Month: April 2006

Grumble.

elvis5 Comments

I’m still without a decent computer; managing at work with an old Sun Sparc u60 with an out-of-focus monitor, and an incredibly slow g4 tiBook. If I’m not particularly communicative, that’s why. I’m finding the basic tasks of computation frustrating. You get spoiled, I find, having a really good computer. Evidently my boss is working […]

I’m still without a decent computer; managing at work with an old Sun Sparc u60 with an out-of-focus monitor, and an incredibly slow g4 tiBook.

If I’m not particularly communicative, that’s why. I’m finding the basic tasks of computation frustrating. You get spoiled, I find, having a really good computer.

Evidently my boss is working on getting me a decent machine but not ETA.

Grumble. Grumble.

Entry number 666

elvis7 Comments

Well, jolly fucking nice. My laptop just died. This is my only computer, my work machine, my play machine. My fuckin’ life is on that machine. Ok, ok, so most everything that matters is backed up, aside form some photos and some music. I try not to keep important shit on that computer. But still, […]

Well, jolly fucking nice.

My laptop just died. This is my only computer, my work machine, my play machine. My fuckin’ life is on that machine.

Ok, ok, so most everything that matters is backed up, aside form some photos and some music. I try not to keep important shit on that computer. But still, all my bookmarks, all my cached passwords for the bazilion sites I have accounts on.

Crap.

AND of course I’m now unable to work, or write, or anything. And it’d friday, which means even if machines are available at work, it’ll be days before I can get my mits on one.

Fuck me. I’m going away someplace where it’s sunny and where they’ve never heard of the fuckling internet. Call me next year.

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Serious Silver Skull rings

elvis14 Comments

Just wondering if anyone has had any contact AT ALL with the Serious SIlver people who make the Clapton Skull Ring and the Keith Richards skull ring. I’ve been hearing about them failing to ship orders, and despite several attempts I’ve been unable to contact them. They make some great rings (i love my Clapton […]

Just wondering if anyone has had any contact AT ALL with the Serious SIlver people who make the Clapton Skull Ring and the Keith Richards skull ring.

I’ve been hearing about them failing to ship orders, and despite several attempts I’ve been unable to contact them. They make some great rings (i love my Clapton Skul) but it’s frustrating to hear that one of my favorite ring makes has gone completely flaky while still having a site up.

If anyone’s talked to them or knows how to get hold of them, let me know. Until I’ve got more info though, I suggest people not place any orders with them.

This place is getting to me. I think I’m getting the Fear.

elvis9 Comments

I dunno what it is. Maybe it’s just being sick, still, with something I can’t shake (or with a series of things which I can’t fight off ’cause the other thing lowered my resistance). Maybe it’s that everyone’s sick; i talked to friends yesterday from Philly and San Jose, both of whom came down with […]

I dunno what it is.

Maybe it’s just being sick, still, with something I can’t shake (or with a series of things which I can’t fight off ’cause the other thing lowered my resistance). Maybe it’s that everyone’s sick; i talked to friends yesterday from Philly and San Jose, both of whom came down with horrid ailments that sounds exactly alike the same day. People around work of coughing, people around school are doing the same.

Or maybe it’s the fucking weather. God. I’m not used to this. But it looks like the sun is creeping out now, so maybe, maybe, we’re tail-ending this deluge.

Maybe it’s about work; I’m so fucking far behind now that I feel like I’m ahead, the other rats about to lap me on the track. I’m behind in a way that feels like I’ll never catch up, yet not sick enough that I can use the excuse anymore.

Maybe it’s the mounting stack of things to do, taxes, bills, the entropy of a household this time of year when all the things put off can no longer be put off.

Or maybe it’s simply the pain and yearning that comes with spring’s approach, my body knowing the season even though my mind says otherwise. I feel the sap flowing in the trees and the flowers trying to bloom and my body feels a pull somewhere, somehow.

Whatever it is, I can’t fucking write. I keep trying. I was up last night with a bout of insomnia and trying to blog; nothing. Fucking nothing.

I need to talk about stuff, and I just find I can’t, like my fingers stiffen and my mind whirls and the power of speech is gone. And it leaves me with the usual mute frustration, the raw, disconnected feeling, the vague anger with no good outlet. Teeth grinding, head hurting. Pressure.

You know. The usual.

That be the best way to repel boarders!

elvis7 Comments

Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin’ in ev’ry cove, waitin’ to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales! Evidently some trackback-spamming […]

Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin’ in ev’ry cove, waitin’ to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales!

Evidently some trackback-spamming bastards attacked us (and by us I mean my tribe, those hosted here at the m’sphere). My good buddy, Brandon, the host-with-the-most, did battle against the forces of darkness through the night and finally disabled trackbacks for our site (who needs fuckin’ trackbacks anyway, sez I).

The result of all this is that last night and this morning, all of the sites I host were inaccessible for some time. We’re back on line now, thanks to Brandon’s efforts.

And there was much rejoicing.

Oh, this is dangerous

elvis1 Comment

CrazyPig, one of the coolest and oldest of the skull ring makers, now has an online store. I would happily buy almost everything on that page, and that’s just the rings. Hell. There goes what’s left of my paycheck.

CrazyPig, one of the coolest and oldest of the skull ring makers, now has an online store.

I would happily buy almost everything on that page, and that’s just the rings.

Hell. There goes what’s left of my paycheck.

who’s yer april fool?

elvis5 Comments

You know, I didn’t hear a single peep about april fool’s day this year. Its like our entire culture forgot the custom this year – or conversely, it’s like I just had my head so far down that I managed to miss the entire thing. I don’t know which it was. I remember years back, […]

You know, I didn’t hear a single peep about april fool’s day this year. Its like our entire culture forgot the custom this year – or conversely, it’s like I just had my head so far down that I managed to miss the entire thing.

I don’t know which it was.

I remember years back, working for Sun Micro, when April First was the high point of our corporate year. Each year a bizarre prank would be played on Sun’s top execs, from car-in-pond to pond-in-office to office-in-pond. Brilliant, elaborate pranks, like getting Bill Joy’s new fararri onto a platform in the middle of a pond, or wiring a full, working office in the middle of that same pond for Eric Schmidt – he had to be ferried out in a row-boat, but once there was able to answer email and make phone calls. They’d strung power and ethernet under the water so it came up through the floor of the platform.

There was many of these over the years, and it’s one of the reasons I loved working at sun, though eventually, as always happens with big corporations, the fun got sucked out of the culture and the pranks stopped.

So what happened? Were they brilliant pranks I just missed? Or am I right in my assessment that the pranksters seemed to have taken a holiday this year?

Fuck Monday

elvis1 Comment

I won’t sing that song but you know the song I mean. God, I don’t want it to be monday. I’ve been trying to drag my sorry ass up outta the chair to get dressed for work for at least a fuckin’ hour and I can’t face the idea. I’m in that irritating place where […]

I won’t sing that song but you know the song I mean.

God, I don’t want it to be monday. I’ve been trying to drag my sorry ass up outta the chair to get dressed for work for at least a fuckin’ hour and I can’t face the idea. I’m in that irritating place where I’m mostly well but don’t have my energy back; I feel enough better that I’m happy about being better, but not enough better that I can deal with picking up the loose ends I left lying around last week.

I keep thinking about swaying palm trees and tropical breezes and a delicious, Beautiful island girl by my side. Someone fetch me a coconut full of rum and then rub some oil on my shoulders, hmmm?

Ok. Here’s me getting into my jeans and going to work. Really. Any second now. Watch me go. That’s it.

Really this time. I mean it.

*sigh*

Still no sign of land

elvis5 Comments

Still no sign of land. How long is it? That’s a rather personal question, sir. You stupid git. I meant how long has it been in the lifeboat? You’ve destroyed the atmosphere now. I’m sorry. Shut up. Start again. So the latest weather report says another week of the grim and gray. I think I’m […]


Still no sign of land. How long is it?

That’s a rather personal question, sir.

You stupid git. I meant how long has it been in the lifeboat? You’ve destroyed the atmosphere now.

I’m sorry.

Shut up. Start again.

So the latest weather report says another week of the grim and gray. I think I’m starting to develop gills (though not, you know, ones that look like cunts, like Kevin Costner had in Waterworld). I’m thinking I might trade my motorcycle on a jetski, while will be much more use if this rain goes on much longer.

Speaking of Waterworld, I’ve developed quite the huge crush on Tina Majorino, who’s currently in Big Love, and was also the love interest in Napoleon Dynamite (which is certainly the oddest movie I’ve seen in the last week). But it’s in Veronica Mars where she really gets me, as the blue-haired geek-girl Mac. I just think she’s too adorable for words. I only realized a couple days ago that she was the little-girl-with-the-map-on-her-back from Waterworld; I’ve been thinking where have I seen her for months, since I first watched Veronica Mars. I can understand why I’d forgotten this, Waterworld is a movie one tends to want to forget. But Tina can sit on my lap and call me daddy anytime.

This is turning into an entry on movies and teevee, so let’s go with it.

I can’t quite figure out Big Love; I like it, I like the people in it, and I like the setting, the day-to-day complications of a plural marriage, the somewhat obvious, yet clever, symbolism, such as the triple-mirror reflecting Bill Paxton as he gobbled viagra, or the cut from sex-scene to pop-up sprinkler. But I can’t quite figure out what the editorial point of view is on the whole thing; I can’t figure out if they even have one. This may become clearer with another couple episodes, I still have last week’s on my TiVo and we’ll get another tonight.

As noted above, I finally watched Napoleon Dynamite and I can’t quite figure out what the fuss was about. I know people who loved it, people who hated it. It’s a tiny, odd, and generally unremarkable film. I laughed at it, was vaguely amused, but if it hadn’t make such a splash of both positive and negative reactions, I don’t think it would stick in my head at all.

I had a dream about you last night, ChealseaGirl. I wish it has been something more salacious, but I remember you were wearing a halter top and driving a white convertible You were yummy, but alas, I awoke before I could get more than a hug and a stolen kiss.

I’m watching the third season of Buffy with my kids. My god, this show was good. I haven’t watched these early episodes since they were originally shown, and it just keeps impressing me. Cast, script, direction. Joss knows how to get the best out of everyone who works for him. It’s unfortunate that he let Buffy slide so far, the last two or three seasons. They were frankly terrible, hard to even watch aside from a few gems like the musical episode. But these first three seasons were spectacular, as good an arc as any teevee show, ever. Makes me desperately wish Joss would get another series going; Buffy, Angel, Firefly, all absolutely brilliant. C’mon, Joss, I got a million ideas, let’s talk.

Ok. I’m off to take my kids to see Ice Age 2. The first one was way funnier than expected, but I’m setting expectations low for this. I think I just want to see Scrat chase acorns.

Anyone else utterly sick of CGI movie previews? Ok, so I actually wind up liking the movies quite often (Hoodwinked was hysterical even though the animation kind of sucked, Madagascar was funny as long as the characters were not talking). And some of the new crop look ok (monster house). But I’m just sick of seeing CGI character after CGI character when I go see movies. It’s getting too damned easy to do mediocre CGI.

I want a fistfull of downers. I couldn’t talk my doc into giving me any purely recreational versed. I’m in the mood to get low, baby.

forty days in the hole

elvis5 Comments

Is it forty days and forty nights yet? Pretty damned close. We’ve just set records for all-time wettest march here in sunny northern california and I’m wondering, here on this april fool’s day, if we’re getting the same sort of april. Because looking out the window I’m not seeing my sunny april weather. I’m not […]

Is it forty days and forty nights yet?

Pretty damned close. We’ve just set records for all-time wettest march here in sunny northern california and I’m wondering, here on this april fool’s day, if we’re getting the same sort of april. Because looking out the window I’m not seeing my sunny april weather. I’m not even thinking about taking the top off my jeep, which I usually start doing around this date.

It’s been grim and wet and depressing. people are looking pale and stressed and cold. We’re a delicate bunch, us californians, we need our sun and don’t manage well when the temp stays under sixty degrees for long.

I need sun. I need heat. I need to see a sky that’s another color than gray. I’m ready. C’mon, mutha-natcha, lay a little of ‘yer sunshine on me. Help a brutha out.

I’m feeling way more human than I have in a week and a half. I think I didn’t realize how sick I really was, I kept thinking I was just worn out. But I was worn out after not really doing anything. I wasn’t getting anything done at work, really, I wasn’t even feeling like writing, I was passing out on the couch soon as I turned the teevee on. I couldn’t drink because that hit me like a brick and knocked me down, one drink and gone.

Just Tired, I kept thinking, but it wasn’t that. It was my body tryin’ to say, shut the fuck down, stop fighting, rest. But you know me, I’m dumb as a fuckin’ rock, I Never. Fucking. Listen.

I’m not 100% yet. I know that. I’m five days in to a week-long course of anti-biotics and my doc said he expects to switch me to some other med on monday when I go back, to make sure we nail the secondary infections. But this is the first saturday in three weeks when I’ve felt like getting up and going out rather than just wanting to spend the entire day layin’ around like jabba the fuckin’ hut.

Not to put Jabba down, of course, I mean, if I had a floating yacht and a young carrie fisher in a chain-mail bikini, that’s be ok. But still, it’s nice to be thinking about what I feel like doing today rather than just wanting to crawl in a dark hole and brood.

Now, if the sun would just come out, we’d have something here. I guess I should go get my motorcycle outta mothballs, I haven’t been on it in two months, and it’s lookin’ lonely. I could use some open road, wide-open-throttle time.