Boo [copywrite] hoo.

Just a quick vent. I hate copywrite lawyers sometimes. Remember those cool rally 3 minutes clips? All pulled from the net. They are now just empty code if you go back through my blog history. grrr. Just about anyone that watched those 3 minute videos isn't doing anything that would inhibit their normal purchasing activities. I know for a fact that even I'm not going to spend $20 bucks a month+ to get full WRC coverage (if I can even do that, getting WRC coverage in the USA is damn near impossible). I also know most of you won't even remember what WRC is a couple months from now. >< grr.. Seriously.

Fastest 3 Day Weekend in History

Some weekends just have a tendency to run by quicker than others, though you expect the special three day weekends to at least feel like two day weekends... right?

Wrong.

Saturday started off nice enough. Nothing to do until ~noon, where as the story gets a bit more exciting. Rob, one of my long times friends, was having his bachelor's party this weekend (I think you're starting to see where this story is going). At noon, we, and 7 of his closest friends decided shooting each other with objects flying at 300 fps was a wonderful way to send off his bachelorhood (its better known as paintball). I won't go into too many details, but more of a flash of words that can describe what we did for the next 6 hours:

Center Flag Push, Friendly Fire, School bus slimly filled with paint, neck shot, face shot, multi-building town siege, 4000 paintballs+, civil war recreation.

Okay, so the last one I'll talk about. Civil War Recreation. They take both teams, line up you arms length apart on a big open field. One team on one side, the other team on the other. Everyone gets one single shot, and everyone (still alive) takes one step forward. Good stuff (specially when you're winning 8 on 1).

Now, paintball alone isn't enough to make a weekend short. Oh no. It was the after-paint party. Everyone back to Rob's house for a very untraditional bachelors' party. How untraditional? The bride (and her friends) were there too. That's about all I'll say (or that I remember). About noon the next morning the world had stopped its excessive spinning enough that I could drive home. Only that one shady memory and my outlook calendar are the pieces of proof I have that Sunday actually existed this weekend.

Monday simply consisted of me in my pajamas saying, "This is Sunday... right?"


**** Workout Update ****

--ugg--

Okay, so .. yeah. My hand is feeling better (not perfect yet, but better), and volleyball is over - so I think this means I really have crap for excuses to be not working out. Unfortunately I don't think my navy seal want-a-be program is working for me; so I'm going to just simply say, I'm going to try my damnest and actually post my stats once a week. Starting with today:

Weight: 176.5 Workout days last week: 1 Soreness Level (1-10): 3 (hehe, I thought this would be fun).

PERMIT!

I still don't *really* believe it:

From: Lyons, Glen
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 4:34 PM
To: Chave, Janelle; Heimlich, Joshua; Halgren, Eric (Contractor)
Subject: FW: Block 1, Lot 12 (3785 East R St)

Lot 112 [my lot] is being issued late tomorrow afternoon.

The wetland buffer recorded two weeks ago, yet we received no word from the city, despite near-daily inquiries, until yesterday and no word on the permit until today. This was an exercise in Endurance and Diligence.

Its good to see that even when not directly communicating with me, even the 'behind the scene crowd' has been frustrated by this whole process.

Hopefully more information to come.

The House that Ruth, or Sam, or Joe didn't build

Okay, so regardless of if you think Barry Bonds during any of his career did any illegal forms of performance enhancing drugs - the above statement is still true. Ruth did do it on Hotdogs and Beer. And that makes me smile.

As for the tie in to MY house... I'm please to say that they BELIEVE the paperwork is all done. Its now just a waiting game for the actual permit to arrive and they can break ground on my foundation. How ironic that the reason I started this blog in the first place was a nice easy what to disseminate information about my new house to everyone - and over the last two months I've had to find creative fillers so you all wouldn't lose interest and never come back. I think this is where I'm supposed to grab my top hat and cane and break out into some show toon. Lucky for you, I left my cane at home.

As for my hand - there really isn't much change. Things are not getting worse, though they are not getting much better. I haven't heard anything from the doctor; not real surprising knowing my doctor. Anyone in the Olympia / Tacoma are know of a really good doctor? I think I'll call HIM today. Nice to know he's looking out for me.

On an even sadder note for me, Subaru screwed the pooch on Rally D'Italia Sardegna. Finished 9th and 10th. The leader drive, Petter Solberg said:

It'’s been a hard event for me. I tried as hard as I could all weekend but the overall result is disappointing. There's not really a lot more to say. We'’re looking forward to the next event now. I like the Acropolis Rally a lot and I'll give it my best shot.

Grr... And even more frustrating Loeb, the machine, won again. That's 5 wins in a row. He's only 4 points off a perfect season (66 out of 70). We're still not even 1/2 way through the season, and 2nd place last year scored 71 points total. I know its hard for a lot of American's to understand, but what Loeb is doing is extraordinary

Oh... and me working out? .. I think I have now decided that adding a few extra pounds that I can hopefully easily remove will make me feel better about working out. .. Yeah, its like lifting yourself up while standing in a bucket. Its a great idea.

Can't type much...

Due to the post below, I don't really feel like typing much, so I'm making a post for mainly one person. :-) For those of you that are not hardcore college football fans (specifically Notre Dame), just watch the middle video. Promise, its worth your time, and it gives you a small bit of why people all over the country love the fighting Irish.

2005 Season:


Charlie Weis - phenomenal head coach



Trumpets doing ND Fight Song in rotunda of the main building:

I'm broken....

So, the weekend was about as wonderful as I could imagine. Great weather, good company, good food, outstanding desert / breakfast with the mom. Though Monday came crashing in like most Monday's like to do.

As many of you know, I have been battling some inflamed tendons in my right wrist / hand. Nothing really serious; my doc figured some Ibuprofan would easily bring things back into line. For my main pain it did (wrist / thumb area).

Though the other side of my hand (still my right hand), made some decision between going to bed on Sunday and when it woke me up around 5am Monday that resulted in pain that I've only felt three other times in my life. (Broken wrist, re-broken wrist, and broken hand). I couldn't (and still can't) open my right hand all the way, nor do I have any ability to close it.

Neither my doctor or I have any idea what's going on right now, though he's upped me to 12 Ibuprofen a day and we've done some bloodwork / x-rays now. I won't know the results of those until mid-Wednesday.

Its a bit unnerving - that's for sure.

******

Side note: I found a video of the vendetta monologue. The quality is not amazing, but it does give you the vocal inflections of V.




And one last time:

Voilà ! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à -vis an introduction, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.

WRC: Argentina 2006

Its so easy to forget when you're watching these 4 minute highlight reels, but these guys drive on these surfaces 218 competative miles (of course not including transitions between stages, to service, etc), and the winner did it in just about 4 hours, ~55 MPH.

Just incredible when you see some of the surfaces of Argentina.

I like how this reel shows a bit of the stadium action, and just how packed the place is. For those that don't know Rally Racing (WRC) is 2nd only to Soccer for fans.



Current Standings:
1) Loeb @ 56 Points (4 1st, and 2 2nd finishes in 6 races - he's a machine)
2) M Grönholm @ 35 Points
3) D Sordo @ 24 Points
4) P Solberg @ 18 Points (Subaru Lead Driver)

The Manufacture Race is a bit closer:

1) Citroen @ 69 Points
2) Ford @ 57 Points
3) Subaru @ 51 Points


... and the WRC Season isn't even 1/2 over yet. Come on Peter / Subaru!


On a side note: I did manage to get up enough courage to ask one of the volleyball 'hotties' out... but.. Our last game of the night went to 26 - 24, and her game ended early. =/ Next week - Seriously.... - why is this so damn hard? Meh!

(I wonder if there's a blog somewhere saying, "Man that hot guy at volleyball - I thought he was going to ask me out, but our game ended early and he was still playing - I didn't want to see desperate and stand around. Hopefully next week.")

Hey - its my fantasy world, don't ruin it for me.

Exciting time of the year...

Oh yes. Its definitately an exciting time of the year. Barry Bonds breaking Ruth's record? Oh no, this isn't the "athleticism" blog today. Not even close.

Electronic Enterntainment Expo. Better known as E3. Best known as the time of the year that gamers, nerds, and the like get little trailer snidbits of the up and coming games (and platforms). Though we only have one full day into the expo, some of the biggest news that I was looking for from this year has already been divoulged.

Playstation 3 will cost me $599 bucks. Ahhhh! (okay, so maybe I won't GET it! How about that Sony!)

Gran Turismo HD announced, and will be in 1080p (dammit, now I *have* to get a PS3)

And last, but not least - the first clip from Halo 3; in my opinion one of the best storylines of any game out there, and easily the best of any first person shooter. I personally love the announcment on Bungie's website:

Read no further if you want to avoid spoilers.

Nobody saw it coming. Halo 3! Who knew? For the last year or two, people have speculated about what our next project was and surprisingly, in all that time, not a single person guessed that it would be Halo 3. Not one.

We declare it the best kept secret ever.

Seriously though, it's been a chore biting our tongues on this one. Call it a combination of studio secrecy, corporate secrecy, Bill Gates already announcing it four times and, you know, whatever

There is just something about this game. Jeramiah and I concluded that the music of Halo now sits right up there with any of 'blood pumping' music we could name. I think its a combination of not only being great music, but being tied to such a compelling storyline that we "feel" we have been a part of.

Yes, sadly, this is where Nerd and Athleticism cross. Halo music on our workout Mp3 players.

On that note, eating healthly is the same as working out right? Because if that's true, I'm doing a damn good job. Otherwise, I've been slacking and haven't been in the gym in nearly 2 weeks. Though I haven't been in McDonalds in 2 weeks either. Fair trade? No? Damn you all - fine, I'll get to the gym

Oh, without further adu: Halo 3

Monologues - Take two

I got a couple emails asking about which monologue I was refereing to in Good Will Hunting (there are a couple good ones, I will note). The one I was refering to, delivered by Robin Williams, is below.

As for my weekend - fun stuff. Went 5 for 8 with 2 homeruns in softball. My house is delayed again until the 17th this time... more on that to come later I'm sure:

Sean = Robin Williams
Will = Matt Damon

SEAN

                         I was thinking about what you said
                        to me the other day, about my
                        painting. I stayed up half the night
                        thinking about it and then something
                        occurred to me and I fell into a
                        deep peaceful sleep and haven't
                        thought about you since. You know
                        what occurred to me?

WILL

                         No.

SEAN

                         You're just a boy. You don't have
                        the faintest idea what you're talking
                        about.

WILL

                         Why thank you.

SEAN

                         You've never been out of Boston.

WILL

                         No.

SEAN

                         So if I asked you about art you could
                        give me the skinny on every art book
                        ever written... Michelangelo? You
                        know a lot about him I bet. Life's
                        work, criticisms, political
                        aspirations. But you couldn't tell
                        me what it smells like in the Sistine
                        Chapel. You've never stood there and
                        looked up at that beautiful ceiling.
                        And if I asked you about women I'm
                        sure you could give me a syllabus of
                        your personal favorites, and maybe
                        you've been laid a few times too.
                        But you couldn't tell me how it feels
                        to wake up next to a woman and be
                        truly happy. If I asked you about
                        war you could refer me to a bevy of
                        fictional and non-fictional material,
                        but you've never been in one. You've
                        never held your best friend's head
                        in your lap and watched him draw his
                        last breath, looking to you for help.
                        And if I asked you about love I'd
                        get a sonnet, but you've never looked
                        at a woman and been truly vulnerable.
                        Known that someone could kill you
                        with a look. That someone could rescue
                        you from grief. That God had put an
                        angel on Earth just for you.  And
                        you wouldn't know how it felt to be
                        her angel. To have the love be there
                        for her forever. Through anything,
                        through cancer. You wouldn't know
                        about sleeping sitting up in a
                        hospital room for two months holding
                        her hand and not leaving because the
                        doctors could see in your eyes that
                        the term "visiting hours" didn't
                        apply to you. And you wouldn't know
                        about real loss, because that only
                        occurs when you lose something you
                        love more than yourself, and you've
                        never dared to love anything that
                        much. I look at you and I don't see
                        an intelligent confident man, I don't
                        see a peer, and I don't see my equal.
                        I see a boy. Nobody could possibly
                        understand you, right Will? Yet you
                        presume to know so much about me
                        because of a painting you saw.  You
                        must know everything about me.  You're
                        an orphan, right?

              Will nods quietly.

SEAN

                         Do you think I would presume to know
                        the first thing about who you are
                        because I read "Oliver Twist?" And I
                        don't buy the argument that you don't
                        want to be here, because I think you
                        like all the attention you're getting.
                        Personally, I don't care. There's
                        nothing you can tell me that I can't
                        read somewhere else.  Unless we talk
                        about your life. But you won't do
                        that. Maybe you're afraid of what
                        you might say.

              Sean stands,

SEAN

                         It's up to you.

              And walks away.

V for Vendetta

Since the moment I heard it - I knew I wanted to hear it again. I wanted to read it again. Very much like Robin Williams monologue in Good Will Hunting, the monologue from V from Vendetta was down right impressive.

Enjoy:

Voilà ! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à -vis an introduction, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.



Sadly - for most (I will join you in this shame), parts of this need a translation.

Behold! Before you is a humble performer, cast, against his will, by fate, to the roles of both victim and villain. The face you see now is not just some mere facade of pointless theatrics. It is a remnant of the people's voice, which has since gone and disappeared. However, this past annoyance stands courageously reborn and has sworn to conquer the evil and corrupt, who promote greed and the violent suppression of free will. The only way to do this is with a war of retribution. It will not be a fruitless revenge, for the importance and self-evidence of this quest shall exonerate the open-minded and righteous. But in truth, this thick soup of words is becoming too excessive. So, let me simply finish by saying that it's my very good honour to meet you, and you may call me V.


Such a good movie. If you missed it when it was in theaters - please go rent it.

Chatting up woman...

I think this is best said by Eddie Izzard:

I had to chat up girls and I'd only tagged them before and I didn't have the verbal power to be able to say, "Susan, I saw you in the classroom today. As the sun came from behind the clouds, a burst of brilliant light caught your hair, it was haloed in front of me. You turned, your eyes flashed fire into my soul, I immediately read the words of Dostoyevsky and Karl Marx, and in the words of Albert Schweitzer, 'I fancy you.'

Oh no. I am much more the:

But no. At [25], you're just going, " 'ello, Sue. I've got legs. Do you like bread? I've got a French loaf. ( smacking sound ) Bye! I love you!"

And that best describes my Thursday. There are 3, very attractive ladies there. All of which are at least not engaged. Sadly, I know nothing else (well, names of two of them - Erin & Megan - whom, thank god, have no idea this blog exists). In actuallity, I'd love to just have the ability Eddie described in the second paragraph - let alone the first. I'm still in pre-flight check status. I'm still checking to make sure I even have legs.

Why is approaching them seriously so hard? Everyone always says, "So, you go up, ask if she wants to go together sometime for a coffee or something". What's the worst that can happen?

Anytime you end a statement with "what's the worst that can happen?", that never ends well with me. I think its a talent my dad has bestowed upon me. I can come up with some resoundingly convincing arguments on why I shouldn't approach the aforementioned hotty. And therefore I end up the next blogging not about the great date I have planning on Saturday - but how I again managed to puss out and just drive home after volleyball.

The Costco challenge

I went to Costco the other day, believe it or not, one of my more favorite places to go. This time, I had a plan. This time though, I had a challenge.
We all know the typical Costco challenge. Can you really make it through the whole store without spending $100. No mere mortal can, that's for sure. I decided to go one step further.

Can I make it through Costco, and not only spend less than $100, but get an ample amount of food (2-3 weeks), AND... oh mom, you're going to be so proud... not get anything that could be deemed unhealthy.

Edited subconsciously: He's an idiot

Okay. So away I go. I take three steps and get distracted by the big screen TV's. I guess technically they can't be deemed "unhealthy FOOD", yet I don't think I'm going to find anything I want under $100. I move on.

Next up. Pastries & Muffins. Oh man. Poppy Seed, Blueberry, .. Chocolate... I pick up the pace, and my cart is still empty! Okay, okay. So I'm passed the hardest unhealthy section - but now I look like I'm more apt to actually walk through all of costco with an empty cart. I think people are starting to stare at me.

I move on. Bananas. Perfect. I have my first item... and its healthy! Ahaha. I can do this! Okay, focus. I know I had some great salmon, now to find it. Easy enough, its right on an end cap... next to the big stack of hamburger patties... I look down at my cart to see that I managed to just grab the salmon. Crazy. I move quickly now.

Mahi Mahi over Chimichangas
Honey Bunches O'Oats over Captain Crunch
Diet Dr. Pepper over Mt. Dew

I was winning, and I was amassing enough food to last me a couple weeks. One last stop to grab some ibuprofen - doctor recommended for my wrist. Whatever. $7 bucks for 750 pills, I can handle that.

I get to the checkout. I do a quick scan of everything I collected. It was all healthly... and it was sufficent for a couple weeks.

Total: $104.74 .. I failed.

Damn you ibuprofen. Damn you.

The move away from Myspace

I don't want to call Myspace childish, but it does have a level of immaturity to it that I really did not appreciate. Besides the point, Blogger is owned by google and has spellcheck. Two things I really like =P

Thanks for moving with me, those who did =)