| It's that time of the year again |
[Dec. 11th, 2008|12:00 pm] |
Since people say I'm hard to shop for, here's a list of stuff I want for Christmas and my birthday. Post to claim a gift. I promise not to peek.
Movies: (DVD Wide Screen if available)
The Incredible Hulk (the one with Edward Norton)
Hancock
Robot Chicken, Season 2
Books:
Forest Mage - Robin Hobb
Wrath of a Mad God - Raymond Feist
Video Games:
Grand Theft Auto 4 - XBOX 360
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - DS
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - PC
Clothes:
Comfortable socks
Business casual shirts (polo, nice sweater, etc...)
Dark Jeans, 34x34
Misc:
SATA Internal Hard Drive, 300 GB or above
Gift Cards:
Best Buy (Contributions towards a new TV. My current one is acting up a bit.)
Barnes and Noble |
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| Christmas/Birthday List |
[Dec. 13th, 2007|01:15 pm] |
People seemed to appreciate this the last time I did it, so once again here's a list of stuff I'd like for Christmas and my Birthday.
Just like last time, I won't look at the replies. That way you can claim gifts (by posting that you're buying something), and avoid getting the same thing as someone else, but I'll still be surprised.
Books:
The Final Empire, (AKA Mistborn), by Brandon Sanderson
The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson
Honored Enemy, by Raymond Feist
Into a Dark Realm, by Raymond Feist
Movies: (All Widescreen)
Transformers
Spider Man 3
Games:
The Orange Box (PC)
God of War 2 (PS2)
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (PS2)
Clothes:
Gift certificate to REI or Performance Cycle (for biking gloves and/or rain poncho thing)
Other:
Bike light set (front headlight, rear flasher)
350 Watt PC Power Supply (mine's making noise, and it worries me) |
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| Car |
[Apr. 24th, 2007|03:02 pm] |
So my car has been declared a total loss. It drives from place to place, but the back is all mashed up and there's significant damage to the frame.
So now I'm in the market for a new vehicle. If you know anyone selling anything small, cheap, and reliable, let me know.
Also, I'll be trying to sell what's left of my car. As I said, it still runs alright, no leaks or crazy noises. The windows are intact, and there was virtually no damage to the front (and hence the enigne). It's just kind of smashed in the back, and aparently the frame may be unsound. If you know any of those car-fixer-upper-people, that might want it, let me know. |
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| I do like the heroin... |
[Feb. 23rd, 2007|06:04 pm] |
, you're now logged in!
Below you'll find your test result. After, continue on to your
homescreen to discover what we're about.
Isaac Mendez
You scored 33 Idealism, 54 Nonconformity, 62 Nerdiness
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I need painting supplies.
Congratulations, you're Isaac Mendez! You're a talented, creative, artistic soul with a few demons you've been working to overcome. You are really passionate person and you are not afraid to express yourself or your emotions.
Your best quality: Creativity and artistic talent.
Your worst quality: A possibly addictive or indulgent personality
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My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: | You scored higher than 99% on Idealism | | You scored higher than 99% on Nonconformity | | You scored higher than 99% on Nerdiness |
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| Take THAT, Grad School |
[Feb. 10th, 2007|02:58 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  excited | ] |
Hey, everyone. At the beginning of this month I applied to the UW College of Civil engineering, Masters of Science in Engineering program with focus in Structural Engineering and Mechanics. Damn that's a mouthfull.
Anyway, they just sent me an acceptance letter. I'll be starting in Fall. |
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| The Best Carrot Cake Ever |
[Dec. 29th, 2006|11:02 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Energetic | ] |
Oh, something I forgot to mention.
I went over to my Dad's on Christmas eve. We did the whole gift exchange thing, had christmas dinner, and also a little celebration for my birthday. Because it was my birthday celebration, I got to choose dessert and had requested carrot cake. My step-mom, Janet, baked what can only be described as "The Best Carrot Cake Ever."
I got the recipe. You should make it and eat it.
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Carrot Cake
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Beat Together:
3 Eggs
1-1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Oil
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
Add:
1-1/2 Cups Flower
1-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
Grated Rind of an Orange
1-1/2 Cups Grated Carots (About 3 Large Carrots)
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
3/4 Cup Raisins
8-1/2 oz Can of Crushed Pineapple
1/4 Cup Grated Coconut (optional)
Mix all and bake in 9 x 13 pan at 300 degrees for 50 minutes. Check to see if done. Cool well before frosting.
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Cream Cheese Frosting
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1 Stick Margarine, 1/4 lb, Room Temperature
8 oz Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
1 lb Box of Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Milk
Mix Well. Use additional powdered sugar to adjust consistency if necessary. |
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| GRE Results |
[Dec. 28th, 2006|10:54 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  relieved | ] |
So for the last week or so, on top of the holiday madness, and being sick, I was also studying to take the GRE. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the GRE it's kind of like the SAT for college graduates. Someone's scores on the GRE can play a big part in whether or not they get into grad school.
Anyway, I took it today. I was pretty nervous about it. I felt as though I hadn't taken enough time to prepare. I don't know if I was more prepared than I thought or if I just got lucky, but turns out I did pretty darn well.
Verbal: 680
Quantitative: 740
The averages for the program I'm trying to get into are 492 and 722 respectively (engineers can't write).
Sorry for the bragging, I'm just darn happy. |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 11th, 2006|09:29 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Finals | ] |
Don't you just love it when you're spending so much time doing math and physics, and stressing out about it, that you can't really think about much else. And you can't really get any rest because when you try to sleep all you dream about are indistinct equations that need to be solved, but that keep shifting and changing to remain ever-unsolvable.
I friggin' love that.
Finals are awesome. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2006|06:57 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Busy | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Pneumatics | ] |
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| Christmas/Birthday List |
[Nov. 25th, 2006|11:40 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
So while we were doing all that thanksgiving stuff, I was getting hassled pretty constantly to come up with a list of stuff I want for Christmas and my birthday.
The idea I had is that I could post the list here, and then promise not to look at any of the comments. That way everyone knows what I want, and they can communicate with each other so as not to double up on stuff, or whatever.
( The List ) |
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| Thanksgiving |
[Nov. 25th, 2006|11:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  listless | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Whatever Kai's Sims are listening to. | ] |
I typed out a thing about my thanksgiving and found that it wasn't actually all that interesting, so only read it if you really want to.
( Thanksgiving goings-on ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 10th, 2006|09:36 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  rushed | ] |
Okay, so I'm currently taking 10 credits at school and working about 6-7 hours a day. That basically has me occupied from when I get up in the morning at 7 to when I get home twelve hours later. On top of that, there's homework...not whole ton of it so far, but enough to be a concern. Something like 8 hours a week.
And now the gaming industry has taken it upon themselves to take the remainder of my free time. I doubt any of you follow game releases quite as closely as I do, but have you seen the lineup for later this month?
God Hand, Oct 10
Bully, Oct 17
Sam and Max Episode 1: Culture Shock, Oct 17
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Oct 24
Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Oct 24
Final Fantasy XII, Oct 31
Neverwinter Nights 2, Oct 31
Now, I want all of these, but I really only NEED to buy Dark Messiah, Final Fantasy and Neverwinter Nights. That's still two games too many.
I'll see if I can't make a non-gaming-related post next time. |
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| You should play these. They're free. |
[Sep. 11th, 2006|10:09 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  giddy | ] |
Okay, so I haven't posted much to livejournal lately. Rather than try to catch you up on the stuff that's been happening in my life (most of it isn't terribly exciting anyway) I'm going to forget all that in-between stuff, and suggest a couple free game downloads. They're classics.
1. Star Control 2 (The free version is called The UrQuan Masters)
This game is awesome. The basic idea is that you fly around space, exploring, gathering resources, and trying to make allies against an oppressive race of alien overlords. You get to roam around the galaxy stripping planets bare of their mineral wealth in order to improve your small fleet. Fighting is sort of like a two player version of asteroids without the asteroids, only much cooler. Every ship is unique.
The real strength of this game, though is in the dialogue. Generally your objectives are accomplished not by blowing people out of the sky (though that does occasionally become necessary) but by talking to the various races. Every race and character has it's own unique and interesting personality, and lots of the dialogue is just hillarious.
Download the Installer then run it. I suggest getting the speech pack, when given the option.
And if you need any game info, here's a good place
2. X-Com: UFO Defense
X-Com is a turn-based squad-based strategy game. It's set in a near-future earth where aliens are invading. You, as head of the international UFO Defense organization have to build bases to monitor and protect against alien activity. You set up little bases, staff them, and give them sensors and planes and stuff so that you can shoot down any nearby UFOs. Then the real fun begins.
Once you've shot down a UFO, or responded to a UFO landing, you have to go down with a squad and mop up the aliens. This is done through a turn-based strategic battle between yourself and the aliens. Your guys all go through a sort of RPG progression, and get better at stuff if they live long enough. You'll recover alien technology, research it back at your base, and learn to make newer and more awesome stuff. By the end of the game you'll be flying around in power armor taking over people's minds and destroying entire buildings with hideous guided missles.
It's kind of hard to describe, but damn is it awesome.
Download it. then extract it until you see a file called xcom1fix.exe. Run that, and you're good to go.
You can get the manual here, but don't download it at the same time as the game. The source site has a rule against simultaneous downloads, and you'll be banned. |
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| On the Future |
[Sep. 20th, 2005|05:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | Knida fat | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Technicians talking about a leak on the advance head line | ] |
I still don't know what the hell I want to do with my life.
Mostly I'm talking about finding a career. I need a job that I would enjoy, that I'm qualified for, that will pay well, and that will give me a reasonable amount of stability.
For the past year or so, I thought I'd take a shot in the games industry. I thought that, having tooled around with various publicly released level editors, and having a background in architecture, I could break into the industry as a level designer. I've been saving money for almost a year now for the time when I could quit to work on my portfolio and job hunt full time for months. However, in this past year, researching the industry, I become more and more convinced that it will not provide much in the way of money or stability. There are just too many people who want to do the same thing that I do because they're fans of games in general. The market is flooded.
Recently I've been considering going back to school. Not that I have the money to do that, but theoretically, I think I'd like to try to get a bachelors degree in structural engineering. It's a close enough field to architecture that they actually offer it as a double major. Maybe that means I've already taken care of some of the requirements. Not that I've done any solid research into the classes I'd need to take, but one can hope.
I did check a few career websites and structural engineers make more than architects in general. And with less schooling, less stress and less overtime. I also just like that sort of work more. It's more black and white...less subjective. And from the classes I've already taken, I know I'm good at it. |
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| On Work |
[Sep. 20th, 2005|05:26 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Aaaa, bees! | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Floor Polisher | ] |
So, it occurs to me that I'm way behind on my posting...and that I'm going to be working late tonight. I'll see if I can fit in a few posts on how different aspects of my life are going, and also cruise around other people's posts and see what I can contribute, if anything.
First one is on work.
So, no more job for me at the end of the year. Apparently upper management has decided that my position isn't strictly necessary. They don't know what will be done to replace the work I do...and at the risk of sounding self-important, I think I'll be pretty hard to replace. The only thing I could think to do would be heaping my workload on Laura McGrath, the girl who has basically the same job for a different department. She'd get overwhelmed pretty quickly though.
It's nice to have the notice anyway. I have three and a half months to look for a new job. I doubt I'll find one with such good pay and such a flexible schedule, but maybe I can find something a little closer to home than Snoqualmie and/or a bit more in my field of expertise than inventory management. We'll see. |
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| As is Required... |
[Aug. 22nd, 2005|08:45 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Slightly more ill | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Hamster dance, as sung by me. | ] |
I posted my name in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) devinam's, so now I'm obligated. Seems like a fun thing, anyway.
1) Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in.
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. |
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| Late to the Party |
[Aug. 22nd, 2005|12:07 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | Slightly ill | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Clinking and Clanking | ] |
It's been done, sure, but...
1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.
( my answers )
There were an inordinate number of questions about felipemcguire in the first run, so I kind of played along with the random generator. Hopefully I didn't cross too many lines there. I figure with this crowd, I'm probably safe.
Anyway, I took it again, for a slightly more serious set of answers.
1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.
( my answers ) |
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