Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Sky Is Falling!

Steve and I subscribe to Netflix. It's really a great alternative to the movie theater, especially with a HDTV and a blu-ray player. Even DVDs look good on this thing. Why do you think they're coming out with all of these 3D flicks? To try and drag us back into the theaters and charge us even more for mediocre fair.

In any case, we get two movies a week plus a disc from a TV series. (So far we've watched "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica," "Oz" and "John Adams.") With films being released on disc less than a year after theatrical release, it really makes sense to pick and choose what you drop $14 to $22 for in the movie theater versus what you can see at home for less than a buck with a rental service. We watch one on Saturday, one on Sunday and pop in the series disc whenever there's nothing on cable. Friends have told me it's also a great way to introduce their kids to television classics that don't air as reruns on cable.

Today, we watched "2012" on blu-ray, and all I can say to Roland Emmerich (writer and director) is: "Ohhh, puhleese." But I do have to admit that the poster does clearly state: "We were warned." The computer graphics are good but totally over the top. As a film critic I know said, "It looks like he's designing thrill rides for Universal Studios."

Emmerich (the writer/director of this movie, as well as "The Day After Tomorrow," "Godzilla (the remake)," Independence Day" and "Stargate") is really in love with the end of the world. Rumor has it he thinks he's the first horseman of the Apocalypse (but in a good, Hollywood kind of way). I understand "Independence Day 2 and 3" are on their way to us (let's hope the aliens have learned not to program their space ships with Mac OS X this time), as well as Roland's take on the Isaac Asimov "Foundation" trilogy. Of the latter, all I can say is "eeewwww."

Any self-respecting sci-fi fan knows that "Foundation" would be impossible to create as a single film. Perhaps if it were made as six or nine films, or an extended series, like "Battlestar," perhaps it could be achieved with some fidelity. But I dread to think of what Sony and Emmerich will do to it. Makes me want to re-read the series over again for old times' sake.

There is relief on the film front tomorrow, however: our movie for Sunday is "Dolores Claiborne," with Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Based on a Stephen King book, it's directed by Taylor Hackford, who I like way better ("An Officer and a Gentleman," "White Nights," "Devil's Advocate" and "Ray.")

On other fronts: Cats are both fine, the orchid spike is still putting out blooms. I finished the Flash coursebook and passed the sample exam first time (but just). I'm presently halfway through the Dreamweaver book (Photoshop and Illustrator still to go). Steve keeps getting queries from employment agents but nothing solid as of yet. His present boss still refuses to take him full-time or give him the raise he was promised six months ago.

Friday, April 16, 2010

We Need a Vacation

Steve was looking at our European vacation pictures on his computer tonight and commented that it was three years to the day today that we were in London. This picture is from the boat tour on the Thames. It was supposed to rain for most of the two weeks we were there, but it held off and the weather was unusually pleasant. And we ended up lugging raincoats and collapsible umbrellas for two weeks.

Looking over these, I realize how much we need a vacation. That was the last one week took. Steve moved between jobs for a year and a half and I got laid off last year, and we never seemed to collect enough mutual time off at our respective jobs to make it happen.

Bright side news: Marcel is back home after spending two nights at the veterinarian hospital. He's still sluggish, but we've got medicine to give him (won't that be fun?) and we're hoping he'll make a full recovery; he'd better after the $524 we sank into his well being. The medicine is a liquid, because the vet said he would never ask anyone to try and give "that cat" a pill. (Marcel is French for reticent and vicious).

Monday is my last class at New Horizons. Then I have three weeks until my contract at the school is up. I mean to get through at least two of my Classroom in a Book texts by then, and will have all of them finished by the end of May, so that I can take the Adobe exams as soon after as possible.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Can I Get a Franchise?

I ran across this article on Facebook. Someone had posted it, and I finally followed the link. At first I was creeped out, then I thought it a stroke of genius. Now I'm just not sure what to think about it. Check it out here and let me know your reaction. (It will open in a separate window or tab, depending on your browser.)

On the other hand, not having had children, I'm not sure this would be such a horrible thing, especially once the word gets around among the kids and they know what's going down when it starts happening to them. Enjoy.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Updating Y'all

The orchids continue to bloom and bloom. Nothing's wilting, and looks like by real spring we'll have a spikeful.

Lots of stuff going on but nothing of great importance. I had a meeting with the job placement specialist at school yesterday, and she seemed to think things were looking up. At one point, she asked me, "Would you be willing to take a job in publication again?" I really had to think about that one. I've come to think of publishing as a quickly sinking ship, and I don't want to go through the experience of getting good at a job and liking it and then having my head served up to me on a platter once again.

Downer news of the day: Marcel, the older cat (the black one) went into the vets this afternoon. He was sneezing last week but it seemed to clear up. Then he got lethargic over the weekend (which is hard to tell, since he doesn't move a whole lot when he's healthy). Yesterday and today he was looking pretty grim, so we decided to put him through the trauma of a trip to the doctors. Upon examination, he had a really high fever and an Xray revealed a major infection in his intestines. Blood work will come back tomorrow morning, and we'll know more about his condition. He's 13, so we're ready for pretty much anything.

On the school front, I only have two class days left, and my contract at New Horizons ends on May 7. I've been studying with my Classroom in a Book texts from Adobe, and am almost through the Flash book. I'm glad I got these, as there are lots of things in these books that weren't even touched on in the New Horizon texts, lectures or labs. I figure I'll be through most of the books by the end of May, and will meet the anniversary of my termination date at the Reporter (June 3) retrained and ready for the job market once more.

Still no firm date on when the fumigation of the condo complex is going to take place. Until we have that set, we really can't plan on anything vacationwise. It's odd, but I'm hoping I don't get a job until we have a chance to take a week off. It's been so long since we had a vacation together, and after last year, we can both really use it.

Tomorrow is more studying. I'm hoping to get through the Flash book by the end of the week. Also, I have to bake cookies for the Dreamweaver class on Friday, since the teacher, Ron, was singing their praises to the class. (He said he thought I'd bought them somewhere because they were so perfect.)

Nothing much more to report. The days have been warm but on the cool side. There's a storm coming in next Tuesday, they're forecasting. I'll be finished with my classes by then. It seems like just last week it was November and I was starting classes in earnest. Now I'm looking forward to getting into a work environment with all this new knowledge and putting it to practical use.

Hope everyone's well and happy. I can see this is true for my Facebook folk; the rest of you, I have to rely on your e-mails or letters or comments here on the blog (hint-hint).

Friday, April 9, 2010

Ruining the Fun for Everyone Else

Just a note to let everyone know that I have added an extra step to leaving a comment.

Recently, I've been getting spam and crap loaded into the comments section that are obviously generated by a program and mean nothing, except maybe viruses are lurking.

So now when you leave a comment (you can leave a comment you know; it wouldn't kill you, you know), you will be asked to verify you are a real, nonmalicious, breathing human being by entering a word to validate the comment.

I just don't want visiting my blog to turn into some kind of horrible experience that puts spyware on your computer or turns it into a cyberzombie or something horrible like that.

Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Death in a Tent

I thought this image might be abstractly apropos for this week. Scary Easter bunny. If you're a regular reader, you'll notice that this is a recycled image. Whatever. I really didn't have anything of importance to show you from the old iPhone, so here ya go.

The title for this entry has to do with fumigation, which is something, it seems, our homey little condo complex needs to undergo ASAP. Seems they found termites in the building (not in our unit, I don't think, but they'd get here soon enough). So everybody gets to cough up $1,000 and move out for a weekend in July while they tent the place up and spew poisonous gases into our abodes.

Gotta bag up the food and wash all the plates and utensils before we use them after. Also, the aquarium needs to be sealed up, because I don't think we can find a place to board the fish. The cats can go live at Heavenly Pet Resort, The Best Little Cat House in Pasadena or The Cat's Pajamas. Whatever is cheapest.

As for us, this just might be the excuse we need to head up to Eureka for four or five days so Steve can check the town out and get an idea of the area and what it might be like to retire there. I trolled around some on line and found this picture. This is what I like about Eureka: there isn't this much green in all of Southern California. Also, cool days, ocean breezes, lots of rainy days and lush, lush forest everywhere you turn.

I've been pen-palling with one of the columnists at the local paper there, and she's given me some great pointers about places to visit, things to do, local hang-outs. Mostly, things that locals do every day, to get an idea of what it would be like to live up there. Also, there's a VA clinic and the state university and an airport just a few miles from the center of town.

The thing I like about it is the town has remained fairly unchanged since the end of World War II and, except for an influx of hippies and tree-huggers in the '70s and '80s, has remained a small town, even with the addition of an outlet mall at the south end of town.

We'll definitely fly up (there's even a daily direct flight out of LAX) and rent a car once we get up there. This will be nice, since we haven't had a real vacation for almost three years now.

So, look out vermin, here comes the Orkin man (or someone like him).

Sunday, April 4, 2010

New Window on the World

On Friday afternoon, I finally broke down and got myself a replacement for the old Mac. (That sounds so much better than I went out and bought a new computer). The old one was getting a little hinky, working at near its capacity when running my graphic design programs, often getting weird when I started working with Javascript on Web pages. Also, I was getting near filling the hard drive, even with cleaning out the old files. I can give you lots of rationalizations for the purchase. Why I feel a need to, I'm not sure.

So here's a photo of the new machine next to the old one. It's got the 27-inch display, which is a godsend when it comes to working with the Adobe programs. They have dozens of panels, and often you need to have most or all of them open to get your work done. This gives me lots of real estate to keep the panels and still have two or three pages open at once to work on. It's really, really cool. And the computer games are giant on this one.

I don't know how the Apple design people do it, but when you purchase a new computer from them, it looks like the coolest, slickest thing you've ever seen. Then, after four or five years, it starts looking clunky next to the new machines they've produced. I can remember how 21st-century I thought my white iMac looked when I got it. Now looking at it next to the new machine, it looks somehow quaint and simple.

I haven't watched a DVD on the new machine yet. That will be for later. It also has a wireless keyboard and a wireless "magic mouse." The keyboard I'm not crazy about, since it doesn't have an expanded keypad, and I'll probably go back to the old wired one. The mouse is great, though. It's a solid white shell, like most Mac mouses, but it can tell when you're scrolling (run your finger up and down over the shell) and it also has a right-click capability, which is great for Dreamweaver and Flash, since they both has lots of right-click functions built into them.

The picture above is when I was "migrating" the old Mac to the new one. I ended up in a schizophrenic state, with two user names on the new machine, but all my information is available somewhere under one of the derivations of my name.

So, new toy; powerful toy; toy that could make me a nice piece of change. That's one of the things I like about learning Web design: I can do it at home in my robe, if I want to. Just gotta get people to pay me for it.

I have a class tomorrow, so it's up before the dawn. This means going to bed now. Now. I mean it.

Friday, April 2, 2010

The Package

We had an adventure today. And again, I begin the blog with a completely unrelated photo. This is the dieffenbachia on the patio. It looks like variegated ivy, but the plant guy told us it was a variety of dieffenbachia. The leaves are like paper and it dies back in a day if you don't keep it watered. I've been very conscientious about keeping it damp (the rains have really helped), and it's doing really well. Plant pride.

The planter was a purchase at the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival a few years back. I really like how they look together.

And now to the adventure.

As I mentioned in the last entry, I purchased the "Classroom in a Book" from Adobe for Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Flash. The books were supposed to arrive Wednesday, but all I found was a door hanger saying they had tried to deliver the package and no one was home. (Well, I was home.) I supposed they came first thing in the morning and I was still asleep. So having laid that guilt on myself for sleeping late, I figured they would try to deliver again today (the door hanger said so).

Just to make sure, we double-checked the buzzer at the security gate outside to make sure it was working. It was.

So today, we waited. And waited. Around 1 p.m., I suggested Steve go out and pick up something for lunch and I'd wait for the guy to show. Steve left and I was sitting in the living room when I heard what sounded like a Fed Ex truck. I dashed to the window just in time to see the truck driving off down the street. I went out to the gate and our neighbor was there checking her mail. There was another damn door hanger from Fed Ex. The gate had been open, a neighbor had been present, he could have come in and knocked on the door. I suppose their services don't extend that far these days. He obviously didn't use the buzzer.

Anyhow, the hanger said we could pick up the package between six and seven p.m. at the central facility, which is south of downtown L.A. near the rail tracks leading into Union Station. So we decided to go down there and retrieve the package rather than risk another no-buzz, no-delivery session and having the package returned to sender.

It's actually an easy drive. It's just down the Pasadena Freeway, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love it because it was the very first freeway and meanders from downtown out to Pasadena. It's about as pastoral as a freeway can get. Also, the onramps actually have stop signs, since the top speed was originally 45 mph.

But I hate it because it's a freeway, now filled with insane L.A. rush-hour drivers ripping through the unbanked curves as we drove down to FedEx. We exited on the tiny offramp at Avenue 43, swung down to Avenue 26, then over to San Fernando Boulevard, where the facility is located.

About 100 yards from the entrance, we were stuck in heavy, traffic. Suddenly, there was a crunch and a hefty lurch forward as the SUV behind us hit our car.

Steve blurted an colorful expletive and pulled over to the curb as I pushed the button for the emergency flashers. He got out, as did the other driver, and they checked the cars. No damage to either one, but they swapped information in any case.

This was all taking place in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And with all that, we still arrived at Fed Ex about half an hour early. Then it took about an hour for the truck with my package to return, but I did retrieve the package, finally.

To treat ourselves, we stopped at Sizzler and had the salad bar. (Mmmm...beets).

What excitement! I now have the books and look forward to diving into the material tomorrow.

I have my highlighter ready and everything.