It’s funny, I heard the Coldplay song “Yellow” today. I have not listened to the song since the very first time I heard it years ago in college. Yes, that’s right I have only heard the song twice now. I specifically never listened to the song since that time.

I can recall exactly when and where I heard it the song. I was up all night working on a project for one of my computer classes. I can recall the exact program I was writing too! I had the TV on to make sure I stayed awake (I can’t seem to fall asleep if a TV is on, weird I know) and it was on MTV and “Yellow” came on.

With all the crap that was happening in my life at the time coupled with stress from school and life in general, I sat down in complete awe and simply soaked in the song. Then I sat and watched the sun come up until I couldn’t look at it any longer.

I don’t think there is any special meaning or some sort of profoundness associated with the song, I just think it’s amazing how hearing the song can bring back all those memories.

Its been a while (once again) but heres a quick update (not that anyone reads these).

Dragon*Con 09 has come to a close and the post D*C depression has set in. It doesn't seem as intense this year but that is likely due to the fact that I am preparing costumes for next year so in essence I am keeping the flame alive sort of speak. Costumes include Kratos (God of war), Yoshi (Super Mario Bros.), and possible the cybrog ninja (Metal Gear Solid 2).



Other than that its back to the grind.

New workout started this month and I discovered that a four month routine is too long. I should stick with three months or less.

Have a bunch of holidays in the next coming months I have to prepare for and I'm still trying to buy a house before the end of the year to get in on the $8000 Federal tax credit.

Oh I have started drawing again using my Wacom tablet so keep an eye out for new images and such.

OK so a quick little quip about cyclists. Firstly, I am all for "sharing the road" but think its stupid that in today's society we have to put signs up to tell motorists they they don't actually own the road they are on, and that anyone can use the road so long as they abide by the rules. But there are some dick cyclists that think they own the road. They don't maintain a close distance to the right curb, run red lights, hop sidewalks, and various other illegal and unsafe maneuvers. So in those rare cases I hope my side view mirror clips your dumb ass and sends you careening over the front end of your $2000 toy, because I'm not going to give you a wide clearing when I slap exhaust in your face.


As a side note, just heard this song 24.14 by b.fleischmann I really like it, check it out if you got the time.

Well I was going to write this up yesterday (Sunday) when I was only seconds from prying my eyeballs from their lovely little sockets. But instead the shear trauma of the situation forced me to play WOW and so I got side tracked, so here we are! I was sitting up at A Caribou, after having spent a lovely brunch with my family celebrating Fathers day, enjoying a cup of coffee and doing some office work (doing office work on a Sunday is whole other story). The Caribou is in a busy shopping center in the heart of south Charlotte and the latest past time for all the aging adults there is cycling.

Now don't get me wrong, I fully support anyone trying to improve their health with activities. However, irresponsible use of Spandex I cannot condone. So I'm enjoying my coffee and around the corner comes this lady on her cycle (that probably costs about 1.5-2 grand) FULLY decked out in spandex. Spandex shirt, shorts, even little sock booti thingys, and this is not a slender lady by any strech of the imagination. She has to weight at least 250 lbs. (perhaps more). In my twisted little head I hear the spandex screaming like some Vietnam Srgt. instructing his troops in the middle of a horrific fire fight. And it goes a little something like this. . . . :) "HOLD YOUR GROUND MEN!!! We have come too far to turn back now! We MUST hold our ground here and save the world from the horrors that are to be unleashed should we fail." Needless to say I'm giggling to myself by now and trying not to dry heave at the same time, quite the predicament!

Now I'm sure she read Lance Armstrong's nifty little book. She probably joined an online community that middle age women can chat with one another how the saddle is uncomfortable on their collective fat lethargic asses, hell, she has probably even picked up some of the lingo about her cycle while hanging out at the local cycle shop. But no matter how much she rides, that spandex she is wearing is NOT going to help her reduce her drag or make her more aerodynamic.

My point in all of this is that Spandex is a privilege not a right. People who are fat should not wear spandex under any circumstance. I don't care what the reason is. If the same fat ass simply painted themselves with body paint and tried to go out in public they would be slapped with a public indecency ticket. When a fat person wears spandex you can see all sorts of things that you should no one should ever have to endure.

I think I'll bitch about cyclists in general in my next post, stay tuned!

So anyone interested in the sit (short for situation) with my back, here's the low down. Seems I have herniated another disc in my back, this time the one between the fifth lumbar and the sacrum. You can see in the picture the previous two injuries from 2003 (the top two). So I spoke with the spine specialist, and then the surgeon and have decided on a course of action. I had good (not great) results with an epidural cortisol shot with the 2003 injury, so I am choosing to try that route first. If after two to three shots I have no improvement then I will start considering surgery. The only concern I have at the moment is that the new injury is substantially larger than the previous injury so I am uncertain how the shots will help. Hopefully the shots will be sufficient enough to stop the pain and help my body repair itself "naturally" rather than resorting to surgery. I go in on Friday (May 8th) for the shot then will meet with the Doctor a few weeks after to check on my progress.

Other than that nothing particularly interesting is happening right now. Making some progress in WOW getting geared to run some of the higher level dungeons so I can start raiding with my guild mates instead of PUG'ing all the time. Don't worry if that last sentence makes no sense, its video game related. Also I discovered a new Java based 3D Game Engine that I am considering using for my "paintball" tool. Once things slow down around the office (probabaly around June) I might actually get back to working on some of my personal projects I enjoy.

Have you ever heard a song and listened to it over and over and over again because of how strongly it tugs at your every essence of being? Words with music mixed into a sound so perfect it makes the mind travel to uncharted territories. Running over you body like a warm spring breeze wrapping you up in sunlight, sun so bright it feels like your eyes will explode from all the light. And at the same time, like jumping in a frozen lake in the dead of winter, a sudden rush of energy taking your breath away in the frigid air. Something so moving you don't know how you lived this long without it.

Yes I'm still talking about a song, plain and simple in its function but somehow more. Something that will live with me forever. I have come across a handful of songs like this in my life and there is always the foresight of the proverbial "other side of the coin" always lurking on the fringes of my mind. The knowledge that after some point the songs becomes mundane. But even with that knowledge I open myself to the song. Let it become part of me, more than me. I let it invade all the recesses of who I am knowing full well of the pain that lies ahead.

Then it happens, I hear the song and those emotions are a distant star millions of light years away. Just as bright, just as powerful, just not here. The song has not changed only myself. The song is a balloon and somewhere along the way I forgot to hold onto the string and now its leaving me slowly, painfully, but leaving me regardless. I try not to accept this and continue to listen, forcing myself to "feel" but its not the same.

But this is not the end. No, over time I continue to listen out of habit or perhaps a subconscious desire to glean any small amount of emotion I may have hidden away. Then one day it happens The song has a new meaning. Like reading the memoirs of another person the song conveys new emotions and now plays anew. The contrasting of my original feelings with the bitter sweet understanding that this song now has an additional meaning brings me back.


Or something like that. . . . :)