6-28-03 (22:45)
  • registered my number on the national do not call list. that's exciting.
  • the bunk bed was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth so i've decided not to do it, at least for now. my room is big enough that i don't really need the extra space it would have saved anyway, though more space is always nice.
  • set up a brick and board bookcase that works well and now my room just needs to have posters added to the walls and it'll be done. the living room still needs work.
  • updated movies list.
  • updated moviesiown list.


    • 6-28-03 (01:42)

  • more or less moved in now. i still need to finish the bunk bed...that should be done tomorrow after i make a run to ace and pick up some more hardware. we don't have any real furniture - no tables, melanie doesn't have a desk, we don't have a sofa, etc. melanie's parents got us a propane grill though. had some steak on it tonight and that was good. so much easier than charcoal grills.
  • i'll update my movies list tomorrow.


    • 6-23-03 (01:07)

  • had a softball game today, but i didn't play. we lost by a few runs.
  • started the first phase of actual moving today. loaded up the car with bricks, boards, and other misc. stuff and drove it all over to the new place. carpets get cleaned tomorrow morning so we can't do any moving before work, but after i get off work i'll probably take another car load over there. get the truck on wednesday for all the big stuff.
  • i still need a couple items for the bunk bed, but the carriage is done and fits together nicely.
  • haven't gotten around to changing my address with my bank or a lot of other places so i should probably do that soon. moving is nice. i wish i had less stuff. after i move i think i'll round up another group of items to give away or sell. i also wish everything i had was smaller. my computer, for example, would be better if it were just one piece. if i had the money i would buy a laptop as my main computer.


    • 6-20-03 (21:11)

  • updated movies list.
  • bought some lumber today for my the bunk bed i'm going to make. bought a mattress yesterday so i know exactly how big to make the carriage portion of the bed. hope to start work in earnest tomorrow.
  • get to start moving to the new place in four days.
  • my internet explorer is having issues lately.


    • 6-19-03 (01:05)

  • boxed up all my cds tonight. i have an excessive amount of audio video related stuff. 7 boxes of cds, 3 boxes of dvd, five speakers, two cd cases, one dvd case, two receivers, a tv, a dvd player and a cd player.
  • i go back to work tomorrow for a day and then get the weekend. i doubt it'll happen, but i hope to find a full time job, that pays equal to or greater than what i make now, in the next week.


    • 6-18-03 (01:23)

  • "Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, made a bid for green votes on Friday when he unveiled an energy plan that would, among other things, tighten fuel-economy standards for automobiles and push the U.S. toward getting 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Kerry wants to end U.S. dependence on Middle East oil imports within a decade. "The threats that America faces today don't just come from gun barrels, they come from gas pumps -- and we need to disarm that danger," Kerry told an audience in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "No foreign government can embargo clean domestic renewable sources of energy and no terrorists can seize control of them."  Kerry proposed launching a new fund that would finance research into renewable energy sources and spending $1 billion a year to help the U.S. auto industry build more eco-friendly vehicles. He said his plan would create 500,000 new jobs over a decade."
  • i don't know why more people who are left of "center" take this kind of stance. the only people it threatens are oil companies and, to a lesser extent, the auto industry. but i feel that it's a politically viable stance - it's eco-friendly, it addresses part of the problem in the middle east, and it will create jobs. it's also encouraging that he gave this speech in middle america, rather than san francisco where there's no risk involved in taking such a stance.
  • "The Nature Conservancy, which was sent reeling last month after a series of Washington Post articles exposed embarrassing problems and questionable practices within the organization, has announced a number of policy reforms decided upon in a board meeting last week. TNC, the world's wealthiest environmental group, will stop drilling for oil on land it controls, making loans to staff members, and selling undeveloped land to trustees for use as home sites.  The Post articles revealed, among other things, that TNC had drilled for natural gas on the last native breeding ground of an endangered bird and had given its president, Steven McCormick, a $1.5 million low-interest home loan.  In the wake of the articles, two senators called for taking a close look at TNC's finances.  The group hopes the new changes will head off further scrutiny and criticism.  "This sounds like a big step in the right direction," said Peter Dobkin Hall of Harvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations"
  • "New gadgetry at truck stops could help slash pollution from idling big rigs.  Most truck drivers across the U.S. leave their vehicles' engines running all night while they're parked at truck stops because it's the only way to keep the heating or air conditioning on while they get some shuteye. Between 840 million and 2 billion gallons of gasoline are burned each year in the U.S. by these idling trucks, according to an estimate from the South Coast Air Quality Management District in southern California, and that results in a lot of dangerous diesel exhaust that can damage lungs and exacerbate asthma or bronchitis, not to mention heat up the planet.  IdleAire Technologies, a Tennessee-based company, has a solution to this dirty problem: truck stops where drivers can turn off their engines and tap into a system that gives them heated or cooled air via a tube with a control panel that attaches to a truck window.  The system even offers Internet access.  Think eco-friendly drive-in theater for the 21st century.  So far, 200 truck stops in the U.S. have plans to adopt the IdleAire technology."
  • that was a big pain in the ass when we were going around the country. we'd pull into a rest stop or an abandoned parking lot somewhere to get some rest in the car, and invariably some big rig would pull up alongside us and leave his truck idling all night. i don't know about melanie, but i had a hard time going to sleep sometimes when it was so hot that i had to have the window open, but too loud to get any sleep.
  • played some softball again tonight.
  • a week from today we can start moving.


    • 6-17-03 (16:12)

  • got suspended from work for a day and a half without pay because of what happened yesterday. i've been looking for jobs all day. i hate looking for jobs. it highlights the fact that i don't have any really marketable skills. i'm not "outgoing and energetic" or "positive and motivated" i don't have much experience to speak of and i'm not good at talking myself up so it's not a fun process. the video store that's close to my new apartment isn't hiring. too bad...i've wanted to work there for a long time. getting to watch movies all day and rent movies for free would be a pretty sweet job and the location is perfect. also looked at substitute teaching in woodland and davis. davis isn't looking for people...probably because during summer school there are fewer classes to cover. also looked into getting a job at safeway...they're always open which means flexible hours and they're union which means good benefits and wages. also there's one close to my new place so, again, the location is good.


    • 6-17-03 (01:19)

  • fantasy baseball team is doing okay so far this year. i have a good chance of not finishing in last place this season.
  • mostly concerned with moving duties lately. i planned on packing up my desk tonight, but i might not have time.
  • i was supposed to open the store today as part of a shift exchange i was doing for heidi, but i forgot. so the store opened half an hour late and another supervisor worked the opening shift. oops. hopefully joe isn't too mad at me tomorrow for screwing up.


    • 6-16-03 (00:57)

  • i don't know why i go so long between updates sometimes.
  • updated movies list.
  • hot water hasn't been working at our apartment the last couple days. that's unfortunate.
  • played some softball today. melanie's work has a team. my knee hurts and i think i'm getting old. it's not a good thing.
  • played some basketball yesterday and shot the ball pretty well. focused on keeping my elbow in - it seems to help.
  • missed the second half of the game tonight. that's unfortunate, but i won't cry over it. i'm happy for david robinson - i've always liked him. tim duncan probably is the most complete basketball player in the league, but i'd like to add webber's name to that list.
  • slowly getting ready to move. i'll have the same phone number. canceling cable to help save money and since it's not basketball season i don't really need tnt. i'll miss the daily show and south park though.
  • finally finished moore's "stupid white men and other lame excuses..." i agree with moore about 85% of the time. his new book is tentatively titled "dude where's my country?"
  • started rereading "cat's cradle" on a whim the other day. that's a good book. i like vonnegut.


    • 6-11-03 (00:07)

  • it looks like i'm going to have an opening shift on sundays from now on. that'll be a good thing i think.
  • i woke up today because my neighbor (the one with the loud dogs) was on the phone outside and all i heard was "they told me it was either vomit or diarrhea and i knew it was diarrhea." as melanie said "what a shitty way to wake up."
  • after that i went to the dentist and had ten cavities filled. actually i didn't have any cavities so that was the first pleasant dentist experience i've had in recent years.
  • tower is selling the new radiohead for 9.99. i'm not sure how they're supposed to make money on that since the cost to us is 12.04 and it retails for 18.99. i planned on picking it up today, but passed on it. i did get a b12 record and a cinematic orchestra version of the "man with a movie camera" soundtrack. i'm at 915 albums now. it's a bit ridiculous, but relative to people at kdvs or other people who work at tower my collection is actually quite tame.
  • updated moviesiown list. updated cdlist. year.
    • 6-10-03 (01:02)
  • going home july 25th-30th.
  • if jackson had made that three pointer in game two the spurs would be looking for a sweep in this next game. i guess what i'm getting at is that the series has turned out to be more lopsided than (most) people thought it would be. and really the spurs are only playing mediocre ball right now.
  • speaking of mediocre - i heard the new radiohead album today. actually is better than mediocre. it's more along the lines of ok computer. some might say that's a return to their roots and others might say they're pandering to the requests of their fans and the press who seemed to like the more rock feel of ok computer over the electronic heavy kid a and amnesiac. i don't really care either way. after listening to this album in the store a few times i don't think this one is as good as any of those, but i've yet to give it a real, unadulterated, listen.
  • i have to go see the dentist tomorrow.
  • i'm looking forward to the new saul williams ep due later this month.
  • it seems like the releases are starting to pick up. led zeppelin, radiohead, saul williams, grandaddy, punch drunk love, 25th hour, south park season two, etc. all within a month of each other. it makes saving money for moving more difficult.


    • 6-9-03 (02:06)

  • over the last week i've been working on melanie's $8 bike. we took it apart and painted it and then put it back together again. it looks a lot better than before, but could have used some serious sanding and a primer coat. but given the amount of time and money we wanted to put into it, it turned out nice.
  • this six day week is going to go on forever. only my second day into the work week and i already wish it was friday.


    • 6-8-03 (02:17)

  • what i reported earlier is now official: "Warner Bros. has announced that it will release director Michael Moore' acclaimed Roger & Me on 8/19, no doubt to coincide with MGM's release of Bowling for Columbine on DVD. The disc will include the film in its original full frame aspect ratio and mono audio, with audio commentary by Moore and a theatrical trailer."
  • went to the monarchs game tonight. they lost by 18 points. it would have been 21 if not for a last second three pointer to bring it down to 18. it was a fun game despite the really poor play on sacramento's part. they looked like a high school team a lot of the time.
  • woke up early and went to work the sidewalk sale at tower today. it was a pretty decent way to spend the afternoon. i haggled with customers, sat outside, and earned overtime. overall pretty nice.
  • updated movies list. been doing poorly with the movie watching lately. i shall try harder.
  • looking forward to moving soon. i've drawn up plans for a lofted bed that would go over my desk. it should cost under 50 bucks for materials and will probably take a couple days to build. hopefully it comes out nice.


    • 6-6-03 (22:21)

  • if i'm the new jersey nets i'm worried right now. i finally get mutombo into the game and he plays a good 20 minutes of solid basketball, jason kidd scores 30 points, i force over 20 turnovers, i get duncan to have a bad night and i scrape by with a two point victory? the spurs even had the last shot which easily could have won the game. on the other hand i'm happy because i got a win in san antonio and that was pretty much necessary.


    • 6-4-03 (00:14)

  • updated movies list.
  • it's been really hot lately and i haven't felt like doing much of anything. haven't watched many movies or updated my webpage very much.
  • i have been packing and getting things ready for the move.
  • glad that the mighty ducks won the other day. if they hadn't then the stanley cup would have been even less of an event.

    • the nba playoffs don't appeal to me that much. i'm pretty sure that the spurs will win. byron scott seems content with mutombo on the bench and although you can get away with that in the east i don't think that'll work too well against the spurs who have two of the best big men to ever play the game. although robinson can't put up 73 points in a game like he did in his prime, he's still better than collins. mutombo will have to play more than 10 minutes a game for them to have a shot at winning the whole thing.