i wrote 2 blogs when i was on vacation, and here they are, a couple weeks late :)

later..

back from the beach.. there’s some stuff that you don’t remember when you don’t swim in the ocean very much.. i live about 30 minutes from the pacific and the last time i went there to swim was 2 years ago. the nearest place to swim from my house is one of the many beaches at santa cruz, and the pacific is mighty cold there.. in the summer the ocean might get to a whopping 64 or 65 degrees at the highest. for people who are used to heated pools, that’s damn cold. the ocean down here was about that cold, but bearable.. maybe 63 or 64 degrees (and it’s only may) but it was exhilarating. so the first thing that you don’t remember is how cold it is. the second thing that you don’t remember is the waves. even a couple dozen feet out from shore, where the water depth is maybe 4 or 5 feet, you can get 10 and 12 foot swells. (yes, that’s 6 to 8 foot waves). that’s pretty cool, as far as i’m concerned. as long as you’re not foolish about it, it’s a lot of fun. it’s getting on towards evening and i’m getting tired, even though it’s not quite 8pm, but i’m gonna wrap things up, but before i do, i’d like to talk about some of the super-cool stuff that i aquired at legoland: some starwars lego!! an imperial shuttle, (complete with crimson guards!) miniature xwing, tie bomber, and a couple other funky lego dudes (including lego darth vader and lego emperor palpatine. pictures will follow, when i am done putting them together. later all :)

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i’ve been trying to get a hold of this book for a couple months now, and the used bookstore that i frequent (recycle books in sj – check it out if you’re into that stuff) always seems to have just sold the last copy. apparently it’s pretty popular, i’ve heard it mentioned on a couple of blogs i frequent, and i’m really curious to read it. i mean, we all know that so-called ‘fast’ food is bad for you, but the question is “how bad”? with last month’s lawsuit against nabisco re: oreo cookies, and the new (to me at least) talks about these killer ‘trans fats’, i am maybe starting to shake off my self inflicted blinders a bit to wonder, what am i really eating here? is it really that bad? i eat out (at my work cafeteria) a couple times a week, but their food is not too bad, they have good soups and some good meals there. i also eat fast food one or two times a week. i don’t exercise enough, and lately i have been wondering about my long term health. when i was young i didn’t really care, i didn’t even think i had a long term (oh the wasteful days of youth). now that i have a family, i am concerned about me being there for them long term, and does that mean that i need to drop a few pounds? very possibly. i think that if i bothered to look up statistics, i’d find that most people over 25 are over their target weight, and although i’ll never get to my ‘target’ weight (i’d have to lose at least 70 pounds and i’d be a stick) i’m 5’10 and weigh about 240, but i’m often estimated at as much as 30 pounds less, due to the fact that there are some random muscles lurkin below that paunch. i’m starting to get a little bit healthier, riding my bike a bit, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, but my real challenge is cutting out the crap, having water instead of soda, skipping the afternoon choco bars and so on. well, maybe i’ll get a double whopper and think about it. so has anyone read fast food nation, and if so, thoughts?

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so my friend mario e-mails me last week and says he’s coming to javaone and i should come up to the city and hang out with him one night. so last night i go up and meet him after the sessions, we hang out and get some dinner, watch the sun vs apple hockey game (apple won, 2-1 despite being outplayed by sun most of the game) and then crashed the borland after-hours party. open bar, very nice vip room “hi, i’m mike peters, assistant to the vp of network management”. not bad eh :) mmmm cap’n morgan and coke, free all night. the band was pretty good, and i met some cool peeps. (hi to jeff, in qa for jbuilder, and mike & david from crystal decisions, and tom from home office magazine. there’s nothing like watching a bunch of drunk geeks shake their boot-ay.

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i’m cleaning my garage right now, and came across a birthday card my parents sent to me a couple years ago (yeah, i’m a packrat), i got a little weepy and wanted to share it.

ever since you were born,

we worried and wondered

about whether or not

we were being the best parents

we could be.

did we make you feel important?

did we find enough time

for the little things that live on

in happy memories

like laughter, and hugs,

and “just-between-us” moments?

and, even when we disagreed,

did you always know

we loved you?

of all the things

in our life that we might have

or could have

or should have done differently

there’s one thing we’d never change,

and that’s having you

for a son.

if we didn’t always find a way to say it,

we hope we always showed it

we’re proud to be your parents

and we love you.

call your mom & dad. play with your children. laugh. love.

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so today i’m mired in a little slump.. my week has been horrible.. monday and tuesday out with the flu. wednesday i worked 15 hours. thursday a total write off, i had to do presentations and hold the hand of some peeps who can’t understand technology (yet seem doomed to present it to people). and today i got in and can’t even seem to get started. my total output for the day: 0. well, that’s not strictly true. i did book a flight back to canuckland for my cousin’s wedding, and reserve a rental car. but other than that… yeah. so around 12:30 i’m feeling a little disparaged, a little down, and so on.. and in need of a little comfort food. (no, not cap’n todd’s cheezy tuna surprise, johnny rockets) for those of you not in the know, johnny rockets is a 50’s style hamburger joint. a friend of mine is the manager of the great mall outlet, and as long as i don’t ask for a ‘chili fountain pie’ or “that burger on the door” then i’m fine. so i went in for one of his special treats: super coney rings. start with onion rings. add chili. add cheese. add onion. add tobasco. add zantac-75. mmmmm. deliciously spicy, and enough grease to keep a fleet of taxi’s in working order for at least 6 months. sometimes i’ll feel like a jimm-ay shake(tm). equal parts chocolate shake, oreo cookie shake, and coffee shake, it’s a treat not to be equalled on this planet (or at least in milpitas). top it off with a smokehouse or a st louis (hold the salad) and i’m a little fatter, a little gassier, and a lot happier. i’m not even really worried about not-gettin stuff done. off to sleep!

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