Last Week Recap

Hmmm ... well, last week was an eventful one for me in a way. At the beginning of the week, I was feeling fairly ill as I had someone caught strep throat over the prior weekend. My case seemed to be pretty severe, as I could not keep anything down that Sunday. A good example of my experience would be this:

Luckily, I started feeling immediately better on Monday and managed to make it in to see a doctor early that morning. Was diagnosed and sent away with a prescription in about 30 minutes. My only concern that I expressed to the doctor was if I could still travel on Thursday back home to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. I was given the clearance, so I immediately picked up my medicine, then proceeded to sit at home and rest. Finally got through a huge backlog of magazines and anime DVDs that had been sitting in my room being neglected. Couldn't go to work at all for the week (I was already off Thursday and Friday since the office was closed observing the holiday), which kind of sucked since that hurts me in the pocketbook. But then again, I was off for a week.

On Thanksgiving, I got up early in the morning (03:30 PST) to head for the airport for my 06:00 flight. By that day, I was feeling back to normal so I wasn't too worried about being contagious. My flight out of San Jose Mineta International Airport was delayed about an hour, but I space out my connections enough so it didn't affect my travel plans. I made it in to Tampa at around 16:30 EST and was met by my father. Went home with him and had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. I spent Friday with family, and then met X, X's lady and Rotfiend for dinner and some time out in Ybor. Saturday, the group I always hung out with had a get together to celebrate a bunch of birthdays coming up. And then Sunday I spent a majority of my day flying back to the west coast.

I cannot say how great it was to make it home last week. I was really worried I would not be able to fly out when I got sick. Luckily, I was able to get medicine and rest so that everything turned out OK.

"What's Your Game?"

This almost makes me want to pick up World of Warcraft. Mr. T and William Shatner in a series of national television commercials promoting World of Warcraft! Night Elf Mohawk! Shatner is a conduit of the ancient forces of nature!

Beowulf

Saw Beowulf last night in "Digital 3-D". Haven't gone to a movie in 3-D in a loooooong time, and I am glad to report that, at least for me, this one didn't feel too gimicky. I.e., it didn't seem like they were using the 3-D tech to just have things jump out at you from the screen. Seemed more like they were using the technology to add more depth to the CGI models. Did I like it, though? Well, it did meet my only two criteria to enjoy a movie.

Boobs ...

& Fire (sorry, couldn't find any pictures of the dragon torching the landscape, so you'll have to deal with Angelina Jolie's breasts ;-p).

Note: Images sourced from various websites. I do not own them nor have real permission to post them.

Su-33 Miki

Haven't really played any of the Ace Combat series, except for a little of the demo for the new one, Ace Combat 6, on the Xbox 360. However, if I hadn't seen this at one of my game sights I would have never believed it. Even though I know both games are published by the same company. Ace Combat 6 + The iDOLM@STER =

These images were saved from the Famitsu website without permission.

Child's Play

I added a new banner to the site for the Child's Play charity. Ever since I first found out about this charity a couple of years ago, I have made sure to give towards it. Please go over to their site and see if there is anything you would like to donate.

Sweet Home Tampa

I will be out this coming weekend, back home in Tampa to attend the wedding of two good friends of mine. I expect my schedule will be pretty full as I shuffle around seeing friends and family over the couple of days that I will be in town. I am hoping to take a lot of pictures to post next week.

I have to say that it will be real nice to be back in Tampa, even if it is for only a few days. That's not to say living out in California is bad, but when you've lived in or around one area for as long as I did (almost 3 decades!) you find yourself missing the little things. It's hard to put into words; I guess that no matter where I end up living in the future, Tampa will always be home to me.

"Big Super Happy Fun Fun"

I have only played a little of the new Simpsons video game demo on my PS3, but I think I am defintely renting this now. See the following commercial.





Jeez, I have way too many games to check out.

Earthquake cherry has been popped

Moderate Quake Shakes S. F. Bay Area

So, just want to let everyone know that I am alright and did not suffer anything from the quake last night. Actually, I was in a Fry's Electronics in Sunnyvale when it happened. It's funny because I was talking to X while looking at some A/V equipment when the ground started moving and the lights hanging from the ceiling started swaying. I was kind of in an entryway to a demo room, so I was in a pretty safe place and didn't worry. We kept talking throughout the event with me saying at one point, "I think we're having an earthquake over here...". X responds, "Really, that's awesome!". I'm like, "Yeah ... yeah, it is."

Now, in all seriousness, it's good to know this was not a big earthquake and that there were no serious damages or injuries to anyone around. But for someone who comes from an area prone to hurricanes and fierce storms, an earthquake is a different and interesting experience.

A Swamp Thing

I just wanted to spend a little time this week talking about a new experience I've been enjoying since moving out here to San Jose, CA.

As most of you know, I am a graduate of the University of Florida and I have been an active member of UF's Alumni Association since my graduation. While in Tampa, I was a member of the Tampa Gator Club. Unfortunately, I never did too many activities with the Tampa Gator Club simply because most of my friends in Tampa also attended UF and it was easier to gather with them to watch games than it was to go out to where the club was meeting. About the only thing I did with the Tampa Gator Club was participate in their Gator Rompin' Pub Crawl, which was a lot of fun.

So, I came out to San Jose, CA, back in June and I decided that one of the first things I would do was to meet up with the people in the San Francisco Bay Area Gator Club. I didn't know too many people when I moved out here originally, so I felt that meeting with fellow Gators would give me a nice sense of familiarity. I have to say it's been a truly great experience! The SF Bay Area Gator Club meets in three different "Swamps" to watch Gator football. The "South Bay Swamp" at The Sports Page in Mountain View. The "SF Swamp" at Hooters in San Francisco. And the "East Bay Swamp" at Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill in San Leandro. I attend the South Bay Swamp as it is the closest one to me and also boasts the largest attendance. Watching games there makes me feel like I'm back in the student section at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. We have a "Swamp Master", named Steve, who literally will not sit down throughout the entire game. He has a sound system set up so that he can play a bunch of our school fight songs and cheers, and we all participate just as if we were at Florida Field. I actually am ashamed to say that I had no idea UF's Fight Song ,"Orange & Blue", actually had lyrics until I started watching games at the South Bay Swamp. But I have met a great group of people there who all gather together to cheer on our Gators. It also doesn't hurt that The Sports Page is a really good bar as well, with a good selection of drinks and food. I'm think I'm going to take some pictures of the place for this weekend's game, Georgia - Florida. I expect to have lots of pictures of us celebrating all game long. And maybe I'll even get a picture of some "Gator Cake".

Time Management

Been having a little trouble managing my time lately. Nothing really bad has been happening to cause this. I just haven't used my time as wisely as I feel I should. That or I just have too many things I want to do. Either way, I need to prioritize a little bit. My exercise routine has been knocked off track and I really need to make that a priority. I wouldn't say I am an exercise freak, but I felt like I was getting myself in the best shape of my life when I was following my almost daily regimen at the Blitz in Tampa and now I just haven't been working out as hard as I feel I should.

Also, next on my priority should be my studying. I am still working on my Cisco certifications and have recently finished reading through the CCDA Exam Guide. I need to schedule my exam and go through the book again with my accompanying material so I can pass it. Then I need to start on CCNP, with the goal of having that certification by middle of next year at the latest. I also need to work on my foreign language studies. I started studying Japanese again, because I plan on going back to Tokyo next spring to visit a friend of mine who is out there teaching English. My goal is to be able to read the Hiragana and Katakana, and be able to speak well enough to get around without too much guidance. Once I feel comfortable with Japanese, I might start studying Spanish again (most likely that won't start until sometime later next year, hopefully).

One thing I want to keep doing but isn't a priority at all is gaming. Some of you will probably roll your eyes at this one, but I actually keep in contact with some of my friends this way. I've kept in touch with a couple of my old coworkers from back in Florida by constantly meeting them in Xbox Live. We've been playing a lot of Halo 3 multiplayer and Madden 08. I need to start playing more on my PS3, as I have some friends on the Playstation Network who I haven't talked to in a while. Maybe I should see if I can get them in a game of Warhawk ... Speaking of games, I haven't gotten through enough to put up any reviews as of yet. But I have some links below that might be of interest to some of you gamers out there.

Complete Guide to Team Fortress 2

Never played Timesplitters before, but it's got monkeys so it can't be bad.

PC Specs for Crysis.

Posts from the Level Up blog on Newsweek regarding the "Infantilization of video games".
Part I Part II

The Ambient Music list from Bioshock.

PS3 EyeToy in action using EyeCreate.

The Halo 3 service record for myself. Thought this was a neat idea of Bungie's and I hope more games have something like this in the future.

Otherwise, I hope everything is going well y'all out there. If you have a link to my Picasa site, I should have some new pictures posted either tonight or tomorrow. I forgot I hadn't posted some pictures I took when I visited the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco back in early September. I also went to the Metreon last Tuesday, October 9, for the release of the Star Wars-themed PSP. The 501st was there to enforce Imperial rule and we had a special appearance by Lord Vader. It was a fun night, and I gots me one.

Scrap heap

I had a post written up earlier this week, which I have now scrapped. It really was not pertinent anymore. I am doing fine, but watching the Gators suffer two straight losses is tough. I didn't really feel like posting what I had written earlier. So I'll just end this post with a couple of links.

Zero Punctuation: Halo 3
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2304-Zero-Punctuation-Halo-3

Rocket-Powered 21-Foot-Long X-Wing Model Actually Flies (Updated: Built-in R2-D2)
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/star-wars/rocketpowered-21foot-long-xwing-model-actually-flies-updated-new-pics-show-it-even-has-builtin-r2d2-305976.php

Hope y'all are doing well. I'm going to watch some DVDs and play some video games to forget about this loss.

Thoughts ... mainly about football ...

Hmmm ... not too much to report on so far since last time. I haven't gotten through the next list of games on my plate, and with Halo 3 coming out tomorrow (Note: this post was mostly written on 09/24/2007) it will most likely take me a while longer before I post another bit of game reviews. Guess I'll just post some random thoughts for now ...

... I'm really happy now that football season has started. I go out and join the San Fracisco Bay Area Gator Club every Saturday to watch the Florida Gators play. So far, we are 4-0 and #3/#4 in the nation (depending on which poll you look at: USA Today/AP). The Gators gave me a scare last week, but hopefully they'll play better this week against the Auburn Tigers. It's a revenge game too, as Auburn was the only team to defeat us last year on our way to winning the BCS National Championship, so I expect the Gators to put a whoopin' on the Tigers down in the Swamp.

... let me also give a quick congratulations to the USF Bulls, who are 3-0 and #18 in the nation in both polls. I lived in Tampa most of my life and have kept an eye on the USF football program since its inception. I am glad to see them doing so well so soon. -- Addendum: Good luck to USF tonight against WVU! I'll be watching tonight on ESPN2 HD.

... regarding my favorite NFL teams, I remain steadfast in my support of the Chicago Bears and their quarterback (Addendum: sorry Rex, but it seems like others don't share my beliefs that you can work out of your problems; you've been benched). I'm not happy they are 1-2, but I am not giving up on them especially since their next three games are against division opponents so they can correct a lot of things with 3 straight wins. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are faring much better as they are 2-1 and showing a much improved offense this year with Jeff Garcia as QB. I think the Bucs have an excellent chance to make the playoffs this year, but the next two weeks will really show what this team can do. They have a divisional matchup against the Carolina Panthers this coming week, and then they play the Indianapolis Colts.

... unfortunately, the Bears record is not helping me in my annual bet that I have with Badstar and KS1. I owe Badstar $2 and KS1 $1 so far, and I only hope it doesn't get worse as the season progresses.

... oh, ESPN has some nice wallpapers on their site for all the NFL teams. They made two wallpapers for each team in the league. I'm happy to report that one of the two teams I root for has a very nice wallpaper that I downloaded. It's included below if you want to take a look.

... last topic regarding football. I am really liking the "Leave Nothing" commercials that Nike are running on TV. For those who have never seen them, you can view the full commercial here. Just click on "Media" and then "Leave Nothing Ads" and let the video play.

Game reviews

This post is probably going to be a little long, as I wanted to give my thoughts on some video games I have played recently. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let me start out with some current events.

First of all, I started work last week. I am working as a contractor to VeriSign, working on their product known as VeriSign® Intercarrier Multimedia Messaging Service (ICMMS). Everyone has been really great in helping me to get settled in, and I am lucky in that my commute to Santa Cruz is against the normal traffic flow. It is a 30-mile commute each way, so it takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour for the total trip depending on traffic. I can only imagine how many hours it would take to make this commute if I happened to be going the opposite ways (i.e., Santa Cruz --> Silicon Valley) ... I will drive in to the area one of these weekends so I can take a few pictures of the downtown and beach areas. Once I do that I'll make sure to post them to my Picasa web site so y'all can view them.

I am going to make it to Las Vegas this year. I am heading out to Las Vegas on Friday evening, October 19, and I will be returning to San Jose on Sunday evening, October 21. Of course, if anyone of you also plan to be out there around that time then get in contact with me so we can hook up. I will be busy part of the time there, as my family and I are helping to celebrate my sister and brother-in-law's 10-year wedding anniversary.

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Now, on to my thoughts on gaming. Of course, everything I will be saying in the next few paragraphs is entirely my opinion. Many people may very well agree with me, while many others will probably think me a fool. On to the reviews.

1.) BIOSHOCK (Xbox360)
I really cannot say much more about this game that hasn't already been said. I rented it about a week ago, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere, mood, story and effects (both visual and audio) are detailed and enjoyable. The difficulty is not too bad (I've seen some mention of people calling it too easy), especially for those not used to FPS games on consoles. I'm not going to claim this is the best game I have ever played, but it is one of the best I've played in a long while. I am very interested in learning as much as I can regarding the narrative that is unfolding in the game, and I fear that I simply will not finish the game before it is due later this week. Yes, I could re-rent it (again) but eventually I have to finish playing the games I own. So, I cannot say how replayable this game is. In the end, if you are a gamer I would definitely recommend that you play Bioshock.

2.) WARHAWK (Playstation 3)
I am a little biased when it comes to Warhawk. I was lucky enough to participate in the Warhawk beta, and I have loved it since day 1. For me, it has been the most addictive, online-multiplayer game that I have played since I was constantly fragging other players in Tribes. The gameplay is simple to grasp, which is not really a bad thing. For a lot of these types of games (i.e., Tribes, Unreal Tournament, Quake, etc.), I just want to log in and start fragging. I don't want to waste time figuring out how to switch weapons and how to drive a vehicle. I have found that the controls (both on foot and in vehicles) are tight and intuitive, so it is very easy to jump in to the game without much experience. There are multiple weapon types, vehicles, maps and game types to play which is nice if you get tired of playing deathmatches all the time. Oh, Warhawk is infinitely replayable. Another enjoyable game for me, so I would definitely recommend it to others.

3.) TOMB RAIDER LEGEND (Xbox360)
This game has been out for quite a while but I hadn't played it much at all until a month ago. I had played the original Tomb Raider back on the Playstation years ago, and had slowly lost interest in the franchise as each successive iteration of the game seemed to be worse than the last. I had heard that this game, Legend, would be much better so I purchased it after playing the demo that was released on Xbox Live. I have to say, a lot of what made Tomb Raider a fun game all those years ago has been rediscovered in Legend. There is a good amount of platforming, exploring, puzzle-solving and combat. I never felt like any one thing was overused or that any piece of the game was tacked on. There is some modest replayability (thanks to Xbox Achievements), as you can replay your missions on harder difficulties and against time (i.e., you have to beat a mission within a predetermined time leaving you little room for error). This game is probably not for everyone, but if you enjoyed the older Tomb Raider games then give Legend a try.

4.) MADDEN '08 (Xbox360)
What can you say about Madden? I like football, and this is one of the only football games left on the market. I got the Xbox 360 version over the PS3 simply because I have more friends who currently own Xbox360s. Ultimately, I play this game so I can compete against others online. If you are not into football (or don't have someone who can teach you the rules and how to play), then I would not recommend this.

5.) LAIR (Playstation 3)
I am currently renting this game, and have only played through the opening level. I have not read any reviews of this game, but have heard that it has been universally panned by many reviewers and other gamers. I can only speak for myself and my experience, but I haven't seen anything with my limited time playing the game that would make me think it was bad. Flying your dragon mount requires you to use the tilt-motion sense of the SIXAXIS controller, and I didn't have any problems with the flight controls at all. Graphics were incredible and I didn't notice any slowdown in the framerate, ghosting, or lag. I haven't had too much problem with combat and honestly had a fun time sinking a bunch of enemy ships. Again, maybe I just haven't played enough of the game to see why people don't like it, but from my initial impressions I have come away impressed. This is a long way from the last dragon flight simulator I played (i.e. the old SSI gold-box game, DragonStrike).


Being a gamer is such hard work! Next time I do some reviews, I should be talking about MONSTER MADNESS (Xbox360), OVERLORD (Xbox360), RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN (Playstation 3), MOTORSTORM (Playstation 3), HEAVENLY SWORD (Playstation 3) and DIRGE OF CERBERUS (Playstation 2).

Employment ... finally

Well, after a lot of searching I am finally employed again. I start working on Tuesday for a division of VeriSign out in Santa Cruz. It is a bit of a commute (something like 30 miles each way), but I think it will be a very good opportunity for me. I will be working in System Support, but I can't really say anymore since I haven't started. I'm excited, though, and just happy to be working again. I hope to take some pictures of downtown Santa Cruz while I am working there. From what I briefly saw, it's going to be a nice place to work. And it doesn't hurt that I'll be near the beach and boardwalk.

So, I'm still playing a lot of games on all my systems. Madden '08 is taking up most of my time on my Xbox360, but I still manage to play some Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. I will also be renting Bioshock soon. On my PS3, I am playing Warhawk. I've also tried out the demos for Heavenly Sword and Folklore, plus I downloaded Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on this system as well. Always looking for people to play, so look me up if you are online.

Almost forgot. The greatest time of the year has already started. Football season! Tomorrow I get to meet people from the San Francisco Bay Area Gator Club to watch the Gators open their season to become repeat National Champions. It will suck getting up early on a Saturday (the game kicks off at 09:30 PDT!), but I am a die-hard Gator fan so I'll be there for breakfast with the Gators. Then, this is the last week of NFL preseason, so next week the regular season begins. I can't wait to watch my Bears go back to the Superbowl, and you know I'll be cheering for the Buccaneers to do well also. Ah, the dark times are over.

Some quick links of interest I recently found on the Internets.

Real Men Love Big Trouble In Little China
- Great article that only speaks the truth!

CPDRC practices Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
- You have to watch it to believe it!

"At least there's violence and tits." -- Yahtzee, Zero punctuation!
- I've only seen a couple of this person's videos, but they are all awesome!

... and continues some more ...

So, not too much to report since last I posted. I have been continuing my job hunt out here in San Jose and things are still progressing. I had two very good interviews yesterday (Friday) and I expect to hear something positive on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Actually, I hope to hear something early next week otherwise I think I am going to pretty much go insane. I can't say it hasn't been nice relaxing at the house all this time but if I don't get a job soon ... I just can't sit here anymore.

Well, at least I have been getting in some time with my personal pursuits while I've been on the job hunt. I have been studying one of my Cisco books so that I can take and pass the CCDA exam. I am guessing another certification to place on my resume can't hurt. I've slowly been catching up on watching all my DVDs. And I have been playing some video games, especially online. I have both a PS3 and a Xbox360 and my network ID on both systems is "Dracos3442". So if any of you are up for a game, send me an invite or message. Currently I am playing a lot of Madden 08 on my Xbox360 and next week I will be purchasing Warhawk for my PS3.

Other than that, not much to report. My roommate and I did make a discovery when shopping at the local Costco recently. Evidently, they import glass bottles of Coca-Cola from Mexico. Why is this important, you ask? Just look below at the pictures and check out the ingredients.

Sugar, wondrous, glorious sugar!

... and continues ...

Now, I just wanted to expand on my last topic a little bit more. I don't want it to seem like I am discouraged or depressed out here. Far from it, but like I said hunting for jobs has gotten a little annoying at least in certain situations. For example, I have gotten a lot of calls from different IT staffing/professional-service type companies regarding jobs they are trying to fill for various different clients. These staffing firms have seen my resume from one of the various job websites (like Monster or Dice) and feel my skills are a good fit for such-and-such position for so-and-so company. I end up speaking with maybe two or three people from the staffing firm, everything looks good and they submit me for the position. Then I don't seem to hear anything. I try to call or e-mail my contacts at the staffing firm, just to try and find out if the position is filled or if I am still in the running, but it just seems that I cannot get a hold of anyone. And that is what annoys me most about this whole job hunt. I don't mind finding out I was rejected for a position because at least I know and can go on to other leads. Now, this doesn't happen with every staffing firm I have spoken to, and I continue to have very good relationships with those that keep me in the loop. But this is where most of my frustration lies.

However, I don't feel like this is the appropriate time to dwell on this subject. It is the weekend, professional football (my Bears and Bucs have both won their first preseason games) has started and college football is almost here, and I had a really good time out last night both at dinner and the later on at some bars in Palo Alto. Going to enjoy some gaming today before settling in to watch some more preseason football this afternoon.

... and the job hunt continues

Well, not much to report at this time. I had hoped to be working by now, but things just aren't working out to my liking. Granted, I am not the most patient person so my job hunt is really going about how one would normally expect. But I would rather be working, and not still looking for work.

I thought I had a position last week, but it turns out the company I interviewed with (and by all indications, I interviewed well) decided they were not going to hire a new position out here in San Jose. They had just implemented 24x7 operations in their New York office, so my guess is that they are spending their money in an effort to staff that area.

So that leaves me back to applying all over. Of course, I also have recruiters calling me all the time telling me good things, but lately even that doesn't seem to get beyond the initial contacts. Quite frankly, this is getting a little annoying.

Staircase Structural Integrity: 110%

Well, I wouldn't be the person I am if it weren't for the fact that I can laugh at myself. Two days ago, I think, I was up early in the morning checking e-mail and continuing my job hunt. I was downstairs and thought I had heard my phone, which had been left upstairs in my room. I trudged upwards, coffee in hand, to get it and return downstairs.

Now, let me take a moment to say a little something about the house I am living in. I moved out to San Jose mainly because my good friend Kal offered to let me rent a room in his house for very cheap. Originally, this house was a 3/2 one-story home. Kal and the other owner of the house decided a while back to totally rebuild it. I believe they were (are) planning on flipping the house to make a nice profit on it, but the whole process of it all has taken longer than I would guess they envisioned. The house as it stands is now a 6/5 two-story home, and although it is mainly finished there are things here and there that still need completion. Because of this, the stairs have a thin layer of plastic covering the carpeting. Obviously, this is to protect the color from staining as work is finished around the house.

So, let's get back to my situation. Having picked up my phone, I am now on my way downstairs with coffee in hand and sandals on my feet which are not giving me much grip. Then there's plastic on top of the carpet. Right foot slips, and I proceed to bounce on my ass down the top half of the stairs. Cursing the entire way down, of course. I managed to save about half of my coffee; unfortunately, I ended up wearing the other half. I ended up getting a good laugh out of it after the fact, and true to the title of this post the stairs maintained structural integrity throughout the ordeal. Ughh ... such is my glorious life ...

On another entirely different thought, I just want to vent a little on how retarded trash pickup is out here. Why do I have to buy stupid little stickers to place on extra trash bags that don't fit in my trash can?! And why do those stickers cost me $6.25 a piece?! I don't care how much stuff I can recycle and how I don't have to separate it, why can't I place extra bags out for trash pickup? I never had this type of nonsense in Florida, and it's not like I am going to place out something like 9 or 1o bags. This is just stupid. Backwards-ass state.

Updates, updates, updates ...

Hmm ... it seems I have been lax in my blogging duties. Well, time to catch everyone up again.

First off, I just want to mention that I saw something that quite frankly defies explanation and should not even exist. Mere words cannot describe my horror at what I have seen, so I will let one picture do more than the English language can ever express.

Ugh ... I feel the bile rising every time I think about such a horrible concoction.

On a better note, I forgot to mention a nice experience I had shortly after arriving here in California. I joined my roommate, Kal, his girlfriend and his brother, Dan, in meeting some friends of theirs for dinner out a little bit away from the city. I wish I could remember what the name of the restaurant is, but one neat thing about it was all the interesting articles they had hanging all over the interior walls. Now, this by itself is not special but, well, just take a look at an example:

It was a fun place and the food was good too.

So, what have I been doing this last month since arriving in San Jose? A lot, actually. For the first two weeks here I pretty much just took a vacation and didn't worry about getting a job. It helped that Dan was in town visiting his brother. I have known Kal, and by extension Dan (and all his other brothers), for a long time now but it wasn't until these last few weeks that I really got to hang out with Dan. And I am glad I did. Dan is an awesome person to hang out with. I have to say it has sucked without him here (he left last Sunday) because it means I actually have to work towards getting a job. But I know I will be seeing him again soon. He is going to be traveling to Tokyo, Japan, in September to teach English and I am determined to go out and visit him next spring (and X will probably join me; whether he knows it or not). So, while Dan was here we went out to Chinatown and Japantown in San Francisco. We went to the boardwalk at Santa Cruz twice. We went to Muir Woods National Monument. We also saw some architectural genius at the Winchester Mystery House. And then we went in to the city (both San Jose and San Francisco) to go out drinking at various times. And let's not forget all the sushi we ate (pretty much every other day).

Well, I am sure I am forgetting a lot of other things. I did end up going to the WWE Great American Bash pay-per-view at the last minute last Sunday. Had a great time and took some decent pictures. Actually, I have tried to take a lot of pictures while out here on the west coast. You can see them on my Picasa Web Album, along with older pictures from past vacations, if you are interested.

I think I will stop there for now. I've been making progress on my job hunt since Dan has left. I am looking for some definite results to happen next week.

One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall

On my last post I briefly talked about how I was waiting on most of my stuff from Florida to arrive. My car did end up getting here last Sunday, and I was happy to note that it got here in exactly the same condition as when it was picked up. I have already gotten it checked out by the local BMW dealer here, as well as gotten it a mini detail. On Tuesday I get to go to the DMV office to apply for my California driver's license and register my car here so I can get new tags.

My furniture arrived last Tuesday. The movers did a great job of transporting everything here with little to no damage on any of my things. I am pretty much set up in my room, and it is nice having all my clothes here (especially since I had packed all my cold-weather gear). I also have all my game systems, so at least I won't be bored during my job search. Right now, only my PS3 has network access. I have some work to do fixing the networking in the house so that I can get my Xbox360 connected.

So, I saw Transformers yesterday and I will just say that I really enjoyed it. I loved watching the Transformers cartoon when I was young, so when I first heard about a live-action movie I was really skeptical that it could be good. But I made sure to disassociate the movie from my memories of the cartoon and then I went in to the movie with an open mind. I ended up loving it, and it helps that they had the original voice of Optimus Prime reprising his role. I hope the movie does well enough to warrant a sequel.

Well, this coming week will just be me searching for a job. I have already applied to 3 positions at a company called Network Appliance, where my friend and roommate Kal works. I have also applied to 4 positions at Cisco, 1 position at Sony, and I have been contacted by a recruiter from a staffing agency about a 3-month contract position at Google. Hopefully one of these will pan out. I'll get an update out in at least a week.