More Randoms

It seems every day the my flute becomes more of an extension of myself than the day before. The little epiphanies that, when playing trumpet, only came once or twice a year (if I was lucky) come monthly. In less than two and a half years, I've gotten better at the flute than I ever was at trumpet.

Maybe it's because even the drudgery is enjoyable. There's no rush to play through scales and arpeggios that one is usually forced into practicing, because even that normally tedious stuff is fun to play. The actual process of creating a sound on the instrument makes me feel good. I can't really say I'd experienced that kind of pleasure from playing until a couple of years ago.

In other news, I went back to Ohio this past Saturday. When I was asking for directions to where my friend Ben lives, he made mention of a particular stop sign. When I got to it, I got out of my car and took a picture of it.

Say what?

Apparently it's a sticker for a band.

Also, our later-than-midnight snack has instilled a newfound love for these little guys.

They're little green bundles of joy.

Veganniversary

If memory serves, today is my three year veganniversary. To celebrate I made a fairly substantial dinner.

That's a veggie burger, steamed kale, and split pea soup.

Burger:

1/2 cup rice (that's the dry measurement)

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1/2 green pepper

1/4 spanish onion

mushrooms

oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic

matzo meal

rolled oats

Cook the rice and set aside. Drain the beans and cook them til they're soft. Dice the green pepper, mushrooms, and onion. Mix it all in a large bowl, add the spices and a handful each of the matzo and oats. Smush together into a patty and fry in oil (olive or peanut are what I've used).

Soup:

yellow split peas

green split peas

whole pepper corns

1/2 spanish onion

3-4 stalks celery

bay leaves

garlic

salt

Bring 8 or so cups of water to a boil and add the onion (chopped), the celery (also chopped), pepper corns, bay leaves, salt, and garlic. Let simmer for an hour, strain out the solids, and you have broth. Add the split peas and let simmer for about an hour and a half until it magically becomes split pea soup.

Both recipes are approximations as I tend to eyeball most measurements and can be adjusted to suit one's tastes. I tend to like stronger flavours so I go a little overboard with the amounts. There's also a lot in the way of leftovers. It was a delicious celebratory dinner.

Solitary Lifestyle

I think the inordinate amount of time I spend alone is causing my social muscle (gland?) to atrophy. It doesn't tend to affect my customer service skills, perhaps because I'm in my element at work, but it sure shows on the rare occasion I'm in a public setting.

On the plus side I got a Halloween card from my dad today and he put this sticker in it.

It seems that dorkiness is genetic. But maybe he's on to something.

New Game

So a week ago I bought Fallout New Vegas. I proceeded to create a very pale Hispanic character with a giant nose named Aldous. That's a very Hispanic name, I know.

I won't say that it's better than Fallout 3, but it does have some things about it that give it an edge. Perhaps the significant lack of Supermutant Overlords helps (I hate those things!).

I just need your love!

First off, it's harder. Combat is roughly the same, though it is almost easier to fight without V.A.T.S. I like that, as I had a hard time doing so in 3, except when sniping. The enemies are also very similar, but the addition of various levels of Deathclaws and Nightkin (so badass) give it a nice twist. Also, one might encounter these enemies at any point in the game. No need to wait for level 12 to run into some Deathclaws if you're brave enough to venture into the quarry.

It's also more difficult because there's no real safe haven. In Fallout 3, you could get house or apartment to store gear, there was an abundance of ammo, bottle caps, and aid, and levels came more quickly with less difficult quests still being worth boat loads of XP.

Not so in New Vegas, at least for me. But I like to take things slow. I'm also finding that the reloading and trying speech checks over and over doesn't work. If you only meet 43/50 for the check, you won't get it. It's a challenge and sometimes you have to wait to do things for a while.

The weapons are better though, and the ability to modify them (with enough repair/science skill of course) definitely adds a new dimension to the game. Also, the karma levels are specific to groups of people. I have a few towns and factions that like me and two that vilify me. They might have gotten me if not for my sniper and Eye-Bot followers.

The differences are really what make the game but it's always heartening to see some similarities.

Fallout 3

New Vegas

It's the little things that matter.

Crossed Fingers

So instead of coming home straight after work tonight, I decided to grab a newspaper and go to Murphy's Tap Room. When the crosswords, sudoku, and cryptoquip were finished I didn't feel like reading any History of the Kings of Britain (I'm not really sure if I can tolerate this translation after all). I instead decided to stare at my manuscript paper and the short motifs I'd jotted down and see what came to mind. Fortunately, six lines worth came to me. Unfortunately those six lines are probably only worth 25-30 seconds, but that's more than I've written in a long time.

I've got my hopes up that it ends up sounding like I heard it in my head.

Clara likes it so far.

Maybe that's the key though. I used to write in a bar all the time. The cacophony aids the creative process at times, but mostly it's easier to block out a lot of sensory distraction than just a few things. That, and there's no internet there.

Hopefully this trend continues.

"Trust, Violence, and Beer"

So I've been following a local band called The Back Stabbing Good People. Well, as much as I can follow their relatively rare gigs that is.

A month ago I was fortunate enough to attend their record release party at The Club Cafe on the South Side. A great time seemed to be had by all, and the opening acts, Dream Job and Jimbo and the Soupbones were excellent as well.

Being a follower of BSGP, and it being their record release party, I bought their album.

I think it's wonderful and have had it on repeat in the car since then. The theme and title of the album allow for great transitions between songs. I suppose that calls for a little explanation. The opening track is a voice mail recording, so it's like the whole album is being left as a message. Also, most of the tracks begin with a voice mail that, I assume, were left for Clinton at one point or another. That adds to the cohesion of the album as a whole.

I have a particular favourite between tracks 7 and 8: "May I have your attention, may I have your attention? The early bird has officially left the roost for the day, so beware all worms. (rooster crowing)"

The variety in styles doesn't come across as well as it does in live shows; but then, live is always better. However, it does come across. There are elements of blues, jazz, soul, and a little reggae amongst the general singer/songwriter style. The lyrics are also heartfelt, honest, and earthy. "Cause she's got a fly body and she's stacked with knowledge / she can do The Robot and graduate from college." They are not an act to miss, especially if they're playing at The Thunderbird Cafe in Bloomfield/Lawrenceville.

New Rules

So I went to Frick Park yesterday, because it was inordinately nice for early October. I'll post some good summary pictures of my ventures there at some point but I thought this took the cake.

Now, upon first look, it looks like perfectly innocent instructions regarding dog waste removal. But you know what I think?

Dog poop tag!

Not a game for the faint of heart.

Body Fat

Growing up, my dad always had one of those Body Mass Index charts on the fridge. I guess it was supposed to remind me that I'm not built like a normal human being. As if every clothing store in the country didn't do that already.

It doesn't really make much sense though. It didn't diversify by gender, and it really doesn't have anything to do with one's actual body fat content. A person could be 5'8" and 180 pounds of pure muscle and they're BMI would be 27.4; overweight. They would technically have the same BMI as a 5'8" person who was 180 pounds of flab.

So I was reading a post on neatorama the other day called Hacks to Help You Stay Healthy and at the bottom it linked to a site with a more accurate body fat test. It's the tape measure test. As opposed to just height and weight, it asks for both as well as gender and age. After that one is to measure one's waist, hips, flexed forearm, and wrist. I entered the applicable info: 5'6", 112 pounds, male, 28 years old. Then 26" waist, 27" hips, 9.5" forearm, and 6.5" wrist.

This was my result:

Damn, that puts me in the same category as top athletes. Granted there are discrepancies between ethnicities and skinny/fit people, etc. They do go into that on the first page. So really, I could be anywhere up to 9% or so.

Curious? Take it yourself.

Random Tuesday Things on Wednesday

To continue.

3. Yesterday at work I went out to my car and, how my eyes were this keen I have no idea, I saw a mouse. I crept nearer and he didn't move. I even touched him with a blade of grass and then pet him. (I'm assigning a gender because I get tired of typing he/she him/her).

That was the best picture I could get with my phone. Look how small and pathetic he is.

After the non-reaction I washed my hands (no mouse diseases for me) and wondered what to do. It was a chilly day and he was just sitting there shivering. Then it occurred to me ....

Mouse ranch!

I really figured he was dying and at least this way he would spend his last hours out of the wind. He was gone when I checked today though.

*edit*

Upon closer examination, he must have crawled out and died some time in the night. *sad face*

4. My lesson learned over the weekend goes on my don't list.

Don't: Combine beer, late night, and The Deer Hunter. The former two in combination are just fine, but add that movie and you end up going to sleep very uneasily. That is in spite of it being a really good film.

5. The days are far easier to come down from if you can come home to this:

Random Tuesday Things

I realize that my thought processes are rather scattered. It's less of a distraction thing and more of a thinking-about-six-things-at-once thing. In spite of equal focus on each of those six or so things, there is still some cross talk, not to mention whatever soundtrack my brain is providing me with.
To help, I actually decided to write some notes, and for some reason, writing them with a sharpie is really satisfying. Hopefully this won't be too ramble-y.

1. Being the busiest time of the year, I deal with a lot of people. I also deal with people who feel that they can get what they want by being aggressive from the start. As a very non-aggressive person, I really don't understand this. Perhaps they feel that they'll be waylaid or brushed off if they're nice from the start.
I'm more than personable and try to be completely honest, so this aggression doesn't really change how the customer is treated. Really it just stresses me out and makes me feel like I didn't something wrong.
The saving grace is when they realize there is nothing for them to butt up against. I just exude a wave of kindness and understanding upon the unsuspecting customer and awe ensues. Awe especially ensues when the problem doesn't actually exist. 'What? I didn't buy that accessory I'm claiming wasn't delivered?' 'You mean it's at the school and the teacher didn't give *said instrument* to my child?' 'You're not trying to rape my wallet?'

Those particular instances don't really relieve the stress induced by the time of year, but they help. What would help is someone to answer the phones, because apparently it's not enough to leave a message anymore. The belief that I will call back just isn't there.

2. I'm used to junk mail, spam, and telemarketers, but I was never prepared for junk faxes. The problem being that they not only waste one's time, but also paper. And it's not like I can just keep paper out of the fax machine. My store gets 5 to 8 junk faxes every day, advertising everything from roofing to medical supplies to insurance. The best one was sent today and I hope it doesn't make this entry far too long. Since the fax and telephone numbers are foreign and I assume no one (like anyone reads this) would actually pay the long distance I feel no hesitancy in including them. It's also in all caps, but I wouldn't subject anyone to that.

*Ahem*

"From Charles Taylor (JNR)

Telephone +255 768 368 224

Fax - +27 865 140 721

Greetings

May I use this opportunity to introduce myself to you my name is Charles Taylor (JNR) I am the son of former president of Liberia a country in west Africa. My father who is currently being held against his will my the United Nations for alleged offences of war crimes.

He is currently facing court trial in the Hague in Netherlands. My father is a good man who tried to do so much for our people Liberians. I am contacting you with the believe that we will develop a cordial business relationship which will be beneficial to both of us. My father gave me your contact when I visited him on the 19th of November 2009. He said that he have a lot of confidence and trust in your personality. My father keeps the sum of (one hundred and seventy seven million United States dollas) $177 million USD in a banks security vault under the name of his friend a foreigner from your country; as the next of kin to the deposit to avoid any trace .This friend of my father died on 25th July 2009 in a motor accident.

My father directed me to use this money for investment purposes specifically in your country.

I promise to give you 30% of the total funds for your assistance and 10% of the profit after tax for five years.

I am currently in a refugee camp here in Tanzania and I have made contact with the bank manager of the bank where my father deposited the funds. I have also inspected the funds and confirm that it is still with them. I will give you all the details on how we will claim these funds upon receipt of you response.

I have the whole documents for the deposit. I therefore see your assistance in transferring this funds out of Tanzania.

Best regards,

Charles Taylor (JNR)

Note: Please send all you're contact information through my above fax numbers, as soon as I receive your contact informations I will send all the details on how we are going to conclude this transaction."

Wow, that took eight minutes to type, making sure all the spelling and grammatical mistakes were correct.

This baffled me. We're all familiar with the 'Prince of Nigeria' email scam. To try it with a fax is brave, especially since this was a long distance fax and that takes time. That is, unless there are fax viruses out there; and if there are, I'm taking the paper out of my machine.

I think I'll leave 3-6 of Tuesday's randomness for another post.

Products I Actually Endorse

Things have been unbelievably stressful and frustrating so I'm trying to force myself to think positively. In this vein, I'd like to share a few things that have had positive influences on my life.

1. The Point Breeze Veterinary Clinic

This is a local service, obviously, located in Point Breeze, PA, on the east side of Pittsburgh. I guess it wouldn't really serve anyone outside of the area, but I like to laud them anyway.

The story: We first moved to the Pittsburgh area in August '07 with my cat, Clara; who, by the way, is the loveliest cat ever. In early October, if memory serves, Clara started having problems eating. She would yelp when she tried to eat her hard food, which is the only food she will eat, and we noticed that the gums on the right side of her mouth were red and inflamed. This had happened earlier in the year, and the vet she went to said that she'd probably eaten a spider and been bit or had scraped her mouth on something. They suggested giving her soft food and letting it heal. Obviously that was incorrect.

I took her to Point Breeze and met with Dr. Caroline Simard who went through the usual options (infection, etc). Clara and I made numerous trips and she was put on soft food (which she wasn't fond of) and antibiotics. Finally, the diagnosis of (something I can't remember the name of nor pronounce) was made. It's a localised autoimmune disease. Whenever Clara would get any plaque on her teeth her gums would try to reject them.

The solution: all her side teeth had to be removed. This was done in two parts, as the right side was removed and the left side flared up. Clara was alto put on Atopica, which is an immune suppressant for dogs (she thinks she's a dog anyway).

I endorse this company because the doctors are amazing. Clara has seen Dr. Simard and Dr. Schroth many times and they've both treated her well and gone above and beyond to see that she's happy and healthy. They also compliment her softness and Dr. Simard refers to Clara as "her little peanut." The clinic also went against its policy and let me make payments on the surgeries, which was the only way I could have. Also, all the follow-up visits (and there were many) were free of charge. All in all, they're just wonderful.

Please see their website

"Look at my toothless mouth!"

2. The Netical Patch

The Story: A few months ago on a Friday, I woke up with inexplicable lower back pain. It was random and awful. It also didn't go away. After three weeks I finally decided to do something about it and resorted to the usual options: ibuprofin, Bengay, and light stretching. There was no change and the stretching was painful. I mentioned this ailment to a friend of mine and he suggested the Netical Patch. I took him up on that offer.

Now, I haven't tried many herbal or homeopathic remedies. Valerian root does provide a clear head and a great night's sleep and B vitamins do help, well, everything. Then I tried this. It's a cotton patch (in this case, an adhesive one) infused with the stinging nettle plant that one applies to the inside of one's clothing over the affected area (in my case, my lower back). I attached this to the inner side of my t-shirt and tucked it in, for maximum exposure, and waited. After two days and a much greener back my pain was gone. Completely.

It's been about two months and the pain hasn't returned. I'm just completely in awe of this. After a month of total life-consuming misery I'm back to normal. There are also nine more patches in the package in case something does pop up. I think $30 was quite the value to get my life and peace of mind back.

For more information please go here.

I had another product in mind but I've since forgotten. I'm sure it will come to me later.

Open Letter to My Student Loans

Dear Student Loans,

We've been together for about three years, and although it's been quite a learning experience, I think it's time to say goodbye.

Au Revoir,

~Gneal

It's been a long bloody time

Not really "bloody," but I feel like putting crap online again. Perhaps posting a video of my weird cat will give me inspiration to post a real entry later.
I've already forgotten what I was posting about, perhaps I should write things down, as my brain is like "You want your blog to be substantial.... I want a burrito.... ok, you came back to the computer and four windows are open.... shit the tofu is burning.... ok you turned it but didn't you have green pepper?.... it's nowhere to be found but the rice is burning and beans have gone cold...... (this is all going on for about a half hour), shit something is crackling, ..... and it was the tofu and onions, crackling for no good reason."
Perhaps this is substantial for now.