Well, I puzzled through the strangeness that is women and how things that I thought I knew were suddenly either new territory or complete rewrites.  In the process, I started listening to more country music in an effort to understand it and while I'm not wholly sold because quite honestly, there are some really corny songs out there, once in a while you come across some great ones.

Carrie Underwood is also a surprising one, Keith Urban, basically, I dabbled in quite a few and have been pleasantly surprised.

One thing that I can't get out of my system are campy club songs or a touch for the club edit styled techno.  I found this video a long time ago, but came across it again.

The funny thing though is that it's actually based off of the Jane Fonda workout video and the only reason I remember that was as a kid, my grandma wanted me to do the hour long workout tape with her.  Well, I could finish it and she couldn't, but lemme just say that if an aerobics class actually looks like that in the video either a) I would have perfect attendance b) find it very difficult to concentrate in class :)

Enjoy peeps and Al, just buy the damn game and system.  You owe it to yourself to live life once in a while.  All the squirrelling away is gonna do is just prove that inflation works against us.

My Christmas break has been short but pleasant.  I can perhaps consider the best of it summed up into a series of meetings.

Airplane back to Chicago, I sat next to two unique people, a stage actor and a budding screenwriter, whom we carried on extensive conversations from the moment we got on the plane until we exited the gate.  I cannot tell you how great a time I had NOT talking about medicine...it rocked and truly gave me a perspective I needed to pursue. 

I spent a 14" snowfall evening noshing on hotpot with my family in near -12 degree weather...'nuff said.

Had an awesome brunch with Suzaku who I haven't seen in years (hope the pate' and snooty French peeps are amusing you :).

We caught up with our family's closest friends the Chou's and literally spent the greater portion of the evening waxing a 19lb turkey and all I can say is that electric turkey carvers are freakin' AWESOME!!!  All I can say is that Scrabble can kill hours of time, but our parents' house is in bad need of better distraction like more board games or a backup set of guitar hero.

I spent an afternoon with my buddy Nate, geeking it up with Warhammer at one of the major stores.  It was a diversion much needed.

It's strange that when you have time, you catch up on enormous amounts of sleep.  When you don't have time, you need every ounce of more time.  I feel like the white rabbit sometimes ;)

Flying back to warmer weather tomorrow.  Back to the grind and back to the South.  Yee-haw!

 

Didn't even realize the new trailer was out.  Woot!

I'm confessing...I didn't vote today because I got stuck in the OR for 6hrs after clinic then had to drive back 45 minutes to find out the polls closed.  Dammit...I'm disappointed in myself.  Especially after I've sat and read and pondered endlessly on the candidates involved and finally made up my mind.

It's a valid question.  Xanga, Friendster, GoogleGroups, MySpace, Facebook.   Before you realize it, we'll be migrating in droves from one to another which is a real shame.  I think Facebook is interesting because it really can put you in contact with friends from eons ago, but also has something lacking.  Writing in my journal every so often used to be a daily affair which has since withered to every few days.  I get a chance to look at some of my ancient texts from when I first started and have come to appreciate how much I've changed, grown, and progressed.  Always to know my roots.  That being said, I miss my old friends who have since went the way of the Xanga dodo and merely 'poke' or otherwise on other services.  No more interesting things to read, no more fun little quizzes to take or grand insights to ponder.  I'll keep up this mantle.

What have I been up to?  I'm fully entranced in Fable 2...well up until now...because I just beat it after owning it since 10/21/08.  I think it really strikes to me what an RPG is about, adventure, leading a life outside of the hack 'n' slash, and most importantly living your character's life by his consequences.  A couple things irked me though.  Main quest is brutally short...ending is a real...let down.  I'm thinking because the company is going to release something that looks like downloadable sequels or expansions or something.  One of the cool things that happens is the way you progress.  Fight more in combat, you get experience that goes into strength.  Upgrade your strength, your character gets tougher and brawnier.  Shoot more with your guns/crossbows, you get 'skill' XP and you grow taller.  Be more good, you have a saintly appearance.  Become corrupted you stoop and hunch over.   You even get facial scars if you die too often.  But it's kinda' lame if you can max everthing out and go do a bunch of quests that let you swing from one end of the spectrum to the other.  I want real consequences for which your character has to exist by.  Mine's kinda funny because I'm maxed on melee/shooting with a moderate amount of magic.  I wear green tinted clothes and hat, armed with a legendary blunderbuss and working to build a magical hatchet.  I am Jux2p0ze, the Hatchetman...mercenary for hire :)  oh yeah, and I'm a little portly because I accidentally ate too many pies to heal myself.  Seriously food heals, didn't realize that some foods cause you to gain girth.  oh yeah, have wife and 4 kids who I wish if there was a genuine sequel could pick up with the next generation...2 boys/2 girls, mebbe 2 melee specialists, 1 ranged fighter, and a mage for my progeny?  That'd be cool.

So with Xmas coming around the corner, I'm going to try and get all my shopping done early and maximize my time.  I think it sucks with the economy and all, but we never really were into truly lavish gifts...I just favor toys over sweaters although as of late, I can appreciate those too.

Ideal gifts suggestions:

Less than $25-subscription to a magazine (yes, they still make awesome presents, totally worth it if you know what people are into), gift iTunes card, pair of H&M leather gloves (they're really nice for so cheap)

$50 range-Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines or Orks!  (You can never have enough...even me.), DVD gift set, Xbox game, Steak Dinner!

$100 rangish-Digital sportwatch or lower echelon chronometer, pair of leather wingtips or leather driving loafers (for those non-savvy guys, it's the in thing...you can bust out a pair with dressier jeans for a night out or dress down to work on fridays or weekends), pair of concert tickets

Win a small lottery range-I would really dig a real gentleman's wristwatch like a Tissot, Omega, or Breitling...I think the whole Tagheuer and Rolex is played out and the next wave or more esoteric labels.  New shelf system audio...my old wackness is outdated and I have waaaaay too many wires strung everywhere.  Actually, Fragbox from Falcon NW, so I can set up a permanent home computer on my widescreen. Double-barrelled shotgun...don't laugh, if you can get yourself an old-fahsioned gun like this they become priceless heirlooms in 20-50 years.  Really worth it if you know what you're getting into.

Win a massive lottery range-I want another car pure and simple: gimme an BMW M5 or the new Nissan GTR, mebbe a week vacation along coastal spain or resortside in Capetown, South Africa. 

Well...keep checking in my peeps.

...with the the mob (as in the masses of undereducated common people) howling at the moon for them.

I get the real bad impression that the average American really has no grasp of the issues at hand in so much to the point where even educated Americans are railing liberals chomping at the bit to simply dethrone one establishment to place another akin to the French Revolution or Meiji Restoration.  Even when we're talking about local issues, I'm feeling the hard and heavy pinch of the gas shortage right now.

There are 30minute waits just to fill up on $5/gallon petrol, usually run out in under two hours.  Then there are the massive amounts of the internet scouts which only further "fuel" the paranoia.  The funny thing is that this is only the tip of the iceberg.  No petrol, no car, no transportation.  But it gets better...undermanned utilities, lack of professional services i.e. medical care, transportation of mundane supplies and food.  Surprisingly, this actually happened before during Katrina, and you'd think that the collective legislature and so-called government leaders would've built a better contingency plan, but no.

I have enough faith, that this will blow over soon enough, but not without heavy repercussions.  If this is not testament for reasons to improve alternative fuel and less reliance on commercial fuel, then I'm not sure what is.  We ought to wonder why there hasn't been an improvement of other cars since according to global standards we still possess the cheapest gas.  The Europeans have had access to diesel vehicles for ages.

So what's the future to hold?  I've always been of the belief that fixing problems and taking definitive steps involves zero compromise.  So what am I going to do?  Probably hold off on buying that GTR for now, but seriously considering a turbo-diesel BMW whenever that puppy comes out.  I'd prefer the 535d, but might have to settle for the 335d since that'll be the only one available.  I will probably invest in a bicycle or mebbe a scooter for short distances even though I know it's ridiculously dangerous.  lastly? I really think we need to think things seriously from now on.