I had a few things I wanted to post here, and I hadn't gotten around to them in a few days, so I decided to buckle down and write them.

First off, I wanted everyone to know that I got a new 30gb iPod last week, and I'm loving it. I was going to buy it after Christmas with whatever gift monies I had received, but I got a fat dividend check from my insurance company, so I decided to buy it early. I haven't put all of my music on there yet, but I've got most of my favorites so far. The conversion from FLAC to AAC is a bit tedious, but I'll get to finishing it up eventually. I'm planning on using it mostly for when I work out.

Second, I wanted to let everyone know about a cool new video blog I've been checking out lately, called The Show (with zefrank). This guy is pretty intelligent and funny at the same time, and over the past year he's developed quite an e-following too. He's promised to put a new 3 minute video out every week day for a year, and the project ends in March, so it's not too late to get hooked. You can subscribe to the podcast of the show on iTMS, which means you could also watch The Show on your iPod, if that's your sort of thing. It isn't really mine.

I haven't been to the gym since Monday. In three days my energy levels have dropped, my outlook has faltered, and I feel like I gained 30 lb. I'll probably head over there as soon as I finish posting this.

So we're nearing the apex of Holiday Season 2006 (©), and I'm wondering if any of you get The Holiday Blues like I get The Holiday Blues. I don't know what it is about Christmas and it's multi-denominational cousins, but I find something vaguely anxiety-inducing about this time of year. Maybe it's the fact that every day it gets dark a little earlier; I believe very much in seasonal depression, and also that I probably suffer from it. Maybe it's the hypocrisy of people wishing "Happy Holidays" to a stranger in one moment, and then in the next cutting off another stranger and flipping him the bird; all hypocrites piss me off normally, but the ones who pretend to radiate warm feelings but then perpetrate extreme acts of selfishness are the worst. Perhaps I just don't like the rampant commercialization of a so-called "Season of Giving"; I very much want to buy into that whole "good will towards man" spiel, honestly, but it's hard when Target is the one telling me about it, and then immediately after, trying to sell me a toaster I don't need. Maybe it's just that as an agnostic, I have no dogmatic reason to celebrate the season, just a spiritual and traditional one; and the news reports of people beating each other up to get the latest "it" thing for their kids make it hard to get into the spirit of the season. I don't know what it is, but Christmas leaves me cold, and it's a sad thing.

*post title is recycled from a previous year  Read more »

...have been greatly exaggerated.

Yes faithful reader, your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm back. Really. Truly. Honestly.

I know I disappeared for a month, and it wasn't intentional. Things have been pretty busy lately, and I expect they will remain so for a while longer. So you might not see me around very much more in the foreseeable future, but fret not, faithful reader, for I am still alive after all.

I suppose a grand update is in order, right? No? Well I'm going to give you one anyway, if you'd care to click the "read more" link just below here. Otherwise, I won't waste your time any further.  Read more »

Now some of you may have been wondering why I've been absent of late, and haven't been posting nearly as much for the past few weeks. I usually don't delve too deeply into the details of my personal life here, for various reasons, but I feel that in this case a little closure might be in order, and at the very least I owe my reader(s) an explanation. Let's just say that life's been crazy for the past month or so, and aside from feeling physically down with various symptoms and whatever (including a killer migraine that lasted for two days), there have been some personal/emotional issues to deal with. I'm going to summarize them now, and probably never mention the issue again, so pay attention.  Read more »

Hey gang, I know I haven't put up my friday update for last week yet, but there's good reason: I was out on a camping trip with my girlfriend all weekend. It was pouring the whole time and I spent almost $400 on camping gear, but still the trip was pretty damn good. I'm unwinding tonight, but hopefully tomorrow after work I'll pick up the latest CD and post a proper update. Until then!