I just had a reader mention that comments required blogger.com membership. I forgot that I had enabled that and have now changed it so that anyone can comment on blog entries, so feel free to do so if inspired.
If I start getting a bunch of spam comments, I'll have to switch it back, but for now, enjoy.
April 29, 2006
April 28, 2006
Fear of Girls
Yes, yes, yes. Give it a watch: Fear of Girls. I'd love to say that this isn't representative of at least one segment of our customer base, but I'd be a lying bastard if I did.
A la peanut butter sandwiches
A quick recap of what I've been up to lately: Evolution.
Actually, it has been a fairly hectic week. Many of them are these days from a work standpoint. I can't pin it to one particular thing, it's just a busy time for IT in the company's history and I have the opportunity to play a reasonably involved part. Hectic, but rewarding in the end with both knowledge and recognition.
After tonight's migration of our Blackberry server, I will have begun, continued work on or finished:
On the personal side of the week, I had a terrible performance at Tuesday night World Tavern Poker, but I'm still ranked 9th overall in the tavern at which I play so that can only get better if I do manage good finishes during the rest of the season.
QuickBooks annoyed me quite a bit this month by announcing the cessation of payroll support for QuickBooks 2003 and forcing us to upgrade to QuickBooks 2006 (or choose another product/company), pretty much a $200 venture that our store didn't really need to encounter right before a move (check our coverage in The News & Observer).
Today at lunch I picked up a new front pocket wallet by Fossil. That will help thwart those pesky pickpockets plaguing my playground. Ok, more importantly it will help rid me of that unsightly bulge on my left buttock. Ok, even *more* importantly, it will help keep my pants from wearing at exactly the point that a corner of my previous wallet met my office chair. Very annoying.
For those that don't already know or know and don't read Wil Wheaton's blog (the kid from Stand By Me, Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: TNG), it's surprisingly entertaining and/or interesting and very regularly updated. As a bonus, it has an RSS feed (remember my last post?).
Actually, it has been a fairly hectic week. Many of them are these days from a work standpoint. I can't pin it to one particular thing, it's just a busy time for IT in the company's history and I have the opportunity to play a reasonably involved part. Hectic, but rewarding in the end with both knowledge and recognition.
After tonight's migration of our Blackberry server, I will have begun, continued work on or finished:
- configuration of an ISA integrated pair of load balanced Websense proxy servers
- build and migration to a new SQL 2005 connected Blackberry Enterprise Server v4.1
- build of a DHCP failover configuration of an Infoblox set of appliances with our sister company
- build an image for new tablet PC hardware
- upgrade software on our Symantec Mail Security gateway appliances
- create a stable wormhole connecting the Milky Way galaxy to Betelegeuse (okay, maybe that one not so much)
On the personal side of the week, I had a terrible performance at Tuesday night World Tavern Poker, but I'm still ranked 9th overall in the tavern at which I play so that can only get better if I do manage good finishes during the rest of the season.
QuickBooks annoyed me quite a bit this month by announcing the cessation of payroll support for QuickBooks 2003 and forcing us to upgrade to QuickBooks 2006 (or choose another product/company), pretty much a $200 venture that our store didn't really need to encounter right before a move (check our coverage in The News & Observer).
Today at lunch I picked up a new front pocket wallet by Fossil. That will help thwart those pesky pickpockets plaguing my playground. Ok, more importantly it will help rid me of that unsightly bulge on my left buttock. Ok, even *more* importantly, it will help keep my pants from wearing at exactly the point that a corner of my previous wallet met my office chair. Very annoying.
For those that don't already know or know and don't read Wil Wheaton's blog (the kid from Stand By Me, Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: TNG), it's surprisingly entertaining and/or interesting and very regularly updated. As a bonus, it has an RSS feed (remember my last post?).
April 26, 2006
RSS and Feedemon
April 24, 2006
Evolution of an envelope
Minorly interesting for those of us fairly long term Netflix customers: Netflix Mailers
April 23, 2006
Jumpin' Beans
I took Killian to Jumpin' Beans in Cary yesterday. He met his buddy Mason there for some playtime. Wow, talk about cool! Imagine a giant moonwalk. Now multiply that by 10 or so and throw in a bunch of inflatable landscape and a slide. Talk about kid heaven! As a bonus, parents are actually allowed to go in with the kids. Now talk about big kid heaven and take out the opportunity to really bounce around and go really crazy so it reduces the fun factory for the parents considerably, but still very cool. Killian had a blast and this was the first time I've ever had to take him out of a place crying because he didn't want to leave even though he was completely worn out after over an hour of engery burning bouncing. Cute and sad. It was an effort to keep him awake on the trip home to ensure him a good night's sleep.
It cost $8 on Saturdays and $7 on all other days - parents free. It was a good time and I'd suggest it to anyone with kids in the right age range.
It cost $8 on Saturdays and $7 on all other days - parents free. It was a good time and I'd suggest it to anyone with kids in the right age range.
April 21, 2006
one red paperclip
After being told specifically of this last night, it occurs to me that I had heard bits and pieces about it over the past several months. If you're not already familiar with it, check out one red paperclip.
Pretty amazing overall.
Pretty amazing overall.
Game night at the Apollo
Well, at least a All Fun & Games. We hosted our weekly boardgame night at the store last night with approximately 20 attendees. Lots of games were played, but those with which I was specifically involved were:
- Parlay :: It's a mix between poker and Scrabble. I enjoyed it well enough, but doubt I would choose it over Quiddler or Scrabble given the option.
- Pizza Box Football :: A light football boardgame based on dice rolls. With several levels of play and an expansion pack that includes real world teams, it seems that it might be an enjoyable substitute for Blood*Bowl. I played only the introductory game, so it possibly a little too simple.
- Age of Steam - Italy Expansion :: Having played Age of Steam before, I knew that I would enjoy the base game at the very least. The Italy expansion offered some interesting twists, but it was just too tight of a land mass for my enjoyment with 4 players. Some of that negativity could be stemming from having been beaten about the head and neck by my opponents from a scoring standpoint, but I think I would maintain that opinion even with a win.
Overall, a good time was had as always.
- Parlay :: It's a mix between poker and Scrabble. I enjoyed it well enough, but doubt I would choose it over Quiddler or Scrabble given the option.
- Pizza Box Football :: A light football boardgame based on dice rolls. With several levels of play and an expansion pack that includes real world teams, it seems that it might be an enjoyable substitute for Blood*Bowl. I played only the introductory game, so it possibly a little too simple.
- Age of Steam - Italy Expansion :: Having played Age of Steam before, I knew that I would enjoy the base game at the very least. The Italy expansion offered some interesting twists, but it was just too tight of a land mass for my enjoyment with 4 players. Some of that negativity could be stemming from having been beaten about the head and neck by my opponents from a scoring standpoint, but I think I would maintain that opinion even with a win.
Overall, a good time was had as always.
April 20, 2006
Eat Poop You Cat
How odd that I was not aware of such a thing until now. Eat Poop You Cat (completely work safe).
Props to Nate, Mike & Eric for directing my attention to it.
Props to Nate, Mike & Eric for directing my attention to it.
April 19, 2006
From the Latin word for...
Ever wonder with all the words of Latin origin just where in the heck Latin itself originated? A recent joke I made about some word being Latin for something that was blatantly incorrect made me ponder this very thing. So, check out this Wikipedia entry for some insight. Now if I can just figure out how this pertains to Latin America...
April 18, 2006
Back on the dietary track
After several months of dietary abuse and following the annual "tell me how bad it is, doc" visit, I am now back on the diet and exercise track. As of yesterday, I again began logging my eating efforts at weightwatchers.com. Some to lose a bit of weight, but mostly to eat healthier in general. My exercise regime thus far consists of 30 minutes of Dance, Dance Revolution, but that's definitely an improvement over the otherwise 18 hours of sitting on my derrier.
I also got back to playing some World Tavern Poker tonight. I didn't do too poorly with a 10th place finish in the 7pm game and a 18th place finish in the 10pm game. That gives me my 4 top 20 finishes (1st, 4th, 10th & 11th) that are needed to qualify for the tavern championship at the end of the season. Woohoo! Now, if I can just win enough for that new lung that I'll need after sitting in a smoke bath for 4 1/2 hours...
I also got back to playing some World Tavern Poker tonight. I didn't do too poorly with a 10th place finish in the 7pm game and a 18th place finish in the 10pm game. That gives me my 4 top 20 finishes (1st, 4th, 10th & 11th) that are needed to qualify for the tavern championship at the end of the season. Woohoo! Now, if I can just win enough for that new lung that I'll need after sitting in a smoke bath for 4 1/2 hours...
The Gathering of Friends 2006
I spent the entirety of last week in Columbus, OH at a boardgaming get together known as The Gathering of Friends. It is an invite only affair hosted by Alan Moon and this was my 4th time attending over the past 6 years. As usual, I had a great time having the chance to play a multitude of games with old friends and many new ones. I played several old standbys and many that were new to me including:
- Thurn and Taxis = I enjoyed this one and played and taught it several times over the course of the week. It is a medium weight route building game which has a meaningless German postal theme, but an entertaining enough set of mechanics to make up for the lacking theme.
- Seerauber = This was fun and light. Slightly reminiscent of Corsairs (which I abhor) but different enough to say that I enjoyed it. I played this one two times over the course of the week and the entire group seemed to enjoy both times.
- Times Square = This is a 2-player game very similar to En Garde, but with a different theme. I gave this one three plays over the course of the week, but it just didn't quite hook me. I doubt that I would buy it, but I would play it again without resistance. It's most entertaining attribute is trying to remember the names of the characters while playing; Dancing Deb, Saucy Sue and her bodyguards, Handsome Hal and Champagne Charlie.
- Shear Panic = This one had some of the most fabulous bits of any game that I have ever played. The sheep were fantastic. Contrarily, the game boards were significantly lacking. However, since the sheep are the focus of the game, they did not detract. This one is slightly difficult to explain, but suffice it to say give it a try if you have an opportunity.
- Breaking Away = I really fought through this game. I had absolutely no interest in the theme whatsoever (oval bike racing), I was hungry and some of the table company left much to be desired. Oh, and the game components were pretty terrible. All said, however, the game mechanics were pretty solid and I would like to give it another try well fed and with a different group of players.
- Railroad Dice 2 = I am a fan of railroad games on the whole and this one did not disappoint. It had the tiniest board of any game that comes to mind and you have to constantly manipulate dice on it, so that can be a bit challenging, but overall it squeezes a good rail game into a comparably fairly short time span.
- Boomtown = Old west themes tend to make for fun play and Boomtown is no exception. It put me into the mood, once again, to play the Doomtown CCG. Fun and fairly light. Definitely worth a purchase.
- Du Balai = A clever memory and pattern recognition game. Take a look at the website for an explanation. Had a great time with this one.
- Kreta = I enjoyed this one well enough, but not enough to own it. I doubt that I would ever suggest it as the game to play given a choice, but would readily play it again if suggested by others. It is a territory control game on the island of Crete.
- Cash 'n Guns = Simple and fun. Think Reservoir Dogs in boardgame form... sort of. Enjoyable, but it takes the right kind of people to have fun with it. AND it comes with foam guns. Can't go wrong there.
- 18FL = My first experience with an 18xx rail game and I'm glad that we had Craig Massey along to guide us through. Lots and lots o' rules, but a great time for a rail and stock game lover like myself.
Thanks to all who attended for aiding in my enjoyment (particularly Frank Wimmer and Mark Edwards) and a special thanks to Alan for hosting it all these years (this marks #17).
- Thurn and Taxis = I enjoyed this one and played and taught it several times over the course of the week. It is a medium weight route building game which has a meaningless German postal theme, but an entertaining enough set of mechanics to make up for the lacking theme.
- Seerauber = This was fun and light. Slightly reminiscent of Corsairs (which I abhor) but different enough to say that I enjoyed it. I played this one two times over the course of the week and the entire group seemed to enjoy both times.
- Times Square = This is a 2-player game very similar to En Garde, but with a different theme. I gave this one three plays over the course of the week, but it just didn't quite hook me. I doubt that I would buy it, but I would play it again without resistance. It's most entertaining attribute is trying to remember the names of the characters while playing; Dancing Deb, Saucy Sue and her bodyguards, Handsome Hal and Champagne Charlie.
- Shear Panic = This one had some of the most fabulous bits of any game that I have ever played. The sheep were fantastic. Contrarily, the game boards were significantly lacking. However, since the sheep are the focus of the game, they did not detract. This one is slightly difficult to explain, but suffice it to say give it a try if you have an opportunity.
- Breaking Away = I really fought through this game. I had absolutely no interest in the theme whatsoever (oval bike racing), I was hungry and some of the table company left much to be desired. Oh, and the game components were pretty terrible. All said, however, the game mechanics were pretty solid and I would like to give it another try well fed and with a different group of players.
- Railroad Dice 2 = I am a fan of railroad games on the whole and this one did not disappoint. It had the tiniest board of any game that comes to mind and you have to constantly manipulate dice on it, so that can be a bit challenging, but overall it squeezes a good rail game into a comparably fairly short time span.
- Boomtown = Old west themes tend to make for fun play and Boomtown is no exception. It put me into the mood, once again, to play the Doomtown CCG. Fun and fairly light. Definitely worth a purchase.
- Du Balai = A clever memory and pattern recognition game. Take a look at the website for an explanation. Had a great time with this one.
- Kreta = I enjoyed this one well enough, but not enough to own it. I doubt that I would ever suggest it as the game to play given a choice, but would readily play it again if suggested by others. It is a territory control game on the island of Crete.
- Cash 'n Guns = Simple and fun. Think Reservoir Dogs in boardgame form... sort of. Enjoyable, but it takes the right kind of people to have fun with it. AND it comes with foam guns. Can't go wrong there.
- 18FL = My first experience with an 18xx rail game and I'm glad that we had Craig Massey along to guide us through. Lots and lots o' rules, but a great time for a rail and stock game lover like myself.
Thanks to all who attended for aiding in my enjoyment (particularly Frank Wimmer and Mark Edwards) and a special thanks to Alan for hosting it all these years (this marks #17).
April 15, 2006
Welcome to the new stuff
Hello all. My former host has ceased to exist, so the new home for Paulblog will be http://irritablebunion.blogspot.com. Archives of the old site should come online sometime in the near future.
Until then, hopefully I will be inspired to post more frequently to the new joint. Enjoy!
Paul
Until then, hopefully I will be inspired to post more frequently to the new joint. Enjoy!
Paul
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