Inside info

We had an appointment yesterday and found we are having a little girl. There is no doubt. This wasn't a case of not seeing one thing and assuming it's the other. This is a case where the sonogram saw it was a girl no doubt.

Yvonne is nervous in a funny way. She fears her mom's curse is coming true--to have a child just like Yvonne. As a kid (and to this day), Yvonne's a night owl that read a lot and I guess she dished some attitude? I'm not sure on the last one (treading lightly, lol). All I know is it got to the point where Yvonne's mom said, "I want you to have a child just like you someday so you see what it's like."

Hmmm, let's see, it's a girl, a Gemini (just like Yvonne) and in the sonogram, she was hiding her face and not cooperating. Yeah, Yvonne is nervous.

Name suggestions in the comments are welcome. I'm glad we know the sex because I think Yvonne and I would have wasted a lot of time and effort on boy names.

Silver Surfer

This looks pretty good, too.

Vacation

I'm enjoying the week off with family.

Here's the latest movie my bro in Austin worked. It's looks pretty awesome.

The music never stops

When I was in the Austin bike club, there was a music bike. I've written about it before, but needless to say, it was pretty bad assnit. In fact, after only one ride along with the Austin Boom Boom, Warlord decreed that loud music bike was exactly the kind of thing the Dallas Boneshakers needed. In Austin, one of the mottos was "The music never stops" and I think that same motto can now be adopted by the Boneshakers.

I say this not because we completed our music bike. We haven't even really started that project yet, but we have some great ideas not on paper.

I say this because the Dallas Boneshakers officially have a fourth member. Not just a rider, a member. We named him The Bard because he's had years and years of music school, and he has a keen knowledge of the current music scene with an emphasis on indie rock. \m/ rawk

So now we have the Bard to make sure the music never stops. The Warlord, The Ronan, The Shaman and The Bard. Officially, there is also the Assassin, but she doesn't ride much. She lies and waits for the right time to pounce.

One of the cool things about this is the Bard has two speakers with built-in battery operated amps--something that could be placed saddle bag style on the back of a bike, perhaps?

Last night we had a short ride, played bones and another game called Farkle involving 6 dice and a lot of chance.

And the Warlord dropped the gaunlet on me yesterday. He gave me a Marvel Comic Collector's Edition of Monopoly. You customize the board. So, for example, Boardwalk could be The Hulk. Or Marvin Gardens could be Magneto. Neato.

So, it's on. :)

Photos

After several requests for images, I finally got off my lazy butt and did something about it. Enjoy these photos of the wall and the new car.

I am trying a new tool with these, where folks can leave comments on the images and all that jazz.

I will most likely take down a few sections soon, including the old gallery.

Update

I just dropped another 20 bags. I think I need about 10-15 more. So far, here's the breakdown:

• 60 bags; 2,400 pounds
• Three days
• One dude, Me
• One Element
• One new pair of work gloves
  

Those photos sure are going to look good, aren't they?

Also, shout out to my K.B. Polk friend who found me on the interwebs recently. Small world. We use to go to a place called the Environmental Center with class. It was a D.I.S.D. science and nature center that was pretty awesome. In fact, I went back for three weeks the following summer. One of the things I learned was how to make a butterfly net.

Now, I know you are thinking, "Nate, a butterfly net? What's the big deal?"

Me and some friends started using our homemade butterfly nets to hunts wasps, bees, hornets and anything else that could sting. We called ourselves the Waspbusters ("Ghostbusters" reference). We collected the bodies after suffocating them in a margarine container filled will a paper towel and a dash of alcohol. It was pretty awesome.

Enter Sandman

This weekend has been all about filling in behind the wall. Saturday, I bought 20 40-pound bags of top soil and filled it almost half way. So, Sunday, I bought 20 more and filled it almost completely. I'm going to get 20 more bags to finish up the project and any leftover soil will be held for next spring. We have at least two beds that will get attention.

Meanwhile, instead of sodding the soil behind the wall, we decided to plant wild flowers. I'm going to get seeds from the Ladybird Johnson Center when the time comes. It should look pretty good.

Old Skool gave me an official kick in the butt for no photos. I'll have some this week for sure.

Finally, I won Monopoly yesterday with the race car. The game was close throughout and I thought his two monopolies were going to get me, but in the end they didn't. Just to prove why he's called the Warlord, he knows the most landed on area of the board and knew it when I got all three properties. OK, he knows game board landing stats? Shit, I'm just trying to get Free Parking (which he got 4 times).

Press start to begin

I've basically stopped all PC gaming as we know it. City of Heroes, Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Kotor, for those uber nerds), Titan's Quest---all of it has been at a full stop, since the Xbox 360.

I know a lot of people are saying, "Dude, why didn't you wait until the Wii or PS3 came out? The Xbox has been out for a year!"

Exactly. First off, the programmers have had that time to perfect their methods, while also taking new directions (Can't wait for "assassin"). I read an article where PS3 graphics on existing games available for the Xbox weren't as good on the screen because programmers rushed to release the games and didn't take time to compensate for the PS3 system. Which goes to my second point, the library of games for the 360 has had that much more time to build.

Everyone says, "Dude, when you buy an Xbox, first thing you do is download updates." Yes, but I heard same is true for PS3.

Notice, I'm not really speaking to the Wii. That's because the graphics don't measure up. I'm sure it's a great game system for kids.

What I'm beginning to really enjoy now is the online arcade and downloading demo games, like "Superman Returns" for example.

But, then I read an article that made me question everything. I fear I might have to dust off the old laser optical mouse and play THIS game. More here.

Office update: We can print! It just took the right people to get involved.

Boneshaker Update: I missed the ride last night. I haven't heard from them since I sent the "I'm out" email yesterday, but I hope it went well. A fourth rider is joining the group and he hosted last night. That's a requirment to join. I will hopefully report later that we are officailly four riders strong.

Bird of prey

Sunday, my little brother got his Eagle badge. That's a norm in our family, with all my uncles being Eagles. My one male cousin on that side, as well as me and my older brother--we are all Eagles. For the first time in 18 years, I wore my Eagle badge. It was pretty neat in a dorky way.

The ceremony was nice and my older brother and I even had parts (I put on the neckerchief). It's amazing to think about my little brother getting his Eagle. At this point, I bet he downgrades his scout involvement to pursue other things (girls).

Bankston, in light of being a Boy Scout, and the post about the games, I cannot answer your question in the comments on Nov. 27. But, I laughed pretty hard when I read it. And, then I was puzzled trying to answer it. It's like looking into the abyss.

Camera update: I have batteries! Now, I just need a swift kick in the butt!

Working transition

Warning: Rant follows.

I've been in the new work office now close to 2.5 months (since Sept. 25) and we still cannot print or fax. In the beginning, I took my printer to work a few times, only to have various sales reps send me emails with the subject line "Please Print". I found myself printing 13-page sales pitch documents. I found myself printing confidential one on one meeting documents.

I found myself looking at the unsharpened pencils on my desk and wanting them deep within my eye sockets.

I took my printer home to fax something (fax function doesn't work in the new office) and left it there for peace of mind. I figure, if I need to print something, I'll go home to print just like I have to do for faxing. That's what everyone else here is doing. The good thing for me is I don't need to print or fax on a daily basis so this doesn't come up too much.

So, now we're talking about starting a betting pool on how long it'll take for the Dallas office to be able to print and fax. People, you either laugh, or you pick up that unsharpened pencil.