SwimFinsSF

A meme a day or some such thing…

Just got tagged by MJ to do this meme-ey-thing and she basically dared me.. so here ya go lady.. more dirt than ya ever wanted to know!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

January 1996, San Francisco:

The scary thing is that its not horribly different than now. Granted it was a different boyfriend and different digs, and slightly different job, but not like I was moose herding in Alaska… At that time I was still dating my now ex Lance and living in this tackey little apartment in the Haight (though it did have a great view and handy location - but ugly as hell and was tormented by the Landlord’s bitch of a daughter). At the time I was still at Apple however I was working on the Java VM for the Mac OS (Mac OS 9 at the time - MRJ) after having just left Copeland team (10 buck for the first person to know what the hell that was). Not remembering much more than that bout the time..

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Unconscious Mutterings - Week 59

1. Wife:: Husband

2. Criminal:: Defense
3. Campaign:: Trail
4. Infection:: Cooties
5. Portland:: Marriage
6. NASCAR:: PBR and Tank Tops
7. IMAX:: To Fly
8. Martian:: Marvin
9. Nike:: Swoosh
10. Trial:: By Fire

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Unconscious Mutterings - Week 48_2

1. Vintage:: OLD

2. Longing:: For home
3. Specimen:: Abba (Go see Pricilla, Queen of the Desert and you’ll know what I mean)
4. Mock:: Turtle neck
5. Shit:: Cartman
6. Friday::
7. Cruel:: And Unusual
8. Insufficient:: Memory
9. Pessimistic:: Negative Nelly
10. Grin:: and bear it

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Friday 5 (from last week)

1. List your five favorite beverages.:
   
   
   
   1. Milk
      
   2. Bailey’s
      
   3. Lemon Drop
      
   4. Bombay Sapphire and Tonic
      
   5. A Black and Tan
      
   
   
2. List your five favorite websites.:
   
   
   
   1. Der Spiegel
      
   2. Creative Cow
      
   3. Google News
      
   4. VersionTracker
      
   5. Slash-Dot
      
   
   
3. List your five favorite snack foods.
   
   
   
   1. Cheetos (Crunchey - not Puffy)
      
   2. Those Vegetable Chips (don’t remember the name)
      
   3. Wassabi Peanuts
      
   4. Those Japanese Crackers
      
   5. Twizlers!
   
   
4. List your five favorite board and/or card games.
   
   
   
   1. Trivial Pursuit
      
   2. Cranium
      
   3. Chess
      
   4. Solitaire
      
   5. Jenga
      
   
   
5. List your five favorite computer and/or game system games. (I really don’t play computer games so this is tough
   
   
   
   1. Sim City
      
   2. The Simms
      
   3. Spaceward Ho!
      
   4. MacXword
      
   5. Dark Castle (from LONG ago )
      
   
   

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 46

1. Exchange:: Rate

2. Parental Advisory:: Rap
3. Blowout:: Sale
4. Spider:: Man
5. Happy:: Face
6. Intense:: Pleasure
7. Corrupt:: Bush
8. Got:: Milk?
9. Crude:: Rude and Disgusting
10. Three::’s company

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Unconscious Mutterings - Week 43

1. Scrooge:: Dickens

2. Ribbon:: Yellow
3. Physical:: Pain
4. Income:: Disposable
5. Dream:: Scape
6. Notebook:: Computer
7. Disney:: Lion King
8. Combo:: Drive
9. Booty:: Pirate
10. Skin:: Cancer

Friday 5 - November 21

1. List five things you’d like to accomplish by the end of the year.
   Oh my LORD… I’ve got SO Much to accomplish by then if I could get just five I’d be THRILLED… How ’bout these:
   
   
   
   1. Meet my deadlines for work.
      
   2. Get a few Christmas cards out.
      
   3. Get issues with our electrical upgrade worked out with PG&E.
      
   4. Arrange for having city inspections for our condo conversion.
      
   5. Arrange for having Maps for our condo conversion made.
      
   
   

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 42

1. Concert:: Central park

2. Sydney:: Mardi Gras
3. Shower:: April
4. Patterns:: Quilts
5. Market:: Street
6. Chair:: Aeron
7. London:: Tube
8. Reception:: Wedding
9. Republican:: Democrat
10. Cough:: Turn your head!

Weekly Wrap-UP # 76 - Travel

1. What is the most essential item you include in your suitcase when you travel? Why? Toothbrush and ID (Passport most times)… Toothbrush cuz ya gotta be lookin your best wherever you are - and ID in case you get your tail in the gate and forget who ya are! :):)
   
2. What is the least essential item you include in your suitcase when you travel? Why? A heavy jacket - layers always works for me and it just takes up room… its all about traveling light.. every time I’ve brought more than my leather jacket I’ve never worn it..
   
3. How early do you start packing for a big trip (say, a week)? Why so early or so late? I always pack the night before (or the morning of if its an afternoon flight.. Otherwise I find that I just have to bust into what I’ve packed and re-do it anyway so whats the point… If its a big trip I make lists ahead of time but don’t pack till the last minute.
   
4. What do you pack in your carry-on bag if you’re flying? If you’ve never flown, estimate what you’d pack. I pack a few toiletries (in case my flgihts get f**ked up and I need to freshen up - and I take a lot of entertainment (I get bored easily).. Books.. magazines.. cards… computer… iPod… If its a shorter flight usually just a book or two..
   
5. What kind of stuff do you (or would you) pack if you were traveling with a child for a three-hour flight? Don’t have a kid but I’d imagine I’d pack the same that I pack for me since I have the same attention issues that kids do! - lots of distractions and enterainment.. If it was a baby I’d also include the usual baby stuff - food / formula / diapers… If it were a toddler or young elementary age kid I’d probably add some candy or chewing gum - helps with the pressure changes during take off and landing..
   

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 38

1. Roadtrip:: Marching Band

2. Honey:: Bees
3. Flanders:: Ned
4. Vampire:: Buffy
5. Justice:: of the Peace
6. Marine:: Corps
7. Protractor:: High School Geometry
8. Rubber:: Condom
9. London:: Underground
10. Jerry:: Falwell

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Weekly Wrapup #75 - Saving Your Life

1. Describe how much you agree or disagree with the idea that journals and blogs are a way to “save” your life?
   I think it depends very much on the blog. I’ve read some blogs that are VERY much that - opportunities to chronicle someone’s life… Others are opportunites to provide others with information and less personal.. And some are a little of both. I think the thing that journals have over blogs is journals are much more private and I’d be much more inclined to document EVERYTHING of importance in my life if others weren’t reading it. As it stands I censor myself because I know the people I might write about could possibly read it.

Friday Five

1. Name five things in your refrigerator:
   Anchor Steam Beer, Chocolate Syrup and Maraschino Cherries from Sundays we had last night, Curry Catsup from the German Deli in Noe Valley, and Milk for my Morning Cereal.

Unconscious Mutterings - Week 37

I say … and you think … ?

1. Country:: Bumkin

2. G:: Rated
3. Offer:: Recieve
4. Connection:: Broken
5. Quest:: Johnny
6. Lighthouse:: North Carolina
7. Sycamore:: Climbing
8. Inhumane:: Dog Kennel
9. Sneer:: Snarl
10. Weapon:: Mass Destruction

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Friday 5 - October 3, 2003

1. What vehicle do you drive? I drive an Audi A4 Avant… My little Soccer-mom-mobile

2. How long have you had it? Just got it last month… SEE

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle? Hmmm.. I think the coolest thing is the automatic seats that can tell the difference between Kevin’s key and Mine… if he’s been driving it last and I unlock the door it adjusts the seats and the mirror to my settings.. spiffy!
4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle? Cup holders.. As the sales man put it - was designed by germans who didn’t seem to believe the driver should be messing with a drink while driving so it has one strange cup holder in the dash (which doesn’t hold my coffee mug) and two in the arm rest (which is where I - get this - REST MY ARM)…. Thats OK.. I cope (and have spilled coffee on my leg twice)..

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now? A Mercedes S class (either the S55 AMG or the S600 Sedan). I’ve ALWAYS wanted a Mercedes. LOVE ‘em.. Fit together like a finely tuned machine and drive like a dream.

Free Association

Few Blog exercises for the fun of it… Word association - try it for yourself here! :):)

1. Herpes:: Virus
2. Freddy:: Kruger
3. October:: Halloween
4. Hunting:: License
5. MSN:: Fox
6. 36:: 29
7. Hotel:: California
8. Travesty:: Justice
9. Health:: Crisis
10. Conditions:: Results

Weekly Wrapup #70 - On Blogging

1. How would you describe blogging to someone who didn’t know what it was?
Kind of like a cross between scribbling the things you would write in a diary on the outside wall of our house and ranting about your favorite topics in a place where your friends can’t say ‘Pete - Shut the Fuck up!’… I really use it as a forum to talk about and share things that interest me with people outside of my immediate group of friends.

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Friday Five - August 29th

Friday five time again - don’t know why I like these so much - probably cuz it gives me something to write about when i’m not feelin clever

1. Are you going to school this year?
Nope.

2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate?
Got my degree from CU December of 1992… Moved out here right after that to start work and been doin that ever sense

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects?
Favorite subjects in high school were my music courses. Orchestra, Marching Band, and Jazz band. Also really enjoyed Yearbook (yes - at my high school that was a class). The rest of my classes in High School bored me for the most part.

At CU Marching Band was still on the list but my software classes were on there too. LOVED my Data Structures class - largely because the professor kicked my ASS - Evi Nemeth. Most people HATED that class but I loved it and to this day its THE class that had the most relevance to what I do today. She would have us design a library implementing some particular data structure and then she would write a test harness that would beat the crap out of the library. Almost no one could survive her tests - myself included - but its pretty much exactly what every software engineer need so know..

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects?
English in high school - I’m a REALLY slow reader and had a REALLY difficult time staying on top of the reading, let alone understanding the symbolism and all that crap. My writing skills were also pretty piss poor too (in case you haven’t already figured that out)

Semiconductor theory in college - It was REALLY math intensive and I had a hard time convincing myself I cared since I knew I wanted to be doing software for a living.

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite?
Mrs. Mitchell and Mr. Schmenk in High School - Both english teachers. Probably my favorite because they went out of their way to make the reading interesting and to be sure that everyone in the class was involved and interested… I learned a TON from those two.

Prof Nemeth and Prof Ravenel in College. Prof Nemeth for the reasons above and Prof Ravenel because she seemed to be one of the VERY FEW professors I ran into in college that seemed to care about teaching. She would come in on weekends and evenings to help her students if they were stuck and didn’t seem to be 100% research focussed like all the other engineering professors. (Didn’t hurt that she taught my software architecture class either - senior software project was FUN)

Friday Five

1. When was the last time you laughed? This morning over Breakfast

2. Who was the last person you had an argument with? With Kevin this evening over how we were going to deal with re-finishing the flippin floors… How come household projects turn so dramatic? Or maybe its just us..

3. Who was the last person you emailed? Her this evening… Talking in codes to bait John Ashcroft (and to fix bugs in the changes I made to my blog earlier)…

4. When was the last time you bathed? Took a shower this morning… And every morning.. And after the gym… I’m kinda fussy about that… Now a regular Bath in the bath tub with rubber duckies and bubbles? That I don’t remember

5. What was the last thing you ate? Whiskey Flank Steak, Green Beans, and Au Gratin Potatoes for Dinner.. Woo hoo!

Friday Five - Travel

1. What’s the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
Most recent trip was at the beginning of July to New York - New York City and Fire Island specifically. Most recent trip out of the country wwas over the holidays - Kevin and I took two weeks and went to Paris, Cologne, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Was WONDERFUL (though REALLY Damn Cold)

2. What’s the most bizarre/unusual thing that’s ever happened to you while traveling?
Lord.. Probably the strangest on a trop to Europe right after College. My buddy Marshall and I were traveling around Europe on a Eurail pass and were woken up in the middle of the night on a train from Berlin to Budapest to a conductor speaking a language we didn’t understand. We both though our german had gotten really bad but, as it turns out, he was Czech and was telling us our tickets were no good in the Czech Republic. He was a facinating man and did his best to explain without speaking a word of english or german that we needed to get off the train in Prague and transfer to get out of the Czech Republic before going into Slovakia. He gave us a ‘magic ticket’ which, once we found someone who spoke German, we discovered got us to Vienna for free.. TOTALLY confusing but a fun little adventure anyway..

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go exploring the mountains and forrests of South America. In particular I would love to see Peru, Brazil, and Argentina. I would LOVE to take off a year and vanish down there..

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
When in Europe where the rail system works and I have plenty of time I prefer the Train. In the US when I have plenty of time I prefer Car. Both because I LOVE having time to see the countryside. When I only have a week for vacation Plane is the only option..

5. What’s the next place on your list to visit?
TOTALLY depends on when Kevin gets more vacation time stored up.. Probably will be around the holidays so we’re going somewhere warm where we can sit on the beach and drink Margaritas… Mexico probably.

Friday 5

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
Gym days I’m up at 6:15 (thanks Matt)… Non gym days I get up at 7:15… Got a 45 minute drive to work and I shoot to be in by 9 or 9:15…

2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
Not a whole lot.. usually still up by 8 or 9… I hate it when I miss the morning - love getting up for coffee and the news..

3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
Honestly? I’m a geek - check the news on my computer and read my mail… Then shower - can’t leave the house without a shower - even if i’m just going to the gym…

4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
Not long really… 20 minutes or so - shower and everything… or maybe that is long - I dunno… but I don’t go through multiple costume changes like some I know.. :)

5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
A place called The Metro Cafe. It is the CUTEST little french restaurant in the base of a Hotel.. Great outside patio and wonde