And I'm back for this weekend
Indeed. I was away! To another land, one in which people speak a different language. Fortunately, one which I understand. Yes, Mexico. I hadn't been in something like twelve years, which is sad. Because I have a lot of family there, and it's good to keep in touch. I got to see just about everyone, which was cool. A few people have changed a lot, some haven't changed so much. In twelve years, I think I've changed quite a bit. It was funny - my Tio Luis saw me and immediately thought of Edward Norton. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought that - he thought of The Score, specifically. I don't know that I look THAT much like him, but maybe a little bit of similarity. What do you think? Anything at all?


Eh? Maybe?

So yeah, I got to see all my crazy relatives. It was a lot of fun. I took five hundred pictures. Seriously. Actually, something like 502 pictures, actually. But I have to go through them, copy them to the computer, organize them and all that. And I'll post a few. I have some good ones. Some of the good ones were from our visit to Teotihuacan. It was a very good excursion. I did get a little bit too much sun, though - especially on my neck, which some of you have already seen. But it was excellent. The altitude did weird things to my system - I slept a lot, but it was very good to get some extra sleep. We did get to go check out a movie theater with my cousin Alex that's called the VIP. We need one of them here! Incredible theater - tickets were about $9 American, as opposed to the standard ones which cost $5. They had recliners for the seats, imitation leather. Two chairs next to each other, and then a small table in between each pair. The chairs had a leg rest, plus they reclined fully. What's the table there for, you may be asking? Well, I'll tell you! They put a menu on there. That's right, a MENU. So you look through their selection of food and beverages, and place an order with the waiter, who comes and asks you what you'd like. The food had everything from standard movie food, such as hot dogs and popcorn, to sandwiches, to sushi. And the beverages included all sorts of crazy alcoholic things. I stuck to movie food, and got a hot dog. Best hot dog I've ever had in a theater. Came in a bun with sesame seeds! Delicious! And the ketchup came in a little cup, so you could pour it on ever so smoothly. I couldn't stop grinning through the whole experience.

So yeah, I did a few random things, but mostly visit family. A great trip. I recommend doing analogous things for you, wherever your family may reside.

This week I've just been getting back to things. The job hunt is still going on, although I put it on hold for a little bit to wait to hear back from the one position I'm waiting on. STILL no word. So I went ahead and decided to hit the rest of my possibilities, which are several. Sent the resume out to several places on Friday, and will continue on Monday. We'll see what happens. I just hope I get something I actually enjoy doing. I anticipate being back in the grind of things by mid-July.

And kung fu is still going strong. We got some good full contact fighting today. I fought mostly with Sihing today, and he popped me a few times very solidly. Once in the face, on my right cheekbone, and once in my left ear. It actually didn't bother me too much, although I'm thinking he could still hit quite a bit harder. And I did kind of have a ringing in my ear for a brief amount of time after he rattled me there. I did get a good recovery from a sweep he tried - he fully pulled my leg out from under me, and I collapsed onto the other leg, stumbled and almost fell, but managed to stay up. Everyone told me it looked like drunken style, and they were quite impressed I didn't actually fall. I did get to spar everyone else, too, and everyone's improving a lot. It was an excellent workout. The funny thing is that Crystal, the thirteen-year-old girl, kept putting down the two other guys in our class. She's rather tough. I think she'll be a handful to deal with as her training improves.

Lately I've been stuck on a new CD - a band called Muse. The lead vocalist sounds a bit like Thom Yorke, from Radiohead, but it's a lot more rock. I like it quite a bit. Makes me think about getting back into recording. The main reason I haven't been doing it as much as I'd like to is because it takes up hard drive space, and lots of it. So I'll need a new drive before I can get to recording as much as I'd like to.

Okay - it's Saturday night, and I should probably do more than just blog. So I will! But first - random link! This one I have to thank Sean for showing me. Well, two. The first is a truly random link. I'll just let you see it for yourself to understand. The second is a bit of news. About a very tough old man.
- posted by Pootenheimer @ 11:04 PM | 1 comments

 
It IS raining
Yeah, it's storming pretty nicely outside. I'm making a crazy late night blog post! Why, you might ask? Well, you see, I'll be leaving the country in a few hours. Yes, again. This time, I am, indeed, headed south. Mexico! I considered the fact I haven't seen my family in ten years, and that I've waited about two weeks to hear the results from my interview, so I figured getting a few days with the family probably wouldn't be a bad idea. I'll be getting a short nap here in a bit, get up, take a shower, pack my stuff into a bag or two, and then I'll be heading out. Should definitely be interesting.

We had our first real bit of sparring tonight for full-contact training. We still don't have full gloves - only one of the students has the full-sized gloves. I was using my standard sparring gloves, and Sihing used bag gloves he just got, which are pretty small and rather hard. I sparred with Sihing, then with Cory (who is moderately new, only about six or seven months), then with Sihing again, all back to back. I was quite tired by the end of it. Sihing managed to throw a few very nice punches and kicks, nailing me cleanly a few times. He had me wide open for one round punch - and I expected him to nail me so surely, I went ahead and rolled my head with the punch - although he never actually threw it. It was pretty funny, my head looked like he actually did hit me, I moved so far over. So it was back and forth a bit, here and there, and then I threw a round kick at his stomach. He blocked it, but didn't block it properly. Meaning he moved my kick. Into his groin. Yeah, he was on the ground for a decent amount of time, hands and knees. Apparently he could feel it in his throat. He took a break for a little while, so Cory and I had at it. I nailed Cory a few times, probably a little harder than I should have. I think I almost broke his nose - he said he had to readjust it, and he could feel it pop back into place. There was only a little bit of blood, though, it never actually started running. It seemed to knock the snot out of him, more than anything. We sparred for a bit, then Sihing came back, and we got back into it, pretty hard. His combinations are very nice, and he put me on the ground once, very cleanly. Not a sweep, mind you - he actually picked me up and slammed me into the ground. It was a good workout, I felt like I had actually pushed myself more than normal.

I went and saw Batman Begins last night, at the midnight showing. It was good! At least, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I must say I believe it's by far the best Batman movie. Some of the reviews seem to have been bored by the backstory they provide, but I liked it quite a bit. Gives his character more substance. And the new Batmobile is sweet. I wanted to applaud after the big car scene. It was a lot of fun. Luscious! The next one I'm looking forward to - War of the Worlds, a la Spielberg. Mmm, good.

Okay, I need to get a little sleep, at least. And this rain is making me sleepy. Hopefully the trip will turn out okay. I'll be back Tuesday sometime, and I'll let you guys know what kind of crazy sights I saw.

Link of the random variety! I found this bit of news about a guy who's working on a new invention. An invention COOL enough to merit random linkage. Behold!
- posted by Pootenheimer @ 2:26 AM | 0 comments

 
It's been raining
Yeah, it's been raining a lot. There were some crazy storms last night, took the power out over lots of the city, brought down several tree branches, all sorts of craziness like that. I was still over at Newman at the time, so I didn't have to be in the middle of it, thankfully. Not that I had a whole lot of choice. Apparently, when it rains, it pours. I did have a splendid Saturday, with a cool pool party with all the kung fu people. That was a lot of fun. After that, though, I was driving on my way home, and I almost made it when the car died. Yeah, in the middle of Memorial. So I had to put it in neutral and push it to the closest exit, which thankfully was close by. I had a couple of nice guys swing by and help me jump the car, but it didn't actually keep the charge. So I had to push it into a parking lot and leave it there for the weekend. I got it towed to the mechanic early this morning and fixed - my suspicions were that it was either the battery or the alternator. Maybe both. And yeah, I was right - it was both. Plus the belt. So all that, plus labor, ended up costing the pretty price of around $500. And it's always the most fun when you find unexpected expenses like that popping up right after losing a source of income. Ugh.

Truthfully, though, I can't complain too much. It's been pretty good. I hung out with Sihing last night, we just stayed up and talked and played a bit, the whole night. He normally works nights, so he's used to being up all night. I had nothing to be up for, except for getting the car towed, so I went ahead and just stayed up. It was good. And I tried getting sleep during the day, but I couldn't, as the phone kept ringing. Silly people all trying to call me with job offers. Seriously - I normally make it a point to get at least two employment possibilities looked into, or started somehow, every day. At least when I'm not waiting to hear back about one. Today, I actually got more than that, without even having to try. Monster.com works - make a note of it. So yeah - right now, I'm just waiting to hear back about one that I really hope I get, although the company takes time to reply, for some reason. Maybe it's a good reason, but it's still a little annoying. If I don't get this one, then I have a list of a few others to check on, which is good.

The sucky thing about all this is that my family's going to visit the family down south. And by down south, I mean Mexico City. Since finding a job is a priority, it looks like I might have to cancel my ticket, which particularly bothers me because I haven't been there in about ten years. I haven't gotten to see any of my uncles, aunts, or cousins, and I actually do miss them. And I have a lot of them. Bleah. Timing for things can sometimes work for you, and sometimes screw with you in major ways.

I've been thinking a lot lately about relationships, and what I've learned from the ones I've had, and about the future. The one thing I've realized is I have a good idea of what I'm looking for. There are some elements that are crucial to any successful relationship: trust, communication, patience, and of course, love. Take any of those away, and you've given the relationship an expiration date. The big one I've thought about lately is trust. It just seems that it can be hard for a lot of people to actually be trustworthy, as strange as it may sound. I know everyone's been stabbed in the back at least once, and it's not a good feeling. I think for me, right now, the one thing I'm craving is someone safe. Someone I could actually open up to, without worrying about having that pulled out from under me later. Someone I could talk to without worrying about making sure I say it exactly right, because they'd be quick to jump to conclusions about a different interpretation. And someone I could listen to, who would talk to me about their lives because they knew I actually did care. I don't know if I'm shooting too high, but I'm sticking to my guns and being picky about that.

Bleah. Stress sucks. Which is why I was grateful for kung fu today. I actually got to learn quite a bit more out of my new set, and it has some very cool moves in it. And I got to help others in the class with their sets, which always makes me very happy. It's rewarding to see the progress of the students, see how much they've grown with the help of kung fu, and know that I've been a part of it.

Anyway, so now I'm just waiting to hear back on one interview I had last week. It's for a job I'd really like to get, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've had several other possibilities crop up, and I'm balancing them out to figure out which one will be best. At any rate, it's looking like it will be a step forward for me, which is good.

Oh, I did get my guitar fixed, which makes me happy! And they did it for free, which made me even happier. I got it fixed at the same place I bought it, so they went ahead and just made the adjustment without charging me. Since they're so cool, I have to plug them - it's the Music Store at 31st and Mingo. If you're considering an acoustic guitar, check out their stock of Seagulls. Good stuff. I got the guitar back and restrung it Sunday, just before heading off to church. New strings always inspire me to play better, and sometimes more creatively. Carlos and Embrey gave me a ride, so I have to say thanks to them. AND they sang in choir, too, which is awesome. Carlos broke in his new guitar that he got, that has an electronic pickup. It's quite a nice guitar. I got a few complements from people in the congregation after church, which made my day. It's good to know you're appreciated, when you put your heart into something.

Okay, that's enough for my blog today. Random link! I got this one from a guy at kung fu. He has it memorized, which is funny. It's full of all sorts of Chinese martial arts stuff, and even has a Hung Gar folder. Mostly movies. If you're curious, check it out! Oh, and a bonus thingie here. Random picture! I got this from CNN's weekend photos. I happen to think it's an awesome picture, so I'm going to share it. Enjoy!

And now it's time for me to go get ice cream. Ice cream always makes people feel better.
- posted by Pootenheimer @ 11:36 PM | 1 comments

 
Time for reconstruction
Sorry for the long delay. It's been a while since my blog has seen any action. Perhaps it's because my life has seen a few changes, I've been busy otherwise. I mentioned, a while back, a bit about how sometimes you need to take a step back, reevaluate your life. Well yeah - this would be that moment for me, in a major way.

Start with the beginning, I guess. I drove out to Kansas City for my friend Sean's wedding, stayed there about half a week. It was an excellent time, a lot of new experiences. I got to meet a few people, so that was cool. The drive was actually interesting, in that I got to break in my GPS, which turned out to be really useful. I used it a TON - I think it's already paid for itself. I just plugged in an address, or looked up the name of a location, and it'd pop up. I'd just hit "GO" and I was off, being directed by a woman with a British accent. British accents are sexy. Even on the way there, I was originally going to Sean's parents' place, and I ended up needing to go to one of the other groomsmen's house, so I just punched in the address while I was driving and it readjusted the route. I drove up, and all I had to call Sean for was so he could open the door for me. Very cool stuff.

Anyway, I got there, hung out with Sean and the other groomsmen, we got to play a bit, it was fun. Then meet with his family, hang out with the bridesmaids, and so forth. The wedding itself was incredible. It was a traditional Catholic wedding, in a very big church. Sean and Liz got a string quartet for the music, which was very nice. The whole thing went surprisingly smoothly, and I was impressed with the whole thing. It was an honor to be part of the celebration.

One weird thing during the weekend, the day before the wedding... I got a phone call from my old co-worker, Steve. He called to let me know that one of his friends (named Dan), a guy I had talked to a few times before, had been in a motorcycle accident. Apparently he died from the injuries. It was a really weird thing to hear, the day before a wedding. Reminded me of the balance of life - for every moment you have that's good, there's going to be one that's bad. But as an optimistic person, I prefer reminding myself on my bad days - even if today's a horrid, horrid day, there will come a day sometime later that will be just as awesome as this one was sucky. This goes for everyone. Even YOU, Faithful Reader.

But yeah. The trip to Kansas City was very good, overall. The wedding was awesome. It's still weird to think of Sean as a married man, though. I think it'll be weirder when he has kids. Just shove the whole concept of adulthood into my head further. Bleah - I'll always be a kid. Even when I have my grandkids. Perhaps ESPECIALLY when I have my grandkids. I'll be just a silly old man, cackling for dumb reasons, spoiling my grandkids rotten. Indeed!

I got back later on Sunday, started the week. Still had the whole thing with kung fu in the air, but I was a little better about how I felt about it. I really think I just had suffered a bit of burnout from everything. Pushed myself beyond my limits - even IF I don't like to admit I have limits. I was still going to take a few more days off, before returning.

I found out Sunday that my other friend Steve's brother had passed away, which he found out about after he returned from Ireland. I had never met his brother, but Steve's been a friend of mine for years, so Tuesday I went to a prayer service for his brother. It was good to see how many people showed up to support his family.

Ah, and Wednesday. Started normally, I suppose. Got to work, got a few things done. Then I get called into the office, and my suspicions as to why I was getting called were accurate. Sometimes you just get a hunch about things, you know? Well, it was right - they pulled me in to let me know they were laying me off. I got no advance notice, it was just sort of a sudden thing. I asked why, and they simply told me I wasn't a good fit for the position (in so many words). No other details, really. Since I was still on the probationary period (it's a year long with the City, apparently), that was about it. I just packed my stuff with my boss watching me to make sure I didn't try anything suspicious, and then he walked me out. I hope you guys never have to go through that; there's something quite humiliating about being escorted out of your employment. I'd like to think I took it well - at that particular moment, I think my boss looked more upset than I did. I think he actually liked me.

So that cemented the need for my whole life re-organization. As far as why they actually let me go - I think it was partially because of the reconstruction of the city's IT department. They're planning on consolidating all the IT departments from each section, including Public Works, Police, Fire, etc. Since I didn't really fit into a specific role (I did anything they threw at me - maybe a little TOO quickly), I was easy to release. Sadly, I think it was my co-workers that appreciated me, since I ended up helping them with a lot of other things, when they didn't have anyone else to go to. I think my bosses will realize how much I helped everyone else a little too late.

Well, I started looking for re-employment before I had even left the parking lot, and managed to get two interviews set up within 24 hours of my departure from the city. It's looking MUCH better than it did a year ago, when it was a huge pain in the butt to get even one interview. And it looks like my changing jobs might actually be a decent step upwards. A lot of the stuff I was working on before was on proprietary software, so it had no real use as job experience. Just FYI, that SUCKS. I'd like to get some real experience I can build on, try to find something to work with that's FUN. We'll see how it goes. In fact, I've got another meeting tomorrow morning to see about setting up a potential interview, which is good stuff.

I went to kung fu on Saturday for sparring and full-contact training, for the first time in about a week and a half. It was good to be back. I got to actually spar with a few people, and it felt good to get smacked around a bit. Although not TOO much. Sihing wasn't there on Saturday, so I think I did more hitting than getting hit. And full-contact training broke me down nicely, so I felt like a nap was in order after I finished. Even if I didn't really get one.

I did get to go by and say hey to the family over the weekend, which was good. And play in the choir at Newman for the first time in a few weeks, which I was happy to do. Although my guitar is currently INJURED. Yes. Somehow I managed to get a washer loose inside the bottom of it, so the screw where the electronics connect (and where I plug in my tuner, or an amp) is loose. I need to get it fixed, somehow. Probably soon. But seeing as how I don't have any steady income yet, I may have to wait.

I think that catches me up to today. Where I went in to talk to Sifu about instructing again, and I think everything's cool again. A little bit of rescheduling which classes I'll attend, help instruct during, and so forth. And I went to class, to help teach! Which felt very good to do again. I even started learning my new form! Ng Cho Kuen. It looks like it might be cool.

Okay. So all that being said and caught up, I think it's time for pictures! No, not China. I'm lazy with my China pictures. I'll put them up eventually, but for today, it's Kansas City! And the wedding. Here you go.


The church! Yes, it was very pretty.


Ah, the bride and groom. This is the before picture. The dress looked quite amazing. And I'm a GUY saying that.


The bride and groom... in the AFTER picture. I really like this picture. Spontaneous one - Sean had just turned around.


And they're off! In their lovely limo.


The groomsmen. Looking quite dapper.


Two of the bridesmaids. Looking... erm, dangerous.


And sure, why not. One of ME. In the tux. Make your own comment.

So that's been the craziness that's filled my life lately. Kept me away from my blog, it has. But sometimes you need to just step AWAY from things to get things in order. I think it's all helped me a lot, though. I feel a lot more at ease, somehow. Which is good.

Okay - random blogthing!

Your Seduction Style: The Natural

You don't really try to seduce people... it just seems to happen. Fun loving and free spirited, you bring out the inner child in people. You are spontaneous, sincere, and unpretentious - a hard combo to find! People drop their guard around you, and find themselves falling fast.

Hmm. Is that accurate? I wonder...

And of course, I must put a random link. Since I haven't put ANYTHING about gaming, it will be a gaming random link. For some reason, I think I'll be buying this game. Why? You know me... I mean, just look at it!
- posted by Pootenheimer @ 11:58 PM | 5 comments