Friday, April 30th 2004

Woohoo! It's Friday. As soon as I got home, I went over to Brooks Brothers @ Short Hills Mall to pick out some new clothes. Well, I was thinking about getting some business casual shirts, but they were all around $100, and pants too. so I didn't bother. Hell, I can go to the Gap or BR for that. I wouldn't mind a new suit, but they were $698. I saw that tag, I let go of the suit really carefully, and walked away slowly, backward, trying not to make any sudden movements. I ended up purchasing 4 new ties, and using the $20 gift certificate, got a pair of boxers too. The problem is, you buy the ties, but you never know which your wife/girlfriend/gay lover will like, and which ones they'll think are hideous or old. Two of the ties she likes, but the other two.....she'll think about it in the morning.

How is purchasing a tie so complicated?

After much discussing, the wife and I are going to wait another year to purchase a house. We could rush into it in October, or we could wait a year, and be diesel by next October. Tough decision, but we're going to wait. I think we're also going to bypass all the condos and townhouses, and go for an actual house. Wish us luck as we start saving.

T'wolves finally made it to the 2nd round. It's about time. Also, Pistons beat the Bucks, and now they're going to play the Nets. Oh man, I'm going to receive taunting calls from Paul and Sean every day next week.

Watched Shorties Watchin' Shorties on Comedy Central this week. Interesting, but not quite sure what to make of it. I'll give another shot.

It's official: I'm going to have a drink tomorrow. Hell, maybe even a couple. We're meeting up with a few folks at Sugar (bar/lounge/restaurant) tomorrow night. We haven't gone out in a while (we're stupid married people nowadays), so this should be a treat.

Thursday, April 29th 2004

Tonight is "Yearbook Nite", as Num has to drop off the final yearbook materials tomorrow. Yes, all the finishing touches, after all these months. I just scanned the final 70 photos, and I think the scanner is still smoking.

To my wife's chagrin, the cycling tv show season has officially begun. I'm currently watching OLN's coverage of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Road World Cup Road Cycling race from Belgium. The race covers more than 250km through the dreaded Ardennes Hills in Belgium. Just watching them climbing what seemed to be never-ending hills, my legs and lungs hurt. I also watched season premiere of The Lance Chronicles, as it follows Lance Armstrong around as he prepares for the Tour de France in July.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey is hot. If I wasn't married, and if she returned my phone calls, we would so be an item.

I'm glad Friday is around the corner. Speaking of Fridays, they just announced at work that starting in June, we'll be business casual all five weekdays for June, July, and August. We'll also still have half-day Fridays in July and August. However, since they've made June completely business casual, we'll no longer have Casual Fridays September through May.

Grumble grumble. I'll stop bitching.

Tomorrow night, I'm heading to the nearest Brooks Brothers store with a $20 gift certificate they sent me for my birthday (yeah, for my birthday!), and a 25% off coupon. I may pick up a new tie, or 1-3 extra shirts. Maybe a cool pink or purple shirt? I wonder if I could pull it off, being Indian and all.

Jerry Seinfeld for American Express

American Express has an interesting video (basically a web commercial) featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Superman (voiced by Patrick Warburton). It's not bad. There will be another one available sometime later. Speaking of American Express, I would really like to have a Gold or Platinum card. I think it'd just be cool to have them. The Platinum card has some excellent built-in features, like instant access to select airport clubs, automatic hotel room upgrades at select hotel chains, etc. So what's holding me up? Well, the annual fees. To "have the privilege" to own the Gold card, it's $135 annually, and $35 for each additional card. Yikes, but it gets worse. The Platinum card costs $395 a year, and about $135 for each additional card.

Cool to have? Yes. Worth an annual fee, so that I can spend their money? That remains to be seen.

I really want a Tivo. I also want a house.

This weekend, we're taking my mother-in-law to see Mamma Mia! as an early Mother's Day gift. In the evening, Num and I may go clubbing Saturday night (location TBD). On Sunday, I going to try to do 50 miles on my bike. The bike tour is less than a month away, and I need the practice.

Wednesday, April 28th 2004

I think she sleeps more often than Num

Isn't she so cute? Cutesy, wootsey. Missy wissy. Ah, never mind.

Dinner with my parents was not the disaster I expected. It actually went well. Num's food, as always, was excellent. Chicken fry, Lemon rice, and some green bean thing. Although no one else had room, I had a wee bit o' the Fudge Ripple ice cream in the freezer that was supposed to be dessert. Chumps.

Alright, pictures galore. The first batch is from the ShadFest thingy from Saturday. That's Teena, who joined us (eventually). Unfortunately, no amount of distraction could part her from her funnel cake. The last three pictures are from my parents' place Saturday night, where my cousin's family drove up from Maryland to visit for the weekend.

Parked far away, had to take a school bus!	It's a street fair	and live bands!	You can almost smell the Apple Pie...and Granny	Horse carriage rides?
Even good-lookin' men	Nice church on Main St, no less	No comment	A river runs through it	Duck? Duck? Goose?
Picturesque	The river separating NJ & PA	See? Pennsylvania	Num and Teena, and Teena's Pennsylvanian ice cream
Pradeep, Ira, and Num	Pradeep and newborn son Maher	My parents and Pradeep's dad. You should know Julie by now

I'm up to $225 in pledges so far for the MS Bike Tour. I'm still about $800 away from my goal, with less than a month to go. If you haven't pledged yet, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I'm getting a little nervous!

Tuesday, April 27th 2004

There really hasn't been too much interesting in the news. Just more Iraq stuff, which I read constantly.

Speaking of which, here's a neat little thing that my mother-in-law forwarded me. Go to Google, and type in the phrase "weapons of mass destruction", but instead of hitting SEARCH, hit the I'm FEELING LUCKY button. Read the entire "error" message. Kinda funny. It's not Google, but a website in England. No, no one at Google is making a political statement.

Went to this ShadFest this past Saturday, and then to my parents' place as some relatives had drove up from Maryland to visit. I took plenty of pictures, but I haven't had a chance to work on them. Later this week.

Speaking of my parents, they're coming over tonight to the apartment (yes, here, finally), but not for a friendly chit-chat, or to see the apartment or the cat. It's to talk "business". More on that later, if the talks go anywhere.

Sometimes I hate doing the bills. "Well if I move $100 here, that means....." blech.

Friday, Apri 23rd 2004

Went with Doug after work for a quick dinner, and to catch up with each other. We ate at a diner on 23rd St, but the bill came out to $60 with tip. I have never been to a diner, where the final bill cost that much. Two sodas, 3 entrees (one to take home to the wife), and Doug's dessert. Food, tax, and tip came out to $60. WTF.

After all the talk, I'm participating in the 2004 MS Bike Tour to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I'll be cycling 50 miles on May 22nd down in Sandy Hook, NJ. Should be interesting, and I've got to start preparing. I can do 25 miles easy, as long as the trip is scenic. 50 miles is more than I've ever done, but I've heard it isn't so bad. I'll just need to eat a good dinner the night before, get plenty of rest, and buy one of those hydration packs for my back. Don't forget the nasty Powerbars.

My goal is to personally raise $1000, and I'm currently looking for sponsors. If you sponsor me, you'll certainly be helping an excellent cause for a terrible disease. Please visit the link above, and pledge/sponsor me. Look for me, and I'll be participating in New Jersey. Thanks to Ranjith, Num, and my Mother-in-Law for being my first sponsors!

Thursday, April 22nd 2004

It's my birthday!

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, sent me cards, and coworkers who took me out to lunch.

"Hmm, spaghetti. It has been too long. I have missed you."

Also, thanks to Jim Jacob, who felt it necessary to celebrate my birthday by putting a very large, unflattering picture of me on his website. Fortunately, I have the last laugh -- at least I'm not from Texas!

In the evening, Num and I went to Makeda's in New Brunswick. Excellent Ethiopian cuisine.

I can't believe I'm 28. Traditionally, I stay up until 1:15am, reflecting about my life, where I've been, where I'm going. However, everything is going great in life: I'm going up the career ladder, married the girl I like, I'm paying down the bills, and working on my savings account. So, I just slept....peacefully.

Tuesday, April 20th 2004

Damn, it's hot. Last night, we had to start the air conditioner to make it bearable. I might just have to do it again tonight.

The calendar is filling up awfully fast for the next two months: Going to see Mamma Mia!, a cruise around NY with I.S. auditors, and a dinner for internal auditors. Hmm, just doesn't sound interesting, does it?

Sunday, April 18th 2004

Saw Kill Bill: Vol 2. Pretty decent. I may want to watch it again to fully appreciate it. When I saw Vol 1 in the theater, I thought it was good, but not that good. After watching it on DVD, I really liked it. I'm going to see this again before I make a final judgement. I do think it was entertaining. I did like Vol 1 better than this movie, only because of all the great samurai sword fighting.

Added more links, like iFilm.com, ESPN (you should already have this bookmarked), and this funny reimagining of the Exorcist, except with bunnies. I had a laugh. As Julie says, "The power of Christ compels you!!!" Hey, I'm all about the cheap laugh. Also, cheap come-ons.

Speaking of laughs, just watched the new Chris Rock: Never Scared comedy special that we taped from last night on HBO. Hilarious, yet so foul. He's just too good for words. Clean ones, anyway.

Alright, after getting the "Women don't find spandex attractive" speech from both my sister and my wife (because I like cycling clothes), I feel like I need to explain the appeal of cycling clothing.

[Deep breath] Alright, it's not supposed to be "attractive", but I sure don't think it's ugly. I think a cyclist can look good in cycling clothing...when you're on a bike. Not walking around Stop & Shop, looking for the olives. There is a difference between tooling around on your bike on a lazy weekend afternoon, and really riding. If you're just going to the store, or just ride around the block, anything you wear is fine.

If you're going to go mountain biking, or distance cycling like I do, then you need the right clothes.

• breathable socks
• breathable jersey (so the sweat will evaporate quickly and you won't get chilled from a damp shirt)
• breathable shorts that are padded (for the long rides)
• padded gloves to prevent numbness (and protection in case you fall)
• sunglasses for glare, but also to keep the wind from drying out your eyes
• a nice helmet to protect the old noggin'

I wouldn't go to a picnic wearing it, but it's not an unattractive outfit for the activity. You try to match the outfits, and maybe have some fun with the clothes. I started with plain one-color jerseys, but I want more fun ones, because a jersey advertising Corona beer, or "Viva La Mexico!", is slightly amusing. Well, better than plain old red or blue. I've got socks with the U.S. flag on them. Why not? A little humor never hurt.

When I'm dressed in those clothes, I look like a cyclist, made for speeding down the road, attacking a mountain, or flying down a hill. When I'm dressed in those clothes, and I'm standing out of the saddle, pumping my whole body, attacking a big, long, painful hill, I feel good. I'm not just out there for a Sunday stroll. I am dressed to accomplish something. When I'm dressed in those clothes, I am not out there for any other reason, except to pedal. I didn't end up out there by accident, huffing and puffing. I'm supposed to be there.

It is an awesome feeling.

So everybody out there mocking me about Lycra/Spandex clothing, shut the hell up.

Saturday, April 17th 2004

That darn Missy

Guess who's feeling better? She's eating more now, and I found poop in the litter. After confirming with the wife that it wasn't her's, it means Missy is better. $852 later. Oye. It's amazing how a little cat poop can make you feel better.

This weekend has been beautiful. Today, I went cycling down at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in the afternoon. It's called the Great Swamp Ride, and NJ provides cue sheets to give you directions to various rides around NJ. Last summer, my friend Gary and I had done Loop #1 (18.1 miles). By myself, I went and did Loop #2 (24.3 miles). Obviously, it was longer, and there were some painful hills, but the scenery was better. Loop #1 goes through more small towns, which is nice. However, I saw different portions of the Passaic River, horse farms, absolutely beautiful (and big) houses. Although the hills were painful, the downhills were amazing. I actually hit 34MPH down one hill. Guess what else? I hit a milestone -- since March 21st, I have ridden 101 miles. Good? Yes, very good, and it's only been a month. I won't have much in August, as I'll be in India, but the year is off to a good start. Anyway, here are pictures from my ride.

The road ahead	Horse farm	Pretty manicuring
Beautiful brick house, with a brook in front	Passaic river	Same river	Golf course	I am far away from home
	Cool mountainside, and a little pond at the bottom	Seriously far from home	Where I started my trip	Milestone day

Julie, Tania, Blessy

In the evening, Num and I went to a family gathering -- a "New Couples" thing. I don't know about all that, but hey, whatever. It was at my cousin Tania's house, even though she doesn't live with her parents anymore. I guess it was at my cousin Tania's parents' house. Oh whatever. Here, gander. Again, I had no rice, bread, ice cream, fruit, or other carbs. Bite me. Pictures in the Family gallery.

Tomorrow is another beautiful day, but I don't think I'm cycling. I need to rest the legs (they did not feel fresh yesterday on my ride after going running on Thursday). I'll rest them Sunday, and go running again Monday. In the evening, I'm meeting up with some of the boys to see Kill Bill: Vol 2. I hope to be thrilled by QT and Uma.

Wednesday, April 14th 2004

Missy is back. A little grouchy, though. She vomited again this evening, and still hasn't eaten anything, but this may take a while for her to clear up. I'm definitely sure she's glad to be back home.

Halle Berry as Catwoman

Uh, so Halle Berry is going to play Catwoman in a new movie (more photos here) this year, but it will have nothing to do with Gotham, Batman, Selina Kyle, nada. It's a "reimagining". Hmmmm, yeah. My question: How is Catwoman doing all this running, kicking, fighting, with those heels? Hell, is that halter top going to stop knives and bullets? Why is she wearing a halter top?

Alright, I was remiss in listing my buddy Josh's website. He called me on the carpet, and I had to make amends. Man, he's better at guilt-tripping than a woman.

The Apprentice Hotties

First, I've added a link for his site. Josh Jacob on the Links page.. Second, I'm mentioning it here. Finally, I told him I'd announce it here, accompanied by pictures of busty women. Well, I've had busty women here before, but I'd thought I do something special for you, Joshy. Some of the women from The Apprentice tv show did a spread for FHM magazine, and I got the hi-res photo from it.

Josh, this means I can sleep over at your new home next time I'm hanging out with you all in Houston.

Tuesday, April 13th 2004

Missy is still in the hospital, no change in her condition. Num did visit her today, and Missy was really happy to see her. As Num left, Missy was bawling loudly. Yeah, we're going to bring her home tomorrow. Maybe it'll clear up in a few more days. We can always take her back.

I miss her. I think I see the allure of having kids. They're annoying at times, but life is better when they're around.

Added a picture to yesterday's entry about the puppies. Heartbreaking.

Finished watching Kill Bill: Vol 1. I must say...

• The directing is great
• The music is great, and fits perfectly to the scenes
• The story is pretty darn good.

Plans are now set to see Vol 2 on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, it's supposed to hit 70 degrees. Actually, the weather is rainy and crappy this week, but it'll be sunny, and 60's - 70's this weekend. Something to look forward to.

I miss my stupid cat.

Monday, April 12th 2004

Missy is at the hospital tonight. Still not eating, yet she vomited again this morning (on the bed no less, but I put down extra bedding before going to sleep. The duvet was saved.) Anyway, we didn't want this to continue further, so Num took her this morning, and Missy will be staying there until at least tomorrow. We'll call for the prognosis in the afternoon, hoping that she's just not vomiting anymore. She's currently on antibiotics. At least most of the bloodwork has come back negative. Unfortunately, the estimated vet bill is about $800.

You read that correctly. $800, at least. There goes the tax refund! Ah well. There's no price on love.

Kill Bill: Vol 2

At 11pm, I go downstairs to move my clothes to the dryer, and find some guy doing laundry. At 11pm? I thought I was the only reject doing laundry and things late on a weeknight? Still, I don't like people taking up my machines.....

My Kill Bill: Vol 1 DVD arrived today. Almost finished watching it tonight, but had to do laundry. Vol 2 comes out this Friday, and I'm waiting to see how the rest of the movie turns out. I should make plans to see it with the gents. Anyway, the DVD is pretty good, but could use more extras. I think they're waiting to put out Disc1/Disc2 box set. I guess I should have waited? Eh, I don't really need all box set. Then again, if it's good, I'll just give this one to my sister, and buy the box set for myself. See? Aren't I the loving older brother?

Burned puppies

John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn are separating? Awww, maybe now Rebecca will return my phone calls.

Some asshole in NJ was arrested Monday for allegedly spraying two puppies with WD-40, and then setting them on fire. Puppies are receiving treatment at a Popcorn Park Zoo. His bail is set at $50,000.

I've added a new item to the WishList on the right: new cordless phones. We've got my seemingly-crappy phone, and her even-crappier phone.

• The batteries die quickly on both phones
• my phone makes it easy to hang up on someone in mid-conversation
• my phone's answering machine component sucks
• her phone doesn't have Caller ID

I think it's time for new phones. Within the next few months, we'll have to invest. Then again, that vet bill....ouch!

Sunday, April 11th 2004

God bless skimpy outfits: The Nick & Jessica Variety Show

Happy Easter, for those of you celebrating Easter. If you aren't.....Happy "Just Another Sunday, but remember, tomorrow is Monday!"

We went to services Thursday night, Friday night, and Sunday morning, and visited my family (both sets) today. Now I have work tomorrow. On the other hand, my wife had a half-day Wednesday and won't have to go back to work until Tuesday. Crazy broad.

Sooooo, Missy has been vomiting since Wednesday or Thursday, when I was sleeping on the couch at 6am (after falling asleep folding laundry), and the cat puked on me. Pleasant, eh? She hasn't successfully eaten anything since then, and pretty much pukes a few times a day. What's she puking? Just fluid. We're kinda worried, but she did this exact same thing last April while I was in Mexico. Result? A few days at Montclair Animal Hospital on an IV, with x-rays and tests. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, so we took her home with a $1200 vet bill. She started eating after she got home. Now she's sick again. I'm worried about her. We may take her back if this persists much longer.

Recently, I added more photos on the My Family page, and redid the Links page after two years of absolutely nothing. Num found some nice bullet graphics for me. Thank you, dear. I'll add more as we go along. I was just bored with it. Also, I need to add more of Num's photos to the My Family page, and add captions for all. Give me some time, and I'll deliver, dammit!

This evening, I watched that Nick & Jessica Variety Show (against my will), because the wife had to see it. I have a tendency to hog the tv, so I'm trying to learn to share. Wow, so, so bad. The only redeeming qualities were cameos by Mr. T (yes, Mr. T), Nick Lachey singing a duet with K.I.T.T. (from Knight Rider). However, as a devoted KR fan, I must note that:

1) it wasn't the original voice actor that provided K.I.T.T.'s voice
2) The best K.I.T.T. model they could find had a big spoiler on the back, and K.I.T.T. didn't have that. I'm sorry, but sticking a big pulsating LED light on the front of a black Trans-Am doesn't make it K.I.T.T.

Another redeeming quality? Jessica Simpson in skimpy outfits. Wished you hadn't missed the show? Want pictures?

More things to share:

• Victoria's Secret isn't going to broadcast their big, spectacular, fun-filled fashion show this year, on account of the Janet Jackson backlash. Life can be so cruel.
• Speaking of Janet Jackson, she was on SNL this weekend. I saw bits of it, but turns out, there was this funny spoof of her playing Condi Rice, and Dick Cheney advising her to flash her breasts at the 9/11 commission. Damn, I missed that.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic's parents were found dead in their home this weekend, due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• More cash is being spent on robotics research. Neat! Of course, this is due to the U.S. Military. Well, whatever works.
• We went house-hunting (or more accurately, "window shopping") Saturday morning. We're not ready to buy a house this instant, but it doesn't hurt to see what's out there. Please don't tell my parents. Hmmm, maybe a multinational website (such as this) isn't the right venue to tell them we want our own house.
• I was following the news this week on a British fellow who sold all his possessions, including his clothes, travelled to Vegas, and was planning to put it all on either red or black at a roulette table Easter Sunday. Truly, a double or nothing bet. Turns out, he won. Good for him, the crazy bastard.
• My in-laws saw Bombay Dreams broadway show this week. My mother-in-law didn't think it was very good, but my father-in-law liked it. Maybe they should get their own Siskel & Ebert show together. Hell, if Nick and Jessica can have their own show....
• Speaking of my in-laws, I went cycling on Saturday. Went from here to my in-law's house and back. 25 miles. My leg muscles (and butt) are still slightly sore. Gotta do it again sometime.
• I had forgotten about it, but I apparently ordered Kill Bill: Vol 1 on DVD way back in January, and it shipped on Friday. I was pretty suprised to get a notice from Buy.com to let me know my "order" shipped. "What order? I didn't order anything." [click-click-click-click-click-click] "Ooooh, yeah."
• An old college friend (U @ Albany days) found me through Friendster, as her little sister is friends with my 2nd-cousin who's in medical school somewhere in the Caribbean. How amazing....and odd. She's married out in Illinois now. She was so young!
• Speaking of Friendster, Julie sent me a funny link for Introvertster: the new way to get rid of people. Not bad, and I could use it. I'm sorry folks, but I actually didn't want to be friends with all of you. Just the good-lookin' and easy ones. Hell, just the women. Uh, just kidding, dear.

No more VS fashion show?	SNL skit with Janet Jackson	Briton gambles big, wins big	Bombay Dreams, the musical

Alright, that's all I can think of. If there's anything else, it can wait until tomorrow. As it is, you gotta admit that it's been a pretty eventful couple of days. Life is so interesting sometimes. Definitely a precious gift.

I'll shut up now.

Thursday, April 8th 2004

My recent Chicago trip

Ah, yes. Pictures. Lots of pictures. First, I added a picture for March 12th dinner with Num, and another picture on March 17th of someone's treats that they brought to celebrate their promotion. My brownies and cannolis were slightly overshadowed, but these people are much higher up the food chain, so it's okay if they splurge. My brownies still got rave reviews.

Second, I fixed a bug on the Family pages by using INCLUDE statements, so now I don't have to go through a whole rigamarole to change the page numbering every time I add a new page to the Family pages. Now I can just change one page! I'll start converting the other albums as I go along.

Lastly, I finally got the Chicago pictures back from Kodak. I've created a Chicago Trip album (pretty small), but it's there. Take a gander.

I think I want to redesign my Links page. I want to reorganize it in columns, and probably share more of my favorite websites. Also, dirty pictures of your mom. Yeah, that's right. YOUR mom.

BTW, I got some nice mileage on my bike yesterday evening, on account of the good weather. I think we're hitting mid-50's on Saturday, so I'm planning to hit the road again pretty soon.

Tuesday, April 6th 2004

Okay, I admit that it's 5:38am Tuesday morning, but don't get yer knickers all bunched up. I didn't stay up all night. I'm actually trying for once to get away from that whole lifestyle. I accidentally fell asleep around 10pm with Num, then woke up around 3:30am, so I've been up ever since. I had NYIIA site work to do (monthly update), and now it's close to getting-ready-to-work time. Will I actually get to work by 8am?

Finished the taxes....finally. We were awaiting some info from the IRS regarding Num's taxes from last year. We owe a minor amount to NJ, but the federal gov't and NY state love us. 10-16 days until our refunds get direct-deposited? "Come to me, my fat, bearded, refunds!"

Please ignore that last statement, as it was due to early-morning giddyness.

Rachel Goetz

So that Rachel Goetz from Average Joe, the one from Rockland County, lost her job at Lakewood Elementary school in Congers because of the show. She took 3 weeks off, and apparently that's a problem in the teaching profession. I thought she was a teacher at my old elementary school, but I forgot about Lakewood. You know, to this day, I still have no idea where that Lakewood Elementary school is. I've never seen it, and Congers isn't exactly a large "hamlet". I should look for this mysterious school next time I've visiting my parents.

Speaking of my parents, they still refuse to visit us here in the apartment. Not for lunch, dinner, tea, whatever. I think they're still insulted that we don't live with them. They're also ignoring the fact that my in-laws have been over here, including a formal dinner, my sister-in-law (and husband) have been been over for dinner, and Julie is over here regularly (I really need to change the locks). My parents stopped by once about 2 years ago to drop off some food, but they didn't even sit down the entire time. Nuts to them, I say.

Spike TV will start showing DS9 episodes this month, in addition to the The Next Generation episodes already airing. To launch the whole new syndication gig, they're running a marathon of episodes all this week, from 12 noon to about 9pm every day. How awesome. They're covering seasons 1 and 2, so I'm recording various episodes that I haven't in a while, including the premiere. I spoke to Julie this afternoon, and she was at her apartment, watching the marathon. I love my sister. :)

Am I evil? Yes. Why? Num is finally interested in getting a PDA, as her schedule is going to really pick up starting June (with the new job responsibilities). Finally, after wheedling her endlessly about the usefulness of a PDA, I broke down her will to resist. Muh-hoo-haha. "Come to me, electronics! Serve your master!" Anyway, I'm doing the looking, but some of the HP models have piqued her interest (they're so svelte and sexy and chic).

Oh boy, I should really get to work. It's 5 minutes to 6am.

Sunday, April 4th 2004

Hellboy

Yeah, I'm back. Got back late Thursday night. It was a good trip -- hotel was good, ate a lot of good food. I think I've had my fill of BBQ food for a while. I was looking around for something to eat Friday at lunch time in the cafeteria, and I saw the rotisserie chicken was BBQ that day. I just looked at it, and went, "Oh, no. No more BBQ!"

I'll tell you what sucked. At LaGuardia on Sunday night, the security check-in people confiscated my cigar lighter (which I had forgotten that I had in my laptop bag), and I was pretty pissed at myself for that. I don't even smoke, but I got that for the wedding. Also, our flight was delayed two hours, as the flight was late, and then they couldn't find a replacement pilot.

Actual game scenes from Battlefield 1942

You want to know what was even more irritating? On Thursday evening, our flight was delayed again in Kansas City, due to traffic around LaGuardia. Sucks.

Anyway, lot of admin work back in the office on Friday. Boring, and you don't need to know more. In the evening, Num and I had a nice, quick dinner at Charlie Brown's in Upper Montclair, then on to cleaning the apartment. Oh, her steak was overcooked, so she got a nice free dessert and coffee. Could I even eat a bite? No. Did I? Just a little.

On Saturday, we had this month's LAN party at Casa de Ipe. It was a festive experience, with some notable technological feats achieved. Adrian, Doug, and myself playing from the apartment here, with Doug's brothers Mike and Pete playing from their homes in Southern NJ and Oregon, respectively. Pretty neat. As Doug forgot his PC's power plug, we made a quick run to our favorite store Best Buy, where I bought the plug (for use later), and Battlefield 1942. We play BF1942 often enough that I figured I should just buy my own copy.

Here's the list of game handles (aliases) that we use in the game (because the name Michael) isn't as fun when you're blasting each other:

• Me -> Grandma Funk
• Doug -> Might Bonner (I think he means "Mighty Boner", but ah well.)
• Adrian -> Travis Bickle. Surprisingly, we did see a computer character named Terrance Bickles in BF1942, but Adrian strongly claimed that Terrance was an imposter, and we all promptly blasted it out of respect for the real Travis Bickle.
• Mike -> Mike Sucks (ah, to be self-deprecating. Or is he telling us a little too much about himself?)
• Pete -> Rimmer

So, that's two or three aliases related to sexual function or the male anatomy. You can tell how mature and worldly we are.

The Batmobile

We were planning to order lunch out, and Num thought she had to disappear, or something. However, not only did she stay around, she helped out by picking up the groceries (snack food and soda), and even made salad, ziti , and this tomatoey-chicken dish. Hmm, good! Another buddy, Rohan, showed up for a few hours to watch, then we went to see Hellboy in Secaucus. [Review on the right]

Uh......want to see a movie trailer for a wacky new movie coming out? It's "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra!!!!!!" Afterwards, tell me that wasn't an odd movie trailer. I was sterilized with fear!

I was planning to buy a brand-spankin' new computer in December, but after a few discussions with the guys, I'm considering just upgrading some of the major components -- specifically, the processor, motherboard, RAM, video card, and sound card. Yes, these are all major components, but replacing only these components will only be 1/3 the cost to buy a new machine. Then again, I've had a bad experience with computer show parts, and I just had intermittent problems (i.e. unsolvable system crashing.) What to do, what to do?

Any Batman fans? Well, work has started on the new Batman Begins movie, slated to come out June 2005. The site doesn't have much, but they've just posted what looks to be the new Batmobile. Hmm, kinda tank-like, don't you think?

The NY Daily News had an interesting article about 20 things you probably didn't about Condoleeza Rice. I had no idea she's turning 50 this year!