My C.Y.B.O.R.G. acronym: Journeying Electronic Assassination Neohuman. That's exactly what I am! (link pilfered from Keith)

I'm going to try to stay offline all weekend and read a book for a change. What a novel idea! Sorry, bad pun. Bad Jean! Or is it really J.E.A.N. ...

I still don't like this design, even though it is my favorite so far. Reported legibility problems aside (even though it looks just fine in my 'puter), it's clean, simple, the colors are me ... but it's just so gall-danged boring! It's making me consider going back to the old hair & eyes background. I'll leave it as is for a bit, though. I'm just not feeling inspired enough to do anything with it right now. I'm not feeling inspired enough to do much of anything today, really.

So did Derek Powazek. I like it. I rather miss the big ass photo, though.

I decided I should, so I did.

You know, I had a good reason for using frames when I first redesigned this page, but now it's looking like my original idea isn't going to work. I should lose the frames. Shouldn't I?

Today in Suck: Me! Okay, no not really, but it might as well be about me. But I am in The Fish.

Speaking of the Fish page, often it's the most entertaining portion of that entire web site. With no slight to Polly, today is no exception. Nevermind Joey's nose, what about that receding hairline?

There, I lightened the background. Can you read it okay now?

Y'know, I've never really gotten the whole Navigator vs. Explorer debate.
They both have their good points, but as far as designing goes, the newer versions of IE are a lot more fun to design for because they support so much more of the fun design-type stuff. Since they're both free I don't really see how anybody wins or loses if I choose one over the other. Personally, I don't really care which of the big guys end up on top, because until browsers are standardized it's us little people who have to suffer. This whole competition, real or imagined, is so much bullshit.

Of course, I've never really gotten the Mac vs. PC debate, either (not that I ever let that keep me from participating, if only to tweak a few nerves). It's silly, really, since a person's choice in computing accessories is almost as personal as their choice in clothing or music. Use whatever works best for you.

It all reminds me of the "Chevy vs. Ford" rivalries they used to have in high school (I went to kind of a redneck school).

Today in Suck:

Seventh-grader Wallace Dahl is
no longer considered a "wussie"
or a "wimp," and eighth graders
will refrain in future from
showing him anything but
profound respect from a safe
distance. Also, Debate Club is
not "totally pussy," as
previously reported.

Oh how I wish I had the ability to work on one thing at a time, to sit down and finish a project before moving on to the next! This site is far from finished, but I keep getting new ideas, or new inspiration for old ideas, that are keeping me from being able to stay focused. 'Course, that's pretty much the story of my life.

That said, I have more new stuff in the works, so watch this space.

I went to Borders after work to tinker on my book, but my pen spat out this poem instead.

Random Blogger search on "tedious:"

funky and spunky: "I decide to change one little, little thing and before I know it I'm sucked into hours of work and tedious trouble shooting. Houston, we have troubles."

The Bus Stop: "i think i'm still interested in the sciences, but my motivation to attend tedious classes and do boring assignments is waning. i wonder why i've even come this far."

phish(tale): "not only is this tedious, it is destructive but, in so many ways, it provides cover for dubya."

Dave's Place: "(b) The word or expression so used.
In his frequent, long, and tedious speeches, it has been said that a trope never passed his lips."

Nothing OnLine: Realworld: "easy, but you know.. tedious work."

Jed-iBlog 2000: "In the place where people call me by my first name, and so many people write tedious and crummy poetry; in whose streets men with beards are sleeping, and many hot, caffeinated things are drunk; naked men are strolling - eew! - naked women too, in whom there is not a particle of shame ..."

My God, that search was tedious.

I was killing time in Target before the movie Saturday night and I spotted those Sound Bites thingamaboppers that T. Jay Fowler was going on about the other day. Curiosity got the better of me and I bought one. I got the FM radio one. It really is pretty nifty. Basically it's a little radio with no speakers and a slot in which to insert a sucker (it comes with a Blow Pop, but personally I prefer Tootsie Pops). You put the sucker in your mouth and it vibrates and sounds like a hi-fi speaker inside your head. Quite a sensation. Mine came with a speaker attachment so you can listen to it without sticking it in your mouth, so I thought I'd take it to work so I could listen to the radio (the pathetic computer they've given me doesn't have enough bandwidth to be able to handle net radio, and there's not really enough room on my desk for any of the nicer radios I own), but the toy radio only has two volume settings -- hi and low -- and the low setting with the speaker is too damned loud to play here. I'm not desperate enough for music to sit here working with a little transistor radio hanging out of my mouth. It might be different if the partitions on my cube were higher and everybody and their dog couldn't see me when they walk by. Then they'd stop and ask questions and I'm really not in the mood to explain my weird little radio to forty different people. Oh, but what I wouldn't give for walls. God, I sound like Les Nessman.

Playing Catchup:

I tried to post over the weekend, but I shifted positions just as I was about to post and my laptop came unplugged. Just as well, it was a long, introspective, contemplative entry, and probably would have just bored you.

Saturday night Tess and I went to see "Pitch Black." I came away from it with a new celebrity crush.

Also re: Saturday night -- the Sonic at 31st and Sheridan sucks. Their service is the worst in town, and their food is never cooked quite right. It's been that way for years. I don't know why I keep going there.

Over the weekend I made a lot of progress on my aunt's web site. It's basically finished, I just have to make sure it meets her approval and then set it up. It should be online later this week.

i redid my bio, and i'm quite proud of it. click on "self" above to see.

mitzi wants to be held. it's making it really hard to type (hence no capitals).

There is a Space Ghost action figure available at AnotherUniverse.com. He comes with a desk, chair, index cards and changeable "zap Zorak" hands! I'm still debating whether or not to buy it.

It seems I'm finally worthy of being listed inBlogger's directory. Funny, though, they've got me listed under Jan. 20 (the day I started blogging), yet there's a "New!" icon beside my link.

While perusing the big list, I saw that there are a lot of weblogs with "Random" or "Random Thought" in the title. Just for the record, I've been Random Thought Process for over three years now. I (or rather, my site) only just recently became a weblog.

For the sake of originality, however, maybe it's time to change the name. Any suggestions?

The unfortunate thing about procrastination is that while you're procrastinating there is seemingly endless time to get something done, and it's all about finding things with which to fill the void and stave off boredom while you're avoiding doing what needs doing ... then when you finally do start doing what needs doing all kinds of shit starts to happen to keep you from being able to do it.

The end is here at last. Let's all go out and get some sun.

Except for me, 'cause it's still raining.

Here's a good argument in favor of Flash.

You know, I think I like this with the colored backgrounds. I think I'm beginning to get there ...

I need to stop doing web stuff for a while and start writing again. Really writing, as in new fiction or poetry or even just personal essays -- something from within me instead of without. One thing I learned with my last attempt at writing a magazine article: I hate writing fact. I hate writing how-to's, I hate just reporting without interjecting any opinion or feeling into the piece ... it's not worth it for me even if that's the fastest road to getting paid for my work. I've been spending all of my allotted writing time working on old stuff, editing and polishing or converting to HTML (but wouldn't that count as web work more than writing?), and even just enough of that to stave off guilt, but it's been so long since I've done something that fed my spirit. I want to put everything else aside and just write: my new novel, some short story ideas that have been floating around my brain, bad poetry, even fan fiction; but I have too many other things to do that need doing that steal my focus and keep me from being able to keep at it when I try. I have to finish getting my old novel prepped for submission, for one thing. I'm so sick and tired of looking at that thing. Then there are the web sites. I'm too obsessed with getting this one to look right to be able to leave it alone right now. And I have to finish my aunt's puppet site. I need some good things to put in my portfolio so I can get some work, even though more work will leave me with even less time to write what I love.

[SIGH]

Sometimes I think I should just choose: writing, or web design. One or the other. There just isn't enough time to do both as long as I still have to hold a (completely unrelated) full time job. I must be crazy to even try.

And yet I'm still trying.

Go look at Keith's new design. If that doesn't inspire you, reading about Fiona most definitely will.

No sir, I don't like it. I'm not sure what I don't like about it, there are a few things I do like about it, but as a whole, I'm not too pleased with it. Back to the drawing board ...

Well, it's a start, I s'pose. Drop me a line and tell me what you think.

So far I'm hating all of my attempts at a new design.

Y'know, I'm getting really disgusted seeing all these little 19 and 20 year olds making money off of the web. The last straw came in Sunday's business section. If freaking Jimmy Worth can set up shop on the web, then by God, I should be able to, too. Of course, this is a boy who ran his own night club before he even graduated high school ...

Big changes coming! I just spent my lunch hour fiddling around with new design concepts for this site (including, obviously, moving the 'blog to the front page where it might actually get read). Maybe tonight I'll be able to upload them. Stay tuned ...

Now here's a fine example of Suck loyalty. Fast forward to 47:40 (or watch the whole thing ... Tim's commentary's worth listening to).

By the way, Terrence, we were at the Promenade tonight. We stopped by your store but you weren't there. I was going to bring you a cookie.

I just got home from seeing "Final Destination," and I'm still wired. What an intense movie. I knew when I saw the names Glen Morgan and James Wong in the opening credits that I was in for quite a ride. My neck and shoulders are sore from being tensed up for the majority of the flick.

Of course, some of that tension came from being upset with almost everybody in the audience for having total disregard for anyone around them. What is it with movie audiences today? I sat in the top row of a theater with stadium seating, so I could pretty well see and hear everything, and nobody bothered to whisper when they felt the urge to talk during the movie, and several people felt that urge a lot of times throughout the movie. Hell, people didn't even stop carrying on their pre-movie conversations until at least five minutes into the movie. And if you ask someone to be quiet, all that happens is that they look at you like you're the one who's being rude and they keep right on talking. And don't even get me started on the cell phones. I swear, at least every third person walked into the theater with a phone hanging from their ear, and many of them didn't bother to turn off their phones for the movie. The guy a few seats down from me actually made three phone calls during the movie, which irritated me even more than the kids sitting next to me flinging Skittles at people. At least they were just kids, the guy with the phone was old enough to know better. Movie prices just went up, too. The more expensive movies get, the worse audiences behave. I'm beginning to think that it's not even worth it to go out to a movie any more.

I had a discussion a while back about dressing for live theater, whether audiences should be expected to dress up or if it might be better to encourage dressing down in the hopes that a more casual attitude might encourage those who wouldn't normally attend a "stuffy" play or musical to start attending. While I think it would be a wonderful thing if more people got some exposure to live theater, it would be absolutely tragic if theater audiences started to behave anything like today's movie audiences. In some places, they already do. But in smaller locales where good theater is more scarce and therefore considered to be special, going to a play isn't just something you do on the weekend, it's something that you look forward to and plan your whole day around; and when you've payed $70 for a ticket, by God, you expect everyone around you to be on their best behavior and you do your best to return the courtesy. I certainly don't expect anyone to dress up or to hold such a reverent attitude toward going to the movies, but even if my ticket only cost $7 instead of $70, the fact is that I paid to hear the actors speak, not to listen to you call your girlfriend every five minutes or to discuss the plot as it's happening with your date. Just because going to a movie is a common thing doesn't mean when you go you shouldn't still use some common courtesy. And live cell phones shouldn't be allowed inside a movie theater under any circumstances.

And another thing -- some people consider watching the previews to be just as important as watching the actual movie, so don't think that it's okay to stand up in your row, blocking someone's view, and carry on a loud conversation all throughout the coming attractions! Eugh!

I'm up past my bedtime, watching Toonami and surfing 'blogs, too sleepy to keep up with either but too tired to get off the couch, shut it all down and go to bed. I have to get up tomorrow and try to finish that damned puppet site I've been working on for months. I finally came up with a design that I like. This is my fourth go at it, and the first time I managed to keep the puppets themselves from making the site look retarded. I think I'm going to be happy with it. I just hope my client (that is, my aunt) likes it, because I'm ready to be done with it. I've got other things to work on, like redoing this site (yes, again) for example.

If you're reading this and you have good HTML know-how, go try to help Mandarin fix his page. It's worth fixing, Netscape users shouldn't have to miss it.

Today in Suck ...

'Look, look, I'm in the coffin! You'll be coffin' up my choad if you don't shut up!' Ha ha.

Yes, I'm talkin' about the design, sparky.

Wow. I mean ... just, wow.

I feel sooo inadequate.

Suck link o' the day: In The Fish ...

"I've got
Bluebelly dead on both sides
of the old family tree, and
I'd happily kick your ass for
doubting the value and
nobility of their sacrifice."

Ooh! Patrick Warburton's gonna be The Tick! Yay! Now if they can just get Bruce Campbell to be Die Fledermaus ...

Oh my God, I'm in! I'm so shocked that I can't think of anything to say right now.

I read an article recently about how Dragonball Z is most likely going to replace Pokemon as the next big kiddie craze. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it means there will be plenty of DBZ action figures to populate my desk, and it also pretty well ensures that Cartoon Network will keep running it (maybe even with new episodes!); but, it also means that it will be overexposed to death, which will ultimately lead me to loathe it. Then again, DBZ has an attitude that Pokemon or Power Rangers just didn't have, and it's the first "big fad" since the Ninja Turtles that I didn't start out hating right off the bat. And I liked the Ninja Turtles, even after all of the hype.

Another thing that has me bothered is the fact that it's only a matter of time before my mom catches wind of this show through some preacher or televangelist and starts preaching to me about how evil it is because it promotes New Age philosophies and it's too gosh-darn violent (not my opinion, just what I know they'll say). Maybe so, but it's funny how they never mention on any of the positive aspects of these sorts of things ... such as the constant portrayal of bitter enemies putting aside their differences to work together for the greater good; or the family values promoted through Goku's relationship with his son; or Piccolo's evolution from evil, hate-filled bad-ass to noble, self-sacrificing warrior.

What really scares me is that they'll tone down the best things about this show for fear that it's too much for little kids to handle. They already edit a lot of the violence out for our fragile American sensibilities, and that's for the audience who watches it after midnight. Ah, well. I suppose if I'm really a fan I should be watching the uncut, subtitled videos anyway, instead of the cleaned up, dubbed rehashes they show on Toonami.

So Blogger is moving to a new server soon. Good. Then maybe I'll be able to access them from work (during my lunchtime or after hours, of course), which was pretty much the whole point behind this setup in the first place.

Actual fragments of conversations I had today:

"We shaved my cat last night ..."

"Were his eyes two different colors?"
"I didn't notice, but one of his teeth was all black and nasty ..."

"Is it wrong to quote evil villains?"

"It's never wrong to quote Gary Oldman."

"It makes me so happy that you recognized that."

God, but how I love my friends.

Let's see ... now that I've spent the entire morning on that little project, what should I do next? I should work on that article, which was one of the reasons I took today off in the first place. Then again, I could do the web section and finish this site. Or I could go work on my new novel, or get to work on the final draft of the old one. What I really want to do is put on my jammies and curl up on the couch with a book, or watch some more of Scott (I think my aunt taped that JonBenet movie he was in) ... I think that last one sounds too appealing to pass up. It's cold and rainy outside, and I really don't get that many opportunities to just laze about the house. I can finish my article tomorrow.

If you bypassed it on your way here, go look at my new main entry page.

I am totally smitten with Scott Cohen, the best thing about any of this week's miniseries.

And is it just me, or did anybody else (besides Eleni) notice that last night's Angel was a rip-off of the Star Trek: Voyager where Seven of Nine was held captive and forced to fight The Rock?

Polly Esther is my hero. And I'm not just saying that to get a free sticker.

My friend Tess has always thought that she and I should do our own radio show.