I just realized that "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles predates "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO in featuring a lyric about running down the street with the sound of someone panting in the background.
Fucking geniuses they are.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Moving in
The title of this post is misleading: I've been moved in for two weeks now. And yet my room is an absolute mess. My computer is on the floor by my bed, which is big enough to hold my mouse/keyboard/etc on one side while I sleep on the other. Its not a bad setup perse (my back will say differently in a month), but I really ought to get a desk. I'll save that for after my first round of bills.
Most importantly, I have to find a good storage space for my gaming collection. Its not the largest thing I've ever seen, but it is taking up a lot of space for a man with one closet. I managed to organize all the games themselves downstairs on a large, four level CD rack I inherited, but all the old consoles fill many a shoebox, most of which are on my floor. Throw in two bulky arcade sticks and three Guitar Hero controllers, and it just gets worse. And to think I still have the SNES back at home (which is currently in a custody battle between my brother and I).
Some other things since the move in:
- I got an almost mint copy of the Omega Virus, my favorite childhood boardgame, as a move in gift. It apparently sells for a good penny on eBay. I'm not planning on touching it.
- At any given time there is a cold keg of beer in my house, sitting in a keg fridge. This is both scary and amazing.
- My job is actually quite enjoyable from day to day. Its a little risky, but a little risk makes life that much more interesting. I can't wait to see what I can do.
- I'm officially a Microsoft Whore. All MSDN all the way at work. As usual, a healthy mix of both open and proprietary tools make my life a lot easier. Protip: MS actually gives developers a CD on how to combat Linux adoption. Stupid? Pathetic? Funny as hell? You decide.
- I've been playing a fuck ton of fighting games now that Gametap has decided to go apeshit and deliver every SNK classic known to man. Having King of Fighters 94 - 2003, Metal Slug 1-5, Last Blade 1 and 2, and Samurai Showdown all on one machine, legally, is something I never thought I would see. But see it every night when I wind down with some games. PS - Art of Fighting 3? Not so bad actually.
- I work in Glen Burnie. Second job in a row in which planes are flying over my head when I go home. Too bad I'm not working in top secret bunkers at the airport like my friends. When the world ends, I guess I'll be SOL? If I survive, I'll at least be able to take over a small town or something, what with all one can learn from playing Fallout.
- I can walk for ten minutes, pay $8 in the morning for the water taxi, and get to all the touristy areas of Baltimore all day long, for less than the price of a cab in traffic.
A shame that I have no need to get to the inner harbor, or Fell's Point during the afternoon
- Here's a game about Victorian women getting into face slapping competitions. You slap by drawing lines on the screen with your mouse.
Mouse drawings + Wiimote = 10,000 better of a game.
Most importantly, I have to find a good storage space for my gaming collection. Its not the largest thing I've ever seen, but it is taking up a lot of space for a man with one closet. I managed to organize all the games themselves downstairs on a large, four level CD rack I inherited, but all the old consoles fill many a shoebox, most of which are on my floor. Throw in two bulky arcade sticks and three Guitar Hero controllers, and it just gets worse. And to think I still have the SNES back at home (which is currently in a custody battle between my brother and I).
Some other things since the move in:
- I got an almost mint copy of the Omega Virus, my favorite childhood boardgame, as a move in gift. It apparently sells for a good penny on eBay. I'm not planning on touching it.
- At any given time there is a cold keg of beer in my house, sitting in a keg fridge. This is both scary and amazing.
- My job is actually quite enjoyable from day to day. Its a little risky, but a little risk makes life that much more interesting. I can't wait to see what I can do.
- I'm officially a Microsoft Whore. All MSDN all the way at work. As usual, a healthy mix of both open and proprietary tools make my life a lot easier. Protip: MS actually gives developers a CD on how to combat Linux adoption. Stupid? Pathetic? Funny as hell? You decide.
- I've been playing a fuck ton of fighting games now that Gametap has decided to go apeshit and deliver every SNK classic known to man. Having King of Fighters 94 - 2003, Metal Slug 1-5, Last Blade 1 and 2, and Samurai Showdown all on one machine, legally, is something I never thought I would see. But see it every night when I wind down with some games. PS - Art of Fighting 3? Not so bad actually.
- I work in Glen Burnie. Second job in a row in which planes are flying over my head when I go home. Too bad I'm not working in top secret bunkers at the airport like my friends. When the world ends, I guess I'll be SOL? If I survive, I'll at least be able to take over a small town or something, what with all one can learn from playing Fallout.
- I can walk for ten minutes, pay $8 in the morning for the water taxi, and get to all the touristy areas of Baltimore all day long, for less than the price of a cab in traffic.
A shame that I have no need to get to the inner harbor, or Fell's Point during the afternoon
- Here's a game about Victorian women getting into face slapping competitions. You slap by drawing lines on the screen with your mouse.
Mouse drawings + Wiimote = 10,000 better of a game.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Yuppie Chronicles: Starbucks
Alright. I'm finally moved into my new digs. Got myself a job. Everything is back on track.
So here I come again, to the blog.
I think at this point, with my job and residence and everything, I must officially label myself a yuppie. I like to think I'm one with some semblance of reason and control, but we'll see. At the very least, my new lot in life lets me observe some of the other interesting yuppie behaviors. I'm going to write them all down here as I see them.
We'll start with Starbucks. I hate the place as much as before, but I've grown to tolerate it at the very least. My coworker is a coffee fiend, and he's made the careful observation that if you know what you are doing, you can still order a decent drink from them. Plus when they're the only game in town (a common occurrance all over the place), you just have to learn to settle. I've learned a bit from him, and have come to enjoy his strange special order of triple skim latte somethings that he always orders and which always turn out tasty. That, and simple mochas.
But other folks, they blow my mind. Walking into the local shop this weekend, I saw all sorts of orders. Most of them were six words or more, and most had the word soy in them. They're just the most baffling sounding drinks, because all I can think of is why the hell they just can't have a regular cup of coffee, or at least a concoction with little in the way of fanciness. Its like adding a lime to a Corona, or Chinese businessmen mixing ice into a glass of wine. They're either destroying the simple flavors of good coffee, or adding things to a drink that's shitty to begin with.
And seriously, soy milk in your coffee? Unless you are lactose intolerant, I just don't see the point.
So here I come again, to the blog.
I think at this point, with my job and residence and everything, I must officially label myself a yuppie. I like to think I'm one with some semblance of reason and control, but we'll see. At the very least, my new lot in life lets me observe some of the other interesting yuppie behaviors. I'm going to write them all down here as I see them.
We'll start with Starbucks. I hate the place as much as before, but I've grown to tolerate it at the very least. My coworker is a coffee fiend, and he's made the careful observation that if you know what you are doing, you can still order a decent drink from them. Plus when they're the only game in town (a common occurrance all over the place), you just have to learn to settle. I've learned a bit from him, and have come to enjoy his strange special order of triple skim latte somethings that he always orders and which always turn out tasty. That, and simple mochas.
But other folks, they blow my mind. Walking into the local shop this weekend, I saw all sorts of orders. Most of them were six words or more, and most had the word soy in them. They're just the most baffling sounding drinks, because all I can think of is why the hell they just can't have a regular cup of coffee, or at least a concoction with little in the way of fanciness. Its like adding a lime to a Corona, or Chinese businessmen mixing ice into a glass of wine. They're either destroying the simple flavors of good coffee, or adding things to a drink that's shitty to begin with.
And seriously, soy milk in your coffee? Unless you are lactose intolerant, I just don't see the point.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Wendy's
A very long time ago I wrote a rant about my dislike of Subway despite its huge market share in the U.S. In a hypocritical twist of fate, I came to enjoy Subway a lot more in my last year of college, mostly because the local franchise had some great deals that often made a meal at Subway criminally cheap compared to on campus food and other fast food, and I came to at least accept the quality of certain sandwiches.
Then I came home during Easter this year and spent ten bucks even on a meal at Subway, right around the time they decided to raise their prices. Ten dollars that could have gotten most or all of a meal at Panera Bread or Quiznos, both of which offer a much better meal. Hell, just name your favorite joint and you could eat for a ten spot. Subway officially became bullshit once again.
So I started revisiting the other fast food places I often ignored during senior year in favor of Subway's walking distance trip.
- Burger King has trumped out Wendy's and McD's for me. A selection of sickeningly fatty sandwiches and very good fries make it the perfect place to go when I go for fast food (which is sparingly these days). While every other company aims for healthy, BK has got my back with chicken fries and quad stackers (the latter of which I will never eat, but I like to know it is there just in case).
- Wendy's is damn close to BK. They prob. have the highest quality burger meal in terms of ingredients, and the fact that most of them come with veggies on them by default. A lack of tasty fries makes them a little harder to appreciate. However, we know no one goes to Wendy's for anything but the 99 cent menu, which still reigns supreme over all imitators. I like how diversified Wendy's menu is these days, as it offers something for everyone without shoving any particular item down your throat.
- I hate to sound like a walking cliche, but McDonald's has worn dangerously thin on me. Their burgers have nothing unique about them; I'm amazed that they still don't all come with lettuce. That means I have little incentive to go their over the competition. I suppose that's where they would come in and introduce me to their new, healthier options. To this I would tell them I don't come to their establishment to watch my weight. Throw in some of the most annoying advertisements on the television, and you have a company that is shooting themselves in the foot again and again.
- Quiznos is only marginally pricier now than Subway and in another league of tastiness. I don't think Subway has to worry about them too much in terms of competition, because I don't see it being as easy for Quiznos to expand. You can put a Subway in a dusty old basement if you want, which I think is part of why they have become so prevalent.
Then I came home during Easter this year and spent ten bucks even on a meal at Subway, right around the time they decided to raise their prices. Ten dollars that could have gotten most or all of a meal at Panera Bread or Quiznos, both of which offer a much better meal. Hell, just name your favorite joint and you could eat for a ten spot. Subway officially became bullshit once again.So I started revisiting the other fast food places I often ignored during senior year in favor of Subway's walking distance trip.
- Burger King has trumped out Wendy's and McD's for me. A selection of sickeningly fatty sandwiches and very good fries make it the perfect place to go when I go for fast food (which is sparingly these days). While every other company aims for healthy, BK has got my back with chicken fries and quad stackers (the latter of which I will never eat, but I like to know it is there just in case).
- Wendy's is damn close to BK. They prob. have the highest quality burger meal in terms of ingredients, and the fact that most of them come with veggies on them by default. A lack of tasty fries makes them a little harder to appreciate. However, we know no one goes to Wendy's for anything but the 99 cent menu, which still reigns supreme over all imitators. I like how diversified Wendy's menu is these days, as it offers something for everyone without shoving any particular item down your throat.
- I hate to sound like a walking cliche, but McDonald's has worn dangerously thin on me. Their burgers have nothing unique about them; I'm amazed that they still don't all come with lettuce. That means I have little incentive to go their over the competition. I suppose that's where they would come in and introduce me to their new, healthier options. To this I would tell them I don't come to their establishment to watch my weight. Throw in some of the most annoying advertisements on the television, and you have a company that is shooting themselves in the foot again and again.
- Quiznos is only marginally pricier now than Subway and in another league of tastiness. I don't think Subway has to worry about them too much in terms of competition, because I don't see it being as easy for Quiznos to expand. You can put a Subway in a dusty old basement if you want, which I think is part of why they have become so prevalent.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Where you at?
Amp'd Mobile is filing for Chapter 11. Apparently about half their customers were late in paying their bills, which is a pretty easy way to lose some money.
Personally, I'm almost happy to see this. The only thing holding me back are the regular employees who may face job uncertainty. Amp'd Mobile was a horrible idea. The company execs claim they had great initial success thanks to marketing to MTV watching teens. Sounds great, but as a commenter in the aforementioned link observes, kids these days get everything free on the internet. Did Amp'd expect them to think they would have to pay for a cell phone too? I would also add that most kids have their parents pay their phone bill from middle school all the way to college these days, something I find highly pathetic, but also explains why a teen who purchased Amp'd on their own might not remember the bill.
Again, my regards to the employees just trying to find a job. But damn does it feel good to see rich old white guys because they know nothing of demographics once they leave the paper.
Personally, I'm almost happy to see this. The only thing holding me back are the regular employees who may face job uncertainty. Amp'd Mobile was a horrible idea. The company execs claim they had great initial success thanks to marketing to MTV watching teens. Sounds great, but as a commenter in the aforementioned link observes, kids these days get everything free on the internet. Did Amp'd expect them to think they would have to pay for a cell phone too? I would also add that most kids have their parents pay their phone bill from middle school all the way to college these days, something I find highly pathetic, but also explains why a teen who purchased Amp'd on their own might not remember the bill.
Again, my regards to the employees just trying to find a job. But damn does it feel good to see rich old white guys because they know nothing of demographics once they leave the paper.
Monday, June 04, 2007
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