gigamatic

Friday's contest (a new one, at work) is going to be a dessert contest. It's for charity, but it's always nice to try to win one of the prizes. I'm tempted to bake the "Great Cookies", but also am considering trying something completely different.

I'm not really known for desserts. I bake cookies, and I'll make a quick trifle in the summertime. I make a decent pound cake, and I can doctor up a mix to make a decent birthday-type cake.

I'm tempted to try flan. Or rice pudding.

Or pina colada cake, since I have coconut and coconut milk.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didnt ever think that I would say this, but I think I have uncontrollable figure-lust.

Ok, maybe not uncontrollable, but it won't subside. Whenever a line I collect goes dormant, my eye wanders and something else catches my eye. Sometimes, characters I have NO care about-- example: Iron Man.

He's pretty, and I WANT ONE. But, no, I don't. BUT HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL! MUST HAVE! But no, that's silly. Irrational. I've never read an Iron Man comic; I barely know anything about the character; outside of video games, I've never really paid much attention. Plus, I'm a DC Comics guy...

But he's so wicked sweet. And the 6" is just as good as the 12". I'm considering the 12", when NOTHING I COLLECT is in that scale? WTF.

IRRATIONAL. ILLOGICAL. MUST HAVE.

See, this is why I need to get that new website up. The one Despotes, Evebird, Spectro, and I have talked about. The one that spun out of my writing on Trusty Sidekicks.

I'm taking a class this quarter in Flash. Interestingly enough, the first few projects could lend themselves to a site such as that. Hmmm. The last project is something completely different, which MIGHT be able to be integrated, depending on what features I think Flash would be better suited to.

And, I think I want to buy a little turntable for the lightbox. I'm sure Nala wouldn't mind.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A and I were talking today about grumpy old person stuff. A major blogpost is coming.

Posted by gigamatt at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every time I see a little kid with long bushy hair, I think of a kid I was in kindergarten with. He was the only kid I ever knew with that hair till college. He was super-cool, and well-liked by all... fun, funny, and (by kindergartener standards, anyway) a good person.

I could not for the life of me remember his name. For weeks (maybe months), whenever I would see a kid with that hair, I'd think of this kid and go "damn, why can I not remember his name?"

Well, because I'm old. But that's beside the point.

Today, I remembered his first name. Roger. I know no other Rogers, nor have I met any, that I can remember. It's such a normal name, but I know none. Maybe that's why I couldn't remember it -- after decades, I've had nobody else to associate that name with.

Never knew what happened to Roger. I assume he moved away after kindergarten.

Maybe KC knows. I'll have to email her and see.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just got word today from my mom that her aunt M died yesterday... the last of her generation. *counts on fingers* Confirmed: that's it. I'm hoping there'll be more news soon. The obit wasnt anywhere I could find, and the chain of emails skipped me, as it did my mom.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I managed to get up on time this morning, but alas, I still ran barely on time thanks to a nosebleed and a cat who didn't want to take his meds. I did manage to find my gym clothes and get my gym bag together, and shave, and gather my books for class, and start the next load of laundry, get coffee made, and feed and poop the hoont.

Of course, then I remembered I had to take the garbage out. And scrape my windshield.

Tonight, I'll make sure I get everything together for tomorrow morning, so all I have to do is grab stuff and run. Although, I won't get home till 8:30, and then I'll need dinner, and I'll need to read a chapter for tomorrow's class.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are more "regular" in schedule, but those are the days I have to take the time to do the readings and do the Flash homework. UGH. Seriously... I should just invest in a license for Adobe CS 3 Design Premium. It's about half the price of regular academic if I buy through school. (Watch the spam flood in on this post, too. Wow.)

Today, at lunch, I'm going to try to buy some new khakis and a new pair of shoes. I know I have a new pair somewhere in the house, but I need 2 pr to alternate. The ones I'm wearing today are disintegrating, and should be used as my working-at-home pair. And, I need a few more sets of gym clothes.

Tomorrow, I have an eye appointment -- after which, I'll order my new glasses lenses -- the first new pair in 9 years. Of course, it'll be right before lunchtime, and I'll be dilated. Hopefully lunchtime will be long enough for me to recover and get back to work.

It's going to be an exciting quarter. I just need to figure out how and when to eat and study. Sleep shouldn't be an issue.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

iz lent.

Hope ham iz ok.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You've seen me at Thanksgiving, right?

Yeah, well, picture me with only 4 people to feed, but with pastels and bunny cakes. And ham-related food items that I wanted to make "better". I've got a list of things I want to get done, and I'm really cutting things close, time-wise. I have no fear, everything will be fine. Gotta make sure I have antacids on hand, tho.

SO, anyway, happy belated St. Pats, happy Easter, happy new job to Kelmeister.

(And happy birthday to the SwedishElf, who turns 28 on Sunday).

Now, how much liquor will I need to make Ghost Rider bearable? Eh, who cares, with Kelmeister there, I'll be laughing so hard I won't hear the movie! :)

And before I forget, happy birthday to Naladahc! Whether he's grumpy or not :)

Posted by gigamatt at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My friend, Hawk's Mom, just ran a 5k in Athens a couple weekends ago.

5k? That (according to MW) is about 3.1mi.

3.1mi? I can do that!

Seriously. I can. It should be an easy training goal to go from a comfortable jog on a flat treadmill to a (faster) jog over hill and dale.

So, my training goal in the next month or two will be to get so I can run 5k easily. Then, as spring approaches, start running with Hawk's Mom and Chloe's Dad. And maybe Jamie and MW.

You heard it.

I've been trying to eat healthier this week, and so far (aside from yesterday's pizza) have been doing much better, making healthier choices at work and at lunchtime. Of course, that goes out the window tomorrow, when I'm making Easter dinner.

Posted by gigamatt at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

despite the sun, i'm in a bizarre state of mind today.

i feel like i'm spinning wheels, not getting anything accomplished. and for the most part, that's true. i tried to get a lot done this morning, but ended up not getting anything tangible completed. i tried to get more done at lunch, and failed there, too. i couldn't find the piece of the puzzle i needed to be able to complete a project, so i wasted a trip home.

...

I've only ever caught glimpses of myself laughing. 3 years ago, in California, someone took a picture of me and Fab J. I thought the wrinkles were a fluke.

I was wrong.

This morning, while shaving, I made a similar face, and much to my horror, I caught elephant skin looking back at me. Laugh-lines, sure... I can handle that. But this? This is more serious. I've seen it in my hands, too. My mom fought it off for decades... me, it seems I've either got to fight it now to "hold the line" or just give up.

Frankly, I'm set to just give up.

...

Mr. Pickles and Kelmeister are coming over tomorrow to celebrate Kel's new job. Hooray! Bad movie night! And, since it's Easter, potatoes and ham, and a cake! Mmm, cake!!

...

Work crap has got me upset, too.

Dammit, I just want to get something done.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

lately, i've been (as my mom would say) "snippy".

i've had a bad day today, that every minor bad thing has compounded against my mood till i was an angry, rage-filled mess by noon. and then i alternated between that and just wanting to go home and try to adjust back to what I consider "normal"... but that is not to be.

i lost my whole lunch hour by running an ill-fated errand based on what a technician told me to do to fix a problem.

i nearly lost it there, and then i screamed and stewed all the way back to work. and then my mood went from anger to sadness because i realized i was helpless to fix the issues which kept compounding all day.

i haven't yet vented about the last thing, because i seem to be readjusting to the levels of adrenaline coursing through my veins, and I'm in a current state of relative calm.

and my day is only half over.

Posted by gigamatt at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Got 4 tables for the toy show. 2 for me, 2 for Jack-of-all-Geeks (and Jill?)
Evebird volunteered to help. WH is passing.

If anybody else wants in, let me know before the end of the month and I can add on tables for $40.

It's been a fun (albeit work-filled) weekend in the past, and I'm hoping to make enough to pay for BotCon at least. (hotel + admission, anyway.)

Posted by gigamatt at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

with no end in sight (yet), chester is now on an oral prednisone once daily, and an antibiotic twice daily. the doc did a skin-scraping, flea inspection, and full exam yesterday, and found nothing, aside from the obvious. and, more hair loss. fun. he's now missing a patch on the back of his neck, too.

he's feeling better today, after nearly tearing my hand off yesterday, and howling through the antibiotic drinking this morning.

next steps will be a treatment that "changes the way his body processes allergies" (super expensive) or changing both cats to a hypoallergenic food for 8 weeks. and the option of veterinary dermatologists.

different vet yesterday... and more talkative. i feel like i know what the options are, but i'm still worried as to what the hell he's allergic too.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, Chester's itchy spot is back with a vengeance. I'd been monitoring it, and it wasn't getting worse, for sure. He'd finally started acting normally, so I thought it was going to be all good.

Today, though, I went home for lunch, and the spot is clearly visible, 3x the size of when I first took him in. And red and seeping blood. Same as when I first took him in.

What the hell? Seriously.

So, back to the vet I go, today at 4:30, only after txting The Sis to make sure of what I shouldn't let the vet do. I seriously want this healed, whatever it is, and I don't want my cat to have diabetes in addition to allergies. (Apparently cortisone at his advanced age is something that can cause diabetes, especially when double-dosed like he was the last time.)

I may try and get the vet to trim his claws while I'm in, too. And, at least, I want to see some sort of bandaging and antibiotics or something to MAKE HIM HEAL.

Posted by gigamatt at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some of you know that my workplace has been crazy this quarter. I worked A LOT of overtime in Jan and Feb, and I knew that was going to happen, so I didn't sign up for classes. And, I had had to drop classes fall quarter, and that cost me money, and worst of all, time towards graduation.

So, I am behind... I should've graduated spring quarter.

Now, I'm starting another huge project at work at the beginning of a new quarter. And, in there, I've got a vacation scheduled (in Cincinnati). And a conference (in Athens).

I spent the last hour contacting professors, gathering syllabi and notes, and ordering books for Spring quarter. Yes, I'm a little retarded, as I've loaded up with two senior and graduate level classes, and I'll be working full time. But, dammit, I want to be done with school SO bad. 10 credit hours. 100 pages of reading every night, plus projects every week in Flash. And 50+ hours per week at work.

April is going to be bad -- the toy show is going to suck some time doing inventory. Then, I'll be out for 4 days in Cincinnati. May is not going to be AS bad, with 4 days in Athens.

In June, I'll be done with those two courses, and the project at work, and ready for the last course over the summer, if all goes well.

I know I'm being optimistic that I'll stick it out in both classes, but I kind of feel like I have to... or else I'm stuck waiting till next Spring to finish, and that's NOT cool.

Posted by gigamatt at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

after i got a triple triple score with a bingo for "sidecars" against Beef Power, everybody quit playing me.

*sigh*

Posted by gigamatt at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

alaska: juneau
hawaii: honolulu
california: sacramento
oregon: portland
washington: seattle
idaho:
nevada: reno
new mexico:
arizona: phoenix
colorado: denver
montana: helena
wyoming:
utah: salt lake city
nebraska:
north dakota:
south dakota:
arkansas:
iowa:
kansas: topeka
oklahoma: oklahoma city
texas: houston
missouri: st. louis
wisconsin:
minnesota: minneapolis
illinois: chicago
indiana: indianapolis
michigan: detroit
louisiana:
mississippi:
kentucky: lexington
tennessee: knoxville
ohio: columbus
florida: tallahassee
georgia: atlanta
south carolina:
north carolina:
virginia:
west virginia:
maryland: annapolis
delaware: dover
pennsylvania: harrisburg
new jersey:
new york: albany
massachusetts: boston
connecticut: hartford
rhode island: providence
vermont: montpelier
new hampshire: concord
maine: augusta

Posted by gigamatt at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...than being surrounded by 3 beautiful young coeds who think you're a life-saver at 8:30am.

Posted by gigamatt at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ok, maybe more than two.

one: i voted. quick and easy. amazingly so. the line for my last name was super short (as will nala's probably be!) shocked to see kucinich and edwards still on the ballot.

two: happy birthday chuck and brian. brian, I hope it's a great one -- and there will be beer. lots of luck this weekend!

three: well wishes go out to mr and mrs despotes as baby bot arrives today!

and four: wtf, RAIN? up to 3 inches total expected (since last night)? i know march has crazy weather, but mother nature could give those folks all over the state with flooded homes a break for a while.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So, as the Swedish Elf said at lunch today... it's a weird day.

The weather is that perfect springtime sun and temperature -- just in time for 3" of rain tonight and tomorrow. The wind is terrible. I was planning on fixing the garage downspout tonight, but it seems I won't get home before the rain, if Weather.com is correct. And with the gusts, I'm not really sure I want to carry some downspouts in the (open) back of my truck.

I was thinking just now about Athens in the springtime, and I came across Shannon's blog, and that made me think immediately of Shawn R-not-Austrian, and that made me really sad. But then I got a good laugh, imagining him flailing about wildly with his cane, trying to stand up in the wind.

Most of my friends who read this blog never got to meet Shawn, and I wish you had. He really was one of my best friends, and had a sense of humor just as silly and twisted as Kelmeister, but with a gentler nature. I miss that. Luckily, I still get some of the absurdity and silliness from Nala, and Kelmeister, but nobody will replace the skaterpunk with the cane and the scooter.

It's funny -- I can't get too sad, because every time I do, I think of some other funny thing he did. But this weather reminds me of him -- scurrying around campus on his scooter (or, with his cane, at first), struggling against the wind, trying to make it home before the monsoon.

Picture Drew Carey, but shorter, as a skaterpunk, and funny. With some physical comedy thrown in. "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" And I'm giggling writing this.

I was listening to NPR this weekend and they were talking about laughter, and how babies usually start laughing around about 90 days old. Of course there were a lot of clips of people (and kids) laughing, in that uncontrollable way, and I have to say how glad I am to have Kel and Nala around, to still make me laugh like that.

Posted by gigamatt at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had my day mostly planned.

1) drink coffee.
2) do taxes.
3) take stuff to goodwill.
4) maybe go to gym.
5) do some family research.
6) watch tv/movie.
7) fix one plumbing issue. maybe both.

I always have extra work to do at my job. always. it's a given. but, i really thought i could slack this weekend, and not go in. now, i got an email which means probably another 10 hours of support time. along with the 10 hours I got from last week.

every "one hour" request turns into many hours due to the fact that the sites were not developed with the additions that are being currently requested in mind.

this on top of two app rewrites which need to happen, which were going to be my weekend projects in the next two weeks, as part of my monthly goals. and the deployment of a new file server.

if (and this is a big if) my next major project didnt launch this coming week, i might have had time to fit this all into my normal schedule, but with security scanning and reporting, and these new requests which "must be completed by next friday" (I call shenanigans, btw!) I can't possibly get it all done.

"oh it should only take an hour or two" from one faction who has no idea what's involved equals 10-12 hours of misery for me.

i need to get dressed and go to work.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)