New Year's Resolutions

I guess its that time to start thinking about new year's Resolutions. I was looking back at my resolutions for 2004 and I didn't do too bad. Wait a minute, I did terrible. Out of my Top Ten New Year's Resolutions, I managed 3. One of the ten, "get in shape"... well, I'm actually in worse shape now than I was this time last year. Not only did I meet that resolution, I made it worse. Well, here's my new list:

Top Ten Resolutions for 2005:

10. get in shape
9. pay off more bills
8. cook at least 3 dinners/week
7. organize my personal belongings (they're everywhere)
6. pay more attention to my personal relationships (family, friends, significant others)
5. be more decisive
4. learn something new at least once/week
3. read at least 10 books
2. bring lunch to work at least twice/week
1. smile more.

Computer for Sale

Anyone want to buy my old computer?

$400
Athlon XP 1800+
512MB DDR RAM
80GB HDD
GeForce FX5200 128MB video
Logitech wireless k/b and mouse
CD-RW 52x24x52x
built-in 10/100 ethernet
built-in sound (no speakers though)
I'll even throw in my old 19" CRT monitor for $20

Keep in mind, this does not include tech support. I've gotten out of that business.

Ha Ha Ha Hee Hee Hee

I came across some funny shit today. Check these links:

Shit Happens

Possible Porn Titles

Advent Calender

Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas to you and yours! What exactly does this mean? Who are "mine"? Anyhoo, have a happy holiday season!

The Cons are growing

I'm not really a confrontational kind of guy. I like to avoid confrontation like the plague. In fact, when I see it coming I don't just walk away, I run for my life and then change identities and pretend I never saw it coming in the first place. Then if it still catches up to me, I can say, "Oh, I didn't even realize this was an issue." Of course this is lying, but I'm not out to win awards or anything. Today at work, however, was a different story. I was talking to someone from a different module and she suggested something that would be in direct contention with everything we've taught our users for the past 4 months. If anything, I like to think that I'm a diplomatic guy. Don't ruffle feathers, don't burn bridges. We discussed the issue and while trying to gently say, "your idea is stupid" as nice as possible, I suddenly decided that this isn't something I wanted to get into right now and there's no way I'm going to argue about it for a second longer. "Well, this sounds like a higher-level discussion that may need to be revisited after the holidays. I'll bring this back to my group and then we'll sit down when everyone is back after the new year." Just like that, it ended the discussion and we both quite happily went back to cracking jokes about project managers and directors. She's a very nice lady and I prefer working with her than any of her cohorts, but their whole group is starting to piss me off. Oh well, I can still go back to my old job if this gets too sickening.

He's Making a List...

Top Ten Things I Want For Christmas:

10. Socks
9. Underwear
8. good toque
7. new shoes
6. turtleneck sweater
5. long-sleeved t-shirt
4. pyjama pants
3. watch
2. DVD burner
1. movies on DVD

Now this list may seem pretty vague (what kind of DVD burner? what colour sweater? what size shoes?), but that's because I don't want to sound greedy.

Top Ten Things I Don't Want For Christmas:

10. eternal damnation
9. a large, unexpected bill
8. food poisoning
7. a pay cut
6. sudden illness
5. a colostomy
4. a psychotic girlfriend
3. car accident
2. a warm, dry season
1. home invasion

New House

Congratulations to my brother and his wife on their new house. They moved in today and I did all the heavy lifting. Seriously though, their stuff wasn't that heavy.

Movie Review

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Special Extended Version DVD.

Its even better on DVD.

First Night

I went snowboarding today! I went up to Cypress Mountain with Steve and a co-worker and it was an awesome night. The snow was a little slushy, but not too bad, the weather was about +1 degrees with no wind, and it was pretty clear. Beautiful view from the Panorama run. It felt so good to be on the mountain again. I've been waiting for this since March.

Stuff I like:
1. snowboarding when its a little warm. Even if the snow isn't all powder its nice when you don't freeze your ass off.
2. that rush of adrenaline when you hit a jump or when you're flying down the mountain.
3. the sound of your board carving in the snow.

Stuff I don't like:
1. when you get snow in your glove.
2. when its windy and you're freezing on the chair lift
3. when you hit a flat spot and you have to unstrap and walk.

New DVDs

Starsky and Hutch with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Previously viewed from Blockbuster. Funny shit, man.

Something something of the Spotless Something with Jim Carey. Previously viewed from Blockbuster. Haven't watched it yet, but I wanted to see it when it was out in the theatres. I'll let you know how it was.

Y'know, assuming the DVD isn't damaged (ie scratched or warped), previously viewed movies are a great deal. They're pretty new releases and they're really cheap - always less than $20.

New Office

We moved into our new offices today. Its not bad. The best part is that I'm across the street from the mall, there are restaurants surrounding me, and its close to home. The worst part is my desk is in a really crappy spot. Oh well, its only temporary anyway.

Back to Basics *sigh*

Every once in a while we make decisions in our life that we don't like. Not necessarily because it's the wrong decision, but we just don't like how it makes us feel. You feel shitty because it's a decision you have to make, not one you want to make. I hate feeling that way. I hate when my decisions affect other people. Someday I'm hoping for that confirmation that when I make a choice I'll know it was the right one - or the wrong one. At least I'll know.

Winter Sports

I hate being cold. I hate it when I'm in my car waiting for it to warm up and I'm just sitting there freezing my ass off. I hate when I get home from work and the place is chilly. I hate waking up in the morning and getting out of my warm bed to step in the cold bathroom and then stand there waiting for the water to warm up in the shower. Just the light spray of the ice cold water makes me uncomfortable. I hate being cold. The funny thing is, I love when winter comes and I can go snowboarding. I've been at the top of Blackcomb Mountain (about 2km up) in the middle of winter where its freezing cold, but I still had a smile on my face. I've gone snowboarding at night in the blowing snow and sat on a chairlift where the snow blows up your jacket and down your neck and still had a good time. I know what you're thinking. "He's an idiot." Maybe I am, but I love snowboarding. All the mountains have snow now, I can't wait to go.

A Few of My Favourite Things

In honour of the Christmas spirit and The Sound of Music, I'm going to list a few of my Favourite Things. No, no credit will go to Oprah Winfrey.

In no particular order:

• raindrops on roses
• whiskers on kittens
• bright copper kettles
• warm woolen mittens
• brown paper packages tied up in string
• cream colored ponies
• crisp apple streudels
• doorbells
• sleigh bells
• schnitzel with noodles
• wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
• girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
• snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
• silver white winters that melt into springs

I hate to admit it but I actually like the movie The Sound of Music. Even though its missing a good fight scene and fast car chases, it still has the girl in the wet, white dress and the tough-but-sensitive captain that gets to choose whichever girl he wants. A baroness or a nun... how do you choose? I'd give you my real list of favourite things, but someone will end up slapping me.

Don't I Know You?

Last night we went out to a friend's birthday party. Its always fun to go bowling and meet new people. I had a bit of a headache (actually a lot of a headache) so I wasn't feeling great, but I went anyway. Throughout the night I met a bunch of people, talked to people I knew, and at the end of the night I met a person I knew. I met her once or twice before, the last time being back in February, but ever since then we've just been keeping in contact through our blogs and the blog comments. I recognized her name but during the night I was like, "I'm pretty sure that's her." Because I wasn't 100% positive, I didn't say anything until we were talking at the end of the night. Its a small world after all.

Snow

December 4, 2004. Haven't gone snowboarding yet because the local mountains are just getting some snow now. Whistler has snow but its too far and too expensive right now. Baker had snow, but then they lost it and now its back. Still not enough to make it worth the trip. Cypress is getting a lot of snow right now. w00t! I can't wait. I've been itching to go since... well, last April.

Assess the Situation

Its the first of December. Let's assess the situation here:

1. I'm finished about 10% of my Christmas shopping.
2. My Christmas tree is up.
3. My house is a mess.
4. I'm poor - no, I'm broke.
5. I haven't gone snowboarding because the local mountains have no snow.
6. I don't even see myself going snowboarding until after the holidays (unless something good comes up).
7. My roommate is moving out in a couple of weeks (assuming Allen's house is ready on time).
8. My car passed AirCare (woohoo!).
9. My office is moving in a couple of weeks.
10. I'm overweight and out of shape.

Now don't think that this is my entire life. I mean, I'm very happy/relieved that my car passed AirCare, but I'm not that excited about it. And I'm not that upset that I've barely done any Christmas shopping. All I'm saying is that... well, nothing really. Just giving you an update. Happy December!