Which Superhero Are You?

Apparently, I'm Superman.



Your results:

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

House Hopping In Arizona

Just got back from spending Christmas with in-laws in Arizona. We looked at a couple of houses there in the desert--compared to California, they're practically bargains. There were a couple of houses we looked at where the backyards were so big, you could build (a) another house, or (b) an olympic-sized track and a pool. All for about the same price as ours at current market prices. Sheesh.

Of course, the weather isn't exactly agreeable. It was fine when we were there, but that's because it was winter. Otherwise, during summer, it's HOT. I like my environment to have a bit of green.

Apples and Oranges, part 2

Well, PJ's warming to the idea of using a Mac. I've explained what Boot Camp is (allows you to install Windows on an Intel Mac), so she'll be able to use it for the coffee shop. So it's possible that we'll keep it--if her friend doesn't wind up buying it. We're going to visit an Apple store in the near future, and she'll play with it--if she likes it, the plan is:

(1) Try to return the MacBook, explaining that we won it, but would rather upgrade
(2) Get credit for it and apply it to the purchase of the 15" MacBook Pro (that thing's pretty sexy)

Let's see if that works. We'll wait until the Christmas crowds are gone (the Apple stores are like Divisoria with all the people frantically buying iPods), and then proceed to test drive it.

If someone *does* wind up buying the MacBook from us, it's off to Power Notebooks for this little puppy.

Apples and Oranges

We've come into possession of a brand-spankin' new MacBook (the white one) via the luck of the draw. Question is, what do we do with it? I've told the wife to go ahead and familiarize herself with it, so she can use it at work. She doesn't want to. She's worried that she'll have a difficult time navigating it, preferring the safe environment of Windows. I've told her about Boot Camp, but she's having none of it.

*** cue gasps of shock and dismay ***

I have to admit--I'm not really an Apple fan. I have no problems with Apple in general (except for the fact that I had the opportunity to buy Apple stock at great prices and didn'tAAARRGGGGHHHH), but I'm just so sick of some of the Apple fanboys (not the sane ones who leave you alone to do what you want) that I'm tempted to just boycott all its products. It's an irrational dislike, I know.

However, now that we have a MacBook at home, why not poke around OSX? Check out the iLife suite, Delicious Library and Comic Life? I'm not married to Windows, so why not check out the water on the other side?

It's her laptop, though, so she'll decide whether she wants to use it or not. Another thing going against it is the small screen (she has trouble reading text and prefers bigger fonts on large amounts of real estate). Now, if we had managed to score the MacBook Pro (especially the sexy 17-incher) I might've been able to convince her to get over her fears, but we got the wimpy 13.3" screen. We just might wind up selling it.

No Pain, No Gain

A couple of months ago I posted that I've been trying to lose weight because of my high cholesterol. I set out to be more aware of two things: (1) my food intake, and (2) exercise. I cut down on the rice I ate and started walking around a mile or so every other day.

I managed to lose around ten pounds using this method, but at some point I hit a wall. I decided to take some sort of fitness class just to keep myself motivated, and have someone actually pushing me. I wound up choosing Krav Maga, which is a form of Israeli self-defense. I had heard good things about it from former co-workers. I tried a class, found it kicked my ass (in a good way), and signed up.

Today we did around thirty minutes of warm-up, which consisted of push-ups, jumping rope, crunches, leg lifts, hitting a punching bag, jumping over obstacles, running, wheelbarrows, jumping jacks, shadow boxing, and doing squats while carrying a two-hundred pound partner. My arms and legs were about to fall off after that; and these were only the warm-ups!

The rest of the training session was easy after that (not to mention fun). It gets embarrassing sometimes, though--especially when you're partnered with a pretty girl and you're told to hit her (although we do use pads and such--you don't hit anyone directly). Of course, she has no such qualms. After a while, though, adrenaline takes over, and all you see are the pads. You punch, elbow, knee and kick those pads like your life depended on it. Sometimes, you inadvertently hit your partner, as I've (painfully) found out (knees to the groin are not fun).

What's great is that I get to burn calories while learning self-defense at the same time. Hopefully I'm never in a situation where I need to use what I've learned, but it's always nice to be prepared.

Oh Christmas Tree

We decided not to get a tree this Christmas. The main reason is that the kids are in their terrible twos, and are prone to just grab ornaments and pull, risking (a) injury and (b) an electrical fire or two. It was supposed to be the year we switched from a real tree to a fake one; we put that off as well.

Instead, we went all out decorating outside. We have the snowman, and the snowflake lights, and even put a garland around the front door. The ornaments that were supposed to go on the tree went to the garland instead. Thankfully, everything's pretty tasteful and understated (in as much as a snowman in California is understated). No Mickey Mouse skating around beside Santa Claus, the baby Jesus, and a big cross with an inflatable snow globe and a Christmas tree in the background (yes, that's one of our neighborhood displays. Talk about tacky).

Hopefully next year we do get a tree. It was always fun putting it up, then my mother-in-law shooing us all away as she trimmed it. That was her baby.

It's a Sony

My friend recently lucked into a PS3 this past Tuesday. He was heading to Circuit City to pick up Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when his wife called him up, telling him that Best Buy had the PS3 in stock. He immediately drove there, paid $50 for a pick up ticket, and scored a PS3. When he left, there were still 30 in stock.

Lucky bastard, huh? Except his kids really want a Wii. Whoops.

So, now, he just wants to return the PS3. He thought about putting it on eBay, but decided that it was more trouble than it was worth (plus he feels guilty about fleecing people). I told him to just sell it to our other friends.

I admire him for not succumbing to greed (i.e. selling it on eBay). Hopefully the good karma will net him a Wii before Christmas.

Say It Ain't So, Greg!

The news that Greg Page is leaving the Wiggles was quite shocking and sad. We've been quite fond of Greg's silky-smooth vocals, and his replacement Sam (Professor Singalottasonga) just isn't the same.

First Larissa, now Greg. *sigh*

At least we got to see the original Wiggles in concert before Greg left.

Be Yourself

I feel like I just got tagged by Calai.

IF YOU WERE A _______, WHAT WILL YOU BE, AND WHY?

1. An ulam/meal

Fried Chicken. Because I've eaten so much in my entire life, it's a wonder I haven't started clucking yet. KFC extra crispy please! (nothing beats homemade, though)

2. A furniture piece

A table, because you can put a lot of stuff on it and it just sits there, not complaining.

3. An item of clothing or apparel

A white T-shirt. Comfy, yet bland. No prints--okay, maybe a small understated logo at front chest pocket, which you have to really look at to notice.

4. An album or a song.

Alanis Morrissette, Jagged Little Pill. Because I literally lived that entire album.

5. A fruit or vegetable

A tomato. Because it could be either a fruit or a vegetable, depending on who you ask. Thus spake the Gemini. Plus it's a base in so many dishes.

6. An animal.

A turtle. Slow but steady.

7. A place.

Orange County, California. The weather rarely changes, but a lot of times it's smoggy. And sometimes the Santa Ana winds causes wildfires.

8. A cartoon character.

I love Family Guy. It would be quite interesting to be Quagmire (giggity!), but I'm more like Brian (a bit too serious for his own good). Although Brian's a drunk, and I don't really drink. Maybe Adam We?

9. An office item/ equipment

A Solaris box running Oracle. Because I'm chock-full of useless information.

10. An international celebrity/ personality.

Someone British, I would think, since my sense of humor leans towards the English. Maybe John Cleese, but not as funny.

11. A book.

One of those books filled with fascinating trivia that proves ultimately useless in the grand scheme of things. In my college days I would be a compilation of "Dear Abby" columns, since I was a sounding board for a lot of friends, both male and female.

12. A movie.

Dead Again. Because it had Roman and Marga(ret) as main characters. Marga and I always got a kick out of it. Ah, carpool days.

13. A mode of transportation.

A Mack truck. Starts slow, but then keeps on truckin'. Plus, Optimus Prime was a Mack Truck. Awesome.

Come Stop Your Crying, It'll Be All Right

Funny how a song reduces a guy to tears. I hosted a wedding reception this past Thanksgiving, and the groom danced with his mom to "You'll Be In My Heart", by Glenn Close from Tarzan. And boy, was he emotional. Tears were flowing down his cheeks. I looked at his buddies, and they were practically bawling as well. Their partners were looking at them in bemusement.

It is a bittersweet song, I have to admit. I get misty-eyed when I see the scene where that song is played--Kala singing it to baby Tarzan. That along with "The Living Years" by Mike+the Mechanics remind me how much I appreciate my parents. They also remind me that I'm a parent now, and hope that one day my kids appreciate me as well.

Excuse me--something's in my eye.

Pacman Power

I saw the Pacquiao-Morales fight last Saturday on a glorious 60-inch HDTV (my brother-in-law's). It was pretty cool--I'm not that big a fan of boxing, but I have to admit Pacman was pretty impressive. That last knockdown reminded me of Roberto Duran, though (¡No más!); Pacquiao hardly touched him. Morales just went down on his own, and quit.

Oh, and the Nuno-Viloria undercard? Vilario was robbed. Not just because he's a fellow Pinoy, but c'mon, Nuno got knocked down twice.

THIEF!

Somebody stole my Creative Zen Micro MP3 player over the weekend at work. I had left it in my work drawer and had forgotten it (something I had done for the past month). Today, when I wanted to block out the world while I worked, it was gone.

Bastard (or bitch, as the case may be).

What's worrisome is that someone was actually going through our drawers after work--one of my co-workers lost a small optical mouse for notebooks.

Anyway, the silver lining is that I get to buy a new one. My wife's asking if I want an iPod (which they're giving away at her company's Chrismas party), but I'm looking at alternatives (I have a decent-sized WMA collection, which would be painful to convert). Right now I'm looking at the iRiver clix, the Sansa E260, and the Cowon iAudio U3. I'm leaning towards the Sansa, if only because Costco has a great deal on it, but the clix is tempting.

Zune? Um...a bit over my budget, and first gen products just aren't my thing.

You've Got Mail

The Mail Fairy was good to me today.

First off, she delivered my very first non-kit lens, a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. I've never used a prime lens before, but I guess it's time to get serious about learning how to take good photos. Besides, my sister-in-law is getting married next week, and I promised her I'll take candid shots. Good practice, that.

Speaking of Prime...

Then, she brought me my Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Edition DVD, complete with lenticular cover. Remember? "Bah Weep Grah Nah Weep Nini Bong". Oh, and "Megatron must be stopped--no matter the cost." Can't forget the classic songs "You've Got The Touch!" (immortalized by Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights) and "Dare".

Finally, she brought me my Cars lenticular poster, which came free from Best Buy. It's a nice 11x17 poster; while I'm not that big a fan of the movie (it's still The Incredibles for me), freebies are always nice. This one was especially impressive.

Hopefully she brings me more good stuff during the holidays!

Lake Show

I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a particularly big fan of the Lakers. Showtime...irks me. I was so happy when Detroit just crushed the so-called Dream Team of Shaq, Kobe, Glove and Mailman--and I'm not even particularly fond of Detroit!

The 2006 edition of the Lakers, though...well, they just seem so likable. Andrew Bynum's coming up aces, Jordan Farmar is pretty good, Rony Turiaf is coming along, and Luuuuuuuke Walton is playing well. You gotta feel for what Lamar Odom went through as well.

The fact that they're doing it without Kobe at 100% is pretty cool. The fact that they opened at 3-1 is pretty amazing (not as amazing as, say, the Hawks, but amazing nonetheless).

What happens when Kobe is at 100% will be interesting, to say the least. Will he disrupt the chemistry at all? What about those Garnett for Bynum and Odom rumors? How will that affect the team if it comes to pass? I think they'd be crazy to do it, since Bynum could develop into a monster.

Any chance that this makes me a Laker fan? Nope. =)

Of Dental X-Rays and College Theses

I'm no stranger to dental offices; ever since I was a little kid I've been in and out of the dentist's chair. If it wasn't braces, it would be a root canal. Wisdom teeth extraction. Prophylaxis (which always provided a quick laugh or two, bringing up images of teeth condoms. But I digress), at the very least.

I've gotten so used to the dentist that I sometimes fall asleep on the chair, even while they're performing some painful stuff on my teeth and gums. No anesthetic; I just get pretty relaxed. The sound of the drill is soothing--at least to me.

Anyway, this past weekend the family (daddy, mommy and the kids) was in the office getting a regular teeth cleaning. I got my dental x-rays done as well. Now, I remember dental x-rays taking a long time; they would do the x-ray, and then send them out for processing. After a couple of weeks they would call me back, show me the x-rays, and then tell me I needed more stuff done (boy, was I a gold mine for dentists everywhere).

Now? It's all computers, baby. My x-rays were ready on the screen as soon as they took the bite wings out of my mouth. Nothing surprising, really, but it got me thinking: boy, this would've been a great thesis way back in my senior year. Instead, we came up with a pathfinding algorithm. Nothing sexy, just a lot of coding, but it did the job, and managed to graduate.

Still, though, imagine if we had done this back then! Oh, it would've been an expensive thesis, and I believe the school would've owned it (so we wouldn't have made any money, really), but it would've been so exciting! So groundbreaking!

Oh, well. Shoulda-woulda-coulda. At least the x-rays showed that I didn't have any cavities.

Halloween - The Disney Princess Edition

Today marks the fourth Halloween we've celebrated in this house. The first year it was only me and my sister-in-law (no kids yet, and PJ was still at work). The second year was when Amelie and Camille were six months old, and dressed up as pig and cow. Last year was the third, and the kids dressed up as witches.

This year was the Disney Princess year.

The night started quietly enough. I set up the table and the candies on our front step, and waited around for the first kids to show. Sure enough, three kids came around along with their mom--or was it their sister? Her cleavage confused me. Not that I minded too much, but it seemed inappropriate--like she was heading to a party right after, and she was hurrying the kids along.

Anyway, there was a steady stream of kids after that (with more appropriately dressed parents). One thing I noticed was that the kids more often than not just took one piece of candy when told that they could take whatever they wanted (probably because they were being watched closely by their parents). The most popular item seemed to be the Skittles, Sour Bursts and Starbursts (yup, the "fruit" candies).

Around 6-ish the kids were finally dressed up in their Princess costumes, ready to get their candies. Amelie dressed as Cinderella, while Camille went as Aurora. They looked really regal in their outfits, although the tiaras didn't seem to agree with them. Mommy came home, and off we went to trick-or-treat.

The girls were shy at first, but eventually they warmed up, with Camille even learning "trickortreat!" It got a bit too chilly, though, and we headed home after hitting around ten houses.

They seemed to enjoy it, though (especially the candy part). Hopefully next year they're a bit less shy, and they can walk up and ring the doorbell on their own. Wonder what their costume would be then, though...

Very Short Stories

Wired has this story about several authors that came up with very short stories (6 words!). The list of authors is pretty stellar--Neil Gaiman, Arthur Clarke, Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Alan Moore--heck, even Steve Meretzky, Infocom god, had an entry.

The most poignant one, though, was from Ernest Hemmingway:

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

It can be read many different ways--but to me (as a dad), it's pretty heartbreaking.

Stating the Obvious

"A new study from the University of Illinois indicates that more weight in the car means lower gas mileage."

In other news, studies have shown that water is wet.

Someone actually funded this study? Oy.

Play Ball!

The NBA season is going to be starting any day now (actually, next week). I haven't really been following that closely; my love for the NBA has been eclipsed by the NFL and MLB (go Cards!) I don't really pay attention until the playoffs--and then it's more about the teams I don't want to see win. I do have a couple of things I'd like to see:

(1) Yao Ming do well. Playoffs for the Rockets!
(2) Orlando make the playoffs with Dwight, Darko and JJ. I think they will, but I'm not sure how far they'll go.
(3) The Clippers repeating (if not surpassing) their run
(4) A rematch of Suns/Lakers in the first round
(5) King James vs Flash in the Eastern Conference Finals
(6) Timmy wins another championship. Yes, I like boring.
(7) Raja Bell vs Ron Artest. Did you see Raja Bell take on Brad Miller? Wow.

How do I see the playoffs shaking out? Hmm...

WESTERN:
(1) Lakers/Suns, Rockets/Mavericks, Clippers/Nuggets, Spurs/Hornets
(2) Suns/Mavericks, Spurs/Clippers
(3) Mavericks/Spurs
(4) Spurs

EASTERN
(1) Bulls/Pistons, Heat/Magic, Cavs/Wizards, Nets/Pacers
(2) Bulls/Heat, Cavs/Nets
(3) Heat/Cavs
(4) Heat

Spurs in six.

With that, I just jinxed the Spurs. Oh well.

Master Baker

Heh. That was our team name way back in college, when we were performing systems analysis on a bakery.

Anyway, after our apple-picking at Julian, we had a bunch of apples we didn't know what to do with. One of my ma-in-law's friends sent us a recipe for apple loaf. Came out pretty well (my kids loved it). A bit too much sugar, though--I'll probably cut it back next time.

APPLE LOAF
4 cups apples, peeled and diced
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted then cooled
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs

Mix the apples and the sugar in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and let sit at room temperature for two hours. Watch a football game or something.

Mix the flour, baking soda and cinammon in another bowl. Combine with the apple/sugar mixture. Mix the butter, eggs and vanilla together with this mixture. Keep mixing until it's combined pretty well.

Heat up the oven to 375 degrees. Grease/spray down two 4.5 x 8.5 loaf pans. Pour enough mixture into each. Bake for 90 minutes. Cool in the pans. Enjoy!