You know the guy...

There's a new guy at work... actually, an old guy who quit and came back. He's... that guy. You know the one. He's the one who always has a story that's just one step above the one before. He's the one who has done it twice. He knows everything about every subject. He has had the fastest car, the most money, the hottest women. If not him, then his uncle, or a guy he knew.

That 250 GB hard drive in the Staples ad on the table in the break room? Too small, too slow, too much money, compared to what he has. You need a 100-foot well dug at your house?
His uncle had a 1500-foot well dug at his place. Planning on going hunting? He's got rifles and shotguns of every caliber and gauge, revolvers and automatics... and, did you know he once killed a bear with a bow?

This guy... the car and house he's living in are both temporary setbacks... he used to have much better, and he will again. Not at this job, though; his last job paid much better, had better benefits, and he had cooler co-workers than we are.

Can I stomp a mudhole in the center of his chest now, or should I wait until later, just to make sure he can't be a bigger asshole today than he was yesterday?

Valentine's Day

Yep, it is tthat time again...

Time for the made-up Hallmark Holiday to make people feel bad.

Time for single people to feel lousy for being single.

Time for women in relationships to feel bad because their man didn't do enough for them this year.

Time for men in relationships to be made to feel guilty for not maxing out the credit card.

Time for everyone to fret and stress about their lives for no good reason.

Me? I'm going to have dinner at home with my wife, watch a movie or some CSI, and go to work.

See, my wife and I love each other every day of the year. We do nice things for each other all the time, not just on special occasions. We don't spend the weeks before V-Day stressing about what we'll do for each other. We're too busy doing for each other every day of the year. We're happier than I could have ever hoped for because of it.

I loves you Wifey... Happy Valentine's Day!

Playing the blues... and happy about it!

I dunno... I'm enjoying this guitar thing alot more than I even have before. Why?

Well, I'm better at it now than I was even 2-3 years ago. My improvements have come in fits and starts most of my life, but mostly it was fits. I improved not at all for about a decade after I learned the very basics. Then, I got a little better and didn't learn anything at all. The last 3 years, though... wow. It is funny how that works out, with my wife and I getting close to celebrating a year of marriage, and 3 years of knowing each other. Coincidence?

Yes... and no. Yes, because I was already playing alot when we met, and likely would have improved anyways.

On the other hand, I was playing a $150 guitar through a $200 amp when we met. Now, I've got about $2600 worth of gear. My playing has shown huge improvement with each piece of gear, it seems. I play more, I sound better, it makes me want to play more, which sets up a positive cycle.

Plus, of course, my wife is a kick-ass audience. Somehow, her ears are better than mine, even though she can't play an instrument. She can hear when I'm slightly off the beat, or not quite hitting the right notes. A good audience can make all the difference, and I have the best.

Further guitar news...

So... guitars in my life. Right now, I have a Schecter Hellraiser, the one on the left. I have my Ibanez Prestige RG1570. I have a Kona mini jumbo acoustic. I've got a Line 6 PODxt hooked up to the computer, plus a couple of amps, PLUS a crapload of effects pedals.

You know what? I'm about done, at least for awhile. I'm really close to "complete", as far as the musical stuff goes. Sure, there's always more gear I'd LIKE to get, but nothing is burning a hole in my brain.
I need a new amp, and I really want a $1600 Taylor acoustic. But, you know, I'm not obsessing over it. I'd like to think that I've grown up, but I know better. I think I'm just out of room.

Typewriters, CGI, and why the Star Wars prequels sucked...

I remember everything I've ever read, I think. One thing that came to mind, as I popped in Star Wars Crapisode III this morning, is an essay by Harlan Ellison, describing why he refuses to use a computer or word processor to write with. When you commit words directly to paper, Ellison notes, there is a level of intent and deliberate thought involved which simply does not exist in a digital format. If you misspell a word, use the wrong word, or put ideas down in the wrong order on a typewriter, it takes a physical act to correct it. With a PC, you can just delete, cut, or paste the words in whatever order you like, trying different combinations on paper with little or no effort. The words you write simply don't count in the same way, don't matter as much, because they are ephemeral and malleable, easily twisted and manipulated. I understand Ellison's point, even if I don't absolutely agree with it. In my case, the finality of committing words to paper, combined with my inability to type quickly or accurately, cause me to hate manual typewriters with a passion that has lasted the 15 or so years since the last time I used one.

This idea carries forward directly to the difference between old-school and low-budget filmmaking, and the newest high-dollar and high-tech movie productions of today. When you have a short schedule and a limited budget, the writer and director have to make absolutely sure they get things right the first time. There is a demand to plot the script tightly, to work out every shot, and to get the best performance possible on each take; there is little time or money for a do-over later on. On the other hand, a big budget film has the luxury of "fixing it in post-production". If you aren't happy with a line or performance in a scene, you can simply go back and change it. If you screw up a shot, you can digitally enhance it with CGI, even insert or remove entire characters and backrounds if you like. If you screw up in nearly any way, you can just "fix it in post", so there is no incentive to get it right.

George Lucas is the #1 criminal when it comes to this sort of thing. Because of the demands of CGI, the Star Wars Prequels were shot almost exclusively on green-screen "sets", onto which backrounds were later added. In other words, the films were "created" almost entirely in post-production. So, without the incentive to get it right the first time, Lucas never really got it right at all. The films are patchwork monsters, with actors performing by themselves staring at a green wall without the organic give and take of real interactions, only to be later overshadowed anyways by 18,782,991 different digital doodads in the backround.

These aren't movies; they're video games without the interaction... and many video games surpass movies in emotional content, on account of being designed by new guys with low budgets and strict timetables, who only get one chance to get it right. Go figure, huh?

Why I love my wife...

So, we're watching the first season of Lost on DVD(we have no cable, satellite, or rabbit-ears), and at the end of the show, after the credits, the production company's logo comes up, and a couple of little kids say the name, which is "Bad Robot". My wife, being a little kid herself, says "Bad Robot!" right along with them, not once, but every single time. Yeah, it is dorky, maybe even a little annoying on some level. But, you know, the smile she gets on her face, the look of just pure joy at something so small and silly...

... how the hell do you NOT love someone like that?