long pose

hmmm. same model as last week. different pose. i'm happier about this one in general, at least more so than last weeks. i think i got a better value range and there are a few parts that i really think i rendered well. the blank oval face is kinda creepy and makes it less pleasing though.

i used a combination of pencils this time. a .9mm mechanical pencil at first, then a #2 pencil, next was a 4B stick of graphite, then for the rest/most of it, i used an ebony layout pencil. i think i need more time so i can work in the face or i need to work faster...

omg

this is really sad. bounce-o-meter. complete with rendered breasts. too bad the physics look appalling or it might actually be useful. and what's with only being able to choose a cup size? isn't that only half the info?

if it didn't seem like this was from an actual company, i'd think this was half baked by some teens with a new copy of 3dmax. then again, maybe it was.

a couple of video links

this doesn't make me want to buy the product but it's pretty silly.
nipples commercial.

people in san francisco are a little crazy.
mega fight! video.

technology meme

via: blah blah blah

1. Do you remember when you saw your first computer? When did you actually use one? What about having your own? Do you own a laptop? (PC or Mac?) Have you gone wireless at home yet?
i think the first time i saw a computer was over at a friend's house. they had a TRS80 (i think) that their dad was using (he was a professor at the local college). not too long after that, my brother and i got a VIC20, then a C64. i didn't get my own until much much later. i charged one at circuit city, used it for a month, then took it back. i did this twice. yeah, bad, i know. my b-i-l helped me build one a few years after that and since then, i've had one constantly.

most recently, i've gone to the other side and bought a mac laptop. i've never been happier with a computer. and just last weekend, finally setup my wireless (i've owned the equipment for over a year and never got around to doing it).

2. When did you first go online and/or use email? Who did you email back then? How did the internet change your life? When did you discover blogging? What about your home internet connection - is it dial-up, DSL, cable?

hmm, first online was probably 94-95.
email was 98 (at the startup i worked for).
how did it change my life? porn. yes, glorious porn.
i think i was introduced to blogging via my brother, last summer.
home connection = DSL

3. Do you remember your first VCR? What about a video camera (there were some bulky ones back in the 80s and 90s) and home videos?

i vaguely remember our first vcr. i think. having to setup the time to record was difficult if i remember correctly. we didn't have a video camera. my dad had an old 8mm camera but it was never used after we were 3 years old. home videos? i'm gonna leave that one blank.

4. When did you switch from VCR to DVD? How did it change your video viewing experience? Do you use TiVo or any such "contraption" to tape TV shows? Do you use Netflix or some other internet-based DVD "renting" service?

i still have a box of old vcr tapes that i just can't bring myself to throw away yet. i don't actually own a vcr anymore so really, they're just taking up space. i'm not sure when the transfer was made but i was really happy with the dvd format.

i don't own a tivo and i don't really watch tv (and haven't for the past 8-9 years). and no, i don't use any type of renting service. if i want to watch something, i'll probably buy it. :)

5. What about music? Did you enjoy listening favorite music in Long Plays or did you prefer cassette tapes? When did you buy your fist CD player and switched to CDs? Did you abandon them (and turned to downloaded music) for MP3 players or Ipods or do you still buy CDs?

first off was records. those were the easiest. after boomboxes became popular, i switched to cassettes (tape player in the thing afterall!). i don't remember when i got my first cd player. it had to be ~1990. i got my first receiver at the same time. i've got most all of my 700+ cds ripped to disk now and i still buy real cds on occasion. but itunes has been getting a lot of my money as well. i've been using the mess out of my ipods. i've got 2 now but used to own 3.

6. Do you own and use a cell phone? Do you think it's useful or just annoying?(Did you always have a telephone in your house growing up? Did you have a phone in your own room?)

got my first cellphone a couple of months ago. i'm still not entirely happy with the way that people use them but they do come in handy. if only folks were more considerate of others. i didn't have a phone in my own room until i was 15 or 16. in the meantime, we had enough phone cord to stretch the one from the kitchen all over the house.

7. When did you first buy a digital camera? What kind was it (3.2, 4.0, 5.0 mega-pixels or better)? Did you start taking more pictures or were you a photo aficionado before then? What about a digital video camera?

my own first digital camera was a canon 10d dslr (6 megapixels i think). my brother had been using a similar camera for a while and i was itching to try my hand at it. i've taken way more photos than mere mortals need to take, i think. on a road trip in dec 2004, i took over 3000. i love taking photos now though. digital video? not for me.

8. What about televisions? Have you already embraced the new technologies, such as HDTV, plasma, and flat screen? (On the other hand, you wouldn't remember black & white TVs, would you?)
when i moved last year, i sold my sony wega. it weighed a ton and i had to have a couple people around just to move it. i ended up buying a 20-something inch lcd so i'd have something to watch my dvds on other than my laptop. since television isn't a big deal to me, i doubt i'll be getting anything too crazy for a while.

workout log

had a great workout this morning. i felt really energized. i'd like to say it was the chocolate chip cookies i had last night but really, it was most likely the hour and a half nap and a good night's sleep.

hi rainy monday...

slow weekend?

funny, it seems as if all the blogging world has taken a slight break this weekend. yes, there's always a few exceptions but it just seems like everyone is out enjoying themselves away from their computers.

anyway, aside from the race today, i had a pretty laid back weekend. friday night was helping e with her car after work. i also grabbed some dinner at an indian food place down the street for us. it wasn't quite as good as it has been in the past and it also looks like there might be new owners so i might need to look around for a new one. luckily, we don't have a shortage here. i spent the night at e's since r was out of town and i even stayed in bed when she got up early for a trip to the gym. we sold her car right after that and spent the reat of the day doing our own thing.
that wasn't on purpose though. i thought she sounded like she wanted the day to herself, she thought i sounded the same way... we ended up talking about it in the evening after we realized that we really wanted to spend time with each other. silly kids.

i did get a few things done around the house. i threw a bunch of things away that have been sitting in the "deal with it later" pile. i set up my wireless network (i've only been living here a year!). did some recycling. sorted some lego (yeah, you read that right).

sunday i woke up and got ready for the race. afterwards, e and i made a quick trip for lunch and errands. we ate at vik's (indian again???) and shopped at sur la table & target. i ended up buying a blender and a hand mixer. i got home and took an hour and a half nap (what?). and woke up just in time to get stuff straightened up for when e was coming over for dinner.

she was actually coming over a little early so she could show me how to make cookies (we got the craving at sur le table). we made a little bit of a mess since my hand mixer doesn't have much of a low speed but licking cookie dough off the counter is actually a compliment in this country. i finished baking the cookies while e finished reading her bookclub book and i also started prepping dinner. it wasn't anything crazy, just a tuna melt and a bagged ceasar salad.

it turns out i actually enjoy baking and cooking. i've never had the courage to try making new things (i had a menu of maybe 4 things i could make before and they mostly come out of a can) so this is a nice revelation. e and i even got a little experimental with the cookies (having kinky thoughts?) ;P

she's quietly sleeping next to me now. so cute. :)

race day

today was a fun run e and i had signed up for. it was a 10k relay so each of us ran a 5k leg. the "girls" went first and it was really weird how fast they all started out. i didn't remember that from the race we ran back in october. then again, that one was more for half marathoners than 5 & 10k folks. the first girl (she was in middle school) came in @ ~19 minutes and e was one of the first 25 (if i remember correctly). i got a quick kiss and i was off. i was getting passed by a few guys but i felt like i was setting a good pace for myself. a little while later, i passed a few of them. the last mile was slightly uphill so it was kinda tough but i still was able to sprint a little at the end. we didn't stick around for the awards but we both ran faster than we ever had and that was fun. (and she doesn't think she's progressing. i'm so proud of how well she did!)

so, race #2 is done with. next up a 10k in april. i really cool that e and i like to run together.

my stats.
her stats. (when she posts them)

workout log

my stats.

spf

welcome to this weeks spf! our lovely and generous host kristine has once again asked 3 things of us.

1) the inside of your nightstand drawer
2) a good book you've read
3) you're favorite lamp

and so we begin...

1) the inside of your nightstand drawer
i'm not sure why she only wanted to see the inside of our nightstand drawers, i would think the contents of the nightstand drawer would be much more interesting. as it was, i had to remove all my condoms, lubes, cock rings, vibrators, massagers, bondage rope, handcuffs, french ticklers, dildos, whips, blindfolds, nipple clips, lotions, anal toys, sex tip books, misc straps & harnesses, scented candles, penis pumps, video camera, chastity belts, inflatable dolls, dental dams, & latex gloves! :D so here's the (empty) inside of my nightstand.


2) a good book you've read
okay, i admit i'm not a big book reader. i'd much rather have pictures than words so it's no surprise that graphic novels and comics comprise the bulk of my bookshelf space. this picture is of a book i got from a great friend of mine who had gone to spain and wanted to get me a nice gift. i've got the same book in english as well.


3) your favorite lamp
well, this one is hard because i don't own my favorite lamp just yet. so i went around the apartment snapping photos of all the lamps i have and this is one of the better shots so that's what you get. don't get me wrong, i like this lamp just fine. it sits quite comfortably beside my comfy chair and lights my reading material with ease. but yes, i'm still shopping for my favorite one.


as always, anyone can play. so if you decide to, leave a comment at kristine's place so everyone can stop by to see that you've played. well... did you? ya know... play?

pointilism for the digital age

ack! my finger is sore from clicking...

and you might want to move it to "fast" playback.

misc items

***************************************************

this little app will take whatever you type and sing it to you using snippets from songs. i'd like it to have more song variety but it's still pretty cool.

workout log

my stats.

long pose - feb. 21

it's another 2 week pose. i'll probably try to get a different vantage point for next week since i wasn't really happy with this one. and no painting tomorrow since the teacher is out of town. anyway, there ya go. i'm off to bed.

pillow talk

i'm becoming quite attached to the nights e and i are able to spend together.

as we're winding down from the day, we lay next to each other with the lights out. touching and talking. exploring thoughts. kisses and nuzzling. exchanging ideas. this depth of intimacy is what i feel i've been lacking in my previous relationships. when you really feel open and able to relax and say anything without fear or embarassment. letting someone get that close to you is scary but i'm totally welcoming it with her.

as we were talking, it turned out we both were going over something i had said over the weekend. (we frequently say the same thing at the same time so it's no surprise that we're mulling over the same things.) it's also no surprise that we came to a similar conclusion on that topic. but it was more of an affirmation that we're both on the same page of where we are together. that makes me happy.

president's day off

it was funny when i told e i had the day off. she was really surprised since i hadn't told her earlier. it was my fault since i really didn't realize i had the day off until the friday before. guess i'm too good with the whole vacation thingy.

i tried to sleep in but it was cold and i had to pee so i kept tossing and turning. i was in that half asleep phase where i knew i had to get up but the temperature in the apt wasn't cooperating. the phone rang at 7:15. it was e calling to see if i was going to go to the gym. at least i think that's why she called, i was still groggy at that point. i finally got out of bed and put on my workout clothes. i sat in my comfy recliner and nibbled on a cliffbar while i surfed a little. it turns out there's not a whole lot going on today, like people have the day off or something. i made it to the gym by 8:15 and worked up a pretty good sweat. while working out, i decided to try and separate my workouts into upper body and lower body. mostly just because a single round through the gym was taking me about an hour and a half. i'd rather it be closer to an hour and this way, i can relax a little. the downside is that i'll want to hit the gym 6 days a week. am i crazy?

since i was already at work, i went to check on things to make sure nothing was going to explode overnight and i got a call from my bro'n law. they were going to be close by and wanted to know if i wanted to have lunch with them. it turns out they were in the neighborhood to take their dog to the vet to be put to sleep. she had been having some major spinal issues the past year with loss of muscle control and stuff so it was difficult to see her when i was visiting them. as much as i'm sure they're sad that she's gone, i know it's for the best as she wasn't living a happy doggy life. :(

i went home and showered, surfed a little more and went to meet them for lunch. we had arizmendi pizza which is always interesting. they only have one kind of pizza per day. today's was arugula, gorgonzola cheese, red onions, toasted walnuts, & balsamic vinaigrette. we took it back to my office since they don't have much seating inside. we've got a pretty large & sunny lunch area so it's pretty comfortable. free sodas and whatnot. i tried to take a few pictures of the neices but they were a little too fast for me this time.

after lunch, i went to grab e's car to get a couple of new tires. she's got a company car and doesn't drive this other one much so she's going to be selling it. i noticed that the belts had worn through on one of the tires so i told her i'd get the front two replaced since i had the day off. i was expecting a little better deal from big-o than i got but really, i wasn't sure how much it'd cost. i know the price of the tires on my car are outragous so i guess these weren't that bad. that took all of an hour and i was back home, surfing and playing bookworm (up to 2.3 million so far).

i cleaned up a little, changed the sheets on the bed, took out the trash and now i'm waiting for e to get here so we can go out to dinner. tonight's spot is cafe colucci, a great little ethiopian place. guess i'd better get a shirt on so i'm presentable, eh?

workout log

my stats.

i'm a little slow

i was finally able to see some of the olympics this weekend thanks to e's tivo. the one thing that hit me first was how freaking ugly the US snowboarder's outfits are. what the heck? are they pajamas? whoever designed that suit is such a powerhouse, they should obviously get a raise. and i haven't even seen any of the figure skating yet. that's always a sure shot for horrors o' wardrobe.

if i were a fan of tiki culture

i'd be all over this fireplace.
makes me want to watch the brady bunch...

out of curiosity

saw this at overread, blah blah blah, & scrivenings.

Your #1 Match: ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

Your #2 Match: ESTJ

The Guardian You're a natural leader and quick, logical decision maker. Goals are important in your life, and you take many steps to acheive them. You enjoy interacting with others, mostly through work related activities. Your high energy level means you are great at getting things done! You would make a great teacher, judge, or police detective.

What's Your Personality Type?

workout log

yay! i got to workout with e. she and i went to my gym(work) and i was able to finish up what i missed yesterday. maybe it's time to break up my workouts into upper and lower body? i dunno.
she looks great running, btw.

off to lunch!

workout log

had a terrible half-assed workout this morning. was it not enough sleep? not enough fuel? was it all mental? bleh.

tomorrow's a new day.

spf

it's that time again folks. yes, that time when you get a small glimpse into everyone's personal space. certainly not one to be a party pooper, i have tried my best (given my current amount of sleep) to provide pictures of all the things the lovely and talented kristine (of random and odd fame) wanted to see from us. what she was looking for this week:

1) under your bed!
2) stereo
3) pots and pans

bring on the pictures!

this is as under my bed as i can get. i own a platform bed with drawers on the sides and the only overhanging part is at the foot of the bed. i honestly don't know if i've vacuumed under there. do you see any dust bunnies?



next up, my stereo. i've got a junky old ipod that i've been using almost constantly since i bought it. i really can't say i listen to the radio much beyond my 5 minues commute to and from work. i've got the ipod running through a tivoli radio so it's not the highest of the high-fi but it gets the job done. this one is in my bedroom.



lastly, my pots and pans. yes, i know i don't have many. what can i say? i'm not much of a cook at the moment and really, how much do you need to cook for one or two? don't worry, i'll be getting more in the future, just watch!


that's all i got this week. come back next time for an eyefull!

figure painting workshop

tonight was the first night of my figure painting class. the teacher is randy sexton, a really great painter. also in class are other professional artists so it makes me very self-conscious of what i do. on the plus side (and the reason that i just might be able to hang on to the class until the end) is that i don't think i'm the worst one in there. i was pretty worried that it would be like last time where it was all pros... and me. people say that it would be such a great experience to be able to learn from all those talented people but instead, i just look from my work to theirs and get frustrated.

so tonight he started off with a ~40 minute demo and then we had 2 poses, roughly ~40 minutes each. this is what i did:
painting #1


painting #2


mostly bleh. but it actually feels good to try and paint. i've wanted to get into it for so long.

the wedding ring of the new generation

implanted rdif tags.

i wonder how long before we become too dependent on technology?

long pose

was crappy again. i think it has a lot to do with the new pencils i'm trying to use (always blame the tool, never the user!). i feel like i'm having to work a lot slower and i'm ending up drawing over the same parts again and again to get the desired value. with last week, i never felt like i had a good drawing of the complete figure before i started in on the shading while this week, i felt like i did have a pretty good overall sketch but it totally died as i got further along adding the values. anyway, boo hoo. pity party for me.
should i go back to using one pencil? is that de-evolution? perhaps i'm not suited to have so many pencil hardness choices? tune in next week to see what becomes of the graphite neophyte.

last week:



this week:

and you thought the food was bad for you

better watch out for the drinks as well.

workout log

this is starting to be a habit.

nerds!!!!

...hardly.

are you happy?

the pew research center did a survey on happiness.
here's the results.

a couple of interesting points:
"married people with children are about as happy as married people without children. And unmarried people with children are about as happy as unmarried people without children."

and:
"It turns out that there is no significant happiness gap between dog owners and cat owners. Or between owners of pets of any kind and those who have no pets."

too bad they didn't have a pepsi vs. coke or mac vs. pc survey question.

i wanna be sedated

saw this over at running42k's place. what's funny is that after i finished the quiz, the ramones started playing on my itunes. nice.

Ramones This is where you belong in the annals of punk history!

You probably don't realize how cool you actually are. You set the trend by not setting one. You do what you want and are surprised when other people like doing it your way. You may be simple but that's just fine. Who cares, right? you'll go down in history as the stuff of legends, though you have no idea why; as far as you knew, you were just some stupid person having some fun, right?

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 25% on wild apathy You scored higher than 42% on pissed off You scored higher than 72% on comically evil You scored higher than 44% on socially aware

Link: The What classic punk band are you Test written by DrLebowski on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

think this actually works?

or does anyone else have a preferred way?

instructions for folding a fitted sheet

workout log

even though i felt sluggish, i went to the gym this afternoon.

my ankles are still a little stiff from the run yesterday...

saturday was lovely

had a pretty good weekend. e stayed over 2 nights in a row so that was fun. on saturday, we got up pretty early to go to shopping in the city. we were a little confused as to why there was so much traffic so early but found out later that there was a comicbook convention as well as the chinese new year parade going on. funny how things like that just pop up without our knowledge.

e is shopping for goodies for her new place so we went to macy's. i had convinced her that it's best to pick out dinnerware in person, even if you don't buy it at the store. there's sometimes things you wouldn't think would bug you about a plate or bowl until you have it in your hands or are using it. in this case, the set she had expressed interest in, looked way different than the photos online. the colors weren't as muted so they ended up looking a little scary. i think she did end up finding a set she likes pretty well but the price is of course, on the high side. (i've got a terrible knack of liking the most expensive things before i even see the price tag.)

our next stop at macy's was to look at mattresses. i never knew how much of a difference there was from one brand/style to another and we must have spent at least 30-45 minutes laying down on all of them, bouncing, tossing & turning. we had both picked out a pretty nice one and had to keep going back to it to confirm that it was indeed a winner. she didn't end up buying it but we took down all the info so she could do some comparison shopping at other stores.

we made a few other stops. she bought a dress for a shindig we're going to in march. we had lunch. we looked around at the other kitchen items (and ended up buying a couple of vibrating back massagers. cheap too!). and lastly, we went to the men's section and i finally got a nice jacket that i can wear with jeans as well as nicer pants (yay!).

we got home by 2:00, napping by 2:30, awake by 3:30. i convinced her that we were going to go for a run @4:30 and we both ran really well. after that, we went out for pizza and margaritas and a fuzzy/drunken trip through cost plus world market. watch out folks, easter candy is in stock. we were both in bed by 9:30 and we surfed a little while before she zonked out. it was a good day.

workout log

e and i went out for a run today (a freaking beautiful day!!). it felt great. i almost felt like we were under our normal pace but it turns out we both ran much faster! yay!

my personality all wrapped up in a blanket

as seen on the lovely miss zerodoll's website, i give you a quiz! yay!

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||| 40% Stability |||||||||||||||||| 76% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Accommodation |||||||||||| 43% Interdependence |||||||||||||| 56% Intellectual |||| 16% Mystical |||||| 30% Artistic |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Religious || 10% Hedonism |||||| 30% Materialism |||||||||||||||| 70% Narcissism |||||||||||||| 56% Adventurousness || 10% Work ethic |||||||||||||||| 63% Self absorbed |||||||||| 36% Conflict seeking |||||| 23% Need to dominate |||||| 23% Romantic |||||||||||||||| 63% Avoidant || 10% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth || 10% Dependency |||||| 30% Change averse |||||||||||| 50% Cautiousness |||||| 30% Individuality |||||| 23% Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Peter pan complex |||||||||||| 50% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Physical Fitness |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Histrionic |||| 16% Paranoia |||||||||| 36% Vanity |||||||||||||| 56% Hypersensitivity |||||| 30% Female cliche |||||| 30%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

spf

welcome to this week's spf. hosted by kami (who is sitting in this week for kristine). kami in her infinite wisdom has asked us to show her the following 3 things:
~ What you love most about your home
~ What you love least about your home
~ What you love most about yourself

so, here's my contribution...

1) What you love most about your home.
this has got to be my sunny room. i've got 2 large windows that face south and east so i get morning sun as well as a good dose of afternoon evening glow. the built-in window seats i originally thought would be the bee's knees but really, how can you resist a beautiful lounge chair to read, surf the web, cuddle, relax in? i certainly couldn't.
2) What you love least about your home
well, with city living, you get all sorts of negatives, the one that bugs me the most is the noise. traffic, people, clubs... the worst are the emergency vehicles since they use my street as a main thoroughfare, blasting their sirens and disrupting my dinner. this one was difficult to capture so you get a shot out of my "sunny room" window at the streets below.

3) What you love most about yourself
this one required the most thought. it's also the harder one to visualize. i'll say the thing i love most about myself is my creativity. granted, it doesn't always manifest itself via my hands but often, it does. so, here's my hands.


so... did you play?

quick meme

1) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"such ailments usually are inflicted upon you by monsters you are fighting"

2) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can and see what you touch.
the window in my office

3) What is the last thing you watched on TV?
aw jeez... i think i watched an episode of jeopardy! a month ago at e's

4) Without looking, guess what time it is.
3:30pm

5) Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
3:31pm. i'm gooood.

6) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
people talking in the hall

7) When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
walking from my car to the building at lunchtime. it's a beautiful day.

8) Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
diary of a pissed off asian woman (where I stole this from).

9) What are you wearing?
my standard work wear, jeans and a t-shirt.

10) Did you dream last night?
Yes, all i can remember was a cat that had tons of kittens

11) When did you last laugh?
just a few minutes ago. i'm always laughing (notice the lines?)

12) What is on the walls of the room you are in?
original art from cave-in by brian ralph

13) Seen anything weird lately?
not really.

14) What do you think of this quiz?
it's a'ight...

15) What is the last film you saw?
brokeback mountain

16) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
donuts for everyone in the office.

17) Tell me something about you that I don't know.
i'm eating chocolate right now.

18) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
the problem isn't with the world, the problem is the people...

19) Do you like to dance?
in my car, sure.

20) George Bush
can kiss my tush?

21) Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
daughter.

22) Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
wait, wasn't he a she? um, i guess i'd call him pat?

23) Would you ever consider living abroad?
maybe for a little while...but i like where i live now.

24) What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"Wanna go another round?” <-- i like the answer doris gave so it's staying.

workout log

it's odd. i barely got 6 hours of sleep and it took all my strength to drag myself to the gym. though once i got there and started on the treadmill, i felt like i had tons of energy.

why can't i feel like that on other days? anyway, this is what i did.

i see the future

and i want it now. video demos of patents that apple owns.

funny

my landlords came over this morning to have me sign a new lease. while i was reading over the terms and stuff, they were doing what normal people would do; looking around my apartment. the brother was looking at the kitchen, it seemed like he was checking out the appliances. the sister was in the livingroom and their translator (they're chinese and don't speak much english) was standing there somewhat still. they were saying things back and forth in chinese which i took as "damn this guy doesn't have any furniture" and "why isn't he using the dishwasher?" also "look at all those freaking dvds!" and "holy crap! who needs that much lego!!??" well anyway, the lease was signed (no increase, yay!) and they went on their merry way.

after they left, i was in the living room typing on the laptop when out of the corner of my eye, i saw my girlfriends underwear. it was laying on my weight bench, out in the open. i had washed it the other day (in cold water, don't worry) and had laid it out flat to dry. i didn't even think about moving it before they came over.
i can just hear them as they got into the elevator "do you really think that blue camisole would look good on him?" "i dunno, but those panties sure as hell won't fit!"

long pose last night

my drawing turned out terrible. so terrible that i won't show it. the proportions were all wonky, the values didn't work. the drawing itself was just... off. it was the same model & pose as last week and i wanted to have a different perspective than last time. but it just didn't work out.
i will say that i'm a harsh critic of my own artwork so it may not be as bad as i'm making it out to be. anyway, here's hoping next week i'm more in the groove.
oh yeah! figure painting starts next week too! there are actual professional painters and artists in the class so i'm going to try my best to not get discouraged and grumpy. i'm there to learn, right?

sage advice

via the student doctor network forums.

meetings

i can't stand them. they come in all shapes and sizes but the majority of meetings are wasted time. meetings are for people that like to hear themselves talk, people that feel like they need to justify their wasted day, managers that want to create "synergy". yes, there are occasional meetings that actually cover topics that are important, things that are relevant to a job but those seem to be few and far between.
i've always preferred a quick chat in the hall as a check-in rather than a lengthy one-on-one in a stuffy office.

sorry, can you tell i was dragged into a meeting today?

:)

workout log

this morning's stats. i must thank e for coming over late last night. she's the only reason i can actually get up early enough to work out in the mornings. left to my own devices, i'd probably not wake up until 8:00 or so.

btw, my nieces are adorable. i went over to my sister's last night for dinner and the girls were all smiles and fun. but no, this doesn't really make me want my own anytime soon, sorry mom!

dang! i was doing good too

workout log

geez, it's seems like this is all i'm blogging about these days...

it's nice to go into they gym and have no one there but me. i get to try out all the machines and exercises i'm too shy to try otherwise.

workout log

e and i went out for a run around the lake. it was gorgeous weather but the wind was ferocious and we were both working hard. she does a great job of keeping up with me even though i know it's hard for her. she's a much better runner than she gives herself credit for.here's my stats.

spf

it's all about the games...
according to kristine, the spf for this week is thus:

1) a game i play/ed
i'm mostly addicted to puzzles of all sorts. the twisted bits of metal you have to untangle, crosswords, sodoku, anagrams, find-a-word, tangrams. really, you name it and i'll try to play. one of the most addictive games i've played recently is bookworm by popcap games. the version for the palm pilot is actually harder than the web version. honest!

2) my family game
i don't remember playing many real games with my family when i was younger. i remember the older folks playing cards and backgammon but a specific game? i can't remember. instead, i give you a "game" that we always seem to play when we get together. i'll call it: who's got the check. it works like this; the bill comes. one person tries to grab it. the person sitting next to them grabs it. gives the waitress their credit card. one of the other people gets up to go to the bathroom. swaps out the other credit card for theirs. that person chuckles when they get back to the table. my mom is really good at this game. sometimes she even pays for the meal before the check is even delivered. ah, good times.


3) my games
sadly, i don't own many games yet. but i do own a couple. scrabble and boggle. if you've ever played the strip versions of these games, you know they're a lot of fun! oh wait... the strip versions of any game would be good, huh?


there ya go!

happy spf to all...

this might be fun

if everyone in the world did it.

dna tracker thingy

workout log

my stats.

why do some people insist on coming into the gym (with walkman in hand) and proceed to turn on the radio extremely loud? wha? you're carrying a walkman. does it not work? yes, i'm wearing headphones but i have to turn them up almost all the way to drown out your crappy talk radio.

next time, i won't be nice. next time, i'll turn it down for you. (and i would have complained to her today if i wasn't already at the end of my workout.)

respect. try it, you'll like it.

a few links

this just may help me on laundry day. dyi t-shirt folding machine.

if you just can't get over it... save the day.

and lastly, take a nap.