What I'm Doing

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Autumn

The weather is starting to get cooler, and I'm seeing a few leaves changing. This means that autumn is upon us. As a result, I've been in a fairly happy mood the past couple weeks (overall).

I don't know why, but Fall is one of my favorite seasons. It's the season of the apple festival up in the North Georgia mountains (maybe I'll make it up there one day this season). It's the season of apple cider, donning long sleeves, and cooler weather. It's the season of sitting outside at a coffeeshop with a hot espresso drink and a good book. Autumn is a very sanguine and laid back season. I just want to go outside and enjoy the weather.

And before too long, I get to start wearing my favorite hats again.

Autumn feels like a season for new beginnings. Maybe that's because I've spent most of my life so far in school, and the academic year begins just before Autumn. Whatever the reason, I find it fitting that the liturgical new year in the Orthodox Church starts on September 1. This is as it should be. Whoever decided that the year should begin in the dead of winter?

I just hope that I'll be able to get out and do some hiking and mountain biking this week, and enjoy this weather while we have it.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Coming Home and Anime Weekend Atlanta

So, today is my last day in Florida (I've been visiting the main office of my company this week). I came down here to meet with another out-of-town developer that I'm working with on a project that constitutes taking an existing web site and writing a SOAP web service interface for it. This project makes my first time 1) using Perl, 2) writing any sort of web service API, and 3) using XML.

So, our main objective for this week was to produce and demo a working web service. It's not connected into the actual database yet; that'll be step 2. For now, I've created various stub routines, settled on the format for passing the data back and forth, and my coworker has connected the client to my service. We demo'd our work to the VP of Development and the manager for this product yesterday, and they were very pleased with our work. Our CEO was pretty excited about it, too.

Next week, though, I'll need to get back into my other product that's more boring, maintenance work. Need to get a release out for the quarter, and I've still got a bug to take care of...

Also, today is the first day of Anime Weekend Atlanta. This isn't quite as big or exciting as DragenCon was, but I've been looking forward to it, too. I think I'll be stopping by on my way home from the airport, if nothing else to get registered for the weekend. Yes, I am a geek.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Found this flyer in a Publix. It's funny that something started by two guys has become this widespread. Anyway, have a good Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye scurvy dogs! Yarrr...

Monday, September 17, 2007

How I am an Idiot

So, this week, I'm in Florida on business (company's main office is down here). Near the main office, the company has a condo where up to two out-of-towners can stay when visiting. When we come down, we are supposed to first check on the availability of the condo, and only if that's already booked up are we supposed to get a room at a nearby hotel.

Now, the trip that I'm on this week was planned about 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I should have gotten everything together back then. I did get the plane tickets in plenty of time, however, I kept forgetting to email the person at the company that keeps track of the condo. I would remind myself, on my way to work some mornings, to do so, but once I got to work, I'd get busy with one thing or another and forget again. This went on until this past Friday evening, when I realized that 1) the trip was the next Monday, 2) it was past quitting time and everyone had gone home. Oops.

In that "oh crap" sort of panic that's ultimately useless, since it wouldn't have mattered if I'd gotten the email out 30 minutes later (when I got home), I boot my computer back up and (finally) send an email to the necessary person, hoping that, maybe, she'll happen to check her email over the weekend (hey, it could happen). I also decide to go ahead and book a room at a Doubletree hotel near the office, just in case. I decided to book it on my own personal card, so that, if the condo did end up being available, and I had to pay some sort of cancellation fee for canceling the reservation at the last minute, the fee would go on my own card, since it was my stupidity that brought this about.

Sure enough, I get an email while about to board the plane this morning saying that the condo is, in fact, available for the week. So, after landing in Florida, I go into the main office for the remainder of the work day. While there, I get online to cancel my reservation at the Doubletree.

Unfortunately, because it's within 24 hours of the check-in time, I can't cancel the reservation online. I call the number it suggests, only to find that the "central reservation office" couldn't cancel the reservation, either. I was going to have to contact the hotel directly and talk to a manager to get it canceled.

I call the hotel, and get transferred to the reservations manager. After waiting on hold for some time, I get sent to voicemail; the manager is not currently available. Sigh. I left her a message, with my number to get back to me. I never heard back from her.

Wanting to get this taken care of, I finally decide to just drive down to the hotel after work and talk to the front desk directly. Preparing for resistance (just in case they wanted to give me a hard time), I walk into the hotel and explain to the guy at the desk that I need to cancel my reservation. I'm sure he was wondering why I'd be canceling my reservation while I'm obviously in the area. So, I explain what's going on, and he hit a few buttons and says, "Okay, you're done!"

I was kind of surprised; that seemed too easy. No cancellation fee? Nope. No paying for a night or anything? Nope. Just canceled the reservation and I was on my way.

Yeah, boring story, but I said in a Twitter update I'd post it (since I alluded to it in the update), so there it is. Sorry you had to read that.

Friday, September 14, 2007

iGoogle Quote of the Day

Here's another good quote from my iGoogle Quote of the Day module:
If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
- Scott Adams

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Random Quiz

1. If I looked in your trunk, what would I find?
Dirty hiking boots, a coat, an emergency blanket (I think), a spare tire, a jack, and probably some other random stuff that I don't remember.

2. Do you go to the bathroom with the door open or closed?
Closed.

3. Are your underwear and socks folded in your drawers, or just thrown in?
drawers?

4. Sleep on your back or stomach?
yes. I have also managed to sleep in bed on my side, while sitting in various chairs, and I think I actually dozed off while standing once, but I'm not sure.

5. Are you a cuddler?
Depends.

6. What would I find if I looked under your bed?
I don't even remember...

7. Something that happened today that has made you mad?
Nothing that I can think of...

8. What were you doing before this survey?
working

9. What will you do after this survey?
eat dinner

10. Marriage or living together?
marriage, which will involve living together, soon

11. What are you wearing right now?
jeans, sandals, Hawaiian shirt.

12. How many times have you been in love?
I've been infatuated with a few girls, but I think I've only really loved one.

13. Does delabeling a beer bottle make you sexually frustrated?
Umm...what?

14. Do you talk about your feelings or hide them?
I don't really want to talk about it.

15. Is there something you regret and wish you could take back?
Yes.

16. First thing you do when you wake up?
try to figure out which alarm is going off, then deduce it's location relative to myself.

17. Kiss with your eyes open or closed?
Depends on whether anything is on TV. =-O

18. Bite or Lick?
Wow...getting a little naughty there, aren't we?

19. Last argument you got into?
I don't remember.

20. Do you tend to rip the paper off water bottles?
sometimes, if I'm bored and need something to do.

21. When you shut off your alarm clock, do you tend to fall back asleep?
that's kind of the point of the 'snooze' button, isn't it?

22. If you were given the chance to take care of a monkey for a weekend, would you?
Monkeys rock. And roll. All the time.

23. Do you have or want any piercings that may suprise others?
ouch, sticking holes in my skin. DO NOT WANT!!!

24. What are you looking forward to in the next few months?
Anime Weekend Atlanta, Christmas, Epiphany, and the wedding. Oh, and my sister's wedding, too!

25. Would you ever paint a penguin green on GoofyAuctions.co
what?

26. Are you ticklish?
possibly

27. Where do you wish you were right now?
mountain biking

28. What song are you currently listening to?
October, by a group called Pristina

29. Have you ever passed out from drinking?
no

30. If you caught a significant other cheating on you what would you do?
I don't want to be with someone I can't trust.

31. What time did you wake up this morning?
I don't really remember...

32. Do you have any cousins?
yes

33. What makes you laugh?
A lot of things that probably shouldn't.

34. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Kristen

35. What is the WORST subject they teach in school?
Health, I suppose

36. Where do you plan on living when you grow up?
in a house.

37. What was your dream this morning?
dunno, but given the ones I have remembered, it's probably rather weird

38. How many times have you seen your favorite movie?
I don't even know what my favorite movie is!!!

39. Where was the last place you traveled?
Atlanta, for Dragon Con!

40. How was your past weekend?
More fun than should be legal (note: this statement should not be so construed as to imply anything about the legality or non-legality of any of my actions committed within the past few days. I assure you, they were entirely legal.)

41. What is your favorite song?
I dunno. Perhaps "Goodbye" by The Echoing Green.

42. Why are you doing this survey?
I'm...not really sure.

43. What is the best ice cream flavor?
I'm not a big ice cream eater.

44. Do you think you are attractive?
Not particularly, though I'm told otherwise

45. Is someone on your mind right now?
Yup.

46. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Yes.

47. Do you worry about how you look?
not really. I mean, I comb my hair in the morning, and I generally try to wear clothes that aren't obviously dirty...

48. When will you turn 50?
26 years? 25.5? Something like that. I'm half-way there! Where'd my hair go?!

49. What color is your toothbrush?
white

50. Have you ever been on stage?
Yes; I was in band in high/middle school.

51. Do you like the beach?
It's nice at night.

52. Can you whistle?
Yes.

53. Would you do anything for that special someone?
probably?

52. Do you know who Stewie Griffin is?
The future dictator of the world

53. Do you have any plans for today?
Plans are for organized people

54. Have you ever thought a friend could be more than a friend?
Well, once I had a friend with multiple personalities, so he was able to be two friends, which is more than one.
Oh, wait, you meant romantically. Well, yes. But I was wrong.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

End of My Weekend at Dragon*Con


After church this morning, I headed back to Dragon*Con for my second (and last) day of the weekend, and I actually have more time to write about it tonight. Technically, the convention starts on Friday and goes until Monday evening. I would love to have been able to do all 4 days. I had planned on going Friday evening, actually, but I was feeling so worn out and tired, I knew that if I didn't just go home after work and get some rest, I would've been miserable the rest of the weekend. Monday, I've got other stuff that needs to get done.

And, so, for me, Dragon*Con 2007 is over. It was a lot of fun, although I really wish I'd had more time. I only got to go to two of the sessions, one being the Q&A with Ron Glass and Mark Sheppard I mentioned yesterday, and the other, today, about folklore, fairy tales, and mythology in modern fiction. Both were very interesting, and I really wish I could've done more of that.

Also, I missed all the parties. That was a bummer. There's a part of me that would almost want to, next year, actually just get a room at one of the hotels and stay the whole weekend. Of course, next year, I'll be married, and I don't think Kristen would be too happy about that. Then again, maybe by next September, she'll just be glad to have me out of the house for a while. ;-)

The biggest difference between yesterday and today is that, for quite a while today, I was just on my own. Robert, who I hung out with yesterday, didn't make it down until later in the day, so I just kinda did my own thing for a while.

Anyway, I did manage to procure much loot while there. The photo with this post is the Serenity ornament that I bought (in the photo, it's on a display stand). I also got the FLCL anime series on DVD, and the Hong Kong release of Macross Zero (since it doesn't appear to be getting released officially in the States anytime soon). The Hong Kong release has English subtitles, so I can understand it. I got the t-shirt that is the photo for yesterday's post, and I got a photo of the Weasley twins from the Harry Potter movies autographed by the two actors for Kristen. I'm probably forgetting something, but it's late and I'm tired.

I'm hoping that, next year, I'll have things better planned out, and can do more with the convention. In the mean time, Anime Weekend Atlanta is coming up in a few weeks...

Saturday, September 01, 2007

End of Saturday at Dragon*Con

Went to Dragon*Con today with my friend Robert, and his friend, Nick. The picture above is the front of a T-shirt I bought. :-D

Really, this is the first year I actually registered, so I could get into all the fun stuff. Fortunately, I pre-registered, so I was able to walk through the sign-in pretty quickly. Unfortunately, Nick had to wait in the very long registration line. So, about two (or more?) hours after he'd gotten in line and Robert and I were walking around the dealer rooms, Robert gets a text message from Nick:
Day 487 of my d-con registration captivity. water running low. natives are nice. i will try to build a fire again. the natives didn't like my earlier attempt.
He did finally get through, by the way.

So, the whole day started with a parade of a bunch of the people in costume. After this, Nick went to registration and Robert and I did some wandering around. I took a number of pictures at the parade (and a few around the con), which I plan on posting to my Flickr account when I get the time (probably Monday).

Later, we attended a 1-hour session with Ron Glass and Mark Sheppard, two actors who played Shepherd Book and Badger (respectively) on the TV show Firefly. It was a Q&A format, and both actors were very good at engaging with the audience. They were a lot of fun, and had some good answers to some tough questions.

I had to leave a little early to make it to vespers at church, and after that, I decided to just head on home. However, I am looking forward to spending the afternoon/evening down there tomorrow!

Dragon*Con

Today and tomorrow, I'm spending most of my time in downtown Atlanta for Dragon*Con, and this year I actually registered, so I can do all the cool stuff.