NaNoWriMo is in full swing for me again, though I'm a bit behind from last year. I contribute that to how I've been writing. See, if I have some ideas at work and I decide to write up a page or two, I have to come home and type it up to the master manuscript. So I end up taking twice the time to write up the words for my story that I originally intended. Maybe I should just outline ideas at work and then type them up real quick at home.
Either way, I'm pumped about my story. Unlike last year, I have a clear direction and an idea of how it ends. And the very nature of the tale brings up a lot of deep questions regarding cognitive philosophy and the nature of humanity. I'm posting it on my wordpress blog as I go so if you want to check it out, it'll be there.
gizzardgulpe.wordpress.com
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
And on the second day
we got in a car crash and died. The end.
We had a great vacation actually. The weather was perfect every day, the people and the food and the outdoors were all fantastic. I rode my first motorcycle, and gave Rachel a frightening ride around the block. I even got a bleeding blister on my big toe!
There was a little four-wheeling in the sand dunes and around the desert countryside and I got the flu and everything!
The worst part, easily, was the trip home. A few hours before we left my parent's house, I barfed so hard that the blood vessels in my eyelids burst. I spent the next 13 hours either in an airport, on a plane, or in a car feeling like crap. I'd call it the worst day of my life if Rachel weren't taking care of me. She was wonderful the whole time and did everything for me that I needed.
It was really nice to see my family even if it was only for a couple days. My dad gave me a rad gun and I can't wait to get it and shoot it some more here at home. I sighted it in and everything, so it shoots really well. I'm thinking of mounting a rack in the living room to put it on display. It's really a work of art with the engraving. Would make a great conversation piece.
And can I say how much I want a motorcycle right now? I'll have my car paid off next month, so I could easily finally have a bike this spring. I can't wait. I can't wait to pay off my car. How cool would that be?
We had a great vacation actually. The weather was perfect every day, the people and the food and the outdoors were all fantastic. I rode my first motorcycle, and gave Rachel a frightening ride around the block. I even got a bleeding blister on my big toe!
There was a little four-wheeling in the sand dunes and around the desert countryside and I got the flu and everything!
The worst part, easily, was the trip home. A few hours before we left my parent's house, I barfed so hard that the blood vessels in my eyelids burst. I spent the next 13 hours either in an airport, on a plane, or in a car feeling like crap. I'd call it the worst day of my life if Rachel weren't taking care of me. She was wonderful the whole time and did everything for me that I needed.
It was really nice to see my family even if it was only for a couple days. My dad gave me a rad gun and I can't wait to get it and shoot it some more here at home. I sighted it in and everything, so it shoots really well. I'm thinking of mounting a rack in the living room to put it on display. It's really a work of art with the engraving. Would make a great conversation piece.
And can I say how much I want a motorcycle right now? I'll have my car paid off next month, so I could easily finally have a bike this spring. I can't wait. I can't wait to pay off my car. How cool would that be?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Travel: Day 1
So, yesterday, Rachel and I flew and drove to Utah. We drove from our little town to Oklahoma City airport (by far the cheapest place for us to fly out of) and waited around for a few hours before our flight. The plane was delayed because of some ice buildup on the wings and we missed the connecting flight from Denver to Las Vegas. So we hit Denver and waited around in the cold for a few hours, then on to Vegas, where my parents and brother picked us up. We drove down the strip (very crowded on Saturday night) and then drove to St. George. Everyone collapsed to bed.
I'm not a big flyer. I do it so rarely I haven't gotten comfortable with it, so I had a nonstop adrenaline rush for about nine hours. I hate that feeling. Rachel was really good company and didn't get upset. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on Chinese food in the airport.
A few good things though. I managed to type out two chapters to my upcoming book while bored in the airport. I also got an awesome birthday present from my Dad. He engraved a beautiful wood rifle stock with Native American petroglyphic marks and my name. He's had the rifle since I was a little kid and I've always wanted it, and now it's all personalized for me. Can't wait to go sight it in.
A potentially bad thing: I may have requested the wrong days off at work. Well, at least one. I got a few calls from my boss last night asking if I planned to show up at work. I called him back and told him I was in Vegas, so, no, I would not be showing up. I'm positive that I was approved for vacation last night, but I don't have a copy of that record with me right now. I'll have to wait until I get home to see if I accidentally screwed up...
I'm not a big flyer. I do it so rarely I haven't gotten comfortable with it, so I had a nonstop adrenaline rush for about nine hours. I hate that feeling. Rachel was really good company and didn't get upset. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on Chinese food in the airport.
A few good things though. I managed to type out two chapters to my upcoming book while bored in the airport. I also got an awesome birthday present from my Dad. He engraved a beautiful wood rifle stock with Native American petroglyphic marks and my name. He's had the rifle since I was a little kid and I've always wanted it, and now it's all personalized for me. Can't wait to go sight it in.
A potentially bad thing: I may have requested the wrong days off at work. Well, at least one. I got a few calls from my boss last night asking if I planned to show up at work. I called him back and told him I was in Vegas, so, no, I would not be showing up. I'm positive that I was approved for vacation last night, but I don't have a copy of that record with me right now. I'll have to wait until I get home to see if I accidentally screwed up...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Three Things AKA Forthcoming Autumn Pissiness
1: A minor gripe, but still, who texts happy birthday to someone? Apparently all of my friends and family. I mean, I don't really care much for birthday celebrations, but if ten people are going to remember for once, is it wrong to expect even one of them to call and ask how I am? I seriously appreciate that people remembered (or saw the facebook notification) but if you care about my life and aren't just trying to save face, then call me. I promise I'm fairly pleasant to talk to and I like to make jokes about things.
2: Vandalism. It's not witty to rearrange the letters on a Salvation Army marquis to say "God hates goons and nigs". Let's try to be above the protesters that are not important enough for me to remember their name from Topeka that think God hates everyone. You're stupid, they're stupid, and all this hate is really bringing the world down. Go fuck yourself, haters.
3: Hey, Kansas drivers. Please learn to drive. If necessary, go back to driving school or driver's ed, or some equivalent to LEARNING TO DRIVE YOU IMBECILES. First off, if you pull out in front of me and I am forced to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with you, then you are a shitty driver. If an accident were to occur YOU WOULD BE AT FAULT. If you are at a stop sign, you are required to STOP until the road is CLEAR. Secondly, let me reiterate that a STOP sign means STOP until the road is CLEAR. If there is a pedestrian in the road, it is NOT clear. Do NOT go. Do NOT press your fungi-infested ingrown-toenailed hairy-ass foot onto the accelerator when there is a PERSON in the ROAD. If you hit me, YOU ARE AT FAULT. I CAN SUE YOU. I WILL SUE YOU. I WILL ALSO KICK YOU IN THE BALLS AND FACE. YOU MORON.
[/rant]
2: Vandalism. It's not witty to rearrange the letters on a Salvation Army marquis to say "God hates goons and nigs". Let's try to be above the protesters that are not important enough for me to remember their name from Topeka that think God hates everyone. You're stupid, they're stupid, and all this hate is really bringing the world down. Go fuck yourself, haters.
3: Hey, Kansas drivers. Please learn to drive. If necessary, go back to driving school or driver's ed, or some equivalent to LEARNING TO DRIVE YOU IMBECILES. First off, if you pull out in front of me and I am forced to hit my brakes to avoid colliding with you, then you are a shitty driver. If an accident were to occur YOU WOULD BE AT FAULT. If you are at a stop sign, you are required to STOP until the road is CLEAR. Secondly, let me reiterate that a STOP sign means STOP until the road is CLEAR. If there is a pedestrian in the road, it is NOT clear. Do NOT go. Do NOT press your fungi-infested ingrown-toenailed hairy-ass foot onto the accelerator when there is a PERSON in the ROAD. If you hit me, YOU ARE AT FAULT. I CAN SUE YOU. I WILL SUE YOU. I WILL ALSO KICK YOU IN THE BALLS AND FACE. YOU MORON.
[/rant]
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Money Bag
I like metal money. Seriously, it's super cool and not many people use it. It's totally eco-friendly because coins don't get destroyed as easily as paper money. Also, it's totally rad to throw a money bag at someone as payment for something while you turn into the sunset, smoking a cigarette and never looking back. I'm talking about a badass money bag like this one:
How cool is that! I just cut up some old footie pajamas that didn't fit me, lined it with a piece of black cloth and used an elastic hair-piece to seal it off and now I'm the proud owner of a SMALL WALLET. It holds 99 rupees.
Someday when I try to purchase the red tunic I might need to track down an ADULT MONEY BAG.
But with only 27 dollars in Gold Dollars and Silver Half-dollars, I think the regular wallet will be fine. Someday I may get a GIANT WALLET to store up to 999 rupees!
How cool is that! I just cut up some old footie pajamas that didn't fit me, lined it with a piece of black cloth and used an elastic hair-piece to seal it off and now I'm the proud owner of a SMALL WALLET. It holds 99 rupees.
Someday when I try to purchase the red tunic I might need to track down an ADULT MONEY BAG.
But with only 27 dollars in Gold Dollars and Silver Half-dollars, I think the regular wallet will be fine. Someday I may get a GIANT WALLET to store up to 999 rupees!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Insanity
The only times I ever really doubt my sanity is when I'm on the verge of sleep. It's been a pretty common phenomenon for me to experience Hypnogogic hallucinations when I am falling asleep, and in the past year, they've increased in frequency.
Because of this, I tend to hear and "see" things that aren't there quite often. (I say "see" because my eyes are always closed, but I visualize them so vividly sometimes that I'm surprised when I have to open my eyes when I wake up.) For instance, I had a few hallucinations at work once, and I thought that inmates were escaping and creeping up on me to attack me. Then I woke up and realized I was hearing the clock ticking above me and it altered my perception.
Well, lately, I've been feeling things as I'm going to bed for the night, or getting up for the day. Yesterday morning I thought I spilled a jar of peanut butter on my shirt, and I was concerned with how to clean it off and if I could salvage any of it. I could really feel it on me though, that greasy peanut texture. I could smell and taste it. I woke up and realized I was just lying in bed. Then I started falling asleep and started hallucinating about peeing in the toilet and I woke up, afraid I might wet the bed (I didn't, by the way. Never once wet the bed, somehow.). Then I hallucinated again about holding an apple in my hand. All just as vivid as the last.
I rarely remember my hallucinations, but the past couple of days have been so frequent and disturbing that I've started wondering where the line is drawn between my conscious recollections and my unconscious wanderings. Again. I wondered a few months ago while I was dealing with the irritability associated with excessive sleepiness. You know, who am I if I am two different people depending on how tired I am.
The brain functions on many levels, and there are many levels that coexist psychologically as well. I'm wondering who I am at the core, beyond the irritable and lazy instinctual side of me, and beneath the complicated but confident exterior that functions from day to day.
Or do we even have a steady core at all? I'm reminded of the one and only book on cognitive psychology that I've ever read, "The Mind's I" that talks about such topics. Do we have a core that's just clouded by our minds, or are we the sum of our many layers?
Am I a brain? or, do I have a brain? If I were a book, would I be any single page? Any single explicit theme? Would I be the cover? Or would I be a chapter? Or a whole book?
Am I an eyeball? A brainstem? A collection of organs? A torso? A machine? A cluster of nerve endings?
It's all gray area for me right now. There is nothing solid to hold on to, yet at the same time, this nagging voice inside says it knows exactly who it is. This voice describes me more like a powerful computer, that just happens to have an old analogue monitor that takes a few minutes to warm up. Before it gets warmed up, it can only display a few colors, but once it's primed and ready to go, it has a great resolution and contrast ratio.
Did I just turn into a total nerd?
Because of this, I tend to hear and "see" things that aren't there quite often. (I say "see" because my eyes are always closed, but I visualize them so vividly sometimes that I'm surprised when I have to open my eyes when I wake up.) For instance, I had a few hallucinations at work once, and I thought that inmates were escaping and creeping up on me to attack me. Then I woke up and realized I was hearing the clock ticking above me and it altered my perception.
Well, lately, I've been feeling things as I'm going to bed for the night, or getting up for the day. Yesterday morning I thought I spilled a jar of peanut butter on my shirt, and I was concerned with how to clean it off and if I could salvage any of it. I could really feel it on me though, that greasy peanut texture. I could smell and taste it. I woke up and realized I was just lying in bed. Then I started falling asleep and started hallucinating about peeing in the toilet and I woke up, afraid I might wet the bed (I didn't, by the way. Never once wet the bed, somehow.). Then I hallucinated again about holding an apple in my hand. All just as vivid as the last.
I rarely remember my hallucinations, but the past couple of days have been so frequent and disturbing that I've started wondering where the line is drawn between my conscious recollections and my unconscious wanderings. Again. I wondered a few months ago while I was dealing with the irritability associated with excessive sleepiness. You know, who am I if I am two different people depending on how tired I am.
The brain functions on many levels, and there are many levels that coexist psychologically as well. I'm wondering who I am at the core, beyond the irritable and lazy instinctual side of me, and beneath the complicated but confident exterior that functions from day to day.
Or do we even have a steady core at all? I'm reminded of the one and only book on cognitive psychology that I've ever read, "The Mind's I" that talks about such topics. Do we have a core that's just clouded by our minds, or are we the sum of our many layers?
Am I a brain? or, do I have a brain? If I were a book, would I be any single page? Any single explicit theme? Would I be the cover? Or would I be a chapter? Or a whole book?
Am I an eyeball? A brainstem? A collection of organs? A torso? A machine? A cluster of nerve endings?
It's all gray area for me right now. There is nothing solid to hold on to, yet at the same time, this nagging voice inside says it knows exactly who it is. This voice describes me more like a powerful computer, that just happens to have an old analogue monitor that takes a few minutes to warm up. Before it gets warmed up, it can only display a few colors, but once it's primed and ready to go, it has a great resolution and contrast ratio.
Did I just turn into a total nerd?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Battery acid + baking soda = foamy goodness
My car broke down. I thought it was the ignition switch because of the finicky way it was acting and how the power was cutting in and out as I turned the key, but I found out today that it was just the battery terminals being corroded.
Surprisingly, there wasn't as much corrosion on the terminals as there was a month ago when I cleaned them, but I guess it built up inbetween the battery posts and the cable clamps where it didn't look serious. So I poured some baking soda water on there and watched it fizz and bubble, then I scraped them down with a wire brush and now I have a running vehicle again!
A running vehicle with expired plates...
In other news, dinner is about ready. Spaghetti with clam sauce and garlic bread.
Surprisingly, there wasn't as much corrosion on the terminals as there was a month ago when I cleaned them, but I guess it built up inbetween the battery posts and the cable clamps where it didn't look serious. So I poured some baking soda water on there and watched it fizz and bubble, then I scraped them down with a wire brush and now I have a running vehicle again!
A running vehicle with expired plates...
In other news, dinner is about ready. Spaghetti with clam sauce and garlic bread.
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