More Adventurous

Breakneck Speed

2010-10-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

It has been just over a year since I typed the last entry in this journal, and that takes my breath away. I remember so clearly what it was like to write that last entry, and the fact that a year - 1/80th of my life expectancy - has passed between now and then is too much for me to really take in.

So, life is going by faster than I had planned on.

The big changes I've experienced are these:

1) I'm more in love with Holly than ever, and we've grown through the hard times.
2) I am an engineer now, and have real responsibilities in this job.
3) Holly and I live in a new city, and a new state, and attend a new church.
4) Little Zorro the mouse has passed on, and we've taken in two hilarious dogs.
5) Time is moving even faster than before.

It feels like just a few days ago that I flew to Houston to interview with my current employer (it was 6 1/2 months ago).

I just don't know what to do with this thought, other than trust God more. None of us lasts that long. None of us will find real safety, security, or fulfillment here, apart from in God.

The real safety that I want is timeless - hallelujah.

Starting Out!

2009-10-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

It is so easy for me to rush through life, careening from one project to another, and not taking time to enjoy any of them. I enjoy life more when I take time to savor the feeling of being alive, and to reflect on the people, experiences, and things for which I am grateful.

My goal in starting this journal is to slow down, to enjoy the life that God has given to me, and to make plans that lead to peace and happiness, for me, my wife, family, and friends.

I search almost constantly for wisdom, thoughts, and information, but I spend almost no time actually implementing any of them. I certainly have enough outside sources and opinions to consider, and I will definitely link to some of those in the entries to come, but my real goal is to find and see my thoughts, my heart, and to compare this with what is true, and with what God has lovingly said.

Here is what I aim to consider, what is true for me and everyone else in the world:
1) The internal life - what I strive for, dream about, and seek after.
2) Where my time and effort goes. God has said that this is where my heart is.
3) The external life - organization, finances, and fitness. All of these are certainly a reflection of the inner state, for me at least, but probably you too.

Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living," and Micah 6:8 shows what we all must seek in examining and living our lives.

"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?"

This is it!

Here is my goal then: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
And to write it down so I don't forget what I learn.

End of Summer!

2009-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last day in this internship, and I am very pleased with how the summer went.

A few highlights!

1) Holly and I had a great first anniversary. We visited Quartz Mountain State Park in southeastern Oklahoma, and finally got to relax for a bit from all of the crazy travel that our two jobs have required.

2) As of tomorrow, my internship will be finished! It was a great summer filled with learning, field experience, and time spent planning actual projects that had an actual impact on my company's bottom line.

3) I started playing bass guitar in June, and will be playing with the worship band at my church this fall. I really enjoy the bass, and it is definitely the instrument for me. I've mostly been practicing by playing along with hymns and learning to feel the chord changes, which is a new direction for me, but very helpful.

4) I've spent a lot of time thinking about organization and productivity, and feel really motivated to clean the clutter out of our campus apartment! Holly is definitely on-board with this goal, and I'm looking forward to seeing what our apartment looks like with the unnecessary stuff all gone.

5) I'm sad about friends leaving for different cities and grad schools, but it will be good to keep in touch and to meet up again whenever they return to Tulsa. I know that people moving away is a part of life, but I still wish we didn't have to.

Pictures

2007-08-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few thoughts about life that have been on my mind lately:

If you aren't enjoying what you have now, don't think that getting more is going to solve anything.

Every single day is as significant and totally full of opportunities as the best day you've ever had.

Everyone you'll ever meet is insecure and needs to be loved, including you.

You can be that person who brightens someone's day, or saves their life.

Massage is very good for you (this one I really like : )

11211 = 101*37*3. Oh my.

This year is already wonderful, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

I'm actually going to read "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman this year !?

A few years ago I actually made an oath that I wouldn't.

I love the bullet-point style of composition, but it is rather harsh on readers (sorry!)

I am reading again, and loving prayer again, and I feel so fortunate every day!

Holly, I feel like time moves faster than I want it to when we're together, and it seems like everything goes by so quickly, and I want to notice everything we talk about and every look you give, and the comfort and joy and brightness I see when you smile.

I have three boxes or granola bars and a tremendous desire to come home.

I love life and living and seeing the changes and feeling them.

And those are all the snap-shots I will record for today.

Delicate hints of - is it prunes and ... crab ?

2007-06-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

This pretty much says everything I have to say, so drink it in, and drink it somberly.

Today was totally great. I met so many fantastic people, a few of whom will receive mention here!

Greg - Totally cool fellow. Absolutely kind.
Jason - Researcher, got my contact info and wants to set up a lunch to talk about internship at awesome company!
Dan - Voice instructor / opera singer / environmentally conscious Christian.
Buddy - Been in the industry forever, taught us about virtue and commitment.

Talked to Andrew a lot, got disconnected a lot, but kept on reconnecting.

Also, I have a new favorite coffee shop drink!

Peace all, give me a call if / when you want to, cause I'd love to talk to you all day, promise!

On Living Abroad

2007-06-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

I've been in Houston for just over three weeks now, and I have just started to get my thoughts in order.

I think there is something about being away from everyone you care about that messes with your schedule and your desire to get things done. In the evenings I usually just cook something, read a little bit, call some friends, and get ready for bed.

I don't know how much of it is because of the fact that I don't really have that much I have to do here yet, but I should find out soon.

I ordered the textbook for my Dynamics class next semester and got the problem numbers from the professor, because I want to try to get the homework all done before the class starts in the fall, that way I won't have quite so much to do.

My schedule for next semester looks like it is going to be very hard, and I'm not happy about how scheduled and careful I'm going to have to be with my time.

I am most likely going to have class from 9:00 until 3:30 on MWF and work from 11:00 until 6:00 on TTH, and with all of the homework for those classes, I will more busy than I've ever been before. If this is going to be a good semester, a few things are going to have to go the way I hope they will:

1) My time management is going to be superb.
2) My work ethic will not flag, even for a moment.
3) I'd better get every homework assignment done!
4) I need to have Dynamics out of the way.
5) I'm going to really appreciate the care and love of my friends.
6) I will have to be intentional about when I read, relax, and read the Bible.
7) Seriously, those things aren't just going to do themselves.
8) Oh right, I need to get to bed at a certain time each morning.
9) I'll need to have a really good study partner system for my eng. classes.
10) I'm looking for scholarships in every corner.
11) I want to make time for my friends and to be free to hang out.
12) I think maybe I can do it if I start every assignment immediately.
13) Maybe something where I divide work up into several days.
14) Actually that's a great idea.
15) Harry Potter comes out soon!
16) I can't wait until you get here, Holly.
17) Are some friends coming down this summer? I think Matlock and Jasper are!
18) I am much stronger at Go than I was last summer.
19) I'm going to go beat some of the people who used to be stronger than me...
20) I'd also like to still make it to the gym a lot.
21) Maybe I'll go in the mornings.
22) You were totally right about me needing a meal plan, btw.
23) I wonder what I'll be doing at Samson next fall?
24) I think I'm kind of abusing this list and making it a stream'o'consciousness.
25) Oh well. I miss you all! Say "hi" on the comment section if you are a good person.

Kevin!
(Missing you all a lot)

Nothing Better

2007-06-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

I just received a sudden and rather jarring reminder of our shared mortality. A coworker sent me an email containing the phrase "I hope to see tomorrow!"

She probably meant to insert the word "you" in there somewhere, which would mean something entirely different, but as it reads, it forced me to examine the fleeting-ness of this life.

Now I am listening to "Nothing Better" by dcfc. "Tell me am I right to think / that there could be nothing better / than making you my bride / and slowly growing old together?"

"Don't you feed me lines about some idealistic future / and your heart won't heal right / if you keep tearing out the sutures."

This is what I get for listening to such sad music all the time!

I saw a man reading a Bible at the bus stop today, and it occurred to me how rare that is these days. Actually, someone reading is pretty rare too...

Summer Mk 1

2007-05-28T21:29:00.001-07:00

Well, I made a promise to write in this this summer, and also I'm just really in the mood to, so here goes.

Also, I dropped my computer during a terrible Rube Goldberg-esque chain reaction of bad fortune, so now whenever I try to type any word with a "t" in it, I often get a "tt." (TThis is whatt itt looks like when tthattt happens.) I try to proofread it, but one or two of them are probably going to slip by me, so brace yourself!

Relevant facts regarding my present state that may not be intuitively known, but which I will reference extensively in the coming entries!:

1. I am in Houston working for Chevron again, and will be here until middlin' August.
2. I think middlin' is the best adverb in the universe, but forgot about it until just now! I feel like I found something I'd lost : )
3. I am kinda tore up about my computer being messed-up, my iPod dying, my car briefly dying, almost losing my phone, and thinking that I'd overslept work by three hours (as it happens, it was 9:30 p.m., and not 9:30 a.m. the next day, but that is not easy to know when you wake up confused and !panicked!
4. Umm, Ben Folds and Switchfoot !For!The!Win! and I can't believe I just typed that.
5. I went to the sea today and drank some wine-cooler and oh I see now that's why was so sleepy!
6. The job I have with Chevco is pretty much exactly what I want to be doing. Last year I had a ?strange! assignment that had very little to do with my major, but this summer I'm exactly where I want to be, so I'm happy about that pretty much to the max : )
7. I also miss a certain Georgia girl like crazy, but I think I can survive, but it'll be close!
8. Also, who else is madly excited about the Transformers movie and the new Die Hard coming out pretty much at the same time? I AM SOOOOO THERE! A few UltiGuyNights ago, we watched Die Hard, and I am still yearning to die yet harder, so this looks to be my chance!
9. DANNY COMES HOME IN THREE DAYS!?!?!?!?!?
10. I will be here, working : ( !?!?!?!?
11. But I do love $!$?!?$!?$$$$$$$$

Love, Kevin

PS: My playing style in go has changed completely, and I'm having a lot more fun with it than I have ever before : )

More Adventurous

2006-12-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

More Adventurous

Dear Universe,

I am in Italy now, and I enjoy it a lot. I'll be back next year, and I know that then I will have to start working again, which I'm not excited about.

Actually, I'll make a list. I think that few enough of you read this that I won't be putting myself in any danger by writing it down. You readers are wise and true (as far as I can tell!) so I can use any advice.

I am not excited about:
1) Having to work and do well for another semester.
2) Dealing with my personal failings.
3) Making money to stay in school.

I am hopeful for:
1) The work God is doing in my heart and my life.
2) Climbing, drinking tea, coffee, and wine.
3) Getting closer to other people and finding my path.
4) The world to come!
5) Trying to read my Bible.
6) Planning a life and trying to find it!

Number 6 is kind of a repeat of 3, but it is something that is often on my mind, and I'm so unsure of the future, and nothing that I set down is ever really certain, because anything can change.

I know that the only thing that will never e'er change is that God is good and that He loves me, and it is here that peace and hope are to be found, and every time I look for it elsewhere I'm doing wrong and am going to be frustrated.

Oh it's all pretty nerve-wracking!

But there are times when I am feeling God's love and everything is taken care of and I'm totally at peace. Oh I wish now was one of those times.

-Kevin-

Family Vacation

2006-11-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've been missing Danny a lot lately. Earlier today I was sitting on the couch when my uncle yelled "everyone ready to go?" My first thought was to find Danny and see what he was up to. Next I realized that he was in Italy, and he was probably sleeping. I'm glad that I will get to spend some time with him during the Christmas break! We've bought our tickets and reserved a hotel room, and all that is left to do is to finish the semester, pack my bags, and jump on a plane.

My family is certainly eccentric, and sometimes quite awkward, but it is significant to me that these are the people that I am closest related to on Earth, and the ones that would be disappointed to see the family name come to an end.

Great things I just thought of

2006-09-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here they are:

This is the coolest sentence that could ever be. Fathom:

"I intend to commit mail fraud."

Hahahahahaha.

Also, on the subject of Go (the game I am obsessed by):

Lee Sedol (my #3 idol) said

"I don't actually like killing my enemies' groups, but they keep invading my territory."

Wow. That is bravado!

Also, just played a teaching game with my padawan, and she has gotten sooo much better. I wonder when it happened? Did Go knowledge just need to simmer around in there for a while?

Also: And I'm excited that David Moore and myself are going climbing this week. Ohhhh so great.

For the interested: I went to a Bluegrass Festival yesterday, and it was about as magical and summertime-y as anything I've ever experienced. Mmmmm.

San-Ren-Sei!

2006-09-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

This feels good. I have a new go-playing style, and it is called San-ren-sei, meaning "three stars." I won't bother you all with too many details, but believe me when I say that it carried over into real life today. Today's been a good day, futures won and fortunes lost.

Stopping for a moment, I realize that all I really want to do here is say what I like, and maybe find something good inside of it. If none mind, I won't celebrate humiliations on this forum, and neither will I discuss private things to any great extent. Those are the subjects of talks at coffee shops, which are an entirely different medium. All that I need to say at present is that I am eating crackers with cheese and Vietnamese hot sauce while typing with my computer resting on my Go board. I really love this board. It is beautiful and true.

And to my friend,
Forgive me for not going to bed yet, but I had those impressionable freshmen over and was treating them to whatever food I could find, and they have only recently gone, but now I will start on my plan to get bed-ward.

Night!

Hairi to Moro ga Tsuki

2006-08-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous

Today was a really good / long / terrifying / interesting day, and I am telling the truth about every single one of those.

The day started with me going downtown for my exit interview with a senior engineer, and next an interview for next summer. I had to be downtown by 8:00 am, and I woke up late at 7:15, and left the house at 7:35. I have no idea how (but a pretty strong feeling providence was involved) but I made amazing time, not hitting a single stop light downtown, weaving nimbly between juggernauts and delivery trucks, and navigating the parking garage impossibly quickly.

At 7:59 am I stood ready for the interview at my (hopefully) future boss's cubicle, and the interview commenced. It went wonderfully.

Next, I went back to my normal office on the far side of town (sooooo much gas, but then again, I do sooo love petroleum : D ) and once I arrived, I finished up my performance review and two of my projects, and emailed it all off. We had two visitors in from another office, so my manager took them and everyone else in our department out to lunch at Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen. It was amazing. I got some Brazilian salmon or something (I distinctly remember that it was salmon transported an alarming distance solely for my enjoyment.) It was unreal. It was very good.

All of that food gave me a terrible case of The Itis, and I really needed a nap. Sadly, napping mid-day is not a part of the Chevron Way, so I did without.

Next, I chilled, typed, etc, and then end of day, so I went to Wall~de~Morte and picked up a calling card, more juice, and some ice cream.

Next, home for a few minutes, a much-needed phone call, and off to a sushi place downtown (I travel an unreal amount.) I got some sashimi, which was kind of weird for a uncultured guy like myself who has trouble with big slabs of uncooked fish. I managed, but would have done better with some standard sushi rolls. Noted. Also, my green tea there was kind of a bust. At this point, I want to talk to you, Asher, about what happened. Please call me if you can. Now, I'm home again, typing and about to go to the sleep. I have some Bruch clarinet thing playing in the background and a delayed-Itis-induced foodnap calling down to its silent depths.

I was shocked about something I learned about myself today. I think this whole sin-nature thing is a real drag.

Information Security

2006-07-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous

At work, I was quizzed about internet security. One of the choices in a quiz about what to do when you encounter a virus on your computer is "make a copy of it and take it home for further analysis."

Hey! That might be a proprietary virus, and you just made an illegal copy of it. Bad move. Stealing viruses is a crime. I also like how industrious a worker would have to be to do that. Hahahahaha.

Taco Bell Philosophy

2006-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous
While I was sitting in a Taco Bell today, I took time to look around at all of the other people in the restaurant. Many of them were middle-aged Caucasian men wearing button-down shirts and trousers, and with little computerized name badges hanging off of their belts, just like me. (Unlike me, they all had pretty heavy-duty middle-aged paunches and stomachs.)

Anyway, they looked like members of the engineering crowd, or at the very least programmers or something, and they were all eating tacos, fueling their bodies, and making money to sustain their chosen lifestyles. Basically, they were me in a few years (but paunchy. I'm not gonna be paunchy. Someone will pay, if I'm paunchy. I even hate that word. Yech.) ANYWAY! Forgive me for falling off-subject so easily.

I realized that on some day, some day that I can probably even imagine pretty clearly, I will be dying, and all of my worldly accomplishments or lack thereof will fade and disappear, having no further importance. I don't say this in a nihilistic way, or even in a discouraged way, because it is in this that I find so much comfort. Every day my understanding of God's goodness and of my own inability to make myself good grows. As this happens, my mind moves further and further from the pursuit of glory and riches, or even acceptance, and takes hold more firmly of the joy that God gives to all who trust him, and this is the peace that he gives to me. The word of God is holy and good, and it fills my heart like I know nothing else can. In no hidden place, anywhere, in this life or the next, is there something better than God.

That's not to say that some of his gifts to us aren't pretty wonderful...

Good news

2006-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey cool, I just got two new scholarships! That feels nice. Also, to the crew headed down to Houston, I am in fact going to be in town the weekend of the 15th. It's a little sad, but I got booted from the offshore trip by one of the new hires, who has higher priority than I do. They may still schedule another trip for later in the summer, though. Another fun thing, I found that we have tea bags here, in addition to the kind-of-nasty coffee I had been drinking. Neato! After work today, I'm going to do laundry, go to Tai Chi, and go running. Anyone who reads ->this word, tell me to claim your prize.

A wonderful week, aside from being sick

2006-07-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

These are all of the wonderful things that have happened lately.

First and foremost, Happy Birthday Asher!

Hmmm, for pictures, let's start with the oldest thing I did.
I went to a free outdoor performance by the Houston Symphony, and it rocked. The soloist played the Haydn Cello Concerto in D-Major, and did a really good job, even if his cadenza was a little bit boring.

Side note: I'm breaking in my new climbing shoes right now, and they are a little painful, but they're supposed to be that way, so I will take it. They are Five Ten Coyotes, and have fantastically grippy rubber on the bottom, and a pretty comfortable toe box.

Aaaah! There is a mosquito in the room with me, and he's survived two of my attacks. Sad day, now I will be paranoid all evening.

I'm drinking another one of my terrible chimera drinks. This one is

1) An un-named yellow-green, highly caffeinated soda,
2) Grapefruit juice, and
3) Fruit punch.

To be fair, it's not nearly so bad as my coffee / ice cream / milk / juice / chai / ice smoothie. That was disgusting. I kept up a brave front for at least the first half of it, but then my machismo gave way and I admitted to having made a bad decision.

Aaaah yes, back to my recounting of events.

I also went to a baseball game, at Minutemaid park. Pretty fun! I have the house here all to myself (I have for the past four days) so I've taken this opportunity to do some of the things that I've wanted to for a long time, but hadn't gotten to. I made a pull-up bar, rigged my roommate's speakers into an acceptable stereo with my iPod in the living room, and did sit-ups until I couldn't really move.

Final note, everyone who is coming to visit me, I love you all!!!

Lastly, my trip offshore to the oil rig has a definite date, and it is July 15th. Helicopterhelicopter, woohoo.

A Study of Identity as Depicted in N.G.E.

2006-06-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Beast that Screamed "I" at the Heart of the World

One of the most interesting themes contained in the rather dense story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is that of separation and identity. Every being has a morphogenic "A.T. Field," which is defined as the sacred boundary of a person's soul and the world surrounding.

The point at which this begins to be explored, beyond incidental battles and character development, is when Kaworu overpowers the soul residing in Eva Unit 02 and dominates it to his purpose, to help create Third Impact and end the existence of Man forever. When he finds that the A.T. Field projected by Rei has been sufficient to mask the identity of the angel who is imprisoned under Terminal Dogma, and the strength of the soul and consciousness of Rei and Shinji, respectively, and especially the protection conferred by Shinji's mother's soul, he decides to leave the fate of Man and angels in Shinji's hands.

The idea that I want to explore might well be called "choice of identity." There are at least a few compelling reasons to desire the dissolution of individual ideation (note: I do not endorse this, I am speaking from the viewpoint of Gendo Ikari, who has knowingly committed the unpardonable sin on many occasions, and is totally unrepentant. If you are imagining life as Gendo Ikari, you will see that justice will not turn out well for him, and that he'd better find some way to avoid it if at all possible.

A second explanatory note is necessary to describe the dualistic nature of the God / Man relationship seen in this production. The god of N.G. Evangelion is not omnipotent, or if he is, he no longer cares about the fate of the world, and plans only to act in the capacity of judge, once he brings the world to an end.

His lack of involvement is brought into focus by NERV's emblem, a fig leaf peeling away from the word NERV, surrounded by the phrase "God's in his heaven, all's well with the world." The leaf shows, depending on personal interpretation, either a lessening sense of shame before an unconcerned deity, or a revelation of the truth long concealed by arbitrary and unjust restriction. Both only work at all in the sort of theology described in the paragraph above.

Back to the debate: to desire identity or not?

The reasons in favor of personal identity:

1.It's pretty much our default. We've been doing this for a long time, and it works pretty well.

2.There are pleasures related to specific being-ness.

Statements against identity:

1.Fear of condemnation and hatred.

2.Uncertainty regarding the course of your life.

3.Desire to know all others perfectly.

and, in Gendo Ikari's case

4. A chance to defeat the messengers of God, prevent the final judgment, and spend all eternity in the presence of his loving wife (probably heaven-bound otherwise) and avoid hell (his erstwhile destination.)

Final note! This is not a theological discourse! I am presenting a work of fiction for discussion between me and Asher, hopefully, and maybe one or two other enterprising readers with the patience to read this far.

Part Two will address Shinji's decision to allow instrumentality (the merging of all souls) or prevent it (scream "I" at the heart of the world.)

Wasted Opportunity

2006-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

In my second game last night, I made one of my worst Go mistakes of my life. It is the game against "Rook 13k," if you have KGS and get a chance to watch it. The game started brilliantly, and by the end of the fuseki I was totally dominating. When things went wrong, however, my advantage crumbled, and so did my confidence. All of the moves following black g3 were insipid. The worst part was that I let his center group, which I should have kept under strong attack, escape lightly and kill one of my invasions. That really hurt, and neutralized all of the good moves I had made up until then. Avalanche is totally right, I would be so much stronger if I watched my connections a little bit sharper. Oh, and work is good today. I got another picture of that Nutria also, and I've typed a few more pages of my report here at work.

Edit: Happy Jenny Day!
Edit2: The curse remains in effect for people who move through this site without saying 'hi!'

More Sleepy

2006-06-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

EDIT: Upon anyone who reads this and doesn't comment, I pronounce a curse!
EDIT: I just scored some sweet Chevron swag! COFFEE MUG!

Here's a pretty precise rundown of what has happened over the past 14 hours, for the benefit of my friends who are wondering if I survived my flight home.

8 pm - plane leaving (nominally)
- sat and read "My Name is Red" and listened to songs about plane crashes and fate.
9 pm - plane left (actually)
- iPod battery died, sat in silence
- read through Time magazine and agreed it was good Zarqawi was killed (he was the headsman from that video, which I didn't know)
10:30 pm - got into the pickup/covered garage place, with choking exhaust fumes.
11 pm - talked to Leroy, from Passagoula Louisiana, the shuttle driver for the parking lot I used.
11:30 pm - reunited with my car, glasses fogged in the rain
12:00 pm - home! A few Go books I'd ordered have arrived
7:00 am - woke, raining beauty outside, dim green glow through all of my windows, and my bed was softer than ever. Got up. Also, that owl was going on full volume, but I didn't notice for awhile.
8:00 am - Got to work, while driving past pond saw a Nutria rat by the pond. Took his picture, and then he jumped into the lake. I'll put it up here later when I get home.
9:00 am - started working! Work work work! Let's get something done!

2006-06-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

Here's some more of that goodness for you discerning readers out there. Crystal, thank you very much for your musical suggestions. These bands are marvelous. Also, studying Go hardcore is really tiring. Blahhhh. Jenny, it was nice talking to you today!

Wooh Kinkade

2006-06-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yay for Thomas Kinkade. Asher is a big fan, so I decided to check out some of his stuff. He's probably the foremost American painter of cottages and small houses that has ever graced his last name.

Oh my gosh I want to ride in the Kinkademobile.

Outside my window

2006-06-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous
There is an owl that has taken up residence right outside my window (I say this because that is the direction its hooting comes from.) The owl goes pretty much nonstop, so I'm not sure how long it will last before another owl has to be brought in to take over. I actually really like having it out there. Also, I want to take a FLASH POLL!!!
Who among you is going to Syneva's house?
I am! It will be magnificent.

Wardriving

2006-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous
Hahaha, I'm wardriving, so I gotta keep moving. This is so much fun. Look it up if you want, or I'lll tell you if you see me and ask. Today was an impossibly long meeting, but Tai Chi is still awesome, and I miss you all very much.

Expo '86 by d.c.f.c.

2006-06-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous
Sometimes it seems the cycle never ends
We slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
And it seems by the time I have figured what it's worth
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
But if I move my place in line I'll lose
And I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued
I am waiting for something to go wrong
I am waiting for familiar resolve

Sometimes it seems that I don't have the skills to recollect
The twists and turns of plot that turned us from lovers to friends
I'm thinking I should take that volume back up off the shelf
And crack its weary spine and read to help remind myself

But if I move, my place in line I'll lose
And I have waited, the anticipation's got me blue.

And it's strange
They're all basically the same,
So I don't ask names anymore.

Sometimes it seems the cycle never ends
We slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
And it seems by the time I have figured what it's worth
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse.

Umm

2006-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

More Adventurous
Okay, time to try a different tactic. I'm going to not put any work into this post, and see how it is recieved.

Here is a link that doesn't work, for something I don't care about.
http:qm:/\/wmv.furniture.tuvalu

Some things happened, and whatever.
I don't care whatever.

Charles

Unit Production

2006-05-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

I was working on a new project, at my desk. I was in my groove, and then I found something on the Chevron website that distracted me pretty badly for a few minutes. I saw the picture at the top of the screen, under the heading purpose. The man pictured clearly has purpose, and is most clearly an oilfield worker. He has the necessary hat, he has the rag to seal his neck from almost any chemical spray or splash, and he has the oh-so-dour expression necessary to really excel in his profession.
The thing that distracted me so much was when I mentally compared this picture to a picture of a unit in Warcraft or Civilization. This is the human race's basic production unit, maybe?
Next, and with a similar theme, is the picture of the scientist, so unstoppably focused on the search and research that she desperately desires to drive mankind forward. Both pictures are so bold!
I really like the thought that I may be a little portrait inside of the "Industrial Center," beside which it says "Training: Engineer - 25% Complete."

Edit: There are a lot of little birds in my neighborhood that love to stand in the road, so you have to drive slowly to let them hop away.

Eyes Open!

2006-05-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Snow Patrol was amazing! None of you (I think) listen to them, so I'll keep the details brief, but they played mostly from Eyes Open and Final Straw. The very best moment was during "It's Beginning to Get to Me" when the lead singer totally stopped, and the audience boldly filled in, singing at least half of the song. During the chorus, the band played different harmonies to the melody than the ones on the cd, and it was so wonderful.

The lights on stage were the best I've ever seen. They seemed to be textured and made of so many colors at the same time. During Ways and Means, and blue-green-purple starburst surrounded the lead singer, whose arms were extended just how you would to embrace everyone there, and then suddenly, the theatre went black, but only for a moment, right before the most wondrous shiny thing I've ever seen.

The entire stage burst into brilliant white light, that seemed to flash, brighter and faster than earthly lightning, not letting the darkness creep back in for even a moment before another burst, and individual, prismatic, rays seemed to climb stately from floor to ceiling starting right under the feet of the band.

The lights and the crowd singing are the two things that define this concert for me, and probably a little bit of emotional attachment to the lyrics on Chocolate and How to be Dead.

And it's beginning to get to me,
that I know more of the stars and sea,
than I do of what's in your head,
we try to talk but then shout instead.

Are you beginning to get my point,
that all this fighting with aching joints,
is doing nothing but tire us out,
and no one know what the fight's about.

Hey, I got my camera out (yay)

2006-05-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

This post inaugurates the age of photos, in which I will post photos.
This is an exciting time, and for some of you, it may even be a scary time, but there are counselors standing by if the anxiety becomes too great. They're right over there. No, not there. Good, you've found them.
Most of these are from my trip downtown yesterday, but a few date back to when I was exploring the house and getting my bearings.

The first picture is the Chevron building downtown. I come here from time to time for meetings and official-ish stuff. It's actually really pretty inside.

Next comes an awesome skywalk thingy that connects my building to another big building, and one that was once owned by the unfortunate Enron corporation. When it died, it had no capital assets - the building, even the desks were all leased - so there was no return to investors, or for unemployees : (

The third picture is of a really pretty entrance to the building, on the west side, underneath that skywalk. Also of interest (it really is interesting!) is that the skywalk looks like a weird circle or something on google earth satelite map. It's worth checking out. 1500 Louisiana Street.

Next, number four, comes the inside of that cool entrance. It has a cylindrical globe laser cut onto glass, and it's really pretty.

The next picture is of my room here on Neff St. I love the bed. It's a million times more comfortable than my bed at home. Also, the suitcase on top I use like a dresser drawer / bookshelf.

The second to last picture (yes, this uploading makes me weary!) is of the house itself. It is nice, clean, and comfortable. I just wish there were more people here (my roommate is away on business.)

And finally! Me standing here sporting my new, much shorter hair (I actually really like it this way.) I don't really have good or bad hair days anymore. Maybe they're all good. I like that.

Now, I go to make some biscuits for dinner, and soup too. I really hope there is butter around here somewhere. Two nights ago I had a whole pan of canned chili, with no crackers, and juice to drink. I actually ate the last quarter of it from the pan. I don't remember why, but there was a reason. There must have been. I know that I wouldn't just do that! Anyway, I got all 140% of my daily sodium right there, so it was at least healthy.

2006-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hahahahahaha. I bought a small pizza at lunch today and ate it, and it was altogether worth doing. Now I just need to practice music for a bit and find dinner. Alright, I can handle that.

Basic Exercises

2006-05-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today was my first Tai Chi lesson. From what I've been able to see so far, Grandmaster Cheng is a really cool person. I can tell, both by the way he walks, and (he's a lady's man, no time to talk. no) from when he showed me the proper way to stand and breathe, that he's a a tremendously strong person. He might be the most physically powerful man I've ever met. During one Chin Na sequence that he demonstrated, I had the feeling that he could, at any time, actually tear my arm off. He had one hand on the other guy's wrist, and his other on the elbow, ad quickly and unstoppably dominated that arm. He probably has to write that guy's arm off on his taxes as "miscellaneous income." I mean that in all available seriousness. Anyway, the class was swell, and my back feels the best I can remember it feeling, since I got tall.

The other cool event today was going to the downtown office (huge shiny building!) and attending a meeting in the conference room on the 39/40th floor. The view was excellent, and I got a bunch of pictures. Also, I wandered downtown afterward and found a Starbucks, and got an iced mocha and change for the bus ride back to Bellaire (I'm the closest thing this part of town has to a 'fresh prince') which is about ten miles southwest of the sprawling downtown.

Rawr! I've got to get up at 6:00. Goodnight, everyone in Tulsa. Have a nice sleep.

So unbelievably panicked!

2006-05-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

I had the most terrible fright today. I knew that I had to wake up at 5:50 a.m. so I could make it to the Bellfort bus stop by 6:40, and get downtown for a really important meeting. I awoke all of a sudden, confused about the passage of time, and realized I was still fully dressed. I started to panic! Short sentences! carry more emotion. Anyway, I looked at my clock, and it was 7:00 already. I flew out of bed and whirled about, like a hurricane, in a frenzy of activity, and ashamed of myself for sleeping so grievously and irresponsibly in. Just then, I realized it didn't feel at all like morning.

The resolution to the story is that it was, in fact, 7 o'clock p.m., and I'd just fallen asleep after I got back from work, and the meeting still isn't happening until tomorrow. I relaxed my straining nervous system and microwaved some leftover Chinese food, and called a couple of friends. Whew. If I'm going to wake up on time tomorrow, I should probably go to sleep at about 10 o'the'clock. Tomorrow should be really exciting, so I'll take my camera along with me, and see if I can get any interesting shots. I'll be on the lookout for interesting people (crazies included! I mean this in the nicest way, just that, it's a big city, and there may be crazies.)

I really wish we had some jet skis on the lake at work. That really would be perfect. When I get a picture up of the office, I'm sure you will agree.

Time for cello. It's always time for cello. There's always room for cello. /out/

China Town

2006-05-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day that I went out to find some good thing here in Houston. The day had cooled off by the time I left work, so I drove with windows down and Rilo Kiley on, and totally forgot my takeout container of Mexican food in the refrigerator. I was hungry, and maybe a little bit solitary, and just about then I remembered the grocery store my roomie told me about, so I searched out Bissonet Street, and the supermarket there.
Its name is "HEB" which are the initials for "Herbert E. Butz," the store's founder. I walked around looking at people for awhile, and finally got to the business of picking out food. I bought juice, spaghetti-Os, chili, and hamburger helper. After I left I realized "that's all so unhealthy!" but it was too late, and I wouldn't try to turn around on these streets for anything! Traffic here is really intense, and requires lots of attention.
Anyway, I got home and realized that the Houston Go Club was meeting today. so I high-tailed it to the China-district. They have a Chinese district! I eventually found the Chinese language school where the club meets, and when I came in, I found just two Chinese men there, talking in front of a television. Both of them seemed very excited to see me there, and the older one introduced himself as Vincent Wang, and I got the feeling that he was probably very skilled at Go. He asked me about my strength, and I said that I was somewhere around 19 kyu. He told me to take nine stones (AAAAHHHHHHHHH) and I did, having never done anything like this in my life. He destroyed me! It was so beautiful! He totally killed one of my corners, and he decimated almost all of my other territory! Eight o'clock came around, and he had to go, so I thanked him for the game and his instruction.
I walked outside and got into my car, feeling very happy to find a club that I could join, and some friends to make! I hadn't considered what it would be like to have no one to spend time with, but now I understand, and it's a little bit sad. Anyway, I got to know Houston a little bit better today, and I feel relieved.
Back to the part where I got into my car! I drove a block down the road, and passed a little Tai-Chi school. I've always been a little bit interested in how graceful it seems, and in my current exile, I could probably use some exercise, so I went in. The teacher was also, and not to my surprise, a middle-aged Chinese man, and he began by asking me a question I couldn't understand, over and over. We eventually abandoned it, and moved on to another subject. He showed me a succession of Tai-Chi magazines, all of which featured him on the cover. At first it seemed to me that he was bragging, but I eventually understood that if he was as good as he seemed to be, he was allowed to brag. Cutting to the chase, it seems that I'll probably be taking weekly lessons from Master Cheng Jin Cai this summer, and getting destroyed and rebuilt by Vincent Wang 5 Dan. I wonder, can the Chinese culture do a better job on me than the Anglo-American culture? Oh no! I still need to make dinner and play my cello! Take care, everyone!