Summer Movies I plan to see

Last Summer I don't remember any movies that I just had to see. This year several are on my to see list.

Star Trek
Transformers 2
GI-Joe
Terminator
Night at the Museum 2
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Where the Wild Things Are
Up

Tribute video I made for my boss.

video

Here is a video me and Nic made messing around at the park.

Mac vs PC Apple iMAC G5 vs IBM PCjr

Which is better?

For me the answer to that question is always changing. It started out with an IBM PCjr back in the early 80s. The current answer is an Apple iMac G5.

The current inventory is
1 - HP Pavilion 503n - used for kids games
2 - Dell D510 Laptop - corporate issue for my day job
3 - Apple iMac G5 - used for all my graphics needs

I have the most fun on the Mac. Making DVDs and organizing photos in iPhoto. A Mac is a must for all the desktop publishing needs I've had over the years as well. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark Express are premium software packages. iLife is by far the most fun though.

I've started playing around with Finalcut Pro for video editing and hope to learn more about it.

Back to the PC - I have no choice but to use one at work and prefer it that way. We have a rep or 2 that force a Mac into the system. They are the die-hard Mac enthusiast that probably think a genius bar is a good way to spend some time on Saturday.

Bottom line for me
PC = work
Mac = fun

2009

Every January I make a very detailed goals list with numerous sub-categories:

Here's an example:

I WORK RELATED
A. New Business
1. Visit all non buying customers
2. Take some key people out to lunch
B. Existing Business
1. ABC Printing
a. sell new products
1.1. sell equipment
1.2 sell supplies
II. PERSONAL
A. Kids


You get the idea. The final copy would be close to 10 pages long.
Every January my list would get more detailed.
The problem was - NOTHING EVER GOT DONE!

This year I decided to try something new.
Don't make a list - Focus on action and get some crap done. - this goes against everything I am but it seems to be working.

So far:

Painted the kitchen and dining room - COMPLETE! - this has been on the goal list for 8 years. REALLY.

Made some posts for the front porch. - COMPLETE! - this has been on the list for at least 3 years and may or may not have compromised the structural integrity of the home. Reeves Williams (the builder) said no which is why this turned into a do-it-yourself project. They have gone bankrupt since. Also painted and caulked the posts.

Went to a Riverkings game - this may seem strange but it usually makes the list.

This is sort of a side-goal - being ready to take care of car repairs.
Battery replacement. 12/29/08
Overheating. 1/6/09 - drained & flushed radiator, replaced radiator cock & plug. You heard me right.

I havn't consciously thought about not making the list until tonight. I'm hoping it's working in the background and not just a serious of lucky endeavors.

Major neighborhood developments.
We have a new pace-maker installed across the street and next to them, a vacant house.
Except for a hermit with a ladder and a grill who has decided to wait the foreclosure out.

It will be interesting.

1) New install complete

2) Trees at Willow Lake

3) Sunset on Magnolia Lakes Dr

4) Princess enjoying fall weather

We went to SportsClips yesterday. A regular haircut is $16 which is more than I'd usually spend, but we had a coupon for $8/per. It's great for me and N, not because they have ESPN on or even because you're guaranteed to get a decent looking hetero female stylist. The big deal is that it's not a beauty salon like all the rest. Although it's not discussed, these are mostly female only clubs that guys just have to deal with. I've been to a Barber Shop, not for me either. They are a little strange to me. Oh you can be sure the guy cutting your hair is straight alright, but so is his razor. Sports Clips will probably see me again, even without a coupon.

Maintenance News! - The dryer is still not fixed. The tech is coming out again tomorrow morning. I've figured out a way to rig it functional so we can dry clothes. The gas engine procedure in the attic helped a lot. He's replacing the main control panel tomorrow. This is week 4 and I'm probably going to demand an additional year of coverage over this drawn out process.

Ben the Plumber - Day 2: I've been thru 2 new wax rings already. 2 lifelines to dad and I'm still no further along than I was before I started. Except for knowledge. I've learned a lot from it. They main thing I've learned is that I hope I have the money to pay someone else to do this next time. Lining up the bolts with the bowl holes is a real pain. I probably should have taken the tank loose from the bowl, but figured that would cause more leaks. I'm sore from wrestling the thing around all day yesterday. The real reason I'm still working on it is because the flange was broken and all 4 times I aligned the toilet over the bolts and then tried to tighten them, it would slip out of the lock. This part is not easy to replace unless you saw off the main pipe under the floor. I got some compound putty and let it dry overnight. This will probably make things easier. 

Olive Branch Car Show

A friend from work invited me to the car show. Normally I wouldn't go to something like this but decided to try something new. It was neat since it was free. The blue car has a $10,000 paint job. These people are very into their cars.