The Shadow Haven

Technology and Toys

2010-03-15T23:43:00.003-04:00

So about 3 years ago or so I was pretty technologically bare. I didn't have a cell phone, had no computer or internet service. My desktop died and I never got around to replacing it and if I really needed the internet I went to my local public library. I also had no cable TV. That didn't matter much to me though for the most part because I had other things to keep me happy. I painted, hung out with friends and also was busy at one point working full time and going to school.

Then I started getting things. I got cable TV and internet because due to ownership change where I worked I got them for free. Before they were discounted but because I would have used the services so little (due to being in school while working) I didn't think it was worth me paying even a discounted rate. But free... free is good. The TV service includes 3 hookups, 1 basic, 1 standard digital box and 1 DVR digital box. The internet is a standard 10x1 mbps service, fairly speedy. After that I got a cell phone because it was just so much more convenient, and because of my Time Warner affiliation I get 20 - 25 % off my bill with AT&T. For awhile I didn't use my own internet service (my brother did) because I didn't have a computer still. I changed that by buying a laptop (which I am blogging on now!) and a wireless router. Mmm surfing the internet while laying in bed... So now I have 3 laptops... 2 I bought second hand from a co-worker who fixes computers on a side job. I have an old Mac iBook just so I could play around with one (hey it was only $60.00) and an IBM Thinkpad clone by Lenovo which my brother uses now that his desktop is kaput. Add to that collection of tech a spiffy digital camera (see my previous blog post) and a 500 GB portable HD (to store all my photos on) and now suddenly I have a decent amount of tech... I don't have a current game console though... oh wait I lied.... my friend gave me a free XBox 360. I don't have much time for video games though right now. Plus the 360 is just really being set aside til I get a house so I can get Rock Band II (III if it's out by then) for it.

That's all good and fine but I feel I am still fairly grounded though. TV I only watch once in awhile, I record my shows on DVR and then once a week watch a few hours or so of House, Bones etc... I do spend a fair amount of time online, but am cutting down on wastefully being online. Yes I have productive reasons for being online... So I wouldn't say tech has swallowed up my life like some people. Rather it has enhanced my life experience especially since without it I wouldn't have had a particular experience (or series of experiences) and met a certain special someone. More on that later though...

Slacker Me!

2010-03-10T23:35:00.002-05:00

So yea... totally slacking again... but now I am inspired. I have a friend who just recently started blogging and I just noticed she became a follower of mine. Also with a few dears friends having moved east to Albany I feel that updating my blog would be one good way to keep the abreast of happenings in my life. Somebody doesn't use Facebook! :-P

So what's happened since I last posted in May 2009. A lot of things... some noteworthy and some not so much. In June I went on a 2 week vacation, the first real vacation I've had in oh so long. I spent a week out in Portland Oregon visiting my friends Jonathan and Jennifer. Jonathan is a best friend from college days and Jennifer is his girlfriend, though I did know Jennifer from college as well. Portland is a great city which I wouldn't mind at all living in. I sampled some of the local beer joints. One of my favorite's was a place called The Green Dragon. It was a big open place with tables supplied with chalk that you could draw upon. Free games were up front that you could grab and play and there were a handful of pinball machines. I visited the Japanese Garden, Portland Rose Garden, Oregon Zoo, Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge. I plan in going back out there again...

After 1 week in Portland I headed south to LA, to visit my college buddy Jeff. I hadn't seen him since our college days, some 18 years ago. I met his wife Auttie and their daughter Kaylie. I stayed there for 3 days before going to Las Vegas for 3 days. In Vegas I walked the strip, did a bit of gambling. The highlights of Vegas though were seeing Penn and Teller and going out to Red Rock Canyon. I took literally thousands of pictures on my vacation, which are posted on Facebook. I will have to find a site that I can dump pictures onto so that non Facebook people can see them. Oh yeah I have a new digital camera... well I never had one before. It's an very nice Canon SX10. I bought it because I was going on vacation and wanted something good for taking scenic shots with. It has 10.1 MP, 20x zoom and a ton of features that I am still figuring out...

In November I finished up the last of my student loan payments! What a huge relief. So not long after that I started thinking about buying a house. I'm still a little ways from doing so, needing to save up for a down-payment and wanting to pay down my credit card that I used on my vacation before my 0 % introductory APR rate goes away.

A long time coming...

2009-05-20T01:22:00.004-04:00

Yeah again, I've been a slacker about updating this blog. 11 months... wow... yeah... a long time coming.

So what has transpired in those 11 months. A lot and but nothing earth shattering. My life has been pretty normal and somewhat mundane.

The summer came and went, I didn't travel as I wished to, mostly due to scheduling issues and also me not just organizing it. That is changing this summer. I have a 2 week vacation planned in mid June, with destinations of Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV. Visiting friends... funny how a few posts ago I see I mentioned getting a digital camera, I haven't done that yet either. But again that is changing, I have decided on what I am getting, I'm going a bit upscale, getting a Canon SX10. It's a highly rated camera that is good for close up ranges as well as distance shots (which I want for taking photos of the scenery out west).

My New Year's resolution of raising my credit score was a resounding success, I am now in the 740 range with my credit score and have several lines of credit at my disposal. After the vacation and finishing off the remnants of my student loan, next up will be attempting to score a house.
I also have managed to re-establish ties with a few acquaintances and forge bonds of friendship, which was part of another resolution. The other resolutions I had have had mixed degrees of success and they are being carried over to this year.

I have had major progress on my tattos since I last posted. I have my koi with water surrounding it in place and the cloud background for the dragon is being worked on now. After that will be my upper arm...

Well that's enough for now... I'll be back for more summaries...

Tattoos

2008-06-13T20:14:00.011-04:00

Okay this post is a little late... but I've been a bum about updating my blog I guess. A few weeks ago I went and got myself a tattoo on my left forearm. It's a fairly sizable one of a blue Japanese style dragon clasping a katana and an orb with the kanji for friendship in it. Below are some pictures of it just after the work was finished.

A friend and co-worker, Tammy, has a husband who does skin art. His name is Jay Spaeth, and he does pretty good work. Check him out on MySpace if you want to see more of his work. Right now the tattoo is still in the process of healing, some of it has already healed nicely, other parts are being a pain. But I have to be patient... Once it does heal I am thinking about getting a background, some dark storm clouds and then doing the reverse side with a koi like this one.

If you are wondering, there is a symbolism behind this. In legend if a koi succeeded in ascending waterfalls to a point called the Dragon Gate that it would be transformed into a dragon. As a result the koi itself is a symbol of aspiration and advancement. The koi represents courage, the ability to attain goals and the ability to overcome difficulties in life. With how my life has been in the past and where I am now and the progress I've made in my life so far I feel this is appropriate for me.

Looking for a digital camera

2008-05-22T18:38:00.002-04:00

So after getting this nifty laptop I've been thinking I should really get myself a digital camera. I am getting a bit more sentimental I guess and have been wanting to capture moments, and a digital camera would be so nice for doing so considering I have profiles on MySpace and Facebook as well as this blog. I could upload some of the pictures online for others to see if they wanted to. Mostly though I've been thinking about getting one because I plan on doing some fairly serious travel in the relatively near future. Domestically I'm thinking of going out to Rhode Island and Connecticut to visit a childhood friend and his parents (his father was my English teacher in middle school) and going out west to the Portland, Oregon area to visit another friend from my college days. Abroad the ideas of Italy and Cancun have come up in discussions with a friend. It would be a travesty to do that much travel and not have a photo log of it I think. So a digital camera it is. I do have myself a recently acquired Best Buy card with a $2000.00 line of credit. I don't know if the 18 months of no interest financing applies just to the computer I bought there or if applies the the line of credit. I'll find out because if so, I'll just charge it on my card so I don't put the squeeze on myself too much. Otherwise I'll just front the money, I'm not looking for anything extravagant anyhow, just something reliable with good quality. I don't know if anyone has any recommendations but those would be appreciated.

My new Toshiba notebook.

2008-05-14T20:40:00.003-04:00

Recently I got my economic stimulus check and decided to do my part to stimulate the economy and spend money! I have been meaning to get a new computer for some time now, and with me being in school figured a notebook would be nice to have. So last Friday after work I went shopping around and finally settled on some nice new toys, getting myself a Toshiba laptop with a 15.4" wide screen display. I settled on Toshiba because they are the only company still providing pcs with backup discs. Every other pc manufacturer does not, unless you want to pay for the store to do so. The companies figured they could make money when peoples' pcs got infected with virus and spyware and had no other recourse but to wipe their computer clean and reinstall Windows and need that precious copy of their OS to reinstall.

It is a one year old model Toshiba with 2 gigs of RAM, 160 gigs of HD memory, cd/dvd read/write, AMD Turion processor running at 2 GHz. I've read about the video card (an ATI Radeo X1200) and heard that it's really not that good but I am not using it for games, though I wouldn't mind putting a decent game on it, nothing really fancy, maybe Diablo II. But I got it mostly just to surf the net and be able to do school work on. If I want to get a gaming pc I'll get a desktop that is more manageable when it comes to upgrading. Anyhow the notebook cost me $550.00 (not including tax). Along with that I purchased a basic 4 port Linksys Wireless G, a wireless optical mouse and a carrying case. I also purchased a 3 year service contract that covers the battery, OS which is Vista Home Premium (ugh Vista !). Total expenditure for the day was $865.00. Nice thing is I got approved for financing, interest free for 18 months too and now I'll have a Best Buy store card with a $2000.00 limit... Mmm big screen HD TV in the future...

I spent a fair amount of time running updates as the software was preloaded half a year ago, it being last year's model. I also uninstalled junk, streamlining my computer's HD memory. I need to make a decision between Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works, as they both seem pretty similar. I just need to figure out what the differences so I can free up more space. I also have a few different media players, Toshiba's, WMP, iTunes, Realplayer, Quicktime and Creative Mediasource (for my mp3 player I got for free from work). I have all of those because different movies and songs on the net I've come across required something in particular to work. And those programs really don't take up that much space anyhow, all of them combined are something like less than 300 MBs so that's fine. I also installed Mozilla Firefox to avoid killing my pc with malware and got myself Adaware and Spybot. In a month when my trial version of McAfee runs out I need to get the free security suite one gets with the Roadrunner service, which I also get for free because I work in tech support for Time Warner Cable supporting their Roadrunner Business class customers. More on that later, I used to do tech support for residential customers...

So now I get to blog while lying in bed! Muahahaha! Okay so that is kind of sad, there are other things I'd rather enjoy in bed but I guess this will suffice for now...

Why I have not posted lately and a short Iron Man Review

2008-05-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

As anyone who reads this blog (insert sound of crickets here) may have seen I have not posted as much lately. When I started this blog I did so with the very conscious idea of not letting it spiral into something that was nothing other than meaningless angst or darkness as I felt perhaps happened on my Live Journal account. As a result I simply have not posted as of late because I really have not had all that much of value to say or add here. I've been dealing with some difficult emotions, and all I can say I am still struggling with them.

Fortunately I have tried to right myself somehow instead of just wallowing. At times if I keep myself busy enough and do stuff I can get my mind off certain things. One of those things was going out a week ago to see the movie 'Iron Man'. I went with my friend Randy and we both enjoyed it. Neither of us are big Iron Man aficionados so we could not be overly critical of any discrepancies between the movie and comic book but I did find it highly appropriate that the opening scene shows Tony Stark with a tumbler of Scotch in hand. For those that don't know Tony Stark/Iron Man has a problem with alcohol, in the comics at least. I think they hint at it here as well as they hinting at Jim Rhodes' future as Iron Man (and later War Machine) when Stark is unable to don the suit due to his alcoholism for a setup for the next movie or two.

The movie itself is a nice balance of action, humour, and pretty good acting. I think Robert Downey Jr did a good job as Tony Stark/Iron Man and the supporting cast was excellent. Gwyneth Paltrow had nice chemistry with Downey as his personal assistant Pepper Potts. Jeff Bridges was excellent too and Terrance Howard did a nice job as Rhodes, though I rather expected a deeper voice of that character though I am sure there will be plenty more of him in the 2nd movie... Oh and Gwyneth... she had her hair done up red... god that was hot... 'course I have this thing for redheads. I always thought she was a pretty good actress and attractive... but then her with redhair... *sigh*. The action sequences were nice... not overboard and clearly defined unlike Transformers where it was hard to see the details of what was going on at times.

If you get a chance I would recommend seeing it. And stay past the credits... there's a little treat at the end of the credits... particularly if you are a Marvel fan.

Writing Poetry (Progressive Poetry)

2008-04-03T20:53:00.004-04:00

Okay I haven't posted very much lately, kinda been busy with things on my mind... apologies for those awaiting word... yeah like my readership exists... heh. Anyhow the post is somewhat rehash, I wrote this poem a month or 2 ago and already talked a bit about it. But I've managed to keep writing in a similar style and wanted to bring it up. I will be posting some new work shortly... So here goes...

Often times after hearing some really poignant lyrics or reading some powerful poetry I look at my stuff and sigh... I end up feeling that my writing seems pretty trite comparatively...

But lately my mind has sort of traversed a border and my writing seems a bit more on the experimental side, with more deliberate attempts at word crafting and so I actually feel pretty good about my writing.

Normally in the past I wrot in a fairly standard style. Meter, rhyming, often in sonnet form. I still do some of that, usually Shakespearean sonnets.

Now though I’ve somewhat tossed meter and rhyming out (though not entirely), taking a more progressive approach to writing. I am spending more time crafting lines and phrases with double meanings or paradoxical meaning, giving my work a more subjectively interpretive bent.

Here is an example, this is a poem call illusions and elusions.

with silver - lined deceits
subtle hopes are foiled - wrapped
secret desires trapped
wave then duck and dodge
smile and weave the mazes
glance but do not gaze
forgoing feelings do not think
reactions in armor polished
chrome - shielded souls vanished
wave then duck and dodge
smile and leave the mazes
no heart for one last gaze
fading in time spectral shadows
leave empty wonders behind
clattering remnants in the mind

Upon first glance this may read easily, but if one takes the time to associate the word pairings in different ways you can come up with different meanings.

Examples:

reactions in armor polished
One could interpret this to mean the reactions are polished, or that the armor is polished, that is why that word appears at the end of the line.

wave the mazes: weave could mean weave as in weaving through the mazes, or weaving (as in creating) the mazes.

it goes like that with more of the poem...
have fun if you want with it...

cheers
-Jack

Oh Canada...

2008-03-20T14:39:00.002-04:00

So this past weekend, (St. Patty’s Weekend) my friends Martin, Kathleen, Tom and I made a field trip up to Mississauga, Ont. The purpose of the trip was to check out this bar/restaurant called 50 West that features over 100 beers on tap.

We had a great time I’d have to say. It was really nice getting out of town, even if it was only for a few a day and a half. We rented rooms at the Novotel on Hurontario St. 50 West is in a building that is actually connected by overhead walkway to the Novotel. So we didn’t even have to go outside when strolling from hotel to bar. Not that it was cold enough out to make a difference but the convenience is very nice...

Tom and I carpooled up, (Martin and Kathleen left earlier to do some visiting in Toronto), and checked into our hotel around 4 or so. We met up Martin and Kathleen and took a brief stroll around the block our hotel and bar were located on. Mississauga is a nice sized city, 750k people. There was wonder amongst us as to how it got this big, probably overspill from Toronto ? There were a few areas of construction going on, new high-rises were being built so evidently it is a growing city. We had reservations for 50 West at 6pm but decided to head over slightly early, which was no problem at all. We spent about 4 hours or so sampling various beers and ordering various appetizers. We also watched the Buffalo Sabres defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in a hockey game. Between the 4 of us we managed to sample 20-25 some odd beers. There were some very good ones. I particularly liked the one Kathleen got that was a coffee porter... yum! Tom tried Paulaner’s Salvator (the original double-bock) which he liked so much he order it again, in a 30 oz glass! If you don’t know how big that is... well it’s big, it’s like a half pitcher or so... I didn’t drink as much as I would have liked, I had a headache that was bothering me much of the night and didn’t want to exacerbate things. But still I had a wonderful time.
The downside was the pool in the Novotel closed earlier than we thought. We were misinformed that it was open all night, and well it was not so our plans to go swimming afterwards fell through, sadly. That was a bummer because I really wanted to enjoy some swimming, because hey slightly tipsy hilarity would have surely ensued...

The next morning we checked out, had breakfast at this place (the name of which slips my mind) which had some really nice sized portions for breakfast. The sausages I ordered were big pieces, as was the bacon Kathleen had. I can appreciate that...

I think we have pictures of our tab which itemizes what we consumed, I will have to post that some time. This is an endeavor we will have to definitely try again, after all we only got 1/4 of the way through the beer list... heee. There are some pics available to me which I will try to get posted up here.

Cheers!
Jack

A Refreshed Perspective

2008-03-03T17:47:00.003-05:00

So this weekend and how enjoyable it was got me thinking. I feel I got to be too much a creature of habit in the recent past. I used to go out more and be involved in activities of various sorts and this weekend reminded me of how fun it is to get out and be more involved. I need to start doing that again and regain a zest for life...

Certain routines are generally unavoidable and necessary. For example a typical weekday for me consists of waking up, eating breakfast, lifting weights, showering and then some sort of miscellaneous activity, usually watching a show I recorded or lounging about a bit before going to work. Then I work my 8 hour shift go home and sleep. Rinse, repeat 5 times Monday through Friday. It's not a bad routine. Lifting weights is a good project and well work pays the bills. TV is not something I am overly attached to, except for maybe the show House.

The weekend though is something that is ripe for opportunity, one just has to go out and grab the opportunities, or make things happen and after enjoying myself so much this weekend I have decided that I need more occassions like this, and will attempt to get some friends in on this action. I love my friends and like spending time with them, but sometimes I feel we do too much of the same thing. I want to spread out the activities and enjoy some variety. As a friend was wont to say, variety is the spice of life. While a routine is comforting and for some going out of their comfort zone can be difficult I feel it's important to give things a shot and go out and enjoy what the world has to offer.

Things are already looking up in terms of activities this year. I have planned a Toronto/ Mississauga trip in a few weekends. I have taken March 20th and 21rst off (the 21rst being my birthday) and I am thinking of something to do then. Early August is a trip to Cooperstown to check out a Belgian Festival run by Ommegang Brewery (a brewer of fine Belgian style beers). I have 3 weeks of vacation available, so finances willing (I am going back to school this fall and will be paying for courses out of my own pocket), I will be doing some travelling. Cheers to new adventures!

Weekend Hijinks

2008-03-03T16:06:00.004-05:00

So this past weekend was a really enjoyable one, and a refreshing one at that, even though I am pretty tired. I started coming down with something Sunday evening. Chills and fever Sunday night and woke up this morning with a bit of a sore throat and some congestion.

Saturday afternoon I went over to visit my friend Kristi at the psychic fair she was doing over the weekend. I hadn't seen her in quite some time, we met taking a few English courses together in college at the University at Buffalo a few years back but never really managed to reconnect except for keeping in touch online. We got along pretty well as we shared similar tastes. She's a pretty interesting and unique person. I hope to keep in touch with her better in the future.

Saturday night was my friend Martin's last gig with a band he was in. A group of 6 of us went out to see him play. It was a great evening, I really enjoyed myself immensely. I got up and danced quite a bit . After the gig finished, around 1am or so, we headed over to an all night diner for some breakfast and by the time I got home it was 4am.

Sunday was a gaming session with friends and sort of a recovery day as well. We chipped in for dinner and Kathleen and Jennifer made some food for dinner and we hung out and watched the hockey game, our hometown Buffalo Sabres lost unfortunately to the Detroit Redwings. All in all a weekend I really enjoyed.

The Cameron in me...

2008-02-27T19:08:00.006-05:00

I am person that is normally big on communication. I also love words and usually am pretty attentive to their usage. That's probably why I am an English major in college. One thing I have noticed is that gauging the meaning of what somebody 'says' to you via the internet seems to be a bit tricky at times. I think that is why I prefer conversations in person. The phone is a step up from the internet, as you can hear the tone as well as the words, but in person is best because this way you can see their expression and body language and get a better idea of what people are communicating.

Lately I've been feeling that maybe I am overly sensative to what a person says to me online. Certain things cause my radar to perk up and makes me want to write more or talk to that person to see what is going on, what is wrong and to try and help out. Maybe I read too much into what a person is typing or such and should take their meaning a bit more lightly. Maybe it's just the Cameron side of me coming up (Cameron is a character on House), where I feel an inexplicable need to help or 'fix' people. As I am wont to do I have been reflecting upon my ownself and discovered that I have this attraction to helping some people with problems. I haven't really thought about why this is...

Movie Review: Time

2008-02-27T15:54:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I watched a movie with my friends Jill and Tim, as we often do when I visit them. Jill and I took a stroll to the nearby Blockbuster looking for a few movies to rent and came across a Korean flick called Time which we decided to check out. Upon viewing the movie I decided to review it for my blog as it is a decidedly poignant movie, especially for me at this juncture in life.

Time is a drama directed by Ki-duk Kim that addresses how desperate people can be to feel loved and wanted. Following is a brief synopsis of the main thrust of the movie, I wouldn't really say this qualifies for any spoiler warnings as this summary is on the back of the DVD case. A young woman, Seh-Hee, feels that she no longer is beautiful to her boyfriend, Ji-Woo and one day suddenly disappears from his life. In an effort to rekindle the flame between them she gets plastic surgery to seduce Ji-Woo once again. During the 6 months it takes for her to heal from surgery Ji-Woo goes through some interesting attempts at dating but with his mind so consumed by Seh-Hee he never really enjoys any success. The movie is a haunting and disturbing reminder of how consumed we can be when it comes to love. Misplaced distrust and jealousy along with desperation are emotions that this movie deals with... things that we often see in headlines and things we may personally experience as well. I found this movie engrossing, though the beginning and end of the movie threw me for a loop and I am still digesting the movie and in particular those parts of the movie.

I found the movie enjoyable, but not in a conventional way. It's certainly not light entertainment fare, watch this movie only if you are looking for something that will make you seriously think...

Poetry

2008-02-18T17:09:00.005-05:00

Okay so as promised, here is a Valentine's Day poem I wrote. I am not quite sure how I feel about it. Part of me feels it's a bit cheesy, my romance poetry is prone to hyperbole. But I supposed that is part of poetry, particularly romantic pieces.

Your deep soulful eyes
stunningly beautiful
have rendered me silent
and stolen the breath
right from my lips

With a piercing gaze
of pure deadly allure
that paralyzed my being
you've stricken my heart
deep to its core

By your vibrant smile
heavenly radiant
my soul's been enchanted
and I'm held captive
entranced by you

With a kindly warmth
and light-hearted manner
you lift my heart, my soul
and bring to my face
a heartfelt smile

A few of the stanzas and lines I am not completely sold on and I am still working on this, tweaking it here and there. Any comments would be appreciated.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T15:59:00.007-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day, as I do about other holidays.

By definition holidays are ritualistic celebrations of either an event or a certain spirit.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the spirit of giving.

New Year's is a commemoration of the beginning of the new calender year and symbolic of a fresh start.

Valentine's Day is a day when lovers express their feelings for one another, a day of romantic expression.

Ideally we wouldn't need a specific day set aside as a holiday to express the spirit of giving, the idea of starting anew or the spirit of romance.

Christmas (and birthdays) shouldn't be the reason to get somebody a present. There is something to be said of getting a friend a gift out of whim.

New Year's shouldn't be the reason to make resolutions and start anew. Every day can be that day, that turning point.

Valentine's Day shouldn't be the reason to be romantic. You can be romantic at anytime really.

I am sure most people understand this idea and don't truly view the holidays as sole occassions for the aforementioned ideas. Some people may even disregard some of the holidays, notably Valentine's Day (and Sweetest Day) as Hallmark Holidays that benefit certain retailers and some may feel such holidays are silly, unduly stressful and unnecessary. While this can be true for some of us, there are other considerations. Some people lead very busy lives, constantly on the go and get wrapped up in their own doings and as a result inadvertantly forget certain ideas or spirits. So an actual calender day, an actual holiday that is meant to celebrate things such as romance should not completely be discounted.

Personally I am a romantic at heart, so on the one hand while Valentine's Day is not the only day I will be romantic (and possibly over the top romantic) I still enjoy the day for what it is, though if I had a romantic interest who didn't find the celebration necessary I would understand, hey I am adaptable.

I am currently working on a few pieces of romantic poetry that I will post to honor the day...

Random Encounters with Strangers (Apparently I look famous?)

2008-02-11T17:31:00.001-05:00

I find this amusing... both of the below has happened not infrequently so I am not really freaked out by this anymore but it still provides me with amusement.

1) I get asked about or complimented on my winter longcoat. That's a nice coat, where did you get it... happens about once a week, depending on how often I am out and about during that week. Not really a big deal, but something I note.

2) This is the more interesting of the two. I get told I look like somebody famous, or that I look like I should be an actor or something of that ilk. Today it was some magician guy named Chris that has a show on TV. I don't know who this is but I was told it was a good thing. Last week somebody insisted I should be an actor because I have 'that' look... I don't know what that means exactly. I hope I don't look scary or like somebody that is psychotic. Saturday I was told by a friend's guest something similar, that I reminded her of some movie person. I kind of just shrug it off, I don't know what to make of it really. But it still is a bit interesting I guess and amusing...

Questions and Introspection

2008-02-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

Right now this post may be a bit incoherent and raw and maybe I will revise it a bit as my head clears up. I am putting it up anyhow because I just need to...

1: What is the most important thing in your life to you right now ?

2: What is the biggest thing you feel is missing from your life ?

3: Ever wake up and look in the mirror and not really recognize the person looking back ?

4: Ever think introspectively about yourself and just feel fogged up ?

I describe myself as mercurial because I can be all over the map with my emotions.

On my best days I am a positive person with a humanitarian streak that wants to give himself to the causes of his friendships. I can be a strong and rational support for people. I am social and can be the driving force behind social events.

I also can be introspective, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways. At times this leads to learning more about myself, other times it leads down a darker path...

Other times I can be anti-social, scornful of people and just generally hateful, this comes about usually from negative encounters with people. I try to be positive about people but there are times when people really rain on that parade. That is often exacerbated if I am already in a dark mood due to my own machinations.

And yet other times I can be base, self-centered and instinctual. That leads to counter-productive behaviour and vices. Usually those periods are a direct result from my need to not think or feel anything. Being analytical is useful but I think it can run directly counter to feelings and for me that usually just confounds things terribly to a point of incredible frustration.

The last few times I've met an interesting nice girl that I think could potentially be into, I hit a wall. I would start trying to rationalize my feelings and then my head would start spinning and then I'd go do stupid things just to get away from my mind and sort of negate things I guess, if that makes sense. Other times I get all nervy and such, not being comfortable or knowing what to do with these ideas and potential feelings and make some sort of faux-pas. Then I go do the stupid things to put some distance in the situation. In doing so I greatly diminish my chances with said interest... I can't put my finger on why I need to rationalize my feelings. I've thought it through and come up with some answers, and yet more questions. Being nervy sometimes comes with the dating game, but this is a bit more than that. I am fairly sure I am not afraid of being rejected by a girl, that I can handle. I think it's a fear of hopes being dismantled.

Nightmares, One Bizarre Dream

2008-02-01T01:55:00.002-05:00

I used to frequently have bad dreams or nightmares. Some just left me feeling unsettled but there were some that truly shook me and woke me feeling truly and sickly frightened. Many of them I cannot remember, some I still vividly remember. It has caused problems with sleep in the past. As of late though my sleep has been more restful and unpopulated by such dreams. Sometimes I'd have the odd weird dream but nothing that left me feeling unsettled or worse. Well last night that changed. I had a dream that I do recall still, and it woke me with a start, leaving me with a racing heart. But when I think about the dream and try to interpret it I actually think that it contains some good omens. Here's the jist of it.

I am standing by a door and I roughly grab somebody, who is also me. I reach around and open the door which leads to a small room, a closet. I then start attacking my second self with some sharp pointed object and then I leave my second self's body on the floor, exit and grab a missile launcher and fire a missile at the closet. I woke up before the missile hits. I don't recall vivid details, the closet is dark, I never really see faces, I just instinctively know both persons are me in one form or another. The way I interpret this dream is that because I am really pushing change in my life, making strides to go forward I think this more aggressive self is trying to get rid of the old less aggressive self. So in spite of waking up scared with heart racing, I think it was a good dream.

Thoughts? Am I disturbed and do I need psychological help? (Jestingly he said...)

Reaching Back Into The Past

2008-01-31T19:08:00.000-05:00

One of the things I have been doing recently is trying to get back in touch with some old friends from the hometown I grew up in, Harrisville, which is located in upstate New York, up towards the mouth of the St. Lawrence seaway where it meets Lake Ontario. I have been in the past really bad about keeping in touch with classmates and friends from that area.

Recently though I have managed to get in touch with some family (my younger cousins) through Myspace. I have also made contact with some other people I knew from back then including some very good friends that I fondly recall. A few are serious musicians now, with sites up on Myspace with their own music. Jonathan and his family was somebody my brother and I spent alot of time with. I remember them as a very nice family who were always gracious hosts. I was elated when I go responses from both Jonathan and Jessica. Jessica and I have already corresponded a few times via email, it's so very exciting! What's particularly exciting is that she lives about 90ish minutes away from me, so it's realistic for us to visit one another. I am planning on visiting her and her family sometime soon, perhaps as soon as this coming weekend!

So far this year is looking good for me, I feel like I am accomplishing things and getting places. I feel good so far about this year... hopefully things keep moving in that direction for me !

Cheers,

Jack

My Music Playlist

2008-01-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

So as any readers out there may have noticed, I have a new addition on my blog here, as well on Myspace and Facebook. I found an application that allows me to build playlists and post the html code for it to social networking sites such as the aforementioned. It allows for 100 songs per playlist. I am up to 90 right now and I will be filling it up to 100 in the near future, revising it as I go along so that it represents all the music I enjoy. I am trying to limit it to 2 tracks per performer but a few exceptional ones may get 3.

My playlist is a varied collection to say the least if you have not browsed through it. It covers quite a few genres. Classical, Reggae, Celtic, Industrial, Techno/House, Classic Rock and more... I don't have polka but I could put in Weird Al easily, nyah! Future additions will likely include some nerdcore like MC Frontalot or MC Chris. Nerdcore if you need to know is hiphop with 'geek' or 'nerd' reference lyrics. Weird Al will likely make an appearance and I am looking for a good track of The Chokin' Kind by Joss Stone, Siente Mi Amour by Salma Hayek and Scarecrow by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

You may see Tom Waits has already qualified as exceptional, as I feature 3 tracks. I really like much of Tom Waits' music, but admittedly he is an acquired taste. Because I am an enthusiast of his I recommend giving him a listen. His voice is unique and he really cannot be pigeonholed into any one style. Siouxsie and Joss Stone as well as Fiona Apple will likely get 3 tracks. Notably (for those that know my music tastes) Rush is absent. That is because I am deciding which of their numerous songs I want to put up. They have alot of great material.

Speaking of acquired tastes, I will warn you that you listen to Captain Beefheart you do it at your own risk. Lets just say he is a peer of Frank Zappa (who I need to put up on here). His music is highly experimental and I think most will find it hard to bear. Personally I enjoy his work, but sparingly. It's not something you just pop in your player to listen to casually...

I hope you take advantage and listen to the tracks. Alot of the stuff is probably reasonably known, but some of the music choices are also somewhat less mainstream and thus my reason to share my enthusiasm for these songs and performers.

Self-Absorption

2008-01-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know I've been talking about friendships; how I want to be a better friend and make some new friends. So I am going to put this out there, because I started expressing some of this on a friend's blog on myspace. Not sure what to call this, it's not a confession really, maybe a revelation or an apology beforehand or an explanation of my at times inconsistent behaviour?

I can easily fall of the map with some people at times. I've gone months or longer where I won't contact a friend (who lives locally no less!). And it's not due to any fault of theirs, I just get wrapped up in my own things. I have a few hobbies that I can really get involved in deeply and sometimes I am susceptible to getting into ruts so to speak. One of my goals this year is to maintain a fairly constant contact with all my friendsm, new and old. Usually I keep in constant touch with a few friends really regularly, my hangout buddies. But even in that area sometimes when I am with them, I'm not all there or I am self-absorbed. So this year I want to change that whole thing and become less self-absorbed and not get stuck in ruts as much. I know I'll still do these things (it's human nature) but I guess the thing is to nip it in the bud and maintain a better balance of all my activities. If I ever do this to anybody who reads this remember to just kick me (not literally of course), it'll remind me to pay attention to my friends...

My First Movie Review

2008-01-25T01:32:00.000-05:00

I find it appropriate to review 'Bladerunner' as my first movie review on this blog. Yes it is old, it came out 26 years ago and ergo may not really need to be reviewed any further. But it probably is my favorite movie of all time and recently a huge DVD set for it came out, the special edition of which came in this nifty suitcase deal. My friend Matt has the set, it comes with 5 different versions of the movie.

So for those who don't know what the movie is about and didn't click on the IMDB link above, it's a sci-fi classic starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer primarily. Other people in the movie include Darryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos and Sean Young.

The general jist of the movie is that there are a handful of genetically engineered human clones called replicants that escape to Earth. The presence of replicants on Earth is unlawful and if found they are terminated on site, which is called 'retirement'. Harrison Ford is a bladerunner, a policeman who specializes in such tasks. He is pulled out of retirement to retire the fugitive replicants. The movie explores the grey area of defining what it is to be human. The movie's visuals are stunning, especially considering the level of movie technology at the time it came out. But even more astounding is Rutger Hauer. His portrayal of Roy leaves me short of words. He is truly captivating and his last speech in the movie rends my soul to this day. The movie is even more relevant today, considering the advances in made in modern genetics.

If you have not seen this movie I would urge you to see it. But don't just look at it for the sci-fi and visual effects or the action. Read into the movie... it truly is a masterpiece, one of Ridley Scott's best works.

More New Poetry

2008-01-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

I wrote a new poem over the weekend and have posted on Fictionpress. To read it click here. If you are inclined please leave comments or a review about the poem on the site or here. Actually I implore people for comments because this is a work I really wonder how people will interpret. To me it is clear the meanings of the poem, but I am the author...

The poem itself may be a bit difficult to read and understand. The way it is structured is deliberate. The lines can be coupled in various ways and and nouns, adjectives and verbs at times can be paired in varying manners for different results. For that reason the meter is not really set. The line breaks are mostly for the benefit of the rhyme I incorporated. Punctuation is ergo left at a minimum.

Example: the first few lines can be read as such. Briefly exposed, subtle hopes are foiled by deceit, becoming trapped desires that briefly surface but then are hidden again. Or it can be read that with deceit a person is keeping hopes wrapped as secret desires, foiled - wrapped (or foiling themselves even) ...

So I'd like to see what people can glean from this work and how they couple the lines and words...

The Tribulations of Life, "Life Sucks, Wear a Crash Helmet"

2008-01-16T19:10:00.000-05:00

So, to continue along the themes I mentioned prior about problems in life and extending ourselves to people in need... I have had a few theories about this whole thing that are slightly opposed to each other though I also think they are somewhat conjoined and dovetail nicely with each other. I feel both have a certain amount of validity to them... and as I write this they sort of interweave with each other, I found I could not really seperate them easily...

We all know life is difficult right.... we all have our problems and struggle in one way or another right at some point in our life right? Life isn't always good and it isn't always easy, I think if it was most of us would stagnate in terms of development as people. So I do my best to understand, listen to and advise my friends when they have problems. I have had my share of problems and have been in need of a good ear and advice as well, I am certainly no exclusion to this principle.

But in the last handful of years or so since working in tech support and observing news, I cannot help but shake my head in wonder at some people. People seem to have this crazy sense of entitlement and sometimes just have no realistic perspective in life. At work I have had people act as if their world was going to end because they cannot get online. Seriously; people crying or cursing themselves blue and just generally acting in ways disproportionate to the situation. I've witnessed outbursts of righteousness over the most trivial things when I have been out and about. And I don't need to tell you about the crazy lawsuits that go on over the most inane things. People are sue-crazy... just because something bad happened to you doesn't mean you should find somebody to take it out on and sue them for millions. *sigh* I could go on about this but that would be ranting.

Maybe I just don't know about the unseen factors that come into play in these situations which cause people to react in such a seemingly extreme manner and therefore I should not be so judgemental. Maybe I'm a bit too distant and analytical and should be more in touch with people's feelings and need to be more understanding. But honestly, there are some things worth getting worked up over, others ... not so much, take your lumps and move on. Figure out how to solve the problem, be constructive with your time and don't just complain and wallow in self pity. Most of our problems are not worth that much worry and really are not that big a deal in the larger scope of things. But as we all know "Knowing is half the battle". Probably more important than being able to solve the problem is recognizing what the problem really is. In other words, if you really are upset over something take the time to see what it is you are truly getting upset over. Is it really worth being upset over and why are you angry about it?

Like I said, I've seen my share of problems. Twice it seemed my life had totally crashed and burned. I won't go into the details of what happened, they were not minor problems though. I've managed to recover and overall today I am overall fairly well off in most aspects. I think about those times in my life and it sets in perspective the other issues I have in life.

So as a result for awhile now I've had a motto. "Life sucks, wear a crash helmet." I know it's not compassionate sounding and it is sort of simplistic. Oh and this thought is not geared towards anybody I know or talk to in real life. I don't think anybody I know or have been talking to about life whines or acts in such a way that this needs to be said to them, but if you do, rest assured I will gently remind to strap up that crash helmet... ;-). Life really doesn't suck, it is what you make of it, but life isn't always good either...

For the majority of us life is full of hurdles, some big and some not so big. Sometimes we'll need other people to help us over those hurdles particularly when it comes to the difficult concerns of a more spiritual or personal nature. But I think in the end the only person who can help you is you. Corny and cliche yes but ultimately true... to get over the hurdles in life you have to act in a manner that is constructive towards your own good. I've been told at a job that if you have a complaint about something that when you present it, to try and present a solution for the problem as well. I like that approach. I believe in listening to a person's problems, and I am more than willing to do so... but in return you may receive some advice, some of it may be helpful, and some of it may you may not like... but just know I have best intentions in mind...

New Poetry

2008-01-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

With certain recent conversations and my determinations to a) Be a better friend b) To make more friends c) To open up more and discuss more meaningful things I have been inspired to write some poetry. Following is one that also happens to pertain those ideas discussed. This is a first draft and subject to editing, but I think it's pretty close to finished. Please read and critique, I am not quite 100% happy with it and will be re-reading and revising it but I wanted to get something out there that is relatively close to being done at least for people to give me feedback on. I have it tentatively called 'Reach'

Reach

Darkness can ensnare us inexorably
with its guises many and deceitful
with a grasp domineering a frightful
some wither 'neath its touch whilst others flee
from that which needs be faced eventually.

Left alone to our own dark devices
to run away in repeated circles
desperately hoping for that miracle
to steal us away in times of crisis
or provide shelter from that which plagues us.

We must stand our ground though and not take flight
confronting our demons courageously
willfully contesting our destinies
side by side we can be each other's light
and side by side we can forge through the night.

It is not alone we're meant to live life
so do not begrudge your heart and your fears
reach out and offer your friendship and tears
unburden your mind and soul of their strife
Unto others open your very life.

I really would appreciate any feedback, be it positive or critical. I have not yet posted it on my fictionpress account. I tend to try and write in a certain meter (this is decasyllabic) and with rhymes, though I have a few works that are more free form.

Old friends and new ones...

2008-01-07T19:22:00.000-05:00

So far I feel I've been really following through on my commitment to friendships new and old. I've had some meaningful conversations with my good friend Jill as of late. We've had discussions on various relationships; parental ones, friendships and significant others. We've talked about life's difficulties in general. I've also had some good discourse with my friend Randy as well. I hope to continue this trend. I've made an effort to open myself up a bit more and be straight-forward with friends as to how I feel and what I struggle with instead of suffering in stoic silence (or maybe not that stoic silence?). It's a bit refreshing and liberating. Too often I think we are asked how are you and we automatically reply 'good' or 'okay'. I know intonation can change the meaning of those replies and we should be able to read between the lines but we shouldn't be afraid to be honest with ourselves and our friends. As a friend nobody should feel burdened to tell me they are feeling down or what have you, I will jump on the opportunity to actually contribute meaningfully towards your happiness, you are my friend and I want to see you happy. Plus when I sense somebody is down, sometimes it's difficult and awkward to start prying into their business.

In turn I've extended myself in terms of friendship to some new people that I know and have offered myself for purposes of listening to their problems, should they choose to confide in me. I'm no novice when it comes to suffering the trials and tribulations of life and feel I can offer some sound advice or at the very least offering the comfort of listening to their problems. I've had a well-travelled life, so to speak, in terms of experiences, but those are stories for a later time. I am hoping that my offers of help are accepted as I've put myself out there in earnest with sincere intentions of making friends and helping out. I am actually kind of excited about this all.

This is the beginning of a series of posts I have planned as a discourse on friendships and the difficulties we experience in life. I hope to hear some comments for active discussions from who-ever reads this...

Car Porn

2008-01-04T01:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I am a bit of a car guy. I like the old Detroit muscle cars, I used to own a 1970 Chevy Impala convertible. It had a small block 350 (which I was going to upgrade to a 450) with a 4 barrel carb. It was sweet, I took it out alot to clubs... babe magnet. I no longer have it, I couldn't maintain it, or rather I couldn't afford to get the restoration work it needed at the time. I am hoping that sometime in the future I can get my hands on a 69 Camaro, preferrably a convertible. I'd be painting it in blue, probably a metallic dark, with the broad white racing stripes on top. If it was a convertible it'd be a white ragtop. Ah dreams...

Well anyhow, I'm also into high performance sports cars as well. Right now I'm totally in love with the Bugatti Veyron. It's a beast of a machine simply put. I saw it on Top Gear on BBC America, where they test drove it on a VW private course and brought it up to it's top speed of.... 253 mph... yes 253 miles per hour... Here's the youtube link for the clip. If you at all like cars or simply appreciate good engineering this should interest you. And this is my car porn of the day...

New Years Resolutions

2008-01-01T23:50:00.000-05:00

I know that some people may think the idea of New Year's resolutions as cliche or meaningless. I've given that alot of thought on both sides and this is my conclusion. The idea of it taking something like the New Year to motivate oneself in terms of self-improvement, as many New Year's resolutions usually are, can seem a bit silly, right? Ideally one should always be motivated to do things for their own good, but we're human and we slip. Not everybody has the same drive as others. The New Year is a symbol of a fresh start and new beginnings, so what better time to make those resolutions. When I have made resolutions I have been fairly decent about meeting most of them. But right now I am really motivated, I want to push my life to the next level and with that comes some serious resolutions. At least they are in my eyes...

So here goes with the cliched list of resolutions.

1) I want to work on my credit history and manage my money a bit more tightly. I have gotten a nice start on that with getting approved for a loan for my new car, and getting a Target charge card. Managing those two well I should be able to get a decent credit card in the near future and then take it from there. Ultimately I want to get a high credit score so that I can buy a house with a reasonable mortgage interest rate.

2) I've also started working out and my desire is to continue to do so. I will gear my workouts to regain much of my weight and muscle mass I've lost in the past years. Some years ago I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and I've lost a considerable amount of weight since then. I have started planning a diet to help with this. I am also planning to do some cardio related workouts such as roller-blading and running. Since I started lifting weights my general health has been better and it feels great just to be getting into better shape.

3) I want to do is be more productive overall, especially with my artwork. I want to get more writing done and paint and draw more frequently.

4) I want to expand my social circle a bit and also extend myself more to my friends. I want to establish deeper bonds and open up a bit more.

5) I want to get back into school by August and continue my education.

6) I also have some resolutions of a more personal nature. Dealing with relationships, or the lack thereof. I've always been probably a bit too casual when it came to pursuing a relationship with somebody I was interested in. I am going to try a slightly different approach (when I feel something really is at stake) and see how that goes.

Good luck to all in 2008 with your resolutions, may the new year treat you well!

Happy New Year !

2008-01-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

I hope people managed to enjoy a nice celebration and ended 2007 safely. I went out with a handful of friends to Club Infinity and saw a few bands play. The first opening act was Exotic Aquatic, a very talented jam/funk band. Click on the preceding link for their myspace page or this link for their bandpage. I really liked them and want to see them play again. After that was Dee and the Housecats, who were also pretty good. Following that was the main act, Great Train Robbery, a ska type band that is my friend Jason's favourite band. He's been following them for years, I believe since close to their inception a few decades ago. The club was actually not very filled, which was disappointing, I was hoping for more atmosphere and fun I guess. But I still managed to have a nice time. The first few rum and cokes I had were medicinal tasting, so I switched up from asking for rum and coke to Bacardi and coke... and the tender poured out 151 for me... nice... and no extra charge too... nice guy... or a bit drunk ?

Well, hopefully 2008 treats you all well...

2007: A Year in Review

2007-12-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

I have some mixed feelings about this past year, but it did end on a positive and strong note. As I sit here writing this post I am struggling to recall really noteworthy events in my personal life, so I fear I don't have alot to write about for any readers out there. I guess it's all a perspective of what one considers noteworthy in their own life.

I think this year for me was mostly the development and fermentation of ideas and plans for myself. I began giving serious thought to buying a house, getting a new car and generally moving forward with my life instead of just standing pat. I took the first few steps towards buying a house, talking with friends about their experiences in buying a house and beginning to establish a high credit rating. My credit rating isn't poor per se as much as it is lacking. I haven't had any credit cards, credit lines or store charge cards in my name for several years. Recently I acquired a Target charge card and am looking at getting a few different credit cards. I was approved for an auto loan to get a new car with so that will also help improve my credit rating, so that I can get approved for a mortgage at a reasonable rate. I did make a concerted effort to pay off my student loan quickly this past year. I paid double my normal monthly payment and the result is my balance is far lower than projected and that I should have my loan paid for within 2 years if I keep the pace. With a monthly car payment though that requires budgeting my money more wisely, thus I have made a conscious decision to attempt to curb my spending. I see a few hurdles, as I have a few vices I need to reign in but I am now writing down my expenditures to be more organized and disciplined. I am looking at starting a few high yield accounts for savings purposes as well, and will be paying my auto insurance in full instead of in installments, to avoid those pesky little fees.

The latter half of the year I re-established better ties with my friend Jill. We've always been friends and she lives in the area so I didn't really lose touch with her. But there were periods of time when I would just inexplicably end up not visiting her for long stretches. But since summer we've really been hanging out alot, practically every weekend or every other weekend. With the winter months we've made a habit of starting up a fire in the family room of her very nice and huge (6000 square feet) house. We then get cozy and watch a movie or two. Sometimes her husband actually stays awake for some of the movie. Usually he ends asleep putting the kids to bed though. I also spend some time with Jill's 10 year old daughter, Renata. She is a great kid that I have fun with.

As the end of the year loomed I made resolutions, getting an early start, which bodes well in terms of actually being motivated. That list will be in a seperate post though

Well best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year's celebration and may 2008 be a fruitful year for you!

The Past 2 Weeks, a New Car!

2007-12-26T02:18:00.000-05:00

The past 2 weeks have been a bit hectic for me. I normally have a nice set and relatively relaxing daily routine. Not that I mind a bit of a change in routine nor is a bit of excitement of sorts something I dislike or cannot handle but this was a different case...

On Wednesday, Dec 12th, early morning on the way home from work I was involved in an auto accident. I was driving home on a highway and taking a ramp that led from it to another expressway. For those who know Buffalo, I was on the I-190 North exiting onto the 198 East. Well somebody tagged me from behind, causing me to spin out. The roads were slick with fresh snow and I was not able to regain enough control of my car to prevent it from crashing into the concrete barrier. It didn't help that I had Z-rated sports tires on my car. The driver of the other vehicle took off, he apparently decided to not go on the 198 anymore and headed straight north on the I-190... I don't know if the driver was really stupid and simply did not realize what happened or if he bailed because he wanted to avoid liability. I was able to drive the car home and the next morning (still Wednesday) I woke up early and took it into Carubba Collision, which is just down the street from me. I got a free loaner from them so I thought all was okay, I'd get the vehicle repaired and be back in business in a week, Carubba said it'd fixed somewhere between the 17th and 19th. The damage seemed minor at the time, just the headlamp assembly, front bumper assembly and driver side front fender were damaged.

So Thursday the 13th passed quietly and routinely. Well... my adjustor calls me late Thursday, after I've left for work, saying there was bad news. But I don't know this until Friday...

Friday, the 14th, I put off calling him for a bit as I resumed my workout routine. I called him later that afternoon and he advised me the car was totalled as there was frame damage done to the car, UGH! The collision shop was no longer providing me a free loaner so I needed to return the vehicle or pay for renting it. So I make a decision to keep the car for the remainder of Friday through Monday (that cost me about $60), as I had to do some stuff during the weekend and really could not be without a vehicle. When I got to work that evening I notified a co-worker who lives nearby me that I'd be needing a ride to and from work if he wouldn't mind (Thank You again John!) until I got a car. I had a friend's christmas party to go to and some Christmas related things to do over the weekend. The Christmas Party (yay Jill!) rocked and the weather sucked so shopping was easy... not alot of people out in the nasty weather...

So Monday morning, the 17th, I wake up early again, run a handful of errands I needed to get done, emptied out my car at the collision shop and returned the loaner by early afternoon and walked home. I got home by mid afternoon and wanted a break and something to eat, I hadn't eaten that day yet...

Tuesday morning I met with my adjustor, signed the title over to Progressive and he gave me the check for the car. After that I continued research on purchasing a new vehicle. I continued this research online at work between calls and submitted an online form for an approval for financing on a 2003 Toyota Camry with 30k miles on it.

Wednesday I get a call from a saleslady at the dealership, and lo and behold, it was Michelle from Northtown Auto, the same person who I dealt with 2 months ago when I was browsing new cars and test drove a Mazda 3. A few months ago I started thinking about a new car but wanted to save up money for a largish downpayment along with trading my car in so the amount left to finance would be low, improving my chances of getting approved for an auto loan. So even though I really liked the Mazda 3, I held off on buying it at the time. She said she'd run the numbers for me and asked if there was any other cars I was looking at. Well I really had my eye on a 2006 Mazda 6 they had on special during December. She calls me later that day with good news, I was approved for financing on the Mazda 6. Yay! So I called my insurance agent and had them run some numbers on the 4 vehicles I was looking at buying. All 4 vehicles were within the same price range. $14,000 - $16,000. Well come to find out the insurance rates varied wildly. The '07 Corolla was the most expensive, then the '06 Mazda, then the '03 Camry and lastly the '03 Jetta. I immediately wrote off the Corolla, as it was a very basic model with not alot of the features I wanted. The Camry was written off because it had less features than the Jetta and was more expensive to insure, and both were nearly the same price, the Jetta being a few hundred dollars more. So now the decision came down to the Mazda 6 which I really wanted (they're really hot looking) and the Jetta. They gave me approximate numbers but said I should get the VINs to get more accurate ones. So I spent the rest of the day crunching numbers and thinking hard about it.

Thursday morning, after getting the VINs on the vehicles from the dealer's website for all 4 vehicles (just to be sure the numbers on all 4 were accurate) I called my insurance agent again with the VINs. They called me back a little bit later after running all the numbers with more precise insurance rates. They still had not changed. So I mulled it over while making and eating breakfast and taking a cat nap. Early afternoon I decided that the Jetta was the way to go. It was $300 less to insure during a 6 month period, had a power moonroof/sunroof which the Mazda did not, had less mileage and was $1000 cheaper. Plus the car I just totalled was a 99 Jetta and it ran very well. I guess looking at it that way, it should have been an easy decision but the Mazda 6 is such a hot car (thus their high rates of insurance). Mind you the Jetta is nice looking car in its own right, but man those Mazdas! So I called Michelle around 1pm, and hopped into the shower. She came over to pick me up around 1:3opm and we stopped by the bank to deposit my check for my car. I was at the dealership for over 4 hours, UGH! The car had to be prepped, oil change, test drive, alignment (there was a slight wobble when you hit about 40mph), Scotch-guarding the interior, putting the environmental paint protection on and undercoating. I went into the financial guy's office and he ran my loan through VW directly and got approved a pretty good rate, considering my dearth of a credit history. After that I signed more papers in a 30 minute period than I had in the past year I swear. I got out of the dealership around 5:45 pm and got home by 6pm. John stopped by a few minutes later and I notified him I was all set with a new car and didn't need a ride. I took 5 minutes to catch my breath and get together and ready for work and left for work. I was beat, it was a long day already and I had 8 hours of work to still yet complete.

So Yay! I have a new car! Well not new new, but new enough. And not exactly under the conditions I had envisioned. As mentioned I was hoping to set aside around $5,000 in cash and trade my car in (probably about $4,000) and have to finance only $10,000 for a brand new vehicle, well plus taxes and such. Instead I have a slightly used car that I have put $3000 down upon, but hey I'll take that, it's a very nice car anyhow. I'll probably be trading it in within 3-4 years anyhow for an actual brand spanking new vehicle after my credit score improves with these car payments and having a few other credit lines well maintained so I can get a better financing deal anyhow.

So the car I now have is a nice dark green 2003 VW Jetta GLS sedan with a charcoal grey interior and 25k miles on it. The interior lighting is really cool looking too. It has a power moonroof/sunroof, power everything, remote keyless entry, all that good stuff. It has 2 years left on its factory warranty and I have extended it for 4 years on top of that. Plus it is a certified pre-owned vehicle, and the dealerships certified warranty kicks in after the factory warranty expires. So I have no worries about repairs. Not that I would anyhow, as I mentioned I had a Jetta before this and had no problems with it except for the previous owner messing up the electrical wiring. Aside from that I never took my car in for mechanical reasons in the 3-4 years I had it. It did need some work though, the electrical was all messed up and because of that wasn't passing inspection. Also somebody broke into the car at one point, messed up my radio a bit and screwed up the venting for my heat/ac. Between fixing that and the electrical I would have invested significant $$. The electrical work was not an option to do later either since the year was up and inspection sticker colour changes coming up I needed to get that done. Glad I didn't because I would have flushed it down the toilet with that accident.

All in all, despite the accident it came out well. I just wonder about my insurance rates once the accident goes on record. Hopefully I get some consideration in regards to the circumstances. Well at least I have no other incidents on record. No points and accidents on record previous to this one.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T18:33:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all!

To address the question that may arise as you read this and perhaps my previous post, why am I posting here (or even on the internet for that matter) during Christmas Eve and Day, well quite simply I am working. Our call center is staffed 24/7. Here if an employee works one holiday it is less likely that they get recruited to work the next one. I volunteered to work Christmas so I could have New Year's Day off, and I have New Year's Eve off as well (I day I scheduled off). So I have a 4 day weekend coming up with which to celebrate the New Year. I haven't really done all that much for Christmas in the past anyhow, but I really like celebrating the New Year and New Year represents more to me on a personal level, especially this year. No offense to those that take Christmas to heart.

New Beginnings and an Introduction

2007-12-24T18:48:00.000-05:00

So, with the beginning of a new year coming up and some recent events and decisions of the direction of my life have prompted me to start up a new blog that I hope to keep going strongly in a positive and constructive manner.

I hope to have varied content posted, including differing types of philosophical discussion (ranting?), movie reviews (I am a big movie person), some music reviews, my poetry and of course tidbits of what is going on in my life (particularly for my friends that now live a distance away). I am hoping to see people respond with their opinions and own ideas, especially when it comes to philosophical discussions, as I'd like to see this blog be more than just my rantings but a place to share opinions and ideas and to have discussions and dialogue.

So for those of you who don't know me and just happened to come across this blog, or only know me peripherally my name is Jack Andersen. Describing who I am has always been a bit of a chore for me, because one has to consider what it is that defines a person. One can take various approaches as to how they define themselves. I was recently watching Batman Begins (in my opinion a fantastic movie) which has a line that really pertains to this discussion. The line is Katie Holme's quote 'It's not who you are underneath but what you do that defines you'. Initially I thought about that statement and disagreed with it, but if you give it more thought I think a strong argument can be made for this line of thinking. It's almost along the same lines of 'actions speak louder than words'. More on that later though...

So back to who I am anyhow.

I believe myself to be a fairly well rounded person in terms of interests and what I enjoy. I am open-minded person and enjoy a variety of activities, though I haven't done some of those activities in quite awhile. I can also be convinced to do or try alot of things I normally wouldn't do on my own. I have a creative bent as I write poetry (as mentioned before) and prose, and I paint and draw. I enjoy sports, both watching and playing. I like to play soccer, hockey and tennis and I enjoy watching football and hockey. I am currently working out regularly and hope to start running after the winter. I like to read, enjoy puzzles like Kakuro, logic puzzles, crosswords, and Sudoku. I enjoy some television, my favourite shows are House, Heroes, Bones and Family Guy. I enjoy movies frequently and own a decent DVD collection. My taste in movies varies, as it does in so many other things. I like to cook, for friends in particular, and of course I enjoy consuming good food and drink as well. My taste in food varies, I like good old steak and potatoes, sushi, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, and so forth. I enjoy drink of all sorts, Scotch, good beer, mixed drinks, and wine. It's been awhile since I've been to a restaurant with friends unfortunately though... I like games of various sorts, video games, board games and RPGs. I also play Magic: The Gathering, a CCG. I prefer to spend my time with my good friends, though at times I can be a bit anti-social. I can be a bit of a moody person, probably comes with the territory of being an artistic type. I also find myself to be a bit of a paradoxical person. I can be feeling very anti-social and uncommunicative but also strongly the desire the company of people, in particular my friends. I believe very strongly in open communication and being honest and straight-forward but I also find that I don't always communicate my feelings very well or openly, likely most often due to not wanting to burden other people with my issues. I also believe in try to be the best help I can for my friends in terms of having good listening skills and sincerely trying to sympathize with and help advise people. But on the other hand at times I feel I can be awfully self-absorbed, especially when I hit one of those 'moody' periods.

Other things about myself. Ethnically speaking I am quite a mix, I am 50% Japanese, 25 % Norwegian and 25 % Danish. I am a returning student at the State University at Buffalo, currently majoring in English. I am caught between a decision of getting certified as a Teacher or going for Physical Therapy. I currently work for Time Warner Cable as a tech support agent at a call center. The job is difficult in that customer service in general can be difficult, because inevitably you will encounter the people that give you a difficult time. I get paid decently though and get very good benefits. Pretty good health insurance coverage, the whole cable tv lineup for free as well as free internet service. It also offers a flexible schedule for the purposes of attending college.

Well enough about me for now, if you stick with reading my blog you'll learn more about me and my tastes as time progresses. In the near future I'll be posting the interesting and exciting events of the past few weeks which I believe serve as an interesting herald for the new year and a renewed sense of direction and purpose.

Enjoy a safe and happy Holiday Season!

Jack Andersen