in progress

2001-05-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so ... I somehow survived the first day of work at my new job. It turns out they're even more disorganized than the big K was ;) but I was kind of expecting that. I actually get to institute my own process and have already scheduled my first meeting as well as evesdropped on conversations and jumped into them. Since I've only been on a few hours, nobody really has a grip on what I need to be part of. So I'm showing them :). (We'll see if I survive the week at this rate). Interestingly enough the requesition for my equipment was not put in until Monday, so I don't have a computer yet. Makes things just a BIT difficult (actually I'm at a temporary office with a crap pc).

And on the second day, our intrepid explorer revealed his secret weapon: The IBM Clicky Keyboard of DEATH. Let's hope they still let him work there.

2001-04-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

ALRIGHT!!!

I'm back. And I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD... or something like that. I have decided to come out of my "zen-like" trance and once again return to the world of .... blog ....

"Why" one might ask? stay tuned...

2001-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hmm... I'm becoming consistently lazy with my blogging. That's not a good thing.

I was reading an article in a recent issue of some free computer magazine in Seattle. It was about Windows XP the latest installment in the global domination known as Microsoft Windows (just for clarification, I'm using Windows as I write this now). From the sound of the article Microsoft is finally cleaning up some of the TRASH that's been floating around their operating system since 1995 (or maybe earlier). I'm not here to write about what it does, go look it up youself, I did find it interesting though. I was hoping for some pictures, but there were none in the article, so I went online to Microsofts webpage and found this. WOW, the technology may be getting better, but what the HELL is going on with their designers. WICKED. I thought Mac OS X was getting too "Gel-cap" but this is SOOOO much worse. *sigh* ... let's all hope for a Kaliedoscope like utility.

The only thing that beats that is the prototype 3D Windows interface I saw a video of. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor it was so bad. Here's an article about it, but I can't find the video I saw. I sounds like Microsoft might be showing it of at CHI 2001, let's hope they don't. Their reputation is bad enough as it is. I do find it interesting since I'll be doing 3D interface design for the next few years. ** I can hardly contain myself **

On a side note, I think we've decided not to give our son a middle name. We have been trying to understand the whole point of it and are having trouble. I mean, sure, if I had a boy name John, a middle name might be useful considering there's so many Johns (no offense to any Johns out there), but if the name isn't all that common I don't really see the need. I don't have anything against them, I have a middle name, I'm just not sure that it's necessary. Hopefully my son won't be scared for life by it and have lots of anger towards me because of it. "All the other boys have a middle name, why don't I???"

:)

2001-04-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

Of all the wonderful, beautiful things in the world I find it hard to believe that situations such as "Negotiating for Money" come up. I would have to say that negotiating for a salary I could accept was not only against my personality, but that it went so far as to ruin my whole day. I had to mentally steel myself, I literally had to take a few deep breaths, then concentrate very intensely on what I believed I was worth. The MINIMUM I believed I was worth. It's not that I was under-appreciated, it's not that they were trying to take advantage of me (I truely believe this), it's that their method for determining salary is based on some extensive research. Where this falls appart is that the type of work I do doesn't fit into any known category in any of the salary research places. This is the ONLY reason I was able to negotiate at all, in all other cases their offer is final. Thankfully, in my special case it was not, and I was not forced to decline their offer. I'm not ecstatic about it, but the increase in quality of employment should take up the slack. I was given an enormous (in my opinion) stock option grant, but it really is of no value right now so it's not all that interesting. Maybe it will turn out to be intereting, who knows.

Of course, now comes the part I've really be waiting for (not), now I get to tell my manager that I'm leaving. He should have been expecting it, but I still think it's going to be a surprise to him. It makes me sad, because I really do like him and the other people in the Group. It's just the wrong time, for me, for the company to be doing poorly. *sigh*

Honestly, I'm a little nervous. This new job is going to be a lot more than I'm used to. I hate being bored at a job and I don't think I'll get bored of this one anytime soon, but it's still a lot of crazy new stuff. Okay, so I'm nervous and Wicked excited. *GRIN*

2001-03-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, I guess I'm a little behind. My parents came out to visit and we were having such a great time I totally neglected blogging. Now they're gone and we all have to work off all the food we ate while they were here. Where possible I like to plan visits around food, I think it's very important :)

On the Job front I should finally have the last bits of information on monday. I really like the company and the people. I'm really excited about it. I expect everything should go fairly smoothly, though there are a couple minor details that will need to be worked out. I'm hoping they won't turn into problems. I find it funny though, that after I frantically got ahold of my references to make sure they'd be available (Thanks everyone!!!) it seems that nobody was contacted. The recruiter guy made it sound like they wanted to contact the refrences before they moved forward. I figured they wanted proof that I wasn't nuts. Maybe they just feel that if I'm confident enough to give them 5 names then I must not be nuts and they don't really need to contact anyone. Who knows??

I called some people to be references who I had been (inadvertantly) neglecting to call in general. It really made me realize how much I missed talking to them. I (we) really miss a lot of our friends that we left when we moved. I've spent the last few days going, "GEEEEEEZ, I really miss *so-and-so*." And I hope you know who you are:)

2001-03-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

So I finally get a call... actually let's be more specific... I simultaniuosly (practically) get 2 calls and an email. It would seem that they want me to come in to meet everyone else. So I "know what I'm getting into." Which seems to say if I'm willing I can get into it. *BIG SIGH* So next Wednesday I get to go and have another 3 hour chat... and maybe get some details.

2001-03-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

That's a wet bunny

And he's not happy either. We just gave him a bath. Nothing really seems as pitiful as a wet rabbit. Their itty-bitty little tails are so funny when they're wet.

The suspence is leaving a path of death in it's wake.

2001-03-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

I'd say that I hate waiting, but it's not completely accurate.

I hate being told to expect a call at a certain time and not getting it. It makes me fret, which I hate doing. It's one thing to wait in line, you know when you're getting close (unless it's Disney World) and you know when it will end. Waiting for a phone call is just nerve wracking. I just keep telling myself that it's no big deal and that there's nothing to worry about. Everything went fine, that much was confirmed.... I'm just waiting for details... there's nothing to worry about. ... *grrrrrr*

2001-03-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

Well, they like me and I like them. Now we're just waiting for details.

2001-03-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

Quick note: Just in case you needed proof that MSN (that is, Microsoft Network) is full of shit. I give you the Top Ten DVD List. It is interesting to note number 3: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. This is an excellent film but it has not been released on DVD. The same goes for numbers 6, 7 and 9. One wonders how they managed to make it onto the top 10 DVD List...

Strangely enough Army of Darkness is not on the Top 10.

2001-03-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Life is good.

2001-03-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow's the big day. I have my "appointment" at 3:00, I have to take a half day off for it. I'm a little nervous, but everything should go smoothly. I feel like it may be a bit early, but if I wait too long it will be too late. Plus I don't want to miss anything.

On a side note, my ex-boss seems to be MUCH stranger as a consultant than as a boss. I always thought he acted weird towards clients, and now we're the client so he acts weird towards us. Plus he's not doing everything he was doing when he was full time, but since he's on contract they're not hiring to fill those things. So there are a few projects that have no creative direction and nobody cares (except the designers who feel that they need some "big-picture" art direction). Of course since the ex-boss is now a contracter he doesn't really want to hold the "big-picture" anymore, so we have no big-picture. I feel like this stuff should be a no-brainer, but consistently I am proven wrong. Why do I expect so much?

Question of the day: Is it better to hope for something and then be disappointed when it doesn't happen (and be happy when it does), or to be indifferent to it and feel indifferent when it does, or does not happen?

I'm beginning to think that I'm not looking at things in the best way.

2001-03-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Special Feature: 2001 Console Wars

Not since the late 80's / early 90's has there been a video game console war even close to what's going to happen this year. It was the golden age of 16 bit consoles. Sega started it with the Genesis and Nintendo perfected it with the Super Nintendo (SNES), but they weren't the only ones. At around that time there were many companies who were trying to get a piece of the pie. NEC (make of fine computer monitors) released the ill fated Turbo Graphix 16. SNK released a home version of it's arcade hardware which is still popular, but has always been FAR too expensive, the NEO GEO. Phillips tried and failed, as usual, with the CDi. A format that seems to still float around, but has never been worth anything. The war happened and Nintendo won, that is until Sony's Playstation hit the market in 1995.

Now it's 2001, it's not a space odyssey, but the next level of consol war's is about to happen. Sega started it, perhaps too early and has already lost. The Dreamcast is dead, and everyone is going to benefit from it. Who would have thought, but because it's gone, Sega will be developing for all of the new platforms, and that's a very good thing. The only other contender already in the ring is Sony, with the Playstation 2 the "Be all, end all set top box." Well, it's definately not that good, but because of the PS1 they have the advantage of popularity.

So who are the other 3 (as shown above)? The next one that will be here is the Gameboy Advance from Nintendo. People may not thing that the GBA has a chance to compete with the other consoles, but I guarantee that the GBA will be the hottest selling game system of 2001. It will arrive in June, at the bargain price of $99 and it will have the largest game library of any system (though Atari may beat it). The GBA will be porting classic titles from the SNES (some of the hottest games ever) as well as being backwards compatable with every Gameboy and Gameboy Color game ever made.

Microsofts Xbox should be released just a hair before Nintendo's game cube and is somewhat similar to the Playstation 2. The Xbox will play DVDs and sport an impressive line up of "acquired" games. (Microsoft bought a bunch of game companies so their games would become Xbox exclusives). There are some really nice games coming out for it and the controller is sooooo much nicer than the playstation 2's. Sort of like a more ergonimic Dreamcast controller (which I like).

Much like the Xbox, the Nintendo GameCube is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. We know what it looks like, but we're not sure of the games. Classic franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid have already been shown on the system but not a lot else. Nintendo does not have the variety of publishers that the other companies have, but they have always shown that they have a quality standard much higher than the others (didn't help with the N64). The GameCube will not, initially, play DVDs though a modified console may come later. The system is smaller than most and will hook up with the GBA (which could be interesting).

Sony has a solid foot already in the industry. With franchises like Final Fantasy and Resident Evil, the PS2 appeals to many. From what I've seen the PS2 has the same old, marginal games that the PSX had, just with better graphics. They have had few, if any, titles that push the boudaries (unlike Sega who consistantly pushes the edge). I feel that if this continues, the PS2 won't last. Even with things like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy XIII.

I don't have a PS2 yet, and I'm not planning on getting one (maybe when I can get a used one for $99). The Xbox is interesting, but if it sports a $299 price tag, there's no way I'm gonna touch it. The GameCube has potential, but Nintendo's track record since the SNES went obsolete has been anything but good. If they get the games done, and the price is right, maybe. Depends on what sort of GBA support there is. As for the GameBoy Advance, I'm gonna be preordering. The list of confirmed games is incredible, and the list of possible game is way beyond. For $99 it's a bargain. Much like the GameBoy Color was the best selling system in 1999 (and maybe 2000), the GBA will be the best selling system of 2001.

[end special feature]

I was sick today, I came home early and slept for 4 hours. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

2001-03-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Baby Clothes from England

We just got our shipment of baby clothes from England. That's right, we're so hip we can't see our feet.

Actually it has nothing to do with "hip"-ness. We just can't stand the styles of boy baby clothes here. It's all footballs and baseballs and crap. Plus you get to pay $25 for something that's ugly. I can't believe how expensive stuff is. So we decided to order some really cute clothes from England. And they cost MUCH less than the ugly clothes here. What a deal. So as you can see from the picture we got a few "Crocodile" clothes which are the best. They all say "Crocodiles live in the swamp" which is really funny (to me). Then there's that cool Baby Duck jumper and a neat Submarine outfit. It's probably the coolest baby clothes I've ever seen.

Our friend Joseph "the Goat" came over last night and hung out with us for a while. It was nice to have someone over. We ate strange, sour Japanese candy and french fries (not simultaniously). He's an ex-coworker and is doing well. He's living in a tent in his friends back yard while working on server-side Java and Database stuff.

I've felt like crap all day and I keep having sneezing fits that don't help at all. Combine that with accidently copying over a project for work and my wife feeling like shit and it's been a pretty rotten Sunday. The week has potential though. We're having a half-day offsite (possibly on a boat) on Monday then an all day meeting on Tuesday, then I need to take a half day off on Wednesday for a top secret mission. I hope Thursday is mellow.

2001-03-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, things could be getting more interesting. Who knows... maybe I'll have more info next week.

For now I get to spend the weekend building prototypes. We've got some UI problems and I need to come up with some different solutions that people can play with and get the feel for. It should be good, aside from working all weekend. For some reason I feel okay with it though.

2001-03-08T00:22:00.000-08:00

Yawn... Still up ...

Just noticing that Napster still seems to be up and running fine. I'm not sure what was supposed to be going on with it... so... for now I'll just download some songs off the Trigun soundtrack ... since I'm in that kind of mood...

2001-03-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

Boss: "Well, you've definately got 3-4 months" (with genuine good will)
Me: "Uhhhh....." ("OH F**K")
Boss: "After that we'll have to see how the company's doing, and what you're doing that's considered necessary" (Acting as if it shouldn't be a problem)
Me: "Uhhhh....." ("RRRUUUUNNNNN")
Boss: "Well, we should talk about this some more if you want" (with genuine concern)
Me: "Sure...." ("Did I update my resume?")

Okay, so I didn't sound quite that stupid... but my conversation with my new boss (you'll remember my old boss resigned a couple weeks ago) was about as useful. It was pretty wierd... the Director of Creative Services comes over to me and says "Has anyone talked to you about my new position?" ("huh?") ... That's how it started. He's been re-org'd out of the company (and they said no more layoffs) and he wanted to tell me.... So my boss walks by and I'm like "Sounds like the ship's on fire" and he decides to stop and chat with me.

So things are pretty wierd... as I mentioned before, nobody's doing shit to instill confidence in the workers. So I say something to that effect... and (with the intention of instilling confidence in me) he says, "Well, you've definately got 3-4 months." Can we say 120 days??? Then he continues by talking about how what happens after 120 days depends on how well our BIG project (that is being managed like crap) does and on how important I seem to the company. This is a GOOD, HONEST thing to say (I mean it). He tells me the things that he thinks I should do in order to make myself more interesting (this is also very good). However, regardless of how good those things he said are, it still doesn't change the fact that at around the time my son is born, I may be out of a job. *sigh*

I was planning on being more uplifting about work today, I spent last night working on a new prototype and I finished it and it was great. Everyone thought it allowed them to get an idea of how this new interface would work and it only took a day. I was pretty proud. My boss even said that he finds it super useful. When I work on stuff like that it really makes me love my job. Unfortunately the fates were against me. Oh well... :) Tonight I get to design an MP3 Player that will work in our system. Those wacky Japanese...

On a brighter note it was 65 degrees out today. Super sunny and beautiful, I was happy to be alive... alive and having major allergy attacks... but alive none-the-less. We also got to see the latest Trigun video (number 6) and it was Excellent. I think we're going to name our child "Vash The Cloutier." "The" being the middle name. Of course most people wont get it... but hey... I can dream right? Time to clean the kitchen...

2001-03-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

So I talk to some current and ex- mid management people at work and they say 120 days and it's over. If we can't start making money by then we're done. Then I talk to people who are lower management who are given regular updates by the upper management (got those 3 levels?) and they show me a piece of paper that says we will be dead in the water in April 2002... if we don't start making money. April 2002 is significantly different from 120 days. So.... so so so .... so ....

Who do you listen to? My biggest peev is if the piece of paper is right, why don't they hand out that sort of info to all the employees??? It's not like we're all not freaking out about the prospects of the company. Everyone could use some reasuring once in a while... say every month or so (especially if things may be cut close...). This was one of my big beefs with my ex employer the big K (not K-mart). The management there would tell you that they weren't going to tell you what was going on till later, even though it was all figured out already. Does ANYBODY know how to promote loyalty in your employees???? Obviously not.

And yet I'm going to stay up super late tonight working on a prototype for them .... why???? Because I FREAKING like my job... Doesn't it just suck... of all the cruel and nasty tricks... I work for (another) freakshow company and I love the work I do... *sigh*

Maybe I should move to Vermont and study water for a living....

2001-03-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention, I got a haircut... sorry mom.
I like to say it's for my fallen comrads....

2001-03-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

The Breast Pump Finally Arrived!!

After months (even years) of waiting, our AVENT breast pump finally came in the mail today. There was rejoicing in the streets. I even tried it out on myself to make sure it worked and ... well... I'm not exactly set up properly to know for sure, but it sure seemed to do what it's supposed to. I'm quite impressed with AVENT, I thought it would be good stuff and it sure seems to be. We got a set of bottles and ... nipples... as well and it all seems to be pretty nice. Of course, the real test is to see how well it holds up in the field.

We also got our cloth diaper tester today. That is to say a single cloth diaper for us to check out, not someone to test cloth diapers. They're from a company called Mother Ease. They look like they'll be pretty good, but I think most people will think we're crazy. I personally think that we know more than people think we know... but if they knew what we know, they'd think we're definately crazy.

So we hung out in the International District with Jill and Darren last night (without my camera) and had an awesome time. They're so cool. I got to go to a Japanese model store and Greta got a cool Tapioca ball tea. We ate at an amazing Chinese restaurant and hung out at this cool Asian grocery / book store. We had a grand time and need to go back soon. There's so much cool stuff down there.

2001-03-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

Well, super busy week.

So, everyone knows we had an earthquake in Seattle on Wednesday and boy was it fun. That is to say freakin scary. The office I work in is on the 12th floor. Our building is designed to flex during an earthquake, and boy did it. I'd say we were swaying 5-6 feet. So they sent us home early, even though our building seemed perfectly fine and they were letting people back into it almost immediately.

Then I ended up staying up super late trying to get ready for my trip to Boulder on Thursday. I was up late making changes to the prototype, then when I got to work Thursday morning I found out I had missed something and had to make more last minute changes before running out to catch a cab to the airport. The earthquake caused all kinds of delays at the airport but we managed to get on an early flight (11:00). It was ironic that our plane was delayed on the ground until 12:30 though, which was when we were supposed to leave anyway. I also managed to spill my tea in my seat on the plane (after burning my tongue on it earlier). Oh, well...

Software user testing is really interesting. While you're observing it it becomes a cross between actual work and MST3K. You're watching what the user is doing on video and discussing why they're having trouble and watching for patterns of use. You're also adding amusing jokes about the whole thing ... you really have to... you see, you're watching someone have trouble with something you spent a lot of time trying to make easy to use. You're really making fun of yourself because you didn't make it as easy to use as you thought.

So we made it back from Boulder with some good information, next time I have to remember to bring my digital camera so I can post some pictures. Well, we're going to the International District tonight, so I'll bring it there and put some stuff up.

2001-02-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

A couple days behind.... I wasn't really feeling personable yesterday.... so I shaved my head and stood around being anti-social.

So I'm off to Colorado on Thursday. Heading to Boulder to hang with Hewlett Packard. We're going down to oversee some user testing. The testing is being done with a prototype that I created over the last couple months. Build a fairly complete application in Director, it's a prototype of software that will be running on an embedded device. That is to say it's a self contained unit that has software built into it, but it's not really a computer (as such). Anyway, I build something pretty complex that will be used for user testing and I'm pretty psyched.

We've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what we want to do with ourselves. The economy is going down the toilet and we're sitting here in Seattle hoping I don't lose my job. I find it rather upsetting. I know I shouldn't dwell on it... but that's the think I don't want to have to dwell on it. ....

2001-02-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

We've been saving our change for about 3 years. And today we took it to the grocery store and dumped it into a change machine. It turns out that we had over 2800 pennies and something like 2 or 300 nickels (plus a scattering of dimes and quarters). All in all we ended up with $60 in change. It took us like 15 minutes to put it all in the machine. Heh..

I think I'm going to start trying to list all of the unfinished (in progress) projects I have currently going on... it's not going to be pretty. Unfortunately I need some perspective. I have an incredible talent for starting things and never getting around to finishing them. Not because I can't follow through... more that I have SO MANY at once. *sigh* I think it would be a really great thing for my self esteem if I finished one ... or two.

2001-02-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

We finally got a DVD player... sort of. Greta's parents got one free for some reason from their apt. complex. Unfortunately they can't seem to use it with their TV. So they told us to take it home since we have a couple DVDs but no player. I'm very impressed by the quality. I set it up in about 2 minutes and threw in Princess Mononoke and "WOW." Very nice.

We're also discussing names... since we know it's a boy. We've got a few in mind: Seamus or Xavier. We're keeping our options open though. You have to take great care in deciding what to name a child because, in most cases, they're stuck with it for life. A name can have a profound effect on a child.

Still no images or video of the little one, sorry. We've got to edit down the video, 4 minutes is about 50MB and I don't have that much web space.

2001-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention on Wednesday (as I reread my blog) that Trigun is an Anime video series. You can probably rent it somewhere. We rent it from a local comic shop.

2001-02-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

It's a boy!!!

Okay, so it's 20 weeks away from being born still.... IT'S A BOY!! Now we can drop half of the names we've been considering. We can also stop worrying about pink baby clothes. Those and many more worries are now behind us. That still leaves a huge number of worries... but hey.. that's part of being a parent.

Expect movies and photos soon!

2001-02-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

If you're up for something wierd, try Trigun. The story of Vash the Stampede, the peace loving gunman with $$60,000,000 price tag on his head. It's very interesting and quite funny. I was very sceptical at first, but now I can't get enough.

It's a sad day when you find out that an ex-coworker is considering becoming a personal trainer because he can't find any work as a visual designer. Not that being a personal trainer is bad, just that he's being forced to make a career change that he's not particularly comfortable with.

I need to get off my butt and build my video game. I spend so much time wondering about learning C++ or Visual Basic, or using 3D GameStudio or .... that I never get around to doing anything. I feel it's very important to do something, I spend way too much time coming up with reasons I shouldn't do something. When I really want to and know I should. Maybe I should start with Tic-tac-toe. *sigh*

****LOVE AND PEACE****

2001-02-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... the fine art of choosing a baby stroller. Should I get the Combi in orange with fries, or should I go with the Perego in yellow with the onion rings. *sigh* ... according to the book it depends on whether we're Mall rats or Urban warriors or Grass grazers. See a stroller isn't about making it easier to move your baby around, it's a lifestyle choice.

Of course picking stroller's doesn't compare to trying to figure out what me next job will be. We lost our art director today, they're really dropping like flies. It's a waiting game now to see who will last longer, me or PIQ. One would think that the company would outlast me... but I'm not holding my breath. I just found out they F****D up the "make-it-or-break-it" product. Ugh... You'd think that if they put so much importance on something they'd do it right... well... no comment.

I wonder if there's any money to be made as a Wudang Warrior??

2001-02-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... a game for the eternal Geek in all of us (What?? you don't have an eternal geek???). Bridge Builder is an interesting little physics challenge. Your goal is to construct a bridge for your train to cross. Of course, it has to be structurally sound.

So anyways, my boss quit last week. He's moving on to bigger and better things. Combine that with the layoffs and the possibility of losing another designer, our section of the company is getting pretty thin. We're having our "what the h*ll are we going to do" meeting tomorrow. In the mean time I get to solve all sorts of fun UI design issues with my Director prototype. I do actually like my job and the product this time seems pretty cool.

On a lighter note, I may throw in the towel on Visual C++ (see in print sidebar) before I've even started. I think it may be more advantageous for me to move to something like Visual Basic. I think I'll pick up Teach Yourself Visual Basic 6 in 24 Hours, then I could return it the next day.... what... nobody found that funny???

Off to bed... read Pinkwater... it's good for you.

2001-02-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday was my birthday, February 18th. I was so busy that I didn't blog at all... well.. maybe not super busy.. but I did clean the kitchen and the office. We also went to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon again, which is an incredibly beautiful, tragic movie. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out why Jen was such a spoiled brat and pretty much came up with the idea that she was a spoiled brat because she was a little rich kid plus she was currupted from youth by Jade Fox. I also felt pity on her because she had never been allowed to decide whether she would be good or bad. Everything around her made her bad and she didn't know any better. I think that's why Shu Lien let her live at the end... so that Jen would have to live with the pain she caused.

Whew... It's a good movie. We also went to a fancy vegetarian restaurant in Seattle called Carmelita's. It was really nice. Greta's parents when with us and we had a good time. A lot of messages from people wishing me a happy birthday, but none from my parents (I hope they're okay).

2001-02-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, nothing like spending all day fighting with your macintosh server. Especially when you end it by going out to eat and getting bad water (or something) and puking your guts out and feeling sick all night. At least the computer's feeling better.

2001-02-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had our first snow since we got to Seattle the other night and it didn't fool around. We got 10 inches. I braved the weather and managed to catch a bus going my way. Of course, when I reached work I found I had an email from the CEO saying we should all "work from home." *sigh* I should have stayed in bed.

We tried an interesting experiment regarding the snow. We let our rabbit, Trousers, out onto the balcony to see what he thought of it. And boy did he like it. He thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Here's a picture and some video. His little feet got kinda cold eventually, but he seemed to have fun.

digging in the snow

cold feets

2001-02-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

Ahh... Okay... so my blog looks like it was written by an idiot.. at least it's working and I don't get any "Run Time Errors" ... The strangest part was that Microsoft Visual Studio wanted to debug it.... That would have been fun... Expect something at least a tiny bit more riveting later. *sigh*

2001-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

gotta keep trying...

2001-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hmm... I finally start this thing and I'm having trouble already... so much for "Boy Genius" ... I hope my kid comes out okay :)