This weather truly sucks. I sometimes forget exactly how hot it would be in the summer time in Florida. Only, unlike here, it would go on for months and months. Of course, also unlike here, air conditioning abounds. Thankfully our apartment gets very little sunlight (a fact we openly lamented during the cold grey winter), so we are able to, with the assistance of some timely opening and closing of windows and a room a/c unit, keep the place reasonably comfortable. However, the weather has had the same effect on me as the heat does in Florida.........it makes me want to do anything but go out in it. Hence, lots of reading, blog hopping, and general laziness.
I am not sure if I have blogged on it, but we have an accepted offer on a house. While the thought of the hunt being over and finally moving into a place of our own (especially since it is FAR nicer than we hoped have reasonably hoped or expected in our price range), it still sends little shivers of fear up my spine when I think about all the things that home ownership means. So long extra cash, hello large mortgage payments. Goodbye flexibility, hello stability. Of course, the hope is that the good will outweigh the bad and I certainly want to believe that is the case.
We had our home inspection today and, as we had hoped, the inspection revealed little of note. I didnt anticipate that it would, since the house is only a few years old, but you always worry. Just like when they do a routine blood test and you have the moment of worry that they will find some rare blood cancer even though you feel healthy. Of course, I havent really seen much to make me overly confident of home inspectors anyway and I can't help but think that you give them an awful lot of money for very little in return. If they encounter any issues, they just tell you to contact whatever specialist the malfunctioning equipment requires. I know it is still helpful, but I guess i expect more for what amounts to $175/hr for their time.
The gall bladder is set to depart my body on the 25th of next month, barring unforseen flare-ups. Right now my body and I have an uneasy truce that is shaky at best. I definitely pay manyfold times over for any indulgences and sometimes just for the hell of it, but the situation is largely bearable. Will it remain so until the 25th? Tune in next time to find out. I have never really had a surgery save for a tonsillectomy that I can only vaguely recall, so I am unreasonably anxious about the procedure. I think I would feel more firmly behind it if the results were virtually guaranteed, but they aren't. Too many people seem to have this done only to find themselves dealing with similar symptoms.
Saw Watchmen (finally!). My review is simple and I think agrees with most others. If you are a fan of the book (series), you will love it, or at least really like it. They stayed very true to the storyline. However, there were a number of parts edited out for brevity which were unfortunate, but necessary. The ending was also quite different from the book. That said, overall it was well done and stunning to watch.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
MY GD GB
Dear Gallbladder (GB),
God Damn You!
I thought we were a team. I eat, you help digest. Remember all the good times we had.........BBQ buffets, molten chocolate cakes, and cheeseburgers with onion rings? I remember them. Where did it all go so wrong?
Sure, most doctors now say that you aren't a necessary organ. Some even refer to you as an anachronism from early on in our development......but I stood by you. Well, no longer. This relationship has become abusive. I know from watching Oprah, that we need to just make a clean break. I'm am going to have to ask you to pack up your stones and go. And don't try to come back......I am already planning on replacing you with my liver.
Good day sir.
Regards,
Bryan
God Damn You!
I thought we were a team. I eat, you help digest. Remember all the good times we had.........BBQ buffets, molten chocolate cakes, and cheeseburgers with onion rings? I remember them. Where did it all go so wrong?
Sure, most doctors now say that you aren't a necessary organ. Some even refer to you as an anachronism from early on in our development......but I stood by you. Well, no longer. This relationship has become abusive. I know from watching Oprah, that we need to just make a clean break. I'm am going to have to ask you to pack up your stones and go. And don't try to come back......I am already planning on replacing you with my liver.
Good day sir.
Regards,
Bryan
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Revolutionary Road
Tia and I watched Revolutionary Road last night and it really made me think about the nature of life in general (perhaps that's why I prefer escapist fare that doesn't make me think at all.....thinking sucks! :) Anyway, the film is about a couple in the 1950s who meet while young and idealistic and then, flash forward about 10 years, they have two kids, a suburban home, and Kate Winslet is a housewife and Leo DiCaprio has a nondescript mid-level job. They are the picture of idyllic suburban life, epitomizing the American dream such as it is. Of course, they always thought of themselves as more than what they have become and are unhappy with their life of abject normality. This isn't a review, so I won't go much further into it....but it is worth a watch for the performances alone. Also, watch it if you want to think (see above for reminder about how much that sucks before you do however).
What this is, is my take on the film and what it made me think about. Tia and I have been going round and round about whether to buy a house or continue renting. We both have jobs that we are happy with, though neither is our dream job (Tia has more definite ideas about her dream job than I however). We have good incomes, drive reasonable cars, and enjoy the little things that life provides in Portland. The question that the film raised in my mind was: Do we have the things we have and want the things we want because we truly want them, or because we are conditioned to want them? I feel we are self-limited by our exposures and socialized to want certain things so I have to wonder if we aspire to the American Dream because it is the only dream we know.
For instance, I like the idea of a house, but hate that it means a 30 year mortgage and endless dollars poured into maintenance. And, owning a house means that there is less money to travel, more time spent doing house related things, and a sense of fixing ourselves into a location for the forseeable future. Its the same general concern I have about having children. There is an overwhelming sense (to me anyway) that gratification should be delayed for the trappings of adulthood (mortgage, children, career). And the further we delve into these trappings, the more remote spontineity and whimsy become because of the inertia created by such things. We end up doing things because of what we have to instead of wanting to, and trying to convince ourselves otherwise. Even the idea of the future is now so wound around whether or not one can afford to retire and concerns about how that will happen, that I find myself having to care about pensions and 403b plans far more than concerning myself with what happens today, this week, or this month.
Of course, I am sure I am considered immature for even having the notion. You tell people you dont want kids, people look at you crosswise and wonder why not (though to ask people who want children why they do causes the same peculiar looks). The same for home ownership. In the film, Kate Winslet has the notion to drop everything, sell the house, and move to Paris just because...........and most people treat the couple like they are certifiably insane. Am I insane for finding the same notion compelling?
This is kind of rambling, but I am in a rambling kind of mood. Now I am off to anesthetize myself through the escapism of an ambling walk and maybe some lighthearted comedy tonight.
What this is, is my take on the film and what it made me think about. Tia and I have been going round and round about whether to buy a house or continue renting. We both have jobs that we are happy with, though neither is our dream job (Tia has more definite ideas about her dream job than I however). We have good incomes, drive reasonable cars, and enjoy the little things that life provides in Portland. The question that the film raised in my mind was: Do we have the things we have and want the things we want because we truly want them, or because we are conditioned to want them? I feel we are self-limited by our exposures and socialized to want certain things so I have to wonder if we aspire to the American Dream because it is the only dream we know.
For instance, I like the idea of a house, but hate that it means a 30 year mortgage and endless dollars poured into maintenance. And, owning a house means that there is less money to travel, more time spent doing house related things, and a sense of fixing ourselves into a location for the forseeable future. Its the same general concern I have about having children. There is an overwhelming sense (to me anyway) that gratification should be delayed for the trappings of adulthood (mortgage, children, career). And the further we delve into these trappings, the more remote spontineity and whimsy become because of the inertia created by such things. We end up doing things because of what we have to instead of wanting to, and trying to convince ourselves otherwise. Even the idea of the future is now so wound around whether or not one can afford to retire and concerns about how that will happen, that I find myself having to care about pensions and 403b plans far more than concerning myself with what happens today, this week, or this month.
Of course, I am sure I am considered immature for even having the notion. You tell people you dont want kids, people look at you crosswise and wonder why not (though to ask people who want children why they do causes the same peculiar looks). The same for home ownership. In the film, Kate Winslet has the notion to drop everything, sell the house, and move to Paris just because...........and most people treat the couple like they are certifiably insane. Am I insane for finding the same notion compelling?
This is kind of rambling, but I am in a rambling kind of mood. Now I am off to anesthetize myself through the escapism of an ambling walk and maybe some lighthearted comedy tonight.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Guilty pleasures
Tia and I were unwinding last night and watching Daisy of Love. Now, I am not going to say that it is my proudest viewing moment, but it is not the worst television trash that I have subjected my brain cells to. It is junk food for the brain pure and simple. With that, I thought I would delve into other guilty pleasures.
Andrew Zimmerman: What won't he eat........actually what won't he eat with a smile on his face? The man has iron fortitude and I love watching him merrily masticate things that would elicit gastrointestinal revolt in most of us. Kudos mister Zimmerman.
Daisy of Love: As plastic as a barbie with as many tattoos as Kat Von D being vied for by guys with names like 12 pack and Sinister. Yet, somehow more realistic than the much more refined Bachelor/Bachelorette shows because the chase for fame is so blatant and the chase for love so comical. If you are going to pretend that these type of shows yield anything, at least pretend in vibrant technicolor I say.
Sweet Tea: In a world where tea yields so much goodness in the way of antioxidants, the south has figured out a way to chase that dragon and make it a near confection. I adore them for it. Is there anything better with BBQ or on a hot summer's day? I dare say not.
Asian food: When I was younger I would have said pizza, but now it is Asian food in most of its forms. Whether the fresh herbs and savory pork of my favorite Vietnamese dishes, a quite nosh of sushi on a go round, or a thai curry with just enough kick to get your nose running, I am hopelessly addicted.
Dresden Files Books: Like romance novels to the 60 plus set, these are to the geek at heart crowd: escapist trash. But, escapist trash with flare enough to stick with the adventures. Kudos also to the series the Hollows for the same.
Happy Hour: cheap food and slightly less expensive than normal drinks. Throw in a patio and friends. Nuff said.
I could go on and on, but then I would never post this and I have already been an absentee father for my blog.
Not much else to add on the personal front. No house. No job changes. No new pets. No babies. Got a swell new netbook though :)
Later taters.
Andrew Zimmerman: What won't he eat........actually what won't he eat with a smile on his face? The man has iron fortitude and I love watching him merrily masticate things that would elicit gastrointestinal revolt in most of us. Kudos mister Zimmerman.
Daisy of Love: As plastic as a barbie with as many tattoos as Kat Von D being vied for by guys with names like 12 pack and Sinister. Yet, somehow more realistic than the much more refined Bachelor/Bachelorette shows because the chase for fame is so blatant and the chase for love so comical. If you are going to pretend that these type of shows yield anything, at least pretend in vibrant technicolor I say.
Sweet Tea: In a world where tea yields so much goodness in the way of antioxidants, the south has figured out a way to chase that dragon and make it a near confection. I adore them for it. Is there anything better with BBQ or on a hot summer's day? I dare say not.
Asian food: When I was younger I would have said pizza, but now it is Asian food in most of its forms. Whether the fresh herbs and savory pork of my favorite Vietnamese dishes, a quite nosh of sushi on a go round, or a thai curry with just enough kick to get your nose running, I am hopelessly addicted.
Dresden Files Books: Like romance novels to the 60 plus set, these are to the geek at heart crowd: escapist trash. But, escapist trash with flare enough to stick with the adventures. Kudos also to the series the Hollows for the same.
Happy Hour: cheap food and slightly less expensive than normal drinks. Throw in a patio and friends. Nuff said.
I could go on and on, but then I would never post this and I have already been an absentee father for my blog.
Not much else to add on the personal front. No house. No job changes. No new pets. No babies. Got a swell new netbook though :)
Later taters.
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