrifice bunt is the right call.

Also, sacrifice bunting reduces the expected number of runs your team will score. But in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, you only need one run to win. Sacrificing the runner means you only have about a fifty percent chance of getting the run home from second with one out. But even a very good hitter (.350 average) is going to get a hit, making getting a run likely, only 35% of the time. 65% of the time, the runner will advance to second anyway, have to stay at first, or get wiped out completely on a double play. I think you bunt there too, especially if you have a weak hitter up there.

Still, it makes for good conversation and a fun read. The chapter where Billy is making trades at the deadline is amazing. But I'd stop short of calling him a genius. Visionary, yes; but not genius. The A's are highly successful, especially given their pitiful payroll, but that's mostly because 29 of the 32 teams are still doing things old-school. If the other teams changed their scouting and the way they evaluate players, it would be harder for Billy to snatch up players that fit his mold. Boston won because they had the right makeup of talent statistically, but they also went out and got the best players. Oakland can't even afford to retain the players they have, much less get the best ones for their system. If everyone wanted players like Kevin Youkilis, instead of just Oakland and Boston, Oakland wouldn't be able to afford him.

The Moneyball system allows them to compete over a 162-game schedule because the sample size of a baseball season is huge. I don't think such a system would be viable in a sport like football, which has a much shorter season. It's possible the A's lose in the playoffs (5 and 7 game series) because their teams are, metaphorically speaking, built for a marathon and not a sprint. The sample size is much smaller, and formulas meant to project long-term performance might not be effective in short series.

Bottom line, good read. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a book, or when I complete a video game. Notice how you never feel that way when you watch TV?

General malaise

Kind of a whirlwind week. In between the excruciating string of Giants losses and Rhonda's frantic search for employment, there hasn't been a dull moment around here. The good news is it looks like Rhonda will stay in Evergreen, even though school starts soon. Needless to say, if you don't have tenure, it's a white-knuckle experience trying to figure out where you make your living every year.

But I digress. Rhonda and I have also been occupied with del.icio.us of late. I finally signed up for it last week, then immediately recommended it for Rhonda. See, I have a very organized set of bookmarks with folders, and once a month or so I synch up the ones at home with the ones at work. Not Rhonda - she has a mammoth flat list of bookmarks that she continually adds to. It takes her several seconds to scroll down past hundreds of bookmarks to get to the most recent ones. So del.icio.us is perfect for her, since she can tag her bookmarks and search for them instead of digging through a huge, unsorted, unorganized list.

We've spent the last few days sending each other links (mostly about Tokyo, I think Rhonda is getting the itch to travel again) and I like digging through the "recent" and "popular" links, as well as looking at other people's bookmarks if we share a common link. It's good stuff.

Rhonda has also become a fan of "Nounai Este IQ Supri" (translates to "Food for the Brain", I guess), a Japanese variety show that has a series of brain teasers. No, there are no subtitles. And yes, there is only one game we can play that is not language-dependent (a lot of the games involve kanji). But it is a good way to kill an hour on Saturday night, and even though we can't understand what they're saying, the "celebrities" (using the term loosely) on the show are a good deal funnier than anything on SNL the past few years ("Lazy Sunday" excepted).

So not much going on here in San Jose. (Guess it wasn't as "whirlwind" as I thought, the stress must make it seem that way.) Expect a big blog overhaul soon though, since I'm getting tired of this look. For now, I leave you with some of the fun stuff we found on del.icio.us over the past week:

Seldom Asked Questions about Japan
WorldRamen.net
7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable
Just One Club Card - Combine All Of Your Club Cards

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Bebot.

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As referred to earlier, the Black Eyed Peas video for "Bebot" is complete and has posted online. The "Generation One" version takes place in Stockton, California, 1936.

"Bebot in Little Manila" mini-doc
KidHeroes.net "Bebot" page
"Little Manila comes alive" (Stockton Record, August 4th, 2006)


Exciting times for our friends over at LittleManila.net. Not only are they getting all this free pub from the BEP video, but Dillon and Becka are engaged!

Friday, August 04, 2006

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Whoa.

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I'm kind of like Neo in The Matrix.

No, I don't know kung-fu.

Yeah, I am part Asian, but that's not what I was talking about.

I can dodge bullets.

Or at least I think it's possible, because I did it again today at work. There have been several layoffs at Sun (although none as big as the one today), and I have some friends who were/are recently out-of-work, yet I keep emerging unscathed. So I must be good at what I do, or damn lucky. Or both.

With a family and a mortgage, I am absolutely relieved to still be employed. Nonetheless, it was a pretty depressing day at the office. It was also sad because a couple people I know lost their jobs, including one of my best friends at the office. I called Rhonda and some family to let them know not to worry, and they were celebratory (and rightfully so, I suppose). But I still have a bit of survivor guilt this evening.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I miss this guy too.

Nothing like the late, great Mitch Hedberg to cheer me up a little.

Kind of Blue.

It's a funny thing. When Rhonda left yesterday to help out at the retreat, I didn't think too much of it. I mean, I had a business trip in Colorado, and there have been a couple one-off days where we were apart, so it's not like we've never separated. She's going to be back Friday.

Nevertheless, I really miss her. When you get used to spending almost all your free time with a person, even when you're in the same house but doing different things, it throws you off when you're all alone.

I thought I would get some stuff done around the house, at the very least clear the DVR of shows I have saved that we don't watch together. But instead, it's been kind of sad. Yesterday, I went grocery shopping and had to make two trips to the car. I haven't had to live alone in seven years now - two nights in a Broomfield hotel room don't count.

It makes me wonder how I ever got by being single. Sometimes I look at the piles of unread books and unwatched DVDs in the library, and the general clutter in the house, and I wonder how I ever used to do so much and still have time to work out, and cook, and keep the place clean. And now I realize it was because I was bored out of my frickin' gourd. I had to keep busy to fill the time I would've otherwise spent with other human beings.

That first year I lived out in North San Jose, the only person I knew in town was my aunt. No Rhonda, no Marv, no Jesse, no Joy & B.J., no-body. It was exciting to be living on my own for the first time, making big bucks (at least, compared to bagging groceries), and living in the tech life in the thriving Silicon Valley. But as much as that was exciting and new (yeah, like the Love Boat), and even though I'm as introverted as they come, I still would've liked someone to share it with. I got lucky, and the following year the boys moved out here, and Rhonda and I gravitated towards each other.

So you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone, even if it's only gone for a couple more days.

Also, tomorrow is the layoff. It's nice to know one way or the other if I'll have a job Friday (and going forward), and in that sense it's a good thing, but I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. I was feeling cautiously optimistic up until this week, but now I'm not as sure. Even if I survive the cut, it's going to be a horribly sad and depressing day at the office. It's also not encouraging that if I get the axe, I have an empty home to come home to.

It's out of my hands now. I've prayed over it and however it turns out is how it turns out. Believe it or not, there are positives to either outcome so I need to focus on that if I'm going to get any sleep tonight.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Friday, July 28, 2006

Tell the Count he makes a damn fine sandwich.

We went to Bennigan's last night with Marv because he was leaving for Cabo today, and because we had a gift card. Rhonda ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, and for the uninitiated, it was one of the most bizarre American food items I've ever seen or tasted.

It's a ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese sandwich. Battered and deep-fried. With the raspberry sauce on the side, it was like a jelly donut. A meat-and-cheese-filled jelly donut. I joked Krispy Kreme should make these and call it the "Kristo".

Of course, I'm eating the leftovers right now. It's delicious, but I could think of few things less healthy for you than a deep-fried, meat-and-cheese sandwich with powdered sugar and sugary raspberry sauce on top.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Another job Americans won't do.

Brewers add chorizo to sausage race

By EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 29 minutes ago

MILWAUKEE - It could have been wurst. On his first outing as the newest sausage at Miller Park, chorizo didn't fall on his buns.

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingWearing an oversized brown sombrero and a bright yellow shirt emblazoned with the No. 5, Chorizo became the fifth pork product to join the famed sausage races at every Milwaukee Brewers home game.

He signed a contract with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin at a news conference at the stadium and then trotted around the bases.

Chorizo, also known as "El Picante," will race for the first time on Saturday against the other sausages — Italian, bratwurst, Polish and hot dog. But that'll be the only time this year he runs in the Klement's Sausage races, which have taken place every home game since 2000.

Chorizo will be put through the grind in the minor league, so he can get some extra seasoning before rejoining the other sausages next season, Melvin said.

Chorizo said through an interpreter his dream has come true.

"I am very humbled to be in the presence of so many world-class wieners, but hopefully I can bring a little something new to the table, and Brewers fans will welcome me into their hearts and grills," Chorizo said in a statement that was read in both English and Spanish.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Random linkage.

Just some cool stuff I have been reading on the Internet.

This guy uploaded the Voice Memo application from the Palm Lifedrive so it could be used on the Treo 650. Thanks, dude. I salute you.

Rhonda sent me this link from Octopus Dropkick: a Katamari Damacy flash game.

I need to replace the cabin air filter in my Scion tC. Luckily, I read Scion Life first, and found out how to make your own cabin filter.

Jesse sent this link of a used video game store in Japan. It truly is friggin' ridiculous.

Maybe I am late in jumping on the bandwagon, but I saw this book at Urban Outfitters tonight: Sorry Everybody.

Following up on recent posts, Anime News Network has exclusive interviews posted with the pillows and HYDE. Here is also the link to the offical website for Great Laundry.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Yes, it was hot on Saturday. But that left us ill-prepared for Sunday, which was by far the hottest day of my life.

That sounds a little funny when you consider I was born and bred in Stockton, in California's Central Valley, where triple-digit temperatures are routine. Yes, but in Stockton the majority of houses have air conditioning (my mom likes the house a nice, cool sixty-eight) and humidity is low.

Sunday was a different beast altogether. We don't have air conditioning (as people in Stockton like to say, "you don't need air conditioning in the Bay Area!"). We live in the most southern part of San Jose (far from the water). Humidity was high, around thirty percent (I think), and it was a hundred and four degrees.

Did I mention the power went out?

So we went with our daily ritual of hanging out at the pool to keep cool around two o'clock. Around 2:30, it started getting very crowded at the pool, since the power went out. A little later, more people came by because a transformer caught fire at Oakridge Mall and the mall (where people go to keep cool) had to be evacuated. We called PG&E a few times and due to "widespread outages" and "storm conditions"(!) they were unable to provide an estimate of when the power would be on.

We were starting to get hungry and all shriveled up, so we headed inside around 8. And lo and behold, the power came on a few minutes later. We opened the windows, turned the fans on full blast (blowing outward, because it was a sauna in the house), and went somewhere air-conditioned for dinner.

We couldn't have gone more than a mile for dinner, to the Burger Pit on Blossom Hill by the gym. When we drove back, the street lights were all out. Oh crap. The power went out shortly after we left, so the house had not cooled off at all.

We decide to wait it out in case PG&E came through. It was hot Saturday night, but with two fans on full blast, we were able to get some uncomfortable, sweat-soaked sleep. Instead, we were trying to sleep in a ninety-five degree, humid house with no fans and not even a breeze coming through the windows. We were also starting to worry about whether the food in the fridge and freezer was going to go bad.

At midnight we started to panic. It had been ten hours with no power (the 20-30 minutes it came back on didn't count) and the food in the fridge was probably a lost cause. We were drinking water but sweating it right back out. Finally, we decided to call Marv and Jess and ask to crash at their place. And if they weren't home, we needed to find a hotel.

On the way out, we talked to the PG&E repairman and asked if it was going to take a while. The guy thought about it, and said, "Yeah, I'd get a hotel. I came from San Luis Obispo, so I have to find a place tonight too."

Luckily, Jesse was home, and awake (sorry Marv), so we drove up to their place and crashed on their couch. In the morning, we were relieved to find the power on and the freezer cold, although we had to toss the ice cream and most of the stuff in the fridge. I had a cup of yogurt and it was not pleasant.

Finally, the cooling trend arrived last night, a few days late. Today was the first day since early last week we did not spend several hours in the pool. (On the plus side, we tanned nicely and got a lot of exercise.) We were able to go to Santana Row tonight and actually walk around outside comfortably.

The fridge needed to be cleaned out anyway, and we needed to go shopping, so it could've been a lot worse.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Stewing in my own juices.

If Bush still doesn't believe in global warming, I'd invite him to Northern California this week. As B.J. Shaw said yesterday at the pool, "I think the sun is moving closer to the earth!"

And all you people from Stockton who say you don't need air conditioning in San Jose...you're all full of crap! We came home at 10:30 tonight to a ninety-two-degree house. Ninety-two! How are we supposed to sleep tonight?

We camped out at a Borders today (the cheap bastards at the Great Mall didn't have the A/C on high enough to compensate for the crowds) for three hours and that place was packed with people, sitting on the ground trying to stay indoors. Yesterday I went straight from work to the pool, then to Costco, then to Baskin-Robbins, then back into the pool. Until almost 11:00.

It was so hot at the Shaws' place today the router or the DSL modem stopped working because it was just too hot. On the way over there, traffic going south on 17 to Santa Cruz was at a dead stop...by our house! In the morning!

I getta get out of this room, and into one with a fan! Seacrest out!

Marshawn10.com

There was a time when you wouldn't think to say "Heisman Trophy" and "Berkeley" in the same sentence. Of course, we didn't have a Top-10 team back them either.

Marshawn10.com

And again, from about this time last year:

Monday, July 10, 2006

the pillows clips from YouTube

"Hybrid Rainbow".



The audio on this clip sucks but you get the general gist. I think this cover just surprised the crap out of everyone. A highlight of the night for me.

Vacation = over.

Brad Kava from the Mercury News reviews the HYDE show.

Congrats to Celena and Patrick on their wedding Saturday!

Happy birthday to my Mom-in-Law!

The Little Manila crew traveled down to L.A. to work on the video shoot for the Black Eyed Peas' "Bebot". Not sure if it will get play here, but Stockton and the Little Manila cause will get some pub from it. I haven't been a fan of their music the last several years, but this is still very cool of them nonetheless. (Hope I am not blowing anything by posting this on my blog.)

Back to work tomorrow. Sigh. Guess I should be happy there's still work to go back to.

Friday, July 07, 2006

HYDE the women and children

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HYDE friggin' rocked the Fillmore tonight. While the pillows rocked Slim's last week, HYDE's performance tonight was a different beast altogether. This guy is a rock god, and he knows it, and he proved it with a charismatic and captivating performance. Add to that the fact that one of Japan's rock legends graced the stage at the Fillmore, one of America's most hallowed music venues. I was glad we fought off the hordes of screaming teenage fangirls to witness it, since we bought the tickets on a whim from the Anime Expo dealer room. Rhonda had a better time than at Slim's last week because she is a bigger fan of Hyde and L'Arc~en~Ciel than the pillows.

The opening act, Black List Club, was also, surprisingly, really good. They were much better than the openers for the pillows (although I reserve judgment on Lemon Drop Kick, since we were in line when they were on, then missed them at AX, and have yet to check their myspace). They had a very polished sound, a great stage presence, and seem ready for bigger things.

Should also mention HYDE did an edgy cover of The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". Very nice, especially given the historic context of the Fillmore in rock history. Although, in my book, it was not as sublime as the pillows' cover of Nirvana's "Breed" the week before.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Fourth of July

Lastly, we spent every last second of Tuesday in the exhibit hall. I left Anaheim without a dollar in my wallet. After that, we drove over to Torrance for Fourth of July at Kim & Robert's place.

I knew there were going to be fireworks, but I didn't realize they were just down the block at the park. So we were extremely fortunate to get the last parking space on the block.

The food was great, hot dogs and bacon cheeseburgers and carne asada. Also chicken salad and sushi and, later, pie. Unfortunately, all the excitement of the week caught up with me, and I knocked out on the couch. Rhonda and I (and Uncle Gary, Shrley, and Andrew) watched the fireworks from the balcony, since Rhonda was bound to be allergic to the park and I was still groggy.

On Wednesday, we slept in and skipped the tour of UCLA (another day). We drove home and had Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We watched Ichigo Mashimaro (Strawberry Marshmallow) and introduced Sara to Undeclared. Then we slept in some more, bringing our week-long saga to a close.

Well, more or less. We are having dinner with Auntie Helen today and then driving to San Francisco to see HYDE from L'Arc~en~Ciel in concert, bookending our big Anime Expo weekend with J-Rock concerts.

Our friend, the Fastpass

Somewhere in between the panels and dealer room, we squeezed in a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. (No, not Hooters. Disneyland!)

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We got there right after it opened, and within an hour rode Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Autopia and the Matterhorn. Which was a god thing, because it was hot and lines were getting long.

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When you have sufficient arm strength and don't get sick like Rhonda, the teacups rock.

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We had lunch at the House of Blues with Sara's friend from school, Jon Chew. Rhonda found an allergy/asthma kindred spirit of sorts.

After lunch, the lines were outrageous. Splash Mountain had been Fastpass'd up until 10:45. We were hot and tired and wilting quickly. We got a brief reprieve in the Tiki Room, but the line for It's a Small World was hella long so we went back to the hotel.

We drove back for dinner at the ESPN Zone. Yes, drove a block-and-a-half, that's how tired we were. We figured we could park at Downtown Disney at 8, and with validation, stay there until 1. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones with that idea and it took a long time to park. Then we had to wait half-an-hour at ESPN.

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At the ESPN Zone bar, Al Davis's decision-maker dartboard. Complete with areas such as, "Demand Coliseum Repairs", "Sue Oakland", and "Bench Marcus Allen". Oh, Raiders, how I hate thee.

What was sweet is we got to sit in recliners in the front row of the restaurant, right in front of the giant screen with about a dozen video feeds. The bad news is the Dodgers were on the big screen and they were winning.

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We went back to Disneyland after dinner with the sole purpose of riding the re-opened Pirates of the Carribean, starring an animatronic Johnny Depp. The line was ruthlessly long in the afternoon and we timed it right, getting there after the fireworks were over and during the second Fantasmic show. It wasn't changed too much, so that's a good thing.

By the time that was over we were thoroughly exhausted and passed on Small World again. (Turned out to be a good idea, as Sara fell asleep on the five-minute ride back to the hotel.) Despite the fact we only went on like three rides after noon, we all had a good time.

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I even got a tan! That totally goes against the stereotype of the pasty, pale, sun-starved otaku! We even wore bright clothes, not the standard otaku uniform of black t-shirt, black pants, and optional trenchcoat.

More AX goodness

I ain't gonna lie, we spent most of Sunday and Tuesday shopping in the exhibit hall. So there aren't a lot of pictures, although we did pick up some nice stuff.

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We don't know who these guys are, we just followed the screaming fangirls and took a picture.

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Karaoke Revolution live courtesy of Comcast. Rhonda insisted she needed a couple of drinks to do this, and she wanted to shop, but I'm pretty sure she would've brought the house down.

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Rhonda with her childhood hero.

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Rhonda in her sweet Great Laundry shirt.

Just because you are a character, doesn't mean you have character.

Life is not all about anime and stuff. Needing to broaden our horizons, we joined the Shaw family for Lilo & Stitch's breakfast at the Paradise Pier Hotel on Sunday morning.

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Cosplay Time

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KAWAII!!!

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You betta AX somebody

(I thought it would be cool to post daily pictures and doings from Anime Expo. And it would've been cool. But we were too busy having fun so you'll have to settle for slightly stale posts from home in San Jose.)

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Day one of Anime Expo finally arrived Saturday. We went there bright and early for opening ceremonies. After a lengthy delay, they got under way and most of the Guests of Honor were introduced and had a few words for the attendees (no, CLAMP did not make an appearance).

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Crispin Freeman (Wolf's Rain, Hellsing, Witch Hunter Robin)

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Vic Mignogna (Fullmetal Alchemist)

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Yutaka Izubuchi (Director of RahXephon)

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Toru Furuya (Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya)

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Seiji Mizushima (Director of Fullmetal Alchemist)

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All the Guests of Honor (minus CLAMP and Mana)

We had a quick bite to eat and then it became decision time. Rhonda went to a traditional Japanese dance class. Sara and I were debating whether to get in the gigantic CLAMP panel line. Sara wanted to go to the panel for Seiji Mizushima, the director of Fullmetal Alchemist, so I tagged along. When the CLAMP Panel line looked insurmountable, we decided to go the Mizushima autograph session instead.

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Mizushima-san bears an uncanny resemblance to Biggie Smalls.

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