Catching Up on Lost Blogging Time
Looking Back at 2009
Plain and simply put, it wasn't the best. Losing my dad back in May was obviously the most prominent thing about it. And while I have found closure as the months passed, it definitely stung celebrating all those holidays without him. It's been a weird time for adjustment, but I've been taking it one day at a time. But there were good points to the year as well. And while they don't balance out a huge negative, they are worth noting:
• Mike Green signing my Caps jersey
• Will getting married
• Otakon 2009
• Day tripping to NYC with Mig and Rose
• Gemi Inc. going live
• Tour de Canada '09
And then there's the random crap I took with my cell phone.
Attempting Resolutions
I'm hoping the good outbalances the bad in 2010, so I'm going to pursue an overhauled rebound this year. While catching up on the web comic Sheldon, I came across this strip about New Years resolutions. It actually makes sense-people often address "the what," but never "the how." And because of that, I've come up with this list for the upcoming year:
• Commit myself to a set routine of exercise. Back in October, I fell out of my daily jogging routine, so I'm gonna try to get back into that rhythm. I'm gonna wait till maybe the end of the month to do this, since work's on-and-off and I still gotta find all my cold-weather running gear. Once I do that, I'm gonna map out two or three different jogging routes, so that each excursion stays fresh.
• Learn other forms of programming/development, namely Databases, PHP, and maybe Linux. At Gemi Inc., the workload's been split as me doing the front-end design work and Moe dealing with the back-end stuff. However, once I finish designing, I feel absolutely lost on what happens to everything, especially when MySQL enters the discussion. I came across this one book at Borders that teaches the basics of Databases through manga-storytelling, and from what I skimmed through, it might be a practical way for me to familiarize myself.
• Find that copy of Pimsleur's Basic Japanese and finish learning said foreign language. At the beginning of 2009, I started listening to it and was able to comprehend a good portion of the initial lessons. I found that listening to at least one lesson repeatedly during my jog was a good way to learn it. But then my iPod's battery gave out in the fall, so that routine fell out of practice. I recently got the battery replaced, so once I start jogging again, I should be back on track.
• Stop being absent when a friend contacts me. I hate being so reliant on technology, but nowadays it has become obligatory and necessary. Around Christmas, my friend David was apparently in town, but I missed his call. And when I realized he did, it was like two days later, and he was already on his way back to Fort Hood. Then last Saturday, I totally spaced out on an invitation to Lisa's (Mig's girlfriend) party. So in hindsight, this resolution is more or less an attempt to keep up with friends, especially ones I don't see often.
Shakeup in DC Pro-Sports
First off there's football. I'm really psyched about everything happening to the Redskins. For starters, it seems owner/pseudo-GM Dan Snyder has finally loosened his chokehold with the franchise, and letting proper management do the job. I approve of Mike Shanahan being named the new coach-you can't go wrong with someone's who's won two Superbowls! And while a new face is always good, I'm curious to see what happens with certain players like Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis. I'm already anxious for the 2010-2011 Season.
Then there's basketball. With his gun debacle, me thinks Gilbert Arenas's EA curse finally caught up to him. There's nothing left for me to say that hasn't already been said about his altercation with Javaris Crittenton. I mean, the dude is finally back to a healthy season and then he does something completely boneheaded in a lame attempt at humor. What ever happened to harmless stuff like getting a pie to the face? And while keeping his firearms away from his kid was a justifiable excuse, wouldn't that warrant buying a damn lockbox/safe? Agent Zero is pretty much done in Washington, so I really hope the Wizards can get passed this ordeal, even if we're in for another losing season.
Finally, to hockey. Went to the Caps-Habs game last week, and was surprised when Alex Ovechkin came out during the pre-game warmups donning the "C" on his jersey. A part of me was a bit disappointed that Brooks Laich didn't get it, but hey, peers' faith in one player's leadership is a lot more important than another's list of statistical credentials. So in that regard, I have no problem with Ovie as Captain. It only means he'll be the first one to raise the Cup. :D I took a few pics from the game, as well as a video with the starting lineup. And yes that's me yelling "Captain Ovie."
Pics
EDIT: Apparently, some users aren't getting the pics to work, so here's a direct link to each pic:
Ovechkin with the "C"
Knubes and Ovie
Jason Chimera
Another Pic of Captain Ovie
Horn Guy with an Olympic Sign
Goalie Matchup
Max Pacioretty Being Helped Up
Scrum after the Caps' Third Goal
Another Scrum
Intermission Replay of Semin's Goal
World Juniors Update
Semin Tossing a Puck... and Failing
Video
Plain and simply put, it wasn't the best. Losing my dad back in May was obviously the most prominent thing about it. And while I have found closure as the months passed, it definitely stung celebrating all those holidays without him. It's been a weird time for adjustment, but I've been taking it one day at a time. But there were good points to the year as well. And while they don't balance out a huge negative, they are worth noting:
• Mike Green signing my Caps jersey
• Will getting married
• Otakon 2009
• Day tripping to NYC with Mig and Rose
• Gemi Inc. going live
• Tour de Canada '09
And then there's the random crap I took with my cell phone.
Attempting Resolutions
I'm hoping the good outbalances the bad in 2010, so I'm going to pursue an overhauled rebound this year. While catching up on the web comic Sheldon, I came across this strip about New Years resolutions. It actually makes sense-people often address "the what," but never "the how." And because of that, I've come up with this list for the upcoming year:
• Commit myself to a set routine of exercise. Back in October, I fell out of my daily jogging routine, so I'm gonna try to get back into that rhythm. I'm gonna wait till maybe the end of the month to do this, since work's on-and-off and I still gotta find all my cold-weather running gear. Once I do that, I'm gonna map out two or three different jogging routes, so that each excursion stays fresh.
• Learn other forms of programming/development, namely Databases, PHP, and maybe Linux. At Gemi Inc., the workload's been split as me doing the front-end design work and Moe dealing with the back-end stuff. However, once I finish designing, I feel absolutely lost on what happens to everything, especially when MySQL enters the discussion. I came across this one book at Borders that teaches the basics of Databases through manga-storytelling, and from what I skimmed through, it might be a practical way for me to familiarize myself.
• Find that copy of Pimsleur's Basic Japanese and finish learning said foreign language. At the beginning of 2009, I started listening to it and was able to comprehend a good portion of the initial lessons. I found that listening to at least one lesson repeatedly during my jog was a good way to learn it. But then my iPod's battery gave out in the fall, so that routine fell out of practice. I recently got the battery replaced, so once I start jogging again, I should be back on track.
• Stop being absent when a friend contacts me. I hate being so reliant on technology, but nowadays it has become obligatory and necessary. Around Christmas, my friend David was apparently in town, but I missed his call. And when I realized he did, it was like two days later, and he was already on his way back to Fort Hood. Then last Saturday, I totally spaced out on an invitation to Lisa's (Mig's girlfriend) party. So in hindsight, this resolution is more or less an attempt to keep up with friends, especially ones I don't see often.
Shakeup in DC Pro-Sports
First off there's football. I'm really psyched about everything happening to the Redskins. For starters, it seems owner/pseudo-GM Dan Snyder has finally loosened his chokehold with the franchise, and letting proper management do the job. I approve of Mike Shanahan being named the new coach-you can't go wrong with someone's who's won two Superbowls! And while a new face is always good, I'm curious to see what happens with certain players like Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis. I'm already anxious for the 2010-2011 Season.
Then there's basketball. With his gun debacle, me thinks Gilbert Arenas's EA curse finally caught up to him. There's nothing left for me to say that hasn't already been said about his altercation with Javaris Crittenton. I mean, the dude is finally back to a healthy season and then he does something completely boneheaded in a lame attempt at humor. What ever happened to harmless stuff like getting a pie to the face? And while keeping his firearms away from his kid was a justifiable excuse, wouldn't that warrant buying a damn lockbox/safe? Agent Zero is pretty much done in Washington, so I really hope the Wizards can get passed this ordeal, even if we're in for another losing season.
Finally, to hockey. Went to the Caps-Habs game last week, and was surprised when Alex Ovechkin came out during the pre-game warmups donning the "C" on his jersey. A part of me was a bit disappointed that Brooks Laich didn't get it, but hey, peers' faith in one player's leadership is a lot more important than another's list of statistical credentials. So in that regard, I have no problem with Ovie as Captain. It only means he'll be the first one to raise the Cup. :D I took a few pics from the game, as well as a video with the starting lineup. And yes that's me yelling "Captain Ovie."
Pics
EDIT: Apparently, some users aren't getting the pics to work, so here's a direct link to each pic:
Ovechkin with the "C"
Knubes and Ovie
Jason Chimera
Another Pic of Captain Ovie
Horn Guy with an Olympic Sign
Goalie Matchup
Max Pacioretty Being Helped Up
Scrum after the Caps' Third Goal
Another Scrum
Intermission Replay of Semin's Goal
World Juniors Update
Semin Tossing a Puck... and Failing
Video