Motorcycle: Purchased.




Tried it out going down the street over to a parking lot. The idle is set up to about 4000 rpm up from 1500 so I can only really control the speed with the clutch. I put in some Sea Foam into the gas tank and turned the idle down a bit just because I can't handle that shit. Also, I'll have to wait until we get out of the triple digits because riding for any amount of time leaves me soaking wet in sweat.


Finally got a chance to sit down with Ghostbusters the game. It completely sucked. Lots of ghosts getting trapped in the walls or outside a window, leaving you flinging it around trying to get it back through the invisible crack in the walls it left through. Had to restart at one point as I both trapped a ghost in the wall and my trap was thrown into a part of the flat ground I arbitrarily couldn't walk on. The AI for your partners was similarly aggravating. The Zero Punctuation review over at Escapist describes the frustration of reviving your comrades every few seconds well.

The story was boring. Jokes lame. Dan Akroyd did the best vocal work by far, but the lines just weren't funny. Venkman turned from slightly cynical but wise-cracking to an completely ambivalent asshole. Fitting his new persona, he sat most of the missions out. The ending was also completely anticlimatic, ending with Venkman kissing the token love interest, neither of which had much screen time the whole game. The worst part of all is that when the Ghostbusters theme kicked in at the end, it only played to the first "Who you gonna call?" before immediately cutting out again. Both movies end with the Ghostbusters meeting the cheering crowds of NYC with the theme playing over, then a montage of the characters and their actors. The game however... straight to rolling credits, generic music.

I should get back to work. Ugh.

Trickier than I thought, hopefully not discouraged

I finally took the basic motorcycle training course this weekend. It consisted of three 5-hour meetings. The first was classroom, ending in a written test. The next two days were out in the parking lot on 125 cc bikes.

It was definitely harder to ride than I thought it would be. It was like learning to drive a car for the first time, except more difficult and with a sense that you're going to kill yourself. Since I've never driven a manual transmission car, the entire experience was completely new and every skill had to be learned. Trying to stack all those skills in a matter of hours was really challenging.

Early on, I had some difficultly shifting, popping the clutch or absentmindedly letting it out while stopped. After I while, I was all right, though I wouldn't say that the majority of my shifts were smooth. I got more and more confident with my abilities and learning the steps necessary to turn or stop.

That is, of course, until I fell.

I was coming in to get back in line with the others, who were waiting to do an exercise one at a time, and I was going too fast. I was turning to line up and just hit my brakes, not hard, but just a bit too much. With my handlebars turned, a bit too much front brake sent the bike to the ground in a flash. I got a little raspberry, but was mostly just embarrassed. After that, though, I doubted everything I thought I had learned. We had just gone over how to stop out of a turn and I completely blew it in real life.

Anyway, despite my worry, I've gone and bought a kickass helmet and some gloves, so now I'm financially obligated to keep going. More more more more more more more more more more more more more more more practice please.

Great album has put me in the mood to write

I just downloaded the Dark Was The Night compilation album after hearing about it on NPR and its just fantastic.

The past few days have been quite good. A great turnout last Thursday at lab including an unexpected Chase. We talked a little while we could, then met up again Saturday night at El Arroyo's. Good talk, will see again most likely.

Played several great hours of Rock Band with Layne. She is getting really good now, attempting any Hard level song and completing most. My drum skills have advanced too.

A considerable amount of time was spent at the mall for various reasons, though I don't think we ended up buying anything there any of the times we went. We did find what we were looking for in Tesoro's on South Congress.

Good food at Elsi's, life jacket shopping at the B n' P, playing in the water with the goos, Ghostbusters and Valkyrie, mojitos, beer, sex. Motorcycle class reserved in a couple of weeks, planning out potential vacations to California.

This album is really coming together on the second disc.

Commission is now a punishment

On the last day of every month, I'm required to stay here at work until midnight in a painful last ditch attempt to meet sales goals. In this case, it's completely bullshit and everyone knows it. Well no one is showing it, if they do know.

I'm sick of being here, enrolling 4, 5, 10 apps as they lazily drip into the inboxes. We are way way behind and its completely worthless since we aren't getting our bonuses and its pointless being here this long or at all. Anyway, I think I just heard Martin say "we're done." I hope he means that.

to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations

At work now; there's a nice lull in the workload. Nothing to do and 50 minutes until I'm out of here.

I moved my schedule up so I come into work at 10 instead of 9 by request of the goofriend. Now we can get up and have a little breakfast in the patio before I head off to work. Or sleep in. Which is what has been happening.

Layne and I saw Star Trek last week sometime and we both loved it. That was surprising because Layne had low expectations for the movie, so that's good. What's even more surprising is that she then said, "Hey, let's rent some of the movies!"

We started with Wrath of Khan (2), then Voyage Home (4), then The Search for Spock (3), then Insurrection (9, sucked). We both agree the TOS cast is way better than the TGS cast and it's hard to believe people actually like Picard more than Kirk. Really, its Riker that fucking ruins every scene he's in. Picard/Riker pales in comparison to Kirk/Spock.

We've been trying to get The Final Frontier (5), but it's been slim pickings at Vulcan, probably because others are having the same idea as us. I haven't seen The Undiscovered Country (6) at all anytime we've been there either. We'll have to keep plugging away at it, I guess.

I've got 5 minutes to write

So I'll make this quick.

Diamond fiasco solved. Got money back from Overstock, bought new, bigger diamonds for same price from Amazon. Delivered safely.

Graduation party went well. Everyone had fun. Except for the Repub group.

Birthday tomorrow, but really saturday. Tomorrow is Layne's graduation celebration.

Got a grill. Grilled. I need practice.

Conducting research session right now. 32 respondents, 11 showed up. Better than nothing.

Two minutes left. Long weekend ahead. Need to take a trip. Almost bought a motorcycle. Need to sign up for the class first, get new license.

All right, I'm calling it.

The Diamond Fiasco

As I mentioned previously, I ordered Layne a pair of diamond earrings from Overstock and had them delivered to my office. Well, I would have liked that they were delivered to my office.

The earrings were meant to arrive Wednesday, May 6th, but that day came and went with no sign of the precious parcel. Actually... I've been so stressed about this and told the story to so many people, I don't really feel like going through all the details.

They were lost in the mail. Exhaustive search. Bullshit post office workers. Last chance, spoke with Overstock. Hopefully will get my money back. Will know by Friday. The end.

p.s. I'm exhausted.