So I joined the bandwagon

Alive and well

2006-08-07T00:01:37Z

I thought I'd just post...

Everything still is going well in life, though things could be better. I'm still in townsy Norwood, MA, working at the same post-college job after 3.25 years. There's lots of little stories, but here are the biggies:

- Work is still going well, but after being a full-blown consultant for about 1.5 years now, I'm pretty sure it is not the career for me. I'm gonna try it out for 6 more months, and if nothing changes, I'll probably switch to a development position at my company or find some other profession. Suggestions are welcome.

- I met this girl named Jenny sometime back in March, and because of her food, I lost about 35 pounds so far. I got some more to go, and it should be a breeze. Basically, my high school friend was right; the secret is to "Eat less, move more". I don't eat more than 1500-1800 calories a day, and everything just works.

- My softball team rocked during the regular season, going 9-1. We cruised through the playoffs and are in the finals this Wednesday. I've been in a batting slump for awhile now, until I broke it in the semi's going 3 for 3. Pitching wise, I'm surprisingly dominant on the mound, and I only gave up one walk the whole season. But then again, it's only slow-pitching, so it's not that amazing...

- I started playing tabletop/d&d for the first time, so now I am a complete nerd/geek (I think). A Felsworn(?) demon crit me for 51 today, and I went down hard (negative 17 HP). But then I got back up (die-hard feat) and crit him for 40-something, and he went down.

- XBox 360 sucks, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone. However, Madden comes out in three weeks, so maybe I'll change my mind. Otherwise, football season is about to start!

I think that's all for now. Questions, comments? Go Sox and Pats!

Commencement Band?

2006-04-11T23:06:25Z

Are you band crusties doing commencement band this year?

I Target

2005-09-23T02:36:15Z

I just picked up two copies of the sequel of Katamari, and then got rocked by a co-worker in vs. mode (lost 5 in a row before I won; he's more competitive than me, which means he's crazy competitive). There's still two copies left at the Plainville Tarr-Jay; while walking out, I realized I should had picked up a copy for taranhero.

I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow (randomly, since I need to use up the 20+ days I still have), but I got plans to hit the RMV to re-register my car (or "KARR", which is how everyone who works there says it), go to an office lunch party (co-worker getting married this weekend), and then a dvd marathon with others (a show that I'm too embarrassed to mention). Saturday is some dim sum of sorts, and perhaps the Brown-Hav'vard game.

We won both games at our double-header yesterday. Everyone was sad because of the soxs-loss, yanks-win though. Red Sox nation is so crazy.

isosmah @ 2005-09-18T11:57:00

2005-09-18T16:06:39Z

I haven't posted in awhile, so here are some comments:

- My family is still okay. My dad is in Houston now, and I think my mom is going there soon. They will also visit me sometime in the next couple months. I gotta get a futon for my second bedroom, but it's kinda hard to make large-ticket purchases, due to lack of money and the guilt about not donating more.

- I had a good pitching game (7IP 3SO 0BB, W 4-1) on Wednesday, but I did horrible batting (0-3, 1SO 1BB 1R). I'll need to go to cages before a double-header this Wednesday.

- Work was plenty this week because of a large project, but it wasn't too bad, and we had a very cool helper come in, and she had a very cool dog that played around in the office. I have pictures on my camera.

- Pats vs. Panthers in an hour. I'm debating whether to go buy garlic bread for my spaghetti lunch that I'm making.

- I'm worried about the Red Sox's slim lead over the Yankees.

- Fantasy football has been big at my office. My boss is pretty competitive, just like me. We spend too much cell phone minutes during business hours to discuss strategy. And we're head-to-head this week, so I'll be hearing it if I lose.

- WOW is still such an amazing game, which is unfortunate, because it eats my time.

- I finally saw all the episodes of NBC's "The Office" with a friend on Monday.

isosmah @ 2005-09-11T16:20:00

2005-09-11T20:26:43Z

Woohoo, the Saints upset the Panthers. Fucking awesome game. Fuck all those predictions for the Panthers road to the Superbowl. (I'm a little emotional now).

In the pre-game, one of the hosts told a story that in the first Superbowl after 9/11, someone walked up to him and said that, "After all that has happened, how could you bet against a team called the Patriots?". Then the host said, after all that has happened after the last couple weeks, how could you bet against a team called the Saints.

I remember being in the Superdome last December, seeing them beat the Falcons, getting to the exit doors where all the fans had to walk out, and me the guys were holding up a sign that said "Superbowl Bound". Maybe we were one year early.

Gotta go.

isosmah @ 2005-09-11T12:07:00

2005-09-11T16:30:29Z

Just woke up, and it feels pretty good to sleep-in til noon.

My dad called me yesterday and told me that he's back in Dallas now and will be living at my brother's house for a couple weeks. They will probably come up and visit me sometime. My dad said our house is fine, but he didn't give any details.

Wednesday night softball was fun, but we got rocked -- 1-3; 4IP, 3SO, 3BB (L, 2-1). The other team were able to crush the ball, and we lost by more than ten.

Thursday night (aka New Year's Day) was awesome because the Pats won. Also, I had some friends over who don't even care about football, but a few of them actually watched the game. There are some good games today that I'll try to watch some.

And this weekend has been pretty great, in terms of now being fully relaxed. I think I went from level 42-45 with my mage on Garona, so it kinda meant I played a lot this weekend. Also, I played a lot of sad games in Battlegrounds, and I am still amazed how organized the Horde are.

I had an incredible dinner last night with homemade sushi in Pawtuckett. It is definitely one of my favorite things to eat.

Just made some plans in pvd, so I better do my chores now before I go.

isosmah @ 2005-09-04T11:41:00

2005-09-04T15:48:20Z

I just watched this morning's Meet the Press, and it very emotional for me. The Jefferson Parish's president told a very sad story, and I don't think I can shake it off for a long time. Everyday this week, I turn on the tv, and there's always a new tragedy to my hometown. I hope things are getting better and will get better.

My dad called me yesterday to inform me that he and his siblings are planning to return to their houses soon to collect their cars/belongings. My next-door neighbor who is already there told us that his house only got about 3 inches of flooding, so he assumes our house did also. Everyone is still okay, and they will have places to live until the city rebuilds. I wish this was the same for everyone who has been a victim to the hurricane. I wish I could do more.

isosmah @ 2005-09-02T11:35:00

2005-09-02T15:36:34Z

First satellite map:
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/neworleanssatellite/index.html

My house is west of this map, so it's not on there.

isosmah @ 2005-09-02T08:10:00

2005-09-02T12:16:00Z

The previous link stopped working. Try this one:
http://www.ejdude.com/katrina/

I live like 8 blocks east of LaFreniere Park, in the "minimal water" section. There's another site that uses googlemaps, and houses nearby aren't flooded. I think my parent's house should be fine.

My dad is still okay in Houston. My parish (aka county) is allowing residents to return on Monday for one day to collect belongings/valuables in their houses. Then they must leave for one month (or until whenever it's safe to live there).

Gotta go to work, woohoo, Friday.

isosmah @ 2005-09-01T10:53:00

2005-09-01T14:53:47Z

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3761/922/1600/after1.jpg

isosmah @ 2005-08-31T10:39:00

2005-08-31T14:43:15Z

Talked to both of my parents recently. My mom is still in PA, and she is probably going to extend her stay there. I'll probably do a train/plane/road trip there some weekend to visit in the next couple weeks; anyone interested? My dad is in Houston, living at my uncle's house.

isosmah @ 2005-08-30T18:45:00

2005-08-30T22:48:00Z

My coworker just showed me this, and it's pretty awesome:
http://hpana.com/news.18758.html

I can't figure out who's the female wizard in the blue dress/hat. Anyway, I'm suffereing from HP-withdrawal, since I finished the book over the weekend.

My family is still okay, but I haven't heard from them lately, so I don't know where they will be staying until the city re-opens. My brother told me that my other brother told him that my dad was driving back to the town today, which is really odd, but I assume for the best and he knows what he's doing.

Update:
Maybe she's Fleur

isosmah @ 2005-08-30T10:31:00

2005-08-30T14:33:28Z

Woohoo, martial law declared in New Orleans.

Boo, it may take a month before they restore electricity. But they have to wait for the water to go away first. But they need to power the pumps for the water to go away. All this while the water level raises.

isosmah @ 2005-08-29T21:13:00

2005-08-30T01:20:01Z

Just got back from being drenched by the rain in Newton, where my softball game was. The game was called in the bottom of the 1st, and I had to drive home in the rain, depending only on my GPS device.

It's probably no comparison to the downpour in my hometown. I found out today that my family couldn't evacuate west yesterday, so they went north to Jackson. I hope they left this morning, but even if they didn't, the hurricane must have weakened before it got that north.

Wow, so much water in the streets, some where you can only see rooftops. Someone let me know if there's a website that shows satellite pictures of the damage (like they did for the tsunamis in Asia) so I can see how much water is in my neighborhood.

isosmah @ 2005-08-28T17:13:00

2005-08-28T21:19:13Z

Been glued to the tv all day. This is such huge storm. No word of my family who have been driving towards Houston, but I think they left early enough that they should get there safely.

Worst case scenario is total flooding with the inability to live there for weeks or months. If my family stays in Houston or Dallas for awhile, I think I need to plan a trip down to meet them.

isosmah @ 2005-08-28T11:39:00

2005-08-28T15:41:37Z

Ok, just called my uncle, and he said he and his family has decided to leave. He said everyone is leaving. Now I'm less worried.

isosmah @ 2005-08-28T11:35:00

2005-08-28T15:38:10Z

Just called my dad, which I hoped he didn't pick up the phone because he would have already left, but he did. He said that he's about to evacuate now and was headed out the door. He said he couldn't convince my aunts and uncles to come too :(

isosmah @ 2005-08-28T11:26:00

2005-08-28T15:29:27Z

Holy shit, I'm freaking out. This hurricane is huge and looks like the one. I hope all my family down there has left the area.

isosmah @ 2005-08-28T02:05:00

2005-08-28T06:08:14Z

My first experience with D&D was pretty cool. We played a six-players game, rolled lots of dice, tried not to die, and got out of lots of sticky situations. I fumbled alot with my wizard's spells.

Oh, I hit level 40 with my mage today, and a good friend lent me the money to buy a mount ( http://wowvault.ign.com/travel/images/unpainted.jpg ). I also respec-ed to arcane/frost.

The hurricane is gonna slam into my hometown today. Luckily, my mom is in PA with relatives, and my dad said he will probably evacuate soon.

isosmah @ 2005-08-26T21:49:00

2005-08-27T02:15:40Z

Just back from another victory (20+ - 2) with the softball team. I am pretty happy at my performance with the exception of one at bat (3-4, 1BB, 4R, 3RBI, 2 doubles; 5IP, 3SO, 1BB, CG (W, 3-0). Here's the breakdown:

1st at bat: I took a walk, just have I've done as the leadoff hitter in the last 5+ games. Pitchers don't get enough warm-up at the start, so it's hard to throw the strikes. I also have this rule that if there's no one at base, I don't have to worry about hitting it deep; the top of the line-up will bring me in.

2nd at bat: This one pissed me off. I popped-fly to first base, caused the third out, ruined my 1.000 on-base percentage for the season, AND left two teammates on bases (cute ones, too). Then I took the field, broke down and gave up three singles (one off a fielding error of mine). The next two batters, I got fielded the ball and got the out at first, and they scored two runs. The next batter, I got the strike-out after a full count. Woohoo.

3rd at bat: I got to redeem myself. The two teammates I left stranded before were on bases (1st and 2nd), I hit the ball far right, and they scored.

4th at bat: No one on base, so I hit the ball just far enough to get a single, but I got a double by luck.

5th at bat: Both teammates on bases again, and I cranked it to get a double, and one of them scored.

Next game is Monday night, so look forward to skip reading that entry, which will be filled with my softball-vainity. Winning isn't everything, but it's awesome to be on a great team with great teammates.

Now I'm enjoying the Pats preseason game with starters still playing in the 3rd quarter. There's leading 27-3 now; I love how Belichick was interviewed, and he was still pissed at the team, even with the lead.

Here's a picture of me at my old, messy desk on the last day at that office; I'm goofing off before I started cleaning/packing.

Oh, I have no work tomorrow (YAY), so gotta stay up at late as possible and fuxor around all weekend. (I haven't used that term since junior year)

isosmah @ 2005-08-25T23:05:00

2005-08-26T03:15:09Z

The guys just left my apartment from the usual "Thursday hanging out in Norwood". We played Worms Armageddon tonight, and I didn't play much because it reminded me too much of the Summer of 2001. That was when I lived in Providence with some THers, did very little work between jobs, got paid a good bit, and others came by each night to play Worms and Heroes III. I miss twooldri and his pronunciations of "Wormez" and "Ninger Rope". This makes me more serious about planning a trip to San Fran in October to visit the THers there. Lemme know if anyone has interest in joining me to go, and if anyone has interest in assisting my stay.

Got through a good bit of HP6, and I'm on pace to finish it this weekend. Tomorrow is softball, and Saturday will be my first real D&D experience. I need to go learn the rules with actual effort.

isosmah @ 2005-08-24T23:34:00

2005-08-25T03:46:56Z

Really good softball game tonight, with us winning 25-4 in only five innings. I went 2-2, 1 triple, 2BB, 3R, 2RBI, and 3IP, 0K, 0BB (W, 2-0). Next game is Friday night. I gotta go read as much HP6 as I can before I fall asleep.

Congrats to Frances, from reading gear02 livejournal. I hope she works at their Burlington site and stays around the Boston area. I think chronoxaos has a cooler job though; he gets to work on video games (and it's not EA).

Here's a random pic; it's the house I grew up in New Orleans:

isosmah @ 2005-08-23T21:54:00

2005-08-24T02:22:12Z

The American version of "The Office" is not too shabby. I enjoyed the British version during my pirating college days, but there was really only one awesome episode in the first season. They got Garreth(?)'s character pretty well; he's the idiot #2 guy who thinks he has power.

What's even more sad is that I watched the "Tommy (Lee) Goes to College" show, and of course the show sucks, but it was nice to see the college scene again. They put a lot of special effects to teachers' lectures to make it enjoyable for the average viewer, which strangely made me appreciate whoever film-edited the show. He also had to work hard to join the band, and you got to see how a real band works (U. of Nebraska).

Pretty silly night, but much needed after a stressful day of work, which I care not to talk about, especially due to my own disbelief of my subpar behavior throughout the day. I shall try to sleep early to be less grumpy.

Got some office pics, which made me dust off the old digital camera and gave me a chance to try out flickr. Free if free. The first pic is my new desk that is in an office which I believe I am gonna kicked out of soon (one manager asked me to share the office with him, but the CEO will probably think it's best I don't sit there and rather I sit with the team I'm actually in). The second pic is my potential new desk (or my second desk if I get to keep the first). Both are a significant upgrade from my previous setup at my old office, so I don't care.

"Why is gas so damn expensive? We took over a country that had gas, shouldn't gas be cheaper?" -Chris Rock, on Real Time with Bill Maher (gotta record this so this won't keep me up)

isosmah @ 2005-08-21T21:45:00

2005-08-22T01:56:58Z

A great day of rest, games, and reading HP6. Unfortunately, at the cost of skipping out of rock climbing and hanging out with my friends in Cambridge. I think one of them is reading my lj; they knew about my injury from the previous game.

HP6 is actually pretty good so far, even though the ending was spoiled for me. I can see how dire-hard fans might not give it a big thumbs-up, but I'm enjoying all the teenage angst. Oh, unrequited love is no fun, but throw magic into the mix, and you got yourself a comedy. I'm about half-way through, and maybe I'll skip out of work early (aka, on-time) this week to finish it up.

I played a little Battlegrounds yesterday for the first time, and it was fun, but boy do I suck at it. taranhero was right; I can't believe how organized the Horde teams are. I think the best strategy so far is like in Counter-strike, where everyone sticks together.

I'm looking forward to my softball games this Wednesday and Friday; a little less than I should because a cute teammate from last season isn't playing in this season, but a little more because the four new people are pretty good, making our team quite promising. Oh, and fall rules starts all batters with a 1-and-1 count, so it's a lower pitch-count and higher chance of strikeouts. It's all about the W's though and getting the job done.

isosmah @ 2005-08-20T23:29:00

2005-08-21T03:35:04Z

Spent all morning at the old office, and then all afternoon at the new office. Everything is moved, thanks to Gentle Giant, and some of the things are set up (like my desk). Boy, the place is awesome. There's so much space for everyone. And instead of setting up the huge room (aka "Consultant's Party Room" for me and the other two home-based consultants, I was asked to share an office with the dev manager, and I accepted. We'll see how much I like the office and/or if I get "guilted" out (or kicked out) to have to join my team in the other room. Basically, I'm set up on a 7x7 foot L-shape desk. I'll try to take pictures.